“Where is Aurorae?” Telaranea’s voice was very calm, as if he was looking for a misplaced book.
Oliver looked at Nemo in surprise.
Before escorting the reconnaissance team, Oliver himself had no special opinion on the “Demon Slayer” Aurorae. In regard to recent events, he was responsible for seriously injuring Nemo and causing him to fall to the bottom of the Abyss, allowing him to regain his memory.
Right now, he didn’t have much affection for that ancient demon.
If he guessed it correctly, the magic formation trap encountered by Adrian Cross was probably perfected by Aurorae. The demon almost destroyed the entire reconnaissance team on his own.
He thought that the other party had already escaped under the cover of the destruction array. To be honest, this was the first time Oliver had started to think about it. Before tonight, his mind was full of cracked and shaken ground, screaming people, and the memory of Nemo’s face—doom, determination, and longing filled his heart. Not to mention Aurorae’s movements, he even occasionally forgot to add some forage for his horse.
However, Nemo’s image didn’t show anger or unhappiness. On the contrary, his Demon King looked a little sad.
Keenly capturing the hint, Telaranea’s brows curled slightly.
“He’s gone, Telaranea.”
Nemo picked a relatively conciliatory statement.
“Well, thank you. Now I can take back the body waiting at the entrance of the Abyss.” Telaranea nodded, not looking much surprised.
But he still looked at Nemo and asked one more question. “…Did you kill him?”
There was no hatred or anger. That tone sounded more like simple confirmation.
“No, he saved me.”
“Then he must’ve ran out of my flesh’s power and his life span was naturally exhausted. I understand. Thank you for the explanation.”
He didn’t ask for details nor for the cause and effect.
The Sage of the Abyss pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, quickly calmed down from the joy of escaping a doomsday and didn’t show the excitement of meeting the Pillar of the World. As a collaborator of this summoning, Telaranea showed a rare calm expression and turned away, seemingly not intending to stay here for long.
The Demon King’s phantom stretched out his right hand. Soil and stone debris gathered above his palm, then twisted and melted, turning into a clear crystal. The dark shadow quickly circled it a few times and got in.
“He once mentioned you. This is my memory, and everything about his deathbed is recorded in it. As his partner, I think you are qualified to know the truth,” Nemo said, commanding the crystal to fly to the Sage of the Abyss who was facing him.
The latter didn’t look back but stretched out his hand and firmly caught the crystal the size of a peach’s core.
“The last moments of the Demon Slayer can be regarded as intelligence. Speaking of this, you paid for your real name to see Cahill Edwards’ last memories.” The Sage of the Abyss spoke in a lazy tone. “Do you want to make a deal? A way to get out of the bottom of the Abyss, or something else—”
“This is not a deal,” Nemo replied.
“I don’t understand.” Telaranea squeezed the crystal tightly. It felt a little warm, which was inexplicably annoying.
“If I have to give a reason, I don’t quite understand it myself. It’s just that I think it might be of some value to you.”
Still not turning back, Telaranea simply ignited the teleportation paper scroll and disappeared into the air.
It was very close to Garland, and when the Sage of the Abyss opened his eyes again, people had already appeared on the second floor of the Dawn Tavern. He owned a room here, and he would always own a room here.
To be honest, he didn’t want to leave. It was the short-lived phantom of the Demon King on the surface, the will of the world under his feet. As an important role that had made a lot of effort, he should have taken the opportunity to cultivate a good impression and enhance feelings with those people in Tumbleweed, whether it was sincere or hypocritical—as long as he succeeded, he could get one step closer to those amazing existences.
That would be unparalleled happiness.
But with the new information that was emerging now, he must sort it out as soon as possible to prevent more anomalies. After all, this time the change didn’t come from the outside, but from himself.
According to the normal life span of the lantern blind bugs, Aurorae should have died a long time ago. Death was a cost-effective thing for Aurorae—he had survived for too long, and every breath must be accompanied by severe pain and torture. The too stubborn lantern blind bug had no attachment to the surface but relied on a certain obsession to support it, forcing himself to live, as if he was completing a certain task.
Telaranea remembered very well. Not long ago, he proposed to this extremely aging demon that he wanted to personally give him a painless death.
Now, Aurorae no longer insisted on this pointless self-torture, nor did he continue to consume those precious eyeballs. He should be immersed in a complete sense of relief, Telaranea mused.
It should be so.
He slowly pressed his hands on the table.
No one had cleaned the place for a long time. A thin layer of dust fell on the table. The crystal that was usually used to communicate with Aurorae was still placed on the table, with flickering light. Telaranea started it habitually, and then realized that he had done a stupid thing without any logic.
It was strange that he obviously didn’t feel heartache, sadness, or resistance to reality.
Telaranea knew very well what he would have done. He would try to figure out the deathbed of the legendary demon and add this information to his memory with joy.
The Sage of the Abyss squeezed the crystal with his thumb and forefinger and brought it to his eyes. It was a translucent orange-red gemstone, like a solidified sunset. The color was slightly familiar.
Telaranea knew the usage of this thing very well. He only needed to break it, and the magic power in it would evaporate, turn into an illusion, and take him to the scene where Aurorae died.
He knocked the fragile crystal towards the corner of the table, but his hand stopped in mid-air. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly he didn’t feel like he was in the mood.
After watching it, everything was really over.
The Sage of the Abyss thought for a while, opened the drawer casually, took out a rough leather rope, put the crystal on it casually, and then hung it around his neck.
When he figured out his abnormal situation, it wouldn’t be too late to look at it. The body at the entrance of the Abyss could stay there and think with all its strength…
He had never collected this kind of reaction in human emotional patterns, and he couldn’t explain his mood. It was as plain as everything was normal, but there was a bit more weariness and emptiness in it. His behavior was out of his usual pattern, which was a terrible event.
There must be an explanation.
On this point, Telaranea was uncompromising.
He patted the dust off his hands, cast a cleansing spell on the room, and then gently put the still flashing communication crystal back in the drawer. Telaranea walked to the first floor of the tavern and cautiously confirmed the door lock.
His gaze stayed on the dark wooden platform of the tavern for a few seconds, then moved away quietly.
“Thorne!” Ten minutes later, a roar broke out in the stronghold of the Steel Wolf Mercenary Group.
The face of their leader, Fenrir Troy, was flushed with anger. “Asshole! Are you kidding me for leaving the team task at will? Do you still want to do it?”
“…Sorry, something happened at home. I’m afraid I will have to take two more days off next,” Telaranea responded smoothly.
“Tsk.” Fenrir scratched his hair irritably. “Okay, okay. Submit a description of the incident later. If the matter makes sense, I’ll spare you this time… If the situation is too serious, remember to apply for a subsidy from the team.”
Telaranea tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The leader of the Steel Wolf Mercenary Group sighed fiercely and carefully looked at his disobedient member up and down.
“Hurry up and write your report, asshole.” Fenrir’s voice was still a bit blunt. “Also, your new pendant isn’t bad.”
“Nn.” Telaranea weighed the cold crystal and the weird emotions that made him wary surged again.
“If possible, I want to wear it for a while,” he heard himself say.
The Border Forest.
After Telaranea left, the atmosphere eased slightly.
This time, Oliver didn’t hide his plan. From sunrise to sunset, this may be the longest full-time meeting in the history of Tumbleweed.
Oliver spent the whole morning talking about the next arrangements, and the afternoon was full of ridicule and nonsense from the other members. The conversation was scattered with a little central content, but except for Adrian and Nemo, almost everyone was looking at the boring topics with great interest. No one wanted to stand up and leave.
The skull could only temporarily retain the will of the Pillar of the World on the surface for a period of time, and it wasn’t appropriate to take Ulysses’ skull to the town. The members of Tumbleweed preferred to stay here and enjoy the joy of witnessing the end of the world disappear in the cradle for a while longer.
And when the sun was about to set, Ann had begun to chew the sweet grass roots, intentionally or unintentionally, trying to keep her stomach from screaming too loudly.
“Ann, if you are hungry…” Oliver was the first to remind.
“I’m sorry. Oh, I blame it on the fact that we ran out of wine.”
The female warrior stood up and stretched out relaxedly, and her voice regained its former vitality. “Since the surface will not explode, I have to make a trip back to the royal city and report to Delia and Mr. Mad Dog for peace of mind. It seems that my work will not end because of the end of the world, damn it.”
She glanced at Nemo and shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t forget what I said. Remember to send yourself to the door early so I can kick your ass.”
Nemo nodded solemnly.
“Let’s go, Dylan.” Seeing that the other party was serious, Ann turned her head a little stiffly and grabbed the fur from Jesse’s long mouth.
“……Hmm? Miss Savage, I didn’t hear you clearly just now.”
“Please take me back to the royal city. This is the Alban border, and it’s easy for me to be noticed by taking the teleportation gateways.” Ann lowered her voice. “It won’t take you an hour to travel back and forth—I won’t pray, but I can lend you the best dessert chef in the entire kingdom for a while. Think about it, yeah?”
“Adri, go to the inn of Noer and wait for me,” the surface god said solemnly, shaking his tail. “Let’s go Miss Savage.”
Ann glanced at Oliver, who was next to Nemo’s phantom, thought for a few seconds, then pulled the gray parrot from the ground and put it on her shoulder.
“What are you doing—?!”
“Don’t make a noise. Give them some space.” Ann pinched the grey parrot’s beak, “Come with me, besides…”
In the direction that everyone couldn’t see, the corner of her mouth raised a little arc. “Everyone is still there. You heard Ramon’s plan, and we will see each other soon.”
After the white figure of the behemoth disappeared from the horizon, Adrian Cross also stood up and nodded briefly to Oliver. “I’m going to Noer to wait for Jesse. The two of you may want to be alone for a while. I’ll send some supplies over at noon tomorrow.”
Then there were only two people left on the battlefield, with a tight atmosphere from the day before.
As the sun sank to the other end of the horizon, the starry sky became clear. The magic array burning like a fire was finally extinguished, and the sound of insects buzzed again. Birds flew over in the night sky, and there was a rustling sound in the grass in the distance again. As the abnormal sense of oppression dissipated, the nearby forest was rapidly resurrecting.
Oliver looked around and moved his arms. Then he carefully picked up the Demon King’s skull and tried his best to hold it in his arms.
“Ollie?” Nemo raised his eyebrows. His illusion was attached to this skull and could only move with it.
Oliver didn’t answer. He smiled, walked a few steps further, and selected the tallest tree nearby—It was so thick that it needed four people to hug it. It survived the spell hurricane not long ago, and it was particularly eye-catching among the ordinary trees.
In the next second, Oliver jumped directly to the top of the tree, sat still on the stoutest branch, and held the skull firmly by his side.
The air at a high altitude was slightly cooler, and at this height, a small half of the Border Forest could be seen. The Ash Mountains were continuous in the distance, and now the two of them wouldn’t be troubled by the darkness as the undulations of the mountains were still clear.
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on the Demon King’s skull.
“Now, my Mr. White.” His voice was full of smiles. “Although this is not my backyard, it’s almost the same—”
In fact, the difference wasn’t that bad, Oliver thought to himself. At the beginning, he could lean his whole head on “Mr. White”, but now it couldn’t even support his shoulders.
It was just that this time he was no longer muttering to himself—his Demon King was by his side, smiling at him and shaking his head, sitting on top of his skull, looking up at the magnificent starry sky.
Oliver solemnly twisted one of the rings and put it on the ring finger of his left hand.
As a famous jewelry family, the Tristan family was truly good at their craftsmanship. It was just that Oliver had lost a lot of weight during this time, and the ring was a little loose. The one belonging to Nemo was carefully put into the gold pendant by him and hung on his chest.
The Demon King’s phantom stood in front of him, and the translucent shadow glowed dimly.
Like a dream.
Oliver walked forward and kissed the phantom like a dragonfly.
A year ago today, his father hadn’t died. At this time, he would get up early, try the soup for breakfast, and help the kitchen prepare the ingredients for the next day. The businessman who came to deliver fresh meat and fruit would arrive soon, and his father was definitely still in bed. At that time, he was like a pocket watch; like clockwork, he lined up every day, and his life was crammed with trivial chores.
And now, he stepped on a magic array that could imprison the will of the world and successfully propose to his lover, who was above everything.
Maybe the alarm clock would go off in the next second, and he would sit up in bed in a daze, boil milk, and peel carrots and potatoes for soup.
Oliver took a deep breath.
“Don’t make me wait too long, Ollie.” The Demon King obviously found that his fiancé was too dazed. He gave him a smile and reminded him. “I believe you have a plan.”
“Yeah.”
Oliver looked at his left hand with the ring, and the black gem on the ring gleamed dully.
“But if, and I mean if, you’re forcing yourself to do so, remember, my thoughts have not changed—Just because I love you doesn’t mean you have to reciprocate that love, Nemo.”
His right hand squeezed the ring on his finger, and the metal had already been warmed by his body heat.
“The fact that you are still here is enough to stop my suffering… I don’t know how to say it clearly, but, uh, all your memories should be restored, right?”
There was a gap of countless time between them.
As if by a miracle, the dragon really fell in love with the mayfly. It was all too good to be true, too good to be flustered. With the ring already on his hand, Oliver was instead not quite sure…
Yes, his love for Nemo had never been shaken. It was just that he wasn’t that special, and the feelings they once had were thick and smooth, not as sharp as a knife’s edge.
If Nemo just retained relatively weak feelings, trying to make his small self feel better… This thought was like a piece of ice sliding into his stomach. He couldn’t wait to vomit it out and stomp it to pieces, regardless of the sweet reality that could be embraced.
But he couldn’t do it.
He wanted to be the chain that held the world together, but he didn’t want to lock everything up greedily and indulge in the illusion of self-deception.
He still wanted to walk truly side by side with the one he loved.
“I’ve been chasing your back, and now I finally touched it.” Oliver swallowed. Ecstasy and anxiety intermingled. His head ached as if it had been split open, and countless thoughts of rapid movement almost drove him crazy.
“If you only have a good impression of me, I will pursue you again. With the person I am now, I will start over from the first step. So, if you…”
Nemo stretched out his right hand and let it stay in the air.
Oliver looked at the hand suspiciously for a while, hesitated for a few seconds, and put his left hand on it.
The humanoid Demon King bent down and left a kiss on the ring.
“I understand your concerns, Ollie. Feelings are indeed unfamiliar to me. Strictly speaking, I have only obtained it for less than twenty years, but you made a mistake—as far as I have observed over the years, even a smart child can’t see the world in the eyes of an old man, right?”
His Demon King exuded faint power. It felt very strange. Oliver shook his head—the creature in front of him was clearly a sweat-inducing powerhouse, but it was also the Nemo he was familiar with.
“Knowledge is not equivalent to wisdom. Gentleness has nothing to do with whether you are smart or not. I am still learning how to use my feelings, and my experience isn’t much richer than yours. Well, to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m loving you in the same way—the same way you love me.”
Those non-human eyes looked over, and the voice was full of comfort and calmness.
“Listen, Oliver Ramon. As the Pillar of the World, you are the most unpredictable creature I have ever seen. I can’t guess what you think, and I am happy to chase that brand-new intelligence and thrills.”
Oliver’s hands were a little tense and stiff.
“As Nemo Light, I used to think that I needed to do what the story said, persevere with the purpose of love itself, and spend time with you… But now I think I made a mistake. That isn’t a certain ‘task’ that I need to stick to. I don’t love you continuously.”
“If you define ’love’ as a feeling that makes your heart beat faster and makes life itself more interesting, or as instinctive expectation, closeness, and trust, then I am falling in love with you again each and every day.”
The phantom took two steps forward and made a hugging gesture.
“Love is not my purpose. You are my purpose. Put on your ring. It’s not the end, but just the beginning, Oliver Ramon.”
From this angle, Oliver couldn’t see Nemo’s face clearly. He opened his mouth before he had time to express any emotion…
The warm exhalation blew into his right ear, and Oliver could feel a burst of heat exploding on his face.
“What’s more, in a certain way, you still have a long way to go.” His Demon King approached his ears and muttered mischievously.
“…One day you will regret this statement, Your Majesty.” Oliver rubbed his ears, and his voice was finally relieved of its weight and relaxed.
“I look forward to it.” Nemo let go of that illusory hug.
Oliver finally took his right hand away from the ring. The arm wrapped in armor had nowhere to exert force, and he twisted his face fiercely. After repeatedly confirming that this wasn’t a dream, the leader of Tumbleweed waved to his companions with complicated expressions not far away.
“It’s okay,” he shouted, not trying to hide the joy in his voice.
The gray parrot rushed over first.
Bagelmaurus didn’t fly. It flapped its wings while it stumbled and trotted close, finally stopping in front of Nemo.
“Are you really not Ulysses?” The gray parrot’s voice was extremely serious.
“I’m not.” Nemo squatted down and poked its head symbolically with his hand, and the gray parrot’s hair exploded a little in an instant.
“… I was the ‘tenth generation’ Demon King who stuffed you with a piece of my flesh, the three-eyed corpse dragon, Zilagrugo. Sorry, Bagelmaurus—but I guess we’re even when you attack me for the first time,” Nemo said half-jokingly.
“It’s not even!” the gray parrot yelled, immediately tossing away its fear. “Later, I made a great contribution. You can’t just forget it! You have to… You have to—”
It turned its head and thought for a while. “You have to buy me everything I want to eat and want, and then continue to call me Lord Bagelmaurus.”
Nemo smiled and sighed, while Oliver stared at him tightly without looking away, as if staring at a shooting star that would only appear every thousands of years, or a wisp of light smoke that could be blown away at any time.
“Are you sure there is no problem, Oliver?”
Ann was the second to approach, and her expression when she looked at Nemo was a little stiff. “Isn’t it a bit… too hasty?”
“No.” Oliver didn’t feel unhappy because of this problem.
Ann Savage was willing to get close, and with this alone, even if her questioning was a bit rude, he wouldn’t care.
“After the knight’s oath is completed, whether the Pillar of the World wants to study me or orders me to accompany him, I will not refuse—He has no reason to pretend to be Nemo Light anymore.”
Oliver rubbed the ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
“Since the effect of a marriage-like contract already exists, only a rational Pillar of the World wouldn’t bother agreeing to a ‘worthless’ human ritual. Unless he can understand another layer of meaning in it—that layer of emotional meaning that has nothing to do with profits.”
…And Ulysses would never tease himself so naturally, but it wasn’t convenient to say it as a reason.
“Okay,” Ann teased, but didn’t manage to laugh. She looked at Nemo in silence.
“Ann…” Nemo stood upright in place, his expression serious.
“I don’t want to talk to you now—Don’t be quick to apologize. I don’t plan to forgive you on the spot.” Ann raised her face with the same fearless demeanor. “When Oliver pulls you up from below, I have to punch you firmly before we can have a formal chat.”
