“He should at least leave you a gun.” The mechanical hound lowered its body at Duan Lili’s feet.
Tang Yibu’s outfit was very simple. He had on black trousers and sturdy boots, and the clothes on his upper body were very tight. Similar to most survivors, he also tied a fragmentary waist bag around his waist, but Duan Lili had scanned him twice but found no place where he was hiding a gun.
However, it was still possible he was hiding a knife close to his body, so she took two cautious steps back.
“We don’t know much, except for the fact that you may be ‘taking orders from others’. To be honest, with a situation like this, you can consider cooperating with us.” Tang Yibu spoke quickly.
He raised his hands a little lower. His fingers trembled slightly like a puppeteer, making weird gestures as if he was playing an invisible piano. Duan Lili aimed at them vigilantly. She thought it would be an encrypted communication gesture, but the gunfire on the fifth floor sounded frequently, and the dangerous person surnamed Ruan didn’t sound like he was free to communicate.
Of course, this may also be a personal quirk. Duan Lili maintained a good rhythm of breathing. Her hand holding the gun was extremely stable, and there was no trembling at all.
“Not enough,” Duan Lili hissed. The muzzle of her gun flickered and a blood mark suddenly appeared on Tang Yibu’s cheek. “The man surnamed Ruan spoke so much, and he was pretty confident. Such a simple explanation can’t fool me. Taking orders from someone else? Which ship, huh? I’ll repeat it again. Be honest.”
Tang Yibu’s fingers did not move.
“Lao Fan, don’t shoot!” He looked behind Duan Lili, and his face was full of horror.
Duan Lili turned around subconsciously, and there was no one behind her.
“Is this a fun game to you?” Duan Lili sneered softly. “Look around. This place has collapsed like this and you have nowhere to run. Even if I lose my mind, these mechanical police dogs will not let you go.”
“You’re nervous.” After the seemingly meaningless prank, Tang Yibu pointed out a little happily. “You are wondering why we didn’t think you wanted to usurp Fan Baiyan’s position but instead felt that you were taking orders from someone else. You’re thinking about whether you made a mistake. That’s why you’re questioning me like this.”
“That’s right.” The softness and fragility in Duan Lili’s temperament were gone, leaving only the cold and hardness of a soldier. “I don’t hate smart people, Tang Yibu. Tell me and perhaps I’ll let you live.”
“Is this your last question?”
“…What?”
“If you just want to seize power, it’s more reasonable to keep the people who you’ve persuaded. Fan Baiyan can forge fireflies that have no medicinal effect, and you can take advantage of this. Taking a step back, even if you can’t do it, there are many ways for people to pretend to eat them. That way, you could conserve your strength, and with your authority to organize the assessment report, it’s not difficult to cultivate your own power… However, in order to appear harmless, you personally become addicted to the drug. People who are determined to seize power wouldn’t be so short-sighted.”
Tang Yibu’s smile became bigger.
“Disperse ambitious and capable young people, and at the same time, shape yourself into a sad character. People who want to be captains don’t do this. It’s more like “sowing”, cultivating their hatred for Elysium, making them into potential new captains, and leaving a way for themselves to transfer power.”
The only smile left on Duan Lili’s face also disappeared.
“Continue,” she hissed.
“Thinking about it, it’s difficult to have a long-term rule in this environment. Fan Baiyan is getting older, and the current management is tantamount to killing chickens to take their eggs. It’s normal for MUL-01 to not want to use him anymore. Yu Le also resolutely refused to touch fireflies, which made him difficult to control. You hope that new forces will be nurtured through this chaos. This is the real reason why you’re willing to give us information, right, Miss Duan? …Guessing a bit further, you said those things to my Mr. Ruan just to determine who he really is. Unfortunately, I think he—”
“His personality is abnormal, and he can’t become acclimated.” As soon as the name MUL-01 came out, Duan Lili completely abandoned her disguise.
She made an unquestionable offensive posture, and her technique of holding a gun was extremely sophisticated. More attacking machines broke through the wall and came to her side.
“Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye.” She spoke briskly, but her eyes weren’t slack. “You have fought a beautiful death for yourselves—the two of you know what you shouldn’t know. I need to study the information in your brain. At least those two good-looking faces can still remain intact.”
Before Duan Lili’s voice fell, the mechanical police dogs flew out. Tang Yibu didn’t have any props that could be used to escape, and the semi-collapsed sixth floor had limited space for movement. The handsome young man was forced to the terrace, where he was about to be knocked down by a mechanical police dog.
Still, this didn’t make Miss Duan let go of her vigilance. She fired several shots at Tang Yibu’s heart and then tore open the hem of her cheongsam.
“It seems that that is indeed your last question.” She got a response that shouldn’t exist.
There were no screams of pain or agony. The tearing sound of flesh and blood she was used to sounded, but the texture sounded different from before. A mechanical police dog was thrown at her feet with its head torn off and a milky white liquid with a metallic texture dripped to the ground.
It stood to reason that a mechanical police dog that had been strengthened with the D-type Prototype, even if it malfunctioned and lost its combat abilities, wouldn’t be this severely damaged.
Her opponent had hidden equipment.
Duan Lili’s heart sank. She didn’t even think about it, and immediately activated her strongest protection. A diamond-shaped mask instantly covered her, and she grabbed the laser bombardment cannon from the attacking machine and blasted it in the direction of Tang Yibu.
But after the smoke dissipated, there were only craters on the almost shattered terrace.
The mechanical police dogs were lying all over the ground, and fragments of limbs embedded with metal could be seen everywhere. Duan Lili threw off her high heels, stood barefoot in a pool of viscous mechanical life blood, and looked around as quickly as possible.
The heat source alarm of the attacking machines alerted her. The two bulky things stretched out six stout feet, and a spherical designer rotated flexibly, shooting towards the ceiling.
“Medium defense activate,” Duan Lili ordered decisively. She didn’t see anything where the heat source was alerting her.
If it weren’t for the iron bead that had been put down and was still trembling behind the trash can, she would have suspected that the Tang Yibu she saw was a phantom from the beginning. Was that guy still here? Or did he escape? In this Sea of Ruins full of outlaws, revealing one’s identity was an extremely serious dereliction of duty. If things got worse, maybe she would have to directly blow up all of Elysium…
“Hi,” Tang Yibu said.
She looked at the source of the sound—the seemingly gentle young man was glued to the wall.
Duan Lili originally thought that the other party had used some kind of fixing device, perhaps a strong magnetization hook or something else. She overturned this idea in the next second. The man inserted his five fingers directly into the wall, as if it wasn’t made of concrete but a soft piece of butter.
It was impossible for normal humans to be strengthened to this point. Those golden eyes were hidden in the shadows, and their owner was like some kind of concealed poison.
Duan Lili didn’t hesitate and activated the bombardment cannon again. The offensive heavy machine standing on her right hand jumped directly on it. Even if the mechanical police dogs weren’t very useful, these two big guys could survive a nuclear explosion and would always save her life.
Tang Yibu flashed like a beam of light, lightly, like a group of annoying catkins, which would escape with the flow of air brought about by all attacks.
This wasn’t a researcher.
Duan Lili hid herself behind another giant machine and squatted down in a well-trained manner.
On the opposite side was an enhanced android, or something else disguised as a human. The origin of that “Ruan Lijie” was not insignificant. She had never heard of an android with such combat power that existed in the world. Even among the elite of the rebel army, there was no intelligence of a similar weapon.
Where did they come from? Does it have anything to do with the missing Ruan Xian?
She panted eagerly and decided to upload the information to the Mainbrain immediately. This was undoubtedly a big discovery. For the sake of this information, MUL-01 may forgive her for her mistakes in her work…
However, only darkness responded to her.
Duan Lili’s brain buzzed. Information and communications were completely blocked, and she didn’t even know when and how the other party did it. No, no, those strange gestures, that lame prank…
“Maximum defense!” She put all the protection she could put on her body. Her entire person was covered like an ornament covered by a multi-layer crystal ball. The heavy machine that attacked returned to her side, and the two machines changed their forms, covering her in the middle and retreating out like a tank.
“Get out of here. Get out of here quickly!” Duan Lili slammed on the console, and a certain emotion that she hadn’t felt for many years grabbed her. The initiative that was grasped in her hand slipped away from her fingers like quicksand for the first time.
…She began to feel fear.
Facts had proven that Duan Lili’s intuition was correct. Opponents who exposed their strength never gave up easily.
The two tightly stitched machines were abruptly broken apart by two hands, and a bloody hand pressed on the multi-layer barrier that was in effect. Those barriers were like thin ice that encountered a soldering iron, which broke in an instant and dissipated in the air with the smoke.
“Impossible.” She gritted her teeth and bombarded the opponent with her bombardment gun without giving up. “This is a D-type product!”
Generally speaking, high-quality D-type products could only be broken by A-type products. And there had never been any humanoids in records, unless…
She suddenly opened her eyes wide.
An old type of android that contained human tissue. There was only one A-type correlation that could be combined and utilized by human tissues in the world.
Only one.
Tang Yibu separated the two heavy machines like a peach and squatted in front of Duan Lili’s driving platform with a smile on his face. But in this scene, that gentle smile made people’s hair stand straight up.
“Old models always have the benefits of their origin. Otherwise, I wouldn’t choose it.” Tang Yibu shook his head, as if he understood her thoughts. “Sorry, Miss Duan. I have never gotten along with the Order Supervisors.”
“No… It was destroyed a long time ago… The records of the Mainbrain aren’t wrong…”
Duan Lili didn’t feel pain, but she saw the hand go through her chest barehanded. She wanted to speak, but at most she could only open her mouth and squeeze out a muddy gurgling sound from the depths of her throat.
“In theory, the A-type Prototype was indeed ‘destroyed’ by human tissues.”
Tang Yibu withdrew his hand, shook the blood from it, and stared at the corpse in front of him. A few seconds later, he glanced at the fifth floor and answered by moving his mouth without making any sounds.
“… I won’t explain anything else. After all, I have already answered your last question.”
A hundred miles away.
A long-haired woman stood up from the liquid and coughed at the waste tank next to her. She twisted her wet black hair, pulled it up skillfully, and then put on a bathrobe.
“Captain Duan Ying, welcome back. You have been on duty in the Sea of Ruins for a total of 1,927 days, 21 hours, 45 minutes, and 6 seconds. The reason for the termination of the mission is physical damage. According to the communication information that can be traced back, the person responsible is Fan Baiyan.”
The light screen was projected before her eyes, replaying the last memory retained by the black box over and over again. The handsome young man’s face was a little blurred in the smoke and fire, but his voice was very clear.
“Fan Lao, don’t shoot!” The young man shouted in horror.
Duan Lili— Duan Ying frowned. She had an intuition that there was something wrong, but the young man’s performance couldn’t be faulted. Maybe Fan Baiyan really planned to go back to the room to take something, but he happened to find that she was commanding the machines.
Forget it, she thought.
They were just two smart young people, but not that smart. Ruan Lijie certain won’t be able to withstand a rain of bullets. He even forgot to leave a weapon behind for Tang Yibu. She just dispatched a few mechanical police dogs, so it won’t cause too much excessive suspicion.
As for Fan Baiyan, that old coot won’t have many years left.
“I will hand in the mission report on time.” She made a gesture towards the guidance machine floating in front of her. “It’s my responsibility, and I am willing to obey all orders. By the way, I’ll also prepare a list of people to watch out for. My next appointment needs my attention.”
She only needed to add them to the Sea of Ruins’ sensitive list, and her successor would take care of them.
“Understood,” the cold mechanical voice replied. “Do you have anything else to add?”
“No.” Duan Ying shook her head. “I will arrange it.”
She would arrange everything, and she even arranged her own “death” on Elysium.
The seeds had been sown, and even if Fan Baiyan sank, there would always be a next “Fan Baiyan”.
Tang Yibu ordered the machine to evacuate and pressed the corpse under the ruins. The D-type heavy machine really lived up to its reputation as the pain it inflicted on him made groan. He suffered two solid blows to his abdomen. After a while, Tang Yibu picked up the frightened iron bead out of the trash can and limped to the fifth floor.
“You were there for a long time.” Ruan Xian knocked out a patrolman who was trying to throw a grenade. Tang Yibu rushed towards him, raised his eyebrows, and quickly swept his eyes over the other party’s blood-stained right arm.
“Got rid of it,” Tang Yibu hummed. “She’s indeed an Order Supervisor.”
“Very good.” Ruan Xian didn’t even look at him. He shot a few shots behind him, and another series of screams sounded. “It seems that we can leave this shithole with peace of mind.”
Tang Yibu lowered his head and looked at the structure used by the blood gun to suck blood. A bit pitiful.
“Injured?”
“I was hit a few times.”
Ruan Xian sighed, drew out the healing blood gun, and just planned to shoot…
“They’re here. I see them!” a sharp voice shouted. “Come here!”
Ruan Xian clicked his tongue and retracted the gun that was on the shoulder of the android.
“It seems that keeping our disguise is still useful,” he muttered, grabbing Tang Yibu’s blood-soaked collar with one hand, biting his tongue, and kissing him roughly.
He didn’t feel disgusted this time. The air was full of corpse stench, blood, and choking smoke, and screams and curses were heard in his ears all the while he was knelt down on the ground full of bloody corpse water, holding a gun in his hand, and leaning against the flickering grass while kissing the inhuman object in front of him.
This should be crazy and wrong, and he should feel off about it. A voice repeated desperately in his mind.
But it felt very… right.
This complicated feeling made his hair stand on its tips.
Ruan Xian put his spare hand into Tang Yibu’s slightly long black hair, and the other party’s body temperature made him shudder as if he had thorns stuck to his back. Deep in his mind, something was slowly breaking.
For more than 20 years, he seemed to have always touched everything through thick gloves, and now for the first time he had touched something with his skin—something full of danger and unknown, but unusually warm.
Tang Yibu deepened the kiss with satisfaction, and bright red blood dripped from the corners of their mouths.
“I don’t want to deal with these bastards anymore.” After separating, Ruan Xian wiped the blood from his mouth and panted a bit. “Take me out of here.”
“Okay.” Tang Yibu picked up the other party, broke through the nearest window, and jumped into the darkness. The iron bead bit Tang Yibu’s clothes and fell down with them.
“Go to the Walking Stones?” A smile appeared on Tang Yibu’s face under the reflection of artillery fire.
“Let’s take a look at the situation first.” Ruan Xian looked at the Walking Stones fleet that was struggling to attack Elysium. “Fan Baiyan is still there.”
‘There was no need to say the rest. Tang Yibu will understand,’ Ruan Xian thought.
Elysium hadn’t really been “disordered” yet, and Tu Rui may not have been willing to fulfill his promise. While Duan Lili was “dead”, the real melee had just begun.
The author has something to say:
Tang is not innocent and cute (…) He doesn’t believe in anyone, he really doesn’t trust anyone_(:””∠)_
The air in the entire commercial building became scorching. The lights were mixed with fire and flickered ghostly. The explosion calmed the crazy people a little. They were like sleepwalkers who had just been awakened, and they began to subconsciously crowd the upper floors.
Except for a few people who had just joined and maintained their sanity, no one else was left.
“I hope you hurt Fan Baiyan severely.” Duan Lili stood up slowly, her messy hair hanging down her cheeks. “Tang Yibu promised me you wouldn’t destroy Elysium… Fan Baiyan isn’t a good leader, so it’s good to teach him a lesson, but you… You are going to destroy this entire ship…”
“What are you trying to express, Miss Duan?” The demon-like young man leaned on the edge of the railing. “It seems that you’re very keen on putting the blame on us. We should come up with the best solution for you, think about the problem from your standpoint, and understand all your difficulties. Even despite the fact that we were tricked into getting on the ship by your people and forced to take drugs.”
“Why?” He ended the passage with a question. “I remember you are the vice-captain of this ship.”
“Then you should remember that I came forward in time to save you! Is this about revenge?” Duan Lili screamed, ignoring the question. “I can see that you’re all very smart and ambitious. I know the operating mode of the entire ship very well. If you were willing to tell me about this in advance, I could give you all the information you need, and you could even become the leader here! But what did you choose? How many homes have you destroyed here, directly killing all the lives that depend on them for survival just to please the soon to be terminated Walking Stones!”
She took in two breaths.
“Now, it’s still not too late to remedy it, as long as you want…”
“Remedy?” Ruan Xian held the blood gun in his hand. His voice was very soft. “Let’s look at it from a different angle.”
He looked back at Tang Yibu and quickly retracted his gaze.
“If I want this attack to sound more legitimate, it can be said that this is a forced detoxification— I’ve seen people from the west in the Walking Stones, and I know that Yu Le will not execute the pirates of Elysium for no reason. Here in Elysium, it’s all voluntary, but in my opinion, many people aren’t aware of the toxicity of fireflies, and thus are completely deceived. There may be a day when these people will recover from the flickering grass and at least then they will have the right to choose again after knowing the truth. As for things like home, I don’t think it’s necessary to rely on psychedelics.”
Duan Li took a step back. The entire commercial building began to shake. The finely embossed rubble smashed into it, and dust covered the polished floor.
“The above statement sounds good, but I have to admit, this is not my intention.”
The smile on Ruan Xian’s face became bigger.
“There are only two truths. First, I do want to use this to make a deal with the Walking Stones. Second, I don’t like to kill strangers indiscriminately. Otherwise, I just need to hold the intelligence until the ‘disinfection’ begins, and then destroy the molecular printer… Do you think Fan Baiyan can control the entire ship alone without any labor assistance?”
He could no longer feel the pain of the demon scratching around in his heart. It melted, melted into his bones, and rushed into his heart and brain through his bloodstream. Ruan Xian was sober like never before. The current destruction didn’t make him feel happy, but there was no pain, only a faint regret.
Just like every day in his life, but he didn’t need to look sad anymore.
“Regarding the matter of ‘repaying kindness with revenge’… Of course I remember your reminder, which is why you’re still alive.” Ruan Xian sighed. “Your acting skills are very good.”
Duan Lili opened her eyes wide and gave a confused look.
“Yibu told me that he once went to you to ask for information about Fan Baiyan’s room. At that time, you were sorting out the contribution evaluation report of the entire ship.” Ruan Xian turned the gun in his hand. “Fan Baiyan has to consider the distribution of fireflies based on the so-called contribution.”
This time Duan Lili raised her eyebrows and said nothing.
“You tried to persuade us, as well as Feng Jiang, who was once a rebel. This shouldn’t be the first time. I also have doubts about your so-called ‘my lover was killed, so I want revenge’— If you really loved Hu Jian, who was sent to die, you could have lowered his contribution or reminded him in advance. You have always been the vice-captain, and it’s impossible not to know Fan Baiyan’s methods. Why are you lying? Because it sounds more tragic?”
Ruan Xian raised his gun.
“You and Fan Baiyan may have the same motivation to send away people who may threaten the system in Elysium. It’s just that you still need the goodwill of these people, which is quite interesting.”
“You’re crazy.” Duan Lili’s lower lip trembled, her eyes were full of tears, and her whole body quivered with anger. “I just mean well. What else can I do…”
“You’re willing to take the risk of giving Fan Baiyan’s room information to the enemy, but you have no means to hurt an old man who gets along with you day and night. In order to make this matter more natural, you chose a very clever disguise—obedient and capable, cowardly and pitiful, with an obvious sense of resistance, but your behavior isn’t very smart. There’s no chess piece that can be controlled better than such a person, and Fan Baiyan probably thinks the same.”
Duan Lili stopped trembling, and she stared at Ruan Xian tightly.
“Tang Yibu, I’ll leave the rest to you.” Ignoring Duan Lili’s ugly face, Ruan Xian used the hook rope wrapped around the railing and aimed at the exposed open space on the fifth floor. The patrol had been transferred away, and there was no one there right now. “It’s time to start the next plan.”
Tang Yibu stopped looking at the crowd that was knocked out by the medical machinery using anesthetics. He turned over and jumped back onto the railing, staring at Duan Lili who was biting her lips.
“Wait!” Duan Lili screamed. Ruan Xian turned his head and grabbed the bulging backpack beside him.
“I don’t understand!” She pulled her hair. “That’s all your imagination! I admit that I’m not perfect, so what? Are you going to convict me of guesswork? When you’re desperate, everyone will do something stupid…”
“The problem is here.” Ruan Xian turned his head. “I have seen truly desperate people, and your eyes don’t look hopeless at all. I don’t think you are the vase of Elysium, Miss Duan. Perhaps to Fan Baiyan you are.”
From an angle that Ruan Xian couldn’t see, Duan Lili’s eyes became cold for a moment. Tang Yibu hugged the iron bead tightly and didn’t miss that moment.
At the same time, the commercial building finally moved and slowly rose.
Just like a snail holding up its shell, under the light of the explosion and fire, the outline of a ship appeared around it. A huge robotic arm stretched out, firmly fixing the ruins of the entire commercial building on the ship, and the entirety of Elysium finally appeared.
The explosion caused the giant ship to let out a creak, and the dimmed lights became brighter again.
“Distribute the fireflies made by the molecular printer to patrol soldiers and weapon operators.” Fan Baiyan’s voice was hoarse. He desperately turned the steering wheel, composed of light, and gave a loud order. “Stop all electricity to all facilities except for navigation and weapons and turn off all unnecessary lights. Keep electricity going to the molecular printer. Figure out if there are others who are still sober. God is still on our side. Everyone stabilize!”
However, another series of explosions sounded.
There was little movement in this explosion, and not many flames ignited, but it clearly happened indoors. The shielding wall on the fifth floor was like a biscuit knocked by a hammer, and it shattered to the ground in an instant. The people gathered in the hall looked at the fifth floor in horror…
A body was falling from the fifth floor.
These corpses were thin and shriveled, with many animal corpses and stumps stuck to them, but they could vaguely see what they looked like when they were alive. They fell to the ground like soft cloth bags, covered with green grass. It was like some kind of weird flowerpot. They spread out their limbs on the smooth floor, and the bright grass was still flickering on it.
The crowd stirred.
They recognized the faces of their relatives, the faces of their former companions, and Jiang Lin and Liang Yilan who had just appeared on the screen not long ago. There was also a small corpse, which was far more decayed than the others. It was very close to Jiang Lin, curled up on all fours, and almost lost its human form.
The strong smell of corpses made time stand still for a moment.
“It’s too late to surrender now.” A young voice with an enlarged loudspeaker came from the fifth floor, “Firefly’s drug addiction will be very painful and last for a long time, but you’re still alive, indicating that the concentration of drugs in the body has not yet reached an irreversible peak.”
An explosion sounded again, and more bodies fell from the fifth floor. They covered the clean floor, spilling out rancid liquid into the blood that was left by the riot. Everything was crazy and gray, filled with explosions that illuminated the darkness.
First it was the men who had just joined. Then the girls who were being used as “service items”. The young people, who still looked healthy, rushed out the door and waved their arms at the attacking fleet.
“We surrender!” they screamed.
But most of them still remained. They stared at the corpse quietly, with terrible numbness and emptiness on their faces.
“Who is on the fifth floor? Kill them!” Fan Baiyan yelled while controlling the main ship of Elysium. “Those who surrender will also be shot! This is all fake, a cover-up! Don’t be deceived. It’s the Walking Stones that are targeting us—”
The people in the hall finally felt a little alive. They seemed to have obtained motivation and dared to move again, as if the corpses in front of them were simply props in a horror movie. The patrolmen rushed to the fifth floor and sprayed their bullets. Ruan Xian hid in the bushes in a dilapidated corner and raised his blood gun.
“Go. Throw down all those ineffective fireflies that were stored before. Even a little effect still counts!” The anesthetics had finally reached their limit. Seeing that people who had recovered were faintly beginning to riot again, Fan Baiyan roared out his orders. “Where’s Lili? Duan Lili! Come here!”
