Children’s laughter occasionally came from the courtyard, and the sweet smell of cookies floated over. From this perspective, you could see the lush citrus trees in the yard.
Ann didn’t feel comfortable knocking mud off the tips of her boots.
“I said, you don’t need to follow.” Not far from the courtyard wall, the new queen of Alban’s face wasn’t very good-looking. She was still wearing the old leather armor, and after knocking the mud off her boots, she started to dust it off again.
“This is your first private holiday after you ascended to the throne. As your knight, I must ensure your safety.” Gallagher Salter grimaced.
“…You also know that it is a ‘private’ holiday. I say, Mr. Mad Dog, I’ll give you ten gold coins. Can you go to any tavern and just buy yourself a drink?” Ann tugged at her short hair.
“No.”
“This is an order.”
“For your safety and Alban’s future, I am willing to disobey orders. If you are not satisfied, you can stab me to death with your spear.”
“…” Ann clenched her teeth and wanted to grind them on someone very much at the moment. “Yes, because I’m not a thirty-four years old, but a thirty-four-month-old. Without Mommy watching, if I walk a dozen steps, I will be abducted by people passing by if you don’t pay attention—is that what you mean?”
Gallagher rolled his eyes but remained tactfully silent.
“Salter!” She was so angsty that she wanted to vomit, and this nagging knight refused to leave. Ann touched her hunting spear behind her and, for a few seconds, was moved by Gallagher’s proposal.
“You should not come to such a place. If you want to meet the mistress of the house, I can arrange the best restaurant nearby for you.” An extraordinarily piercing child’s scream penetrated the courtyard wall, and Gallagher’s face paled a few shades. “I’ve asked around, and this place is full of stray children. Most of them are prostitutes. Girls, criminals, and the abandoned offspring of beggars. Your identity …”
“Oh, don’t worry, I grew up with them. At least we have a lot in common—everyone doesn’t have much hope for their biological parents.” Ann’s tone became cold. “Listen, Salter. If you say something you shouldn’t say later, I don’t mind stringing you on the spear and dragging you back.”
Having said that, Ann still walked around anxiously near the yard without taking a step forward, as if she was blocked by an invisible barrier.
Gallagher raised his brows and coughed slightly.
While the new queen of Alban was spinning in circles, the simple wooden door in the backyard of the small courtyard was pushed open. Ann straightened her back in an instant, locked Gallagher’s neck with her arms, and yanked him violently behind a bush.
Gallagher was chained to his neck, and there was a little struggle in his voice: “…I thought you were here to visit an old acquaintance.”
“I am.” Ann nervously looked out through the bushes.
The last time they met was almost twenty years ago. The nun, who was in her thirties at the time, now most of her hair was white, and her face had a lot of obvious wrinkles like knife marks. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to gain or lose a lot of weight, as she looked very healthy. Ann bit her lip, subconsciously held her breath, cast her gaze to the ground, and began to count the dead leaf stems in the soil.
“Your Majesty,” Gallagher called in a low voice.
“Shut up.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Shut up!”
“Oh, uh, Ms. Savage.”
“Why are you…?” Ann was about to turn her head when a hand touched her head. She finally understood why Gallagher kept calling her, but it was too late.
Ann’s entire body shuddered, but she still didn’t dare raise her eyes. The heat of that hand was distant yet familiar. Before she recovered, the tip of her nose and eyes were already full of sourness.
“Ann? Is it Ann?” The nun’s voice hadn’t changed, and the smile on her round face still carried a bit of silliness.
Ann gritted her teeth and stood up slowly.
For as long as she could remember, the nun’s face had always required her to tilt her head up to get a good look. This time, the long-grown adult herself had to lower her head to see the face that was piled with smiles.
“You have grown so big.” The nun enthusiastically took Ann’s hands. The calloused hand wiped Ann’s skin, and the choked pain climbed into her throat.
Ann opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say a word of what she had prepared.
She opened her arms and hugged the tall and sturdy woman in front of her in her memory, but now she seemed extremely ordinary. Ann lowered her head and smelled the familiar scent of butter on the other person’s shoulder. The nun smiled cheerfully and patted her on the back.
“I…” she said with difficulty. “Sister, I…”
“What’s the matter, child?”
The nun patted her on the back again. After a few seconds, she didn’t wait for Ann’s answer but started talking on her own.
“You are finally back, Ann. I used a little of the money you sent back, and the rest is for you to keep. Look at you. You don’t have a safe job and you keep doing those dangerous tasks every day. In case something happens, and you can no longer do business, you can at least use that money.”
“Recently, the world hasn’t been safe. Just do the tasks. Don’t get involved in the war. Okay?”
“I heard some things about your Black Chapter test. Everyone… Alas, I’ve watched you all grow up in my eyes, so I can’t say that I don’t feel distressed. I thought at the time that if you came back crying, I really couldn’t help but scold you… Then coax you.”
The nun stopped patting her back.
“The main responsibility for this matter lies with me. You were still a child, and I was an elder at that time. I should’ve watched over you and told you—silly girl, why are you crying?”
Gallagher, who was half a step away, didn’t dare to move, trying to reduce his sense of existence.
He had never seen Ann cry like this.
The crazy queen could pull out a broken sword inserted into her body while talking and laughing, and after cutting down her own brother with the same blood with her hands, her eyes were only slightly red, and she quickly regained her composure.
The lawless Ann Savage never seemed to expose her weaknesses.
Now, she was holding an old woman in a faded nun’s uniform, her shoulders twitching, crying silently. From his perspective, he could see Ann’s side—tears were rolling down the cheeks of the new queen, and she even bit her lower lip so that blood broke.
Gallagher took two awkward steps back, half sad and half worried—he had naturally investigated the queen’s past and had a little understanding of what the two were talking about. Needless to say, it was indeed sad to lose your companions who you grew up with on that test.
However, in addition to regret and sadness, the “Wasteland Mad Dog” didn’t succeed in giving birth to feelings similar to pity, and he faintly began to worry that he would be killed by the angry queen afterwards.
Ann suppressed her crying at first, but then simply allowed herself to choke and cry, holding the nun and letting it all out until she couldn’t breathe.
It took a full ten minutes before she could collect her words.
“I’m sorry,” she choked and whispered. “I took them away. I was too arrogant—”
“Okay, let’s go home and sit down first, then sit down and talk about it. Don’t stand here, it’s a bit cold and it’s windy here.”
Ann wiped away tears with her sleeves, sniffled, and nodded vigorously.
The nun patted her on the shoulder, and then turned her attention to Gallagher without warning. Her gaze stayed on the marshal’s exquisite outfit for a few seconds.
“Oh.” The nun’s voice was a little flustered. “My lord, how embarrassing. I was preoccupied with my child…”
Hearing the name “my child”, Gallagher’s eyebrows jumped.
“Uh,” he uttered senselessly. “I… Don’t mind me.”
“How can that be! Are you her employer? Ann, have you found someone to work under the nobles? Like I said earlier, it’s better not to be a Black Chapter, and now I can rest assured.”
“No, she…” Gallagher was a bit stuck. This somewhat dull-looking woman obviously didn’t know Ann’s identity.
“Lord Salter is my employer.” Ann sniffled hard and glared her flushed eyes at Gallagher, squeezing the words from between her teeth. “Don’t worry, sister. He’s long-winded, but…Well, he’s not bad.”
“How can you say that in front of him. Apologize!”
“It’s okay, our relationship is good. Really, don’t worry, he won’t do anything much.” Hearing the familiar tone of rebuke, Ann burst into laughter.
“……Oh.” The nun patted her chest quickly. “Then, then I won’t say anything. Ann, come here!”
She turned her back, motioned for Ann to get closer, and lowered her voice. “He’s willing to accompany you. Are you two… I think that one is not young anymore, Ann. You shouldn’t do things like destroy other people’s families, yes? Nobles are not very reliable. I still hope you can find someone with whom you can spend a lifetime together.”
Gallagher, who heard it clearly, coughed unnaturally. ‘He’s dead,’ he thought sadly. He was so distracted that he even forgot to take off the tiny branches on his clothes.
Ann rubbed her nose and scratched her head embarrassedly. “He’s not married, and we’re not in that kind of…”
The nun curled her lips. “I’m old enough to see clearly! He had that look in his eyes that says he can’t wait to tie you up with a rope.”
…Technically, it’s true. Gallagher must really want to tie her to the office of the king.
Ann rubbed her face fiercely and finally moved her gaze to Gallagher. They exchanged despair with different meanings in each other’s eyes.
“Oh, I’ve been talking here for so long. Come on, come inside and have a cup of tea. This great… Ahem, sir, come along too.”
“And do not quickly follow.” Ann mouthed to her knight.
“If you want to execute me, it’s best not to do it for such a terrible reason.” Gallagher mouthed back with a sullen face.
“I’ll try my best,” Ann breathed a sigh of relief and replied wordlessly. “…It depends on your performance.”
The sun was about to go down, and under the glow, the red eyes on her face were not as conspicuous as they had been at first.
The warm glow also illuminated the entrance to the Abyss.
Groups of strangely shaped stones have stood here for a long time. Unknown of where these stones had come from, the eyes of the living were embedded at the top, which was quite creepy. Whether it was mercenaries or local residents, few people were willing to approach this area.
A figure wearing a monk’s uniform appeared near the group of stones and stopped in front of one of them.
“You actually came.” Telaranea took the spread-out book off his face.
“I never thought I would see you here.” Adrian Cross responded politely.
“I’m used to waiting here, and I can’t change it for a while.” The red-haired young man stood up and patted the grass leaves and dust on his pants. “It’s very quiet here, very suitable for thinking alone.”
“Maybe not that quiet.” Adrian looked at the weird stones and shook his head gently.
“Your reaction… Well, spiritual communication is difficult to learn. It is the power of the flesh of the gods.” The Sage of the Abyss touched his chin and glanced at the strange stone not far behind him.
“Nn.” Adrian didn’t deny it.
Hearing the word “flesh of the gods”, those screams became louder in his ears.
Spiritual communication must be through mutual consent. In other words, these fanatics wanted him to hear them scream.
Adrian’s expression didn’t change. After staring calmly at the sky dyed red by the morning sun above his head for a while, he stretched out a hand, slowly pressed down on the stone closest to him, and then closed his eyes.
“Now I can hear your thoughts.” He asked the stone that was once a human, “…Do you want it to end?”
Perhaps he got an answer. A bright light flashed, and the stone turned into cold and fine dust, no longer exuding the breath of life. Adrian Cross performed a ritual, waved his hand, and put them into a prepared stone box.
Then he walked to the next stone.
After the last light of the sun had faded, he finally made his way around the group of strange stones. The number of stones was fully two-thirds less. The remaining one-third still stood in place, which should indicate they rejected it.
Telaranea snorted quite unexpectedly.
“I thought you decided to forget about it.” The Sage of the Abyss stretched. “Or—let me think about it—kindly set them free?”
“I just learned to communicate with my mind not long ago. If I had decided without authorization that all of these people ‘wanted to die’… Then I might not be much different from them.”
Adrian quietly put away the stone box and raised his eyes.
“…As for ‘letting them go’, the rest of them also asked for it.”
Unlike the silence that Telaranea heard, the rejected fanatics were cursing and screaming in despair—those harsh sounds kept hitting his ears.
“Everything has a cause and effect.”
Adrian sighed and wrapped the stone box.
“I am indeed alive, but I have died. It is not your credit that I can stand here alive now—as a former colleague, I will send the bones of these people back to the central church. As the party who was killed, I have no obligation to ‘forgive’ you. That’s all.”
“…Just as I don’t think that those I’ve killed with my own hands need to ‘forgive’ me,” he added calmly.
“How cold.” Telaranea shrugged. He could hear the sound of the wind blowing over the strange stone.
“I wanted to live in the first place.” Adrian didn’t explain more. He picked up the stone box and stepped in the direction of Hatfield.
“Well.” Telaranea patted the stone closest to him casually. “What about next time? When do you plan to come back?”
“Since everyone has made their choice, I will not come back.”
The former knight commander shook his head gently.
“Farewell forever, everyone.”
The author has something to say:
I explained a little bit about Ann and Adrian~
Although as an author, I could have chosen not to deal with this issue (?) But I don’t think the Knight Commander will choose not to face the problem of those fanatics.
The loud snoring of the gray parrot came from behind the semi-partitioned wall.
He frowned slightly at the snoring, and as usual, Oliver opened his eyes on time at six in the morning. He yawned, cranked his neck, prepared to get out of bed and wash, and prepared for the tavern to open.
This was the first summer after their wedding. The air was already a bit sultry. The soft feather quilt had long been replaced with a thin blanket, and the ice fish that wouldn’t melt floated in the air, cruising silently along the edge of the ceiling, exuding a cool chill.
Another calm and peaceful morning.
The sun had risen, and its sunlight was leaking through the thick curtains. A soft trail of light sprinkled on the messy clothes on the carpet. Recently, Oliver’s power was still gradually becoming stronger, and the aspect that benefited the most from this new God’s increase in strength right now was…
Originally, used to getting up at five to work, now the inexhaustible magic could allow Oliver to stay in bed for an hour and then open his eyes after sunrise.
Although the Lord Demon King had a good ability to control the spell puppets for work, such high-level spells were still inconvenient to expose. Oliver still needed to do it himself to organize the front hall where people came and went, as well as develop a creative menu and the like.
In particular, preparing a double breakfast for Nemo and himself.
This was Oliver’s favorite part, and he was very reluctant to give it to a spell puppet who only knew how to execute old-fashioned instructions.
At first, Nemo tried to get up with Oliver, but after several consecutive nights of one-on-one crusades, His Majesty the Demon King, who had a sore waist and soft legs, decided to set eight in the morning as his wake-up time.
When his lazy lover got up from bed, Oliver would serve the breakfast that had already been prepared, and the two of them would eat happily in the room together. Next, Nemo would take the dishes back to the first floor with him and start commanding the shadow puppets to help with cooking and cleaning.
That was how it should always be.
Something was wrong with Nemo today.
Oliver tried to get up but found that Nemo’s strong arms hooked around his waist and hugged him tightly. His naked thigh pressed against his legs, and Oliver was firmly fixed in the center of the soft bed. He turned his face helplessly—the culprit’s black hair was scattered on the pillow, and he was smacking his mouth with satisfaction in his sleep.
The incarnation of the Pillar of the World could theoretically move without sleep, but Nemo liked to wrap himself in a quilt and hold Oliver in his arms like a pillow.
“Your Majesty.” Oliver patted the arm helplessly, lowering his voice. “I have to get up.”
In his sleep, Nemo gave a very perfunctory snort, but his arms became tighter.
“Today’s breakfast is omelets.” Oliver stretched out his right hand, twisted a strand of black hair, and tugged gently. “If you let me go in a minute, I still have time to buy the freshly baked bread on the opposite side of town.”
“Just eat the leftovers from yesterday. Stay a little longer,” Nemo said in a daze, sliding his hand across Oliver’s chest very honestly.
This action caused the thin blanket to slide directly to his waist, and there were still many bright hickeys and tooth marks left on his pale skin.
Oliver took a breath, turned to his side, and hugged Nemo, who was groping around randomly.
Feeling the familiar body heat, Nemo sighed comfortably. Seeing that there was a tendency to fall asleep again, Oliver gently raised his arm and tried to retreat quietly, but unfortunately, as soon as he moved himself to the side of the bed, he was directly dragged back by a burst of force.
Nemo directly pressed himself up, buried his nose in Oliver’s neck socket, and hugged the other party’s back tightly.
The wide bed creaked softly, and Oliver could clearly feel the other party’s hand behind his back and the hard metal wedding ring on his fingers.
“Okay, Your Majesty, stop it.” He kissed the top of Nemo’s hair. “I have to go down and prepare for today’s work—”
“I’m not opening the tavern today.” Nemo buried his head in Oliver’s neck socket, sounding muffled.
“But…”
“I hung up the closed sign last night. Don’t worry.” Nemo bit his lover’s ears unceremoniously.
“Then take a half day off? After all, there will be a fair tomorrow, and many people will definitely be out drinking tonight.”
“All day,” his Demon King muttered. “I don’t like not being able to touch you when I get up.”
Oliver thought for a moment and decided to regain the initiative. He rolled over, pressed the other party under his body, and gave a long kiss that was enough to make people’s brains melt. After a kiss, Nemo finally opened his eyes. His silver eyes were unfocused, signifying he hadn’t woken up yet.
“Then how about we go downstairs together?” After the long kiss, Oliver’s breathing was a little short, and he smiled and straightened his lover’s hair. “If you want to rest, we can go to the lake, or—”
“Let’s go to the Border Forest. Today is an anniversary, and an anniversary is not suitable for work.” Nemo sounded completely sober this time.
“Anniversary?” Oliver instantly went through the recent holidays, wedding dates, everyone’s birthdays, and even the date of the decisive battle in his mind, but he didn’t find any date that matched today.
“The day I saw you for the first time.” Seeing the blankness in those emerald eyes, Nemo’s voice brought a smile.
After reacting, Oliver coughed embarrassedly.
“Yes, it was the day I scared you and made you cry. You were still young at the time, and it’s normal if you didn’t remember.” Nemo didn’t mean to simply let him go, and he pinched Oliver’s waist a few times.
“I thought you would want to celebrate at home. Why go to the Border Forest?” Oliver retaliated by biting the tip of Nemo’s nose.
“Surprise.” Nemo’s voice was nasally.
Oliver raised his eyebrows and didn’t hide the impatience in his voice. “Okay, then let’s get up now—”
However, a pair of arms encircled his neck and hugged him in his arms again.
“Don’t worry,” Nemo breathed in his lover’s ear as his right hand brushed down the other man’s chest. “It’s only six now. We have plenty of time.
……
When Nemo, who was beating his waist, led Ollie to the vicinity of the Border Forest, lunch time had already passed.
The two young men chewed their cold beef sandwiches while stepping on the thick lawn. The gray parrot stomped hard on the lawn, looking extremely angry.
“Can you move my bird stand to the first floor?” It flapped its wings sadly and angrily. “I endured it last night. Why did it start again this morning? I’m trying to sleep!”
“You can cast a mute array for yourself.” Nemo rubbed his waist, his voice a little hoarse.
“No! Let’s not mention that I won’t be able to hear the call for dinner; this is more of a spiritual—Wait, there’s something here!”
Oliver also stopped.
There was a rustling sound from the bushes around them, and it was obvious that something of a large size was hidden behind the bushes, but seeing Nemo’s relaxed look, Oliver didn’t pose in a vigilant posture.
“I don’t think anything can scare me to tears right now.” Oliver surveyed the thick, one-person tall shrub and rubbed his hands together.
Nemo smiled and shook his head, put his thumb and index finger into his mouth, and whistled.
Round and sturdy creatures emerged from the bushes one by one.
Most of them were one or two feet taller than an adult male, and they looked like standing seals. Charcoal-gray fleece covered their skin, their eyes were round and black, and their long soft nose hung in front of sharp canine teeth, which made this creature a bit more funny than terrifying. Their lower limbs were short, but their upper limbs were long and powerful, and their fingers seemed to have a great grip.
It was not a very beautiful creature, but Oliver was very familiar with it.
He had described this “terrifying” creature to “Mr. White” on the tree countless times.
Having talked to Godwin a few times about the past of the caramel apple tart, Godwin had asked specifically about it—and now he knew it well. To prevent his young self from running into the Border Forest, his father, Flint Lopez, made up a horrific monster out of thin air to add to his fears. Before his first encounter with Nemo, the demon “palulu weevil” was the biggest shadow of his childhood.
It was also the precious story his father created for him, which belonged only to him.
“I created them according to your description, but some places may not be very accurate.”