The muscles in her face twitched a little, as if she couldn’t decide what kind of expression to put on.
“…Make sure I beat you up before your wedding, okay? I still want to go to the wedding for a drink.”
“Since Mr. Ramon is so sure, I am willing to accept his judgment.” Adrian’s voice was as calm as ever.
The former Knight of Judgment looked at Nemo as sharply as when they first met, but his eyes were missing the chill that couldn’t be dissipated at the beginning.
Jesse didn’t say a word. The white behemoth looked at Oliver’s left hand, glanced at the translucent Demon King phantom again, and then turned his gaze back to Oliver’s face again.
Finally, he grunted twice, stuck out his tongue, and licked Adrian Cross’ face, who was beside him.
The eyes of those icy-blue beasts were full of superiority.
Oliver: “……”
“Although the atmosphere makes people want to open a bottle of champagne.”
Ann said dryly, grabbing the dishonest pink tongue and flicking it back into the beast’s long mouth.
“But Oliver, what are you going to do next? It’s not easy to fish up the Demon King, right? Are you going to move and live at the bottom of the Abyss?”
She breathed hard. “And I have to remind you both that the next expedition is already in preparation, so you don’t have much time.”
“I know.” Oliver glared at Jesse and nodded. “I have a plan on how to bring Nemo up.”
Having said that, he glanced at his Demon King fiancé, and the tacit understanding in his eyes almost overflowed.
Ann snapped her eyes shut.
“Stop that for a second, will you? Given that we’re not engaged to you, we can’t read the meaning behind your dedicated eyes. Explain.” The Queen of Alban clicked her tongue a few times. “Does… it have something to do with that letter you had the Mercenary Guild collect on your behalf?”
“It’s not something that can be made clear in a few sentences.” Oliver smiled a little shyly. “First of all…”
But a slightly cold and familiar voice interjected.
“I’m very sorry. I think before you start to explain in detail, I have a question to ask. According to Mr. Dylan, if the Pillar of the World is not sleeping, it should know what is happening in the Abyss.”
Telaranea, who had been silent all this time, finally approached, and he looked at Nemo expressionlessly. The early morning sky began to brighten as the real sun was rising covering the starry sky with its faint morning light.
“Mr. Light.” The tone of the Sage of the Abyss remained indifferent. “Where is Aurorae?”
At this moment, in the territory of Praedo, the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
Old John walked to the front desk early, his waist straight, and his walking posture was even a bit deliberately ostentatious.
Five days passed, and his pain became lighter, and finally disappeared completely today. He couldn’t wait to finish his final work and rushed to let the therapist do a final appraisal.
“Letters to Tumbleweed, letters to Tumbleweed… Let me see…” he muttered, bending down calmly and burying himself in the hill of envelopes. “Ouch.”
As Oliver Ramon said, a large, thick envelope was sent to the front desk. Old John repeatedly confirmed that the name of Tumbleweed was indeed marked on it.
It was just a matter of updating the team information, a job as easy as can be. Old John gripped the letter opener familiarly and opened the sturdy envelope. He took out the paper stuffed inside. In addition to all kinds of documents, there were also a few record crystals in the envelope.
There were not many people in Tumbleweed, and one died a few days ago. Where did they get so much information to update?
Old John picked up the top piece of paper.
Then the small letter opener fell to the ground, making a soft clatter.
He quickly flipped through the contents—Tumbleweed wanted to update one person’s information, and the rest of the documents were all supporting this. In order to prove its credibility, there was even a signature from the commander of Horizon, Godwin Lopez.
“…Update information. The file of the leader of the Black Chapter team, Tumbleweed, has been changed—”
He rushed in small steps to the area responsible for information management, no longer worrying about the cumbersome procedures that should have been carried out. In the surprised gaze of the staff, Old John raised his voice, which was trembling.
Oliver’s eyes were firmly locked on the phantom in front of him.
If the one on the opposite side was the “Nemo” he knew, he would definitely not be able to suppress the boiling feelings at this moment. The Nemo Light he was familiar with wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions, and even being “expressionless” he had to rely on the sandpoint plums for help.
This thought flashed through his mind, but in the next second, Oliver dismissed it.
Today’s self wasn’t much different from the Nemo in front of him.
Oliver pursed his lips and moved a few steps forward. The Rest in Peace in his left hand wasn’t lowered, and the tip of the sword was still pointed upwards vigilantly.
At that moment, the two of them were only one step away from each other.
Restlessness, panic, anxiety, as well as eagerness, desire, and longing. All kinds of turbulent feelings were forcibly pressed into his heart, and at first glance, the two of them were even calm.
Like the calm before the storm.
Nemo’s illusion sat on Ulysses’ huge skull, moving naturally without the slightest stiffness. Using the power of the magic array, the skull slowly floated up and down in the air, and the orange light jumped on the surface of the bones.
The floating skull made him two heads taller than Oliver. The Demon King lowered his gaze slightly. His non-human cruciform pupils contracted slightly, staring at the summoner in front of him.
“I hope to be able to make a deal with you,” Oliver repeated, without using honorifics.
Nemo didn’t answer; he just looked at Oliver seriously, without blinking.
“Can you tell, Dylan? Is that Nemo, or…” Ann carefully crossed the lines of the hot charcoal-burning magic formation and leaned beside the white behemoth.
“Can’t.” Jesse didn’t hesitate for a second. “If the Pillar of the World wants to pretend to be ‘Nemo Light’, I can’t tell the difference. This is a purely spiritual thing. Psychopathic humans pretending to be normal are hard to distinguish at first glance. It takes a long time through observation.”
The white behemoth shook one ear in the direction of Telaranea. “Not to mention the Pillar of the World, even if Telaranea pretends to be ‘in love’ with a person, normal humans can’t tell.”
Ann anxiously looked at the center of the formation while gripping the hunting spear in her hand.
The Pillar of the World knew everything about Nemo Light, and no matter what the “Nemo” in front of them did, they all had reasons to doubt him. There had never been a magic of “I know this is him” in the world, nor had anyone had 100% accurate intuition.
In this matter, Oliver couldn’t make any mistakes—not to mention mistakes, he couldn’t even make a small gaffe.
He was negotiating with the world itself.
The dark clouds in the sky tumbled and were illuminated by the light of the magic array. The woods behind him continued to make a loud noise of tree trunks cracking. There was no trace of that weird watery smell. The air was getting hotter and brighter, and it was difficult to tell whether it was the effect of the magic array or if flames were really burning.
Everything around him seemed to be the end of the world, and the aura of destruction in the air was so strong that he couldn’t breathe. The suffocating effect was exacerbated by sweat coming out of his pores and sticking his tight clothing to his skin.
Taking into account the identities of the two people at the center of the magic array and everyone present, this may be a major event that should be recorded in the annals of human history, but Ann didn’t have much realism. Excessive familiarity and companionship stripped away those unimportant parts, leaving only a pair of sad lovers.
Ann didn’t succeed in feeling fear; she was just a little faintly sad.
“…What is the content of the transaction?” Seeing that Oliver hadn’t continued for a long time, the phantom cooperated and accepted the conversation.
Just like the countless conversations they have had.
“There was a knight’s oath between us.” Oliver cleared his throat.
The array became brighter. There was a starry sky above their heads, but the surroundings were like day.
“Yes. Later, you went out of my sphere of influence, and it’s no longer effective.” The Demon King’s tone was peaceful, sounding like he was just stating the facts, without any emotions.
“I want to restore it in a more equal form.” There was an imperceptible tremor in Oliver’s tone.
Nemo opened his mouth and didn’t speak.
“I have introduced a new power system to this world. This new information, as well as the developments and changes it will bring, I believe they have certain value to you.”
Oliver’s voice was not drowned out by the huge wind in the surrounding forest, serious and calm.
He placed his clenched right hand in the position of his heart, lowered his head, and saluted earnestly.
“…I promise not to hurt you and do my best to protect you and stop any fatal injuries that come from this world at you,” he said clearly.
“In exchange, you have to promise me—don’t destroy the surface before it destroys itself.”
Nemo didn’t move. He just bent his eyes and showed a little smile at the corner of his mouth. There was no despair or sadness floating on the surface of those silver eyes. On the contrary, his gaze was so soft that Oliver couldn’t bear to doubt it.
But he must continue until the moment of certainty.
“To exchange one’s intelligence and loyalty for the smoothness of the world…… A very good proposal.”
Nemo’s voice was gentle and relaxed.
“…It’s just that I noticed that the surrounding array is not related to transactions. I’m a little curious, Ollie. If I refuse, what are you going to do?”
Oliver closed his eyes.
“I will use that magic array to trap you and close this place. I will stay by your side, as your jailer in this life, until the current surface civilization disappears. I know that destruction is your freedom… but I have my position and I’m really sorry.”
This time, Oliver couldn’t help smiling a little sad.
“If you don’t want to wait or sleep and still insist on choosing destruction… I promised you once. You should remember the answer,” he added softly, without concealing anything.
Nemo just looked at him.
Please.
He had given all the options and was just waiting for the other party to speak again.
……Please.
Staring at the inhuman pupils, Oliver couldn’t help repeating in his heart, and finally couldn’t hold back his tears. His expression remained calm, and he didn’t tremble or choke, but tears kept sliding down his face. He didn’t intend to show any weakness at all. This was supposed to be a serious negotiation. He just…
The phantom didn’t answer immediately.
The Demon King’s illusion lowered his head slightly, leaned down, and printed a kiss on his forehead that wasn’t warm, but felt like a breeze.
“On one side is freedom and strength, on the other is a long wait without any benefit. I have no reason to refuse.”
The smile of “Nemo” in front of him was even more obvious.
The Demon King stretched out his immaterial right hand and stroked Oliver’s cheek vaguely. Countless dark formations suddenly piled up in the air. They instantly overflowed between heaven and earth, but they weren’t murderous in aura.
The person in front of him was filled with tears.
The filaments of gray mist then rose, entwined with black shadows, replicating the exact same magic formations. They split the darkness in droves, like fluorescent jellyfish floating in the night sky. The illusory and delicate beauty was unreal enough that it was breathtaking.
Although he couldn’t understand the meaning of those formations, Oliver could vaguely perceive their effects by instinct.
It was undoubtedly a contract, a promise, stronger and more stable than their nonsense knight’s oath at the beginning.
He lightly pressed the shadow of Nemo’s outstretched right hand with his left hand, holding the sword, and closed his eyes.
The wind stopped at that moment.
Within more than ten kilometers of the surrounding area, the broken leaves and branches that were swept into the sky by the wind fell back to the ground. The magic array that was dazzling enough to make people’s eyes tingle subsided slightly, and the surrounding scene was restored from the doomsday fire to a reversed desolate dusk.
The human he loved really struggled to the end.
Nemo didn’t withdraw the hand. He could feel Oliver’s body temperature.
The windows full of gray soil were wiped clean, and sunlight shot into the darkness. “Nemo Light” would no longer panic and be negative because of the unknown, and it was difficult to let his emotions get out of control, but he did feel that the moment the body temperature touched his fingertips, his body’s heartbeat in the distant Abyss was undoubtedly half a beat faster.
His lover really didn’t let him down.
He wanted to say believe me, I still love you now. He wanted to say that there was no need for a new power system, but “Oliver Ramon” himself was enough to bring too much new information that he couldn’t analyze.
But at the moment, anything said would easily arouse suspicion. He had to give his best, with the gentlest movements, and kissed the other on the forehead.
Just as if they had “really” met for the first time.
The deal proposed by Oliver, whether it was the rational Ulysses or himself, who loved Ollie deeply, was difficult to find a reason to refuse.
Then his Hero, after ensuring that the world would not be destroyed, would never give up…
“This is the first part of the contract.”
Sure enough, Oliver spoke again, with a hoarse tone in his voice.
“Now that you agree, please allow me to continue.”
Nemo retracted his right hand and looked at the familiar emerald eyes.
“The next thing I want to ask is a question that is so small to the world that it is not even worth mentioning. It itself cannot bring you any specific benefits. It is just very common among humans…”
Oliver’s voice really began to tremble this time because of tension, and he got tragically tongue-tied.
In the previous knight’s oath, the newborn God, his lover, had always straightened his back and performed appropriate etiquette to the utmost. Although Nemo could recognize the tension in that voice, he had to admit that Oliver had concealed it well.
But right now, Oliver in front of him was a little nervous that he couldn’t hide it.
Nemo pondered for a moment, jumped off the floating skull, stood in front of Oliver in a phantom state, and changed his gaze to meet his eye level.
‘Maybe this will make the other party feel better,’ Nemo thought to himself.
How did Oliver plan to confirm it?
During the days at the bottom of the Abyss, Nemo deduced the game between life and death over and over again, thinking about how the other party would restrain himself and how to deal with the current confusing situation, but he really hadn’t thought about this—with subtle expectations, intentionally or unintentionally, Nemo avoided thinking about it.
The serious and calm Oliver was gradually disappearing, replaced by his familiar appearance.
Through a bit of youthfulness and helplessness that belonged to young people alone, Oliver Ramon, the son of the innkeeper, was standing in front of him.
Surrounded by twisted trees, he was imprisoned in the formation with a chilling aura. Ulysses’ skull was tilted to one side, still exuding a faint aura of the Abyss, but Oliver’s eyes slipped to his companion, with a little emptiness and embarrassment.
Nemo couldn’t help raising his eyebrows.
As if doing a mental workout, his new knight thrust the Rest in Peace into the mud beside him and exhaled deeply—
Oliver knelt down a little awkwardly, and finally opened his right hand that he had been holding tightly.
Two rings were lying quietly in his sweaty palms because of tension.
“A… Just a simple question.”
His Hero’s voice changed a little bit because of tension, and his beautiful emerald eyes flickered slightly in the chilling light of the magic array, full of expectation and desire.
“Nemo,” Oliver called softly. His eyes fixed straight on his face, as if he didn’t intend to let go of any details.
“Are you willing to live with me and accompany me until the end of your life… Uh, I mean, will you be willing to ma—marry… me.”
Oliver’s voice got stuck again.
And Oliver’s companions, no, his own companions have expressed their opinions on this.
Nemo was pretty sure he heard the huge beast that had Jesse’s aura sputter, followed by a long snort of laughter.
Adrian Cross, for his part, gulped, only to remember to sigh a few seconds later.
“I have thought about 10,000 reasons why he didn’t take the initiative to tell us the plan,” Ann yelled loudly. “I never thought the reason would be so… personal.”
“Ramon is crazy—!!!” The gray parrot let out a scream directly and fell from the branch to the ground.
It was indeed a valid question.
The Pillar of the World had never been proposed before, and no expedition member would make such a dangerous move at the bottom of the Abyss. If it were Ulysses, he would not know how to react. And if it was him—even in denial—the first look would be enough to reveal everything.
Without bright sunshine, flowers or cheers, without warm hugs and kisses, naturally, there would be no blessings from the crowd.
He was a life completely different from any creature on the surface. He was once extremely cold and terrifying. There may be nothing more dangerous in this world than him—and in most cases, love didn’t mean eternity. Perhaps one day, he would turn back into a complete “deadly danger”. Oliver Ramon knew this well.
At present, he was unable to leave the bottom of the Abyss. The next expedition would come. The Demon King named Nemo Light, was still the “enemy” of the entire surface. Oliver Ramon should also know this well.
But his Hero still asked that question. Solemnly and firmly, with reckless courage.
What an ordinary and crazy question. Paying tribute to this crazy love, maybe he should give an equally crazy answer.
Nemo withdrew his attention from his surroundings and focused it all on Oliver.
In the hellish sight, his Mr. Hero was half kneeling in front of him, picking his lines carefully, trying to get rid of his stutters. Oliver seemed to have forgotten to observe his reaction for a few seconds and looked like he was almost going to pass out from shame.
“I can’t take this ring now. You’re absolutely right, it can’t bring me exact benefits by itself,” Nemo said softly. He no longer suppressed his emotions, showing a bright smile.
“…But I’m willing.”
Oliver was still half kneeling. His face was mixed with bewilderment and ecstasy, like a traveler about to die of thirst in the desert falling into a clear river. He seemed to try to stand up, but his soft ankles and knees were fixed to the ground.
“Nemo.”
“Yes.”
“……Nemo.”
“Yes.”
“Nemo.” The depression between his brows was finally swept away, and Oliver’s voice no longer trembled but was full of joy and trance. This time he no longer stammered, and his words were extremely smooth.
“You don’t need to put it on now,” he said.
“…I’ll come and put it on for you myself.”
The author has something to say:
Oliver overtakes Jesse by a goal—
I won’t be a boyfriend in the future, but a fiancé!!!
————
Ollie didn’t say it for a reason and if he did, it might go something like this:
Everyone: It’s much easier to agree to the knight’s oath, and the world is safe. Next, you should test carefully, this way and that, and then this way and that… Through various details, determine whether it is Ulysses or Nemo who intends to observe you.
The Border Forest between Alban and Garland was deep, close to the area of the Ash Mountains.
The sun had already set, and the trees were soaked in the aura of the Abyss, slightly distorted and dark. In the blur of the night, the weird tree shadows were like ghosts in legends, which would sway from time to time. The gray-red moss engulfed fallen stones, and the sticky vines snaked down from the branches, swinging ominously in the night wind.
The air was filled with a weird watery smell, which smelled like wet stones on the riverbed.
Under the shade of dense leaves, when it reached the ground, there was hardly much moonlight left. A pair or several eyes reflecting green light quickly crossed the darkness, and a small body rustled through the bushes—Several animals were fleeing there quickly for some reason.
In the opposite direction from where the creatures fled, there was a clearing with sparse trees.
At this moment, there was a hazy glimmer of light, but the light was extremely cold, and it had nothing to do with “hope” and “peace of mind”.
“The magic formation over there is unqualified, so it should be redrawn.” Telaranea knocked on the bucket with a silver spoon in his hand, with a hint of command in his tone.
Ann gritted her teeth, clenched the handle of the bucket in her hand, and squeezed it so hard that it started to crack.
“It’s the fifteenth time,” she whispered annoyingly. “This lawn is about to be rubbed bald by me.”
“Your mind is not calm. You’re distracted, aren’t you? The lines of the magic array never lie.” Telaranea responded unceremoniously. “Even if you dig all the way to the skin of the Pillar of the World, I will not allow this quality of magic array to take effect under my nose.”
The Queen of Alban looked around, and after confirming that her nagging knight wasn’t present, she decisively grimaced at the Sage of the Abyss.
“…Okay, the sixteenth time.” The soles of her boots rubbed the painted lines, and Ann sighed. She used a weird silver spoon to scoop up the silver-gleaming liquid in the bucket and redrew it.
