The journey back always seemed shorter than the way there—perhaps because the Duke quickened his pace considerably.
Despite an early start, the round trip had consumed most of the day, and by the time they exited the mine, the sun was nearly gone. If they didn’t speed up, they might not reach Maplewood until close to midnight.
The two white horses, likely impatient from waiting, became restless at the sight of their master. Charlie was quite fond of these tall, beautiful horses and hurried over to feed them before setting off.
However, as he approached the carriage, the snow under his feet suddenly gave way, and a force violently tugged at his ankle. Before he could cry out, the world flipped upside down!
The rabbit shopkeeper blinked and tried to straighten his neck to understand what had happened.
Dwight stopped in his tracks, watching as Charlie, like a slender pendulum, dangled slightly in mid-air, his long ears comically drooping down.
It was a trap set next to the carriage.
Dwight ignored Charlie, who began to spin 360 degrees to observe his surroundings. ‘Araceae’ snorted impatiently as three tall men leaped from behind the rocks, bursting into laughter upon seeing Charlie’s predicament.
“Who said the best hunters are helpless in this wretched weather? Todd, we should let that old red-nosed drunk see this. We’ve snared a rabbit!”
“But his body is human—good lord, what is this creature? Does it have fur on its hands and feet like a rabbit too?”
One of them didn’t laugh.
“Forget the rabbit,” he said, eyeing Dwight from the start. “We should first deal with the fat sheep that’s with the rabbit.”
Dwight let the men size him up unabashedly. His face, mostly hidden by his hood, turned towards the continuously wriggling Charlie.
“Rarely traveled?” he said sarcastically.
The rabbit shopkeeper chuckled.
He wasn’t new to the Greenwoods, and he could swear on everything valuable in his shop that he had never seen a single soul in this vicinity before!
“Perhaps it’s because your carriage is too dazzling, its golden decorations sparkling in the snow, piquing the curiosity of everyone within miles.” Even upside down, the shopkeeper refused to be outdone in verbal sparring.
Dwight scoffed.
The uninvited thieves were probably not used to being ignored so completely. A man with unkempt hair pulled out a knife.
“Take off your cloak, boy,” he said maliciously. “Let’s see what else you have on you—a pocket watch? A pipe? Your belt and boots—if you cooperate, I might just swap my precious rat fur coat with you… It’s really freezing enough to turn people into ice sculptures, right?”
“Are you illiterate?” Dwight instead asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
The thieves were momentarily taken aback.
The Duke didn’t seem to actually wait for an answer; he unhitched his cloak, discarding the expensive deep green garment without a second thought onto the snowy ground.
One of the thieves gasped softly. They were all visibly stunned by Dwight’s appearance. The Duke, not yet fully past his teenage years, had pale skin, long and curled eyelashes complementing his light-colored eyes, a prominent nose, and a sharp chin. If not for his short hair, which no noblewoman would wear, they might have mistaken him for a ‘miss’.
“Right.” The leader of the thieves couldn’t help but glance at the pure gold clasps on the cloak, his Adam’s apple involuntarily twitching. “And your coat, it looks really valuable…”
Dwight, of course, didn’t continue undressing.
With a twist of his wrist, he drew a slender sword from his black cane.
“Since you don’t recognize the noble family crest, nor the initials engraved on the carriage,” he revealed his first smile of the day, “then you’re not trained assassins or soldiers with ulterior motives.”
In other words, easily defeated.
Probably no one expected this lavishly dressed noble to also carry a fine weapon. As he drew his sword, someone instinctively stepped back.
But the thief leader, fully prepared to take his luxurious clothes, was incensed by his contemptuous tone and charged at him like an uncontrollable brown bear. The thick snow didn’t hinder Dwight; he sidestepped and swiftly thrust his sword, neatly piercing the man’s ‘precious rat fur coat’ with surprising force, almost piercing the flesh.
The thief leader cried out and rolled backward, his heart pounding uncontrollably. In this snowy weather, they wore as much thick clothing as possible, yet his seemingly effortless thrust penetrated the layers—his weapon was much sharper than theirs!
And his actions made it clear that he wasn’t like the typical corpulent noble, helpless without their bodyguards.
“Todd!” he cried urgently, but his brother misunderstood, thinking he had slipped by accident. As part of the team, he immediately lunged at Dwight.
“Wait—” another thief sensed something amiss and tried to stop Todd but only grabbed the hem of his clothing, while Dwight switched to offense, striking directly at Todd’s throat!
The thief, who failed to grab Todd, reacted quickly, throwing something hard at him with great force. Dwight couldn’t retract his sword in time and had to duck; the heavy projectile grazed his hair.
As he paused, the thief leader had already scrambled up from the ground, along with another man, and they pulled Todd as they sprinted away.
Dwight didn’t pursue but checked for more ambushes before sheathing his sword back into his cane.
The little tin soldier, frightened into hiding under the carriage, slowly peeked out, regarding Dwight with a new mix of surprise and admiration.
The shopkeeper, completely forgotten at the side, complained, “I’m getting a brain rush.”
“What did he hit you with?” The shopkeeper, having been hung upside down for too long, was still seeing stars and could only climb into the carriage, tripping over his own feet.
The little tin soldier, energetically, had found the black object in the snow and also brought it onto the carriage.
“My joints are frozen,” the little tin soldier exclaimed. “I can barely move.”
“I found some oil in the mine,” Charlie said.
Dwight, sitting far from them, seemed eager to criticize their oiling activities inside his carriage, but considering Charlie had just fulfilled his promise, he reluctantly conceded and pretended not to see the scene that irritated his sense of cleanliness.
But the little tin soldier wouldn’t be quiet, continuing to chatter even after being oiled. “Is this oil or water? Something feels very wrong, Charlie!”
“If you keep your mouth shut for a while, it’ll be much better,” Charlie patiently said, taking the black object from the little tin soldier.
It looked like a clay teapot, unadorned and worn smooth from handling. Dwight glanced at it with disdain and turned away, scolding, “How can you touch everything with your hands? Is it a habit developed from digging?”
“It’s just a teapot—here.”
As Charlie extended his hand, Dwight immediately leaned back, his face full of caution.
“You’re still wearing gloves.”
“Gloves knitted by fairies, worth ten gold coins in the Empire.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Seriously, why pick up this trash?”
Charlie paused in his actions, not answering immediately but instead carefully turning the teapot over to inspect it again. “I always feel there’s something not quite right—”
He stopped abruptly.
Dwight followed his gaze and saw a small, shallow relief on the bottom of the teapot that looked like a strange bird with two heads—one raised high and the other bowed as if drinking water.
“A two-headed raven?” Dwight’s eyebrows raised. “The emblem of the witch Elena.”
The last statement was definitive.
The rabbit shopkeeper was a bit surprised. “I thought people from the Northern Continent weren’t very familiar with witches from the south.”
Witches and female mages were different. Although both were proficient in magic, witches were generally considered mages who had gone astray, trading their humanity for more powerful and evil forces in deals with demons, and were shunned everywhere.
But not many female mages actually succeed in enhancing their powers through evil means. Witch Elena was one of them. However, she had never set foot on the Northern Continent, and this was the first time Charlie heard her name mentioned in Lemena.
Charlie carefully examined the teapot, then suddenly laughed. “Kurt was absolutely right. He really is the best astrologer.”
Dwight didn’t try to understand his muttering. He was contemplating more pressing matters.
His trip was for Priscilla, and now, having obtained the desired results from the astrologer, it brought him even greater dilemmas.
His only sister was in a dire situation.
Now, the roses of Brandenburg were no longer his priority. Dwight didn’t speak again on the way back to Maplewood until they could see its gates from afar, when he unexpectedly asked, “Have you lived in Maplewood all your life?”
“Of course not,” the shopkeeper said without hesitation. “I was born in Maplewood but left when I was very young. It was only three years ago that I came back to Lemena. I thought the old family home was gone. Thank goodness—that saved me a good deal of money. But if you ask me, gold shines no matter where it is, you see…”
He gave Dwight a meaningful look, implying, ‘My shop has served countless important people, and you are just one of them’.
Dwight had almost grown accustomed to the rabbit-headed shopkeeper’s occasional verbal affronts, but this time, he didn’t use his usual sarcastic comeback. Instead, he meaningfully curled the corner of his mouth.
“I agree,” the Duke said. “Gold shines no matter where it is.”
For some reason, in that moment, that nearly whispered phrase made Charlie’s hair stand on end.
Luckily, he didn’t have a tail. Otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing if it had puffed up.
A rich aroma of plants and earth filled Dwight’s nostrils as he entered a scene he had never witnessed before: towering ancient trees with smaller bushes and moss-covered stones between them. The dense canopy obscured the sky, making it scarcely brighter than the mine they had just left.
He looked back to find that the mine’s exit was inconspicuously nestled under a small earthen mound, with the dark bronze door blending seamlessly into the soil. Many unnamed vines and wildflowers enveloped the entire door, explaining why Charlie had struggled to fully open it.
A brightly colored beetle busily climbed to the tip of Dwight’s boot before hurriedly burrowing into the mud beside his foot.
“This way,” Charlie said, stepping effortlessly over a fallen pine tree.
Long green vines hung from the trees. Dwight frowned, pulling his cloak tighter…
…He always felt countless sticky insects hidden within these plants, making his skin crawl.
For a forest, the Greenwoods was unnervingly quiet.
No bear roars, wolf howls, bird calls, or insect sounds, and even the rustling of leaves in the wind was barely audible. In contrast, the sound of their footsteps on the soft layer of fallen leaves was especially conspicuous here, so much so that even the little tin soldier instinctively kept its mouth shut.
In this extreme quiet, Dwight almost felt an illusion: the silence was just a façade of this vast forest, as if the trees were whispering to each other about these unwelcome guests, something enormous slept beneath their feet, and the occasional breeze hinted at its breathing—even the scattered sunlight through the leaves had a strange rhythm.
Charlie seemed to sense something, turning his head to give the young Duke an amused look.
His handsome face was once again hidden under his cloak’s hood, his sharp jawline somewhat aloof.
Despite rumors, Charlie didn’t see any resemblance between the Duke and an angel; fine features didn’t soften his sharp, sword-like demeanor, as if ready to burst from its scabbard at any moment.
But just when Charlie thought he was merely a cold, hard crystal sculpture, the Duke exhibited a perception usually only seen in creatures like elves.
It was quite intriguing.
The towering trees made it impossible to discern directions, and Dwight noticed that his compass had long since stopped functioning. Under these circumstances, he had every reason to doubt whether the rabbit actually knew the way.
Though rabbits were typically denizens of the forest, heaven knows how much of their instincts they retained.
“I assure you, we are close,” Charlie said softly.
“We passed a place just like this half an hour ago,” Dwight responded coldly.
If it weren’t for his regular physical training, a typical noble would have collapsed long ago from the effort required in the mine.
“Just a bit further ahead… shh,” Charlie’s long ears twitched alertly, stopping in his tracks.
Dwight and the little tin soldier also stopped.
Silence ensued, with no sound whatsoever.
Dwight, growing impatient, furrowed his brow about to speak, but Charlie quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him.
He reflexively stepped back, but Charlie pointed forward before him.
Out of nowhere, a faint mist had begun to fill the forest, and through the white vapor, the figure of a graceful creature flitted by.
Dwight’s pupils dilated slightly.
His eyesight was excellent, and even from a distance, he saw clearly.
It was a stunningly beautiful white doe. If it appeared anywhere outside of Greenwoods, it would ignite a hunting frenzy among the continent’s nobility.
Only when the mist dissipated did Charlie lower his hand.
“That is the Heart of the Greenwoods,” Charlie took the initiative to explain. “Humans also call her the Forest Goddess—sometimes she takes the form of a fairy, sometimes a bird, but most often, she appears as a doe. Kurt has her permission to live here. Not too deep, far from the Heart of the Greenwoods, but it’s enough to keep away from humans and other creatures…”
They rounded a few lush beech trees, and a vast swampy area in the forest appeared before them.
A bark boat quietly sat at the edge of the swamp.
The little tin soldier at the bow relit its lamp, but the small circle of light couldn’t penetrate the damp mist. Dwight could barely make out a large shadow through the sparse tree trunks not far ahead.
The swamp had no waves, yet the small boat automatically drifted towards the shadow. Dwight’s face remained expressionless, but under his cloak, his hand quietly gripped the cane he never parted with.
Only when they got close enough did he realize the shadow was an astonishingly large old tree with a treehouse awkwardly perched upon it. Seeming to know guests had arrived, a trapdoor on the treehouse’s viewing deck creaked open, and a flimsy rope ladder was let down.
The Duke, who had been pampered since childhood, felt that in the short span of a day, he had been forced to engage in every demeaning activity possible: walking for a long time, scurrying around in the cave like a rat, and climbing this damn rope ladder.
He had never been so embarrassed in his life, and even the presence of the famous Astrologer Kurt, whom countless people dreamed of meeting, couldn’t quell his irritation.
