Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 19: Mask

The proposal by Teest to “recreate the same wound” was firmly rejected by Nol. Nol spent most of the evening applying heavy makeup to mimic Teest’s injuries. The next morning, he left the City Lord’s mansion with Teest on his back.

After that, Nol only had a street urchin pass a message to the witch, asking her to take care of Margret’s body. Witch Lynn’s response was brief—

[No problem,] she said.

This was the first step of the plan.

Next, they had to wait.

As they anticipated, Lord Swain became more subdued, and there was no disappearance in Whitebird City for the time being. As for killing time, Nol admitted he was no match for Teest. In one night, this guy found out the rankings of all the attractions and restaurants in the city and then dragged him around to visit them one by one.

Ironically, this was probably the first time since Nol came to this world that he had truly rested.

Seven or eight days passed, and they wandered every corner of Whitebird City during the day and shared desserts and fruits in the suite at night. Life was so leisurely that it seemed unreal, as if they were truly on a honeymoon—the two of them always came and went together, and the look in the eyes of the hotel receptionists was somewhat off.

However, their “honeymoon” didn’t include sharing a bed at night.

After dinner, they each returned to their rooms. Nol mainly spent this time thinking about improving the Dragon Corpse Notebook, and as for Teest… He didn’t know what Teest was up to, as the guy was as quiet as the dead.

Judging by the relaxed state in which that guy got up the next day, he probably hadn’t done anything masochistic.

Today, their destination was the most upscale hotel in Whitebird City, and there were many shops with local characteristics nearby.

The sky in the afternoon was incredibly clear. The two of them, carrying bags of different sizes, each took a crunchy peach and sat on a bench near the hotel. The bench was next to a robust oak tree, whose shade blocked the dazzling sunlight, casting dappled light on the ground.

However, not far away, city guards were posting portraits of Margret Swain. She was a pretty young girl with black hair and green eyes, had delicate features, and a round face with a youthful look unique to girls.

But she was no longer in this world. It was just a play by the City Lord, Nol thought. The crunchy peach was fresh and sweet, but he’d lost his appetite.

Maybe they should put some pressure on the City Lord and take action sooner.

No sooner had Nol thought this than there was a sudden weight beside him.

Perhaps the afternoon breeze was too warm, for Teest had fallen asleep at some point. His posture was a bit awkward, and it was clear that Teest wanted to lean against the back of the bench, but his body didn’t cooperate, pressing onto Nol’s shoulder.

Nol didn’t move away. He shifted slightly, allowing Teest to lean more comfortably. Teest smacked his lips but didn’t wake up, emitting the fresh scent of peaches.

These days, Teest seemed like a real “Tahe” Player, the kind Nol hoped for—he left his troubles in reality behind and adventured freely in the beautiful fantasy city.

Nol wished he could greet him openly.

Hey, are you having fun? I hope you like my world.

Everything should’ve been like this. Nol touched the tips of Teest’s hair, which felt cold and smooth, and the reality of it was startling.

…What kind of person are you in reality? Are you studying or working? Do you have family waiting for you?

…Why do you insist on acting alone? Are you like me, fearful of the vast unknown?

Sadly, these were questions that the NPC “Mage Nol” couldn’t touch. If this matter was resolved smoothly, Nol hoped they could have a good talk.

“Hey, it’s you guys! What are you doing here?”

A voice filled with delight rang out. Chef Kurt, in a new uniform, was jogging over.

Teest woke up, shaking his head, and looked somewhat surprised at “Pillow” Nol.

“I’ve been looking for you two recently. Thank the Goddess, the Alva Merchant Group hired me!” Kurt beamed. “It’s all thanks to the two of you. I can’t express how grateful I am.”

“You’re welcome,” Teest replied, taking a bite of his crunchy peach.

“It’s so good to see you both. Lately, I’ve been meeting good people. Perhaps it’s my son watching over me from above.” Mr. Kurt wiped a tear from his eye, speaking softly. “Lord Swain is also a good person… He heard about my son and personally apologized to me. He even gave our family ten gold wheels as a parting gift.”

“I hope you can find Miss Swain. There will surely be a handsome reward!” he concluded.

Indeed, it surely would be handsome. However, compared to a “reward”, Nol thought it would be more like “hush money”, similar to the gold wheels the City Lord gifted Mr. Kurt.

As he was muttering to himself, Teest suddenly poked his back and glanced towards the flowerbed not far away—where the shrubs were densely packed and trimmed into regular spheres. Nol held his breath and felt the unmistakable presence of the breath of the living.

Someone was eavesdropping.

“This is all thanks to Teest,” Nol immediately said. “You two chat. I’ll go buy something to drink.”

He walked to a beverage stall near the bushes and bought three glasses of iced fruit juice. As the vendor was juicing, Nol suddenly walked straight into the bushes.

A small figure jumped like a cat and ran away. Nol recognized that silhouette—Hannah, the leader of the street urchins.

Why was she following them?

What they were doing might not be safe. They might be targeted by the Eternal Church. Not to mention that the Mad Monk might still be in the city. Even if the witch had suspicions about them, she wouldn’t let a child take such a risk.

With many questions in mind, Nol returned. Mr. Kurt and Teest had pretty much finished chatting—considering they didn’t have much to talk about—when Nol handed Mr. Kurt a glass of juice, and the three clinked their glasses together.

“In a short while, I’ll be leaving with the Alva Merchant Group,” Kurt said. “I hope we meet again! If you ever come to Grape Collar, do visit me.”

After the pleasantries, Mr. Kurt didn’t immediately head to the inn. He straightened his collar and walked back the way he came.

[He said he’s been very lucky recently and wants to go to the church to pray for his son,] Teest said, sipping his juice.

[We should also get moving soon,] Nol replied, also sipping through his straw.

Regardless of why Hannah was following them, he couldn’t just lock her up. Rather than wait and worry, it was better to act swiftly.

……

That night.

In a dark and spacious living room, two handsome youths were illuminated by the dim glow of a magic circle, along with a skeleton goat standing in the center. The scene looked quite eerie.

…Provided if one ignored what they were actually doing.

Teest held a black cloak in one hand and a small hunting knife in the other, ripping the edges of the cloak. Nol, on the other hand, was bargaining with the skeleton goat using a fresh cabbage.

“This is top-quality cabbage from a premium hotel,” Nol emphasized. “The leaves still have dew on them. There’s not a single dry spot!”

“Baa—”

“I know, asking for your skull is a bit much. But trust me, I’ll only take half, and it’ll grow back,” Nol tried to convince. “How about two cabbages?”

“Baa baa baa! Baa baa baa!”

“Four, and I’ll give you an extra one. Eat it on the spot? Of course.”

After munching on the four cabbages, the skeleton goat finally yielded. Nol held its coiled horns and separated the upper part of the skull.

The skeleton goat swayed its remaining part of its head and silently sank into the ground.

Nol quickly turned the skull into a mask using a prepared leather cord. Then, he took out fresh pig’s blood obtained from the kitchen and smeared it all over the skull, ensuring every bone crevice was soaked.

Around three in the morning, they finally finished their tasks.

Nol stripped off his clothes and put on the specially modified black cloak Teest made. He pulled up the hood and put on the goat skull mask.

His physical form was dispelled.

Blue flames suddenly lit up in the dark eye sockets of the skull.

“Wow,” Teest sincerely exclaimed.

“I’ll sew some phalanges on the robe later.” Nol finished putting on his skeleton gloves, then turned around. “How does it look, Sir Knight? Any other suggestions?”

“It’s perfect.” Teest touched his chin. “It’s just a bit plain. You need something to awe the City Lord… Ah, wait a moment.”

Teest hurried back to his room and returned with an ancient ruby necklace. It was their treasure obtained from the Lich’s dungeon, belonging to the “Nameless King”.

The old black robe, golden antiques, blood-like ruby, grayish goat horns, and goat bone mask—looking at himself in the mirror, Nol looked like a powerful elite monster. Even as the creator, he couldn’t spot any flaws.

Teest circled around, admiring and making sounds of appreciation.

In his eyes, the withered figure under the black robe quickly became plump. Soft black hair and pale skin appeared next to the goat bone mask. Instead of will-o’-wisps, the eye holes of the skull now had pupils glowing with a faint blue light.

Nol removed the mask, laughing genuinely from the heart. At this moment, he genuinely felt the joy of a “game”.

“That’ll do,” he said with a smile. “The mask smells strongly of cabbage on the inside. I’ll have to soak it in blood… Teest?”

Teest stood in front of Nol. His golden eyes were full of focus, just like the first day they met. This bewitching gaze was brief but intense, like a whip’s crack. It was so sudden that even after Teest hid it, Nol still felt chills for a second.

Then, Teest raised his right hand, slowly reaching out to Nol, moving as gently as if trying to catch a butterfly.

Nol could almost feel the warmth of Teest’s fingertips.

However, just a second before touching Nol’s cheek, Teest diverted his arm to grab the goat bone mask.

“I’ll take care of the cabbage smell,” Teest said, sounding as casual as ever.

The whole series of movements from Teest was so natural that Nol couldn’t help but question himself for a moment—was he overthinking it, or had he experienced an illusion?

Nol was certain that he had never known someone like Teest before. Based on their interactions over these days, it seemed like Teest didn’t know him either. Teest’s reaction just now felt more like he was looking through Nol, focusing on someone else not present.

…Whatever, better not to think about it. After all, it’s his personal matter.

Nol took off his hood, rubbed his face, and decided to add finger bone decorations to his robe.

The next day at midnight, the two sneaked into the City Lord’s mansion again. Behind the secret passage’s wall, Nol donned his hood. The finger bones at the collar clashed together, making a clicking sound—

The show was about to begin.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 18: Demon Lord

[Rare Area Quest: The Missing Lady]

[Normal Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead)]

[Perfect Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead); successfully witness the Mad Monk and report his physical features to the Temple of Life.]

[Quest Reward: Monetary reward [Normal]; Friendship of the Lord of Whitebird City [Normal]; Huge bounty on the Mad Monk [Perfect]; Friendship of the Temple of Life [Perfect]]t

‘Indeed, the requirement of this quest was “alive or dead”,’ Nol thought.

His speculation was too optimistic. Perhaps Witch Lynn just found the crime scene of Margaret and accidentally learned something, hence coming up with the theory of “man-made disaster”.

Finding Margaret and gaining the friendship of the City Lord… Thinking about this reward was somewhat sickening. The City Lord was waiting for unrelated people to find the body, so he could wash his hands of the matter.

But what about the “Mad Monk” serial killer? Could the City Lord be the legendary Mad Monk?

No, that couldn’t be right. They’ve “witnessed” the City Lord several times, and the system never gave any hints. Or did they need evidence, or to be certain that he’s the Mad Monk, for it to count?

[Could the City Lord be the ‘Mad Monk’?] Nol decided to seek his teammate’s opinions.

[Definitely not,] Teest responded firmly. [It’s said that the ‘Mad Monk’ likes to commit crimes in big cities. Lord Swain doesn’t have that much time to go out. Moreover, according to Kurt, the ‘Mad Monk’ likes to flaunt his victims openly—just now, the City Lord was complaining about the “Demon Lord’s” flamboyant actions.]

[Before Margaret’s death, she proclaimed everywhere that she had seen the Mad Monk,] Nol muttered.

Teest shrugged. [Maybe the whimsical ‘Demon Lord’ is the Mad Monk. Who knows?]

Nol sighed. As expected of the “perfect achievement condition”, it was indeed challenging.

In front of them, the conversation between two Eternalists continued.

“Your prudence is reassuring, Swain,” the raspy voice said, hinting a bit of amusement.

A hand emerged from the enveloping darkness, stretching towards the City Lord. It wore a featureless white glove, and it looked old.

The hand held a round, three-necked flask. It looked like a heart made of glass, filled with a blue-black ink-like liquid, shimmering like stars.

Lord Swain bowed lower, taking the flask. “All for the Eternal Son.”

“There’s one more thing.”

When the hand retracted into the dark, Swain spoke again. “A few days ago, the Demon Lord almost killed an Investigation Knight. Please advise on my behalf… With the Investigation Knights here, it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit low-key. Even if Eugene is investigating the disappearance of the stray children, I can handle it myself.”

“The Demon Lord does as he pleases,” the voice repeated. “God’s test, Swain, God’s test.”

The moment the voice faded, the candle’s flame went out, plunging everything into darkness.

Swain sighed deeply. He wrapped the candle and the flask in soft silk and carefully tucked them into his pocket. Finally, he whispered a spell, and a ball of white light appeared in his palm.

Nol patted the skeleton hound’s head. The creature wagged its tail reluctantly and sunk into the ground. He then signaled Teest to follow closely—while undead creatures had night vision, living humans like Teest didn’t.

Lord Swain, maintaining the light spell, ventured deeper into the darkness.

At the end of the secret passage was a large room, originally a bedroom for the City Lord’s secret rendezvous. Swain pushed the heavy wooden door and threw the ball of light onto a lamp holder. The room was instantly illuminated.

Thankfully, the old door closed slowly. Nol and Teest squeezed in hurriedly, almost making a noise.

The sight inside sent chills down Nol’s spine.

Bones. Piles and piles of bones. At a glance, it resembled the underground catacombs of the capital of country F. Leg bones, skulls, and other bones were neatly and tightly stacked, covering the stone walls, forming a new “wall”.

The skulls were delicate, and the leg bones were slender—all were the bones of children.

Because of the invisibility spell, Teest still stood behind him. Now, sensing something, Teest moved his arm to embrace Nol and comfort him.

The warmth of the living was ever more pronounced for Nol after he transformed into an undead. As Nol was gently embraced by Teest against his chest, the scorching warmth from his back made him take several deep breaths before finally exhaling silently.

[Thank you,] Nol said.

[You’re welcome. Any normal person couldn’t stand this,] Teest replied, releasing his embrace.

As things calmed, Nol shifted his attention to the center of the room.

There was a… device there. It was difficult to describe, resembling some sort of complex alchemical apparatus.

Various glass containers connected to one another, with distillation equipment, filtration systems, and heating tools all available. They were several times larger than their typical sizes, arranged in a chaotic manner yet still giving a sense of eerie order, akin to the innards of a beast.

From ceiling to floor, these giant devices occupied about a quarter of the room’s space. Various reflections intermingled until both stopped at a particular spot, revealing the core of this apparatus—

Inside a vertically placed glass cylinder was the body of a child.

It was a naked boy, pale and skinny, with numerous scars of varying depths covering his body, indicating malnutrition. His eyes were wide open, and his body was swollen and discolored, showing he had been dead for some time.

Lord Swain frowned deeply, examining the body closely. He seemed displeased with the state of the corpse.

“Damn Temple,” he cursed silently.

With that, he took a small bottle from his pocket and connected it to an inlet of the massive apparatus, then carefully attached a tube.

Thump. Thump.

