Author: Kinky

Happy Doomsday Ch12

Kinky6 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 12: Partner

Artificial sunlight fell from the fake skylight on time. Ruan Xian opened his eyes and saw that Tang Yibu, who was beside him, was no longer there.

The last seven days of life had been just a simple repetition. There was no official ID card for the refuge, and the area that Ruan Xian could visit was limited. Since leaving the medical center, he hadn’t been able to go back to the lively hall but had stayed in the room for basically twenty-four hours a day. Tang Yibu would go to Guan Haiming at eight every day to correct his data and then retrieve food at the exact time during mealtime.

For the rest of the time, Tang Yibu would stay quietly in the room to clean or hum songs while watching Ruan Xian recover day and night, which he found quite annoying. Ding Zepeng occasionally came every few days, but then he seemed to have a task prepared, so he rarely showed up again.

After the initial night, Ruan Xian never asked Tang Yibu questions again. He focused all his energy on the information and opportunities at his fingertips. As long as he was still awake, Ruan Xian practiced coordination on the rehabilitation machine and played the introduction manual of the Shade Refuge repeatedly.

He was breathing today and would continue to breathe tomorrow. That was enough. Compared to the days of lingering illness, this current situation was far from death.

Ruan Xian successfully pressed the fear and uneasiness firmly down in his heart.

However, his calmness failed to drive Tang Yibu out of bed. The weird android would cling to him every night, as if he was an egg that needed a body temperature to hatch.

For the sake of improving sleep quality, Ruan Xian didn’t protest.

And just today, the week-long observation period was about to end. When Tang Yibu returned here again, he would have to say goodbye to this small room that he had lived in for a week and get an official identity card.

Ruan Xian sat up from the bed.

His shelter uniform, underwear, and socks were neatly stacked on the low cabinet by the bed. There was soft potato bread and steaming boiled beans on the plate resting on a wooden table not far away.

He skillfully dressed and jumped on the floor. This time, he didn’t touch the crutches on the side of the bed but went straight to the bathroom and removed the bandages from his neck that were used as camouflage.

Throwing the bandage into the garbage shredder, he looked directly at the face that was no longer unfamiliar in the mirror, showing a shallow smile suitable for socializing.

…Everything was ready.

But it wasn’t Tang Yibu who came to send the card, but a woman—or rather, a female android.

The visitor was wearing a black uniform for androids and had a bright smile on her face that was the same as Tang Yibu’s. She was a full head shorter than Ruan Xian. The tip of her nose was a bit curved, and her face was delicate and cute. “STR-X type 152d085 at your service.”

Learning forward slightly, 085 handed over the refuge ID card with both hands. “Mr. Ruan Lijie, please follow me and I’ll take you to the aptitude testing site.”

“What about 231?”

The female android tilted her head, but her expression didn’t fluctuate. “231 has ended his surveillance mission, and he’s currently on standby in the parts cleaning room according to the instructions.”

“Are you replacing him?”

“Report, no replacement. According to regulations, the surveillance period has ended, and you no longer need a long-term accompaniment of an auxiliary machine.”

Ruan Xian carefully observed the female android in front of him. She, like Tang Yibu, had a real human appearance, and her eyes were champagne gold with a metallic texture.

But there was a subtle difference. Ruan Xian always felt that the android in front of him had an indescribable sense of emptiness. He followed her silently, passing through all kinds of machinery and survivors, occasionally asking a few natural questions.

Common-sense questions were fine, but when faced with certain types of questions, she would only give him one answer.

“What was this refuge originally for?”

“Beyond the scope of consultation, please ask another question. STR-X type 152d085 is at your service.”

“Do you think it’s safe here?”

“Beyond the scope of consultation, please ask another question. STR-X type 152d085 is at your service.”

“Why are you here?”

“Beyond the scope of consultation, please ask another question. STR-X type 152d085 is at your service.”

No matter how many times he asked, she would always repeat it like this, and the smile on her face was as stiff as if it was engraved.

“Don’t ask, Ruan Ge. She can only execute a set of instructions. This is an android whose cybernetic brain has been destroyed. The same as 231.”

Ding Zepeng strolled over with a piece of potato bread in his hand, gesticulating vaguely. He no longer had the exoskeleton that supported his leg. “I just ran into 231 in the parts cleaning room. He said you were going to take the aptitude test…. Ruan Ge, do you want to have a meal together at noon? Chi Ge was discharged from the hospital, and Lao Zhang is fine, so let’s celebrate together.”

“Of course.” Ruan Xian smiled and patted Ding Zepeng on the shoulder.

“Okay. I’m going to prepare now.” The young man swallowed the bread in his mouth as his eyebrows fluttered. “The test will be over soon. It’s very simple. Don’t worry!”

The test was indeed not as complicated as Ruan Xian thought.

The content was the most basic physical test. There was no one in the test room. 085 put dozens of thin wireless sensors on him and gave him a communication headset. Many long-necked machines moved up and down around him, like snakes waiting for an opportunity to hunt.

Ruan Xian ignored them and just listened to the instructions in the headphones, then followed the instructed actions step by step—he twisted his joints, faced a specific direction, pulled a specific weight at a specific angle, or dealt with the treadmill that kept changing speed.

“Strength 87/100, endurance 92/100, reaction speed 100/100. Vision, hearing, and physical flexibility are all good. There are no obvious hidden dangers of diseases in the organs. Very good.”

The voice coming from the headset seemed to be Tian He’s. “…But your movement is too jerky. Your posture and breathing are obviously wrong, and your coordination could only be counted as moderate or low. At present, you can’t exert all your physical fitness. You need professional guidance and more frequent exercise.”

Ruan Xian wiped the sweat with a towel placed on the nearest machine and nodded his head. In just a week, he was able to run decently and exceed expectations, so naturally he didn’t have a semblance of athletic skill to speak of.

“There are more positions you can choose from. According to your physical fitness, for external operations, you can choose to be an explorer. If you don’t want to go out, low-paid mechanical maintenance repairman and underground utilities manager are also good. Taking into account your personal situation, I personally recommend that you start with indoor work and adjust your mental state first.”

“Mr. Tian—”

“We’ll issue an explanatory report later. You can check the detailed work content and give a reply in half a month.” Although Tian He’s voice was weak, it still carried an unquestionable aura.

It seemed that the mediocre results in the “Ruan Lijie” profile did have an impact, as the other party had dismissed him as a candidate for any mental labor duties in advance. An indoor position did sound safe but was relatively closed off. If he wanted to get more information, logically…

“I want to be an explorer and save people like Chi Ge and the others.” Ruan Xian put down the sweaty towel and spoke decisively.

“Don’t make a hasty decision,” Tian He replied lightly, without the slightest trace of approval in his tone.

Then the leader of the refuge paused for a few seconds and coughed for a while before speaking again. “How about this. Recently, Zhang Yazhe’s team has had no big task… From today on, you can transfer to them as a spare auxiliary backup and act with them. Get a feel for the explorer’s job. Just as well, it’s good to let them help you coordinate your athletic abilities. If you can’t hold up, you can change your mind at any time. How about it?”

“Yes.” Ruan Xian didn’t hesitate.

Half an hour later.

“…You agreed?!”

Before lunch started, Ding Zepeng’s eyes widened when he heard the news, and he almost dropped the spoon in his hand to the ground. “Ah, Ruan Ge, this half-month is your only long vacation here. Why are you so thoughtless?”

The canteen was very lively. Zhang Yazhe and Chi Lei sat on opposite sides of the table without saying a word.

A strange gray machine stopped behind the two of them. It was close to the size of a Great Dane but without a head. It had four animal-like mechanical legs that were long and powerful, and there was a tangled cross structure on top of it, shaped like a pair of giant hands clasped tightly in prayer. The metal and the cable were entangled with each other, and the position that should have been the “thumb” was vacant, replaced with a turquoise aperture. The pale tissue that trembled slightly was exposed from the gap between steel and plastic, like the skin of a living thing.

It stood quietly. Those pale tissues fluctuated regularly, as if they were breathing regularly.

This was the first time Ruan Xian had taken a closer look at the machines here. He had to say that even if he was used to seeing all kinds of weird experiments, the things in front of him were enough to creep him out.

Even if he turned his gaze back to the grilled chicken in front of him, he had lost most of his appetite.

“…And he brought this thing back.” Chi Lei propped both his hands on his forehead.

Tang Yibu stood behind Ruan Xian with his hands folded behind his back and had a bright smile on his face. “STR-Y type 307a231 is at your service.”

“After all, Ruan Ge has been taken care of by 231 for so long, and he doesn’t understand other types of auxiliary machines. It’s good to start with an android.” Xiao Ding immediately tossed out a reason.

“085 just picked him up,” Chi Lei snorted.

“Extrapolating from facts, I think Mr. Ruan Lijie prefers me.” Tang Yibu’s tone was standard and brisk.

Ruan Xian took a deep breath, and he could barely maintain the smile on his face. “It’s Xiao Ding who understands me. I just want to pick something that looks familiar. Xiao Ding, the one behind Chi Ge is…?”

“Oh, that’s a police model, which is more offensive-oriented.” Ding Zepeng stuffed a piece of cooked potato into his mouth. “To be honest, it’s much better than an android. 231 is a very old model. Zhang Ge, I remember you told me—”

“Yes, 231 is from a batch of android before the prototype came out.”

Zhang Yazhe reluctantly smiled as his gaze swept over Ruan Xian. His face was hiding a bit of bitterness.

“They do have cybernetic brains, but most of their bodies are made up of human tissues. It’s not easy to distinguish and involves a lot of problems. They were discontinued before The Great Rebellion. Later, androids all used artificial cells produced by the prototype… Haa, that said, A-type and S-type were destroyed too early, and all we can catch now are D-type products.”

He simply turned to Ruan Xian and pointed to the weird machine behind him with his chopsticks. “Xiao Ruan, don’t be afraid. This isn’t a living thing. At most, it’s bionic, and its cells are essentially nanomachines.”

Ruan Xian nodded and squeezed his chopsticks tightly.

This was the second time he had heard information about the “S-type prototype”.

“It’s not too late to get a new one. Before, there weren’t enough offensive auxiliary units, so we had to give them to a novice team. There should be a few police models left. You can apply for one from Guan Haiming,” Chi Lei added. “If you really want to do this job, you’d better pick a good partner from the beginning.”

“Thank you, Chi Ge, but no need.” Ruan Xian was quite tired from maintaining the smile on his face as he squeezed the words out of his teeth. “I… I quite like it, and it’s also good to add some challenges to yourself.”

Chi Lei snorted loudly, “Rather it’s more troublesome for others.”

“Lao Chi!” Zhang Yazhe cleared his throat vigorously.

“Is no one allowed to say a few words of truth?” Chi Lei sank his face and slammed his chopsticks down hard. “Guan Haiming gave us his information. I think everyone has seen it. How can we teach this kid to play with guns? With such a face and model, I don’t want to act with people of unknown origins. Last time, Qiu Yue went to the field and Lao Xing almost killed her with what they found. Did you forget all this?”

“But Haiming didn’t say anything this time,” Ding Zepeng whispered.

“That’s because Guan Haiming is rarely sober. He keeps playing that alcohol music in his room all day, so only you can still tolerate him.”

“Lao Chi, come here. I want to talk to you for a bit.” Zhang Yazhe stood up directly and patted Chi Lei’s shoulder. Then he pulled him away from the table and walked to the corner of the canteen. The creepy police auxiliary machine followed the two of them.

“Chi Ge is… a little suspicious. At first, we had many newcomers who were assisted by androids. Ruan Ge, you can bear it.” Ding Zepeng put two pieces of chicken into Ruan Xian’s bowl.

“It’s alright. I’m the one causing you trouble,” Ruan Xian responded gently, and casually put the meat into his mouth.

His mind wasn’t at the dinner table.

The noise in the hall should have completely covered Zhang Yazhe’s conversation with Chi Lei. But after Ruan Xian focused his attention, the murmurs seemed to sink to the bottom of the water, and the voices of the two became clearer.

His hearing had been enhanced. It was the same feeling as when he first woke up from the ruins.

“Lao Chi, I understand your thoughts, but you have to pay attention to the way you speak,” Zhang Yazhe sighed fiercely. “He didn’t do anything wrong and he’s still young. Not to mention that he was just brought back, and his spirit isn’t stable.”

“Would it be better if I just lost my temper then? And what I said was half the truth. I really don’t like that kid. Intuition.” Chi Lei’s anger had disappeared, but he still sounded as if he was in a bad mood.

“Take two simple tasks. Just do something to let him know the difficulties and make him quit. It won’t take more than a few days.”

“It won’t take more than a few days? Qiu Yue didn’t tell you about Tian He’s physical condition? That bastard Tian He is waiting to die, and he still won’t send anyone into the city even when he’s sick like that! ……Qiu Yue has already helped us get his body data. The sooner we get it back from the city to replace the internal organs, the sooner he can recover.”

“I think Lao Tian may have noticed something when he stuffed that newcomer here. Lao Chi, haven’t you counted the dangers in the city? There’s no backup for private actions. We can investigate as we train Xiao Ruan.”

“I fucking—”

“Think about it for Xiao Ding! What’s the use of rushing? Their young lives are in our hands. Are you able to mess around like that?”

“……Sorry. I just couldn’t swallow this. If we send several teams of people, it’s not impossible to get him a set of internal organs. How could he let his wife, a doctor, watch him slowly choke? Tian He is really fucking cruel. Why didn’t Qiu Yue scold him to death?”

“I can’t figure it out either. Oh, let’s not talk about it. I’ll deal with Xiao Ruan first, and you can continue to check the route.”

“Okay.”

“Also, go make amends with him later.”

“Tsk.”

Ruan Xian calmed down and concentrated his energy more. As a result, he overdid it—the sounds around him were like a dam breaking, and they all poured into his ears. He felt a sharp pain in both ears, and Ruan Xian’s face immediately paled.

A pair of warm hands covered his ears from behind, causing the rumbling noise to disappear almost immediately. After a few seconds, Tang Yibu retracted his hands.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Ding asked curiously as he gnawed on the chicken. Ruan Xian shook his head and found that the volume around him had returned to normal.

“It’s nothing. My hair’s a bit messed up. I asked 231 to help me pay attention to my meter.” Ruan Xian rubbed his ear as naturally as possible and looked at Zhang Yazhe and Chi Lei who were walking back.

“I had a problem with my attitude just now.” Chi Lei threw out the sentence stiffly, sat back in place, and began to eat his food stuffily.

“I talked to Lao Chi. Xiao Ruan, don’t take it personally. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to pick up screws and walk around. None of us have had anything to do recently, so you don’t have to bear too much burden.”

Lao Zhang smiled sincerely, but Ruan Xian captured the incongruity in his expression…

This time, Zhang Yazhe was lying.

“Cheers. In the future, we won’t have any unpleasantness.” Lao Zhang raised a metal cup containing light salt water. “Come, come. Let’s celebrate the addition of our young comrade, Ruan Lijie and the return of 231 to the team!”

“Thank you, Zhang Ge.” Ruan Xian stared closely at Lao Zhang’s eyes, picked up the cup in his hand, and drank it in one go.

“…I’ll trouble you all to take care of me in the future.”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Happy Doomsday Ch11

Kinky9 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 11: The First Night at the Refuge

The sound of water flowed from the bathroom as Tang Yibu was taking a bath.

Nowadays, Ruan Xian was no longer surprised by the android’s habit of approaching living things. Since it was necessary to eat, it meant that Tang Yibu had a metabolic ability similar to a creature. Twenty square meters of space was very narrow, but it was fortunate that Tang Yibu wasn’t in front of him now.

The moment he heard the message from the other “Ruan Xian”, Ruan Xian wasn’t sure if he could control his emotions.

But it didn’t matter.

Stuffing the remaining nutritional supplement into his throat, Ruan Xian propped up his crutches and moved two steps, stacking his metal lunch box on top of Tang Yibu’s. There wasn’t a sink in the room, so he guessed that this thing would be uniformly recycled.

The metal scrapping sound made a harsh sound. Ruan Xian arranged the tableware neatly and lowered his gaze.

There was definitely shock, but panic wouldn’t be talked about. Meaningless panic couldn’t solve any problems. He adjusted his breathing harder as he tapped on the wooden desktop with his fingers.

His own intelligence was indeed seriously lacking, but on the other hand, he also had a great advantage.

A healthy body, a functioning brain, and a resilience that he wasn’t sure was a blessing or a curse but could temporarily be attributed as an advantage for now. Even if he had to leave the group, he had the physical capability to survive alone. At least for a short time, he could live normally as long as there wasn’t any major problem with Tang Yibu’s cooperation.

Right now, he had a perfect fake identity. Unless another “Ruan Xian” suddenly appeared and picked him out and investigated his information, no one would know who he was.

He had quite a lot of time to investigate.

Ruan Xian dragged himself to the rehabilitation machine in the corner of the room and inserted a metal box called the Introduction Manual into the reading table in front of him. Several robotic arms stretched out, firmly wrapped around his body and legs. They pushed him to move just right and began to stimulate standard marching movements.

The manual was once again pulled to the very beginning of the table of contents so he could scrutinize the video again. At the same time, he strove to relax his body and cooperate with the machine to learn to balance and walk.

However, not long after his rehabilitation plan began, it was interrupted.

The door beeped twice, and a visitor profile appeared in front of him. Ruan Xian looked at Ding Zepeng’s smiling face on the file, shook his head, and slid his finger over to the words “agree”.

Ding Zepeng’s ankles were still wrapped in fixed machinery, and both legs had an extra exoskeleton. He could still stand normally, but his walking speed was much slower.

“Ruan Ge, I’m here to see you!” The young man had a big smile on his face. “Oh, you’re doing your rehabilitation—you don’t need to come down. No need. Let’s just talk like this. It’s a hassle to stop and start again.”

Ruan Xian never hated cheerful people. He smiled instinctively. “Don’t you need to rest? Your ankle injury…”

“It’s not a problem with this thing supporting it.” Ding Zepeng patted the exoskeleton on his leg twice. “I just heard Zhang Ge say that you came to see us. I was sleeping at that time, so I thought about coming to see you. Although 231 is here… How can I put it, I was upset for a long time when I was new here. Haiming certainly don’t have the patience to explain to you, so I thought it would be better to have someone to talk to.”

He pointed to the manual in front of Ruan Xian. “I stayed up late and finished reading that thing and then had nightmares for weeks.”

Ruan Xian wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel. “You’re very kind. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Zhang Ge and Chi Ge are discussing the new robot, and I don’t understand that stuff. Ruan Ge, do you have anything you want to ask?”

“This refuge seems a bit old.” Ruan Xian picked out the most natural breakthrough point. “I think there are messages from Fan Linsong and Ruan Xian in the manual just now. They are both scientists, right? How did they mobilize so many resources at the end of the world? Even with machines, this kind of movement certainly isn’t small.”

“I thought about it back then. The environment was so good that it seems fake, right?” Ding Zepeng scratched his head. “Later, I heard Chi Ge say that this place was originally a refuge, but it was used for other things. The power facilities were changed by Professor Ruan and the others after they came over. It turns out that this was a bunker.”

“Other uses?”

“Chi Ge won’t tell me. I had asked Haiming before, but he didn’t want to tell me, but I’ve been here for more than three years, and I’ve been doing really well. Don’t worry, Ruan Ge.” Ding Zepeng sat down on a chair and rested his chin on the back of it.

“Speaking of this… The manual says they left. Are they coming back?”

Xiao Ding’s face became bitter. “Who knows. They just left when I arrived. It’s been three or four years. Professor Ruan left Haiming here, but Haiming isn’t very sociable, so many people don’t have a good impression of him… Haa.”

“No contact?” Ruan Xian swallowed his spit back and sped up the simulated walking speed of the rehabilitation machine to cover up his emotions with gasps and sweat.

“No. Any contact may expose the location of the refuge. You can only rely on people to deliver the message. In the first half of the year, some people said they saw them in the city, but then there was no news.”

