Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 125: The Witnesses’ Infiltration Plan
Although Myss hadn’t been in the human world for very long, even he felt that the Crimson Marsh possessed a strange sense of order.
Mondicia was vast and sparsely populated, and its customs were relatively isolated. Myss could understand all that. Yet he still had the feeling that the entire city obeyed some indescribable rule.
There was only one inn, and it served only three meals a day. Unlike other cities, it had no restaurant open at all hours. There was also only one tavern, selling every kind of drink along with desserts and simple food to accompany them.
Now they had found the bakery. It sold nothing but bread and jam, with only a few desserts. When Myss looked closely, he saw that the loaves in the display case were identical to those served at the inn. They had clearly been bought here.
There were no competing shops clustered together, nor businesses with heavily overlapping services.
This was plainly a desolate city patched together from ruins, yet the entire place was as peaceful as a sealed aquarium.
Night had only just fallen. This should have been the most chaotic time of day, but the Crimson Marsh remained just as orderly as it had been during daylight.
A bell jingled as Myss pushed open the bakery door.
There was only one person inside, a plump, round-faced woman sitting in a rocking chair and reading a book with enormous print. The moment she heard customers enter, she lifted her face and gave them a warm smile.
“Welcome, dears.”
“The bread is all under the glass covers. Choose whatever you like, but don’t squeeze it. Bring it to me when you’re ready to pay. If you’re not sure what you want, I can give you some suggestions.”
“Thank you.” Salaar smiled and nodded.
Myss naturally needed no shopping advice. He sniffed the warm aroma of bread and bought two small round loaves of roughly equal size, along with an extra piece of fresh, tempting nut toast.
It was all Salaar’s fault. Myss had eaten quite a few delicious nuts that afternoon, and now he couldn’t stop craving them.
Seeing Myss carry over a large piece of toast, Salaar also bought some butter and jam. The woman, who appeared to be the owner, placed everything inside a net bag woven from fine cord and handed it to them with both hands.
“The Eye-Opening Ceremony is tomorrow,” Salaar said as he accepted the bag, making no move to leave immediately. “Will the shops close? We’re witnesses from out of town, so we don’t know much about the local customs.”
“Oh, no, not at all.” The woman laughed heartily. “Every shop will operate as usual, and there won’t be any messy street stalls either. Lord Blind God is our savior and friend, not an excuse for entertainment.”
She must have noticed their curiosity, because she pulled a bowl of homemade biscuits from beneath the counter.
The biscuits had an unusual fragrance. Myss saw crushed spices and medicinal herbs scattered across them.
The woman picked one up herself and took a hearty bite.
“Since you’re guests here for the ceremony, try my newest recipe. If even outsiders can get used to the flavor, I certainly won’t have to worry about selling them.”
Then she winked at Salaar and Myss.
“How about two cups of soothing honey tea as well?”
Myss stared at the dark flecks of herbs. Probably only Kalen would find biscuits like these appealing.
He nudged Salaar with his body. Understanding immediately, Salaar stepped forward, politely picked one up, and chewed it slowly.
“…A very novel flavor. Guests who enjoy stronger tastes will certainly like it.”
“Oh my, you young people certainly have a way with words.”
The woman laughed again. She pulled a round copper teapot from beneath the counter and poured them two cups of tea.
It seemed she was happy for them to stay a while longer.
“Speaking of which, what exactly is the Blind God’s Blessing?” Salaar asked with a gossipy expression, looking every bit like an idle tourist. “Did all the sacrifices really end up marrying?”
The woman immediately became more animated. She solemnly patted down her skirt.
“Of course. My younger sister and her husband met when they were selected as sacrifices.”
“Bless the Blind God, the two of them are doing wonderfully now. My sister is even pregnant. To tell you the truth, I made these biscuits for her. She loves herbal tea more than anything.”
“Lord Blind God is truly merciful,” Salaar praised generously.
No, this was definitely strange, Myss thought.
The Blind God selected two young people out of nowhere, and after serving as sacrifices once, they had to marry? Why call it the Blind God? It might as well be renamed the God of Love.
Were they affected by mental magic while serving as sacrifices? Or did they undergo some strange ritual?
Unfortunately, the Archdemon was already exhausted and couldn’t be bothered to think any harder. This matter probably had little to do with V.O.R anyway. Participating in the Eye-Opening Ceremony was essentially a vacation, and Myss had no desire to tire himself out.
So he decided to count the pieces of nuts in the toast instead.
“Salaar!”
Just as Salaar was preparing to ask more questions, the Dragon Fae squeezed through the crack in the door. He dove forward and nearly crashed into Salaar’s nose.
Under the yellowish light, the Dragon Fae looked entirely black. His scales shimmered faintly like polished obsidian.
“A group of people has gone to the inn looking for you. Judging by their clothes, they’re clergy. You should hurry back and see what they want.”
Tass glanced at the bakery owner and spoke as indirectly as possible.
They had come.
Myss and Salaar exchanged a glance, immediately said goodbye to the bewildered woman, and left without even drinking the honey tea.
Once outside, however, they didn’t hurry back. Instead, they found a secluded corner.
Myss waved one hand, and the clothes covering his upper body vanished instantly.
“We have to be quick,” he said solemnly.
Tass: “?”
Tass: “Hello? I’m still here.”
Salaar gave Tass a helpless look, then moved his fingers with practiced speed. Within seconds, he had dismantled the bread bag into several lengths of sturdy hemp cord.
Myss condensed part of his magic into a thick needle and used it to guide the cord through the two small round loaves. Then he tied them across his chest.
“How does it look?”
Tass: “…???”
The scene before him had already surpassed the limits of his comprehension.
Salaar looked Myss up and down for a while, then shook his head.