But the person he called had no intention of responding.
Duan Lili took out a small gun from the side of her leg. The gun was aimed at the center of Tang Yibu’s eyebrows. At the same time, several mechanical police dogs jumped out from near Fan Baiyan’s room, stopped obediently at Duan Lili’s feet, and attacked Tang Yibu.
“How much do you know?” Her voice was still trembling, but it was a lot colder. “Your boyfriend made a terrible mistake. You know, girls always have a little bit of a lethal secret in them. He shouldn’t have left you, a researcher, behind.”
The iron bead rattled and screamed, desperately drilling into Tang Yibu’s arms.
Tang Yibu slowly put the iron bead on the ground, and it whizzed into a trashcan nearby as he slowly raised his hands. The floor was shaking, but Duan Lili stood very firmly.
“I see,” Tang Yibu didn’t show much fear as he looked straight into Duan Lili’s eyes. “But unfortunately, he’s not the only one who ‘made a terrible mistake’.”
The author has something to say:
In fact, many people guessed right that Miss Duan has a problem XDDD
Kinky Thoughts:
Ah, I was right. Seems like Duan Lili is on the Mainbrain’s side.
According to previous habits, the main ship of Elysium would start at noon tomorrow, and the pirates in the field had already returned to the settlement. Everything was ready. He just needed to drive the main ship out for a lap—he just needed to avoid the bombing and other pirate attacks. After several years of stable operation, Fan Baiyan was no longer worried about this matter.
He survived, and he became the most vicious shark in the Sea of Ruins.
The rich supplies were piled up in the warehouse, and in order to cope with the next voyage, he also took the risk of stockpiling fireflies for three days. On usual days, in order to avoid the risk of internal theft and the deterioration of medicines, he reserved up to at most a day’s amount.
He was the only one in the entire Elysium who knew the formula for this thing. Without fireflies, ordinary people can survive for a day. If after two days and he hasn’t had the opportunity to produce new ones, then most likely something unfortunate will happen to those people. Taking a step back, it was quite beautiful that he had a pull on this ship, as it would fall if he fell.
Fan Baiyan patted the safe hidden at the head of the bed contentedly and sat down in his chair. He threw in almost one-third of the animals raised in the settlement, and the hidden tin box was filled with medicine freshly baked last night. The pills produced tonight were also solidifying.
Everything was going well.
Duan Lili was nestled in the corner of the room, her eyes still faintly red. She changed into a moon-white cheongsam, hung her hands timidly, her body trembling slightly. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the lighting, but her face had hints of blue and white.
“Look, you just sent Feng Jiang to the Walking Stones. Now what? Yu Le is about to die, and I killed Tu Rui an hour ago. Without the captain and deputy captain, the Walking Stones will become a living hell—Tell me, your good intentions have led to this bad outcome.”
Duan Lili lowered her head, clenched her fists tightly, and a little sweat appeared on her forehead. “Tu Rui, isn’t he a rebel? It won’t be that easy…”
“Even Ruan Xian himself couldn’t move if he was tied up like that.” Fan Baiyan waved his hand. “Ruan Lijie also stabbed him in the neck. It wasn’t a fake. Once that bomb goes off, his bones will be blown to bits.”
“What about Tang Yibu? They are talented young people who tried their best to defect here. You killed his lover…”
“Is there movement on his side?”
“No, the patrolman reported that he was lying in bed yesterday and today recovering from his leg injury.”
“Then it’s all good. These days, what’s the point of having so much sincerity? It’s enough to settle this account with the leader of the Walking Stones and then find him another beautiful boy. Problem solved. Lili, this time you are in confinement, so I hope you’ll learn to grow up. Nowadays, it’s not better than before, and turning your elbows out* can kill you.”
*(胳膊肘朝外拐) Metaphor for favoring outsiders instead of someone on your own side.
Fan Baiyan looked at the fake window. The stars were flashing outside the window, and he could faintly hear some crickets. He didn’t know if it was the sound of the speakers or of real insects.
“Come on, massage my shoulders. You will be free tomorrow after this matter…”
Duan Lili didn’t respond.
Fan Baiyan turned his head in dissatisfaction. His deputy captain was lying softly in the corner, gasping in pain. Her well-maintained nails slid across the table, abruptly splitting it in two.
Duan Lili tore her hair. Her delicate makeup was smeared by tears, and she whimpered pitifully, like a fox caught by a beast. Her face was distorted, and she could no longer be called beautiful, but she didn’t have the energy to care about it right now. Duan Lili grabbed Fan Baiyan’s trousers, choked on her saliva and coughed. Her lips were no longer rosy.
“Firefly,” she murmured. “Give it to me.”
Typical symptoms of drug addiction. Fan Baiyan frowned.
“You have already eaten three today. Lili, it’s not good for your health to eat more.”
“No… I don’t know… It’s getting more and more uncomfortable today, I can’t stand it anymore, Fan Lao…”
“Lili, you know best. I don’t have—”
Seeing that Fan Baiyan was perfunctory and he didn’t have any intention on acting, Duan Lili rushed to the cabinet where Fan Baiyan put her belongings and rummaged through the flannel bag she had obtained from Jiang Lin. She pulled on it hard and directly tore the flannel bag in half. A firefly stuck in the crack rolled to the ground and was quickly swallowed by her.
After swallowing the firefly, Duan Lili let out a long sigh. Her face was still pale, but her expression wasn’t as hideous as before.
Fan Baiyan’s face gradually paled. He rushed to the door of the room. Just as he was about to give instructions, the answer he wanted had been revealed in advance—a few stern screams broke out, and then the gunfire. Unlike the usual warning marksmanship, the gunfire was chaotic.
The old man took a deep breath, put on a bulletproof jacket and helmet, and then rushed out of the room.
The hall was no longer orderly and quiet. People struggled on the ground, frantically beating and shredding everything that entered their field of vision or simply stabbing themselves—the smooth marble floor was covered with thick blood.
Fan Baiyan recognized these people from a glance—they were similar to Duan Lili, who were considered the “luxury class” and could take three fireflies a day. They were tumbling and howling on the floor, and one of them even tore open the stomach of the man next to him by abruptly cutting him with a knife. He then dug around with his bloody hands, trying to find any remaining pill residues.
While these people were better off, it was only a matter of time before an incident like this broke out. Judging from their current level of madness, this didn’t look like they were acting to try and cheat for more pills.
The ticket that could kill Yu Le was still in the hands of this group. Fan Baiyan gritted his teeth angrily. Unfortunately, these cancers must be abandoned now in order to maintain a stable situation.
It didn’t matter. There was still time to recover. God had always been on his side.
“Friends who feel unwell, please go to the lobby on the fifth floor. Yes, the patrolmen will also come up as well. A small number of fireflies have maliciously been poisoned. I’ll go and prepare medicine for everyone. All the remaining friends, please go back to the room and lock the door. Someone will also send preventive medicine as compensation later.”
Amidst the successive screams, Fan Baiyan still had a smile on his face.
However, this was a bit late.
After the first attack case, other people who bumped into each other like headless flies became inspired, and several more victims appeared in an instant. Prompted by Fan Baiyan, these people with internal organs on their hands began to squeeze desperately into the glass door of the elevator, causing the tempered glass on one side of the guardrail to shatter. One of them accidently fell to the ground and was trampled over by the latecomers. His chest cavity quickly collapsed and he stopped breathing.
“Don’t crowed. It’s okay. This is all a conspiracy, a conspiracy by the Walking Stones! If your beliefs are disturbed, we’ll lose!” Fan Baiyan turned on the PA system and spoke in a firm but soothing voice. “Everyone, close and lock your doors. We got the situation under control!”
Bloody handprints were stained on the elevator wall, and after a few trips, all the crazy people finally managed to crowd up. The first floor was then surrounded by people responsible for sanitation, and they began to clean up all the blood and guts that spilled all over the floor.
People eagerly rushed to the fifth floor, only to be met with bullets straight to their heads. The sound of the bullets firing by a machine was soft and wasn’t even as loud as the sound of bodies falling to the ground.
More than forty corpses were piled softly on the ground.
More than a dozen medical machines rushed over, lifted the corpses, and sent them one by one to the interior of the room.
“One-third for fertilizer, one-third for a bud bed used for cultivation, and the remaining one-third will be used to feed the new bud bed. Fan Baiyan raised his hand and whispered to the mechanics through the light screen. He clenched his teeth tightly as his heart was bleeding with pain. “Immediately dispose of the fruits obtained, send them to the production room for inspection, and bring the qualified fruits immediately—”
The more than 40 votes that could have been used to vote for Yu Le were gone in the blink of an eye.
Before he finished feeling distressed, there was another loud bang.
In less than half an hour, the brief calm was broken again, and people rushed out of their rooms, brandishing blunt instruments or similar hard objects in their hands. They attacked those who stayed behind closed doors, screaming muted words. These people were amazingly powerful, and soon the walls of the window showed cobweb-like cracks.
The second group of pirates began to go crazy. They seemed to believe that their normal companions had quietly stashed the fireflies, and they needed to do their best to take away the non-existent pills.
People who remained sober used all means to protect themselves. They spontaneously gathered in the corner of the hall, trying to use the partition wall of the hall to control the people who were attacking them. Unfortunately, this trick hadn’t had time to show its effectiveness before several people in the crowd screamed wildly.
Fan Baiyan couldn’t sit still anymore. He personally went down from the fifth floor, to the fourth, and then the third.
Several tear gas cannisters were thrown into the crowd, forcibly separating the group of people that were about to collide.
“I’m here with you. Wake up!” He fired two shots into the sky and raised his voice. “Someone has already gone to get the medicine. They will soon…”
“Fan Lao.” One of the bodyguards in a suit came over with red eyes, and his hands shook a little. “Something is wrong.”
“Fucking spit it out!” Fan Baiyan lowered his voice. His heart was beating frantically, and his eyes were fluttering in all directions. He couldn’t tell if this was reality or a dream. Everything was business as usual just a few hours ago…
“There’s a problem with the fruit of the flickering grass. Whether it’s the previous batch or the newly cultivated one, the active ingredient is less than one percent. Fireflies can’t be produced normally. Fan Lao, what should we do?”
“The reason? Did someone add something, or did someone maliciously cause trouble?”
“We checked. Can’t find out… Everything else is normal, and the shuttle agent can be extracted normally, but the fireflies…”
“Impossible!” Fan Baiyan bit his tongue and forced himself to calm down. “It’s been here all these years. How could things change? This must be something man-made! Where is that kid named Tang? Bring him here! Isn’t he a biologist?”
“Our people also tried to find him just now. He… He’s not in his room.”
Fan Baiyan took a deep breath and looked numbly at the fighting crowd in the hall. “Use the stun medication, the one with the greatest strength. All the backup machines are being used, so be sure to keep people under control. Get out the molecular printer and add 90% of the electricity to it. Burn the power directly so it can replicate as much of the psychedelics as it can. Don’t tell me you can’t even get the molecular structure. Go!”
“But in this way, the defense of Elysium…”
“We’ll sail after this is done and won’t leave traces for the hyenas to know where we’ve gone. In any case, we have more living people here than the Walking Stones.”
Fan Baiyan held the railing with both hands, and dozens of medical machines passed by him and flew into the crowd. He still had the emptiness as if he was a human in a dream, but at this point, nothing worse was going to happen. Besides, the Walking Stones’ side no longer had a deputy captain, so they won’t be able to take care of themselves… Wait.
The old man clenched the railing tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white.
That Tang Yibu seems to be gone? Where did he get the news from?
Such a weird situation that occurred with the flickering grass… Is Tu Rui really dead?
Fan Baiyan was sweating bullets. He opened his mouth, wanting to withdraw the order. Unfortunately, at that moment, most of the indoor lights had been extinguished and the molecular printer went online. Furthermore, the chaos had drastically reduced their defenses, thus…
The vibration of the explosion came from the ground, like an earthquake. A bright light of flame dispelled the darkness outside the giant glass, and thick smoke continued to seep in. Fan Baiyan stood frozen in place, completely stunned, as if a piece of hardened ice had slipped into his stomach. His legs softened and he almost sat on the ground.
However, as an experienced pirate captain, the adrenaline allowed him to retain enough sanity to support the operation of his mind.
“Sail. Set sail immediately.” Fan Baiyan activated the light screen, and a set of virtual driving platforms constructed by light appeared in front of him. “We are exposed. Run away first!”
The enemy came too fast, and now he couldn’t muster the manpower to fight back.
The ruins of the entire commercial building shook even more violently.
Tang Yibu sat on the decorative bulge outside the railing on the top floor, happily dangling a leg in the blind spot of Fan Baiyan’s vision. He hugged the iron bed that was rubbing around in his arms, and the light of the explosion reflected in his golden eyes.
The beehive was burning down, like an ant nest that was soaked in rain. The orderly organization was torn apart in an instant as the pirates began to eat one another when they were smiling and talking just yesterday to each other, wailing like wild beasts. A complex compound that acts on the brain for short-lived pleasure. Interestingly, this may not be instinctive—people don’t normally choose to fight for survival, but rather move towards destruction more comfortably.
Ruan Xian didn’t sit in such a dangerous place of death. He stood firmly on the sixth floor, with his hands on the railing, expressionless.
“You…you…” Duan Lili stood up weakly against the wall. Her beautiful eyes were full of tears. “It’s you…”
“You think of us too highly.” Ruan Xian turned his head and looked straight at Duan Lili with a complicated face. “We don’t have the ability to stab at such a big basket. We’re just taking advantage of the revolution driven by God.”
“You—at least you could… tell me…” She gasped with difficulty. “A lot of people have died. It’s unnecessary. Everyone just… want to live well…”
“Each room has a large enough bathroom and cubicle. Lock yourself in, flush away the key, and endure a few hours of withdrawal.” Ruan Xian turned around. “It’s not like they don’t have a choice.”
“You can’t expect… everyone… You’re incredibly talented. You could’ve come up with a more precise plan…”
“You voluntarily choose this way of life, and in the end, you still hope that strangers passing by will give you a two-way solution?”
“But you can’t do this either!” Duan Lili choked even louder. “You brought people from outside, didn’t you? You’re forcing us into a dead end!”
“Am I?”
Another explosion came from the ground, and the wind blew the corners of Ruan Xian’s thin coat. Duan Lili tried to find guilt or remorse on that handsome face, but she only saw a smile.
In the giant ruins illuminated outside the window, the young man laughed seamlessly.
“They haven’t bombed you yet. You can surrender, can’t you? Ah, I forgot. Fireflies aren’t allowed in the Walking Stones.”
“Come on, choose for yourself,” he said.
Kinky Thoughts:
I’m really liking Ruan Xian’s character. From the summary, I thought he would be like categorically good and a bit naïve (similar to Nemo and Oliver from Stray) but he’s fucking ruthless. I love it.
After the big gathering, the atmosphere in the settlement of the Walking Stones suddenly became heavy. The young people, who were plainly keen to play music, squatted quietly in the corner, silently smoking homemade cigarettes. The smoke was choking and smelled like some kind of dried vine plant. The pirates who came and went had a melancholy look, but many of them had a relaxed expression on their faces.
For example, Lei Ge.
“Tu Rui is much more humane than Yu Le.” Ruan Xian left the assembly hall and walked to the cafeteria. Lei Ge stuck to him like a dog-skin ointment*. “Don’t worry, there won’t be chaos in the Walking Stones numbers.”
*The term is [gou pi gao] (狗皮膏). It refers to the ancient medicine used as an adhesive to treat various diseases. Now it’s mainly used as a metaphor for deceiving people (AKA a snake-oil salesman), but in this context it refers to the adhesive quality of the medicine (Lei Ge sticking to him like an adhesive).
Ruan Xian didn’t bother to pay attention to him, pretending that he hadn’t heard anything, but just walked forward.
“I heard you got a ship?” Lei Ge didn’t care about Ruan Xian’s cold attitude as he leaned in affectionately. His face was so thick-skinned that it was quite amazing. However, Ruan Xian’s posturing was still effective when they first met, as Lei Ge only walked by his side and didn’t dare to make any blatant movements.
When the pirates passing by saw this scene, many of them showed a look of disgust.
Ruan Xian still didn’t mean to answer.
“The ship is very good.” Lei Ge was still chattering. “You can sell it to the top and earn a lot of contribution points, enough for you to live a year and a half with peace of mind. Yu Le won’t say it, but his ability to sail a ship is first-class. After the change in captain, there may be a period of turmoil, but Tu Rui can definitely…”
“Listening to you, it seems like Yu Le is dead.” After finishing the stew and seeing that he couldn’t get rid of this annoying fly, Ruan Xian finally decided to take on the topic.
“That’s not it!” Seeing that his target finally replied, Lei Ge immediately put a big smile on his face, “In the past few years, none of the captains who fought against Fan Baiyan have survived. They get to eat meat, drink soup, and only need to pay for resources on time to have a good relationship with Fan Baiyan. There’s not so much bullshit—a captain dies every half a year, and there are so many on the list. Dead friends don’t die of poverty*. Speaking of resources, Xiao Ruan…”
*(死道友不死贫道咯) It’s a saying referring to harming the interests of others for the sake of one’s own interest. Basically, it’s used to describe one’s selfishness. || He’s saying this system is set up so everyone is pushing the blame onto the person that’s being voted on. Rather than them bearing the consequences, they’ll just vote for a captain as a sacrifice to save their own skin.
“Depending on their reaction, Yu Le shouldn’t be on the list,” Ruan Xian interrupted the other party.
Lei Ge was startled. “Ah, hey, yes. It’s only been a year since the Walking Stones have been set up, and the list is full of qualified captains. There are only ten who could be selected each time, and it stands to reason that Yu Le wouldn’t be ranked. Let’s not talk about this, Xiao Ruan. You see, this big brother has given you so much intelligence, and you’re so well-off. Can’t you lend me some contribution points?”
When he said this, the other party’s bad breath sprayed directly on Ruan Xian’s face. He tried to suppress it for a long time before he retched.
“Gang Ge told me to save my points.” Ruan Xian held an empty bowl in his hand.
“Hey, it doesn’t make sense for you to say that. What’s the point of saving in days where everyone has to lick blood at the edge of a knife? Well, I accidently spent a little too much two days ago, so I need to borrow 7,000 and I promised to pay you back 10,000. Your ship is estimated to be exchanged between 30,000 to 50,000, which isn’t bad.”
“Oh.” Ruan Xian raised his head. “I remember that the boarding fee for disinfection is 10,000 points.”
“This… It’s not a matter of points. I won’t bother you anymore, so let’s just be friends—”
Ruan Xian stood up, threw the bowl into the dirty bowl box, and then walked straight to the place where contribution points were exchanged. Lei Ge frowned, then smiled and followed him happily.
“How much can I exchange for the ship I brought back if I hand it in?” He stood still in front of the facility that resembled the window of a ticket hall and asked the person inside through the glass. A middle-aged woman sat behind the glass with a sad face. Hearing this, she finally raised her eyes.
“Let me see.” She didn’t turn on a light screen and was using an old-fashioned tablet. “The structure is good, not old, and there are a lot of shuttle agents left. It can be exchanged for 42,000.”
“What about the other supplies I brought back?”
“We collect canned food, salt, and mushrooms. We get a discount, so it’s 650,” the middle-aged woman murmured restlessly.
The smile on Lei Ge’s face became brighter and brighter.
“How many points for an iron bead? I want to buy the one I brought on the last mission.”
“Five hundred.” The woman had a hoarse voice and glanced up at Ruan Xian. Her gaze slipped around the face of the young man on the other side of the glass, and her attitude eased a lot. “As a pet or a siren? Listen to me, the captain’s matter… Haa, who knows what will happen in the future. Supplies should be held firmly in your hands.”
“How can you say that?” Lei Ge raised his voice. “This little brother is very capable, and he wants to exchange for contribution points to get something cool. Can you manage it?”
“Please register, replace the supplies first, and I will take the iron bead away later.” Ruan Xian continued to ignore Lei Ge. “Can I get an advance on the ship?”
The woman’s movements paused. “Advance?”
“I only need 21,000.” Ruan Xian smiled and said, “But I have to use this boat again.”
Lei Ge looked confused. The woman in charge of the exchange gave him a glance. Her voice was a little low. “Sorry, for this kind of large exchange, it doesn’t allow the advance you mention…”
“If possible, I want to continue to exchange for the 21,000,” Ruan Xian continued. “Then use 20,000 for a chance to see Tu Rui, even if it’s not in person.”
“Are you kidding me? Isn’t this giving up a boat for nothing? At least leave a boarding fee… Hey, I told you this stuff. What about my share?” Lei Ge came back to his senses, and his eyes were anxious for an instant.
“When did I say I would lend it to you?” Ruan Xian waved his hand. “Miss, do you want to do business?”
“…I have to discuss it with the above. Young man, wait for me here for a few minutes.”
As soon as the woman’s figure disappeared from the door, Ruan Xian took out his gun. Lei Ge’s face turned purple, but in the end he didn’t say anything, and he could only leave the office angrily as he cursed expletives.
“The deputy captain said yes. It’s not a loss to meet at 20,000, but he won’t show up in person. He will only communicate with projection… Young man, is this fine?”
“No problem.”
Two days later, Ruan Xian ended his communication with Fan Baiyan.
“I didn’t have to pick that hand just now.” Tu Rui stood up from the stool. He wiped the blood from his neck and curled his mouth into the void. “Your strength is not bad either, Gang Zi.”
“Xiao Ruan pretended to be like it. My hands were shaking so badly. Thanks to his simultaneous movements, he was able to block it. I was convinced of his reaction speed.” Although Tu Rui’s figure could only be seen, Gang Zi’s muffled voice came from the virtual image.
“Well, next, Mr. Ruan and I have something to talk about, so you can leave first.” Tu Rui made a gesture to the void and pushed Gang Zi away.
Ruan Xian left the driver’s seat of the ship and tore off the iron bead that was glued to the corner with super glue. Tu Rui’s figure flickered instantly, floating in place, shaking with the iron bead crawling all over the ground.
A virtual image.
“With your ability, you can mix well on any ship.” Tu Rui’s virtual image turned around, with a bandage wrapped around his neck. “Software engineers can still be found, but those who can modify hardware are very scarce. Just increasing the range of video communication is such a transformation, the people of the Elysium may not be able to do it.”
“People always want to go higher.” Ruan Xian fastened his waist bag and tied the iron beads to it in a nylon bag. “In other words, who doesn’t want to do it if they get the chance?”
“Are you sure Fan Baiyan will attack us?” After the projection facility hanging on the head of the iron bead was closed, only the sound from Tu Rui’s side was left.
“If I bring you over in a few weeks, he might still let me in. Two days is too fast. He can’t just trust me like this and put me and you in the base camp of Elysium.”
Ruan Xian tightened the sling around his waist and climbed out of the top of the boat.
“What’s more, if I kill you right in front of me, the Walking Stones will lose two captains one after another, and there’s no need to take any risk of exposing myself. He has been able to lead Elysium for so long that he should be able to calculate this.”
He tightened the rope without hesitation and fell into the darkness. He rolled into a crooked office building. Not long after, there was a huge explosion from the direction of the ship, and the entire ruin buzzed and shook for half a minute.
“In the end, we didn’t even get the ship.” The explosion interfered with the transmission, and Tu Rui’s voice was unstable for a few seconds. “You are quite good at doing business. Now it’s time to display the goods—you said you can disturb Elysium.”
“Yes, Tang Yibu is a biologist.” This may not be a lie. Ruan Xian turned on a flashlight and moved forward in the darkened office building. “We found the place where Elysium planted the flickering grass. He wanted to study them, but found that there was something wrong with them.”
“…What’s the problem?” Tu Rui was silent for a while, then asked calmly.