“Ramon, your painting is crooked—Take a step back to the position of the tree behind you.” The white behemoth floated in the sky, flicking its tail while glancing with blue eyes at the people below who were trying to draw a complex array.
Eventually, the huge array gradually took shape.
One set at a time, complicated and beautiful, like the dazzling embroidery on a noblewoman’s dress.
And in the middle of that large array, there was a smaller and more exquisite set of magic arrays embedded.
Unlike the complex array on the periphery, the small array was made of metal condensation. The smooth and uniform metal filaments were wrapped around the rune-carved magic stone, which was as beautiful as a work of art. In this way, they overlapped each other to form a more complex three-dimensional structure, which looked like a magnificent hollowed-out altar from a glance.
The Demon King’s skull was placed safely on it, and the surface was painted with black lines full of large and small runes. If you only look at the silver metal altar and the pale skull, this scene had a kind of distorted and cold beauty.
The aura belonged to the magic of the Abyss wandered near the altar, so strong that it was uncomfortable.
Jesse was able to roughly calculate the approximate effect of the “altar”. If they only wanted to summon the Demon King’s consciousness to this point, the peripheral magic array didn’t need to be painted so large.
If it hadn’t been for Oliver Ramon’s explicit rejection of Telaranea’s proposal, Jesse would have been convinced that Mr. Ramon was about to imprison the Demon King’s consciousness and then take the opportunity to kill the body of the Pillar of the World.
As for now…
Jesse smacked his lips, licked the fur around his mouth, and decided to look at his most powerful dependent…
Adrian seemed to have made up his mind not to ask anything. He just drew the formation quietly. Even if Jesse looked hard at it with the eyes of finding fault, he couldn’t pick out anything wrong.
‘Forget it,’ the God of the surface thought seriously. This terrible array had consumed them for four days and nights, and now it was about to be completed. No matter what Ramon’s idea was, he would be able to see the results soon.
The moment the formation was completed, the chill and murderous aura instantly swayed away.
As an exhausted human, Ann dropped the spoon and sat down paralyzed against the tree. Bagelmaurus flew to Ann’s side, pulled a small bag from her waist bag, and pecked at the nuts on its own.
The huge magic array glowed with a soft orange light, illuminating the nearby large, twisted, and terrifying woods from the bottom up. The scene looked like an upside-down dusk.
Spectacular but ominous.
Oliver walked to Ann’s side, took out some fruit from the place where the luggage was piled up, and slowly chewed it. He was still wearing the black armor without a cloak—the armor had obviously been well repaired and cleaned just right. There were no traces from the previous battle on it.
The Rest in Peace was inserted into the white ukulele and was carried on the back of their leader.
“The formation is complete.” Ann chewed on jerky and raised her eyebrows at Oliver.
“I know.” Oliver finished eating his fruit as the gray mist swept over, and the seed dissipated directly into the air.
“Don’t be too brave, Captain. If you’re nervous, we all understand.” Ann grinned weakly. “…After all, no one knows what will happen next.”
At this point, the consciousness of the Pillar of the World was very likely to appear, but no one knew whether it would be the “Ulysses” who didn’t have feelings or the “Nemo” they once knew.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about asking about the details of Oliver’s plan, but every time she saw him carefully pondering the array that could theoretically imprison his lover, she couldn’t ask. Oliver never hesitated to ask for help. Since he didn’t ask for help, the members of Tumbleweed tacitly remained silent about it.
The curious Jesse tried to ask. Oliver was just taken aback, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of concealing it, but he seemed a little embarrassed.
Unfortunately, before he could speak, the behemoth retreated unnaturally. Adrian sighed, grabbed its furry tail, and dragged Jesse out of the room.
Since Oliver didn’t say a word, there must be a reason for his silence. Naturally, they could question him and make him reveal his plan, but in this torturous moment, a little trust may make their leader feel better.
It was estimated that Adrian Cross had the same idea.
Now, the answer they were waiting for was coming soon.
“Do you remember Karapan from the Mooney Sect?” Ann tried to suppress the tension in her voice and asked casually.
Unlike the last time he parted from Nemo, Oliver didn’t soulfully squeeze the communication crystal. The current Oliver Ramon looked calm and reliable. His worry and nervousness were hidden in the depths of his eyes, but Ann was still keenly aware of them, and decided to change the subject.
“Remember. He’s the man who survived the expedition with my dad on the last reconnaissance team.” Oliver nodded and cast his gaze in the direction of the alter.
“The other day, Mr. Mad Dog gave me a heads up. The old man Karapan is actively promoting the next expedition.” Ann took a sip of the wine in the jug and wiped her mouth. “What an acute man.”
“Alban has weaponized bone jade in large quantities, and Willard’s condition is estimated to be similar.” Oliver tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not too urgent to ensure energy consumption beyond weapons.”
Those emerald eyes kept looking at the Demon King’s skull not far away.
“I have read before that the so-called ‘eighteenth generation’ Demon King Ulysses was killed, but it was only sixty-five years after the ‘seventeenth generation’… And in the early literature, the difference between the two generations of demons can be hundreds of years, or even thousands. The interval between expeditions has been getting shorter.”
“This time it’s only less than 30 years apart. The Pillar of the World doesn’t have it easy.” Ann smiled dryly. “Oliver, if you need me to find a way to postpone the expedition—”
“No need, this is just right.” Oliver let out a long sigh, his tone serious.
He stood up, glanced at the position of the moon, and then pulled the Rest in Peace from the ukulele and held it tight in his left hand.
Oliver was undoubtedly right-handed, so this action caused Ann to raise her eyebrows even higher.
“Time’s up, Ann,” their leader said softly.
“I… It’s time to fulfill my promise.”
The moon traveled to the right place, and the brilliance of the magic array was in full swing.
Telaranea sat on a branch of the tree closest to the formation and pointed his finger at the head of the gray parrot hiding among the leaves not far away.
The Sage of the Abyss eagerly glanced back and forth between Oliver and the skull, his whole face full of curiosity.
Jesse dropped to the ground and glanced at the huge skull. He hesitated for several seconds about whether to create a protective cover and finally gave up bitterly. The white beast wrapped its tail around the ankle of Adrian Cross, who was standing next to it, ready to withdraw when the situation turned wrong.
Ann was still leaning against the tree, watching Oliver Ramon, who was advancing towards the center of the magic array.
The pale skeleton helmet and the white ukulele were all carried by him on his back, and under the orange light, there was a strange sense of harmony.
After Oliver walked into the formation, he released his power unreservedly.
The night sky, which was originally clear, was suddenly overcast, and the fluctuation of the power of the magic array rolled up the wind. Several people seemed to be standing in the calm eye of a tornado, and the forest behind them swayed in the violent wind and was blown upside down.
The excessive concentration of power began to make the air sticky and scorching. They kept twisting, and even the scenery behind the air began to tremble together. The air current enveloped the gravel. Fine sand and grass leaves slowly rose and rushed in the direction of the sky.
Accompanied by the orange light of the magic array, some kind of invisible flame seemed to be ignited in the forest. The earth rumbled, as if it would crack in the next second.
For an instant, Ann was in a daze. A little less than a year ago, the young man in front of her could still be beaten to the ground by her.
But now he was walking towards the Demon King’s bones, and the aura he released was so powerful that it was unimaginable and incomprehensible.
It was just that there wasn’t much sense of oppression. If Jesse Dylan’s power was like a tsunami that slammed down onto one’s head, Oliver’s power was comparable to a warm and calm ocean.
Before she could figure out whether she should be more scared or calm, Oliver stopped in front of the Demon King’s skull.
He was only a few steps away from it.
The brilliance of the magic array began to become dazzling. The altar built from the metal magic arrays in the middle of the huge magic array was as dazzling as the sun.
“Now,” Telaranea shouted. “Throw up the things that belong to ‘Nemo Light’!”
“But Light doesn’t have much possession,” the gray parrot next to Telaranea muttered, shrinking its neck. “Things that belong entirely to him… If we’re talking about clothes and equipment, they basically all fell to the bottom of the Abyss last time.”
“Didn’t the Demon King give Mr. Ramon a gold pendant? The Demon King has worn it for so long, and the remaining mana on it should be enough.”
Telaranea snorted softly.
“Although, as a trigger prop, it will be destroyed, I think Mr. Ramon should be able to handle it. After all, the information that is about to be received over there is more significant—Wait, what is he doing? There is only one chance!”
Oliver in front of the altar didn’t put the gold pendant on the altar, burning with black flames.
He took out an ordinary book from his pocket, which looked plain and old, with magic fluctuations that were weak enough to be almost negligible.
Although it could be used in theory…
Telaranea narrowed his eyes.
At this distance, as a superior demon, he could see clearly. It wasn’t an ancient, mysterious book, nor was it a rare and precious prop. A simple and rough fairytale with a terribly cheesy title that looked old and broken.
“The Melody of Love”. He hadn’t heard of this story before. Most likely, it was made by someone in a small town.
Would the Pillar of the World really not regard this thing as a provocation?
But the fairy tale had been swallowed up by the dim flame burning in the skull and turned into fine ashes.
The metal array that built the altar began to rotate frantically, and then melted into a hot metal-like liquid, penetrating into the Demon King’s skull floating in the air, leaving only a faint orange halo in the end.
Oliver stared at the hollow alter of the skull orbiting in front of him. The remnant pages of the fairytale burned until only a little bit was left, falling at a very slow speed next to the pale bones.
Will you understand, Nemo?
Because of this extremely ordinary book, they officially set foot on the battlefield for the first time.
It was also the first time he confessed to the Demon King.
[…Do you believe me?] Before the end of that little war, Nemo asked him this.
[Of course.]
[Then use your greatest power to attack me.] His Demon King requested.
Oliver could feel a little moist liquid across his cheeks, and although the dark clouds above his head twisted uncomfortably, he was pretty sure it wasn’t rain.
“Do you believe me?” He asked in a low voice, wiped his face, and threw the question back. “Sorry, I… You once died holding that pendant, Nemo, I can’t do it.”
They cherished it beyond measure, but it ultimately carried with it an air of concealment and regret.
Oliver took a deep breath again; he licked his lips and raised his voice.
“I know your true body, the Pillar of the World that’s sleeping underground. I know your only name is Nemo Light. I have the mark that bears your scent and have presented it.”
The brilliance surrounding the skull became brighter, and the dark clouds over the formation tumbled violently, as if the sky was about to be torn apart.
“I am here to summon you.”
Oliver spoke very clearly. The movement of the tip of his sword tracing the runes was smooth to the extreme, without a single pause.
A vague black shadow gushed from the huge skull, slowly changing shape.
“As a person who knows the truth of the world, I hereby summon.”
Oliver repeated.
The strain of pain nearly suffocated him as he stared intently at the black shadows surging from the skull; his heart crumpled into a ball; his lungs twisted together by unseen hands; and the strain of pain nearly suffocated him.
Whether it was Ulysses or Nemo, for different purposes, their consciousness would choose the same appearance.
The half-length black hair was tied behind his head into a short, messy ponytail. The skin was pale, with delicate facial features that were just right, and the silver eyes were like a white moon hanging in the sky.
This was the face that he was extremely familiar with.
The consciousness without entity condensed into a phantom—His “lover” sat on the skull floating in the air, and through the translucent figure, he could faintly see the light of the magic array.
“Nemo Light” in front of him smiled faintly, his eyes with the gentleness he was familiar with.
Oliver choked.
He had calmly calculated countless possibilities. Although he knew intellectually that this might be the disguise of “Ulysses”, he was almost defeated by the nostalgic figure in front of him. Before Oliver realized it, his feet took a half-step forward without authorization. His arms were about to move, eager for a hug.
Oliver forced himself to stop where he was, straightened his back, and kept his expression calm.
He couldn’t let himself judge rashly—now he was still sitting on the side of the chessboard, and his opponent had survived for hundreds of millions of years and possessed terrible knowledge and wisdom.
“Nemo Light, I believe you can perceive that now I have the ability to fight you.”
Oliver’s voice was clear and bright, and the volume was loud enough to ensure that his companions not far away could hear it clearly.
“In order to keep my promise to you, in order to protect my cherished companions and family, I am standing here now. But I don’t long for war.”
He raised the Rest in Peace in his left hand, and the magic power around him gathered smoothly.
“…If possible, I hope to make a transaction with you.”
The author has something to say:
Meet and provoke!!!
————————
The scene is probably like this:
Nemo: (*/ω＼*)
Oliver: (Tragic)
Nemo: (*/ω＼*)/
Kinky Thoughts:
Ahhh so good! Every arc built up to this finale. For those who forgot, the fairytale book was from the Bluebirds arc.
Old John had worked in the Mercenary Guild Registration Office for thirty years.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t yet fifty years old yet, but he didn’t have much ambition and revealed a lazy aura comparable to that of an old man. The veteran mercenaries who usually came and went directly used “Old John”.
The Mercenary Guild had always been very friendly to old employees. With the ability to recite all the weird regulations, Old John could still sit in this small management room for more than a decade.
The treatment wasn’t much, but it was enough to feed a family.
He had no magical talents, and his body was too weak to do any work that required physical strength. Old John wasn’t very dissatisfied with the status quo. Even if he earned less, he could at least enjoy the leisure. He liked teaching youngsters and those under him could usually deal with most situations, while the more uncommon things required him to go out in person.
‘What a shame,’ he thought to himself, pushing an unopened thick envelope aside.
It was an invitation letter from the faculty of Clementine Academy.
To be honest, Old John was excited to go, but he simply couldn’t go. His waist problems worsened rapidly as he got older and couldn’t bear to spend a lot of money on continuous treatment. He couldn’t stand for more than two hours without the cushion embroidered with a magic array.
Not to mention being an ancient Elven language professor who needed to do fieldwork.
Old John adjusted the cushion behind his lower waist, changed to a more comfortable posture, and sighed regretfully.
It was just a mundane story.
There were few jobs that could be selected, and within a few years of entering this business, Old John settled down early. Since he had a lot of free time, he had developed his interests a little. This weak registration manager often had nothing to do, so he would go to the library of the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild. He would try to learn and translate some ancient elven language with his amazing memory.
Over the years, Old John had really made a name for himself.
In the past few years, he had even successfully cracked a few chapters of fragments that few people understood. Clementine Academy paid him a lot of gold coins for this, and he used them to give his family a bright house that wouldn’t leak on rainy days.
There was even a small garden where he could grow some mint that he liked.
That was enough. Even if he couldn’t be a professor, he could at least make a little more money doing this.
He originally planned to throw away the letter, but since the incident happened yesterday, he couldn’t help hesitating again.
Old John took a sip of his mint tea, squinted his eyes in the afternoon sun, and pondered the abnormality of yesterday afternoon…
At that time, as usual, he was writing a report while slowly pouring mint tea for himself. The daily reports were the same as always, so he hardly needed to use his brain and he almost fell asleep with a pen in his hand.
There was no precursor.
Like silk across the skin, a faint warm current suddenly flowed through his limbs and bones. It felt very wonderful, like he had hazily chosen something, but it wasn’t like he had made any great decision.
It was like seeing a beautiful sunset on the way home. Before the consciousness reacted, the body subconsciously raised its head to look. Comfortable and natural, almost instinctive.
The feeling only stayed for a few seconds. Immediately, he found that the pain in his waist was slowly disappearing.
The effect was very similar to the feeling of seeing a therapist before, but the duration was a bit subtle and long.
The therapists were very consistent in their views on his waist. The bones in his waist were naturally weak and could only be strengthened for a while with a strengthening spell, but it always had a time limit. While his disease wasn’t fatal, it also couldn’t be cured.
But this time, it stopped for a whole day. Old John sat on the magic cushion, anxiously waiting for the pain to hit. The anxiety made him upset that he hadn’t even read a single document.
Something was wrong.
Old John finally took a deep breath, saved up the courage to stand up, and took an action that he hadn’t dared to do for more than ten years.
He wriggled his ass.
This courage was accompanied by a knock on the door. Lena, who was supposed to be in charge of reception at the front desk, was stunned at the door, staring blankly at her boss, who was making indecent gestures.
Old John coughed embarrassedly. “…I have repeated it many times, Lena. Remember to knock.”
The young girl twisted her hands uncomfortably. “Sir, there’s a situation outside that needs you to deal with.”
“What’s the situation?” Old John put a kind smile on his face, pretending that nothing had happened a few minutes ago.
“A Black Chapter team that was broken up not long ago has come in for the replacement formalities. They’re asking to register a new member. Uh, that new member is a special situation and needs your signature. And, and…”
The receptionist swallowed and finally remembered the point of the matter. A fine sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face began to turn pale.
“The Queen of Alban is in that team.”
“……”
Old John suddenly forgot the issue of his waist. He jumped up like a rabbit and rushed out of the room.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t as serious as he thought.
There were no groups of guards, maids on call, and naturally, there was no new queen dressed up.
There were only four young people in the private reception room of the Mercenary Guild headquarters, and another receptionist on duty who was talking to one of them. Old John nervously turned his gaze to the only female figure…
The Queen of Alban was dressed in a valiant manner, still wearing her old leather armor, and a thin scarf used to cover her appearance was pulled to her chin. A gray parrot was resting on her wrist armor, and she was talking to it.
Ann Savage.
No, it should be said that it was Andrea Alastair.
Old John wiped the sweat from his head. Since the other party didn’t visit with great fanfare, naturally she didn’t intend to attract too much attention. According to the process, it was indeed up to him if he wanted to receive them.
“Good afternoon, everyone.” With decades of experience, Old John pulled out a perfect smile. “Excuse me…”
“I was notified a week ago that Tumbleweed’s name was removed.”
The young man who was talking to the receptionist stood up, took the initiative to walk up to Old John, and stretched out a friendly hand.
“Oliver Ramon, the leader of Tumbleweed. Let’s do a new full registration this time—I want to get that name back. Sorry to trouble you. This requirement is not illegal, is it? “
“Of course, of course,” Old John said in a daze.
For some reason, he had an inexplicable intimacy with the young man in front of him. If it weren’t for knowing that the badge he was wearing was resistant to charm spells, he would’ve thought it was the effect of charm.
“Currently, there is no Black Chapter team that claims the name of Tumbleweed. As long as you go through the formalities, you can use it again immediately. But, um… Mr. Ramon, I noticed that Miss Savage is also on your team.”
Old John coughed dryly.
“You, do you really plan to continue to be a Black Chapter? Not to be rude, but you can…”
“Let me pardon them.” Ann took over the conversation with a big grin and narrowed her eyes. The gray parrot flew up from her wrist and rested on her shoulder.
