The cry was not far from them. It wasn’t sad, but there was a suppressed pain in its sound.
Nemo’s first reaction was to stand up and look, while Debby frowned and clenched her rod. The cry was very short, and its owner seemed to swallow it back. Oliver moved the fastest, and when the last sound dissipated, he had already opened the door and looked out.
“It’s the lady we almost bumped into.” Oliver turned his head. “She… doesn’t look good.”
The fat middle-aged woman had stopped crying. She was squatting in front of a window in the corridor, blowing her nose vigorously with her handkerchief. Seeing someone looking around, she hurriedly moved forward, as if she wanted to stand up, but she failed. Looking at her red eyes and the abnormal flushing on her face, she might have lost all her strength from crying.
Nemo leaned against the door and saw Oliver pass by and stretched out his hand to help the lady up. Debby also looked out with interest. The moment she saw the lady, the smile on her face froze. She retracted her head sullenly and returned to the room in a bad mood.
“She is the innkeeper here, Lisa,” Ann whispered. “Before you came back, she almost used a bench to whack the client of Horizon.”
“Mrs. Lisa…” Nemo recalled the yellowish envelope for a few seconds. “Is she the one communicating with Ms. Nadine? We saw a letter signed by Lisa to Nadine.”
“That’s right. She also thinks that Ms. Nadine is ‘Nadine’s grandmother’,” Ann added. “Nemo, look after Oliver. Don’t let him leak this.”
On the other hand, Oliver had just helped the innkeeper up. She smiled gratefully and reluctantly, then turned her head and blew her nose loudly again. Her standing position was a bit strange, and her left foot didn’t seem to dare touch the ground. Nemo glanced at him, knowing that he had seen this situation hundreds of times at the orphanage.
Now he had a better way to help deal with it. Nemo walked out of the room and squatted down next to Oliver. A dark shadow wrapped around Mrs. Lisa’s ankle.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, “I’m here to help.”
“Thank you.” Mrs. Lisa looked sad and tired. She tentatively stepped on the floor with her left foot, and then stood still. “I remember you two… I almost bumped into you just now. Sorry, boys.”
“You seem to be troubled.” Oliver hesitated for a few seconds. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“I’m afraid not.” She shook her head. She raised her eyes and saw the black badge on their chests and then turned her gaze to Ann. “Even though I really want to entrust you… It’s just that no one can beat Horizon.”
Ann sighed while Debby in the room buried her face in a pillow.
“You are—” As soon as Oliver opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Nemo’s fiercely pinching his legs, causing him to turn his head in surprise.
Nemo nervously stopped Oliver’s words. “I heard, Mrs. Lisa. Grandma Nadine treated me… She’s a kind person. It’s really a pity.” He desperately emphasized the words “grandma” and cast a stiff look at Oliver.
“Is that so?” At this point, Mrs. Lisa didn’t have the energy to care about the awkward tone of the other party. “How can I explain this to Nadine… That’s her only relative, and I can’t do anything…”
Nemo suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in his throat.
Oliver was silent for a while. “We just came back from there, and we happened to run into Horizon, who was negotiating with Nadine… Grandma Nadine.”
Mrs. Lisa slowly raised her head.
“If this can bring you comfort,” Oliver said softly, “she was very calm and was even in the mood to water her seeds.”
“You don’t need to say that.” The female innkeeper shook her head. “There’s no need to water her seeds. Whatever is in her hands, as long as the seeds are planted, flowers will bloom within the next moment… She will only water her flowers.”
She showed a somewhat vague smile. “I appreciate your kindness, but there is no need to coax me.”
“But she did water the seeds of the Earthsea Orchid,” Nemo quickly interjected. “Looking at your store’s name, I think you must have heard of it—”
“What?”
“Uh, Earthsea Orchid?”
“You just said—who watered the seeds of the Earthsea Orchid?” The female innkeeper’s voice suddenly became sharp, with even a hint of hostility. “Nadine’s grandmother? Bullshit! Listen, I do thank the both of you, but I’m not really in the mood to joke around right now—”
“The seeds are in a glass bottle and are very heavy, like stones.” Nemo was surprised by Lisa’s attitude. “We’re not lying to you, Mrs. Lisa.”
Lisa could feel the blood vessels in her forehead thumping. It must be because all the blood poured into her brain that her feet became cold. At this moment, she felt so dizzy that she thought she could faint. Cold sweats were pouring out uncontrollably. ‘They’re lying,’ she thought. ‘It couldn’t be true.’ She remembered it clearly…
“I will write to you.” Seventeen-year-old Nadine was breathtakingly beautiful. “I’ll… keep writing to you.”
“Listen, you’ll be able to meet a prince.” At that time, she said loudly from the bottom of her heart. “Don’t forget me when that time comes!”
Nadine smiled embarrassingly and didn’t answer. “Is there anything you want?”
“The letters are enough.”
“Other than the letters?”
“Then… Will you come back soon?”
“…What else?”
“Anything?” Even if it was an impossible wish that would make her always remember?
Nadine was the most upstanding person she had ever met, so she would always remember. This was perhaps the cleverest idea she ever had in her life. Lisa was even secretly quite proud of it.
“Then don’t tell anyone. No one, or they’ll laugh at me for being stupid,” she said very solemnly. “I want to look at an Earthsea Orchid. You see, this is the name of our inn. I heard my grandparents say before that they are extremely beautiful. You’re the best at these things, so maybe you can find one outside!”
“Of course,” Nadine readily promised her.
Until now, Nadine occasionally mentioned this in her letters, but she never said that she had discovered the seeds of the Earthsea Orchid. On that matter, Lisa knew better than anyone else. The Earthsea Orchids had only appeared in this town and were long extinct. Her grandfather even wrote a heavy book on it that she had read countless times.
However, the two young men said that Ms. Nadine had the seeds of the Earthsea Orchids, but Nadine hadn’t come back since she left. It was impossible to tell anyone this secret, let alone her grandmother.
“She doesn’t know how long she has lived. It’s just five years. Why would she be so reluctant to give it up? She didn’t waste much effort—” Howard’s annoying yelling suddenly exploded in her mind.
If such a lifespan was taken away, why was Ms. Nadine becoming weaker?
Lisa stood still, finding it difficult to breathe. The chill gnawed at her feet, and now it was starting to spread from her calf upwards. In the warm oasis, she felt as if she was standing in an ice cave.
“Impossible!” she shouted, regardless of how rude her tone sounded. “This isn’t possible.”
But could these two kind-hearted young men really lie… with such accuracy? She didn’t know what her expression was now, but the worry on the faces of the two young men in front of her became more intense.
Impossible.
She couldn’t process the thought in her head right now. Lisa turned around in a daze and instinctively ran to the lobby. It’s impossible. She wrote so many letters, so many novel things…
It can’t be like this. God, please.
“…Is she okay?” Nemo’s face was a little pale. Mrs. Lisa’s distorted face had really frightened him; a superior demon. “Perhaps we shouldn’t mention this? She looks even worse now.”
“Let’s follow and have a look.” Oliver’s face wasn’t much better than his.
“Then I’ll be here waiting for you to come back,” Ann sighed. She recognized the look in Mrs. Lisa’s eyes. She probably had figured it out, and Ann never liked to watch tragedies.
“Are you going to have a look too?” The female warrior turned to Debby. The mage of Horizon had completely buried her head in the blanket. “Nemo’s gone.”
“No… I’m not going.” Debby’s voice trembled a little, and she covered the blanket tighter. “I… I have to go back to Horizon. Ann, can you say goodbye to Nemo for me?”
At this time, the figures of the two had completely disappeared from the corridor.
When Nemo and Oliver stepped into the front hall, Mrs. Lisa was standing in front of the wooden platform shivering and rummaging for something. Several new guests were waiting at the entrance, but she didn’t even lift her head.
“Yes, yes.” Lisa carefully picked out a letter from the pile of letters, wiped her hands carefully on her apron, and unfolded the letter. “Nadine, she was in Vincent Town in Willard three days ago!” The female innkeeper was keen to prove something. She suddenly turned to Nemo and said, “She’s there, she’s fine.”
She went to all the towns they had planned together and showed her everything she wanted to see. Her letter had never been broken, and the content was always full of hope—she couldn’t be old.
“What nonsense.” A man dressed as a merchant shouted impatiently, tapping the door frame hard with his cane. “Vincent Town disappeared more than a week ago. It was destroyed by some Black Chapters! Can we go through the formalities quickly? Shit, my goods had to be pulled from that destroyed town. What terrible luck.”
The letter fell gently on the wooden table.
The female innkeeper’s face was still flushed, and her eyes swelled to like a goldfish’s blistering eyes. The expression on her face was frozen at that moment that was mixed with hope and despair. Instead of looking at the loudmouthed merchant, she stared at the two Black Chapters in front of her.
Nemo turned his face, unable to stand it. His eyes were heavy, and he couldn’t bear the weight.
“You know, right?” The female innkeeper whispered. “Otherwise, are you two… looking at me so sadly?”
Lisa didn’t cry this time.
She turned around without even waiting for the two of them to answer and carefully folded the letter as if she was in a trance. She put it back into the envelope and creased the opening neatly. The movement was crisp, if one could ignore her trembling hands. She ignored all the angry guests that were waiting, carefully untied her apron, and tightened her hair. She looked at the entrance for a while before she suddenly ran out. She didn’t even change into shoes that were suitable for going outside.
Oliver and Nemo glanced at each other and hurriedly followed. Mrs. Lisa’s condition was worse than they thought. If something were to happen to her, they would surely be crushed to death by guilt.
She was currently desperate enough.
Mrs. Lisa ran faster than they thought. In spite of everything, she ran recklessly and even lost her indoor shoes halfway. Her foot must have been injured as Nemo could smell blood on the trail. By the time they picked up the shoes she had lost, she was already in front of the witch’s residence and had already passed by the yard.
It was dark that night, and there was a faint and distant light in the windows of the house.
Nemo thought Lisa would rush into the door and have a sad farewell with her best friend, whom she hadn’t seen for many years, but she stopped right at the door. Half a minute later, they watched her turn around and sit weakly on the stone steps.
Mrs. Lisa didn’t care about her bleeding feet. She buried her face in her arms and hunched her shoulders without making the slightest sound.
“She…” As soon as Nemo spoke, Oliver put his hand on his shoulder. His leader shook his head and walked forward.
“Mrs. Lisa.” Oliver squatted down. His tone was very light. “We are really sorry… She didn’t want you to know.”
“It’s not your fault.” The female innkeeper didn’t raise her face. Her voice was choked with agonizing sadness. “You didn’t mean it… I know. I just…”
She took a quick breath and held it for a while, trying to suppress the cry that almost broke out.
“Is she dying?” Lisa still had her face buried in her arms. “Is she dying? But I’m not ready yet. What should I do?”
“You… Won’t you go and meet her?” Nemo still couldn’t help asking softly as the dark shadow silently crawled over the wound on the soles of Lisa’s feet.
“…She doesn’t want me to worry, so it’s better for me to continue ‘not knowing’.” Lisa finally raised her face, which was covered in tears. “At least in this way, she won’t be… too sorry.”
After another short breath, she staggered to her feet.
“I’m going for a walk,” she said softly. “Please don’t follow this time.”
“But you—”
“I still have a daughter, so I won’t do anything stupid.” Lisa’s voice grew softer. She looked at the indoor shoes in Oliver’s hands. “Thank you for your kindness… I just want to be alone for a while.”
“I see, Mrs. Lisa.” Oliver nodded and took off his own shoes. The straps had changed to be rough and coarse since they had crossed the desert, but at least the soles were strong enough. “At least… Please wear this. I still have my companion with me, so I won’t get hurt.”
The female innkeeper looked at him steadily for a while, then bowed awkwardly. She put on those somewhat bulky shoes very skillfully, and her figure quickly disappeared into the night.
“…You don’t mind?” After a while of silence, Nemo couldn’t help but speak up as he watched Oliver struggle to put on the indoor shoes.
“I’ve walked on those bloody blisters in the beginning, so this is nothing.” Oliver tried to take two steps forward, indicating that he was moving normally.
Afraid of disturbing Nadine, the two quickly left the front door of the witch’s residence. The flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom, but it was a pity that the rich and sweet fragrance of the flowers couldn’t save the bleak mood that they both were in.
“Ollie… What do we do now?” Nemo stared at a flower and asked dryly. “Personally… if I choose to leave here now, I will always feel that I am not something special.”
“I feel the same,” Oliver replied dryly. “But… I don’t mind, but can you confront Miss Light head-on?”
“…Can’t.”
“Speaking of Miss Light.” Oliver stopped suddenly. “Didn’t you just say something… What did you say? There’s a way to make Nadine lose her power? No, don’t make that expression.” Seeing Nemo’s face frozen, he quickly added, “I don’t care where your knowledge came from.”
“That’s just a theoretical possibility,” Nemo said listlessly. “Do you know Woodruff’s Theorem?”
“…No.”
“…It’s okay. I didn’t know about it until yesterday,” Nemo sighed. “Once the two-way connection across space is established, it can only die out naturally in accordance with the law. The connection itself cannot be destroyed… The surface contract of a superior demon also conforms to this theorem, which is why I suspect how I know this.”
“I don’t understand,” Oliver admitted honestly. “What does it have to do with Nadine’s inability to break free?”
“She’s connected to the main plant of the Eastern Witch by its root system that spans across space. It’s like the flesh of a superior demon that’s contractually connected to the body in the Abyss. If feasible, we can kill the things on either side that connect them together, which will cause the connection to disappear naturally. However, if both sides are still alive, the connection itself is unbreakable. This is a fact.”
“But you said there was a way.”
“There is a way to indeed perfectly simulate death on one side.” Nemo pressed his temple hard. “But the power at the moment of death… Well, Debby’s right. Nadine isn’t strong enough to do it. On the other hand, although I can see the root system, I don’t have a blight spell to destroy the nodes.”
“I might have a way with Nadine.” Oliver pondered for a moment. “But why do you need a blight spell? Can’t you do it?”
“If the spell attribute exceeds the cognition of the root system, it will only think that she has been attacked. It won’t recognize Nadine’s death, so it won’t disconnect on its own.”
“In other words… There’s still hope.”
“But we only have one day left!” Nemo rubbed his face vigorously, staring at the indoor shoes that were covered in sharp stones. Thank God there wasn’t a smell of blood in the air. “It’s too late.”
“There’s still time.”
“Ollie, what’s wrong with your throat?”
“…It’s not me who answered you.” Oliver’s voice was a little dry.
“There’s still time.” That voice was not far from them, hidden in the darkness. It was hoarse and weird, like a dying old man speaking on his last breath.
It simply couldn’t figure out the thoughts of the superior demon named Nemo Light. At first, it did feel like the contract was a bit strange. After its powers were taken away, the contract that should have been completed was now stuck in a delicate state. Through the remnant magic that was still there, it could still sense the existence of Nemo, but it could no longer do anything other than that.
If Light was a human, it could still ponder what went wrong with its magic. However, Light wasn’t human, which meant one thing. If Light wanted to, he could take away its powers. It was pretty sure that Light was much stronger than itself. Even if Light didn’t mind that its flesh had fallen to that of an intermediate demon, Bagelmaurus didn’t want to take this risk.
Even if it became a brainless parrot, it was better than losing this piece of flesh entirely.
These idiots didn’t understand anything. The gray parrot stuffed its head into its wings and ignored Debby Light, who had just stepped into the room. Humans didn’t know as much about demons as they thought. This Black Chapter team had no idea what an unreasonable monster they were facing.
Generally speaking, the strength of a superior demon is proportional to the size of its body. Assuming that Nemo Light was really a complete superior demon, judging from his size alone, his strength wasn’t much stronger than the foggy Pandorater; rather, he might even be under Pandorater.
Adrian Cross should also be aware of this law, so he tolerated Ramon’s naïve proposal. Bagelmaurus groaned angrily. If the former Knight of Judgment could feel everything it perceived, he would be desperate to report the situation to the Holy Church right at this moment.
Bagelmaurus didn’t know how powerful Nemo Light could be when he was full of hostility, but it recalled exactly where the familiar aura that came from, at the bottom of the Abyss. It was like dead air that was so thick it almost condensed into an entity filled with nothingness that seemed to swallow everything.
After all, a superior demon was just an ordinary creature. There was no race born with such a terrifying aura. That aura didn’t infect anyone casually. It was born from the cruelest battle. As a member of the most risk-averse race in the entire Abyss, Bagelmaurus was very familiar with this aura. That wasn’t a level of endless battles that Pandorater could survive.
But Nemo Light claimed that he crawled to the surface as soon as he was born.
He was lying; he must be lying. If this was a lie, then the statement about the body must be the same—after all, there was only one exception in the Abyss where body size and strength were completely disproportionate.
The gray parrot suddenly shivered fiercely.
“Hey, Dylan…” it muttered in a low voice. The blond young man raised his brows and winked at it.
“…When was the eighteenth generation Demon King defeated?” Absolutely impossible, Bagelmaurus thought. However, an unknown chill kept climbing up its back. It couldn’t help asking, “I heard that it should be the nineteenth generation now.”
“More than 20 years ago.” Jesse Dylan turned his gaze back to Debby in the center of the room. “The nineteenth generation? Nobody knows anything about it after all these years. The last expedition was fruitful, so the next one shouldn’t be this soon. Why? Do you doubt…” He seemed to suddenly become interested and lowered his voice, pressing his beautiful face up close, “Mr. Light is the nineteenth generation Demon King?”
“No!” Bagelmaurus held back its scream. “He… He must be a wanderer. He can’t be that thing!”
“You should be a little more confident in yourself, cute little guy.” The smile on Jesse’s face became more obvious. “Maybe your guess is correct.”