This renowned astrologer appeared quite young. His complexion was pale from a lack of sunlight, was of medium stature and somewhat frail. His neatly buttoned shirt gave him the air of a mathematics teacher from some rural villa.
But Kurt was delighted. Strictly speaking, from the moment he saw Dwight, the exaggerated smile on his face never waned.
“My old friend!” He exaggeratedly embraced Charlie and quickly assessed the situation. Knowing that the handsome Duke was unlikely to engage in any physical contact, he still led them into the living room with a smile on his face.
Yes, this seemingly rickety treehouse not only had a living room but also a warm, steaming fireplace.
Even by the standards of the Empire’s most discerning nobles, this treehouse couldn’t be considered uncomfortable. The walls were smooth, adorned with exquisite wallpaper that showed no signs of mold from the damp environment. A soft carpet lay underfoot, many delicate handcrafted books were scattered on the floor, and the wall cabinet was filled with gleaming, gem-encrusted silverware. The table by the fireplace was covered with damask, loaded with ham, wine, and canapes.
“I must say, receiving your letter gave me quite a fright,” Kurt said warmly. “I thought I wouldn’t see you until next summer, at the earliest. It gets too quiet here. It’s nice to get a greeting once in a while… though Alpha isn’t too happy about delivering messages in winter.”
“It was sudden,” Charlie said, taking Dwight’s cloak off him and hanging it on a low table before unbuttoning his coat and sitting down. “The journey was quite tough, with the snow still falling.”
“I understand.” Kurt’s gaze shifted to Dwight. “Charlie mentioned some things in his letter… Ah, the matters you wanted to know about.”
Dwight nodded reservedly.
Kurt pulled out a roll of paper from the drawer of a low table, spreading it out. It was covered with complex star charts and trajectories.
Dwight sat opposite him, watching as he finally stopped smiling and began sketching on the rough paper, occasionally asking him questions in a low voice without looking up.
Charlie also sat to one side, casually pouring himself a glass of wine, seemingly familiar with this scene.
Honestly, Dwight had expected the astrologer to be—more mysterious. No one had ever systematically explained astrology, and few had seen its process firsthand. He had imagined that the other might wear a white robe, ignite some mysterious herbs under the midnight stars, chant spells, or at least manipulate some arcane instruments that no one else could understand.
At least not like now, sitting so ordinarily in a room, calculating on rough paper.
But Kurt was quite focused, and Dwight, watching the paper under his hands for a while, realized that the formulas and symbols used were unheard of.
It was almost like a civilization from another world.
After some time, Kurt finally put down his pen.
Dwight, who had been sitting upright, shifted slightly.
Kurt turned the paper towards his guest.
“The moon has moved away from its proper position, Miss… Mrs. Priscilla is surrounded by malevolent stars. Her spirit is weakening; her body can hardly support her thoughts anymore.”
Dwight said nothing as Kurt’s pen paused on the side. “She faces choices, but each step makes her situation more difficult, isolated and unsupported. However, when the moon returns, she will have another chance at rebirth.”
The astrologer leaned back in his chair. “Your sister is in great danger now.”
“Can the star chart tell you why her husband hasn’t protected her?” Dwight asked coldly.
“The stars can’t detail every aspect. I can only tell you that there are two extremely dangerous people around her.” Kurt now looked nothing like a staid country teacher. “These two people will have an irreversible impact on her, including her life. Mrs. Priscilla, having married far away, I can only make the closest guesses based on hints from the constellations.”
Dwight’s already unemotional eyes grew colder.
A woman far from home and family, married off to a distant place—besides her husband, who else could be by her side?
He was the only family she had left.
Charlie didn’t stay in the warm indoors. He and Kurt left the living room, considerately leaving the Duke alone.
He leaned against the railing of the viewing platform, holding an elegant, long smoking pipe, and exhaled a flippant ring of smoke.
“The contract lasts until this spring,” Charlie noted. “Once the snow melts, the Greenwoods’ protection will fade.”
“Thank you for reminding me.” Kurt sighed. “Time flies, doesn’t it? I still remember the afternoon I pushed open the doors to your shop, as if it was just yesterday.”
“Yes.” Charlie also smiled, his age-worn smile oddly out of place on a fluffy rabbit face. “Staggering in, dragging a large suitcase, not a silver coin on you, yet you asked for the most demanding hiding place.”
“And starving.” Kurt spread his hands. “I ate all your apple pies in one go.”
“If you want, you can stay on,” Charlie suddenly said. “Apart from me, no one can find the dwarf’s entrance.”
What Charlie left unsaid was that even if the mine were exposed, creatures not accepted by the Heart of the Greenwoods would find it nearly impossible to navigate this forest wilderness. Even if they made another deal right now, he probably couldn’t offer a safer place than this.
“It’s alright,” Kurt said softly. “I can observe the continent through the stars. ‘They’ can also find me through the stars. There’s no absolutely safe place for me.”
The astrologer looked up at the rabbit smoking contentedly, his gentle eyes showing a hint of concern. “The same goes for you.”
Charlie put down his smoking pipe, but before he could respond, the door to the viewing platform was opened from the inside.
That annoying little tin soldier and its owner were as oblivious to the awkward atmosphere as each other. No matter how grimly the handsome Duke remained silent throughout the journey, the two treated the winter travel as if it were a picnic in early spring.
If it weren’t for the horses pulling the cart, ‘Araceae’ and ‘Midnight’, who only obeyed Dwight’s orders, they probably would have wanted to stop and rest in the cold woods—the rabbit even brought a melodica!
“Don’t be so tense,” Charlie said. “We’ll arrive before dark.”
“It seems that the famous astrologer is still your neighbor,” Dwight said grimly.
“Not really,” Charlie replied, taking out a beautiful glass jar from his suitcase, filled with vibrant red jam.
“I just know a shortcut,” he said while deftly spreading the jam on white bread with elegant strokes. “He lives in the Greenwoods.”
Dwight raised his eyebrows, surprised that the other was so nonchalant about disclosing the astrologer’s hideout.
Charlie seemed to know what he was thinking and winked at him. “No one but me can easily reach Kurt there, even if the address is down to his porch steps.”
Dwight stared at him unapologetically.
He noticed that, although Charlie had a rabbit’s head, the rest of him was unexpectedly pleasing to the eye. Despite often speaking in a way that made one want to lock him in a dungeon, his manners were quite proper. His shoulders were straight, and his posture was upright. His legs were sufficiently long, and he looked every inch the gentleman when he neatly tucked his shirt and donned his coat.
Just a bit thin.
Dwight, often praised for being “as slender as an angel”, thought without effort.
“Why?” His mood improved slightly. He had a rare moment of appreciation for the smug rabbit sitting across from him.
“Because he lives in the Greenwoods,” Charlie said cheerfully.
“So what?” Dwight asked casually, then realized.
The Greenwoods.
It was just a nickname; in fact, that vast forest had no official name because even elves dared not enter.
People often got lost on the edges of the forest, leaving their bones there forever. No one knew the way in, or perhaps it didn’t exist at all.
At least for the past hundred years, ten miles around the Greenwoods had been uninhabited.
Astrologer Kurt lives there?
For the first time, a look of confusion appeared on the young Duke’s face. “How did he get in?”
Charlie put the last bite of bread in his mouth. “I took him in.”
Dwight straightened slightly.
“Now you will take me in. The secret will soon be no secret.”
“Right, ‘I’ll take you’ in.” The shopkeeper shrugged easily.
“Many people want to know the astrologer’s whereabouts,” Dwight hinted.
“But none have succeeded,” Charlie said. “Kurt doesn’t stay in one place for long, and I happen to know he’s packing his bags. We might still catch him before he leaves.”
As if responding to his words, the carriage began to slow down.
“Charlie! Charlie!” The little tin soldier stood on the seat cushion. “The woods ahead are too dense!”
The Duke’s luxurious carriage was no match for the thorns.
“It’s okay.” Charlie snapped his suitcase shut. “Next, we walk.”
He agilely jumped from the carriage and turned to offer a hand.
Dwight gave him a cold look and tapped his cane on the door frame.
With a clicking sound, a footstool unfolded automatically.
Charlie: “……”
Utterly extravagant.
The carriage had only made it to the edge of the Greenwoods. They were still a distance from the sea of trees. High rocks crowded together, forming a natural barrier covered in greasy moss and winter snow—unless one had wings, they couldn’t even dream of climbing over.
Dwight wrapped his fur cloak tighter, his huge hat nearly covering his eyes, with only his slightly red, upturned nose visible under the shadow of his light golden hair and eyelashes.
Charlie wore no cloak but a dashing long coat, his high boots creaking sourly in the snow.
The tin soldier followed in Charlie’s footsteps, occasionally looking back at him.
Dwight looked down at him haughtily, remaining silent.
“Charlie!” The tin soldier’s voice was a bit muffled in the snow. “My joints are going to freeze!”
“Wait a bit. I’m sure those guys left some oil down there,” the shopkeeper said soothingly.
“If you plan to walk around these stone forests,” Dwight said, his breath forming a white cloud, “you’d better clarify that sooner.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Charlie stopped.
He stood before a tall stone, thinly covered with snow.
Dwight stopped and watched the rabbit bend down, searching for something. After a while, the ground beneath him trembled slightly, accompanied by dull clanging sounds.
When the trembling completely stopped, the boulder clumsily shifted aside, revealing a hole from which warm steam eagerly escaped.
Charlie turned to Dwight and gestured for him to enter.
The tin soldier had already jumped in.
“What is this place?” Dwight asked, removing his cloak hat as he walked down the stone steps, surveying the clearly man-made space.
“An abandoned dwarven mine,” Charlie replied, his voice sounding somewhat muffled underground.
The tin soldier’s hat seemed to have been transformed into a lantern, walking ahead in small steps, lighting their path just enough.
“This mine is large; it has been mined for at least two hundred years,” Charlie said. “At its peak, a third of the empire’s gems came from here.”
Dwight could tell, even without him saying so. Dwarves weren’t tall, and ordinary mines would never have this spacious scale.
“The temperature is off,” Dwight noted. “What’s below?”
The cave was indeed warmer than above ground, but the temperature here was unusually comfortable.
Charlie seemed surprised.
The Duke, who was reputed to always stay within the walls of Brandenburg, was surprisingly perceptive.
“Ground fire,” Charlie explained without evasion. “This was originally just a mine. The deeper you go, the richer the deposits, and they even uncovered ground fire here. Two hundred years ago, several dwarf clans gathered here: the Fugmiller dwarfs mined in the east, the Hedomar dwarfs smelted in the west, and the Mayking dwarfs transported the wealth far and wide.”
These diligent dwarfs, like a tireless swarm of ants, spent centuries building this vast underground world with its complex interlocking mine shafts, public halls built upon the caves, and smelting plants. Dwight even spotted a rundown stone bar at a distant intersection.
The wind blowing from beneath the earth carried a warm breath, mingling with the rugged laughter of dwarfs from a century ago, the lively sounds of melodicas, and the ceaseless hammering which seemed to still linger in the wind, but soon vanished without a trace.
The scale of the mine was unexpectedly large, but he estimated the depth and felt that the mine’s potential value was far from fully realized.
Walking behind him, Charlie paused momentarily before hastening his steps without being noticed by those ahead.
“They went too far,” Charlie said nonchalantly. “After the shallow surface gems were exhausted, they expanded the mine deeper where the wealth was greater, but the price paid was also higher. The ‘Queen of Fire’ was the last gem they brought out of the mine.”
Dwight’s eyes flickered.
There were no nobles that weren’t unaware of the ‘Queen of Fire’, the largest and most beautifully shaped ruby in existence, which ninety years ago had been set in the famously beautiful Queen Natty’s crown but was soon lost along with the crown itself. Dwight had only seen that legendary gem in portraits of Queen Natty.
Before that, it was precisely during the second boom period of luxury jewelry trading following the Age of Navigation that many historically famous, stunningly beautiful jewels emerged.
“After the ‘Queen of Fire’, the dwarfs closed this mine,” Charlie whispered. “The entrance and the maps were treated as the highest secret. But there were always stubborn dwarfs who couldn’t resist the temptation and sneaked in alone, never to return. The dwarfs believed this was nature’s punishment for two hundred years of mining, so they simply moved away and never came back.”
“What happened before the ‘Queen of Fire’?” Dwight asked.
Something extremely threatening must have occurred to stop them from reaching for such immense wealth.
“No one knows,” Charlie said. “According to the dwarfs, the treasures deep in the mine belong to the Greenwoods. If anyone dares to take even a single gem, they will become lost in this vast mine until they turn to bones.”
Dwight slightly turned his head, glancing at the rabbit shopkeeper behind him.
Lost…
Indeed, the various vast underground spaces and mine shafts interlocking here resembled a massive labyrinth.
Seeing that the young Duke wasn’t deceived, Charlie shrugged. “The dwarfs’ legends are more of a reminder than a scare. The shallow layers of the mine have been exhausted, but I think just passing through shouldn’t pose a problem.”
“Exiting here leads to the Greenwoods,” Dwight stated affirmatively.
“Uh-huh.”