“It has lost its psychedelic effect,” Ruan Xian replied lightly, kicking away an office chair that had fallen at his feet. “Fan Baiyan will definitely cover up this issue to death. Even if I report it, at this terrible moment, you may not believe me as a newcomer. It’s faster just to show it directly to you.”
It was now.
The Mainbrain would definitely place people among the great forces so that it would be more convenient to control the situation. If there was no accident, the person on the Mainbrain’s side was more likely to be on Elysium.
But this was a matter of safety, and he had to rule out all dangerous possibilities.
Whether it was from Gang Zi’s dictation or the changes in the list, Yu Le, who had been struggling to live in the Sea of Ruins, had almost zero chance of obeying the Mainbrain. As long as Tu Rui had nothing to do with the Mainbrain, he could safely ask the whereabouts of the “Ruan Xian” in the wheelchair from the Walking Stones and then get out of this place of right and wrong as soon as possible.
As for the Elysium, he could observe it with Tang Yibu and use it as a pastime. If the “ghost” to be caught was on Elysium, Tang Yibu said that it really had little to do with his own interests.
“……Hmm.” His biggest goal, Tu Rui, seemed to be in contemplation.
“As disinfection is approaching, they can’t go to other places to pick them up temporarily,” Ruan Xian continued. “As far as our observations are concerned, the consumption of fireflies is extremely large, and Fan Baiyan won’t have too much inventory. As long as we expose this matter, Elysium will inevitably fall into chaos.”
“Very good.” Tu Rui’s voice finally sounded again. There was a complex mix of emotions in that tone that held relief, joy, hatred, and hope, but not rigid anxiety. “If your judgment is correct, this is probably an opportunity to save Yu Le. Listen, if you can really mess up Elysium, as long as it is not the position of the captain or deputy captain, I can agree to any of your requests.”
“Deal.” Ruan Xian smiled slightly.
He left the dark office building and headed towards the settlement of Elysium in his memory. At a distance of a few kilometers, it took him nearly three hours to find the familiar commercial building.
Ruan Xian brushed the stud earrings on his left ear with his fingertips.
[The second basement floor. Southeast corner.]
He sent a short message to Tang Yibu.
[I’m back.]
Ruan Xian didn’t want to issue this sentence, but direct instructions would be too impersonal. He didn’t know whether this sentence had an impact on the android, but it did succeed in letting a subtle sourness pass through his heart.
Five minutes later.
A head dropped in front of him, and his long black hair was stained with gray. Tang Yibu seemed to be in a good mood. After sticking out half of his body, the android opened his arms wide and made a hug gesture.
“Welcome back.” Tang Yibu’s tone was very brisk. “The show is about to start.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Who do we think is the ghost? My guess is on Duan Lili.
In celebration of Stray completion, release for the rest of the chapters of this arc (9 chapters incoming). For those who like Happy Doomsday so far, I recommend you check out Stray, the author’s other work.
Note: These are mini extras that the author has written posted separately on JJ. She intermittently updates them, usually on Valentine’s Day and other holidays for her CPs. The translation will be updated when the author updates her blog. You can get updates when translations are updated in my Discord server. Below is a ton of dog food.
2025/29/8
Everyone’s Summer Cool-Down Routines
Another Qixi has come around, and our married couples are celebrating again.
Here are their little everyday tricks for beating the heat—
[Oliver × Nemo]
This summer had been especially hot.
Nemo poured himself a big glass of iced lemonade and gazed sorrowfully out the window. The weather was great, plenty of sun—perhaps too much. The shrill cry of cicadas pierced the glass, and he didn’t want to stick even half a toe outside. He only wanted to lounge in bed.
The customers clearly felt the same. Oliver opened the shop as usual, and almost no one came. Fair enough; at best they could make the store cool, not pluck the sun from the sky.
By late morning, Oliver chose to close temporarily and, on the way upstairs, made two bowls of fruit shaved ice.
As soon as he reached the bedroom, he saw His Demon King sprawled on the bed in the shape of an “大”. Even Bagelmaurus was unusually quiet, pecking silently at his special bird feed.
“Is it really that hot in here?” Oliver tapped Nemo’s toes and watched the great Demon King roll from a “大” into a little “卜”.
Nemo rolled across the bed and latched onto Oliver’s arm. “I’m hot in spirit… wait, is that fruit shaved ice?”
“Yes,” Oliver said with a smile. Nemo cheered and quickly scrambled up.
They each took a bowl and toasted it in the dazzling sunlight.
“I suddenly had a brilliant idea that will guarantee you want to go downstairs,” Oliver announced solemnly.
He tapped the frosty rim of his shaved-ice cup with a spoon. The moisture in the air condensed at once into several… several very excited little snow-dogs.
They were pure white, yapping as they bounded onto the bed. Cold tongues licked Nemo’s arms with gusto, and their wagging tails fanned up breezes of cool air.
Nemo scooped one up. Regrettably, it was only Oliver’s magic and not truly alive.
He buried his face in the pup’s snowy belly and let out a long breath. The dog wagged even harder, its chilly nose snuffling at him.
Oliver had guessed right; he did now want to go downstairs to play with them.
A day later the temperature had dropped a little, but the pups hadn’t vanished. Nemo had added a touch of his own magic, and they were happily guarding the shop’s food storeroom.
After all, they were very cute—just a little less cute than Oliver himself, according to Nemo.
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
Jesse had little fondness for summer.
When the weather was cold, he would spend the night in his great-beast form, and Adrian would wrap him in a tight hug. Such a touching gesture! Both would sleep very well that way.
But summer is different, Jesse thought gloomily.
Summer was a state of mind. Even if the bedroom wasn’t hot, Jesse disliked being covered in thick long fur and preferred returning to human form. In that shape he usually slept holding Adrian. Yet Jesse strongly suspected Adrian wasn’t entirely comfortable…though his Knight Commander had never complained.
Of course he could lower his body temperature, but that felt strange. The first time he tried it, Adrian immediately pressed an index finger to his carotid, suspecting he had died without a sound.
Tonight was especially hot. After much thought, Jesse decided not to cling to Adrian in his sleep and to leave him some psychological coolness.
He shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard Adrian come off duty and enter the bedroom, heard the rustle of a jacket being removed, the water of him washing up. A few minutes later Adrian lay down as usual, his breath fresh with mint toothpaste.
Jesse resisted the urge to embrace his lover and squeezed his eyes shut.
There was a rustling sound of fabric. Adrian turned over as usual. Finding that Jesse hadn’t snuggled up like he always did, he paused and made the faintest, “Mm.”
A few seconds later, Jesse found himself being hugged. Adrian’s breathing was slow and even. He slept soundly.
“Aren’t you hot?” Jesse asked the next morning, his voice nearly drowned by the cicadas.
Adrian looked at him for a moment. “A little.”
“Then why did you—”
“Your temperature is different. You can’t compare it like that,” Adrian said simply.
Suddenly, Jesse decided summer wasn’t so bad.
2025/5/20
Everyone’s Birthday Cakes
Congrats to the couple from “Help”on moving into the Married Zone ☆(/ω＼)
This year’s 520 (May 20) mini-extra: couples celebrate their birthdays! It’s a perfect chance to compile everyone’s birthdays~
[Oliver × Nemo]
Oliver: May 5th
Source: A normal birthday. (Start of Summer, 2018)
Cake: [Caramel Cake]
A delicious caramel cake decorated with gingerbread and mint leaves, topped with little frosting monsters that burst into pretty golden-sugar magic sparklers.
Nemo made it himself. The jam filling changes every year. Usually served with kiwi soda or a refreshing green tea and of course followed by a lovingly prepared feast.
※ Many years later, they stop writing ages on the cake. Compared with ordinary families’ birthdays, this day becomes more like a standing family holiday.
Nemo: November 7th
Source: Per the Light Orphanage’s rules, you choose your own; Nemo picked the day he received his very first book. (Start of Winter, 2018)
Cake: [Cream Cake]
A snow-white cream cake with elegant piping, piled high with fresh blueberries. Using Oliver’s secret house recipe, it creates a light flavor that’s not overly sweet, tasting like airy happiness.
Every year, Oliver carefully watches Nemo’s expression while eating and keeps refining the formula, bringing it closer and closer to perfection.
※ Exclusively for the Demon King. The process is said to be so complex the shop never sells it. It’s the only dessert Jesse can’t mooch. Oliver has recorded each year’s formula with such care it could fill a whole book.
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
Adrian: December 22nd
Source: A normal birthday. Adrian himself wasn’t too sure of the exact date; Jesse dug it up. (Winter Solstice, 2018)
Cake: [Black Forest Cake]
Darker in color, yet it gives the illusion of a sparkle. The sweetness is dialed back, with extra strawberry jam to suit Adrian’s taste.
Jesse’s signature dessert, though he personally finds it not sweet enough. Paired with Adrian’s relaxed brow and content look, the sweetness is just right.
※ The church usually assigns new birthdays to orphans like Adrian, but out of a certain subtle feeling, Jesse still went and found Adrian’s real birthday.
A yogurt cheesecake topped with whipped cream, honey, and assorted berries. The look is simple, the flavor rich and satisfying. Given a certain someone’s appetite, Adrian usually makes it two-tier.
Since their birthdays are on the same day, they put the cakes they made for each other together and share them. Adrian once asked, “Why pick the same day?” Jesse, tenderly reply, “I want to cultivate a birthday tradition with my Darling Adri.”
※ But that was only half the reason, Jesse thought. The other half—if “Adrian Cross” had never been born, then “Jesse Dylan” wouldn’t exist either, right?
2025/2/13
What to Do When You’re Stuck Together
Suddenly stuck together—what should you do?
A belated Valentine’s Day mini joke (?) story has arrived! Time for some sweet, sticky fluff ☆
[Oliver × Nemo]
When Oliver woke up in the morning, he got out of bed and started making breakfast as usual. But a strange tugging sensation came from his right hand—his right hand was firmly stuck to Nemo’s left.
Their hands were like tightly bonded magnets. They could move together, but no matter how they tried, they couldn’t separate.
As Oliver moved around, a half-asleep Nemo murmured and rubbed his face against Oliver’s wrist.
It felt amazing.
Even though it was extremely odd, Oliver refused to believe it was a curse. He quietly sat on the bedside, waiting for Nemo to wake up naturally.
When the Demon King finally woke up from his lazy sleep, the first thing he saw was Oliver’s face lit up in excitement—the same look as a boy who just found a new toy.
“I’ve never seen a magic like this before, but its power has weakened a bit since earlie so it must be time limited.”
Hugging Oliver’s arm, he stubbornly stayed under the covers. “At this rate, it’ll probably last a day.”
Oliver inhaled. “Guess the shop has to close today.”
He didn’t sound too regretful and even took the chance to kiss the back of Nemo’s hand.
“Too bad I marinated some meat last night. I was going to make that signature barbecue from Landmark Town today…”
Nemo’s ears perked up, and he darted out from under the covers. “Barbecue?”
“Dad always found it troublesome and only made it during festivals.”
Ollie rubbed his nose. “Just a couple days ago, I found the recipe buried in the storage.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I’ve had it before.”
Nemo wiggled his fingers and conjured a pair of robes for both of them.
……
Nemo didn’t remember the time he scared Oliver into tears, but Old Light remembered it vividly. He also knew that the Ramon family’s son was a little scared of Nemo.
Old Light really wanted his child to get along with the Ramons, so he prepared a basket of blueberries and sent Nemo to trade them for some pastries.
The Ramon boy was lively and cute, and little Nemo was well-behaved and polite. Two good kids, if they interacted more, would surely become friends.
Blissfully unaware, Nemo slung the basket over his arm and headed cheerfully to the Ramon house.
“Fresh blueberries, sweet blueberries, sir.”
Nemo found Mr. Ramon and raised the basket with both hands. The blueberries inside were piled high. “I’d like to trade for some pastries—ones that don’t look very good.”
The orphans didn’t care about appearance. As long as it was edible, it was fine.
Mr. Ramon brought out a large plate of cracked chocolate cookies from the kitchen. There weren’t many failed batches today—just enough to fill half the basket.
“That won’t be enough.”
Mr. Ramon called out to Nemo. “Do you like barbecue, little guy? I’m stuck here—go grab a portion from the back kitchen yourself.”
“Blueberries—I remember those.” Oliver, now slicing meat with his free left hand, said, “Sometimes the storage would have fresh ones. But I don’t really recall you… Wait a minute!”
He turned to Nemo in shock. “Don’t tell me it was that time—”
Nemo sheepishly nodded and whisked the sauce with magic at lightning speed.
…Nemo quickly found the back kitchen. The meat on the fire was about to burn, and there was no one around. In a hurry, he took the meat off and placed it in the basket with the pastries.
‘Someone should’ve been watching that fire,’ he thought.
As he had the thought, the flames turned black for an instant before returning to normal. Nemo rubbed his eyes, baffled, chalking it up to a trick of the eye.
Now, he more or less understood what he’d done—
Oliver stared at him with a deeply conflicted look and pinched his fingers.
“I was sneaking fruit from the storage back then,” Oliver recounted in anguish. “When I came back, the meat was gone. I panicked and tried to grill more… but as soon as I left, the fireball followed me.”
“It clung to the hem of my clothes and followed me wherever I went. I was so scared I jumped into a wine barrel in storage and stayed underwater until it went out.”
“Did Mr. Ramon, uh…” Nemo hesitated.
“He nearly turned me into barbecue.” Oliver said gloomily, “That barrel of wine was expensive. But I couldn’t stand the smell and threw up in it.”
“After I crawled out, I ran away crying and drunk, knocked over Dad’s freshly made marinade, and broke his favorite dish set.”
Nemo: “……”
Nemo’s mouth twisted. “…I’m sorry.”
Oliver glanced at their joined hands. “Maybe this is revenge for that barbeque day.”
“Revenge?”
“Fate has decided—you must accompany me in making the perfect barbecue.” Oliver poked Nemo’s nose with his left hand. “Repent for your sins, Your Majesty.”
…This wasn’t their first time cooking together, but it was definitely the messiest.
Holding hands meant they sometimes got distracted, laughing at past mishaps while studying each other’s palms, and neglected the meat on the grill. By day’s end, they hadn’t managed to recreate the nostalgic flavor.
But that’s okay—they still had tomorrow, and the day after, and countless days ahead.
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
“We’re stuck together.” Jesse closed his fingers, rubbing between Adrian’s.
“Mm.” Adrian’s brows twitched slightly.
Jesse pretended not to see. “I heard Oliver and Nemo got stuck too. Since the great Mr. Light didn’t say anything, it’s probably not dangerous… Hey.”
Not only harmless, but actually kinda fun! Adrian rarely held hands with him, always clasping his own hands in prayer. But really, if he wanted to pray, wouldn’t holding Zenni’s hand be better than holding his own?
Adrian lowered his gaze. “So it wasn’t your doing.”
“What? Do you really think I’m that wicked?” Jesse placed his free left hand over his heart like he’d been shot through it.
“You’ve done similar things before.” Adrian sighed.
“…Even if I’m that bad, you should still need proof.” Jesse looked hurt. “My heart’s wounded. You must compensate me—like accompanying me to try that new cherry liqueur cake in town.”
Adrian nodded wearily and sighed again.
And so, on that sunny afternoon, he walked through town hand in hand with Mr. Dylan, hand in hand while buying cake, and hand in hand as they returned home. Jesse not only gripped him tightly but occasionally swung their hands as if announcing to the entire street, “He’s mine.”
When Mr. Dylan almost tipped the cake over for the second time, Adrian had to rescue it and carry it himself.
Back home, the enthusiastic Great Zenni dragged him all around—preparing tea for the cake one minute, fruits to relieve the greasiness the next. Adrian strongly suspected he was simply enjoying the situation.
By evening, they finally sat shoulder to shoulder and shared the rather large cake.
Adrian took a modest bite—it was unexpectedly good, sweet but not cloying. Jesse, however, wasn’t as particular. He gobbled it down happily, smearing cream all over his mouth.
“Oh no.” He blinked his blue eyes playfully. “Adri, wipe my mouth. I don’t have a free hand—”
“You seem quite enthusiastic today.” Adrian didn’t move.
“It’s rare to see you this warm.” Jesse smiled. “I have to cherish it—it’s so fun!”
“Is that so?” Adrian’s face remained unchanged as always.
“Of course! Oh no, the cream’s gonna drip on my clothes—save me, my passionate knight…”
Halfway through his teasing, Jesse’s eyes suddenly widened.
Adrian tilted his head and awkwardly kissed the cream by Jesse’s lips.
The Great Zenni looked at him, stunned like he’d been struck by lightning.
“As you can see, I don’t have a free hand either.”
Adrian said, smiling faintly.
“It’s rare to see you like this too—I should cherish it.”
Then he kissed him again.
2024/8/13
Everyone’s Favorite Sports
A belated short story for Qixi Festival, with a little Olympic commemoration (*/ω＼*)
[Oliver × Nemo]
Oliver: [Swordsmanship]
Nowadays, Oliver has his own unique magic, but he still values swordsmanship highly, practicing two to three times a week in the garden.
His Rest In Peace has been modified by Nemo many times and is probably the most powerful divine artifact in the world. Oliver hangs it in their bedroom, and it still looks as plain as ever, like a handmade souvenir from a tourist spot.
If Oliver were to seriously wield it again, it would unleash terrifying power. Fortunately, the world is peaceful, so it continues to serve as Oliver’s exercise equipment.
“You really like swordsmanship,” Nemo once remarked.
Oliver smiled happily. “Because it always reminds me that ‘I am your knight’.”
Nemo: [None]
Nemo has never liked sports since childhood; he prefers sitting indoors reading books. Of course, chores like washing dishes, cleaning, and looking after kids probably don’t count as real exercise. For Nemo, doing chores is more like a job—his responsibility, not his hobby.
As for competitive sports, daily fitness, or even running, Nemo has no interest at all.
The Demon King doesn’t see this as “laziness.” The Pillar of the World can stay still for hundreds of millions of years, so to be fair, “not liking sports” is in his nature. Oliver has never found anything wrong with it either and always stays home with Nemo on rainy days, cuddling up to watch movies or play games together.
Maybe for Nemo, there’s only one exception—he’s willing to go anywhere as long as it’s an adventure with his knight.
…
[Jesse x Adrian]
Adrian: [Routine Training for the Knights of Judgment]
The Knights of Judgment have a fixed training regimen, and Adrian has always adhered to it. As long as conditions allow, he never skips his training, making it hard to say whether it’s out of passion or persistence.
A certain god has some complaints about this. Adrian Cross is no longer an ordinary person. Even if he ate butter every day, his beautiful body wouldn’t change shape. The Knight Commander should spend more time in bed instead, where they could cuddle longer.
But Adrian insists on his routine.
“Do you really enjoy working out that much?” Jesse asked with a bit of grievance.
“Persistence is also a form of liking,” Adrian calmly replied. “This is not the thing that I’m most persistent about, as you know.”
Since then, Jesse’s grievance vanished.
Jesse: [Walking]
Jesse Dylan loves walking.
Initially, he wandered through the universe; now that he has a home, he wanders across the world. He enjoys walking among humans, feeling the flow of time and the world’s transformation. Whether he does it in the form of a god, a human, or a beast depends entirely on Mr. Dylan mood that day.
He can roam from the most bustling cities to the most desolate forests, from the hottest deserts to the endless glaciers, from dawn till dusk, never tiring.
Nowadays, Jesse’s habits have changed slightly—now he only takes solitary walks near home, and if he travels far, Jesse insists on bringing Adrian along.
After all, it’s easy to lose your way under cloudy skies, and a traveler can never refuse the stars.
2024/6/1
Childhood Hairstyles
I suddenly wondered what everyone’s hairstyle was like when they were kids, so I’m sharing this on Children’s Day—
Consider it a little addition to the setting (〃ω〃)
[Oliver x Nemo]
Oliver: [Neat Short Hair]
Shorter than when he became an adult. Little Oliver loved rolling around and playing, so it was easier to keep clean. Old Ramon could quickly trim his son’s hair with just a small knife.
Nemo: [Tidy Medium-Length Hair]
When he was young, Old Light and his older siblings at the orphanage helped him manage his hair. After taking over the orphanage and becoming the oldest, there was no one to help, so he gradually grew it longer and tied it into a braid for convenience when he became an adult.
…
[Jesse x Adrian]
Adrian: [Shoulder-Length Medium Hair]
His hometown was poor and cold, and long hair provided some warmth. Due to a lack of nutrition, young Adrian’s hair was rough and tangled, and it also covered his eyes a bit. He only cut it short after becoming a Knight of Judgment.
Jesse: [Very Long Hair]
In theory, he had no childhood, but once tried to transform into a boy of Adrian’s age. To highlight his holiness, his hair reached down to his ankles. Thinking about it, though, he found the boyish look troublesome and gave up on it afterward.
2024/20/5
Everyone’s Favorite Fruits
This year’s Married Couple Day on 520* has arrived, so let’s write about everyone’s favorite fruits ☆
*The number 520 when pronounced in Chinese is very similar to [wǒ ài nǐ] (我爱你) I love you. Due to this, it has become a day in China called “Internet Valentine’s Day”.
Congratulations to the couple from [Full Server First Kill] for entering the happy married zone (*/ω＼*)
[Oliver x Nemo]
Oliver: [Kiwi]
“Oliver, did you know? There’s a kind of demon that wanders at night, turning children who waste food into fruits.”
Faced with the flour scattered all over the kitchen floor, along with the footprints of the suspect, Old Ramon solemnly declared, “I passed by your room late last night and saw only a kiwi on your pillow. Young man, if I had discovered it any later, you wouldn’t have been able to turn back.”
Due to the similar color scheme (?), young Oliver believed this story wholeheartedly. Old Ramon always kept a few kiwis in the kitchen as a warning. Of course, out of respect, Oliver ended up eating them all.
※ Oliver says it’s a taste that brings back memories.
Nemo: [Blueberry]
Back when he was in the Light Orphanage, as the eldest child, Nemo often led a group of younger siblings to the border forest to pick blueberries. Nemo knew a few secret spots on the forest’s edge where the blueberries were big, sweet, and rarely troubled by demons.
Compared to the sour wild fruits in the forest, blueberries were the most popular fruit in the Light Orphanage. Everyone laughed and played while picking them, and the leftover blueberries would be made into jam by Nemo, appearing on bread eaten for breakfast.
Later, as the children gradually left one by one, Nemo was the only one left, carrying a basket to the secret spot to pick blueberries. There weren’t many leftover blueberries, so he stopped making jam.
Later on, Oliver would always fill the fridge with the best blueberries, and Nemo would hum as he made blueberry jam—Oliver said that Nemo’s jam on bread for breakfast was the best.
※ Nemo believes it tastes incredibly warm.
~~~
A strange-looking kiwi tree appeared in the kitchen, with heavy fruit giving off a fresh fragrance. It would always proudly shake its leaves and stretch lazily. After the fruit was picked, new ones would grow the next day.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem normal, as if someone had specially created a new species.
“Trust me, I won’t waste food anymore,” Oliver said with a chuckle as he placed blueberries in the fridge.
“Don’t worry, Ollie,” Nemo said, holding two identical kiwis. “I promise I won’t turn you into a kiwi. This is just… well, a family tradition worth passing down, like blueberry jam.”
“Our family tradition,” Nemo happily added.
Then he placed the kiwis on both sides of Oliver’s head. “Wow, they really match your hair color, like you’ve grown two extra ears. Your dad was a genius at making up stories!”
Oliver: “……”
Oliver chuckled. “One for each of us. Which do you want, the left ear or the right ear?”
“The right ear!”
“Then the left one is mine.”