“But if that’s true, Aurorae… Aurorae didn’t respond yet.” It was almost paralyzed by its absurd conjecture. Fortunately, there was still a lifeline for it to grab. “…You’re playing around with me!”
“Oh, yes.” Jesse coughed lightly. “Who made you look so serious? I couldn’t help it, sorry.”
But the gray parrot wasn’t fooled by him.
“You’re not going to ask me who Aurorae is?” It stared suspiciously at the beautiful face of the blond young man. “Do you know who Aurorae is?”
“Maybe.” Jesse replied casually, turning his gaze back to the center of the room again…
“…Nemo, does your team choose people based on their faces? I like this idea.” Soon after entering the door, Debby stood in the center of the room and glanced around. “What were you doing just now? Why does everyone look… Uh, unhappy.”
“Nemo just finished seeing the doctor, so we were just asking about the situation,” Ann quickly answered.
Hearing the word “doctor”, the girl lowered her head slightly. “Ah… Yes, Nemo can’t remember what happened before he was adopted. So this is why you’re here to find Ms. Nadine.” Her voice was getting smaller and there was a subtle awkwardness that was slowly spreading.
“So?” The girl took a few breaths and quickly changed the subject. “Nemo, have you recovered your memories?”
“It’s been restored.” Nemo tried to squeeze out a less suspicious smile, but it only caused his face to stiffen. “It’s nothing special—I was just lucky, just like we guessed when we were kids.”
Debby narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure? When I was a kid, I guessed you survived by breathing fire.”
“…It’s almost as Old Patrick had guessed.”
Debby looked at him up and down, and then glanced at the gray parrot next to the blond young man who was pulling its feathers. It took a long time before she said “oh”.
“Does Horizon have to kill Nadine?” Seeing as Nemo couldn’t hold it together any longer, Ann solemnly switched topics. “Don’t worry, I’m just asking. After all, you did stop me from asking the innkeeper further questions. I don’t think you’re acting in a completely cruel manner.”
“We investigated it. She hid from everyone in this village and didn’t even tell her best friend the truth. They all thought Nadine was her own ‘grandmother’.” The smile on Debby’s face dimmed a little. She jumped to the table in the room and sat down, dangling her legs. “Although I don’t know the reason… She worked so hard to maintain the status quo, so there is some motive.”
“Miss Light.” When Debby stepped into the room, Oliver spoke for the first time, with inexplicable tension in his voice. “According to Ms. Nadine, the client should be just an ordinary patient. Things should not reach the point where they are irreparable.”
“As far as I know, there is no remedy.” Debby stared at Oliver’s face for a few seconds. Her legs stopped swinging, and her expression became a bit more formal. “Judging from the regulations of the Mercenary Guild, the Eastern Witches are a hostile race and a potential threat. We swore to the tin badge that we would not let go of any dangerous elements that might harm our compatriots. Unless she could throw away all her power… but we all know that’s impossible.”
“Why?” Nemo sat down on the edge of the bed. Seeing that Debby was no longer struggling with his memory problems, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you ever seen a flower off itself, brother?” The girl shook her head. “I have to give you some magic books. The library in Roadside Town is full of useless things… The previous generation of the Eastern Witch will extract the lifespan of her offspring through a root system. You should know this. The connection of the root system obeys Woodruff’s Theorem, and they keep getting those nasty roots.”
“Just counter it with homologous power.” Nemo heard himself speak. Before he could react to whether “Woodruff’s Theorem” belonged to the lingua franca, the words had already leaked out of his mouth. It was as natural as finding an old toy that had been forgotten in a dusty box. A mix of runes and magic array swept through his mind like the wind.
“…If it creates just the right recoil while it absorbs, it’ll destroy the loop nodes of the root system in sequence, targeting the original source. The roots will then be cut off. Woodruff’s Theorem will still hold true.”
Like Bluebird’s language, knowledge from unknown sources was churning in his mind.
Debby was silent for a while. “…Did a rich man donate a lot of money to the library?”
Shit.
Cold sweat suddenly appeared on Nemo’s forehead. He hadn’t recovered from his procedure and his chaotic thoughts made him completely tongue-tied, so he looked to Oliver for help…
“We’ve been to many places,” Oliver said very sincerely. “As you know, Nemo has always liked reading.”
“Oh, I thought my brother was in charge of logistics for the team.” Debby coughed. Oliver’s innocent expression was surprisingly convincing. The suspicion in the girl’s eyes gradually dissipated. “Uh… That approach is theoretically feasible, but with all due respect, Ms. Nadine isn’t that strong. To destroy the nodes, the root system must be observed, and no one can see the roots of the Eastern Witches.”
“I know you want to help her,” Debby straightened out the robe, “but for Nemo’s sake, I would advise you—you’d better not get involved. Believe me, you are not the first people to want to do this. Our commander is a mission madman. He will not be merciful because of… certain things.” She gave Oliver a meaningful look. “I don’t really want to talk about the ending of those people, so don’t ask.”
She ended the topic decisively.
Apart from this, the atmosphere was relatively light. Nemo chatted with Debby for an hour while Oliver listened carefully and would interject from time to time. Adrian watched the first ten minutes numbly before leaving the room while Ann stayed where she was staring at the small gap on the edge of the wooden table in a daze.
Suddenly, a suppressed cry pierced the gradually darkening sky.
Debby Light followed her tall companion, trying her best to adjust her facial expressions. The strong but soft joy made her head dizzy. A competent mercenary should never bring emotions into their work. She pinched the palm of her hand with her manicured nails and adjusted her breathing rate to finally calm down the excited beating of her heart.
Even though Godwin Lopez successfully obtained the holy sword in the last mission, she didn’t have such definite joy.
Most of the abandoned children in the Light orphanage wouldn’t stay after the age of thirteen. Thanks to its geographical location, there were a lot of professionals and adventurers of all kinds who would come and go. Those with talents and dreams would be taken away as soon as possible out of that remote town, and start their own lives.
Nemo was the only one who stayed behind; he was her actual caregiver, but also the main object of her bullying when she was young and ignorant. By the time Debby was old enough to climb up the roof of the house and blow up the neighbor’s chimney with her magic, Old Patrick was so old that he would have to catch his breath after a few steps. In order to maintain the orphanage’s livelihood, the eldest, Nemo, began to run around to work and carried all the responsibility in one basket himself.
Although she cautiously confirmed it, Debby still didn’t think Nemo Light was a person obsessed with power. He had never pursued his “authority” in the orphanage, and he had never shown even the slightest jealousy of her power.
She was nothing short of a brat when she was a child. Although she didn’t want to admit it, Debby knew this well, but he never really got angry with her, or even scolded her. Nemo would always be like Old Patrick and babble solemnly—she even thought he was so weak at the time.
The girl smiled helplessly at herself in her memories.
Such a person wouldn’t hurt others for a little so-called power. His eyes didn’t change, and she decided to believe him.
Debby originally planned to go back to Roadside Town when she was an adult, bringing honor, money, and apologies to repay this relative who seemed to have never learned what anger was. At that time, he should have settled down and maybe had his own family. Nemo would never leave Roadside Town. She had always believed this firmly for no apparent reason.
And now they had met.
Her eldest brother became a Black Chapter, but it didn’t matter. She could still take care of him this time.
The door to Godwin Lopez’s room was unlocked. The warrior, Victor, stepped into the room first, and Debby successfully adjusted her expression and followed him into the temporary residence of the commander of Horizon. Their young and handsome leader was frowning at a report, and the holy sword was well placed in its scabbard, resting within his reach.
Seeing the members enter the room, Godwin put down the parchment roll in his hand and smiled softly.
“Commander, what did Ms. Nadine say?” Debby asked first.
“She refused.” Godwin shook his head. His voice was calm. “We can only act according to the regulations. If it was a Swamp Witch, there would still be some room, but she’s an Eastern Witch… There’s no other option. I left her two days.”
As if being doused with a bucket of ice water, Debby’s joy was instantly diluted. “Can you… persuade her again?”
“I can see Ms. Nadine’s determination, and she doesn’t have many days left to live.” Godwin shook his head. “I’ve already warned you, Debbie, don’t let illusion cloud your judgment. It’s just a flower, no different from the grass you tread on every day. We’re humans, and naturally we must put humans first.”
“Even if it’s a scumbag?”
“Even if it’s a scumbag.”
“You’re in charge.” Debby took a breath, determined to end this topic that made her unhappy. “You came to me for…?”
Godwin pushed the glass vial containing Oliver’s hair to the edge of the table, and then neatly pulled a few strands of his blond hair.
“Blood identification,” he said.
Debby raised her brows, and she instantly remembered the young man who had stiffened like a stake at the entrance of the inn. She didn’t say much and opened the glass vial neatly.
The green magic stone at the top of the rod began to flicker, and the short rod quickly drew lines of light green mantras in the air. The light brown hair floated out of the bottle and turned blood red. The melting was like a drop of blood dripping into hot water. There was the same change in Godwin’s blond hair. The pattern of diffusion kept changing until it stopped and turned into two strands of blood-red smoke that had been coagulated.
Debby turned the rod in her hand and made up two arrays. Two strands of blood-like things overlapped. With them at the center of the circle, several rings of runes that were nested began to slowly rotate around the blood.
“The mother’s side is irrelevant. The father’s blood is the same… No, it’s different. Very similar. The father should be a brother.” Debby shook her rod cleanly, and everything that had solidified in the hair instantly shattered into fine dust. “The owner of the hair is your cousin, commander.”
“Sure enough.” The face of the commander of Horizon showed no surprise. “The rumors were wrong. Uncle Flint’s son did survive.”
“That’s why you asked me to investigate Oliver Ramon?” The warrior who had been silent opened his mouth. “He himself is at this inn.”
“I met him at the Eastern Witch’s residence, but he didn’t seem to know anything.” Godwin shrugged. “How did it turn out, Victor? Why is he a Black Chapter?”
Debby crossed her arms, retreated to the wall, and listened intently.
“Oliver Ramon was born in Roadside Town of Alban. His father was Piper Ramon. He’s been charged with sheltering a demon worshiper named Nemo Light. The warrant stated that they murdered Piper together.”
Debby gasped loudly. She didn’t have time to cover her mouth.
Godwin glanced at her helplessly. “I won’t ask about Nemo Light for now… What about the information about Piper Ramon?”
Victor nodded with a sullen face and flipped through the booklet in his hand. “He is of unknown origin. He suddenly appeared in Roadside Town one day. Then… Well, he opened an inn in the local area. It’s rumored that it was a good place, but there’s nothing special about it.”
“No disability?”
“There is no disability.”
“Features?”
“He didn’t have any special hobbies, but sometimes he would play the ukulele in a tavern.”
“It sounds like something Uncle Flint would do.” Godwin raised his fingers and fell into contemplation. “There were two members of the Tin Army who didn’t participate in the expedition that year. Talbott Vance is missing, but even if he’s still alive, he should be very old… The other is a necromancer, and skeletons don’t grow flesh out of thin air. After what happened that year, Uncle Flint should have had no one else to trust.”
“And Sonia Ramon is just a wandering dancer. If she has relatives, it’s impossible for her father not to mention it. He didn’t entrust his kid to someone else…” He frowned. “I don’t know why he had sound limbs… But since he uses the surname ‘Ramon’, Piper Ramon should be Flint Lopez himself.”
“I don’t know about your family affairs, commander,” Debby finally couldn’t help interrupting, “I just want to affirm one thing—I don’t know who Oliver Ramon is, but Nemo is my big brother, and I know him. That crime should be Alban’s usual shit.”
“Brother… He’s from the Light Orphanage?”
“Yes. If you need it, I can use my reputation to guarantee his character.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t mean to deal with Mr. Light… At least not until there’s conclusive evidence. Regarding demon worshipers, Alban’s warrant is indeed not credible.” Godwin nodded solemnly. “Debby, you can go back. I have something to talk to Victor about.”
“Okay.” Debby grimaced. “I have said all that I wanted to say anyway.”
The young female mage shrugged, her rod turned dexterously in her palm, and she walked out of the room.
“That demon worshiper is not a threat. There’s no hostility in him.” The commander of Horizon glanced at the holy sword casually, “But shit is shit. The Alban army would not fabricate things out of thin air. So the extent of this matter…?”
“Some townspeople saw Oliver Ramon kill the seriously injured Piper Ramon with their own eyes.” Victor snapped his fingers, and a simple soundproof cover wrapped the two of them. “In other words, Mr. Ramon did commit the crime of patricide—”
“—The same crime as you, commander.”
At this moment, the sinner in their mouths was sitting nervously on the edge of the bed. To be precise, Oliver and Nemo were sitting alone in the corner of the bed, swallowing their saliva at the same time.
“Ollie, give me the medicine—I think I should take the medicine.” Nemo tried to escape reality. Adrian was staring at him. Although it didn’t contain hostility, the gaze looked as if it was dissecting him so he could be studied piece by piece. “I think I’ll go into a coma for a while.”
“It’s still too early.” Oliver dryly rejected Nemo’s request. “And you won’t pass out, trust me.”
“Hmm.” Ann stood opposite of them, leaning against the wall. “Before you start sharing the little story, do you have anything extra to prepare? Maybe taking a bath and building an altar and praying for three days and three nights?”
“You all know my situation.” Nemo simply gave up. “I’m a superior demon—complete, pure, and natural, and may not contain any human ingredients.”
“That’s right,” Ann said. “It sounds very suitable for cooking.”
Jesse Dylan turned the burst of laughter into a few coughs.
“Debby was one of my younger siblings when I was in the orphanage. She was taken away by a large mercenary group when she was eleven years old. We never saw each other again after that, and I didn’t know she joined Horizon,” Nemo added with a sullen face. “She has no bad intentions; she’s a good kid.”
“In other words, there is no new problem on your side.” Adrian’s tone was very serious. “Then your return together… I think something happened to Mr. Ramon.”
“Yes,” Oliver reluctantly took over, “The witch Horizon wants to hunt is Ms. Nadine. We just bumped into their leader, and Ms. Nadine refused the client’s demands… Well, she has her own things to deal with and Nemo recovered quickly, so we left early.”
“So what?” Ann asked unceremoniously. “A commander of Horizon can’t scare you two like this. Does he have a long head or something?”
“…He’s my cousin.”
“What?”
“Horizon’s commander, Godwin Lopez, should be my cousin.” Oliver held his forehead with both hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. “We… look very similar.”
There was a dead silence.
“…If I remember correctly, Godwin Lopez’s father is Emanuel Lopez,” Adrian said very slowly, “And Emanuel Lopez has only one brother. Mr. Ramon, are you indicating that the head of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Group is your father?”
The only relaxed smile left on Ann’s face completely disappeared as she stared at Oliver. It wasn’t a simple shock. It was mixed with many other things. As soon as Nemo was about to distinguish the emotions, she quickly hid them again.
“Flint Lopez should have no children,” the female warrior said softly. “It’s no secret that his wife was pregnant when she died.”
Oliver suddenly looked up at her, but Ann did not respond to his eyes.
“It’s just a baby. There are as many ways to fake a death.” Jesse spread his hands.
“Indeed.” Ann thought for a moment. “In that case… if it was Flint Lopez, then it could be possible.”
She didn’t speak anymore, and finally raised gaze to Oliver, showing a trace of sadness that flashed in her amber eyes.
“Yes,” Adrian Cross nodded, “if it’s him, then it’s really not surprising.”
“Oliver just said that they look alike, but you didn’t notice that?” Ann frowned and turned her face toward the knight commander. “Do you think he looks unpleasant? Haven’t you seen him before?”
“No.” Adrian shook his head. “He only came to the Holy Church when he was awarded an honorary knight, and I happened to be out on a mission at that time.”
“You don’t seem the type to hate a person you have never met,” Ann murmured.
“The Holy Church likes his style very much. I have heard a lot of his ‘deeds’.” The former knight sighed. “Let’s put it this way, this is just my personal opinion—in fact, Godwin Lopez is more suitable for the position of the commander of the Knights of Judgment than me.”
Ann showed a look of relief.
“What do you mean?” Nemo interjected carefully.
Adrian glanced at him deeply, but still answered his question. “In the position of a leader… Sometimes, even if the ‘correct’ decision is made, there will always be some innocent people who are destined to be sacrificed. I personally think that this is not ‘as it should be’. In the past, I would indeed bury the innocent with my own hands, and I also knew that it’s a sin of my own choice.”
“But for Godwin Lopez, there is no innocence other than human. As far as I have heard… He will be merciful, but he will not feel that there is anything wrong with killing from the bottom of his heart.”
“You two may not have heard of it.” Ann took over. “His first battle was very famous. About five years ago, a child on Willard’s side was bitten to death by a crazy insect, and Mr. Lopez wiped out the entire insect village by himself.”
Nemo moved towards the corner of the bed where Oliver was.
“A suggestion,” Ann raised her brows, “if what Oliver said is true, sooner or later, Lopez will notice Oliver’s blood relationship with him, and he will start paying attention to us. You better not reveal Nemo’s connection to demons to anyone in Horizon. This includes Debby. Even if it’s the level of a demon warlock… Never admit it.”
“Demon worshipers are still considered humans, but they will never be soft in the face of a demon warlock who is possessed by a superior demon,” she muttered, and added, “Oliver, if you want your sweetheart to live more comfortably, remember not to provoke your cousin.”
Oliver’s ears turned bright red. Nemo coughed dryly, pondered for a moment, and then moved back to the corner of his bed.
“The son of Flint Lopez and a—Nemo, sorry—a complete superior demon.” Ann rubbed her face fiercely. “Why did I pick the two of you up in the first place? I should’ve gone to the capital of Garland and drawn the lottery instead and used the grand prize to eat and drink merrily until I die.”