Old John shook his hand and took out his handkerchief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“I originally planned to do that, but unfortunately, our leader doesn’t have this idea now. As a member of Tumbleweed, I decided to obey the instructions of our leader.” The queen, dressed as a female warrior, curled her lips, but there wasn’t much dissatisfaction on her face.
‘Damn,’ Old John muttered in his heart. This situation was really tricky—it was as incomprehensible as a beggar picking up a bag of gold, taking it back to use as a stool while he continued to eat stale bread.
“That’s it.” Oliver Ramon nodded.
“Uh, it’s not impossible… What about the new team member you want to register? You know, I have to understand the situation of the new member as it involves the new rating of Tumbleweed.”
Old John beat his waist habitually and took out a stack of information from the cupboard near the entrance.
“The signatures of you and the new member are necessary. If the new member has been in another team before—”
“The new member is here.” The blond young man who had been gnawing on fruit in the corner approached. He threw away the seed and grabbed the gray parrot that stopped on the shoulder of the female warrior. “It may not be able to sign well, but a pawprint is also valid, right?”
Caught in the hand of the beautiful young man, the parrot instantly became stiff and began to pretend to be dead.
“…” Old John didn’t know how to answer for a while.
If these people came to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild to pick a fight, this gesture was too serious.
“If you want that name, as long as you spend a little money, we can keep it for you.”
Facing Ramon’s gentle emerald eyes, Old John found that he couldn’t even make his tone tougher. At the moment, his tone was more like an exhortation than an explanation.
“Registering pets is different. Although it’s not that no one has ever done this… But whether it’s a hazard rating, task assignment, or tax payment, the number of members is a very important indicator. You have to pay one more person, and you have to take more risks for nothing. To be honest, even if this parrot is a transformed dragon, I personally suggest that you continue to keep its pet status.”
“No, Bagelmaurus is our companion.” Oliver Ramon sounded very serious.
The gray parrot maintained a stiff posture and let out an excited untimely cry.
“If you insist.” The other party’s tone was very firm, and Old John didn’t plan to say anything more.
After preparing the documents and pen and paper, he glanced at Ann carefully again. “If you have other needs…”
“Don’t mind me. Please treat me as if I don’t exist.” Ann waved her hand quite casually.
“Thank you.” Oliver nodded solemnly and took the pen from Old John.
He didn’t hesitate and signed his name beautifully. The gray parrot inserted one foot into the ink bottle and trotted merrily over the parchment paper. Had Oliver not held it down in time, it looked like it wanted to run a few more pawprints excitedly.
“Then, then I will retire first. These materials only need to be stamped with a spell mark, and the procedures will be completed soon. It’s almost lunch time now. If you are hungry, there will be a reception to greet you later.”
“Is there anything else we need to do?” Oliver scratched his hair.
“No, but…”
“Then I won’t bother you.” Oliver Ramon smiled and shook his head.
“Okay, Mr. Ramon.” Old John felt a little bit of indescribable regret, but he could only put on a standard smile again. “If you are going on a mission next, we can also provide—”
Oliver paused for a few seconds as he straightened his sword.
“No, it’s just a personal matter,” he said softly. “I have an appointment to go to.”
“Ah, excuse me.”
“It’s okay, sir. By the way, I do have something to ask you.”
“Please speak.”
“In five days, a letter may be sent here. If it does appear, then please modify the relevant information of Tumbleweed according to the information.”
“Okay, please leave it to us. Is it just five days? If it doesn’t arrive…”
“It will come,” The leader of Tumbleweed said resolutely.
Oliver Ramon’s smile was a bit complicated and shouldn’t belong to someone of his age. Old John couldn’t help sighing, but he held back politely.
“…I believe it will come.” As he watched the group leave the room, he heard the young man repeat in a low voice.
Five days.
The members of Tumbleweed disappeared from view, and Old John squeezed his sweaty handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face again.
It was pretty good. If his waist still didn’t hurt after five days, he would go to the therapist to check on it. If everything went well, then he could finish this matter and go to Clementine Academy and give it a try.
The bottom of the Abyss was trembling violently.
The young Pandorater had attached herself to a corpse and looked blearily at the humanoid Demon King in front of her.
[You… You are…]
“Be prepared. You, first find a safe place to hide for a while. The wind will become strong in a bit,” Nemo replied.
Pandorater silently shrank into the hard shell behind the corpse of a superior demon, poked out a little limb of mist, and continued to observe carefully.
After recovering from a period of weakness, the Lord Demon King’s behavior made her incomprehensible.
The Demon King first restored the illusion of a human town and then lay on the roof of one of them, smiling at the false sky above his head. He continued chatting with her about the surface and seemed to be in an unusually good mood.
Everything went smoothly.
She thought it would be the same today, but she didn’t expect that as soon as she circled around, the bottom of the Abyss would shake.
The slightly small human figure floated in the air, and countless dark shadows revolved around him at extreme speed. More and more dark shadows rose out of the Demon King’s grave at the bottom of the Abyss, gradually becoming viscous, like a liquid.
After the number of dark shadows was enough to cover half of the sky, countless shimmering white bones broke through the sand and flew towards the illusory blue sky, rushing towards the sun.
Following the Demon King’s gestures, they flew and reorganized in the illusory sun. The humanoid Demon King controlled them easily, as if he was conducting an orchestra.
Eventually, it took on a definite shape.
Under the head-on blow of the too powerful demon pressure, the little Pandorater shrank herself into a ball and squeezed back into the demon’s skeleton. She barely recognized the appearance of the newborn monster…
Humans called them “dragons”, but this was too different from the dragons she knew.
The dark scales flickered like obsidian, had three pairs of eyes as white as moonlight, and the Demon King’s unique cross-shaped pupils. A huge dragon-like creature took shape in the air, and just a little murderous aura leaked from that creature made her almost subconsciously cut off her limbs and flee for her life.
The movement of “Nemo Light” didn’t stop.
The appearance of the brand-new creature became clearer…
Two pairs of huge wings spread out in the air, covering the bright sunlight. The dark green feathers emitted fluorescence on the edges of the wings, as beautiful as the embedded dark blue stones. It hung down its neck gracefully, and the dark shadow brushed its scales like an electric current for a long time.
‘It’s not a dragon,’ she thought, but she didn’t know what it was.
“Black may be more appropriate,” the Demon King murmured, showing a smile.
The aura emitted by the huge creature at this moment was no different from that of the Demon King.
It was just that it didn’t seem to be conscious—after being created, it laid down around the fantasy town, with its long-forked tail surrounding it, and closed its eyes.
In this way, it fell asleep in a guarding position.
Pandorater tried hard to pull herself out of the demon’s skeleton and timidly leaned over again.
[What is this?] Although the aura had calmed down, she was still a little frightened.
“Sorry, the movement was a bit loud just now. Are you not hurt?” The Demon King patted her misty limbs.
“…This is a preventive measure,” he added after withdrawing his hand.
[Prevention? To prevent what?]
“Prevent me from being locked up and never coming back.” The Demon King’s smile made her even more confused. “There has to be a guard here. It’s clear to me now that only instinctive puppets work well.”
“In two days, the surface will try to summon my consciousness—if they don’t do it now. So whether it’s to negotiate or to kill me more safely, Oliver Ramon’s most logical next action will only be this.”
[That—isn’t that a bad thing? Why are you laughing? Don’t respond to them! If you have any information to bring to the surface, I can go to other superior demons—if they have flesh on the surface, I will ask them to spread the word.]
“Good girl.” The Demon King’s smile became more prominent. “But no need. There’s no point in having messages brought out by others. Rather, it would be more suspicious to entrust others with the message instead.”
[The surface is very dangerous. You clearly know that they might hurt you…] She held back for a long time and could only say this.
But it was useless. Pandorater was furious—the Demon King had undoubtedly thought about this for a long time. He even specifically created a powerful puppet to guard the bottom of the Abyss.
[Don’t go.] The young demon kept repeating.
“Don’t worry. It’s just that, in theory, I have to consider the worst possibility,” the humanoid Demon King said. “…But I know Ollie.”
He sat down near the claws of that strange and beautiful creature, leaned on the smooth scales, and continued to look at the sky.
“This is a date.”
The author has something to say:
Ollie: Will it be the cold Pillar of the World or Nemo?
Nemo: Is Ollie planning to simply kill me, or did he want to talk?
Nearly a week had passed since Oliver, Jesse, and Adrian left for the desert of Garland. After walking on a bloody path for many years, Ann wouldn’t be sad because “only she was left behind.”
But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t worry.
Before leaving, Oliver said goodbye to her very solemnly. Ann never liked too serious partings— As if they might never meet again.
“Promise me to come back soon,” she responded half-jokingly.
But Oliver Ramon didn’t answer.
……Brat.
Ann opened the window, looked out at the city shrouded in mist and shadow, and held down the corner of her forehead. The cold wind in the early morning grazed her skin, completely dispelling her only trace of drowsiness. Ann shivered in the slightly chilly autumn breeze, and directly opened the wardrobe, pushed away the palace attire that seemed too cumbersome, and changed into the casual clothes she had brought.
After washing, she habitually wiped the hunting spear that was resting at the head of the bed. She hesitated for a moment and, in the end, didn’t bring it.
It was time to start a new day. She hoped today wouldn’t be the end of the world.
She was a little hungry and knew that as long as she gave an order, a servant would bring a delicate and delicious breakfast.
The bread was snow-white and soft, and the scrambled eggs had just the right amount of fat. The soup wasn’t too hot, and the vegetables and meat cooked in it were so extremely tender that they didn’t need to be chewed and could easily slide down her throat.
But at this moment, she missed the smell of burning dry grass and pine branches, the crackling flames dripping with animal fat, and the half-cooked, half-burnt, tough and chewy meat of wild animals.
……And the two brats she picked up from the forest casually.
They used to grimace at breakfast, pitifully gnawing at the fishy animal meat, trying to stuff it into their stomachs.
That was not too long ago—three ordinary little people struggling to survive in the woods in the early morning.
Ann smiled bitterly and opened the bedroom door.
It was just that nostalgia was useless, and since she learned the identity of Jesse Dylan, she had no interest in praying at all. No matter what the result was on Oliver’s side, as a member of Tumbleweed, there were still things that only she could do.
Ann walked to the room where the documents were processed, sat down skillfully, and dipped the tip of her pen in ink.
Originally, the things she had to do piled up into a mountain—from learning to process various documents to clearing up the hidden injuries caused by Alban’s internal struggle for power over the years. From when she opened her eyes until they were closed, she was as busy as a gyroscope.
After learning the truth about the world, her task not only didn’t ease, but became more onerous.
She had to be prepared to “leave the castle at any time and act with the team”, and every day she had to act as if it could potentially be the last.
The matter of Oliver and Nemo must not be leaked. However, Tumbleweed had lost a member of its team, and it hadn’t responded to the request from the Mercenary Guild headquarters to go through relevant procedures. They were already violating the rules, and the protection granted by the Mercenary Guild would inevitably weaken a lot.
On the other hand, Lord Zenni made a lot of trouble with the task of guarding the reconnaissance team. The Pope of the Laddism Church knew their strength status and wouldn’t rush to pursue it. Both the Mooney Sect and the one-eye dwarves had to give their statements.
While looking for the dizzyingly difficult method, Ann quickly wrote a letter, ignoring her rumbling stomach.
At the end of the day, it was up to fate. She dipped the nib of the pen in the ink bottle and raised the corner of her mouth helplessly.
She was neither a god nor a Hero. Although she had good talents, she was far from the top of the world, but now, at a time when the world was likely to be destroyed, she took up a weapon she had never thought of.
Secular kingship.
…A ridiculous but effective weapon.
“Breakfast.” When the sun rose, her knight arrived on time. “The Mad Dog of the Wasteland”, Gallagher Salter, looked quite uncomfortable. The smell of his perfume was a lot lighter, but it was mixed with a little bit…
“Baked meatloaf.”
He said with a flat face. The muscles on his face twitched. The marshal wore gloves as he handed over the greasy food wrapped in a paper bag with both hands through his handkerchief. The roasted meatloaf exuded the aroma of grease and coarse pepper that seemed to make Gallagher want to faint just from the smell of the oil.
“Your servant mentioned that you haven’t had a good meal recently—maybe you are not used to this? After all, the royal kitchen can’t make those… Uh, those…”
“Thanks, Salter.” Ann accepted it without restraint and took a large bite, making her voice muffled. “I feel much better.”
Her eyes were still staring at the documents in her hand; her brows were tightly locked, and her usual air of freedom disappeared without a trace.
“The death of Mr. Light is sad. If there is anything I can do…” Gallagher said cautiously.
“I’ve worked you hard recently.” Ann stuffed the baked meatloaf into her mouth and changed the subject. “I don’t really want to talk about this for the time being, Salter… Next month.”
Although it was early in the morning, her smile had a bit of weariness to it.
“If we have the opportunity next month, we can go out for a drink and have a good chat about it.”
If the world is still there next month.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gallagher looked at Ann, who had stuffed the meatloaf into her stomach within a few bites, and there were still crumbly bits that were stuck in her mouth. He couldn’t help but hand over a clean handkerchief. “In addition, I saw Her Royal Highness Delia just now. Her condition seemed to be a bit bad.”
He looked a little hesitant.
“I can help you with some chores about repairs or castle arrangements. Maybe you can take some time to talk to her.”
“I can probably guess what’s wrong.”
Ann wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and sighed. Unlike Gallagher, Delia currently had no responsibility on her shoulders, so she told her the truth herself. She originally expected the little princess who grew up in the bird cage to let go of her baggage as soon as possible and enjoy her life.
But Delia’s situation was more serious than she thought. Not only did she not mean to enjoy life, but she also ran to ask Oliver, hoping to find out why he didn’t accept the proposal of the Sage of the Abyss.
Very unlike a child.
When she came back, there was confusion on her face, and Ann thought in a daze that she had seen her deceased father—It was the same expression—cold annoyance belonged to the late emperor.
With all these years of experience, Ann could guess what Delia was worrying about, and at the same time, she knew that it wasn’t a problem that she could solve by herself—it was better to say that it was because she herself couldn’t solve it.
“Speaking of this, Salter. I have two things to ask you.” Ann put the quill pen into her hand.
“Please speak, Your Majesty.”
“First, go find Telaranea and tell him that I’m willing to open the bottom floor of the royal library to him for a week,” she said calmly. “The price is that he has to have a good chat with my lovely niece. I believe he can understand.”
“Yes.”
“Second, after you tell him all this, go to Delia and ask her to see the progress of Telaranea’s research. Just say I’m too busy to get away. I believe she can understand too.”
“As you order.”
The breakfast was very exquisite, but Delia didn’t touch a single bite. She stared coldly at the plate containing the soup. The creamy soup gradually cooled and no longer looked so delicious.
Since the day she asked Oliver Ramon why he didn’t accept the proposal of the Sage of the Abyss to kill the body of the Pillar of the World, Cat Whiskers began to lose their temper.
The spider curled itself into a ball and didn’t want to spread its legs and feet no matter how she poked it. Even if she communicated with her thoughts, all Delia could get was anger and grievance.
The little princess carefully packed it in a small silk bag and carried it close to her body. But these days, Cat Whiskers didn’t have any intention of paying any attention to her.
But she didn’t want to apologize for it either.
According to old habits, she took a walk in the corridor. In the past, Cat Whiskers would climb down her arms, put up two front feet on the windowsill with the best sunlight, and stretch its body. But it remained motionless as usual today, and it didn’t mean to climb out of the silk bag.
Delia wasn’t in the mood.
Not long ago, after the maid brought breakfast into the room, she had even lost her appetite.
Pushing away the already cold cream soup in front of her, taking away the teacup, the little princess took out the curled Cat Whiskers and put it on the saucer—The demon just shrank there and pretended to be dead. Even if she couldn’t see its expression clearly, Delia could feel its resentment.
“I know, you probably want an apology.”
She hissed from between her teeth, “But I…”
Delia cautiously stretched out her hand and poked the spider. Cat Whiskers still didn’t respond.
“You are my only friend,” Delia said in a hoarse voice. “Remember Rosa? My half-sister… Rosa is a naive girl. She is very nice, but there is nothing to talk about between us. I can’t understand her world, and she doesn’t understand me at all.”
“She smiled at me, and I protected her. That’s enough, but we can’t be friends.”
“I originally thought it didn’t matter. Naïve people will always die if there’s no one to protect them. No one was willing to protect me before, but I’m not qualified to be a naïve person.”
“Then Ann appeared.” She said with clenched teeth, her voice beginning to tremble a little.
“I thank her, and I thank everyone in Tumbleweed. But I have already become like this. I can’t change it back. Can’t you understand that?”
Cat Whiskers lay quietly on its back. Its eyeballs quietly turned around.
“Those fairy tales that my mother gave me… Those fairy tales that record spells and power, the stories they write will always be the advent of heroes, the salvation of princesses, and all imperfections are all made up. That was all a lie. My hero finally arrived, but the first sixteen years of my life can’t be repeated.”
The spider hesitated for a while, its feet trembled, but it still didn’t move.
“I’m a terrible person, I know!” Delia wiped her eyes fiercely. “Ann is the only family I have. She’s a great person. I should trust her. I should love her unreservedly and accept her love openly.”
“But I can’t do it. At least now, I can’t do it… All we have is blood, and she doesn’t understand my nature at all. Cat Whiskers, even if I have the time to do it all over again, I will ask Oliver Ramon the same question. I am such a person. Do you understand?”
“Even if I tell Ann this, she will tell me it’s okay. She can only tell me it’s okay. In her eyes, I am an unfortunate child. What else can she say?”
“But I know. I alone know that there is no difference between Eldric and I—No, no difference between my grandfather and I. Sampson, who abandoned her, to press on. I will never be able to become a carefree person with unconditional trust in others.”
“I can’t be Oliver Ramon, I can’t be Nemo Light, I can’t even be Gallagher Salter. I can’t be her companion. It will only make her more disappointed; can you understand…”
“You can always hear my thoughts. You know how cruel I am, but you didn’t leave me before… Please, talk to me, okay?”
Cat Whiskers rolled slightly, still looking in a bad mood. It chose a compromise—it burrowed into the ribbon, fastened the mouth of the bag, and floated with the bag to Delia’s knee.
Then continue to pretend to play dead.
Delia blew her nose and sighed.
Delia’s eyes were still slightly red until the sun had gone most of the way across the sky. Following Ann’s orders, she went to check on Telaranea’s progress.
In that room, the Sage of the Abyss was at work. The Demon King’s skull was placed on a stone platform in the middle of the room, surrounded by dense and complex runes. The ground not far away was full of bottles and jars, one of which smelled like fresh blood.
The body used by Telaranea—The handsome red-haired young man pushed up his glasses and nodded at her. The calculation in his hand didn’t stop.
