Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

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Chapter 101

Alois drifted in and out of consciousness, but whether awake or dreaming, the excruciating pain followed him relentlessly. He never knew that pain inflicted on a person could be this severe. They used iron tongs to grip his left arm, while another person used a similar tool to tear at the joints. Initially, Alois tried to imitate the lone heroes in movies, gritting his teeth and remaining silent to show his strength, but he quickly gave up this futile resistance. This pain was beyond human endurance. Amidst his own screams, he could hear the sounds of bones breaking, muscles tearing, and blood spurting. When his body’s self-protection mechanism tried to make him pass out to escape the pain, Faraday—the man with half his body turned into machinery—administered an injection that prevented Alois from escaping into unconsciousness. He had to endure this torture while fully awake. The only thing Alois managed to do was not reveal the secret of the chip. Even though he only aimed to hide this one fact, he nearly succumbed to the severe torture several times.

They tore his arm off. Alois watched as his severed limb bled profusely, and Faraday placed the arm in a box, wrapping it like a gift.

“Mr. Faraday, he’s losing too much blood,” one of the men in black said. “We need to stop the bleeding, or he’ll die.”

“Do you want to wheel him into surgery like a hospital patient?” Faraday sneered. “Use a simpler and quicker method, unless the Lord burned your brains.”

The man in black grumbled, seemingly saying, “Yes, sir.” He called another person and left the room, returning with a furnace filled with red-hot coals and a row of heated branding irons neatly lined up on top. The executioner picked up a branding iron with tongs and slowly walked towards Alois like a funeral procession.

By now, Alois could no longer think of anything extraneous. Most of his willpower was focused on enduring the pain and keeping the secret. With the little remaining mental capacity, he suddenly recalled something he had read in a textbook. In ancient times, when medical technology was undeveloped, people used boiling oil or branding irons to cauterize wounds and stop bleeding, which also prevented infections.

What an ingenious method, Alois thought in a daze.

The executioner pressed the branding iron against his wound.

“Take this to Avalon.”

Faraday tossed the rectangular box to the “salesman”, who caught it with a look of disgust. “Deliver it?” he asked. “Why?”

Faraday glared at the skilled assassin known in the industry as the “salesman” for his ability to disguise himself as a salesman and silently infiltrate targets’ homes to kill them, as if reprimanding him for his impertinence. “You just need to do it. Not ask why.”

The arrogant tone irked the assassin. “Who are you to order me around?” he protested. “The Duke ordered me to ‘assist’ you, not to obey your every command. We are partners, not master and servant.”

Faraday didn’t back down. “Go tell the Duke,” he said with a raised chin, “or just do as I say.”

“Can’t I just mail it through the post office? Or call a courier?” the salesman grumbled. “I don’t want to go back to Avalon. It was pure luck that I got that kid here. Next time, I might not be so lucky. His lover is the assassin Mourner, and I don’t want to risk my life provoking him.”

“Go tell the Duke,” Faraday repeated coldly, “or just do it.”

The salesman glared at him angrily, cursing as he walked towards the changing room.

The torture inflicted on Alois was far from over. Faraday seemed to enjoy using the branding iron to “stop the bleeding”. He ordered the young man’s remaining hand to be shackled to the wall and then used other instruments: barbed whips, thin as cicada wings knives, sharp iron hooks, and seven-inch nails. He used all these tools on Alois, and when Alois was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, Faraday would use a red-hot branding iron to re-cauterize the wounds. He did this with meticulous care, like a seasoned welder performing a precise welding task.

Despite the injections, Alois still passed out when the pain reached its peak. At that point, no amount of calling could wake him. Faraday dared not use too much of the drug, fearing it might stop his heart. So, Alois managed to briefly escape the physical torment in unconsciousness.

However, the pain would multiply upon waking. The torture eventually lost its nature as “interrogation”, turning into a pure sadistic game. Faraday seemed to relish this game, as if he wanted Alois to experience all the misfortunes he had suffered. If he didn’t need to keep him alive, Faraday would have joyfully taken Alois apart, limb by limb, watching him slowly die in agony.

Dying would be a relief, Alois thought. Besides keeping his mouth shut and guarding the chip’s secret, he constantly prayed to the Lord for death, for an end to this endless torture. He didn’t understand why he felt this way. In the past, he had never yearned for death, not even during his dark days on Hecate. Ever since meeting Joshua, he had even less reason to think that way. He had just found love and wanted to live well, to be with Joshua forever.

As soon as he revealed the chip’s location, the torture would stop immediately. But he couldn’t do it. Among all the things he had done in his life, many of which were against the law or morality, this was the one thing he couldn’t do. It would be a betrayal of his companions, of the living and the dead.

I’m sorry, Joshua, Alois silently said in his heart. I want to give up. I might not be able to hold on. I’m sorry.

“Calm down, child!” Jolene pressed the back of Joshua’s neck, her knee against his back, pinning him firmly to the sofa. The assassin struggled but found the middle-aged woman’s strength much greater than he had imagined. He shouted and tried to break free from her grip but failed.

“Let go of me!”

“Calm down!” Jolene insisted. “You’ve lost your mind. Calm down!”

“Didn’t you see?” Joshua’s voice was tearful. “They broke his hand!”

“I saw. We all saw,” Jolene said sternly. “But can you reattach his hand? Do you know where he is? If even you can’t stay calm, who will rescue him? Aren’t you his lover? Is his lover so impulsive, so incompetent?”

Joshua stopped struggling. He lay sideways on the sofa as Jolene pressed him down. His disheveled silver hair covered his face. Jolene initially thought he was crying but then realized the assassin’s face was expressionless, his eyes unfocused yet incredibly cold. Jolene withdrew her hand, touching her own face, to find that she was the one crying.

“Oh, my God.” She quickly lowered her head, not wanting the two men to see her distress. “Oh Lord, how could this happen… Poor Alois, why must he suffer so much…”

Kepler stood in front of the coffee table, examining the severed arm in the box, and keenly noticed the paper ball that had fallen beside it. “Look, what’s this?” He opened the paper ball and read the words written on it. “To the assassin Mourner: Deliver the chip you swapped from the Duke to the following address by 8 a.m. planetary time tomorrow, or you will receive another gift.” Below the note was an address of a secure safe deposit box at New Zurich Bank.

“Sure enough, it’s the kidnappers making their demands,” Kepler looked down at Joshua lying on the sofa. “Do you know what chip they’re talking about?”

Joshua was silent for a moment, then answered, “Yes.”

“To be safe, we’d better hand it over to them. Is it something important?”

The assassin suddenly got up, and Jolene quickly stepped aside. She saw the golden flames rekindle in the assassin’s eyes.

“Very important,” Joshua said, heading upstairs again. “But we destroyed it long ago.”

“Then… what should we do…” Jolene felt utterly hopeless.

“Rescue Alois by 8 a.m. tomorrow.”

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

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Chapter 100

Joshua hadn’t used a personal computer for a long time. On the spaceship, Leo would handle everything for them. Any question could be asked to the ceiling, and the AI would search its vast database for answers. For games or entertainment, they could use communication terminals. Joshua believed that most pirates, like him, could barely remember the position of the keyboard unless they had to work on a computer.

Now Joshua had to rely on himself. Leo wasn’t much help here. His computer didn’t have the capacity to run an advanced AI smoothly. Joshua closed the study door, sat at the desk, and a holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. With a swipe, the round walls projected a holographic screen around him. He took Leo’s chip out of his pocket and inserted it into the computer’s slot.

A low hum sounded, and then Leo’s holographic image appeared in front of him.

“You finally let me out for some air,” the AI complained. “Even prison would be better. This place is so small, it’s like a coffin!”

“I need your help, Leo,” Joshua said.

“What’s with the gloomy face? Trouble in paradise?”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll never have a love life again.”

“Oh, this sounds serious.” Leo raised an eyebrow. “What happened while I was stuck in this coffin?”

Joshua tilted his chin. “Alois is missing. I think he was kidnapped.”

“Are you sure he didn’t just leave because he’s tired of you?”

Joshua slammed the table with a loud bang, making the projections in the room shake. “I don’t have time for jokes!” the assassin roared.

Leo was momentarily silenced, swallowing back the retort that had been on his lips. Both the assassin and his brother were known for their patience, but their patience had limits, and once exceeded, their anger was fiercer than others. Leo didn’t doubt that if he pushed further, Joshua might yank out the chip and stomp on it.