“How did you discover the dwarfs’ entrance?”
“Trade secret, no disclosures.”
At this point, Dwight’s view of Charlie finally shifted.
If initially he thought Charlie was just a rambling, nonsense-spouting rabbit, now, this rabbit had finally shown him a hint of something interesting.
…But still highly suspicious.
The reserved Duke didn’t continue to inquire; he noticed that the noisy tin soldier seemed incapable of multitasking. Once it took on the role of a streetlight, its mouth didn’t open again.
Thus, the group silently traversed the gloomy mine shafts. When his pocket watch had gone just over a full rotation, the tin soldier finally stopped.
Charlie stepped forward, fiddling with something behind Dwight’s back, and the light on the tin soldier’s head went out.
It came alive again.
“Charlie! We’ve arrived!”
Charlie reassuringly patted the tin soldier, bent down, and pulled open what looked like an extremely heavy door—it seemed that no one had moved it in a hundred years, and rust impaired its operation, so Charlie only managed to half-open it before it got stuck.
Shivers had to use considerable willpower to restrain himself from drawing his sword on the arrogant rabbit, but the Duke showed a maturity beyond his years at that moment.
No one expected the young Duke, who always held his chin high, to suddenly stand up and perform a standard noble bow, softly asking Charlie to accept his commission.
This, instead, was somewhat disappointing to Charlie, who had hoped to see the other’s usual expressionless pale face turn red with anger—he had just whimsically wanted to tease him, given his imperious demeanor from the start.
It felt like bullying a child.
But the party concerned didn’t carry such a heavy psychological burden.
Recalling the incident later, Dwight calmly stated that asking for help didn’t make him feel ashamed—in fact, he said that if there were enough benefits in exchange, he wouldn’t mind even dancing a striptease in a skirt.
Astrology was one of the world’s most mysterious arts because the vast majority of people couldn’t discern what the stars hanging in the sky each day truly signified, let alone predict the future from them.
When astrology was monopolized by a handful of astrologers, there were those who attempted to decode their secrets over the centuries, drawing inspiration from the patterns of the nebulae and the positions of the moon, but no one ever succeeded. Astrology was a truly divinely bestowed ministry.
It couldn’t be learned, taught, or faked—from ancient times to the present, the prophecies of astrologers had never failed.
And the rare astrologers clearly weren’t sufficient to meet the predictive needs of the entire continent, so they all had their own ways of living in seclusion.
But the confident rabbit shopkeeper assured the Duke that it would only take three days to contact the legendary astrologer, and he warmly invited him and his knights to stay at his shop.
This time, without Dwight needing to speak, Shivers firmly declined the invitation.
If it weren’t for Miss Priscilla, he would have thrown down his glove at the audacious rabbit long ago.
Thus, when the news spread that the young and handsome noble Duke had come to Maplewood, the sheriff’s wife also received the infuriating news—the Duke was indeed staying at Mona’s inn!
She was the richest and most influential woman in Maplewood, and the only person who had ever made her taste defeat was the beautiful Mona, for no amount of fancy skirts and jewelry could attract a man’s gaze as much as a charming face.
That filthy little inn had actually invited the Duke, and that woman Mona must be seizing the opportunity to flaunt herself and rise to prominence.
The sheriff’s wife felt that if the duke took Mona back to the luxurious Brandenburg when his journey ended, she would surely have a heart attack.
She wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.
Thus, nearly half the town rushed to the Treehole Inn, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Duke Dwight and see if Mona had indeed become his mistress.
Regrettably, the doors of the Treehole Inn were tightly closed.
Even the travelers who had been staying at the inn for the winter had been asked to leave, but clearly, the Duke had compensated them well enough to find another cozy bar to exchange their handfuls of gold coins for beer.
In fact, Innkeeper Mona was also quite frustrated.
If it weren’t for her pleading with the Knight Commander, she would have nowhere to go if she left the Treehole Inn, and perhaps she too would have been sent elsewhere. As for the Duke clearing the place upon his arrival, she hadn’t even seen what the distinguished guest looked like.
So when the sheriff’s wife loudly demanded that Mona step aside, “Don’t obstruct her from arranging this filthy inn’s living room for the Duke. At least lay some carpets to avoid soiling His Lordship’s boots,” Mona also exploded.
You should know, not to mention Mona, the sheriff’s wife was hardly a proper noblewoman herself. Perhaps she had spent a lot of money to hire tutors for her two daughters, but once angered, she wouldn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and take off her earrings for a fight—a real lady would never do such a thing.
Dwight could hardly believe that mature women could scream and shove each other in public, with disheveled hair and jewelry clinking to the ground. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, the two were already starting to tear each other’s dresses!
My gods above, Priscilla had never spoken in such a piercing tone in her life, and any woman appearing in Brandenburg, even just a laundry maid, would have her demeanor specially trained by a lady-in-waiting.
“Excuse me, Shivers,” he said sarcastically from the second-floor corridor to his knight commander, “could you please ask that lady—”
He paused for a moment.
“‘Agate on a silver cup, a midsummer night’s dream’. Can you calm them down a bit? Their screaming is giving me a headache.”
Shivers was at a loss for words, and although he was brave and skilled in battle, no one had ever taught him how to calm two frantic ladies down.
In fact, he wasn’t the only man present lacking such confidence. The sheriff himself stood uncomfortably to the side, trying to intervene but utterly unable to get a word in.
The sheriff’s wife even managed to loudly warn him ‘not to try to touch that bitch’ while the innkeeper, seemingly completely crazed, screamed curses at her, calling her a jennet waiting to be slaughtered.
“Good heavens, what’s going on here?”
A calm voice abruptly cut through the two women’s curses.
Mona was the first to recover, looking towards the door.
A man stood at the entrance, backlit and indistinct— but it didn’t matter. Just seeing those two ears was enough to know who it was.
Yes, unless this town had another furry-faced, self-satisfied freak. Dwight looked down from above at the fuzzy head and thought this condescendingly.
The two women stopped their movements.
“Charlie.” Mona adjusted her hair somewhat uncomfortably. “Oh!”
Her fingertips brushed past her earlobe, where the earrings had scratched and drawn blood.
“Don’t move,” Charlie said softly, tilting her chin to look at her ear for a moment.
“I request you return to your room and let Tracy help you with your ear, okay?” The rabbit shopkeeper’s tone was still unhurried but had a soothing power. “Scars don’t suit you.”
Mona lifted her skirt, not even glancing at the sheriff’s wife, and walked away proudly with her chin raised.
The sheriff’s wife bristled, but then saw Charlie magically pull a half-bloomed dahlia from his coat and politely asked if he could pin it to her hair.
The conflict ended in a peculiar way, with the sheriff’s wife even leaving with a smile.
The Duke and knights, who had witnessed everything from the second floor, found it unbelievable.
“Tell me,” Dwight said.
“Tell what?” The rabbit-headed shopkeeper approached the Duke’s temporary room, surprised to find many items clearly not belonging to the Treehole Inn.
The four-poster bed was brand new, and on the matching bedside table was a set of sparkling, immaculate tea set that looked more like a work of art than household items.
“You wouldn’t want to know how much it costs to replace that crystal cup. Put it down,” Dwight said lazily as he reclined in the high-backed chair.
Charlie reluctantly withdrew his hand.
“How did you manage to say to her, ‘A beautiful woman is more fragile than a flower, and to lose even a single petal would break one’s heart’?” Dwight said bluntly. “If the sheriff wasn’t standing there, I would have thought she was the butcher’s wife.”
“Though compared to the sheriff, that profession would obviously be a better fit for that fatso,” he added.
Charlie shrugged. “Women are inherently more delicate and vulnerable than men. What’s wrong with what I said?”
Dwight thought to himself that there was a big problem, suspecting both Charlie’s vision and his sense of beauty were abnormal.
However, the Duke didn’t want to expend too much energy on those two eye-opening women. The rabbit’s presence here only meant one thing.
“Let’s leave today. Now that the heavy snow has just stopped,” Charlie said.
Shivers only then noticed a carry-on bag by his feet.
“I’ll arrange it right away,” said the Knight Commander.
“No.” Charlie turned to him. “You can stay here and wait for us to return.”
Shivers was momentarily stunned before realizing that Charlie’s “us” didn’t include himself.
“The Duke can never go anywhere alone!” Shivers immediately protested.
“How could it be alone?” Charlie asked, puzzled. “I’m going too.”
Dwight frowned slightly.
“It’s not the same.” Shivers pressed down his anger. “The Duke is of nobility and must travel with proper arrangements. Our departure is already hasty enough. We cannot further reduce our manpower. Not just me. All the knights must accompany him.”
“My Lord, Kurt being a reclusive astrologer isn’t without reason. Do you think he’d be happy if I brought a whole troop of knights marching to raid his lair?” Charlie said.
Moreover, he really couldn’t see anything ‘hasty’ about their appearance this time. The small town inn’s room had completely changed its look—even the curtains had been replaced with velvet bearing noble crests. Heaven knows how they managed that!
The forthright Knight Commander bluntly stated, “Even if what you say about Astrologer Kurt is true, you can’t guarantee my Master’s safety and comfort on the road.”
Charlie blinked. “Comfort aside, what’s unsafe about stepping out? Even wolves won’t come out in this weather.”
“Alright, Shivers.” Dwight enjoyed the confrontation between the Knight Commander and the rabbit-headed shopkeeper for a while before speaking up. “There won’t be any danger. You all wait here for me.”
“If he’s a fraud, we’ll chop off his head and hang it on the tower,” Dwight said coldly. “I hope you’re not questioning my ability.”
Shivers glared, and for a moment, Charlie thought the handsome knight was about to decide to draw his sword and fight him to the death.
But he didn’t.
“But someone still needs to drive the carriage,” Shivers said.
He and Dwight both looked at Charlie.
Charlie’s long ears twitched slightly, then—
“No. My Lord, if we bring one more person, I guarantee no one will even touch the hem of Kurt’s robe.”
The corners of Shiver’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. “Then you might need to wear warmer clothes.”
Riding or driving a carriage in this weather was no easy task, especially since he didn’t believe that the slender yet lean peculiar shopkeeper could physically match the well-trained knights.
“Ah, no, no, no.” Charlie’s ears perked up. “I have a more suitable candidate.”
Shivers stared at him. “You said we can’t bring another person—”
“Correct,” Charlie said decisively. “No more, but I can take care of the carriage issue. Please don’t worry.”
Half an hour later.
A luxuriously unreasonable carriage for a long journey stopped in front of the Treehole Inn, with curious children from the houses nearby straining at their windows to get a clearer view.
“Tom! Tom! Do you think those carriage windows are made of gold? Pure gold?”
“Did you see that crest? It’s shinier than mom’s earrings! Tony!”
Several tall knights stood at the door, looking at Charlie with unfriendly gazes.
Unaware, Charlie elegantly opened the carriage door for the Duke, then got in himself.
In the front of the carriage, a little tin soldier sat cheerfully on the seat, its bottom cushioned by a plump cushion.
“Ready?” it called out spiritedly. “Say goodbye loudly! We’ll be back soon!”
Dwight didn’t believe that there was anyone in the world who could truly fulfill all wishes. If the legends were true, Maplewood would have been turned into a grand temple by devout and fervent believers long ago.
However, the legend of this mysterious little shop wasn’t entirely baseless. Dwight tended to think that the shop owner might be adept in some form of obscure black magic, a hidden master of white magic, or perhaps just a cunning swindler from the streets, the latter being more likely.
But…
None of the rumors had ever mentioned that the shopkeeper of this wishing fountain-like store was a rabbit.
“I’m not a rabbit.” As if knowing what the guests were thinking, the rabbit-headed shopkeeper shoved a clinking strange scale under the counter. “So, what brings you here?”
Dwight didn’t answer immediately but asked arrogantly and slowly, “What are you?”
The question was a bit too much.
Shivers uncomfortably pulled the door closed, blocking the eager gaze of the little tin soldier who had been bouncing outside.
“I’m obviously human,” the rabbit stated matter-of-factly.
The young Duke stroked the gem on the top of his cane, barely holding back a sarcastic remark.
“Assuming you’re human.” Dwight looked again at the shopkeeper, who seemed utterly unconcerned about his appearance, his fuzzy, long ears proudly upright. “From what I see, your reputation exceeds reality.”
This non-human appearance was nothing more than the result of magical transformation, whether voluntary or not, and it inevitably made one question this guy’s capabilities.
No matter how much magic and gold coins were used to equip the carriage and travel gear, the Duke was just an ordinary person, and traveling in this weather wasn’t a pleasant affair.
He petulantly blamed all this on the peculiar rabbit before him.
“Oh, do tell.” The shopkeeper stretched leisurely, indifferent to the strange looks from everyone. “Perhaps my overrated abilities are just enough for you.”
‘Great, here we go,’ Shivers thought expressionlessly.
His master had inherited his title early and was always the most noble and autocratic person in his domain, usually not allowing anyone to speak to him in such a tone.
Especially since that sounded more like a tit-for-tat mockery.