“This can explain Mr. Light’s performance in the Heretical Judgement Hall dungeon.” Adrian Cross pressed his temples with both hands. “On the other hand, if Mr. Ramon is really the son of that one, it’s not surprising that he has this strength. Mr. Ramon, maybe you can really reach the height you want.”
“So what are you going to do now, captain?” Different from the heaviness of the other two, Jesse casually scratched the neck of the gray parrot, which stood stiff like a stuffed dead animal. “You see, there is nothing wrong with my prophecy. Mr. Light has recovered his memory and got his answer. What are we still doing here? Why don’t you hurry up and get away from Horizon, leave this small place, and register the team.”
Perhaps this is the wisest option. Nemo thought this, but he glanced at the exquisite vial of potion and only felt that his heart was blocked. Oliver rubbed the small medicine bottle and lowered his eyes.
“You don’t owe that witch anything,” Jesse added. “What are you hesitating about? Horizon is here. If a conflict were to—”
There was a knock on the door. Jesse swallowed the remaining half of his speech and gave them a “I warned you” look.
“Nemo?” A girl’s elated voice sounded. “Nemo, I’m here to see you—”
“Poor little girl. She still doesn’t know what her older brother is,” Jesse whispered. “Speaking of this, my dear Ann, how did you subdue these two characters in the first place? I’m really curious.”
“Who knows? Maybe I was born with a big destiny.” The female warrior stood up and walked towards the door of the room.
She stopped at the door, put her hand on the door handle, and let out a very light sigh.
“…It may also be that I am destined to help someone pay off their debt,” she murmured at a volume that no one could hear.
The author has something to say:
Cousin is very standard anthropocentrism, while Oliver… buys pudding for two non-humans.
When leaving the witch’s residence, Nemo couldn’t help but look back.
The courtyard full of flowers was as peaceful and lovely as it was at first, but at this moment it felt a bit lonelier. The orange cat that they first saw was nowhere to be found. The witch should still be sitting in front of her workbench. After she planted the last of the Earthsea Orchids, her entire body seemed to meld with the workbench. Bottles after bottles of medicine were prepared, labeled, and put together with a small wooden sign with a name on it.
Except for the sound of glassware bumping and the thin sound of clothing rubbing, it was too quiet.
Nadine stuffed the bottles belonging to Nemo into Oliver’s hand, gave a few instructions, and then waved casually. She then gave them an ordinary farewell, as if they would meet again.
After withdrawing his attention from the courtyard, Nemo looked at Oliver’s face. It was the first time he saw Oliver Ramon show this expression. Oliver had never really been discouraged. Even if he was confused, even if he couldn’t see what was ahead, he usually forced himself to march forward. But now…
“Nemo.” Oliver noticed his gaze. He seemed to want to withdraw the heavy expression on his face, but failed. “I… Sorry, I’m a bit confused now.”
“I may not be able to empathize,” Nemo subconsciously stretched out his hand and rubbed the other’s short light brown hair. After realizing that this method of comfort might not be appropriate, he shrank his hand back embarrassedly. “After all, I’m not from the Lopez family, but I… can imagine it.”
They could kill wolfhounds, repel worms and demons, and even stop a small-scale war. They may have power far above an ordinary person, but they couldn’t change stupid and stubborn thoughts. This was enough to make him feel frustrated. From Oliver’s point of view, the executor of this foolishness was very likely to be his own blood relative.
“Let’s meet everyone first.” Nemo tried to dispel this powerless atmosphere by changing topics.
Unfortunately, as soon as the words were spoken, his tension returned instantly. After discovering his identity, he hadn’t communicated with his other companions, especially Adrian Cross. Even if he wasn’t a typical Knight of Judgement, Nemo wasn’t sure whether the former Chief Justice could withstand this.
Now his mind was also a mess. The two walked side by side, lifelessly as their faces turned blue. They looked as if they were sleepwalking hand in hand in broad daylight. During this time, he was almost knocked down by a fat lady running wildly.
“Sorry!” the barrel-like lady shouted with a loud voice without turning her head back.
The precious time they spent in a daze always passed by quickly. Even if there were more episodes, the village was pretty small, so they quickly found the inn. Nemo was stunned for a few seconds when he saw the “Earthsea Orchid” sign.
“Why did both of you come back?” The last companion Nemo wanted to face, however, had appeared first. Adrian was holding the leashes of the two fuller goats, but this scene didn’t dampen the knight’s momentum one bit. He squinted his eyes and looked at Nemo from head to toe, and then asked a question that neither of them wanted to answer.
“It’s a long story… You haven’t booked a room yet?” Oliver diverted the question with another question.
“The room has just been vacated. You arrived just in time.” Adrian raised his brows, as if he had read the subtext of Oliver’s words. “We can talk about it once we settle down.”
Oliver nodded in low spirits. It seemed that it was aware of his low mood as the fake goat pulled on the rope and bleated comfortingly. Oliver patted the goat on the head a few times.
This pause made Nemo the first person to enter the inn.
He stared solemnly at the wood grain and dust on the floor, racking his brains to think about what kind of expression would be appropriate to face his other companions. However, after only a few seconds of deep contemplation, a scream belonging to a girl entered his ears and something rushed straight at him like a cannonball that was fired from a siege artillery. Nemo’s body reacted first. He dodged at a speed that was normal for humans, and the rushing object flew into the air.
Nemo raised his head stiffly. Ann Savage was standing in the lobby directly opposite of him, but the scream didn’t emanate from her. The face of the female warrior was puzzled. That was normal, Nemo thought nervously. After all, he should have stayed with the witch, Nadine. He rubbed the stiff muscles on his face and was just about to squeeze out a smile…
When the mysterious attacker slammed into him from behind.
A pair of slender arms encircled his neck, with a rod in one hand. However, this wasn’t some type of new attack, because the owner of the scream spoke again with a voice that was filled with vibrant joy.
“Nemo!” She yelled. “Why are you here? God, how could you be here?”
The girl let go, turned to Nemo, and gave him a tight hug that seemed like it could break his ribs.
Ann’s expression became more complicated, and Nemo now knew why the female warrior was puzzled. Ann must’ve witnessed the entire scene just now. He lowered his head numbly, facing this strange girl who was too enthusiastic for a first-time meeting. Her facial features were subtle and looked familiar.
“……Debby?” Nemo asked blankly. His gaze swept over the white tin badge on the young girl’s chest that was exactly the same as Flint Lopez’s. There was no doubt that she was part of Horizon.
“How can you use such an interrogative tone?” Debby Light let go of Nemo angrily. She was frowning, but her voice was full of laughter. “I recognized you from a single glance! It’s not fair, you’re such a mean guy—”
Ann raised her brows and glanced at Oliver, who had just stepped through the door, then at the young female mage who was acting coquettish; her brows rose even higher. A few steps away, when Nemo appeared, the gray parrot had shrunk into a ball and squeezed into Jesse Dylan’s pocket. The blond young man made no attempt to hide his ambiguous smile as he watched the excitement unfold.
Oliver froze visibly to the naked eye. He had originally looked a little lifeless, like a vegetable leaf that had been scalded by boiling water. After seeing this scene, the vegetable leaf named Oliver Ramon changed from “scalded by boiling water” to “thoroughly overcooked”.
“Wow, why are you here?” The Horizon female mage’s attention was still completely on Nemo. After the hurricane-like excitement, the girl looked calmer. “Hey, you have become a Black Chapter… and a snake level?”
She turned her head and glanced at Ann. “If you’re a snake-level, you should be acting with Ms. Savage. I see. Which special bastard in your team raised the danger level for all of you?”
Ann instantly turned her gaze to Jesse, causing the smiling face of the latter to freeze.
“Even though I don’t mind this evaluation… I haven’t joined the team yet!” He cried aggrievedly.
Nemo rubbed the top of the girl’s head. When he sent Debby Light away, she was about the height of a pitchfork, and now the top of her head was almost to his chin. Now Nemo remembered very clearly. Back then, when he hadn’t understood the world, this girl had copied him and stuck her fingers into the flame—Debby Light might have had more guts than all the children in the orphanage combined, and unlike Nemo, who was unable to use any magic at the time, her magical talent was also terrifying.
These two characteristics add up to form the former bully of the Light Orphanage.
The younger Debby gave him a headache, and her iconic scream could almost collapse the roof of the orphanage. Even on the day he sent her away, she was busy tossing around and rolling all over the floor, asking him to carry her to the candy store for an all-you-can-eat.
It was only at that time that she actually cried.
Six years later, the little girl who misbehaved that year had become a regular mage of a first-class mercenary group.
She really grew up, and Nemo couldn’t help but cock the corners of his mouth. At that moment, “superior demon” and “Black Chapter” seemed to have once again become words that belonged to another world, and he had returned to Roadside Town. This was a reunion between ordinary people after a long separation.
“No,” he replied softly. “It’s true… something happened on my side.”
“Nemo, you should introduce this lady first,” Ann retracted her gaze from Oliver, coughing dryly. She tried her best to hold back the smile in her voice. Their leader was nervously frozen at the entrance, as if he had been petrified.
“This is my big brother.” Debby pointed to Nemo and spoke first. Adrian was stepping into the door and joined the stiff ranks when he heard the words. “I am a mage from Horizon, Debby Light, who also came from the same orphanage in Roadside Town. Old Patrick was unreliable, so I was basically raised by my big brother. Ms. Savage, what did my brother do? Why is he Black Chapter?”
“Demon worshiper,” Jesse interjected with a smile. “At least that’s what the warrant says.”
“……What?” Debby frowned. “What? Sorry, I may have heard it wrong just now—”
Ann sighed and nodded, “Demon worshiper.”
“He’s… a demon worshiper? Where is his familiar?” The female mage’s voice instantly revealed her professional mercenary background and had even a hint of murderous intent. “Where is his familiar?”
Jesse pointed to the gray parrot in his pocket, desperately trying to reduce its sense of existence.
“Nemo,” Debby curled her lips and raised her head again. “Let’s talk about it. Did you pick it up, or did it pick you up? Such a thing…” She wrinkled her nose, as if looking for a more suitable sentence. “If this is what they call a demon worshiper, then I can call myself a rabid dog worshiper when I go out with my puppy.”
For a few seconds, the gray parrot stretched out its head, as if trying to spray abyssal magic at the girl, but its little eyes swept past Nemo in front of Debby, and then shrank back silently.
“But I have to be honest. For a demon worshiper, the snake level is too exaggerated.” There was a bit more seriousness in Debby’s relaxed voice, and the fingers holding her rod tightened stiffly. “If I’m not mistaken, Alban’s side will charge you with some messy crime to deal with you… but it won’t be that big. Even if you participated in the Black Chapter test, it should’ve been capped at a jackal at most.”
She looked into the eyes of the relative in front of her very seriously. “I’m not joking. I only have two questions, big brother. Did you participate in the promotion of the snake level? …Are you really serving that demon?”
Nemo smiled at the familiar yet unfamiliar girl in front of him. He knew her concerns. Six years was indeed enough time to change a lot of things, and she didn’t deliberately ignore this.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything that would get me scolded by Old Patrick.” Nemo chose a compromise and calmly responded to her gaze. “As for that demon, I have no contractual relationship with it now.”
“Okay, I believe you.” Debby nodded solemnly, the smile on her face relaxing a bit. “After all, the team you are in is quite good. Ms. Savage’s rating has always been good. Our commander wanted to recruit her before… The leader of your team?” She casually glanced at the other two Black Chapters at the door, and the end of her words trailed off.
“No, you’re not the leader, right?” She stared at Oliver, raised her rod slightly, and her expression became serious.
“That’s our leader.” Nemo pressed her raised arm down. “It’s a bit complicated.”
“But he looks like Godwin…”
“Uh… This question can’t be answered so briefly. Maybe you can ask Mr. Lopez yourself.” Nemo scratched his head. “Let’s not talk about this, Debby. How have you been—”
“Light.” A low male voice interrupted Nemo’s questioning. A tall, heavily armored warrior greeted them blankly.
Debby and Nemo looked at him at the same time.
“The commander is looking for you.” The armored warrior swept past the crowd in the lobby, but his eyes remained on Oliver’s face for a few seconds, showing no special emotion. “…Are these Black Chapters your friends?”
“Sort of.” The girl scratched her nose. “A friend I just met.”
The Horizon warrior nodded politely but was alienated towards them. “I see. Hurry up, Light. These people seem to be staying in the same inn, so you still have the opportunity to visit them later.”
Debby glanced at Oliver curiously again, then blew a kiss at Nemo. “Big brother, don’t run away,” she said in a crisp voice. “I have so many things I want to catch up on.”
As Miss Light left with her companions, the horn-braided girl next to the wooden platform began to tap on the guest list.
“Do you still want to check in?” Her voice sounded annoyed.
“Of course,” Ann said as she propped an arm on the counter; her voice was quite lively. “How big is the biggest room here? We need a spacious interrogation room.”
Adrian held his forehead, Jesse nodded approvingly, and the female warrior’s eyes swept between Oliver and Nemo. “We also have… so many questions to ask the two of you.”
The author has something to say:
Obtains [sister] × 1. Do you want to pick it up?
Nemo: Choose [yes] with relief
————
Obtains [cousin] × 1. [Cousin] forcibly bound to your inventory.
Oliver: Solemnly delete repeatedly, and even want to contact GM.
It wasn’t an important letter; at least based on the contents, it didn’t look like it.
The lines were full of trivial things; the font was clumsy and there were many traces of corrections and typos. There was no grammar so to speak of. It was like the sender herself was nagging at the stationery, and that nagging was turned into words and sentences that occupied the piece of paper. However, the witch held her breath and smiled at the corners of her mouth as she listened intently.
The letter was so short that Nemo finished reading it in almost an instant. The witch nodded gratefully at him. She held the frame of her glasses and began to write her own letter.
“Where was I? Oh yes, Mr. Lopez,” she whispered while writing. “I have to write for a while, so you two find a place to sit first. There’s also a plate of candied fruit in the cupboard that you can try.”
Nemo sat down, while Oliver remained standing in place. As if the witch had eyes on her back, she turned her head and sighed at him.
“If you’re still thinking of wanting to stop all this,” she said softly, “there’s no need, really. You don’t owe me anything. I can probably guess who the client is. They will never change their minds, and now Horizon has an obligation to protect them. You two are Black Chapters, aren’t you? In case of conflict… Horizon can kill you in accordance with the rules and regulations without any responsibility. My life is destined to come to an end, but you can still live for a long time.”
“I was just thinking… if there’s any other way,” Oliver said dryly.
“Ollie, I don’t think the commander of Horizon will…” Nemo reminded him carefully.
“I know. I’m in no position to negotiate with him.” Oliver still didn’t want to sit down. “He should be much more informed than me. Sooner or later, he will know about my relationship with him, but blood doesn’t mean friendship, and I don’t think we have a good impression of each other. I mean, in other ways, I…”
“I was very young when my father died,” the witch spoke suddenly, interrupting Oliver’s words. “He wasn’t a good father; weak and incompetent and was controlled by my mother. I think you can guess the ‘educational style’ of the Eastern Witches. My mother wanted me to wake up early so that she could find the next prey and make the next victim. I wanted to escape at the time, so she chained me against a wall.”
Negativity. Twisted. Insults. Abuse. It may be that her body was too old and the wounds in those memories no longer revealed lingering pain but had become numb and blurred. There was no pause in the witch’s writing.
Her mother was truly an excellent Eastern Witch. A model witch that was hated by mankind. Her cowardly father only dared to look from a distance. If he protested a little, he would be whipped senseless. She tried to beg and scream, but there was no innate instinct of love. Her mother patiently watered her with pain and despair, waiting for the day of her transformation, and she didn’t make her mother wait too long; the rough skin of the young girl began to become fair and smooth, and the original withered hair turned brilliantly golden.
The buds of hatred began to grow.
Then there was only one step left, the final step. At that time, she already faintly knew what would happen as her mother would carry out the favorite ending of all Eastern Witches—letting her father be destroyed by mankind and cutting off her last attachment.
Then she really lost him.
An ugly and weak human being; a father who would secretly give her a piece of candy while she was held in the dark room. Within a few seconds, she tasted a little bit of the sweetness of being treated like a living thing, but that sweetness was like an illusion.
Thorns began to crawl under her skin.
As long as she took the initiative to kill a person, as long as she could see blood, she could gain all the powers suppressed in her bloodline. She could start her revenge—on her mother, on the murderer, on the fate that was never kind to her. Her mother had sowed the seeds of hatred and she almost did what she wanted.
“I’m sorry.” Flint Lopez, the captain of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment, lifted his cloak and squatted down. His tone was serious and his moist eyes seemed like they were in pain. “Even though I know it won’t change anything, I’m sorry, young lady.”
The dirty outcast, who was ignored by the soldiers, choked and stared at the man in front of her with wide eyes. The stolen spell book was still in her pocket, and the thin thorns were secretly entangled in her fingertips. She could raise her hand at any time—as long as she raised her hand, she could let the thorns penetrate the man’s neck, and then…
She knew she was being used, but so what? Hatred always had a goal.
But she didn’t do anything. The restless thorns pierced her fingers, oozing small beads of blood. It felt good to be treated as a “human”. She wanted to feel it for a few more seconds. As long as she saw a little perfunctory expression, as long as she smelled even a hint of danger, she would immediately do it. The young witch was determined.
A few minutes… A few hours…
“I understand you have every reason to hate me. I will not ask for your forgiveness.” The captain of the number one mercenary regiment would always squat down and look into her eyes when he spoke to her. “But please allow me to take this responsibility. I will definitely not make you homeless.”