Once connected, the three-necked flask began to beat like a real heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The dark liquid quickly diluted into a beautiful translucent azure. It swiftly flowed over the corpse, seeping to the base of the cylinder, only to be redirected back to the top. The body, like an ice cube under running water, began to melt.

Nol morosely thought how much he had grown. Now he could even resist the urge to retch and force himself to watch.

Flesh and blood disintegrated, and hair dissolved. The azure liquid gradually turned muddy, taking on a deep, meaty hue. After being filtered multiple times, it became a clear, purplish-red color, similar to ripe grapes.

Finally, after hundreds of cycles, only a pale skeleton remained inside the glass cylinder, while only gritty impurities were left on the sieve. The purplish-red liquid underwent distillation and condensation, turning into a dark-red viscous substance, dripping into a silver flask.

…This was the so-called “rejuvenation potion”.

Much like the best perfumers extracting essential oils, Lord Swain extracted something from the pitiable corpse—perhaps its flesh and blood, or perhaps death itself. Nol couldn’t be sure.

After securing the flask, Lord Swain adeptly removed the skeleton and built it into the bone wall.

“May everything be eternal,” he muttered, drawing a perfect circle over his chest.

[What if we kill him? Two against one, ambush him now,] Teest mentally communicated. [Then fabricate the scene, leaving clues to point towards the ‘Demon Lord’, killing two birds with one stone.]

Always rushing towards death because you can’t die, aren’t you?

[No,] Nol immediately responded. [We don’t know what he has up his sleeve. A blind attack is unwise. Judging by the decay of the body… while the Investigation Knights are still around, the City Lord won’t act recklessly. We still have time.]

[It’s because he won’t act in the short term that this opportunity is precious,] Teest lamented. [Don’t you know the weak points of monsters?]

[…Lord Swain is still somewhat human,] Nol replied, rubbing his temples.

Being a prominent figure, with major tasks at hand and being a backbone within the Eternal Church, it would be foolish to believe that Lord Swain didn’t have any ultimate safeguard.

Even when battling the same boss, there was a stark difference between “exploring unknown territory” and “having a strategy guide”. Nol was reluctant to act recklessly.

Teest rested his chin on Nol’s shoulder and sighed dejectedly. [Guess I’ll have to compromise. Maybe this is the hardship of marriage.]

[However, about how to deal with this guy, I have an idea,] Nol said, glancing at the wall of bones. [I think you’ll like it.]

……

“No, I don’t like it.”

Teest sat cross-legged on the bed, sounding rather morose.

“You get to do all the fun stuff. It’s not fair.”

“If you hadn’t been so eager to hurt yourself yesterday, I could have come up with something more fun.” Nol took a sip of hot tea, imitating Teest’s tone. “That’s what you get for being impulsive, honey.”

Nol’s proposal was simple—communicate with Witch Lynn and hide Margaret’s corpse. If the body couldn’t be found, the Investigation Knights would stay longer, which was what Lord Swain didn’t want.

Once the City Lord started to feel anxious, Nol, as a “mysterious member of the Eternal Church”, could stir things up. As for what story to come up with then, Nol already had several plans in mind.

Teest lay down in bed resentfully, turned over, and buried his face into the pillow. “Haa, I also wanted to play a part…”

Nol took another sip of his tea. “Your hair and eyes are too distinctive.”

“I can dye them with magic,” Teest replied, full of hope.

Nol put down the teacup and deactivated his “Physical Form” skill. Teest turned his head to see his handsome companion turn into a skeleton. Even though he couldn’t read the skeleton’s expression, he knew Nol was laughing.

“Is any disguise better than mine?” The skeleton said in the cold voice characteristic of the undead.

Teest lay back and slowly covered himself with a blanket. “…You win.”

……

Near Whitebird City, deep in the forest.

“Oh my, the little girl’s body is missing,” a playful young male voice said.

“Probably taken by wild animals,” another, deeper voice replied, sounding older. “That Swain is an idiot. He should have someone watching the body.”

“Hmm? I think he’s quite clever. If someone had been nearby, they would have left traces. It doesn’t matter if animals took it. Some bones should remain… Tell me, big guy, are you one of those fools who ‘always return to the scene of the crime’?”

“……”

“Really?! And you’ve never been caught?”

“I was caught once. Lucky to still be alive.” The “big guy” sounded a bit annoyed. “Of course, I can’t compare to a famous person like you. How many people have you killed?”

“Secret.” The playful voice laughed. “All I can say is, everything is God’s will.”

“Haha.” The big guy chuckled. “Let’s go back and tell Swain.”

“Why? That guy is incredibly boring, and his method of killing lacks taste. I’d rather see him stressed out,” the playful young man said. “Let’s go back and have a drink.”

“We are on the same side, after all.”

“Doesn’t matter. Didn’t I tell you? Everything is God’s will. Ah, it’s so boring, and we can’t kill that knight captain. Lord, I pray to you—”

The young man began praying sweetly.

“—I want a more interesting opponent.”

---

The author has something to say:

Lord above for the one praying: Your order is on the way (×

I must admit, very effective.

This story tells us to find a reliable job. It’s not godlike opponents that are to be feared, but teammates who are just in it for the fun…

————————————

The underground tomb in this chapter is referenced from the Catacombs of Paris. This is pure fiction, and real-world country or city names won’t appear~

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Kinky Thoughts:

Country F most likely refers to France, which is where the Catacombs of Paris are.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 17: Black Candle

“The priest of the Evergreen Church is excellent. You two who know the Investigation Knights can try your luck,” the steward of the City Lord’s mansion said.

The steward was old, skinny, tall, and slightly stooped, like a stick that would fall at any moment.

The Temple of Life’s churches were known as the Evergreen Church. According to Teest, the priest charged quite a lot for healing. Considering they were currently affluent, it seemed like a good idea.

“You don’t know. It’s our first time getting so much money. If we were to seek healing, Teest would have to return half of the gold wheels to the Temple. He’s reluctant to do so, claiming as long as he can eat and drink, it’s not a big deal,” Nol explained pitifully.

Right now, he had to play the role of a commoner who cherished life but valued his savings even more.

“Good sir, can we stay here for the night? Just one night! We’ll cover the carpet cleaning fee. Please let my friend rest a bit. As you can see, the sun is setting… I’ll take him away tomorrow morning…”

Unable to withstand Nol’s persistent pleading, the steward asked for the City Lord’s permission and assigned them a vacant servant’s room. The room was fine, but it was miles away from the main house.

[The City Lord sure is cautious,] Teest said telepathically while biting a spoon with his mouth—the wounded was half lying on the bed with bandages wrapped around his head and splints on his limbs, relying on a certain Lich to feed him.

Seeing how Teest was nonchalant about his injuries, Nol almost wished he could stab him with the spoon. Angrily, he pulled back the spoon, scooping up mashed potatoes, refusing to speak.

[Mage? Mr. Mage?] Teest mentally harassed him. [Why are you upset? This method works. During our last encounter with the Lich, we collaborated well, didn’t we?]

[Nonsense,] Nol retorted, staring at the mashed potatoes. [Back then, we were desperate. This is different.]

Without “pain protection”, that fall must have hurt like hell. Before, Nol just thought Teest was indifferent to NPCs, but he didn’t expect him to be so hard on himself too.

They were somewhat friends, and seeing a friend hurt himself like that would upset anyone.

Teest blinked a few times. [I thought you’d praise me. This method is the most convenient.]

Frustrated, Nol almost snapped the spoon. This kid’s thought process was seriously flawed.

Forget it. He couldn’t remain mad forever. They were, after all, half-friends. Maybe Teest never saw him as a comrade in the first place. After all, he was still an NPC to him, so his performance shouldn’t be too extreme.

After feeding Teest mashed potatoes, Nol began eating a table full of dishes in front of him: braised beef ribs, fried rabbit legs, roasted pigeon, pork sausages, and more.

To show respect to the City Lord, Nol voluntarily paid for dinner. After all, he was a “naive townsman”, so taking a little extra wouldn’t seem out of place. The food at the City Lord’s mansion was good, which was a great help to him.

Teest looked at the sumptuous meal not far away, and his smile gradually stiffened. “…Honey, are you doing this on purpose?”

“I’ll leave your portion. You can eat it when you recover tonight,” Nol said. “Think of this as me turning my anger into appetite.”

He couldn’t tell him he was drawing cards.

Ordinary animals had low combat power. The experience they provided was negligible, but they had unique skills.

Nol took a bite of beef and instantly got a disgusting skill called [Ruminate]. He immediately took a bite of the roasted pigeon.

[Flight: Allows the user to fly, but the user must have wings.]

Nol coldly discarded it. He didn’t touch the pigeon anymore and decided to leave it for Teest.

[Infinite Teeth], [Hair Hardening], [Scavenging], [Stomp], [Rapid Reproduction]… After numerous tries, Nol got only three usable skills.

[Load-Bearing: Increase carrying capacity to 500kg.]

[Listening: Significantly enhances hearing.]

[Smelling: Greatly enhances the sense of smell.]

In Teest’s astonished eyes, Nol pushed away his plate and let out a painful burp. “Alright, it’s time for healing.”

……

“Clack! Clack!”

Two ceramic teeth shot out, shattering the plums on the wooden stake. In the dark, the plum pulp looked like rotten fat.

Witch Lynn was dressed casually, which didn’t fit her exquisite doll-like image. Not to mention, she was currently holding two strange guns—

The structure of these weird guns resembled revolvers.

The head of a fist-sized doll replaced the rotating bullet chamber. The doll’s face was covered with a bird-beak-like metal mask, and the end of the “beak” revealed a black muzzle.

The trigger was a bright red ceramic tongue. Every time the witch pulled the trigger, the doll’s eyeballs would roll several times.

“32 rounds each time. The reloading time is a bit long…” Lynn murmured, placing both guns back into their holsters.

Apart from the two guns, there was a row of plump doll arms, as long as a palm, hanging from her belt, with the middle finger replaced by a grenade pin.

Next to the “hand” grenade, a glass candy jar was filled with fake eyes. Once smashed on the ground, they would emit black poisonous smoke, causing people to tear up and break out in red rashes.

She was fully armed.

“Are they okay?” A girl’s voice came from the shadows. “I mean those two… um, your compatriots?”

Witch Lynn smiled. “I don’t know.”

“Shouldn’t we give them more information? What if they’re discovered by the Eternal Church?”

“No. The identity that the mage claimed is quite significant, and I need to gauge him. I consulted him, and he agreed.”

Cautious investigation, bold action, or simply giving up—actions revealed a person’s true nature.

The Witch gazed at the shattered stars in the sky, reaching for the bridge of her nose, as if habitually adjusting her glasses.

“If the mage isn’t lying, their intel is significant. They won’t target the City Lord right away.”

……

“Let’s go and target the City Lord,” Nol declared.

If this were the main storyline he was familiar with from “Tahe”, he might pretend to be a sage and win over the elite like those popular transmigration stories. Unfortunately, 200 years had passed. In the vast Whitebird City, he only recognized the buildings, so he preferred a straightforward approach.

“Wait, let me finish these first.” Teest chewed on the juicy beef ribs. “Mashed potatoes don’t fill me up. Meat is more useful.”

“I remember someone not liking to eat outside food. Now you seem to enjoy it?”

“I have no choice, honey. Who made you test every dish for poison?”

“A Lich can’t taste poison.” Nol clutched “The Complete Recipe Book” as he responded grimly.

Teest suddenly choked, slowly turning his head to look at him with an expression like a wild animal that had just bitten into a plastic model.

“…Never mind, it’s not poisoned. I took it from the public serving platter.” Nol sighed.

After a full meal and neutralizing their breath, they activated the invisibility magic and headed straight to the main house. Their original room was left with only two bulging blankets fitted with twigs.

Lord Swain was still in his office. Unlike last time, he was alone.

A silver tray held cold deer stew, accompanied by finger oranges with flesh as red as blood. The accompanying wine remained untouched. Time passed as the City Lord worked tirelessly on documents. Teest’s head drooped with drowsiness, while Nol, leveraging his undead advantage, watched intently.

Late at night, the Lord suddenly stood up, flipped his hand, and with a soft click, the office door locked automatically.

[Ah, here we go.] Teest perked up. [Don’t tell me there’s a secret passage behind the bookshelf. That’s so cliché.]

Lord Swain stopped in front of the bookshelf, whispered something, and the entrance to a secret passage slowly appeared. The moment the City Lord stepped in, the entrance disappeared like a shadow.

Teest: “……”

Nol: “……”

What’s wrong with clichés? A bookshelf secret passage is the romance of Western fantasy RPGs, equivalent to cliffside caves in Eastern tales.

The two approached the bookshelf. Nol looked around cautiously and whispered—

“My love is as eternal as the snow on the peaks.”

Teest: “…?!”

Moments after Nol finished speaking, the secret passage appeared again. He pulled the somewhat stunned Teest and darted inside.

[Two hundred years ago, the Lord of that time used this passage for secret rendezvous,] Nol explained preemptively before Teest could ask. [I just found out that I’ve been dead for two hundred years. That’s all.]

[How did you know about the lord’s affair?] Teest questioned weirdly.

Nol smiled, fabricating on the spot. [Everyone loves gossip. A friend of mine helped construct this passage.]

He also knew that the City Lord at that time had six children, with both him and his wife having one illegitimate child each. Only four were their actual descendants.

Whitebird City didn’t have a main storyline. Sidequests were all about these household affairs. This password was supposed to be cracked by the Players and was the initial password for the system.

The originally ordinary secret passage had been made incredibly cold and eerie by the current City Lord, losing all hints of intimacy. The skeleton hound led the way, with the two people following closely behind. Eventually, the two humans and the dog stopped at a corner. The maze-like scene was all too familiar. For a moment, Nol felt as though he had returned to the sewer from not long ago.

Even the things waiting at the destination were almost the same as before.

In the dim space, there stood a black candle. It was as thick as an adult’s wrist and about ten centimeters tall. Its wick burned with a blue flame, and the wax droplets dripped around like fingers.

Its light was dimmer than a vagrant’s candle, but it was enough to illuminate this small space.

‘There’s something strange about this candle,’ Nol thought, taking a deep sniff. There was no scent of burning in the air, nor any tiny cracking noises from the wick. The flame seemed like a shadow that didn’t belong to this world, even more ethereal than a will-o’-wisp.

“Death is our honey. May everything be eternal…”

In the cold, dark glow, Lord Swain was kneeling, praying devoutly. He was tall and muscular, and as he knelt, his robe tightened across his back. Nol almost thought he was about to lose some HP.

After Lord Swain finished his prayer, the blue flame of the candle suddenly shot up to a height of one meter. The flame split in the middle, revealing a dark void, shaped like a giant vertical eye.

“May everything be eternal.” An old and raspy male voice came from the darkness. “This time you’re alone?”

“After the arrival of the Investigation Knights, I paused all our meetings,” Lord Swain replied while still kneeling, making a circle on his chest. “I’ve enhanced the detection of presences around here. I assure you, I am the only living being nearby.”