Dwight indeed frowned, and just when the other two in the room thought he was about to explode in anger, he turned to look outside instead.
The porch light had gone out at some unknown point, and it was pitch black outside.
Something clicked in his mind, and he suddenly remembered something.
On the night Priscilla left Brandenburg, he had stood on the highest tower of the castle looking out, but the ground was pitch black, and the occasional dim stars in the sky didn’t illuminate her path at all.
Charlie saw the Duke lift his head, his eyes devoid of emotion.
‘He’s really beautiful,’ the rabbit-headed shopkeeper thought inappropriately.
“Assuming you adhere to human customs,” the Duke slowly said, “could you at least make some tea for your guest?”
Just as he’s quirky and sarcastic.
The shopkeeper thought to himself again.
Ten minutes later, Dwight, ever so picky, had settled himself into a black walnut armchair, while Shivers was given a patchwork cotton-backed chair—which Dwight glanced at and quickly looked away from, convinced that bad taste could be contagious through the air.
But at least everyone was comfortable now. Even the two knights who had been waiting outside were resting in a small living room with a fireplace, and Charlie had considerately taken the two white horses to his warm stable as well.
Charlie brewed a large pot of milk, seemingly determined to prove he wasn’t just a carrot-eating rabbit, and he specially brought out almond cake and butter cookies.
Dwight didn’t touch the butter cookies.
Charlie seemed not to mind his arrogance at all, smiling and gesturing for him to please help himself.
Shivers pulled out a slender velvet box, unadorned except for the pure gold clasp that clicked pleasingly when opened.
A delicate pink rose lay quietly inside the box, which, despite its understated appearance, must have been enchanted in some way, as the fragile petals still bore morning dew.
It was a fresh and tender flower that inevitably evoked pity.
But Charlie only glanced at it before looking away.
“What?” Dwight asked nonchalantly, noticing that the other’s flippant, long ears had stopped moving.
“Regrettably,” Charlie said softly, “its life force is rapidly fading.”
He could guess why the young Duke had come to Elmwood Street.
Shivers, holding the box, moved his hand almost imperceptibly, slightly incredulous. Had this ridiculous rabbit guessed their purpose without the Duke even saying a word?
The room suddenly fell eerily quiet, and Dwight glanced out the window, noticing that the snow had stopped.
“My mother once told me about Priscilla’s birth,” he said softly.
His sister, Priscilla, was the first child of the Duke and Duchess. She was also born in winter, but it wasn’t very cold. When the news of her safe birth and a tax break spread from the castle, everyone in the domain celebrated the Duke’s benevolence and the birth of a new life. Gifts from all over were continuously brought into the castle. Fairies from the woods personally came to bless her and planted a cluster of pink roses in the Duchess’s greenhouse, telling her that her daughter would have a face as delicate and beautiful as a flower, and if she was willing to smile, even the most hard-hearted person in the world couldn’t bear to hurt her with even a finger.
That cluster of roses grew up with Priscilla, and by the time Priscilla was fifteen, it had taken over the entire greenhouse.
“The rose was mostly vibrant—only twice in my memory was that not the case.”
Dwight unconsciously stroked the gem on his cane, his drooping eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes.
The first time was when he was still very young, Priscilla fell seriously ill, and every day different doctors came and went from the castle. The Duke and Duchess, exhausted, stood vigil by their daughter’s bedside, but didn’t allow Dwight to come near his sister’s room.
So little Dwight visited the greenhouse daily to see his “sister’s roses”, and although the maids still took great care of it, the roses wilted day by day, causing the anxious and capricious Dwight to lose his temper several times.
He couldn’t remember which doctor cured Priscilla, but he remembered the day when his mother allowed him to look at Priscilla from a distance in her bedroom, and the lackluster rose began to sprout new shoots again.
The second time was when they lost their parents at the same time. Priscilla locked herself in her room and cried for days, her tears causing the petals of the rose to fall, but they eventually perked up again—when the castle was shrouded in gloom, Priscilla put on her grandest dress, walked out of her room, took Dwight’s hand, and announced that Brandenburg was about to welcome its youngest master ever.
“Forgive my bluntness, but you probably already have an answer in mind,” Charlie said softly.
Dwight looked up. “So I’m seeking a solution.”
Doing nothing or resigning himself to fate wasn’t his style.
“So, what do you want from me?” Charlie asked.
A smiley-faced rabbit was certainly odd, but a serious expression was equally unsuited to a rabbit.
As Dwight pondered absentmindedly, he said, “That depends on what you can do.”
“What I can do is probably more than you think,” Charlie said, relaxing in the armchair and contentedly slurping down half a glass of milk. “In my shop, this has never been an issue.”
“So what’s the problem?” Dwight keenly sensed his implication.
The rabbit shopkeeper didn’t answer immediately but first stretched lazily, then turned to look at the arrogant Duke.
“The price.”
He said.
Of course, there were no people who could solve everything by snapping their fingers. Rather than saying he “grants wishes”, Charlie preferred to say he sold “directions for solving problems” to customers.
Priscilla had married at seventeen into the distant Southern Continent of Doran, where her partner was also a noble holding power and wealth. Both parties, in such positions and standings, meant that Dwight couldn’t rashly set foot on the other’s territory without correspondence or invitation beforehand.
And a duke shouldn’t travel alone to any unfamiliar places, but if accompanied by armed forces, then the moment he arrived at the destination, the other party could take it as a declaration of war.
The cunning shopkeeper knew what the young Duke cared about most.
“Even the most powerful mage’s crystal ball can’t always be clear, and human eyes are easily deceived,” Charlie said. “But the stars don’t lie.”
“You know astrology?” Dwight stared at him, his tone a bit dangerous, as if to say, “Admit it, and you die right here.”
Astrology was an extremely rare talent, and across several continents, there were no more than five astrologers who could read the trajectories of the stars and interpret the future—and those five were either controlled by empires or had disappeared.
As far as Dwight knew, two astrologers belonged to different empires, and one, though of pure blood and ability, was too old to get out of bed, effectively non-existent.
Other astrologers almost only lived in rumors.
“Of course not.” The rabbit-headed shopkeeper shrugged. “But I can give you results.”
Dwight narrowed his eyes at him for a moment. “How do I know you’re not just spouting nonsense to trick me?”
“It’s simple,” the shopkeeper said. “You might not believe me, but no one would doubt Astrologer Kurt.”
Astrologer Kurt, one of the three remaining famous astrologers and precisely the one known to Dwight as “missing”.
“Do you know where Kurt is?” Dwight immediately asked.
If it was Kurt’s astrological results, indeed, there was little to doubt, and it would be far more effective than hiring a hundred pretentious fortune tellers.
Charlie wagged his finger. “I can arrange a meeting for you.”
Dwight, seeing his confident demeanor, felt somewhat displeased.
But the noble upbringing he had received from childhood wouldn’t allow him to show too much emotion, so he suppressed his impatience and said indifferently, “Deal.”
Charlie laughed. “Not just yet, Your Lordship.”
Dwight looked at him.
“You missed the most important part of doing business,” he said softly. “We haven’t negotiated a price yet.”
“What do you want?” Dwight asked nonchalantly, knowing that if he really could bring in an astrologer, ordinary compensation would hardly suffice to sway this peculiar rabbit.
Charlie’s long ears stood up, annoyingly twitching.
“Two things.” Charlie put the teacup back on the tray, crossed his hands on his lap, and leaned back comfortably in the chair. “First, I want a promise, in your name, Duke Dwight, that when I ask, you must fulfill my request to the fullest extent, without reservation. I won’t cash this in immediately. Until then, please take care.”
Shivers looked at Charlie with an unfriendly gaze. “What do you mean by ‘please take care’?”
It’s almost as if the rabbit was saying, “Don’t you dare die or lose your title and wealth before you’ve paid me.”
What kind of remark is that!
Dwight ignored Charlie’s provocation and calmly signaled for him to continue.
“The second,” Charlie said with a smile, drawing out his tone, “is for you to beg me.”
This was the coldest winter in the history of Lemena.
Cotton-like, heavy snow enveloped the entire northern continent overnight, making it difficult to even find any traces of the cold-resistant long-tailed foxes. Thick snow covered the roofs and streetlamps, making all of Lemena look like a giant gingerbread house cake. People had piled up high stacks of firewood early and resolved to spend the entire long winter by the roaring fireplace and with warm mushroom soup.
Only one place was an exception.
Brandenburg and its surroundings didn’t have a speck of snow, as if a gentle hand had brushed away all the snowflakes above it. In the central courtyard of this castle, a huge greenhouse was steaming with warmth.
“Your Lordship, the elves’ magic can maintain a stable temperature inside the castle, but these roses are getting more haggard by the day.” Two gardeners had their heads bowed, not daring to look at their master.
The young master of the castle, Duke Dwight, stood in the greenhouse with his head lowered as he looked at the listless roses.
“These are Priscilla’s flowers,” he said softly. “I want them all to survive.”
But he had tried everything—he had hired the best craftsmen to maintain the greenhouse, the best gardeners to care for the seedlings, and had asked the elves to keep Brandenburg’s climate in perpetual spring before the harsh winter arrived, but no matter what he did, the flowers continued to wither.
“Think of something else,” he said to his butler standing by.
“If even the elves can’t do it…” the butler cautiously began.
“It’s not only elves who can do magic,” the Duke said nonchalantly. “Angels haven’t descended for almost three hundred years. What about demons?”
The butler shuddered inside.
“Demons only manipulate the undead. They’re not skilled in life magic,” he quickly countered.
“What other way is there?” The Duke looked at his butler.
The young Duke, not yet twenty, inherited his mother’s fair skin and exceptional facial features, which gave him a beauty that transcended gender, captivating to anyone who laid eyes on him. Although he seldom left Brandenburg, poets celebrated his “almost angelic” appearance, and it had become widely known.
Only the butler knew that his master’s personality was far from as clear and innocent as his appearance suggested.
He thought for a moment, then cautiously said, “Perhaps there are other ways.”
The Duke turned to look at him.
“Legend has it that on the other side of the Lake of Sighs, in the town of Maplewood, there’s a shop,” the butler said. “I’ve heard knights mention that the shop owner can fulfill all sorts of wishes to some extent.”
The Duke raised an eyebrow sarcastically. “‘Fulfill all wishes’?”
Except for the God of Creation, who else could boast such a thing?
The butler fell silent. Such joke-like rumors weren’t supposed to be brought up before the noble Duke, but a returned scribe had earnestly claimed in front of him that this magical shop had fulfilled some absurd wish of a king, earning a reward beyond ordinary people’s imaginations, more than enough to buy the entire town of Maplewood.
The greenhouse fell into a brief silence.
“Call the Knight Commander,” the Duke said nonchalantly. “I want him to make a trip before the snow stops.”
Lake of Sighs by name alone sounded like a good place for a spring picnic or an autumn stroll—and indeed it was. Only it was much larger than an ordinary lake, and its winter lakeside scenery wasn’t at all beautiful, especially this year with such cold weather. The wind, mixed with snow foam, blew incessantly, and the rigid black tree branches reached straight into the sky like countless witches’ fingers.
Around ten o’clock at night, the gatekeeper of Maplewood, Atto, rubbed his red eyes. He had drunk a lot that day and wanted to go to bed early, so he decided to close the gate a bit earlier. After all, with such cold weather, no one would come.
He shivered as he wrapped himself tightly in his dogskin coat and just stepped out of the hut when the cold wind sobered him up considerably.
It wasn’t yet deep winter, but the temperature was simply hellish. Atto had been outside for less than a minute when his hands froze, and he struggled to extend his arms, trying to remove the lantern hanging on the gate.
Just then, a horse’s neigh came from the nearby darkness. Atto paused for a moment, his alcohol-addled brain taking two minutes to kick into gear.
“This damn weather!” he grumbled loudly, and although reluctant, he still approached the wooden window to look outside.
Three tall white horses broke through the pitch-black night, galloping rapidly towards him, making Atto shiver, his clumsy fingers fumbling to unlock the large lock.
He saw a golden ducal crest on the carriage pulled by the horses.
A fully armored, tall knight looked down at him.
“Good evening, gatekeeper,” he said. “My Master needs a place to rest tonight.”
Maplewood welcomed a distinguished guest on a bitterly cold winter night.
Sheriff John stumbled out of the door to greet the sudden arrival of the noble Duke. His wife frantically directed the maids to change the sheets, spray perfume, and hastily clean the hallways. She unnecessarily woke up her two plump daughters, ordering them to respectfully wait by the door with jugs of water and bread.
On the other side, the sheriff nervously allowed the tall knight to scrutinize him up and down.
“I have prepared the best room for Your Lordship,” the sheriff said eagerly. “The stove is burning very warmly, and we have also prepared the finest Molida Island wine.”
Knight Commander Shivers nodded slightly, turned around, and the two knights accompanying him stepped forward to open the carriage door.
The sheriff, although he knew he shouldn’t, couldn’t help but sneak a peek—the young Duke, famous across the continent for his beauty, was someone everyone had only heard about in legends, and such a legendary figure had actually come to his town. Even the most old-fashioned monk in the monastery would surely be tempted to take a look.