“Not right.”
“What isn’t right?”
Myss was still trying to understand when Salaar clapped both hands hard against the two separate loaves, flattening them slightly so their edges lay seamlessly against Myss’s skin.
Then Salaar selected several additional cords and added two shoulder straps, making sure the loaves hung at the correct height.
Myss raised a brow and restored his ranger’s clothing.
Salaar’s technique really was good. Myss’s figure now looked much more natural than before.
“You seem very experienced,” Myss clicked his tongue.
“I’ve dissected quite a few corpses. That counts as personal experience,” Salaar said with a smile. “I can at least tell whether the anatomy looks correct.”
“Can someone explain this to me?” Tass asked with difficulty. “You do realize how strange this looks, especially to a Dragon Fae?”
To the genderless Dragon Faes, this behavior was roughly equivalent to suddenly attaching horns or a mane to oneself.
“Let’s go back now,” Salaar said. “Keep feeling confused. That genuine emotion will be useful.”
Tass: “…”
He had truly had enough of these two.
……
At the inn.
Facing a solemn group of clergy, Father Kalen tugged self-consciously at his new clothes, even though he knew perfectly well that he wasn’t wearing the robes of the Order of Shadows.
“So you’re saying our companions were selected as sacrifices?” Earl looked astonished. “So suddenly? And both of them were chosen?”
“Yes.”
The young priest leading the group took out a roll of parchment and checked the names again.
“As I informed you earlier, Lord Blind God delivered a prophecy and selected Mr. Salaar and Miss Myss.”
Kalen: “Miss… Myss…?”
Earl gave a loud, deliberate cough.
“It’s like this, sir. Those two are a couple. We only happened to travel with them for a while and don’t know them particularly well.”
“As you can see, they aren’t even staying in the same room as us. As far as I know, they only went out to buy something and should return soon.”
The young priest nodded solemnly.
Kalen hesitated, then decided to ask the most important question.
“So we must be separated from them.”
“My apologies. During the Eye-Opening Ceremony, no unrelated persons are permitted inside the Root Church.”
It seemed that to prevent accidents, Kalen would have to use the Lord of Shadow’s power to infiltrate the church. He gave an inward sigh.
Fortunately, the people here liked to wear gemstone fragments, so Tass would also find it easy to hide.
However, that meant Earl would be the only person excluded from their plans.
They needed an excuse.
“We’ve traveled separately before. It’s nothing,” Earl said before Kalen could speak. “Mr. Kalen, I’m not feeling very well. I’ll return to the room and rest.”
“Let me know once there’s any news.”
The young priest nodded toward the people behind him. A plainly dressed boy stepped forward.
“Just in case, I’ll escort you back to your room.”
“Please understand. Time is limited, and we don’t want any accidents,” the young priest added gently. “There have been cases in the past where selected witnesses became overly nervous and ran off.”
Earl laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going back to warn anyone. Follow me if you like.”
Seeing Earl preparing to leave, Kalen hurriedly stumbled through an excuse.
“I-I’d still like to see more of the Crimson Marsh at night, so tonight I’ll…”
“Do whatever you want. You don’t need to report to me. I sleep like the dead anyway.” Earl waved without looking back.
That should have fooled him, Kalen thought, releasing a long breath.
When Myss and Salaar returned, he would use the Lord of Shadows’ concealment and quietly follow the procession from behind.
Of course, he believed that Salaar truly was the legendary “Saint Salaar.” But Salaar had also told them that his strength hadn’t yet fully recovered. Kalen had to fulfill his responsibilities as a teammate.
Meanwhile.
Earl opened the room door and made a deliberate inviting gesture toward the boy behind him.
“After you.”
The boy kept one hand on the short knife at his waist and stepped warily through the doorway.
Under his scrutiny, Earl slowly locked the window and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Don’t mind me. Please rest,” the boy said stiffly. “Once Mr. Salaar and Miss Myss return, I’ll leave immediately.”
“That won’t do,” Earl said with a smile.
“Wha—”
The boy frowned, but before he could finish the question, the smiling Earl vanished from before his eyes.
The next instant, something cold pressed against the boy’s neck.
The sensation was horribly familiar. It was clearly his own short knife.
The boy’s body tensed instinctively as he tried to shout, but no sound emerged from his throat.
Before his terrified eyes, his limbs dissolved into flesh-colored smoke. His entire body was drawn into a black, pearl-like sphere.
The short knife hit the floor with a clang. Within a few brief seconds, nothing remained except a heap of empty clothes.
Earl hummed softly and casually played with the black bead, which was only slightly larger than a pea.
The bead was smooth and warm, retaining the temperature of a human body. It pulsed faintly in his palm. The boy had been completely sealed inside it.
Earl was quite certain that when everything was over, the unfortunate child would remember nothing.
Then Earl flipped his hand, and the bead vanished as if by magic.
“Time to work…”
Click.
Earl took two steps back and locked the door.
The indoor lamps continued flickering, stretching Earl’s shadow far across the room.
A series of obscure chants followed, accompanied by the scalp-prickling sound of flesh being squeezed and reshaped.
The long shadow flowed, twisted, and swayed across the wooden floor.
When it finally stabilized again, it had become considerably smaller and thinner.
The naked “boy” hummed a tune as he picked up the clothes scattered across the floor.
“Kalen, Kalen, Kalen.”
The person who had been “Earl” adjusted his voice, gradually sounding more and more like the boy himself.
“…Haa. Since you insist on following them, I suppose I’ll have to accompany you to the very end.”
The author has something to say:
Myss inside the seal: This Salaar is completely inexplicable. He plays with his own food every day. Ridiculous.
Myss now: [cat paw] (playing with bread) [cat paw]
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