Ding Zepeng’s mood faltered. “I have seen Professor Ruan and them. Professor Ruan is a very kind person—Professor Fan led the MUL-01 project, while Professor Ruan was responsible for quite a lot of work. You know about the rebellion… Anyway, I don’t think it’s their fault. The Masterbrain ran properly for five years, and they weren’t responsible for the daily maintenance.”

“But they still didn’t stay here.” Ruan Xian could fully guess the subsequent development.

“That’s right.” Ding Zepeng nodded. “Many people couldn’t swallow that fact.”

“But I have no impression of the MUL-01 project…”

“Oh yes, I heard Haiming say that Ruan Ge’s memory was still in 2095. MUL-01 was a project completed in early 2096. It was highly publicized that year. It was said that it was completed since 2090.”

Ruan Xian’s feet became so unsteady that he almost fell on the rehabilitation machine.

Since 2090, there had been only one artificial intelligence project. The project name is NUL-00, not MUL-01. The leader wasn’t Fan Linsong but himself—Fan Linsong was more like his assistant than his partner. Back then, weak artificial intelligence had reached its peak and could perfectly dominate most fields and almost pierce through that thin layer of window paper*, but for various reasons, a strong artificial intelligence that truly “surpasses humans” had not been born.

*Metaphor referring to how they were basically on the cusp of a breakthrough. The window paper represents a fragile barrier that can be easily pierced through. This could also be used to describe the relationship between two people who want to date (they need to pierce through the window to take the next step). || In this context, it’s saying AI had advanced leaps and bounds but they couldn’t pierce through that window paper yet to achieve an AI that could surpass humans.

Ruan Xian thought that NUL-00 was still far away, but Fan Linsong insisted that it was already “perfect” and wanted to publicly announce the news of success.

For this reason, they quarreled a lot, which was most likely one of the reasons why Fan Linsong killed him.

[I fucking told you countless times. If we drag on like this, we’ll have to hold on to the finished product and watch them pull the plug on it! Now, are you satisfied? I got wind last week that Plan Corp will disclose their research results by the middle of next year at the latest!]

[NUL-00 has passed all the security tests in the world. What are you still procrastinating about? The sooner it’s put to use, the more people it will save. Ruan Xian, have you ever considered that those ordinary people struggling in hospital beds and on the battlefield will have to pay for your nonsense alone?! How many people can NUL-00 save? You know better than me—]

It wasn’t that Ruan Xian didn’t try to explain, yet what was waiting for him was a bullet straight to the head.

The fear and consternation of the moment of death were still imprinted in the depths of his memory, and Ruan Xian shivered subconsciously.

“I don’t know much about this.” He reluctantly smiled at Ding Zepeng and decided to switch the topic elsewhere. As a result, before he could speak, someone helped him out—

“Hello, Mr. Ding.” Tang Yibu wiped his hair and walked out of the bathroom. His upper body was bare. “It’s ten in the evening. Do you need me to help you register for your stay?”

“No, no, no. Haiming will scold me to death. I just came to take a short look. I’ll leave now. Ruan Ge, Chi Ge, and I were injured recently, so our group has no tasks. You’re welcome to come and talk to me at any time!” Ding Zepeng jumped from the chair like his ass was on fire.

“Wait. I’ll send you off—” Before Ruan Xian had time to open the fixed arm of the rehabilitation device, there was no shadow left of Ding Zepeng. The young man pushed the exoskeleton’s walking speed to its limit, leaving a “no need for Ruan Ge” behind as it floated in the corridor in the distance.

Tang Yibu ignored the hair that was still dripping water and closed the door with a standard movement. “Do you want to continue your rehabilitation exercises?”

As soon as he got off the machine, the fatigue completely overwhelmed Ruan Xian. He shook his head wearily, turned off the manual, glanced at the soft bed, and just wanted to climb in early to rest for a bit, but it wasn’t appropriate to be slumped on the bed while he was sweating profusely. Ruan Xian strengthened his energy, supported his crutches, and decided to take a shower.

“In return for dinner, I can give you a massage.” Tang Yibu obviously deduced his intentions and generously offered.

“…No need, thanks.”

“Oh.” Tang Yibu dried his hair and folded all his clothes into tofu blocks by his sleeping bag, then carelessly dragged out the simple sleeping bag from the bottom of the bed and laid it straight on the floor next to the bed.

Ruan Xian: “…” This didn’t feel good.

“I will keep the light for you.” Tang Yibu put his hands on his chest. He folded his posture so that it looked like a corpse in a coffin.

Ruan Xian felt worse.

Although maintaining the identity of an artificial intelligence in Tang Yibu’s mind was the safest choice, it was also a lot of trouble not to be regarded as a human at all. This ridiculous feeling also helped him dilute a lot of tension. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing to think about—Ruan Xian simply rinsed his sweat off while soothing himself.

The mental exhaustion was stronger than his physical one, but after lying down in bed, he couldn’t sleep much.

After the lights went out, the faint sounds of wind and insects played intimately at the bedside, and Tang Yibu’s uniform breathing came from the bedside. Ruan Xian looked at the false night sky on the ceiling glass screen and became more awake.

Ruan Xian tightened the blanket. Feeling the strange touch of being wrapped in soft fabric, the comfortable friction made him tremble all over. He then turned his body sideways, pulled the pillow to the edge of the bed, and looked at the rise and fall of Tang Yibu’s chest that was less than a meter away.

The android’s eyes were tightly closed and looked as if he was asleep.

At least so far, in front of him, Tang Yibu hadn’t disguised his emotions. He was like an open book. Accordingly, he was also convinced that this dangerous android was withholding a great deal of information.

The contradiction was extremely confusing.

Does this “administrator” with great authority really have his own “emotions”? Is the little loss and joy he saw a true expression or just a simple calculated result?

Suppose Tang Yibu did have emotions. He hadn’t noticed any negative feelings from the other party so far. Even if he did have other purposes, it didn’t make sense to have repressed emotions when he was being used as a prop by a human whose strength is lower than his own.

Putting aside emotions and only talking about purpose…

If he just wanted to find the “S-type prototype”, Tang Yibu could take him away directly and leave this refuge. On the other hand, according to Tian He, Chi Lei’s team had been using 231 for almost two years—with Tang Yibu’s abilities, it didn’t take a full two years to investigate such a refuge.

If he had good intentions, Tang Yibu wouldn’t have spent a full two years disguised as an ordinary android. Ruan Xian couldn’t think of what the other party wanted.

This feeling was extremely weird. It was like being asked to put your hand into a dark box and touch an abnormal creature born from the unknown. Ruan Xian took a breath and wrapped his blanket tighter.

Then his eyes met the golden eyes in the dark.

“The frequency of your heartbeat and breathing has changed. You’re afraid,” Tang Yibu stated in an affirmative tone.

Ruan Xian didn’t respond, but turned his back to Tang Yibu, and then breathed out quietly.

“This is the first night in the refuge, and you’re still in the period when you are most affected by past memories. Discomfort and fear are normal.” There was a rustling sound from behind, and Tang Yibu seemed to have crawled out of his sleeping bag.

Soon, his bedside sank, causing Ruan Xian to freeze, not daring to move.

A warm hand leaned into his blanket, and then tore it apart mercilessly. Tang Yibu squeezed himself into the blanket, stretched out his arms, and encircled Ruan Xian’s waist from behind.

“A hug will make you better.” It was still a familiar, serious tone.

For a second, the image of the other party strangling him appeared irrepressibly in his mind, but Tang Yibu was right. Even if he knew that the “thing” behind him wasn’t human, the warmth from his body made him subconsciously feel a little reassured.

He could feel the heartbeat of the other party’s chest and the moist breathing sprayed on the back of his neck. Never had he been close to anyone like this before. He wasn’t sure if it was out of tension or confusion, but Ruan Xian’s mind blanked for a few seconds.

“You are much stronger than me. There’s no need to worry about my mood.” Ruan Xian pressed his index finger hard with his thumb nails, trying to regain his peace by the pain.

“Since we’re already in a cooperative relationship, I need to consider this factor. Otherwise, we’ll not be able to properly control the situation.” Tang Yibu slowed down his speech and answered solemnly. “Don’t worry. Go to sleep. Like I said, I will keep you safe.”

Ruan Xian was silent for a long time. Countless responses flashed through his mind, and finally he sighed softly.

“Good night,” he said.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Bu Tian Gang Ch87

Kinky7 Comments

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 87

Han Qi was a big star with status. With such a large group of people, he couldn’t rush everyone in. Boss Zhao asked the drama crew to call and inquire first.

Who knew that the drama department couldn’t get through to Han Qi’s phone and no one answered when he went to knock on the door? Then he called her agent, and the agent said she hadn’t been in contact with her since last night.

Han Qi’s assistant had just been injured and hospitalized, and the new assistant hadn’t been sent over yet. The agent couldn’t get through to Han Qi’s phone, which meant no one knew what was going on with her situation.

They asked Han Qi’s driver again, and the other party said he hadn’t received any notice today, which indicated that she was probably still at the hotel.

Since Boss Zhao couldn’t figure it out, he simply said, “Then I’ll take you up there directly?”

Everyone had no opinion. Since the episode just now, Chen Guoliang had also kept a much lower profile and dared not be standoffish any longer.

The presidential suite was on the 32nd floor, which was the top floor of the hotel. It overlooked the sea and had a panoramic view of most of Lucheng. The cost was naturally expensive, but most big stars in the circle were treated like this. Some may not mind if the configuration wasn’t grand, but others were quite haughty, so they had to try to do their best.

Boss Zhao communicated with the hotel, and a lobby manager took everyone to the 32nd floor.

As soon as he got out of the elevator, Luo Nanfang let out a scream and stopped. Not only him, Dong Zhi, Liu Qingbo, and Zhang Han all frowned slightly at the same time.

“What?”

When Boss Zhao saw them stop, he hurriedly stopped.

Luo Nanfang looked at the compass in his hand and said nothing.

Zhang Yan said, “Very heavy in yin qi.”

He took out his money sword from his cloth bag and looked like he was about to enter a battle.

Boss Zhao and the lobby manager looked at each other. They didn’t feel any yin at all.

“Where is Miss Han’s room?” Dong Zhi asked.

“Please follow me,” the lobby manager said politely, leading the way in front. Occasionally, guests passed by, seeing such a large group of people that they couldn’t help but give curious glances.

Luo Nanfang’s footsteps were getting slower, and he had already fallen from the front to the back, and the compass pointer in his hand was also turning frantically, which gradually made his face a little more solemn.

He couldn’t help but grab the corner of Zhang Han’s shirt, handed him the compass, and whispered, “It’s very evil. I’m afraid it’s hard to deal with!”

The two of them were actually not very familiar with each other. This was the first time they had met and had a few chats on the road, but Luo Nanfang was more willing to be with Zhang Han than Chen Guoliang and Dong Zhi.

Zhang Han wasn’t as scared as Luo Nanfang. The main reason was that he relied on his abilities and didn’t put ordinary demons and ghosts in his eyes. On the contrary, he was very calm. When he heard Luo Nanfang say this, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

When the group came to the door of Han Qi’s room, Luo Nanfang looked at the compass in his hand, and his heart sank more.

He usually showed people feng shui divinations, so he was considered to have seen the world, but he had never encountered such an unpredictable situation. How could such a great evil spirit come from a female star’s room and rush at them when they exited the elevator? What does this mean?

It meant that there would only be a more dangerous situation in the room.

Luo Nanfang regretted that he had agreed to Boss Zhao’s request, and he was also annoyed by his own curiosity, but now it was too late to say anything. Since he was here, it was too late to turn around, lest he damage his own reputation.

There were several people present, and he knew very well how much weight he had. It was fine if it was just feng shui, but he was an amateur when it came to exorcising and hunting demons. Chen Guoliang was just a showoff and wasn’t even as good as him. The other two young people may have some kung fu, but if there were evil things here, even the best kung fu wouldn’t work. Counting on this, the strongest of them all may be Zhang Han.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but get a little closer to Zhang Han as the lobby manager knocked on the door. Before that, the hotel called Han Qi’s room landline, but no one answered.

“Miss Han? Are you inside? Would you please open the door?”

After knocking for a long time, there was still no response inside. Unless Han Qi took sleeping pills, it was impossible not to hear.

In other words, something must’ve happened inside.

Since no one opened the door, the lobby manager had to take out the room keycard and open it. He told everyone, “If there’s any situation, don’t go in and destroy the scene. We’ll directly call the police.”

With a clicking sound, he pressed the doorknob with his hand and twisted it down.

A strong smell of blood came, and the lobby manager was so scared that he let go and almost closed the door again.

Zhang Yan pushed him away, took a step forward, and pushed the door open.

Red.

All they saw was red.

Carpets, walls, ceilings… Bloodstains everywhere.

Everyone was stunned.

Boss Zhao took two steps back in fright and accidentally stepped on Chen Guoliang’s foot. The latter didn’t even get furious because he was completely speechless.

The blood was blooming on the gray walls, and there were five finger marks that were deeply scratched in them. It could be seen how fiercely Han Qi was struggling at that time.

How much blood does a person have?

Is Han Qi already dead?

Questions flashed in everyone’s minds, and then they heard a low roar inside. It was like the last warning before an animal attacked. Sound waves vibrate the eardrums, making people dizzy and nauseous.

The living room was already in a mess and the furniture was in tatters. The sheets in the bedroom were scattered everywhere, and most of them were stained with blood.

Compared to the entrance, the smell of blood here lingered even more, like thick blood that turned into a substance and was suspended in the air, covering the nose and eyes, suffocating everyone and inducing nausea.

The sound insulation of the presidential suite was good, and the bottom floor may not be full, so the hotel hadn’t received any noise complaints since last night.

“I’m going to puke!” Chen Guoliang’s assistant and bodyguards had already bent over against the wall and vomited.

The others weren’t much better.

After everyone came in, they discovered that the movement came from the master bedroom.

Boss Zhao’s hands and feet were already soft. His face was pale, but because there was blood on the wall, he didn’t dare touch it to support himself.

Resisting the urge to faint, he and the lobby manager turned around and were about to escape, but just as they thought about it, with a loud bang, the door suddenly closed on its own, locking everyone in the room.

The lobby manager reached out to turn the doorknob, but found that he couldn’t open it, and his face turned pale.

Then he took out the walkie-talkie and wanted to contact the outside, but there was no noise or signal.

In the bedroom, blood was everywhere.

A cloud of gray-black mist about one meter in diameter was slowly circling over the big bed.

The circling speed wasn’t fast, but there was an inexplicable force that sucked everything around it in, like a black hole. When Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo walked to the door of the master bedroom, they were attracted to this powerful force and involuntarily wanted to go in. Dong Zhi’s old injuries weren’t healed yet, and his chest was churning. He felt his nose was a little wet and subconsciously reached out to wipe the blood from it with one hand.

As Chen Guoliang walked in next to him, he yelled in horror, “Help! Help!”

Liu Qingbo drew out the long sword behind his back and inserted it into the floor. He grabbed his back collar with one hand and pulled him back vigorously away from the dangerous situation.

Chen Guoliang staggered back a few steps and sat down on the ground.

“Han Qi!” Hui Yiguang cried out in a daze.

Only then did everyone see a person sitting in the corner of the master bedroom near the bathroom.

Han Qi’s eyes widened slightly. They couldn’t tell what the original color of the bathrobe she was wearing was, as all they could see was a lot of blood flowing from her abdomen and lower body. She remained motionless, and they didn’t know if she was still breathing.

“What the hell is going on here?” Boss Zhao shivered.

No one answered him.

The gray-black mist was getting thicker, but a closer look shows that the gray and black mist were actually two forces. They were at a stalemate. The black mist had the upper hand, while the gray mist was being swallowed up little by little, but its struggle was getting more intense. The air current spread out with this mass of things like a vortex and swept the entire room with a bloody aura, whistling towards everyone.

The violent wind and suction swept everything in the room to the ground, and then rolled it up and blew it into the air. Everyone had to hold on to the wall to stabilize themselves. Boss Zhao was smashed with fragments of a table lamp and screamed.

Zhang Yan gritted his teeth, clenched the bronze money sword, rushed up, stepped on the bed, holding a talisman in one hand and a sword in the other, he pierced the gray mist.

“The four great enlightened ones, heaven and the earth are eternal, water extinguished fire, gold cuts off water, and those who see demons and monsters will be destroyed, as hastily as I decree, break!”

“Don’t!” As soon as Liu Qingbo’s voice fell, there was a loud noise, like an air mass being pierced, and the airflow suddenly spread out. Everyone fell back to the ground, and Zhang Han hit the wall heavily.

The black mist and the gray mist were suddenly separated. The gray mist suffered double the damage from the talisman and bronze money sword. Its color suddenly became lighter. On the contrary, the volume of the black air mass skyrocketed several times over, flying towards Zhang Han, who was still dizzy and hadn’t recovered from the fall!

Zhang Han reluctantly raised the bronze money sword to resist, but under the pressure of the black mist, the Five Emperors money sword he had worked so hard to collect broke, scattering cooper coins everywhere.

The Five Emperors’ money1 was divided into different sizes. The small Five Emperors’ money2 refers to coins of the five emperors of Shunzhi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty. Because the Five Emperors’ money at that time was made of brass, and society was relatively peaceful, the copper money passed through the hands of tens of millions of people. With sufficient qi, it had the ability to exorcise evil spirits. The money of the Great Five Emperors3 was very difficult to find. It referred to Qin five-baht, the Han five-baht, and the bronze coins of Emperor Taizong or Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the coins from the Song Dynasty, and the Yong Tongbao of the Ming Dyansty. It was really difficult to gather that many people together, so the ministry replaced it with the five-baht money of the Han Dynasty, which also knows as the five-baht money sword4.

1Refers to copper coins with round square holes in them. Ancient copper coins were cast according to the “outer circle and inner square” and “the unity of heaven and man”, which is like heaven, law, and earth. With heavy cultural attributes, in traditional culture, the money of the Five Emperors has the function of warding off evil spirits and bringing blessings. The five emperors, in the original sense, refer to the five heavenly emperors of the east, south, west, north, and middle.
2Refers to the copper coins cast by the five emperors of the Qing Dynasty, including Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong and Jiaqing.
3Refers to Qin Banliang, Han Wuzhu, Kaiyuan Tongbao, Songyuan Tongbao, and Yongle Tongbao.
4So the takeaway of this whole paragraph is basically a money coin sword that looks like this comprises of coins from ancient China. This chart shows you what the coins look like. The top two rows show the 5 great emperors’ coins, while the bottom row is the five small emperors’ coins.

But Zhang Yan’s copper money sword was different from the small Five Emperors money or five-baht money swords on the market. This was a veritable Great Five Emperors money sword, and only a famous disciple of his background could get it. Who would have expected that this evil thing turned out to be so powerful that even his rare Great Five Emperors money sword couldn’t withstand it.

Zhang Han’s eyes widened. Unable to believe it, he could only hurriedly take out the talisman from his pocket and throw it at the black mist.

Although he was a direct descendant of the Zhang family, his qualifications were average, but for ordinary people, his ability to divine and ask questions was more than enough. In addition, he hadn’t experienced any thorny issues since being outside for decades, so it was inevitable that he was negligent in his technical skills. Unexpectedly, he had gone too far at night and finally found a nut that was hard to crack.

The talisman collided with the black mist, and suddenly a cloud of flames burst out.

Zhang Han’s talisman wasn’t some charm that could be bought for dozens of yuan online, but generally was an evil-warding talisman from Mount Longhu. Although for historical reasons, the Zhang family of Mount Longhu was split into two branches—one went to Taiwan, while the other stayed on the mainland—the things passed down by Master Zhang Tianshi, the one from Taiwan, he naturally inherited. This evil-suppressing talisman was painted by the Zhang family from Taiwan, so its effectiveness was naturally extraordinary.

The black mist exploded in an instant, but before Zhang Han had time to be happy, the exploded black mist immediately condensed again and swept towards him.