Nemo stretched out his hand to touch the monster’s head, and the monster lowered its head obediently, squinting its eyes comfortably.
“They do live deep in the Border Forest, but they don’t attack children. Instead, they will lift them up and throw them to the nearest human village.”
His Demon King turned his face, his silver eyes gleaming in the sun. “I also forged the research report of the scholar ‘Piper*’ and placed it near their activity area. Ollie, they were finally successfully discovered yesterday.”
*Referring to Oliver’s dad, who came up with this demon. It also could be a loose reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who’s closely associated with kids as he kidnaps them by hypnotizing them with his magic instrument.
“They’re really true to their name. This is what I wanted to show you—a real intermediate demon, the palulu weevil.”
Oliver trembled and took a deep breath as he sniffled.
“Actually, the name is pretty stupid.” Eventually, his eyes reddened. “Seriously, Nemo. I didn’t have time to prepare an equivalent gift for you. It’s too… I…”
“Hey, this is compensation.” Nemo leaned over and dropped a warm kiss on his eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you back then.”
The gray parrot let out a loud retching on the nearest branch.
Then it tilted its head and stared at Oliver, who grabbed a palulu weevil with Nemo and took out the photo crystal. In the end, it still decided to pat its wings and squeeze itself into the magic photo.
At the other end of the Border Forest, the Ramon Inn.
“Praise Zenni. You… You are…”
“I just came to look.” Godwin Lopez nodded politely to the innkeeper.
“Please make yourself at home—” The middle-aged innkeeper spoke loudly. “Oh my god, Jennifer, come out and have a look! It’s the leader of Horizon, Mr. Lopez!”
There was a scream of surprise from a woman at the end of the corridor.
However, Godwin didn’t pay attention to the reaction of the owner and his wife at the moment. He looked at the corners of the tavern and had an inexplicable expression.
It was here that Flint Lopez raised Oliver Ramon.
Godwin took a few steps forward and stared at the weird nicks on the door panel that recorded the height of a child. The handwriting on it was very familiar.
Flint Lopez’s writing.
“Are you here to stay for one night, or…?” Following Godwin’s gaze, the innkeeper’s wife obviously misunderstood Godwin’s meaning. “Oh, you know, when Little Ramon was convicted of being a fugitive, this place was immediately confiscated, so my husband and I bought it. Some of these corners weren’t cleaned up very carefully.”
“I don’t mind.” Godwin shook his head soothingly. “I just came to have a look.”
“You…”
“…I’m a distant relative of Piper Ramon. I was just passing by when I heard he had done business here, so I came to take a look,” Godwin replied, after hesitating for a moment.
“Oh, you came at just the right time.” The innkeeper’s wife wiped her stout fingers on her apron. “That kid Oliver, ahem, there’s no news from Little Ramon after he escaped. I happened to tidy up the basement a few days ago, and I found some of Ramon’s old things. I was thinking of throwing it away. Would you like to take a look? I mean, if it’s a relative, there might be some value—”
“I’m sorry to trouble you.” Godwin nodded.
The innkeeper’s wife picked up her apron and led him all the way to the dark basement.
Although the basement of the Ramon Inn was dark, it wasn’t very damp, which made it very suitable for storing items. There was still the smell of dust and soapy water in the air, and no cobwebs could be seen, so it did look like it had been recently tidied up.
There weren’t many things belonging to “Old Ramon”; just enough to fill a small wooden box.
It was stuffed with books and sundries, and from a glance, there didn’t seem to be anything of real value. There were also many letters, but they were all ordinary order forms and greeting letters. Godwin half knelt down and brushed away the dust inside.
With his movements, a few glass beads from the bottom of the box bones rolled over. The things here were full of life, and there was no shadow of the former commander of the Tin Army.
Godwin pursed his lips.
‘Not surprising,’ he thought. Flint Lopez did completely abandon the past; he shouldn’t have anything anymore…
An old ukulele popped up among the debris.
It was small and rough, and it didn’t look like it was for adults, but Godwin was pretty sure that Oliver hadn’t spent his childhood learning how to play it.
He pulled it out curiously and turned it over in his hand. There was a yellow envelope attached to the back of the ukulele, and the contents of it made his heart stop.
[For my brother, Iman.]
Godwin’s hand trembled a little, and he tried several times before opening the envelope under the curious eyes of the innkeeper’s wife.
[My dear brother, I heard that my sister-in-law is pregnant. This means I’ll be an uncle before you, right?]
[But you are too tense and don’t know how to relax at all. This isn’t good. You see, I made a great ukulele for my future nephew—or niece. I think the little one will like it. Promise me, don’t throw it away! You can’t let my dear younger generation be as restless as you.]
[It’s true that I’ve been in very bad shape lately, but don’t worry. Expeditions make people sad, but with Sonia by my side, everything will pass…… When your child is born, you absolutely must buy me a drink.]
[Your indefatigable brother, Flint]
“Uh, Mr. Lopez, you… If you want it, you can take these. Whatever you want—”
“Nn.”
Godwin heard himself reply like this, and he held the little ukulele in his hand.
“…I like this ukulele very much.”
“As well, I want to ask… How much are you willing to sell this inn for?”
“Baked meatloaf? Leave me one.” Jesse’s voice arrived faster than everyone else’s.
Taking off his iconic long blue coat, the blond young man changed into a free monk’s uniform, but the neckline that should have been tied up was greatly opened, revealing the clavicle and a few muscle lines. The long blond hair was scattered in a black monk’s uniform, and there were delicate sapphire earrings on his earlobes. Coupled with the beautiful and exaggerated face, Mr. Dylan didn’t have the slightest taste of a simple monk.
Adrian Cross was next to him carrying a large bag of snacks, and he also replaced his uniform that had the holy emblem torn off. The style of his monk’s uniform was exactly the same as Jesse’s.
“My, Dylan, your uniform… Is this sarcasm?” Ann picked up a piece of baked meatloaf and stuffed it in her mouth. It was so hot that she puffed out smoke and her voice was muffled.
“It’s better to get into the city this way. After all, we’re people living in the shadows. “Jesse performed a ritual hypocritically, wiping away his non-existent tears.
“No, because we just came from Hatfield.” Adrian carefully put the snack bag on the table and spit out the truth mercilessly. “For the first six months, we have been active near the Holy Land. This kind of uniform is more convenient to take action.”
The former Knight of Judgement had long eyebrows and old eyes, and his short dark brown hair had grown a little bit. Unlike the stiffness and coldness of more than ten years ago, his brows were softened a little by a smile.
Adrian didn’t continue to use the metal longbow, but instead was equipped with a simple standard silver sword along with his standard monk uniform. Noticing Nemo’s gaze, he nodded politely.
“Hatfield. Is Old Man Quinn in good health?” Ann chewed the meatloaf in her mouth.
“So good that he can outlive the next Pope candidate.” Jesse walked to the table and snatched a piece of meatloaf from the table.
Regardless of the identity of the other party, the female warrior swallowed the meatloaf in her mouth, smoothed her sleeves, and shot up.
When Ann picked up the hunting spear and jokingly poked Jesse’s heel, Gallagher, who had already learned a lot of the truth, buried his face in his hands, looking uninterested.
Until the sound of a plate knocking on the wooden table sounded in front of him.
The red wine beef stew and side dishes he ordered were steadily put down, but the movements weren’t gentle and polite. Those hands clearly didn’t belong to a man. Gallagher looked up along the other party’s wrist and saw the face of a girl—a girl with braided hair with an impatient expression, wiping the water stains on her hands.
“That’s it for today, I have other things to do. Mr. Light, today’s reward.” Telaranea stretched out her hand to Nemo.
As soon as the new Chief Justice of the Knight of Judgment entered the door, the Sage of the Abyss sat down in the corner by the door, as quiet as if she didn’t exist. The former Chief Justice didn’t seem to have such a deterrent, as Telaranea’s gaze swept lightly over Adrian and merely wrinkled her nose.
Then the demon began to observe Jesse Dylan eagerly, wanting to pull a blond hair off him to study while the other party wasn’t paying attention.
“Thank you for your hard work. These last two days have been a bit too busy, and it’s not good for us to ask outsiders for help.” Nemo walked back to the wooden platform, took down a wooden box on the upper floor of the wine cabinet on tiptoe, and counted out a few record crystals. “This is about the analysis of the magic circuit structure of the klebato salamander.”
Telaranea carefully put the crystal in her pocket and looked quite satisfied. “I can help you take care of the shop for another week, as long as you are willing to help me analyze the results of my research.”
“Deal.”
Nemo patted the dust off his hand and stuffed the wooden box back on the upper shelf. Ann glanced at Telaranea’s waitress uniform with interest and then swept her gaze towards the wine cabinet. A little fire flashed across her vision.
“Huh?” The female warrior approached curiously and probed to see. “…What is this thing?”
The wooden table was hollowed out, and a wicker basket filled with balls of thread was placed on the dark table near the wine cabinet. In the middle of the threads rolling around, squeezed a red dragon doll that had not yet been completely sewn. It wasn’t very playful and kept moving, whipping its long, half-sewn tail around and spraying sparks at the crammed thread.
“Olivia will have her birthday next week. This is a gift.” Nemo brought the wicker basket closer.
“…Very considerate, Nemo, but usually people don’t make toys for children so, uh, lifelike.” Ann poked at the almost real dragon doll in the basket, choosing the wording carefully.
The reduced version of the red dragon, which was completely inseparable from its cuteness, opened its mouth and spewed out a string of warm sparks that weren’t threatening. Then it coughed because it sprayed too hard and spit out a round of smoke rings.
“There shouldn’t be much of a problem? Debby especially liked it. I made a blue dragon at first, and she took it away directly. This is the second one.”
Nemo grabbed a thread on the dragon’s tail and carefully tied a knot to prevent the little thing that was on a rampage in the wicker basket from tearing itself apart.
“Don’t worry, they are safe.”
Pinching the red dragon doll’s mouth with his fingers, Nemo solemnly assured.
“This is the inspiration I got from Mr. Medes. Do you remember his pile of living skeletons? Like those skeletons, this thing is not alive, it is just acting in accordance with the spell I set in advance and will not do dangerous things.”
“Oh, about this.” Oliver leaned over and put his arms around Nemo’s waist naturally. “Debby put the blue dragon in the bedroom.”
“What’s the matter, Ollie?” Nemo turned his head sideways.
“It always secretly burns Godwin’s socks when there’s no one around during the day, and it especially burns only one pair. When we had dinner together last week, Godwin also asked me about it. Nemo, you wouldn’t…”
“Maybe there is a problem with the charm.” Nemo coughed dryly and looked at the ceiling. “Occasionally… Well, occasionally this kind of thing happens. “
“Oh—occasionally.” Ann stretched out her words.
“I see, Your Majesty. Tonight I will buy a dozen pairs of good wool socks to make amends and make up for the trauma of my big brother.” Oliver smiled and shook his head. “Speaking of this… Bagelmaurus, it’s time to walk the goat!”
The gray parrot fluttered its round body out of the back kitchen window, still holding a bunch of grapes in its mouth.
“Got it, got it! It’s so noisy. Aren’t you afraid that others will hear it?” The gray parrot swallowed the grape and muttered in a dissatisfied voice.
It staggered on the floor, deliberately stepping on Oliver’s feet without deterrence.
“As a result, I still didn’t have a chance to eat goat.” Ann glanced at the gray parrot and sighed with emotion. “At first I thought that that goat wouldn’t survive for half a year, but it even survived the expedition.”
“A few days ago, I saw it trying to ram Ollie’s horse and it went straight through the horse’s chest.” Nemo patted Oliver’s hand around his waist. “Actually, that fuller goat is quite clever, but it’s really—”
“Don’t worry, I thought you two might not survive three months at first.” Ann quietly sighed.
“……”
“What are your plans for the next few days? Why don’t we go to Doru for a day for fun. Delia brought a lot of spare teleportation charms. There’s been a trade rally in Doru recently, and Dylan and the others certainly won’t have a problem with it.”
“Speaking of this, we’ll likely… be there tomorrow night.”
As soon as Oliver was about to pick up the cavity, the black crystal by the wooden platform began to flicker. Nemo quickly kissed his lover on the cheek, got out of the hug, and activated the communication crystal.
“Brother, have you started dinner over there?”
“Well, Jesse and Ann are here.”
“The old lady who was poisoned isn’t in serious condition, but she had to drink herbal medicine for a few days to clean up the remaining demon toxin. I don’t have any poisonous bellwort here at home. Do you have any in stock? And the demon worshipper who escaped…”
“He was taken away by Roderick, don’t worry.” Nemo’s voice was smiling. “His luck is really not very good.”
“Roderick… ‘Eclipse’ Roderick?! How could the Knight of Judgment come to your shop. Could it be—”
“Dawn Tavern is fine, Debby. And there is no need for poisonous bellwort. I can go and have a look tonight and treat it easily.”
“Speaking of this, I finally persuaded Godwin. That guy is stubborn to death.”
Debby’s tone became beaming, and she raised her voice.
“We don’t have to go to the tavern to celebrate Olivia’s birthday. It just so happens that everyone is here. Come to Ramon’s Tavern! We decided to have a birthday party in the backyard to make it lively. If it’s convenient, would you like to come and help arrange it tonight? …As a reward, I can provide you with free accommodation.”
At the end, there was a smile in Debby’s voice.
“Adri and I will take a double bed in your inn, the best one.” Jesse licked the crushed sesame seeds from his fingertips and immediately made a request. “It has to have a big bathtub.”
“I can give you the second best. I have to leave the best to my eldest brother,” Debby responded very resolutely.
“…Well, I can barely accept it.”
“And before everyone is ready, I will ask Ollie to freeze the bathtub first.” After a pause, she added another sentence.
“……”
“Come here as soon as you finish eating. I happen to be baking the banquet cookies for tomorrow. I think I baked quite a few extras.”
In the next few hours, Nemo saw Oliver close the store extremely skillfully for the first time.
For ten years, even if they travelled abroad, they would come on time to spend various festivals with their loved ones. He was very familiar with the spatial coordinates of the Roadside Town, and Nemo could quickly rush back from any corner of the world.
However, most of them celebrated in taverns outside, and even once held a bonfire party by the Border Forest. Godwin was still a little strangely wary of Nemo, but after the children were born, the situation eased a little. Although Godwin wouldn’t deliberately take his child away from Nemo’s arms, he stubbornly refused to allow Nemo to step into his and Debby’s home.
“Well, I have to admit, there is something awkward about him in this matter.”
At one of her eldest son’s birthday parties, Debby shook her head at Nemo.
“Don’t worry, brother. You see, after all, we rejected the ‘whole truth’. As far as we know now, the fact that ‘you are the Demon King’ is undoubtedly true… And considering the special circumstances of you two, Godwin must be afraid that the children will grow up and find something wrong and leak it to people who shouldn’t know.”
“I understand. He has helped us a lot before, and I won’t take it to heart.” Nemo rubbed Debby’s hair with a smile. “But one size fits all. If ‘he married you’, then he would be able to digest the matter in a few years.”
“…Brother!” Debby couldn’t laugh or cry.
It seemed that Mr. Lopez had finally given in this year.
Under Debby’s plan, Jesse failed to get a lazy opportunity to take a five-hour hot bath this time.
This time, Jesse was even the one who contributed the most—except that the various objects flew too fast, which was a bit dazzling, and the backyard was quickly organized in an orderly manner. The magic string of lights was hung up, and the ribbons and flowers used for decoration were placed just right. In order to get rid of the sultry summer heat, animal ice sculptures that would not melt were placed in the corner of the backyard, flashing like crystals under the light.
“Those two guys are aesthetically challenged,” Mr. Dylan declared so.
The next night, the tables and chairs were also neatly placed. The bonfire had been lit, and many children in the town had arrived before their parents and were running around screaming in the backyard.
The parents were clearly at ease with Godwin Lopez, the former Hero.
However, Mr. Lopez fully interpreted the meaning of the word “frazzled”. Right now, he was panting and dragging two little boys who were trying to steal a cake from the kitchen, each one with pockets stuffed with cookies. Not to mentioned that just a few steps away, the three young Lopez were running around the backyard screaming and trying to pull the string of lights that Jesse had cast a glow spell on.
The Hero tried his best to ignore Nemo, who was sitting under the giant fir and seemed to be desperately suppressing his desire to help.
Looking from under the tree to the hotel kitchen, he could see Debby preparing cakes in the kitchen. The other two shadows should belong to Adrian and Jesse. After arranging the tables, chairs, and dishes, they went back to the kitchen with Debby to help.
When it came to preparing food, not to mention Debby, who was the chief mage of Horizon, a Zenni was surely enough. Compared to fighting, Mr. Cross’s true purpose was probably to keep an eye on Jesse so that he wouldn’t steal food in advance.
But soon after they entered, Bagelmaurus and Ann also sneaked in. At that moment, Marshal Gallagher happened to go outside the hotel to replenish cleaning tools, and he didn’t have time to keep an eye on his lover. Counting Jesse, the former knight commander may have to bear three times the pressure.
Nemo thought seriously while sealing the fluttering red dragon doll into the gift box.
Not far from him, Oliver carefully put the gift he had prepared into the gift chest made of colored paper, and finally checked the sharp corners of the edges of the tables and chairs to make sure they were all wrapped.
After finishing the final preparations, he took the gift box wrapped by Nemo and put it together with the gift he had prepared. Then he made a grimace and drove away the little kids who rushed over trying to steal the gifts.
Nemo stared at the figure of his lover.
Considering that there were too many children coming to the banquet, Oliver left the Rest in Peace in the inn, only bringing the white ukulele. As if perceiving Nemo’s sight, his knight turned his face and squeezed his eyes at him.
When Oliver noticed the three little Lopez gnawing cookies and candy with the other children, he returned to Nemo and pointed to the top of the tree.
“Are you going to have a look, Your Majesty?”
Oliver curled his eyes with a smile. “There will be too many people in a while, so we can’t go up quickly.”
Nemo raised his hand casually, and a string of soft green-blue spots of light floated in the middle of the backyard, flying like fireflies. The children all gathered around and used their hands to tease the beautiful light. No one cared about the two boring adults who suddenly disappeared up the giant fir.
After stepping onto the top of the tree, Oliver took a long breath.
There was no Ulysses’ skull on the top of the giant tree, no dry flowers and bouncing tits. Lacking his former “Mr. White”, in the hazy night, this old tree was no longer different from the rest of the other giant firs.
No matter. Oliver raised his gaze slightly—
Nemo stood where the skull was originally located, staring at the scene under the tree.
Under the giant fir, the townspeople finally began to enter. Someone played music, laughter and singing sounded noisily, steaming upward like hot air. The music of the lyre, clarinet, and accordion was mixed unruly, but it wasn’t harsh at all, but subtle and beautiful. Looking down from above, the flickering firelight leaped around people, and the ice sculptures in the corners shone brightly.
“Good evening, Your Majesty.”
In the distant singing and laughter under the tree, Oliver spoke softly. He leaned on the nearest branch and held the ukulele in front of him.
“I have played all the songs you taught me for you. Now I’m attempting to write a new one on my own… Do you want me to play a song for you?”
“Please.” Instead of assuming a listening posture, Nemo stepped forward. “But before that—”
“Dad, dad!” Half a minute later, Eddie Lopez screamed at Godwin. “Uncle Ollie and Uncle Nemo are sneaking kisses in the tree!”
“Those two assholes. How could they do that in front of so many children—Wait, you said in the tree? Which tree?”
Godwin looked around, grabbed an indoor shoe, waved it skillfully in the air twice, and raised his voice.
“Don’t climb the tree in the backyard. I’ve said it 10,000 times, Eddie Lopez! …Brat, don’t run, stop for me!”