Nol: “……”

He indeed wasn’t counted as a living being. The skill of eliminating one’s breath was a specialty of Teest, a valuable ability. As for the rest…

The skeleton hound lay at Nol’s feet, vigorously wagging its bony tail.

Well, no wonder the City Lord didn’t detect any living beings.

“How are things progressing?” The voice continued to inquire.

Lord Swain finally stood up. “The Temple of Life has dispatched the Investigation Knights of the Fifth Brigade,” he said. “It’s a bit tricky, but they won’t find anything.”

“The Fifth Brigade… That young man, Eugene Malloy.” There was a note of caution in the voice. “Looks like you’ve drawn a bad card. Be even more careful.”

Lord Swain frowned. The corners of his mouth bent down as he took a deep breath. “With all due respect, if the Demon Lord hadn’t killed Young Kurt in front of me, and Maggie happened to witness it, I wouldn’t need to deal with the Investigation Knights at all. Do you know how troublesome it was to deal with Margaret? She’s my heir.”

His tone was as if he were complaining about a mold stain that couldn’t be removed from the wall.

“Those Demons naturally act on their whims. They are messengers of God, and this is a test God has given you. Once this storm passes, you’ll surely rise again. Once our plan succeeds, Whitebird City will become one of our most important bases.”

There was a pause. “Are you sure everything is foolproof?”

Nol wished he could pull the owner of the voice out—Can you please elaborate on that “once our plan succeeds”? Show some trust in your colleagues!

However, after hearing the next sentence, his urgency dissipated.

“I’ve fabricated the scene of Kurt’s death, and the Investigation Knights were none the wiser. His parents are also preparing to move. No one will link the death of a restaurant apprentice to Maggie’s disappearance. She had ‘disappeared’ days before his ‘unfortunate death’.”

“Tell me your plan regarding Margaret Swain.”

Nol instinctively held his breath.

“In a few days, I will have her body discovered. It will be a heartbreaking accident. The unstable daughter of the City Lord ran into the forest alone and was unfortunately killed by a wild beast. Rest assured, I’ve already prepared the scene of her death.”

As the candlelight flickered, heavy shadows danced on the City Lord’s face.

“I made sure she was dead with my own eyes.”

---

The author has something to say:

Teest: This guy knows the monster’s weakness; he must be a formidable character.

Teest: How does this guy even know the gossip from two hundred years ago… Hard to say…

Nol: Just a passerby mage who wants to return to his hometown ε-(°ω° ; )

…It’s true, I really want to go back home.

————————————

[Load-Bearing] comes from the stewed beef ribs. [Listening] comes from the fried rabbit legs. [Smelling] comes from a crispy bacon slice.

Pigs actually have a very strong sense of smell.√

---

Kinky Thoughts:

In fact, pigs do. They used to be used to sniff out truffles, but unfortunately, they also eat them. Nowadays, most places use trained dogs instead.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 16: Falling

“Did you feel anything unusual?” Teest asked with enthusiasm.

Nol clenched his fists. His well-cultured demeanor forced him to maintain his composure—this was the millionth time Teest had asked him that. Teest had taken him around the City Lord’s mansion twice, as if he wasn’t a Lich but a corpse-sniffing dog.

“There are quite a few dead people around so it’s hard to tell,” Nol replied with a straight face. Whitebird City had stood for hundreds of years. Which household wasn’t near a few buried corpses?

“Oh…” Teest’s shoulders sagged in disappointment.

“Also, there are magical disruptors in that mansion. I need to get closer to sense properly,” Nol added.

“We should be at least 70-80% sure before we go in,” Teest said, twirling the ivy on the fence of the mansion. “If the City Lord really is involved in something, we could easily alert him.”

Nol couldn’t help but smile, showing Teest “The Complete Recipe Book” he held.

The ground was teeming with Investigation Knights, and having a notebook made of dragon skin was too conspicuous. So Nol used a unique skill inherent to his bloodline—wrapping the book cover.

He took the cover of “The Complete Recipe Book” he bought in a magic shop and wrapped it around the Dragon Corpse Notebook. Given that Teest claimed to be a cook, holding a recipe book seemed reasonable.

Amid Teest’s puzzled gaze, Nol flipped to the second page of the notebook.

[Hiding in the Shadows: Consumes 2 MP per minute. Conceals a specific object within a 100*100*200 (cm) space.]

Before heading out, he had specially prepared this new invisibility spell. The spell had low consumption and was effective, with only one drawback.

“Do we really have to do this?” Teest asked deeply.

“My magic power is limited,” Nol stated confidently. The invisibility spell’s mana consumption was calculated by space, which was even more aggressive than the rent in City A. What could he do?

Now, with Teest’s hands resting on Nol’s shoulders and the two of them standing front to back, their proximity was extreme. They moved in sync like Siamese twins, as if playing a game of tag with an invisible opponent.

“If you have a way to conceal your breath, I suggest you use it,” Nol advised as they approached the back door of the mansion.

He knew that the Fallen Knights had a skill called “Breath of the Despicable” that could eliminate their presence, which was essential for backstabbing.

Teest nodded listlessly, and the two, like a clumsy gust of wind, stumbled into the mansion. Unfortunately, there were more obstacles inside than they had anticipated.

Whitebird City wasn’t big. Lord Swain would spare two hours out of his day to meet commoners. Here, “commoners” mainly referred to homeowners and legitimate businessmen.

However, times had changed. The City Lord was fully invested in finding his daughter. Even the dirtiest beggar or wandering fortune teller could meet him if they had information.

There was a long line outside the City Lord’s office, everyone wanting to get some gold wheels. Nol and Teest had stealthily stepped on many toes before finally squeezing into the office.

The City Lord’s office was well-lit, with a row of large windows overlooking the forest, clear sky, and two adjacent snow-capped mountains. One side of the room was filled with books on shelves, all dust-free, indicating frequent usage.

Despite it being summer, a fireplace burned in the room. Small fragrant logs slowly turned to ash, filling the room with an invigorating scent.

After sneaking in, the two found a corner and focused on the main figure in the room.

Lord Swain sat at his desk, surrounded by piles of documents, looking weak and worried. An elderly servant was the only other person in the room, attending to the door as per the City Lord’s instructions.

“Next,” Lord Swain said with a cough.

“Next!” The old servant opened the door wide and shouted—this was how Nol and Teest had slipped in earlier.

The next person to enter was someone they recognized.

“Good afternoon, honorable Lord Swain.”

Chef Kurt stood nervously in the center of the room, still dressed in his finest attire. This time, he wore a comical hat, holding it against his chest, making an effort to bow.

“I, Gbagbo Kurt from Palm Street, am here to submit a relocation application,” he said carefully. “My wife, our daughter, and I wish to leave Whitebird City.”

“Reason?” Lord Swain looked up, pausing his writing.

A hint of joy appeared on Kurt’s face. “The Alva Merchant Group has officially hired me. They especially like my peach cake and want to collaborate long-term. They mentioned providing housing for us in Grape Collar. I think—I think this is an opportunity, given recent events in my household…”

He swallowed, not finishing his sentence.

“Of course, I remember the Kurt family,” Lord Swain said, setting down his pen and clasping his hands together. “I’m very sorry about your son. Leaving Whitebird City is good for you.”

Mr. Kurt bowed even lower.

Lord Swain searched in his drawer for a moment, then stood up.

“Whether one is a lord or a chef, the feelings of being a parent are the same,” he said, approaching Kurt and sighing deeply. “This is a small personal token from me, hoping you’ll have a smooth life in Grape Collar. You deserve better.”

He handed Mr. Kurt a small cloth bag, and Nol heard the faint jingle of coins.

“Thank you, oh heavens, thank you.” Mr. Kurt’s eyes welled up. “Praise the Goddess. May she calm all calamities with mercy.”

Lord Swain patted his shoulder.

[Perhaps the Lord isn’t as bad as we thought.] Nol communicated telepathically. [At least Mr. Kurt won’t have to worry about his daughter’s tuition anymore.]

[I find him even more suspicious now,] Teest responded. [If he really cared about the Kurt family, he would have shown it earlier—I don’t believe he wasn’t aware of their situation—yet he waited until Kurt found a way out, then gave him some money. Now the Kurt family will be too grateful to inquire further into the cause of their son’s death.]

[…The cause of Kurt’s son’s death?]

[While you’re busy corresponding with the witch, I have to find things to do too.]

Teest stretched his arms, leaning against Nol.

[From what I gathered, 14 days ago, Young Kurt disappeared from Whitebird City. The restaurant owner said he went to Dogtooth Bay; five days ago, he was killed by the Eternalists. The Investigation Knights witnessed him being blown to bits from afar… In those nine days, no one saw him. And the restaurant owner happens to be an Eternalist. Honesty isn’t their virtue.]

Nol frowned. [Continue.]

[To kill just an ordinary person, the methods of the Eternal Church seem quite exaggerated. It’s more like they’re trying to create a distraction. Otherwise, why meet right under the noses of the Investigation Knights? They could have waited.]

The thought was indeed a bit peculiar. Nol pondered for a few seconds. [You’re saying the Eternal Church intentionally exposed their own member to fake the death scene of Kurt’s son?]

He wasn’t used to such cold calculations.

[That’s my guess,] Teest said. [Now that the City Lord is seemingly helping them keep quiet, I have to be suspicious.]

Although Nol also had doubts about the City Lord, he was still taken aback by Teest’s thoughts.

In Nol’s view, the death of Kurt’s son might have been a hasty act by some minions of the Eternal Church. Lord Swain, being late to offer coins, might just be unaware or preoccupied. He hadn’t considered this… cunning angle.

Teest’s thinking was sharp, with a touch of darkness.

Before, as soon as his bones had fully grown, Teest had changed his address from “Mage” to “Mr. Mage”. He obviously knew how to determine the gender of a skeleton… What does this guy do in the real world?

[It makes sense, but unfortunately, we have no evidence,] Nol concluded after Mr. Kurt left the room. [If the City Lord really has issues, he certainly knows how to handle the Investigation Knights. I assume he’s already disposed of the evidence.]

[Trust me, this guy definitely has vulnerabilities.] Teest thought with amusement.

[How can you…] Before Nol could finish asking “be sure“, he suddenly felt a strong scent of death.

In the room, Lord Swain took out the silver flask given to him by his daughter and took a sip.

From the narrow, dark mouth of the flask, a chilling scent of death overflowed. Nol quickly covered his mouth to prevent a retch.

It was the smell of a dead person, and overwhelmingly so.

Whatever was in the flask wasn’t just mixed with human remains; it smelled like a whole body—fresh, cold, and intact.

But how can an entire person fit into a small flask?

Once the flask was closed, the scent vanished as if it had been an illusion. Under the sunlight, the angelic engraving on the flask shimmered. Lord Swain closed his eyes, swallowing and sighing, clearly savoring the moment.

Noticing Nol’s reaction, Teest’s amusement grew. He leaned closer to Nol’s ear—even though they were communicating telepathically at the moment.

[You see, they are, after all, followers of a wicked cult,] he thought, almost whisper-like. [People always say that when you love someone, it cannot be hidden… I say, the same goes when you love a god.]

……

Upon returning to the City Lord’s mansion, the two decided to brazenly enter through the front door. After all, with everyone and their pet cat or dog present, they wouldn’t stand out too much. Nol’s MP was tightly stretched. He couldn’t sustain the invisibility spell recklessly.

As the two leisurely ascended the staircase, they communicated telepathically.

[Ah, I’d really like to tip off the Temple about this intelligence.] Teest walked behind Nol, muttering in his thoughts. [It would be delightful to watch them fight while we stand by.]

Nol wholeheartedly agreed. If the Temple of Life was righteous, then it would be a battle of good against evil. But if they couldn’t be trusted, watching the factions bite at each other would be entertaining. They might even benefit from the chaos.

Ideally, that would be perfect. However, reality was less forgiving. Given the matter involved the City Lord and a sinister cult, even if they reported anonymously, the Investigation Knights would still trace the source.

Nol didn’t want the Temple’s attention. Going by Teest’s sentiments, he didn’t want to be widowed at such a young age either, fearing the system might inflict some debuff on him.

[We’re already here. Let’s think positively.] Nol murmured, [The City Lord won’t be too wary of us right now. We have plenty of time to investigate thoroughly and might find a better solution.]

[We’ll need to find a way to stay at the City Lord’s mansion then.] Teest pointed out.

[Yes, let me think…] Nol started brainstorming.

At that moment, Teest, walking behind, suddenly halted. Before Nol could react, Teest began to fall backward.

Nol’s heart skipped a beat.

For a split second, time seemed to stretch endlessly—Teest’s face held a smile, his silver hair spreading out as if he was sinking underwater.

Nol instinctively reached out, managing only to graze a strand of Teest’s hair. The cold hair strand slipped through his fingers, leaving his palm empty.

Teest plummeted, rolling down the staircase before crashing at the turn. Blood began to spread on the carpet, staining his silver hair.

The entire ordeal lasted mere seconds. If this were a scene in a film, the protagonist would surely be doomed.

“Teest!” An aghast Nol almost forgot to breathe. As he hurriedly descended the stairs, he prepared a healing spell—

[Don’t heal me. I’ve got this.] Teest’s calm thoughts reached him. [Now, we have a reason to stay.]

[What kind of rotten idea is this?] Nol thought bitterly. [We agreed to investigate together. I’m still going to heal you. If you recover too fast, it’ll raise suspicions.]

When they previously rescued the young knight, Teest’s excuse was that he “happened to have a healing potion.” That wouldn’t work this time. Claiming to possess another expensive healing potion would make them look suspicious, especially to the Temple’s Investigation Knights.

With half-closed eyes, Teest looked over. His eyes, obscured by blood, glimmered. As he gazed at Nol, the latter returned the stare intently.

[A rotten idea? My dear Mr. Mage, how could you think so?]

Weakly turning his head to the ceiling, the metallic scent of blood became more potent, yet Teest’s eyes remained mischievous.

[After our investigation, I can replicate this injury. No one would be the wiser.]

[This is clearly the best idea.]

---

The author has something to say:

Nol: Instantly check marital partner’s mental state.jpg

Teest: *:(^ω^)*·☆

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 15: Lynn

The advantage of the forest at night was that it shattered the night sky. The four moons were nowhere to be seen; with only moonlight trickling down through the gaps.

“I’ve suddenly realized that a Lich is the best companion,” Teest said. He was carrying a lantern while his boots stepped on thick fallen leaves. The leaves, soaked with moisture, felt almost like a carpet.

Nol was walking ahead, carefully sensing the scent of the skeleton rats—there were plenty of corpses in the forest, so he had to be extra cautious.

“Why the sudden praise?” Nol adjusted his course upon spotting a skeleton rat.

“If it were a regular person, they’d definitely call the Investigation Knights,” Teest mused. “That would ruin the adventuring mood, right?”