“Alright, alright, I shouldn’t have said that,” the AI conceded. “What can I do for you?”

“The kidnapper couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. Search the surveillance footage from Avalon and the nearby areas and find any suspicious people.”

“That’s a huge task!” Leo exclaimed. “Do you think your crappy computer can handle that kind of load?”

He was about to continue protesting, but Joshua’s increasingly dark expression made him give up the unwise idea. “Fine, fine, I can use the planetary network…”

“And check the spaceport’s entry and exit records,” the assassin added. “Find any suspicious people and their whereabouts.”

The study door suddenly opened, and Joshua reflexively drew his gun, pointing it at the entrance, only to see Kepler walk in. The moneylender raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

“We can help too,” he said. “I have a friend at the spaceport who can help check the records. That’s how we found this place.” He smiled innocuously.

Joshua didn’t lower his gun. “You were eavesdropping.”

“Not ‘eavesdropping’,” Kepler corrected. “The house’s soundproofing isn’t very good, my boy.”

“I’m not your boy.”

“You all are,” Kepler said with the patience of an elder, gently dissipating Joshua’s anger. “Jolene and I are as anxious as you and want to rescue that child as quickly as possible. Don’t try to shoulder everything alone. You need help.”

Reluctantly, Joshua lowered his gun. “I can do it alone.”

“Really? Are you willing to bet Alois’s safety on that?”

The assassin bit his lip and didn’t respond. He could stubbornly refuse others’ demands, but this kind of elder-like, warm advice was hard to reject, even though he resisted it internally. Rationally, he knew Kepler was right. Joshua also had to admit that Kepler had more experience and wisdom than he did.

“…It’s my fault he was kidnapped,” Joshua persisted. “I shouldn’t make others pay for my mistakes.”

“It wasn’t just your fault,” Kepler said softly. “If we’re talking about mistakes, Jolene, our other companions, and I made a huge one over twenty years ago.” He glanced around the study, finally resting his eyes on Leo’s hologram. “We should have stopped his father from undertaking that dangerous and foolish mission, but we didn’t. Isn’t that a grave mistake?”

The sheriff stepped over the police line amid alternating red and blue lights, kicking up a cloud of red dust. The officer in charge of the case saluted him.

“What do we have?”

“A body,” the officer said. “Based on the comparison, it’s likely the missing Lancaster Company representative.” He pointed to the nearby body, where forensic personnel were taking photos, and a medical examiner with a mask and gloves was conducting a preliminary examination. The body lay face down behind a large wind-eroded rock, difficult to find unless specifically searched for. The outer clothes were missing, leaving only a shirt and underwear, which were intact, suggesting the killer wasn’t motivated by lust. His car and wallet were also missing, indicating robbery, but a conclusive judgment would have to wait for the autopsy and forensic reports.

Olympus wasn’t a top-tier peaceful planet. It was rife with gangs, assassins, prostitutes, and various fugitive criminals, with violent incidents happening daily, making the police somewhat numb to it. A day without a death or two would be unusual. But this case was different. The murder occurred in Avalon, known for its security and wealth, and the victim was an employee of a major company planning to buy this mountain to build an amusement park. The nearby residents and Lancaster Company pressured the police, prompting the sheriff to personally inspect the scene.

“Excuse me, Sheriff,” a young officer approached. “Someone wants to pass through the police line to go up the mountain.”

“Who? Reporters?”

The area was sealed off, and entry required strict checks. The sheriff hated reporters. They were like flies on rotting meat, circling endlessly, creating sensational yet unrealistic rumors.

“No, a courier delivering a package up the mountain. Should we check the package?”

“Do we have the authority?” the sheriff retorted. “I don’t want to receive complaints tomorrow about the police opening citizens’ packages and ignoring their privacy. Scan it. If it’s not a bomb or something dangerous, let him through.”

“Yes, sir!”

A vast amount of information displayed around Joshua, filtered and sorted by Leo, leaving only the useful bits. Leo’s work wasn’t fast. Even with the planetary network, his processing speed couldn’t match that on the Lady of the Night.

“By the way,” the AI suddenly said amid his busy task, “I think I know that Kepler.”

“Really,” Joshua responded absentmindedly. “Does it matter?”

“Not really. At least not to you,” Leo realized the assassin had no interest in his social circles and dropped the topic. “I’ll tell you when we have time.”

The study door opened again.

“Can’t you knock first?” Joshua snapped at Kepler.

The moneylender knocked three times on the already open door. “Can I speak now?”

“What is it?”

Kepler didn’t show displeasure at Joshua’s hostile attitude. “A package just arrived, Jolene signed for it. Want to take a look? It could be a message from the kidnappers…”

Before he finished, Joshua dashed out of the room and down the stairs like the wind.

In the living room, Jolene placed the long package on the coffee table, holding a box cutter, unsure whether to open it.

“Let me.” Joshua quickly approached, grabbed the cutter, and tore off the outer wrapping. The package was wrapped like a birthday gift, with bright colored paper outside and a plastic rectangular box inside.

“Careful, it might be a bomb…” Jolene said worriedly.

Joshua gestured for her to step back, setting the cutter aside, and carefully placed the box in the center of the coffee table, gently lifting the lid.

Jolene screamed, nearly fainting, and was saved by Kepler, who rushed to support her.

“My God…” The seasoned loan shark, usually unflappable, gasped at the sight inside the box.

Inside was a blood-soaked, severed arm, cut above the elbow. The stump jagged as if torn off by force rather than a clean cut, with broken bones protruding from the flesh.

Joshua’s face turned pale, as if plunged into an icy abyss, trembling uncontrollably. He gently touched the severed arm, praying silently, Merciful Lord, this can’t be. It’s not Alois’s hand. It must be a prank. This can’t be his hand…

The touch confirmed it was indeed a human arm—not a mannequin or a realistic toy, but a real severed limb.

The assassin caressed the uneven stump up to the wrist, prying open the stiff fingers, a white paper ball falling from the palm, but he didn’t notice. His entire focus was on the blood-stained, cold hand. He knew this hand well—every line, every callus from holding a gun and controlling instruments—and he knew it as intimately as his lover.

This is Alois’s hand.

Joshua covered his face. A low growl of pain, anger, and madness escaped his throat, like a wounded beast howling.

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 99

“How could this happen? He just disappeared suddenly?” Jolene covered her mouth in disbelief. She had been eagerly anticipating a reunion with the son of an old friend just a few minutes ago, but now it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, leaving her chilled to the bone. “How could that child…”

Kepler placed a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Jolene. We can’t lose our heads.” He turned to the silver-haired young man. “Do you have any idea? About what might have happened to him…”

Joshua held his forehead, his shirt drenched in cold sweat. If Kepler looked closely at his eyes, he would see that the golden rings in his so-called “Abyssal Fire” eyes had become extremely thin, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.

“No clue,” he said. “I never thought something like this would happen… I was completely unprepared.”

“Do you have any enemies?” Jolene asked urgently. “Could someone have come seeking revenge?”

Joshua’s mouth twitched. “Enemies… he could have more than a dozen, and I have even more.” He looked up at the elegant woman in front of him. “We are fugitives wanted across the galaxy, madam.”

“Oh my god.” Jolene nearly collapsed into Kepler’s arms. Joshua thought she would express disbelief that the son of her old friend had become a fugitive, but Jolene only let out a sigh. “Oh, Lord, that child has really achieved something, hasn’t he? Even in our day, we were only wanted on a few planets.”

Kepler held her shoulder and gently patted it in comfort. “Don’t worry, Jolene, he’ll be safe. Maybe it’s just a simple kidnapping for ransom. After all, anyone living in Avalon is either rich or noble. Perhaps they just want money?”

“You’re right…” Jolene said. “Maybe we’ll receive a ransom call soon. Yes, that’s right, the child will be fine.” She covered her face. “Oh, merciful Lord, if his parents knew, how heartbroken they would be…”

“They won’t know,” Joshua said as he stood up and headed upstairs. “Alois’s parents are already dead.”

Jolene looked up in shock. “What? Dead?”

“He said they died many years ago.”

Kepler stared intently at the silver-haired young man’s back. “You seem to know him well? What’s your relationship? Friends?”

Joshua turned a corner on the stairs. “We sleep in the same bed every night. What do you think our relationship is?”