A few days…
“There are acquaintances of mine in Caleb Village—a very good-tempered old couple. They are very good mages, so you will be taken care of very well,” he said softly. “It’s a very beautiful village, Miss Nadine.”
She didn’t respond to any of Flint Lopez’s words. She just stared viciously at his eyes, then at his throat, and finally back at his eyes. She sniffed hard, like a wounded young wolf, looking for any traces of malice, but all she could smell was remorse.
The control she had imagined didn’t come, nor did the imprisonment. Flint Lopez left, and the old couple were indeed gentle to the bone. With warm food and clean clothes, she could no longer find a reason to take action, so she had to stab gerbils in the yard with her thorns. Overwhelmed by her unusual beauty, no one wanted to approach her, but she thought it wasn’t bad. At least she had someone to talk to and could look at the sun.
Only the memory of that day was particularly clear.
The witch stopped writing, and the tip of her pen trembled on the paper.
“My mother did a very successful job, and I awakened very early… Flint Lopez was just the unlucky guy who happened to hit her trap, but had he been arrogant at that time, you wouldn’t see me here today,” the aging witch continued, staring at Oliver’s emerald green eyes that were no different from those in her memory. “I can never forgive him for killing my father, and this will never change, but he sent me here and gave me a real world. For this, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to him.”
The weather was good that day in her memories. A little head that wasn’t beautiful in the slightest leaned over the railing. The girl’s hair was short, curled up everywhere, and her round face was covered with mud. At that moment, Nadine had just ripped a gerbil open, so she moved vigilantly, covering the bloody gerbil corpse with her body.
“You’re so beautiful!” the strange human girl exclaimed. “Wow, more beautiful than everything I’ve ever seen combined. Would you like to be friends with me?”
She stared at the girl vigilantly.
“What’s your name? My name is Lisa… Hey, wait.” The human girl’s head disappeared from above the railing, and she ran away quickly. Just when Nadine was about to destroy the corpse of the tragically dead gerbil, she came back.
“Look!” She threw a bunch of wildflowers into the front yard that was only covered by a green lawn. “That’s right—although I can’t find a flower that can match you. Can I still come to see you?”
Nadine hurriedly blocked the blood and internal organs with the flowers. She looked nervously at the girl who called herself Lisa without saying a word.
“…Well then, I’ll just… Um, look at you secretly!” Lisa lowered her voice, sounding aggrieved, “If you don’t mind.”
“…I don’t mind.” At that time, she responded in a low voice, carefully taking a step towards the girl.
The witch couldn’t write anymore. Aging itself took away most of her vision, and those memories made her vision even more blurred. Fortunately, she had finished writing the letter, so she wouldn’t delay this matter for too long.
“After all, this is just a grudge between me and Flint Lopez. This hatred will not extend to you, Mr. Ramon.” She suppressed the small tremor in her voice and concluded as calmly as possible, carefully sealing the envelope. The withered thorns stretched out from her fingertips and slowly wound into a skylark. It picked up the envelope and rushed straight out the window. “Just do one more thing for me… After I’m done, I have to start dispensing medicine. There are still many people whose prescriptions have not been adjusted.”
The witch laboriously straightened her waist, took off the rolls of parchment paper attached to the workbench, and put them away one by one. She stroked the handwriting and gave a vague little smile, then she took out a glass bottle from the drawer on the edge of the workbench, which contained a small half-bottle filled with something stone-like.
“Mr. Light, you… You should be able to wield magic, right?”
“Yes.” Nemo took two steps forward and helped the witch pick up the bottle that didn’t look light. It turned out that his intuition was correct, as it was indeed surprisingly heavy.
“That’s good, Lopez… Mr. Ramon, can you help me get the watering can?”
The two followed the witch to the backyard of the house. It was different from the front yard, which was full of vitality and flowers. The backyard was barren, and the soil even showed signs of desertification. The witch waved her cane, and the bottle in Nemo’s hand spit out the cork by itself. As soon as the small stones inside flew up, they fell back into the bottle.
“…I’m sorry. It seems that I really have to ask for this favor, Mr. Light.” Nadine lowered her head. “Bury them in the soil, five centimeters deep… and pour a little water. Here, that’s about it.” She gestured in the air.
“What is this thing?” Nemo twisted a stone, and the unnatural weight almost made him drop it.
“The seeds of the Earthsea Orchid.” Nadine squatted down with difficulty, twisting the sand. “They only grow in the desert.”
“…But aren’t they extinct?” Nemo recalled the book he was reading. The author spent at least ten full pages lamenting the disappearance of this rare plant.
“Yes, but there’s still a bit of life left in these seeds. I’m also a plant, so I know this,” she said. “They can hardly germinate, but… it’s not impossible. I collected a lot in the early years, but now there are only a few left, so let’s plant them all.”
It could be seen she never succeeded, as there was no greenery in the soil in front of them.
Nemo didn’t say a word. The dark shadow spread out almost instantly, sending the heavy seeds to their designated location. Oliver didn’t bother with the watering can; instead, he condensed water bubbles and accurately watered the seeds.
“Young people are quick to do things. Thank you very much.” The corners of Nadine’s mouth tugged as she stood up straight and patted the dust off her skirt. “Don’t look at this land like this. I almost succeeded a few times. Two plants have sprouted, but unfortunately, they still lack stamina and died shortly after… At least they can still germinate. I hope this time…”
She only sighed and didn’t continue.
There was no need to feel sorry. Nadine raised her head and looked at the scenery in front of her that was still blurred through her glasses. The green in the distance blended into a hazy mass in her vision, while the sand in front of her melted into a golden yellow. She tried her best, she thought. She successfully persisted to the last moment without ruining anyone’s life.
The life cycle of the previous generation would begin after the next generation reaches adulthood. This meant that Eastern Witches without offspring would begin to age soon after adulthood and grow significantly old at a rapid pace.
“Are you going on a trip? …That’s amazing!” Seventeen-year-old Lisa still had an ordinary face. Miraculously, she didn’t become a beauty.
“…Do you want to go with me?” She failed to hold back these words.
“I can’t. I can’t do it. I have to inherit the inn at home. I will always wait for you to come back! Remember to write to me, Nadine.” Lisa still had that rambunctious voice. “Do you want to take a picture together? Otherwise, I will miss you to death.”
“Okay.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been looking for my relatives. I recently found my grandmother, who’s still very healthy,” her throat choked with pain. “Wait… Wait a few years. If I don’t come back, I’ll let my grandmother take care of the house for me. I have already arranged it.”
“That’s good. Actually, I don’t mind taking care of it for you, I—”
“I will write to you,” she interrupted the other party, “I will… keep writing to you.”
The talisman paper was dangling in front of it, so the other party had to temporarily halt its thoughts about running away and explain the situation.
The weasel calls itself Uncle Liu. Its hometown was in the northeast, and it was originally the owner of an inn, or rather, the Bao Jiaxian of He Jia’s and her great aunt’s family. During the most turbulent time in China a hundred and ten years ago, her great aunt’s family moved south and brought Uncle Liu with them. Later, after several turbulent times, the family went abroad, died of illness, and the remaining family members dwindled. The younger generation grew up under the influence of science, so they didn’t believe in feudal superstition and scoffed at the so-called Bao Jiaxian. Uncle Liu was enshrined in the room of this hotel by the great aunt. It was regularly worshipped and was asked to help guard this hotel.
A few months ago, He Jia’s aunt immigrated overseas, and this hotel was left to He Jia. Before leaving, the great aunt also consulted with Uncle Liu for advice. It told her it didn’t want to go abroad, so the great aunt told He Jia to keep this room and not allow any guests to stay in it. He Jia had vaguely heard some rumors, but she didn’t believe them, but since this was the request of her great aunt, she complied. The fruits and vegetables offered were in good condition, and no one came to disturb its peace, which made Uncle Liu quite happy.
Uncle Liu wasn’t a lazy monster who only ate and didn’t work. In addition to guarding the hotel, he also bewitched people to help attract business.
Hearing this, Dong Zhi suddenly came to a realization. “No wonder the hotel didn’t need to advertise because they kept getting an endless stream of guests. It turns out that you did all this!”
Uncle Liu was strongly dissatisfied. “What do you mean! I’m a spirit! They were originally looking for a hotel to stay in, and the environment and facilities here are good, so I just increased their favorability!”
Dong Zhi sneered, “If it’s like this, then I’m afraid you’ve used too much magic. Otherwise, why do some people who originally planned to stay for one night don’t want to leave and instead end up staying two or three nights? This also doesn’t take into account the strange things happening in the rooms. Are you the one who’s responsible for all the weird things happening in this hotel?”
The weasel muttered, “It’s just a little trick that’s not tantamount to murder and arson…”
Dong Zhi heard its guilty conscience and said, “What about that man that almost jumped off the building two days ago and that woman who had a heart attack. Was that your doing?”
The weasel said angrily, “How could I do such a thing? Do I look like that kind of wolf to you?!”
Dong Zhi: “Don’t tell me it was just an accident. I saw it with my very own eyes. At that time, something prevented the rescuer from saving that woman. Who could it be if it wasn’t you?!”
Weasel: “That’s—!”
Its voice stooped abruptly.
Dong Zhi became suspicious. “Who is it?”
The weasel whispered, “The point is, it’s not me!”
Dong Zhi: “Even if it’s not you, you must know who it is, right?”
The weasel was very cunning. Perhaps seeing that Dong Zhi had no intention of killing it, it simply titled its body and fell to the ground with all four of its feet raised to the sky, as if it would die at any moment.
The magic array was still there, so it couldn’t run even if it wanted to. Dong Zhi sat crossed-legged on the bed and grabbed the Changshou Sword in his hand.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t say it. I might as well tell you that I’m from the Special Administration Bureau. To deal with monsters like you, I have the authority to act first. I can kill you first, then charge you with attempted murder. Besides us, no one would know, and I could still make contributions and be rewarded. What do you think about this idea?”
“Not good!” The weasel jumped up in a daze and no longer pretended to play dead. “You’re just a little baby in the Special Administration Bureau! Let me tell you, I’m related to someone in the Special Administration Bureau! If you dare make a move, I—I’ll call your leader and let him chop you to pieces!”
Dong Zhi looked skeptical. “Something like you, residing in a small hotel in Lucheng, can still know people from the Special Administration Bureau.”
The weasel said proudly, “Scared to death now, huh? You’re new here, so why don’t you go and find out! He’s a capable general under Director Long of Group Two of your General Administration Bureau, Kan Chaosheng. He’s the cousin of my grandmother’s eldest brother’s wife’s cousin’s husband!”
Dong Zhi: ……
Seeing the speechless face on Dong Zhi, the weasel became bolder. “How about it? Scared? Let me just say that a wolf with a background like mine is not something a little baby like you can provoke. Be sensible and quickly let me go. I can still speak good things on your behalf in front of your leaders!”
Before it could finish speaking, it squeaked and screamed, jumping three feet high. It turned out that Dong Zhi took the scabbard and smashed it towards its body, almost flattening its tail.
“You—You—don’t mess around!”
Dong Zhi picked up the phone. “What a coincidence. I also know Kan Chaosheng, so I’ll call him now. If he doesn’t know you, you’re dead meat.”
The weasel sneered, “You can’t fool me. How could you know such a big figure!”
Dong Zhi picked up the phone and pressed a number. The other party started to panic. “Why are you calling? This is just a small matter. No need to bother him!”
“I might as well tell you that I was sent by the General Administration Bureau. We all have to intern in the local area for our first year. I am a member of Group Two that you spoke of. It is exactly the same group that Kan Chaosheng is in. Our General Administration Bureau has a performance indicator this year. At least one task must be completed to pass the test, or we’ll be dismissed. You’re unlucky to have met me.” Dong Zhi spouted half-truths and lies. “If you’re willing to tell me the real culprit, I’ll let you go. Otherwise, I only need to kill you and return back to work!”
The weasel screamed, “How can you be such a scumbag!”
Dong Zhi spread his hands. “There’s no other way. Who told you not to tell me who’s the real culprit? Come here, let me stab you with my sword. Soon there will be no more pain.”
Weasel: “I didn’t do it! I can’t say it!”
Dong Zhi: “Why can’t you say it?”
The weasel refused to speak.
“Say it!” In order to scare it, Dong Zhi deliberately slapped hard, causing the other party’s fur to fluff up its little body, which made it look quite pleasant.
“I really can’t say it! I’ve been forbidden and will die if I say it. You might as well just kill me with the sword now!”
Dong Zhi asked suspiciously, “Who forbade you? Isn’t this your place?”
The weasel covered its mouth. “I can’t say it! I can’t say it!”
Dong Zhi said, “Then I’ll ask you questions. You just need to nod or shake your head.”
He took out a gray piece of paper.
“Is it related to this?”
The weasel hesitated for a moment and nodded its little head.
Dong Zhi asked again, “Is it related to the Japanese?”
The weasel turned his eyes around, first nodded, then shook his head.
“Is it or not?” Dong Zhi said angrily.
Weasel: “I really can’t say it! If I say it, I will die!”
Dong Zhi thought for a moment, and then asked, “Apart from the man who tried to jump off the building, there are also people who almost died from illness. Has anything else happened?”
The weasel subconsciously said, “No, they just came…”
Before it could finish speaking, it suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood that pooled onto the white bed sheets.
Dong Zhi was taken aback.
The weasel cried, “I told you everything! I only use magic to attract others to come in and stay for a few more days, but recently it’s made them listless and sick. I didn’t do it, but I can’t say the rest!”
Seeing that its performance was not as good as it was before, Dong Zhi couldn’t bear it and hurriedly said, “Okay, I’ll just ask two more questions! Is the other party still here now?”
The weasel shook its head.
Dong Zhi: “Then where did that person go?”
Weasel: “I don’t know.”
Dong Zhi: “What is their purpose?”
Weasel: “I don’t know… This is three questions!”
Dong Zhi rolled his eyes and began to try to deceive him. “Do you want to enter the Special Administration Bureau? Since you know Kan Chaosheng, you should know that monsters are also in the Bureau. As long as you can help me do my best this time, I’ll put in a recommendation to the Bureau later. This, plus your relationship with Kan Chaosheng, should be no problem for you to join!”
The weasel looked a little excited, but he said dejectedly, “But I haven’t been able to transform. How could the Special Administration Bureau want a monster that can’t be transformed?!”
Dong Zhi said, “Regardless of whether you can get in or not, as long as you make a contribution, I can help you apply for benefits. At that time, you can give up your quota to your children or grandchildren. As long as you provide clues, you don’t have to run errands. This couldn’t be any easier for you!”
The weasel hesitated for a while before it finally said, “I don’t know if it’s the Japanese, but I’ve seen this kind of paper in your hand. That person has arranged a lot of it in the hotel…”
As soon as it said this, it spat out another mouthful of blood.
“Okay, okay. I won’t ask you anymore!” Dong Zhi said hurriedly. He now regretted that he forgot to ask Li Ying or Zhang Song for a few injury medication before he left. After all, the Maoshan Sect and Longhu Sect were great schools of medicine and were unrivaled in terms of their effects.
Dong Zhi strung together all the clues and combed them out.
On the surface, the weasel was guarding the hotel and using its magic to attract guests. The reason why He Jia and the staff weren’t affected was because the weasel treated them as one of its own and didn’t apply his magic to them.
People with ulterior motives discovered this and set up an ambush here to create two cases of attempted murder. Judging from the weasel’s words, these traps should have just been arranged not long ago, so they hadn’t had time yet to lead to any great tragedies, and he was present to stop these two incidents.
Thinking of this, his heart moved.
“Let me ask you, did you do anything to He Jia so that she would hate coming here?”
The weasel nodded. “I didn’t use magic at first, but later I was afraid she would be in danger, so I used a little of it to drive her out.”
Dong Zhi stared at it. “You knew to protect He Jia, but aren’t the residents here also innocent?”
The weasel shrank its neck, knowing that it was wrong and did not dare make a noise.
The guests were ill.
Two cases of attempted murder.
Something similar to a shikigami.
Dong Zhi frowned and tried to connect these small clues.
The weasel peeked at him and said flatteringly, “Well, big brother, can you undo the formation first? I’m suffering here!”
Dong Zhi ignored it as he bit his fingers and thought absentmindedly.
The weasel didn’t give up. “Seeing as you know Chaosheng and we’re distant relatives, can you have the heart to see Uncle Liu suffering like this?”
Dong Zhi suddenly said, “Lao Liu, let me ask you. Does the other party want to absorb the anger or yang of these residents?”
The weasel was taken aback for a moment and said angrily, “Don’t ask me. I can’t say it. I can’t say anything about it!”
Seeing its reaction, Dong Zhi could feel that his guess wasn’t that far off from the mark. He couldn’t help but feel refreshed, thinking that this was another breakthrough.
“But there are still some questions I’m unsure of. Wouldn’t it be safer for the other party to absorb the yang quietly? Why do they want to kill someone and attract attention?” Dong Zhi immediately reached another conclusion. “Did that person know that I was here and did it on purpose?”
The weasel whispered, “I don’t know… That person hasn’t shown up for several days.”
After speaking, the weasel vomited another mouthful of blood onto the bed sheets. Although it was small in size and the blood it spat out was miniscule, it was still enough for it to suffer.
It cried, “My mouth is cheap. I won’t speak again!”
Dong Zhi twitched the corner of his mouth and continued to speculate on his own.
“That person didn’t show up for a few days and set a few shikigamis here. The intention was to take advantage of your magic and take the opportunity to absorb the yang of the guests, but for two days in a row, two people almost died… Could it be that those shikigamis absorbed too much yang, which gave them consciousness that allowed them to make their own decisions? They couldn’t wait for such a long stream of water to slowly extract yang, so they decided to collect it quickly by killing? Master said that there are similarities between shikigamis and puppets, and it’s not impossible for powerful onmyojis or puppet masters to breathe life into them and turn them into living creatures.”