Yeah, as if he had a choice. Nol rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide them, which glowed with a ghostly blue light.

In theory, it would indeed be safer to call the Investigation Knights. But if he did, he’d have to demonstrate his guiding necromancy to the Temple, potentially turning his head into a church artifact.

Nol continued forward. His mental state had stabilized. He decided not to think about the grim fate of the young knight that occasionally haunted his vision—

Regardless of his distress, nothing would change. “Calmness” was his main weapon, even if it was a fragile one built on sand.

Suddenly, he stopped.

“Hm?” Teest hummed.

Nol looked down at a thread—a taut strand of flax-colored hair. If not for his dark vision, he wouldn’t have noticed it.

It looked like a tripwire for a landmine. As a warning, there were two skeleton rats nearby, forming an exclamation mark.

“Don’t move a step!” Nol immediately warned.

He felt something was off just now. It was too quiet here, with no sounds of animals to be heard.

Nol summoned a skeleton crow. The crow flew low along the hair, soon spiraling up, cawing.

“Form an earth wall barrier in the direction of the crow’s call,” Nol instructed Teest, touching his Dragon Corpse Notebook.

Without hesitation, the ground trembled, and a half-meter thick wall of earth rose beside them. Nol broke off a dry twig and threw it at the hair strand.

“Boom!”

The thick earth shield shuddered, and once the smoke cleared, Nol moved to the other side of the shield. The originally smooth surface of the earth was now pockmarked, embedded with three or four ceramic human teeth. They weren’t deeply embedded, indicating the explosion wasn’t that powerful.

…A fragmentary landmine, a standard anti-infantry one.

Looking at the dark, bushy forest, Nol pursed his lips tightly.

It was a monster’s skill, but not a normal monster’s way. Nearby might be a neighbor, who was clearly hostile—the landmine was placed right where the skeleton rat pointed, clearly a warning.

“Hehe.” A giggle echoed from the bushes.

A broken ceramic doll emerged, with decayed clothing, faded paint, and one missing eye. The remaining eye was eerily blue.

“Go back,” it croaked, swinging its arms. “Go back or die.”

“Die, die…”

In the darkness, countless voices echoed softly. The bushes swayed, and the noise of joints twisted one after another. The dark forest turned into a puppet theater, with arms, legs, and heads popping out and retracting.

“Puppet Witch, a type of humanoid monster,” Nol quickly deduced. “They’re good at traps and potions, controlling humanoid non-humans.”

Traditional Puppet Witches preferred ropes, traps, and poisoned darts. This one seemed to prefer landmines.

After hearing the explanation, Teest applauded leisurely, as if on a spring outing.

Nol intently watched the ceramic doll, knowing the witch was observing through the doll’s eye.

“Please wait here for four hours. I’ll be back before sunrise,” Nol said.

The doll turned its neck with a creak.

“Lady Lynn won’t accept your things,” it giggled. “Only fools accept enemy gifts.”

“You just need to bring it back. I guarantee she will accept it,” Nol said, staring into the doll’s single eye, emphasizing each word.

……

“So, you’re going to write her a letter? Seeing you come back specially, I thought you were preparing some extraordinary bribe.” In the inn room, Teest sat on Nol’s bed. “Just a letter. Chances are she might throw it away before even reading it.”

“She won’t,” Nol said, picking up a quill pen.

“Oh?” Teest responded with keen interest.

The inn regularly accommodated merchants, so it was fully equipped. Nol quickly found what he needed—ample and sturdy wrapping paper that could be cut into envelopes of various sizes.

“Please leave.” Seeing the white-haired knight stuck to the bed, Nol put down his quill again.

“Let me watch,” Teest pleaded pitifully.

“No.”

“Ah, well. It seems this is a ‘monster-to-monster’ secret conversation,” Teest said as he got up from the bed, dejectedly walking out. Before leaving, he made sure to lock the door securely.

Nol appreciated this about Teest. Once he refused, he didn’t persist annoyingly, nor did he constantly probe with insinuations.

However, to be safe, after locking the door, Nol cast two soundproofing spells. He then summoned a skeleton parrot with the little MP he had left.

In this world, monsters could only make monster noises, and he could only read and write in the common language of “Tahe”.

Even Players communicated using this universal language—it was how the system was set up. In this way, not only was it more in line with the world view, but it also allowed Players from different regions to communicate without barriers.

But lately, Nol had been keen on finding loopholes, and he indeed found one.

The game’s language correction only appeared when people “perceived” this world. If he closed his eyes and imagined home, Nol realized he could still speak his native tongue.

Like now.

Imagining his parents’ faces, Nol began to speak to the skeleton parrot.

He first briefly described the world’s situation in his native language, then introduced himself and the three surviving compatriots in the Dragon’s Lair. To prove it, Nol also mentioned how to call up the status bar.

“My companions and I are looking for Margaret Swain,” Nol finally said gravely. “We suspect the street urchins know something, which is why we followed them. If you need help or know anything relevant, please contact me anytime. I’m staying at the Blue Fountain Inn, in the Iris Room’s east bedroom.”

Just in case, he repeated everything in the most commonly spoken foreign language.

The skeleton parrot nodded, scattering into a pile of fine bones. When it reformed, it would recount everything it heard, then return to death.

Nol wrapped it into a flat little package and then picked up the quill, carefully drawing a crest on the package.

It was a symmetrical spiral design—three spirals connected at the tips, simple and elegant. The sales office said it was three auspicious clouds, but Nol always thought it looked more like a clover.

It was the logo of the “Yunshang Joy Garden” community.

After drawing, Nol closed his eyes and scribbled the date “2××3.07.31” below it—the exact date they transmigrated. Once the ink dried, he tucked the package into his pocket.

When leaving the inn, Nol instinctively looked at Teest’s room. There was no light through the door crack. Most likely, Teest had fallen asleep.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, and he gently closed the door.

The witch’s response came quickly—

When Nol returned to his room, the eastern sky was just brightening. Before he could sit down, there was a knock on the window.

Opening the curtains, he saw the child leader from the other day, Hannah, clinging to the window, nose pressed against the glass while her eyes curiously scanned the room. The inn was heavily secured, and he wondered how she got in. Seeing the dirt and grass on her, it was clear she didn’t use the main entrance.

As soon as he opened the window, Hannah hopped in like a bird.

“I’m here to reply,” she said nonchalantly. “Hey, there are cookies here. Can I eat them?”

Nol had to cast another soundproofing spell. “…Speak first, eat later.”

The fact that the witch Lynn sent a local to relay the message wasn’t a good sign.

“Lynn thanks you for your kindness. She has personal matters and really can’t get away.” Hannah quickly grabbed a cookie and continued, “She’s willing to exchange information for tools and potions, but she doesn’t want to meet now. That’s it.”

As expected, the other party was very cautious. Nol didn’t feel offended. Unlike Ye Meng or the old couple, this neighbor probably struggled alone for a month. A more gullible person would likely have been reduced to mere bones by now.

“I understand,” Nol responded calmly.

Hannah looked him up and down for a while, then took a bite of her cookie.

“Oh, also,” she began with a smile, “Lynn mentioned that if you don’t immediately scoff, frown, or berate her for being ungrateful, she has something else to say.”

Nol smirked, finding his neighbor quite intriguing.

“If you can pacify the human disaster in Whitebird City, she’d be more than happy to assist you. Observation is necessary. She doesn’t want to work under someone whose values don’t align or lack ability… These were her exact words.”

Having finished her cookie, Hannah now licked the crumbs from between her fingers.

“Human disaster in Whitebird City?” Nol raised an eyebrow.

Hannah’s playful demeanor faded, and she looked up, her green eyes wolf-like. “Yes, you’ll have to figure out the mystery yourself. Lynn said you’re special, and you might think, ‘It’s not a big deal’.”

Nol fell silent. Hannah probably didn’t understand the deeper meaning behind those words, but he did. He understood what the neighbor was really asking—

If you’re indeed from a gaming company and this place resembles your game, how would you view the misfortunes of its inhabitants?

Would you consider them just “virtual data”?

If their answers differed, cooperation would likely be difficult.

Nol thought of Teest, the indifferent “none of my business” type. With all protective mechanisms now disabled, he didn’t want to imagine what some radical Players might do.

“I accept. Her concerns are valid,” Nol said calmly.

The young girl finished another two cookies, looking puzzled. “Aren’t you going to ask anything else?”

“She has already revealed enough.” Nol handed her the remaining cookies. “Please convey a message for me—due to unforeseen circumstances, I can only handle this matter with the help of my knight companion.”

……

In the early morning, Teest walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He had this peculiar habit of cooking for himself rather than eating pre-made food.

Nol had tasted his cooking before. It wasn’t gourmet, but had a simple, homemade taste. Compared to his own nonexistent cooking skills from always working late, Teest’s culinary talents were superior.

“You want to enter the City Lord’s mansion? The witch actually replied to you?” Teest asked, poking at his fried ham on the breakfast table.

“Whitebird City will face a ‘human disaster’. She didn’t specify what.”

“Sounds just like a witch.” Teest continued with his meal. “But how is this related to the disappearance case?”

“I asked, she didn’t mention it. Her silence is a statement,” Nol said. “If the witch had nothing to do with it, she could have easily denied any involvement.”

“You saw it yesterday; the power of the witch’s mechanism isn’t great. She even evacuated the surrounding animals in advance… She has a soft heart.”

Meaning, she certainly didn’t view the inhabitants as mere data.

“You think Miss Swain is hiding with the witch?” Teest raised an eyebrow. “So that’s why those kids dared to enter the forest so fearlessly, knowing the witch meant no harm.”

Nol nodded. “As for why I want to go to the City Lord’s mansion—the witch only mentioned a human disaster, without specifying a date.”

“I see, so it’s not urgent.” Teest put down his cutlery. “I guess it’s because the Investigation Knights are here, so certain people don’t dare to act rashly.”

“Exactly. The witch is related to the disappearance, and she specifically mentioned a ‘human disaster’. The two must be connected. To investigate the disappearance, the City Lord’s mansion is the most logical target,” Nol concluded.

Teest’s plate was already empty. He rested his cheek on one hand, silently watching Nol. Feeling the stare, Nol got uneasy. “…What are you looking at?”

“I agree to investigate the City Lord’s mansion, but I have mixed feelings right now,” Teest said. “On one hand, I think you’re incredibly smart. On the other hand, I find you so dense that it’s scary.”

“My feelings are quite straightforward at the moment. I think you’re very verbose. Spit it out, Sir Knight.”

“It’s quite simple. A fourteen-year-old girl, forced to seek refuge with a monster. This implies that, to her, her own father is entirely untrustworthy.”

Teest picked up his fork and carelessly jabbed it into Nol’s plate. “However, that’s assuming she’s still alive. Can the witch truly be trusted? You should be skeptical of everyone, honey.”

“Teest.”

“Hm?”

“Can I trust you?” Nol generously offered up his plate.

Teest forked a piece of fried egg and winked at him. “Of course you can. We can’t leave each other, can we?”

---

The author has something to say:

Modern Warfare Witch

If the culinary skills are rated out of five stars—

Teest: ★★★☆☆

Nol: ★☆☆☆☆

Nol, who probably just boils instant noodles, heats up fast food, or orders takeout on a usual day. The pitiable overtime worker…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 14: The Lord and The Witch

Nol’s relaxed mood disappeared instantly when he saw the knight. He took several steps back and leaned against the wall, retching violently.

This reaction was purely instinctual, with his reason not even having time to respond.

Whether it was the corpse of a giant dragon or a clean skeleton, the impact was nowhere near that of a “deformed living person”.

The young Temple Knight lay in the sewage. He had lost both eyes, his tongue, most of his skin, and all his fingernails. The bones of the knight’s limbs pierced through the skin, bending in different directions, like a puppet toy broken by a child.

The gentle halo of the armor was covered in blood, and if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of his chest, anyone would believe he was dead.

Nol forced himself to stop retching and knelt beside the disfigured knight. He threw healing spells at him as if it didn’t cost anything. When his MP was drained, Nol took out the pigments he bought from the grocery store and swallowed them all—those pigments contained magical materials that could replenish a tiny amount of MP.

After the third time he drained his MP, the knight’s breathing finally stabilized.

Only then did Nol come to his senses. His mind was almost blank, only thinking of “saving someone”. He gasped for breath in hindsight, supporting himself on the ground as his scalp tingled—born in a time of peace, Nol had rarely seen severe wounds, let alone witnessed someone severely tortured.

The warm and damp smell of blood mixed with the strange smell of the sewer and the stench of excrement made everything feel so real.

This wasn’t his game. Nol felt a strong sense of reality for the first time.

Even in “Harry Potter“, the Unforgivable Curses only inflict pure mental torture or instant death. Not to mention “Tahe”, a game where Players have a light-hearted first-person perspective.

It was still within his mental tolerance seeing Teest covered in minor wounds and the villagers in the novice village turned to dust. But this was too much… Absolutely unacceptable. It was inhumane.

“You really are a kind-hearted person,” Teest whispered. “This level of healing is sufficient for now. We can at least move him.”

Nol didn’t have the strength to respond. He slowly dug his hands into the ground, and the mud between his fingers felt cold and greasy, like the entrails of the dead.

……

It must be said that the church of the Temple of Life was quite nice.

Its reception room was simple and cozy, without rigid religious decorations, not even idols. The surrounding walls were a warm earth tone, wooden tables and chairs emitted a gentle light, and they were covered with green plants and flowers. Fruits in wicker baskets exude fragrance, and herbal tea with honey at just the right temperature.

No doubt, it was a good place to relax.

Nol’s mood improved slightly. To be honest, as a Lich, he really didn’t want to get involved with the Temple. But after handing the injured to the church staff, they insisted on inviting them into the church, and refusing would be even more suspicious.

At the moment, the knights weren’t present, and only Nol and Teest were in the reception room.

“You chased the thief so hard just for these?” Teest rifled through Nol’s bag, sounding skeptical.

Nol was busy rinsing his mouth with tea. He had swallowed quite a bit of paint and didn’t want to show off his colorful teeth to others.

“The most important thing is this.” After rinsing carefully, Nol took out a ring box from his pocket and tossed it over. “Here, for you.”

“I remember we already have rings,” Teest replied, catching the box.

“Open it and see.”

Teest opened the box with suspicion, carefully picked up the thin wing, and raised his eyebrows. “This is…”

“Come here. Let me put it on for you.” Nol stood up.

The “Fairy’s Prank” hid items with system privileges, and Teest couldn’t use the system. Nol feared that Teest’s curse might suddenly strike, making this hard-won treasure ineffective.

Teest nodded. He locked the reception room door and then came to Nol, lifting his hair for him.

Stripping the fake pearl and adhesive, Teest’s earlobe looked slightly red and swollen, revealing the gold of the Player’s earring. Nol cast a healing spell, then used “Fairy’s Prank” with the strongest vine glue to stick it to the earring pendant.