Zhang Han was dumbfounded.

All the changes happened within a few seconds, and it was too late for him to get up and dodge, so he could only pick up the lamp that fell next to him and throw it at the black mist.

The lamp passed through the black mist and fell on the bed, unable to cause any harm at all, while the black mist was close at hand!

My life is over! Zhang Yan thought. Like everyone’s reaction when facing irresistible danger, he closed his eyes subconsciously.

The fishy smell came to his face, but his body didn’t suffer from the pain of being torn and wrapped in the black mist as he imagined. Zhang Han thought it was strange, so he slowly opened his eyes and felt joy that he had escaped death. He saw the glint of a sword passing through the black mist and splitting it in half and inserting it into the bedroom wall!

Dong Zhi jumped up and ran to draw his sword.

The black mist that had been split in half trembled, and slowly showed signs of reforming again.

“Lao Liu! “

Dong Zhi shouted to Liu Qingbo, who had already reached out his hand to grab the sword. Without answering, Liu Qingbo took the sword out of his scabbard, and the sword’s light glowed endlessly, covering the black mist.

While the two hadn’t practiced in advance, after their partnership dealing with the three-headed python together, the two seemed to have a tacit understanding on the battlefield, and they could immediately understand each other’s meaning, especially at critical moments where things were rapidly changing, no opportunity could be missed.

Time reversed back ten minutes ago.

After coming in just now, although the black mist looked tricky and difficult to deal with, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo felt that Zhang Han, as a descendant of the Zhang family in Taiwan should be able to withstand it for a while, so they went to check on Han Qi’s situation first.

Han Qi was seriously injured and was dying, but fortunately, she was still breathing. Liu Qingbo had learned first aid and stopped her bleeding first.

There were also pools of blood in the bathroom, and pieces of flesh were hanging next to the bathtub. Only by carefully distingushing it did Dong Zhi recognize that it was actually an unformed baby.

How could Han Qi’s miscarriage cause such a big thing? Where did the evil black and gray things come from? So many mysteries lingered overhead, but Han Qi had fallen into a semi-coma and couldn’t give an answer.

The gray mist slowly approached Han Qi and seemed to want to drill into her stomach. Dong Zhi threw a sunlight talisman over, which seemed to anger the gray mist even more. The opponent suddenly swelled and shattered the sunlight talisman. The gray mist shook slightly and gradually turned into the form of a baby.

Mom…

Delicate and tender, it didn’t look like a cloud of fierce gray mist.

If Han Qi heard this voice, she would definitely think she was having hallucinations, but Dong Zhi knew that it wasn’t one. The voice was actually equivalent to sound waves. Bluntly put, it was transmitted by the soul to the human body. Because the two side were located in different dimension, they may not be able to hear it.

Mom…

It seemed to want to wake up Han Qi, and with a crying sound, the gray baby became a toddler; timid, adoring but not daring to approach.

Dong Zhi said solemnly, “Why did you attack your mother? What is that black mist?”

Mom… don’t want me anymore…

She found someone to lock me up… It hurts…

Mom is pregnant with my brother…

But my brother wants to kill me, and he wants to kill my mother…

When the gray mist died, he was still a baby spirit. At this time, his ability to express himself was limited. He could only stumble and convey some messages. What Dong Zhi heard was like a fog, and he could only roughly piece together a little truth.

“Why did she lock you up?”

Dark room… There is a person… It’s terrible…

I don’t want to stay inside…

I want my mom…

Dong Zhi asked, “Where are you locked up?!”

The gray infant spirit body trembled violently, as if it wanted to say something but it couldn’t express it.

Jade…

Jade…

Dong Zhi was confused, and after listening to it several times, he realized that it was saying jade. With a flash of inspiration, he turned his head and searched for Han Qi, and sure enough, he found a jade pendant on her neck.

The rectangular jade pendant was about a thumb’s length and wasn’t of high quality. There were black spots and impurities, but there was a child carved on the jade. Below was the text in Thai. The branding of the jade was indescribably weird. When he first touched it, he felt a chill seeping into the palm of his hand from the jade, and it almost made Dong Zhi subconsciously withdraw his hand, causing the jade to fall to the ground. The jade pendant didn’t smash to pieces, but another crack was formed.

Liu Qingbo stopped Han Qi’s blood, took the time to take a look at the branding on the jade, and said, “This should be a sorcery in Southeast Asia. A witch forcibly imprisoned the infant’s spirit in the yin charm through magic, implicating the owner’s luck with it. It influences and nurtures each other. As the infant spirit grows up, it can serve the host and bless the other’s wealth and career.”

In other words, Han Qi had been pregnant with a child before with this gray infant spirit, but later miscarried and the child wasn’t born. She found a witch and locked her child’s soul into a jade charm to improve her luck. Now that Han Qi was pregnant again, there was another change this time. The mass of flesh in the bathroom was the fetus in her abdomen and the black mist was the soul of the fetus?

Between the electric lights flickering, Dong Zhi could only think of so much, but he always felt that there was something wrong.

Before he could figure out a reason, Zhang Han couldn’t withstand it any longer.

The black mist was unexpectedly powerful. From Dong Zhi’s view, although Zhang Han’s ability wasn’t as good as that of Li Ying, who was also from the same family, it was only slightly inferior. It wasn’t a world of difference, but even he couldn’t suppress the black mist, let alone Luo Nanfang and Chen Guoliang. Just moments away from being killed, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo worked together to deal with the black mist.

Under the shadow of light from Liu Qingbo’s sword, the black mist not only didn’t flinch and show weakness, but became even stronger and even gradually turned into the form of an adult man. The lights fell on its head, and the black mist trembled violently, scattered but not broken, and it seemed like it was about to collapse.

Liu Qingbo increased his strength and pressed the sword forward another inch; the tip of the sword slightly pierced the black mist’s head.

At this time, Dong Zhi drew out the Changshou Sword and attacked from behind.

With a bang, the black mist suddenly exploded, and the powerful air current blasted the two of them away. The black mist opened its mouth and sucked the gray baby spirit directly into its mouth.

Only then did Dong Zhi understood that the black mist had only shown weakness to devour the infant spirit while they were distracted!

The two of them looked at each other in surprise from a distance, and a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts.

Before the black mist had completed its form, it was cunning and insidious. How difficult would it be to deal with it after it completes its form and grows?

Dong Zhi was even more reminiscent of the cunning and changeable Xu Wan, the Archfiend who was finally killed by the two deputy directors of the Special Administration Bureau. The black mist in front of him may still be lacking in strength and spiritual wisdom, but in time, would it eventually become something similar to an Archfiend?

They must absolutely kill it here! Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo thought at the same time.

The body of the man who swallowed the infant spirit was much clearer, and there was a cackling sound in his throat, as if he wanted to convey something to them.

Dong Zhi seemed to see the vague blackness of his face that evoked a strange smile for him.

He didn’t have time to think about it, and together with Liu Qingbo, the two of them moved at the same time.

One pounced on the black mist, and the other quickly took out a talisman and formed an array around it.

This series of changes stunned everyone else.

Zhang Han was a little ashamed. He didn’t expect that he had regarded himself too highly before, and in the end, he had to wait for others to save his life.

Luo Nanfang held his breath and secretly prayed that they could successfully eliminate the black mist; otherwise, his old bones would be buried here today.

Chen Guoliang sat limp and trembling by the wall, unable to say anything.

Hui Yiguang had experienced the incident on the rooftop of the hospital last time, so she was calmer, while Boss Zhao and the lobby manager fainted in shock and were unconscious.

Zhang Han quickly recognized the array Dong Zhi was forming. It was a confinement formation designed to trap the black mist and prevent the opponent from escaping. It wasn’t that Dong Zhi didn’t want to summon thunder, but he was injured and wasn’t sure if he would be successful. It was better to choose a simpler and more effective way—Zhang Han quickly took out all the evil-suppressing talismans from his pocket and helped Dong Zhi set up the formation. His evil-suppressing talisman could play an auxiliary role in the eight trigrams array. In other ways, it could strengthen the effect, so Dong Zhi didn’t stop him.

The black mist actively stretched out its hand towards the sword light, but it was instantly crushed. The man’s body was shattered, and it scattered. Before Dong Zhi had time to toss the sunlight talisman, the black powder in the air began to quickly condense and assemble again.

“Damn, it’s over!”

Liu Qingbo yelled and raised his sword to pounce on the black mist that had just condensed. White light was entangled with the black mist for a moment before Liu Qingbo angrily shouted, “Dong Zhi, fuck your uncle*! Hurry up and help!”

*(你大爷) Beijing dialect that’s used to express dissatisfaction among friends.

Before he finished shouting, Dong Zhi completed the formation!

“Go!” Dong Zhi shouted. Liu Qingbo understood, and directly applied his strength to the sword. The sword light suddenly brightened, almost covering the blackness.

The Changshou Sword rushed in at the same time, passing through Liu Qingbo’s sword light and the fine bits of black mist, directly piercing the core of the black mist. The sunlight talisman turned into a bright talisman fire and caused the core to suddenly explode.

Boom!

There was a loud explosion in Zhang Han’s ears that shook his eardrums, and for a while, his entire auditory world fell silent, leaving only a buzzing aftertaste.

The dazzling light made him unable to open his eyes. Under the impact of the huge airflow, he smashed into the wall a second time. His back was in so much pain that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

Will let you taste the wrath of destruction…

In a daze, Zhang Han seemed to hear such a sentence.

He coughed a few times, resisted the tingling of his eyes, and slowly opened them.

The room was even more messy and chaotic than before. The door finally opened, and the hotel staff who rushed in from outside looked at them dumbfounded, not knowing what happened.

Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo also fell to the ground. The black mist had completely disappeared without a trace. It should have been completely wiped out by them. Zhang Han thought they seemed fine and weren’t in such an embarrassed state as he and the rest were.

“It’s still alive! It’s still alive! Destroy it soon!” Chen Guoliang yelled suddenly, and everyone’s nerves that had just been relaxed tightened again in an instant.

Looking in the direction he pointed, Dong Zhi saw a cloud of black mist slowly separating from the fetus in the bathroom. It was much smaller than before. It must have been a fish that slipped through the net. He thought about it and pinched a talisman with his two fingers and threw it.

“The heavens give birth to water, the earth gives birth to fire, the heavens give birth to wood, the earth gives birth to gold. The five central palaces, subdue malignity, overcome disasters, and eliminate all traces of evil!”

The sunlight talisman turned into flames and wrapped the black mist and burned it fiercely. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that the black mist was about to be completely wiped out, Dong Zhi suddenly felt a chill in the center of his eyebrows. It seemed that something jumped out of the flame, shot over quickly, and touched his brows again, but there was nothing unusual.

“Did you see anything just now?” he asked Liu Qingbo.

“See what?” Liu Qingbo asked blankly.

Dong Zhi felt relieved thinking that it seemed to be just an illusion.

Zhang Han was both shocked and ashamed. He didn’t expect that the two people he had secretly despised before and thought were charlatans had saved everyone’s lives at a critical time.

“Dare to ask my friends*, is your talisman kung fu also taught by your master?” Zhang Han’s address to Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo had been directly upgraded from “little friends” to “Taoist friends.”

*(道友) Specific term referring to friends who practice Taoism together.

The use of talismans needed to be inherited from a school. Without a school, the talisman wouldn’t take effect, but the name Long Shen was strange to Zhang Han, which was why he asked.

Dong Zhi said, “I inherited my talisman skills from the Hezao Sect, which I’m part of and in whom there was another master that I worshipped.”

A burst of heat flushed through his ears and onto Zhang Han’s face. He really wanted to go back dozens of minutes ago and drag his eyes that were higher from the top so as not to embarrass himself now.

“The Hezao Sect is one of the three major sects that’s on par with Mount Longhu. Although I grew up on the other side of the river, I have also heard of them. I didn’t expect to see two fellow worshippers now. If I have the opportunity in the future, I’ll invite you to the Zhang family in Taiwan as guests!”

Luo Nanfang also smiled bitterly. “Thanks to the help of you two today. Otherwise, an explanation would have to be made for my old bones here!”

As they were busy buddying up, the people outside the hotel were fruitlessly trying to open the door. They had to call the police after they heard a loud noise coming from inside.

When the police rushed over, the events on the inside had just come to an end. The door opened smoothly, and everyone was stunned by all the blood in the room.

Since Dong Zhi had dealt with the Lucheng police because of Yamamoto’s affairs, he was no stranger to them. He said, “Don’t be nervous. Something happened here. The Special Administration Bureau has solved it. You can give it to Deputy Song of the criminal investigation unit, or directly tell Boss Zheng.”

He took out his work permit. The little policeman who came had been in the industry for less than a year. He had never seen such a bloody and chaotic crime scene. His mind was confused for a moment. Seeing that the work permit said he was also a policeman, he was even more confused, but he didn’t dare let his guard down. He hurriedly asked his colleagues to take care of Han Qi, who was seriously injured and unconscious, to the hospital, and reported to the higher ups. In the end, he got a personal call from Director Zheng confirming that what Dong Zhi said was true, but for the sake of safety, Director Zheng still had to come in person to take a look.

Dong Zhi also called for Mu Duo to come over. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Chen Guoliang, who was trying to sneak away, and he couldn’t help but shout, “Stop!”

The police quickly caught Chen Guoliang. “What are you doing? Where do you want to go?!”

Chen Guoliang showed a smile that was uglier than crying. As soon as he was about to speak, he couldn’t help retching. “I, I can’t stand the smell here!”

Liu Qingbo showed a smile that wasn’t a smile. “Aren’t you a master from Hong Kong? Aren’t you a guest of honor of Mr. Li and Ms. Gong? You’re much more knowledgeable than we are. How can you not withstand a little smell? Chen Guoliang, you’re suspected of cheating and spreading feudal superstitions. Now I want to take you back to assist in the investigation. First think about what you should tell us first!”

Chen Guoliang wept, and his hands and feet grew soft, but he didn’t dare resist anymore.

Upon seeing this, Boss Zhao couldn’t help but feel a pain in his heart when he remembered the large feng shui fee he had paid before.

Kinky Thoughts:

Christ, I spent too long researching that one paragraph on ancient Chinese money.

—

Five Emperors Money

Refers to copper coins with round square holes in them. Ancient copper coins are cast according to the “outer circle and inner square” and “the unity of heaven and man”, which is like heaven, law, and earth. With heavy cultural attributes, in traditional culture, the money of the Five Emperors has the function of warding off evil spirits and bringing blessings. The five emperors, in the original sense, refer to the five heavenly emperors of the east, south, west, north, and middle.

The Small Five Emperor Coins refer to the copper coins cast by the five emperors of the Qing Dynasty, including Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing. They are the coins in the last row, represented in the picture above.

The Great Five Emperor coins refers to Qin Banliang, Han Wuzhu, Kaiyuan Tongbao, Songyuan Tongbao, and Yongle Tongbao. They are the coins in the first two rows represented in the picture above.

Overall, these coins can be used to make a “sword” that can ward off evil spirits and bring blessings.

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Bu Tian Gang Ch86

Kinky3 Comments

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 86

Early the next morning, Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo met Hui Yiguang on the set.

This woman had depression some time ago, but now her entire face was radiant, and she seemed to be doing very well.

Hui Yiguang greeted them very warmly and politely and told them about the news with an apologetic face.

“I told the director in advance yesterday, but I didn’t expect management to find three people from each side.”

Liu Qingbo frowned. “They’re also from the Special Administration Bureau?”

“No, no. They’re feng shui masters!” Hui Yiguang said apologetically. “I know that my colleagues are jealous of each other, so this must be very disrespectful to you, but I really didn’t know beforehand However, I won’t let you two come in vain for today.”

Dong Zhi smiled. “We’re not colleagues. There’s no situation where this is taboo. Instead, I’m worried that they will be afraid when they see us.”

Hui Yiguang was stunned and puzzled.

Liu Qingbo understood what he meant and snorted.

They belong to the Special Administration Bureau, while these so-called feng shui masters and psychics were full of people fishing in troubled waters. Just like thieves, they have to be afraid when they see the police.

Of the three people found by the investor, two came earlier than Dong Zhi, and one hadn’t yet arrived.

Of the two who had arrived, one was an old man holding a compass in his hand, looking very friendly, while the other was a middle-aged man with a short beard on his chin. He was dressed in casual clothing and had an inscrutable smile on his face.

The two of them also brought their assistants over, and at first glance, they looked more stylish than Dong Zhi.

Upon seeing this, Dong Zhi whispered to Liu Qingbo, “Is it too late for you to pretend to be my assistant?”

Liu Qingbo snorted coldly, indicating that he would not talk.

They were looking at each other, and the other party was also looking at them.

Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo were too young, so young that they didn’t look like they were in this business at all, but more like young actors who were here to act.

The old man and the others were invited over by one of the investors who introduced them. “This is Master Luo Nanfang, a famous feng shui master in the south, and also a visiting professor at several universities. He often gives lectures. You’re very busy most of the time, so it’s hard to make an appointment with you at ordinary times.”

The old man who was holding the compass smiled and nodded to everyone. “I heard that I could compete with other experts, so I came. Pleasure to meet everyone.”

The investor also introduced the middle-aged man. “This is Master Zhang Han of the Zhang Family. Master Zhang is a direct descendant of Mount Longhu. He’s very capable and can’t be invited by ordinary people. This time, he also took time out of his busy schedule.”

Zhang Han seemed to have a good personal relationship with him as he gave the investor quite a bit of face. When he heard this, he said politely, “Oh stop. Where’s our friendship? If you need help, I couldn’t possibly refuse!”

Some of the people who were present had heard of the names Luo Nanfang and Zhang Han, so they stepped forward to greet them.

For actors who filmed all over the world, it was inevitable that they would encounter some strange and unexplainable things. Just choose any actor who had been in the industry for some years and they may be able to tell you about a supernatural experience. Therefore, people in the circle were more inclined to believe in these kinds of strange things than ordinary people, and their pursuit and desire for fame and fortune also made them always hope to achieve their goals faster through some shortcuts. Feng shui masters and psychics had become one of the most popular routes.

In contrast, the nameless Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo had already earned the reputation of being charlatans.

However, the investor still gave Hui Yiguang’s face. When he heard that she invited them over, he said, “This person’s name is surnamed Dong, and this person’s name is surname Liu.”

That’s it?

No introduction to origins or teacher?

Luo Nanfang frowned and glanced at Zhang Han.

Many industries required young people. The younger you were, the more energetic. However, in some industries, the opposite was true. For example, doctors and feng shui masters. Dong Zhi’s and Liu Qingbo’s ages gave people the impression that they were too green and didn’t know much.

According to the rules of the industry, they should’ve taken the initiative to come forward to Luo Nanfeng and salute him and the others, but since the two of them didn’t do anything but just smile at them, Luo Nanfang’s and Zhang Han’s immediate opinion became even worse.

Zhang Yan couldn’t help frowning. “I wonder which of your master did you learn from?”

Liu Qingbo said lightly, “Liu Yongjia.”

That was his grandfather’s name.

Dong Zhi was polite, but the name he said was also very strange. “My master’s name is Long Shen.”

If he had said he was from the Hezao Sect, maybe the other party would still know, but Long Shen and Liu Yongjia were names that Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan had never heard of.

They all had their own judgement, and they became more certain that most likely these two were charlatans, so they didn’t bother to talk to them anymore.

Dong Zhi didn’t really care about their attitudes. Anyway, they were split into two groups, and they weren’t here to fight. With Liu Qingbo’s temperament, since he had nothing to do, he decided to speak up. “Mr. Zhang, what is your Taoist name and which generation of Mount Longhu did you learn under?”

Zhang Han raised his eyebrows. “Do you know the previous generations of Mount Longhu? It doesn’t hurt to tell you. I’m from the Xing generation.”

Who knew that Liu Qingbo not only didn’t show the reaction of admiration that he was used to, but he also scanned him up and down. “I heard that the youngest member of the Xing generation is now at least seventy years old. It seems that Mr. Zhang has skills in aging!”

