Chapter 149: A Touch of Sorrow
“Harry has been captured. We should go back and save him.”
After escaping to a safe area with Henry, Paul panted heavily.
Henry, feeling like his wings were about to fall off, scoffed. “Save him? With what? The other party clearly has full ninth-rank strength. How can we possibly rescue Harry from a ninth-rank mage? She didn’t chase us because of my ninth-rank aura. If she found out my true strength, none of us would be able to escape.”
“Master Henry, don’t you even have eighth-rank strength anymore?” Paul interrupted.
To get the answer he wanted, he deliberately raised his voice.
“Eighth-rank? Forget about eighth-rank, I’m currently…”
Henry stopped mid-sentence, almost falling for the trap.
He flew to a branch farther away from Paul. “I advise you not to have any unnecessary thoughts. You’re only eighth-rank now. Neither the Temple of the Celestial God nor the Abyss is a force you can handle. With me, you can still benefit from both sides, but if I’m gone, can you really survive?”
Sensing Paul’s rebellious intentions, Henry threatened him directly. He was still tolerant of this “wild horse” that hadn’t been tamed yet.
However, his tolerance was based on his absolute strength. Now, it was different. In his perception, his strength wasn’t even as good as Paul’s.
Forget about the fact that he could fly. With the huge gap in their strength, he might not even have the chance to fly.
He had used Harry as a hostage before, but now that Harry was captured, he didn’t even have a hostage.
Only now did Henry realize that his choice had been a mistake. He had thought he had made sufficient preparations. Both the special scroll and the forced teleportation could ensure his safety.
But he had underestimated the danger in the town. Ever since entering the red beam of light, things had spiraled out of his control.
“Master Henry, you misunderstood. I don’t have any rebellious thoughts. I just want to rescue Harry as soon as possible. We’ve lost the ability to continue exploring this town. We should change our thinking and consider how to rescue Harry and escape from here. The gap in strength is an insurmountable chasm. The other party is a native of this town and must know a lot of information that we don’t.”
To dispel Henry’s vigilance, Paul explained himself at length.
Although his words sounded nice, he didn’t dare to meet Henry’s eyes.
From their conversation, he could tell that Henry didn’t even have eighth-rank strength, which was consistent with his observations.
Henry’s escape speed just now hadn’t even reached seventh-rank. This was crucial information.
If it had been before, Paul wouldn’t have had any thoughts, but now, he wanted to overthrow Henry and gain ninth-rank strength.
After devouring the former Saint Joseph, he had become addicted to the feeling of his power surging.
Therefore, he had secretly asked Harry to engrave similar magic circles on his thigh, just in case.
After some practice, Paul could now use this special magic, which he had named “Gluttony.”
However, this magic had a huge side effect. If his mental power wasn’t strong enough, he would be devoured by Henry instead, becoming a free meal.
To increase his mental power, Paul wanted someone to buy him the Lucky Potion sold by Kailun’s Chamber of Commerce. Spending 100,000 gold coins for a chance to reach the ninth rank was a good deal for him.
Besides, Paul felt that he had quite a few advantages. The obscene memories in his mind might be a powerful weapon. Joseph had been driven to collapse by his memories.
Henry glanced at Paul but didn’t say anything. He secretly activated the array disk hidden on his body, attempting to teleport.
Although he had transformed into a bird, the items on his body had been preserved in a special way. This was good news.
There was no trust between him and Paul. He believed that Paul would stab him in the back without hesitation.
To be safe, he planned to use forced teleportation to escape this strange town.
Only by staying alive could he have a future.
“Buzz~”
After activating the array disk, magic power fluctuated around Henry. Paul was startled, thinking that Henry was trying to escape alone.
“Master Henry, what are you doing?”
To avoid being left behind, Paul quickly activated the magic related to agility on his body. He kicked off the ground with his hind legs and leaped towards Henry.
“Get away! I’m trying to find Harry’s location. Don’t disturb me.” Henry spread his wings and soared into the sky.
He currently only had sixth-rank strength and couldn’t use many high-rank spells. His overall strength was far inferior to the seventh-rank Paul.
“There’s no need for that, Master Henry. I’m a dog now, and my nose is very sensitive. I can easily find Harry’s location.”
Paul activated the magic circle on his body and followed. “Master Henry, the sky is too dangerous. Please come down and talk.”
At this point, they had practically torn off their masks. Paul wanted to rescue Harry, and Henry wanted to escape.
However, the biggest problem was that Paul wanted to use this opportunity to devour Henry. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“I misjudged you. You’re actually this kind of person. You’ll be finished once we get out of here.”
Henry continued to soar towards the clouds, casting spells on himself. This was his only chance to escape.
However, he was confused about one thing. He had already activated the array disk. He should have been teleported out within three seconds.
But five seconds had already passed, and there was no change.
An unsettling thought emerged in Henry’s mind. The worst possibility was that Charles had betrayed him.