Unfortunately, he only caught a glimpse of a white-gloved hand lightly knocking on the carriage door.
Understanding the cue, Shivers, with a stern face, said, “We encountered nightmarish monsters by the Lake of Sighs. Only with the blessing of the God of Light were we able to arrive safely. My Master wishes to first go to the church to pray, to ward off evil spirits, and to listen for guidance.”
After finishing, he didn’t wait for the sheriff’s dumbfounded expression and mounted his horse.
The sheriff’s enthusiasm was instantly doused, but he still remembered not to neglect the Duke, and hurriedly went forward to lead the way personally.
Shivers didn’t stop. A baby-faced young knight, smiling affably, intercepted him, whispered a few words, and quickly followed the carriage away.
The sheriff’s wife waited in the warm corridor for half a day, but the handsome young Duke didn’t arrive. Anxious, she fussed over her daughters’ skirts while stretching her neck to peek around.
“Dear.” She finally saw her husband come in and quickly lowered her voice. “The Duke…”
After dismissing all the servants, the sheriff said, “Let Lily and Sissy go to sleep. The Duke isn’t staying.”
The sheriff’s wife immediately widened her eyes. “He’s not staying? Then where is the Duke going?”
The sheriff hesitantly said, “The church.”
But honestly, anyone could tell that was just a pretext from the Knight Commander. The church in winter didn’t even have a stove, and not to brag, but if the Duke didn’t fancy even the best house in town, which was the sheriff’s residence, where else could he go?
However, the sheriff’s wife was pondering another question.
“Could the Duke be going to Mona’s place?” She raised her voice. “That vile, dirty—”
“Who’s Mona?”
Duke Dwight sat in the carriage. Despite the long and cold journey, his robe remained impeccably smooth, accentuating his usually pale skin, making him look like a beautifully dressed ice sculpture.
Shivers, seated on his horse, breathed out a puff of white air. “People call her the red agate on the silver goblet, a midsummer night’s dream—”
He caught a glimpse of his master’s cold expression through the carriage window and immediately clammed up. “The innkeeper of the town, rumored to be a passionate beauty.”
The young Duke lowered his eyes, casually stroking the emerald on the top of his silver-handled cane. His tone was so calm, it was almost mocking. “A beauty?”
Shivers felt quite wronged. The Dwight family had always been known for their power and beauty. Honestly, if he had the Duke’s looks, even just looking in the mirror every day would make it hard to be interested in any beauty, let alone a widow from the countryside—but what could he do? That poor sheriff certainly couldn’t guess that the Duke didn’t stay because he didn’t like his looks. Shivers himself had never been to Maplewood before, and it took some digging to remember an inn famous for its beautiful innkeeper, which was not only dismissed but also mocked by his master.
It was already deep into the night, and the streets were almost deserted. The black cast iron lampposts were covered with a thick layer of frost. The faint light from the streetlamps seemed about to be frozen solid, so dim it appeared it might go out the next second.
However, the luxuriously enchanted carriage emitted a faint warmth both inside and out, lending an absurd sense of humor to the silent streetscape.
Dwight was silent for a while before finally saying, “Go to Elmwood Street.”
In the dimly lit whispers of taverns, beside the campfires of weary rangers, even in the songs of minstrels, this address and the mysterious little shop it contained often came up.
22 Paulownia Street, Maplewood.
Glory, wealth, or youth that lasts,
My promises may not come to pass,
Before you ring, take heed, beware,
Make a wish, traveler with care,
Whatever your heart does yearn,
Whatever your deepest desires burn.
The midnight street was eerily quiet. Most of the cobblestone streets were covered with snow. The noble carriage could only go as far as the street corner—the stone houses on either side squeezed tightly upwards, the road so narrow that at most two people could walk side by side.
Expensive boots made a crunching sound on the snow. The severe cold had most households tightly shut their doors and windows, unwilling to let even a bit of light escape, making the faint light at the end of the street seem like a dream.
Dwight stopped in front of the steps, his beautiful pale irises staring at a uniformed tin soldier standing by the door. Before he could approach, the previously motionless tin soldier suddenly jerked as if glitching.
Dwight: “……”
What is this?
Tin Soldier: “Guests! Charlie! Charlie!”
The tin soldier’s shrill voice was unusually loud in the winter night. Before the Duke and his Knight Commander could react, the heavy wooden door creaked and slowly opened from the inside.
“Excuse me.” A gentle male voice came from inside. “Close the door behind you—it’s really too cold today, isn’t it?”
The half-open door let out warm yellow light. Right next to it was a long counter, cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends. A figure was half-crouched behind the counter, seemingly fixing something, making a delicate clattering noise.
Seemingly startled by the breeze that swept in through the door, the figure stood up and shouted at them, “Do me a favor, please don’t stand on my doorstep in a daze!”
Dwight’s eyebrows twitched, and Shivers instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword.
Standing behind the counter was a rabbit.
To be precise, it was a creature with the body of a normal man but the head of a Lloyd Country Rabbit above the neck—fluffy, long-eared, round, and big eyes staring at the two visitors, startled, with a disapproving look.
Kinky Thoughts:
I’ve been a fan of western fantasy, especially ever since I read Stray. This was a recommendation from a friend, and I quite like it, so I decided to pick it up.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, his insides felt as if they had melted into a pool of blood, and there was an indescribable swelling sensation throughout his body, as if something was about to burst out of him at any second.
Unfortunately, he rather liked that dream. After waking up, he wanted to kiss his boyfriend again.
“Thank you for your assistance. We are now even.”
Nol opened his eyes, just in time to hear Teest’s conversation with Subelbot. Subelbot’s attitude had improved considerably—not in a content and satisfied manner, but in one that held a certain wariness. This ancient dragon leader had finally realized that a war beyond his understanding was brewing in this land.
Compared to when Teest showed his might, the dragon was now even more cautious. He seemed to have a new judgment about Paradise, which was good news.
‘Perhaps this time, it was because he had leaked some power,’ Nol thought. He could feel a bit of his own power fluctuating on Teest. Maybe Teest had taken something from him.
But when he tried to recall it, the dream slipped away. Just like a normal dream, it faded quickly after waking up.
Nol shifted his gaze towards Painter not far away. Painter had a complicated expression, and Nol couldn’t quite tell what emotion he was trying to express. But he knew, at least, that it wasn’t approval.
Nol held his buzzing head. The discomfort still lingered in his chest and abdomen, as if someone had thrown a stone inside his organs. He sat up from the stone floor, admiring the beautiful decorations inside Subelbot’s cave. Under the morning light, the gold objects emitted a dazzling halo, as if they had never been touched by the night.
During the previous meeting, Nol was somewhat unsure of what to say, so he left the communication to his more experienced teammate. Now, he chose to remain silent on his own initiative, trying to appear dazed.
“Honey, let’s go back,” Teest said to him with a smile. For a moment, Nol caught a fragment of the dream again.
“Can you check on Lynn and the others for me? I’d like some quiet for a while. My ears are still buzzing,” Nol said softly. “I’ll come find you later, I promise.”
Teest was clearly surprised by this request, pondering for a couple of seconds before nodding hesitantly.
“Thank you for your help. I’m not in good shape right now, but I will point out the treasures within the Dragon’s Lair for you.” After making sure Teest left first, Nol stood up with the help of the stone slab and gave a slight bow to Subelbot.
In the corner of his eye, Painter quietly disappeared. But not ten steps out of the cave, the former Pope’s ankle was entangled by fine vines.
“Your methods are becoming more and more similar. How sweet.” Painter chuckled helplessly.
Behind him, a somewhat weakened Nol leaned against the wall as he walked out.
“You left too hastily,” Nol said quietly.
Painter: “Forgive my impatience. I just wanted to deliver the sword as soon as possible.”
“You think Teest is hiding something very dangerous.” Nol didn’t respond and instead continued on his own, “And your allegiance is not to ‘Paradise’ but to ‘Tahe’. Delivering the god-slaying sword as soon as possible is the most deterrent option.”
“Ah, well, you’re especially astute at times like this.” Painter spread his hands. “Based on my understanding of you two, if Mr. Teest really failed, he would definitely show more disappointment or impatience.”
“The Mad Monk is a master of disguising emotions. He shouldn’t have such flaws normally. It’s thanks to you. You’ve introduced many emotions he hasn’t figured out yet…”
“So, you think my situation is very bad, and what Star Stealer Sol called ‘the source of disaster’ is likely the truth.”
Nol wasn’t swayed by Painter’s ramblings. “I have the potential to destroy everything, or worse, I once had plans to destroy everything, but just sealed it temporarily.”
Painter shrugged, not answering directly. “Are you here to take the ‘Dominator’ sword?”
Nol didn’t answer directly either. “Please draw it out.”
The sun had fully risen, pouring down golden sunlight. The two stood on a towering stone platform, not far from Subelbot’s nest. The sunlight stretched the shadow of the stone platform long, making them seem like part of a sundial.
Painter sighed several times, drawing the long sword without humility. He stared at Nol seriously, his light green eyes devoid of humor.
A great mage’s physical strength was poor, and the divine longsword was exceptionally heavy; he needed both hands to hold it steady. The blade shone brightly, as if forged from sunlight.
Its power was undeniable. “Slaying gods” wasn’t just an empty phrase. But just by its design, it really didn’t suit Teest, Nol thought.
And since it was made by Star Stealer Sol, who knew if there were any tricks involved?
Nol took out the letter opener from his pocket, cut his hand again, and dripped blood onto the handle of the letter opener. After completing these actions, he placed the letter opener gently on the sword blade, activating the [Creator] skill.
The bloodied letter opener gradually merged into the blade, dimming the bright light slightly, and a faint red halo appeared on the blade.
Using that drop of blood, the letter opener remained in an activated state, identifying Nol as the user.
With the letter opener merged into the “Dominator”—
“Now it can not only slay gods but also Players. Teest definitely won’t like this sword. Please keep it a secret for me.” Nol said, “As a reward, I’ve checked for you. Star Stealer Sol hasn’t tampered with the sword. Go give it to the person you have in mind. I trust your judgment.”
Painter raised his eyebrows. “Such significant power, and you’re just handing it over to me?”
“I think no matter what I become, Teest won’t hurt me,” Nol said. “Assuming I… I truly fall into madness, at least before that happens, I want to leave hope for Tahe.”
“Oh.” Painter’s eyebrows rose higher. “It seems you have no intention of considering Star Stealer Sol’s proposal.”
Nol fell silent, he looked up, gazing at the vast blue sky over the Dragon’s Lair for a while.
“To minimize casualties, letting Star Stealer Sol end me might be a good option.” Nol said, “But I’m actually not good at these—I mean, the current me isn’t good at these intrigues. My only way to resist its schemes is to not believe anything it says.”
“If I’m killed by a creature nurtured by Tahe, at least it would be a fitting end. If things progress to that point, indeed, there will be many sacrifices, but……”
Painter narrowed his eyes.
“…But I want to live, no matter how bad the current situation is.” Under the sunlight, the Creator’s blue eyes were almost transparent. “There’s still my sealed neighbor in the system, and methods for returning home are waiting for me to explore. I don’t want to leave behind the person I love.”
“I want to live. I don’t want to give up prematurely for some possibility—I’ve thought it through. This is my selfishness. Maybe I’m not the god you were expecting.”
Painter suddenly smiled, his smile growing wider until he burst into laughter.
“No, no.” The former Pope shook his head repeatedly. “In my opinion, a god with flesh and blood and selfishness is definitely better than an absolutely rational machine—people can pray to the former, communicate with the former, which the latter cannot do.”
With that, he sheathed the long sword and bowed deeply.
“Rest assured, I will choose a good master for this sword.” Painter’s face still wore a smile. “I hope that in the end, we will become your sword and shield, rather than your rebellious subjects.”
A whirlwind rose at Painter’s feet, and at the same time, his presence gradually faded. He leapt from the Dragon’s Lair and melted into the wind.
The former Pope had left.
Nol remained on the stone platform, looking into the distance. From this height, he could see the golden edge of the horizon, the mist rolling among the lush shrubs, and patches of forest so beautiful they took one’s breath away.
The sunlight fell on him, soft and warm. It was always cloudy in his memories. It seemed like a long time since he had simply enjoyed the sun like this.
However, he had more important things to do than enjoy the sunlight; things that were equally soft and warm.
Nol returned to his room and immediately saw Teest sitting on the bed. His knight was eating soft cookies with cheese spread and almost choked when Nol suddenly returned.
“Lynn, Dorothy, and Kando aren’t in their rooms. Only that stupid Barto puppet is,” he said, licking the cheese spread from the corners of his mouth.
Nol: “And then?”
“You asked me to check on their situation, and I have. They are not there,” Teest said warily. “You wouldn’t expect me to go looking for them, would you? I was waiting for you to come back.”
He knew he had to lay out every step if he wanted the Mad Monk to do anything reliable. Nol pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s hear your findings first. We all know that the magic definitely didn’t fail.”