…
[Jesse x Adrian]
Adrian: [Strawberry]
Adrian Cross’s hometown was cold and poor, with only black bread, game meat, and root vegetables for food. As a teenager, he had only ever seen withered, dried-up wild apples, mottled with brown spots, looking like rotting corpses.
The closest thing he ever tasted to “normal fruit” was a small spoonful of strawberry jam gifted by a kind merchant. It emitted a faint berry aroma, as unreal as a dream, tasting like a miracle.
On the winter night that changed his destiny, he again smelled the sweet scent of berries on that wondrous creature. It didn’t exactly resemble the taste of strawberry jam but was far more delightful. Unfortunately, one cannot describe what they have never experienced before, so young Adrian could only associate it with that spoonful of strawberry jam.
To this day, Adrian still loves strawberries.
※ Adrian defines it as the “scent of a miracle.”
Jesse: [Cherry]
Before becoming the Knight Commander, Adrian Cross had accumulated many achievements. The church rewarded him with supplies, including a jar of wine-soaked cherries, a rare delicacy in the cold region. Young Mr. Cross shared half of the jar with the church members and carefully placed the other half in a silver jug, taking it to the snowy field where they first met.
The snow chilled the silver jug, keeping the wine-soaked cherries from spoiling. Every morning, Adrian would check the jug and brush it off from the fresh snow.
Naive yet stubborn, Jesse thought. Finally, he couldn’t stand Adrian’s dull behavior any longer and ran off to eat all the wine-soaked cherries, carefully erasing all traces—only God knew who ate them.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Cross calmly and contentedly retrieved the silver jug, without a trace of anxiety or confusion.
That was the first time Jesse personally received an offering from a believer, and he had to admit that the jar of wine-soaked cherries left a deep impression on him.
※ “It tasted like a mix of sweetness, curiosity, and a bit of frustration. You can’t ask for more,” Jesse said.
~~~
“You added strawberry jam to the cake.” Adrian carefully tasted the Black Forest cake in front of him.
“It makes the flavor richer—cherry liqueur and strawberry jam! No one in the world is better at blending them than me,” Jesse said, raising his nose. “You can’t buy such a perfect creation outside.”
Adrian finished the piece in front of him and set down the knife and fork with restraint.
Jesse’s smile faltered slightly, a part of it turning into a pout. “You’re only eating this much? Did today’s cake not suit your taste?”
Adrian: “I want to bring some for my colleagues to try.”
Jesse raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction.
“Someone asked me about my favorite dessert, and I said I only like eating the Black Forest cake made by my lover,” Adrian said.
Jesse’s eyebrows shot up in delight.
“I believe its taste is worthy of being called a ‘blessing from God,'” the former Knight Commander stated impartially.
“Oh, you’re welcome to share,” Jesse said, raising his nose again. “But not this one. You should keep eating—I’ll make a more ordinary version for that bunch.”
“Alright.”
2024/2/13
Couple’s Pajama Party Valentine’s Day, of course, calls for a grand pajama reveal (?
And favorite intimate acts (???
[Oliver × Nemo]
~Oliver~
[Loose robe-style pajamas] in a light milky coffee color, made from a special fabric softened by magic. It’s softer to the touch than a kitten’s fur. A long sword surrounded by olive leaves is embroidered at the chest.
[Loose boxer briefs] in light olive green, made from the same fabric as the pajamas. An unfolded scroll is embroidered at the waistband.
※ The fabric was provided by Nemo, while Oliver handled the cutting. The embroidery design was a joint effort.
~Nemo~
[Loose robe-style pajamas] in a warm light gray, made from a special fabric softened by magic. It’s softer to the touch than a kitten’s fur. A crown surrounding the sun is embroidered at the chest.
[Loose boxer briefs] in dark gray, made from the same fabric as the pajamas. Two olive leaves are embroidered at the waistband.
※ Despite being able to use cleaning and mending spells daily, they still prepared several sets for rotation.
The fabric of these pajamas is thin, almost weightless. Wearing them to sleep in each other’s arms allows direct contact with the lover’s body heat. Especially on cold days, they like to exchange a sticky, earnest kiss under the covers, kissing until their lips tingle slightly.
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
~Adrian~
[Custom-made pajama set] in a special dark blue, which is a standard button-up pajama shirt and pants set. It’s looser than a daily shirt but still outlines the body well.
[Ready-made boxer briefs] in dark gray, chosen by the Knight Commander himself. A popular brand, comfortable, and reasonably priced, to someone’s disappointment.
※ Someone specially decorated the dark blue pajamas with gold buttons with star patterns.
~Jesse~
[Lavish classical nightgown] in pure white, with a deep neckline, wave pleat decorations, and gold thread embroidery at the collar and cuffs. Made from his own hair. It’s soft to the touch and emits a warm scent.
※ If he sleeps in his beast form, his body will only have long white fur.
Whether in human or beast form, Jesse always prefers to sleep with his knight by his side, and Adrian never resists. Despite Mr. Dylan frequently changing into beautiful pajamas, Adrian always prefers the beast’s long fur. However, Jesse isn’t saddened by this—
“This way, I can embrace him more fully,” Adrian once explained.
2024/1/1
Magical Summoning Abilities
New Year’s Mysterious Magic☆ Couple Summoning Technique~10 Seconds Guaranteed~ The effect is magical, comparable to spatial teleportation!
[Oliver × Nemo]
Oliver’s exclusive magic: Pretend to be hurt/cut by a knife, with a cry of “ouch”.
Magic effect: The Great Demon King splits space, poking his head around to see who has hurt his beloved knight.
※ He can also get a sweet, light kiss as a bonus.
Nemo’s exclusive magic: Brew a bit of sorrow and sigh softly.
Magic effect: His knight will suddenly appear, hug his shoulders, and gently ask, “What’s wrong?”
※ Nemo often answers, “I wanted to see you.”
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
Jesse’s exclusive magic: Place a (new idol made in his own image) down.
Magic effect: Adrian will find it precisely and pray to it.
※ “Then just hug him from behind!” Mr. Dylan says.
Adrian’s exclusive magic: Open the bathroom door and pour hot water into the bathtub.
Magic effect: A fluffy white creature, or a certain unclothed god, emerges from the hot water.
※ The condition for triggering different summoning results—whether the Knight Commander was properly dressed at the time.
2023/10/31
Got A Pumpkin
[Oliver x Nemo]
~Oliver Ramon’s Pumpkin~
Mr. Ramon purchased a perfectly shaped large pumpkin. He meticulously carved it, carefully dried it, and displayed it prominently at the Tumbleweed Bar.
The patrons would love this festive atmosphere, and the carefully scraped pumpkin flesh could be used to make pumpkin muffins for Nemo.
The orange muffin topped with white cream was Nemo’s favorite. He needed to make more this time, maybe add some beautiful colored sugar sprinkles…
Oliver pondered as he poured out candies, eventually overflowing it from the pumpkin’s mouth and scattered all over the floor.
※ “Oh no!” Mr. Ramon was unusually flustered.
~Nemo Light’s Pumpkin~
Nemo brought back a basket of small pumpkins from the market, which seemed hard and probably not very tasty.
It didn’t matter, as the Demon King had other uses for them—
On the kitchen counter, the pumpkins sprouted four little legs and grew varying numbers of eyes ranging from 2 to 5.
The patrons would love this festive atmosphere. He could even hide one carrying a chocolate candy in Oliver’s bed to give him a scare.
That evening, the patrons praised the Tumbleweed Bar’s exquisite “props,” and Oliver successfully ate that piece of milk chocolate.
※ That night, an unfortunate thief attempted to break in and was beaten up by mysterious orange creatures, leaving in tears.
———
[Jesse x Adrian]
~Jesse Dylan’s Pumpkin~
Jesse specifically chose a gleaming pumpkin and turned its texture similar to wood.
He carved intricate reliefs on the pumpkin lamp, akin to church murals, creating an unparalleled piece of art.
Perfect!
“I’ve carved the scenes of the five times I saved you. How wonderful,” Jesse said to Adrian, holding the pumpkin.
“Five times?”
Jesse raised his head proudly. “Saving you from the snow, from the war, from the festival, from death… and last week, saving you from a blonde beauty who persistently flirted with you.”
Adrian: “…Okay.”
※ On Halloween day, a frighteningly exquisite jack-o’-lantern appeared on Mr. Cross’s desk.
~Adrian Cross’ Pumpkin~
Pumpkin puree, eggs, flour…
Honey, butter, sugar, cream… Yes, add a little more cream…
Maybe a little decoration on top…
On Halloween morning, as soon as Jesse woke up, he smelled a delightful baking aroma. He’d never gotten out of bed so quickly, and in the kitchen, he found a perfectly baked honey pumpkin pie.
Adrian had gone to work, but beside the pumpkin pie was a note—[For you.]
Jesse discovered a white cream… dog(?) on the pumpkin pie. The cream was a bit melted, making the dog look soft. Atop the dog’s nose was a gleaming gold star.※ Adrian took a slice of the honey pumpkin pie.
2023/10/04
Late Mid-Autumn Festival? National Day? Short joke~(*/ω＼*)
Everyone’s Belongings
[Oliver x Nemo]
~Oliver Ramon’s personal items~
◆ Driver’s License: Mr. Ramon often helps out with various things and easily gets involved in trouble. It’s essential to quickly prove his identity.
※ He doesn’t age and forges a new identity every few years.
◆ A roll of banknotes: Even though card payments and electronic payments are becoming more widespread, Mr. Ramon still prefers the feeling of reliability that cash brings. Even if he forgets his phone, he won’t forget his cash.
※ “So old-fashioned!” commented Mr. Dylan, who preferred to remain anonymous.
◆ Wedding ring: The second most precious treasure in the world. He never removes it, even while washing hands or taking a shower. After all, magic can handle the cleaning.
※ The most precious treasure is Nemo.
~Nemo Light’s personal items~
◆ Snacks and biscuits: Handmade by Oliver. They are delicious and unbeatable when it comes to coaxing children. The Demon King occasionally uses it, and when the two are separated, Nemo would eat some himself.
※ The term “children” here includes Lord Bagelmaurus.
◆ Latest large-screen smartphone: A pinnacle of modern human ingenuity, Nemo loves it. He often reads the latest magazines and has specially curated a collection for farming games.
※ It can be charged with magic, so no worries about battery life.
◆ Wedding ring: The protection magic, anti-lost magic, and curse magic on this ring are undoubtedly the strongest in the world, even stronger than the legendary papal staff consecrated in the Holy Land.
※ To this day, Nemo continues to add more magic to the ring, even though everyone (including himself) knows it’s unnecessary.
—
[Jesse x Adrian]
~Jesse Dylan’s personal items~
◆ Antique handkerchief: Soft in texture, beautifully embroidered in light blue, and radiates a charming scent. How could a gentleman not have a handkerchief?
※ “You are no gentleman,” Nemo pointed out ruthlessly.
◆ Slim glass bottle containing perfume: Mr. Dylan has a penchant for this human invention and switches scents daily.
※ Jesse initially preferred strong rose/woody scents. One day, he suddenly started using a fresh and light fruity fragrance, and nobody knows why.
◆ An ordinary cufflink: Plucked from someone’s uniform. Every time Mr. Cross gets a new shirt, Jesse purposely switches to a sapphire cufflink.
※ The removed cufflinks fill a small bottle. Jesse likes to pick one at random to wear, storing it in the same pocket as the perfume.
~Adrian Cross’ personal items~
◆ Police badge: Well, one can’t be without it… necessary for his profession!
※ Mr. Cross carries it even on his days off.
◆ Credit card: Someone likes to make impromptu purchases but often forgets to carry cash. Adrian is used to paying for it. Usually frugal, he is only generous on such occasions.
※ Perhaps this can be regarded as some sort of tribute, Mr. Cross thought.
◆ A golden hair strand: It always sneaks into a corner of his shirt, prompting ambiguous speculations from colleagues. Honestly, it has deterred a significant number of people from approaching the handsome former Knight Commander.
※ Adrian knows Jesse doesn’t shed hair in any form, but he pretends not to know.
2023/08/22
Qixi Scheduled! Perfect to rate everyone’s culinary skills~☆
[Oliver x Nemo]
~Oliver’s Culinary Skills~
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Strengths: Blessed with hundreds of years of culinary experience; always selects the freshest and best ingredients. He cooks with great dedication and precision, and his dishes radiate love.
Weaknesses: His recipes tend to be conservative, often lagging behind current trends.
※ “I like it anyway,” Nemo emphasized. “Ollie’s home cooking is the best in the world.”
~Nemo’s Culinary Skills~
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Strengths: Blessed with hundreds of years of culinary experience, coupled with his knowledge as the Pillar of the World, Nemo’s culinary skills can be called perfect. So, where did the half-star deduction come from?
Weaknesses: Sometimes he gets distracted while cooking, causing the semi-finished product to run away on its own, a problem much more severe than just burning the pot.
Strengths: Over ten thousand years of dining experience, with creative ideas that always impress. The food he serves never disappoints.
Weaknesses: Extremely biased in his dishes; 50% of his recipes are desserts, and 50% are what Adrian likes.
※ Adrian: “It’s no big deal. We can eat out when necessary. He loves trying new things.”
~Adrian’s Culinary Skills~
Overall rating: ★★☆
Strengths: The finished dishes taste good, with a few recipes he’s particularly good at.
Weaknesses: He doesn’t pursue culinary delights, his cooking skills progress slowly, and he’d rather work than experiment with recipes.
※ “The cake he made for me is super delicious, and that’s enough,” Jesse declared. “I’m the only one in the entire world who can eat it!”
2023/05/30
Indulging in “Tears of the Kingdom” led to postponement of the mini… A small corner of everyone’s daily life!
[Oliver × Nemo]
“The eggs aren’t fresh anymore,” Just before bed at night, Nemo suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, Oliver was drowsy in bed. The words “not fresh” stung the former innkeeper. He jumped up, almost alarmed, “What?”
Nemo yawned. “The eggs in the fridge aren’t fresh. I saw them when I poured milk today. They’ll expire tomorrow.”
That’s impossible. Oliver gasped as if in pain.
In theory, they shouldn’t have to worry about illness, poverty, or accidents. The things that could concern him were really limited. As the one in charge of breakfast, Oliver was confident that the ingredients in the fridge were always fresh and of the best quality.
“Last time I didn’t buy a lot, and the eggs in the recipe haven’t been reduced…” Oliver pondered deeply.
“I think I know what happened,” Nemo mumbled drowsily. “It’s Miss Goodman.”
Miss Goodman was still a student, working part-time at the Tumbleweed Bar during the holidays. From purchasing, inventory management to ledger sorting, with this excellent employee around, Nemo and Oliver’s leisure time for dating increased threefold.
Moreover, Miss Goodman didn’t like Jesse Dylan, the “Inventory Killer” and “Bill Disturber”. She completely ignored his charming face, treating him as if he was a raccoon in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, Miss Goodman was a devout follower of Laddism.
Later, Oliver decided to give her a 40% raise. Nemo suspected that 30% was for the threefold increased dating time, and the remaining 10% compensated for the mental loss she didn’t even realize.
Oliver finally realized, “Since Miss Goodman took over, we’ve been going out all the time.”
“So we’ve had fewer chances to eat at home.” Nemo draped his arm over Oliver’s chest and pulled him back to bed.
Mystery solved. The bedroom quieted down in the night. Nemo closed his eyes, just about to fall asleep with the warmth of his lover—
“No, they’re about to expire. I’ll make some cakes, perfect for a picnic tomorrow.” Oliver sat up again, looking for his slippers.
“…Now?”
“You go to sleep first.” Oliver caressed Nemo’s hair.
“Let’s do it together. I can help pick the cake design… But thinking about it, Ollie, it seems we’ve used all our extra time on our personal lives.”
“Isn’t that great?”
“It’s awesome.”
…
[Jesse × Adrian]
Late at night, Adrian was working in his study.
Being a policeman meant less free time. But for the exceptionally performing former knight commander, the job was especially tough. Like now, he had to read reports from his subordinates, view gruesome crime scenes, write work emails, and endure the continuous “rolling” noise in the room—
The great Mr. Jesse was lying back in the office chair, using his amazing magic to push himself, making the chair slide on the wooden floor like a squid swimming in the night.
“You should be on night duty now.” Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m off today. Didn’t I tell you?” Jesse slid closer on the chair, raising his voice, “I—AM—OFF—TODAY—”
Adrian kept working. “Okay.”
“I~ am~ off~ today~♪” Jesse sang again in the tune of a church hymn. Before he could finish, Adrian’s computer screen started to flicker.
Adrian finally looked up.
“This case is important. Someone is performing live sacrifices in the name of a Laddism Church. They might be summoning…” he paused carefully, choosing the right words, “Summoning beings not of this world.”
“Let Nemo and the others handle it.” Jesse suggested loudly.
“It’s related to the Laddism Church.”
“This world is still Mr. Light’s backyard. Lately, those two have been dating every other day, they’re too free.” Jesse nearly hit Adrian’s desk with his chair. “We shouldn’t do all the work.”
Adrian frowned in disagreement.
Jesse continued, “I gave you my heart not so you’d work yourself to death.”
“You know I don’t have health issues.”
“It’s just a metaphor!”
“Do you want to go out on a date?”
Jesse’s chair came to an abrupt stop.
“You could have just asked.” Adrian sighed. “Actually, if I’d known you were off, I would have made time.”
“You mean…” Jesse raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s go.” Adrian said, “It’s just one night. The world won’t end.”
2023/02/15
A belated Valentine’s Day mini: Everyone’s game preference.
[Oliver × Nemo]
~Oliver’s Gaming Preferences~
Occupation Choice: Main Tank, Knight-type classes.
Gaming Tendency: A player who values trust and peace of mind. Will study game strategies meticulously before playing; An expert in PVE and not much interested in PVP.
Teaming Tendencies: No fixed team. Open to join recruitment groups, but will never play without Nemo. Extremely friendly towards new players.
※His favorite type of game is actually farming and management, but since he can’t play them with Nemo, it ranks second in his heart.
~Nemo’s Gaming Preferences~
Occupation Choice: DPS, Mage-type classes.
Gaming Tendency: A trustworthy and earnest player. Collaboratively studies game strategies with Oliver. Has top-notch operation skills but dislikes controlling output, definitely will over tank when paired with other tanks (but never teams with other tanks so it’s not an issue).
Teaming Tendencies: Makes sporadic appearances in various team recruitments with Oliver. Very forgiving of newbie mistakes but will use magic to forcibly disconnect rude players.
※Sometimes, for fun, he’ll transform into the look of a game boss at home to surprise Oliver.
Gaming Tendency: Never looks at game strategies, only relies on his own calculation skills in real-time. Occasionally but deliberately goes against the game commander but always miraculously leads the team to victory.
Teaming Tendencies: Will join large guilds and is seen in frontier strategy teams. Unrivaled when it comes to responding to trash talk.
※On weekends, he drags Adrian to play, enjoying casting unnecessary but visually impressive buffs on Adrian’s character.
~Adrian’s Gaming Preferences~
Occupation Choice: DPS, shooter classes.
Gaming Tendency: A casual gamer with limited interest in gaming, simply accompanies Jesse. His gameplay is consistent and reliable, perfectly follows commands without any mistakes. In a sense, he is the only one who can keep up with Jesse’s wild in-game antics, making him incredibly strong.
Teaming Tendencies: Because of his reliability, he receives a lot of praise and requests to stay from other players. However, he only acts in tandem with Jesse and never logs on voluntarily.
※He doesn’t talk much, but if Jesse is badmouthed too severely, he will genuinely get angry.
2022/08/05
Tanabata, Tanabata, everyone’s outfit special edition~
[Oliver × Nemo]
~Golden Century Period~
Oliver:
[Loose and comfortable cloth shirt] Undyed original color with light yellow in the white. Although Mr. Ramon is no longer so strapped for cash, he’s still used to going to the market and buying the most ordinary handicrafts.
[Pants with the same fabric] The most common style. Dyed with plant sap, making it a dull gray-green color. The color will fade after washing too much, but magic can solve this small problem very well.
[Simple style sheepskin shoes] Dark brown. Breathable and easy to wear, but the appearance is lackluster and looks gray. Anyway, an innkeeper has to step on dust as he goes in and out, so whatever.
※Lord Demon King may have put 100,000 protection curses on his clothes, although they all know it is not necessary.
Nemo:
[Gray-black linen robe] There’s no embroidery or decoration, and the fabric is very soft. Just by looking at the robe, it is completely impossible to see that the owner is a “mage”.
[Oliver’s pants of the same style] Dyed a darker charcoal black. They occasionally wear the wrong clothes when they are in a hurry, but no one minds.
[Comfortable long-cloth boots] They were originally charcoal black, but they faded a little bit when they were worn too much. It’s not as wear-resistant as sheepskin shoes, but fortunately, Lord Demon King doesn’t like to physically run around.
※Oliver secretly embroiders the words “My Love” on the back of Nemo’s neckline.
…
~Modern~
Oliver:
[Clean linen shirt] The shape is good and durable. Oliver is used to rolling up his cuffs and the touch always reminds him of the past.
[Jeans that are not close-fitting] Dark army green color that’s not too tight. Oliver likes it very much.
[Slightly expensive sneakers] Thick-soled, very comfortable to wear. Oliver doesn’t have a hobby of collecting shoes. He just bought two pairs in his favorite style.
※Nemo bought him two extra pairs.
Nemo:
[Black sweater printed with “Final Boss”] The font has been specially designed. Nemo stored two dozen, each with a different font color. Lord Demon King likes to catch his lover and play the game of “spot the difference” very much.
[Warm gray overalls that are too loose] There are many pockets, no logo, and they are comfortable and easy to wear. Nemo occasionally takes out small things from his pockets that shouldn’t belong in this world.
[Printed canvas shoes with a sense of design] They’re not as comfortable as sneakers, but fortunately, someone can just directly split space to travel.
※Recently, there has been a trend to wear sneakers with Oliver.
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
~Golden Century Period~
The two have been wearing the monk clothes of the Laddism Church.
※Although Adrian thinks it’s unnecessary, Jesse insists that this is a very fun game.
…
~Modern~
Adrian:
[A navy-blue windbreaker that has no brand but fits very well] Made by someone. It will match with different styles depending on the weather.
[Black straight-leg pants] Made by someone. It highlights the leg lines when walking.
[Bright and clean leather boots] Made by someone. Mr. Cross expressed helplessness about it.
※A certain Mr. Dylan, who did not want to be named, said that Adrian’s work uniform is the best.
Jesse:
[A loose T-shirt that is a bit exaggerated but looks expensive at first glance] The style is over-the-top and cynical, paired with sunglasses and multiple necklaces, giving off a bad vibe.
[Sea blue wide-leg pants] Has messy straps hanging, and the embroidery on the straps is unexpectedly exquisite.
[Limited edition sneakers] With a special devil pattern. Giving off very bad vibes.
※When standing with Mr. Cross, he will always be mistaken for a criminal who has just been captured.
2022/02/13
Valentine’s Day Album, Inexplicable Nightmare Feature✨
[Oliver × Nemo]
The holiday that belonged to lovers was coming. Oliver got up early, filled all the vases in the room with roses, and hung a large golden wreath at the door. Although they knew Zenni himself and firmly believed that there was no need to pray to this person for a smooth relationship, Oliver always found this custom very cute.
After all, this was a good time to show “I am forever in love with the love of my life”.
Yet, after all his work, His Majesty still had himself rolled up under the covers, his eyes tightly closed, and a rare frown on his face. Oliver took a deep breath and approached gingerly. Nemo seemed to detect his scent and opened his eyes in a daze.
“The scent of roses is so good,” Nemo murmured. He spread his arms, put his arms around Oliver’s waist, and buried his face in his lover’s abdomen.