How outrageous that before he was questioned by the other party, they had questioned him first. Zhang Han grew angry. “When Master Zhang moved to Taiwan, I was the orthodox direct descendant from him. Don’t compare me with those fake masters of cats and dogs!”

The Zhang family of Mount Longhu has been prosperous since Zhang Daoling* of the Han Dynasty. In the fourth generation of Celestial Masters, the Zhang family moved from Shaanxi to Mount Longhu. Since then, it had been passed down from generation to generation and had even been sealed by successive dynasties. Their status was very transcendent. There was a saying among people that the Zhang family, like the Confucian family, was a family that had not changed for thousands of years, which showed how distinguished they were. In the Republic of China, which was the darkest and most chaotic era in China, the Zhang family moved to Taiwan with the defeated national army. What remained were the lineages and branches. Since then, there have been long debates about which side was authentically Taoist, though outsiders weren’t privy to these feuds.

*Was a Chinese religious leader who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty credited with founding the Way of the Celestial Masters sect of Taoism, which is also known as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. He was the founder of Taoism.

Liu Qingbo chuckled and wanted to say something, but Dong Zhi jabbed him with his elbow, motioning him to stop.

They were here to solve a problem, not pick fights. These two people relied on their identity and put on airs, but they haven’t done anything excessive.

Liu Qingbo glared at him and finally gave him face.

Interlaced like mountains*, the investor was like a duck listening to thunder. They only heard what was said, but they felt the conversation went over their heads, so they didn’t rashly interrupt.

*(隔行如隔山) Saying which means people who aren’t in the industry won’t understand. || In this context, all the passersby are just listening but don’t say anything because they have no clue what Liu Qingbo and Zhang Han are talking about.

At that moment, the third expert he invited arrived.

The person was about forty years old and was wearing a mandarin jacket. He was very imposing, with a red face and a tall figure. He looked more like a successful man than a spiritual practitioner.

However, the investor was obviously more concerned about this one. Not only did he greet the other party as soon as he got out of the car, he also personally invited the person in.

“Welcome, Master Chen. I’m so happy that you could make it! Let me introduce you. This is Master Chen Guoliang, a master who is known to everyone in Hong Kong, and a guest of Mr. Li and Ms. Gong, the top tycoons in Hong Kong!”

Chen Guoliang nodded modestly, didn’t even bother to say anything, and only glanced at his assistant.

His assistant immediately understood what he meant and immediately understood the investor’s displeasure. “Boss Zhao, what do you mean by this? You invited us and others as well? Do you not trust Master Chen?”

The investor didn’t dare to offend, and hurriedly said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. When I contacted Lao Sun yesterday, he said that Master Chen might not be free. At that time, he couldn’t give me a letter of approval. You see, I’m in a rush, so…”

As soon as these words came out, Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan became unhappy again.

They were the replacement for the spare tire?

The investor didn’t want to offend these experts, so he hurriedly smiled and said, “Look at what I said. In fact, this matter is really urgent. Even our male lead has gone to the hospital. The crew really can’t help it…”

Chen Guoliang waved his hand and finally opened his mouth. “Forget it, let’s take a look at the place first.”

The investor who was just granted amnesty quickly said, “I’ll take you over!”

Liu Qingbo gave a snort, but there was little movement. The others were looking in front of the place, so they didn’t pay any attention to him, but Dong Zhi, who was next to him, heard it.

“What’s the matter?”

Liu Qingbo said, “I have heard of this person before. If others want to ask him for feng shui advice, they have to make an appointment at least a month in advance. The cost of inviting him out is more than 500,000 yuan, and he’s very difficult to invite. This crew certainly has money. It’s estimated it took a lot of contacts and money to invite him over!”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “It goes without saying that if Han Qi and Su Fan can be hired as the leads, how could they not have money? I heard that they’re paying a lot of rent per day on this house alone. If the matter could be resolved smoothly, half a million yuan will be worth it.”

The investor accompanied Chen Guoliang to the front, Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan followed with their assistants, while Hui Yiguang accompanied Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo at the end, drawing an obvious distance.

In response to the arrival of Chen Guoliang and them, Hui Yiguang expressed her apologies again to Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo.

Dong Zhi said, “Those who don’t know are not guilty. Miss Hui, you don’t need to keep apologizing.”

Hui Yiguang apologized and said, “I have already described the general situation on the phone. I don’t know if you two have any questions?”

Dong Zhi shook his head. “Not for the time being. Let’s take a look at the crew before going to the hotel, but I have always had a question in my heart. It has nothing to do with this matter. It has something to do with you, Miss Hui.”

Hui Yiguang reacted quickly. “Not all questions in this world can be answered.”

Dong Zhi: “Do you know what I want to ask?”

Hui Yiguang’s expression was calm. “No matter what I say, you can’t let go of your doubts, so why do you have to ask more questions?”

After she finished speaking, she sighed softly.

“Since the last incident, I have woken up in the dead of night, and I often have the illusion of identity confusion. I don’t know if I am Hui Yiguang or Wang Qi, but it seems that the two of us are one. I even went to see a psychiatrist, but the doctor said I didn’t have any problems. Later, it took a long time before I accepted my current situation. For me, everything is over. I am Hui Yiguang, and Hui Yiguang is me. Do you think there are any traces of being possessed by evil things on my body?”

No.

The current Hui Yiguang was too normal to be normal, as if she were the most ordinary person among all living beings.

Dong Zhi was speechless.

Hui Yiguang: “I now donate a portion of the money I earn from every project to disaster areas and poor mountainous areas. I don’t want to say how many people have benefited from this, but at least this Hui Yiguang now contributes to the surroundings and society. Do you cling to an answer from the past? Does it make sense? No matter what the answer is, there’s no way to go back in time. I remember you saying that the cycle of cause and effect is unpleasant. Isn’t the result now conforming to heaven? Otherwise, the one who survived the heavenly lightning last time wouldn’t be who the me now.”

Dong Zhi looked at her for a while before he said, “I hope you remember what you said. If there is any mistake in your behavior, I will definitely take action.”

Hui Yiguang smiled. “I will.”

Liu Qingbo knew what they were talking about because he was also involved in the last incident, but he didn’t participate in the conversation. Instead, he kept his head down and texted on his phone. Dong Zhi didn’t know who he was busy communicating with.

The villa had a total of three floors. It didn’t take them very long to tour the area.

After visiting the house, the investor, Boss Zhao, asked them what they found.

Luo Nanfang said that the house was a bit gloomy, but it was purely because there were too many trees outside and not enough sunlight. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t a residential place. Since it was a tourist attraction, with tourists coming and going every day, the lack of yang energy was fine.

Mr. Zhang didn’t make any long remarks, but it probably meant that there was nothing wrong with the house.

Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo looked at each other, feeling that these two did have some real skills.

They didn’t specialize in feng shui, and they haven’t opened their eyes to the heavens. However, with the acumen as a practitioner, they could still feel the balance of yin and yang in this house, and there was an endless supply of vitality. Although the light was a little darker, as Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan said, this house was normal.

“We also agree with the opinions of Master Luo and Master Zhang,” Dong Zhi said.

Picking up people’s wisdom. They were probably afraid of revealing their ineptitude. Zhang Han glanced at them and had already classified Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo into the ranks of cheats under the banner of feng shui.

Luo Nanfang also shook his head secretly. It was precisely because there were liars mixed in that this business varied greatly.

Boss Zhao actually valued Chen Guoliang the most. Seeing the other party hadn’t spoken, he politely said, “Master Chen, I wonder if you have any ideas?”

Chen Guoliang glanced at them and said, “There is a problem with the house. Not only is there a problem with the house, but people also have problems. It is people who affect the house.”

Boss Zhao was taken aback. “There are no residents in this house anymore. It’s now a tourist attraction…”

Chen Guoliang said, “It’s not the original owner of the house. It’s a person on the crew. Are all of you here?”

Boss Zhao hurriedly said, “It’s all there, except…”

The staff member next to him added: “Several people have been injured and hospitalized, including the male lead. There is also the female lead, Miss Han, and the second male lead, who hasn’t come yet!”

Chen Guoliang waved his hand eloquently. “Then go to the hospital first!”

Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan also saw that although Boss Zhao invited them over, among the three of them, they believed in Chen Guoliang the most. When they heard what Chen Guoliang said, they immediately asked someone to prepare a car to go to the hospital, but Boss Zhao didn’t snub Luo Nanfang and others, and also politely asked if they wanted to go over and have a look together.

Neither Zhang Yan nor Luo Nanfang had an opinion.

To be honest, when they heard Boss Zhao say that they were in a rush and were very anxious and said that accidents kept happening one after another and never stopped, they couldn’t help but think in strange directions. However, after coming, they found that everything was normal here and there wasn’t a problem with the villa or the people. Of course, everyone in the crew was still nervous, which also showed that Boss Zhao hadn’t exaggerated things.

Although they didn’t get along well with Chen Guoliang and there were also two “liars” on the side, Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan also wanted to figure out what was going on.

Dong Zhi said, “Let’s go to the hotel where the actors are staying first. We won’t go to the hospital.”

This was because Hui Yiguang said before that she suspected that the problem might be Han Qi, so they were now going to find Han Qi.

Zhang Han teased, “What’s the hurry, you two children? We’ll go to the hospital first, then the hotel. Is it possible that the two of them have something urgent and want to go first?”

Liu Qingbo sniped back. “Why can’t we go to the hotel first and then we’ll go to the hospital after?”

Although Boss Zhao also felt that Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo weren’t capable of anything, he didn’t show it on his face. He smiled and said, “Well, how about going to the hospital first and then the hotel? It just so happens that a few people will not be able to go back today. I have booked a room at the hotel for you.”

Dong Zhi: “We live in this city. We don’t need to stay in a hotel. I heard Miss Hui say that yesterday, Miss Han watched the actor fall down the stairs with her own eyes and was almost hit. Then something happened to her own assistant. Maybe Miss Han found something, so I think it’s better to go to the hotel first and talk to Miss Han.”

Boss Zhao thought it was reasonable when he heard it, so he looked at Chen Guoliang.

Chen Guoliang put his hands behind his back and said displeasingly, “Who is in charge here? Lao Zhao, you invited me here just to let me listen to the nonsense of two people of unknown origin? Are you inviting me or them? If it’s them, I’m sorry, but I won’t be accompanying them.”

He raised his foot to leave, but Boss Zhao quickly stopped. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Master Chen. I didn’t think about it well, so we can do whatever you say!”

Liu Qingbo sneered: “I’m afraid there’s someone else talking nonsense! Master Chen Guoliang, which sect did you study under that you dare say our origins are unknown?”

Zhang Yan and Luo Nanfang were having a good time. They didn’t like Chen Guoliang, Liu Qingbo, or Dong Zhi. As a result, they hadn’t done anything yet when the two sides quarreled, so they were happy to watch the show.

Chen Guoliang snorted, disdaining to talk to him at all. The assistant next to him lowered his face and scolded. “You dare to talk to the master like this? The master did not expose you and let you stay here. It’s already a face-saving thing for you. Do you dare to make trouble?!”

The master put on big airs, even bringing bodyguards with him when he came. The assistant called them in to escort them away.

The two bodyguards were tall and burly, wearing suits and sunglasses. At first glance, they looked like that, but before they could put their hands on Liu Qingbo’s shoulders, they were already in a daze. Before anyone could see what Liu Qingbo had done, the two bodyguards were already lying on the ground, clutching their arms and screaming in pain.

Of course, this wasn’t because the bodyguards were too weak. Chen Guoliang knew very well that these bodyguards were good at fighting opponents one against two. Now, against two scrawny, thin young men, they were actually put down with one move. It meant that his opponent was extremely strong.

His face changed slightly. He didn’t expect that after walking outside for so many years, he would lose sight of his kung fu. It was clear that these two guys were pretending to be pigs and eating tigers.

Chen Guoliang settled down. “Why are young people so quick to get angry? If you have something to say, you might as well say it.”

Liu Qingbo shook his phone. “Master Chen, I checked your information online. It says that you studied with Guo Yushan, a famous overseas master, in your early years. Unfortunately, Mr. Guo is a family friend. I asked Mr. Guo through my father. He said that he had never accepted a disciple named Chen Guoliang. Tell me, is the information published on the Internet wrong, or is Mr. Guo so old that he doesn’t even remember his apprentice?”

Chen Guoliang barely squeezed out a smile. “The information on the Internet is wrong.”

Liu Qingbo snorted coldly. “Then which famous master did Mr. Chen study under? Can you tell me so that I can follow him for long-term insight?”

From just now, he and Dong Zhi, after seeing Chen Guoliang appear, had felt that this person was too strange. Bluntly put, he was more like a successful boss than a hidden expert. In contrast, Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan were a bit more authentic.

Unexpectedly, they didn’t provoke each other, and the other party actually came to provoke them.

Boss Zhao felt like he was having a headache. He had now begun to regret that he shouldn’t have forgotten the rules of peers being jealous of each other. He invited three people at once and couldn’t help but secretly complain about Hui Yiguang. How did she find these two people? Chen Guoliang walked among giants because of his fortune-telling and feng shui, and had a large network of people in Hong Kong. Boss Zhao had asked Chen Gualiang not only to solve the current problem, but to facilitate business in the future.

As a result, now that this had happened, the other party would definitely be angry with him.

Thinking of this, Boss Zhao couldn’t help but glare at Hui Yiguang.

But Hui Yiguang’s expression was calm, and she didn’t seem panicked because the person she invited had offended Chen Guoliang.

Boss Zhao deserved to be a flexible-minded businessman. Seeing her like this, his heart moved. He felt that Hui Yiguang was relying on him. He thought he would find a chance to talk to her and clear things up later. Thinking like this, he wasn’t as angry as before.

So he hurriedly said that the situation couldn’t be resolved. “Well, several actors are still in the hotel. I remember that Master Chen also liked watching Miss Han’s work very much. Why don’t we go to the hotel first and just talk to Miss Han?”

Chen Guoliang’s face didn’t look good, but he became amicable. “Very well.”

Liu Qingbo wanted to say more but was held down by Dong Zhi.

“Let’s get down to business first. This person won’t run away,” Dong Zhi whispered.

Liu Qingbo was quite obedient this time, mainly because he felt that the two bodyguards were too weak. Chen Guoliang was probably a man who only paid lip service. He didn’t even need to make a single move or even use a sword to bring him down. That would be too unchallenging.

The group of people got into the car in several groups. Chen Guoliang had his own car. Boss Zhao specially called Hui Yiguang to sit with him while Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo joined Luo Nanfang and Zhang Yan. The three cars drove in the direction of the hotel not far away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to be in the same car, Boss Zhao asked Hui Yiguang, “What are the origins of these two people you invited?”

Hui Yiguang smiled. “Don’t ask, I can’t talk nonsense without their consent, but there’s a big story behind them. I can only say that whether it’s Master Chen or Master Luo, when they come to Lucheng, they all must be under Mr. Dong.”

The difference between her and Boss Zhao was that she had dealt with the Special Administration Bureau and was also friends with Chi Banxia. She had some understanding of them and knew that these people had dual identities as cultivators and law enforcers. Although ordinary people may not know it, they have great powers. Let alone Boss Zhao, even those who had even more money may not have been able to hire them.

There was more room for imagination in this sentence. Boss Zhao had an active mind, and he immediately developed a wealth of imagination. Hui Yiguang didn’t say anymore and left him guessing.

When they arrived at their destination, Boss Zhao’s attitude towards Hui Yiguang was obviously much closer and he was much more amiable to the younger generation.

He also regretted that he wasn’t enthusiastic about Dong Zhi and Liu Qingbo just now. While taking everyone to the hotel, he thought about how to make up for it.

The author has something to say:

The dispute between Daoism in Mount Longhu is real. One is in Jiangxi and the other is in Taiwan. There are some historical factors, but the other contents are fictitious. It is inconvenient to write too much here. Interested friends can search the Internet for themselves~~

Kinky Thoughts:

Is Hui Yiguang a red herring?

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Stray Ch210

Kinky9 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 210: The Queen of Blood

The world has gone crazy.

Perhaps this was what most people in the hall were thinking at that moment.

Prince Eldric’s guess was correct. Not every family was as loyal as House Salter. Compared to the group of fools whose brains were dominated by useless morals like the Salter’s, it was better to get more for your family…

The vast machine of Alban was still running, not because of how much they loved it, but because they were a member of this big ship. The roots of each ancient family were too deep, and if Alban fell, everyone in the hall would undoubtedly be hit hard to varying degrees.

The first emperor, Sampson, was extremely strong, and for the sake of the gold rolling in, the vassals were willing to restrain some of their thoughts and bend their backs respectfully. After Sampson’s death, the successor, Prince Ettram, tried to emulate his father, but unfortunately lacked the talent and courage.

The young king’s heath was fragile, and he had no heir. Many had already made their own private calculations. While responding to Willard’s frequent provocations, the various families were cautiously gathering their tentacles.

The rich and powerful prince and the stubborn and weak king would have a fight.

This wasn’t a battle that would end in just death. Even if the king was dead, he could still order and establish a regency and temporarily hand over control to the Salters until a new heir could sit on the throne.

House Salter was a large family. The Alastair family would always marry a girl from the Salter’s for generations, and their interests have long been intertwined.

In order to prevent his heirs from emulating Willard and killing their own siblings, the royal family of Alban, who valued bloodlines, could temporarily hand over the regency power, which acted as the last barrier. Regardless of whether there was a direct or branch line, the royal family’s blood was thin enough that large families would possess some of it.

In the eyes of everyone, this war was undoubtedly just a gladiatorial fight between the prince and the king’s ghost. Everyone already guessed what the outcome would be, and history was always open to being rewritten before being recorded.

If the evidence wasn’t exposed, there would be no so-called “fact”.

If Gallagher Salter was defeated, the next king would undoubtedly be the prince himself. And if Marshal Gallagher was smart enough, he wouldn’t kill the prince in front of everyone in the palace and instead publish the evidence. The prince would be detained, and Gallagher would be regent until a new prince emerged.

Unsurprisingly, he would ensure this by marrying the princess when she comes of age.

There were no other possibilities.

…Originally, that was what they thought.

No one had ever looked at Princess Delia. She was just a thin little girl, the prince’s puppet. She never said more than three sentences at once; quiet and dull, so many people even privately doubted her intelligence.

A silent chess piece that was easy to use.

But the dull princess was standing in front of the throne and had cut the throat of her loved one’s corpse like a chicken. A cold aura surged around her. They didn’t know if she was crazy or possessed by a demon. The chess game was finally about to end, and this little girl, who didn’t know the height of the sky, directly overturned the chessboard.

The hand of the prince who was holding the sword was trembling. His previously suffocated red face slowly turned pale.

“You’re not qualified to talk to me like this, Delia.” After the initial shock, the prince’s tone was frighteningly calm. “Child, rules are rules, and you have to pay for these words. I understand your pain, you just—”

But the little princess didn’t stop there. She seemed to be planning to throw all the grudges she had accumulated over the years at him, as if throwing out a highly poisonous blade.

“Praise Zenni, you really know everything. You said you understand? I have been watching you, uncle. I have been listening to what you have said, and I haven’t missed a day for eight years.”

The little princess turned the knife skillfully between her fingers, and the smile in her voice became stronger.

“After eating a few sips of lunch that didn’t taste good, you thought you understood the sorrow of those starving to death. When the flowers raised in the backyard withered suddenly, you thought you understood the despair of losing a loved one. Practicing your swordsmanship until your wrists were sore, you thought you understood the fatigue of working all day long. Getting a papercut and you thought you understood the severe pain of a rotting wound.”

“Perhaps you have read countless books and know the cause and effect of these pains, but you will never understand. You can only imagine. No one can understand the pain of others. I think at this point, self-aware cold rationality is stronger than self-righteous compassion.”

“You’re just a sixteen-year-old girl who has some intelligence and madness. What do you know?” The prince sneered, slightly raising the sword in his hand.

“Catch her.” He irritably ordered the guards around him.