“The progress is placed on the round table to your left.” The demon’s voice had a cheerful tone. “There are not many conclusions, so feel free to look at it… In case she is dissatisfied, keep this in mind. I told Savage I couldn’t devote my full attention to this job right now.”
“Even if you know what this job means?” Delia’s voice is still a little hoarse.
“If your throat is uncomfortable, you can take some potion and drink it. To the right, on the third shelf, at the bottom. Do you see it? That bottle of light blue potion that smells like mint.”
Delia picked up her skirt and carefully held the crystal bottle in her hand to look carefully.
“I won’t be stupid enough to poison you here,” Telaranea snorted. “Back to the topic just now… Yes, of course I know what this job means. I think you also know that the ground under our feet may crack at any time, and everyone will die together.”
This time, Delia held back her question as she took the vial and poured herself a little sip of the potion. It was cold in her mouth and a bit bitter, but it worked quickly.
“But I promised someone I would wait for him at the entrance of the Abyss. Now he hasn’t come out yet, causing me to waste a body guarding the place. There’s no suitable research equipment in that shitty place, and there are fewer bodies that can be used, so of course the efficiency of my research will be a lot slower.”
Telaranea finished writing on one piece of paper and changed to another. His tone was flat, and he didn’t raise his head.
“Well, don’t hold back, Your Royal Highness. I know what you want to ask—In that case, why should I waste time waiting for him? ‘There is no contract for this kind of thing, and the Sage of the Abyss isn’t the sentimental type.’ …I have lived a long time, so it’s quite simple to see through your thoughts.”
Delia lowered her head and looked through the progress report sullenly. She took another sip of the light blue potion in the cup without saying a word.
“There is no need to be embarrassed. I know this idea very well. To tell you the truth, we’re very similar in some ways—results take precedence over everything, and if necessary, we can abandon anything, including ourselves.”
Telaranea put down the pen and changed to another one. He picked up a jar of blood on the ground and began to smear the magic array around the huge skull.
“…I don’t like this,” Delia finally said. “Being able to trust others is a great ability, and I have lost it. You said we are very similar, but you’re still waiting for your… friend, aren’t you? You trust him.”
“Nature may be changed, but it cannot be completely erased.”
The painting technique of the Sage of the Abyss was very smooth.
“I’m not going to comfort you. To be honest, I don’t even think there’s anything wrong with this. What, are you thinking that there’s such a thing as right and wrong with someone’s ‘character’? If all humans acted in accordance with the most ‘ideal’ character and behavior, then at least for me, humans would be less valuable to observe.”
Then, the demon paused for a few seconds.
“I don’t trust Aurorae,” he said. “I’m just like you, I don’t trust anyone. It’s just that he needs me. If he comes back from the Abyss, he must need treatment. If I’m not there… he will disappear.”
“And the probability of him coming back doesn’t seem to be zero, so I must be there.”
Delia’s breathing stopped for a few seconds.
“So, Your Highness. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you continue to live like this. If results come first, you must mind ‘trust’ and ‘love’. Then, when considering the result of ‘what you want’, also consider the result of the wants of ‘those who care’ when considering the outcome. Isn’t this enough?”
Delia put away the report. She took a breath and bowed slightly.
“Thank you, I think I can think about it in a different direction,” she said.
“Also, you don’t seem like a very talkative person, Mr. Sage. I also hope you can… thank Ann for me,” Delia added after a few seconds.
“…I won’t apologize because I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
Delia poked the small silk cloth bag hanging on her chest and whispered. Cat Whiskers in the bag moved.
“But I promise, Cat Whiskers, I will consider your mood next time.”
The spider poked its head out of the mouth of the bag, laid back on her shoulder, and bit her gently to vent its anger. A little emotion took the initiative to pass into her mind, still with anger, but Delia showed a smile.
She rubbed the dark spider and walked to the door.
Ann breathed a sigh of relief outside the door of the research room.
“All this time, and you still care about a little girl’s mood,” Bagelmaurus muttered discontentedly. “Ramon hasn’t come back yet. Why isn’t he back?”
“It’s not just Delia, I also care about Alban’s future. Okay, okay, take your beak away—I know, if there is a future. After all, when Oliver comes back, I will probably have to leave here, and I may not be able to…”
Ann stopped talking, looked out the window, and then squinted hard.
A white behemoth was flying in the direction of the castle, and Jesse Dylan was about to land at the entrance of the royal city.
“They’ve come back—”
Before she finished shouting a word, Bagelmaurus screamed and flew out of the window. Thinking of the flying spells forbidden in the castle, Ann, who had already climbed to the window, cursed, and honestly rushed out of the castle from the steps.
Then she bumped head-on into Oliver Ramon, who was about to enter the door.
Seeing that the other party’s limbs were intact and his head was still on his neck, Ann didn’t care too much, and directly gave the leader of her team a big hug.
“Asshole.” She gritted her teeth, took a step back, and punched him in the shoulder without any hesitation. “What took you so long to get back?”
Oliver smiled a little embarrassingly.
“Sorry.” He scratched his head.
“Well, let’s see. I’ve put off all the protests of the Moonies and the one-eye dwarves.” She breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes were a little red. “But on the side of the Mercenary Guild, we have to solve it quickly… I will sign the document and forgive the three of you. At least in this way, the regulations on the Black Chapters—”
“Thank you for your hard work, Ann.” Oliver smiled a little bigger. “But I don’t want to dissolve Tumbleweed.”
Ann raised her eyebrows.
“This is one of the reasons I came to you,” Oliver said, holding out a hand. “Uh, are you free recently? We need to go to the Mercenary Guild and get Tumbleweed’s name back.”
“Of course I’m free. I’ve been desperately squeezing out my free time.” Ann rubbed her chin. “It’s just you have to explain it well, Captain.”
“Considering that you can’t pull Nemo to the surface for the time being, what are you going to do about the fifth member…? Oh, wait, I’m going to speak to Salter and take my spear. The goat and horse are in the yard. Someone will bring them later. We can talk while we walk.”
She shrugged and showed a bright smile.
“I have a hunch that this mission will be quite amazing.”
Adrian was the first to come around. He took a step back and ended the bloody kiss—or rather bite.
“Mr. Ramon.” He bent down and stretched out a hand frankly. His normally light-colored lips were still tinged with a bit of blood.
Oliver spat out a few more bits of sand, his eyes still a little confused, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep. Although he cleared his throat vigorously, his throat still sounded like sandpaper. “It seems that I am still alive.”
He didn’t hold the hand but fell back into the sand and looked at the sky.
Then slowly showed a smile.
“Is this within your plan?” Jesse snorted.
“How could it be. I thought I was dead,” Oliver muttered. “I just, uh… tried my best and just succeeded.”
But his plan did have another ending in mind.
Oliver continued to stare at the sky, holding a handful of sand in his hand. The delicate grains of sand kept passing between his fingers, eventually only leaving a little bit behind.
Then he put his clenched fist to his lips and kissed gently.
Oliver had a very deep impression of the great desert near Hailem—This was the first time in his memory that he was dying.
It was also the place where he fell in love with Nemo, or rather, the place where he fell in love with the Pillar of the World itself.
The legendary Demon King, a terrifying behemoth curled up on the ground. The life that propped up the surface kissed his forehead here, pulling him back from the edge of death.
For the Pillar of the World, it may have been just a whim, but from that moment on, the world he saw would never go back to the past. The object of his heart was not only Nemo Light, who was a “human” from the beginning. He loved his lover and the huge unknown behind him.
He never doubted this.
It was like Oliver was willing to blindly believe that, at least here, he was immortal. Just as he was willing to rely on intuition to persist, the Nemo Light he knew was still waiting for him in the depths of the Abyss.
It wasn’t a prayer, but just a persistence in his foolish love.
If he was unlucky and couldn’t match against the Pillar of the World in the end and perished here, then it was also the most suitable place… This was the grave that he planned for himself.
The weather was clear, and although the nearby desert was messed up by them, it was quiet and peaceful at the moment.
The world still went on, and for most people, this was just an extremely ordinary day in their lives.
That’s great.
Oliver took a deep breath. His throat was still aching, and building this circuit had exhausted his last ounce of strength. Although he could barely act, he didn’t want to go anywhere now.
The newborn God was found persistently paralyzed in place, pretending to be a sun-dried jellyfish. Jesse shook his head and walked forward, no longer hiding his complicated expression.
“Drawing power within safe limits, creating entirely new energy circuits right under the noses of the Pillars of the World, and to top it off, you’re actually pretending to be a human with common sense in front of me.”
He squeezed those words out with difficulty, but the smirk on his face almost fell off.
“Telaranea is 10,000 times more disciplined than you—how do you feel now, huh?”
“Not much has changed. I just feel that I’ll die from exhaustion in the next second,” Oliver responded drowsily. “I succeeded, didn’t I?”
“Yes, according to human standards, you are fully qualified to be called a ‘God’.”
Oliver didn’t respond.
At the moment he heard “yes”, he fell asleep, with traces of a smile left at the corner of his mouth.
Jesse took a breath and cracked his wrists hard.
Lord Zenni never liked surprises, let alone fear—Jesse seemed to want to grab this ungrateful guy and wake him up. It was best to shake out all the subsequent plans the other party had.
Unfortunately, his two ill-intentioned hands that had just stretched out were pushed away by Adrian.
“Mr. Ramon hasn’t slept for nearly a week. Let him sleep. Since he can fall asleep safely, he must be very confident in his next plan.”
Adrian put Oliver’s arm around his neck and carefully pulled him out of the sand. He glanced at his eyes and retracted his hand. Jesse, who was full of dissatisfaction, shook his head helplessly.
“…Now we must get out of here quickly. The movement made by you two isn’t small. Compared to the Pillar of the World, Garland’s defenders will arrive sooner.”
Jesse let out a loud “tsk”.
He stretched out his hand, patted Adrian’s face ambiguously, and tied the cloak wrapped around his body back to the opponent’s armor. Then the beautiful blond young man took a few steps back and turned into a huge white beast again.
The blood had long since disappeared, and Jesse lowered his body slightly, shaking his fur uncomfortably, throwing the last bit of sand and dust away.
He glared at Oliver, who was sleeping, and got down reluctantly.
“Try not to be conspicuous, okay? In Ramon’s condition, we’ll have to deal specifically with teleportation checks. Come up, I’ll take you straight back to Alban,” Jesse said impatiently. “Hold on to yourselves. I don’t want to bother taking care of you two while we move forward.”
Adrian gently placed Oliver on the back of the behemoth and cast a fixation spell—the sleeping leader of Tumbleweed was almost submerged by the soft long fur.
Then he hesitated for a few seconds and jumped up again. It was just that the former knight commander didn’t apply any spells to himself but firmly hugged Jesse’s neck.
Powerful magic waves exploded under the claws of the behemoth, and a soft white light shot straight into the sky.
When the defenders who reacted finally arrived nearby, only gravel and sand were left in the empty desert, as well as the remnants of palpitating spells. They found nothing else.
Jesse’s progress was much smoother than that of the teleportation array, and the speed was just as fast.
Although he said that he didn’t want to bother, Adrian still noticed the invisible protective cover around the behemoth—It was to resist the strong wind that was too cold in the sky, and he didn’t think Jesse Dylan himself would care about it.
Adrian Cross has never looked down at the surface at this height.
The dark green forest was like moss on stone, and the river was too thin to see clearly. The sparse village was no bigger than a button, and the tiny houses were like brown sugar sprinkled on a clean tablecloth.
This was the world he vowed to guard.
Adrian subconsciously clenched the long soft fur in his hand. Even in the cold air at high altitude, the faint warm fragrance still existed. Wrapped in the aroma and warm body temperature, he raised his head and looked at the clear sky.
Adrian wasn’t completely unaffected. The second he noticed that the darkness swallowed the sky, out of the instinct of a warrior, he immediately made a defensive posture, but wonderfully, when those twisted thin limbs wrapped around the bloody beast not far away, he couldn’t feel any fear.
On the contrary, he had never felt so relieved.
The cruel God he believed in slept there, twisting, floating, and slowly stretching his body in a world he couldn’t see.
Just as the falling snow finally reached the ground, night finally fell, and the tired traveler closed his eyes and breathed long and evenly. The world was as cruel as he had imagined, but there was indeed a trace of gentleness.
‘He should be afraid,’ Adrian thought to himself, but his fear seemed to have been exhausted with his recent death.
For himself as a human, it was indeed a “monster”—without a doubt, a monster.
…But that’s about it.
The cold, capricious, but occasionally tender-hearted miracle finally let go of the hazy fog, revealing its true face. The world was no longer a misty mirage, only a solid wall and a fortress full of order.
There was also a liberating calm.
“Jesse, in your opinion, what is our fate?” Adrian took the initiative to speak. “Mr. Ramon was considered a human before, but you can’t seem to be able to accurately predict his actions.”
“Although Light’s existence made all this difficult to infer, at the beginning, when I first observed the son of Flint Lopez, our Mr. Ramon was destined not to live long—the powerless Lopez was seriously injured by a demon and Ramon would follow his instructions to kill him and was therefore designated as a murderer.”
“In my initial calculations, Oliver Ramon should have fled alone and soon died quickly from his naivete. Unfortunately, Bagelmaurus, who possessed the power of the Demon King, and Nemo Light himself weren’t within the scope of my predictions.”
“Ann Savage will spend this life in hiding and die alone. Her brother, Prince Eldric, was supposed to inherit the throne of Alban.”
The behemoth snorted.
“And you, you should have died a long time ago.”
“I know.”
They were a team that shouldn’t exist.
“As for now… peace from the Pillar of the World is a big premise and until the thoughts of the Pillar of the World is determined, I can’t calculate anything.” When he spoke, the behemoth’s ears drooped a little.
Adrian rubbed the warm fur under his palm. “I can understand.”
“…Don’t worry,” he added, after a pause.
He didn’t know if it was because of the wind or something else as Jesse gently twitched his ears. The speed of the behemoth’s advance slowed down and then slowly stopped in mid-air.
A slightly tingling stream of heat suddenly surged in my heart. The power flowed to his eyes. With his strong willpower as a knight commander, he endured the urge to reach out and rub his eyes…
Adrian blinked hard, and it took a while before he regained his vision.
In his sight, the advancing behemoth skimmed countless thin limbs. The indescribable creature was entrenched in the sky with unparalleled clarity. It was sweat-inducing, spectacular, treacherous, and deceptively grotesque in its beauty.
Manipulating his power a little jerkily, Adrian retracted the heat flow. The appearance of the monster immediately disappeared, and the clear blue sky returned again in his view.
But Jesse made a point of showing this to him, probably not to pick this time now to teach him how to use his power. Adrian thought for a moment and decided to keep the power within his eyes for now. He retracted his gaze from the monster covering the sky and looked at the beast.
“Hey, Adri.”
It was a familiar flirtatious tone, but the owner of the voice’s furry head was facing straight ahead without turning around. “Do you like me a little bit today?”
The familiar question, but the questioner was no longer the beautiful and illusory young human being. After a long time, Jesse Dylan asked the question again—the weird and magnificent life above his head was seeking answers from him through the mouth of a beast.
“Maybe,” Adrian replied, magnanimously facing the sense of prying eyes that wrapped around him.
His God was silent for a long time.
“Nn.” Finally, Jesse turned his head slightly. “Well, I may well fail again. At this point in time, I can’t think of anything else that could sway you for the moment.”
The icy blue pupils of the beast flickered slightly, as if the sky was the only thing in the world. Under the huge monster, this somewhat untimely thought crossed Adrian’s mind.
“Shaken?” He repeated.
“Yes,” Jesse admitted. “So I need to tell you my decision.”
“Nn.”
“I don’t think this is the end. If the world isn’t destroyed, I am willing to take a little time to observe you and act with you. I’m quite bored anyway.”
Adrian didn’t answer but listened patiently.
“…After all, I gave you my heart.”
The spindle-shaped pupils of the beast shrank, and the behemoth emphasized it. Translucent limbs brushed Adrian’s monk’s uniform, dancing like weeping willows and dead branches.
“Unfortunately, Adrian Cross. Before I die, you cannot age or die. We have a long time… If you eventually become boring, I will kill you and get my power back. If you don’t want to continue, I can also help you end your life.”
Jesse Dylan’s tone became extremely familiar, as relaxed as discussing dinner recipes.
“You’re human after all. As time goes by, sooner or later you will see all this clearly, and eventually you will be disappointed or tired. Until then, I will stay by your side—I want to witness that moment.”
“Nn.”
“…And promise me that you won’t die easily. I don’t want to say it a third time.”
“Okay.”
“What are you laughing at? I’m not going to hide it from you now. I have no love for you in the human sense. I hope you won’t misunderstand—”
“Maybe.”
The annoying believer replied so.
Jesse turned his head a little sulkily and rushed towards Alban’s royal city. Behind him, the half-asleep Oliver smacked his lips, covered his ears with the white fur, and decided to continue sleeping for a while.
Unfortunately, Oliver couldn’t sleep peacefully for long. The tremor of the giant beast landing had just passed, and before he could regain his senses, a pair of claws stepped on his face.
“Ramon is dead! I can’t feel his breath! My god, Ramon is dead—” the gray parrot squawked in horror, stepping on his face pathetically.
“What to do!”
It planted its ass on Oliver’s face.
“…Hey, there’s still breath.” A few seconds later, the demon moved its ass away suspiciously. Bagelmaurus lowered its head and saw a pair of green eyes full of helplessness. “Why? What’s going on? I can’t perceive you anymore!”
Oliver sighed, grabbed the gray parrot on his face, and jumped off Jesse’s back.
Then he raised his head and looked at the magnificent royal palace in front of him.
“Jesse. If your date with Mr. Cross is over, I think we can officially start—”
Wiping the remaining blood stains on the Rest in Peace, Oliver’s tone wasn’t brisk, but there was no longer confusion in it.
“Next, let’s visit the Pillar of the World.”
The author has something to say:
Nemo: Come, please be sure to come.
The side CP is one goal ahead again. Oliver, come on, keep up—
————
Jesse: Something is wrong with this human being.
Jesse: Let me see.
Jesse: Let me see…
Jesse: ……
Jesse: I really don’t believe it! He will be shaken!
Jesse: …Forget it, it’s faster for me to shake him myself (?
The mood of Dong Zhi was actually similar to his. The two of them were relatively speechless, and it took a long time for them to recover.
“Is this painting an auction item?” Liu Qingbo asked calmly.
Dong Zhi flipped through the auction catalog. “It’s not in the auction catalog.”
Liu Qingbo said without hesitation, “Find the owner of the painting and buy it!”
As long as the bid was high enough, he didn’t believe that there wasn’t anything in the world that couldn’t be bought.