“Mom, help—”
At the same time, the beautiful sound of a ukulele came from the top of the tree, and it was quickly swallowed up by the lively music at the birthday party.
The stars flickered in the night sky, and everything was as usual.
[END]
The author has something to say:
Here, the main story of this novel is officially over. There will be five more extras after this~
Thank you everyone for reading this! After going around for so many years, two simple townspeople (?) finally managed to escape from Roadside Town to the neighboring city of Noer, set up a small business, and settle down XD
What was cold at the beginning of this novel was really a polar kind of cold. Without everyone’s support, I might not be able to persevere. I sincerely thank every little angel who enthusiastically supports me!!! (; ω;)
——————
The new novel is still a strong pairing similar to this one, with the flavor of a drama. ·*·:≡( ε:)
The text:
Genius scientist, Ruan Xian was in a coma for several years. Once he opened his eyes, his waist no longer felt pain, his legs had healed, and he could jump around. Unfortunately, the artificial intelligence outside ran out of control and ushered in the end of mankind.
Fortunately, his luck was still strong, and he successfully captured a partner with great survival skills.
Tang Yibu: Our models are old and especially easy to scrap.
Tang Yibu: Remember, the first principle of safety, never get too close to humans.
Ruan Xian: ……What?
This is a story about a dumb AI x a blindly optimistic scientist.
Kinky Thoughts:
I’m so sad that this is the end of the main story. I hope everyone enjoyed Stray. It’s one of the best novels I’ve read in quite some time. I love all the characters and the side characters. The story was gripping, sad, funny, exciting, and gave me a wealth of emotions. I truly can say that it’s one of the best novels I’ve had the pleasure to read and translate. Please do recommend this story so it gets more visibility as I really think it’s a great novel that deserves to be read.
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.
The author’s notes also include the summary of her next work, Happy Doomsday, which I’m currently translating as well. After Stray, I became a huge fan, and so I decided to pick it up. You can read it now and follow along with the releases to get your Nian Zhong fix if you really like this author.
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.
The last two volumes of Stray has also been released. Their covers are beautiful. Please order if you can to support the author.
There are still a few extras left before Stray is over. Below is the final arc summary.
—
With Oliver back on the surface and Nemo trapped at the bottom of the Abyss, Oliver hatched a plan to deal with the current crisis that could literally end the world. First though, he must confess everything to his teammates. After the shocking revelation in which all members of Tumbleweed were now filled in on everything, the plan commenced.
First, before anything could happen, they must confirm the identity of who was actually at the bottom of the Abyss, whether it was still Nemo or the Pillar of the World. Using Ulysses’ skull as the tether and Telaranea’s help, they perform a ritual to summon Nemo’s/The Pillar of the World’s consciousness into Ulysses’ skull and Oliver and Nemo have a final showdown. Oliver managed to confirm that Nemo was truly Nemo and proposed to him.
With Nemo’s identity confirmed, they sent out their plan to rescue him and take him out of the Abyss. 2 years have passed since then, where Tumbleweed built up their notoriety so they could enact Nemo’s rescue plan. Using the next expedition as an excuse and with the help of Godwin, who was leading the current expedition, Tumbleweed headed down towards the Abyss to rescue Nemo.
Oliver had devised a plan that would break the “law” and allow Nemo to pass through to the surface again, despite him regaining his full memories and was currently bound. Similar to what they did during the witch arc, Oliver would induce a near-death state in Nemo so that the “law” recognizes that Nemo is dead and allows him to pass through and leave the bottom of the Abyss.
The expedition fought against the “Demon King” who was then dealt the last blow by Oliver causing the bottom of the Abyss to collapse. Everyone escaped except for Tumbleweed, which marked the conclusion of Oliver’s plan. To the outside world, Tumbleweed was buried underneath the Abyss and was no longer alive.
Oliver plan was a success as Nemo was pulled to the surface and finally physically reunited with Oliver. Oliver was finally able to put the ring on Nemo’s finger and they consummate their relationship in broad daylight in the woods. While Ann had mixed feelings about Nemo’s history, given what happened to her older brother, she exiled Oliver and Nemo from Alban but granted them citizenship in Noer (the city where they first escaped to). They then settled down and got married, living happily ever after.
Ten years then passed as we caught up with everyone:
Ollie and Nemo had taken over the Dawn Tavern and turned it into their home. They live an immortal life of comfort and relaxation.
Adrian and Jesse continue their journey doing IDK what, but they are still together.
Ann has now gotten together with Marshal Gallagher.
Bagelmaurus is living its life to the fullest as it gets to eat all the food it wants as well as do goat watching duty.
Godwin married Debby and had three children.
Delia got together with Wilhelm.
#1 Tumbleweed fanboy Leonard was set to become the next Marshal of Alban and continued his campaign by white-washing Tumbleweed.
Medes’ adopted student grew up to become the next Chief Justice of the Knight of Judgement and is now pursuing Medes.
And finally, Tumbleweed continued to take on unwanted tasks to help out the world as a “ghost”.
All in all, it’s a happily ever after. That’s the summary. See everyone in the extras!
After parting with Xiang Mu, Chen Guoliang smiled and said to Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, “Masters, I won’t bother you so late. Please come to Hong Kong when you have time. I’ll definitely greet you both!”
He had seen the two of them subdue demons and monsters twice now and knew that they were from the Special Administration Bureau, so he naturally wanted to be chummy with them.
Dong Zhi said lightly, “Master Chen, we know that you have a high reputation in Hong Kong, but for things like fame, you are only worthy of your fame as much as the ability you have. If your virtue doesn’t match, sooner or later, you’ll suffer the consequences yourself. Do you understand what I mean?”
Chen Guoliang said with shame, “I understand. I’ve learned a lot during this time. I’ll keep your words in my mind. I’ll try to keep a low profile and won’t talk nonsense anymore!”
He knew very well how much weight he pulled, and it was fine to cheat the rich, but if he really ran into a situation like Han Qi’s demon fetus, he would have no one to blame when he died. How could he not dare learn his lesson? What’s more, being able to get to know Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo was a great opportunity for him. He still wanted to make friends with them, and this was simply another way for him in the future.
Dong Zhi eased his tone and said, “Regarding Han Qi’s case, we want you to do us a favor.”
Chen Guoliang hurriedly said, “Please speak!”
Dong Zhi: “Hong Rui and Dong Qiaolan disappeared strangely after traveling to Thailand and have not returned yet. We guess that these two people will very likely never return.”
Thinking of the bloody scene he saw in the hotel room that day, Chen Guoliang couldn’t help but shudder secretly, feeling that he didn’t want to experience it again in this life.
He heard Dong Zhi say, “But Dong Qiaolan has a best friend named Qi Rui who has a good relationship with her. The police speculate that Dong Qiaolan may have told her something. She may know more than we thought, and she’s likely to be in Hong Kong to avoid the limelight because she owes a high amount of debt on the mainland. It is said that this person likes to go in and out of high-class social occasions and famous brand stores in Hong Kong. The police are already in contact with them to find out, but Master Chen, you have frequent contact with the wealthy in Hong Kong. We would like to ask you to help pay attention to it. If you catch wind of Qi Rui’s whereabouts, please contact us immediately.”
Chen Guoliang agreed immediately. “Don’t worry, Mr. Dong. I will find someone to inquire when I go back, and I will notify you as soon as there is news!”
Dong Zhi sent him his contact and Qi Rui’s photo.
Seeing Chen Guoliang get in the car and leave, Liu Qingbo said, “What are you going to do with this painting?”
Dong Zhi said, “Looking for the stone tablet is an instruction from the General Administration. I will ask the Boss Long first, and then see his decision.”
Liu Qingbo sneered, “He’s your master. What kind of boss are you talking about!”
Dong Zhi was speechless. “Are you offended?”
Liu Qingbo said sharply, “I’m as broad-minded as the vast sea, and I don’t have the same view as you. That’s on you. If I let you act like this, can you still even face Boss Long?”
He first stepped into the hotel.
Dong Zhi touched his nose and followed.
Well, Liu Qingbo wasn’t able to become an apprentice in the end, so he could only let him take advantage of him now.
Xiang Mu really kept his promise. When they returned to the hotel, the painting came back with them.
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo spread out “The Travel Map of Shaohua”.
Seeing this painting up close again, the two of them saw at a glance the stone tablet by the stream at the foot of the mountain that most people wouldn’t notice at first glance.
Dong Zhi had to buy a magnifying glass.
Under the action of a magnifying glass, the inscription of the exposed part of the stone tablet was exactly the same as what they had seen before.
The two of them looked at each other at the same time, first with a sigh of relief and then with a heavy feeling, since the appearance of the stone tablet meant most likely a storm was brewing again.
“You can report to the Boss Long,” Liu Qingbo said.
“Wait, let’s sort out our thoughts first,” Dong Zhi said. “During the Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty, a painter was playing at the foot of Shaohua Mountain and painted the surrounding scenery. He accidentally included this stone tablet in the painting. In the painting, the stone tablet is already half exposed to the soil. It may be that after being dug up, but since it seemed useless, it was ignored. From Ming Yongle to present, at least 600 years have passed. I think that even if we find a place corresponding to the scenery in the painting, the stone tablet is probably no longer there.”
Liu Qingbo impatiently reasoned, “Let’s not worry about this kind of thing. We are now 180,000 miles away from Shaohua Mountain. The General Administration will definitely send people from the Northwest Branch to be responsible for this matter. We can take this picture and compare its position on the map. Shaohua Mountain is so big that, honestly, I’m not very optimistic, but it’s still a clue.”
Dong Zhi rolled up the painting and then dialed Long Shen’s number.
—
Tang Jing came out of the bathroom and saw the person sitting on his sofa reading comics with relish and couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.
“I haven’t figured it out yet. Why did I take you home with me?”
Ming Xian raised his head with an innocent expression on his face.
“Because I said I was scared, and the stalker insisted on coming back with you. By the way, Tangtang Ge, I also want to do an interview with you for material for the male protagonist of my new novel.”
“You will go back tomorrow, and don’t call me Tangtang Ge. I won’t do any interviews, and you’re not allowed to write about me in that book!” Tang Jing took out a set of clean pajamas and bath towels from the bathroom and threw them on Ming Xian’s head. “Go take a shower!”
Ming Xian let out a sigh and raised the book in his hand. “I also bought this comic. The author’s drawing is very interesting. Don’t you think that the story in the comic seems a bit similar to your job?”
Tang Jing glanced at the “The Incident Book of the Relevant Department for Subduing and Eliminating Demons” in his hand, and said casually, “It’s similar to so many comics out there. This is an autographed book given to me by a friend. I don’t read domestic comics, but he forced me to accept it. If you like it, take it back and read it!”
Ming Xian frowned, then smiled. “Thank you, Tangtang!”
With Ge being omitted, it made it even more tiring to hear just the rest of his name.
Tang Jing moved his mouth and endured the urge to correct him.
With outsiders present, he couldn’t do any business. Anyway, he didn’t usually come back to this room, and there would basically be nothing related to the Special Administration Bureau here.
Picking up the comic that Ming Xian was reading, Tang Jing lowered his head and turned a few pages before he heard Ming Xian shouting from the bathroom, “Tangtang, you forgot to give me underwear!”
Tang Jing: ……
He accepted his fate and got up and went to the bedroom to get a pair of underwear and delivered it. Ming Xian shyly opened the door of the room and stretched out a hand.
Tang Jing said, annoyed, “Is it possible that you’re still a woman dressed as a man?”
He pushed the door open and walked in.
Ming Xian didn’t move an inch. With drops of water and heat on his body, he watched in a daze as Tang Jing walked towards him and his face flushed red.
Tang Jing walked towards him step by step. The other party had already removed Yu Ji’s makeup and outfit at the venue and had put on casual clothes. Under the disguise of the female dress, that figure that seemed slender was actually pretty sturdy and well-built.
There was nowhere to escape.
Ming Xian was a little nervous. Swallowing his saliva subconsciously, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and finally lowered his eyes, almost closing them to compromise.
Then a huff came into his ear.
Ming Xian raised his eyes again, watching in surprise as the other party’s hand passed through his ears, grabbing the toothbrush and water cup behind him.
“Do you have any bad intentions towards me?” Tang Jing seemed to be smiling.
“You’re teasing me!” Ming Xian’s ears were red, and he grabbed the underwear in his hand and was about to leave, but he was stopped by the other party first.
Tang Jing pinched the other party’s chin and leaned over to kiss him.
“Satisfied?”
Seeing Ming Xian’s stunned stupidity, he couldn’t help but tease him and kiss him again, but his neck was hooked by the other party and he was suddenly pulled closer.
Their lips collided with each other, which was the way people would think of expressing their love, though it was too early for them to talk about love, as Tang Jing felt he was just attracted to the face.
It was actually a wonderful experience to be able to celebrate a Spring Festival in the evening with the owner of such a face.
It was just…
“Are you sure?” Tang Jing asked, leaving the other party’s red and swollen lips that he had sucked on.
Ming Xian answered him by directly pulling his neck down. His eyes were beautiful and docile, with a bit of expectancy behind those timid eyes.
It was like waiting for someone to go in for a kiss, or rather, to ravage.
If a beauty took the initiative and didn’t cater, it would be extremely harmful to reason and nature… and Tang Jing never did anything that would hurt reason and nature.
—
After a night of love making, even for Tang Jing, it was inevitable that he slept a few minutes longer than his usual biological clock before slowly getting up from bed.
The sheets and pillows were a mess, showing how fierce last night’s battle was. There was no one next to him, and even Ming Xian’s backpack wasn’t there.
When Ming Xian left, Tang Jing knew, but he didn’t stop him. It was originally a chance encounter, and they both wanted it, so there was no need to talk about regrets.
There was a text message Ming Xian had left him: [I have to go back to class. See you later.]
There were also some cute emojis at the end.
Tang Jing glanced at it but didn’t reply. He scratched his hair, remembering that Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo might have already reported to work at the branch. He got up and walked to the bathroom, ready to take a shower before setting off.
On the other side, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo got out of the car and looked at the building in front of them for a few seconds.
Although the two of them didn’t communicate, they invariably had the same thoughts in their minds.
Really rich!
Although the situation was different from place to place. For example, the appearance of the General Administration was dilapidated, but in fact there was a universe inside. Or for example, the Lucheng office was underfunded, so it was originally rented in a dilapidated community. There wasn’t even a serious office space, but they didn’t expect…
The East China Branch was actually very dignified. It was located in the center of Shencheng’s most prosperous business district, in a high-rise building in Lujiazui. The signboard of the South China Branch of a certain environmental management company was hung outside. It was a bit similar to Master Chen Guoliang, who had walked rivers and lakes under the guise of feng shui.
Not only was the rent here expensive, but even the facade decoration revealed a fashion-forward style. At first glance, that was what it really looked like.
The receptionist at the front desk saw someone coming in and got up to greet them. “Hello. Do the two of you have an appointment?”
Dong Zhi went through the address in his mind and confirmed that he had not gone to the wrong place.
“Hello, we have an appointment with President Tang. His name is Tang Jing.”
“Dong Zhi, Liu Qingbo?” The beautiful young girl lowered her head and checked her notepad to confirm it with them.
Dong Zhi: “Yes.”
The receptionist said, “Please show me your work permit.”
After receiving the documents handed over by the two of them, the front desk took them to the machine to scan and verify. When the green light lit up, she nodded calmly. Her face remained the same as she led the way in front with her hand.
“Mr. Tang hasn’t arrived yet. Please follow me.”
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo looked at each other and had to keep up with the receptionist’s footsteps.
Passing through the spacious office space, they saw many people sitting at their desks, tapping on computers, or lying on the desks for a nap. There were also many empty seats, which was no different from white-collar workers in an ordinary office building.
As if noticing their gaze, the receptionist turned her head and whispered to them, “There was a small incident at the Anime Convention yesterday. They all just came back from working overtime last night.”
“What’s the incident?” Liu Qingbo asked.
The receptionist said, “Two soul-eaters took advantage of the crowd to mix into the venue, sucked a lot of anger, and caused two deaths. Mr. Tang, ah, Boss Tang, wiped them out, but he suspects that there’s someone behind it. Recently, Shencheng has frequently held international events. Boss Tang is worried that the mastermind behind it will use the same technique again, so it’s necessary to strengthen security.”
With an urban beauty dressed in a glamorous suit telling them about soul eaters; it created quite an absurd scene.
The receptionist took them to the conference room.
“Sit for a bit. I’ll inform Assistant Shu first.”
She smiled and closed the door before Dong Zhi had the chance to refute her.
The conference room was also composed of glass doors and windows, which were transparent inside and out, seemingly making the sense of space more vast.
Even a young master like Liu Qingbo couldn’t help being speechless.
“You said that if we were transferred to a branch, our treatment would increase several times?”
Dong Zhi grinned. “I didn’t expect that the dignified Young Master Liu would bend his waist for five buckets of rice*?”
*Reminder: Metaphor for flattery. Basically, losing one’s backbone for profit.
Liu Qingbo curled his lips. “I’m just speaking aloud. What is a soul eater?”
Dong Zhi said, “I heard Chaosheng say that that thing only eats dead souls, and it generally doesn’t hurt the living. It’s not as terrifying as it sounds. I don’t know what’s going on this time…”
The door of the conference room was pushed open and a man walked in.
“Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, right? Welcome, I’m Shu He!” The other party smiled kindly, and before anyone arrived, he stretched out his hand towards Dong Zhi.
“Hello, Shu Ge. We have already spoken on the phone—” Dong Zhi was about to shake hands with him, but suddenly his face changed, and he backed away quickly.
Liu Qingbo was inexplicable. Before he had time to ask, he saw two colors of red and gold flying out of Shu He’s cuffed, turning into two monsters with sharp horns and long hair, landing steadily and staring at him and Dong Zhi.
“Your response is very fast!” Shu He smiled at Dong Zhi. “Boss Tang hasn’t come yet. Let Fengsheng and Huosheng play with you for a while!”
With a snap of his fingers, his figure disappeared instantly.
The two monsters roared in a low voice and opened their mouths to spit out white energy at them. One was wind and the other was fire.
The wind amplified the fire, causing a raging inferno that ignited the conference room. The heat wave swept across their faces. Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo flashed quickly, and one drew out his sword while the other turned over and jumped two corners.
“What the hell! Are we in the wrong place?!” Liu Qingbo wiped his face. He was almost disfigured just now.
Dong Zhi didn’t have time to answer him, and he couldn’t come up with a suitable answer within a few seconds. The two strange beasts had turned their heads and rushed towards them again. With a kick of their hind feet, the beasts made wind and fire, causing another wave to sweep through the air. Even the conference room table was burning, and the entire room was filled with fireworks, almost suffocating the two of them.
Liu Qingbo had a lot of hidden swords in his family. After the Feijing Sword was lost, he changed to the Yinxiu Sword1. The name didn’t sound as majestic as the Feijing Sword, but the Yinxiu Sword was bigger than the Feijing Sword—it was said to be the sword used by Zhao Kuangyi2, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty.
1Yinxiu means hidden. Lit. translation is Hidden Sword. 2Second emperor of the Song Dynasty. He succeeded to the throne in what was rumored to be a fratricide. You can read more about him on Wikipedia.
Although the Feijing Sword was stained with Cao Pi’s1 imperial luck, after all, Wei had three kingdoms and didn’t unify into one country. Compared with that, the dynastic luck of the Song Dynasty was naturally even more extraordinary2. Although Zhao Kuangyi was not the founding emperor, he was also the emperor who had followed his brother to the east and fought in the west. The emperor who started with martial arts, coupled with Liu Qingbo’s increasingly refined understanding of swordsmanship, the Yinxiu Sword was extraordinary in his hands. The white aura lingered, as if there was a “hidden world refined by hundreds of rivers into the sea”.