Teest’s gaze drifted away again. “You asked me to take you to Perradat’s ‘core’, saying that guy would figure things out.”
“It sounds like there’s hope. Don’t pass the message. Just use telepathy to let me see the images—in case there’s a misunderstanding, that wouldn’t be good,” Nol said.
Teest quickly swallowed the rest of his cookie and hummed lengthily. “Asking Kando would still be more efficient, don’t you think? This could be a wonderful opportunity to mend your relationship with them. You… Hm!”
Nol decisively stepped forward and embraced Teest. He could feel Teest’s heart beating rapidly beneath his ribs. It suddenly sped up a few beats.
“It seems things are really bad,” Nol said, as Teest’s body stiffened slightly in his arms. “I won’t look. Just tell me why, okay?”
Teest muttered indistinctly, taking a while before speaking.
“You’ve become too strong. The knowledge seal can’t suppress you now. Your own—your subconscious—doesn’t seem to know what to do either, only saying to go find Perradat.”
“Okay, I got it,” Nol said, casually stroking that long hair. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Just like that? That’s it?” Teest seemed surprised. “Aren’t you afraid I’m lying to you, or hiding something?”
“No.” Nol said, “Let’s go. I have a lot more to do. Like giving myself some more self-weakening curses—the kind that can be undone—”
The Dragon’s Lair certainly didn’t lack curses. To Nol’s knowledge, a dragon’s tomb should have a dozen curse gift packs. By now, Nol vaguely sensed the meaning behind the [Physical Destruction] curse.
This curse severely suppressed his stats, preventing him from rapidly becoming stronger when he knew nothing of the world. Without it, would he have lost control even earlier?
If he was already on the verge of losing control, and the “Goddess of Life” made her descent among the Players, it would definitely be a different situation.
In the battle with the Dracolich of the Dragon’s Lair, both he and Teest received what was called a curse, a blessing. The system’s assistance was spot on, perhaps too much so, almost like a pre-designed contingency plan.
The entity capable of such an act was clearly not Star Stealer Sol—that guy couldn’t even set up a mainline quest properly. His control over system powers wasn’t to this extent.
Things seem to be getting more interesting, Nol thought. Behind all these terrifying experiences, it seemed something deeper was hidden.
The evidence was, despite all he had gone through recently—his life and the world have been put on the balance, and imminent ruin was at hand, but he wasn’t truly panicked or tormented.
It was a subtly unreasonable calm.
Of course, the priority was to figure out where Lynn and the others had gone. Nol turned his head to see Teest, still with surprised eyes. His knight seemed shocked by his unconditional trust.
Nol couldn’t help but embrace Teest again, kissing his forehead.
He had intended to kiss his lips, but he suddenly wanted to do this instead. It was a subtly unreasonable familiarity, with a fleetingness like awakening from a dream.
He wished for his compatriots to return home and for Tahe to have a perfect ending. This had always been what he was praying for, and now, Nol suddenly had a small wish.
If all this was part of a plan.
I hope you’re not part of the plan, honey.
……
The serpentman prophet was missing.
The moment Lynn realized this, a chill went through her heart. Given that the serpentman prophet had triggered Star Stealer Sol’s divine descent projection, if this individual was a deeply hidden follower of Star Stealer Sol, things could get complicated.
Even if the serpentman prophet was a compatriot, compatriots had various attitudes. She remembered those Players who called themselves “Demons” and indulged in killing. Star Stealer Sol was skilled at beguiling hearts. Who knew what troubles it could stir up.
Without waiting for Dorothy to plead, Lynn rushed out. Taking with her Tom and Jerry, two puppet companions, she followed the tracks on the ground. Just to be safe, she also took Kando, who had been left in the room.
Halfway through, she even thought the serpent had gotten drunk. The tracks on the ground were erratic. The serpentman prophet seemed to wander near the battlefield, going wherever it pleased.
“You know you can’t use me, right?” Kando spoke from her bag. “Ugh, it’s so nauseating being jostled about. What did you bring me out for?”
“Nol isn’t here. I need some help.” Lynn scanned her surroundings sharply. “I can’t let her step into the Lost Tower if she’s a traitor.”
Leaves rustled under her boots. In the distance, the undead dragon Telistam yawned, exhaling a small puff of cyan flame.
“I’m just a candle now. Don’t expect too much from a candle,” Kando said.
Lynn ignored the chatter. “Nol said you’re well-versed in all things combat. If—shh!”
She spotted the slender figure of the serpentman. Lilith was standing on a lawn, gazing in a certain direction like a statue. Lynn looked that way but saw nothing.
Just to be safe, it was better to bring her back first. Lynn gestured, and the two puppet servants, Tom and Jerry, moved quietly, surrounding Lilith.
The Supreme Domination Witch’s sneak attack ability was ranked in the top ten among monsters. Such monsters had dark and concealed magical fluctuations. But puppets were dead things and emitted no presence. Just as the two puppets neared, Lilith abruptly turned around.
The serpentman prophet’s eyes turned into a unique glowing blue, shining brightly like a clear sky. Those eyes swept towards Lynn’s hiding spot, and Lilith’s face broke into a sweet smile.
The next moment, the blue faded away. Lilith’s expression became somewhat confused, and Lynn didn’t miss this chance, sending the two puppets at her again.
This time, before they took a few steps, they fell under a blaze of cyan flame. Kando, somehow, had floated up between Lynn and Lilith, its single blue eye wide open.
“Kando?!”
“The presence of my god, Perradat.” Kando spoke with seriousness. “Sorry, miss. You can’t touch her yet.”
“Is that so?”
Lynn didn’t lower her guard. She slightly crouched, the nearby soil stirring as more mud puppets slowly took shape. “I must say, our team is just fabulous.”
The pent-up frustration finally found an outlet.
“The team leader turns into a hostile monster at the drop of a hat, his obsessive killer is swinging the ‘Betrayer’ around daily. The apostate old fox appears out of nowhere, the neighbor we picked up sneaks out alone, and now even you block me—if I don’t betray something, I feel like I don’t fit in.”
Behind Kando, Lilith was already prepared for battle.
Poison orbs floated around her, and golden symbols spun, arranging into sentences Lynn couldn’t understand.
“Which Dragon’s Lair rule says I can’t go out?” Lilith shouted. “You all were gone. Can’t I take a walk?”
Perradat’s divine grace turned out to be quite useful. Now, she could make very short predictions in combat without the need for lengthy prayers for prophecies.
With this, she could escape even if she couldn’t win, giving Lilith more confidence in her words.
“Taking a stroll to the battlefield. Quite the leisurely pastime,” Lynn said. “Even a note would have made this whole situation less abrupt—Perradat’s presence? What are you hiding from us?”
Strange, Lynn thought. This argument feels oddly smooth.
Lilith’s spells charged menacingly. “Even if I went to Paradise, I don’t need to spill my secrets to you!”
‘Arguing with this one is indeed more stimulating than fighting,’ Lilith thought.
“You’re not that old, are you? I need to ensure everyone’s safety! Come back with me now and explain everything—”
Lynn clenched her fists, and the army of mud puppets roared softly.
Kando looked left and right. He slowly landed, then crawled steadily away to find a suitable rock for spectating.
“I’ll go back if I want to. It’s none of your business,” Lilith said unhappily. “I’m under pressure too. Can’t you speak nicely? You start off with this lecturing tone, and you’re not even my sister!”
The air suddenly became tense.
Kinky Thoughts:
Pretty sure we have a good idea of who Painter is going to give that sword to (given the oracles that were revealed).
After hearing Zhou Qian’s words, He Xiaowei was still uneasy. He felt that Zhou Qian might still be observing something through him.
However, without Zhou Qian, he would have been dead long ago. With this thought, He Xiaowei no longer hesitated. After swallowing his saliva, he prepared to walk towards the three NPCs. But before he could get there, Zhou Qian suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
“Wait,” Zhou Qian said.
“What’s up?” He Xiaowei asked.
“My son is back,” Zhou Qian replied, then fell silent for a moment.
As He Xiaowei turned around to ask what he meant, he saw a deep blue little dragon standing on Zhou Qian’s shoulder, whispering something to him. After a while, Zhou Qian looked up at He Xiaowei and said, “Paper, rock, scissors, scissors, paper, rock. For the first six rounds of rock-paper-scissors, follow this sequence.”
He Xiaowei’s eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and asked in a low voice, “So, what does this mean? Will I win or lose with this?”
“The final outcome, as I said before, is up to you. But start with these six rounds to buy some time,” Zhou Qian said.
“Just… to buy time?” He Xiaowei frowned.
“Yes. I just need a little time to figure out what’s going on with this game,” Zhou Qian explained. “We still don’t know how many rounds this game will have. No matter who wins or loses at the beginning, eventually there will likely be a need for the players to run around in circles. Just buy some time and leave the rest to me.”
Although He Xiaowei sometimes liked to verbally spar with Zhou Qian after getting to know him, it was all in jest during inconsequential moments.
At this point, he had come to trust Zhou Qian completely in every respect. He immediately memorized the sequence Zhou Qian told him, and as the village chief began to hurry them, he moved towards the final showdown arena.
The other three winning NPCs consisted of two men and a woman. With He Xiaowei joining, it became a rock-paper-scissors game with three men and one woman.
He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian’s advice for six rounds, and indeed, in these six rounds, rock, paper, scissors all appeared simultaneously.
In the blink of an eye, the seventh round started.
He Xiaowei wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt the gazes from the two men and the woman on him were somewhat abnormal.
He swallowed another gulp of saliva and looked back. The sun had set a bit more, and amidst the bustling crowd, he couldn’t spot Zhou Qian at that moment. He had no choice but to follow Zhou Qian’s advice—just play it by ear, win or lose, and leave it to fate.
In the seventh round, He Xiaowei and a muscular man both threw scissors, while the other slim young man and the only woman both threw paper. Thus, in the eighth round, it came down to a duel between He Xiaowei and the muscular man.
Before throwing, He Xiaowei swallowed his saliva for the third time, his hands shaking with nervousness, until he remembered Zhou Qian’s confident, glowing eyes in the sunset right before joining the final match. This helped calm his nerves somewhat, and he threw his hand simultaneously with the muscular man—
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian went to look for other clues while He Xiaowei was buying time.
The reason Zhou Qian could instruct He Xiaowei to throw accurately and buy time was, of course, thanks to the little dragon.
The little dragon’s gaze, memory, and agility were all quite impressive.
Earlier, during the initial rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Zhou Qian had the little dragon roam around to memorize. It actually managed to remember the throwing habits of the three winners.
Zhou Qian could then predict their next moves and direct He Xiaowei accordingly. His goal was indeed just to create ties and buy time, not necessarily to make He Xiaowei lose or win.
Thus, it wouldn’t matter if those people suddenly changed their habits midway. Because when throwing, the first two choices among rock, paper, scissors are usually fixed. So, the time bought by these two ties was almost enough for Zhou Qian to make use of.
After instructing He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian patted the little dragon’s head and said with a smile, “My little dragon is really impressive. Is it because your dad is just that great, right?”
After saying this, Zhou Qian turned back to meet Bai Zhou’s gaze not far behind.
“I was praising the little dragon. You’re the big dragon.”
With this tease, Zhou Qian noticed the movements of the innkeeper, Tartar, and made a silencing gesture to Bai Zhou with his index finger, then turned around to walk towards her.
Not long ago, at the start of the in-group rock-paper-scissors competition, Zhou Qian had been keeping an eye on Tartar’s movements. He noticed Tartar speaking to three villagers who weren’t participating in the game, seemingly instructing them on something before they headed towards the inn.
Zhou Qian approached Tartar because those three people had returned from the direction of the inn.
Each of the three people was pulling a wooden cart with wheels, bringing three different things.
The first person brought a cart full of Jack-o’-lanterns. The second was hauling a cart with peculiar costumes and monster masks. The third brought over a large pot of meat. His cart not only had a pot of meat but also many large iron bowls that wouldn’t break easily.
When Zhou Qian and the others first arrived for the game, they had seen seven large iron pots for stewing meat at the entrance of the inn. It was presumed that the meat came from those pots. But… who was it for?
Recalling his journey from the Tartar Inn to the square, in addition to noticing the head statue facing west turning blue and the glass on the second floor of the inn also shimmering blue, Zhou Qian remembered another detail—all the households in the village had dogs, all of which were pure white.
When Zhou Qian had a guess in his mind, he happened to see Tartar taking down large iron bowls from the third cart, neatly arranging them at the edge of the square, then using a large iron spoon to ladle the meat into the bowls, one by one.
Walking a few more steps forward, Zhou Qian made his way through the crowd to stand before innkeeper Tartar.
With a smile, Zhou Qian asked, “Beautiful innkeeper, may I ask you something?”
Tartar, seemingly pleased to be called “beautiful”, scooped some meat into a bowl in front of her and asked Zhou Qian, “What is it?”
“Who is this meat for?” Zhou Qian inquired.