Dong Zhi: “We don’t know the seller’s situation yet. Let’s inquire about it first. There will be an auction in the afternoon. Don’t worry.”
Liu Qingbo read the introduction next to the painting again and confirmed that the owner of the collection was not written on it.
He found the security personnel patrolling on the floor to ask, but the other party didn’t know either.
Dong Zhi grabbed him. “Don’t be impatient. It’s not good to let others see that we care too much about this painting. Someone might know.”
For example, the young lady who entertained them just now.
Although the other party was only responsible for the hospitality of guests, she must have had a certain understanding of this exhibition, so it was suitable to ask her questions first.
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Lao Liu, here’s your chance to perform.”
Liu Qingbo: “…Why me?”
Dong Zhi looked innocent. “You look more rich and handsome than me!”
Liu Qingbo would never admit that he was flattered by this sentence, so he said reluctantly, “I’m here for work under the Special Administration Bureau.”
Dong Zhi buttered him up without hesitation. “That’s right. There’s no doubt about your ideological enlightenment as you’re the top in our class!”
Liu Qingbo went valiantly but came back with a bad face in less than ten minutes.
“No way, you can’t even handle such a trivial matter?” Dong Zhi felt incredulous.
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. “That woman is too difficult to talk to.”
Dong Zhi asked, “What did she say?”
Liu Qingbo said in an annoyed tone, “I asked her who the owner of this painting is. She said that anything that’s not signed is something that the owner doesn’t want to disclose, and she couldn’t disclose it. I just said that if she told me, I would invite her to dinner and give her two thousand dollars. Who knew this woman would pull down her face and give me a scowl?”
Dong Zhi smacked his forehead. “If you say that how would anyone tell you anything!”
Liu Qingbo sneered: “I say this woman is too hypocritical. When she heard I was going to invite her to dinner, she obviously smiled. I was just trying to show her that I’m wealthy, not that I’m promiscuous!”
Dong Zhi sighed. “If you hadn’t invited her to dinner, it might’ve been better. She thought you were trying to pursue her. Who knew you just wanted to make a deal with her. Although love is a deal, it also has a romantic element. Some people can equate romance with money, but others are unwilling to compromise. Let me try!”
Liu Qingbo was taken aback. “Who told you this stuff?”
Dong Zhi waved his hand, with a gesture that looked ethereal, and then brushed his clothes, “Dong-Tchaikovsky*-Zhi.”
*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic Period. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin. || The context here is that Dong Zhi is making the joke, basically saying let me, the master of romanticism (by referencing Tchaikovsky) work my magic.
Liu Qingbo: ……
He originally thought that Dong Zhi would fail, but he didn’t expect the other party to come back soon, with a spring breeze on his face.
“It’s done?”
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “It’s a veteran of this place, one of the top two people. The owner of this painting is one of the organizers of this event, Xiang Mu.”
Liu Qingbo was in disbelief. “What did you say to move her?”
Dong Zhi patted him. “Thanks to your support, I said that you have never chased a girl and you regretted what you did until your stomach was blue, so you asked me to go over and apologize. I also booked a place at a nearby Michelin three-star restaurant for you two. Please be sure to go.”
Liu Qingbo: …
He simply had the urge to unscrew the head of the person in front of him and kick it like a ball.
Dong Zhi smiled at him. “Calm down, calm down. Think of it as a sacrifice of your appearance for our country. Don’t you suddenly feel proud when you think about it like this?”
Liu Qingbo bit his cheek and smiled. “Not at all!”
Dong Zhi broke it down for him. “If I’d gone first, there wouldn’t be a need to do it a second time. Since you went first, I could only make up for it on your behalf. Alright, let’s not worry about this kind of trivial matter. All in all, Xiang Mu, as the organizer, should also be present at the reception later. Let’s find him first and set up a meeting with him to see if we can buy this painting directly from him. If we can, great. If not, we’ll have to reassess then.”
Liu Qingbo gave him a sideways glance. “I don’t want to eat with that woman. You can do it yourself!”
Dong Zhi said, “Alright how about this? You go to order and pay, and then I’ll call you halfway to get you out of there early…”
With such a discovery, neither of them had the mind to watch the exhibition again, so they walked around at will. They stayed there until noon. The tourists who came to see the exhibition for free gradually left, while Dong Zhi and those who had paid the deposit were invited upstairs to the cocktail party.
The food at the cocktail party was excellent, and there were a lot of good wines. This was a glamorous social occasion. Many people’s minds weren’t on eating. They gathered in groups of three to five as they chatted and laughed. Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo separated to look for signs of Xiang Mu. Dong Zhi soon saw a middle-aged man surrounded by several men and women, who looked a lot like the Xiang Mu he searched for on the internet.
He walked over with a wine glass nonchalantly, pretending to be attracted by the content of their conversation and stopping to listen.
A few people were talking about the recent antique market situation and future prospects, which went way over his head. Dong Zhi got bored just listening to their chatter, but they wouldn’t leave, so he could only continue to listen with a thick face.
Suddenly, Xiang Mu suddenly said, “Sir, you just entered this circle, right?”
Dong Zhi blinked and realized that the other party was talking to him, so he smiled and said, “Yes, but in fact, I am just a fan of art and calligraphy. I have heard of Mr. Xiang’s name for a long time and found that you were holding an exhibition here today, so I had to rush over and see it for myself so I could learn your teachings!”
Xiang Mu also smiled. He had read countless people, and he could see at a glance that the other party wasn’t part of the antique circle, but he didn’t call him out on it.
“What’s your name?”
“Dong, Dong Zhi.”
“Mr. Dong, the visitor is a guest. I wonder what it is that you wish to inquire?”
Dong Zhi smiled and said, “To be honest, it’s not me who likes art and calligraphy, but actually my grandfather. However, he’s too old to move around, so he could only let me run errands in his place. After I came here today, I saw a painting that was very much in line with that old man’s taste. I heard that the owner of that painting is you, so I took the liberty to come over and ask if you would be willing to give up your love?”
Xiang Mu raised his eyebrows. He thought that the other party was a business rival who came to inquire about news, but he didn’t expect that he actually wanted to buy a painting.
“Which one are you talking about?”
Dong Zhi: “‘The Travel Map of Shaohua’.”
The painting must not have made much impression on Xiang Mu, or it may be that he had too much in his collection, as it took him quite a while to remember it. Then he shook his head.
“Sorry, I won’t sell that painting.”
Dong Zhi’s heart sank. The last thing he wanted to hear was such an answer.
“May I know the reason? If it is a matter of money, I believe that, in the end, I can give a satisfactory figure to Mr. Xiang.”
Using the identity of the Special Administration Bureau would only be a last resort. Now that so many things had happened recently, Dong Zhi had become more cautious. He wasn’t sure if there were traces of enemies hidden among ordinary people and he didn’t want to scare the snake as a possible consequence and lose the game.
Xiang Mu smiled apologetically. “It’s not about money. That painting is a relic passed down from my wife’s family, so I don’t want to sell it.”
He was obviously not interested in continuing the conversation with Dong Zhi, as after he replied, he turned around and walked away, but his expression suddenly changed from calmness to surprise.
No longer interacting with Dong Zhi, Xiang Mu enthusiastically walked over and greeted a person who had come in from the other end.
“Master Chen, it’s been a long time since I saw you. I was waiting for you!”
When Dong Zhi saw who it was, he almost couldn’t control his facial expression and almost laughed out loud on the spot.
Who else but it was none other than Chen Guoliang who Liu Qingbo had been “longing for”.
This Master Chen was still dressed in a black jacket with an extraordinary style. With an assistant bodyguard by his side, he magnanimously made his entrance. From a glance, his posture looked as if he was the protagonist of a novel, which attracted a lot of attention.
After Chen Guoliang was let go, he didn’t have the face to stay in Lucheng for long. He wanted to go back to Hong Kong, and he wouldn’t come back to the mainland for a few years.
Coincidentally, at that moment, he received an invitation to attend a cocktail party and auction to lecture distinguished guests about feng shui metaphysics. It also came with a private commission and a high appearance fee. Chen Guoliang’s conscience was moved, and he felt that it was a blessing from God to give him this chance to make money. He had no reason to doubt this, and it wasn’t too late to eat one last meal before he left, so he decided to come.
He didn’t think that the enemy’s path was so narrow and that the world would be so coincidental.
His smile completely froze when he saw the person next to Xiang Mu.
Seeing Liu Qingbo coming from the other end again, his smile could no longer be maintained, and he collapsed instantly.
Liu Qingbo also chuckled. “Master Chen, what a coincidence. Truly a coincidence that we meet again. This must be fate at work for us to meet thousands of miles away!”
Chen Guoliang reluctantly pulled out a smile that he thought was very calm and took the initiative to stretch out his hand. “It turns out to be Mr. Liu and Mr. Dong. Indeed, how fateful this is!”
‘A truly evil fate,’ he added in his heart.
Liu Qingbo looked at him with a smile for a long time, and when Chen Guoliang looked uneasy, he finally stretched out his hand.
Chen Guoliang breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly held his hand and shook it twice, and greeted Dong Zhi enthusiastically.
Xiang Mu was surprised. “It turns out that Master Chen knows these two gentlemen?”
“I know, I know!” Chen Guoliang’s face twitched, revealing the half-truths and half-lies. “With these two masters here, why bother to invite me. Honestly!”
Xiang Muguo was really surprised. He knew Chen Guoliang’s reputation in Hong Kong. Last time he went to Hong Kong on business, he got to know this Master Chen thanks to the introduction of a rich man named Li. This time, he was invited to come over for a feng shui lecture. Secondly, more importantly, he encountered a difficult problem that Chen Guoliang urgently needed to solve.
“This meeting must be destiny. Three masters, I have prepared a VIP room for you. Why don’t you come inside, and we can have a detailed discussion? The lecture hasn’t started yet, and I happen to have a little personal question I want to ask the three of you.”
He may have felt he had embarrassed Dong Zhi before, so he added, “If Mr. Dong wants that painting, in fact, it’s not that I can’t give it away.”
Dong Zhi said, “You don’t have to give it away. As long as you give us a price, we’ll try our best to raise the funds.”
Xiang Mu smiled. “I am not short of money.”
The implication was that he didn’t need to make money by selling paintings. Thinking about most of the collections in the exhibition hall, Dong Zhi became speechless.
Xiang Mu led them into the VIP reception room. It was much more gorgeous than outside, and there were many more personal decorations. Dong Zhi guessed that this place, including the exhibition hall downstairs, should be his property.
It was no wonder why he didn’t put a price on that painting. For a wealthy man like Xiang Mu, even if the paintings were sold for hundreds of millions, it would just be another number added to his property.
However, his problems were often unsolvable by money. Therefore, ordinary people look at many rich people and laugh at them. After they became prosperous, many would pray to Buddha or God, but as a result, they would worship the wrong door and encounter too many gods. In fact, it was because they asked for too much and it was often too complicated. The method was no longer suitable for them, and the gods were too elusive, and it was impossible to give them a quick solution. In the end, they could only turn to so-called experts and masters. If they encountered someone like Chen Guoliang, they would be fooled at most, but for those that stumbled upon Songen or Yamamoto, it was most likely they wouldn’t be able to save their own lives.
Xiang Mu didn’t have the habit of disclosing his private affairs to strangers. He waited for Chen Guoliang to introduce Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo’s origin, but it seemed that Chen Guoliang behaved quite cramped. He would look at Dong Zhi from time to time, as if he was waiting for him to issue orders.
The other party’s abnormality made Xiang Mu feel even more confused. He originally thought that even if Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo were a bit capable, it was only Chen Guoliang’s modesty, but now this didn’t seem to be the case.
“Master Chen, would you like to introduce me?” He finally broke the awkward atmosphere.
“The title master is truly unworthy. These two are the real masters and experts. Uh, Mr. Dong and Mr. Liu, I have already introduced them just now. Let’s focus on them today. I’ll just listen on the side!”
Chen Guoliang’s complexion twitched slightly. He didn’t dare reveal the identity of Dong Zhi. He wanted to prevent any trouble and didn’t want to make the other party unhappy. He could only hope that they would spare him the humiliation of exposing himself in front of Xiang Mu.
As soon as the voice fell, Liu Qingbo showed him a smirk, which made Chen Guoliang shudder in fear. His heart was divided between being exposed or not, and he was entangled and uneasy that it felt like he was wandering on the edge of death.
Compared to Liu Qingbo, Dong Zhi still gave Chen Guoliang a little face, or rather, he had no intention of teasing Chen Guoliang now.
“My name is Dong Zhi. This is Liu Qingbo. We have our own practices, but it’s not the same as Master Chen’s way. If you have any problems, Mr. Xiang, you can tell us. Let’s discuss it in detail together.”
Hearing him call him Master Chen, Chen Guoliang breathed a sigh of relief. In addition to being grateful, he quickly followed up. “Yes, tell them. Mr. Dong and Mr. Liu must have a way!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Qingbo glanced at him again, which stunned Chen Guoliang. Could it be that these two people didn’t intend to show their true identity, but he had inadvertently exposed them? He couldn’t help but become more nervous.
In fact, with his reputation among the rich and powerful of Hong Kong, he wouldn’t have fallen so far. It was just that last time, he was shell-shocked by how Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo had subdued the demonic energy, and he later received several days of ideological education. It was truly eye-opening and awe-inspiring that it led him to be more respectful and also fear the profession. It was the last thing on his list to see Dong Zhi again, yet who knew that the enemy’s path would be so narrow? When he ran to Shencheng, they also followed him here.
When Chen Guoliang returned to Hong Kong, he would change the name of his feng shui master and, going forward, would keep a low profile so as to not run into experts like them. He really couldn’t eat and walk away*.
*(吃不了兜着走) Metaphor referring to ignoring the situation and causing trouble or adverse consequences and you have to bear it yourself. || It’s basically saying, he can’t escape the consequences of his previous action (being a fraud) because he has once again run into Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo.
Xiang Mu greeted them with a few pleasantries, then talked about calligraphy, paintings, and writings, down to the feng shui furnishings in the room here. He refused to get to the point. Dong Zhi knew that such a successful businessman was usually suspicious. If he didn’t disperse his doubts, it was estimated the other party wouldn’t be able to communicate at all with them, so he said, “Mr. Xiang, my friend here is a descendant of Liu Yongjia, a well-known swordsmaster of the Republic of China. Maybe you have heard of him. On the other hand, I am a named disciple of the Hezao Sect. I studied under Taoist Master Fang Yangfang. I also have another master, but he’s not a member of the Hezao Sect, so I won’t mention him.”
Chen Guoliang said hurriedly, “In the past, the Hezao Sect was on par and ranked third among Mount Longhu and Mount Maoshan, but in modern times they’ve been much lower-key. I have seen these two slay demons with my very own eyes, and I have great respect for them in my heart!”
Compared with Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo, whom he had just met for the first time, Xiang Mu was, of course, more inclined to believe in Chen Guoliang, who had already had a great reputation in Hong Kong.
Dong Zhi didn’t expect that they would have to rely on Chen Guoliang to prove their identity in turn and felt the situation was quite ridiculous.
Sure enough, Xiang Mu suddenly became a lot more solemn when he heard this introduction.
“Just now, I have eyes but failed to see Mount Taishan*. I didn’t expect to bump into such great people by mistake. I’m very sorry!” Xiang Mu apologized to them.
*(有眼不识泰山) Metaphor for having eyes too narrow thus failing to recognize someone of excellent skill/status.
Liu Qingbo became impatient. “Mr. Xiang, let’s get to your situation.”
Xiang Mu smiled bitterly. “In fact, this matter is really weird, and it has something to do with my wife.”
It had been almost five years since Xiang Mu’s wife passed away. They also had a daughter who was now studying abroad. It stood to reason that Xiang Mu had a good appearance and was wealthy. As a middle-aged and widowed man with no son, there were no problems with women clamoring for him, but Xiang Mu was an exception. He had a good relationship with his wife, and he hadn’t remarried in the past five years, despite the persuasion of his friends.
His wife had a bracelet that was passed down from her mother’s family. After her death, Xiang Mu kept this bracelet and was prepared to give it to his daughter when she got married, but the problem lay in this bracelet.
Starting about a year ago, Xiang Mu began to frequently have a recurring dream. In the dream, he was reunited with his late wife. His wife was still in the prime of her appearance. Xiang Mu was naturally extremely happy. After a long parting, the old relationship was rekindled. The whispering between the two quickly turned into a love affair. When he woke up, the pillow was still cold, and the whereabouts of his wife were gone. He was quite saddened by it. However, after that, Xiang Mu began to meet his wife in his dreams again, and every time it would end with a spring dream. Over time, Xiang Mu stumbled upon the jade bracelet he kept in the bedroom safe. It seemed that it had become smoother and more lustrous.
“This bracelet was originally worn by my wife for decades during her lifetime. She never took it off. I originally wanted to put it in the bank with other things, but every time I saw the bracelet, I couldn’t help but look at it and think about it. I can’t help leaving it so far away from me, so I put it in the bedroom.”
Having said that, there was a trace of an unspeakable expression on Xiang Mu’s face. “I’m not afraid of your jokes, telling you this. I’m not old in age and I usually exercise. I’m a man with normal needs, but I haven’t had this kind of dream before. I once doubted if there were any physical or psychological problems, but the test results were all normal. It was no wonder that my dreams were so beautiful. I seemed to have returned to the days I spent with my wife when I was young. As time goes by, it’s inevitable that I will be indulgent.”
All the people present were men, and they were not ordinary people. Not only did no one express the meaning of ridicule, but they all nodded in understanding. Xiang Mu was encouraged, relaxed a little, and continued.
Despite that, having a spring dream so often, no matter how healthy or strong Xiang Mu was, it was inevitable that it would take a mental toll. What was even more strange was that later, he occasionally had an extended version of the dream. After his wife said she was happy with him, she began to cry silently. No matter what he asked, she would refuse to speak and kept crying until Xiang Mu woke up.
Since then, Xiang Mu’s night had basically been trapped in such a dream, unable to extricate himself.
“You keep leaving the bracelet in the bedroom?” Liu Qingbo couldn’t help asking.
Xiang Mu: “Yes.”
Liu Qingbo frowned. “So many things have happened. Why don’t you throw away the bracelet or destroy it? Are you waiting to be sucked dry?”
This was so straightforward that it made Xiang Mu a little embarrassed.
“In fact, since my wife passed away, I have always missed her very much, and for this reason, I have never remarried…”
He didn’t go on, but the implication was already obvious.
Xiang Mu meant that he enjoyed his spring dreams and didn’t mention that the object in his spring dreams was his wife. On the one hand, he could see his dead lover in his dream, and on the other hand, he could relive his youth with his lover. He couldn’t help but indulge in it, knowing that something was wrong, but he couldn’t bear to leave.