1First emperor of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. He was the second son of Cao Cao. He’s also an accomplished poet and scholar. You can read more about him in the Wikipedia. 2Basically, it’s saying that the Feijing Sword was under Cao Pi, who hadn’t had a unified country yet because it was during the Three Kingdoms period, where essentially (ancient China) was split. During the Song Dynasty, the country was mainly united, so the power/luck behind the Yinxiu Sword is greater because of the era.
The wind was extremely fierce, but when it encountered Liu Qingbo, it found that the violent wind it was spewing couldn’t stop its opponent. Instead, Liu Qingbo took advantage of the wind and used the sword qi to cut countless scars on it.
The temperature in the room was getting higher; the two of them were sweating profusely. Their vision was blurred by sweat, causing their eyes to sting from saltiness, and their clothes were soaked.
“Hurry up and put down that fire-breathing one! Destroy it, no matter how strong the wind is, it’s useless without it!” Liu Qingbo roared.
Huosheng needed to take a break every time it finished spraying fire. Dong Zhi took the opportunity to approach and wanted to jump on its body to control it. Who knew that as soon as his hand touched the long hair of the strange beast, he retracted it in an instant.
“It’s so hot!”
This place was obviously sealed by an enchantment, and the glass doors and windows were blurred for some time. The outside scene couldn’t be viewed at all. Otherwise, with such a big movement here, the outside world would’ve known about it a long time ago.
During this time, Dong Zhi’s two fingers pinched a sunlight talisman and threw it at the strange beast. The talisman turned into a little light rain of fire in the air and fell.
But for Huosheng, fire was equivalent to playing with a feather. The strange beast raised its head and opened its mouth wide to eat it. Most likely, it was still playing around with Dong Zhi.
All it took was for this moment!
A figure leaped high from behind it. The Changshou Sword was slashed into the back of the beast from top to bottom!
The expression of Dong Zhi’s ambition stagnated.
In the brilliance of the sword, the strange beast shattered into fragments, like phantom bubbles, looking like flowers in the fog.
In another corner of the conference room, fireworks condensed in the air, and little golden lights flew from all directions. The golden wheel was spinning like a sun and was dazzling and brilliant until a fire-born beast was reborn in an instant from it. It shook its head and roared into the sky, rushing towards Dong Zhi again!
“What the fuck is going on!”
Looking at Liu Qingbo’s side, it was almost the same situation. His Yinxiu Sword had obviously been inserted into the body of the strange beast, but it was empty.
If the strange beasts were just illusions, the wind and fire they brought couldn’t be more real!
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo were sweating wildly. They suspected that if they went on like this, they would have to be roasted alive before they were burned to death!
Liu Qingbo roared, “Hurry up and get some heavy rain to extinguish the fire!”
Dong Zhi panted, “I’m not a dragon!”
Liu Qingbo said angrily, “Water talisman! Use a rain talisman! The sea talisman! Don’t you have any of those? Hurry up and get one out!”
Dong Zhi was speechless for a moment, and he joked casually, “Your name is Qing and Bo*. There’s enough water there, so this heavy responsibility will be handed over to you!”
*Qing (清) = clear. Bo (波) = wave. Combined together becomes clear wave. || The joke here is that his name is related to water, so he should handle the responsibility of finding said water.
Liu Qingbo: …
He felt that he was about to die, either by being roasted or being pissed off to death by Dong Zhi.
Neither of them expected that someone was monitoring their every move in the conference room next door.
The other side of the glass wall was simultaneously transmitting what was happening inside the conference room.
Shu He glanced at his watch and said calmly, “It’s been an hour, Boss Tang. Let me remind you that if you don’t let them out, you will be charged with mutilating the newcomers of the Special Administration Bureau. Especially when one of them is a disciple of your immediate boss, Boss Long.”
“Wait a bit longer.” Director Tang Jing of the South China Branch sat lazily in his director’s chair with his legs crossed as if he was watching an American blockbuster. “If Long Shen’s disciples have such little potential, then I would be quite disappointed.”
Shu He rolled his eyes secretly. “If you want to test them, don’t let me do it. They will now have a bad impression of me when they see me in the future!”
Tang Jing glanced at him. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to see what kind of apprentice Long Shen has accepted.”
Shu He’s legs were sore from standing, so he sat down.
“I am curious as he was just an ordinary person before he became an apprentice. You asked me to set up this test, but you didn’t even leave them a way out. If it’s one of our people, most likely only a few would be able to break through. In all fairness, he was able to reach this level in such a short time, which is beyond my expectations. It’s not incomprehensible that Boss Long accepted him as a disciple.”
Tang Jing shook his head and looked at Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, who were jumping around in the sea of fire, and suddenly said something that was seemingly irrelevant. “There has been a gap in the world, and demons are coming from all directions, and the crisis is imminent.”
Shu Gou nodded. “Yes, not only in our country, but the whole world has been troubled in recent years.”
Desire gave birth to demonic energy which flowed in the world and amplified the desires deep within the hearts of others. Disasters were always reincarnated with time. Light and hope were the most precious virtues in human nature, but darkness and destruction always accompanied growth and survival, never to disappear.
It was rare for Tang Jing to say just serious words. “There is too little time left for us, and this group of people must grow up quickly.”
Just as Tang Jing was talking to Shu He, Liu Qingbo was about to be driven crazy.
The phantom beasts that couldn’t be killed kept coming back to life, and there were no weapons that could restrain them. If this continued, they could only be consumed alive here. Even if this could be a test, Liu Qingbo was absolutely unwilling to fail.
He leaned against the wall and gasped, and the flame-scorched wall transmitted an unbearable high temperature.
Liu Qingbo suddenly remembered the unforgettable zombie city test that they experienced when they were training in the General Administration.
At that time, he boasted of his extraordinary abilities and didn’t want to be held back. He simply ran back to the General Administration alone, but he was surrounded by zombies and didn’t have the imagined killing spree. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to find a hiding place, he alone wouldn’t be able to survive until the end of the trial. At that time, alone, hiding in a corner, he silently counted his heartbeats and refused to bow his head due to his pride and stubbornness.
Now, even though he had learned to cooperate with his companions and give trust to his partners, his pride and obsession had never changed. He was Liu Qingbo, and he would definitely be able to get out of trouble.
Kinky Thoughts:
So the side CP, which was just established a few chapters ago, has already rolled around in the bedsheets, but the main CP still hasn’t even gone up to bat yet, let alone cross first base? I mean, I’m all for more gay stuff, but common!
Seeing as how it developed, I’m assuming Tang Jing is the gong and Ming Xian is the shou, which is surprising since usually danmei sets up the shou to be the girly(ish) one. I’m all for it though. Or their vers (that’s even better). What would actually be better if I could read what happened in that room…
Xiang Mu was afraid that Dong Zhi and others would be hungry, so he asked the chef to cook their dishes personally. They ate in the VIP room. Xiang Mu had a lot of worries, and it was rare that he didn’t use his exquisite strengths to chat with everyone. Chen Guoliang breathed a sigh of relief. In front of experts, he was afraid to crack jokes and cause more blunders.
After the reception, there was an hour and a half lecture on feng shui. Chen Guoliang was the keynote speaker. Liu Qingbo was very interested. He dragged Dong Zhi to listen to it. Originally, this occasion was Chen Guoliang’s specialty, and he could talk for hours without any problems. Now, with Liu Qingbo staring him down, he had broken out in a cold sweat and had stumbled several times before finishing his lecture. Fortunately, it had little impact, and he still won a full round of applause.
In fact, although Chen Guoliang had no real ability, his eloquence was indeed good, and it was estimated that he had read a lot of feng shui books. The theories were already set, so it was really easy to fool the laymen. Liu Qingbo saw that he was being honest and couldn’t help feeling bored and didn’t bother to find faults any longer.
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo didn’t participate in the auction. Although Xiang Mu was the organizer, he didn’t need to be there personally, so he invited the three of them to his house, took out the box from the bedroom, and opened it in front of them.
A green bracelet caught everyone’s eyes.
Chen Guoliang had seen a lot of good imperial green, so he recognized it at a glance.
On the market, such water could be sold for at least millions. Of course, for Xiang Mu, it was only a drop in a bucket.
“You said before, this bracelet was passed down from your wife’s family? Is there any origin?” Dong Zhi picked it up and held it to the sun and found that the jade quality was almost perfect. It was crystal clear and had a thrilling green.
Xiang Mu said, “I don’t know the origin, but in their family, it should have been passed down for more than four generations. I have asked someone to identify it, and they all said that this is Laokeng Emperor green*, the best variety in jade. “
*According to basic research, to determine the jade value, one looks at the condition of its texture and color. It is believed that the greener the color, the more expensive it is. Laokeng Emperor green is considered one of the top colors in jade, and sometimes the color can also be called emerald.
Dong Zhi handed the bracelet to Liu Qingbo. “It feels a bit strange. “
Liu Qingbo took the bracelet and nodded. “There seems to be an aura around it.”
He handed the bracelet to Chen Guoliang again.
Chen Guoliang had to bite the bullet and take it and look at it seriously for a while.
“My opinion is the same as the two of them.”
In fact, he didn’t notice any aura, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t feel anything. Chen Guoliang’s heart was about to collapse when he looked at Liu Qingbo’s teasing eyes, thinking that he would not come to the mainland again lest he would be killed.
Dong Zhi said, “Well, Mr. Xiang, if you don’t mind, we will stay here for one night, and I will set up an array in your bedroom. If there’s anything at night, we’ll find out as soon as possible.”
Xiang Mu said anxiously, “Then will my wife lose her soul?”
Dong Zhi: “Assuming it’s your wife, of course we’ll be polite and then fight.”
Xiang Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, “Then thank you so much. When we left the venue, I had already refunded the deposit. I will also have the “The Travel Map of Shaohua” packed and delivered soon.”
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo looked at each other. The other party’s direct and refreshing attitude made them feel very good.
Xiang Mu was well versed in business rules and such things usually didn’t proceed so smoothly. However, since he was so happy about the bracelet matter, they naturally dealt with this issue solemnly and helped Xiang Mu resolve his problem.
Dong Zhi had never deployed a soul-summoning array, but he had heard He Yu talk about it. He still understood the general rules and taboos, but the soul summoning talisman had to be written now. When he came over, he only carried his sword but didn’t bring anything else. However, these materials were a cinch for someone as rich as Xiang Mu. As long as a call was made, someone would deliver it within half an hour.
When drawing talismans, concentration was needed. Dong Zhi didn’t intend to avoid the eyes of others, as what he was doing wasn’t an unspoken secret that was passed down.
He washed his hands and face, then stood still for a moment with his sleeves rolled up. The tip of his brush rolled on the adjusted cinnabar a few times before he dipped it in ink and began copying the strokes of the soul summoning talisman in his mind. He exhaled and concentrated as the brush began to move.
Chen Guoliang and Xiang Mu held their breath and stood far away, not daring to disturb him. Even Liu Qingbo, who usually liked to quarrel with Dong Zhi, sat quietly drinking tea and looking at his phone without making a sound.
Xiang Mu witnessed how skillful Dong Zhi was as several pieces of talisman paper were drawn one after another. He couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. Chen Guoliang whispered to him, “Painting talisman is not a matter of painting successfully in one go. It depends on each person’s skill. Those with deep skill have a high success rate, like Mr. Dong. It’s already pretty amazing that he’s able to succeed with five or six out of ten.”
Chen Guoliang had been an “entertainer” for many years, so he knew a little bit about the way of doing things. Otherwise those rich people who weren’t complete fools couldn’t be easily coaxed by him.
As if separated by a mountain, Xiang Mu suddenly realized that he had added a layer of awe for Dong Zhi.
The young man stared at the talisman paper in front of him. With his pen-like movements, Chen Guoliang and Xiang Mu vaguely felt that there seemed to be an invisible air flowing slowly all over him, but in Liu Qingbo’s eyes, this air flow had turned into substance, and the mist-like white air circled around Dong Zhi and gradually spread away.
In the beginning of the universe, the great ultimate of yin and yang tai chi, with the three powers*, creation was infinite and life was endless.
*Refers to heaven, earth, and man. Note: this whole sentence is basically like a chant so that’s why it’s like broken with incomplete sentences.
Liu Qingbo still remembered that during the training period, he was particularly uncomfortable watching Dong Zhi. He wanted to cause some trouble for the other party quite a few times. At that point, he saw that this guy had no foundation at all. Everything he learned was a half-way monk. He felt embarrassed when he lost and didn’t look glorious when he won, so he never used his true style.
After Dong Zhi became Long Shen’s apprentice, he thought about it for several days but couldn’t figure it out. Now it seems that the other party’s qualifications may rival even his.
As soon as he got into the water, he turned into a dragon. With the training and teaching of a famous teacher, the strength of Dong Zhi had gradually emerged, and now he could partner with him without holding him back. Although Liu Qingbo couldn’t draw talismans, he knew very well that although painting talismans required talent, it was more important to practice hundreds of times in repeated cycles. It could be seen that Dong Zhi put a lot of sweat and tears into it.
If a person had talent and was willing to work hard, his future wouldn’t be too bad. Liu Qingbo himself was such a person. While his impression of Dong Zhi had greatly improved, he also became more sympathetic towards him.
Suddenly, Liu Qingbo frowned and almost made a sound.
He must’ve seen it wrong just now, but he saw a wisp of black air mixed with the white air, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if he was hallucinating.
A few talismans had been painted, and more than an hour had passed, but this was already much faster than when Dong Zhi first learned to draw talismans. His spirit was completely relaxed when his eyes suddenly darkened. If he hadn’t held onto the edge of the table, it was very likely he would have fallen to his feet.
“Okay,” Dong Zhi said to the client. “I will arrange these talismans in your bedroom. You will put the bracelet in the place I designated later. Don’t move it. Go to bed at night. Don’t worry. We will guard in the living room and go in as soon as there’s a situation.”
Xiang Mu naturally agreed to everything, and it was up to him to arrange it.
Dong Zhi raised his chin slightly and nodded to Chen Guoliang: “Master Chen, come and help me set up the formation.”
Chen Guoliang pointed to himself. “Me?”
Dong Zhi: “Is it inconvenient?”
Chen Guoliang didn’t dare to respond and said hurriedly. “It’s very convenient, very convenient!”
His attitude towards Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo was unconsciously a little flattering and fearful, and Xiang Mu naturally saw it.
Although Xiang Mu felt strange, he didn’t ask much. His experience in the business world over the years told him that the less he knew about these things that had nothing to do with him, the better.
Painting talismans was a very energy-consuming thing. Dong Zhi originally felt that he was easily tired recently. After more than an hour, he was dizzy, and his hands and feet were soft. He simply found a chair to sit on and instructed Chen Guoliang to set up in the bedroom.
Poor Chen Guoliang, a famous master of feng shui, had been held high by the rich people of Hong Kong over the years, but when Dong Zhi arrived, he was commanded like he was his grandchild, but he didn’t dare resist.
He glanced at Dong Zhi plaintively, wiped a handful of sweat, and accepted his fate and got busy.
Liu Qingbo also followed, but he wasn’t interested in arranging the array and instead only stared at Dong Zhi.
Seeing this, Dong Zhi felt inexplicable. “Is my face blushing?”
Unusually, Liu Qingbo didn’t quip back but said solemnly, “Have you felt uncomfortable recently?”
Dong Zhi thought for a while. “After the last fight with Yamamoto, my injuries haven’t healed, but I didn’t get hurt much fighting with the demonic energy at Han Qi’s place… If it had to be said, the moment the demonic energy was eliminated, I felt a cold feeling between my brows, as if something had entered my body, but afterwards, except for being tired easily, there was no other discomfort, and my injuries are slowly healing.”
Liu Qingbo told him about the black wisp he had just seen.
“It’s definitely not that I’m seeing things this time. When you see Boss Tang, you’d better tell him the situation and have him take a look.”
Dong Zhi nodded. “Actually, now that you mention it, I also think it’s a bit strange. Do you remember the nightmare I had on the plane? I suspect someone may have marked me so they could track me at any time.”
“I don’t know much about the technique. If Boss Tang can’t solve it, you can find Boss Long. Anyway, you must solve the matter. I don’t want to take an oath in front of your tombstone when the newcomers come to the Special Administrative Bureau in the future!” In the end, his tone wasn’t very good.
Dong Zhi joked. “Then you have to burn me more money. I heard that if you don’t have enough money, you will be bullied if you are poor!”
Seeing Liu Qingbo’s face getting uglier, he hurriedly raised his hand in surrender. “Okay, I’ll stop talking!”
Chen Guoliang interjected at the right time and said weakly, “Master Dong, I have arranged it according to the direction you said. What do you think I should do next?”
Next, Dong Zhi placed a bagua mirror in the array, and small bells were tied with red ropes around it. One by one, they were hung on the surrounding walls, and the box containing the jade bracelet was taken out and placed at the end of the bed.
After arranging all this, Xiang Mu was finally allowed to enter the bedroom.
He looked at the talisman and the bells with a wry smile. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep.”
Dong Zhi comforted him. “Don’t be afraid, I will give you two drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow to make sure you sleep well tonight.”
As night fell, Dong Zhi looked at his watch.
“It’s cloudy at eight today, which is suitable for evoking spirits. There are still a few minutes left. Go to bed quickly, boss.”
Xiang Mu went to bed while they waited outside.
Chen Guoliang was a little restless. The current scene could only be regarded as a small case compared to the horror of bloodshed last time, but he didn’t know what would happen, and the feeling of unpredictable good or bad was simply nerve-wracking.
Upon seeing this, Dong Zhi took the initiative to start a conversation. “Chen Guoliang, in fact, you know quite a lot. Why don’t you go to a teacher to learn rather than rely on your mouth to deceive people?”
Chen Guoliang smiled bitterly. “It’s easy for you to say, but it’s not that easy to worship a teacher. I met a Taoist master many years ago. It’s a pity that people think I have no talent and refuse to accept it. This time… You saved me face, thank you.”
He arched his hands at the two of them.
In the bedroom, Xiang Mu didn’t say anything, but he was still a little nervous. He felt that it was impossible to sleep, but within a few minutes, he didn’t know if the essential oil worked or the effect of the array. As soon as he touched the pillow, he closed his eyes, and after a while, he really fell asleep.
Xiang Mu had already given leave to all the servants in the household. Except for the bodyguards outside the villa, only the three of them were guarding him in the living room.
The bell rang suddenly, and the three of them subconsciously shuddered, then got up and rushed to the bedroom.
Xiang Mu lay on the bed with his eyes closed tightly.
Unlike ordinary people who are trapped by nightmares, he looked relaxed and had a smile at the corner of his mouth, as if immersed in a wonderful dream.
The jade bracelet at the end of the bed was quietly placed in the box, no different from before.
But both Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo frowned.
Because in their eyes, the jade bracelet had changed, and the color had become more intense. Against the background of the dim table lamp, a ray of black air curled up from the jade bracelet, and then slowly floated towards the door. Beside his bedside pillow, faintly, there was a thick green mist.
In the mist, a human form was looming, and it could almost be seen that it was a woman.
Chen Guoliang took in a deep breath.
Dong Zhi no longer hesitated, and the long-prepared sunlight talisman in his hand was thrown directly at the green mist.
The talisman came into contact with the green mist, and suddenly a female scream resounded in the air, causing Xiang Mu to wake up and sit up abruptly!
The green mist moved back quickly, as if to float back into the jade bracelet, but it was Liu Qingbo who was faster than it. He quickly picked up the jade bracelet and retreated directly to the outside of the array. The green mist was bounced by the red line in the array and fell back. It then actually split into two and turned into the figure of two women.