Jolene gasped, and Kepler continued to stare sharply at him. “Where are you going?”

“To contact some friends,” Joshua said, already on the second floor. “He wouldn’t be overpowered by a few small fry. If it really was just a simple kidnapping, Alois would already be back home, sitting in the living room, reminiscing with you two.”

Kepler looked at the empty staircase, holding the trembling Jolene tighter.

“He’s an assassin,” the shrewd moneylender said to his companion, revealing his guess. “You’ve surely heard his name.”

“Joshua Euler?”

“No. The assassin, the Mourner.”

Epolyne drove Dr. Frank Shelley around Avalon Mountain. The doctor was excited, gesturing and shouting about turning this place into a research lab and that place into a testing ground. Epolyne casually responded a few times. Her communication terminal suddenly beeped, giving her a legitimate reason to stop listening to the doctor’s endless thoughts, which made Epolyne quite happy.

“Hello, yes. What? …No, not yet… Yes. Alright, I’ll inform the doctor.”

The call was short, bringing some not-so-good news.

“What happened, dear Epolyne?”

“The company just received a complaint. An employee had scheduled a time with a household in Avalon to discuss relocation, but our employee hasn’t shown up.”

The doctor adjusted his glasses. “Could it be a major traffic jam?” He laughed. “Remember, the security guard said our diligent negotiator passed by him not long ago. Did the company send two different people?”

“No, only one.”

“Ah…” The doctor twirled his hair, looking at the red land outside the window. “A negotiator came to Avalon but didn’t complete the task. Why is that?”

“Do we need to send someone to find him?”

“No, this matter isn’t worth our effort,” the doctor said lightly. “Call the police. Isn’t that what they’re there for, to protect the people? Now it’s their turn to shine.”

Alois opened his eyes. The effects of the anesthetic gas were wearing off. Apart from feeling dizzy and slightly confused, he could mostly control his body again. But control didn’t mean freedom. He found himself in a dark, damp room with no windows, only a rusty iron door. He was tied to a heavy chair, his hands bound behind the chair back, with ropes winding from his armpits to his neck. He recognized this as the Empire’s typical binding method because prisoners could never untie the ropes themselves and would strangle themselves before they could.

He vaguely remembered opening the door for a business representative, and then what happened? He was kidnapped? Why would they kidnap him? He wasn’t the lover of a prince. What could they gain from him?

What about Joshua now? Could he be… in danger too? No, no, he was the Mourner. Who would dare to touch him!

The iron door creaked open, accompanied by a grating noise, and a man in a black trench coat walked into the room. Alois stared at him in surprise because half of his face was normal skin and features, while the other half was covered in silver-gray metal, with a red-glowing prosthetic eye rotating in the metal eye socket. The man walked slowly towards Alois, and from his uneven footsteps, Alois deduced that one of his legs was also a metal prosthesis.

Alois stared at the strange man, trying to find a familiar face from his remaining half, but failed. He didn’t know this guy.

“I guess you’re trying to figure out who I am.” The man’s voice sounded like metal scraping, unbearable to hear. “No need to guess. You don’t know me, have never seen me, and could never know my identity.”

As he spoke, he smiled, his entire face twisting. “But I’ve heard of you, Alois Lagrange. Maybe I should call you senior?” He walked around behind Alois, observing the bound young man with great interest. “Or predecessor?”

“Are you an Empire soldier?” Since he called him senior, he must be a junior from the military academy.

“Used to be,” the man said, walking back in front of him. “Ever since I got injured in the war…” He raised his right hand, pointing to his half-metal face, and Alois saw that his right hand was also a prosthesis, “I was ‘forced’ to retire.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Alois said coldly.

The man twisted his face into a smile again. “No need to feel sorry. I was a pilot, and after my fighter was shot down, half my body was burned to ashes. Fortunately, the technology was advanced enough to not only save my life but also allow me to continue to be useful.” He suddenly stepped forward, gripping Alois’s chin with his metal hand, forcing him to look up. “Do you know who did this to me?”

Could it be me? Alois thought.

However, the name the man uttered far exceeded his expectations.

“It was Joanna Begrel.” The man’s normal eye widened, while the prosthetic eye trembled. “Although I suffered immensely, I also gained immense pleasure—because I watched Joanna Begrel die before my eyes! Hit by the mothership’s artillery, not even ash was left! Hahaha, hahahahaha…” He half screamed, half laughed.

“Bastard!” Alois roared. He remembered now, during his last battle alongside Joanna, there was a fighter that kept entangling them. In the end, Joanna intercepted it, allowing Alois to escape. The man in front of him was that fighter pilot! “You… bastard!” He couldn’t finish his words because the man was choking him so hard he couldn’t breathe.

“What? Want to avenge your superior?” The man sneered. “Don’t worry, I’ll send you down to reunite with her soon. But before that, you need to answer a question…”

Alois was close to suffocating when the man slightly loosened his grip, allowing him to breathe and speak.

“Tell me, dear senior, where is the chip you switched from the Duke?”

Hearing the Duke’s name, Alois wasn’t surprised at all. The Duke discovered the chip switch and sent people to track them, only making a move when they reached Olympus. He should have known. The assassin who killed Miss Leia was also the Duke’s minion. The Duke just repeated the trick, and he fell for it again—damn it!

“I don’t know,” Alois rasped. “I think you should ask Joanna yourself.”

Then he was punched hard in the stomach. Being hit by a metal prosthesis wasn’t pleasant. Alois almost threw up.

“Don’t play games,” the man said. “Where’s the chip?”

Long destroyed by Leo, Alois thought. There’s no such thing in the world anymore, and even if there was, only Leo would know.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just a regular pilot. The captain wouldn’t tell me such important things.”

“Really?” The man leaned in, whispering in his ear. “You’re so ordinary? Ordinary enough for the mad bitch to help you escape? Ordinary enough for even Darius Bayes to want to capture you? Ordinary enough to visit the Duke with the mad bitch? Cut the crap, Alois Lagrange. I suggest you behave and tell me everything you know, or…” He pressed Alois’s shoulder, the metal fingers digging deeply into his skin. “I’ll reenact everything that happened to me on you.”

“I really, don’t know, anything.”

The pressure on his shoulder vanished.

The man walked towards the door, calling out to someone. “It seems he’s determined to resist. Maybe his companions know something. Let’s send a gift to that guy to make him think about how to answer us.”

Several people dressed like the man entered the room. “What gift, Mr. Faraday?” one of them asked.

“Let’s start with his hand.”

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 98

Joshua was in a deep sleep, exhausted from too much exercise the previous day. He felt so tired that he couldn’t even lift a finger. He had many disjointed dreams and vaguely heard the doorbell ring. When he finally woke up slightly from his slumber, nearly an hour had passed since he last opened his eyes. He felt extremely hungry, waiting for Alois to call him for breakfast, so he could get up slowly to dress and wash. Maybe Alois would even bring breakfast upstairs? Having someone make breakfast for him was such a blissful life.

The assassin lay there with beautiful and fantastical thoughts, waiting for the familiar sound of footsteps. But after staring at the ceiling for ten minutes, he didn’t hear a thing. Making breakfast wasn’t like training. Did it really need to take this long? What was Alois doing? Had he fallen asleep while cooking?

Instinctively, he dismissed the possibility of Alois being in danger. Although Olympus’s public security wasn’t that good, this was Avalon, one of the most peaceful areas on the planet. With security guards patrolling the roads day and night, unless Alois had a death wish, who could harm him?

When Joshua slowly went downstairs and saw the still-on stove and the pot of soup about to boil dry, he realized he was gravely mistaken. The large house was empty, with no one there but him. Alois wasn’t here. He seemed to have vanished from the world, as if he had never existed, with no trace of him except the boiling pot on the stove.

The assassin began to wonder if he was having a nightmare. In this terrifying dream, Alois disappeared, leaving him alone here. He pinched his thigh hard, hoping to wake up, but the pain didn’t take him away from the nightmare. Instead, it revealed a brutal fact: everything he saw was fucking real.

Joshua returned to his bedroom, grabbed his gun, filled the energy cartridge, and took off the safety. He looked around. The house was still clean and tidy, with no signs of forced entry. However, the door hinges were lowered. He clearly remembered that the hinges were latched when he entered the house yesterday. The windows in the living room and kitchen were locked from the inside, the locks intact, and the alarm system was still diligently working with no signs of tampering. This left only two possibilities: Alois opened the door himself and left, never to return, or he opened the door for a visitor (maybe even invited them in for a chat), and this visitor wasn’t as kind as he thought. They kidnapped him.