Before Nemo had time to tie up his hair, his long black hair hung down on his shoulders. Oliver touched a few handfuls of warm hair and sat down on the edge of the bed cooperatively. “What happened to you just now?”
“Had a nightmare.”
Nemo let go of his arm and slowly retreated back to the bed.
“Thanks to it, now I’m thinking about something really atrocious. Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course.”
“Lower your head. Yes, that’s it.” Nemo stretched out his hand and pointed his index finger at Oliver’s brow. Oliver slowly exhaled and closed his eyes.
The Demon King’s dream was very vivid, no different from reality. In the surging memory, he was standing at the door of the back kitchen of the Dawn Tavern, looking… looking at the surging ocean of cockroaches.
‘Oh,’ Oliver thought numbly. Yesterday such a thing happened—the person next door came to deliver goods yesterday and a cockroach fell out of it. It was half dead, and Nemo, who had come to steal chestnuts, had stepped on it.
The “crunching” sound was extremely clear. Nemo’s movement froze in an instant, and Mr. Hero, who was baking chestnuts, was fortunate to witness the whole process.
Oliver’s ankles were flooded with cockroaches in his dream, and he couldn’t help frowning, showing the same painful expression as Nemo.
“You just said ‘cruel things’… I can guess a general idea.”
“Yes, it’s time to create a new abyssal magic.”
Nemo retracted his hand. He covered his head with a quilt, his voice a little muffled.
“It must be cruel enough, vicious enough, and able to operate around the clock. If those things dare to approach my territory, I promise to leave them with nothing left.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Of course there is. Now, give me a good morning kiss.”
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
With the holiday approaching, Jesse sprayed more rose perfume on the pillow.
…It was a pity that tonight’s dream wasn’t as wonderful as the fragrance.
He dreamed of the young Adrian Cross. The other party looked to be in his early twenties, wearing the magnificent uniform of the Chief Justice of the Knights of Judgement. Adrian stood beside Pope Dawn Quinn, holding a hairless cat in his arms.
Jesse approached with a grin as usual, but the young knight commander took a half step back at the same time, his face showing some despondency and apology.
Something’s wrong. Jesse stopped. He had many dreams about Adrian Cross, but whether in a dream or in reality, Adrian had never shown such an expression.
Could it be some kind of omen?
Just as Jesse was thinking about himself, the young knight sighed. “Mr. Dylan, I have been hiding something from you.”
“Hmm?”
“I respect Pope Quinn, and it has something to do with his ‘no hair’. The same is true of animals. ‘No hair’ has a kind of orderly beauty.”
Adrian stroked the hairless cat in his arms and looked directly into Jesse’s eyes.
“Actually, for what you look like, I—”
Jesse jumped out of bed as soon as he heard these words.
After living for tens of thousands of years, this was the first time Jesse woke up from his dream. The development of the dream made him cry and laugh. It shouldn’t be a bad sign, that is to say…
Mr. Dylan tightened his face, and the aftertaste lasted for a long time. “A legendary ‘nightmare’?”
The morning light was shining outside the window, and Adrian was lying next to Jesse. He was sleeping very heavily, and his facial features were much more mature than in Jesse’s dream. Jesse looked at Adrian for a while, then slowly put his head on the other’s pillow. The long blonde hair pressed against Adrian’s face, making the latter unconsciously mewl; his expression relaxed a lot.
Jesse breathed contentedly.
He knew that Adrian would never hate his hair—no matter what form of hair it was-it was estimated that the world had been peaceful for too long for him to have that inexplicable troubling dream.
“Baby, do you think I’m better suited with short hair?”
“Maybe,” Adrian replied, very seriously. “Speaking of this, I do have a suggestion.”
“…Hmm, what?”
“Don’t spray too much perfume on the pillow. You’re getting a lot of the smell in your hair.”
“You don’t like the smell of roses?”
“I like it, but it covers up your smell.”
2022/02/01
Chinese New Year Extra, Everyone’s Specialty ♪
Once again, I wish you all good luck in the Year of the Tiger—!
[Oliver × Nemo]
~Oliver Ramon’s Specialties~
Knight Montblanc: Nemo likes chestnut cakes very much, and Oliver especially found the best pastry master to study under. This Montblanc has extremely high requirements for ingredients, has a refreshing and delicate taste, and the aroma of chestnuts is particularly rich. Someone once persuaded Mr. Ramon to reduce costs by using lower quality ingredients, but he rejected them all.
“Actually, this was originally not for sale,” he said with a smile, “But Nemo wants to share it with you.”
※Sold at a higher price, in limited quantities, to be eaten with a silver sword-shaped fork.
Special Baked Potatoes: The signature dish of the Ramon Inn. Oliver learned it at the age of ten. Cheese, bacon, and black pepper are served with mashed potatoes, which are loved by people of all ages. Later, at the request of a certain Demon King, Oliver specially added sweet, minced caramelized onions.
※To this day, this dish is still one of the signature dishes of Tumbleweed Bar.
~Nemo Light’s Specialties~
Demon King’s Veal Chop: Fresh veal chops cooked on the Demon’s King’s fire. Oliver’s favorite texture is medium rare. The veal is served with rosemary butter, and Oliver orders it four or five times a week. Ordinary flames won’t do it justice.
Mr. Light will always make some new attempts at the sauce, and there will be different surprises every time.
※The Tumbleweed Bar has a hidden menu, and Nemo opens it up for order when he’s in an extraordinarily good mood.
Alban Traditional Baked Meatloaf: Baked meatloaf with a lot of coarsely ground pepper and crushed chili. The skin is crispy. With one bite, the delicious and slightly scalded gravy will overflow instantly, suitable for large mouthfuls. The classic dishes of Tumbleweed Bar are often sold with beer or spirits.
※It is said to be the favorite food of Alban’s “Blood Queen”.
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
~Jesse Dylan’s Specialties~
Thick Creamy Stew: Chicken thighs with vegetables and milk, unexpectedly simple in appearance. Not only delicious and mellow in the mouth, it’s rare that it’s also refreshing and palatable. It’s especially suitable for stewing in a small pot in the cold winter, which will make people sweat, as if guarding a hot fireplace.
If you eat a bowl, you won’t be hungry for a long time. Adrian likes this dish very much.
※Mr. Dylan claims that he’s good at all recipes and only makes this often (ten times a month) out of interest.
Pope’s Cookies: The shape is much like the butter cookies distributed by the Clementine Cathedral, round and thick. The cookies are filled with extra sugar, but they aren’t greasy to eat. This is really a miracle. Mr. Dylan occasionally supplies it to Tumbleweed Bar to make some extra money.
※Mr. Dylan originally planned to call it “Old Baldy Cookies”, but under Adrian’s watch, he finally wrote the name “Pope’s Cookies” on the label.
~Adrian Cross’ Specialties~
Yogurt Cheesecake: The cheesecake made with yogurt has a soft and dense taste and just the right amount of humidity. After it’s done, Mr. Cross will apply a thin layer of white cream to the cake and serve it with fresh berries. He doesn’t know how to make delicate accessories, but such simple decorations don’t have a sense of beauty. A certain large beast can eat half in just a bite.
※Mr. Dylan, who claims to be “good at all recipes”, found that he couldn’t make the same taste.
Marching Soft Cake: A soft cake with vegetables, eggs, and cream. It has a mild taste after being sprinkled with granulated sugar. It’s very convenient to carry, and the taste will not deteriorate after it’s cold. It’s said that it was once a popular high-grade marching food in Alban.
※Mr. Cross will cook some when he’s on vacation, and it’s eaten with a creamy stew. It tastes very good.
2021/11/06
Halloween Extra. Struggling and Slacking Off at Work 🎃
[Oliver × Nemo]
At night, a high-rise apartment.
The lights were turned off in the apartment. Two young people huddled in a thin blanket, watching a horror movie projected on a large screen. The projector was of good quality, and the gloomy picture cast was extremely clear.
Nemo swallowed the chocolate popcorn and went to grab more from Oliver’s side. As soon as he grabbed it, the Demon King noticed something was wrong—Oliver held his breath. His whole body was tight, and the popcorn bucket in his arms didn’t move.
Nemo: “……”
Nemo glanced at the distorted ghost on the screen in confusion. This movie had just been released, and the psychological horror plot was outstanding and widely praised. The two of them specially saved it for Halloween, intending to create a festive atmosphere. Now it seems that they created too much of a festive atmosphere.
“Ollie, are you scared?”
“Demons are at least creatures. This, this kind of thing that can’t be explained logically, I’m a little bit…”
“It’s okay,” Nemo announced solemnly. “I have a good solution.”
For the next half hour, whenever there was any depressing scene in the movie, Nemo would turn his head and kiss Oliver’s ear.
Mr. Ramon never managed to hold his breath again.
It turned out that Nemo’s method was very effective—the movie was about to end, the screen was swarming with demons and very weird images, but Oliver could no longer tense up.
“I’ll get two glasses of mulled wine and watch a comedy later.” Oliver rubbed his flushed ears, got up, and went to the kitchen.
“Tsk, someone really resurrected.” Bagelmaurus began to steal Oliver’s popcorn. “Isn’t this kind of thing just a stimulus? It’s been many years, and Ramon isn’t that fragile.”
“I really don’t like to see him scared. Even if I’m afraid, it has to be me first.” Nemo grimaced at the ghost at the end of the film.
“…You have a weird angle of being jealous.”
“Shut up.”
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
At night, a bar in lower town Doru.
In order to celebrate Halloween, the shops on the streets were somewhat decorated. This bar was the most exaggerated of them all—they hung life-size zombies at the door.
Adrian Cross stepped into the bar with two colleagues.
Today’s captured target was quite dangerous. If the information was correct, the target would meet at this store tonight for a deal.
…It turned out to be this store.
“Uh, we didn’t order these.” His police officer colleague was tongue-tied for the first time.
“Holiday gifts, gentlemen,” Jesse Dylan replied, holding the tray.
Jesse was still dressed up as the usual bartender, with a face that was too beautiful to be real. As if to increase the festive atmosphere, he had two white pointed ears on top of his head and a long hairy tail behind his waist. In the gap between the two police officers looking away, Adrian saw the pair of ears twitching at him.
Adrian: “…” Sure enough, he grew them himself.
“Three drinks, no alcohol added, all improvised,” Jesse continued with a grin and began to distribute tall glasses. “This one is ‘all the best’, this one is ‘good health’. And this last one…”
He pushed a dark-red drink in front of Adrian.
“It’s called ‘Kiss of God’.”
After dividing the drinks, Jesse narrowed his eyes at the three of them and happily returned to the back of the bar to mix drinks.
“Do you want to switch, Cross? My cup is juice and I want to drink something with bubbles,” one of the police officers came back to his senses and said with a smile.
Inconsistent with that serious appearance, Chief Cross was easy to talk to. Whether it was to change lunch breaks or duty dates, as long as there was a reasonable excuse, he would never refuse. However…
“No.” Adrian Cross laughed with a rare smile and took a sip of his drink.
Unlike thousands of years ago, wine-marinated gooseberry sauce with sparkling water had just the right taste.
2021/08/14
How can we miss Qixi Festival! Write about everyone in the eyes of passersby (?)
Time is filled with work, still searching for moments to write ʕ ; ᴥ ; ʔ
[Oliver × Nemo]
@Tumbleweed Bar Bouncer/Male/43 years old
“Me? I worked in the Tumbleweed Bar for two years.”
“I was originally a homeless man nearby, and the bosses kindly recruited me as a bouncer… Yes, it was those two young people. If you ask me, they must all be children of rich families. The bar doesn’t make much money at all. It uses all good things. There’s not a drop of water in the wine, and I don’t know what the full picture is.”
“Partner? No, no, they are married. They would run out of the stores for three days. Usually, no one causes trouble. My job is similar to a shopkeeper watching a store. Hey, the work is easy, and the treatment is good. Maybe Zenni finally gave this old man some blessing.”
“Yeah, I thought the two men weren’t mature enough. As a result, the bosses never quarrel. Every day I could see one sending flowers to the other, and they never seemed to get tired of each other. Okay, gotta stop talking. I have to go back to work… Girlfriend? What are you talking about, I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh, you’re asking about the smell of roses? Forget it, one of the bosses ordered a new variety of roses and typed the wrong quantity… Because of this, I fucking ate rose-flavored snacks for a week. The whole bar is rose-flavored, and they also plan to develop a rose beer.”
“Which boss typed the wrong quantity? How did I know? Someone in the store asked. They just laughed, and neither of them would admit it. Yes, you guessed it right, they both bought it and wanted to give it to each other as soon as possible. Yes, yes, it’s just that expensive variety, so let me just say, they are definitely very rich.”
“……”
“I used to believe that living alone was beneficial, but after seeing them laugh there, I can probably see the benefit of being with someone…”
“…After all, I have lived for more than forty years, and I have been wandering the streets for more than ten years, and I have never seen such happy faces.”
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
@Chain Dessert Shop Clerk/Female/28 years old
“That beautiful guest came again last week! This time I specifically said hello and took a picture. Look, isn’t it scary beautiful? The first time he came back, I thought I was hallucinating. Hey, is he really not an actor?”
“Yes, he comes to buy desserts every week, and he buys a lot. It’s a miracle that he’s not fat.”
“Looking frivolous? Hi, I think so too. To be honest, he doesn’t give me a very comfortable feeling. The smile is charming, but there’s always a subtle sense of indifference… I can’t say, but in short, it feels very inhuman.”
“I’m not going to strike up a conversation, but Jane wanted to ask for his contact information. After all, that guy wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Jane, who has always been easy to get serious, and I wanted to persuade her. Guess what, that guy can read his mind, and he came with a man the next day.”
“Not a friend, I saw him kiss the man in the corner. Jane also saw it. She was sad for a long time… But it’s a good thing. If she’s really stuck, she would be depressed for at least a month.”
“Coincidence? ……Well, it may be a coincidence. When he bought snacks before, he would always pick something that wasn’t too sweet and pack it separately. I thought he wasn’t single before. It is not surprising that he pulled his boyfriend to pick the new products that came out of the store that day. Mr. Boyfriend looks quite serious but gives people a very down-to-earth feeling.”
“Now that I think about it, I should have gone back at that time to take pictures. Why? Let me think about what I wanted to say… When he was with his boyfriend, that guy’s behavior didn’t change much, but there was a more human touch in his eyes.”
“No! It’s not that I’m over-thinking things… Forget it, just call it a woman’s intuition.”
2021/05/31
A plain and ordinary daily routine. Everyone’s day schedule♪
[Oliver × Nemo]
~Nemo Light’s Day Routine~
08:00-10:00 Wakes up and has breakfast with Oliver. After his lover leaves, Nemo watches the news for the day while holding an ice cream tub in his arms.
10:00-14:00 Go to the Tumbleweed Bar, change shifts with Oliver, and rush his lover to rest. He also stopped by to buy a flower to give to him and, when they meet, greet him with a kiss.
14:00 to 20:00, Go to the exorcism school with Oliver to pretend to be a student. Will sleep in most of the classes and only dutifully eat dinner at school. Anti-counterfeiting technology is improving day by day, and the two of them will have to get a legal certificate every 30 years. Unfortunately, no one has discovered Nemo’s Demon King identity so far.
20:00-23:00 Back to the Tumbleweed Bar. He casually cleans up two ungrateful devil worshippers. Tonight, there was Oliver’s famous fruit pie. Jesse attempted to come and eat and drink it, and Nemo ate the last piece in front of him. Perfect.
23:00-00:00 Midnight management is left to Telaranea and Bagelmaurus. The two study the world map at home for a while, determined to go to the rainforest for a little adventure. Nemo’s spells were used very carefully and were not noticed by the monitoring department, which is really gratifying.
~Oliver Ramon’s Day Routine~
07:00-08:00 Get up to prepare breakfast and wake up His Majesty with a kiss. After breakfast, Oliver goes to the Tumbleweed Bar first.
08:00-14:00 To prepare for work, Nemo will come to change shifts at around 11:00. He would get a flower and a kiss, as well as a happy lunch break. Today, Nemo gave a magic-dyed green rose, and Oliver inserted it in the most conspicuous place in the store.
14:00-20:00 Go to the exorcist school with Nemo to pretend to be a student. Out of interest, he will listen carefully and take notes, but he won’t wake up Nemo, who’s asleep.
20:00-23:00 Back to the Tumbleweed Bar, Nemo’s favorite fruit pie was specially prepared. It’s a pity that most of the fruit bought was stolen by the gray parrot. Oliver had to temporarily buy more ingredients and decided to only give ordinary bird food to Bagelmaurus tomorrow.
23:00-00:00 The rainforest is lined with tall trees, and the two sat on the top of the tree and watched the starry sky for a while. It’s off the beaten track, and Oliver can’t help but think of what happened a long time ago. Nemo was also full of emotion and almost changed back to the appearance of Ulysses again. If it weren’t for Oliver’s timely discovery of a researcher’s camera, his lover would be in the news sooner or later.
“Next time you can choose a more partial place, such as the snowy mountains,” Mr. Ramon suggested so. “But today is good enough.”
“Yes, it’s good enough.”
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
~Adrian Cross’s Day Routine~
06:00-09:00 Get up for morning exercises and morning prayers, then drive to the police station. Keep quiet throughout the process so as not to wake up Jesse, who’s sleeping soundly.
09:00-12:00 Work incidentally identifies which cases are related to demons and need to be handled separately. There will be a short break between work for a light lunch and a cup of black coffee.
12:00-17:00 Continue to work, replying to Jesse’s rambling messages every half hour. Everything is normal today, and there’s no need to go out in the field.
17:00-20:00 Drive to lower town to pick up Jesse. Jesse will carefully select the restaurant for dinner. The man also chose an expensive shop today, and Adrian didn’t refuse. After all, today is a weekday, and they can only have such a meal together.
20:00-21:00 As usual, go to Tumbleweed to say hello. Jesse tried to take Nemo’s share of fruit pie with a spell and was caught. Adrian dragged his lover away, who was flipping off the bar, and asked Oliver for the recipe for the fruit pie.
21:00-23:00 Tries to make fruit pies while praying at night. Jesse was highly dissatisfied with not being able to interrupt and expressed his “dissatisfaction” with practical actions. Near 23:00, Adrian struggled to take a bath, laid back on the bed exhausted, and decided to try making it again on the weekend.
~Jesse Dylan’s Day Routine~
12:00-17:00 Get up and go to the bar in lower town, yawning while at work. There are few customers during the day, which is suitable for screening restaurants all over the world while harassing his lover at work.
17:00-20:00 Change into formal clothes and wait for Adrian to pick him up. The two eat and talk in a carefully selected restaurant, and Jesse added three dessert packages.
20:00-21:00 Exchanged messages with the two at the Tumbleweed Bar, but it’s a pity that they didn’t get any fruit pie.
21:00-23:00 His knight commander was wearing an apron and fiddling with milk and granulated sugar while doing evening prayers with a cold face. This scene was a bit weird and pleasing to the eye. It’s not difficult to make the choice between eating a pie or having a lover, but even if there’s a cleansing spell, Adrian will always take a bath habitually. Next time he won’t leave him any stamina. Jesse resolutely squeezed into the bathtub.
23:00-04:00 Adrian falls asleep, and Jesse returns to work in the bar. Lower town is in chaos. As a bartender here, he can always hear all kinds of bad news. To be Chief Cross’s informant, he has to have a job that makes sense.
“No one can compare to the sweets you make. Why do you have to steal Mr. Light’s?”
“Tsk, they taught you too rigid at the beginning. Darling Adri, it’s more delicious when you steal it.” …Especially with your “own” hands.
2021/02/14
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Special 🍫
[Oliver × Nemo]
[Hand-Made Boxed Chocolate × 1]
Made by: Nemo Wright
Item description:
Hand-made chocolate according to the most popular method on the market. The best raw materials were specially selected. During the production process, His Majesty the Demon King was too focused, and one of them became a new breed of demon that tittered and tried to escape from the gift box.
Nemo apologized and said that the taste wouldn’t be affected as a result. Oliver still raised it with interest.
[Bedtime Marshmallow Hot Chocolate x 2]
Made by: Oliver Ramon
Item description:
The sweet and warm hot chocolate had just the right sweetness, which was much more palatable than the ones on the market. Prepared by Oliver Ramon, the owner of Tumbleweed Bar. Nemo had always liked the unique taste in the world.
Before going to bed, have a cup. The good night kiss also had a sweet taste.
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
[Black Forest Cake x 1]
Made by: Jesse Dylan
Item description:
The gods themselves were most satisfied with the work. The taste surpassed the existing Black Forest Cake on the market. In order to obtain the perfect taste, Jesse tried four times and finally resisted not eating it in advance.
People who don’t like sweets can happily eat it.
[Chocolate Flavored Bath Bomb × 1]
Purchased by: Adrian Cross
Item description:
The product of a certain luxury brand was very expensive. After turning to knowledgeable colleagues, the honest Mr. Cross spent an entire quarter of his salary. He wrapped it carefully and put it on the edge of the bathtub at home.
For a full half month afterwards, both of them smelled faintly of chocolate.
2020/11/11
There’s no holiday today, but I thought about it and wrote something. Let’s sleep together. _(:D”∠)_
[Oliver × Nemo]
The cheese in the shop was eaten cleanly by the grey parrot. In order to operate normally, Oliver had to go buy additional premium cheese.
“If I leave now, I can be back before lunch tomorrow.” Oliver reconfirmed the ticket. “Earlier Mr. Cross said…”
“I remember—Your teleportation magic is too strong and frequent use will alarm the exorcism agency. It’s a good thing to keep a low profile. Just spend the night apart.” Nemo scratched his hair. “What do you want to eat for lunch tomorrow?”
“Parrot stew.”
“Ditto.”
His Majesty the Demon King overestimated his adaptability. That night, Nemo drank a whole pot of honey milk and lay upright on the bed until two in the morning, sadly declaring insomnia. The bedroom was too quiet and empty, and the flying snow outside the window wasn’t pleasing to the eye.
Nemo tightened his pajamas, turned on his phone, and began to find the latitude and longitude of Oliver’s hotel.
Unlike Oliver, he didn’t need to teleport using magic, but going to an unfamiliar destination, splitting space could easily cause accidents. In order to avoid the hotel building and the staff from being torn apart, Nemo calculated carefully for half a minute.
Late at night, on the roof of a hotel. There was a sharp roar in the air, and a dark shadow crashed to the ground. It deftly avoided the surveillance, stopped for a moment in front of an open window, and then sneaked in.
The next day, Oliver looked at the sleeping person in his arms and blinked. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” Nemo yawned. “Ollie, if I didn’t come, are you going to keep the window open all night on a snowy day?”
“I guess that you would come.” Oliver’s ears became a little red. “The room is too quiet, and I can’t sleep.”
“…Ditto.”
—
[Jesse × Adrian]
For many years, whenever he spent the night in beast form, Jesse made sure to ball up into a perfect oval. The tip of his tail perfectly covered the nose, leaving a gap in his abdomen for Adrian to spend the night. The whole set of actions were done in one go, which was extremely elegant.
As one of the strongest living creatures in existence, the behemoth’s sleeping position was too cautious.
However, after the two of them suspended their travels, bought a home, and settled down, Jesse’s habits changed subtly.
One winter night.
Adrian walked into the bedroom and saw Jesse lying on the bed at a glance. The behemoth straightened his body, resting his four legs casually as he lay diagonally across the bed.
Their homes had no special protection and were no different from ordinary hotels, but the behemoth slept quite relaxed—its tail hung to the ground, a little pink tongue appeared from its mouth, and the soothing sound of breathing filled the room.
Adrian moved lightly and sat on the side of the bed. The behemoth seemed to be aware of it. It hummed twice, rolled over and made room, then went to sleep peacefully again. The place where it had lain was very warm, and the familiar and soft smell lingered in the nose. Everything was just right.