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. As soon as he heard this, he knew that Xiang Mu was not willing to destroy the bracelet or stay away from it. The other party had to go around in a big circle looking for things that could be solved simply.
Dong Zhi asked bluntly, “Mr. Xiang, there must be a problem with your bracelet, but we can’t give you an answer before we see the real thing. I want to ask you first, how do you want us to help you?”
Xiang Mu pondered for a moment, and said, “I want to know, is my wife’s soul trapped in that bracelet to support my dreams?”
Dong Zhi: “What if it is?”
Xiang Mu hesitated, and he hadn’t figured out what to do.
Dong Zhi said, “Even if it is really your wife’s soul, it’s not good for you or her to go on like this. She is sucking your essence night by night, nourishing her ghostly bodily and, overtime, she won’t be willing to be trapped in the bracelet and perhaps she may even possess your body!”
Xiang Mu laughed. “This is impossible. She was very kind during her lifetime!”
Liu Qingbo said, “There is nothing impossible. After a person dies, everything will disappear. If she misses the world and refuses to die, her temperament will definitely change. If she is really dedicated to your sake, how can she be willing to suck your energy every night?”
Chen Guoliang also said, “Mr. Xiang, people cannot come back from the dead. Humans have human ways and ghosts have their own. The three realms and six paths* has their own rules. If those rules are broken, you may also delay your wife’s end.”
*Reference to Samsara. The three realms refer to the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the realm of immateriality, while the six paths are typically divided into three higher realms (good) and three lower realms (evil). You can read my Kinky Thoughts for more details on this, but it’s basically a belief in what happens after one dies and goes through reincarnation/rebirth.
Xiang Mu sighed. “Can you do this? After the auction, I will take you to my house first to see the bracelet. If you can, please help persuade my wife so that she can go to reincarnation with peace of mind as soon as possible!”
Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo looked at each other. The purpose of their trip was the painting, so naturally they had to help Xiang Mu solve his troubles first.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble you!” Xiang Mu was very grateful.
Kinky Thoughts:
Three Realms and Six Paths.
The three realms referred to:
The Realm of Desire: From hell to heaven, there’s a mixture of good and evil and men and women live together, tainted by desire
The Realm of Form: From the first to the fourth meditation heaven, there is no female form and thus no desire are tainted, and everything is incarnated by pure colors
The Realm of Immateriality: From the heavens to the void, there is but colorless emptiness.
The six paths refer to Samsara. Each path (realms) is split into 3 higher realms (representing good, fortunate) and 3 lower realms (representing evil, unfortunate). Below is a description of each realm courtesy of Wikipedia:
Gods realm: the gods (devas) is the most pleasure-filled among the six realms, and typically subdivided into twenty six sub-realms. A rebirth in this heavenly realm is believed to be from very good karma accumulation. A Deva does not need to work, and is able to enjoy in the heavenly realm all pleasures found on earth. However, the pleasures of this realm lead to attachment (Upādāna), lack of spiritual pursuits and therefore no nirvana. The vast majority of Buddhist lay people, states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices motivated with rebirth into Deva realm. The Deva realm in Buddhist practice in southeast and east Asia, states Keown, include gods found in Hindu traditions such as Indra and Brahma, and concepts in Hindu cosmology such as Mount Meru.
Human realm: called the manuṣya realm. Buddhism asserts that one is reborn in this realm with vastly different physical endowments and moral natures because of a being’s past karma. A rebirth in this realm is considered as fortunate because it offers an opportunity to attain nirvana and end the Saṃsāra cycle.
Demi-god realm (Asura): the demi-gods (asuras) is the third realm of existence in Buddhism. Asura are notable for their anger and some supernatural powers. They fight with the Devas (gods), or trouble the Manusya (humans) through illnesses and natural disasters. They accumulate karma, and are reborn. Demi-god is sometimes ranked as one of the evil realms as there are stories of them fighting against the Gods.
Animal realm: is state of existence of a being as an animal (tiryag). This realm is traditionally thought to be similar to a hellish realm, because animals are believed in Buddhist texts to be driven by impulse and instinct, they prey on each other and suffer. Some Buddhist texts assert that plants belong to this realm, with primitive consciousness.
Hungry ghost realm: hungry ghosts and other restless spirits (preta) are rebirths caused by karma of excessive craving and attachments. They do not have a body, are invisible and constitute only “subtle matter” of a being. Buddhist texts describe them as beings who are extremely thirsty and hungry, very small mouths but very large stomachs. Buddhist traditions in Asia attempt to care for them on ritual days every year, by leaving food and drinks in open, to feed any hungry ghosts nearby. When their bad karma demerit runs out, these beings are reborn into another realm. According to McClelland, this realm is the mildest of the three evil realms. According to Yangsi Rinpoche, in contrast, the suffering of the beings born in the realm of the hungry ghosts is far more intense than those born in the animal realm.
Hell realm: beings in hell (naraka) enter this realm for evil karma such as theft, lying, adultery and others. The texts vary in their details, but typically describe numerous hellish regions each with different forms of intense suffering, such as eight extremely hot hellish realms, eight extremely cold, being partially eaten alive, beating and other forms of torture in proportion to the evil karma accumulated. These beings are reborn in another realm after their evil karma has run its course, they die, and they get another chance. This realm is not similar to afterlife hell in Christianity, states Damien Keown, because in Buddhism there is no realm of final damnation and existence in this realm is also a temporary state.
People around him rushed to check, and he was quickly pushed out. His expression was still a little stunned and he didn’t seem to understand how that person could be dead.
The sudden death of a cosplayer caused a small commotion, but more people didn’t know what was going on. The venue was too big. Ming Xian looked around blankly, holding a cellphone in his hand, hesitating whether to call the police or call an ambulance, when his arm was suddenly caught.
He turned his head, and it was Tang Jing.
Ming Xian didn’t have time to think about why Tang Jing ran over, but when he saw the other party, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Someone’s dead!” he said sharply.
“I know, there’s also an incident over there.” Tang Jing grabbed his arm. The casual smile on his face was no longer present and the pretty face that had makeup on looked faintly demonic. “Go find the nearest exit and leave. I have to notify security and the police. They will come over soon and evacuate the crowd.”
Seeing him turn around, Ming Xian couldn’t help but say, “What are you looking for? I’ll help you find it!”
“No, you need to leave first. Hurry up!” Tang Jing let go, and before Ming Xian had time to say more, he was gone.
While Tang Jing participated in this anime convention as a hobby, it was only a secondary reason, and he used helping out friends as an excuse. The real reason was to ensure the smooth progress of the event.
Recently, because of the search for the stone tablets, the Special Administration Bureau had loosened its grip on the outside but tightened it on the inside, especially regarding the Japanese. In particular, since Shencheng was an international metropolis and close to Japan, it was better to be vigilant. With all these unreasonable events, somehow there tends to be a loose connection to them. Large-scale events or meetings like this convention could attract unwanted attention, so the focus was on prevention.
Soon, there would be a high-profile international conference held here. In this case, not only would the police be on high alert, but even the Special Administration Bureau would have to cooperate and assist.
The branch office had a lot of manpower, and most of them had their own duties. During these three days of the anime convention, Tang Jing personally took Shu He and Huo Jie to guard here. He thought they would simply be going through the notion, but he didn’t expect anything to happen on the last day.
Together with the cosplayer just now, two people had already died suddenly. Shu He and Huo Jie were one step late when they found out. Tang Jing knew very well that even if they managed to get a forensic doctor for an autopsy, there would be no results. At most, it was a myocardial or cerebral infarction.
But just now, he clearly smelled a trace of magic…
In a flash, it was covered up by the yang from the sea of people. This method was truly clever.
As soon as that ray of magic aura entered the sea of people, it instantly became like a fish in the water, disappearing without a trace, occasionally leaving a cunning tail behind. When the hunter heard the news, it had already disappeared. Even for Tang Jing, it was difficult to trace the ray of magic in such a huge venue among tens of thousands of people.
Some people already knew that two people had suddenly died, and the unexplained panic made them want to run away. Those who didn’t know yet continued to wander around in a daze, but the news would eventually spread like wildfire. Even with security personnel, it was inevitable that there would be a stampede when everyone panicked, making the scene more chaotic and it would become more difficult to catch that ray of magic when the time came.
Tang Jing had an extra mirror in his hand. When he was illuminated by the lights of the venue, he suddenly emitted a dazzling light. Many people’s eyes swept to him. Before they could remove their gaze, they immediately felt their eyes tingling, and they couldn’t help but cover their eyes and scream.
But Tang Jing caught a flash of a black shadow in the light. It was extremely fast and fleeting, like the blink of an eye.
Northwest gate!
Tang Jing pushed away the crowd and ran towards the northwest gate.
He didn’t seem to use much force, but the people around him fell to the side as soon as he pushed them. Tang Jing left all the curses behind, and quickly rushed towards the door.
No matter how fast he was, at the end of the day, he was running on two legs, which was incomparable with an ethereal and invisible demonic energy. Seeing that he was about to lose the chase, Tang Jing squinted his eyes and casually touched the hairpin on his head and threw it.
The hairpin turned into white light and chased after the demonic energy at such a high velocity that no one had time to see clearly. The light quickly hit the demonic energy and suddenly stagnated its movement. In the blink of an eye, Tang Jing had already arrived.
The northwest gate was a small gate, which was not usually open. There was a long and narrow alley behind it, and at the end was a warehouse.
The demon energy condensed, landed and looked back. It roared lowly at the person blocking its path.
“A soul eater?” Tang Jing looked surprised and puzzled. “How could this thing be mixed with demonic energy?”
The name sounded terrifying, but in fact, this strange beast ate the souls of the dead, or those souls who refused to pass on and still lingered in the living world. They often haunt cemeteries or crematoriums. In a sense, humans didn’t need to be afraid of it.
But now it was clear that interested people had taken advantage of the characteristics of the soul eater and injected it with demonic energy, turning it from an ordinary and harmless soul eater to a monster that devoured the anger of the living.
In this kind of venue with tens of thousands of people and a lot of mobility, it was difficult to trace if it were to swallow up a little bit of anger. At most, those it devoured would only feel a bit weak, and their traces of anger would leave them. However, if its target happened to be weak, then it would become life-threatening.
The soul eater also seemed to be aware of the threat posed by Tang Jing, and after roaring, it slowly retreated, in order to pave the way for its next attack.
Tang Jing didn’t give it such an opportunity. He skillfully threw out the ribbon in his arms, and the soft, slender ribbon suddenly shot straight at the soul eater, directly entangling its neck tightly. Tang Jing shook his wrist, and the soul eater was involuntarily pulled over.
“What is this?!” There was an exclamation from behind.
Another soul eater was waiting for an opportunity to act, and its body lowered slightly, then jumped directly up and pounced on the person behind Tang Jing.
Tang Jing closed his five fingers one by one, and dazzling light poured out of his palms. Before Ming Xian could see clearly, the soul eater that was covered with black demonic energy was shrouded by light and instantly crushed. The magic energy exploded into fine powder and dissipated into the air, leaving no traces behind.
Ming Xian’s face was shocked, as if he had just watched a fantasy blockbuster.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why did you follow me?”
Tang Jing pulled his hand, and the remaining soul eater also entered the light. The ribbon was burned by the demonic energy, and he put it aside.
His hair and clothes were still neat, and Tang Jing still looked like the charming Yu Ji. On the other hand, Ming Xian was covered in dust and his wig was tangled everywhere.
“There are too many people at the exit. I can’t squeeze through. Seeing you running over, I just followed, wanting to see if there is anything that can help…” Ming Xian swallowed and couldn’t help but take two steps back. “If I say I didn’t see anything, is it still too late?”
Tang Jing showed a grim smile. “What if I say it’s too late?”
Ming Xian said weakly, “Then you’re not going to kill me, are you?”
Before he finished speaking, his chin was pinched.
Ming Xian involuntarily raised his head slightly, letting the other party’s slender five fingers slowly slide down to his neck, which was tantamount to exposing his fatal weakness and was just waiting to be slaughtered.
He wanted to cry without tears. “You, are you really going to kill me?”
Tang Jing’s face slowly approached, and the pair of beautiful eyes under his slender eyebrows seemed to be smiling but not really smiling. Ming Xian looked at it steadily, unwilling to blink. If he was going to die, he might as well die looking at this peony flower. It would be quite romantic if he became a ghost.
Then he made a request that was even scarier than death.
“Then, can I kiss you before I die?”
Tang Jing raised his eyebrows, not as sullen as he had imagined.
“Where my dear?”
He could still choose? Ming Xian was overjoyed, and his gaze fell on Tang Jing’s lips.
“You—you close your eyes first.”
Of course, Tang Jing didn’t close his eyes and instead directly slapped him.
“What are you thinking?! Let’s go!”
Ming Xian was dragged away by him in a daze, while looking back. “Those things…”
Tang Jing casually said, “I took care of them.”
If it weren’t for the presence of people from the Special Administration Bureau, these two lives would at most be regarded as having suffered from suffocation and fainted. Their sudden deaths were attributed to too many participants in the event, and they would make the local daily headlines.
The people involved in this conspiracy had absorbed a lot of yang energy from the living during this time. Tang Jing couldn’t speculate out of thin air on what they were planning, but he felt a headache when he thought that security must be strengthened at all large-scale events and conferences in the future.
Ming Xian was unaware of his distress, and said with interest, “You’re really not an ordinary person, are you? In fact, I saw it on the plane. You have a mysterious aura, just like the male protagonist in my novel. Tangtang, I want to write to you as my male protagonist and promise not to reveal your real name and keep your privacy. Is that okay?”
What kind of mysterious aura? Tang Jing slowly turned his head. “Who are you calling Tangtang*?”
*Calling someone’s name like this indicates fondness and closeness (whether it be their last or first name).
Ming Xian: “Then Jingjing?”
Tang Jing: “I prefer it if you just shut up.”
Back at the venue, the crowd had been almost evacuated. The exhibition hall closed early on the grounds that the lighting failure affected safety. This reason naturally caused some people to be dissatisfied. They felt that they had spent money but suffered a loss. As soon as the crowd dispersed, it wasn’t easy for the other party to absorb a lot of yang energy. Shu He and Huo Jie were still searching constantly, trying to discover the real murderer behind the scenes.
Tang Jing couldn’t help frowning.
At today’s anime convention, exhibitors and players would dress up in different novel costumes. With the various cosplays to provide a convenient cover, it was easy for demonic activities to take advantage of this. That’s why Tang Jing personally came to monitor the area. In fact, the Special Administration Bureau had already made arrangements in advance. There were magic arrays all around the venue, which were difficult for normal people to detect. If it was a demon with an evil aura, it would trigger an alarm and be discovered by them.
But the magic arrays didn’t sound any alarms the entire day. That is to say, whether it was the murderer or the soul eaters, it was very unlikely that they snuck in from outside.
What the hell went wrong?
Tang Jing raised his eyes to look at the various lights on the steel frames at the top of the venue. His gaze swept across the venue that gradually became empty and finally fell on Ming Xian beside him.
Ming Xian: ???
Tang Jing frowned at him.
Ming Xian looked back blankly and innocently.
Tang Jing: “Did you notice anything unusual before you saw that person fall to the ground just now?”
Ming Xian said indifferently, “No, it was his companion who pushed him, and he fell down in a daze, but now that you mentioned it, I remember that when I was walking in the crowd before, the venue was extremely crowded, so it was pretty stuffy. I’m not sure why, but every now and then, there would be a few cold breezes blowing from my neck. I thought it was the air conditioning at the time.”
Tang Jing: “Neck?”
Ming Xian nodded. “I felt it on the back of my neck. The breeze jumped into my clothes from below and blew out from my collar.”
Below…
Tang Jing looked behind Ming Xian, his eyes slowly looking down.
Ming Xian moved embarrassedly. “Don’t…”
Tang Jing could see what was going on in the other party’s mind from a glance. The person on the plane looked pure, but he didn’t expect that yellow waste* had already flooded his mind. He was indeed worthy of being a novel writer.
*Refers to crude/explicit things. Basically, he’s saying Ming Xian has a dirty mind.
In normal times, he might tease him, then take him home, and fornicate amidst the golden autumn wind and the jade-glistening dew*, but there were more important business matters at the moment. When the words of ridicule came to his lips, Tang Jing took those thoughts back.
*This is referencing Meeting across the Milky Way from the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl tale. I’ve explained this in an earlier chapter, but it’s the story of the romance between a weaver girl and a cowherd, which was forbidden, and thus they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (the Milky Way) and are only allowed to meet for a single day once a year. The golden autumn wind and jade-glistening dew represent the season in which the cowherd and the weaver girl get to meet. || In this context, it’s basically saying he would take him home and bang him (put in a cruder way) but more poetically written (alluding to the single day of the year where the cowherd and weaver girl meet… and you know what they would do as lovers since they could only meet once a year).
He saw a bulge that was temporarily covered. It was originally supposed to be a ground plug, which was generally used to connect the power supply. It was everywhere in the exhibition hall. The red carpet had been specially covered to prevent everyone from tripping over it.
The wires led to the underground and also to the outside.
This was a loophole in the magic array. Because the venue was too big, they only had time to arrange the surroundings, and they couldn’t cover the upper and lower parts. It would take too much energy, and the gain wouldn’t be worth the loss. Even the head of Mount Longhu couldn’t do it, thus the other party took advantage of this and came from underground and walked the grounds absorbing yang energy without them knowing.
How smart.
Tang Jing smiled coldly.
—
The other side of Shencheng.
The auction was located on the second floor of a gallery. The content was exhibitions and auctions. However, when he checked online, Dong Zhi found that the auction had been held several times. It was initiated by a well-known local collector. The target was aimed mainly at high-end customers. If they had stayed at the express hotel as originally planned, they wouldn’t have received this kind of promotional brochure.
Although there were brochures, generally speaking, this kind of activity would usually involve people in the circle bringing acquaintances with them. Very few outsiders would rush over to participate like Dong Zhi.
A well-dressed young lady entertained them. When she saw the two of them coming, she didn’t show any surprise or contempt for these country bumpkins. She still smiled and asked, “Are you two planning only to visit the cultural and entertainment exhibition, or do you plan to participate in the auction together?”
Dong Zhi: “Is there any difference?”
The other party patiently explained, “The exhibition is mainly based on classical Chinese culture. There are paintings, calligraphy, antiques, jewelry, and the like. It is a collection from various folk collectors. As long as you two register, you can enter and look at the exhibits. If you still want to participate in the subsequent auctions, you have to pay a deposit of 500,000 per person. When the event is over, if the two of you didn’t bid on anything, the deposit will be refunded by the full amount. If you bid on something, then the money will be directly deducted from your deposit, and what remains will be returned.”