Joshua leaned towards the latter since he seemed to hear the doorbell in his half-awake state, but he didn’t pay attention, unable to distinguish if it was real or a dream. Subconsciously, he even thought, Alois will answer the door, so what if it’s real?

The assassin cursed his negligence. How long had peaceful days passed for him to become so unalert, losing Alois in his own home! He lost him! If he could, he would shoot himself twice in the head to punish his negligence!

Suddenly, the doorbell rang loudly. Joshua, holding his gun, walked to the door, latched the hinges, ready to shoot outside at any time, then opened the monitor. A middle-aged man’s face appeared on the screen, meticulously dressed, like a well-groomed business elite.

“What can I do for you?” Joshua asked.

“Hello, my name is Erwin Kepler, here to visit Mr. Jacques Turing. Is he in?”

Joshua’s hand twitched slightly. “What do you want with him?”

“That’s a long story. It goes back to…” Kepler was pushed aside before he could explain, and a woman with exquisite makeup appeared on the screen.

“Sorry to bother you,” the woman said quickly. “I’m Jolene Cavendish, running a casino in Neo Venice. I knew Mr. Jacques Turing’s father, so I’m here to visit him. Ah, but he surely doesn’t remember me. I knew his father before he was born.”

Joshua frowned. He had heard the name Jolene Cavendish and met her in person, but the woman on the screen…he wasn’t sure, but she did look like the Jolene Cavendish in his memory. He didn’t rule out the possibility of an imposter, but what good would it do to impersonate a casino owner?

“Jolene Cavendish of the Portia Casino?”

“That’s me!” The woman seemed pleased to hear her casino mentioned.

The owner of the Portia Casino knew Alois’s father? Joshua had never heard him mention it. When in Neo Venice, Alois never said a word about having such an elder. Did he deliberately hide it? Or did he not know himself? After all, Jolene said she knew Alois’s father before he was born.

Why had she come to Olympus? Was she related to Alois’s sudden disappearance?

Joshua switched the gun to his other hand, freed his other hand to lower the latch, and opened the door.

Jolene Cavendish, though aged, perhaps due to being unmarried, still retained some very girlish habits. Seeing a young silver-haired man opening the door, she placed a hand on her chest, showing a bit of disappointment, but then asked in a more expectant tone. “Where is he?”

“He’s not here.” Joshua hid the gun behind him to avoid scaring the uninvited guests.

“Not here?” Jolene turned to her companion, as if questioning his incompetence.

“This is the right place,” Kepler whispered.

Jolene turned back to Joshua. “When will he be back? Can we wait for him?”

“He disappeared.” The assassin tried to keep his tone calm. “Just now.”

As the flying car entered Avalon Mountain, it was stopped by security.

“Guests need to check IDs and register,” the guard was diligent.

The driver, Epolyne, expressionless, took out her ID. “We are investigators sent by the Lancaster Company, here to survey the terrain for planning.” She glanced at the doctor in the back seat. “This is Dr. Frank Shelley.”

The guard looked at the doctor with admiration. “Your company is busy, always sending people to persuade residents to relocate, changing groups frequently. Not long ago, another one came.”

“There’s never enough good speakers,” the young doctor smiled.

After registration, Epolyne drove up Avalon Mountain. The doctor leaned out the window, marveling at the red land below.

“Please be careful, Doctor. Don’t stick your head out while driving. It might cause an accident.”

“Oh, what could happen, dear Epolyne?” The doctor didn’t heed her advice. “This is such a great place. Avalon, the realm of heroes and gods.”

“You like it here?”

“Of course, love it.”

Epolyne inwardly sneered but kept a straight face. “If you want to buy this land for a research lab, you can simply order the residents to move using military authority. Why bother with an entertainment company building an amusement park?”

“A military research lab sounds terrifying,” the doctor said. “Are we going to tell everyone ‘this is a military zone, no trespassing’ and wait for people to get curious? No. An amusement park is more discreet and easier for the public to accept.” The doctor paused. “Besides, to me, a research lab is an amusement park. No mistake about it!”

Epolyne was glad she wore long sleeves. Otherwise, the doctor would have asked why she had goosebumps.

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 97

As expected, the door to the room on the second floor was wide open. Alois was sitting on the floor, looking terrified, as if he had seen a ghost. Joshua, holding his aching head, walked up behind him.

“I told you not to wander around, but you didn’t listen.”

Alois, not realizing someone was behind him, was startled again by Joshua’s voice. “When did you get back?” he asked, looking distressed.

“Just now.”

“Are you some kind of Bluebeard? Keeping a room full of corpses at home and forbidding anyone to see it?”

“…Those aren’t corpses.”

Joshua’s explanation did little to convince him. The small, windowless room contained a wooden shelf as high as the ceiling, neatly divided into compartments like a giant honeycomb. Each compartment held a wide-mouthed jar filled with formalin, and each jar contained a pair of lifeless eyeballs. Combined with the fact that the room’s owner was a notorious assassin, it was like something out of a horror movie!

The countless lifeless stares seemed to pierce through the door, pinning Alois in place and making it hard for him to breathe. A chill ran down his spine.

“I’ve told you about this room before, more than once. I thought you’d be prepared…” Joshua continued to defend himself, futilely.

“I thought you were joking!” Alois’s voice trembled.

“Besides, they’re just eyeballs. What’s the big deal?” The assassin felt increasingly ridiculous as he spoke. “Some people collect stamps, others collect specimens. I just happen to collect eyeballs…”

“Your hobbies are quite different from ordinary people!” Alois tried to stand, but his legs, weakened by fear, wouldn’t cooperate. “Are those eyeballs real?”

Joshua helped him up, avoiding his gaze. “Most of them are fake…”

“So some of them are real?!” Alois exclaimed in disbelief. “Where did you get them?”

“Uh, after I killed people, I just…”

“Don’t make it sound as casual as stopping by a cake shop after work!”

Joshua closed the door, blocking out the needle-like stares, and helped Alois toward the bedroom. “It has nothing to do with you.”

This statement struck a nerve in Alois. He angrily shook off Joshua’s hand, glaring at him. “Ah, yes, it has nothing to do with me. Your interests are your own business and have nothing to do with me.” He marched into the bedroom, yanked off the bed cover, and flopped onto the bed, ignoring the slight mustiness from unwashed bedding.

Joshua knew he had said the wrong thing again. Frustrated, he tugged at his hair, pacing nervously before walking to the bed and gently shaking Alois’s shoulder. He found a clumsy excuse. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I don’t want to.”

Joshua lay down beside him, pressing his body against Alois’s back. “I’m sorry. I know it’s scary,” he said. “I know it’s… weird, but I…”

He remembered the feeling of being watched by those lifeless eyes, as if the dead were cursing him from hell. Every time he felt those stares, he experienced a thrilling pleasure. In those moments, he was no longer a helpless boy but the master of others’ lives, a feared assassin known as the Mourner. He reveled in this twisted delight, like an actor basking in applause.

He had collected eyes from his victims and eagerly ordered various artificial eyes from medical suppliers, preserving them in formalin to enrich his collection. He knew this was perverse, but he was already covered in blood; what difference would a “pervert” title make?

But things changed after he met Alois. He began to confront the darkness within him. He realized that such behavior was a form of self-torture, seeking fleeting pleasure to escape his unbearable past.

About a year ago, after cleaning up the room, he left for a mission, only to end up imprisoned. On that distant prison planet, he encountered a pair of eyes that he would never forget. Whenever they looked at him, he felt an uncontrollable excitement and an inexplicable calm. Those clear blue eyes slowly healed his inner wounds, protecting him from the nightmares of his past. He had thought about adding those eyes to his collection, but without a doubt, they shone brightest only on their owner’s face.

What Joshua desired was not just those eyes but Alois himself—his eyes, his warm body, his embrace, everything.

“Do you hate me for this?” Joshua asked quietly.

Alois turned to face him. “Would you put my eyes in formalin too?”

“No,” Joshua said.