Adrian turned around and put his arm on the back of the behemoth.
“I locked the windows, so the house is safe,” he said. “Good night and sweet dream.”
For God, this was complete nonsense, and Adrian couldn’t help smiling. The concept of “home” was still a bit fresh, and it always made people do stupid things unknowingly.
But at present, it seemed that a little change wasn’t bad.
2020/09/26
Late Tanabata Extra, Pet Special ☆
[Oliver × Nemo]
There was an extra gray parrot in the Tumbleweed Bar. It was bouncing happily at the bar. Lord Bagelmaurus, who stayed at the bar on weekdays, was moved into the back kitchen.
“Why?!” There were tears in Bagelmaurus’ eyes, and its voice was an octave higher than usual.
“A few days ago, someone complained that he was insulted by the parrot in the store for half an hour with unsightly swearing, which caused him great mental damage.” Nemo’s smile was quite kind. “If Ollie hadn’t said everything, the man would have gone to a lawyer.”
“I’m right! He wouldn’t leave after closing time, and I didn’t do anything!” The gray parrot curled its neck.
“The problem isn’t here. He recorded it, and you didn’t notice. If it’s known by someone who shouldn’t know—”
“Are you joking? Are you two still afraid of the exorcists?” All the parrot feathers exploded. “And didn’t that guy say he would delete the recording?”
“Ollie and I happen to be planning a vacation. If we are closed for investigation at this moment because of this kind of frivolousness…” Nemo smile became more genial.
“…” The feathers of the gray parrot quickly deflated, and the entire bird froze on the bird stand.
“I’m sorry,” it muttered in a low voice. “Just…I apologize. Can you send that stupid bird away? That garbage can only say a few alcohol names…”
“I will let it stay for two days to see your performance.” Nemo’s smile was extremely bright.
“Asshole!”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, I’m sorry.”
“Aren’t you going to tell it the truth?” Ollie, who was doing accounts at the bar, raised his eyes. “Tammy at the store asked us to help take care of her parrot, and we’ll return it in a few days.”
“No.” Nemo kissed his lover’s ear. “Mr. Hero, do you want to be in cahoots with evil and help keep my secret?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Oliver bent his eyes.
“And I don’t like to see you bow your head to rude guests,” Nemo said in a whisper.
“Let me guess,” Oliver couldn’t restrain the smile in his voice. “You tampered with his recording?”
“…How did you know?”
“I guessed?”
On the other side, Mr. Duff was satisfied that the backup of the recording was dumped to his computer and ready to be uploaded. He opened the audio file and found that the first half of the thing was an eerie sound that made people uncomfortable, and the second half was a breakfast cookie commercial music.
He deleted it unhappily.
—
[Jesse x Adrian]
Adrian had a cat.
He was unexpectedly gentle with the white cat, cooking fresh fish and chicken for it every day, grooming it, and allowing it to sleep in his bed at night.
“I can’t figure it out.” Jesse balled up at the Tumbleweed Bar and lapped up the fruit wine with discontent. “So much for over-loving like you two. In all these years, Adri’s never been interested in that kind of stuff.”
“It’s just a cat. People change.” Nemo ruffled the long hairs on the bar in disgust. “To be honest, I think Mr. Cross came to the party a little late.”
“He’s starting to change?” Jesse twitched his ears. “No, because it’s okay for big things to falter. A beast in the district—”
“What, are you starting to worry about him faltering? A little change and you’re nervous like this?”
“Nonsense, I’ve been waiting for him to waver for a long time.” The beast bared its fangs. “…Oh, bring me two schnitzels. Adri likes them.”
Jesse drained his drink and ate the rest of his schnitzel. He was determined to scare the cat more in the dead of night. As a result, he alertly moved away from the door and found no sign of the white cat.
“Where’s the cat?”
“Returned it.”
“…Returned it?”
“The neighbor just asked me to take care of it for a few days.” Adrian took out two bottles of soda from the refrigerator. “I work in the police department, and there’s no children at home, so she’s more at ease.”
“You should have told me,” Jesse happily rolled up his sleeves and started working on the schnitzel. “Besides, it’s only cat sitting. Darling, you’re going to too much trouble.”
“Mrs. Fay treasures that cat, and it has to be taken care of carefully.” Adrian pulled out an envelope and carefully placed it on the table. “So I’ve asked for the appropriate cat sitting fee as well.”
Jesse raised an eyebrow. The envelope was frighteningly thin and not a bill by any stretch of the imagination. “A cat sitting fee?”
“A new recipe that’s from her family’s. It’s a snack that won’t start selling in the store until half a month from now.” Adrian lifted the corner of his mouth. “You’ve been looking forward to this. I’ve read it five times in the last week.”
Jesse sniffed the butter scent on the envelope, kissed the back of the other man’s neck, and narrowed his eyes contentedly.
‘A reassuring smell,’ he thought.
2020/05/20
520 small paragraph, Bathroom Special (. ・ω・.)♡
[Oliver x Nemo]
Every time, after a shower, Nemo enjoyed having Oliver slowly dry his hair. This way he can surprise the other, lightly kiss the tip of the nose, in return for a few burning kisses.
He also liked to dig his fingers into Oliver’s hair, with a drying spell with a little combing, and lightly press the other’s scalp. Oliver’s hair was very soft, like touching wet silk.
The parrot thought sadly that new lovers would make out when they had nothing to do, but these two bastards did it every day, which made it want to go blind.
Thus, it secretly ordered magic heaters and put them in the most conspicuous place in the bathroom.
“I see what you mean.” It finally dawned on Nemo. “I’m sorry, Bagelmaurus. I haven’t been thinking about your feelings.”
Later that night, a screaming gray parrot came from the bathroom—Nemo sincerely held it down and rinsed it all over, blowing it dry vigorously with a hair dryer. Then he pushed and tossed the hair dryer and the gray parrot out the door and shared a bath with his lover as usual.
The gray parrot angrily pecked the hair dryer and patched itself up.
‘…Truly worthy of a Demon King,’ it thought sadly.
—
[Jesse x Adrian]
The two of them usually cast a drying spell after each bath. After listening to the grey parrot’s complaint of blood and tears, Jesse rubbed his chin and felt good about this kind of play.
“Love, tonight you can dry my hair.” In the large bathtub, Jesse kissed his lover’s spine and suggested pleasantly.
“Okay.” Adrian clutched a strand of blonde hair and didn’t refuse.
To enjoy the touch of his lover’s fingers more, Jesse decided to make himself bigger. He had mischief in mind—Adrian had just brushed his fingers on it, and Jesse suddenly transformed into his behemoth form. The knight commander’s hand slipped and made the drying spell too powerful. The behemoth’s long hair instantly dried and fluffed into a snow-white ball, revealing only the tips of his ears, mouth, and dark nose.
Jesse: “……”
Adrian: “……”
A soft chuckle escaped from the ever-smiling knight commander. “Want a do-over?” He stroked the soft fluffy fur in front of him.
He was then dragged into the tub again by the sad beast.
2020/02/14
Valentine’s Day for Everyone
[Oliver × Nemo]
Oliver booked the most popular restaurant in the neighborhood three months in advance and decided to give Nemo a surprise.
As a result, the holiday had just arrived, and he found that Nemo had quietly booked the same one.
In order to live up to each other’s feelings. They happily switched tables and ate two dinners under the complicated eyes of the clerk.
Neither ordered wine. They drank all six cans of grape juice, pretended to be drunk, and decided to split the difference in gift-giving.
The gray parrot stayed home all night, and neither of the two jerk-off owners returned.
Bagelmaurus: (expletive)
—
[Jesse x Adrian]
On holidays belonging to lovers, lovers in Alban hung wreaths woven with golden flowers on their doorsteps and prayed to Zenni for a smooth relationship.
Jesse decided to observe Adrian.
Adrian didn’t hang a wreath in the morning, and Adrian didn’t hang a wreath at noon.
Jesse wilted on top of the church all afternoon, bought the wreath, and carried it, only to see a rose wreath hanging on his doorstep.
“No one uses this kind of wreath, so it was difficult to find and was delivered late. Anyway, it’s for you, so it’s not customary,” Adrian said.
Chapter 281: A Long Time Ago and A Long Time Later
“In 913, the Blood Queen of Alban, Andrea Alasdair, abdicated. She took away her lover, Gallagher Salter, and left the royal city to live an adventurous life. She finally died in 968 at the age of ninety-seven.”
“For this king… So far, historical evaluations have been mixed, and people haven’t reached a more unified conclusion. She has been in power for less than ten years, relying on the murder of her elder brother to take the throne, and what she has done was only the beginning of reform. After her, Queen Delia Alastair was the one who pushed Alban to the top. If it comes to merit, now, the biggest achievement of the Blood Queen was to invest in the Dawn Tavern, the predecessor of ‘Corona’.”
The old professor’s face was serious. He pushed up his glasses and tapped the chalk twice on the blackboard.
“In other words, in theory, she was one of the founders of today’s ‘Corona’. To this day, the Alastair family is still our important investor. Of course, everyone knows that the real founders of ‘Corona’ are Eddie Lopez, Renard Lopez, and Olivia Lopez. They are also descendants of the Hero Godwin Lopez, and they could be regarded as the origin of the ancient exorcist family.”
“I hate the Lopez’s.” Under the podium, a curly-haired young man with freckles complained in a low voice. “Well, I admit that the history of their family is indeed long enough, but nowadays, ‘Corona’ is no longer the private property of their family.”
The newcomer sitting next to him secretly playing on his phone looked up and raised his eyebrows at him.
On the podium, the old professor coughed twice and continued. “From 921 to 1021, it was called the ‘Golden Century’. During that period, more and more people received the ‘Favor of the God of War’. Although there were small-scale wars in some regions, the countries of the world were in a relatively peaceful state. The surface expedition was confirmed to have disappeared, and in order to find a substitute for bone jade, many research institutions and educational institutions quickly emerged. The two oldest of them, the Gatekeepers and Clementine Academy, have reached their peak in the Golden Century.”
“This brings us to one man, Prince Hayden, husband of Queen Delia Alastair. He officially became president of Clementine University—then known as the Royal Military Academy of Clementine— At the age of fifty-one, and with the Queen’s support, Prince Hayden made radical changes to Clementine University.”
“How boring. Hey, over there.” The curly-haired youth yawned widely. “Corona is at least the strongest exorcism institution. I was beginning to think we’d be thrown into the death testing ground—Ugh, in short, it’s just a similar place. You said we had a hard time getting into Corona and up comes a bunch of dry history lessons. That’s not quite right, is it?”
“The Gatekeepers will do that type of test.” The newcomer shrugged his shoulders, still texting on his phone. “Isn’t it good to be more stable?”
“We are here to fight!” Curly hair snorted dissatisfiedly. “Not to mention anything else, at least as far as these courses are concerned, the Lopezes must have learned them long ago. See? The seat over there is empty, and Lopez must have gone to training. He’s already the first in this class, and if this goes on, our gap will only grow.”
“Not necessarily.” The dark-haired newcomer’s tone was a bit more comforting. “Exorcists must act in groups of two, and partners are also very important.”
“You don’t understand anything.” The curly-haired young man fiddled with the fountain pen in his hand. “The people in their family are all lone wolves here. One of them counts as two. When the exorcist license is officially obtained, their family will assign one specifically for him within the family.”
“…Is that so,” the newcomer responded, now sounding particularly surprised.
“I also want to be the top exorcist and get the title of ‘Aurorae’. For seven consecutive generations, ‘Aurorae’ has been a member of the Lopez family.” Curly hair lay on the table in frustration. “Alas, you’re right. In short, first find a reliable partner… Hey, hey! The professor is looking at you!”
It was a pity that this reminder came a bit late.
“Mr. Light, please put your phone away. Yes, you are in second place in the overall score, but as far as I know, you only scored 5 points on your ‘History of the Rise and Fall of Alban’.”
The old professor cleared his throat heavily, but he didn’t sound really angry.
“Those 5 points still depend on the fact that you didn’t turn in a blank paper. Generally speaking, under the topic of ‘the merits and achievements of the Blood Queen, Andrea Alastair‘, it is impossible to score an answer like ‘she likes to eat baked meatloaf a lot’.”
There was a burst of suppressed laughter in the lecture hall.
The curly-haired young man took a breath from his teeth and turned his head to look at the newcomer beside him. The handsome black-haired young man just smiled with a complicated expression, then lowered his gaze, looking a little distracted.
Hearing the professor’s name, the curly-haired young man, Bean Leonard, naturally knew who the newcomer was.
Among the newcomers who entered Corona for training this year, in addition to the descendants of the Lopez family, who ranked first in overall results, Nemo Light was one of the people tied for second place.
He originally thought that the guy with such a scary combat performance had to be two meters tall, but it turned out that Mr. Light was much more elegant and harmless than he thought. As for the other person tied for second place, he heard some news at lunch—Oliver Ramon took leave early today, and he wasn’t sure what he was doing.
Right now, Nemo was apparently done fuming as he spread his book out in front of him in a decent manner and continued to tap his fingertips quickly on the glass screen of his phone.
Nemo’s movements were not big, and they weren’t small. Bean glanced at the ring on the ring finger of the other party’s left hand.
As the most outstanding group of alternate professional exorcists, Bean was very confident in his dynamic vision. The style of the ring was antiquated, unlike the old style, it was probably an antique.
That was definitely very valuable. It seemed that Mr. Light, who was of unknown origin, should have a big family behind him. Maybe it was some famous precious daughter who fell in love with this handsome and powerful young man and they got engaged early…
Bean locked his gaze on the ring and began to use his imagination to pass the boring history class. However, the object he was looking at almost immediately stopped typing information on the phone, raised his eyebrows slightly, and cast his gaze back.
Bean reacted a few seconds later. “Hey, sorry. I just…”
“It’s okay, I don’t care.” Nemo shrugged and continued to look at the phone screen, zooming in on a photo of a light fixture.
“Are you chatting with your fiancée?” Bean lowered his voice curiously.
“Husband.” Nemo sounded in a good mood, again with no intention of continuing to listen to the class.
Bean almost fell to the ground. The chair under his ass made a tragic squeaking noise, and the old professor’s gaze floated over again.
“Oh, oh.” Bean quickly stabilized his body and responded dryly. At present, Laddism was highly popular and people’s tolerance for homosexuality wasn’t high, but if one thought about it, if Mr. Light’s lover could afford such an antique ring, he naturally didn’t care about the words of the little people.
Bean tightened his expression, turned to the podium, and tried to turn his attention back to the content of the class.
“…Just talking about the changes in Clementine University, the research room of Clementine University has provided very important technical support for ‘Corona’. I believe you have all heard that no matter which Dawn Tavern you go to around the world, you can find at least one researcher from Clementine University.”
The old professor continued slowly.
“In comparison, the Gatekeeper’s side…”
‘Still no good,’ Bean thought in a daze. Sunlight poured into the spacious lecture hall, and fine dust floated and flickered in the air. The temperature was just right. The old professor’s voice was soothing, like a lullaby, and the slow words and sentences finally merged into a buzzing sound that was getting farther and farther away from him. Bean’s head was becoming heavier in this comfortable environment, and finally the young exorcist decided to obey his heart, laid down on the table, and fell asleep without realizing it.
When today’s class was over, Bean wiped the saliva from the corners of his mouth, and when he looked around subconsciously, Mr. Light was long gone.
The sun was about to set.
The high-rise buildings in the lower city were dilapidated, and the managers had long left them alone. The elevator stopped running, and the water and electricity were inconvenient. This old group of high-rise buildings became a gathering place for the poor and criminals, and the dilapidated walls almost dyed the surrounding air gray.
As night fell, bright and slightly cheap lights quickly ignited. Among the many hurried and suspicious passersby, Nemo put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the building with the most concentrated lights with a clear goal.
A few months ago, there was an underground bar with understated but tasteful decor.
The sign placed at the entrance was still brand new. It was placed at the entrance of the descending steps. There was no superfluous, exaggerated lighting. Even so, under the lights of the rest of the shops, people could still easily see the words on the signs.
Tumbleweed Bar.
Nemo walked down the steps and opened the door of the bar casually.
Oliver was wearing a waiter’s uniform, wiping the glass carefully. Seeing his lover enter the door, he put down the soft cloth in his hand, walked around the bar, and gave the other party a kiss.
“Look, this is the lamp you chose during the day. Good vision, Nemo. It really looks better than the other one I showed you,” Oliver said in a pleasant tone. He put his left arm around Nemo’s waist, and his right hand pointed to the decorative lights on the roof of the bar.
“It’s much brighter here now.”
“Be careful of too bright environment to scare off customers.” Nemo smiled and shook his head, twisting his head and kissing Oliver on the cheek in the process.
This lamp was really good.
Under the soft light, even the skeleton helmet hanging on the wall looked like an ornament bought from a high-end store. Just like other bars, large or small, there were many photo frames hanging under the helmet. The photos inside looked old, but they were all well preserved.
The content of the middle photo was odd—four old-fashioned people standing in a pile of weird lizard tails. Except for the one in a monk’s uniform with a tight expression, the other three were all smiling.
His gaze stayed on that photo for a long time before Nemo let out a long sigh. “…Where’s Adri?”
“Adri will be late. After all, after the entry procedures, he has to have a drink with his new colleagues—well, he probably won’t really drink. As for Jesse, God knows which nightclub or church he’s hanging out in, but he will definitely come with Adri.”
“As a reliable ‘informant’, Jesse shouldn’t rush into the welcome party of the new police chief,” Nemo murmured, a little more uncertain in his voice. “…Will he?”
“…” Oliver obviously decided to remain silent about it.
“The guests are here!” The gray parrot jumped up on one end of the bar. “If you two don’t get ready, you’ll just have to supply them with my leftovers.”
Nemo flicked the grey parrot’s head and then snapped his fingers. The dark shadows gathered in the corner, gradually turning into a multi-armed humanoid, and then obediently penetrated the back kitchen.
“Thank you for reminding me, Bagelmaurus. Ollie, you receive the guests first, and I’ll change clothes.”
Night was officially coming.
In this dark and dangerous corner, people walking on the edge of darkness were very curious about this new bar. Although in history, the Dawn Tavern was one of the famous sanctuaries for demon worshippers, after the birth of the exorcist agency “Corona”, it gradually became the exclusive intelligence agency for exorcists, and it had long been unsuitable for real marginal people.
This kind of underground bar in the corner of the “Junkyard” was often more popular.
The style of “Tumbleweed” had not been affected by the chaos around it, which meant there must be a terrifying backer behind it. Not to mention, this bar wasn’t even equipped with cameras or any other surveillance equipment.
The only downside was that there were only two young male waiters in this modest bar.
Although gender may not be so important to people living in the lower city, the faces of the two male waiters were also quite outstanding. It was a pity that they hadn’t heard of anyone who had successfully wiped the oil* so far.
*Referring to taking advantage (usually of women) in public.
But with good, not-too-expensive wine and a relatively safe place to talk, one could accept this small regret.
Tumbleweed quickly filled up.
“It’s really terrible. Bob was killed by that thing on the spot, and his skull had to be crushed into oatmeal.” The fat man near the window snorted. “If it weren’t for my fast running at the time, I might have died and wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale. It’s in the underground parking lot. Tell your people to stay away from that shithole.”
“God, isn’t Bob’s demon quite strong? I remember it was intermediate—”
“Who the hell knows what’s going on! That thing also looked like a human being, with arms hanging to the ground and hands that could hold my head tightly. It moved so fast that I couldn’t see clearly. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to stop and wait to see if it cast a spell. Then again, it’s true that the thing had the aura of a demon, but I’ve never seen that type of demon… Hey, kid, what are you listening to?”
“Wine for the two of you.”
Nemo’s voice was soft and his smile was very decent. He took the glass from the tray and adjusted the collar of the waiter’s uniform.
“I think you have met a demon warlock. Sir… Are you interested in exchanging information?”
The author has something to say:
This novel is officially coming to an end here. In the future, Western Magic will basically extend this worldview, so everyone in Tumbleweed still has a chance to appear, don’t worry XD
Thank you to everyone who read all the way to here, and thank you everyone who helped promote it on Weibo. I didn’t expect to receive so much recognition at all. I was really moved to tears. (;ω;)
Because except for the first few days (.) There was basically no saved manuscript, and sometimes I had to work overtime in a rush to write. I know very well that there are still a lot of flaws… Thank you for your tolerance.
There is nothing to say about this, only continuous learning and practice. I will try to make the next book better~
PS:
The pre-collection of the next book, “Happy Doomsday” can be seen in the author’s column!
② Although I don’t know if it is necessary, let’s talk about it. Raising gray parrots in my country requires permission from the Forestry Administration, otherwise it is illegal (whisper)
【A little summary postscript】
“Stray” was published on March 31st last year, and it has been updated continuously since April 11th. The data was recorded at the beginning, and on April 30, when the serialization of the article was completed for a month, the collection was about 10.
It is false to say that it was a hit (……
I still remember the period of many chapters with 0 comments in the first volume. hhh careful readers can find that I didn’t write much at first._(:””∠)_
Here, I really thank the readers who accompanied me in the first place. Without you, I really don’t have the confidence to survive. At that time, while relying on the idea of “at least there are still people reading”, I liked the subject matter, and I was a little unconvinced, so I gritted my teeth and went down even more.
During that period, there were gradually more readers chasing the novel, and gradually they became my motivation to stick to it.
I had to work during the day, so it was quite tiring. Because there were also times when I was sad, but there were also happy moments too. In short, I am very satisfied to finish this novel. (;ω;)
Finally, thank you again for seeing you here and hopefully I can see you in my next work. XD
Kinky Thoughts:
Well, that’s the end. I hope you enjoyed this novel. I think it’s great and I hope you do too. I’m really sad it ended as I would love to read a series of Nemo and Ollie’s adventures in modern times (like this chapter!). For those who have become fans of this author, I am translating another of her works: Happy Doomsday. Do check it out. Now that Stray is finished, releases for Happy Doomsday will now be daily. For those that like this kind of exorcism in a modern-day setting, Bu Tian Gang (my other project) is very similar to this. Do check that out as well, if that’s to your liking.
If you did enjoy it, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. This is a seriously underrated book on jjwxc and could use your support for more visibility. I used Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
As seen in the author’s note, if it weren’t for buyers who supported her, she might not have finished this masterpiece, so please do give her your support!
I like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently and try to finish this novel as soon as possible, which was certainly quite a feat as this novel has 281 chapters and over 1.2+ million Chinese characters.
Finally, in consideration for my next project, I’m looking for someone who can read Chinese and is well versed in the xianxia setting (understand terminology, technique, ect.) to help me with my translation. I’ll be mainly needing your help on things that I get stuck on and need a second translation opinion on, mainly because of the xianxia setting, and also guidance on xianxia things in general that I might not understand. If you’re willing, please contact me. I promise I’ll try my best not to bother you too much with my inquiries.
With that, I do have one last treat. This is an extra extra from the author’s blog where she writes mini updates for her characters (usually on special holidays). It’s not officially on jjwxc, but I’ve decided to translate it. She usually updates this yearly, so check back each year on those special days for a new update.
If it hadn’t snowed so much, Wyatt Roderick would be in a better mood.
As the Chief Justice of the Knights of Judgement of the Laddism Church, Roderick had to spend more than half of the year on missions outside. The Laddism Church bore all the expenses, but unfortunately, the mission date wouldn’t change due to the weather.
This team of Knights of Judgement could naturally use magic to drive away the wind and snow. One after another, they activated the thermal insulation array solidified on their armor, and in the knife-like chill, they surrounded themselves with a small, warm, windless space. However, the Knights of Judgment couldn’t be extravagant enough to continue to use magic to remove the snow that had not passed the horse’s legs.