Not only that, Long Shen also gave a very famous example at that time. After Nezha1 cut off his bones to return to his father and the flesh to his mother, his limbs were not saved. His master, Taiyi2 used lotus roots to reshape his body. This naturally sounded like a myth to ordinary people, but for practitioners it wasn’t fantasy. Bluntly put, if one injected a soul or yang qi into these props, they could make them into a living thing.
1Protection deity in Chinese folk religion given the name “Third Lotus Prince” when he became a deity. You can read the story on the Wikipedia link. TLDR: Nezha offended the dragon king, Ao Guang, who threatened to flood his hometown in response. He then sacrificed himself to appease Ao Guang’s anger and cut off his bones to return to his parents as repayment for giving birth to him. He later became enshrined, and his Master Taiyi eventually brought him back to life using lotus roots, and he was given his two most famous weapons, the Wind Fire Wheels and the Fire-tipped spear. 2A deity in Chinese religion and Taoism. Taiyi (lit. ’great 2nd Celestial stem’) means “primordial unity of yin and yang” and Zhenren (lit. ’true person’) is a Daoist term for “Perfected Person”. According to the opening of the classical novel Fengshen Bang, he is the reincarnation of the first emperor of the Shang dynasty, Tang of Shang.
Dong Zhi said, “Very well. I’ll let you go first. You are, after all, the Bao Jiaxian here, and you can’t run even if you want to. I don’t need any clues, but if that person comes again, you have to notify me as soon as possible.”
The weasel bemoaned, “But I can’t beat him…”
Dong Zhi said, “If you promise to inform me, I’ll help you and ask about the method Chaosheng used to transform.”
The weasel’s eyes lit up, but then wilted again. “He’s born as a jiao, and there’s only a thin line of difference between him and a dragon. I can’t compare with him…”
Dong Zhi: “Even if you can’t compare to a jiao, you could be at least comparable to a willow tree. I have a colleague who’s a willow and can transform, so why can’t you?”
Weasel: “Really?”
Dong Zhi: “Why would I lie to you? I don’t want you to deal with that person. As long as they show up, just tell me immediately!”
The weasel struggled for a long time and finally reluctantly agreed.
Dong Zhi left his phone with him and told it to remember to call before withdrawing the magic array. The weasel jumped away suddenly, and he didn’t know where it disappeared to.
There were a few pools of blood left on the sheets in the room, and there were holes in the wall left by his Changshou Sword. He didn’t know what he was doing in this room just now, but when he looked around, Dong Zhi realized there was a problem.
“Deal with the traces in this room yourself. Don’t let people become suspicious!”
The weasel didn’t make a sound, so he didn’t know if it had heard him.
Dong Zhi felt a headache coming as he thought about how there may be dead traps hidden everywhere in the hotel.
It was impossible for him alone to find all the shikigamis in the hotel, and if he did, he might spook the snake. After thinking about it, he decided to call Mu Duo.
“Dong Zhi, what’s up?” The phone quickly connected, and Mu Duo’s puzzled voice came from the other end.
It was hard to regurgitate everything clearly in just a few words, so Dong Zhi asked, “Mu Duo, where are you now? I have something very important to report to you. Is it convenient?”
Hearing this, Mu Duo couldn’t help but glance at Yan Nuo.
On their side, the murder and mutilation case had encountered a bottleneck.
The police had tracked down the whereabouts of Huang Wendong’s mistress. For the sake of safety, they called for Yan Nuo and the others, but the result fell short. They went to the house where the mistress was hiding from a tip, only to find the place was already empty.
Of course, the case had to continue to be investigated, and the search resumed, which left Yan Nuo and the others busy for several days, but no clues could be found, leaving them quite frustrated.
Mu Duo knew that Yan Nuo didn’t want Dong Zhi to participate because of the newcomer they had last year. As a result, not only did he fail to help, but he also made a mess of things. He was finally transferred away, but this left Yan Nuo and the others with a bad taste, so they had no affection for newcomers since then. What’s more, this time it was a newcomer with a deep background, a disciple of the Deputy Director from the General Administration. With such a rumor that Deputy Director Long had accepted such a disciple, they could only imagine how much he valued this person.
According to Yan Nuo and the others’ experience, this kind of newcomer with a background cannot be said to be incompetent but must be a newborn calf that’s not afraid of tigers. He would be impulsive and could easily stir up trouble. His arrogance would lead him to underestimating his enemies, and all he could do was scold them but couldn’t fight. The best they could do was put him aside and not let him cause trouble. If he had any self-knowledge, it would be better if he just transferred himself away.
However, Mu Duo had a good impression of Dong Zhi. She also felt that it wasn’t good to keep attacking his enthusiasm, so she gave him the address and said he should come over.
Dong Zhi soon arrived, and Yan Nuo knew that Mu Duo had taken the initiative on her own to let him know, so he couldn’t help glaring at her.
“Yan Ge, I know you’re working on something important, and I don’t want to disturb you, but something has indeed happened to me.”
He told them about the hotel and the weasel.
Xiao Qi, who had a more impatient personality, couldn’t help but say, “I’m afraid these things were done by the weasel. It’s just made an enemy out of thin air because it’s afraid you may take revenge on it!”
“I don’t think so, because I found this. It’s similar to a shikigami used by onmyojis. Moreover, according to the Bao Jiaxian, there are still many more in the hotel. It’s difficult for me to find them all by myself, and I’m afraid it might alarm the other party.” Dong Zhi handed them the pieces of paper.
Yan Nuo frowned and said, “In this case, we can only set up an array to surround the hotel first and then catch the turtle in a jar*, but we’re not at a critical stage in our case. The police could find Huang Wendong’s mistress at any time, so we can’t really leave.”
*(瓮中捉鳖) Metaphor referring to what you want to capture is already within grasp.
Dong Zhi hurriedly said, “It’s fine. I understand your difficulties, and I can set up an array, but I can’t guarantee everything by myself, so I want to report to the South China branch and ask them to send someone to assist. Is this okay?”
The three from Yan Nuo’s office looked at each other. They didn’t expect the newcomer to be so anxious that he couldn’t wait to solve a big case within a few days.
Xiao Qi rejected his proposal. His tone was bad. “No way! When you encounter something, what is the reason for going to the top for help if you can’t solve it first? Just keep an eye on the hotel and come to us whenever you have questions!”
Dong Zhi disagreed. “The enemy is hidden in the dark and will appear at any time. I asked the Bao Jiaxian to notify me, and I’m also responsible for its life. If the opponent is really an onmyoji, he must be prepared. There could be other accomplices, so I can’t do it alone. It’ll be too late to inform you by then!”
His tone was not as aggressive as Xiao Qi’s, but he was equally firm.
Mu Duo decided to appease the situation. “How about letting me go with you and taking a look.”
Dong Zhi nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you, Mu Duo Jie. Yan Ge, this matter is strange. I still hope you take it into consideration and report it up so that we can be well prepared.”
Xiao Qi said angrily, “Are you a little baby that hasn’t been weaned? This is not your kindergarten. If you want to report, go back to your General Administration!”
Yan Nuo shouted, “Xiao Qi!”
Xiao Qi wasn’t furious at Dong Zhi for no reason.
Before Dong Zhi, Mu Duo had proposed reporting the case to the higher-ups because all the evidence pointed to Huang Wendong’s death was suspicious. It was as if there was witchcraft at play before his death. However, Xiao Qi and Yan Nuo had disagreed, because once they reported it, it would be them admitting that they were incompetent and unable to solve the matter independently. In the last case, they were criticized by the above for their incompetence. Everyone didn’t want to compromise their achievements, so they refused to ask for help from above.
There was no need for a newcomer to know about this kind of “inside scandal”. Yan Nuo eased his tone. “I know. I will consider this matter at my discretion.”
Dong Zhi: “Yan Ge…”
Yan Nuo raised his hand and motioned for him not to say any more.
“The situation is unknown now, so it’s useless to report rashly. Let’s do this. Mu Duo and you can go back to the hotel and see if there’s a situation. Then we can talk about it later.”
Dong Zhi found that the other party didn’t seem to believe his words, or that Xiao Qi felt he was too eager to make achievements and was exaggerating, so the reality wasn’t as serious as he said. Thinking about this, Dong Zhi couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless.
He finally understood why the General Administration wanted them to come to these branch offices one by one as practice. This was obviously to train their ability to deal with the outside world, because everyone has their own different opinions. With all kinds of considerations being mixed together, it was easy to screw things up.
Like now. There were four people in the Lucheng office, including him, but they couldn’t even agree on the matter. Even if they exclude the newcomers, they obviously have their own considerations about the seriousness of this matter.
Dong Zhi didn’t want to have a rigid relationship with them as soon as he came and didn’t want to wait until things got too out of hand that he’d have to take the blame for it, so he said euphemistically, “Yan Ge, I know you have more experience than me, but I have encountered the Japanese twice. Once in Changbai Mountain and again in Yinchuan. This time, something suspected of a shikigami has appeared again, so it might be related to these cases.”
Yan Nuo said solemnly, “Can you be sure that it’s a shikigami?”
Dong Zhi was taken aback, and hesitated. “It should be.”
Yan Nuo: “So, you’re actually not sure. If someone from the branch comes over and finally confirms that it was just a false alarm, can you take this responsibility?”
Dong Zhi thought for a while and said affirmatively, “I discovered the hotel. If there’s any blame, I will take responsibility for it.”
Xiao Qi said angrily, “You’re going to bear the responsibility? What kind of burden can a newcomer bear! We don’t want to take your share of the blame!”
After all, the other party was a disciple of Long Shen, so Yan Nuo didn’t want to embarrass him too much, so he said, “Well, I’ll explain the situation to the branch as soon as possible. As for whether they’ll send someone, that’ll be up to them to decide. Mu Duo will go to the hotel with you first.”
Dong Zhi couldn’t reason with them anymore, so he could only nod his head. “Then I’ll trouble you, Mu Duo Jie.”
As soon as he left with Mu Duo, Xiao Qi couldn’t help but curl his lips. “The kid wants credits, so he’s acting reckless. He just wants to get things done as quickly as possible!”
Yan Nuo said, “Don’t say this. He is a disciple of Long Shen. If what you say gets back to Long Shen, you’ll get more than what you bargained for*.”
*(吃不了兜着走) Metaphor referring to causing trouble and having to bear the consequences oneself.
Xiao Qi coldly snorted, “I don’t understand why the leader assigned him to us. Shouldn’t a disciple of a Director go to a branch office? Do they want to bully us three with no background?”
Yan Nuo knew that he had been brooding about sharing the blame the year before due to the newcomer, so he changed topics. “All right, all right. He’s still obedient now and doesn’t make his own decisions, and we have Mu Duo looking after him! Do you have any clues about Huang Wendong’s case?”
Xiao Qi scratched his hair irritably. “If his mistress is really a proficient witch, it’s possible that she could have done this unconsciously, but in this way, it’s difficult for us to catch her. Why don’t we have someone check the current Southeast Asian immigrants?”
Yan Nuo: “I already told Zhou Dui, but it’s not easy to check. In some cases, there could be fake documents, or they may have gone to a neighboring province or city…”
The phone suddenly rang.
He didn’t know what was said on the other end of the phone, but Xiao Qi saw Yan Nuo’s face suddenly change, and his heart was filled with anxiety.
Yan Nuo hung up the phone and said to him, “The whereabouts of that mistress has been found.”
Xiao Qi felt overjoyed and thought that every cloud had a silver lining.
“Are we going there now?”
Yan Nuo sighed. “That woman is dead.”
Xiao Qi was dumfounded. “No! How did she die?!”
Huang Wendong’s mistress was found dead in a house in a high-end residential area. According to the investigation, the head of that household was Bai Xiangmei, who was Huang Wendong’s mistress.
When Yan Nuo and Xiao Qi arrived at the scene of the crime, the forensic doctor had already performed a quick autopsy. The body hadn’t been removed yet in order to wait for Yan Nuo’s and Xiao Qi’s arrival.
“It’s preliminarily judged that she most likely died of some sudden illness. She was sleeping when she died. She had lost her breath before she could take her medication. Other than that, there were no signs of trauma.” Zhou Dui of the police introduced them to the scene.
Yan Nuo and Xiao Qi looked at the corpse for a while, then looked at each other and shook their heads, indicating that they couldn’t find anything amiss.
But Zhou Dui found many problems.
“We couldn’t find her medical records or medicine for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in this house, but we found traces of another man in this house.”
Yan Nuo: “Huang Wendong?”
Zhou Dui shook his head. “According to the feedback from the residents of the community, they have all seen a young man who’s been in and out with the deceased several times. Judging from the description of his appearance, it shouldn’t be Huang Wendong. We have collected all the male items here and are ready to go back to examine them for fingerprints.”
Yan Nuo thought quickly. “Where are Bai Xiangmei’s belongings? Check to see if there are any missing!”
Zhou Dui said. “I have checked it. There are several cards and more than 100,000 in cash. At present, I don’t know what the relationship is between that person and Bai Xiangmei, and whether that money is there for her to escape.”
All this was too coincidental.
Something happened to Huang Wendong’s family, which led them to find out about a mistress, and now something had happened to said mistress.
Yan Nuo, Xiao Qi, and Zhou Dui didn’t believe these things could be so coincidental, but all the chaotic and trivial clues made them irritable.
This kind of murder and mutilation of corpses had a bad impact. Now that the internet was well-developed, many people had started talking about the case online. The case had a deadline that it needed to be solved by, which only gave Zhou Dui a major headache.
“The body will be taken back for a more thorough autopsy and fingerprints will be taken. The identities of those who have been in contact with Bai Xiangmei will be investigated. These results may not come out until at least two or three days at the earliest.”
Yan Nuo asked Zhou Dui, “Do you have any inferences about this case now?”
Zhou Dui didn’t hide it from him. “Bai Xiangmei was unemployed and relied on Huang Wendong’s for financial assistance, but recently we found out that she opened a new bank account and transferred a lot of money into it. Coupled with the strange young man the neighbors spoke of, we can almost preliminarily infer that she likely had a boyfriend outside and wanted to get rid of Huang Wendong. More importantly, before you came just now, we also found a new clue in the room.”
He beckoned to his subordinate, who took out a transparent plastic bag.
Yan Nuo: “Sleeping pills?”
Zhou Dui nodded. “It’s the same kind of sleeping pill that Huang Wendong’s wife and children have inside their bodies.”
Yan Nuo was taken aback and looked at Xiao Qi.
Bai Xiangmei really had something to do with the death of Huang Wendong’s family! But she was already dead, and it was a sudden death as well. The clues they had were now being disrupted again.
Although a thorough autopsy hadn’t been done yet, Yan Nuo had a hunch that Bai Xiangmei’s cause of death was likely to be inconclusive, and that the mysterious man was also likely to disappear without a trace.
In this way, the case would go cold. Yan Nuo’s anxiety became more intense as he thought of this.
He glanced at Zhou Dui and the other party also had an expression similar to his. Obviously, if Yan Nuo had thought of it, then Zhou Dui would likely be on the same page as well.
Xiao Qi was a person who refused to give up easily. He said, “The body should be sent for a thorough autopsy soon. Why don’t we follow along and see if we can find anything on her?”
This was the only way. Yan Nuo nodded and agreed.
Zhou Dui said, “Regarding the mysterious man, we’re already stepping up the search, but at present, the surveillance has found nothing. We can only ask the residents of the community and get their oral statements, so the results won’t come out today.”
The body and some items were transported to the forensic lab. Zhou Dui invited Yan Huo and Xiao Qi to dinner, but no one had an appetite. They hurriedly took a few bites before wanting to go back to continue the follow up. Yan Nuo and Xiao Qi received a call from Mu Duo.
For the time being, Mu Duo said that they had not found any other shikigami in the hotel. Dong Zhi helped her book a room at the hotel, and she would stay there to rest for the night. Yan Nuo exchanged information with her regarding the situation here.
Although Xiao Qi wasn’t privy to what Mu Duo was saying, he could likely guess based on hearing Yan Nuo’s words. When Yan Nuo hung up the phone, he couldn’t help but say, “Let me just say that newcomers are truly unreliable! Listening to what he said, it seems like there was nothing at all!”
Yan Nuo was irritable and didn’t want to say anything, so Xiao Qi shut his mouth when he saw this.
At 8 PM, they went to forensics.
The forensic examiner and his assistant were ready. Just after shaving the victim’s hair, Yan Nuo suddenly said, “Wait!”
He walked to the autopsy table, bent down and looked carefully for a few seconds. “Xiao Qi, come and have a look.”
Xiao Qi didn’t know why, so he also leaned in and copied Yan Nuo’s posture to look at the corpse’s head.
Yan Nuo said, “Baihui point*.”
*(百会穴) Located at the intersection of the midline of the top of the head and the line connecting the tips of the two ears.
There was a bleeding point there, which was a little smaller than a grain of rice. If one didn’t take a closer look, they wouldn’t be able to find it at all. It was just that the location was at the baihui point.
Yan Nuo asked the forensic examiner to slow down the autopsy and said they would observe the body again tonight. The Special Administration Bureau had the same right to participate in decision-making in these cases, so naturally the examiner had no objection and went out first with his assistant.
With this bleeding point as a primer, the two of them checked the body again. Without clothes and hair, the traces of the wounds on the naked victim’s body became clear.
Yan Nuo and Xiao Qi quickly discovered that exactly the same bleeding spots appeared on the soles of the victim’s left and right feet, as well as the left and right palms.
