Free Web NovelAt the exact center of Talin City, the ghostly-violet light above Cloud Pool grew stronger and stronger, forming a half-dome barrier that enveloped this inland lake.
All factions inside the city were completely at a loss; they didn’t know what had caused this phenomenon, but could instinctively sense something was wrong.
Squad after squad of city defense soldiers gathered at every main path leading toward Cloud Pool. They pulled up warning lines and drove away the people and residents nearby.
Another portion of them spurred their horses in haste toward the Tribunal. Although they could not believe any monster would dare attack that place, the giant explosion just now had been undeniably real.
In an instant, the entire city was on edge as if birds scattering at the slightest rustle; fully armed knights galloped across water-filled streets, while the residential buildings on both sides shut their windows one after another, and the rain only poured harder.
“Meow, it’s raining.”
Helcat Red turned her head and looked at the downcast Jasmine under the eaves, asking, “Are we going to walk back to the inn in the rain? Or snatch an umbrella from a passerby... of course, buying one is also fine.”
“Aiya, if we had acted a little earlier, maybe we could’ve gotten back to the inn before the rain got heavy.” Elizabeth flicked her fingernails, speaking in an unhurriedly flirtatious tone, “Maybe the master, seeing her daughter not return yet, is already panicking alone.”
“Even if you were given ten more minutes you couldn’t walk back to the inn, could you? Unless you stretched your legs and ran, or used extraordinary power.”
Jiele Xiyin glanced at Elizabeth, then turned her gaze back to the curtain of rain outside. Yet her gaze pierced through the heavy rain and landed on the far-off space above the lake.
She could feel something dangerous brewing there, and ever since the giant explosion had come from the Tribunal’s direction just now, the thing beneath the lake had clearly begun gestating faster.
Staying here any longer was not a wise choice... As a Demon King, it was already decent of her not to exploit the chaos, so she had absolutely no intention of joining in the war to protect a human city.
Thinking so, Jiele Xiyin—leaning against the doorframe—lowered her head to look at Jasmine and said, “Little Master, we’ll take you back to the inn to find your mother. With us here, the rain is nothing.”
“But...” Jasmine was moved, yet she turned back to look at the fruit shop behind her. Yuelong and the other two were speaking with the fruit shop owner, seemingly unaware of the plan on this side.
“I’ll go tell them. If they’re willing, we’ll bring them along.” Jiele Xiyin saw Jasmine’s concern and spoke first, “But if they don’t want to come with us, then I think it’s best that we act separately.”
“Spider, you finally suggested something that suits my taste. Go on, go on!” Elizabeth urged.
Jiele Xiyin gave Elizabeth a cold look and was about to enter the fruit shop behind her to carry out what she just said, when Jasmine suddenly sighed, then stepped forward toward the fruit shop. She said,
“I should be the one to tell Sister Yuelong and the others. You wait for me here. After all, I was the one who invited them just now, so it’s more proper for me to go ask personally.”
“That’s fine too. After all, you’re more familiar with them.” Jiele Xiyin thought for a moment and stepped aside.
“You wait for me.”
Jasmine cheered herself up, decisively turned and walked into the fruit shop.
The little Demon Princess has grown up, meow. Helcat Red thought with deep gratification; if only Vieya were here, then Jasmine would have someone she could share her thoughts with.
Inside the fruit shop.
The moment Jasmine entered, she smelled a strange odor. The flies circling above oranges, bananas, apples, and other common fruits made her brows knit involuntarily.
It was truly strange. In the morning when she went out, she hadn’t seen a single fly. How was it that now flies flooded not only the streets outside, but even this fruit shop that had cold-air magic running year-round?
Could it be because of the explosion earlier in the city? ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Or perhaps that eerie lake suddenly glowing violet?
Filled with doubts, she绕过 the tall fruit counter and quickened her steps toward Yuelong and the others.
Splat!
Suddenly, Jasmine accidentally stepped on an orange that had fallen on the ground, crushing it. Juice splattered everywhere. She froze, and at the same time, Yuelong and the others turned around—but the tall fruit counter blocked their line of sight.
“Huh? What was that sound? I just saw that fellow’s daughter come in a moment ago, how come she disappeared the moment I turned my head?” Irena smoothed the small yellow braid draped over her shoulder and looked left and right. “She didn’t get into trouble, did she?”