“Neither do I.” Alois snuggled closer to him. “You’re a famous assassin with a couple of strange hobbies. That’s normal. The Galactic Diva is a gambler and a drinker. But I don’t want to hear you say, ‘It has nothing to do with you.’ I hate it when you say that, as if I shouldn’t care about you too much. If something isn’t suitable to tell me, just explain why instead of pushing me away with one sentence… Do you think I’ve taken too much of your freedom, leaving you with too little space?”

Joshua opened his mouth, confused about what to say. Was that really what Alois thought?

“I understand. I won’t say that again.” He took Alois’s hand, placing it over his heart. “Feel that?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“This place—you can take as much of it and for as long as you want,” Joshua said solemnly. “As long as it beats, it belongs to you.”

Alois’s eyes became wet, his chest filled with a mix of sweetness and bitterness. “Even if it stops, it’s still mine!” he said, pulling his hand back and covering his face. “Go get the food. I’m starving!”

Joshua jumped out of bed, went downstairs, and returned with the food he had just bought. When he got back, Alois seemed back to normal, except for his slightly red eyes, even managing to show disdain for their dinner.

“Self-heating single-serve meals!” He took the can reluctantly, like he was facing the broccoli at Hecate. “Are we camping? The last time I ate this stuff was during survival training at school!”

“There are other foods, but you know I can’t manage them.”

“Fine for today, but tomorrow… let me use the kitchen!”

“Please, chef.”

The next morning, Alois woke to the dim light of an Olympus dawn. Joshua was still asleep, briefly roused by his movement and murmuring, “Are you making breakfast?”

“Yes. I’ll call you in an hour.”

Joshua glanced at the time on the communication terminal by his pillow before dozing off again. Alois washed up and went downstairs to check out Joshua’s kitchen, finding it as clean as he expected. From the ingredients Joshua bought, he picked some decent ones to make a soup.

As he boiled water, the doorbell rang.

Alois paused his work, listening for any movement upstairs. Joshua made no sound, either not hearing the bell or pretending not to. After a few minutes, the bell rang again. Alois set the ladle aside and went to the entrance to check the monitor.

On the screen stood a man in a suit, holding a briefcase.

“Hello,” Alois said. “What can I do for you?”

The man adjusted his tie and spoke clearly. “Hello, I’m Alec Stewart from Lancaster Entertainment. Is Mr. Joshua Euler at home? I’d like to discuss our company’s plans to purchase land for an amusement park…”

Alois remembered the guard mentioning this. He wondered why they were interested in this bald hilltop for an amusement park. Would anyone really come here? The thoughts of the big bosses were indeed puzzling.

He opened the door. “Mr. Euler is still resting. You can come in and wait for a bit.”

The man nodded politely. “Thank you. Here is my card,” he said, reaching into his briefcase.

At that moment, years of training heightened Alois’s senses. Something was off! The scene felt eerily familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before.

How could he forget? This was exactly how Miss Leia had been killed!

As the man pulled out a spray bottle instead of a card, Alois quickly stepped back, intending to slam the door shut. But it was too late. The man pressed the bottle, releasing a high-concentration anesthetic gas into Alois’s face. He inhaled it and immediately collapsed.

The man put the spray bottle back in his bag, adjusted his tie again, then hoisted Alois’s body over his shoulder, making sure to close the door behind him. “This was too easy,” he thought. “This trick never fails. Why are people always so unguarded?”

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 96

“Is this your home?”

The assassin shrugged. “It’s decent enough.”

In front of them stood a silver-gray three-story villa with a small garden. Owning a small garden on Olympus was a rare luxury, but this one clearly had been neglected by its owner. The lawn was uneven and half-withered. Joshua didn’t seem like the type to take care of a garden.

The owner of the withered garden unlocked the fingerprint lock at the door and called to Alois, “Don’t just stand there. Come in!”

Alois hesitated before following him inside.

The interior was in much better condition than he had expected. He thought a long-abandoned house would be filled with dust and cobwebs, with mouse footprints all over the floor, but this house was clean and tidy. The floor was waxed, and everything was spotless. The furniture was covered with dust covers, and aside from the slightly stale air, there was no sign that it had been uninhabited.

“Is this really your place? It’s quite… clean.” Alois couldn’t help but doubt it. Although the minimalist decor and modern furniture did reflect Joshua’s style, could the Joshua who made cooking look like a massacre really keep a house this orderly?

“A housekeeping robot comes to clean regularly.”

…Of course. He shouldn’t have expected too much from Joshua’s housekeeping skills.

The assassin pulled off the dust covers, tossing them to the floor. Immediately, a plump housekeeping robot slid in from another room, picking up the covers while emitting some incomprehensible beeps before sliding away.

Joshua put his hands on his hips. “That’s my robot butler.”

Alois slumped on the sofa, exhausted. “After seeing Leo, I can’t be impressed by other robots anymore.”

If Leo could speak, he would have laughed arrogantly at this praise. Joshua snorted. “It’s much more useful than Leo. At least it doesn’t sneak around taking inappropriate pictures when I’m not looking.”

Joshua was standing in front of Alois, at an angle just intimate enough. Alois raised an eyebrow, holding Joshua’s waist and gently rubbing. “Doesn’t sneak around, huh?”

“Are you happy?” The assassin looked down, grabbing Alois’s hair and pushing his head towards his crotch. “Make me happy too?”

Alois unzipped Joshua’s pants. It wasn’t fully hard yet, so he carefully took it into his mouth. He licked and sucked, his tongue sliding along the shaft and circling the tip. He felt it quickly swell and harden, like a scorching weapon pressing against his throat.

While sucking on Joshua’s cock, Alois glanced up at his face. The assassin’s eyes were half-closed, the golden rings around his pupils shimmering. The mysterious fire in those eyes seemed connected to his emotions, dimming when he was down and brightening when excited. Judging by the look now, Joshua was definitely very excited.

Alois boldly reached behind him, but before his fingers could touch the crease of his ass, Joshua grabbed his hand and pushed him onto the sofa. As his pants were stripped off and his legs spread apart, Alois sighed. “I miss Neo Athens.”

“What’s to miss about it?”

“I was always on top in Neo Athens… Go easy!”

Joshua thrust in forcefully, invading the narrow passage and eliciting a cry of pain from Alois. Not waiting for him to adjust to the thick, hard intrusion, Joshua started thrusting. “This isn’t Neo Athens,” the assassin cruelly rubbed the sensitive spot inside him, “and I prefer fucking you to being fucked.”

Alois gasped under the onslaught of pleasure. “Didn’t I… make you… feel good?”

“Your technique is terrible,” Joshua said deliberately.

“That’s nonsense! Everyone at Hecate who’s been in bed with me said I was great… Ah!”

Joshua thrust hard, making Alois scream. Taking advantage of his open mouth, Joshua shoved two fingers inside, muffling his voice while thrusting even faster. Alois was overwhelmed by the pleasure but couldn’t vocalize it, so he licked Joshua’s fingers, a mix of pleading and further temptation.

“Don’t mention Hecate or your past lovers to me,” Joshua whispered in his ear. “What happened before we met, I can overlook. But if you bring it up now, you should know the consequences.” He thrust hard again. “If you dare speak of it, I’ll fuck your mouth. If you think about it, I’ll fuck your ass raw. Got it?”

Alois whimpered. To hear what he was saying, Joshua pulled his fingers out. Alois tightened his grip on Joshua’s waist and licked his lips. “We’ll see if you can satisfy me…”

His words turned into broken, ambiguous moans, mingling with the sound of flesh slapping and the lewd noises of their coupling, filling the whole house.

After their passionate session, Alois lay tiredly against Joshua’s chest. He was nearly fucked to death, his lower body aching as if it had been torn apart by a wild beast. Joshua knew he had gone too hard (though most of it was deserved, the assassin thought shamelessly), and now he was trying to make amends by massaging Alois’s sore waist.

“I’m hungry,” Alois suddenly said.

“Didn’t I feed you enough?” Joshua’s voice was thick with amusement.

“I’m really hungry. Is there anything to eat? Ah, I shouldn’t ask. Of course there isn’t. We should have eaten outside before coming back.”

The massage paused. “Can I still go buy something now?”

Alois kissed him. “Just get back before I starve to death.”

So Joshua had to climb out of the cozy embrace, get dressed, and head out to buy food. “Stay put and don’t wander around,” he instructed before leaving.

Alois lazily acknowledged.