Xiang Mu lost his voice. “Xiao Jun!”
The two women were translucent. The green light was floating, trembling constantly, as if they would dissipate at any moment, but their figures and appearance could be seen.
The strange thing was that both of them looked exactly the same.
Dong Zhi didn’t expect that by waiting for a rabbit, they would catch two souls and couldn’t help but look at Xiang Mu.
“Which one is your wife?”
Xiang Mu was also dumbfounded.
“Husband, I miss you so much!” The young woman looked at Xiang Mu with tears in her eyes.
The other one didn’t speak, frowning tightly, even more sad.
Chen Guoliang was speechless and couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that your wife’s soul was divided into two halves?”
Xiang Mu murmured, “I don’t know…”
The sad one said, “After I died, I saw you sad every day, and I didn’t know what to do, so I went into the jade bracelet. In fact, I was with you every night. It was not my will. It was the spirit in the jade bracelet that coerced me!”
The other woman shook her head, tears streaming across her cheeks: “This jade bracelet was passed down by my grandmother. When I was a child, I heard my elders say that this jade bracelet has a spirit. I didn’t believe it before. Until I died, my soul was trapped in the jade bracelet. I watched this woman grow into me day by day, until she looked like before I died. Then she forced me to go into your dreams… and sucked out all the yang energy from you… Husband, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you for a long time but she placed a restraint on me that wouldn’t allow me to speak about it in your dreams!”
One was Mrs. Xiang, and the other was the jade bracelet that had become an essence. The jade bracelet had been soaked in popularity for a long time and now had a soul with its own consciousness. It also envied the love of Xiang Mu and his wife, so it took on the appearance of Mrs. Xiang and seduced her husband in his dreams all night long, sucking his energy and making it difficult for him to extricate himself.
Of course, this was all inferred by Dong Zhi based on the dialogue between the two of them.
Being born human was blessed by nature. He didn’t know how much effort other species needed to make if they wanted to cultivate into a human body. The soul of this jade bracelet could be transformed into a human form, so it could be seen that it had reached the last step in its cultivation. As long as it cultivated for a few more years, it may be able to stand under the sun, just like Long Shen, like Liu Si, and the others, and walk among the world of humans.
But this step may be a few years, decades, or even hundreds of years, depending on the individual’s cultivation and fortune, but this jade bracelet obviously didn’t want to wait that long, so it chose a shortcut.
Liu Qingbo sneered, “Although you can be transformed into a human form now, you can only appear in the dead of night. When you truly become a human, you have to experience a calamity. Do you think you can survive a calamity safely like this?”
Two identical women spoke at the same time.
One said, “Husband, break the jade bracelet so that the monster has no place to go. I would rather lose my soul than harm you!”
The other said, “Husband, let the master take care of this evil. If you continue like this, your spirit will be sucked dry by it!”
Listening to their tone, they both thought of Xiang Mu more than themselves, so he couldn’t tell which one was his real wife.
“Xiao Yun, if I tell these two masters to exorcise the monster in the jade bracelet, will it affect you?”
Dong Zhi answered on his behalf, “Mr. Xiang, in this situation, your wife’s soul is probably already integrated with the jade bracelet. No matter what you do to the jade bracelet, it will hurt your wife. The best way is to distinguish them. I will send your wife away, and then subdue the monster.”
Xiang Mu understood Dong Zhi’s meaning. He gazed back and forth between the two women, thought for a moment, then asked, “When is our wedding anniversary?”
“June 16th!”
“June 16th!”
The two women spoke almost in unison.
Xiang Mu: “Do you remember what I said? When our daughter gets married, what will I give her?”
One of them spoke first, “You said that you would give her the villa on the other side of Dongjiang to let her use as a wedding room, and you also said you hoped that she would find someone who’s Chinese so as not be separated between mountains and rivers in the future.”
The other also said, “This jade bracelet was originally planned to be given to her. You also said that you have taken a lot of jewelry over the years, as you have to use it as her dowry to let her marry in a beautiful way.”
Xiang Mu was troubled and said to Dong Zhi, “They are both right.”
Liu Qingbo said impatiently, “Can’t you ask something more difficult?”
The two women looked at Xiang Mu with the same eager and expectant eyes, as if they also hoped that he would ask more difficult questions.
Xiang Mu sighed: “Xiao Yun, in fact, after you passed away, I found it boring to do anything. Although business is getting better, no matter how much money I make, without you, my life will be like this. Others have persuaded me to remarry. Even our daughter is also very open-minded. It’s me who can’t get through the difficulties in my heart. Sometimes, I really hope that like other men, where I see the one I like, marry her, and keep others outside, so that you won’t have to worry about me after you die. But I miss you and want you to stay here.”
“Do you remember, when we were young, we had no money. When you gave birth to our daughter, we couldn’t afford to buy even a can of milk powder. I begged my grandfather to ask my grandmother, and finally begged your parent’s house. Your father finally lent me the money, but he also spoke out and told me that a daughter who is married is water that has been spilled*, so I can’t go back to them even if anything happens in the future. I was afraid to make you feel uncomfortable so I have never told you about it, but since then, I swore to myself that I must let you live a good life so that your family will never dare to look down on you again.”
*(你是嫁出去的女儿泼出去的水) Proverb that means as soon as a girl gets married, she is like water that’s already been spilled, and her parents aren’t allowed to intervene.
“Later, in order to do business, I often went out to socialize. Everything at home was left to you to take care of. Thanks to your care, my parents were able to live so long. I also know that some people talk nonsense in front of you, saying that I have a lover outside, and that I go out to socialize so much that I must be messing around, but you have never questioned me. I took the initiative to ask, and you said that if you hadn’t believed in my character, you wouldn’t have married me. For this, I will never do anything to wrong you in my life.”
His two “wives” blushed when they heard the words.
One stared at him in a daze, speechless.
One said, “Thank you, husband.”
Xiang Mu shook his head. “I should thank you.”
Dong Zhi looked closely at them, but their expression towards Xiang Mu seemed to come from the heart, without revealing the slightest flaw.
Not only him, but Liu Qingbo and Chen Guoliang didn’t see anything either.
In the past, they disagreed over a single word, and they fought each other at every turn. This was the first time they had encountered a situation where they both agreed with each other. It was more of a test of decision than force.
Xiang Mu looked at Dong Zhi for help, “Master, I can’t tell which one is the real and which is the fake.”
Dong Zhi thought for a moment, “Then there is only one way now. Just break the jade bracelet.”
The jade bracelet was the original body of the spirit. As long as it was broken, it would be greatly affected. At that time, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo would be able to quickly distinguish them and subdue the jade bracelet spirit. The disadvantage was that Mrs. Xiang’s soul may also have been damaged as a result.
Xiang Mu said without thinking, “No, don’t break the jade bracelet. I’m afraid I’ll hurt my wife!”
Hearing these words, both women’s expressions changed.
One was moved.
The other was mostly happy.
Although the difference between the two emotions was not as great as between joy and anger, there were always subtle differences.
It was fast and fleeting, but they quickly moved. Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo shot out separately. One drew his sword out of its sheath and stabbed one of them, and the other threw out a talisman.
The talisman fell onto the green mist and fixed on one of the women.
At this time, Liu Qingbo’s sword had already pierced into the body of the other woman. The woman screamed fiercely, and the sword light completely shattered the green mist, turning it into green stars and scattering it all over the room. That little soul that had cultivated this far for so long was reduced to this fleeting moment in the end.
Liu Qingbo was a little dazed when he saw Dong Zhi, thinking that he felt that his hands were hot, and he said angrily, “It was self-inflicted. There’s no good end to abusing compassion!”
Dong Zhi recovered and shook his head.
He just suddenly remembered Long Shen, and it hurt him.
In the process of deepening his dragon form, he must’ve experienced unimaginable difficulties and temptations. The top of the snow-capped mountains, the far reaches of the polar regions, and under the stars were all past experiences that he had not participated in. No one knew how much a sword needed to go through from its birth to its rebirth and whether it was more difficult than the things refined by Taishang Laojun’s1Liuding Shenhuo2.
1Also known as Daode Tianzun, he’s a high Taoist god and one of the Three Pure Ones. 2This is the divine fire of the gossip furnace owned by Taishang Laojun in “Journey to the West”. Magic weapons such as the golden hoop rods, the nine-tooth nail rake, and the purple gold bells were all forged using the gossip furnace with the divine fire. || The context here is that these weapons were extremely powerful, forged by divine fire, while compared to them, Long Shen was much more ordinary, so the amount of effort it took to cultivate to where he is today must be incredible.
But despite such a thorny cliff road, Long Shen walked step by step. The jade essence in front of him had only got a chance, but it wanted to achieve its goal through harmful shortcuts. How could it compare with Long Shen?
It was precisely because he had met Long Shen, Liu Si, and others that he believed this jade essence had only itself to blame.
After seeing Long Shen’s past in the illusion, he always wanted to call the other party and say, ‘Master, no matter how difficult the road is in the future, I am willing to walk with you. Even if I can’t keep up with you and fall far behind, I’m willing to keep going. At least when you look back, you can always see someone there, proving that you’re not alone.’
But how many times, after he opened the phone’s address book, he didn’t have the courage to follow through.
Long Shen’s previous words were still ringing in his ears, repeatedly, so that he could no longer add more trouble to the other party in the name of love. If he were to walk to his door, he would raise his hand to knock, but would freeze and stand there for a long time before leaving silently.
Love was companionship, restraint, willingness not to regard the other’s time as your own, and the willingness to dedicate the best of your life to each other.
But he didn’t want to make the other party unhappy and awkward.
When he was a child, he liked flowers, so he always picked them and took them home to raise, but then he learned that after the flowers were picked, life would only pass faster, so when he grew up, even if he liked those numerous branches, he would restrain his desire to pick them and not interfere with their life trajectory. He would let the flowers continue to bloom on their own branches.
Long Shen wasn’t a flower. He was more precious than any flower in the world.
Thinking of this, Dong Zhi sighed softly in his heart as he watched Xiang Mu walk towards the remaining woman and told her his long-lost affection.
The slender figure wrapped in the green mist trembled, but brilliance continued to flow. It was dazzling and graceful, as if the jade beads were glowing, adding a bit of amazement to the woman, but both Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo knew that this kind of beauty was short-lived and dangerous. Now that the jade essence was gone, the aura of the jade bracelet had disappeared, and it had become a dead object. He still didn’t know if there was an opportunity to continue to cultivate into a human form, but the jade bracelet was no longer suitable for the other woman to stay in. There was only one way left, and that was for ashes to return to ashes and dust to return to dust.
“Mr. Xiang, I’m afraid you have to hurry up. The time limit for the talisman is only two hours. After the time has passed, your wife must go back to the jade bracelet,” he reminded.
Xiang Mu’s eyes reddened. “Then will she go to the underworld to reincarnate?”
Dong Zhi said, “As I said, it doesn’t matter whether she’s reincarnated or not, but everyone has their own places to go after death. Your wife has already passed. She should have a place that she needs to return to. If she continues to stay, even if she could live in the jade bracelet, her soul will gradually decline, so she must be sent away as soon as possible.”
In the language of science, the soul was a kind of magnetic field that existed in a space that was a different dimension from them. That space also had its own rules and laws, as well as its own law enforcers, whether it was the underworld or the afterlife. They were all just different names for another world.
Xiang Mu nodded, expressing understanding.
Dong Zhi said, “Neither Lao Liu nor I are good at sending souls to the beyond, but don’t worry. After I go back, I’ll find the right master to come and help, and I’ll help you get it done.”
Xiang Mu could now also see that Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo were the ones with real abilities. As for Chen Guoliang, he may have had some ability, but definitely not as much as the other two, so he was completely inclined to listen to Dong Zhi’s words.
“Then please, master.”
He removed the talisman, causing the woman to turn into a cloud of green mist and slowly return to the jade bracelet. Xiang Mu carefully closed the box and held it in his arms like a treasure.
There were many rich and powerful people in this world, but few were as deeply in love as they were. Xiang Mu was an exception, and even Liu Qingbo felt a little moved.
Dong Zhi promised Xiang Mu to help him with this matter within a week. The three of them politely declined Xiang Mu’s invitation to stay the night, so Xiang Mu could only present them with the “Travel Map of Shaohua” and give Chen Gualiang a big red envelope and send them on their way.
Tang Yibu rolled out of bed and held the ice cream bowl firmly. He didn’t make any pretense and went out honestly and began to wander around.
Except for the slight difference in the number of people working, it was difficult to see the difference between day and night in the settlement of Elysium. People were nailed to their posts, covered by invisible hoods, and occasionally a few smiles that had no semblance of joy floated across their stiff faces. Like the organ birds on an antique clock, they were firmly glued to the corners of this huge machine, and their wings were just some kind of decoration.
Among this group of people, Tang Yibu, who was walking around with a bowl of ice cream, was undoubtedly an outlier.
Tang Yibu smacked on the cold dessert in his mouth and quickly lost interest in continuing to observe.
These people didn’t have much observation value. Long hours of high-intensity labor made them unresponsive and simple-minded. The endless work was only mixed with time for short-term sleep, eating, and excretion. The only moment they were liberated may have been an hour or two when the firefly had taken effect…
Another spoonful of yellowish dessert was delivered to his mouth, and Tang Yibu looked at the two people who were slumped in chairs not far away. Their faces were eerily happy and relaxed, their limbs twitched, and their lips were bloodless. The thin face was a little green, showing an obvious sign that they had been eating fireflies for a long time.
One person fell from his chair to the ground, unsure of whether he was suffering from illness or was just too weak. He pulled the hard table with one hand; his chest made a bellows-like murmur, and his face turned purple from coughing.
However, the people around weren’t interested in what was happening to these two sitting people and just kept working hard. The man gasped for a while, sat back in his position, and waited for the final effect to pass, then continued welding the electric component.
Tang Yibu suddenly began to wonder, if this false comfort completely collapsed, how would these people, who were no different from carbon-based machines, react. People who had completely lost their value for extraction were sleeping on the fifth floor. Perhaps these people weren’t ignorant of what was waiting for their own ending.
Tang Yibu put away the empty ice cream bowl, patted cold water on his hand, and decided to go downstairs for a walk.
Even if the main ship of Elysium was hidden, the settlement wouldn’t have a ship that could be easily borrowed. Tang Yibu skillfully sneaked into the surveillance blind spot, slipped underground, and successfully found several ships.
He remembered the way. As long as he activated the shuttle function, he could take the jammer and leave at any time. Tang Yibu simulated more than a dozen scenarios in his mind, and even the explosion scenes in them were passionately done, but he still couldn’t escape the boredom.
His partner was much more complicated than these topics.
Small ships were moored in the underground parking lot of the commercial building, cameras were rotating in all corners; and the guns in the hands of the patrol occasionally hit other small objects, making clattering sounds. Tang Yibu spread out his limbs on the deck of one of the ships, staring at the spider webs on the ceiling, and the patrol’s lighting beams swept around in the dark space.
He had expected to be separated for thirty-six hours, and now he still had thirty-four hours to determine if his partner would take the opportunity to escape. Tang Yibu rolled over melancholically and decided to change to a different subject.
…For example, getting the best ship.
The thought crossed his mind, and Tang Yibu jumped up. Calculating the surveillance blind spot with the beat of the music in his head, he happily left the underground floor.
Duan Lili’s eyes were red and swollen. She had stopped crying, but the dryness and pain in her eyes didn’t dissipate for a long time.
Seeing that it was already late at night, the bodyguards left by Fan Baiyan had no intention of talking to her. The two of them were asleep on the folding bed, and the remaining two were walking around the room to force themselves to stay awake.
After naming the materials that had just been sorted out by number, Duan Lili moved her stiff shoulders. The part that was kicked by Fan Baiyan seemed to wake up suddenly, and it started to hurt fiercely again. Her internal organs seemed to be twitching, and her stomach was nauseous. She pinched her throat for a while before suppressing the bloody nausea.
A dull crash suddenly sounded in the quiet room.
The two people who were patrolling fell straight to the ground, unaware of what was going on. Duan Lili stood up suddenly from the stool, stumbling and taking two steps back, gasping for air because of the pain, while looking around vigilantly.
There was a rattling sound from the vent, and a smiling head poked out. That face was plastered on with a lot of dust from the pipes and looked dirty, but it was still very handsome.
“It’s just an anesthetic needle. Let them sleep.” Tang Yibu maintained his upside-down posture as his leg hooked around a pipe. “If I’m not mistaken, your injury is real… Don’t move, behave naturally. The camera can’t capture this angle.”
Duan Lili opened her mouth, as if she had suddenly lost her language skills. She obediently pulled the chair that was almost kicked over and sat back slowly.
“Mr. Ruan and I are loyal to the Walking Stones,” Tang Yibu said happily. “I have considered the possibility of you and Fan Baiyan acting together, but judging from the extent of your injury, this possibility doesn’t exist.”
“Then—then why doesn’t Mr. Ruan cooperate with me…”
“We have to keep the initiative.” Tang Yibu hung like a bat. “Since you and Fan Baiyan are not really in a cooperative relationship, I think I need to tell you—Feng Jiang is fine. Mr. Ruan has already taken him back to the Walking Stones.”
Duan Lili showed a real relaxed expression. “That’s good. Thank you… Thank you for telling me this specifically.”
“This is the price tag.” Tang Yibu stretched his face. “I also need your help.”
“But I—I can’t go anywhere now… After these people wake up in a while, I have to make up a reasonable explanation—”
“Fan Baiyan should have a private ship,” Tang Yibu interrupted Duan Lili indifferently. “Judging from his personality and behavioral characteristics, he is very likely to have prepared the best ship for himself.”
“Yes.” Duan Lili was a little disoriented by the sudden jumps in topics.
“Where is it?”
“Why do you want to ask this?” Duan Lili put her hands on her chest and subconsciously made a posture to guard herself. “Even if you plan to steal it, in case he finds out…”
“According to my observation, Fan Baiyan is used to walking around in the morning and uses the tearoom for two hours after lunch. Don’t be nervous, I’m not going to steal the ship and run away. It’s just to do a little favor, and then I’ll drive it back as usual. I promise he won’t notice it.”
“There are many ships on the ground floor.”
“Those are too shabby.”
Duan Lili rubbed her temples fiercely. “Mr. Tang, I don’t think this is the time to be picky about aesthetics.”
“Fan Baiyan probably left the fastest and best ship to himself.” Tang Yibu pointed this out very strictly. “The faster the speed, the safer the plan.”
Extremely crazy plans sometimes work better. There were countless ships waiting underground, and the usual thieves would not take Fan Baiyan’s secret boat as the first target, so the surveillance wouldn’t be too strict.
Duan Lili wiped her red and swollen eyes, looking as if she was hesitating. “But this is too…”
“If you want to leave, I can also send you to the Walking Stones.” Tang Yibu suggested slowly, staring closely at Duan Lili’s expression.
“No, I’m not leaving.” Duan Lili’s expression stiffened for half a second. “I really can’t leave. I…I’m not that brave.”
“That’s a pity. People like you are very welcome at the Walking Stones.” Tang Yibu showed just the right expression of regret.
The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.
Trembling and sighing, Duan Lili tugged at the end of her hair with her hand. “Can you tell me your plans?”
“If you are worried about this, we will not completely destroy Elysium. I think you know that Yu Le doesn’t have that strength yet.” Tang Yibu’s gaze was still fixed on her. “The time for the disinfection order is approaching. Mr. Ruan and I are just here to explore the situation and add obstacles to Fan Baiyan.”
Duan Lili’s face paled and she didn’t say a word. In fact, she didn’t have to make a sound. “I don’t believe you” was already written all over her face.