“Don’t say nonsense. With the counter this high, of course you can’t see.” Allison stood up, looked at the captain, and said, “I’ll go bring that little girl over. She probably has something to discuss with us.”
Yuelong nodded in approval and continued chatting with the fruit shop owner.
“Boss, how long has it been since a Hero last appeared in Talin City? This is clearly one of the three great cities of the southern region, yet I’ve been here so long without seeing a single Hero?”
“We’re safe here. Something like today is something that happens maybe once in a hundred years. Heroes can’t get achievements coming here, so why would they come?”
“Then today... you’re not worried? This disturbance isn’t small. The whole city has mobilized.”
“Back when the underground dungeon appeared a few years ago, that disturbance was even bigger! You didn’t see it—back then, the entire Abyss Town was swallowed by that underground dungeon. That wasn’t a city-wide shock like today, but a southern-region-wide shock.”
The fruit shop owner clicked his tongue. “Back in those days, adventurers of all kinds came in an endless stream. Talin had never been so lively. Although many people died, those who died in the dungeon always resurrected and returned within a month.”
“So yeah, death isn’t that scary. It’s just the Tribunal and some timid clergy from the Church—those cowards think the people resurrected from the dungeon carry curses, so they sealed the deep layers of the dungeon and forbid people from exploring.”
“The dead and living become indistinguishable, blurring ordinary people’s sense of the boundary between life and death.” Yuelong murmured thoughtfully. “So that’s why you’re not afraid of death?”
“What do you mean?” The shop owner frowned, but quickly relaxed and shook his head. “You outsiders don’t understand Talin, I won’t argue with you. My son also died and resurrected from the dungeon back then, but hasn’t he been fine all these years?”
After a pause, the shop owner concluded, “It’s a miracle! Like the strength you get by worshipping whatever god at the Church—it’s the same kind of miracle!” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“You think this is a miracle?” Yuelong countered, but the shop owner no longer wished to talk with her. He peeled an orange and ate as he spoke,
“If you’re not buying anything, leave as soon as the rain stops. Otherwise people will say we Talin folk are xenophobic again.”
“......”
Yuelong sighed inwardly and gave up on the conversation. She turned to look at the spot beside her, but seeing that Irena was still buried in fiddling with the gem on her staff, she asked, “Where’s Allison? Didn’t she go to fetch Jasmine? Why hasn’t she returned?”
......
Elsewhere.
Vieya returned to the inn and discovered that her daughter and those maids still hadn’t returned. She first wiped Aurora clean all over, laid her properly on the bed, and covered her with a quilt. Then she went to the changing room to put on a fresh set of clothes to hide the abnormalities on her body.
After that, she wet a towel and cleaned the dust off her face and hair.
She didn’t want to appear before her daughter in a messy condition, lest the girl worry over nothing.
But what troubled the slime-woman was that even after all this time, the magic inside her body was still in a state of imbalanced agitation. The faint, glowing blue light on her skin and hair also showed no sign of fading.
No big deal. When the time comes I’ll just say I accidentally used fluorescent powder instead of coffee to mix into my milk.
After steadying her mood, Vieya returned to the bedside and looked at the curled-up Aurora, instructing, “I’m planning to go out to look for Jasmine and the others in a moment. You stay on the bed obediently. There’s warm water on the nightstand, and instant biscuits too—eat and drink if you’re hungry or thirsty. I’ll be back soon.”
Saying this, Vieya still wasn’t at ease. She stepped forward again, reached out to check Aurora’s forehead temperature, and used Appraisal to examine her physical condition. Confirming that Aurora was merely extremely weakened after completing the ‘snake molt,’ she withdrew her hand.
Under the quilt, Aurora’s voice was muffled. “Then you also have to be careful, Captain. Youze of the Upper Three is in this city.”
“And now he must already be tracking the traces you and I left. Even though she doesn’t know what we did afterward or what we talked about, she definitely saw us meet in the Tribunal.”
“Don’t worry about that. Rest well.”
Vieya closed the doors and windows, shutting out the storm outside. Looking through the window at the rain-soaked city, she said softly,
“When you wake up, the sun should be rising.”
At this moment, Yuelong sat upright on the tall barstool at the counter, her feet not touching the ground, holding a long sword in her arms as usual.