Dong Zhi hadn’t participated in this kind of high-end auction, so he looked at Liu Qingbo. Anyway, it was mainly the young master who wanted to participate so he could cause some trouble.
Liu Qingbo frowned and said, “How do I know that the deposit will be refunded?”
The young lady’s smile stagnated slightly. “Sir, our event is held five times every year. Mr. Xiang Mu is a well-known collector in our city and has a good reputation both at home and abroad. Moreover, this event is in cooperation with Christie’s Auction House*. Your concerns can be said to be non-existent.”
*British auction house founded by James Christie.
Dong Zhi had heard of the name Xiang Mu but only knew that he was an entrepreneur. He didn’t realize that the name was also associated with a collector. Now that he thought about it, it was normal. In troubled times, buy gold, while in prosperous times, buy antiques and art. Only those with considerable financial strength could afford such a thing.
Liu Qingbo curled his lips and took out a card. “Okay, register for us. We’ll participate in the auction.”
The lady smiled slightly and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t make it clear just now. It’s half a million dollars U.S. dollars. This could potentially freeze your credit card. It won’t be an issue for the two of you, right?”
Liu Qingbo raised his brows. “No problem.”
Dong Zhi jabbed him with his elbow. “You also pay for my half million!”
Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes. “Didn’t Boss Long give you a black card?”
Dong Zhi was taken aback. “How did you know?”
Liu Qingbo said arrogantly, “The last time I saw you going through your wallet, I accidentally saw it. If I didn’t even have this kind of eyesight, what kind of sword would I practicing?”
Dong Zhi spread his hand. “If I swipe that card, Master will immediately know that we are messing around here. I promised him last time not to run around casually. My own money is in the treasury. I won’t be able to get so much cash for a while. It’s up to you. Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me if I participate or not. Otherwise, you can just go by yourself, and I’ll take a stroll outside, and we’ll find a place to meet.”
Liu Qingbo originally went because of Chen Guoliang. If Dong Zhi was missing, he would have had no one to share the fun with, so he said angrily, “Go, go, I’ll pay for you!”
Between the two of them, one million U.S. dollars was spent, which was roughly between six to seven million yuan. Young Master Liu didn’t even bat an eye when he swiped the card directly and signed his name. They both got the invitation letter for the function, and he went in with Dong Zhi.
Dong Zhi gave a thumbs up. “So chic! So arrogant!”
Liu Qingbo snorted, “Isn’t your black card more arrogant than me when you take it out?”
Dong Zhi: “That’s my ultimate lethal weapon and cannot easily be displayed.”
The two of them went to the second floor as they chattered. The exhibition would be open from 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon. There would be a cocktail party and meals at noon, all of which were provided free of charge, but only guests who had paid a deposit were allowed to participate, while ordinary guests could only visit the cultural exhibition for free.
They originally thought that the cultural exhibition was just a gimmick, and the focus was still on the auction, but as soon as they entered, they knew that they had the wrong idea. There were really a lot of good things in the exhibition. Of course, whether it was genuine or not, the two of them weren’t experts, and they couldn’t tell with their naked eyes, but the richness and heritage of the collection was still beyond imagination.
It spanned thousands of years of Chinese history. From the royal families to the nobles to the common people, there had been wars and displacements, changing of dynasties, and many treasures had been scattered overseas, while an untold number of treasures were buried in dirt. Although the collection of the museum was precious, it was only a small part of all the treasures still yet discovered, and by chance, these could be acquired by folk collectors.
Like collections, wealth would always be collected and circulated slowly, and eventually it would be acquired by the very few. These collectors had a dazzling array of things in their hands. If they only collected and enjoyed it themselves, there would be some regret, but they were reluctant to donate their treasures. Thus, this kind of private exhibition existed, which was open to the public for viewing, but really was to satisfy their own ego and sense of accomplishment. After all, the idea was similar to children who possessed novelty toys and wanted to show off to their friends.
Dong Zhi looked down at the catalogue of exhibits he took at the door. Today’s exhibits were quite mixed. It included things from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. There were also a few from the Qin and Han Dynasties. It was mainly porcelain, calligraphy, and paintings, and there were also some ancient jewelries. The latter was gorgeous and dazzling, with various precious inlaid gems that were quite colorful. It was the highlight for most visitors. Many people lingered around the jewelry showcase and used their phones to take pictures.
Liu Qingbo was quiet for a while, and then he couldn’t help but complain, “I think it must be fake… Fuck! Look over there. It says that this is a Chenghua Doucai chicken cup*. How fucking laughable! Do you know the price tag on this thing outside? And the guy just puts something worth hundreds of millions on display that’s only separated by a piece of glass for everyone to see? If you ask me, it must be a replica from the Qianlong period!”
*Bowl shape Chinese porcelain painted in the doucai technique and decorated with chickens, hens, and roosters. There are currently 13 authentic Chenghua cups help by museums and 3 owned privately. According to auction records, the highest price one of these ever sold for was for $36.05 million USD.
Compared to Liu Qingbo, who was a skeptic, Dong Zhi was truly interested in looking at the collection seriously.
With a background in painting, he gave more importance to the lines and color of each collection. Facing the patterns of the porcelain, he could stand there motionless and look at it for a long time.
Of course, as Liu Qingbo said, there may be fakes mixed in, but even if they were fakes, at least the workmanship was delicate enough that it could be appreciated as a work of art.
Seeing that he hadn’t moved for a long time, Liu Qingbo was too impatient to wait, so he went around the exhibition hall first, but when he looked back, Dong Zhi still hadn’t moved a step, so he came back and urged him.
“What’s so good about a bunch of fakes?”
“Look at this painting,” Dong Zhi said.
He was talking about a landscape painting in front of him. The name was that of an unknown painter. According to the introduction next to him, the painter’s name was Wei Kun, a person from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. This painting was from the 19th year of Yongle. When he passed by the foot of Shaohua Mountain and saw the setting sun on the peaks mixed with the emerald greenery of autumn, he painted this painting with that emotion. There were two poems next to it.
An unremarkable feng shui painting.
For things like brushwork and artistic conception, Liu Qingbo had no artistic bone and couldn’t see it, but it could be seen from the painter that this painting must’ve not a name in history. At most, it was old and well-preserved, so it was worth some money.
However, Dong Zhi wasn’t bored enough to tease him about such trivial matters, which made Liu Qingbo suppress his impatience and take a serious look at the painting, seeing if he could really find something in it.
“You mean, this?” He pointed to a rocky road in the forest.
There was a forest at the foot of the mountain. The water flowing down from the top of the mountain gradually flattened and turned into a stream under it. Pieces of red leaves fell on the stream and the stones that occlude it. There was a large stone tablet standing crookedly, half buried in the soil, as if it had been washed down by heavy rain. It looked like a tombstone, but it didn’t seem like it was one because there was no grave next to it, and no one would put a grave next to the edge of a stream.
Dong Zhi nodded. “Take a closer look at the words above.”
Wei Kun’s painting was painted with great care, which was specifically reflected in his presentation of the details. When one looked closer, one could still see the lines of trees and stones, and the feathers of birds. Not only that, but even the text on the exposed half of the stone tablet was portrayed beautifully.
Liu Qingbo squinted for a long time and finally remembered that the stone tablet they found in the underground alter in Yinchuan had exactly this kind of rune!
Although half of the stone tablet was still buried underground, the painter painted the other half that was exposed. However, even with just half to go off of, Liu Qingbo confirmed that it wasn’t a mistake. After returning from Yinchuan at that time, before they resealed the alter, Long Shen had specifically copied the runes of the stone tablet and distributed it to everyone. It was used as an internal circulatory material for them to study. Although everyone was still puzzled by the meaning behind the runes, they were quite familiar with them and could recall them after seeing them.
Liu Qingbo didn’t expect that he would actually make a shocking discovery on a whim of wanting to tease Cheng Guoliang.
Jiang Lin opened her eyes. The snow-white ceiling was pressed down head-on, and a mechanical sound of beeping was noisily in her ears. In a daze, she shed angry tears.
The two young men were really unscrupulous. It wasn’t her fault that her companion died. She was also a victim in all this. The ship itself was the property of Elysium. In that situation, she was also part owner of the ship. There was no reason to escape without the owner, but those two boys didn’t give her any due respect.
She thought faintly that the people who came from the Walking Stones were rude. Her forehead was still hurting badly, like her mind was being squeezed by a snake. Jiang Lin fumbled in her pocket, but she didn’t touch the warm velvet bag in her memory.
They had lost their firefly.
As consciousness recovered, uncontrollable numbness and itching spread throughout her body. She needed a firefly. The fireflies can get her out of all this. It would help her clear away the pain and negative thoughts that kept surging. Like a firefly in the dark, it would continue to lead her to be a perfect person, a flawless mother.
Jiang Lin squeezed the quilt under her hand and breathed in pain. Suddenly, a warm hand covered the back of her hand.
The skin of that hand was rough and dry to the touch, clearly belonging to an old man. There weren’t many old people these days, and there were very few who could move freely in Elysium.
“Fan Lao…” Jiang Lin choked and said, “I—I brought the ship back.”
“The family needs a responsible person like you.” The old man smiled and moved closer.
“I want… I want to see Chengcheng, Fan Lao. Let me see Chengcheng. How is Chengcheng doing up there?”
“Mom!” As the old man waved his fingers, a light screen was projected in the air, and a little boy’s smiling face appeared from the middle of the light screen. “Mom, when will you come upstairs to see me?”
However, Jiang Lin bent over and grabbed the old man’s hand tightly. She turned her back, hid her face out of sight of the little boy, and tried to suppress her groan.
“Fan Lao, ship, people… are all contributions. Can you give me a firefly, just one… I only ate one today and didn’t violate the rules… I don’t want Chengcheng to see me like this…”
“Of course, of course.” The old man took a step back with a smile and asked the assistant next to him to step forward. The young assistant in a suit had a sluggish expression. He touched his pocket and didn’t take out the medicine Jiang Lin longed for. Instead, he took out a thin syringe full of emerald green liquid.
Jiang Lin rolled her eyes and expressed her doubts with what sanity she had left.
“This works better.” The smile on Fan Lao’s face was even more kind. “Don’t worry. We’re a family.”
Jiang Lin stretched out her arm and didn’t question it anymore.
“Move her upstairs.” Half a minute later, the smile on Fan Lao’s face faded a bit as he looked at the dying woman in front of him. Her mouth and eyes had started to grow grass buds. “She has no relatives or friends down there, right?”
“No.” The man covered the body with a white cloth. “Both of her teammates are dead.”
“I see.” Fan Lao nodded. “The simulation video of that little boy can be deleted. No need to process her video, just plant her.”
At the same time.
“Is this your pet?”
After agreeing to Tang Yibu’s request for “dinner” with a smile, Duan Lili let go of Tang Yibu’s arm, squatted down, and gently stroked the iron bead hiding behind Tang Yibu.
“I know this kind of mechanical life. We call it Grove R-660. It’s not common to raise it, but we can help you program it.”
“Program it?” Ruan Xian stopped turning around.
“Yes, there are eight professional engineers at Elysium. In order to make everyone’s life happier, we have prepared various programs.” She patted the iron bead and stood up gracefully. “Reprogramming can make it smarter and even thoroughly understand human language. If you want, you can also add a cat or dog personality to it.”
Ruan Xian frowned slowly.
“No.” This time Tang Yibu was the first to speak. He picked up the iron bead, and there was a little more doubt in his voice. “Then it can’t communicate with its kind.”
The smile on Duan Lili’s face froze for half a second: “Isn’t it your pet?”
“No, I lied to it.” Tang Yibu flicked the shell of the iron bead, causing it to rattle comfortably. “Strictly speaking, it never belonged to me, and I have no right to deprive it of the right to communicate with its kind.”
“I think you misunderstood.” After thinking about it, Duan Lili’s smile became a bit more cordial. “It’ll only become smarter. It won’t forget its original habits and it won’t lose its ability to communicate with its companions.”
“I’m not talking about ‘ability’.” Tang Yibu widened his eyes slightly. “I have collected similar information. If its intelligence far exceeds that of its kind, it will only suffer. Its kind will no longer understand its behavior, and it will be very… An accurate description by the records in data: It will be very lonely.”
Ruan Xian, who wanted to speak, closed his mouth and gave Tang Yibu a sideways glance.
Tang Yibu sounded seriously confusing. The android and Duan Lili were not on the same wavelength at all. At this moment, he should start another topic and end this small discussion that was unimportant so as to save Duan Lili from becoming suspicious.
But he wanted to listen.
Duan Lili bluntly expressed her astonishment. She seemed to be stunned by the young man in front of her. “In other words, you don’t want it to become smarter…” She tried to summarize.
“This is not something I have the final say. I’m just an unrelated stranger and I’m not qualified to judge.” Tang Yibu shook his head. “It has a certain limit of intelligence. If it wants, it can choose by itself.”
“Do you want to be smart?” After that, Tang Yibu asked the iron bead in his arms seriously.
“Gwah?” The iron bead took a bite of Tang Yibu’s coat and chewed on it happily.
“It doesn’t seem to need it for the time being,” Tang Yibu said sincerely.
Duan Lili took a deep breath and silently took a few steps back in Ruan Xian’s direction. She wisely decided to end the topic on her own. “Well, I’ll show you two to the guest room first. Dinner is about to start, and I think the two of you will want to take a shower, change clothes, or something.”
After leading them to the empty room, Duan Lili glanced at Ruan Xian’s holster and pursed her lips. A decent smile seemed to be engraved on her face. The deputy captain kept her steps graceful as she left, her high heels clacking on the ground firmly.
The room in front of him was incredibly clean and tidy.
Even when he first arrived at the refuge, he didn’t pay such attention to his residence. Scented candles and speakers were placed on the small wooden cabinet by the bed, the retro-shaped bedside lamp was on; and the entire room was filled with warm light. Ruan Xian plucked the tassel of the window curtain with his hand, drove the iron bead off the bed, and then turned to Tang Yibu…
The android was already gone, and there was a vague sound of water humming in the bathroom.
Just as the corners of Ruan Xian’s mouth tended to rise, they tightened rapidly in the next second.
This was a good opportunity.
He threw the iron bead on the sofa beside him, quickly checked the speakers by the bed, and then the projector not far away. He kept tapping on their shells, trying to judge the model of the parts inside by sound.
As long as he figured out the possible mechanism by which the earring attacked his brain, he could design a device that blocked the killing function of the earring and remove the invisible collar. It was imperative to make a test device to determine what kind of behavior was considered “harmful to Tang Yibu” and what kind of signal Tang Yibu wanted to send to the earring…
After neatly disassembling and assembling, Ruan Xian took a metal fountain pen from the pen holder and assembled the parts into the body of the fountain pen. Listening to the pleasant humming in the bathroom, he put his hand on the handle of the blood gun.
If he hadn’t shot at Tang Yibu’s vital point, would the android immediately kill him with this earring? Or would he stop the attack in time and impose a slight punishment? Maybe he could test it out, deliberately act frightened, and then…
The iron bead rolled to Ruan Xian’s feet and began to play with his pants.
Ruan Xian glanced down at it.
…Tang Yibu would suffer minor injuries at most, while he might die. Or he might be able to deceive Tang Yibu, successfully crack the attack mechanism of the earring, and wait for the opportunity to leave by himself. It was just that the android was sometimes too smart, and Ruan Xian wasn’t sure if he could lie about the past perfectly. There was only one thing he could be sure of—whether he succeeded or not, Tang Yibu would be more alert towards him.
Ruan Xian lowered his eyes and slowly stuffed the blood gun back into the holster.
He picked up the iron bead and watched the dirt on the iron shell rub against his white coat. The metal shell of the mechanical life was slightly cool to the touch, and it wasn’t comfortable holding it.
The timing was wrong, Ruan Xian told himself. Although it wasn’t very different from human emotional patterns, androids always possessed emotions. He wasn’t familiar with it yet, so now wasn’t the time.
Their cooperation was tentatively smooth, and creating testing equipment wasn’t difficult. He could… wait a bit, at least to gather more information.
Taking an inhale, Ruan Xian took out the modified parts and put them back into their original position.
“I’m done showering!” When Tang Yibu walked out of the bathroom, Ruan Xian had just put the parts of the speaker back in place. He turned his head and looked at Tang Yibu, almost choking on his own saliva. “Where are your clothes?”
“Let me tell you, they didn’t prepare any pajamas in the bathroom.” Tang Yibu stepped across the dirty clothes carelessly, opened the wardrobe opposite of the bathroom, seemingly unaware of his nakedness. “…The clothes here are inconvenient to move around. The quick-washing machine can still be used. Take off your clothes too, and we can wash them together since I’m going to run a load.”
Ruan Xian threw a stifled look over his blank face. “No.”
Tang Yibu pouted, wrapped his lower body with a thin blanket, and left the buzzing quick-washing machine that he had turned on. In the warm light, the android stretched out his limbs and lay on the bed in the room. The soft mattress was deeply sunken, and Tang Yibu was so shocked that his whole body stretched out.
He patted the bed twice in disbelief. “Mr. Ruan, this bed is very soft.”
Ruan Xian decided to roll his eyes openly, indicating that he didn’t have any willingness to talk. He put down the struggling iron bead in his arms, took off his dirty coat, and then picked a pair of linen pajamas from the closet at random, ready to move in the direction of the bathroom.
However, before Ruan Xian took two steps, he was pulled back from behind by a hand. His field of vision rotated, and his back hit something soft.
Tang Yibu pressed one of his arms with a serious expression. “Look, it’s really soft.”
Cool water droplets were left along Tang Yibu’s half-dried black hair and dripped onto Ruan Xian’s neck. Ruan Xian only felt the fluttering anger return to his chest. He took a deep breath and was just about to attack…
Tang Yibu leaned down; his lips were close to Ruan Xian’s ears, and his voice was so low that he could barely make out what was said. “Thank you.”
Ruan Xian instantly suppressed his anger. Tang Yibu’s expression couldn’t be clearly seen from this angle. He subconsciously shrank. “…For what?”
“Thank you for not attacking me with your blood gun,” Tang Yibu whispered with a smile.
For an instant, the blood in Ruan Xian’s body seemed to freeze. He turned his head sideways, just to meet Tang Yibu’s golden eyes.
“Also, although you didn’t feel anything, I’m not sure if anyone here is listening.” Tang Yibu bent his eyes. “Be careful with everything, my Mr. Ruan.”
The author has something to say:
You can eat in the next chapter! Hold on Tangtang! （×
After all, he is the strongest AI, so he’s not really stupid√