The logo of “Tahe World” was obscured and distorted by the thin wing and glue. The next moment, it vanished into the air like a wisp of smoke.

This prototype item from in-game purchases was amazingly effective. Only a specially made potion could wash it off. Of course, if Teest still wanted to show off the Player’s earring, he could easily get a fake one made by a goldsmith and wear it when necessary.

It was just perfect.

Nol reached out and rubbed Teest’s earlobe. On the soft earlobe, there was only a regular earring hole left. Not to mention invisible, he couldn’t even feel the game earring.

This was too miraculous. Nol couldn’t help but pinch and play. The poor earlobe, which had just faded its redness, was twisted pink again by him.

“…Have you had enough fun?” Finally, Teest couldn’t help but speak.

“Alright, alright.” Nol quickly backed off.

Teest glanced at him with a complicated look, quickly took off the earring from his right ear, and then gathered his long hair, tying it up with a leather strap, perfectly revealing both ears.

Only after adjusting every detail did he unlock the room door.

As it turned out, Teest’s efforts were in vain. The captain of the Investigation Knights knocked on the door properly and waited politely until they opened it themselves.

“Hello, sir, we meet again. I didn’t introduce myself last time. I’m the captain of the Fifth Brigade of the Investigation Knights, Eugene Malloy.”

Knight Eugene smiled very cordially, without any air of superiority.

“Thanks to the timely rescue of both of you, Knight Manley—our precious comrade—was saved.” He sincerely saluted the two of them. “May the Great Goddess bless you forever.”

“It’s strange. My friend just happened to bring a healing potion. I always objected to him buying such expensive stuff.” Teest spoke first. “Now it seems, maybe it’s the guidance of the Goddess.”

‘Wow, such smooth bullshit.’ Nol marveled in his heart. Teest’s cautiousness had returned. He obviously didn’t want the Temple to discover the fact that a “companion can use recovery magic”.

“May I have the honor of inviting the two of you to a banquet? If it’s inconvenient, we have prepared the rewards in the room next door.” Eugene, seemingly not noticing anything odd, smiled even more cordially.

“Let’s see the rewards first.” Teest was straightforward, acting as if he was just an inexperienced cook.

Eugene didn’t show any disdain. He nodded and led them personally.

In the next lounge, there were two silver plates. One had hundreds of gold wheels, and the other contained two brand new identity proofs.

“We have verified the situation of the two with the guards,” Eugene said. “Replacing identity proof is a hassle. This way, you can save a lot of trouble.”

Nol raised an eyebrow.

Eugene probably found their names from the work contract of the caravan. But the caravan’s contract was just a regular one, where names could be falsified. Would an Investigation Knight be so careless?

“There’s a reason why the Investigation Knights are called so.” Eugene seemed to see through his thoughts. “I’m glad that under the gaze of the Goddess, both of you didn’t lie.”

That meant they had a special means of identification.

Nol wasn’t daunted. He nodded and said, “Sir, I’m just a little curious. With such a guarantee from the Temple, what if we were criminals using our real names?”

Eugene paused, then burst into laughter.

“A Temple certificate is no different from a regular one, unless you are members of the Eternal Church.” Eugene continued with a laugh, “However, since both of you saved our people, you can’t be members of the Eternal Church—they would never do such a thing.”

Nol showed a politely puzzled expression. How is it impossible? Haven’t there been undercover stories throughout history?

“Because the Goddess doesn’t choose the wrong people.”

Eugene’s smile was radiant.

“Whether it’s our God or theirs.”

……

In the end, the two put on robes and attended the church banquet. Regarding this matter, Teest convinced Nol with just two sentences—

The first: “It’s said that the City Lord will come, and we might be able to get some information.”

And the second: “Although wearing the same style of robe is a bit strange, the second piece is half price.”

Nol was speechless.

Why hadn’t he noticed before how frugal this guy was? Sitting at the dining table, he mused. The two, looking extraordinary and wearing identical silver-trimmed gray robes, attracted a lot of attention.

Nol wasn’t fond of crowds. He focused all his attention on the food. The banquet of clergy and knights had nothing to do with “luxury”. The table was filled with common meats, fruits, and bread. Butter cookies with jam were the only dessert.

But admittedly, the chef’s craftsmanship was excellent. They looked quite tempting.

Perhaps to provide an opportunity for these two commoners, Eugene seated them next to the City Lord. Before the banquet began, Teest and Nol successfully saw the Lord of Whitebird City.

He was a handsome middle-aged man. He was tall and sturdy, with black hair streaked with silver and brown eyes full of pain and anxiety. His chin was covered in stubble, and there were dark circles under his eyes, showing he hadn’t rested well for a long time.

“‘Jonah Swain. You two can just call me Jonah.”

But facing the two distinguished guests, the City Lord’s actions were graceful and standard. He turned to the two, forcing a smile. “Mr. Eugene has told me everything. You both are commendable. The cost of training a qualified Investigation Knight is enormous. They are worth their weight in gold.”

There was something odd about the City Lord’s tone. It was hard to tell if he was praising or displeased. Nol guessed it might be related to the fact that he couldn’t find his beloved daughter. However, that topic was sensitive, and neither he nor Teest mentioned it.

After a few words, the City Lord seemed to lose interest in them, or perhaps he was just too tired. He barely kept his eyes open, looking at the Investigation Knights not far away. This nearly two-meter-tall, muscular man ate even less than a street pigeon.

Nol noticed the flask at his waist. It was roughly shaped, with a crooked angelic carving on its surface. It was securely attached to the City Lord’s belt, but there was no smell of alcohol on him.

“It was a gift from my daughter.” Noticing Nol’s gaze, Lord Swain spoke unusually. He caressed the silver flask, tears forming in his eyes. There was a sloshing sound from inside.

“My little Maggie, she carved this silver flask with magic when she was seven and gave it to me as a birthday present. When she turned eight, she kept urging me to quit drinking. After that, I only dared to fill it with rejuvenation potions.”

“I’m sorry for bringing up such memories.” Nol took the opportunity to continue the conversation. “We’ll also help look for Miss Swain. If you have any specific clues, please let us know.”

When a child went missing, anxious parents wouldn’t be choosy about who they sought help from. If not for the language barrier, they’d even question every cat and dog on the street.

Sure enough, Lord Swain seemed more spirited. “She’s always been a good and obedient girl, but before her disappearance, she’d go out often and come back in a daze. She once mentioned the ‘Mad Monk’, and I thought…”

Pausing, he swallowed hard, as if trying to push down the pain. “I thought she might have gotten involved with something bad, so I consulted a psychiatrist…”

“Forgive me for being forward, but why didn’t you inform the Temple at that time?” Teest gently asked. “Regarding the ‘Mad Monk’, the Temple would surely intervene immediately.”

Lord Swain looked down with a wry smile. “Young man, Whitebird City relies on those merchant caravans for income, and the leaders of those caravans are all overly sensitive. If they knew that the ‘Mad Monk’ was in Whitebird City… No, even hearing about the presence of the Investigation Knights would make them detour through Dogtooth Bay.”

“Maggie was only fourteen, and she only mentioned it verbally. No one else could confirm it. Otherwise, I would never… Haa.”

The City Lord put down his cutlery, unable to eat anymore.

“It’s not your fault. Please take care of yourself,” Teest said gently. “We’ll do our best to help.”

“Thank you. If you have any news about her, you can always come to see me.” The City Lord sighed.

……

The children were walking in the forest outside Whitebird City as it gradually got dark. They carefully observed the woods, and the woods observed them in return.

This wasn’t a metaphor.

At this moment, five children, led by Hannah, had ventured deep into the forest.

The sky here was fragmented by the canopy. Numerous broken dolls of different sizes and styles lay or sat on branches, some with only heads left. Their hair stuck in the trees, and their heads swayed in the wind like bizarre fruits.

The dolls’ eyes moved within their moldy sockets, watching the children closely.

Hundreds of meters behind the children, skeleton rats moved through the bushes. Every few hundred meters, one would curl into a bone ball and bury itself in the ground.

Not far away, a doll with only one eye left stared from a tree hole, silently watching everything.

And deeper in the forest, a damaged skirt fluttered slightly. A girl—or rather, a doll girl—stood up from a rocking chair.

She looked around eighteen, with two flaxen braids and a delicate and pretty face closely resembling a real person. However, there was a glaring crack on the right side of her forehead, and her eyes lacked reflection. Her hands and arms had clear doll joints, but they moved just like a living person’s.

“Hannah and the others have returned,” the doll girl said in a hoarse voice.

“May the Goddess bless them,” a younger voice replied. “Miss Witch, are they okay?”

“It’s hard to say if they’re fine,” the doll referred to as the “Witch” responded. “Someone is following them, and they seem to use magic.”

“A mage from the Temple of Life?”

“Definitely not.”

“So what should we do…”

The witch moved her joints. “If someone dares to approach, I’ll be there to stop them. Don’t worry.”

After speaking, she unnecessarily took a deep breath. “Call everyone in. It’s time for dinner… What’s with that look on your face?”

“Uh, it’s my first time seeing someone stir-fry tomatoes with bird eggs.”

“Margaret, trust me, it won’t taste bad.”

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The author has something to say:

Holy scrambled eggs with tomatoes! (×

Suddenly, it feels like having Player and traveler IDs without surnames saves so much trouble (^ρ^)

————————————

Congratulations to the two of you for completing the couple’s matching outfit achievement!

Who can resist the second at half price…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 13: Clueless

After signing the contract with the Rizzi Caravan, Teest happily plunged into the market.

He quickly bought the clothes he needed—four linen shirts with simple patterns, brand new coarse hunting trousers, four pairs of sturdy and breathable deer leather boots, and two robes for formal occasions. To pack them, he also bought an extra hard fabric backpack.

In addition, Teest specifically chose a new belt for himself. It was made of the best cowhide, much sturdier than before, and the seller also gave a matching sheath.

When he was about to leave the clothing store, he paused and went back to buy a black cloak. After all, his new companion was a rare Lich. Due to some stereotype, Teest always felt that Nol should have a cloak.

Of course, all of these were civilian styles.

Teest changed his clothes directly, successfully shifting his style from “country bumpkin” to “good citizen with a regular job”. He didn’t even glance at the delicate and dazzlingly beautiful clothes in the store.

After packing these, there was still a lot of space in the backpack. Teest hummed a tune and decided to stock up on more food.

The weather was good today, and the sunlight made the fruits and vegetables particularly pleasing.

The market was bustling with people coming and going. Merchants shouted at the top of their lungs, occasionally spraying water on fruits and vegetables. The butcher set up a stove, grilling greasy cured meat and sausages, and the aroma permeated the entire street.

Teest casually juggled a red apple, moving freely among the crowd.

He definitely needed to replenish dried meat and cheese. Perhaps he should buy some honey, dried fruit, and other goodies…

“Stop.” Someone called from behind. “The one with white hair, stop!”

Teest put away the apple and turned around.

The one who stopped him was a middle-aged knight, accompanied by a younger one. A typical patrol duo.

They wore dark green cloaks, no helmets, and matte silver-gray armor adorned with patterns of branches, fruits, and vines. Triangular olivine was set on the hilt of their swords, and the sheath bore the emblem of the Temple of Life—six overlapping leaves mimicking the shape of wheat.

Knights of the Temple of Life.

Their attire seemed out of place in this small town, perhaps members of the Investigation Knights. Teest relaxed his eyebrows and turned around gracefully.

“Good morning, gentleman,” he said politely. “What can I do for you?”

“Identification,” said the knight who had stopped him, a man of few words with caterpillar-like thick eyebrows and a very serious square face.

“Unfortunately, my ID was stolen,” Teest sighed. “But my companion and I just entered the city last night. You can verify with the guards. He must still remember me.”

The two knights exchanged glances.

“I just signed a contract with the Rizzi Caravan this morning. I’m their new cook. I still have the contract. Would you like to see it?” Teest said with a smile.

“Of course, thank you for your cooperation.”

The younger knight smiled in return, his gaze sweeping past Teest’s left ear. He looked about twenty, with very handsome features, short golden-brown hair, and eyes like a post-rain tundra. “Without identification, we need to check your belongings according to the rules.”

“Understood.” Teest willingly took off his backpack.

The knights led him to a corner of the market. They carefully inspected the clothes, food, and Teest’s “old hunting knife”.

“I also have an old waist bag,” Teest mentioned. “I left it in my hotel room. If you want to see it, I can take you there.”

“No need. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will verify your entry time with the guards,” the young knight said as he returned the backpack.

Once Teest had his backpack on, the knight took out a silver hook from his pouch. “This is an apology for the delay. May your life be full of vitality.”

“Praise the Goddess.” Teest accepted the coin. “If there’s nothing else…”

“Oh, one more thing.” The young knight smiled. “Street kids often hang around the caravans. If you encounter them, please pass on a message—during these trying times, the church has emptied enough rooms for them to take refuge.”

“The vagrants are very thieving and strong enough to protect themselves, but the children are too young,” the middle-aged knight added. “Be careful, traveler.”

“I remember the Temple distributes food to street kids.” Teest raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the church staff to remind them?”

The young knight lowered his eyes. “When food is given to the children, it will soon be snatched away by adults.”

“We used to let the children finish eating before leaving. But then, the vagrants began circling the church, not letting the children get close, trying to force the church to revert to its original distribution system… Now, out of ten children who are still willing to go to the church for supplies, maybe not even one actually does.”

“It’s tough for you all,” Teest remarked, pulling out an apple and taking a bite. “If I come across any street children, I’ll be sure to mention it.”

“Thank you for your kindness,” The young knight said sincerely.

“Captain Eugene, what do we do next?” the middle-aged knight asked in a low voice after Teest had disappeared from view. “The child has been missing for several days. We need to think of something else.”

“Yes,” the young knight, still looking at the receding figure of Teest, responded with a bitter expression. “Actually, I’ve been pondering this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why Margaret Swain?”

The young knight—Eugene stopped smiling.

“Miss Swain is intelligent, but her magical abilities are average at best. There’s nothing particularly ‘indispensable’ about her. If the goal was simply to find a sacrifice or a crime target, there are easier targets in the city. Everyone knows that when the heir of a City Lord goes missing, the Temple takes it very seriously.”

“Moreover, the culprits haven’t demanded a ransom or taunted the Temple. What’s the real reason for taking such a risk?”

Hearing this, the middle-aged knight scratched his head. “Now that you mention it…”

“On my second day here, I had Manley and Gambul investigate separately. Over the past two years, the street children of Whitebird City have been disappearing, but not fast enough for anyone to notice.”

The middle-aged knight was speechless.

It wasn’t entirely the residents’ fault for being indifferent. Trade caravans from different nations came and went, often taking street children that caught their eyes, or leaving behind unwanted child slaves or illegitimate children. And children grew fast, changing every year. No one really kept track of them.