“Unlike you, at least I know very well that ‘I can never understand’.” The little princess also sneered back, and then raised her voice. “It’s time!”

The great nobles had already crowded to the other side of the vast hall to make room for the guards to fight. Facts proved that this decision was extremely wise—as soon as the little princess’s voice fell, two figures slowly appeared from the air, and then they caught up with the guards who rushed forward.

The position of the man in exquisite armor and the plainly dressed female warrior was strikingly obvious. The two separated the little princess from the prince and fought with the guards in a ball, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Most offensive magic had been banned in the royal hall, and at that moment, only the most primitive killing took place.

The great nobles made a quick decision. They smashed open the magic jewelry they carried with them at almost the same time and decided to exchange freedom of movement for personal safety. The brilliance of various magic shields instantly illuminated the hall.

Prince Eldric didn’t do so.

He still held the hilt of the sword firmly in his hand.

“Salter, get him away!” Ann cried. “I can’t shield Delia like this.”

She didn’t disguise her voice this time.

The little princess slowly moved her gaze to Ann’s face and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m afraid it will take some time, Your Highness.” Gallagher waved away a guard.

Salter. Your Highness.

For a while, everyone focused on the two of them.

Ann didn’t hesitate; she once again threw out the Royal Edict and, without hesitation, Salter fished out a golden crystal and applied blood to it.

Another emblem of the Alastair family stood up. The two emblems rotated in the air, and then overlapped at the same time.

A special spell that could be cast within the royal hall, a unique crystal that could be used within the royal hall.

“If you hear this. Then I must have been killed by Eldric Alastair.” The voice of the dead emperor echoed in the hall.

Ann stood in front of the expressionless Delia as a spear pierced the abdomen of the guard in front of her.

“I have placed a lot of props for recording by my side, and there should be enough as proof. The Salter family knows their location. I hereby give permission to Gallagher Salter to disregard the honor of the royal family, temporarily imprison Prince Eldric, and hold a public trial.”

Gallagher’s longsword slashed down fiercely, directly giving his enemy a narrow, bloody gash in the chest, staining most of his armor.

The prince sighed.

Confidence, relaxation, and pride at this moment all turned into exhaustion and despondency. Even the youngest could see that the man in front of him had only anger, not a semblance of remorse.

“You don’t understand,” he murmured. “A group of poor bastards trapped by boring trifles will never see the real overall situation.”

“Yeah, I’m small-minded.” Ann kicked away the two guards in front of her, wiped the bloodshot corners of her mouth, and spit out her words one by one. “Long time, no see, dear brother.”

“You are Andrea.” The prince’s tone was flat. “…According to the current signs, you are indeed Andrea.”

Ann could hear Delia’s breathing suddenly becoming shallow behind her.

“I crawled out of the grave, but unfortunately, I couldn’t take Belle with me,” Ann replied.

The hunting spear and the gorgeous saber collided instantly, causing sparks to erupt.

Prince Eldric was very intelligent, and his swordsmanship was naturally skilled. Ann tasted the killing intent from the fierce offensive. Things had reached the point where the prince had given up on advancing his plan step by step and clearly intended to give one final last shot in this desperate situation.

“Although I am very dissatisfied with this—but if you stop now, there may be a way for you to live,” Ann hissed.

“Unfortunately, for stupid people, complete domination is the right way. Father was right to teach that women will only do bad things.” The prince had no intention of stopping at all.

“Your Highness!” Salter, who was not far away, was leaning towards his side one against ten and warning loudly as they were separated by the guards.

Ann knew what he was warning her about—now wasn’t the time to kill Eldric.

She used a hunting spear to resist the blade of the sword, and a trace of sadness suddenly came out of her heart.

The hideous face of the man in front of her and the tender, smiling face of a child slowly overlapped. A smiling face floated from the bottom of her rotten memories. Perhaps it was some kind of instruction from heaven—this would be the last side she would see of her brother, the face that was specifically brought to her eyes.

[They are so cute! Can I hug them, father?]

[No, that doesn’t make sense, Eldric.]

It was the first time they met, and there were a handful of subsequent meetings.

The child back then and the man now had a subtle similar loneliness on their faces. It was a pity that time had long passed, and with countless hatred, anger, and indifference, she didn’t think they would have a chance to recover.

The hunting spear passed through the prince’s shoulder.

“Stop it. This is your last chance, Eldric.” Ann’s tone was serious. “Stand down now and pay the price for what you did—you should be more familiar with the laws of Alban than I am, and you know you can still live.”

This time, the prince didn’t respond positively.

Even though Ann had tried her best to lead the battle away from Delia, the situation suddenly changed at the moment of her sadness. Ignoring the wound, Eldric stabbed the tip of the sword straight at the little princess’ chest.

Not only did Delia have no fear, but she showed a slightly distorted smile.

She raised her dagger as Cat Whiskers stood on her shoulders and raised her feet high, obviously intending to use the power of the Abyss to assist…

But Eldric failed to move forward again.

His sword stopped a few centimeters in front of Delia, and the sharp blade that the little princess rushed at him also stayed in the air.

A hunting spear pierced in from behind the prince and protruded out of his chest. The angle was frightening, and it was right in the heart.

The gorgeous saber landed first, and the prince’s expression was still a little puzzled. It seemed to be surprised by the enemy’s completely unreasonable attack.

He opened his mouth, leaving only pain, anger, and despair on his face in the end.

As if someone had pressed the pause button, the prince’s fall to the ground caused the sound of weapons colliding to stop instantly.

The corpse in front of her fell on the edge of the throne, soaking the beautiful carpet in black and red blood. Delia raised her eyes to see Ann in front of her.

She raised the dagger and took a step back. Ann was obviously aware of her vigilance. She moved her shoulder that was sprained due to the tricky attack and bit her lower lip.

“Your Highness…” Gallagher was silent for a long time, sighing softly. Then he cleared his throat.

“Eldric Alastair is dead, but in order to expose his sins, a public trial will be held as scheduled.”

The timing struck just right as Gallagher’s army successfully broke through the defense and rushed into the hall. The great nobles, who were still shielded by their barriers, awoke as if they were in a dream. Like cold water poured into a hot oil pan, the voices in the royal hall exploded all at once.

But at this moment, Ann wasn’t in the mood to care about this.

“Delia,” she called softly.

She knew what the reason for the other party’s vigilance was and felt sad from the bottom of her heart for it. Delia’s eyes were slightly red, but there was indeed a trace of undisguised hostility in her strong vigilance.

For Delia, there was essentially no difference between herself and Eldric. They were both blood relatives of hers, but this didn’t mean anything.

“…” Delia didn’t let go of the blade in her hand. “Why?”

Her voice was a little hoarse. “Why didn’t you let me kill him? I don’t understand, you… You’re Andrea. I’ve heard of you. If I kill him, it will be more beneficial to your succession. The relationship between you and my mother has been broken for more than 20 years. It stands to reason that you—”

“Because you’re only fucking sixteen years old!”

Ann roared loudly, the intense emotions making the tip of her nose red.

“What the fuck is reasonable? You’re just sixteen, and the thought in your mind shouldn’t be how to kill people! For me to stand here and watch you do this; What am I? A brute?”

Delia’s calm mask began to crack, and her lower lip trembled slightly. “As a qualified member of the royal family. Sooner or later…”

“Bullshit!”

Ann threw the hunting spear away and directly reached out to grab Delia’s hand. The latter reflexively waved her short knife, but when the blade cut through the flesh and the warm blood flowed out, the little princess couldn’t continue.

And Ann didn’t seem to feel the pain.

“This is the feeling of hurting people with your own hands. Remember it.” The female warrior sniffled. She firmly but not forcefully pulled Delia to the middle of the hall, beside Salter.

At this moment, the great nobles were looking forward to approaching Salter in the limited time they had, trying to look good in front of the “regent” in their minds.

“You should hold a wedding with Her Royal Highness Andrea as soon as possible, and then…”

“Regarding Willard’s war, you plan to…”

“You…”

Ignoring the chaotic sound, Ann impatiently patted Marshal Gallagher’s armor. “Hey Salter, I have to take Delia to a—”

She also failed to finish.

Instead of taking up his scepter as they rightfully thought he would and following the king’s orders to start straightening out this mess…

He neatly pierced his long sword into the floor in front of him, and he half knelt respectfully, lowering his head to the simple female warrior.

“Time is limited. Let me make this short,” he said, taking off his helmet, revealing the long, sweaty hair tied behind his head.

“I am here to dedicate my loyalty to my king, and I will guard you until the end of your life. I will be your sword, your shield, advise bluntly, and never lie. From this moment on, all my glory and life belong to you.”

Then he lowered the volume. “Your Highness, sword.”

Time was indeed limited, and countless pairs of thoughtful eyes were staring at them. Now every second of procrastination and every minute of leaked emotions could produce variables. Ann didn’t ask any questions. She simply drew out her sword and lightly touched the marshal’s shoulder three times.

“Are you really going to kiss my boots?” She also lowered her volume. “You saw what they stepped on.”

The marshal stood up resolutely and pulled on Ann’s relatively clean hand.

“I didn’t have time to wipe my hands after coming out of the sewers, Mr. Mad Dog.” Ann continued in a low voice.

After gently kissing the back of her hand, Marshal Gallagher turned pale.

Ann reluctantly smiled and hit his armor with her elbow.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Next is my order.” The female warrior raised her head slightly.

“I’m letting you all down. I have no plans to marry this guy. We dislike each other.”

Gallagher turned his head slightly.

“I won’t have offspring either.”

The nobles, who had just fallen into shock and confusion, exploded again.

“Alban’s next heir has been decided.” She took Delia’s hand again. “I will temporarily take over the throne until Delia Alastair is mature enough to take over the country.”

“As an elder? “The little princess asked softly in a voice that Ann could only hear.

“No, as an ally.” Ann clenched her hand “It’s okay, Delia.”

The little princess didn’t say a word.

“It’s okay.” Ann repeated it again.

Finally, she heard the cry. The next emperor of Alban was already set. The still young princess opened her arms, buried her face in Ann’s chest, and began to sob in a low voice.

After ten seconds, she began to cry loudly, like a real child.

Ann hugged the other party’s weak shoulders, put her chin on the top of the little princess’s head, and patted Delia’s trembling back soothingly. Cat Whiskers climbed up along her hand and shook its two front forefeet vigorously under Ann’s nose, desperately pointing to itself.

“Contact from Nemo and the others?” Ann twitched her nose again and ignored her sour eyes. “Yes, no problem now… Hey, listen, captain.”

She whispered softly to the little spider.

“I seem to have become a king by accident.”

The author has something to say:

Ollie: ???? Isn’t the concentration of kings in this team too high?

Nemo: ??????!

Kinky Thoughts:

That’s it for this arc. Such a great arc, and Ann is such a great character.

Arc summary

After leaving the Isamal’s Labyrinth, Tumbleweed gets a request from Ann to help her meet with Delia Alastair, the young princess of Alban. Political turmoil had started as the emperor of Alban, Ettram Alastair, was murdered by his younger brother, Eldric Alastair. With Ettram not having any heirs, Eldric planned to steal the throne. In the process, he also murdered Annabelle Alastair, Delia’s mother, to secure his path. Ann wants to meet with Delia and see if she wants to escape all this madness.

It was then that Ann’s past was revealed. She was part of the Alban royal family, and her real name is Andrea Alastair, and she was the twin sister of Annabelle. At age 14, she ran away from the royal family after she overheard her father’s plan of murdering Flint Lopez’s wife in order to give one of his daughters to wed Flint when they came of age, while the other was to wed a duke. Long story short, she encountered many hardships and eventually became a Black Chapter after realizing that her father had never loved her and only saw her as a tool to be used to further his ambitions. Seeing that she had escaped, he declared to the world that she had died and sent a kill order for her.

To meet with Delia, Tumbleweed infiltrated a grand ball hosted by the royal family to dispel rumors that the current emperor was already dead. It was then that Ann discovered Delia was suffering from the Trent Plague and couldn’t easily escape. To find a cure, Nemo suggested they find Balthazar Medes, a necromancer and was one of the two remaining members of the Tin Soldiers that were still alive. He apparently helped Flint save Oliver and thus likely knew of a cure.

Tumbleweed then infiltrated the tomb where the necromancer had locked himself in. They finally met Medes who then revealed the past and the history behind Flint and Sonia, Oliver’s parents. Flint fell in love with Sonia, but people doubted it because of the gap in their positions. After the expedition into the Abyss, only Flint survived, but he brought back enough bone jade for Alban in order to help them in their war against Willard. The emperor granted him his request to retire and live peacefully with his lover. However, this was all a ruse as the emperor fully expected Flint to get out of his rut and take on the mantle to rebuild his mercenary group and help with the war efforts, and eventually marry one of his daughters. When Flint declined, the emperor devised a plan to kill Sonia by infecting her with the Trent Plague. Once he found out, he called Medes to help find a way to save Sonia, who was five months pregnant. Long story short, Sonia died, but Flint was able to save Oliver through various means that sapped away all his magical powers. Medes betrayed Flint and told the emperor that Flint knew it was his doing that caused Sonia’s death, so he issued a kill order on Flint and his child. To stop the emperor’s aggression, Flint cut off his right hand and gave it to the emperor, while replacing it with a demon’s hand he got from the Butcher Shop.

After Mede’s past reflection, he devised a cure for Delia, and they set off to war after Nemo found that Eldric had a ton of bone jade bombs ready to use against the rebels. The leader of the rebels was Gallagher Salter, who, under the late emperor’s last will, devised a plan to set up a fake heir to compete for the throne.

Tumbleweed joined Gallagher’s side after Delia refused to run away. Ann revealed her identity and took on the mantle of the princess of Alban, and Gallagher’s army marched towards the capital. At the capital’s doorsteps, Ann and Gallagher infiltrate the castle to reduce the casualties and try to rescue Delia. This led to a confrontation between Eldric and Ann, with Ann emerging victorious and Eldric dead. Ann was then ushered in to become the new emperor of Alban.

Side Characters:

Delia was the daughter of Annabelle and the Duke that her father married her off to. From a young age, she never felt any love from Annabelle, until Annabelle started educating her, similar to how Abbas did with Ann in the past. Starved for her mother’s love, Delia reluctantly studied and grew up much wiser beyond her years. Following her mother’s advice, she got close to Eldric, so much so that he never suspected she was actually plotting against him.

Other important things to note: The origins of Trent Plague was revealed, Nemo named the spider demon Cat Whiskers, Oliver received his pardon, and the fuller goat that was abandoned returned to Tumbleweed.

That’s it. Let me know if I missed anything.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Stray Ch209

Kinky3 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 209: Qualifications to Become a King

Adrian’s guess was pretty accurate. When the two armies of Alban and Willard clashed on the border, Ann had already arrived at the palace.

Well versed in the characteristics of Marshall Gallagher’s actions, the focus of the prince’s entire defense was to meet the enemy head-on. No one expected that the famous First Marshal would come out of the sewer with only one companion.

At the moment, Gallagher’s army was still pretending to be active outside the city, diverting their attention. Ann’s behavior had a wonderful effect—people who had seen the Royal Edict with their own eyes were shaken, while the upper echelons who weren’t on the scene firmly believed that the woman who claimed to be Andrea Alastair was a fake.

Contradictory messages and quarrels were transmitted through communication crystals. Ordinary soldiers didn’t carry crystals that could record images, so the real-time picture transmission couldn’t catch the fleeting evidence.

While the generals of the prince’s faction were arguing fiercely on this point, the two ghostly temporary assassins had already arrived at the palace.

Ann raised her head, and her entire field of vision was filled with the familiar and unfamiliar magnificent building. The ancient castle stood in the middle of the royal capital, and the sense of oppression in the near distance was particularly amazing.

This was where she grew up, yet now she still didn’t like its aura.

“Let’s go, Mr. Mad Dog.” The wound caused by the broken sword healed under the spell, but the pain and cold foreign sensation still lingered.

“You walk behind me, Your Highness,” Gallagher said in a muffled voice in the armor.

“My injury is fine.”

“I know.” The marshal took a step forward on his own, without turning his head back. “I am taller and stronger than you. With me in front, it can attract the attention of the enemy—then you can attack by surprise.”

“…” Ann raised her eyebrows quite unexpectedly and tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Good.”

This time, there was only earnestness and solemnity in Gallagher Salter’s tone, not arrogance.

Ann took out the black crystal that could sense Cat Whiskers. Nemo was indeed not very good at making jewelry. A good piece of communication crystal was processed to look like gravel on a riverbed, but the ugly shape didn’t hinder its function. The delicate silver light condensed at one end of the crystal, indicating the direction of the two of them.

“According to what I said before, I must first ensure Delia’s safety.” Ann used her fingers with half-finger gloves to touch the advanced protective paper roll around her waist.

Taking into account security reasons, the use of teleportation magic had always been prohibited near the palace. She couldn’t teleport the little princess out—although Nemo and Ollie could do this through cooperation, it was undoubtedly rash to concentrate all their troops in one place, not to mention the position of Tumbleweed.

“Then we will restrain the prince. As long as we can prove the time of death of the emperor, desecrating the corpse and overstepping his authority to control the army, according to Alban’s law, His Royal Highness Eldric will lose the right to inherit.” Marshal Gallagher whispered, making sure she remembered clearly.

Gallagher brought the emperor’s evidence with him. As long as the two of them could control the prince, everything would be much easier.

“Don’t kill him yet, Your Highness.” The marshal thought for a while, but decided to speak again. “It’s better to leave room for action.”

“…I know.”

They bypassed the stone-brick walls covered with thin vines and climbed over the garden. The two continued to advance to the lounge in the castle. Marshal Gallagher was wrapped in exquisite armor. Ann thought it was inconvenient for him to move, but even though the young marshal was wearing metal armor, he acted quietly like a cat.

It could be regarded as a flattering advantage.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as they thought.

“So many guards?” Delia’s place was surrounded by guards. Ann poked her head out of the corner and frowned.

“Royal guards.” Gallagher was one head taller than Ann. When he poked his head out of the corner of the wall, his vision wasn’t blocked by Ann’s head. “His Majesty…. The body should be there.”

“Tsk,” Ann huffed angrily. “That bastard.”

“Although staying away from here is the least suspicious course of action, I think His Highness Eldric would prefer to protect himself indirectly with the Emperor’s escort.”

“Whatever he wanted to do, he didn’t need to get Delia involved now.” Ann’s voice was gradually becoming colder.

From any point of view, now wasn’t the time to involve the little princess.

Since the prince believed that Princess Andrea, found by Marshal Gallagher, was a fake, he wouldn’t be specially prepared here—Gallagher would only take the “heir” directly to him, not to some disposable princess.

He didn’t even have to kill her specifically. As long as he released the news of the Trent Plague, he could use it to announce that the princess was suffering from it and all her future children would pass away from this terminal illness. In the heart of Prince Eldric, he might have already decided that he was the only bloodline in the Alastair family.

But the prince was indeed there.

“A rash attack will hurt Her Royal Highness Delia,” perceiving Ann’s nervousness, Marshal Gallagher whispered.

He fumbled for a moment from the side of the armor and took out a dim metal bead the size of a mung bean. Then Gallagher sighed, pierced his earlobes with sharp armor, and smeared the blood on the metal bead.

Tiny runes lit up one by one, and the entire steel ball became more transparent, as if it was about to dissipate in the air. Seeing the opportunity, Gallagher aimed at the footman advancing towards the door and threw the translucent metal bead into one of their collars.

Then he used his blood-stained hand armor to draw a few runes on the palm of his hand and then made an inviting gesture—Ann extended her hand and spread out her palm.

Her palm was traced with a string of blood runes and a faint voice sounded in her ears. The sound didn’t seem to be surging with the air, it was more like it was transmitted internally, but that wasn’t the point. The point was the contents.

Inside.

“Come with us to the hall, Delia.” The prince didn’t sound nervous.

“Why?” The little princess sounded a little stiff.