“If we plan to stir up trouble and leave, Mr. Ruan doesn’t need to leave me here,” Tang Yibu continued to throw out half-truths and half-lies. “I’ll be back, as I still have my own tasks to complete. Think about it. If I just go away like this forever, it will definitely arouse Fan Baiyan’s vigilance. Although it’s dangerous to drive away using Fan Baiyan’s ship, it can also be used as a guarantee in itself.”
“Sixth floor.” Duan Lili moved her lips. “His boat is his room. If you have the ability to get there, you will definitely be able to recognize it.”
“Thank you, Miss Duan.”
“Promise me.” Duan Lili’s tone became cold and vicious. “Promise me that you will hurt him severely.”
There was no adulteration in this malice, and Tang Yibu narrowed his eyes.
“I promise,” he said.
At the gathering, Ruan Xian didn’t focus on Yu Le. He kept looking at Tu Rui, who was standing next to him. In order to prevent being caught by surveillance measures, Ruan Xian specially set the “appointment” at noon the day after the big gathering.
Facts have proven that this wasn’t unfounded.
After he brought Feng Jiang back, he was questioned by Tu Rui’s people for four hours. The ruins pirates asked them to tell the story straightforwardly and then have them repeat it countless times before they were willing to officially accept them back into the Walking Stones settlement.
They even made careful observations to make sure that they showed no signs of drug addiction.
However, Yu Le did what he said. The people from the Walking Stones only took away the medicine and herbs, and the valuable ship was judged to be Ruan Xian’s private property.
“You still have to earn the shuttle agent and fuel yourself.” Gang Zi said without concealing the interest in his eyes. “Just hand it in and redeem it all into contribution points. It’s enough for at least three trips.”
“I will consider it.” Ruan Xian put on the smile that he was good at performing. “Except for this ship, everything else can be exchanged for contribution points. I want to use the contribution points to buy something… No, it’s not a random spending. I remember your suggestion.”
“What do you want to buy?”
“This iron bead.” Ruan Xian held the iron bead that was about to break free from his arms. It was wilting and refused to even eat the soft plastic pieces that had been cut up for it.
‘Maybe it’s not just its problem,’ he thought. Without Tang Yibu by his side, he himself always felt a little uneasy. It was like a swordsman who suddenly lost his sword, or a gunman who suddenly lost his gun. Even if he knew that he wouldn’t die easily, the cold vigilance still jumped on his back.
Especially in this crowded gathering place.
The meeting place was set on the edge of the Sea of Ruins in the early morning sun.
Gang Zi was sitting to his right. Feng Jiang, who was a pure newcomer, didn’t appear. The foul-smelling Lei Ge staggered over and specially picked his left side to sit down. This time, Lei Ge’s hands weren’t unruly, but his body was tilted intentionally or unintentionally in the direction of Ruan Xian.
There were only two people on stage.
Yu Le looked as if he hadn’t woken up. “I’m in a bad mood” was written from head to toe, and he was still holding a bottle of wine that looked pretty valuable from a glance. Tu Rui stood beside him. His sharp eyes swept across the crowd through his lenses.
“Actually, there’s not much to say,” Yu Le said lazily, scratching his messy hair a few times. “It’s still the same. The grandchildren of the Mainbrain are coming to celebrate again. Let me give everyone their greetings.”
He paused and grinned. Ruan Xian couldn’t tell the true emotion in that smile.
“They call it disinfection, which can also be understood as catching fish by using dynamite. We can penetrate solids, and so can those things. Once it identifies a person and explodes, the probability that person is dead is 99%—Have you ever seen someone who’s on shuttle agent? They just die like that, and half their bodies sink and melt into the wall.”
Yu Le gestured carelessly. “Me, I can drive the ship and take everyone to hide. Newcomers can come free of charge. Those who have done work must contribute. In short, the number of contribution points that will be deducted is reasonable if you ask me.”
Ruan Xian used a blood gun to resist Lei Ge, who was leaning towards him while his attention was still on the two people on the stage.
“Then there is one more thing,” Yu Le said lightly. “I have received notice, and this time I’m on the voting list.”
It was as if cold water rolled into boiling oil, and the ruin pirates of the Walking Stones exploded all at once.
“Voting list?” Holding down the iron bead that was almost scared like a fly with one hand, Ruan Xian finally turned his gaze to Gang Zi beside him. Gang Zi’s face was livid. His teeth chattered, and he didn’t pay the slightest attention to Ruan Xian’s meaning.
“Thank you all for looking up to me. In just over a year, I was able to get great treatment like that old bastard, Fan Baiyan, but I know in my heart. You don’t need to have any psychological burden on who you should vote for.” Yu Le exhaled calmly. “If I’m alive, I’ll drag things on for another year and a half. If I’m voted to die, I’ve saved many lives through my tenure, so I have no regrets.”
“Lao Yu!”
“In case I’m hanged, I’ll leave this ship to Lao Tu. Sorry, Lao Tu. You have to pick up this hot potato.”
“…The Mainbrain will not let the Sea of Ruins develop freely.” Gang Zi finally calmed down. His voice trembled a little. “It will be disinfected every six months. As the captain said, they will use bombs that could penetrate solids specifically targeting people.”
“I see,” Ruan Xian responded cooperatively.
“There is only one way to stop them. Vote for the captains on the voting list and execute the one with the highest number of votes.” Gang Zi slapped his thigh. “Fan Baiyan controls Elysium and basically can force them to vote for whoever he wants. Originally, I thought that the Walking Stones had developed fast enough and this matter could be slowed down for a while… Damn, why is he recorded on the list so early!”
“When will the disinfection start?” Ruan Xian frowned. Even Lei Ge forgot to take advantage, and sat upright.
“Generally, they will send their greetings three days in advance, leaving time for people to make their contribution points. Since the captain has said it now, it will be the night after tomorrow,” Gang Zi said through gritted teeth.
Ruan Xian turned his attention back to the stage again.
Yu Le was probably the most relaxed person in the entire gathering. The pirates in the audience had expressions of joy and worry, while Tu Rui’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Amazingly, Ruan Xian didn’t feel troubled, worried, or any other negative emotions. He just continued to observe Tu Rui with interest.
It seemed that his “date” with Tang Yibu would be livelier than he originally thought.
“Sure enough.” Ruan Xian looked at the readings on the handheld radiometer and thoroughly confirmed his judgment.
More than a dozen bright-green grasses that were quickly cultivated flickered one by one on the table, like some kind of weird neon light. Tang Yibu was next to the one with the best growth, playing the reaction speed game of “can you withdraw your fingers fast enough”. Hearing Ruan Xian’s words, he finally stopped torturing the flickering grass and focused his attention back on Ruan Xian.
“Distance.” Ruan Xian pulled the two rows of fresh rat corpses arranged in a cross with his hand. “If it’s factors such as soil, temperature, and humidity, with the resources of Elysium, it will not be impossible to simulate. The difference in concentration lies in the ‘distance from the annihilation point’.”
“Radiation.” Tang Yibu’s gaze slipped from Ruan Xian’s face.
His partner’s mood swings were greater than he expected.
Over time, instead of diminishing, that human trait had become more prominent. After peeling off the cold shell, Mr. Ruan was easily angered but also easily pleased, just like now—the other party was rubbing the corpse of a lab rat that was injected with the grass as if it was the most cherished thing in the world.
“That’s right, radiation.” Ruan Xian was in a good mood, so good that he didn’t notice Tang Yibu’s little movements. “I found organelles similar to chloroplast variants in its leaves. They absorb certain bands of radiation just like ordinary plants absorb light. Even in this room, the distance from the annihilation point will cause differences in the concentration of specific components.”
It was like a voice or another person’s body temperature. After crossing countless obstacles, they all fade into the distance. These weird plants had a black sun that devoured everything, and it was waiting in front of them.
Elysium was too far from the Annihilation Point. The grass growing here was like fruit trees that didn’t have enough sunlight, which were destined to bear unhealthy fruits.
Most of the deadly space between Elysium and the Annihilation Point belonged to the Walking Stones.
Fan Baiyan was undoubtedly a person who cherished his life. Perhaps in order to prevent being caught between Yu Le and the Annihilation Point, he insisted on choosing the west side farther from it, but because of this, he lost the only chance to stabilize the cultivation of the flickering grass. Looking at the attitude of the Walking Stones, Yu Le didn’t plan to breed this thing at all. He let them grow, and at most, would send people to harvest the waves of grass stems.
The rat corpses under his hands withered quickly, and the flickering grass bore fluorescent green fruits. Ruan Xian moved his hand away and turned his body to face Tang Yibu.
It was like cutting a corner of the world with a scalpel. Surrounded by various instruments and answers, the feeling of firmly controlling life in his hands came back, and he was finally able to breathe smoothly again.
“Fan Baiyan sent Jiang Lin and the others to the ruins of the hospital. This was most likely to add some fertilizers to the high-quality grass fields. If it wasn’t for us, I think the people of Elysium would’ve arrived later and taken the ship along with the fruit.”
“I want to talk more about this date.” Tang Yibu’s tone was far less ambiguous than the contents of his words. “The date to the Annihilation Point.”
“Science is not magic, and Annihilation Points don’t appear out of thin air.”
Ruan Xian raised the corner of his mouth, and his gloves were still stained with the blood of the lab rats. This was the side he was extremely reluctant to show in front of others, but the android just looked at him with no fear or vigilance in his eyes, only curiosity.
It felt so good that he didn’t bother to put on a boring mask.
“Cutting off the source of the fireflies is enough to create chaos. I got two days before going back to the Walking Stones. Before that, we can make an interferometer* that only aims at the Annihilation Point—as long as the radiation band it emits is slightly changed, the psychedelic components synthesized by the flickering grass can be drastically reduced.”
*A device that measures microscopic displacements, refractive index changes, and surface irregularities. As for the science behind this, I have no idea. Someone who’s knowledgeable about this stuff can chime in, or you can try reading the Wikipedia.
“After adjustment, the shuttle agent can still be produced normally, but fireflies can’t.” Tang Yibu raised his brows. “Such an interferometer is not small… and it must be close enough to the Annihilation Point to perform normal interferometric rewriting. Ignoring the complexity of the operation, how do you even plan to get it over?”
“You start from here, and I start from the Walking Stones. We will meet at noon three days later at the Annihilation Point.” Ruan Xian took off his contaminated gloves. “With your ability, you can get away from here—don’t look at me like that. There’s no other way. The situation doesn’t allow it. I can’t drag such a behemoth and move around freely.”
However, Tang Yibu didn’t respond.
The moment the words came out, Ruan Xian realized the problem. In his plan, after creating the interferometer, they need to be separated for more than a day.
Ruan Xian raised his hand and touched the earring on his earlobe. This half-day of research was too enjoyable, and Tang Yibu seemed too gentle and harmless. For a few seconds, he forgot Tang Yibu’s identity as his jailer.
Tang Yibu was still standing motionless next to the flickering grass that kept flickering. Ruan Xian suddenly hoped that the other party had a tail or something—at least then he could figure out signs of the other party’s emotions.
But Tang Yibu just stared at him. Just by his expression, he couldn’t read what the other party was thinking.
“…Freedom.” Tang Yibu chewed the ends of his words.
“Yes.” Ruan Xian held his breath.
Tang Yibu suddenly turned around and pulled out two rats from the cage. One of them struggled hard, screaming in horror. The other had been attacked. It dragged bloody hind legs and front paws.
He skillfully injected firefly extract into them, and then forcefully stuffed them with the flickering grass fruit.
Ruan Xian frowned. He didn’t think Tang Yibu planned to warn him in such a roundabout way, so he kept quiet and watched the android put the two rats into the glass jar.
The reddish tip of the healthy rat’s nose gradually turned green, and the black and bright pea-eyes turned into a creepy gleaming green. It first slammed around the jar violently, then passed straight through the glass and rushed into the rat cage for another bloody slaughter.
The injured rat just lay quietly, twitching on all four feet, and finally stopped breathing. Green grass buds started to emerge from its mouth and nose.
“Another problem has also been solved,” Tang Yibu said, turning the glass cylinder back. “It’s simpler than I originally thought. This thing has the characteristics of a virus—before killing the host, it will try to use them for its own benefit.”
“If the host is healthy, it will induce them to rush back to the settlement to hunt the same kind. If the host’s body is disabled and inconvenient to move, it will suck the host dry as soon as possible, preventing other creatures from coming over to take a piece of the action.” Ruan Xian was stunned for two seconds before turning his mind to the topic that Tang Yibu was speaking of.
“Yes. If you know what’s going on, you can decipher their attacks.” Tang Yibu picked up the knife casually and threw it. The knife pierced through the plastic rat cage, and the green rat that was biting other rats was nailed to the spot, then quickly grew grass buds. “The moment they attack their companions, they should be touchable.”
Taking the sprouting mouse out of the rat cage, Tang Yibu grabbed the knife in his hand and looked at Ruan Xian again.
“You’re a real scientist. I originally thought you were similar to the AI from Plan Corp, a single personality combined with countless knowledge, but your way of thinking can’t be faked—The personality data you are injected with should genuinely belong to a scholar.”
Having said that, Tang Yibu gestured Ruan Xian’s facial contours through the air with the knife that was still stained with blood.
“But I don’t know your face. It seems to be a separate thought process. Who are you in your memory?”
Ruan Xian looked at the tip of the knife that was gesticulating at him and lowered his gaze.
“You have your secrets, I have mine.” He tried to keep his voice steady. “It’s okay to tell you, but you have to take off this earring. This is a matter of trust, please understand.”
After all, the name is the first step to everything, not to mention, there was the Mainbrain looming over them.
Tang Yibu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he frowned slightly, as if thinking.
There was a silent gap of about half a minute between them. The flickering grass didn’t flicker far, and the injured rats were still squealing in low voices. The air was filled with the faint smell of blood.
“I understand.” The android finally put down the knife. “When we separate, will you take care of the iron bead or should I?”
“…I’ll take care of it,” Ruan Xian replied dryly.
‘A compromise, or a test, or both,’ he thought. On the positive side, at any rate, the collar on his neck had been loosened again.
“Actually, I don’t like promises very much.” Tang Yibu wiped the blood from his hands. “…At noon in three days, Annihilation Point. You will show up on time, right?”
“I will,” Ruan Xian replied seriously.
Ruan Xian really had no other ideas. For the time being, it was better to say that he had no other ideas. As Tang Yibu said, they are very “useful” to each other, but they also understood very well that trust didn’t operate through “possibility”.
Right now, he didn’t want to lose him.
Two days later at night.
Leaving Tang Yibu, the iron bead was a little sluggish. It nestled quietly under one of the ship’s seats, pretending to be a soulless bowling ball. Ruan Xian drove the ship carefully in the direction of the ruins of the hospital under the starry sky.
Feng Jiang was still in a coma in the back seat. Several days of imprisonment made him lose weight, and his clothes exuded a damp and sour smell. After a violent bump, the young man finally woke up. He shook his head, trying to regain a little sanity from the effect of the soothing agent.
“You—”
“I didn’t betray the Walking Stones.” Ruan Xian immediately spat out his remarks. “Lie back. You’re too weak now.”
“Lili and I didn’t see you two last time.” Feng Jiang was very vigilant and didn’t mean to buy it at all.
“My lover ate the fireflies. I had no choice but to pretend to obey Fan Baiyan.” In terms of emotions, Ruan Xian prided himself on not losing to anyone. “Otherwise, why would I make an excuse to bring you on as a burden? Do you think it’s easy to get you out?”
Feng Jiang groaned for a long time, but he didn’t hold back his retort.
“Not long after you were locked up, Miss Duan was also locked up by Fan Baiyan.” Ruan Xian turned his back to the steering wheel, recalling Tang Yibu’s sailing action. “She didn’t go to see you once, but I don’t think that was her intention.”
Feng Jiang showed an instant expression of relaxation, but his body language still clearly showed rejection.
“…Tang Yibu and I are both young, and we can easily get into a good position at the Walking Stones. If it hadn’t been that Yibu was deceived by that old bastard, I wouldn’t be so tied up.”
“Then you should’ve taken him away.” Feng Jiang frowned and hugged his knees tightly. “He will only sink deeper there.”
“If I didn’t deceive Fan Baiyan, how do you think we could leave, huh?” Ruan Xian sneered. “Everyone has some baggage about how they were thrown into Elysium, right?”
“What did you say to Fan Baiyan?” Feng Jiang finally asked in a hoarse voice.
“I gave him a proposal.” Ruan Xian twisted a few knobs to speed up the ship. “I told him that I would take care of Tu Rui and deliver him to his door—If you don’t believe me, you can just tell Tu Rui, so he’ll be on guard.”
Elysium.
Tang Yibu rolled from one end of the soft bed to the other by himself, and then rolled back with a sullen face. The iron bead was taken away by Ruan Xian, and the entire big room was empty.
Whether the decision to let go of his partner was correct, Tang Yibu couldn’t give himself an accurate answer. There was no absolutely perfect strategy in this world. He knew this and was deeply unhappy about it.
The interferometer they spent two full days assembling was being placed in the room. In order to emphasize the rationality of this behavior, he even added the function of making soymilk ice cream to it.
It was very simple to make Fan Baiyan happy. They just needed to submit a theoretical explanation of “how to increase firefly production”. Fan Baiyan claimed to have eight professional engineers, and they should be able to judge the authenticity of that report. It was just that when the engineers had finished their research and were ready to put it into practice, the raw materials for fireflies couldn’t provide many psychedelic ingredients.
Tang Yibu picked up the glass bowl, filled himself with a bowl of ice cream, and leaned on the edge of the bed as he ate it by the spoonful.
This was his previous life, and he should be very accustomed to this behavior pattern. However, Tang Yibu walked around the room a few times, picked up the ice cream bowl, and a strong sense of idleness mixed into the sweetness of the ice cream.
He thought to himself, “There’s still a day and a half left.’
Perhaps he could wreak some havoc ahead of time and find a good ship with high practically for their date.
Tang Yibu looked at the back of the person’s head in the dark.
His partner was facing his back to his side, seemingly not sleeping very well. Unlike in the past, the other party pressed against the side of the bed, as if he wanted to avoid him.
In order to confirm this conjecture, Tang Yibu took the quilt and leaned against the center of the bed. According to the past, Mr. Ruan, who was sleeping soundly, would unconsciously stick to him, slightly shrinking his limbs to try and grab more of his body heat, but this time, Mr. Ruan didn’t move. He was quietly leaning on the edge of the bed. His linen pajamas hung loose, revealing the back of his white neck.
The inertia of human thinking had a great impact. Tang Yibu was a little aggrieved. He envisioned many possibilities, but none of them could explain the other party’s mysterious attitude. The two of them had a chaotic* first day at Elysium, and Mr. Ruan was very tired. If he woke up the other party rashly, it might make the already delicate situation worse.
*Chickens flying, dogs jumping (鸡飞狗跳) Idiom describing chaos and panic.
Just as he was trying to understand the mysterious emotions of his partner, his target turned over and cast a slightly icy gaze.
Ruan Xian didn’t sleep well.
This made him feel even more unhappy. For a long time, he had been used to sleeping alone, but in just a few weeks, the company of another person had already begun to affect his sleep quality.
It was too dangerous.
Perhaps it was Tang Yibu’s inhumanity that was too strong, or perhaps the gap between them was too deep-rooted. Who said that “it’s impossible to trust each other” wasn’t also a kind of trust? The dark peace was also a peace of mind. It was undeniable that getting along with Tang Yibu made him very comfortable.
Ruan Xian missed his abandoned project a little. For a few moments, that comfort reminded him of the warm computer room with gum hidden in it.
At that time, he could isolate all other humans, just like now.
Half of the android’s face was sunk into the soft pillow, and his hands were frozen in the air. His face seemed to be embarrassed for being caught. After being stared at by Ruan Xian for a few seconds, Tang Yibu retracted his hand, rolled the quilt tightly, and blinked his golden eyes.