Tartar smiled without speaking. Zhou Qian then asked, “The villagers are very kind to dogs. Is this for them?”
Tartar gave Zhou Qian a meaningful look before finally saying, “The villagers believe that animals are spirits that can lead humans into other worlds. The purer the animal’s fur color, the stronger its spiritual power, allowing it to communicate with beings from other worlds.”
Zhou Qian asked, “You’ve taken great care of the white dogs, specially stewing meat for them tonight, so they can communicate with beings from other worlds and thus protect you? So, they are important.”
Tartar said, “Dogs, Jack-o’-lanterns, and these costumes are all very important. Dogs can help us identify beings from other worlds through communication, warning us in advance if there is danger. The jack-o’-lanterns and peculiar costumes can make us appear as beings from other worlds, serving a certain deterrent effect. I’ve already prepared some in your rooms. Now take them, and you won’t have to be afraid on your way back to the inn later.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted from Tartar back to the people in the four circles on the square.
If at first he hadn’t noticed anything, now he was increasingly feeling a sense of foreboding.
When he first arrived, everyone was sitting, including men, women, the elderly, and the young, and nothing seemed amiss at a glance. But since the start of the rock-paper-scissors, for the game to proceed smoothly, these people had started to stand up and move around.
From this, Zhou Qian realized one thing—their speed of movement was very fast.
Even the seemingly frail young boys and girls, or the elderly with white hair, moved quickly through the crowds to watch others’ matches. Taking advantage of this time, Zhou Qian discovered that not only were their movements exceptionally swift, but they were also very agile.
Zhou Qian took special note of an old man, so old his back was hunched, who, to get a better view of a neighboring circle’s final match, did a somersault, jumping over three to five people. His movements weren’t clumsy at all; like a gust of wind, he had moved a distance in an instant.
The same was true for the three NPCs currently competing in rock-paper-scissors with He Xiaowei.
When Zhou Qian looked over, coinciding with the defeat of the man and woman, leaving He Xiaowei and a muscular man for the final. The man and woman each returned to the eastern and western sides of the crowd, with the man disappearing in a blink, running back at great speed. As for the woman, she jumped and immediately returned to the west side.
Before noticing this anomaly, just like the unresolved debate between He Xiaowei and the two girls, no one knew whether it was better to lose or win the handkerchief game. Zhou Qian also didn’t know.
But after observing these traits of the NPCs participating in the game, Zhou Qian could undoubtedly make an inference—these people want to win the game.
Therefore, it was highly possible that the “vigil” the losers of the game would face was extremely perilous.
In the center of the nearby square, the final showdown between He Xiaowei and the muscular man was about to unfold.
At this moment, the chaotic crowd returned to their original positions, forming four circles again.
Everyone looked towards the final round with curiosity, excitement, and nervousness, yet their gazes also carried a hint of peculiarity and eeriness.
As the final round was about to start, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately return to his seat.
The reason was that he had noticed something unusual—through the brief movement when those people stood up, Zhou Qian discovered that their clothing had distinctive features.
On the east side, the hem of the men’s shirts and the corner of the women’s skirts were all adorned with a sun.
On the west side, the same parts of the clothing bore stars. The south side had moons, and the north side had clouds.
The groups associated with the sun, stars, and moon each consisted of sixteen people, enough to form a complete circle for the handkerchief game. But the cloud group only had eight people, and it was only with the addition of eight players, or rather, “refugees” from the Land of Silence, that they could make up a circle of sixteen.
Seizing the last moments, Zhou Qian asked Tartar, “Are people from different circles from different families?”
“Yes. The Day Family, Moon Family, Star Family, Cloud Family. These are the four major families in the village,” Tartar responded with a smile, looking at Zhou Qian. “Everyone from each family wishes to win the game to bring glory to their family.”
After saying this, Tartar continued to ladle meat soup, saying nothing more. At this time, Zhou Qian heard the village chief declare, “Alright, let’s congratulate Awei for winning!”
Awei referred to the muscular man.
In the final round, He Xiaowei threw scissors, and the muscular man threw rock.
Moments later, under the village chief’s guidance, everyone returned to their places and sat down. The muscular man named Awei received a snow-white handkerchief from the village chief and then began to walk slowly around the crowd, starting with someone on the east side.
He was from the southern circle, so this time he was circling the southern circle.
“Now, the person throwing the handkerchief is a burly man. Who will he give the handkerchief to? Oh, the anticipation…”
The NPCs began clapping and singing a song. During this time, Awei slowly moved from the south to the north. The northern circle was where the eight members of the Cloud family and the eight players were located.
He Xiaowei, noticing the man’s actions, felt his heart beat like a drum, whispering to Zhou Qian beside him, “Qian’er, I feel like he’s coming for me!”
“Yes, I think so too. Under normal circumstances, you won’t be able to outrun him. These NPCs move strangely fast,” Zhou Qian said.
He Xiaowei: “Fuck, what do I do then? Can I just give up?”
“Losing this time doesn’t matter. The game has just begun, and there’s still a chance to change the score. Losing just means having to do the vigil, which might be very dangerous, but it doesn’t necessarily mean death,” Zhou Qian said. “What you really need to be wary of now are the bans.”
“Yeah. If this muscular man, Awei, throws the handkerchief to me, I’m bound to lose under normal circumstances. Then I have to be the next one to throw the handkerchief. Damn it… How do I know how to run when it’s my turn to throw?”
Sweat dripped down He Xiaowei’s forehead as the muscular man approached closer. He couldn’t help but ask, “What happens if we break the bans?”
“The specific consequences are unknown for now but given that we received this warning before entering the instance, it must be important,” Zhou Qian said.
“We are refugees here. Perhaps these are some restrictions imposed on us by the villagers to prevent us from causing trouble. This instance seems to have a lot to do with magic and mythical legends. Curses, prohibitions—these are common elements in such myths, so we must not take them lightly.”
“I think, after getting through the current three bans, we may encounter other bans later.”
Hearing Zhou Qian say this, He Xiaowei became anxious. “What should we do about this ban?”
Zhou Qian turned back, his gaze sweeping over the village chief in the center of the square and then Tartar, who was standing on the outskirts among the spectators.
By now, she had filled all the iron bowls with meat and soup and was watching the game with a smile.
Zhou Qian retracted his gaze and adjusted his wide sleeves, revealing a glimpse of the Rib of God to He Xiaowei. “You’re using a weapon?”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes. I just asked Shan Ge to help with something. He’s in spirit form now, invisible to others, but he can use the life force I shared with him to manifest physically when needed and interact with objects in the real world.”
Their voices were very low, and amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowded square, it was hard for others to overhear their conversation. However, Yun Xiangrong was particularly sensitive to the words “Shan Ge” and immediately frowned at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian met her gaze with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say much more.
At that moment, he could see Awei approaching the northern circle, and his speed visibly increased. About 10 seconds later, he started moving at an extremely fast pace around the 16 people in the north, leaving almost just an afterimage behind. By the time most people realized what was happening, the afterimage was almost gone.
Just then, an elderly woman sitting opposite He Xiaowei shouted at him with frustration. “It’s you! Hurry up and chase! By joining our group, you represent our group’s honor! Awei is afraid of the color red. Find something red to scare him with! When he sees it, his speed will slow down!”
He Xiaowei hesitated but then immediately chased according to the game rules.
Meanwhile, all the people in the northern circle from the Cloud family began to frantically wave a piece of red cloth, hoping to scare Awei into slowing down as soon as he glanced their way, allowing He Xiaowei to catch up.
After He Xiaowei left, Bai Zhou was sitting to Zhou Qian’s left, and one seat over to the right were Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, who were discussing something in low voices. Seeing this, Zhou Qian pulled Bai Zhou over one seat to listen to their conversation.
Qi Liuxing spoke first. “Awei threw the handkerchief behind Xiaowei Ge, and Xiaowei Ge was a bit slow to react. The NPCs here immediately reminded him, and everyone helped him against Awei…”
“I think I understand the true essence of this handkerchief game. When the village chief announced the rules, mentioning the final ranking of the 64 participants, plus the preconceived notion of the handkerchief game making us think we’re each fighting alone, it seemed like that. But it’s not actually the case!”
“I think, later, if it’s Xiaowei Ge’s turn to throw the handkerchief, when he throws it into another circle, the people in that circle will also remind each other… and provide ways to catch up with him, just like the people in the northern circle are doing with the red cloth now!”
“Right, Xiao Qi. I completely agree with you.” Ke Yuxiao nodded in agreement. “Within each circle, people are cooperating with each other. So, the final win or loss is likely determined by the circle as a unit, not by individuals. It’s a team game. This means… there might be danger during the vigil. They all don’t want to do the vigil.”
Zhou Qian suddenly interjected, “Then let me test you two further. Besides these points, what else can you deduce?”
Qi Liuxing was reminded of the tense moment in “Apple Paradise” when Zhou Qian calmly questioned him while facing monsters across the lake.
As if not wanting to disappoint Zhou Qian or show that he hadn’t improved, Qi Liuxing crossed his arms and thought hard before speaking. “That old woman knew Awei’s weakness very well… It’s very likely that they have been holding this competition for many years. Also, um, and…”
“And—?” Zhou Qian’s expression became more serious. “Why are there only 8 people in the northern circle?”
“Could it be…” Qi Liuxing frowned tightly. “Maybe, for example, last year, each circle also had 16 people, and the people from the northern circle lost last year. They were assigned to do the vigil, and then… 8 people died last year, so this year they only have 8 people left.”
Zhou Qian indeed had the same guess.
The people from the four major families, competing individually in the “handkerchief” game, sent participants with special skills in speed, agility, and dexterity, hoping to win the game for their family.
No family wanted to lose because the vigil posed great risks. The Cloud Family only had 8 people with special skills left because the rest died in previous games.
Zhou Qian turned his head and squinted at the chase between He Xiaowei and Awei, saying, “However, we can also see something advantageous for us.”
“What’s that?” Qi Liuxing asked curiously.
Zhou Qian said, “This means that standing watch is a risky task, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to death. Therefore, we shouldn’t be too worried about this handkerchief game.”
“I get it now!” Qi Liuxing said. “Taking the vigil is risky, but it’s not restricted by the bans related to windows and firelight, so… in the handkerchief game, winning or losing, for now, doesn’t really matter.”
“That’s how it is for now. Let’s see how this instance plays out. We still don’t know how to clear it. Let’s see how Xiaowei Ge is doing—”
Turning his head, Zhou Qian saw that the Moon Family from the south had temporarily taken the lead.
The Cloud Family from the north had taken out something red to counter Awei. However, Awei was well-prepared and didn’t look back once while running. His speed was too fast, and despite He Xiaowei’s best efforts, drenched in sweat, he couldn’t keep up.
Therefore, the village chief announced that Awei gained two points, while He Xiaowei lost two points.
The next round of throwing the handkerchief fell to He Xiaowei.
He Xiaowei didn’t dare to move. Looking across the crowd and the pile of bone offerings in the center of the square, he looked towards Zhou Qian, waiting for his help.
With the bans against walking clockwise around Tara and counterclockwise around Brega among so many people, he really didn’t know who was who and naturally didn’t dare to run randomly.
Before Zhou Qian could answer him, he shouted out in an attempt to save himself, “Is there anyone here named Tara or Brega?!”
“Don’t say irrelevant words!” Village Chief Ab rebuked him, his tone slightly harsh. “Moreover, it’s not allowed for strangers to inquire about the ladies’ names so casually!”
With that, the village chief completely cut off He Xiaowei’s direct approach to asking names. Besides, whether or not they agreed, it seemed it wouldn’t have worked anyway—if those two people really existed in the game, he wouldn’t dare to run in any direction!
He Xiaowei instinctively looked towards Zhou Qian again. Zhou Qian nodded at him, and soon after, he received a message from Zhou Qian. “Just walk straight ahead for now. Don’t circle around. Buy some time. About half a minute should do.”
Steadying his nerves, He Xiaowei stepped carefully, ensuring he walked in a straight line. And after half a minute, he was indeed saved.
Suddenly, from the periphery of the square, there came the sound of metal falling to the ground. Looking in the direction of the noise, He Xiaowei saw a bizarre scene and quickly realized what had happened—
Two pure white dogs, chasing an extremely agile, deep blue little dragon, ran from somewhere in the village towards the center of the square.
As they passed the peripheral area, the little dragon swiftly flew over a row of iron pots, not lingering at the contents. But the two dogs that followed were different; they rushed over like hungry wolves, knocking over the pots along with the soup.
Just as the dogs bit into the meat on the ground, before they could enjoy their meal, the little dragon returned. With a flick of its tail, two bones flew hundreds of meters away towards the other end of the square. With another flick of its tail, the dragon disappeared from the spot.
The dogs, furious, barked angrily and chased ahead, either to settle the score with the little dragon or in eager pursuit of the meat bones.
People from all four families, regardless of their participation in the game, suddenly erupted in panic.
“Oh my God! The white dogs have run away!”
“Whose white dogs have escaped…”
“Let’s hurry back and check, shall we?”