“Two unknown mice got mixed in, and the hall is relatively safer.”

“…You don’t have to take me, uncle.”

“Don’t be capricious, Delia. What if those bandits hurt you?”

“Okay.” After hesitating for a moment, Delia agreed obediently.

“Now?” Ann asked briefly.

“No,” Gallagher said solemnly. “Although the terrain here can disperse the enemy, it’s really not suitable for retreat, so let them go to the hall of the palace.”

Delia had already obtained the potion from the necromancer, but treatment was a long-term process. The little princess, who was helped by the two maids, looked a little pale. Delia’s eyes were closed, and the metal brace was still fixed on her legs.

Based on observation alone, Ann couldn’t judge whether she had regained the ability to walk.

The only thing that could make the female warrior feel a little relieved was that she was wearing the black crystal that Nemo had personally processed, and Cat Whiskers had definitely found them—that meant Delia knew they were here.

At least the little princess wouldn’t be afraid of facing the unknown alone.

“When they sit down, we will attack from behind,” Ann said in a very low voice. Her lips hardly moved. “I’m going to add protection to Delia, and you make sure that my brother is out of escort range and restrain him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Many great nobles remained in the hall, exchanging information from the outside world as quietly as possible.

The ancient hall was wide and magnificent, and the white reliefs on the walls were embedded with pure gold patterns. Under the delicate crystal ceiling, a special candle with a light fragrance was burning on a tall and thin gold candlestick. The position close to the throne was covered with thick carpets with complex and exquisite patterns, and the high dome even had a little religious solemnity.

Manipulated by the technique, the emperor’s body sat on the throne, while the prince sat on the chair closest to the throne, looking relaxed and comfortable. Delia was sent by the maids to the prince, who familiarly pulled out the seat beside him and gestured for his niece to sit down next to him.

But the girl, who was like a beautiful doll, didn’t mean to move.

“Delia?” The prince raised his eyebrows.

The maids exerted their strength slightly, but the little princess remained motionless—anyone could see her resistance this time.

“Be obedient.” The prince’s voice sank slightly. “It will be fine.”

“No.” The little princess cleared her throat.

“Damn it.” Ann gritted her teeth. “She knows we are here. She’s…”

In the limited communication, Ann couldn’t immediately see through the character of her niece. Delia Alastair undoubtedly had strategy and wisdom far beyond her age, and her control over emotions was also quite terrifying—not anyone could “live in peace” with the enemy who killed her mother.

The little princess was generally calm in the recent exchanges, like wearing a mask made of ice, but occasionally there were moments of excitement. Considering that the little girl was alone in the enemy’s camp, Ann didn’t dare reveal her identity too early, for fear that the other party would cause the prince to be alert because of her excessive mood swings.

Although her brother was headstrong, he wasn’t stupid.

But apart from all this, an instinctive worry had been entangled in her heart. Her niece, the child of her twin sister, had a certain kind of heavy darkness on her body.

And the darkness was about to overflow now.

“No,” Delia announced again.

“Uncle is going to be angry.” There was no longer a smile in the prince’s voice, and his tone became tougher. “Sit down, Delia.”

The exquisite brace on the little princess’s legs clicked to the ground.

Before the maid and the guard could react, she dexterously jumped in front of the emperor, who was close at hand, moving briskly and full of strength.

Then, with her right hand that had been holding the skirt swung out quickly, and with a flash of cold light, she cut the neck of the corpse without hesitation.

No blood spurted out.

“The emperor has been dead for a long time,” she announced coldly. Her amber eyes opened and she glared in the direction of the prince.

“Delia?!”

“The emperor has been dead for a long time!” The little princess ignored the roaring prince and raised her voice. She directly proved the emperor’s death in the craziest and roughest way, and the hall was in an instant mess.

Marshal Gallagher was about to rush forward, but was held down by Ann.

“Wait.” She stared at Delia’s face tightly. “Wait a little bit more…”

The Trent Plague that should have taken away the other party’s ability to move seemed to have lost its effect. Prince Eldric himself knew very well that the potion he gave Delia couldn’t achieve such a healing effect.

The prince stood still. The expression on his face is a little distorted. His face was mixed with anger and sadness, and even a few moments of confusion.

There was no need to manipulate anymore. The emperor’s body collapsed to one side with a black and red wound at the neck. It was like a grinning mouth, silently laughing at the chaos in the hall. The young prince clenched his sword and stayed in place.

There was no order, and no one dared to step forward for a while. Her beautiful eyes opened wide, and her icy gaze swept across everyone in the hall. The gaze was too sharp, and within an instant, the nobles who had just exploded into a ball held their breath.

In the end, the gaze stopped on the prince.

There was silence in the hall.

“Uncle.” The little princess who always had a dull expression came to life and revealed a sweet smile that sent chills down everyone’s spine. “What are you thinking, dear uncle?”

The guards next to the prince were about to move, but they were stopped by a hand stretched out by Prince Eldric. The handsome middle-aged man stood up; the relief on his face was gone.

“Your illness has been cured,” he calmly asserted, but his body trembled with anger. “And at the same time, controlled.”

“Because your Delia is not such a person.”

The little princess neatly untied the bow on the side of the long skirt and tied the skirt that was in the way into an easy-to-move style. Her movements were extremely proficient. No matter how one looked at it, they were the result of countless exercises.

“Because your Delia has countless opportunities for revenge, but she didn’t do it.” Delia raised her chin; her voice continued.

“You’ve been tricked by bad people, Delia.” The prince’s tone began to sound irritable. “Throw away that dangerous thing and look at me—I am the one who has taken care of you for eight years!”

Eldric had never been so frustrated.

At present, the attackers hadn’t appeared, and most of the heavyweights in Alban were present. He had made countless preparations. Whenever the intruders tried to prove that the emperor was dead, he had words to deduct the crime of “using unknown magic to assassinate the emperor and frame the prince”.

But the person who did this was Delia.

He couldn’t kill all the people present to silence them unless he wanted to plunge the upper class of Alban into chaos.

He just wanted to revitalize the country. The prince clenched his teeth. As if the heavens were deliberately making things difficult for him, someone had entrapped his simple niece and was possibly even manipulating her. The opponent was absolutely strong. His unknown enemy had the power to suppress the Trent Plague.

Or, his Delia was dead, and the one in front of him was also a manipulated corpse.

But as soon as this thought passed, the little princess in front of him slowly sliced her palm with a dagger, and blood suddenly dripped.

“You’re thinking, I was entrapped and manipulated, and maybe even dead. You’re trying to test me.” Delia still had that sweet smile on her face. “Am I right, uncle?”

“You’re thinking, the blood is still there, so maybe she just died not long ago. Or this girl isn’t Delia and her body was switched while I was out of sight. Or maybe—some magician of great power has broken the illusion array in this hall and is performing some kind of advanced illusion.”

It was like she could see through people’s hearts.

Eldric felt his blood become cold and his brain burn. He thought this emotion was anger at first, but it was too far from anger—the cold sweat was exploding on his back, and the air around him was rapidly getting colder.

Perhaps this was “fear”.

He had never been so scared; he could only guess that it was like this. Then he became angrier at himself for being so afraid—the prince gulped and drew his sword.

“Delia, come back!” he shouted hoarsely. “I can still forgive you.”

“You’re thinking that you can still find a reason to prevaricate in the past… Dear Uncle, guess why I chose to do it now?”

The young princess’s skirt was tied high. The blood stained her plain skirt and soiled the carpet under her feet. There was something moving in the beautiful and complicated hair ornament—a dark spider slowly crawled down her cheek and stayed on her naked shoulders, looking weird and terrifying.

An audible intake of breath rang out in the resplendent hall.

“…” The prince stared at the spider tightly and opened his mouth, but shock blocked his throat.

The stupid girl who had been following his ass for eight years had completely become a dangerous stranger. Everything that was originally firmly in the palm of his hand collapsed and turned into quicksand, and was frantically running out of control.

He began to feel… indescribably uncomfortable.

“I have had many opportunities to kill you. When I was leaning against you, when you smiled at me… at my mother’s funeral, when you let me cry in your arms.” The taste of ridicule in the girl’s voice was getting stronger.

“But that was too fast. You will only be in momentary pain. If I prolong that time, I bear the risk of you being rescued. And you—until the moment of your death, you will think, God, this woman is really stupid. She doesn’t know what she did. How can she let me die a complacent winner?”

The resentment in the little princess’s voice made people’s limbs cold. She stood quietly in front of the throne, slender and thin, but no one dared to step forward. A thick and cold sense of oppression slowly spread down, like a cold reptile swimming through their skin.

The guards were silent, like stone carvings. This scene was beyond common sense that it made the respected nobles tremble. It wasn’t that it was unprecedented. Even if Gallagher’s army were under their nose, they could still maintain their composure, but this scene was closer to unconscionable horror than danger—like a twisted nightmare completely divorced from reality.

“Let me tell you that the feeling you feel now is called ‘pain’. Is it completely different from the words you have read? Let me tell you why you are not qualified to be a king—”

“The so-called “king” is a job of ranking and sorting everyone’s ‘pain’ and ‘despair’.”

“This is not something that can be done by being just ‘smart’, dear uncle. “

Kinky Thoughts:

I bow to Empress Delia.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Stray Ch208

Kinky6 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 208: Unpredictable

At some point, major events that seemed to be earth-shattering in history often happened quietly. From the perspective of the parties concerned, that legendary time was closer to a normal day like any other.

Whether it was a beggar or a king, there was only a muffled noise when they fell to the ground. The war on the border never stopped, and the soldiers slowly rotted on the edge of the battlefield as new corpses were added to the soil from time to time. Only after a long time of scouring, would those mediocre days be gilded with blood and gradually become heavy.

Perhaps today was one of those days.

Adrian Cross tightened his reins and watched the army fighting at the foot of the mountain.

According to the plan, Ann had already approached the palace at this time and had even killed the prince herself. Alban’s future was at a fork in the road, and no one knew where it would lead.

The blood and screams in the distance reminded him of the past, but the former Knight of Judgment wouldn’t feel frightened because of this trivial matter. After watching the warring parties in silence for a while, and after confirming that the Alban defenders who had prepared in advance had the advantage, Adrian rode away.

Knowing that Ann intended to let Adrian and Jesse go to the border, Marshal Gallagher prepared a token for them in advance to prove that they were related to the army. It kept the two of them from being suspected and from being watched because they were “too close to the rebels”.

The two of them successfully delivered the information without incident, and the Alban defenders arranged a luxury tent for them that wasn’t inferior to that of a high-end guest room.

In this way, the two members of Tumbleweed got a fairly large lounge.

After sleeping in the open for a few days, Jesse had no intention of getting on his horse again since he had been given a pillow stuffed with feathers—Adrian had just lifted the curtains to see Jesse contentedly clutching his pillow and chewing on a cherry pie in a slow, deliberate manner.

Seeing the Chief Justice enter the tent, Jesse beckoned happily and licked the dark red cherry sauce at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re back,” he greeted happily.

“Nn.” Adrian thought to himself that it seemed that the other party had no plans to ask about the battle. But then again, with his mysterious divination powers, he probably wouldn’t worry about such trivial matters.

“The chef here is extremely good.” Jesse happily chewed on his pie as he spoke in mumbles. “I can forgive Miss Savage for her abusive request two days ago.”

“Maybe we can go help.” Adrian casually picked up the conversation.

“No, no. That wouldn’t be appropriate.” In a rare move, Jesse didn’t seem to offer any pie to Adrian. “I don’t want to lose my ability to foresee this war. Since dear Miss Savage didn’t ask us to do so, I will not intervene.”

This in it of itself was outside their directive, and Adrian was only asking the question politely out of respect for Ann. After the age of boiling blood, he knew that people have their own lives, and he himself didn’t think it was necessary.

The Knight Commander hadn’t expected an affirmative response, but Jesse’s reaction was a bit unexpected.

“Are there limits to your divinations?” In a rare moment, Adrian became a little curious.

“Where in the world have you seen a diviner that’s free?” Jesse clicked and nibbled on the meringue of the cherry pie.

“But I haven’t seen you pay a ‘price’.”

There was a large tea table in the center of the tent with only a pot of tea, two teacups, and a small plate of cherry pie on it. The small jars of sugar cubes and milk were exquisite and compact, tightly attached together, making the wide table look a little empty.

Adrian squared the hem of his monk’s uniform and sat at the table with his back facing the entrance of the tent.

Jesse’s soft blond hair was scattered over his shoulder, and he sat with his legs crossed casually. He held the pillow snugly in his arms, with both upper arms jammed against his chest and stomach, and hugged it tightly, as if the soft feather pillow would sprout legs and run away on its own in the next second.

“Oh, I’m not referring to ‘restrictions’ or ‘costs’.” Jesse took a sip of tea. “Everyone likes the feeling that everything is under control, and I’m no exception. If I make a move, no one really knows where the war will go.”

“But you have always behaved quite freely.” Adrian continued to sit upright. He raised his hand and poured himself a cup of clear tea.

Jesse smacked his mouth. “For example?”

“For example, the Bluebirds. For example, the Church of Silence. For example, the war not long ago… For example, the intelligence of the enemy attack just now. The use of your prophecies has always been very natural.” Adrian lowered his eyes to the tea in the cup.

“Is this an interrogation?” Jesse stopped moving with interest.

“No.” The knight’s voice remained even. “Just curious.”

“Since my sweetheart is curious, of course I’m happy to explain. It’s not a big deal. It’s just convenient for me to go along with it because a realistic reason exists—”

Jesse lazily stretched his voice, having long ago unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt for ease of movement. A strand of blonde hair slid down with his movements, hanging in front of a beautifully shaped collarbone.

Adrian didn’t look away.

“At that time of the Bluebirds, my last team wanted me to poach the Bluebirds bones. When we were at the Church of Silence, Mr. Light ordered us to save those stupid sacrifices.” Jesse lifted the strand of unruly hair and tucked it behind his ear as he kept talking. “As for the war not long ago… Miss Savage entrusted us, and asked us for our help. And just a while ago, Her Royal Highness Delia gave me clear instructions—these are very certain ‘reasons’, so it’s not a big deal to take a peek at the answer in the process.”

“If I understand correctly, are you saying that you must have an order from ‘others’ in order to predict without fear?”

“I hate the term ‘order’,” Jesse muttered.

After that, he stretched out his finger and drew a golden circle in the air. “Once someone becomes the ’cause’, then a certain range of ‘results’ will be produced. I am in this circle looking at what else is in the circle. Of course I can move freely and comfortably.”

Then Jesse stuffed the last piece of cherry pie into his mouth with his empty hand, and with the other hand, he split the shaky circle. “If I intervene casually, it will become like this.”

“Destruction?”

“Unpredictable.” Jesse shrugged. “A ‘diviner’ cannot actively intervene in his own calculations. Otherwise the things he intervenes in will always become unknown. Then you can only guess by intuition and experience. To be honest, it’s not a price to pay. I just don’t like too many ‘unpredictable’ things under my watch very much.”

“I really don’t like it,” he emphasized specifically.

“But I just made a suggestion.” Adrian didn’t plan to let go of the loopholes in the other party’s words. “That should be enough for you to ‘draw a circle’.”

Jesse laughed dryly. “This is very troublesome to explain, love. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. If I want to talk about this issue, I’m afraid an afternoon won’t be enough… Why don’t we talk about something else?”

He licked his lips ambiguously.

Since the other party’s rejection was obvious, Adrian wouldn’t press. The Knight Commander continued to sip the tea and returned to silence.

Jesse let out a long and regretful sigh, but before he could finish his breath, a sound of breaking through the air came from the mouth of the tent. The momentum wasn’t big, and the magic power fluctuation wasn’t strong, but considering the environment they were in…

Adrian moved.

He stood up for the first time and kicked away the tea table that was in the way. The former Knight Commander turned around in a very short period of time and made a defensive posture in front of Jesse.

Suddenly, an apple came straight at him.

Then everything went wrong.

The apple rolled to the ground, exploded in the corner by itself, and dense golden spots of light rose into the air. The entire tent was hit by an uneven source and shook violently.

A string of cracking sounds went around the complicated decorations inside. The exquisite decorations fell to the ground one after another, and the picture frames that were originally painted with flowers revealed fresh bouquets of flowers. Accompanied by a pleasant crackling sound, a large dark shadow fell from the top of the tent and shook the tent’s roof.

Then it hit the two people, who were still in a daze.

That thing was soft and slightly cool, exuding a pleasant fragrance. Adrian slowly wiped his hair, stared at the cream in his hand without saying a word, and then looked at Jesse, who was also covered from head to toe with it.

“…” The Knight Commander wiped the cream on his face in confusion.

“…” Jesse was rarely lost. He stood in place a little blankly, as if he had just fallen into deep self-doubt. “Why did you help me block that? That thing wasn’t strong. You must have felt it.”

“Occupational hazard,” Adrian replied succinctly after a brief pause.”Would you mind explaining this, Mr. Dylan?”

Jesse twisted a strand of creamy hair, as if he was in some kind of struggle. He rarely shut up and thought for a moment before grabbing the remains of a piece of cake from his head.

“Happy birthday, Adri,” the blond young man said dryly. It sounded more like an aggrieved cry. “If you hadn’t done so much, it should have landed on the table properly. Promise me you’ll control your occupational hazard, hm?”

For a while, Adrian didn’t know how to answer.

He had long forgotten that he still had such a thing as a “birthday”. To be honest, he didn’t remember how many years it had been since he celebrated it.

In a sense, the Chief Justice was very close to a killing puppet but had a more complex judgment mechanism. The smell of blood on his armor had never completely dissipated, and no one would have had the stupid idea of “celebrating the birthday of the cold officer”. As a person who lost his loved ones early on, Adrian himself never mentioned it. He didn’t feel happy or grateful for the fact of “surviving in the world”. Rather, he had almost no feelings about it.

He had investigated Jesse Dylan himself, so it wasn’t surprising that Jesse Dylan had investigated him, but he never expected this.

The cunning guy who was full of confidence on the battlefield was now covered with cream, and the feather pillow that was regarded as a treasure in his arms was completely destroyed. That surprise and grievance didn’t seem to be false. The powerful diviner seemed to have really not expected this.

‘Perhaps he was too confident in himself and didn’t calculate other possibilities,’ Adrian thought amusingly.

Then he realized that he was really smiling.

It wasn’t a wry smile nor an angry smile. It was a real smile that hadn’t been seen for many years—he just smiled happily with cream on his head.

It was the first time he had seen Jesse Dylan like this… close to being angry.

A criminal, a powerful man with mysterious magic, a bastard that just did as he pleased. From any point of view, Adrian Cross didn’t think he would have the slightest emotional entanglement with this guy.

The other party didn’t even have the pure purpose of showing kindness; he knew this very well in his heart.

However…

Some kind of strange emotion gradually spread through the blood. It felt like stepping out of a stuffy, narrow room and being instantly wrapped in the breeze. As if learning to breathe for the first time, his drowsy mind instantly became clear.

He didn’t know what to call it.

It may not be the “love” that Jesse Dylan was seeking. The Knight Commander had only read that kind of emotion in the dogma of the Laddism Church—it was like an eternal flame, a fierce emotion that would ignite the moment he saw the person. Lovers had a passionate beginning, were loyal to each other, and maintained a firm and pure love through their lives. The protagonists were often wonderful people who would always understand each other and would never falter.

This feeling was too remote yet clear.

Adrian once believed that his blood-stained hands couldn’t touch similar feelings. He had already lost that qualification, not to mention the person for whom it would ignite such unreasonable and intense emotions.

To this day, his own judgment was still right. The Knight Commander thought so.

He really couldn’t touch the noble love that existed in legends, nor was he overwhelmed by burning emotions, but in those short seconds—funny and embarrassing seconds—he had never felt so vividly alive.

If the “love” between people was really that clean and pure, the curiosity, interest, companionship, and entanglement, coupled with a little joy and relief, would accumulate into what in the end?