There was a car in the garage, though Joshua wasn’t sure if it still had power. Driving to the commercial street at the bottom of the hill and back would take about half an hour. Joshua estimated that Alois, worn out from the intense sex, wouldn’t be wandering around. If he saw anything he shouldn’t, it would be a disaster.

When Joshua returned home with a load of emergency food, the greeting he heard wasn’t the lively “You’re back” but a terrified scream.

From the mysterious room upstairs, where Joshua kept his collection.

Joshua’s temple throbbed. He cursed under his breath, dropped the bags, and sprinted upstairs.

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Interlude 5

Dear Figaro,

It’s been a long time since I last wrote to you. How have you been lately? Ever since you mentioned that special mission in Neo Athens, we haven’t seen each other or heard from you. I heard from Kepler that you and your family moved to the Unfallen Star, but who knows if that’s true. You know, that guy’s words are never reliable.

I’m sending this letter to your old mailbox. I don’t know if you can still receive it. Maybe you stopped using this it long ago. May the Lord bless you to see it.

Damn you, you bastard! How long have we known each other? We’ve been on more missions together than you’ve had sex with your wife, so how could you disappear without a word? I almost thought you had died in Neo Athens! No matter how classified the mission was or how inconvenient it was to tell us, you shouldn’t have cut off all contact! Oh, Lord, you son of a bitch, I really want to tear you apart and feed you to Jack!

Jack’s little girlfriend gave birth to a litter of puppies. Kepler and I each took one to raise. That clumsy idiot Kepler definitely won’t be able to keep his puppy alive! Lord, I really shouldn’t have given him the puppy! But it’s too late now. It would be harder to take that thing back than the diamonds off the Queen’s crown.

Do you know, Nana got married last week to that stupid and dumb bar owner. (What’s so great about him? Nana marrying him is like a flower stuck in manure!) I was her bridesmaid, my second time being one—the first was at your wedding. They say if you’re a bridesmaid three times, you’ll never get married. I’m really worried and hope it’s just a superstition.

Most of our old comrades have settled down, and many have quit. I’m also planning to wash my hands of it and open a casino with my current savings. Casinos make money. Remember when we teamed up to steal that famous painting “Empire Sunset” from that casino owner? That’s when I thought I’d open my own casino someday, filled with famous paintings. But I won’t let them be stolen! I’m the best thief, who could steal from me? (Kepler says he could guard the casino and lend money at high interest. That guy!)

Figaro, it’s been over ten years since our first mission together. Thinking back to our meeting in the underground market of Olympus feels like it was just yesterday. Back then, we were young and ambitious, thinking we could do anything as long as we had comrades. We believed we could overcome any difficulty, and even if we got hurt, we would eventually heal.

Now I’m thirty. One by one, my comrades have left. Some I still contact occasionally, some, like you, have vanished, and some I’ll never see again. Only now do I understand that some things, once lost, can never be found again. At my age, I’ve come to see things clearly, which inevitably makes me cautious and calculating.

I wish I could go back to the past. As long as you’re young, you can be fearless with your youth. But I’m no longer that young person. Now I’m like an old woman, stuck in past glories.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t chosen to be a thief. Maybe I’d have gone to college, met a shy boy, fallen in love, dated for years with constant quarrels and reconciliations, eventually realizing we were perfect for each other. We’d start a family, have children, a cat, and a dog, and buy a seaside house with white walls and red tiles, with a small garden. I’d tend to the garden while my husband taught the kids to weave fences. Maybe he’d be a high school teacher or an office worker, and I’d become a housewife. Our kids would grow up, rebel, and turn the house upside down. They’d grow up, fall in love, get married, and have children. One day, I’d grow old, collapse while pruning the flowers, and never wake up. That might be my life: a bit dull, not exciting, but fulfilling.

Sometimes I secretly dream of such a life because ours is filled with danger and rarely peaceful moments. But I have no regrets. I have never regretted meeting you all, never regretted walking into that underground market on that rainy day, seeing Nana and Kepler bargaining, and you standing in the shadows, looking into the distance, giving me only a blurry side profile.

Thank the Lord for letting me meet you all at that time and place. I thank Him for bringing us together. I thank Him for this path. Though it’s rough and bloody, I believe it’s the best path because I have you all with me.

This letter is coming to an end. Kepler is urging me to book the tickets (he can’t do it himself?). I’ve never liked saying goodbye, and this time is no different. I won’t waste ink on a sentimental farewell. If we meet again, then no goodbyes are needed.

Give my regards to your wife and son (though I’ve never met the little rascal, I wish him well and hope he becomes as excellent as his father).

Yours faithfully,

Jolene Cavendish

Standard Date May 27, 1393

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 95

“Please be careful, madam.”

The staff at Olympus Spaceport was diligently providing attentive service to travelers as usual. When he saw a middle-aged woman stepping out of the cabin, he instinctively went forward to assist her and politely greeted her.

The “madam” he referred to gave him a graceful smile. Her well-maintained fingers rested on the staff member’s forearm, like a noblewoman accepting a knight’s help. “Thank you, sir,” she said, “but I hope the term ‘madam’ on Olympus doesn’t carry the same meaning as I understand it.”

The staff member’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Ve… very sorry, madam… I mean, miss.”

Only then did the woman withdraw her intense gaze.

“Ah, Jolene, come on now. You’re not a twenty-year-old girl anymore. Why are you so particular about these titles?” A man followed her out of the cabin. A cane hung from his wrist, and his hair was meticulously groomed. He was dressed in a suit that complemented the woman’s vintage attire. If she hadn’t denied being married just now, anyone would have mistaken them for a traveling couple!

“Shut up, Kepler. If people think we’re married, I might as well jump into a spaceship’s turbine engine and die!”

“Not to mention how terrible that would be, the cleanup afterward would be a real headache. You should choose another way to die that doesn’t trouble others.”

As soon as they disembarked, they started bickering. The staff believed more that they were enemies than a couple. They bantered back and forth until they accidentally bumped into a young man wearing glasses.

“Oh, sorry,” Jolene said, stopping her verbal battle with her companion to check on the young man she had bumped into. “Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s fine,” the young man replied with a gentle smile, taking off his glasses to check for damage before putting them back on. “I’m not that easily hurt, madam.”

Miss Jolene wanted to correct his wording, but the young man’s companion—a serious-looking girl—came up. “The car is still waiting for us, Doctor,” she said in a stern voice.

“Alright, alright, we’re going,” the young man said, clearly resigned to the girl’s urging. He gave Jolene another smile, nodded in farewell, and followed the serious girl away.

Jolene watched them disappear into the crowd. “Did you hear that, Kepler?” she said to her companion. “She called him ‘Doctor’. So young and already a doctor, how impressive.”

“If you start working hard now, you could be a doctor in ten years too, I guarantee.”

“Hmph! You always know how to mock me!”

The two continued their earlier quarrel as they walked toward the immigration checkpoint. The staff checked their documents. “Welcome to Olympus, Ms. Jolene Cavendish, Mr. Erwin Kepler,” he said, turning on the green light to let them pass.

They had been bickering like enemies, but now Jolene seemed to let go of her grudge. She didn’t argue further. Instead, she took Kepler’s arm and walked toward the spaceport exit like a lady escorted by a gentleman.

“It’s been a long time since I came to Olympus. The spaceport looks more beautiful,” Jolene said, glancing around. “It wasn’t this luxurious before.”

“The changes outside should be even bigger,” Kepler said. “I wonder what the underground market looks like now. I’d love to see it.”

“You’re feeling nostalgic, Kepler. Nostalgia means you’re getting old.”

“You’re no different. Look who’s talking.”

Their sparks flew again, but Jolene suddenly let go of Kepler’s hand and ran off, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Kepler adjusted his hat and hurried after her, but Jolene was nowhere to be seen. He looked around until he found her near the spaceport exit.

Jolene was looking around frantically, like a mother searching for her lost child.

“What’s wrong with you!” Kepler grabbed her arm. “Did you see someone who owes you money?”

“Damn it, shut up. How do you know what I saw!” Jolene snapped. “I almost found him. I saw him just a moment ago, and then he vanished!”

Kepler was baffled. “Who was it?”

