Free Web NovelChapter 90: Chapter 90: Missing Her
The study’s courtyard.
The blue Ghost Lotuses in the pond slept quietly.
This was the first time the Duke had returned to this place since the day Yu Zhizhi left.
He pushed open the study door. The room was pitch black inside.
The desk, unused for several days, had been tidied by the servants. Scrolls were neatly arranged, a long, slender pipe rested on a low shelf, and a deep blue Luck Bag dangled from it.
The study was silent, without a single sound.
The Duke walked toward the back courtyard.
Mist drifted over the pond. The rose-twined iron cage to the side had not yet been dismantled, and inside lay the soft bedding the little female used to cover herself with.
On a small table sat the dessert plate from her last meal.
The Duke stared for a long time.
He could almost hear the little female’s voice coming from behind him—
"You’re back~"
Every time he returned from the outside, he was greeted by the cheerful figure of his little rabbit. She would run right up to him, her rabbit tail wagging gently.
Then...
The Duke loved to gently stroke her rabbit ears, bend down, and place a light kiss on her lips.
The little female’s scent was wonderful—sweet and fragrant. When he held her, he had to stoop down to embrace her, never daring to squeeze too tightly for fear of breaking her soft waist.
Sometimes, he would carry her to the pond to be washed. The little rabbit would nestle quietly in his arms, never making a fuss. Her watery eyes, when she smiled, looked like little crescent moons in the sky.
’She was so well-behaved.’
When overcome with passion, the Duke couldn’t help but call her "my good girl," kissing her rabbit ears, the space between her brows, her lips, her collarbones...
He had kissed every inch of her.
His little pet was soft everywhere. Her voice was gentle, ebbing and flowing like the tide. She would bite her lip and shyly cling to him.
When they ate, the little rabbit would hold food in her mouth, chewing slowly. Occasionally, she would imitate him, bringing a spoonful of food to the Duke’s lips and looking at him with an expectant face.
The little female had also been very forward in her desires.
When she wasn’t satisfied, she would cry aggrieved tears, rub her cheek against him, and depend on him with her whole being...
But all of that seemed like a lifetime ago.
The study was still the study, the courtyard still the courtyard. Not a single flower, tree, or blade of grass had changed. Everything remained as it was, but... she was gone.
She had vanished.
The Duke’s gaze fell on the lock of the rose cage. A dark shadow crossed his golden, slitted pupils.
He clenched his jaw slightly. The black snake on his shoulder was startled and immediately slithered off him to hide.
’Why did you have to run away?’
’Wasn’t it good enough to stay by my side?’
The Duke’s heart felt as if it were being smothered by a damp quilt—heavy, stuffy, and almost suffocating.
Just then, a servant’s voice came from outside the door. "Lord Bo Lan, a letter has arrived from the Magic Team."
The Duke turned, glancing at the servant.
The man quickly bowed his back, respectfully presenting the spirit letter. freёwebnovel.com
It was a secret missive created with a Magic Spell.
The moment the Duke took it, the magical seal on it vanished. The spirit letter projected an image of light and shadow: a young man in a white robe and black mask, holding a Magic Wand, slowly bowed.
"Good evening, Duke."
"As per your instructions, the Magic Team’s Spiritual Technique has tracked across the entire Valoran Empire, but we have not found any trace of the esteemed Ms. Zhi Zhi."
"—She is no longer in the Valoran Empire."
It was a definitive statement.
The entire Magic Team had been deployed, and in less than four days, they had searched every long street and every inconspicuous corner of the Empire.
They had found nothing.
The young man in the black mask from the Magic Team hesitated. "Perhaps... she has already traveled to another Empire."
In such a short time, with the help of an Array, it was indeed possible to go very far.
The Duke clenched the envelope tightly in his hand. His golden, slitted pupils stared at the projected youth as he said, word by word, "Select four elite squads. Send them to the Moon Rising Empire, the Deep Sea Empire, Sun Ridge, and—"
Thinking of the most likely possibility, his voice turned grim. "The Cang Mountain region. Search it carefully."
The little pet he had raised was deeply in love with Dracula. They had been through life and death together. She cared so much for Dracula; it was highly likely she had gone to Cang Mountain to find him.
They might have already reunited.
At that thought, a sharp pain suddenly pierced the Duke’s heart!
In the spirit letter’s projection, the young man from the Magic Team accepted the mission.
"As you command, Lord Bo Lan."
The servant standing to the side was a bit stunned.
The Duke hadn’t even forgotten the fallen Cangshan Empire, and on top of that, the war-torn Sun Ridge—
’Surely Ms. Zhi Zhi wouldn’t go to such dangerous places?’
The spirit letter vanished.
The Duke looked at his personal attendant. "Go and contact those individuals one by one. I need their help."
"Yes, sir."
The servant knew what the Duke meant.
He quickly went to make preparations.
To the Duke, although he never said it aloud, the servant knew that anything related to Ms. Zhi Zhi was of the utmost importance and could not be taken lightly.
Besides, the Beast cubs were about to hatch.
For personal reasons, the servant also hoped that Ms. Zhi Zhi could be found as soon as possible.
...
「The next day.」
As promised, Luther arrived in the courtyard to wait.
Before leaving, Yu Zhizhi went to the bathroom to check on the Mermaid, fed him his food for the day, and wiped down his body.
She looked at the white silk ribbon on the Mermaid’s face, ethereal and dreamlike, and wondered how beautiful his features would be once he had his eyes.
"We might be back very late today."
"Is there anything you want?"
"I’ll bring it back for you~"
’Something I want?’
The young man leaned against the bathtub, motionless.
It was as if he hadn’t heard her.
Just as Yu Zhizhi was feeling a little disappointed and about to leave quietly, Yusen slowly spoke. "...Apples."
The Mermaid liked apples.
The bright red, sweet, and crisp kind.
Yu Zhizhi nodded eagerly.
"I’ll remember that!"
Yusen was willing to talk to her, and she was so happy!
For this trip, Yu Zhizhi brought all her gemstones. She could only hope that the jewel merchant named Geoffrey would agree to her proposed trade.
This time, she was accompanied by Luther and Louis.
The snowmobile was parked outside.
Luther said, "We need to drive to the steam station first. There’s a direct route to the Divine City from there."
Paradise holds a special status in the Moon Rising Empire.
It isn’t a city district, nor is it a small town.
Rather, it’s a sprawling area used to imprison criminals.
Beyond that, its more famous developments include the [Lost Tower], a favorite of the Empire’s noble females, where countless male Beastmen are available for them to choose from.
And then there is the [Paradise].
It’s a form of public entertainment—bloody and violent, designed to relieve the mental stress of the Empire’s citizens.
The contestants in Paradise are all carefully selected. There are criminals sentenced to death, volunteers, and even spies from other factions who are thrown in directly after their identities are exposed.
The closest city district to Paradise is the Divine City.
The jewel merchant, Geoffrey, lives there.
While driving, Luther didn’t forget to give her a heads-up.
"Ms. Zhi Zhi, Geoffrey’s temperament is very odd. His attitude might make you extremely uncomfortable."
"If it weren’t for our alliance with the Valoran Empire, someone with Geoffrey’s way of doing things would have been beaten up by countless local factions by now."
Louis, sitting in the back seat, gave a friendly smile.
"If he dares to defy you, Miss, I’ll kill him."