Jesse was startled by the knight’s pleasant smile, and then moved his fingers angrily, unaware of the emotions in Adrian’s eyes—he was holding the cake in his hand, staring at the cream in his hair, and his entire person seemed to be struggling with something.

“Forget it. Let’s make do with what we have, Adri. Supplies are limited, and if I ask for another big cake again, the cook will beat me up.” Jesse stifled his decision. “Although… Ugh, I’ll deal with it later with a cleansing spell.”

Adrian stared at the puffed-up diviner. He took two steps forward, grabbed his wrist, and took a small bite of the cake that Jesse’s hand was holding.

“Thank you,” he said softly, licking the cream on his lips carefully.

It was too sweet and creamy to his own liking, but it was good. After all, this was a sweetness that had never been seen before and might never be seen again.

Jesse raised his eyebrows covered in cream, and his grasped wrist twitched a few times.

“Wow,” the blond young man who didn’t look so beautiful at that moment exclaimed. “I didn’t expect the effect to be so good. Hey, Adri, do you like me a little bit today?”

Adrian stretched out his hand and touched the corners of his lips, which were still slightly cocked.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.

The author has something to say:

Jesse… Intentionally planting flowers, they will not bloom. Inadvertently planting willows and they will make shade*.

*(有心栽花花不开，无心插柳柳成荫) From the ancient teaching “Zengguan Xianwen”. It’s a metaphor for what you want to get, you don’t get what you want, but unexpectedly got something else. || In this context, it’s saying Jesse’s surprise cake for Adrian didn’t go as planned, but unexpectedly he got something else.

Persist! Success belongs to those who persevere!

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Stray Ch207

Kinky7 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 207: Avengers

There was a loud bang.

Immediately afterwards, there was an endless harsh noise, accompanied by a tooth-aching sound, as the city gate hit the ground firmly.

Everything happened so suddenly that the royal army in the city couldn’t even react. The scouts on the city wall didn’t find any signs of the army approaching, but the sturdy city gate was destroyed in an instant.

The archers aimed at the rising smoke and dust, the shield bearers erected huge shields, and the mages in the back row were ready to throw spells. The soldiers clenched their swords in their hands, just waiting for the inexplicable intruder to reveal his figure.

But the first thing that appeared in the smoke and dust wasn’t a figure, but a huge emblem. The soldiers were very familiar with the emblem—the emperor would use this spell as the opening at every large-scale event.

Royal Edict.

The esoteric spells of the Alban royal family were mainly used to dominate the lower-level clergy of the Laddism Church. In peacetime, the royal family that had been granted a certain amount of power was also happy to use it to show their identity. At present, looking at the entire Alban, there were only two people who were still qualified to use this spell—except for Princess Delia, who wasn’t qualified to study because she was a minor. It stood to reason that only the emperor and princes would use this spell.

And although the special pressure from it wasn’t quite the same as what they had felt before, the overall aura didn’t seem to be forged.

This was impossible.

Most people could guess the basic routines and struggles of the great people above. Except for a few unrealistic romantics, everyone knew that the princess on Marshal Gallagher’s side couldn’t be real. Andrea Alastair had passed away a long time ago. Her body was sealed in a coffin and was rotting in a tomb in the Imperial Mausoleum.

Where did this Royal Edict come from?

“I know you are confused. Let me make a long story short.” A slightly hoarse female voice sounded.

“I’m Andrea Alastair. That’s it.” A slender and sturdy female warrior clenched her spear—while the smoke and dust were scattered, at some unknown point, she had slipped to the nearby roof and at this moment was squatting on the edge of the sloping roof, smiling brightly at them as lightning wrapped around her spear.

The messy hair was frighteningly short, there was a long ugly scar on her right eyebrow, and her amber eyes were glowing like a beast. No matter how one looked at it, this woman was a low-level person who had been rolling in blood all year round. Her heroism was mixed with a bandit aura, and she had no “nobility and elegance” of royal blood at all.

And behind her stood an armored warrior. Although his face was covered by a helmet and not even a piece of skin was revealed, judging by the finesse of the high-end armor, the person inside wasn’t of a simple background.

“I’m not going to give a sad, tearful speech,” the woman dressed as a warrior continued. “Next, I will rush into the palace and show you that my eldest brother has been long dead. Then, I’ll beat up my other brother, who has the same father and mother as me and is addicted to acting.”

She stood up and slammed the end of the hunting spear to the ground. Purple thunder and lightning danced even more vividly.

“Your king is dead. Now you have two choices: first, think about your family, consider the recent abnormality of the emperor, and retreat wisely. I’m under the banner of the princess, so this is understandable. No one will pursue you with a military order.”

The woman known as the princess shouted loudly, her voice soaked in sneers.

“Second, if some friends are really eager to get ahead, or have already regarded my unsuccessful prince brother as their real master, then please, come and kill me. Let’s gamble on our lives and fight in a dignified manner.”

If there was no Royal Edict, the soldiers would be happy to rush up and crush this nonsense woman to death, but the huge white emblem still stayed in the air, and the majestic magic fluctuated continuously. There was a brief chaos among the soldiers. Some commanders were still cautiously observing the magic emblem, and some were impulsive—

“It’s all lies!” a commander shouted. “Attack! I’ll take responsibility if something happens!”

Ann grinned, blew a kiss at the chaotic army below, jumped to the nearby roof, and quickly marched towards the palace at the center of the royal capital.

A mage’s spell hit her feet, and she dexterously avoided it. The Princess of Alban carelessly exposed the royal emblem on her left arm as she kept throwing the Royal Edict array in the city, constantly creating chaos.

They probably didn’t expect their opponent to slip by so fast. The commanders who insisted on guarding the city were all stunned for at least ten seconds before they reacted.

“Hold the palace!” Most of their instructions convey this meaning.

“They must be assassins; we have to defend His Majesty—!”

Although the enemy was in chaos, the female warrior’s side wasn’t smooth either.

“What about the leather shop here?” Ann stopped at the edge of a building and turned her head to Marshal Gallagher, who was beside her.

“I am not in the habit of buying leather in the lower city, Your Highness.” Marshal Gallagher gritted his teeth.

“Oh, then I’ll ask another question.” Ann lowered her head and yelled at the chaser under the house. “Do you know where the nearest sewer entrance is?”

She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but even through the thick armor, Ann suddenly sensed the other party’s panic.

“Of course not!” In a rare instance, the marshal raised his voice and his tone became a bit sharp.

A huge fireball hit head-on, and the half-collapsed abandoned houses in the lower city were completely turned into ruins. Ann landed beautifully, and then clenched the spear in her hand.

“This means you don’t intend to capture me alive.” She lowered her voice. “Let me confirm it for the last time. You should know who I am, don’t you?”

“The glory of the Alastair family cannot be tarnished, and I will always be loyal to Lord Eldric,” the leading soldier roared. “Even if you are the real princess, you are not qualified to touch the throne—if we fall to a woman sitting on the throne, it will be completely over for Alban! I’m sorry, you have to die here—”

“Very good. I see your enlightenment,” Ann said.

“They outflanked the back,” Marshal Gallagher said in a low voice. “Although your strength is good, I still suggest you…”

“So wordy,” Ann spat. “Help me withstand from behind, Mr. Mad Dog.”

“You—”

Before Gallacher could say a word, the female warrior disappeared.

She moved in a flash, like a ghost, beside the soldier who had just spoken. Suddenly, warm blood mist pumped into the early morning air.

The soldier’s body fell heavily into a pool of blood while his head stayed in Ann’s hand.

“Is there anyone else?” She threw the still-open-eyed head to the pursuing team in front of her and said coldly.

“I said, if you really want to kill me, then let’s gamble our lives and fight in a dignified manner. Of course, you guys can come together.”

The white light of the Royal Edict lit up again. It couldn’t control the soldiers who weren’t related to the Laddism Church, but the pressure made it difficult for people to breathe. The female soldier seemed to not know what exhaustion was. Her murderous intentions were mixed with grief, heavy and sharp.

The Princess of Alban was dressed in ordinary leather armor and was covered in the blood of her enemies.

“Come!” she roared. The advanced spells of the Alban royal family unfolded in an instant, and lightning beams as thick as wrists danced behind her like poisonous snakes ready to go. “Soldier vs soldiers. Cowards!”

Gallagher solved most of the soldiers in front of him by using a confusing sword dance. After recognizing the opponent’s iconic fighting style, the remaining soldiers lost their will to fight and retreated from the battlefield—he wasn’t sure if they went to call for reinforcements or simply ran away.

Unfortunately, to guard the princess, Gallagher looked at the backs of the deserters sadly and gritted his teeth. Then he instinctively looked at the princess—even after a long time on the battlefield, Marshal Gallagher was shocked when he saw the scene behind him clearly.

The situation on Ann’s side was similar to his. The battle was basically over, but she had no plans to chase the deserters. The female warrior still had a broken sword inserted into her body, and several deep knife wounds were added to her bare left arm. She didn’t say a word as she supported herself with her hunting spear. There was still a piece of intestine hanging from her leather armor, unknown who it belonged to.

“It’s solved,” she said coldly. “I recognize this place. Come with me now.”

“You need treatment!”

“I won’t die from such a small injury!”

Ann neatly pulled out the broken sword from her body and put a hemostatic spell on the wound, as if she couldn’t feel pain. She made sure the blood wouldn’t continue to drip and left traceable clues for the enemy. She grabbed Gallagher’s arm with one hand and dragged him in a certain direction. “Come on, follow me.”

Half an hour later, in the sewers.

Ann leaned against the wall wearily. She took out a simple treatment paper roll from her waist bag and further treated the large and small wounds on her body. Then she took out a piece of astringent and greasy dry food, ignoring the smelly sewer, and just stuffed a few pieces into her mouth.

Marshal Gallagher stood restrained, obviously not wanting to let the parts other than his soles touch the slippery and dirty sewer stone wall.

“Sorry,” Ann said. “There will be a hard battle at the palace, and we have to minimize the number of battles. Sewers have always been the best choice.”

“I know,” Gallagher said sulkily.

The two were silent for a while.

When Ann frowned and threw the intestine aside, Gallagher picked up his sword. The marshal had pulled out a piece of cloth from somewhere and carefully wiped the blood from his blade. It seemed that it smelled fresh meat as an obese rat quickly slipped through the roots of the wall and rushed straight to the bloody intestines.

It rubbed against Gallagher’s feet, causing the latter to shiver.

While an ordinary person may not notice it, the unusually homely princess wasn’t an ordinary person. The moment the armor made a soft noise, she almost immediately noticed something was wrong with the marshal…

Gallagher sighed, closed his eyes and waited for the ridicule that the savage princess was about to throw at him.

“It’s alright.” Ann’s tone was flat. “I killed it and threw it in the water. This thing has poisonous teeth, and it’s terrible to be bitten. If you can’t do something easily, just tell me.”

It sounds completely normal.

“You are…” Gallagher didn’t know what to say.

Gallagher Salter had always had little affection for the aristocratic women of Alban. His father even thought he liked men for a time. At the age of thirty-seven, Gallagher hadn’t been without lovers, but none of them had lasted long. It was clear to both sides that it was just a matter of taking what they wanted.

They didn’t love him and he didn’t love them, so it was a very simple relationship.

Although many people didn’t mind whether there would be love in a marriage, Gallagher thought he still cared. He didn’t want a wife with whom he would have nothing in common. It was that simple. He was keener to gallop on the battlefield than to have a useless relationship with a weak and ignorant woman.

There were just a few kinds of women, but no matter what kind, they couldn’t get rid of their moodiness and sentimentality. They were weak and couldn’t accomplish anything big.

He had always believed so.

To be honest, Gallagher Salter didn’t like this rude princess at all. She existed outside of his cognition, which made him feel uncomfortable and frightened from the bottom of his heart. He was loyal to her only because she had the blood of the Alastair family in her veins, and she could help him realize the emperor’s legacy.

It was also a very simple relationship.

On the other hand, Gallagher could feel the princess’s disgust with him. In all respects, they were two completely opposite types of people. At the moment, it was just two mature people working together rationally and calmly to get what they needed in this war.

He was calmly waiting for a taunt.

Gallagher didn’t like to expose his fear of mice very much, and even the cleanliness was carefully controlled. Although his subordinates wouldn’t say much, the nobles loved to chew their tongues, and the insiders always liked to mix this with contempt as a talking point. Those who had some affection for him tended to comfort him…

“This little weakness will not affect your accomplishments,” they would say.

No one told him that it “didn’t matter”.

But the rude woman in front of him took this topic very indifferently.

“What’s wrong with me?” Ann stood up, still covered with blood on his leather armor. “I mean, you’re not waiting for me to laugh at you, right? Are you… I can’t see you holding that kind of interest, Lord Marshal.”

“…I just didn’t think this reaction was like you.” Marshal Gallagher kept a distance of about three steps from the female warrior walking in front of him.

“There is nothing wrong with fear.” Ann’s tone was very serious. She accelerated her steps and didn’t look back. “Besides, who would be afraid of nothing? Since you can’t control it, why should I laugh at you? What bothers me is that your head is raised too high.”

“On this point, I need to apologize to you. You are different from other women. My attitude is wrong.”

This time it was Ann’s turn to be silent for a long time.

“Anyway, I still hate you. Listen, everyone is different.”

Then there was a bit more anger in her voice. “…It’s just that most people never get the opportunity to ‘choose’.”

On the border near Willard.

Jesse Dylan’s blond hair was blown into a mess by the wind. He groaned aggrievedly, slowly chewing a small cake mixed with crushed tea leaves on horseback. Adrian followed him silently, looking at the border not far away.

“This is abuse,” Jesse finished the cake and said angrily. “How nice it is in the kingdom. You can’t even catch a fat rabbit in this place. Adri, do you want cake? I especially left you the last piece.”

“No.” The Knight Commander skillfully refused. “And you have said this sentence three times. We obviously have a very different definition of what the ‘last piece’ is.”

“Oh, don’t do that. How could I have the heart to lie to you!” Jesse curled his lips. “It’s like this, every time I break off half of the remaining piece, there will always be a piece left, love. Why don’t you hurry up and just say yes?”

“I don’t like cake crumbs,” Adrian said calmly.

“I… Oh, it’s that little girl.” Jesse raised his eyebrows and looked at the black communication crystal. “Our leader has learned new tricks. This thing really can be used.”

“Jesse Dylan?” Delia’s voice sounded from there.

“Yes, yes. Your Royal Highness. What are your orders?”

“Willard will attack our line of defense today. I hope you can pass this information to the generals in the garrison. If possible, I hope you will also help defeat Willard’s army.”

“Oh—” Jesse elongated his tone. “If I’m not mistaken, Marshal Gallagher has already entered the royal capital. Shouldn’t you care about something else?”

“I am caring about what I should care about most.” The communication through Cat Whiskers was a bit vague, but they could still hear the firmness of the little princess’ voice. “Mr. Cross is from Garland, but your registered place of birth is Alban. I think I have the right to order you, Mr. Dylan.”

Jesse burst out into a pleasant laugh. “Of course, Your Little Highness. I won’t let you down.”

The black communication crystal went out, and Adrian’s brows frowned. “Enemy attack?”

“That little girl is a bit capable, Adri. Guess what?”

Jesse wiped the cake crumbs from his mouth. His voice sounded very pleased.

“As a ‘diviner’, I fully agree with her guess.”

Delia, who wasn’t very skilled at cutting off contact, lowered her head in front of the maid who came to clean. She hid Cat Whiskers in the palm of her hand. Although she was very afraid of spiders, a certain crazy feeling suppressed her fear at this moment. The itching of the palms of her hands would no longer make her tremble, but instead make her feel a strange warmth.

She could feel the emotions of this little thing, innocent and ignorant, without any malice at all. She liked this feeling very much.

No wonder her mother wanted her to get close to the prince as soon as possible. Perhaps this was the reason why Prince Eldric kept her alive.

Pity…

After the maid left, Delia stood up straight. She took out the sharp knife that she had been hiding for a long time from the fruit basket—it was originally just a harmless dinner knife, but she stole it from the dinner table with Cat Whisker’s help.

She lifted up her complicated skirt and fixed the knife next to the strap socks. For this day, she wore a dress with a huge bow on one side that could be worn and taken off at the side opening.

If her calculations were correct, it was time.

“Goodbye, dear uncle,” she said softly, showing a sweet smile in the air.

The author has something to say:

Until now, I feel that Abbas was the most normal child in the entire Alastair family, but it’s a pity that he died too early.

Nemo: Ollie, do you want to eat this or not? Do you want to eat that or not?

Ollie: Eat, eat, eat.

Jesse: Adri, would you like to have cake? x 3

Adri: No. x 3

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Stray Ch206

Kinky3 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 206: New Clues

The black shaggy horse, almost submerged by the night, looked at Oliver deeply, and Oliver looked back at it in the same way—Nemo had just stepped out of the rift in space with one foot, and what he saw was such a scene.

Something felt off. Nemo clenched the small cloth bag in his hand and became alert in an instant. He couldn’t remember the last time Oliver had shown such an expression.

The great Demon King opened his senses very cautiously but didn’t find knives on waists or any other threat that was staring at them in the dark.

“How’d it go?” Oliver said nervously.

“According to Delia, someone checks the storage room every day. I couldn’t destroy them directly, but I cast a spell to tamper with them. Those bone jade bombs won’t blow up, don’t worry—given more time, I might be able to find a way to de-weaponize them and turn them back into pure energy.”

Knowing that there wouldn’t be a problem with his perception, Nemo couldn’t help but stretched his neck to confirm whether Oliver was hiding from some unknown creature behind him.

“Well done.” Oliver responded quickly, pushing the approaching horse’s face aside.

“How about you?” Nemo leaned forward and kissed the other cheek briskly.

“I found a little information.” Oliver cleared his throat. After the kiss, he seemed to be a little relieved from the unknown tension. “About my dad.”

It seemed there weren’t any potential threats, so Nemo let out a sigh of relief. Seeing that Oliver didn’t intend to go back to the barracks, he skillfully used the dark shadow to clear out a clearing and grab some wood. A small bonfire was started in the blink of an eye, spitting out orange sparks into the dim night.

“I got some food in an abandoned market in the city.” Nemo shook the cloth bag in his hand. His voice relaxed a little. “It’s still a bit far from the camp, and the dry food for the march wasn’t good. I guess you might want a different change in taste. Let’s talk while eating.”

“Okay.” Oliver looked equally relieved and changed back to the Ollie that Nemo knew well. “Need help? I’m an honorary logistics of Clementine Academy.”

“Fuck you. It’s just a simple snack, and it’s quick to make. Just talk about the information seriously.” Nemo smiled and shook his head.

The black shadow wrapped the small potatoes and rolled into the flames while he peeled off the bark of the branches and put on a piece of goat cheese and baked it carefully on the fire.

“I know the origin of your gold pendant.” In the sweet fragrance that gradually diffused, Oliver spoke calmly.

Nemo’s movements paused.

“My father had it made at Tristan’s, a shop in the capital.” Oliver stood up, stretched out his hand, slid his fingers down Nemo’s neck, and gently pulled out the golden pendant. “For various reasons… I just met a shopkeeper from there and chatted for a while.”

“Nn.” Nemo’s voice is a bit muffled.

“This was the pendant he took away when the expedition set off, saying that he wanted it for good luck, and when he came back, he would give it to my mother as a charm. You know that superstition—the keepsake of the survivors of the expedition can protect people’s lives.”

“So the signature is ‘Your Flint’, but inside is a portrait of your mother?”

“Yes. I think he originally wanted to give her a blank pendant. He just… used it as his charm first.”

“He shouldn’t have given it to me so easily.” Nemo let out a very light sigh, spun the branches, and turned the goat cheese over.

“This should be the most precious thing to him. Father must have a good reason to do so at that time.”

“But the pendant isn’t with you. How did you talk to people about it?” Nemo picked up the cheese from the fire, dragged out the baked potato with the shadow, and cut it in the middle with a shadow blade.