Coupled with the complex terrain in the Deadwood Forest, the team’s travel speed had slowed down substantially.
Roderick clicked his tongue twice, clutched the letter box in his hand, and considered resigning for the 5,000th time.
Balthazar Medes ran away again.
As the only remaining member of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Group, Medes’ ability didn’t discredit the legendary mercenary group—he wasn’t good at hiding his tracks, but he was very good at escaping. Not to mention the guest room in the Heretical Judgement Hall, even in the most tightly guarded dungeon on the surface, his teacher may be able to pat himself on the back and just leave.
Roderick tugged at the corner of his mouth, indicating that he would be given the guaranteed certificate later.
Considering that the name of “The Last Tin Soldier” was too big and the face of Medes, who had recovered his flesh, was young and inconsistent with his age, Roderick could only get an ordinary fake identity for his teacher.
With the guarantee of the current Knight Commander, a certain rumored necromancer could obtain permission to move freely. However, since Medes recovered his flesh and left his tomb, he seemed to have developed a disease that would make him uncomfortable if he stayed in the same place for more than a few days.
“If I return to this appearance, I will continue to age like a normal human,” Medes once said solemnly. “I don’t have much time for research and atonement, god damn it.”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have wiped out that village a long time ago. How about using this as part of the atonement?”
“Let’s not talk about whether you’re crazy to that point. I can’t put a face on something that hasn’t happened yet.”
“Then wait for me for three months, no, six months, maybe ten… Whatever, anyway, I will have a little vacation then, and we will go together.”
“Oh.” The necromancer coughed dryly and tried to retreat but was hugged tighter. “Your armor is going to squeeze me to death… Take your hands away, little bastard! Where are you touching?!”
Then, as soon as he went out for a week, Medes easily broke through the restrictions of the Heretical Judgement Hall and disappeared without a trace.
Roderick didn’t feel the slightest anger; he even felt a little inexplicably happy.
He knew Balthazar Medes better than anyone else, and he knew that his teacher would never wait honestly. When this mission was over, he could start the “hunt” that made his blood boil. If it weren’t for the countless conveniences of being a Chief Justice, and at the same time making the game a lot more interesting, he would’ve quit his mission right now and started the hunt.
“Normal humans don’t live here, do they?” His deputy sneezed and twitched the tip of his red nose. “Could it be, um… the bishop here is wrong?”
“That’s what you said last time when we were over at the glaciers,” Roderick responded carelessly. “Let’s see… After half an hour at most, we ran straight into a superior demon.”
“My lord, you decided to ignore them! It was a Nightmare Leopard and a demon warlock. To be honest—”
“They are living a nice little life. What am I going to do? Get itchy and pick a fight?”
Roderick sneered.
“It’s fish hanging outside their house, not human organs. There weren’t many people in that shithole in the first place, and I didn’t smell anything resembling corpses. I am the Knight Commander of humans, not a Knight Commander of fish. It’s none of my business if those little lovers are drying fish.”
The deputy rolled his eyes and chose to swallow his anger and continued on his way.
It was simply unreasonable for such a bastard to sit in the position of Chief Justice of the Knights of Judgement, yet Zenni hadn’t sent down divine punishment yet.
Mr. Deputy groaned angrily.
Either this guy was destined to do something earth-shattering, making god willing to ignore these details, or Zenni was accumulating anger and intended to settle accounts all at once.
Maybe it was this time.
Recently, a member of the clergy reported a vision, saying that in this barren, cold land, a monk of the Laddism Church rode out on a foreign beast and easily expelled a demon warlock who had fallen into madness in front of them. It just so happened that the last mission site wasn’t far from here, so Roderick didn’t return and instead divided a small group of people to come and investigate.
However, the deputy was quite sure that his boss was quasi-intending to take advantage of this opportunity to get a few more days of mission leave so as to return with better rest.
It seemed that the bishop in this area had eaten some hallucinogenic mushrooms to think they could do something about it. Even “Eclipse” Roderick wouldn’t easily solve a demon warlock who fell into madness.
If the previous Chief Justice was still alive, it could be possible…
Roderick suddenly stopped the horse and raised his hand.
“…The smell of superior demons,” he said with interest.
Facing the excited knight commander, the deputy wiped his face helplessly. “Alert!”
A huge black shadow appeared in the blizzard, and a faint demon aura came from not far away. The Knights of Judgement spread out in their well-trained formation and ignited a snow-melting spell, directly dispersing the snow and storm in place.
This time they saw the dark shadow clearly.
It was a man riding a white behemoth and wearing the uniform of a free monk of the Laddism Church. This weird knight looked to be in his thirties, with dark brown hair and eyes, healthy wheat-colored skin, and sharp and calm eyes.
But they didn’t recognize the behemoth he was riding.
Its four claws stepped on the top of the soft snow layer, as if it didn’t have any weight. It didn’t seem like it was a variant of a wolf-type beast—at least they didn’t know any kind of wolf-type beast would have a pair of golden horns.
A small girl dressed as a pauper was sitting behind that knight, poking her head out slightly. Timidly, she looked over at the Knights of Judgement.
“Name?” Roderick didn’t talk nonsense. The tip of his sword pointed directly at the strange knight.
The knight shook his head and made no sound.
“Forget it, you don’t look like an incompetent idiot. Let me just say it—put down the girl behind you. It’s a superior demon.”
“She’s not.” The man riding the white behemoth finally spoke; his voice was low and pleasant.
“…That’s at least a demon warlock, although I don’t see any signs of deformation. This is too close to a human village, so you’ve crossed the line,” Roderick said lazily. The tip of his sword didn’t waver at all. “Speaking of which, have I seen you somewhere? Hmm, you do look familiar.”
“I have heard of you, but I have never met you.” The mysterious knight on the opposite side lowered his eyes as the snowflakes fell on his hair and uniform.
Before the knight could finish his sentence, a spell shot out from the tip of Roderick’s sword. This was such a “dastardly deed” from the supposedly righteous knight that the deputy had to turn his head and sigh.
But neither the behemoth nor the knight moved. The white beam of light suddenly disappeared without a trace halfway through.
Roderick put his sword away neatly. “The strength difference is too big. It’s no fun… To the opposite side, sorry. It was just a test from us little people. Don’t take it personally.”
“Lord Roderick?!”
“Do I look stupid?” Roderick raised his eyebrows high. “Since I’m not a fool, why should I rush into a confusing and inevitable losing fight? I told you before, that—what’s your name again—if you want to commit suicide gracefully with this approach, I won’t stop you, but don’t drag me into it.”
“But you are—”
“I’m a normal human, and no matter what’s on the opposite side, it’s obviously not in the same category. Mr. Deputy, first count how many people are here. Do you see the beast on the opposite side? Chopping us all up and feeding it to it would probably not be enough for a meal.”
“…No, you guys aren’t delicious enough to eat.”
The white behemoth spoke suddenly, in a very serious tone. Then it twisted its furry head and looked at the person riding on the back. “Baby, still not ready? Just let them take her back. Anyway, Nemo has already greeted Old Quinn so they wouldn’t do anything to her.”
The mystery knight pinched his brow and pulled out a small badge from his pocket, pinning it to the little girl’s shirt. The little girl sniffled; her eyes full of confusion and panic.
“Don’t be afraid. Your chest doesn’t hurt anymore, right?” When facing the little girl, the knight’s tone softened a lot. “They will take you to the city and Grandpa Pope will take you in.”
“But, but, Pandy…”
“Pandorater? She will be fine, I promise. Even if it’s for observation purposes, they will not do anything to you. Compared to this, tell Pandy that Nemo has been looking after her—you can always ask him for help, but if you’re too naughty, he will also come to you.”
“…Okay.”
As soon as the voice fell, the little girl’s expression changed. The confusion and panic suddenly disappeared, and she looked calm and curious. However, when her gaze hit the team of Knights of Judgement not far away, the little girl suddenly looked gloomy.
“I know,” she whispered in a tone that didn’t sound like a child. “I’m just a little interested in the other side of the world and I won’t go against His Majesty’s wishes.”
The tall knight jumped off the back of the behemoth, stretched out his arms, and carried the little girl to the ground.
“It’s not a superior demon, nor a demon warlock. She made a wish to get rid of her illness so she could live and spontaneously entered into a symbiotic pact with a demon. I think the Pope will be happy to observe this special case and give her a title.”
“It’s the Pope’s personal seal…”
“But that’s…”
“Oh, just escort her back to the Central Church, right?” The current knight commander accepted the reality very happily.
“That’s it.” The knight nodded.
“Okay, come here, little one. You can ride on my horse.”
“Lord Roderick—!” The deputy looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
“…Or ride on his neck,” Roderick glanced at the deputy and added.
“Besides, you guys—”
Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, the behemoth and the knight disappeared into the air. There wasn’t even a footprint left on the snow, as if what had happened was just an illusion.
“Let’s go.” Roderick asked the little girl to sit in front of him. He held the reins with both arms so that she could sit more firmly. “Let’s go back.”
“But the investigation…”
“You really don’t understand, do you?” Roderick shook his head bitterly.
“I can’t see through them and our spells are completely ineffective. We’re not at the same strength level at all. If they don’t want us to find them, we could turn this whole area upside down and we won’t find a clue. If I’m not mistaken, they deliberately showed up in front of the bishop. I’m afraid that they calculated that I was nearby and set this up just so I can bring her back to Hatfield in name.”
“After all, Lord Quinn still has to consider some face. If they were to send her directly to him, his lordship wouldn’t be able to explain it. I’m different—those fanatics who want to make trouble must first have to weigh themselves.”
The deputy had a headache as he understood the reasoning. If this Chief Justice had shown some shame, he wouldn’t be so stifled, but this bastard…
“Oh, there’s one more thing.”
As if hearing the swearing in his subordinate’s hearts, Roderick added another sentence.
“I’m different from your group of idiots. I won’t act rashly when I hear the word demon. It’s more reassuring to leave it in my hands. Sit still, little one. See that uncle? Don’t pay any attention to him. He just has cramps on his face.”
The deputy shook his whole body with anger.
He could only continue to pray to Zenni that he would take care of this scourge as soon as possible, he thought silently in despair.
However, Lord Zenni didn’t have the mind to listen to anyone’s prayers.
It got dark very quickly in winter.
Standing by a tree, Adrian straightened his sword, waiting for his God to change into a human form. Just like every day recently, when Jesse regained his human appearance, the two of them would go back to the warm inn in the nearby town together.
But this time, the behemoth sat in place without the slightest sign of movement.
“Five weeks,” Jesse said.
“Hmm?”
“Take care of that one—those two—forget it, taking care of that little girl, you know what I mean. It’s been five weeks, darling Adri. You haven’t had time to kiss me.”
“After all, the child has just recovered from a serious illness and was close to death. Her spirit wasn’t stable, and she needed to be watched,” Adrian explained patiently.
“But this does not change the fact that ‘you haven’t kissed me for five weeks’,” Jesse announced, his voice becoming as sticky as honey. “Well, this may be a good thing. Prolonged abstinence can make people sensitive, right? Maybe this time, I can get you to waver.”
“…I thought you had given up on this idea.”
“I won’t give up until I see through your thoughts.”
Jesse leaned closer, turned into a human face, and stepped barefoot on the snow.
“You say that faith is blind, yet I haven’t seen you be obedient to me all the time. To be honest, sometimes I can’t figure out whether you believe in me or are playing games with me. But then again, you’ve always been willing to tolerate me in such matters—”
Jesse Dylan lowered his voice ambiguously.
A cold touch wrapped around his body causing Adrian to frown slightly. His body that was transformed by the flesh of the gods wasn’t afraid of the cold, but this made the gap between his body temperature and this coldness even greater.
Focusing his magic on his eyes, he could see that the thin limbs of the gods that could not be seen were entangled in his body, twisting the buttons of his clothes one by one, and slowly but firmly removed his monk uniform.
What a pity, he had just smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothing.
The snow under his body was melting, and the weird and cold touch of his thin limbs meandered through every inch of his skin, making him shudder. Those beautiful blue eyes got very close, followed by a scorching breath and a slightly rough and eager kiss.
The fiery fingertips matched the wet and cold thin limbs, dancing on the skin together. Adrian tried desperately to restrain himself so that he didn’t breathe too fast.
“Why?” In a drifting consciousness from pleasure, he heard the god whisper in his ears.
“Because from the beginning, my faith was just my personal desire.”
Adrian gasped softly, hugging the warm body in front of him.
“…Me too.”
The author has something to say:
Leaving a little exhaust*!
*Reference to exhaust from a car, which is slang referring to sex. Basically, she left in the PG-13 foreplay.
Kinky Thoughts:
Can’t get me enough of Adrian and Jesse. Need some fanfics of this… Anyway, the next chapter is the last of the extras.
Ruan Xian had never danced before. At most he had seen a little bit of related scenes in film and television works. Tang Yibu didn’t seem to be the type that was good at it either. At most, they put on a waltz posture while trying to imitate the male steps.
Then he almost fell into a ball.
To be precise, Tang Yibu’s steps were much more stable than his. The second before the android completely lost his balance, he twisted his body and firmly caught Ruan Xian, who almost fell. Ruan Xian grabbed the other party’s front lapel, quickly stabilized his body, and turned this small accident into part of the dance steps.
There were no rules, no standards. They co-wrote the beat and took steps by instinct.
Finally, the role of the interferometer began to appear. A little blue light appeared in the center of the Annihilation Point, which opened like waves of water, and then slowly disappeared into the darkness. Its gravity hadn’t fluctuated too strongly, and the speed at which gravel and grass clippings were drawn hadn’t changed.
One step, two steps.
“It’s okay.” Ruan Xian cleared his throat. “I still have seeds of the flickering grass and the lab rats, so I can test it later.”
“Fan Baiyan, how are you going to meet?” Tang Yibu asked softly, without stopping. “There doesn’t seem to be anyone on your ship.”
“I want to keep a little surprise.” Ruan Xian backed away from Tang Yibu’s movements.
“Hm.” Tang Yibu didn’t ask. “…Did the Walking Stones notify you of the ‘disinfection’ time?”
Ruan Xian’s heel was close to the edge of the ruins, and as he moved, a few grains of gravel rolled into the cracks. Tang Yibu tightened his arm around the other party’s waist and took him away from the edge.
“The night after tomorrow,” Ruan Xian replied. “I also know about the vote. I think this is—”
“A very good opportunity for observation.” Tang Yibu took over the conversation. “So during the disinfection period, which side are you going to stay on?”
“Do I have a choice? Don’t lie to me, you won’t give up Elysium.” Ruan Xian hooked the corners of his mouth. “…You go back first, and I will follow.”
Tang Yibu’s arms around his waist tightened, causing Ruan Xian’s eyebrows to jump.
“Catch up early,” Tang Yibu muttered. “When you’re not there, the richness of the sample decreases a lot.”
Ruan Xian didn’t answer. The music reached its climax, and Carol Young, who was imprisoned on the record, sang a long high note. The clear female voice cut through the air and penetrated into the bright sunlight. The body temperature of the person opposite of him was nostalgic, and the damn sense of security returned to him uncontrollably.
“It may not be appropriate to say that.” Seeing that Ruan Xian didn’t answer, Tang Yibu continued on his own. “According to human speech… I hope you can come back to me soon.”
Like a heavy hammer.
Ruan Xian closed his eyes, and the sunlight passed through his eyelids, dyeing a dark red in his field of vision.
[Don’t come back!] Hysterical screams came from the depths of my mind.
[Don’t come back again, do you hear me!]
The mother in his memory was wrinkled and thin. Her beautiful eyes were deeply concave, and she looked like some kind of ghost. She waved her arms, and her hair was scattered. Finally, she retracted her hand and scratched deep blood marks on her face.
[Why can’t you die outside…?]
There were only two emotions on her face: half regret and half fear.
Ruan Xian laughed softly. He opened his eyes and looked at Tang Yibu.
“You can’t say this casually. Be careful, you may regret it.” Ruan Xian’s voice was very soft. “You are still within my range. I just haven’t decided when to leave you.”
“Thank you for your honesty, I understand.” Tang Yibu instead smiled, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight. “Don’t worry, this is not a test. How do you say it… I just miss you a little, Mr. Ruan.”
Ruan Xian paused.
He didn’t know how to express that feeling. Maybe there was no suitable word in the world to describe it. Whether it was color, taste, or emotion, it was a certain commonality established by the crowd, and he was the part that was removed from it, an uncoordinated lesion.
This moment of emotion had never happened before, and it may not appear again in the future. Now it had no name, just like himself.
It was a bit like a craving. Like a thirsty person seeing a mirage in an oasis, or a hungry person pressing his face against a butcher shop’s window. It was encapsulated and placed within his reach, but it could never be truly touched.
But it wasn’t like a negative emotion either. Although it was clearly out of control, impractical, inefficient, bitter and desperate, it was also extremely soft, mixed with a little urge to get close to each other and open up.
The hand that the other party took turned into a soldering iron in an instant.
Ruan Xian broke free of that arm, breathing a little faster. His heart seemed to be squeezed by a demon’s claws. The damn song finally came to an end. The words dissipated in the wind brought by the Annihilation Point, and only the music continued.
Ruan Xian quickly judged that this emotion wasn’t good for him.
Not to mention, whether Tang Yibu was his own kind, their relationship was definitely not between “friends”. If it was hard to define, Ruan Xian preferred the description of “both parties have motives and decide to use each other”. The word “companion” wasn’t appropriate.
In his memory, as a human, he would not open himself to other humans, let alone the one in front of him…
As if perceiving Ruan Xian’s gaze, Tang Yibu tilted his head innocently and made a polite expression of doubt. A few strands of soft black hair slid down his cheeks. Such a good complexion was very easy to deceive.
“No more dancing.” Ruan Xian tightened his throat, with a little anger in his tone.
The melody of “Step by Step” just stopped, and the prelude to the next song sounded.
Tang Yibu let go of his hand knowingly, still with a little smile on his face. “Then I’ll go first. You…”
“I will go back before the disinfection begins.” Ruan Xian subconsciously softened his tone, and after realizing this, he pinched his thigh abruptly.
The next part was much simpler. The corpses of the lab rats quickly piled up on the stalk of the grass, which bloomed and fruited close to the Annihilation Point. Tang Yibu ate more than a dozen fruits before he was completely sure of the success of the plan.
“There are almost no psychedelic ingredients.” The android spit out the fruit and stuck out his tongue. “And it has become a lot harder to eat.”
“Very good.” Ruan Xian raised his face and turned directly into the big ship. Half a minute later, he carried the sleeping iron bead in one hand and put it in front of Tang Yibu, with a blunt tone. “Wake it up, and then you can go.”
The reluctant iron bead almost tore off Tang Yibu’s sleeve.
“Come on.” After confirming that Tang Yibu’s big ship disappeared from view, Ruan Xian tapped lightly on the iron bead that continued to bark wildly at the annihilation point. “We all have to learn to adapt.”
“Gwah?”
The settlement of Elysium.
Fan Baiyan was in a good mood. He wandered back to his room after drinking tea after his meal. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but the air in the room seemed to be lower than usual.
The old man frowned and confirmed the jade carving at the head of the bed and the location of the record. Everything was no different from when he left. Maybe he was just thinking too much. Fan Baiyan sat on the edge of the bed, thinking—Unless someone could remember all the details in the room, they couldn’t do something like this so seamlessly.
He yawned and glanced at the time. On the dial of the decorative wall clock, the electronic second hand slid silently, and his enemy was dying minute by minute. This kind of imagination made him feel comfortable, and his whole body felt a lot lighter.
His afternoon tea came with pudding and sugarcane milk. After watching two movies, the scenery outside the fake window became night. As long as he didn’t leave here, it was no different from his ideal retirement.
God was on his side in the end.
The flickering grass was such a blessing. Using it, Duan Lili became an easy-to-use, easy-to-control deputy captain, and it gave him an inexhaustible resource. It was true that there would always be a day when the materials of the Sea of Ruins would run out, but before then, he would’ve enjoyed quite a comfortable life in his old age. After he died, what would he care about the aftermath.
Now it was God who wanted to get rid of his most troublesome enemy. In the past few years, there had been many hostile captains towards Elysium, but most of them were reckless men who were ruthless and had no brains, but none of them gave him a headache like Yu Le.
Fortunately, his hard time had finally come to an end. When this week reached its end, Yu Le would disappear from the world.
“Go and watch Tang Yibu to see if he’s awake. Keep an eye on him in the next two days.” After arranging the order, Fan Baiyan took a comfortable puff of his cigarette, spewed out a mouthful of smoke, and turned on the light screen for selecting movies.
It turned out that God was on his side more than he thought.
Another piece of good news arrived after dinner the next day, less than twenty-four hours before disinfection…
“Fan Lao,” a patrol soldier respectfully said. “That Ruan Lijie is back, and now he has entered the communication range, saying he has brought Tu Rui.”
“Oh?” Fan Baiyan was shocked. “Help me connect.”
“Fan Lao.” The young man, surnamed Ruan, wasn’t far from them, and the video after the connection was clear. That beautiful young man seemed embarrassed, but his face was full of smiles. The mechanical life he raised was lying obediently in the corner of the video, and it seemed that he even had the strength to bring it back. “I got Tu Rui out, see?”
Tu Rui was firmly tied to a chair. His nose was blue, his face was swollen, and his body twitched slightly. His head was forcefully raised and his facial features were extremely clear, full of resentment.
“Traitor.” The deputy captain of the Walking Stones gritted his teeth and scolded. “You won’t fucking die a good death. Yu Le won’t let you go.”
“Fan Lao is watching. Shut up.” The young man responded coldly, picked up the knife casually, and slashed against Tu Rui’s neck. Red blood gushed from the wound in an instant.
Tu Rui gasped with difficulty.
“Very good, very good.” Fan Baiyan clapped his hands. “Xiao Ruan, send the coordinates, and I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
“Okay, Fan Lao.”
The light screen went out. Fan Baiyan stroked his beard. “Have you got the coordinates?”
“Report, I got it.”
“Not bad.” Fan Baiyan smiled kindly, “Sink them.”
The author has something to say:
Finally, someone is excited! How are the friends betting on Tang?……
And Carol Young and her songs are all made up by me (…) You can’t find it (*/ωω*)
Kinky Thoughts:
Wish she would have mentioned that before I had to scour Google in search of Carol Young and these songs to no avail…
Tang Yibu put down his chopsticks and drank the last mouthful of noodle soup with regret.
Freeze-dried vegetables tasted worse after cooking, but the taste was justified. Tang Yibu ate very quickly. When the other ruins pirates were just halfway through eating, he had already begun to tear up the jerky that was used as an after-dinner meal.
The bandage was still tightly wrapped around his thigh. In order to strengthen Fan Baiyan’s impression, after agreeing with Duan Lili, Tang Yibu would only occasionally get up and take a few steps to ensure that his limping figure was exposed to most of the cameras.
For scientists, highly different samples had more research value. It was a pity that the pirates of Elysium were like planned buildings. Whether they were good or bad, they were all of the same type, like the same core on different bodies.
At least that’s what they showed.
If Elysium was a company, its benefits must be good. Tang Yibu chewed the jerky in his mouth, his gaze slipping from one end of the table to the other. The new people were still a little lively at first, but after a few days, their smiling faces began to look more like the old pirates.
There was some kind of emptiness after reaching the end.
People would pursue things related to their hearts and future in times of peace, such as collecting valuables, going on a trip to change their environment, a favorite residence, or a long- or short-term relationship. They would complain a few words in the cracks of heavy labor in this manner, seeking stimulation and satisfaction in their human nature. Even knowing that one’s ideal life truly existed in the world, most of them still tend to move towards their goals.
But now mankind had lost everything. No one wanted to go on an adventure outside, let alone consider distant loans and pensions.