If they didn’t look closely, it was easy to think it was just a blood mole, but the blood moles on the victim’s body were in exactly the same position, which meant it was impossible for this to be a coincidence.
“Are there any killing techniques like this?” Xiao Qi frowned.
Yan Nuo racked his brains, and in the end, he could only shake his head.
“Could it be… bloodletting to attract souls? I heard my master say that there seemed to be such a devious way in the past, but now I haven’t heard of it for a long time.”
Yan Nuo was born into the Danfeng Sect. This was an obscure small sect with very few members. He could be regarded as the most outstanding disciple in the sect. Likewise, Xiao Qi and Mu Duo didn’t have any big-school origins. Because of their similar backgrounds, the three of them often saw things eye to eye, so their cooperation was quite tacit.
Therefore, for newcomers who didn’t have a similar growth background like Dong Zhi, they would have a sense of rejection, but it wasn’t enough to say that they would be excluded and suppressed.
The two discussed for a long time and put forward many possibilities, but in the end, there were no results.
Xiao Qi sneered, “Maybe in the end, it’s really as the kid said, and we have to ask the top to send someone to assist.”
Yan Nuo didn’t want to get such a result because that would only prove that they were truly incompetent.
What’s the point of having an office that is completely useless?
Many practitioners couldn’t stand the rules of the Special Administration Bureau, but some enjoyed them. Yan Nuo loves the excitement of rolling around in the secular world. He didn’t deny that he has the utilitarian heart to climb the ladder, but recently several things have not been going well, and he has started to doubt his own abilities.
“I’m going down to buy a pack of cigarettes. Do you want anything?”
Xiao Qi waved his hand. “No, I’ll see what else I can find on the body. Go ahead!”
After Yan Nuo left, Xiao Qi paced back and forth in the anatomy room. The people outside had already gotten off work. Except for him, there were only corpses in the anatomy room. The bright lights didn’t give people a warm feeling. On the contrary, it was even more bleak and empty, as if it was like those strange urban stories that could draw out nightmares that were enough to scare children.
However, Xiao Qi didn’t feel anything. After all, he was a practitioner. If he didn’t even dare to stay in such a place, people would laugh to death if they found out.
He was just as irritable as Yan Nuo. His gaze wandered around unconsciously when he suddenly saw some items that were taken for evidence on the table next to him.
The clothes were taken for testing, and the plastic bags contained some daily necessities as well as some small objects that were indistinguishable.
Xiao Qi picked them up one by one, carelessly, still thinking about the bloodletting technique in his mind when his gaze suddenly stayed on the plastic bag in his hand.
There was a small bell in it. It was a very ordinary bronze bell, half the size of a palm. The workmanship was not rough but couldn’t be called ingenious either. It should be something that you could buy from a craft shop.
Xiao Qi remembered. Zhou Dui said that this bell was something Bai Xiangmei was holding in her hand before she died.
What was she doing holding a bell before she died? Could it be that the bell was hung somewhere, and she tore it off?
Xiao Qi was puzzled just looking at it through the bag.
Suddenly, he heard a rush.
Ding ding—
Xiao Qi bowed his head involuntarily. The bell was lying quietly in the palm of his hand. When did it make this sound?
Ding ding—
The crisp bells reverberated far away, just like camel bells on an ancient road that sounded as they moved. However, Xiao Qi didn’t have such literati reveries. Instead, he just felt cold, and all his hair stood up.
In the middle of the night, with no one outside, where did this bell sound came from?
Outside the glass door, the lights in the aisle flickered and went out, as if someone had quietly arrived.
Protection deity in Chinese folk religion given the name “Third Lotus Prince” when he became a deity.
You can read the story on the Wikipedia link. TLDR: Nezha offended the dragon king, Ao Guang, who threatened to flood his hometown in response. He then sacrificed himself to appease Ao Guang’s anger and cut off his bones to return to his parents as repayment for giving birth to him. He later became enshrined, and his Master Taiyi eventually brought him back to life using lotus roots, and he was given his two most famous weapons, the Wind Fire Wheels and the Fire-tipped spear.
A deity in Chinese religion and Taoism. Taiyi (lit. ’great 2nd Celestial stem’) means “primordial unity of yin and yang” and Zhenren (lit. ’true person’) is a Daoist term for “Perfected Person”. According to the opening of the classical novel Fengshen Bang, he is the reincarnation of the first emperor of the Shang dynasty, Tang of Shang.
Ann’s speculation wasn’t wrong. There weren’t many inns in this small village—in fact, there was only one with many mobile vendors gathered around its entrance. The inn’s building looked old and only had two floors. Half of the walls were covered with vines, which made it look quite pleasing to the eyes from a distance. Unfortunately, it also made it so hidden that the group had to wander around for a while before discovering it.
The rusty signboard of the inn was exposed outside the thick climbing vines, which made it very inconspicuous. The hanging board was painted with a group of crooked vines that were next to the most common ordinary font.
“Earthsea Orchid.” The female warrior shrugged. “…Doesn’t seem like a Four-Leaf Clover.”
This time their luck couldn’t keep up with them. Unlike when they were at the Four-Leaf Clover, not only were the general bunks not available, even the rooms were fully booked.
“Sorry.” There weren’t any uniformly dressed, young, and beautiful employees here. The innkeeper was a woman who was as large as a barrel. She sat behind a wooden platform with an apologetic face. “Usually this isn’t the case, but today there happens to be a large mercenary group staying here… But yesterday’s caravan is about to leave. Would you mind waiting here for a bit? I can make it cheaper for you.”
The environment inside the inn wasn’t as bad as the female warrior thought. The lobby was clean and tidy, there were no muddy footprints stained with horse dung on the floor, and there wasn’t a sour smell mixed with sweat and rancid clothes in the air. Fresh flowers were placed in a dusty corner and the surrounding walls were covered with exquisite and interesting handmade decorations.
“It’s fine. We don’t have all our people anyway.” Ann pulled a rough wooden stool over and sat down in front of the lobby to wait. There weren’t many people waiting in the lobby right now, or rather more precisely, there was only a father with a little boy. If a caravan was leaving, they shouldn’t need to worry about their lodging issues.
Adrian stood leaning against the wall, while Jesse stood aside with the gray parrot; the bird had collapsed softly with its wings motionless as if it was out of breath.
There was a long silence.
“Actually, I still can’t believe that Nemo is… you know.” Ann casually brought up a topic. “I always drag him off the bed and look, I’m still alive.”
“If we don’t consider the rationality of Mr. Light’s own existence, it does make sense from the perspective of the law.” Adrian kept staring in front of him. “The law comes from cognition, and he should have taken measures to close his self-cognition. When Bagelmaurus attacked Mr. Light, it implanted its flesh, which began to instinctively dismantle the mimicry under this stimulation. This possibility, theoretically, exists*.”
*Clarity: He’s saying as the law of nature, whether innate or not, one has to follow it because the cognition exists, but if Nemo had no such cognition, then (theoretically) it’s possible to defy the law as he’s not bound to it.
The gray parrot sobbed loudly.
“Why?” it sobbed miserably. “In such a garbage place, with so many stupid-looking humans, why did I catch the one who wasn’t human? Can my powers be returned?”
The innkeeper widened her small eyes and stared at it curiously.
“At least you’re still alive,” Jesse comforted it very sincerely.
“I also want to ask myself this,” Ann murmured. “When I picked them up, I was thinking about taking two little fools along the way, getting a black badge, and happily eating and drinking and waiting for death—”
But she didn’t finish. The man sitting on the side stood up abruptly and stopped a girl who was about to walk into the inn.
“How is it going?” The man asked impolitely.
“How’s what going?” The girl raised her brows. There was still some childishness on her face, and she looked less than twenty years old. She wore a delicate and extravagant mage dress and had brown curly hair that’s shoulder-length. “Sorry, I don’t know how to read minds.”
Her attitude wasn’t very good and there was a subtle disgust on her face.
“Aren’t you from Horizon?” The man raised his voice. “How is my commission? You have accepted my deposit, so you can’t keep letting me wait here—”
“…Our captain is dealing with it.” The girl’s tone became even worse. She raised her arms and clenched the dagger-length rod tightly in one hand. The green magic stone at the top of the staff gleamed. “We just got here not long ago. What do you expect us to do? Just give you Ms. Nadine’s head?”
The innkeeper stood up abruptly. Her fat body squeezed the wooden platform away, and a harsh rubbing sound pierced the ears of everyone present.
“Howard?” Her freckled face began to redden slowly, and the gentle smile on her face disappeared in an instant, replaced by a foreboding anger. “Are you crazy? That’s Ms. Nadine! I was wondering why they’re here… You found Horizon? God, you went to Horizon!”
“You watched Charlie grow up!” The man scratched his nose and yelled back. The little boy on one side, Charlie, hung his head, frowned, and didn’t look at his father. “He’s only fourteen years old, Lisa! That old woman just shook his hand and took away five years of my son’s life… Five years! Maybe she took more! It’s not that we don’t want to give money—”
“Everyone knows.” The innkeeper, Lisa, was sullen. Her face had now completely turned red. “Everyone knows that if it’s a disease that can be cured by ordinary doctors, she will never ask for lifespan exchange.”
Mr. Howard let out a nasty snort full of anger. “It’s pointless to argue with people like you. Aren’t you a friend of little Nadine? Of course, you will defend her grandmother. If dear Ms. Nadine’s approach was reasonable, Horizon wouldn’t take my task.”
“Oh, I have to say a few words about this.” Although Mr. Howard’s attention had been turned away, the girl dressed as the mage still remained in place. “We promised you only because of two points… First, you gave us a high price, and we just happened to pass by. Second, Ms. Nadine is not a human, nor is she a human-friendly race—believe me, if she is, I would definitely stuff this contract into your throat with my own hands,” she whispered briefly. “With all due respect, Mr. Howard; of course, this is only a personal opinion—you make me sick.”
“I’m your client, you little bitch—”
The girl turned the dagger-like rod in her palm at will, and the man’s mouth closed abruptly, as if he was suddenly choked by an invisible hand.
“I probably know what you’re thinking,” the young female mage said coldly. “Our captain will not care too much about you, but as for me… As a rascal who’s also from the bottom, I’ve investigated your financial situation. Mr. Howard, all your belongings are only enough to pay for the deposit, right?”
She raised her rod, and the man was finally able to open his mouth again. His face began to turn pale.
“I was surprised at first.” The girl’s gaze swept across the Black Chapters who were enthusiastically watching in the lobby. “This kind of task is more suitable for a Black Chapter. It’s much cheaper to entrust them with it—sorry, I don’t mean to belittle you guys—but you chose the most expensive option.”
“Charlie is my son, so of course I have to give my son the best—”
“Oh?” The female mage glanced at the little boy. The boy’s eyes were already red. He let go of the hand holding his father and buried his head lower. “Really? Why do I think you just want to use our name to scare Ms. Nadine, and then cancel the mission after she returns the exchange? In this way, you only need to pay a deposit instead of the full commission.”
This time, Mr. Howard didn’t look the girl squarely in the eyes.
“Indeed. We will not directly kill non-human creatures that can communicate and don’t show malice,” the girl said softly. “You did a good job on your homework, but one thing… I don’t know if you have ever thought about it. What if Ms. Nadine refuses?”
“…How can she refuse,” Mr. Howard grinded his teeth. “She doesn’t know how long she has lived; it’s just five years. Why would she be so reluctant to give it up? She didn’t waste much effort—”
“Really?” The innkeeper interrupted coldly. “Then you can stop going to her and treat Charlie by yourself. Like you said, it won’t take much effort.”
“We didn’t expect her to be merciless to children, okay?” Howard’s attention returned to the female innkeeper. “You see, I didn’t really plan to let her die. She is what you people are used to… a witch. It’s already kind enough that we haven’t expelled her. She’s still living here and receiving rewards!”
“Do you know how many people she has saved—”
“In exchange for a price!”
“Fine.” The innkeeper, Lisa, walked out from behind the wooden platform, grabbed a bench directly, and threw it in the air. “This is my property. You didn’t pay, so please leave.”
“…Dad, please stop arguing,” the little boy said timidly. “Will you withdraw the mission? Anyway, I… either forget the best five years or die five years earlier. I have gotten back my five years and Ms. Nadine is very kind to me…”
“Shut up, Charlie!” Mr. Howard was really angry this time. “If she wants to be kind to you, what is she doing with your lifespan? Don’t interrupt, child.”
“You’re not even as good as your son,” Lisa sneered. “Little Charlie, I agree with you. Everyone is human, and no one is born to serve another.”
The man who had completely lost face kicked over the wooden platform, and countless gadgets mixed with letters scattered all over the place. Just as he was about to say something, the girl stretched out her right arm and pointed her rod at Mr. Howard. It caused him to stumble out of the inn’s entrance like he was being pulled by something.
“Just you wait. I will definitely complain to the Mercenary Guild—” the man’s shouting quickly disappeared.
Charlie Howard wiped his eyes and bowed slightly to the people in the lobby.
“I’m sorry,” he said at a volume not much louder than the sound of mosquitoes, “for causing trouble for everyone.”
“You did nothing wrong.” Lisa rubbed his head. “Go on, kid.”
“I can’t stand it,” the girl muttered, and began to bury her head in the ground while picking up the letters. “This is definitely an unlucky time after the success of an important mission.”
The lobby was almost covered with letters and paper. Ann and Adrian joined the ranks and started picking up the letters. The chubby female innkeeper put down the bench, gathered her hair together, and lifted up the heavy wooden platform. “…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” The young female mage carefully put away a stack of letters. “I have always disliked him. I think Mr. Howard may have misunderstood something—he acts like the entire Horizon is his dog since he commissioned us. Haa, I hope the captain can convince Ms. Nadine. Otherwise… Attitude is one thing; credibility is another.”
“Then your rules are really fucked up.” The female boss buried her head in sorting out the letters.
“Not true. After all, the witch is on the hostile list.”
Ann also picked up a stack of letters, and she frowned at the sender’s name—each one was “Nadine”.
“The Little Nadine that Howard said just now is…?” She raised her head and looked in the direction of the innkeeper. “Do you know ‘Nadine’, miss?”
“Call me Lisa.” The female boss smiled. “Little Nadine is my best friend. She is traveling outside right now! Ms. Nadine in the village is her grandmother and helps her take care of the house.”
“They are all Eastern Witches?”
“Actually, I don’t know what an Eastern Witch is. Are they kind witches? Probably.” Lisa put the letters away carefully. “Anyway, they are no different from us… They’re all nice people. Isn’t that enough? There are also people who come from out of town to ask Ms. Nadine for her help.”
Ann wanted to speak but found that the female mage of Horizon made a silent gesture and shook her head gently, so she raised her brows and swallowed her words back.
“I have to think of a way. Howard is more stubborn than a donkey,” the innkeeper murmured. “I’ll try to persuade his wife… I’m sorry, I have to leave for a while. Nadi, Nadi! Stop playing and help mom look at the counter for a while.”
A little girl with a horn braid came out of the corner of the corridor with an unhappy face. Lisa kissed her quickly and hurriedly ran out the door.
“Ann Savage.” Ann stretched out her right hand towards the young female mage. “Well done, young mage.”
“Debby Light.” The girl shook her hand readily, and her cold expression was replaced with a playful smile. “I have heard of you, Ms. Savage.”
“The caravan is leaving. The caravan is leaving.” The horn-braided girl rolled her eyes and shouted angrily as she looked at the flashing guest list. “Please be prepared for guests who need to check in. If you bring livestock, please take it to the livestock shed—”
“I’ll go,” the knight commander nodded to the girl. Ann and the mage from Horizon continued their chatting, while Jesse remained motionless.
The knight commander looked out the door at the two fuller goats, one fake, one real, leaning tightly together. Even the frequency of their swishing tails moved exactly the same, making it look extremely odd. Until now, they still haven’t figured out the purpose of the arthropod lizard…
And many other things.
Adrian narrowed his eyes. The witch’s fat orange cat had its back to him and was rubbing its face with its paws in front of White II. The cat seemed to have noticed something. Adrian shook his head and walked towards the two goats and gently drove the cat away.
Due to his distance and being too far away, Adrian Cross missed a lot of details.
Just ten seconds ago, the cat that had its back to him was raising its head and hissing at White II, making a sound that was unlike a feline. Its slender tongue stuck out of its mouth and rolled around. Realizing that someone was approaching behind it, the orange cat quickly stood up and ran away from the lawn, leaving a slightly withered yellow paw print on the grass.
The wind blew across the lawn, instantly covering its footprints.
The residence of the witch.
“Uncle Ramon? Flint Lopez?” Nemo didn’t control the volume this time. “Impossible! Flint Lopez doesn’t have a right arm, and he… He couldn’t even beat a deadwood jellyfish.”
“My father won’t lie to me about murder.” Oliver’s expression was very stiff. “You see, you’re not the only one who has more questions now.”
“Suppose, I mean, suppose this is true… Then Godwin Lopez…” Nemo stopped talking.
“…Is my cousin…” Oliver accepted it bitterly. “Can we pretend we don’t know?”
Nemo patted him on the shoulder, painfully.
“If you mind, I can go outside first—” Oliver turned to the witch, Nadine.
The witch chuckled.
“Oh, you and Mr. Light said the exact same thing,” she said softly. “No, I don’t mind. As I said, Mr. Lopez is also my benefactor. Even if I could never forgive him, he did save me. I’m glad you’re willing to help, both of you. Before I die, there are two handsome young men… I don’t know what’s coming to accompany me, but I’m very content now.”
Nemo coughed dryly, and the witch’s smile became a bit stronger. She knocked on her cane and moved towards the workbench with difficulty.