“That’s what I was going to talk about.” Oliver watched the dark shadow change into the shape of a blade and began to cut the melted cheese into the groove of the potato. He couldn’t help but sniffle. “His original order with the shopkeeper was like this… If he failed to return it from the abyss, after a while, Tristan’s would make another one for my mother.”

Nemo threaded the roasted cheese potatoes with branches and handed them to Oliver. “Then what?”

“As Mr. Medes told us, my father’s mental state after returning from the bottom of the Abyss was very bad. He left the capital directly with my mother in a low-key manner—I guess he was too depressed to pay any more attention to it. However, when he returned to the capital later… you know.”

Carefully wrapped by the dark shadow, the potatoes were handled very cleanly. Seeing Nemo’s uncomfortable expression, Oliver blew a few times and took a big bite. “Awesome! Nemo, you never said that you could do this.”

“Do you want more snacks that I used to coax my younger brothers and sisters?” Nemo’s attention was deflected.

“Uh-huh.” Oliver chewed on the baked potatoes. “Don’t mind it. I’m not trying to pull you back to the past. When my father canceled the order, he was carrying a coffin—the shopkeeper remembered it very well because of this.”

“This was what Mr. Medes also mentioned.” Nemo began to bake the small piece of goat cheese again.

“But Mr. Medes didn’t know he wasn’t alone at that time.” Oliver pulled the hot cheese and blew a few puffs of air on it. “There was a very weird person with my father. The man’s entire face was covered with white bandages and he looked very scared. The shopkeeper described it to me for a long time—does this outfit sound familiar?”

“The Gatekeepers?” Nemo almost dropped the cheese into the fire.

“I thought so too, so I asked a few more questions, but after all, it was more than 20 years ago, and the shopkeeper didn’t remember too many details. He only remembered hearing them mention the ‘Butcher Shop’ by accident.”

“In Mr. Medes’s memory, your father mentioned this to Mr. Medes. I remember that Mr. Cross also talked about it once.”

Looking at the dazed look of his lover, Nemo thoughtfully reminded, “The Abyssal Church has relevant records, similar to the place associated with superior demons and the surface—you know that superior demons can’t be summoned directly. They are all pieces of flesh, and they are smuggled to the surface by riding on subordinate and intermediate demons that are summoned.”

With that, Nemo made another baked potato, and he carefully fixed it in the air with the dark shadow.

“The people in the Butcher Shop will first help both sides reach an agreement. They’ll introduce a superior demon to a mage who has the right qualifications and is suffering from desires, and they’ll tell the mage the superior demon’s race and ability. If both sides are satisfied, then the superior demon will possess the flesh of a subordinate demon and the mage will summon that subordinate demon.”

Nemo picked up the branch where there wasn’t much cheese left and licked the remaining grilled cheese. “It’s basically a matchmaking service. The ‘Butcher Shop’ shouldn’t be a secret to the upper echelons of any major religion, so it’s normal for Mr. Cross to know about it.”

“It itself will evaluate and monitor both the demon and the mage, and in a sense, it can be regarded as a less honorable control method. In addition, the location of its headquarters is a mystery, and it’s very likely to be related to Aurorae, thus the general forces have all turned a blind eye to it.”

“What about the situation with Bagelmaurus? No one should have reached any agreement with it.” Oliver moved his gaze away from the moist tip of Nemo’s tongue.

“Most likely an accident,” Nemo explained. “If there’s no Butcher Shop, the superior demon will try blindly and force qualified people to make a wish after getting lucky on the surface. Now that there’s a Butcher Shop and Arourae’s deterrence, generally superior demons with brains won’t take such risks.”

“That’s it.” Oliver lowered his gaze.

“What?”

“Medes’ memory shouldn’t be falsified. My father’s arm was restored by the Butcher Shop.”

Oliver stuffed the remaining baked potatoes into his mouth, causing his speech to become mumbled.

“The reason why the owner remembers the ‘Butcher Shop’ is because he met my father near the shop. He heard this when he came forward to greet him—the ‘terrifying and weird person’ asked my father to ‘send a copy of his memory to the Butcher Shop as soon as possible’. After discovering him, they didn’t talk about this topic anymore.”

He spoke as he glared at the branch that was holding the potato. “Nemo, what do you think the Butcher Shop wants with my father’s memory?”

“I don’t know much about the Butcher Shop, but it has always been close to the Abyss. Since they are interested in what your father knows, I think it has something to do with the truth at the bottom of the Abyss. That’s reasonable. Even if your father is a great hero, the Butcher Shop will not be kind enough to provide compulsory medical care… The part of your father’s ‘knowledge’ should be the bargaining chip in the transaction.”

“What a coincidence. I think so too.” Throwing away the bare branches in his hand, Oliver took the baked potatoes that the shadow handed over. “But since its location is a mystery…”

“Aurorae is Vance,” Nemo said suddenly.

“Yes.”

“If Aurorae has always been related to the Butcher Shop, this matter is also related to the ‘knowledge’ at the bottom of the Abyss. I think we have a breakthrough. When the matter of Ann’s side is over, we have to find Telaranea.”

“It has always been very interested in you, well, your situation.” Oliver spoke quickly. “Nemo, I do want to know the truth, but don’t forget, you may be at risk of exposure… Telaranea is not like the kind of good-tempered demon who’s willing to keep secrets.”

“I know. I don’t want to leave you.” Nemo gently flicked his lover’s forehead, showing an imperative smile.

“It’s okay, Ollie. Whether things will go well depends on which ‘Telaranea’ we’re looking for. To tell you the truth, since the Black Chapter test started, I have always wanted to go to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.”

Early the next morning.

“Your Highness, there’s a trend of disorder in your behavior. Please reconsider,” Marshal Gallagher said politely.

At that moment, they had arrived outside the city walls of the capital Doru. The huge city gates were closed. The leader of Tumbleweed was waiting outside the city with his lover, guarding the civilians and maintaining order. The princess of Alban seemed determined not to let her companions get involved in the final battle.

She even just made an absurd proposal.

“I’m very sober—by the way, you are the first person I have ever seen to say ‘you’re crazy’ for so long.” Ann tightened the buckle of her leather armor. She loosened the thin copper tube containing the spell paper roll and placed it neatly on the belt around her waist. She stroked the hunting spear in her hand with as much gentleness as if she were stroking her lover’s skin.

“I’ll go alone.”

“Okay, you are crazy,” Marshal Gallagher said. “Listen, we must put our troops—”

“Not all civilians have been evacuated,” Ann said calmly. “Believe me, the people in the lower city are reluctant to leave now. Many elderly people will not leave, and there’s at least one-third of the population in the royal capital. Are you going to bring the army in? …My good brother is crazy, and he definitely doesn’t mind using these human lives to add a stink to your reputation, dear Mr. Mad Dog.”

She waved her hunting spear a few times.

“If I’m alone, whether it’s the army or a large-scale magic attack, these will become meaningless. As long as they attack me personally, they are rebellious to the blood of the Alastair family. This can minimize the damage.”

“The premise is that you can survive. It’s full of troops sent by the prince—!”

“If I survive and enter the palace and beat my dear brother to the floor, then this is the plan with the least loss. You have to admit it.”

Ann tugged at the corner of her mouth. “And if I die—bah, although this is unlikely—you’ll have the best reason.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Anyway, you didn’t need a real heir, right? They had no idea that I was still alive and would not destroy the body immediately. Maybe they were waiting to use it to add an additional charge to you for ‘raising a false heir and slighting the royal family’. But you’re confident of the royal family, and naturally you know how to prove that it’s the blood of the Alastair family.”

The female warrior spread her hands calmly.

“Killing your own blood relative on the streets of the royal city. You can use this against the prince. All you have to do is promise me to ensure Delia can survive and live well. This is a perfect plan.”

Marshal Gallagher stared at Ann in silence, as if he had seen her for the first time.

“Hold the communication crystal and wait for my news. Anyway, I will keep communication on the whole time. No matter what the situation is, you will know. When I enter the palace, I will find a way to prove the emperor’s death. The prince has not yet mastered real power in the true sense, and the nobles of Alban will definitely be in chaos for a while. Just show up at the right time and don’t let me die in the panic of a group of idiots.”

“I see…” The marshal patted the dust on his front lapel and sighed.

“How obedient.”

“…I mean, I’ll go with you and watch it for myself.”

“Are you an idiot?”

“The Salter family will always be loyal to the emperor, and I’m not the only descendant of the Salter’s. If I see the princess die in front of me, one person is better than two. It’s not bad to make the ‘crime’ of His Royal Highness more focused.”

“You…”

“As you said, it’s unlikely that you will die, but I prefer the saying ‘there’s a zero possibility’. If you don’t mind, please go out for a while—I need to change into my battle armor.”

The author has something to say:

Tela’s last body can’t be kept anymore! (X

Nemo has a deep obsession with feeding Ollie, but I think Ollie would prefer other feeding methods more (?

————

Nemo: Oh my god, Ollie is nervous. Maybe there is danger nearby!

Ollie: Oh my god, I just finished getting the wedding rings, and I can’t look directly at Nemo (……

Horse: Staring deeply

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Stray Ch205

Kinky6 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 205: Jeweler from the Capital

Oliver began to bemuse about the strange horse. Since the first battle, the black horse would look at him with extremely deep eyes from time to time, making his hair stand up.

But now wasn’t a good time to think about this problem.

People were fleeing Doru, the capital of Alban.

Marshal Gallagher and his troops were about to arrive in the capital, and no one wanted to know how terrible the chaos would be there. War was always a carnival of refugees and bandits. People with small property had already made plans to evacuate Doru with their valuables and fled to nearby cities.

However, this was only a distraction from the goals of unscrupulous people. Robbery and theft were rampant. Although the army tried to suppress it, no one had much energy to worry about these small details when the confrontation between the two armies was outside the city.

Oliver was very happy to take on this thankless task.

After all, this war was inevitable. He and Nemo were more inclined to minimize the casualties of the war than to win quickly and decisively.

At this point, they had indeed fully demonstrated their position. According to the information returned by Cat Whiskers, Oliver personally had no good feelings for Prince Eldric, but taking sides didn’t mean he had the right to point the blade at his opponent’s throat.

At this point, Ann had an amazing tacit understanding with them. The female warrior didn’t ask for Tumbleweed to be further involved in the dispute. The rebel soldiers were divided into three groups, and the two other members of Tumbleweed were likely escorting their army to join Ann’s and Gallagher’s.

Until today, Ann had only let them move freely to prevent the war from ending in a destructive manner. At the same time, she asked Jesse’s and Adrian’s groups to pay attention to Willard’s recent movements to prevent them from trying to profit from the chaos.

“I’m going to deal with the bone jade bombs in the storage room.” After the two men escorted the civilians for most of the day, Nemo made this proposal. “Ann and the others are about to enter the city. There’s always a hidden danger with those things near the palace.”

Oliver recognized Nemo’s expression. Every time Nemo was faced with raw carrots in his dinner, he would always show such a look—his lover obviously didn’t like the prince’s dangerous collection in the storage room.

However, raw carrots were fine, but he couldn’t help Nemo eat the bone jade bombs, so Oliver could only nod readily. “Be careful and safe.”

Seeing that the sun was about to set, the night was several times more dangerous than usual. Most of the citizens knew this. After escorting the civilians through the woods, his work for today would be over.

The bandits who were thwarted in the middle of the road couldn’t be regarded as accidents. The leader of Tumbleweed would skillfully tie them up and pile them in one place. At that time, soldiers who specialize in handling disputes would drag them away and lock them up.

It was just that it was a bit boring to do this job alone.

This thought only lasted for half a minute—a round figure sneaked into the edge of the woods, looked left and right, and moved forward on tiptoe.

Too obvious.

Oliver couldn’t help laughing when he thought about how he and Nemo were fleeing mindlessly through the Border Forest. It wasn’t dark yet, there weren’t many wild beasts, and there were a few bandits left. It would be reasonable to leave him alone, but out of some strange feelings, he still pulled the reins in his hand and led the horse forward.

“You can ride a horse,” he said to the old man, who was almost as round as a ball.

The obese old man was panting forward, carrying only a small cloth bag in his hand, as if he was going to be exhausted and would collapse to the ground in the next second. The old man even put on a patched linen shirt to hide his eyes and ears, but it was a pity that his too large figure and the smell of expensive perfume completely betrayed him.

The old man was obviously taken aback by the sudden appearance of the young man.

“I have no money!” The old man yelled, and crossed his arms across his chest, putting on a defensive posture. After looking at the young man for a few seconds, he changed his position, as if he had woken up from a dream, and pulled out a short, useless knife from his waist.

“I just want to give you a ride.” Oliver shook his head. “The capital is going to be completely closed at this time. You should be the last one—there is a refuge cave in the middle of the forest. Someone is burning medicine there. I will send you there.”

The old man panted and looked at Oliver suspiciously. His sweeping gaze finally stopped on his eyes. Oliver began to be thankful that the Rest in Peace was inserted into the ukulele behind him, making him look less suspicious.

“Okay.” The fat old man snorted noncommittedly and hesitantly put down the knife. “You seem to… Forget it, okay, okay.”

It took a lot of effort for the old man to get on the saddle. Even the horse bared its teeth and neighed in great dissatisfaction. Oliver had to go up and soothe it multiple times.

“Oh, thank you, young man.” The tight string loosened, and the fat old man collapsed on the back of the horse. “It hasn’t been peaceful lately.”

“Yes,” Oliver responded with a good temper. The old man was obviously not completely at ease with him, and his eyes would dart to the corners of his eyes from time to time. As the sky got darker, this frequency gradually increased.

“Actually, I really don’t have anything valuable,” the old man panted for a long time but still muttered in a low voice. “I don’t think you look like the impulsive type, so let me just say it. I just went back to pick up some paperwork. They are no use to you at all… When I get to the refuge, I can find someone from my family and give you a reward, so…”

“You really don’t have to worry.” Glancing at the shiny sweat on the man’s forehead, Oliver didn’t get angry about the old man’s subtext, but instead joked. “Seriously, do I look that scary?”

The old man laughed dryly.

“What do you do?” Seeing that the other party was sweating profusely, Oliver simply took the initiative to chat so that the old man wouldn’t faint because of excessive tension—although he didn’t know why the other party suddenly started to be nervous again. “I… Well, my family runs an inn. If you ask me, you look like a businessman.”

As soon as the voice fell, Oliver carefully released a trace of momentum, scaring away a subordinate demon who was snooping in the dark.

“A jeweler,” the old man said shivering, shaking the cloth bag in his hand vigorously. “These materials are just old orders, and there is no real gold in them—ouch!”

At that moment, something suddenly swooped down from the air. A broad-billed crow snatched the cloth bag that was dangling in the old man’s hand and quickly flew into the trees.

Oliver reacted faster. He picked up a stone from the ground and hit the wide-mouthed thief almost immediately. The broad-billed crow let out an angry caw and dropped the bag, causing the parchment in the bag to instantly scatter everywhere.

“The Tristan’s?” Oliver picked up the parchment on the ground—the fat old man didn’t lie. It did have a beautiful design drawn on it, and customer information was attached to the picture. Recognizing the famous mark, Oliver raised his eyebrows.

The Tristan Family, jewelers, were a wealthy family. Most of the jewelry for the Alban royal family came from the craftsmen in the Tristan family, so there were many customers whom they couldn’t afford to offend. No wonder the old man wanted to bring this pile of things out of the city.

“I’m just a shop steward!” the fat old man shouted hurriedly, covering the horse like a deflated water bag.

“Praise Zenni, I’m not from Master Tristan’s family. This is just a worthless piece of information. The oldest one, I just missed it. Believe me, it won’t even fetch a few coins, but if it’s lost, my job will be… You, no, please…”

He was so nervous that he almost said something unfavorable.

“You are the best jewelers.” Oliver’s thoughts drifted in a different direction for a while.

“Yes, we are. You see, we cater to the people, sir. We…”

“Then are you still taking business now?”

“…What?” The fat old man didn’t react for a while.

“Every city has one of your stores, so… You’re going to another store to stay for a while, right? You don’t plan to close the store for the time being.”

“Not planning, not planning…” The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, and the horror on his face turned into doubt.

“How much does it cost to design a pair of wedding rings?” Oliver asked in a low voice, clenching the reins in his palm.

The question almost came out of his mouth by himself. After realizing what he had asked, Oliver turned his face—he could feel a burst of heat on his cheeks suddenly ignited.

“Ah, it depends on the materials you choose, the construction period, and the designated level of craftsmanship—” The fat old man replied subconsciously, a little confused as to why this simple-dressed young man suddenly talked to himself about business.

“I will provide the gems myself. If the remaining materials are the best, how much will it cost?”

“If you provide the gems and we help cut them, let me think… If there’s no urgent requirement for the construction period and no designated craftsman, then it will be about three thousand gold coins.”

Oliver gasped. He simply calculated the money he got from Ann’s mission and found that this crazy idea would almost immediately return him to a state of poverty.

But if the money was gone, he could earn it again. This pair of rings would be bought sooner or later, so he wouldn’t really be shaken by it. Tumbleweed’s luck hadn’t been very good lately. Instead of pinning his hope on the uncertain future, Oliver would rather take them with him sooner rather than later. Even if he hid them from Nemo for the time being, it would give him more peace of mind.

“If you don’t have special needs, you can order from other stores. After all, we are a shop for nobles. As long as your heart is there, I think your girlfriend will understand too.” Misunderstanding his cold breath, the fat old man tremblingly advised.

“Boyfriend.” Oliver corrected him patiently as his mind was still spinning quickly.

The fat old man choked. “Uh, you should also be Alban yourself, young man. Not to be rude, but Zenni doesn’t recognize such a marriage, and no church will be willing to hold a wedding for you. You know, things like wedding rings…”

“Oh, I think he would be fine with it,” Oliver replied vaguely, putting the parchment paper he picked up back into the cloth bag. “It’s okay with us, but for you guys… Will the Tristan Family refuse such an order because of faith?”

“No, but…”

“Then I want to order a pair. It’s not that there are any special needs; I just want to give him the best.” Oliver scratched his head embarrassedly.

The fat old man stared at the other person suspiciously for a while and found that he wasn’t pretending to be shy. The other party was at least a person who had three thousand gold coins, which made him raise his head and breathe a sigh of relief. “Goodness, your horse is a military horse. I thought… I’m really sorry, young sir. I apologize for my attitude just now.”

“Don’t take it to heart.” Oliver was still immersed in his impulsive decision.

“Okay, sir, you have to leave your name. There should be blank lambskin paper in that cloth bag. I will prepare a reservation contract for you in a while.”

The fat old man straightened his waist and obediently changed his attitude.

“When we arrive at the refuge later, you have to provide me with some necessary information. If there’s no portrait, we will design one based on your description of your lover. If you can, you can also give me the gems first. When I get to the other shop, I’ll arrange a craftsman for you as soon as possible.”

“Okay, how long will it take?”

“It usually takes one and a half months.” The fat old man wiped his face indiscriminately with his sleeves, and hugged the cloth bag in his arms. “God knows what the situation will be at that time, but don’t worry. Garland also has our stores, and we’ll never renege on our contract.”

“I see.” Oliver gritted his teeth.

“At that time, you can find any of our stores to pay, and just show the contract. For the sake of your help, the situation is special, so I won’t ask you for a deposit. You see, in fact, the current information is usually stored in magic stones. If it weren’t for these things being so old…”

He casually took out a piece of paper from the cloth bag and shook it. “We still keep orders from more than 20 years ago. Sometimes customers will come and say they don’t want it anymore, but the boss just asked us to keep it anyway, and we have to take strict care of it. God knows how easily these things could be forgotten as it really doesn’t make any sense.”

Oliver glanced at the piece of paper casually, and his head, which was slightly hot, instantly became cold. He recognized the design and the name.

A beautiful pendant design with a familiar name written next to it…

Flint Lopez.

The author has something to say:

Father and son think the same√

I… I think I need to clarify first; Ollie doesn’t plan to use bone jade as a gemstone (……

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