At that moment, Zhou Qian smiled, pulled out a megaphone from his bag, and shouted through it, “I know whose dogs these two are. They belong to the Brega and Tara families. You two better go chase your dogs now! Otherwise, you might be in danger tonight.”
Zhou Qian’s words immediately calmed the commotion. After all, most people were thinking—just as long as it wasn’t their own dog that had escaped.
In the gaming circles on the field, indeed, one man and one woman from both the east and west sides stood up, their faces pale and panicked, and chased in the direction of the two white dogs.
Even though the village chief looked displeased, he said, “Getting the white dogs back is more important. The rest of you, continue with the game!”
Brega and Tara had run off! The two bans could now be avoided!
He Xiaowei immediately rejoiced and glanced at Zhou Qian. The setting sun cast a red glow on Zhou Qian’s face.
Noticing He Xiaowei’s gaze, he raised his head and smiled distantly at him.
He Xiaowei gave a thumbs up and shouted, “Qian’er, you’re really so cool!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s smile brightened even more. However, soon he could no longer see He Xiaowei, and vice versa—Bai Zhou’s body subtly moved to stand between them.
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes slightly, tilting his head before continuing to look at Bai Zhou with a smile, “Zhou Ge, are you jealous?”
Bai Zhou smiled, reached out to tousle his hair, and simply said, “The sun shining on you looks particularly beautiful.”
As he said this, the sunset cast Bai Zhou’s eyes a deep red. Zhou Qian, hearing this and looking into his eyes, felt his heart skip a beat.
……
He Xiaowei casually threw the handkerchief onto someone nearby and was about to run when the little dragon, likely due to Zhou Qian’s previous instruction, suddenly appeared in front of him and quickly carried him back to the original northern circle. With this move, He Xiaowei won a round and quickly squeezed next to Zhou Qian to sit down.
“Oh, Qian’er, really, thank you. What would I do without you—” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but say. “By the way, what’s with the salt? Can you tell me?”
Zhou Qian didn’t answer.
He Xiaowei turned his head and saw him staring blankly at Bai Zhou.
“Um, Qian’er? Salt? Sodium chloride?” He Xiaowei tapped his shoulder.
After a moment, Zhou Qian turned his head to look at him and said in a somewhat unkind tone, “Simple. It’s an optics problem.”
He Xiaowei, clearly not good at reading the room, continued to ask, “Optics? Physics, huh?”
Zhou Qian quickly and coldly explained, “Yes, optics. The glass on the second floor of the inn is blue. Sodium ions burn to produce a yellow flame. Transparent objects only allow light of the same color as themselves to pass through. So, if you add a lot of salt to the fireplace, it will produce yellow light, which cannot pass through the blue glass.”
“’You must not spend the night in a house where the firelight can still be seen from outside after sunset’—this ban is thus easily resolved.”
Chapter 199: Extra — The Disappearance of Xiao Sijin (6)
President Chi discovered a few days later that his younger brother had run off again. Initially thinking he had joined a new travel group, a call revealed that Chi Yingxue had no intentions of returning to Beijing, opting instead to root himself there to learn tea cultivation.
Learn, tea, cultivation?!
Chi Zhuolin’s first reaction was that Chi Yingxue had been controlled by some bizarre organization, or perhaps brainwashed by a pyramid scheme. He immediately used his connections to track Chi Yingxue’s recent whereabouts in detail.
The findings were a “little” different from what he had imagined.
Chi Yingxue was still with that boy, a member of some Owl Travel Group, the “suspected boyfriend” who had spent a month with him after graduation, the one whose sudden disappearance had left his younger brother in a state of panic.
Had he not already briefly looked into the boy’s background and known that the person was of good character and came from a reputable family, he, as an overprotective big brother, would have immediately sought to break them apart.
In fact, he now regretted not having done so—seeing the photos sent by the private detective, President Chi felt conflicted.
The secretly taken photos were mostly set in the tea garden, where his brother, whom he thought knew only how to enjoy life, was seriously observing and learning in work attire, occasionally taking notes in a notebook.
In nearly every photo, there was the boy named Kuang Jinxin, sometimes earnestly explaining something, other times smiling as he watched his brother take notes.
His gaze was pure, filled with a kind of warm emotion.
Aside from earnestly learning about tea cultivation, there were also photos of the two fooling around, laughing, and cuddling. President Chi couldn’t bear to look at those for too long, as they made his heart uneasy, yet not entirely so. It was a complicated feeling, like a father marrying off his daughter, feeling both relieved and reluctant.
Actually, wherever Chi Yingxue chose to live was fine. For his only brother, Chi Zhuolin only wished for his safety and happiness.
Two days later, more detailed background information on Kuang Jinxin was laid on President Chi’s desk.
Since his younger brother was serious, he, as an elder brother, had to thoroughly vet the situation. Even if the other’s family and character were beyond reproach, what about his relatives? Who knows if there might be any troublemakers among his numerous aunts and uncles? Moreover, a good person doesn’t necessarily equate to living a good life. Chi Yingxue was accustomed to spending money lavishly, and in the future, he didn’t want his brother to worry about finances. Thus, understanding Kuang Jinxin’s financial background would help him devise a more appropriate and long-term financial support plan.
Before opening the file, President Chi was deeply worried about his brother’s future.
After opening it, his heart gradually mended.
The file revealed that the Kuang family tea garden was established through the joint efforts of Elder Kuang and the eldest son of the Kuang family. After it developed to a considerable scale, the second son and the third daughter joined the management of the tea garden. Thus, the majority shares were held by Elder Kuang and the eldest son, with the rest divided between the second son and the third daughter.
Kuang Jinxin’s father was the eldest son of the Kuang family.
Following the car accident that led to the untimely death of Kuang Jinxin’s parents, Elder Kuang decided to transfer his shares, along with those of the couple, to Kuang Jinxin.
In such family businesses, the transfer of shares can easily lead to disputes. However, the Kuang family had an exceptionally harmonious family ethos, and there were no objections to Elder Kuang’s decision, allowing the shares to be smoothly transferred.
Kuang Jinxin owned 70% of the more than a thousand mu* of tea garden.
*Chinese unit of measurement. 1,000 mu is about 164.8 acres.
The Kuang family didn’t just grow tea; they also owned a tea factory. Thanks to the high-quality tea varieties and excellent quality, their tea was in high demand every year when the new tea was released.
With such a boyfriend, unless his brother wanted to pluck stars from the sky, there was no chance of bankruptcy due to extravagance.
But…
With a wealthy brother-in-law, President Chi, as the elder brother, started worrying about other things.
For instance, would his unambitious, spendthrift brother be looked down upon?
After several days of contemplation, President Chi made a decision—he would establish a tea sales company, giving Chi Yingxue 100% ownership—to fill the gap in the Kuang family’s sales channels.
Although the Kuang family’s tea was already selling well, selling directly to the market versus through middlemen would undoubtedly make a significant difference in profits.
This way, his brother’s status would be secure, and he would have a steady income, killing two birds with one stone.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, President Chi held his coffee satisfactorily, gazing into the distance as if he could see his brother’s happy life ahead.
In the brilliant summer sunlight, his silhouette shone gloriously.
—End of The Disappearance of Xiao Sijin—
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the novel. I hope you enjoyed it. I wish there were more extras highlighting all the friends’ daily lives.
If you did enjoy it, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
For those interested, you can check out the sequel to this novel, Midnight Ten which follows the last 10 levels of the Owl.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently and try to finish this novel as soon as possible.
Chapter 198: Extra — The Disappearance of Xiao Sijin (5)
In the tea garden in August, the summer tea has already been harvested. A heavy rain fell last night, and though the modern irrigation system can handle drought and flood, the older generation of tea farmers still prefers to walk through the fields themselves to feel at ease.
Kuang Jinxin spent the morning following his grandfather around the tea garden. They hadn’t finished inspecting it when his grandfather became too tired to continue. Kuang Jinxin reassured him repeatedly that he would continue the inspection in the afternoon without slacking off, finally coaxing him to go back.
Kuang Jinxin spent the entire afternoon in the tea garden, occasionally brushed by the wind, carrying the fragrance of tea everywhere.
By the time he returned to the old house, it was evening, and the setting sun painted the white walls and black tiles with a warm orange-red.
“Xiao Jin Ge—” His cousin, Xiao Shuang, caught up from behind, her round face flushed. “I’ve been calling you for ages. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Xiao Shuang, the daughter of his aunt, was still in high school and was helping in the tea garden during her summer vacation.
Kuang Jinxin was startled. “You called me?”
Xiao Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said exaggeratedly, “I almost shouted myself hoarse.” After her complaint, she curiously asked, “Jin Ge, what’s wrong with you? Ever since you came back, you’ve been distracted and listless.”
As they spoke, they entered the old house together, finding the courtyard quiet. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
Normally, at this time, everyone would have returned from the tea garden, and the courtyard would be bustling with activity.
Sensing his confusion, Xiao Shuang explained without waiting for him to ask. “This afternoon, another group came for job interviews. They hadn’t finished when I got back.”
The Kuang family’s tea garden had expanded again this year, and they had been hiring since the beginning of the year. Since Kuang Jinxin returned, his grandfather had been teaching him hands-on, guiding him in the technical aspects. The management of the tea garden was still handled by his second uncle and aunt.
Nodding, Kuang Jinxin didn’t ask further, but Xiao Shuang leaned in, her eyes shining with excitement. “Jin Ge, let me tell you, one of the people who came for the interview today is so good-looking, he’s to die for!”
By the end, the girl dramatically clutched her chest as if her heart might leap out the next second.
Kuang Jinxin smiled but didn’t respond. He didn’t believe anyone could astonish him with their looks. All the amazement of his life had been used up in that one glance towards the ship’s mast.
As night fell, the whole family finally gathered together for a meal, filled with laughter and chatter. His grandparents were so happy that their wrinkles deepened. Their gaze was mostly on him, as if trying to make up for the years he was away.
Kuang Jinxin was glad he came back.
He had already lost his parents, and if he had missed the chance to show filial piety to his grandparents, he would have truly regretted it.
After dinner at eight, Kuang Jinxin had just returned to his room when his phone rang with a message from Xu Wang in the group chat.
Wangwang: [Image]
It was a news screenshot with the headline reading, “Li Zijin’s comeback is still at its peak. XXX regrets letting go of its former ace.”
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: Li Zijin made a comeback?
Wangwang: A perfect comeback.
XXX was Li Zijin’s former club. From the headline, it seemed like the original club hadn’t negotiated well, perhaps due to lack of confidence in him or other considerations, resulting in Li Zijin moving to a new club.
But it doesn’t matter which club he plays for. As long as one has the skill, there’s no worry about treatment. Besides, this is what Li Zijin loves most, and Kuang Jinxin is happy for him.
Wangwang: Xiao Kuang, how have you been lately?
The topic suddenly shifted to himself, making Kuang Jinxin a bit nervous, quickly replying: I’m good.
Half a month ago, when he left without a word, bought a new phone, and got a new SIM card, the first thing he did was contact his friends. None of them complained, only telling him to take over the family business well, and they would come to drink the best spring tea when the time came.
Kuang Jinxin didn’t know what to say, only feeling fortunate to have such friends, feeling very lucky and satisfied.
Wangwang: What are you doing now?
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: Just finished dinner.
Wangwang: At home?
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: Yeah.
After replying, he realized how odd the question was and added: Is there something? You can call or video chat now.
On the other end, thousands of miles away, Xu Wang didn’t respond to Xiao Sijin but sent a voice message to another WeChat account: “Xiao Xue, Captain can only help you this much.”
Sitting on the couch, Wu Sheng pulled him into an embrace and silently sighed, lamenting his love’s worrisome fate.
Kuang Jinxin didn’t get a reply from Xu Wang but received another private message.
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: Come out.
Kuang Jinxin was confused.
Tea Sage Lu Yu’s Little Fan: ?
Especially Good-looking Chi Yingxue: [Image]
A stunning side profile shot, so beautiful it was breathtaking, and behind the side profile was the gate of the Kuang family home.
Kuang Jinxin’s eyes widened in shock, nearly dropping his phone.
Without hesitation or thought, Kuang Jinxin reflexively ran out to the courtyard, opening the gate.
The side profile turned into a full face. Under the moonlight, brows slightly furrowed, he started with a complaint, but because of the unconscious tender tone, it sounded a little aggrieved. “Your family’s tea garden’s interview process is so strange. I said I wanted to learn about tea cultivation, and they suggested I consider a different career path.”
Kuang Jinxin pursed his lips. Logic told him that he needed to have a serious conversation with Chi Yingxue about his reasons for coming, their thoughts on the future, and the differences and disagreements in how they approach life and relationships…
But in the end, his lips couldn’t stay pursed, and his smile rebelliously lifted, as if reaching for the moon.
He laughed.
Chi Yingxue didn’t laugh, stubbornly restating, “I want to learn how to cultivate tea.”
The warm summer night breeze made them slightly tipsy.
Kuang Jinxin heard himself ask, “Then, shall I teach you?”
Kinky Translations 