Perhaps fireflies weren’t the only things that offered sweet dreams here. Tang Yibu rubbed the pills distributed after the meal with his fingertips, and the unique creamy flavor of the hallucinogenic ingredients stained his fingers.
After putting away the pills, Tang Yibu looked at Fan Baiyan. The old man left his seat and walked to the podium-like center stage again. Duan Lili was still locked in the room. This time, the microphone was handed over by a bodyguard.
“The night after tomorrow, the Order Supervisor aircraft will come to disinfect.” Fan Baiyan’s tone was steady, as if he was discussing the weather in the Sea of Ruins. “Don’t be nervous, old man. I’ll definitely not take the opportunity to defraud you of the boarding fee. It’s all free. It’s all free. I say this to remind everyone that no matter if you’re working outside or not, you must be back here before noon the day after tomorrow.”
The pirates looked relaxed, and many people raised a glass to Fan Baiyan.
“Of course, there must still be a vote. This time, our nemesis, Yu Le, is on the list. Who needs to be voted for death, I don’t need to say more, right? …When Yu Le is finished, we’ll take the opportunity to occupy the circle around the Annihilation Point. Now, our little brother Tang came up with a method to increase the production of the flickering grass, and the fireflies will get cheaper by then.”
The pirates of Elysium grinned, and many of them showed excitement. There was life-threatening tension. They started making noises when Fan Baiyan rang the bell again, and the pirates calmed down.
“Just to let the newcomers know, don’t be afraid. It’s just penetrating bombs. I have been in charge of this ship for several years, and I promise it will not blow up. The bombs can’t even touch the edge of the ship.” Fan Baiyan turned his gaze to the small table where the newcomers were sitting. “It’s not difficult to vote. When the disinfection begins, they will project a small light screen in front of each human. You’ll see it at a glance. If you’re willing to vote for Yu Le, the captain of the Walking Stones, I’ll give you six fireflies. Keep it for yourself or exchange it for a woman; it’s up to you to do whatever you want.”
He specifically nodded in the direction of Tang Yibu. “This is what I want to say. It’s not a big deal. Let’s continue eating.”
Tang Yibu smiled at him.
By the time he climbed to the top of the stairs, the smile had not subsided.
The patrols were guarding the fourth floor and above. Entering here from the room was likely to arouse their vigilance. After stuffing a bulge under his quilt to pretend that someone was sleeping, Tang Yibu tied the interferometer to his back and opened the window.
Tang Yibu accelerated his climbing movements after prying open the little window and confirming that Fan Baiyan was in the room on the third floor. After his spa treatment, he would have lunch, then go to the tearoom to drink some tea and read a book before he headed back to his room for a nap. As an elderly man, Fan Baiyan’s schedule had always remained unchanged.
His own time was limited.
But now that he knew that Fan Baiyan’s room itself was a ship, things were much easier. Carrying a large interferometer on his back, Tang Yibu walked all the way up in the dark, literally climbing to the top floor of the commercial building with his two hands.
He still had three hours.
The shape of this commercial building wasn’t very regular. Tang Yibu spent half an hour banging on the roof, relying on sound to explore the ship embedded in steel bars and concrete.
Tang Yibu thought aggrievedly that if this was an S-type Prototype, it was estimated that five minutes would be enough as he plowed the first handful of gravel on the roof.
Soon, the roof of the luxury ship was exposed. Fan Baiyan’s ship was exactly twice as big as Jiang Lin’s, and the top of the ship was surprisingly thick.
Fortunately, it had been powered on and the internal machine was still in operation. Tang Yibu pressed his palm up and carefully rewrote the program. Just like the ship they took last time, the roof of the ship slowly opened from the inside, revealing the luxurious layout inside.
The entire huge cabin was decorated like a bedroom. The antique wooden furniture was spotless, and the air was filled with the aroma of burning incense. The quilt was a satin style from the old days, dyed in a solemn and elegant dark blue.
Fan Baiyan specially installed a fake window in the cabin, with bright lakes and mountains on the other side of the glass. Besides the jade carving at the head of the bed, an old-fashioned phonograph was placed upright, and the record hadn’t been taken down. Tang Yibu wasn’t interested in Fan Baiyan’s careful arrangement. Putting the interferometer by the fake window, he stepped over to the console that had been transformed into a desk.
After entering the room, he only did three things. Turned off the alarm and turned on the light screen, then rushed straight to the annihilation point.
The ship let out a low beep, started smoothly, and slid silently into the darkness like a python. The jade carvings that had been placed smoothly shook and fell on the thick carpet. Tang Yibu raised the bow of the ship and rushed to the surface of the Sea of Ruins.
Will Mr. Ruan be there?
Will Mr. Ruan run away?
If he runs away, how will he catch him? Did he want to destroy the other party’s cybernetic brain?
Countless possibilities split in his mind and turned into the veins of leaves. Tang Yibu hummed a minor tune, unconsciously speeding up his progress. The dark Annihilation Point changed from a button to a dark lens, followed by a deep well, which expanded in the center of his field of vision and eventually became an eyeful of nothingness.
The Annihilation Point rumbled and turned, and there was no one nearby.
The corners of Tang Yibu’s mouth drooped. He jumped onto the top of the ship, swinging his legs, and began to confirm the time—the clock in Fan Baiyan’s room was just a decoration, and the pendulum hung there was motionless like a corpse. An electronic pointer flashed on the clock face, and the time pointed to eleven fifty-five.
Hold on.
Tang Yibu placed the interferometer on the ruins closer to the Annihilation Point and used Fan Baiyan’s collection of teacups to make himself a cup of ice cream. After completing all the preparations he could make, he licked his mouth while aiming at the time.
Eleven fifty-seven.
Tang Yibu called out the control light screen of the earring with one hand. Thinking for two seconds before he closed it again.
Eleven fifty-nine.
He started to get hungry.
Just when Tang Yibu successfully licked the tower-shaped ice cream into a sphere, a series of loud engine noises suddenly sounded in his ears. A dilapidated dingy ship circled from behind the half-broken building and rushed straight towards the Annihilation Point.
Tang Yibu put the cup in his hand down and lowered his waist as his back straightened like a drawn bow.
However, there was no Order Supervisor, strange pirates, or any other opponents on that ship.
The boat stopped nearby, and his partner rolled over from the top of the boat with one hand in his white coat. The iron bead stuck out its four thin feet from the circular hole, squealing. It looked like it wanted to rush over, but it was afraid of the dark void behind Tang Yibu, so it took the roundabout way and balanced its emotions—Tang Yibu watched it rush over in three steps, trembled, and took two steps back, then repeated the process.
His partner didn’t say much. Mr. Ruan ignored the crazy iron bead and stretched out his hand.
“Your boat is too high. I can’t jump on it. Give me a hand.”
“You are late.” Tang Yibu spoke pragmatically and grabbed his hand.
“Less than a minute.” After standing firm on the big ship, Ruan Xian scratched his hair. “The situation on the Walking Stone is more troublesome than I thought, but the matter is still under control… Forget it. Let’s finish this thing first, so we don’t get sucked in while chatting.”
The ruins were still advancing at a uniform speed, their ship was getting closer and closer to the Annihilation Point, and the screams of the iron bead became more piercing.
For those with sensitive hearing, this kind of screaming was tantamount to torture. Ruan Xian rushed to the interferometer irritably, frowning even more severely. “What’s that smell?”
“Soymilk ice cream.” Tang Yibu picked up his half-eaten cup and squatted on the high interferometer. The iron bead finally caught up with him, clinging to his ankle. “I have to make an excuse to put the interferometer in the room.”
“Okay.” Ruan Xian suddenly felt a little weak. He shook his head and focused on the matter in front of him.
“In general, you fulfilled your promise.” Tang Yibu spoke again while staring at Ruan Xian, who was poking and twisting on the console. “As for the reward… Would you like some ice cream? Shall I go get you a cup?”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll run away and show you. Cooperation with partners is not like training dogs. Do try to remember for me.” Tang Yibu’s muttering was mixed with the scream of iron bead. Ruan Xian only felt that his head was about to explode.
He was breathing heavily, preparing for an earth-shattering sabotage, but the two things on the side persevered in destroying the atmosphere. They turned a serious situation that challenged the authority of the Mainbrain into something no different than repairing a sewer pipe.
Tang Yibu squatted down on the interferometer at a loss, licking his ice cream. The iron bead squatted at Tang Yibu’s feet, screaming tirelessly.
“Timing.” Ruan Xian slammed on the interferometer with a loud sound, his voice already full of anger, “We are going to hack this thing. We’re not here for sightseeing. Don’t keep eating. Hurry up and give me an accurate time. Any method is fine—the next attack must be timed accurately, as it won’t work if we miss by even half a second.”
After that, Ruan Xian pressed his temple. “By the way, shut that little thing up. It’s driving me crazy.”
Tang Yibu stretched out his hand and pressed the iron bead. After a blue shimmer, the iron bead retracted its four feet and rolled obliquely, making a small snoring sound in its throat. He carried it back to the cabin of the big ship, and after a while, the deadly background sound of a mess turned into a melodious song.
Ruan Xian recognizes this song from Carol Young’s “I’m With You”. It floated out of the cabin of the big ship behind him, and after amplification, the sound was fresh and moving.
“You can estimate the time according to the beat.” Tang Yibu shouted from the cabin, his voice almost overshadowed by the singing. “If the Prototype—”
“No problem, I know.” Thankfully, the needle-piercing irritability finally disappeared. Tang Yibu crawled out of the cabin. The android no longer jumped on the interferometer but squeezed to his side.
‘It’s warm,’ Ruan Xian thought.
Among the countless taut strings, one of them loosened uncontrollably.
“I’m responsible for adjusting the parameters in real time, and you are responsible for writing the impact program.” Tang Yibu stretched out his hands. Ruan Xian glanced at the other half of the console. Looking at this posture, they were a bit like pianists who were going to perform a four-hand piece.
“Okay,” Ruan Xian responded quickly. “Pay attention to the degree of the dial.”
They faced the dark void that was getting closer, their fingertips flying, passing the back of each other’s hands from time to time. Tang Yibu fixed the interferometer very well, but as the Annihilation Point got closer, it gradually tilted backwards.
The degree of trembling changed, and there was still a certain distance from their target value.
Ruan Xian swallowed it. The soothing and ambiguous ballad was still playing, and in this scene, there was a bit of sadness. He could feel the blood rushing into his brain and his heartbeat hitting his eardrums. Sweat seeped from the palms of his hands and his face stiffened a little.
The Annihilation Point was still a couple of steps away from them.
Tang Yibu suddenly separated a hand and poked him in the face.
“It’s okay,” the android said, with a little sweetness in his breath. “If worse comes to worse, we can just throw this thing away and I’ll run away with you.”
The two hands returned to the console again. Tang Yibu’s tone was very serious. “I have a lot of experience in this area.”
“Fuck you.” Ruan Xian sighed, his tension shattered by a sense of powerlessness. “I don’t like losing.”
The Annihilation Point was right in front of him.
Hearing the beat of the music, Ruan Xian tapped the keyboard a few times and slammed down the joystick. A sharp beep sounded, and the hands of the dial dangled and pointed to the target…
In the next second, the interferometer was completely engulfed by the Annihilation Point.
Tang Yibu grabbed Ruan Xian’s collar and jumped directly a hundred meters away.
“If you weren’t late, that distance should be just right.” Tang Yibu pointed out solemnly.
“Maybe you can wait for me to arrive before calculating the placement of the machine.” Ruan Xian grabbed his neckline with both hands. He was uncomfortable being strangled. “Well, I’ll pay attention next time.”
Tang Yibu picked him up and patted the dust on his white coat casually. The song “I’m With You” just came to an end, and after the final long noise, the prelude to another song sounded.
The ruins were squeezed under their feet, and deep cracks spread outward from the location of the Annihilation Point.
“Let’s go back to the ship.” Ruan Xian’s wrinkled collar crossed a crack. “The ruins here are starting to collapse, so you have to drive to a safe area first.”
To avoid stepping on empty space, he carefully stepped on a slate beneath his feet. The pleasant, familiar female voice sounded again, and he was even more impressed with this one…
The melody of “Step by Step” floated on the Sea of Ruins while Tang Yibu and him jumped between the cracks. Ruan Xian suddenly felt that this scene was quite comical.
“…It’s like dancing,” he muttered. If there was a beat, people would always be affected by it.
As a result, before this thought could leave Ruan Xian’s mind, Tang Yibu stopped. They were stepping on a slab the size of a basketball court, with exquisite marble floor tiles embedded in the slab.
“This isn’t a date.” Tang Yibu turned his face.
“That’s just an analogy.” Ruan Xian looked at the ruins in front of him and began to estimate whether he could jump over the cracks smoothly.
“But this is my first experience going on a date, and I’m a little curious.” Tang Yibu blinked and stretched out a hand. “But there are no movies, no games, no parks… Well, do you want to dance?”
Ruan Xian looked at the hand and didn’t return to his senses for a while.
The song poured into his ears, and Tang Yibu’s hands were astonishingly white in the noon sun. Everything had a vague sense of familiarity. Ruan Xian caught it and cut the feeling layer by layer.
‘Indeed familiar,’ he thought.
It may not be on such a whim for Tang Yibu to like this song so much that he would take the initiative to hum it. It took a lot of effort to realize this…
The android was humming backwards.
‘This may be an entry point,’ Ruan Xian thought. He needed to catch it himself, and he… also didn’t hate this song.
“Yes.”
So he turned his back to the void that swallowed everything and grabbed the outstretched hand.
Now the heat of the desert didn’t bother Nemo. Unfortunately, at this moment, he had to remove all his instinctive protection and adjust his physique to the level of ordinary humans so that he could sweat smoothly and not look too abnormal.
The nursing uniforms of the Royal Military Academy of Clementine had been improved, and the men’s uniforms had been revised and cut in several places, making them more comfortable to wear. Nemo rolled up the cuffs of his uniform, wiped the sweat from his forehead, slowed down amid the complaints of the students, and fell to Oliver’s side, who was wearing a logistics uniform.
Making sure no one was paying attention to them, Nemo coughed twice. “Ice, Ollie. The professor is too close. It’s not convenient for me to use abyssal magic.”
Then he opened his mouth at Oliver and pointed to his mouth.
“In a few more years, it’s estimated that they will be able to clearly perceive the fluctuations in my power.” Oliver quickly stuffed a small ice cube into his lover’s mouth and also threw one in his. “Time flies by so quickly.”
“Yeah, how are you going to explain it this time? The three little Godwins are pretty clever. Olivia can barely be coaxed, and Eddie is already sixteen—he stared at you for a long time last time we had drinks with Godwin.” Nemo bit down and chewed on the ice.
“Brother will find a way to explain.”
Oliver pushed off the headache errand with a hearty expression and stuffed another piece of ice into Nemo’s mouth.
“Besides, when we get our graduation diplomas from Clementine Academy, we can use them as proof of identity and legally pretend to be our own… Uh, distant relatives? Eddie and the others are still young and using this as evidence is enough to settle them.”
“Having said that, I don’t know if Godwin and Eddie are still in the cold war.” Nemo pressed his tongue against the ice, with a little more worry in his voice.
The angry Godwin Lopez mentioned in the communication crystal a few days ago that his rebellious eldest son had refused to talk to him for three weeks—he was obedient and behaved well during his childhood, and Godwin himself severely lacked the experience of a father-son relationship and had to turn remotely to his cousin to ask for help.
“Hard to say. After all, that boy, Eddie, is bent on running out and becoming a mercenary straight away. I agree with Godwin on this point. He’s too young. Better to study properly at the academy first.”
“You’re sounding more and more like Flint.” Nemo smoothed his sweaty black hair with his hands.
Oliver smiled. It was still a youthful face, but his eyes were deeply matured. “Like? My dad didn’t insist that I go to study in the city back then.”
“Gentlemen, I can understand that you are very tired, but you still have to maintain the formation of the team. We will be at the ruins soon, and we can cook some sandpoint plum soup then.”
Even with the scorching sun, their ancient elven language professor, who was nearly 70 years old, was still very energetic. The old man raised his cane, and its tip was about to poke Nemo’s back, but it was blocked by a hand.
“You can take a break at the end of the team, and I will help you take care of these students.” A slightly low male voice sounded.
“No, no, Professor Wilhelm. This… This is too much trouble for you. Alas, in fact, I protested at the time—I am older, but there is no need for the Chief of Nursing to follow. This is not a dangerous expedition. It’s just to see the desert ruins. Even if something did happen to me, the children would not be in danger.”
“Don’t mind.” The middle-aged professor smiled. “They didn’t force me. I applied by myself. Anyway, there are no urgent tasks recently, so I usually stay in school longer. There are some earthsea orchids near here, and I wanted to get some fresh ones to study their medicinal value.”
The old man scratched his face and smiled. He grimaced at the two lazy young people and walked to the end of the team with his cane.
“Long time no see, Nemo.” The middle-aged professor’s gaze softened.
It was different from the first time when they met. He wasn’t sure if it was because of age or his straightened back, but Hayden Wilhelm looked a little taller, and the freckles on his face had faded a lot. His hair was still curled up badly, and his somewhat big eyes had long lost their neurotic feelings and looked extremely sharp.
“Hayden.” Nemo patted the other man’s arm.
The introverted young man from nursing had faded from his youthful memory. He even looked a little more solemn and had a majestic aura. He should have heard part of the truth from his wife, Delia, but his attitude was as natural as ever.
“The last time I saw you two, it should have been at Delia’s and mine’s wedding?” Hayden remarked half-jokingly. “I went to help support Leonard some time ago and just missed your entrance. Then once school started, a bunch of trouble happened, so we haven’t been able to talk properly.”
“…You guys really haven’t changed at all.” His eyes swept up and down the two of them, and Hayden’s voice was a bit more emotional.
“Speaking of this, you have really changed a lot. They say that last year you sentenced 70% of your students to fail. Hayden, you haven’t been like this before… How should I put it, harsh?”
“In the age of peace, students are too impetuous.”
Hearing nursing-related questions, Hayden almost reflexively raised his face and became serious.
“Nursing must be done with utmost care and there can be no slightest omission. It’s not something you can get away with giggling and fooling around. 70% is already my bottom line—they will save people’s lives in the future! I tried to persuade them in the beginning, but it turns out that it was more effective to scare them.”
“Not bad for your roommate.” Oliver elbowed Nemo, “In some ways, you think exactly the same way.”
“I couldn’t imagine you quarreling with Delia before. I just gained the ability to imagine,” Nemo commented solemnly.
“Delia, she… I can understand a little of the despair she has suffered, as well as the feeling of being belittled and denied. But, uh, you guys know. There are times when her decisions still lack humanity, and I can’t help but… quarrel. She at least listens to me, and I can understand some of her difficulties.”
Hayden coughed a little embarrassedly and touched the wedding ring with the royal emblem on his ring finger.
“Most of the time, the two of us actually get along pretty well.”
“I take back my words. It’s not called ‘bickering’. It’s closer to ‘intense communication’.” Nemo smiled and shook his head. “How is she doing lately?”
“Pretty good. She just keeps talking about wanting to see Ms. Savage. Recently, Ms. Savage and Mr. Salter went on an adventure in the wetland jungle, and it’s not easy to get in touch. How about you guys? I remember that this expedition was signed up voluntarily. The two of you don’t seem to like this lively stuff.”
“There are acquaintances of ours nearby, so we stopped by to see and bring back a couple of earthsea orchids. Olivia has been clamoring to see it for a long time and the variety is so fragile that we have to ask an expert for tips on breeding them.”
Oliver’s face was filled with nostalgia.
“After all, the ruins of the desert are near Caleb Village. The two of us will later…”
“Enemy attack! It’s an intermediate demon!” The combat major in the front row issued a warning, interrupting Oliver’s unfinished words. “Mages prepare! Wait, wait, they’re charging to the back! The logistics team spread out immediately!”
However, the demon that attacked moved faster.
The senior commander of the team leader was in a cold sweat at the time—the young logistics officer who was attacked didn’t resist and was pounced on by the demon. His whole body was smashed into the hot sand.
The huge white demon just pressed down on the poor logistician’s body, quickly lowered its head and extended its long purple-black tongue belonging to the demon.
Then it licked hard on the face of the young man named “Oliver”.
The thin tail of the arthropod lizard behind the bone shell stretched straight, trembling excitedly. It licked hard, and when it was tired of licking, it rubbed its flat face twice. The scene was a bit weird for a while.
“The arthropod lizard has a gentle personality. With me watching here, it’s not a big deal. Keep going!” Hayden raised his voice and shouted to the front of the team, his tone returning to seriousness.
Seeing only one arthropod lizard, which was used to moving in groups, came running. Despite their curiosity, the students continued to move forward honestly under the order of the “Professor Prince”.
The arthropod lizard was still squatting on Oliver, continuing to lick with a posture that showed it wanted to lick off his face. Nemo took a breath and tapped the much larger bone shell with his knuckles.
“White II, right?” he huffed.
White II’s licking stopped instantly.
Then it fell to one side, facing the sky on its back, stretched its legs straight, and pretended to be dead. The tongue that hadn’t had time to withdraw from its mouth was still half exposed outside.
Nemo poked the lizard’s abdomen angrily and amused. “This trick never fooled me back then. Do you really think it will work this time?”
The arthropod lizard, which has grown two to three times in size, blinked its four bean-like eyes which visibly moistened. The originally straight tail had shrank slightly as it trembled.
“It seems that the remaining power of our White I is still there.” Oliver got up from the sand and patted off the grains of sand on his body.
“I have controlled my aura this time.” Nemo soothingly touched the turned belly of the arthropod lizard.
“I know, it should remember our smell.” Oliver also stretched out his hand and touched the rough belly of the bone lizard.
Touched by Oliver, White II seemed to have temporarily forgotten its fear. It turned over and landed on all fours. In a little bit of smoke, its figure began to melt and gradually became the appearance of a fuller goat.
Then it began to rub around Oliver again.
“Want to lead the way again?” Oliver patted the fake goat on the head.
White II immediately shook its head.
“In other words, our witch lady has been doing well recently.”
The lizard that turned into a goat bleated softly.
“It looks like it wants to follow you.” Hayden touched his chin and circled the goat twice. “It seems that it’s an adult. Since it can act alone, it must have permission from its pack. Let it follow for now. I didn’t notice malice from it.”
Hearing the somewhat familiar comment, Nemo sighed. Oliver, on one hand, stroked the fake goat with emotion, whispering something.
“I have a hunch that this time, it will continue to follow you… Ollie, do you want to raise it?”
“If it is willing to follow me.”
“Then we have to make a sandcastle for it in the garden.”
“…That sounds pretty great.”
“But I’m afraid I won’t be able to accompany you to Nadine’s place later, Nemo. Not to mention that in her heart, I am still an ordinary human being, and it is not appropriate to look like this. Now I have to wait for you outside the village as someone has to watch White II here.”
“Well, then you have an hour to explain to our White II clearly that I didn’t really want to stew it in soup back then.”
As soon as Nemo’s voice fell, the fuller goat whooshed behind Oliver.
“…I’ll try my best.” Oliver smiled bitterly and patted the “fuller goat” squeezed behind him.
Hayden took a few steps forward knowingly, raising sand and dust. Nemo nodded and drew a rift in the space in front of him…
At the other end of the rift was a hut that was extremely warm. The flowers were still lush, and it could be seen that they had been taken care of very carefully. The witch’s courtyard was decorated with an arrangement of colorful flowers filled with vibrant life.
Nemo nodded to his lover and walked happily towards the courtyard.
Rolling around was an orange blob. The cat was lying on the steps of the door, licking its tail very seriously. Perceiving the rift that opened and closed in front of it, it sneezed and meowed hoarsely at the black-haired guest in front of it.
Kinky Translations 