A few hours ago, facing Tang Yibu’s question of “which side to destroy”, Ruan Xian gave a relatively vague answer.
“It depends,” he replied like this at the time.
He considered many options, but each of them needed to be adjusted according to the research results of the flickering grass. ‘It seemed that Tang Yibu wasn’t very satisfied with this answer,’ Ruan Xian thought.
“If you have any questions, you can ask directly,” he said, “but I personally suggest you leave the problem until tomorrow when we have the whole day in the lab.”
Tang Yibu looked even more confused.
“Okay,” the android said with uncertainty. “But we have to confirm Duan Lili’s situation at all times. In case she finds a way to expose your affairs to Feng Jiang. When you back to the Walking Stones…”
Ruan Xian rolled over and continued to turn his back to Tang Yibu. “Nn, but I think Fan Baiyan can handle it well.”
Still, they must be vigilant. If Fan Baiyan really didn’t manage Duan Lili well, it would be even more interesting. If such things could go wrong, it would be hard to say who was the real puppet at Elysium.
At the same time, Feng Jiang was lying in a dark cell.
Not long after he finished lunch, he was waiting to greet Fan Baiyan and expressed his desire to leave in a relatively “polite” way. In front of the reception room, Feng Jiang repeatedly reviewed the prepared excuses in his heart and was waiting for Duan Lili to pick him up, but he was suddenly knocked out from behind.
When he woke up again, he had already been thrown into the cell, and there was darkness in front of him.
“I—I didn’t do anything!” He shook the study iron railing and shouted in a hoarse voice. “Please let me see Fan Baiyan! Duan Lili is also fine! …There must be some misunderstanding!”
“Oh, this kid is quite bold, still wanting to see the deputy captain.” The watchman kicked the iron bars. “At this time, the deputy captain is probably ‘busy’.”
The guard’s companion let out a wretched laugh that wasn’t very friendly in the dark shadow.
Feng Jiang swallowed his spit, and his rapid breathing made a gasp. Duan Lili was right. This was a demon’s cave, decorated with gold powder.
“Don’t worry, Fan Lao is very magnanimous, and he won’t really do anything to you. Otherwise, do you think you can still breathe? It’s probably because you’re thinking about the deputy captain when you first came and did something to attract the captain’s attention.”
“I haven’t done anything with Lili…”
“Tsk, tsk. Calling her Lili. Your hands move pretty quickly. You sure got a death wish. If the deputy captain really took you seriously, she would’ve come to see you a long time ago.”
Feng Jiang didn’t speak anymore. He retreated into the shadows and shrank into the corner of the damp cell.
On the other side, Duan Lili’s situation wasn’t as bad but wasn’t much better either. She was sitting at a table shaking violently. The heavily armed bodyguards stood behind her with their guns slightly raised, indicative that it wasn’t a protective posture.
They were full of threats.
“Lili.” Fan Baiyan stretched out a hand and put it on Duan Lili’s shoulder. “As for me, I like well-behaved little girls very much. You do a good job, and you have a good eye for people. You’ve been serving me well for the past few years. I really don’t want to replace you.”
“Fan Lao… Fan Lao. I’m sorry, I was confused…”
“No, no, why are you confused? This is called… kind-heartedness? You know that I have always been accustomed to you, but I thought about it again. Little girls can’t be spoiled unconditionally. I’ll be reasonable with you today.”
Duan Lili’s eyes flushed. “Fan Lao, please, don’t… I won’t talk nonsense anymore. It’s my fault—ah!”
Fan Baiyan retracted the hand on the girl’s shoulder, picked up the cane on the side, and whacked Lili’s upper arm. Duan Lili screamed and fell off the chair, bleeding from her arm that was broken by the cane.
She tried to climb under the table, her whole body shaking.
Unfortunately, Fan Baiyan had no intention of cherishing jade and pitying the fragrance*. He kicked Duan Lili’s back and then poked her calf hard with the tip of the cane.
*(怜香惜玉) Idioms referring to being tender towards women.
The snow-white skin was suddenly bruised.
“It is with their blessing that I am willing to support these people. I thought you were a smart girl. Can’t you even see through this?”
Fan Baiyan kicked, then stopped to take in a breath.
“If it weren’t for me creating such a place, those idiots would have to sleep in the ruins every day and pick up garbage from the mud to eat! People are such lazy things that someone must take care of them! God let the flickering grass grow here and such is his will.”
“Do you think I lied to them? Feel pitiful to see them tired like that? This is the way of the world. If you don’t like it, you can just go sell yourselves at the Walking Stones. With this face, it’s impossible for people not to make room in their carriage for you to sleep in.”
The carefully combed bun was in a mess, and Duan Lili didn’t dare to cry or resist, but kept hiding under the desk.
“You don’t even know how good you’ve got it.”
Five or six minutes later, Fan Baiyan, who was tired, put away his cane.
“I know you won’t change, but remember this. It’s fine to persuade away the thorns, but don’t drive away what I like. On the table is the information from last month. Give me a frame by frame and organize the evaluation report that I will use for the ratings.”
“Yes… Yes.” Duan Lili rubbed her injuries and replied sobbing.
“Lock her in here. Before Feng Jiang is let go, don’t let her take a step out, so as not to get in the way.” Fan Baiyan gave Duan Lili a few more kicks with the tip of his shoe and then waved to the bodyguards who remained in the room. “Someone will deliver the meals, and the folding bed is in the back. She can’t move for some time, so I have to ask you fellows to bear with it for a few days.”
“Fan Lao, Fan Lao, I…”
Fan Baiyan walked straight out of the room, and the bodyguard behind him slammed the door. Duan Lili was locked in the room, and all the exits were locked.
At breakfast the next day, Ruan Xian didn’t see Duan Lili beside Fan Baiyan.
“Fan Lao?” He deliberately glanced at the position of Duan Lili.
“Lili has been very busy with work lately, so she won’t accompany me for the time being,” Fan Baiyan replied with a smile, “but Xiao Ruan, without Lili, my heart is quite panicked. You and Xiao Tang have to do a good job so that I’ll be able to rest at ease.”
“I don’t like the way he talks.” Thirty minutes later, Tang Yibu also put on a white coat in the vacated laboratory.
“I thought you wouldn’t be inclined.”
Ruan Xian turned around in the laboratory, determining the model and function of the machines one by one.
“Of course I would. Humans occasionally evaluate which animals are cute and which are ugly.” Tang Yibu put on his gloves and said in a solemn tone, “I don’t like humans like Fan Baiyan.”
“Yet you like his fruit cake, fried meat, and soymilk ice cream.” Ruan Xian pointed out without any emotion. “Your maker made you look quite human. I don’t think you need to use me as a special reference.”
Tang Yibu stopped the movement of his hands. He walked straight to Ruan Xian, bowed his head slightly, with an expressionless face.
Ruan Xian’s hand subconsciously touched the handle of the blood gun.
“I like delicious food, snowy days, and unpredictable developments. Since there are ‘likes’, there naturally would will be ‘dislikes’.”
The android’s tone became more serious.
“Being beaten will cause fear, loss will make you sad, you can fall in love with the same kind or other creatures, and there are countless lives with similar emotions. Why do you think such emotions are just ‘human-like’?”
Ruan Xian hesitated for a moment while holding the handle of the gun. He wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but it seemed as if Tang Yibu’s mood had dropped for an instant.
“Now I can understand the reason why my maker didn’t give me personality data.” Tang Yibu took a step back. “The impact is really too great, and it’s quite unfavorable for observation and judgement.”
“Sorry,” Ruan Xian said. He packed the wild fruits obtained from the hospital and the fruits cultivated by Tang Yibu separately and lowered his head.
“Why apologize?”
“Because I judged you without authorization.” Ruan Xian put away the two glass containers holding the fruits. “It’s my problem. ‘Unlike people’ is not a compliment to people, and ‘like people’ may not necessarily be a compliment to other creatures.”
Tang Yibu let out a sigh of understanding. “Then while you’re feeling a little guilty because of me, can I ask a question from yesterday?”
“…Ask,” Ruan Xian said helplessly. This guy was asking about the plan while he was still emotional.
“Why don’t you let me hug you?”
Ruan Xian almost knocked over the reagent in his hand.
“What?”
“When we used to sleep, you allowed me to hold you, but yesterday you were very far away from me. Judging from your physical performance, your sleep quality isn’t as good as before.” Tang Yibu pointed it out seriously. “Why?”
“I can’t give you an exact answer now.” Ruan Xian turned around irritably. “As for the sleep quality, it’s very simple. I’m just a little bit afraid of the cold. I can’t feel it when I’m near you… you know.”
He suddenly rushed to the table and picked up a handheld radiation detector. He moved quickly and forcefully, knocking Tang Yibu, who was standing in place, to one side.
Tang Yibu watched his partner sink into a one-man world.
The gentle mask and fierce temperament were gone. The man at the table was like part of a research facility. Mr. Ruan focused on grouping the reagents soaked in bright grass fruits and grass leaves and scanned them separately with a radiometer. The molecular structure of the shuttle and the psychedelic component were clearly displayed on the light screen.
“The GC-MS* is ready. Get two lab rats out.” The man’s tone was more like an order.
*An analytical method that combines the features of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample.
“Ready.”
“Negative pressure crusher and micro-metering test scale.”
“I guess you also want a radiation simulation device and an isolated observation chamber,” Tang Yibu said with a smile, assembling the machines up one by one.
The man turned his head and smiled at him.
Tang Yibu’s movements stagnated for half a second. He had seen the other party’s smirk, sneer, and what could be called a hideous smile, but he had never seen such a pure—very short-lived, smile that was like a shooting star.
“I can’t answer your question just now, but I can answer your last one. I don’t plan to destroy either side… We can play a big shuffle.” Ruan Xian put down the test tube in his hand, and his voice sounded inexplicably satisfied. “Do you want to go on a date, Tang Yibu?”
Nemo recorded today’s account within five seconds and pressed the folds of the paper roll with the book in his hand. Then he took out the half-sewn stuff in the wooden table lattice and continued sewing—the ball of thread as material seemed to come to life, gently bumping around in the wicker basket.
Seeing that the shopkeeper didn’t mind, the demon worshippers not far away continued the dangerous topic.
“Someone made a wish.”
The old man who raised the two-headed demon crow lowered his voice even lower.
“You all know that statement, right? If you have a dangerous task that no one wants to take, or you can’t afford to pay, you can go to the Mercenary Guild to hang up a task and choose Tumbleweed when you designate a team.”
“I remember that designating a disbanded or non-existent team doesn’t count.”
“The horror is here. Some mission paper rolls were burned on the spot! The tasks were completed well, and the rewards were taken away—even those employers didn’t know how the prepared rewards disappeared.”
“…I’ve heard of it too. The most recent time was nearby, right? The whole village put together two gold coins and found someone to deal with a large area of out-of-control carnivorous magic vines. Two gold coins! A fool took this job. It’s said that the person entrusted at that time was illiterate, so he copied ten designated teams to be selected, and spelled ‘Poisonous Bell Grass’ into ‘Tumbleweed’*. The next day, the group of carnivorous magic vines disappeared from the village, and the two gold coins they had in their pockets disappeared… My cousin was in that village and told me the story.”
*Chinese for Poisonous Bell Grass (毒铃草) vs Tumbleweed (风滚草) for those wondering how someone could possibly mistake that for Tumbleweed.
“Nonsense.” Someone spoke up in a thick voice as he tore a piece of meat from a roasted chicken leg. “It’s all a mess of gossip! I tried it myself.”
“Have you tried?!”
“Yeah. Pretend to be miserable and exaggerate the tasks, but not all of them get picked up. It’s like the same style of a superior demon looking for prey. Compared with ghosts, it’s better to say that they were buried at the bottom of the Abyss and they all turned into superior demons.”
“George, get to the point! Did you really go to post the task?”
“Yeah. I pretended to be a thirteen-year-old girl and asked them to drive away a swarm of intermediate demons on my farm, claiming that they crossed the border to steal cattle and sheep and swallowed my parents alive—Don’t look at me like that. The farm and intermediate demons exist, so I was somewhat honest.”
“Tsk, tsk. That’s pretty damning.”
“It’s because people talk about the ghost of Tumbleweed every day and say that they burn the task paper scrolls immediately. My task is still posted on the Mercenary Guild, and nothing has happened at all.”
“But my cousin—”
“Don’t listen to what others are saying now. Do you really believe it? Why don’t you go to the Mercenary Guild to check? The remuneration I provided is low, so the task is definitely still there.”
“Then you have to be careful. If you don’t cancel it after a long time, you’ll pay a penalty, right?”
“Damn, I completely forgot about this. I will cancel it tomorrow when I have time.”
There was a pleasant sound of jingling bells, and the door of the tavern was pushed open again. With the chaotic experience just now, everyone stopped talking and swept towards the door subconsciously.
There were three guests this time.
The woman was dressed as a warrior and looked like she was in her forties, and she was full of dirt and dust. The female warrior was wearing light old leather armor and had a hunting spear on her back. She was slim and strong, seemingly in tip-top shape.
It looked like a woman who was still active. She was most likely a mercenary, but she didn’t wear any badges on her leather armor.
The man beside her looked slightly older than she was, wearing a sword that didn’t look like an ornament, but unfortunately, the chill of the murder weapon couldn’t hide his noble aura, as well as the faint smell of perfume that wasn’t low grade. The man’s long platinum-colored hair was braided into a neat and loose thick braid, hanging behind his head, and his lips were pursed in a line.
If you ignored the anger on his face, this swordsman’s temperament could be called mature and elegant.
Compared to the outfits and temperament of the two people, this woman was most likely to be the bodyguard of the male swordsman or was temporarily hired. In short, the two of them didn’t seem to come from any royal institution or religious army, so all the demon worshippers breathed a sigh of relief.
“Cow dung,” the male swordsman whispered angrily.
“I can’t guess the mood of that cow, let alone its gastrointestinal condition!” the female warrior shouted. “To be honest, I have burned cow dung to stay warm before. Mr. Mad Dog, I’m saddened by what happened to you, but unless you’re willing to fly all the way, in a small border town like this, you can’t help but get something you shouldn’t in the field.”
“Sad? If you hadn’t laughed wildly for two minutes before casting the cleansing spell, I would believe it…”
“All right, all right.” The female warrior held the swordsman’s face and kissed his lips, interrupting his unspoken words. “I apologize, my love. I shouldn’t have laughed so loudly—I will try to hold back next time.”
The swordsman’s face turned red like a tomato, and he didn’t say a word.
Standing next to the two of them, the young woman who had remained silent simply tsked.
The young girl had short, falling shoulder-length hair, a lady’s hat with wide edges on her head, and the upper half of her face was hidden in the shadow of the brim. Her breath was clean and quiet, her dress style was simple, and her color was low-key. Since entering the door, she had hung her head slightly, far less conspicuous than the two beside her.
A palm-sized spider lay on her shoulder, with its abdomen eyeballs whirring excitedly.
Everyone was relieved—spiders had obvious abyssal biological characteristics, so the young girl was probably a demon worshipper.
“The meatloaf is almost ready.” Nemo put down the knitting needle in his hand. “Ann, it’s your favorite flavor—the skin is crispy, and I added more coarsely ground pepper and crushed chili.”
“Long time no see, Nemo. Very considerate.” The female warrior’s tone was cheerful as she narrowed her eyes. “Give me a blank piece of parchment. Gallagher is too picky that it’s troublesome when ordering for him. What’s up? Cross and the others haven’t arrived yet?”
“The aura of those two is nearby. They are staying at a snack shop and should be here in a bit.”
Nemo handed over the pen and paper in both hands, and Gallagher stared at the hand vigilantly, huffing between clenched teeth.
Regarding whether he would mind if she told Gallagher the truth, Ann had asked Nemo after confirming her relationship with Gallagher. Gallaher’s performance at this moment didn’t surprise him too much.
“Delia, why are you…?” Nemo politely moved his gaze away from the nervous former “Wasteland Mad Dog” and continued to ask.
“Nothing has happened recently, so I came to look. I brought a teleportation spell parchment so I can go back to the royal capital at any time.” Making sure that her seat was hidden enough, Delia took off her wide-brimmed hat.
Cat Whiskers jumped down from her shoulders and circled around the table excitedly. Seeing Nemo approaching, it stretched out its two front feet and waved vigorously.
Nemo poked it gently with his fingers, and a black shadow rotated at his fingertips, condensing into a black ball that exuded the magical aura of the Abyss.
The excitable spider happily caught it and ate it.
“I want potato soup with light cream, boiled chicken with cauliflower, and a little bread,” Delia whispered to Ann, who was writing menu requirements for Gallagher.
“I heard that Alban and Willard signed a peace treaty last week.” Nemo waited patiently for Ann to finish writing and found a topic casually. “Mr. Salter. You’re no longer in the position of Marshal, but I thought…”
“I don’t need to be there; Quentin Leonard can already handle these things beautifully.”
Gallagher raised his chin slightly, and his facial muscles were still a little stiff.
“But with all due respect, you’d better think of a way. Mr. Leonard still always talks about Tumbleweed—when rumors came out that Tumbleweed was almost annihilated in the expedition because of greed, he gave himself an amplification spell and promoted the glorious image of Tumbleweed to his subordinate for a whole week.” Immersed in memories, Gallagher’s voice grew more disgruntled. “This matter came directly to my side and his deputy, Mr. Elmer, had to drag him back.”
Nemo scratched his head and smiled a little embarrassedly.
“Don’t think too much about it. It’s just a simple act of mourning, Mr. Light. Mr. Leonard guessed very accurately. He insisted that the members of Tumbleweed were superior in strength and wouldn’t die because of stupid greed. They just used this to fade out of the public eye. In recent years, the haunting of the “Tumbleweed Ghost” has made him more and more convinced of his guess—if it weren’t for the marshal’s duties that stalled Mr. Leonard, I think he would dare to run out to find you directly, and I have a hunch that he would find you.”
“Then we’ll have to wait for him to leave office.” Oliver walked out of the back kitchen and put a jug of juice on the table. “If he can really find us by then, we will tell him part of the truth.”
“I reserve my opinion.” Ann stuffed the written menu into Oliver’s hand. “…There’s no telling if he’ll know through other channels, like when I decided to tell Gallagher.”
Delia stopped pouring juice. Cat Whiskers stared at its owner with its abdominal eyeballs, and then froze in the air.
“No,” Delia said coldly. “I said that tomorrow I would break up with Wilhelm.”
“You said that the day before yesterday, the day before yesterday and yesterday.” Ann held her chin and pointed it out with a smile.
“That’s just…”
“That kid Hayden has a good temper. In my opinion, it’s a miracle that you can quarrel for three days straight.” Ann took a sip of her juice. “Seriously, what are you two arguing about? It’s hard to tell which one of you is busier. If that’s what this is about—”
“Ann!”
“Okay, let’s change the subject. Nemo, do you remember Hayden Wilheim? That kid just got off the battlefield and ran to Clementine Academy to be a professor of nursing.”
“Ollie and I planned to go to Clementine in a few years. In that case, we might be able to see him then.” Nemo poured himself a glass of juice and shook the cup. “But looking at the situation back then, I thought he would have something for Marilyn Lawler…”
The cold gaze of the current Queen of Alban swept over her in an instant.
“Chief Healer Marilyn Lawler. I know this person.”
There was no hostility in Delia’s voice, only respect.
“When Ann sent me to Clementine Academy, a few of them hadn’t graduated yet. Ms. Lawler is still unmarried and devotes all her time to research. At this point, I admire her very much.”
After that, Delia lowered her head and drank the juice intently, without meaning to speak again.