“Ah, there! Look!” Jolene pointed. Kepler saw two young men walking side by side out of the exit. One had silver hair, the other black hair. The latter seemed familiar to Kepler, and after thinking for a while, he remembered seeing him at the Portia Casino in Neo Venice. He hadn’t expected to meet him again on a distant planet. It was quite a coincidence. After a moment, he realized the young man resembled someone else, a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“He’s just like Figaro,” he muttered.

The young men hailed a flying car and left the spaceport, disappearing into the sky.

Jolene smacked him on the back. “You idiot! What are you standing there for! Don’t you claim to know many people in Olympus? Find out who that guy is! Hurry!”

“These fake IDs from Neo Athens work well,” Alois remarked, looking at the small card in his hand. To facilitate their travel, Neo Athens had given them special fake IDs. Alois’s card read “Jacques Turing”, and Joshua’s card read “Joshua Euler”.

“I used this name on Olympus,” Joshua explained. “I have a bunch of documents proving my identity.”

“I remember you also have a property here,” Alois recalled Joshua mentioning his residence on Olympus several times.

“Want to see it?”

“Why not?”

Joshua put his ID back in his pocket, took Alois’s hand, and boarded a flying car. “Avalon 27,” he told the car. The self-driving car recognized the location and took off, carrying them into the sky.

As they left the spaceport, Alois finally saw the true face of Olympus. The land was a vast expanse of red, with silver-gray buildings nestled among the rolling hills, forming several commercial centers. The streets flowed like mercury over the red earth. Olympus was windy, so tall windbreak walls surrounded the major cities. Trees were scarce because the soil wasn’t suitable for plants. All the oxygen was produced by bacteria that absorbed carbon dioxide and emitted oxygen. Towers housing the bacteria dotted the city, like a forest of steel pointing at the sky.

The landscape resembled Mars, the brother of Old Earth, the fourth planet of the solar system. That land was also red. In the past, before humanity left the solar system, Mars was seen as a new paradise, humanity’s second heaven. Perhaps Olympus was influenced by this, as many of its place names were taken from Old Earth mythology. “Olympus” itself was the land of the gods in one of those myths.

The car flowed like mercury to the edge of the city. Alois leaned against the window, eagerly taking in the surroundings like an insatiable, curious child.

“This area is Takamagahara, Olympus’s industrial zone.”

“See the east? That’s Penglai, the only place with a river.”

“We’re heading to Eden now, one of the few areas with greenhouse parks.”

Joshua subtly played the tour guide with a doting smile on his face. Thank goodness, Alois seemed to like this place. Contrary to its name, Olympus was no paradise but a haven for the underworld. But Alois didn’t know that. It was great that he liked it here.

The car left the bustling city, heading to the suburbs, and ascended a red hill scattered with villas. Joshua’s residence was likely one of them.

Alois whistled. “The rich neighborhood. You must be loaded.”

“If you have to live somewhere, might as well live comfortably.”

Joshua directed the car to stop at a security checkpoint by the road. He lowered the window and greeted the guard. “Good day, Mr. Fez.”

The guard, standing straight, saluted him. “It’s been a while since you were here, Mr. Euler!”

“Yes, I was away on some business.”

The guard glanced at Alois in the car. “Is this your friend?”

“Yes. Jacques Turing.”

Alois, slow to react to his fake name, just smiled foolishly at the guard.

“By the way, there’s something you should know,” the guard said. “Recently, an entertainment company plans to buy the land on the hill to build a large amusement park. They’ve been persuading the residents to sell. They’ll probably visit your place in the next few days.”

Joshua nodded. “Got it.” He bid farewell to the guard and directed the car to continue, soon arriving at a villa halfway up the hill.

---

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

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

---

Chapter 94

“Hey, let’s go back to Milantu.”

Joshua opened his eyes to the morning light. The sun was already high in the sky. A gentle breeze lifted the curtains, letting sunlight stream through the gaps, leaving patches of light on the floor that shifted with time. He yawned, catching a glimpse of Alois curled up in the blanket, staring with alert blue eyes like a wary animal. The morning sun cast a faint shadow on his eyelashes.

Both of them were completely naked, facing each other with the passionate marks from last night still visible on their bodies. Joshua, still a bit groggy, kissed Alois on the lips. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Alois propped up his head and repeated. “Let’s go back to Milantu.”

“Why go back? Isn’t it good here?” They were currently staying at Joshua’s “old home”, sleeping in Joshua’s former bedroom, with a peaceful and tranquil Neo Athens morning outside the window. This life was almost like a fairy tale.

“It’s great here,” Alois said, reaching out to play with Joshua’s hair, twirling the silver strands around his fingers. “But I want to go back to Milantu.”

“Okay,” Joshua said, wrapping his arms around Alois’s waist and pulling him close. “Then let’s go back.”

“Really?”

“Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

Alois suddenly jumped up, throwing off the blanket. “Then get up! We need to pack!”

“Is it that urgent?”

There was a spaceship departing for Nutalin in the afternoon, stopping by Olympus. Alois planned to transfer to another ship heading for the Empire border and then find a way to contact Milantu near the Binary Flame system. Leo would handle everything, even though he was currently trapped in a chip installed in a communication terminal, only able to use minimal functions—chatting. Because he was so bored, he constantly complained about everything in Neo Athens, from food to the Governor’s new robe. Sometimes Alois had to turn off the communication terminal to escape the chatter, leaving Leo unable to use even the minimal functions. It made him very sad.

In the morning, they went to say goodbye to Lord Giorgione. The old man was puzzled by their hurried departure and urged them to stay longer. Joshua declined his kind offer because Alois was eager to leave.

Mona Lisa, the AI of Neo Athens, personally escorted them to the spaceport, which startled Alois. “To be honest,” he whispered to Joshua, “seeing her smile gives me the creeps. Does turning from 2D to 3D make such a big difference?”

As soon as he said that, Mona Lisa turned back and gave him a slight smile, making Alois shiver and fall silent. The AI could undoubtedly hear their whispers. This was one of the reasons Alois was eager to leave—in Neo Athens, they had no privacy! The AI knew everything!

With an all-knowing AI accompanying them, Alois felt uneasy throughout the journey. As they boarded the ship, he saw Mona Lisa waving a white handkerchief in the farewell crowd, with the Neo Athens governor, Nolin Titian, standing beside her. This made Alois’s anxiety peak. It wasn’t until they were in their cabin and the ship had set sail that he finally relaxed.

“Finally away,” he said, sprawling on the bed. Joshua sat on the edge, playing with his hair.

“You don’t like Neo Athens?”

“I always felt awkward there, like I didn’t belong,” Alois said, pressing Joshua’s hand to his cheek. Joshua’s hand was cool, but his palm was warm. “You don’t belong there either,” he said. “You always looked so worried in Neo Athens.”

“Did I?” Joshua raised an eyebrow. His hand brushed Alois’s cheek, slipping inside his shirt. “Then where do you belong? Milantu?” He unbuttoned the young man’s shirt, caressing the chest still bearing the marks of last night. “Why are you in such a hurry to go back?”

“We need to return Leo’s chip.” Alois narrowed his eyes, enjoying Joshua’s touch. “Shouldn’t we go back? I don’t recall being kicked out of the pirate crew.”

“Joanna is dead,” Joshua said. “The pirate crew survived until now because she led it. No one can replace her. So, after her death, the crew will inevitably…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

Alois turned his back to him. He knew Joshua was realistic and right, but he didn’t want to think about what would happen to the crew after Joanna’s death. No one could replace Joanna—no one could unite the proud and arrogant pirates like she did. Alois didn’t want to see the crew disintegrate and didn’t know how to keep them together.

Unless Joanna came back to life. He thought. But that was impossible. So he preferred to avoid the issue.

Joshua didn’t let him off the hook. “What will you do after returning to Milantu?” he asked softly. “Continue being a pirate? Can the crew still operate? Will the Lady of the Night sail again?”

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know,” Alois mumbled. “I’m not like you, Joshua. If you stop being a pirate, you can still be a great assassin. But I’m different. I have nothing left. I…”

“Except me,” Joshua interrupted him. “You still have me.” He leaned down to kiss Alois’s ear, his hand slipping inside his clothes, moving lower.

“Yes, except you,” Alois smiled.

“If one day, we’re neither pirates nor assassins, what will we do?” Joshua asked. “Have you thought about it?”

“I haven’t thought that far. Is it even possible?”