“Crackle!”
Speak of the devil. Not only did the array disk fail to teleport him, but it also made a crackling sound.
As his heart turned cold, a dog’s mouth, reeking of bad breath, clamped down on him.
……
“Hey, there’s a dog flying in the sky. Did you see that?”
Fox, walking through the wilderness with Kailun, tugged at his sleeve.
She blinked in disbelief. She had just seen a hairless dog flying in the sky and biting a green-feathered bird that was flying very high.
Because the scene was so surreal, Fox even wondered if she had seen things.
“Is it unusual for a dog to fly in the sky? Don’t make a fuss.”
Kailun glanced at the anomaly in the sky and pulled Fox in another direction.
Because Paul and his group had triggered his trap, they had left behind magic marks.
By tracking these marks, Kailun discovered that the three of them had split into two groups. One group was Paul and Henry, who were fighting, and the other was Harry.
It seemed that Harry had been captured by Blanche, Fox’s grandma. As long as he followed the residual marks, he could find her location.
As for the dog Paul, he could wait. Kailun didn’t have time to lower his goodwill for now.
“Eh? So it’s normal for a dog to fly in the sky?”
Fox widened her eyes. She rarely left the town and wasn’t familiar with the outside world.
“Yes, not only dogs can fly in the sky, but foxes can too. I can take you for a ride sometime.”
A smile appeared on Kailun’s lips. Bullying such an innocent fox gave him a slight sense of guilt.
“Okay, that sounds fun.” Fox agreed instantly. She had no vigilance towards Kailun now.
They walked westward, and as they approached the boundary, Kailun found the spot where the marks disappeared.
“This should be it. No wonder I couldn’t find it before. All perception is blocked here.”
Looking at the nameless tombstone in front of him, Kailun couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had circled the town before and passed by this place, but he hadn’t noticed anything unusual back then.
Because his perception was blocked, he didn’t receive any feedback. This place had always appeared as an empty space, devoid of anything.
However, only by standing in front of this nameless tombstone could he clearly sense its extraordinariness.
“Fox, do you know whose grave this is?” Kailun walked to the tombstone and ran his hand over its smooth surface.
The tombstone was spotless, clearly cleaned and wiped regularly.
Fox shook her head, confused. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s go. We’re going to see your grandma.” Kailun tapped the tombstone with his finger, and a dark and gloomy passage appeared on the ground behind it.
The method of opening the passage felt strangely familiar to Kailun, as if he had encountered it before.
But in his memory, he had never been here.
No one knew where the dark passage led. The oppressive atmosphere made Fox involuntarily move closer to Kailun.
She hugged herself and shivered. “You mean my grandma is inside?”
“Naturally.”
Kailun smiled mischievously. He was curious about their expressions when they met.
“Follow me closely. I won’t care if you get lost.” Kailun cast an illumination spell and entered the underground passage behind the tombstone.
This time, Kailun fully released his ninth-rank aura, intending to alert Fox’s grandma.
There were some things he needed to discuss with her face-to-face. With Fox as a “hostage,” he could gain a lot of useful information.
“Coming, I’m coming.” Fox quickly followed and grabbed the corner of Kailun’s clothes.
She was becoming more and more proficient at this action. Every time she grabbed Kailun’s clothes and followed behind him, her restless heart would calm down.
If he were a little nicer to her, Fox felt that she might really fall for him.
This wasn’t love at first sight, but more like something predestined.
As they walked through the spacious passage, the sound of their shoes against the ground echoed.
Halfway through, Kailun saw a figure appear at the edge of the illumination spell.
Half of her body was in the light, and half was in the shadows, looking quite eerie.
“Grandma?!”
Fox recognized her at a glance.
She let go of Kailun’s clothes and wanted to run over and ask her questions. She had a lot of questions in her heart.
“Thud!”
However, Kailun didn’t give Fox a chance to ask. He chopped the back of her neck with his hand, knocking her unconscious.
He caught the collapsing Fox and held her in his arms, letting her lean comfortably against his shoulder. The entire process was smooth and effortless.
“Outsider, let go of Fox! This is not a place for you.” Blanche, Fox’s grandma, remained hidden in the shadows.
Just from her voice, her anger was palpable.
Kailun: “No, this is a place I must come. I have many questions to ask. Please don’t refuse me. If I’m not happy, I’ll not only take Fox back and bully her, but I’ll also release everyone you captured. If you don’t believe me, we can fight. Of course, before we fight, you need to consider whether you’ll accidentally hurt Fox.”
Faced with the current situation, Kailun chose the simplest and most direct solution.
Using Fox as a hostage was the best bargaining chip. If the other party cared about Fox, she wouldn’t attack.
Conversely, if she didn’t care about Fox, Kailun wouldn’t hold back either.
They were both ninth-rank. Without absolute certainty, they wouldn’t fight.