Even if someone did notice something amiss, it would be hard to provide evidence. Who could tell whether a street child disappeared or just slipped into a trade caravan’s wagon?

“There are too many uncertainties.” Eugene sighed. “For now, we should focus on protecting the children.”

“Cowards who target children… When the time comes, I’ll make sure to slash that guy’s face,” the middle-aged knight declared with anger.

…Teest had heard something interesting from the shadows not too far away, touching his left ear.

Now it was time for another task—he wasn’t the only one eavesdropping on the knights.

Hearing footsteps, it was likely a child under twelve. After the knights left, the child weaved through the crowd and quickly slipped into a dark alley.

Teest, biting on his apple, followed at a safe distance. He trailed the child through narrow lanes, houses, abandoned towers, and then watched as the child jumped down some stairs, crossed a foul-smelling ditch, and finally, Teest stopped at an entrance to a sewer.

This place was near the city walls and had been abandoned for a long time. Rust-red iron railings lay on the ground, buried in mud, and shrubs almost completely covered the entrance.

The child entered, and within three minutes, another street urchin rushed over and went straight in. Estimating the timing, Teest stood up and was about to continue his pursuit—

His nominal husband, temporary partner, and employer, the Lich who called himself “Nol”, was running over, panting, holding a broken stick. He was running so hard that he almost ran into Teest.

In front of the sewer entrance, they stared at each other in silence.

“You noticed something was off too?” Teest cleared his throat and began.

“What do you mean?”

“I just saw a child eavesdropping on the case of the missing children, and I followed. But I didn’t expect to bump into you here. Did you find any clues?”

Nol looked away, the corner of his mouth drooping. After a while, he hesitantly said, “Well, a kid stole something from me.”

“…That’s unfortunate.”

Nol slapped his face. Damn, Teest didn’t even try to hide the pity in his eyes. Yes, he might be the most embarrassing Lich in the world, but he couldn’t just use magic on a minor, could he?

“Where’s the child?” Nol tried to change the subject.

Teest pointed to the hidden sewer entrance. “I guess we’re heading in the same direction.”

……

The sewers had been neglected for a long time. The path was pitted and uneven like an anthill, even more complicated than a witch’s home. Nol summoned a skeleton dog, which could catch the lingering scent of the children who had just passed by a few minutes ago.

“…You two idiots!”

The sewers were stinky and dark, damp and slippery everywhere. After turning about ten thousand corners, they heard faint voices.

Teest immediately stopped, giving Nol a “shh” gesture.

“Little Spoon, how many times have I emphasized? Don’t steal from people coming out of the magic shop! Those guys are either magicians or the servants of magicians. If you get caught, they’ll turn you into a pig with stubby legs!”

It was a child’s voice, hard to distinguish the gender at this age.

“But, but he looked so clueless, like he’s never faced hardships before…” “Little Spoon” tried to defend herself, sounding no older than eight.

Teest couldn’t help but look at Nol, who was momentarily stunned. It was the first time Nol had been called “clueless” in his life.

“Even if he’s a fool, it’s still not okay,” The first child said sternly. “And you, Tom. Didn’t we agree? No matter what news we hear, we have to wait in the market until sunset before coming back. You left too early and might have been spotted!”

“It’s been so long, and no one has noticed me.” Tom sounded aggrieved.

“That might not be the case.” Teest chimed in cheerfully.

He gave Nol a glance and took the lead out of their hiding place.

Inside the dark sewer, a candle was lit, and four children stood by. As Teest appeared, the kids scattered like frightened chicks, hiding behind one of them—their leader.

The leading child was about thirteen or fourteen, appearing malnourished. Under his grimy newsboy cap, his bronze-colored short hair stuck out in every direction. He wore an ill-fitting adult shirt and pants with many patches.

Among the four children, he wasn’t the most robust, but he had an adult’s demeanor. Even facing grown-ups, his gaze was piercing.

Teest quickly raised his hands, signaling he was unarmed. “Don’t be afraid. I’m just here to retrieve something for a friend.”

“That clueless friend,” the shortest child muttered, glancing at Nol.

Nol was unfazed. He crossed his arms and set his face in a stern expression, determined to watch Teest’s performance. This guy was eager to expose the theft, so he most likely had a backup plan.

“Little Spoon, return the bag to him,” the leader said. “Sir, I apologize. She’s too young and doesn’t know whom to respect.”

It turned out Little Spoon was a girl. Nol wasn’t too surprised. Street urchins, regardless of gender, appeared as boys. They didn’t have a choice if they wanted to survive.

Muttering a swear word that didn’t fit her age, Little Spoon reluctantly walked over and dropped the bag by Nol’s feet, then scampered back behind the leader.

Just as Nol was about to bend down and pick it up, Teest grabbed his shoulder and stared at the child leader. “Bring it out.”

The leader sighed. “Little Spoon.”

She reluctantly went over and produced the ring box from her pocket.

Nol: “.…..”

“Apologies, gentlemen. I’m truly sorry.” The leader bowed deeply.

“An apology isn’t enough after we’ve chased you this far,” Teest said coldly. “Since you don’t seem to have any money, how about this. Tell me, why did he eavesdrop on the Investigation Knights’ conversation?”

He casually pointed to Tom, who trembled.

The leader paused for two seconds. “Everyone says a madman entered the city. We just wanted to know when this shit would end. As you can see, we’ve been forced to live in the sewers!”

Teest glanced at the sweating Tom. “Really? Well, I have some good news. The kind knights said the church is taking in homeless children.”

At this, he looked over all four children. The leader showed a hint of “surprise”, while the other children looked to the leader with evident concern.

“Thank you for the information,” the leader said. “We’ll surely check it out.”

“It’s too dangerous. Let me and my friend escort you while it’s still daylight.” Teest smiled. “Dear Tom should have heard, I’m not a bad guy. I’m a cook from the Rizzi Caravan. And look at my friend, how naive he is!”

‘What kind of bullshit are you spouting,’ Nol thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If this were the modern world, kids would never go with such a suspicious person.

“No, we can go by ourselves.” The leader refused firmly.

“I understand your concerns,” Teest replied, his smile unwavering. “How about this? I’ll stay here and watch over you, and my friend will fetch the knights to escort you.”

This time, the child leader’s face became paler, and she hesitated before responding.

Teest’s amusement grew more evident.

“Hannah! Something’s wrong, Hannah—!”

Suddenly, a shout broke the tension. A chubby street urchin tumbled in, soaked in sewage, his face pale as death.

“Bacon.” The child leader gritted her teeth. “With outsiders here, what are you doing?!”

“Dead-dead-dead man!” The chubby boy, Bacon, blurted out. “Uh, no, over there. There’s a knight, a Temple Knight. He’s dying! He’s about to die!”

“Someone has to save him!”

Hannah frowned and then quickly regained her composure. She adjusted her newsboy hat and even smirked.

“Good Samaritans, your chance to help has arrived,” she declared loudly. “Being so kind-hearted, you surely won’t leave a dying knight and keep bothering a few kids, right?”

With that, she grabbed Little Spoon’s hand and yelled, “Run!”

“The knight is that way!” Before fleeing, Bacon even considerately pointed out the direction.

Teest shook his head with amusement, not pursuing. He watched the group vanish into the darkness, sighing in resignation.

“Let’s go and save the unfortunate knight,” Teest said. “It’s not like we’re empty-handed. Those little devils are definitely up to something… What are you doing?”

Nol remained stern-faced. His hand was on the first page of the Dragon Corpse Notebook that was flickering light from magic in the dark.

“This naive guy here just summoned a hundred skeleton rats. These rats will follow them, leaving one every so often, serving as markers.”

Within five seconds, Nol stood up, brushing off some dirt. “Alright, let’s go save someone.”

“Sometimes, you’re really quite brilliant,” Teest commented with a chuckle. “I almost want to give you a kiss, honey.”

“No need. Thank you for the compliment, honey.”

---

The author has something to say:

Teest: Has cunningness of an adult

Nol: Has grudges of an adult

Skeleton rats, being so weak, are only priced at 2 MP each. A great bargain!

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 12: Two Hundred Years

They eventually chose the inn where the Rizzi Caravan stayed, and Teest booked a luxury suite directly.

Luxury suites were all separate houses, surrounded by colorful flowers, like a giant garden. Naturally, the price of a good house was staggering. Only two of the large luxury suites were rented out previously. One was rented to a female relative of the Alva Merchant Group, and the other was occupied by a young noble.

Nol barely saw one of the neighbors. It was a young redhead with a tall bodyguard following him. However, the distance between houses was quite far, and the view was mostly blocked by clusters of flowers, so there didn’t seem to be any need to greet.

Needless to say, Nol liked this design. No one would complain about too much privacy, and not having to greet was even better.

Nol and Teest’s suite was divided into five rooms, structured like a set of “吕口吕” characters—a large living room in the middle, with four smaller rooms around it serving as separate bedrooms, bathrooms, and a small kitchen. On the table in the center of the living room, hotel staff decorated a large bouquet of yellow roses and baby’s breath and also provided baked cookies and cupcakes. The two bedrooms were diagonally opposite each other, and the soundproofing was pretty good.

Nol went to his bedroom, which was about ten square meters and furnished with a soft double bed and wooden table and chairs. He decisively closed the curtains, leaving the four moons out of sight.

He naturally wasn’t planning to sleep.

Nol spread out the parchment paper provided by the inn and began to organize the information about Whitebird City in his memory.

Whitebird City was located on the northern border of Shidina and didn’t involve the main plot. Its only significance was “the city that caravans must pass through”.

The city was indeed ruled by the Swain family. But in Nol’s impression, Lord Swain was a wealthy old man with a living wife, and their six children were all grown up.

Nol dabbed the paper with his quill. He wasn’t quite used to this kind of dip pen.

Whitebird City had a mainline NPC named “Kermit the Old Craftsman”. He was a reliable, weird old man who opened a magic item store in Whitebird City. Nol needed to check it out tomorrow. If the store was as described, he could get a lot of good stuff.

After all, they couldn’t be chasing a killer in rags.

Nol sat at the desk all night, finishing the “Whitebird City Operation Guide”. With the remaining time, he burned the Dragon Corpse Notebook and rewrote it in ink that was blood. This time he was meticulous and careful, writing the new magic on just one page.

Next to the self-created magic circle, Nol wrote a note in the common language:

[Necromancy: Consumes 10~100 MP, summons 1 low-level undead; this spell prioritizes consuming magical materials; the caster’s minimum consumption is 1 MP/unit.]

[※The stronger the low-level undead, the more magic power is consumed.]

Summoned monsters had their own attributes, irrelevant to the strength of the summoner, which was very suitable for him now. Nol wanted to figure out a higher-level necromancy but was afraid that the Dragon Corpse Notebook couldn’t handle it.

The truth was cruel. Even if Nol could create magic, he couldn’t escape the basic rule of “the stronger the magic, the greater the consumption”. He could cast weak spells within 100 MP on his own, but to increase his firepower, he had to rely on the power of the Dragon Corpse Notebook.

But the Dragon Corpse Notebook was like a disposable power bank. If he used it up, he’d have to carry a mountain of magical materials everywhere.

He must first solve the attrition problem of the notebook.

The sunlight leaked in through the gaps in the curtains. Nol snapped his fingers and burned the written parchment with will-o’-wisps. When he stood up, there wasn’t even a trace of ash left on the table.

In the morning, Teest planned to purchase clothes and supplies, while Nol was eager to visit the magic item store. After a brief discussion, they decided to go their separate ways.

“I’ll buy your clothes too,” Teest said. “Remember to look around a lot. We still have the City Lord’s daughter to find.”

“Are you buying alone?”

Teest waved his hand. “I know your size. Don’t forget, you were quite ‘honest’ back then.”

“…….”

Nol exhaled with a poker face. Just then, he noticed a small change—

Teest had hidden the Player’s earring.

Back in the novice village, Nol heard from Bly. He said the Player’s earring couldn’t be removed. Even if the ear was cut off, it would grow back with the earring. To hide the “Player” identity, you had to cover your ears or disguise the earring. Teest clearly chose the latter.

With Teest’s striking silver-white long hair, the earring was usually barely visible under the hair strands. Now, he glued the earring pendant to his earlobe, painted it silver, and added half a pearl, making it look like a pearl earring with silver edges, which blended seamlessly with his silver hair.

He even made a pair for his right ear, making it even harder to spot any flaws. With that handsome face, these makeshift “new earrings” actually looked quite fitting.

Nol didn’t know how many gadgets Teest had hidden in his waist bag. Shaking his head, he left the room.

……

“Kermit’s Magic Shop” was even more exaggerated than in the conceptual draft.

This building was made of wood, leaning at odd angles with three stories. It was sandwiched between two tall walls, old and narrow, like a leaf stuck between teeth. Nol pushed the door open, nearly getting smacked in the face by a dried lizard hanging from the doorway.

The inside of the shop was even messier than the outside. 80% of the entire space was filled with shelves placed haphazardly, cluttered with goods—dried reptile corpses, jars filled with insect wings or spiders curled up, all sorts of unidentified minerals, leathers, and dried herbs. Thick books were crammed wherever space permitted, and metal tools piled up in corners.

They were all covered in a thick layer of dust, making them look almost the same color.

“Wow, a customer!” Just as Nol was pushing aside the dried lizard, a young man slid down from a ladder.

“I’m the boss here, Bob.” The young man had short ginger hair that clung to his scalp, long slender limbs, and a big round nose. He extended his hand, which was smeared with a yellowish-green sticky substance, to Nol.

Nol stood up straight, not shaking the extended hand. “You’re the boss? Where’s Kermit?”

Bob whistled. “Where have you been? You’re really behind on the news! Kermit disappeared two hundred years ago.”

“…What?”

“I said, he disappeared two hundred years ago. He was the master of my master’s master… or something like that,” Bob said. “He went with the hero, Drake, to the Endless Sea to defeat the Demon King at the edge of the world. Everyone knows, ships that sail to the Endless Sea never return.”

“What do you want with someone who died two hundred years ago?”

Nol stood there as if frozen.

How could this be?

The leader of the Dragon Clan was still Subelbot, the novice village hadn’t changed, and the Players had just arrived… Nol subconsciously thought that this world was still in the process of “the main storyline of the game”.

Even though “Tahe World” had AI assistance, the main storyline was still fully controlled by the production team. Nol was sure they designed events spanning about ten years at most within the game.

Old Craftsman Kermit, the Dragonblood Hero Drake… These were characters they designed themselves. Especially the hero Drake; he was an indispensable main storyline character.

And now, they all belonged to two hundred years ago.

Even the monsters encountered in the novice village weren’t as frightening to Nol as this news. Whether it was the extra moons and gods or the bugged dungeons and systems, their foundation was still the game—the world he knew so well, the golden era he helped create.

Now, his only “information advantage” was questionable.

Nol couldn’t help but shudder. Liches were naturally cold-blooded, and now his blood felt like it was about to freeze.