Joshua continued, “We could leave everything behind and find a place to hide. Neo Venice is a good choice. We could buy a small island, drifting with the ocean currents to any part of the planet. We’d build a house on the island, raise a cat and a dog. On sunny days, we’d fish by the sea. During storms, we’d stay indoors, making love on a soft bed…” He grabbed Alois’s cock, stroking it slowly. “Would you like that life? Would it be too peaceful, not exciting enough?”

Alois suddenly felt tears welling up. He longed for a peaceful life, to spend his days quietly with his beloved, but fate seemed to enjoy tormenting him, making his life turbulent and never peaceful. Could they ever have a day where they left all conflicts behind, forgot all pain and sorrow, and lived peacefully? Could he beg the capricious and cruel God of Fate for such a day?

Joshua, seeing his lack of response, thought he wasn’t interested in the idea. “If you don’t like it, never mind,” the assassin said with a hint of regret. Then he put the idea aside and focused on the present.

In the heat of their passion, he heard Alois murmur, “The cat is Schrödinger. What about the dog? Are you planning to kidnap Pavlov?”

Joshua laughed.

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Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

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Chapter 93

After Prince Annot’s funeral, Major General Darius Bayes invited several colleagues and friends to his home for a small gathering. Everyone knew that he and the Prince had been close friends since childhood and that the Prince’s death was a heavy blow to him. It was understandable that he wanted to ease his sorrow through a gathering with friends. No one objected to this, except that Princess Alveira also attended. A young noblewoman mingling with a group of military men was bound to attract some gossip. However, given that the deceased was the Princess’s brother, and the host was Darius, whom the Princess regarded as a brother, what was so surprising about it?

“No one would find it strange,” Alveira said, sitting by the window, pulling the curtain slightly aside to peek outside. Darius’s friends were entering the mansion gate one after another, being led to the living room by the diligent butler. From her position, Alveira could see each one of them clearly.

Darius stood beside her, introducing his friends. “The one with brown hair is Lieutenant Colonel Radruta, captain of the ‘Princess Nina’. He also holds the hereditary title of Viscount. His brother is a director at the Tower Energy Company, holding 51% of the shares.”

“The one wearing a hat is Major Moriel, captain of the ‘Astonishment’. Although he’s not a noble, his family has been running a luxury goods chain for generations. His cousin is the deputy editor of the ‘Unfallen Star Superlight News’.”

“The slightly overweight one is Lieutenant Colonel Hauser, captain of the ‘Black Lotus’. He was the president of the student council at school, known for his charisma and leadership.”

“The one talking to the butler is Colonel Casper, captain of the ‘Star Iron’. Very reliable and trustworthy.”

As Alveira listened, she nodded, memorizing their appearances and identities. These people would be her first allies when she stepped onto the battlefield. She needed her own power. Without subordinates and allies, she would merely be a puppet Princess, and eventually, a puppet Queen. The rebellion of Duke Winnet was a significant crisis for her but also a rare opportunity. By using the fight against the rebels as an excuse, she could mobilize resources to the fullest and seize power for herself. Once the war was over, she would have enough strength to eliminate the remaining obstacles within the Empire. Even the powerful Chancellor wouldn’t be her match.

As night fell, the butler came in to report that all the guests had arrived. Alveira, with Darius’s gentlemanly assistance, went to the living room and exchanged pleasantries with the young officers. Judging by their enthusiastic reactions, it was clear that they were quite curious about the Empire’s Princess. Among them might be some who aspired to become the Queen’s consort. Alveira thought that marriage could be a powerful weapon if necessary. She didn’t mind marrying someone she didn’t like since the one she loved was already dead, and it didn’t matter whom she married.

Darius introduced his friends to her one by one. Although she already knew their identities, Alveira acted pleasantly surprised to meet each person for the first time, shaking hands with them, asking about their absent family members, or inquiring about their proud achievements. This made her appear polite and considerate while subtly conveying, “I know you well and have been prepared to meet you.”

Some, like Colonel Casper, whom Darius described as “reliable”, raised an eyebrow when Alveira asked about his schoolmate Alois Lagrange, quickly understanding her intent to form alliances. Most only realized why the Princess was at a subject’s home after dinner.

Before dinner began, Alveira led everyone in a prayer for her late brother. “May the merciful Lord receive his soul, resting in Your eternal embrace. May the forgiving Lord pardon his sins and let him enjoy Your kingdom. May the just Lord grant him righteous judgment, not wrongly condemning an innocent nor sparing a guilty one.”

Everyone recited the eulogy, praying to the compassionate Lord. They realized that this wasn’t a prayer but a challenge for vengeance!

Alveira wouldn’t force anyone to ally with her, and these people weren’t yet trustworthy. After dinner, she said to the guests, “The night is still long. Please move to the next room to taste Darius’s fine wine. Of course, if anyone has other plans for the evening, they may leave.” A few hesitated, but no one actually left. Alveira noted their names.

In the adjacent lounge, the butler closed the door, separating the two worlds inside and out. Alveira sat in a central position, with Darius to her left and the others around them.

“I assume you have guessed why I invited you here.”

A murmur swept through the lounge.

“Quite surprising,” said Major Moriel, captain of the ‘Astonishment’. “Does Your Highness intend to avenge the late Prince Annot?”

“Shouldn’t I?”

“But the Prince committed suicide.”

“How bored must he have been to shoot himself in the head on his wedding day? That’s not fun,” Alveira sneered.

Colonel Casper said, “Your Highness, this is very dangerous. You could stay in the palace and wait for us to bring you Duke Winnet’s head.”

“And then? After the Duke’s death, let Chancellor Greenwald take all the power?”

“You are the Empire’s Princess and future Queen.”

“I’m not so sure.” Alveira spread her hands. “Have there not been enough assassinations?” She glanced at Colonel Casper, who lowered his head, mourning his friend, who had been framed and imprisoned.

“Moreover,” she continued, “I cannot coexist peacefully with Chancellor Greenwald, nor do I like his ‘pretty’ granddaughter.”

The crowd laughed. Alveira considered this a good reaction.

“I don’t want to be anyone’s puppet, and I’m sure you don’t either. I need your help.”

Lieutenant Colonel Radruta said, “Not everyone joins the military out of loyalty and passion for the Empire and the Queen. We have our own interests. What can you promise us?”

“What do you want?” Alveira opened her palm and then closed it as if grasping something. “When I, when you, have power, what can’t you get? Don’t you want promotions? Don’t you want to achieve fame and success? If you follow the normal path, you might become generals by the time you’re as old as Admiral Wilusack. Is that what you want? What best reflects a soldier’s value?” She paused. “War.”

The lounge fell silent as people exchanged glances filled with both doubt and excitement, silently weighing the young Princess’s bold words.

“You want to start a war?” Colonel Casper asked.

“War never stops,” Alveira replied. “There’s the war against the Duke now and future wars against the Chancellor. If the opportunity arises, we will fight against the Federation or other enemies. In these wars, you will be the vanguard, gaining far more honor and merit than others, providing more opportunities for advancement. The old, stale men will be driven off the stage, making way for your talents!”

Someone started clapping. Major Moriel said dryly, “Very stirring and tempting. I must admit, I was momentarily swayed. But Your Highness, why should we follow and trust you unconditionally?”

“Is there anyone else worth following and trusting besides me?”

“We could align with the Chancellor and help him establish a puppet regime. The Chancellor has power and influence, manipulating politics for decades with experience. He was playing power games before you were born. Why abandon a strong backer to support a young girl?”

Alveira pointed at him. “Because I am young, and you are young, but the chancellor is old. There is a generation gap between you.” Her subtext was, “If I am a little girl, then in the chancellor’s eyes, you are just a boy. When he doesn’t need you, he can kick you aside. You can’t defend against his schemes, but I won’t do that.”

Major Moriel, with a journalist cousin, understood the Princess’s implicit message, but he still looked unconvinced. “But you don’t have any power of your own. Your status relies entirely on others’ support. How can such a position last?”

“I have you.”

“You don’t even have a fleet that answers only to you.” Major Morier glanced at Darius. “Even Count Bayes’s troops belong to him, not you.”

“I will have one,” Alveira said confidently. “I will have a ship from the Neo Athens shipyard, equipped with an advanced AI. She is stunning, unparalleled, and everyone will bow before her.”

“Where is she now?”

Alveira pursed her lips and then pronounced the unfamiliar but thunderous name. “Milantu.”

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