“If you are curious, I can talk to you about Mr. Lopez,” she said calmly. “You can ask about anything. At least I have a little time left. It’s better than being alone… much better. “
She fumbled and took out a quill pen and a piece of paper and tried to control the trembling of her right hand as she dipped the nib in the ink bottle.
“I can’t see it clearly.” She sighed at the ink stains dripping on the workbench. “The letter next to it… Can you please read it for me? The light-yellow envelope. The sender is Lisa.”
“But there is no letter here…?” Nemo rummaged for a moment and found no light-yellow envelope.
“It will be there soon.” As soon as the witch’s voice fell, a rattan lark swept into the room from the open window and threw an envelope on the workbench.
Godwin’s words sounded like a question, but his tone was about the same as “please get out of the way”. Nemo really didn’t have any reason to block him at the door, so he turned his head and glanced at Oliver, who was trying to focus all his attention on the doughnut. He could only give up passage in an apologetic mood.
Godwin walked into the house without squinting. When passing by the tea table, he glanced at Oliver holding the doughnut. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and then he looked away.
“Ms. Nadine.” He nodded to the old woman in the rocking chair and seemed to have decided to ignore Oliver, who was almost choked to death by the doughnut. “I’m Godwin Lopez, the leader of Horizon. If it is convenient now, I want to talk to you.”
“…You didn’t come to see a doctor, did you?” The old woman took out her glasses with trembling hands and put them on with difficulty. She was stunned for a few seconds and turned her face towards Oliver. Oliver was still struggling to deal with the doughnut that was stuck in his throat. She didn’t tangle with the two faces that were too similar for long, as her focus was elsewhere.
“Lopez,” she whispered. The gentleness in the voice completely disappeared, replaced by a dry and emotionless flat tone. “Why are you looking for me, Mr. Lopez?”
“Your illusion is quite powerful.” Nemo poured a glass of water and handed it to Oliver, who was still coughing. “Would you mind explaining to me what your relationship is with the leader of Horizon?”
“I’m an only child.” Oliver took a few sips of water abruptly. His expression was still a little dazed. “…At least, that’s what I thought. No, that’s not the problem. Nemo, I’m here—”
“We stopped by to take a commission for a witch hunt, and that commission is for you.” Godwin got straight to the point. “You’re an Eastern Witch, aren’t you?”
The old lady in the rocking chair looked at the young man in front of her through the thick lenses and nodded slowly. Nemo, who had just picked up a doughnut, shook his hands and almost dropped it. Oliver quickly helped catch it for him.
“So, you’re here to kill me?” Her voice was calm, even with a subtle smile. “Mr. Lopez… Always a Lopez, always a Lopez.”
Godwin didn’t seem to pay attention to the witch’s mumbling. “Not for the time being. The next topic may involve your privacy. If you mind, the two Black Chapters over there—”
He glanced at Nemo and Oliver at the tea table. The two of them were standing still, listening intently.
“It’s fine.” Nadine coughed twice, rubbing the unopened pudding bottle with her right hand. “One of them is my patient. He can’t leave yet. And I don’t have any shady ‘privacy’. Sit down, Mr. Lopez.”
“I hope you can return Charlie Howard’s lifespan.” Godwin sat very upright. His tone was serious with a bit of command peculiar to a superior. “If you agree to do that, I will convince his parents to cancel this task.”
“You are so kind,” the old witch said indifferently.
“If I have not made a mistake in judgment, your voice has not aged yet. Ms. Nadine, you should have no offspring.” Godwin continued, “That only means one thing—until now, you have been unilaterally extracted by your mother.”
The witch stared at him quietly.
“You haven’t really harmed mankind.” Godwin paused for a few seconds. “I respect your determination. That’s why I want to talk to you—I have heard that the memory witch in Caleb Village will charge for lifespan. I’m afraid you have lived to the present by relying on the life span voluntarily handed over by your patients.”
“This approach… If people don’t protest, we usually don’t interfere. But if someone proposes a crusade, we have no reason to refuse. This is ‘evil’ behavior after all. I hope you can understand.”
“So you want me to return the ‘consultation fee’ of the last patient so things will be resolved, right?” She rolled her eyes wearily, trying to keep them open.
“That’s correct.”
The witch gave a difficult smile. “But I don’t think I did anything wrong. If the other party didn’t consent, I wouldn’t be able to take it. My patient knows this very well.”
“Charlie’s memory has indeed been restored, according to his parents. Your ‘effort’ will make their son live five years shorter, so they cannot accept it.”
“They personally brought their son to me, and they knew the price from the beginning,” the witch replied quietly. “With a little effort? That is the curse of voodoo wood. I’m pretty sure that no one can solve their son’s problem except me… I won’t return it to you, Mr. Lopez. As you can see, I may die any day now. Being squeezed out by my birth mother or killed by you makes no difference to me—I don’t want to bow my head to an unreasonable fool before I die.”
“…Is this your answer?” Godwin sighed, showing a look of regret.
“Yes.” Nadine coughed a few more times. She didn’t seem to be used to talking too much in one breath, and her shriveled chest fluctuated violently.
Godwin raised his hand. His speed was extremely fast. Before Nemo had time to react, the brilliance of a magic array had merged into the sunlight. The small magic array directly hit the chest of the old lady in the rocking chair. She still breathed hard but had no special reaction.
“Then I will leave you for two days. You can deal with your unfinished business.” Godwin stood up. His voice was still calm and not cold, as if what he said wasn’t a death warning, but an ordinary greeting between strangers. “I will kill you later.”
Nemo suddenly felt that the air was a bit colder in an instant. This person wasn’t like Oliver at all. Even if they looked similar in appearance, they seemed to possess different things in their bones. He recognized that look; the look Godwin Lopez cast at Nadine—it wasn’t the look one would give to a “person”. The leader of Horizon looked at the old lady indifferently, as if he had just completed something that had to be done, and what was lying in the rocking chair was just a weak beast that had lost its teeth.
“If I can make it to that point.” Nadine grinned weakly. “In addition, I also have a question for you.”
Godwin, who had already stood up, turned his head and raised his eyebrows.
“What is your relationship with Flint Lopez, the leader of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Group?” she asked softly, “Of course, that is if you don’t mind telling me.”
“He’s my uncle.” There was no emotional fluctuation in Godwin’s tone. He turned around but didn’t move in the direction of the door but instead walked straight to Oliver. “What a coincidence. I want to ask the same question, but to this one.”
“…I don’t know him.” Oliver stared at the other’s face a little erratically in an unimposing way.
“What is your name?”
“Oliver Ramon.”
“Mr. Ramon.” Godwin suddenly raised his hand and patted Oliver on the shoulder. “…Nice to meet you. This is really an interesting meeting, isn’t it?”
Oliver looked in Nadine’s direction, and then decisively pushed the hand away. “I don’t think it’s interesting,” he raised his head and responded firmly.
Two pairs of almost identical emerald eyes looked at each other for a moment. The atmosphere didn’t have any gentle meaning; rather it was tense. After the initial shock, the two found denial and vigilance in each other’s eyes at the same time. Godwin retracted his hand, cast an unfriendly glance at the two of them, and then simply walked in the direction of the door.
“It seems that the leader of Horizon hates Black Chapters,” Nemo said, completely losing his appetite. “His expression just looked like Mr. Delaney’s… Ollie, are you really not from the Lopez family?”
“I don’t know,” Oliver said in a deep voice. “Now I’m not very sure.”
The two were silent for a moment before they looked in the direction of the witch together.
“That magic seal just now,” Nemo took the lead.
“It’s a tracking mark for prey,” Nadine explained lightly. “Of course, I’m not stupid enough to think I can escape from Horizon. It seems that you will be my last patient, Mr. Light.”
“You just… accepted it?” Oliver frowned slightly.
“Death? I have long been mentally prepared.” She fumbled for her cane, struggling to stand up. Her back arched even more severely. “I am a doctor, and I know my body. There is no solution to this situation, I have long been a pile of waste. Wait a minute, I have to match the last few bottles of medicine… I still have a lot of things to deal with. I’m afraid I can’t take care of you, Mr. Light.”
Nemo didn’t move, nor did Oliver.
“Are you sympathizing with me? I don’t need it.” The witch’s voice was a little lower. “This is my own choice. There is no grievance, no unwillingness… It’s just my time.”
“No,” Nemo replied quickly. “It’s just that you just said that there are still many things to deal with. Is there anything we can do to help? After all, your body is a bit reluctant.” He hesitated for a bit. “…Ms. Nadine.”
Oliver’s breathing stopped for a moment.
The witch let out a nice laugh. “I love to hear that,” she said, deliberately not looking at Oliver. “When I die, you can choose a bouquet of flowers in the yard. Any will do.”
“…The question you just asked.” Oliver obviously found the witch’s evasive gaze. “Do you know Flint Lopez?”
“That’s right.” Nadine finally turned her gaze back to Oliver’s face. “The respectable Flint Lopez, the leader of the great Tin Soldier Mercenary Group—my enemy and benefactor. In fact, I thought you were a bit like him at first, Mr. Ramon, especially your smile.”
“He murdered my father.” She sighed. “…My innocent and incompetent father. My last relative. This matter is quite complicated.”
“Your father,” Oliver spoke suddenly, speaking extremely slowly, “Is he… very fat, with a heavy body odor on his body. With a beard and a southern Alban accent?”
“Yes, how do you—”
“Was he killed by a swordsman… Then the soldiers discovered the Eastern Witch emblem on him and confirmed that he was innocent?” He would never forget the last lesson his father taught him. He also talked to Ann about this during the Black Chapter test. Oliver clenched his fists subconsciously, and the sudden tension made his throat tighten.
“Yes,” Nadine said as she staggered over to Oliver with her cane. She raised her head and looked up at the young man in front of her blankly. “I was using a tracking spell to find my father. The soldiers didn’t let me see the scene, but I knew—Flint Lopez had killed him.” She knocked on the ground with her cane. “They told me. I remember very clearly… They said he was stabbed in the chest by a sword.”
“And he was wearing a dark brown vest with square buttons and a huge patch on his right chest. The shirt was yellow or white and looked a bit too dirty,” Oliver added.
Nemo looked at Oliver in surprise. After receiving the witch’s affirmative reply, Oliver closed his eyes and turned a little pale.
“Now I can answer that question, Nemo.” Oliver calmed down and whispered, “Flint Lopez…”
The words he was about to say seemed to be stuck in his throat. He slowed down for a while before speaking again.
“Flint Lopez may be my father.”
On the other side of Caleb Village.
Ignoring the onlookers who crowded over again, Godwin Lopez returned to his hotel room. He opened the hand that had patted Oliver on the shoulder, and a light brown strand of hair lay intact in the palm of his hand. The leader of Horizon put the hair in a slender glass vial, and then decisively activated the communication crystal.
“Victor, check all the information about Oliver Ramon. A snake-level Black Chapter shouldn’t be difficult.” He calmly gave the order, looking at the vial in his hand. In addition, let Miss Light come to me. I need her for a blood identification spell.”
The author has something to say:
Oliver bought a bag of doughnuts and gave it to a relative…
In the previous chapter, many people guessed the blood relationship correctly. Godwin is Oliver’s cousin~
This time the liquid wasn’t as lethal as the previous bottle. Although it smelled pungent, after the smell dissipated, it unexpectedly didn’t leave too strong of an aftertaste. Nemo didn’t know if he should faint. He waited with bated breath for a moment, but his mind was still as sober as if he had been soaked in ice water.
Nemo had indeed heard of the Eastern Witches.
At first, he had read all the novels in the library. It just so happened that that race made a very high appearance in all kinds of adventurous love stories. Compared with humanoids, they were closer to poisonous flowers that extend from the same parent plant. To be precise, they were plants that were similar in appearance to humans.
Unfortunately, this species would never have romantic stories about true love; only endless tragedies. The awakening of the Eastern Witches comes from a twisted mind. They extract the strength and lifespan of their offspring and personally raise them to become new witches.
They had never failed. After all, young hearts were easy to control, destroy, and distort.
Therefore, the Eastern Witches never showed any feelings close to “maternal love”. They just instinctively create more offspring, resist the extraction of the previous generation, and do their best to live longer and become stronger. When the power of their children began to appear, it had to be accompanied by a breathtaking beauty. Then, in order to survive, they must begin to repeat this cruel cycle.
Rooted in their own blood, they were a beautiful and dangerous parasitic plant.
Nemo had never seen a real Eastern Witch. In addition to matching the rumored “good at potions”, the old woman in front of him was far from the characteristics of an Eastern Witch. He couldn’t help but open the heavy book again and glanced at the photo.
Generally speaking, in order to obtain more offspring, the Eastern Witches had a longer youth than humans. The witch Nadine claimed that she was only thirty-three years old, but she was close to withering.
“You don’t feel tired?” The witch sat on the chair closest to the thick blanket and gasped hard for a few seconds. The orange cat had mysteriously gone off somewhere, leaving behind a room that looked a bit deserted.
The potion he drank this time was closer to a refreshing drug than one with a sleeping side effect. Nemo could even feel a trace of numbness in his brain, but he didn’t feel sleepy, so he shook his head honestly.
“You’re stronger than I thought.” Nadine smiled, causing the knife-like wrinkles on her face to gather. “Very good. If you can maintain this state, you might be able to return to your team earlier.”
Nemo looked at the old face. He was very curious, but he didn’t want to ask rashly. After all, the witch didn’t seem to want to continue chatting. She moved to the rocking chair on the other side of the living room and began to take a nap in the sun. The rattan rocking chair shook gently, lifting her thin body up, making it more difficult to see the ups and downs of her breathing on her shriveled chest.
Nemo wanted to turn his attention back to the book, but suddenly there was a huge change.
In the bright and warm sunshine, a huge phantom slowly twisted. Nemo narrowed his eyes hard, and the outline of the thing became more obvious. It wasn’t something that really existed there, like a tangled soft root or a deformed and enlarged blood vessel. The end of the phantom root plunged into the old woman’s thin body and wriggled like something being sucked in. The witch Nadine’s body became more and more shriveled, as if that thing had directly sucked away part of her internal organs. The vitality that had just been added soon disappeared again, and she was even a little older than before.
The shadows dissipated, and the air in the room seemed to be a bit colder. The old woman opened her mouth slightly and let out a sigh that was so light that it was almost inaudible.
It was a pity that the house full of flowers was located on the edge of the village, and the excitement on the other side of the village couldn’t spread here…
People gathered in one direction of the village, like ants that found sugar cubes. There was no one left in the tavern. The party could only stuff the money and tips under their plate, revealing a corner of it, and pray that no one would flip it over and steal them.
One side of the village became empty within an instant. The four people present maintained a tacit silence, and no one proposed to join in the excitement. Fortunately, not everyone rushed to watch the Horizon Mercenary Group. The snack shop next to the tavern was still open normally. There was a fat middle-aged shopkeeper who was taking a nap inside.
“I’m going to buy some food.” Oliver shook his pitifully deflated purse, causing Ann to tilt her eyes at him.
“Didn’t you have enough food five minutes ago?” The female warrior raised her brows. “If you want supplies, it’s still early.”
“…I’m going to buy some food for Nemo.” Oliver moved his gaze away and finished making up for what he had just said. “We only asked for treatment, so we can’t reasonably think she should also provide meals too.”
“Geez,” Jesse sighed, “have you ever heard of a superior demon who starved to death?”
“No.” Oliver walked to the snack shop without looking back. “But I have heard of people who want to join the team.”
The blond young man instantly shut his mouth.
“Then let’s go to the inn to book a room first—” Ann waved her hand and pulled on the knight commander, who had a complicated expression. “Anyway, this small place only has two inns, so you can come find us by yourself.”
Their leader waved his hand, indicating that he heard it.
The snack shop was full of the unique aromas of butter and baked goods, which made people feel relaxed. Oliver wasn’t sure what Nemo liked to eat, so he had to pick a variety of things and stuffed them into his large paper bag. When he thought about the toothless mouth of the witch Nadine, he asked for two more puddings. After settling accounts with the yawning owner, he carefully carried them in his other hand.
Things have settled down since then.
Most of the villagers just wanted to see some lively fun. After seeing the freshness, they began to walk back, and the number of pedestrians on the street was slowly increasing. Oliver cautiously avoided the excited passersby, holding the snack bag close to his chest with his right hand and the pudding tied to a hemp rope firmly with his left hand, trying hard to keep them from hitting his scabbard.
He followed his memory and walked to the witch’s residence, but unlike before, when they first arrived, people seemed to be staring at him intentionally or unintentionally, and even a few began to point their fingers.
He quickly confirmed what he was holding in his hand. The snack bag wasn’t damaged, and the pudding bottle remained intact. The paper bag wrapped around his chest even covered up the black badge, and he was dressed very ordinarily. The Rest in Peace remained in his scabbard, and it didn’t emit any light that would randomly appear.
So, he looked back suspiciously, and the murmurs of the villagers became even louder.
Oliver stopped and repeatedly checked whether there was anything wrong with his attire and behavior. He even turned his head to confirm if there was any suspicious note attached to his back, or if a piece of fabric was stretched awkwardly, but he found nothing.
He had to lower his head, speed up his steps, and trotted almost all the way back to the witch’s residence.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, Nemo put down the book in his hand and subconsciously looked at Nadine in the rocking chair. The witch wasn’t asleep but looked weaker than before. Seeing her struggling to fumble for her cane, Nemo quickly stood up.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it.” He strode to the door.
Fortunately, there were no strange patients outside the door. The moment they saw each other, they both showed a little relieved expression, almost at the same time.
“Are you… feeling better?” Oliver asked a little nervously.
“Not bad.” Nemo turned sideways to make way and then closed the door. “Ms. Nadine said that I recovered very quickly, so I can probably return to the team earlier.”
“That’s good.” Oliver carefully placed the snack bag and pudding on the tea table.