In fact, Kailun sensed that she had considered attacking, but because Fox was too close to him, Blanche held back.
“Young man, some things are better left unknown. Touching the world’s taboos will inevitably invite unknown retribution. Let go of Fox. There are many treasures here that I can let you take.”
Blanche changed her address, intending to take a softer approach.
“No, there’s no need for that. If I defeat you, everything here, including Fox, will be mine.”
Kailun chuckled. In fact, he knew very well that he couldn’t take anything.
At least, in the current state of the town, he couldn’t take anything.
“…” A vein popped on Blanche’s forehead. “Young man, being too greedy will get you nowhere. Are you so sure you can defeat me?”
Kailun smiled even wider. “I’m sorry, but not only am I sure that I can completely defeat you, but I can also take everything here. Do you want to make a bet?”
His arrogant and proud demeanor made Blanche unsure. His reckless attitude gave her a headache.
If Kailun was really crazy, even if she won, she wouldn’t be able to carry out her plan in her current state, let alone ensure Fox’s safety.
It was the most troublesome to encounter such a stubborn person.
“What do you want?” Blanche asked, leaning on her walking stick.
“Take me inside for a tour and then answer some of my questions.”
Kailun glanced at the little fox in his arms. “Besides that, I have no other requests. As long as you agree to these two points, I’ll return Fox to you. If you don’t believe me, we can sign a contract. I won’t do anything unnecessary.”
“I’m warning you again. Knowing some things will do you no good. If that one is unhappy, you will definitely die.”
Blanche stepped into the range of the illumination spell. Compared to yesterday, she looked even weaker.
“It doesn’t matter. Bring it on.” Kailun shrugged. If the one behind Blanche really had such power, she wouldn’t have talked with him for so long.
In his opinion, Blanche didn’t have any confidence. Plus, the sacrifice hadn’t even begun. The one in the coffin was probably still very weak.
It would be very difficult to kill him.
Blanche: “…Follow me.”
Helplessly, Blanche led Kailun towards the main hall. Inside, not only was there the presence of “that one,” but also a suppression magic circle.
Anyone who wasn’t recognized by “that one” would be suppressed by the ruin. This suppression could weaken a person’s strength by up to fifty percent.
She couldn’t risk Fox’s safety. Strictly speaking, guarding the jade coffin was her family’s mission, while taking care of Fox was her own decision.
In terms of importance, Fox was even slightly more important.
Kailun held Fox in his arms and followed behind. Holding Fox, he was already in an invincible position.
He was curious about the existence behind Blanche.
Walking along the passage, they arrived at a magic door ten minutes later.
Kailun hesitated for a second before entering, but as he didn’t sense any danger, he made some preparations and stepped inside, holding Fox.
As he passed through the magic door, he felt a gaze upon him.
[Special Attribute: Outside the Narrative activated]
[Gaze from ??? blocked.]
[Suppression from ??? blocked.]
[Anger from ???. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -10]
Not bad, very domineering.
Kailun checked the increase in his attribute points and deduced that this unknown existence currently only had third-rank strength.
Yes, confirmed, a weakling.
“Did you feel anything strange?” Blanche looked at Kailun in surprise. In her perception, he hadn’t been suppressed at all.
Could it be that he was someone recognized by the one in the jade coffin?
But how was that possible? No matter who this outsider was, how could he be qualified to be compared to the one in the jade coffin?
Although there was no wind, Blanche felt like she was caught in a whirlwind.
Kailun asked back, “Strange reaction? Did you?”
Blanche didn’t want to speak. She silently walked to the jade coffin and sensed the “excited” emotions emanating from within.
It seemed that the one inside was very happy. No wonder Kailun hadn’t been suppressed.
She wondered if she should be more polite. After all, the one inside had acknowledged him.
“Cough!” Blanche coughed twice. “Ask your questions quickly. It’s best if you leave this town after you’re done.”
“Is the one lying in the jade coffin really ‘that one’?” Kailun asked cleverly.
Blanche: “Yes, it’s her. She has been sleeping for over ten thousand years and only recently woke up.”
“Oh, it’s already been ten thousand years? Time flies.” Kailun walked towards the jade coffin, holding Fox. This time, Blanche didn’t stop him.
In Blanche’s opinion, the one in the jade coffin was omnipresent. It was very difficult to kill her in the conventional sense.
To put it abstractly, she couldn’t be killed by ordinary space-time.
But if the one in the jade coffin knew what Blanche was thinking, she would definitely go crazy.
She could clearly sense that the current space-time was abnormal. In this state, she could really be killed.
She had tried to use the magic in the hall to suppress Kailun into a cripple, but there was no reaction.
Not only that, but she also couldn’t see through his identity. A high-level mystery shrouded him, making him unfathomable.
She was very sad. Why had Blanche let this demon in?
Just then, she heard the demon speak. “This jade coffin looks very valuable. Can I take it with me?”
“…”
Blanche: “???”
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