Upon reflection, there were hints. For instance, the missing tavern NPC couple in the novice village, the Lord of Whitebird City whose family details didn’t match up, and this dilapidated store in front of him that was about to fall apart.

In the game’s lore, it was set to be only two years old, so while it could be a bit run down, it had nothing to do with being “old”.

“Hey, are you buying something or not?”

Seeing Nol zoning out at the entrance, Bob raised his voice.

“Sorry, I made a mistake,” Nol responded quickly. “My ancestors were friends with Old Kermit. I thought his shop would be inherited by one of his descendants, Mr. or Ms. Kermit… You know, it’s been two hundred years.”

“A common mistake,” Bob said. “So what are you here for?”

Nol cleared his throat. “My ancestors left a diary mentioning where Old Kermit hid blueprints. I was passing by Whitebird City and thought to check—just in case his heir didn’t find it. That would be a significant loss. Also, I really want to buy some things.”

Bob took a deep breath, dragging out a chair from a corner. “Come, let’s talk.”

In less than ten minutes, Nol found a hidden compartment in one of the ground-floor rooms. The parchment inside was as soft as new, but Nol’s heart sank.

Just as he had suspected.

In the design of “Tahe”, there should be a fixed daily quest here. A Player, with system prompts, should discover this compartment and eventually bring Old Kermit into the main storyline.

The issue was, Old Kermit lived two hundred years ago, and Players had just entered the game a month ago. So the compartment remained undiscovered until now.

Bob, unfolding the parchment, grew more excited as he read it. “Praise the Goddess, these are all treasures! Oh, thank you, thank you—how much do you want for this? I’m willing to offer 10 gold wheels!”

This scene reminded him of someone. Nol gave a forced smile and asked, “Can I specify the compensation?”

“Since you’ve told me the truth, I should also be honest with you. Everything in the store is junk now; the only thing of value is money.” Bob’s head shook like a pellet drum.

“I only want three things. And before I take them, I’ll let you check. If you disagree, I’ll change my choice.”

“Ah, okay then. Why are you so stubborn?”

Nol didn’t hesitate about what to choose. He headed straight to the “three-floor junk room” Bob mentioned and started searching for his target items. Even if he remembered their models, in this junkyard-like place, it took him a full two hours.

The first item was a moldy-looking long staff. It was made of black wood, with obvious signs of damage at the top. The gemstone that was originally affixed at the top had disappeared, leaving only a bald, plate-like base.

[Incomplete Cursed Staff: An old staff that has lost its magical core. It currently cannot be used for casting. Only accepts cores with a cursed aura. When complete, the wielder’s intelligence attribute increases by double, while other attributes are halved.

※Crafted by Cain Kermit]

Given that his other attributes had already been reduced by 99%, halving them again didn’t make much of a difference. As long as he was weak enough, negative effects couldn’t harm him.

The second item was stored in a ring box. It was the size of a fingernail and appeared to be the transparent wing of an insect.

[Fairy’s Prank: Material unknown. Can hide items within dimensions of 6x6x6(cm) and can’t be detected by any means.

Usage: Stick it on the item’s surface; one-time use only.

※Crafted by Cain Kermit]

It was supposed to be a prototype item for the game shop, meant to hide unwanted accessories. Unfortunately, Old Kermit never made a mainline appearance, so it never had a chance to be listed in the system store.

The third item… he had only mentioned it as insurance. Since he found what he wanted, Nol returned to the first floor and casually took out a large tome titled “The Complete Recipe Book”.

The cover was gray and black, covered in cobwebs, making it unappetizing to look at.

“That staff might be worth something if it had a magical core,” Bob commented. “Cursed magical cores are incredibly hard to find, so you better think it through.”

“The other two… ahem, together they’re worth less than three silver hooks. Are you sure?”

“Then throw in some cheap materials for me. I want a rabbit fur brush, vine glue, magic-absorbent cloth, color-changing embroidery thread, and twelve colors of paint.”

Unless absolutely necessary, Nol didn’t really want to use the gold wheels Teest gave him. After all, it was agreed that it was Teest’s money.

“All that won’t even cost four silver hooks! But alright, you asked for it.” Bob awkwardly began to pack.

Stepping out the door, Nol felt as if he was in a different world.

Four moons, a strange religious belief… 200 years.

Holding the broken staff in his right hand and a cloth bag in his left, his mind wandered.

If 200 years have already passed in this world…

Whoosh!

While Nol was sorting out his situation, he felt his left hand lighten. He instinctively looked up and saw a small figure disappearing around the corner.

Ah, a thief.

He was in a bad mood, so he didn’t chase. His staff was in his hand, and his Dragon Corpse Notebook was wrapped in cloth, tied together with his money bag. There wasn’t anything valuable in the bag, just some small items.

Wait, small items.

…The tool he bought for Teest was in that bag, and it was the only one of its kind in today’s world!

Tucking the broken staff under his arm, Nol began to run.

---

The author has something to say:

Nol: As long as I’m trash, no one can curse me.jpg

A dignified Lich, steps out and gets his shopping bag stolen√

————————————

My biggest fear has come true. Once the (future) young couples have money, they won’t even share the same room. I’m so sad…

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Whether it’s Teest’s money or yours, in the end, it’ll all go into a joint account.

Drake is sometimes used synonymously to dragon or a specific type of dragon.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 11: Chef and Cook

That being said, the two still went to the bank first. The gold obtained from the Lich was too much, and it was heavy, so carrying it around was dangerous.

After Teest deposited the money, he bought two beast-skin pouches with locks on his way out. He filled them with gold wheels, took one, and gave the other to Nol.

“Don’t worry about whose money it is. Having money is always better than not,” he said.

Fifteen minutes later.

The two-story building of the Mercenary Guild was in sight. Nol realized that when Teest had mentioned “a full friends list”, he wasn’t joking.

Even with the assistance of the game system, Nol could easily see Teest’s combat instincts and reaction speed. Teest was undoubtedly a veteran Player, and in the game, veterans always have plenty of friends.

Even though Teest carried the curse of “God’s Forsaken”, the curse didn’t break their engagement, so Teest’s friendships in the game were probably normal—the game system had always been cautious about punishments that may affect innocent Players.

Nol looked at the sign of the Mercenary Guild. The wooden sign was coated with fine grease, suspended by thick silver chains, with the words “Whitebird City Mercenary Guild” gilded. On both sides of the main gate, there were marble statues of a young man and woman, with flames dancing incessantly within the statues’ lanterns. The gilded characters reflected the flickering light, as if they too were on fire.

The “Mercenary Guild” was an important design in “Tahe”, and its routine was traditionally set up—Players needed to come to the Mercenary Guild register, meet mentors of different professions, find like-minded partners, and then embark on various adventures.

Teest’s in-game friends were definitely here. Hopefully, they were also skilled Players.

Just as Nol was about to enter, Teest pulled his clothes.

“You’re heading to the guild?” Teest asked. “I’m in a hurry. If you’re really anxious, we can split up.”

Huh? Nol slowly turned his head.

“No, I’m not in a rush,” he said, following Teest in confusion until the latter went straight into the “Miscellaneous Merchant Fleet Introduction Office”.

Compared to the Mercenary Guild, this place was equally grand, but in a different manner. The Mercenary Guild felt solemn and rugged, with designs infused with the strength of blood and fire. The “Miscellaneous Merchant Fleet Introduction Office”, however, was somewhat flashy, resembling a business KTV. Its door plate was embedded with colorful glass, attached with low-level magic, making the glasses shimmer constantly.

The young men and women greeting at the door were real and dressed even more daringly than the statues. They wore flower crowns, and their smiles were exceptionally sweet.

In the game’s setting, this was more like an “Information Exchange Office”. Merchants always had the latest news, and this was a place dedicated to caravan supplies.

Players usually came here to buy clues or pick up sidequests. It was unlikely for them to work here. The reason was simple; the jobs here were quite…

“Do any caravans need a cook?” Teest promptly went to the bar.

…grounded, and mostly involved heavy physical work, Nol silently recalled.

“A cook? Fifteen are hiring. The information is on the recruitment wall. You can choose whichever you are interested in.” The girl behind the counter was polite. It was evident that effort had been put into staff training, as all the employees, regardless of gender, were young and attractive.

“A glass of ‘Pigeon Blood’, keep the change.” Teest placed a gold wheel on the counter, smiling gently. “We plan to head south and stay here for a few days. I’d like to hear your suggestions.”

Nol winced.

In the setting of “Tahe”, each country’s currency was universal. Gold coins, called “gold wheels”, were small but had the purchasing power equivalent to about 1,000 yuan in the real world; silver coins, called “silver hooks”, were worth 100 yuan. There were also ten-yuan large copper coins and one-yuan small copper coins. Below them were even smaller copper buttons, rarely used by Players.

Nol would bet that the wine named “Pigeon Blood” didn’t cost more than a silver hook, yet Teest paid with a gold wheel.

The girl behind the counter gracefully pocketed the gold wheel, gave Teest an appreciative look, and smiled even sweeter.

“If you’re heading south, let me think. The Alva Merchant Group is hiring, but their requirements are strict. I personally recommend the Rizzi Caravan. They offer good treatment, easy tasks, and plan to stay in Whitebird City for about a week.”

She twirled a curl of her chestnut hair and gazed at him with smiling eyes.

 “Other caravans… It’s hard to say.” She then handed over the wine. “Here’s your drink.”

The vibrant red wine swirled in the glass, its deep hue reminiscent of blood, and it gave off a rich fruity aroma.

“Thank you.” Teest lifted his glass to the girl and left the counter.

“Do you drink?” Once the girl was no longer looking, Teest asked Nol.

“No.”

“Alright,” Teest murmured. He went to the corridor and gave the wine to the first laborer he saw carrying luggage. The laborer, around fifty with a limp and emanating a sour odor, took it.

“Cheers, friend,” Teest said gently.

Knowing he had nothing to lose, the laborer didn’t hesitate for even a second and downed the wine. “You’re a good man, sir.” He grinned, revealing yellow-stained teeth.

“I don’t drink either,” Teest explained after the gesture.

……

The inn where the Rizzi Caravan stayed wasn’t far away. The entrance of the inn was adorned with a profusion of flowers. A white stone fountain was constructed there, which sprayed water mixed with an elegant perfume. The moment a guest entered the hall, the attendant would ring the silver bells that decorated it, producing a pleasant melody.

‘Not bad,’ Nol thought. Perhaps they wouldn’t have to look for other hotels.

However, when they reached the room of the recruiter, there was already an applicant present.

He was a fat man, not more than 1.6 meters tall. He looked to be in his early forties, with thinning hair on top, and sported a finely trimmed small mustache. A roll of flesh circled his neck, and the buttons on his stomach were stretched tight, looking like they might pop at any moment. Despite this, his clothing was of high quality, and he didn’t smell unpleasant—in fact, he smelled of fresh cream and caramel.

Upon seeing Teest and Nol enter, the chubby man scrutinized them, then lifted the corner of his mouth in a barely concealed sneer.

The recruiter was a tall, thin middle-aged man, currently seated at a round table in the living room. He politely gestured to the empty seats.

“The market has been good lately. The goods from Inato are more than expected,” the tall man started. “We’ve hired enough temporary workers. Now, the problem is, they need to be fed for the next half month.”

The fat man coughed and spoke up first—

“I am Kurt, the head chef of Egret Restaurant,” he said with his hands crossed. “The owner of the Egret Restaurant—I mean, that damned heretic—was just executed by the Temple a few days ago. The restaurant is closed…. so here I am.”

“Oh, I heard about that. It’s unfortunate. Bad things can happen to anyone,” the tall man replied sympathetically.

Encouraged, the fat man continued, “Sir, I’ve been a chef for nearly thirty years. I can make the most delicious desserts with the most basic ingredients. Making ordinary meals is even easier for me!”

“Good.” The tall man nodded, turning to Teest. “And you?”

“Teest, a traveler. I can hunt, skin, process meat, and make both beast and monster meat palatable,” Teest replied.

The tall man raised his eyebrows, clearly intrigued.

“Palatable…” The fat man muttered under his breath.

“You, come here.” The tall man beckoned Teest, who obediently moved closer. The man sniffed him, checked his eyelids, and pinched his upper arm. Finally, he asked Teest to show his hands, examining his nails and calluses.

“Very good,” he commented at last. “Healthy, sturdy, clean… Just wish you had more calluses. Would’ve been better if you knew how to use weapons.”

“I’d have to find a job at the Mercenary Guild then,” Teest joked.

“You’ll be responsible for ninety people, two meals a day. They’re all laborers and need two catties of meat a day.”

“Of course, we’ll bring some dried meat and goats with the caravan… but who knows what we’ll encounter on the road? You might need to hunt. If you get good pelts, we’ll buy them at market price.”

The tall man sat back down, smiling. “That’s about it for your job. Room and board included, three gold wheels for half a month, paid in full when we reach our destination. How does that sound?”

Teest turned to Nol. “I’d like to bring my friend along.”

“Hmm, we don’t usually take outsiders. But if you insist, room and board would cost him one gold wheel.”

“I’ll work alongside Teest,” Nol interjected.

The tall man eyed him for a moment. “We’ll waive that gold wheel, but I’ll put it in the contract.”

Nol was taken aback.

By now, he could guess Teest’s intentions. Pretending to apply as a cook was just a ruse. He wanted to hitch a ride with the caravan. Caravans knew the fastest and safest routes and usually had mercenary guards, making it the safest and most convenient way to travel.

Indeed, he was really “cozying up”. Teest didn’t want to take any risks.

On the other side, seeing that the two were about to strike a deal, Kurt became agitated. Jumping off his stool, his face turned red. “Beast meat is hard to make palatable! No matter how it’s prepared, there’s always a foul taste, and monster meat is even worse—”

“I accept the job,” Teest cut him off. “Sir, could I have a word in private with Mr. Chef?”

“I’ll step out for a smoke. Come tomorrow morning to cook two dishes for a trial. If all is well, we’ll sign the contract,” the tall man nodded and left.

“I have nothing to say to you. You’re not even a real chef!” As soon as the tall man left, Kurt furiously shouted.

“Sir, the Alva Merchant Group’s caravan is in Whitebird City. They are also hiring chefs, real chefs.” Teest laughed. “You know, they want experts who can make lemon cakes and know how to roast pigeons. Not amateurs like me who only know how to skin and cook things till they’re done.”

Mr. Kurt opened his mouth, his face reddening even more. “Ah… you… but I didn’t see…”

“The benefits offered by the Alva Merchant Group are incredibly good. If they publicly recruited, half of the city’s people would try their luck.” Teest sighed. “I only got to know this because I have some inside connections.”

Mr. Kurt remained silent for a long time.

His round face was still flushed, and his eyes looked slightly moist. After a while, he looked up, his tone more sincere.