“Speaking of that group of people… Leonard’s deputy was Oliver’s roommate, Elmer. Do you have an impression? He got married last year, and he left a table for Tumbleweed at the wedding. I secretly glanced at it. He should have received the gift I left behind.”
Ann laughed softly, didn’t touch the pre-dinner juice, and stubbornly waited for the wine. “That stubborn boy actually drove away a guest who pointed to the table and asked him to remove it on the spot.”
Seeing as the topic continued, Nemo’s expression of mixed nostalgia gradually appeared sad, and Ann stopped talking. She reached out her hand and touched her face along the line of sight of the other party, feeling the small wrinkles carved into the corners of her eyes due to the years.
“Come on, let’s not mention this. I have to leave some topics for dinner for a while.” She tried to make her tone appear more relaxed.
Oliver leaned towards the back kitchen’s dining window and served the steaming meatloaf to the table. Nemo took a deep breath, threw an insulation spell casually, and left the table.
“You guys talk first, I’ll go and see what Dylan is doing in the snack shop. I’ll be back in a while.” Nemo smiled a little reluctantly this time.
“Ollie.” Before leaving, he called his lover with something to say, and Oliver nodded knowingly.
Ann stood up from the table after seeing Nemo leave through the door, smacking her lips to the seductive aroma of the sizzling baked meatloaf. “Show me the shop, Oliver. I’m afraid I can’t help but want a tour.”
“Of course.” Oliver glanced at Delia, who was sipping the juice gracefully, and Gallagher, who was sitting upright like a soldier with his lips tightly pursed.
The two first came to the wooden platform where Nemo was just now. After Oliver walked to the wooden platform, he pulled out a bottle of wine.
“That kid Nemo, it’s been ten years, and he still can’t even act. It’s about the thing you mentioned in the letter, right?” Ann put her elbow on the wooden platform and pretended to look at the bottle of wine. “I have thought of the answer.”
“Ann…” Seeing the familiar open smile on the other party’s face, Oliver was sure that he had tasted some kind of bitterness in his mouth.
“I don’t need to live too long.”
Ann brushed the dusty wine bottle with her fingertips, with a smile in her voice.
“Don’t look at Gallagher like that. I still like him very much. And Delia, I watch that child grow so big… I can’t imagine sending them away with my own hands. I know, maybe you can also give them a long life. But as I just said, Delia will also fall in love with others, and she is likely to have her own children. What will you do then?”
“Ollie, we’re humas, and we’re fragile. Relatives, lovers, friends… At least I can’t bear the endless loss. I can’t really forget the pain of leaving now. If I decide not to be sad about it anymore, I may not be considered ‘me’.”
She patted him on the shoulder.
“Humans have human time. In my opinion, a hundred years is enough. Presumably by now, you and Nemo should be able to appreciate a little, uh, the inconvenience of almost eternal life.”
“Ann, we…”
“You don’t need my guidance anymore, Mr. Hero. Don’t show that expression, I can’t be swayed. To be honest, I’m more worried about you two… Looking at you, Debby and Godwin also gave similar answers to that question.”
“……Yes.”
“It’s not surprising, after all, we know our boundaries. Hey, don’t act like I’m going to die in the next second! You know, I don’t have any great ambitions. I’m just an ordinary person who wanted to live and eat comfortably before I die. Now I have a nice lover by my side and a lovely niece who can let me enjoy my life to the fullest, which is much better than my most unrealistic dream.”
“What’s more, it can make you, um, amazing guys show this expression for me. I think this is a pretty perfect life—if you shed tears at my funeral, I won’t spare you.”
“Ann, if you change your mind, we will be here anytime.”
“Uh-huh, it depends on my mood then.”
Ann stretched out her hand and rubbed Oliver’s hair vigorously.
“Live well. On the plus side, two people are better than one person.”
She huffed gently.
“Oliver, I have known you two for a long time now. You are all very amazing guys, and I hope you can always maintain your current state of mind. Coupled with Bagelmaurus, Tumbleweed can maintain at least five members… Don’t let it really disappear, okay?”
There was another bell ringing at the door.
“Nemo!” Ann waved her hand and narrowed her slightly moist eyes. “…And you, Dylan, why are you so slow. I’m starving to death!”
Ann picked up the wine bottle and sat back down in her place.
“Can I start eating my meatloaf now?”
The author has something to say:
Mr. Leonard, the little nobleman of the academy arc, a hard-core fan (……
And unfortunately, not everyone will live for a long time. _(:з”∠)_
————
The next text is the final chapter—!
Kinky Thoughts:
Wow Ann got together with Gallagher! Delia with Wilhelm! I’m just so happy for everyone! The next chapter is the final chapter of this novel, followed by a few extras (*sobs* I don’t want it to end.)
Unlike most taverns, the back kitchen of the Dawn Tavern was very clean, which had not changed due to the change of ownership. Many years ago, he had taken herbal medicine for the treatment of his demon from here with Vance, and he still retained a little impression.
A weird floor lamp stood near the entrance of the back kitchen. He didn’t know if he was seeing things, but Jude always felt that the light pole looked a bit like a staff. Not far away from the floor lamp was a frozen magic pattern that flickered slightly, and the shelves with all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables continued to emit cold air.
There was a small wooden basin next to the fruit and vegetable rack, which was full of fresh fruits of an attractive color. A chubby gray parrot was lying on its back on the top of the fruit pile, stretching out its wings and clicking its beak contentedly.
Seeing someone coming in, the golden bird’s eyes slanted over, and then squinted contemptuously.
“Stupid bird,” Jude muttered, glancing at the basin of fresh fruit of great value. “What a waste of good food.”
“Idiot,” the gray parrot responded clearly. It straightened its round belly, tilted its head, and pecked at a golden cherry.
With the Knights of Judgement approaching, Jude didn’t intend to scold a brainless bird. He grabbed his demon partner, who was unusually obedient for some reason, and looked around in the back kitchen, hoping to find a trigger similar to a secret door.
When his gaze swept to the middle of the room, old Jude’s hair exploded…
There was no yawning fat chef. There was indeed something in a chef’s uniform that was close to human form, but when he looked at it closely, the skin that should have been exposed on the outside was pitch black.
It wasn’t a human at all, but a chaotic humanoid shadow.
It stretched out a limb to hold its hat, and then stretched out more than a dozen long alien arms behind it, handling the ingredients in an orderly manner.
For a second, Jude wanted to escape back to the front hall and surrender directly to the commander of the Knights of Judgement.
Fortunately, whether it was the damn bird or this thing that looked like a chef, they didn’t pay any attention to him. The gray parrot glanced at him and went back to chewing juicy grapes, while the monster chef continued to cut meat skillfully with both arms while another hand was stirring a pot that was bubbling with soup and its other arms were quickly making fried onion rings.
Jude swallowed laboriously and continued his plan in a cold sweat. Time was limited, so instead of trying to find a secret door or the entrance to the cellar, he looked at a few large wooden barrels in the corner storage.
Leaning against the wall and approaching the barrel, Jude quickly opened the lid of the barrel.
Then he looked at the red-eyed man awkwardly again.
The man squatted in the barrel, hugging his knees, not daring to come out. Seeing that the cover was taken away, he silently yanked the lid back from Jude’s hand and sealed himself in again.
“Why don’t you use a disguise spell? I thought…” Jude coughed dryly.
“If there is a magic fluctuation, Roderick will notice it faster.” There was a muffled response from the barrel.
It seemed that the commander from the Knight of Judgement came here to catch this guy.
Wyatt Roderick, the 370th Chief Justice after Adrian Cross.
Unlike Cross, who was dignified before his apostasy, Roderick was more like a pagan in the Laddism Church—This young genius had a ruthless approach to his enemies, a righteous and evil style of behavior, and a reputation for ferocity.
Although Cross was cold when he was in the office, at least his methods of doing things were decent. This one acted more like he was using poison to attack poison. Even the title granted by the old Pope was “Eclipse of the Moon”.
Although in terms of behavior, Mr. Roderick was indeed guarding the surface conscientiously, when speaking of his temperament and style, it was said that the conclusion of those who had seen him was very similar… This Mr. Chief Justice was better suited to be a thug than a knight.
Completely affected by this bastard, Jude grinded his teeth.
The demon he carried was a dangerous kind of intermediate demon. Other Knights of Judgement may decide to turn a blind eye for the time being, taking into account the progress of their own missions and the complexity of chasing criminals between state lines, but that monster Roderick would definitely drag him back by hand.
Jude immediately decided to leave here and tried to escape through the back kitchen window. However, the unique sound of the armor collision had already sounded outside the door.
It was too late, and it would be more conspicuous if he were to escape now.
Jude’s scalp exploded. He chose the innermost barrel and stuffed himself in desperately. He began to pray that the knight commander would focus on his goal and subconsciously ignore him.
Fortunately, in misfortune, from the moment he entered the tavern, his demon was extremely quiet, shrinking into a ball on his shoulders.
“Mr. Roderick, what are you doing here?”
The vague voice of the young waiter came from outside the wooden door, and there was no panic in his tone.
“Not to be rude, but you will frighten my guests by staying in my Dawn Tavern like this.”
“I’m looking for my teacher,” the Knight of Judgment replied, with a smile in his voice. “Black hair, gray-black mage robe, dark red eyes. He’s good looking. He looks… Well, he’s in his thirties. Have you ever seen such a person?”
“As you can see, our house is just a tavern, not a refuge.”
“You did not answer my question positively.” The smile in the voice of Chief Justice Roderick became a bit stronger. “My intuition tells me that he’s here.”
“If your teacher doesn’t want to advise you, I think he has his own reasons.”
“It won’t be my problem anyway.” Roderick replied in a lazy tone, deliberately raising his voice, with a bit of banditry in his tone that didn’t quite match his identity. “I did everything in the agreement, but he wouldn’t see me.”
“Perhaps he would be more willing to see you if you left your procession of Knights of Judgement behind.”
“No, he won’t. Get out of the way, boy, let me see your kitchen,” Roderick huffed, and there was the sound of metal armor colliding.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Roderick. I remember that according to the regulations, if proper instructions are not given, the Knights of Judgement from the Laddism Church aren’t allowed to trespass on private houses,” the young waiter said slowly, still not flustered. “Unfortunately, I am one of the shopkeepers here, and I have the right to get a reason that can convince me. The Chief Justice of the Knight of Judgement can’t lie, right?”
“…What a pain in the ass. Okay, okay—I’m not going to break your kitchen, nor am I going to stuff that cunning guy into the dungeon. I just want to talk to him.”
“Well…”
“Isn’t that enough? …Okay, damn rules. Boy, when I first became an adult, that bastard kicked me out of the house and asked me to look at the beautiful girls outside and don’t think about certain ‘inappropriate’ things—now that seven years have passed, I have saved 800 out of 1,000. I just wanted to go back and tell him and talk to him about it.”
“Then he ran away?”
“Then he ran away, and I chased him for a whole country and a half.”
“Mr. Roderick, I have one more little thing to ask. When you went to find your teacher, you also brought such a heavily armed… Uh, entourage with you?”
“Because I have a hunch that he will run away.”
“…Uh, you really don’t know what the problem is?”
“Mind your own business, get out of the way.”
“Okay, Mr. Medes is in the third barrel on the left side of the kitchen against the wall—he hasn’t popped out yet to escape with all his strength. According to what I know about him, he shouldn’t refuse to talk to you about it.” The waiter guided very empathetically.
“Do you know him? He never said—”
“By the way, there is also a fugitive in the first barrel on the left side of the wall. You can take him away easily. It is a gift from our store.”
“……”
Fuck. Jude’s eyes darkened as he hid in the barrel.
Now, he had only one choice left.
Directly tearing off his most advanced acceleration rune paper, Jude pulled out a poisonous dagger hidden in his boots and rushed out of the door first. He directly locked the young waiter’s neck with his arm and squeezed the blade at the young man’s throat.
Wyatt Roderick was standing in the room of the Dawn Tavern, close to the entrance of the back kitchen, followed by a team of Knights of Judgment that couldn’t be counted at a glance.
The young knight had long, dark golden hair that wasn’t too long, and his eyes were a bit dull gray blue. On the left half of his cheek near his eyes, a small scar like a thin withered vine was present, like it was left over from a disease.
To be fair, Wyatt Roderick’s appearance wasn’t bad. It was a pity that the terrifying scars and cynicism of his smile really couldn’t leave a good impression, let alone, the long eyebrows of the Knight of Judgement even had a little evil aura.
“How old-fashioned.” Roderick waved his sword casually, without concealing the mockery in his voice.
Having said that, the young Knight of Judgment glanced at him vigilantly and then turned to the surrounding environment, obviously considering the safest countermeasure.
Jude vigilantly leaned his back against the door frame, holding the dagger firmly in his hand. Not to mention the strong enemy in front of him, the so-called “Mr. Medes” didn’t sound like a real fugitive. If that guy sneaked up from behind, his situation would be really bad.
At present, there was no movement in the back kitchen, which was the only good thing that had happened so far.
Jude shrugged his shoulders and motioned to his demon partner to wrap around the young shopkeeper’s neck to add a little more leverage. Unfortunately, that damned intermediate demon completely shrank itself into a small ball and began to pretend to be dead.
“Your goal is not me, honored Lord Knight.”
Jude squeezed out an ugly smile and pressed the poisonous dagger against the throat of the shopkeeper dressed as a waiter.
“Blame this kid for talking too much. Otherwise, just treat me as if you haven’t seen me, okay? If you don’t agree, I’m going to cut this kid’s throat. No matter how fast your sword and spells are, they can’t be faster than mine—”
A series of crisp bells came from the door of the Dawn Tavern, and another young man dressed as a waiter entered the door. The young man was holding a large box of fresh potatoes in his arms, and there were a few bunches of dried fish hanging on the side of the wooden box.
“Nemo, the potatoes you bought have arrived. Guess what? Colestoro sent some specialty dried fish from the glaciers… Hey?”
The young man with light brown hair blinked and stopped in place in shock at the scene in front of him.
“…What are you doing?” After a few seconds, the choked young man spoke again, and his tone sounded a bit awkward.
“Hostage.” The young man known as “Nemo” sounded a little emotional. “I haven’t been taken hostage in such an old-fashioned way, Ollie.”
Jude frowned and increased his strength, locking around his opponent’s throat. Something was wrong with this kid’s reaction. To put it bluntly, from the beginning, he didn’t shake at all.
The “Ollie” glanced at the shivering demon worshippers in the shop, squatting under the table with their heads, and the tense Knights of Judgment, and finally exhaled a long breath.
“Then I’ll send the potatoes to the kitchen first,” he continued solemnly. “The photo crystal is upstairs. Do you need me to take a picture for you?”
“Good idea, but I would rather witness this moment with you,” Nemo responded equally seriously.
“It seems that this gentleman doesn’t need much help, so I’ll come back later.” Roderick obviously didn’t have much sense of justice. He retracted his long sword and snapped his fingers. “I have to go and get my dear teacher out first.”
‘It’s not that I’m dreaming but the world had just finally gone crazy.’ Jude thought blankly.
He was pretty sure that he was holding a dagger with snake venom in his hand, not a carrot or something, but no one seemed to care about it.
They would regret it.
Although it wasn’t clear what the situation was, it was always a good thing for Roderick to leave temporarily. As long as he did his old tricks again, seriously injured this kid, and threw a few stinky smoke bombs…
Jude gritted his teeth and slashed the young man’s throat with a dagger.
There was no screaming, no blood.
Nothing happened.
In the blink of an eye, Jude had just reacted and found himself lying on the floor. The black-haired waiter with a delicate face smiled and looked down at him from above. Jude’s scalp tightened, and he suddenly wanted to get up, but found that his limbs were already tightly wrapped in fine shadow vines.
The shrunken Hitz poisonous squid rolled to the ground like a ball, and no matter how hard he tried to call it, it didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of moving.
“You tried to murder a poor old lady at the Ramon Inn.” Nemo patted the dust off his shoulder, “Unfortunately, I am very familiar with the hostess of the Ramon Inn. She told me everything, Jude Major.”
Nemo held the ball-shaped Hitz poisonous squid in his hand, and from that cold gaze, Jude even read a bit of emotion and nostalgia. But this was impossible. This kid was too young and looked completely green. There was no such person in his social circle.
This must be a ridiculous dream, and everything that was happening right now was simply unreasonable.
“Thank you for your cooperation… This gentleman, since ‘you’ know my teacher, I won’t ask for the details of the matter.”
Roderick directly carried Medes out with the barrel, nodded at Nemo, and then glanced at Jude, who was twisting on the ground.
“And you guys, pack this thing on the ground and take it back with us.”
“Yes, Lord Roderick.”
“When you’re done talking, remember to come over for a drink.” Nemo patted the barrel on Roderick’s shoulder.
“I will, Mr. Light,” Medes replied sullenly in the bucket. “By the way, it’s ‘me’, not ‘us’. There must be something wrong with my education… Asshole, don’t knock on the barrel! Answer me first, how is that village?”
“Oh, the village that expelled me.” Roderick smiled in a low voice. “On the whole, it’s still there—I endured it very hard, and I didn’t use the power you gave me to do excessive things like slaughtering the village. You promised me a reward if I would drop the matter. Well, that promise still stands, right?”
“……”
“Farewell.” Roderick stopped tapping his hand on the wall of the barrel, looking in a much better mood.
“Sorry to shock everyone. All orders that haven’t been settled yet are free of charge.”
Oliver, the shopkeeper, immediately took over. He walked to the other shopkeeper and gave him a quick kiss.
“…Everyone who has already checked out can also continue to order. You’re welcome.”
Seeing the Knights of Judgement leaving the Dawn Tavern, the demon worshippers who had huddled on the bottom of the table crawled out one after another, panting in horror. Although policies had been loosened in recent years, it was still difficult to quickly change the habits engraved in their bones.
“We have to make some baked meatloaf.” Nemo grabbed Oliver’s collar and kissed him back. “Ann and the others should be here in a while. She will order this every time.”
A few bold people in the shop blew a few whistles.
“Good.” After his lips parted, Oliver rubbed the other person’s hair with a smile between his brows. “Let me go. I’ll just check on the soup. Just wait for them here. You have to calculate today’s account carefully—you’re better at this than me.”
“Uh-huh.”
When Nemo sat down behind the wooden platform, the guests finally calmed down.
“If you ask me, Roderick definitely didn’t come here just to find someone. That must be a cover,” the nervous old man kept stroking the two-headed crow on his shoulders and said nervously.
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you heard? The ghost of Tumbleweed appeared nearby. The Chief Justice is here, so it must be to investigate this matter.”
“Tumbleweed, the Black Chapter team with the Knight of Ash? Aren’t they long gone?”
“The ghost is still there. Don’t mention it, it’s weird. Alas… Mr. Light, do you mind if we talk about this here? After all, this topic is a bit unlucky—”
“Don’t worry, everyone.”
Nemo raised the corner of his mouth, put down the book, and tugged at the ball of thread in his hands.
“We don’t mind at all.”
The author has something to say:
Jude: I have a hostage! I have a hostage!
Nemo: A novel experience, kudos (0ω0)b
————
Tumbleweed will definitely not simply disappear XDDD
Casually raising a student, but the result is he’s going to lose himself to it, Mr. Medes (?
Kinky Thoughts:
Ahhh so many appearances from all the side characters. For those who forgot, Roderick is the child Medes adopted before he was contemplating to end himself… And now it turns out, Roderick has a thing for his teacher. At the rate this is going, the requirement of all the Chief Justices of the Knights of Judgement is that they gotta be gay (started by Adrian Cross).
Shout out to Colestoro and Duran. They got to see the glaciers after all! (I’m so happy for them)
Kinky Translations 