“It seems a bit noisy outside.” Nemo looked out the window. “What happened?”
“The Horizon Mercenary Group just arrived here. It should be the spectators who have come back from watching the excitement.”
“The number one mercenary group Ann mentioned?” Nemo quickly picked up the conversation smoothly. “Aren’t they on a mission to explore the tomb of the elves?”
“Maybe that task has been completed.” Oliver untied the rope from the pudding bottleneck. “I bought some doughnuts… or do you want a pudding first? You haven’t eaten much in the past few days—”
The other person’s attitude was too natural. For a few seconds, Nemo almost forgot his freshly acquired true identity. He didn’t realize what happened until he took the bottle. At that time, Oliver had already walked in front of the witch, bent down and put a pudding in her hand. The witch smiled softly at him.
“Thank you… Uh, what are you doing here?” Nemo, who was half a beat slower, struggled to find a topic.
“It’s said—” Oliver was about to open the paper bag when a knock on the door came again.
“Is it Ann and them?”
“It shouldn’t be,” Oliver put down the snack bag. “They went to the inn first. It might be a guest of Ms. Nadine—don’t move, I’ll open it.”
Nemo nodded in silence, sat still on the thick velvet blanket as he poked the soft dessert in the bottle with a spoon. However, less than five seconds after the sound of the door opening, a heavier sound of closing the door reached his ears. Nemo raised his head with a spoon in his hand and saw Oliver walk back blankly with no so-called new guests next to him.
“Who is it?” He took the spoon out of his mouth and asked curiously.
“…It’s an illusion.” Oliver replied very confidently.
Nemo slowly dug into the pudding. “But your illusion is knocking on the door again.” And the frequency of knocking on the door this time wasn’t as polite as just now.
“Oh,” Oliver said, taking out a doughnut from the bag and shoving it stiffly into his mouth. “Maybe I accidentally ate something wrong. Sorry, you go this time.”
Nemo raised his brows. He put the half-eaten pudding on the table, rushed to the door quickly, and opened the door again.
Another blond “Oliver Ramon” was standing at the door, also expressionless, exuding a cold breath. Nemo rubbed his eyes and almost closed the door. Fortunately, the observation power of a superior demon stopped him, and he reacted before pulling the door handle.
That wasn’t Oliver.
At second glance, he didn’t look similar. Oliver Ramon always had a gentle feeling, but the aura of the visitor in front of him was much sharper. His blond hair was slightly shorter than Oliver’s and he looked a bit thinner. The self-confidence and sharpness between the eyebrows were also much more obvious.
The attire was even more contrasting. The visitor was dressed as a standard veteran swordsman. He wore exquisite, but not fancy, armor without any traces of superfluity in its decoration. Every seemingly decorative pattern was made of charms that seemingly were like magma surging under the earth’s surface. His sword exuded extreme power but also had a weird sense of familiarity. Nemo couldn’t help but do a double take.
Even if they sold all their team’s belongings, it was estimated that they wouldn’t be able to even afford a shoe that this person was wearing, Nemo thought bitterly after he looked up and down thoroughly. In the end, he managed to find a white tin badge on the other party’s chest that was insignificant against the background of the visitor’s clothes.
He subconsciously wanted to cover the black badge on his chest but saw the words “it’s too late” on the other party’s expression.
“You… Hello.” This time, Nemo wasn’t sure if he wanted to get out of the way. “Who are you?”
“Godwin Lopez.” The visitor replied in a deep voice. “I need to meet Ms. Nadine… Can you let me pass?”
There was an amazingly thick giant fir in the backyard of the Ramon’s inn. It was so high that it pierced the sky, and its branches stood straight.
If one were to climb to the top of the tree, they could see the greenery of the Frontier Forest extending into the horizon and the Ash Mountains that were embedded in the dark blue sky. At sunrise, it seemed that the eyes could encapsulate the entire sky, showing a magnificent and beautiful new world.
Oliver Ramon quickly discovered this little secret.
With his strong body, he had been more lively and rowdier than the other children ever since he was a child. Piper Ramon almost pasted “a hundred things that children can’t do” on his face, but it was a shame Oliver didn’t learn the skill of pretending to be obedient earlier in his childhood.
That was probably when he was about five years old. Once, while Old Ramon was having a banquet in the backyard of the inn, he quietly climbed up the tree. At first, he was full of interest, but halfway through the climb, he began to feel frightened as the idea that he would die if he fell entered his thoughts. When Oliver climbed to the top of the tree, he was in a cold sweat. His limbs were like soft noodles, and his entire body was glued to the thickest branch.
He looked up and saw the huge skull lying in the center of the treetop.
It was too big, bigger than any of the heads of all the creatures he had ever seen. The length of the skull was close to that of an adult’s, and the height was about the same as Oliver’s size at that time. Its shape was weird and distorted. Its sharp teeth showed no traces of decay, and small pieces of moss and thin vines were crawling in several hollow eyes.
Oliver was startled, but he didn’t have the strength to stand up and escape. Truthfully, he didn’t have any special fears at that time. The skull was scary, but it lay in a very gentle landscape. Sunlight leaked from among the leaves, casting their light on the white bones. There was a bunch of artificially tied flowers in front of it. Although the edges of the petals had darkened and there were signs of withering, there were still clear traces that had been placed there recently.
A few chubby tits swept down from the air. They seemed afraid to stop near the skull. The tits tilted their heads and pecked at the beetles on the trunk near it, letting out a few chirps from time to time.
It was a vibrant scene of death.
‘Are these the bones of a dragon?’ he thought. The size was similar to a dragon’s, but a dragon only has two eyes. Besides a dragon, the second choice in Oliver’s young head was a cow; which was obviously the incorrect answer.
He patted the dust and bark debris off his pants, frowned and rubbed his bruised knees, and then wandered around the skull. This was a secret, Oliver thought excitedly. His own secret.
Oliver knew what he could do. There weren’t many adults in the entire town who could climb to the top of this tree. As long as it wasn’t discovered by the owner of the bunch of flowers, it could become an excellent secret base.
“I decided to call you ‘Mr. White’. Mr. White, my name is Oliver Ramon—you can call me Ollie.”
He announced with such a loud voice that it scared away all the tits that were foraging.
Now, it seemed that it was no longer just his secret alone.
“How do you know—” he came to a halt, patting Nemo on the back.
“I don’t know.” Nemo didn’t want to let him go. His arms were still tightly wrapped around Oliver, as if he would run away if he were to let him go. It was like a drowning person holding onto the last piece of driftwood tightly. “But I just know. Don’t move, Ollie. Let me hug you for a while.”
“…It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. We can sneak back to Roadside Town when we have the opportunity.” Oliver obediently remained motionless. “Believe me, it must still be there.”
“Okay,” Nemo responded. His feet softened, allowing his weight to press forward.
“Oh,” the witch said with a voice full of banter as she walked into the room. “Although I don’t mind providing a room, it’s not suited for this gentleman to have intense exercise right now.”
Oliver was still trying to hold onto Nemo, who seemed to have fallen asleep. After hearing what she said, he instantly reacted, and his ears began to redden suspiciously.
“I’m just joking.” The old lady put the watering can on the wooden frame against the door and carefully wiped the drops of water on it. “Don’t worry. This is the sequelae of memory combing. After recuperating for a bit, there’ll be nothing to worry about come tomorrow… I think you have finished talking. I will take care of this young man. You can do what you have to do.”
“He…” Oliver carefully helped Nemo to one side of the chair. At that moment, he was pretty sure that Nemo was indeed heavily asleep.
“He will repeat this process for a while; waking up for a bit, then sleeping for a bit.” The witch moved herself to the workbench, picked up a mortar, and began to mix powders together. “Everyone’s like this. Even the dragon wasn’t an exception. It’s normal.”
Her orange cat jumped on the table, wagging its tail at a group of people, seemingly in a bad mood.
“Let’s go have a meal. You can’t eat and drink here, and I’m hungry,” the female warrior suggested, smacking her lips. “And I think we need to talk.”
Adrian was still looking at Nemo. He nodded in silence. Jesse picked up the gray parrot with interest and said, “What are we going to eat?”
The fact was, they didn’t have much of a choice. The entire Caleb Village only had a single tavern.
Four people sat around the square table, but no one spoke. Adrian chewed his bread silently, Oliver drank his soup intently, while Ann put her fingers on the mouth of her wine glass, turning it absent-mindedly. Only Jesse slapped the potato wedges in his soup around, making an impolite noise. The gray parrot lay languidly by the bowl of soup, acting as if it was one of the dishes on the table.
“A complete superior demon. How exciting,” Ann said, breaking the awkward silence. “Oliver, have you kissed him yet?”
Oliver choked on the soup and let out an earth-shattering cough. Adrian put down the bread in his hand and squeezed his brows unbearably.
“If you have kissed,” Ann continued solemnly, “then you may be the first human on the surface to kiss a superior demon. You need to know that the average superior demon has a tooth bigger than ours. The Holy Church should award you a medal—”
“There is no such medal.” The knight commander finally spoke. “I want to know what you really think, Mr. Ramon.”
“I already told you.” Oliver wiped off the soup he coughed out from the corners of his mouth. “This has nothing to do with my… Uh, personal feelings for Nemo. I don’t think it’s wise to instigate something, especially if he hasn’t done anything wrong.” He put down the napkin in his hand.
“Let’s not talk about whether power itself is the original sin. Even if Nemo doesn’t mean to now, he’s a normal person, and normal people always get angry when they are attacked for no reason,” he said solemnly. “This is not a complicated truth, right? Because the opponent is stronger, you can confidently take the lead… I don’t like that approach.”
“You speak lightly.” Jesse chewed on the meat as he spoke. “But if he goes berserk one day and blows up the whole world in half—”
“He can do it now, but he hasn’t.”
“Maybe he hasn’t had time to do it yet.”
“I won’t let him do that—I promised Mr. Cross.”
“But you may not be able to stop it.” Jesse bit his fork and shrugged indifferently.
“At least I will give it my best. There’s still a glimmer of hope than reporting it to the Holy Church immediately and losing sight of the sacrifices that will be made due to the oncoming battle.”
Besides, Nemo is the kindest person he has ever known, Oliver thought. He didn’t believe that a person who burdened himself with younger brothers and sisters and let them be spoiled would want to destroy everything. Even if he had made such an assertion, it seems that his strength was far behind Nemo’s. Still, Nemo Light was his companion, a member of his team, and his responsibility.
He didn’t want to stand in the position of an insignificant person and say some self-righteous naïve talk.
For the first time, Oliver desperately wanted to become stronger. If he was stronger, strong enough to restrain the panic caused by a ‘complete superior demon’, then he could straighten his back and say that sentence. To say what he wasn’t qualified to say now…
Because I believe in him.
“What are you laughing at?” Jesse raised his eyebrows and poked at another piece of meat with his fork. “This isn’t a funny topic.”
“For the first time, I feel fortunate to have strength.” Oliver tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Mr. Cross… I hope you will start tomorrow and adjust the intensity of your training to the highest level.”
“Okay,” the knight commander said solemnly. “I won’t do anything for the time being. But if I find that you do not have that qualification, I will find a way to report the situation to the Holy Church… I hope you can understand my position.”
“Thank you.” Oliver pulled away from his chair, stood up, and saluted slightly. “Thank you, Mr. Cross.”
“Compared to this, Oliver, you might as well take him down quickly—”
“…Please shut up, Ms. Savage.” Adrian almost crushed the handle of the spoon in his hand.
Oliver scratched his nose and was about to respond when suddenly the tavern became chaotic. People started whispering like a beehive, then they put down the tableware in their hands and pushed away their food regardless of how much of it was eaten and squeezed out through the narrow tavern door one after another.
“What’s going on?” Ann took a sip of wine. “Our voices weren’t that loud, were they?”
“Oh, of course not.” The blond young man finally swallowed all the food in his mouth; finally, his enunciation became clear. “Perhaps everyone was so focused just now that you didn’t hear the voice of the person nearby. They said that ‘Horizon is coming’.”
“Horizon Mercenary Group?” The female warrior put away her smiling expression and frowned slightly. “What are they doing in a small place like this?”
“Who knows?” Jesse gulped down the wine in his glass. “Does anyone else want to have another drink together—hey, even the clerk ran away?”
The last person to run out of the counter was a small young man with a crooked turban on his head, covered with the smell of firewood unique to the kitchen. He dashed out like a cannonball while wiping the oil on his hands on his apron.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Jesse grabbed his apron belt when the small young man almost flew past him. “What’s going on?”
“Ow, let go!” the little man yelled. “Who knows, I just heard it! They said that Horizon is coming.”
He cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and there was a glint of excitement in his small eyes. “…And they’re here to hunt a witch.”
At the same time, in the residence of the witch.
Nemo thought he had been asleep for a long time. He only remembered hugging Oliver near the end. Now he was lying on thick blankets in the witch’s living room, covered by a thin sheet. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a huge cat face that caused him to sneeze hard.
The orange cat let out an angry hiss.
“Caramel, don’t disturb the guests,” a cold yet pleasant female voice said. The rickety figure didn’t match the voice that was busy at the workbench. “Mr. Light, right? How are you feeling?”
“Not uncomfortable.” Nemo propped up his body and felt unexpectedly refreshed. The sense of resistance and nothingness was gone. Although there were more mysteries, he felt more at ease than ever before. “Ollie and the others—”
“Your companions have gone out to dinner.” The witch filled a glass with bright green liquid while the crucible on the other side was cooking something. There was a smell of chamomile and cabbage wafting in the air. “Don’t worry, they didn’t leave you behind. In addition, if I were you, I wouldn’t get up… The floor of my house is quite hard. If you fall asleep suddenly again, you may fall very painfully.”
Nemo quickly lay down straight. The witch’s living room was very warm, and he was still a bit flustered. He glanced at the books piled up in the corner and slowly got up again.
“You know what you are, don’t you?” The witch saw him move like a sloth and opened her mouth with a smile. “I guess you can be considered a ‘’bigshot’.”
Nemo was silent. He didn’t know whether to directly say it, so he chose a vague answer. “Maybe.”
“You don’t need to be nervous,” the witch said casually, mixing the two liquids together. The mixture in the test tube made a hissing sound. “I’m not human either. It’s fine.”
Nemo turned his head so abruptly that he could hear the soft crack of his neck.
“My race is the ‘Eastern Witches’.” She shrugged her skinny shoulders. “You may have heard of it. Don’t be so formal. You can read the books over there.”
Nemo wiped his hands on his robe, carefully picked up a book, and looked at the witch’s back. The witch didn’t look at him. Although her voice was calm, her body was trembling slightly.
“Ms. Nadine, are you scared?” He asked a little dryly.
“Afraid of you? Yes.” She didn’t deny it. “But you are in my residence and you’re my patient… You trusted me, didn’t you?”
“If I make you uncomfortable, I can go outside first—”
“No need. Only a terrible doctor would do that, leaving a patient outside.”
“You’re not a healer?”
“I can’t use human healing magic.” The old lady coughed lightly and put the mixed liquid on a delicate silver stand to cool. The smell in the air began to smell good again. “I’m just an ordinary doctor.”
Nemo’s expression became solemn. He sat upright and opened a thick book titled “The Disappearance of the Earthsea Orchid”. He glanced at the preface briefly. This book seemed to record the research on a certain long-extinct flower. He had never read about it in the library of Roadside Town, so it made him feel instantly better.
As a result, before turning a few pages, a photo fell out of the book. The appearance of the two girls was carefully fixed on the thick parchment by photo magic. The parchment itself was yellowed, but it was clear that it was well preserved.
One of the girls was breathtaking. The beauty was incomparable to any human on the surface. Her long blond hair was curly, and her eyes were brilliant sand-gold. The other was much more ordinary. She was chubby, with a collapsed nose and small eyes. She had short brown hair, dazzling freckles on her cheeks, and her nose wrinkled with laughter. They squeezed their heads together, showing an unrestrained smile on the outside of the picture.
Nemo subconsciously turned over the photo, and the date was neatly written in handwriting on the back of the photo. It was a certain day sixteen years ago.
Below were two names. “Nadine and Lisa”.
“Sorry, this… Uh, I didn’t mean to…” Nemo carefully put back the photo. “Is it okay to clip it in this book again?”
The old lady slowly turned her head and glanced at the photo.
“Yeah, just put it in that book.” There was no fluctuation of emotions in her voice.
“Is that you in this photo?” Nemo hesitated for a while, but still couldn’t help asking. “Of course, if you don’t want to answer—”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s me.” The witch’s tone was very flat. She poured the cooled mixture into a small bottle, stood up tremblingly, and walked slightly to Nemo. “After drinking it, you have to sleep for a while.”
Nemo grabbed the bottle. This time, the potion in the bottle was a viscous gray-green color. His hands trembled a little, recalling the taste of the last bottle of potion. He hugged the book with his other hand and dawdled back to the thick velvet blanket as his expression was mixed with doubt and gratitude.
The witch Nadine looked at the silver eyes of the black-haired young man who had returned to normal. “I know what you are wondering. I don’t mind my age so much. How old are you… Twenty-two, twenty-three?”
“Maybe twenty-three.” Nemo unscrewed the mouth of the bottle. The strong smell of wet bark and camphor hit his nose. “I’m not sure, but it’s around there.” Having said that, he drank the entire contents of the potion. The heavy pungency stuck directly in his throat, preventing him from swallowing it, and it almost caused him to choke.
“I am only ten years older than you.” the witch, who looked like a prehistoric monster, said calmly. “Don’t worry. I won’t force you to call me ‘Miss Nadine’.”
The witch’s words were very effective. Nemo suddenly gulped down the entire potion.
Kinky Translations 