“Thank you. I’ll give it a try,” Kurt said. “Whether it works out or not, I owe both of you a drink tonight… I was too hasty earlier. My attitude was, well…”

“Oh, it seems I can only take advantage of your generosity then,” Teest remarked.

……

Kurt took them to his home, which didn’t seem as affluent as his appearance might suggest.

His house was in a good location and spacious, but it was empty. After a look around, Nol figured that the most valuable items in the large room were probably the few sets of silverware. Some parts of the floor had different colors, suggesting that decorations used to be placed there but were now gone.

Mr. Kurt slowly walked to a cupboard, and from its depths, he pulled out a bottle of wine. The bottle was covered in a thick layer of dust, but it couldn’t conceal the rich wine inside.

“We can’t drink alcohol due to our constitution,” Teest stated. “Lemon water, tea… just make anything you like.”

Mr. Kurt sagged a little, dusting off the wine bottle before putting it back. He then skillfully put on an apron and took out some fruits, nearly used-up honey, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

“I’ll prepare a special drink for you,” Kurt said, wiping his hands with a hint of embarrassment. “This place is a bit humble. I’m planning to sell it next week.”

“Why?” Nol asked.

“My daughter is studying magic on Wintergreen Street. She’s a very talented child.” As he spoke of this, Mr. Kurt puffed out his chest with pride. “My wife rented a servant’s room there, so she can be close to our precious one. I’m alone here… I don’t need such a big house.”

As he cut two limes, his voice grew softer.

“God bless, I hope the Alva Merchant Group will hire me, so my lovely little Kate won’t have to worry about tuition. Studying magic is so expensive!” After finishing the drink, he raised his voice with hope. “Learning magic is very expensive, truly!”

Kurt placed two large cups of a refreshing green drink on the table, which had the fresh scent of mint and the sweet aroma of fruit. For himself, he opened a bottle of subpar wine and began to drink directly from the bottle.

“Actually, we just arrived recently. We only saw the notice today. Who exactly is this ‘Mad Monk’?” Nol tried to change the subject.

“You don’t know about the Mad Monk? Oh, young people nowadays…”

Kurt took several gulps of wine. “He’s a psycho, a murderer, a blasphemer. He, she, or it has been running rampant for over a decade. Even the Temple doesn’t know if that guy is human.”

Teest seemed intrigued. “Then how do they know the kidnapper is the ‘Mad Monk’?”

“It was Miss Swain who said so. A while ago, she claimed she had encountered the Mad Monk and even saw his golden thread. The City Lord dismissed her as delusional and even hired a psychiatrist. And then… poof! She vanished into thin air at the City Lord’s mansion.”

“His Lordship was full of regret, and the Temple’s Investigation Knights were dispatched. But to what end? Miss Swain disappeared as if she had melted like a snowman, with not even a strand of her hair being found.”

As he spoke, Kurt shook his head.

“If it were me, the moment I heard of the ‘Mad Monk’, I’d protect my child immediately. Now, those with children at home guard them more closely than their money.”

“It seems this ‘Mad Monk’ targets children,” Teest tried to summarize.

“Worse than that.” Kurt lowered his voice, adding a hint of mystery. “Regardless of age or gender, the Mad Monk doesn’t discriminate. After killing, he mutilates the bodies and then sews them back together with golden thread.”

“He doesn’t stop there. He positions the bodies to mimic images of disciples from the holy texts, placing them at the church’s entrance as a challenge. He even insists on sewing a smile onto their faces!”

Got it—a religious-themed nutjob. As someone from the modern age with extensive knowledge, Nol quickly grasped the situation.

He might fail the quest he accepted, but it wasn’t a big deal. At least he would learn about the issue of “mission AI going crazy writing R-18G* sidequests”.

*R-18G includes things such as heavy gore and violence (given the Mad Monk’s modus operandi).

Kurt poured the wine into his mouth, and his tone became drunken. “The ‘Mad Monk’ must be from the Eternal Church. Only the Eternal Church would do such a beastly thing. Only the Eternal Church would hate the Temple of Life so much… Fuck the Eternal Church… They all deserve to die…”

Teest and Nol exchanged glances.

“You mean like the owner of the Egret Restaurant?” Nol asked cautiously.

“Ha ha ha ha.”

Kurt laughed. He buried his head, so they couldn’t see his expression.

“Yeah, my boss… Even with the Investigation Knights here, he dared to meet with people from the Eternal Church and got caught… Everyone said the arrest was successful, and only a young man died…”

“Do you know the funniest part of this?”

Kurt raised his head. His face was smiling, but his eyes were bloodshot.

“My son, our sensible good son, was killed by those Eternal cultists. As a result, because I work at Egret, everyone thinks our family is involved with the heretical church, and no one wants to hire me or my wife.”

“Isn’t it ridiculous? …Ah, haha.”

……

When the two left, Kurt was so drunk he was unconscious. Nol pondered for a moment, then neatly packed up the silver tableware and tucked it under Kurt’s pillow.

Before closing the door, he looked at the empty living room for a long time.

“I want to check out the missing person notices again,” Teest suddenly said.

“What?”

Teest yawned. “Since we can’t leave for now, I have to find something to do.”

This meant he was about to take on a quest. Nol felt an inexplicable relief. “Mm, I’ll go with you… I didn’t expect you to have a soft side too.”

“Who says? I’m just curious.” Teest rubbed the back of his head. “Where to next? The Mercenary Guild? The inn?”

“Inn!” Nol answered decisively.

---

The author has something to say:

Nol: Inn! Inn! Desperately need a roof to return some san*.

*Sanity value.

Teest: In the presence of the producer, discard the main storyline and head straight for the sidequests.

By Chapter 11, our newlyweds finally have a bed to sleep in…

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 10: Search Notice

“If you have any hidden tricks left, now’s the time to use them,” Teest said.

Unfortunately, Nol had none.

They were too close, and the disparity in power was too vast. Nol couldn’t do anything in time. Teest seemed to know that escaping was pointless. He gripped his sword’s hilt tightly, his back tensing like a stone statue.

The creature was just steps away. They watched as it bent down and turned Mrs. Petty into a mound of flesh-colored sand. The gentle morning breeze didn’t stop, and soon the sand dispersed, swallowed up entirely by the grass.

Perhaps they would be next.

But the terrifying figure just folded its hands gracefully over its belly. As the last grain of sand was consumed by the grassland and the morning sun fully rose, the headless figure, like dew on the grass, disappeared with the night.

From start to finish, it had no interest in them.

The moment the creature vanished, both of them, like puppets whose strings had been cut, simultaneously collapsed.

“That thing looked like an undead creature. Do you know it?” Teest sheathed his “Betrayer” and simply laid down on the grass.

“Not all undead creatures know each other,” Nol said, staring at the spot where Mrs. Petty had disappeared, taking a while to respond.

All traces of Mrs. Petty’s existence were gone, leaving only the swaddling clothes covered in dirt on the grass.

Teest was silent for a moment, then naturally changed the subject. “If I remember correctly, there are two cities nearby—Dogtooth Bay to the southeast and Whitebird City to the southwest. They are better places to rest than small villages.”

Before Nol could respond, Teest continued, “I think Whitebird City sounds good.”

I’m not Petty! I’m Rebecca! Rebecca from Whitebird City!

The scream of Mrs. Petty echoed in Nol’s ears.

“Whitebird City it is,” he replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

Teest chuckled. “I thought so.”

Technically, Teest had known Mrs. Petty longer, but he didn’t seem upset at all. This wasn’t surprising, Nol thought. Some players simply didn’t care about NPCs’ lives, and perhaps Teest was one of them.

Traveling by foot by sunrise and skeletal horse by sunset, their pace was decent. But day after day, surrounded by almost indistinguishable meadows and hills, even beautiful scenery could become a nightmare.

Teest had resupplied at Mrs. Petty’s home. His bag was filled with smoked meat, cheese, pepper, and salt. They could get water through water spells, and if given a chance, he’d dig up starchy tubers or catch a rabbit or two.

With limited supplies, Nol simply stopped eating.

On the fourth sunset, the monotonous landscape finally came to an end.

A city appeared on the horizon, leaning against a vast green forest with two soaring peaks in the distance. The two mountains leaned on each other, snow outlining their curved profiles. Under the sunset, they connected, resembling a bird in flight.

The grass under their feet became sparse, revealing a road. At the end of the road stood a wooden sign that read “Whitebird City”. By the time they reached the sign, night had quietly fallen.

They were too close to the city, so Nol didn’t summon his skeletal horse. He passed the sign on foot, took a long breath, and looked up at the starry night sky.

This would be the first city he would encounter. He hoped to gather more information smoothly, and then…

Staring at the clear night sky, Nol’s thoughts came to a halt.

The twinkling stars were as usual, matching the game settings, but the moon—the moon was wrong.

Four full moons hung high in the sky.

They spread across different parts of the sky, all the same size. The moonlight was gentle, as always, but this nonsensical sight made one feel uneasy, sending shivers down the spine.

Nol looked pale. He slowly averted his eyes, pretending everything was normal.

“Near the Three Forks Road Village, there’s only one moon,” Teest mentioned casually. “Dragons used magic to twist the sky. They left only one moon to confuse those seeking the Dragon’s Lair… That’s what everyone says. Someone even wrote a song about it.”

“Nice story,” Nol said, feeling goosebumps form beneath his robe.

At times like this, he sincerely wished that the Lich’s “corporeal form” wasn’t so perfect.

……

Whitebird City was neither large nor small. It wasn’t so bustling that it left people astounded, yet it wasn’t as primitive and simple as Three Forks Road Village. Its “moderation” was just like its guardians—Nol and Teest, naturally, didn’t have any identification, let alone permission to enter the city. The city guards drew their swords but sheathed them again in the glow of gold wheels.

“If anyone asks, just say you lost your identification after entering the city,” the guard suggested, biting hard on a gold wheel to test its authenticity. “Like it was stolen along with your money pouch. There are plenty of thieves here, get my drift?”

“Of course,” Teest replied with a smile.

Satisfied, the guard put away the gold wheel, stroking his chin. “You two seem savvy, so I’ll give you a heads-up. It’s easy to enter Whitebird City, but hard to leave. Don’t blame me for not warning you—even a hundred thousand gold wheels won’t help those unfortunate souls who want to get out.”

Just as Nol was about to enter, he paused. “Easy to get in, but hard to get out?”

The guard didn’t reply, instead revealing a crooked smile with uneven teeth, looking primarily at Teest’s money pouch.

Teest gave a slight bow. “Thank you for your warning, kind sir.”

With that, he patted Nol’s back and calmly entered the city. The guard’s smile disappeared instantly. He glanced at Nol with disdain and spat in the direction Teest had gone.

“Ominous White Demon,” he cursed silently.

As night fell, the city was bustling. People gathered like sparrows in front of taverns and shops, chattering loudly. Bright lights were everywhere, combining with the flames to create an orange flood that spilled from every window and door. The distant lights were denser than golden osmanthus blossoms.

The city’s church displayed a snow-white clock tower. At the top, the green tiles shone like precious gems in the night.

There was litter on the streets, but it was mostly clean—thanks to the drainage system Nol had installed that was far superior to medieval standards.

Perhaps because it was nighttime, there were more young people on the streets than the elderly and children. The air was filled with music, laughter, sweat, spices, alcohol, and the rich scent of grilled sausages.

Were it not for the four full moons overhead, Nol would have felt entirely relaxed.

Teest headed straight to the busiest area, where there was a city bulletin board. They quickly gathered the information they needed.

“The daughter of the City Lord has been kidnapped by the Mad Monk!” people were saying. “Poor Lord Swain. He lost his wife long ago, now his daughter.”

“I’ve seen Miss Swain when I was trimming the garden at His Lordship’s house. By the gods, I’ve never seen such a graceful and beautiful lady. Such a pity.”

“Why would the Mad Monk come to Whitebird City? I thought he only liked big cities.”

“Damn! The City Lord is desperate enough to post this notice. What’s the Temple doing?”

……

The two squeezed their way to the bulletin board. Amidst the many notices, one stood out: A “missing person” flier.

In short, a notorious lunatic had kidnapped the City Lord’s only daughter. The heartbroken lord was willing to pay any price for her return.

“You see, the reason it’s easy to get in but hard to get out, free of charge,” Teest commented.

The city gates couldn’t stay closed forever, as people needed to make a living. They could use this opportunity to rest for a few days and gather information, so it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time. Nol stood in front of the missing person’s notice for a while longer because it reminded him too much of a game quest, and he had an occupational reflex to it.

As expected, as soon as he finished reading, a system prompt popped up.

[Rare Regional Quest: The Missing Lady]

[Normal Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead).]

[Perfect Achievement Condition: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead); successfully spot the Mad Monk and report his physical features to the Temple of Life.]

[Rewards: Monetary reward [Normal]; Friendship of the Lord of Whitebird City [Normal]; Huge bounty for the Mad Monk [Perfect]; Friendship of the Temple of Life [Perfect]]

[Penalty for Failure: None]

[Accept the quest?]

Nol didn’t know who this Mad Monk was, but the quest seemed normal—various sidequests in “Tahe” were originally automatically generated by the AI.

Without hesitation, Nol chose “Yes”. He needed to test the game’s quest system… and assess his own situation.

To be honest, his current state was a bit peculiar. He couldn’t activate the Player system, and he probably wasn’t immortal. But he had some Player privileges, like understanding different languages and accepting quests and obtaining rewards, just like a Player.

The hidden dungeon of the Lich was too unique, making it hard to use as a reference. For testing purposes, this quest was just right. If, by chance, he succeeded, he could receive a monetary reward, compensating for the favors he owed to the Dragon Corpse Notebook.

By the time Nol finished, Teest had already been pushed far away.

Teest clearly had no interest in finding the missing person. He just glanced at it with mild interest and let the crowd push and shove him aside.

In the bright light, Teest’s silver hair was particularly conspicuous. Perhaps it was because his silky long hair stood out so much that people around him weren’t as rough.

Nol, with his black short hair, wasn’t as lucky. After withstanding several waves of the crowd and waving his arms, he finally “swam” back to Teest’s side. “Let’s find an inn first.”

Having grasped the situation in the city, Nol really didn’t want to stroll under four moons. He suddenly realized he might have a bit of astraphobia, as he now didn’t even want to lift his head.

“We can talk about it at the inn later. I have something to do.” Teest gripped Nol’s wrist, and the two finally escaped the crowd.

Nol raised an eyebrow, wearing his question openly on his face.

“…I need to go and cozy up to someone powerful first*,” Teest said.

*Hug a thigh. It’s a colloquialism referring to holding onto someone more powerful in order to gain benefits.

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The author has something to say:

Nol: Don’t need friendship, just give me money ←

Teest: Doesn’t even need a quest ←

————————————

Realizing at this point, these two might be the richest characters I’ve started a story with so far.

So, what’s the catch (?

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Kinky Thoughts:

Poor Nemo and Ollie crying in the corner.

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