Chapter 145: Shirley’s Awakening
“By the way, has Fox ever left Kuye Town?”
As he spoke, Kailun cast an illumination spell. The dim oil lamp wasn’t suitable for prolonged reading and studying.
“Rarely. Grandma told me not to go too far, that it’s dangerous outside.”
Fox forcefully massaged Kailun’s shoulders, as if trying to crush his bones.
“That’s interesting.”
Kailun chuckled but didn’t say anything more.
He had left the town to investigate. After several hours of testing and exploring, he understood that the current situation had certain limits.
Centered around Fox’s house, a circular area with a radius of fifty miles was affected by special rules.
Beyond that was a void. No matter how far one walked, they would only be walking in place at the boundary, forever unable to escape.
Filled with questions, Kailun wandered around outside the town for a few rounds and set up several trap spells before returning.
It was already afternoon when he returned. Judging from the sky, only half the afternoon had passed, but he had experienced almost twenty hours.
This strange time flow was something Kailun had never encountered before. Even ninth-rank magic couldn’t achieve such an extraordinary effect.
After recording everything he had encountered in a small notebook he carried with him, Kailun entered Fox’s house, leading to the events that followed.
“Are you free tomorrow? I’ll take you out for a walk.”
Sensing that Fox’s grandma was about to return, Kailun tucked the unfinished scroll back into his pocket. He planned to continue reading it tonight.
“No, no, I’m not going even if you beat me to death.”
Fox shook her head repeatedly. How could a pure and beautiful maiden like her dare to go out alone with the villain in front of her?
Even using her butt to think, she could guess that she would be devoured, humiliated, and perhaps even hung upside down with branches and vines.
‘Strange, how do I know this?’
The pure Fox was surprised to find impure thoughts in her mind.
“It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t asking for your opinion anyway. You’re free to run. But believe me, the only outcome of doing so is that I’ll have to fight your grandma. If I win, I can get the answers from her.”
Kailun stood up and patted Fox’s head. “So, little fool, think carefully. I believe you know what the right choice is. By the way, you can keep the parchment scroll I gave you. But if you show it to anyone else…”
Kailun didn’t finish his sentence, but Fox shuddered, imagining the consequences.
Watching Kailun swagger out of the basement, Fox, her legs weak, sat down on the chair Kailun had just been sitting on.
She hated that bad guy. He had not only taken her grandma’s scrolls but also threatened her.
But for some reason, there was a completely opposite emotion in her heart.
She wanted to hug him, pin him down, and wrap her tail tightly around him…
This was too strange. She was a human girl. Where did she get a tail from?
“What’s wrong with me? Am I going crazy?”
Fox hugged her knees and cried, “I’m doomed. That guy must have cast a bewitching spell on me. I’m going crazy…”
It took about half an hour for Fox’s emotions to calm down a bit.
She restored the basement to its original state, put the small box back in its place, extinguished the oil lamp on the wall, and added just the right amount of oil.
After doing all this, Fox closed the basement door and returned to the house, locking herself in her room.
Another half hour passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The hunched old woman returned home.
She went to the basement first and noticed that some changes had occurred. It seemed that Fox had been there.
Reaching this conclusion, a smile appeared on her aged face. This was the outcome she wanted.
Her repeated reminders were just to engrave the existence of the basement in Fox’s heart, so that one day, she would be unable to resist opening this forbidden door.
Only she knew what kind of extraordinary talent Fox possessed, and she needed Fox’s help.
To her, all she needed was for Fox to subtly help her once. It wouldn’t be a loss for Fox.
However, the magic she needed was a bit malicious, so she couldn’t tell Fox the truth. She had to make Fox cast the spell willingly. Otherwise, the final effect might not meet her standards.
The old woman went to the corner of the basement and opened the small box. She found that a few scrolls were missing.
It seemed that Fox had taken them out to study secretly. She was very satisfied with this outcome.
“Cough!”
The old woman coughed and took out a handwritten scroll from her sleeve, placing it in the box.
If Kailun were here, he would notice that the old woman’s scroll was somewhat similar to the one he had named “Fate Sacrifice”.
But it was only somewhat similar. Their effects were vastly different.
“I hope Fox won’t blame me. I have no choice. My friend has been waiting for a long time. The changes in fate have exceeded the original control. If it’s not stopped, the world will be destroyed.”
The old woman sighed and slowly closed the small box.
In her opinion, with Fox’s talent, she would soon learn the contents of this scroll.
“Creak!”
Closing the basement door, the old woman returned to the house. She looked even older than during the day.
Her back was even more hunched, her coughs more frequent. She looked like a flickering candle in the wind, about to reach the end of its life.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
The old woman stood outside Fox’s room and knocked. “Little Fox, come out for dinner. I bought some delicious pig trotters from the restaurant.”
“Wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”
Fox inside the room quickly replied. She didn’t notice the change in the old woman’s voice.
After much deliberation, she decided to keep the afternoon’s events to herself.
No matter what, she couldn’t involve her grandma. She was just an ordinary person.
……
Ten minutes ago, Kailun had witnessed the old woman’s return from the window.
Some things Fox couldn’t sense, but Kailun could clearly feel.
In his opinion, she was like a flickering candle in the wind, easily extinguished by a gust.
Based on the time flow in this world, she probably only had two or three days left.
Looking at the fake moonlight in the starry sky, Kailun’s gaze deepened.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
“Hello, guest. I’m the waiter delivering your meal. May I come in?”
As he was pondering, a knock came from the door.
Unlike the old innkeeper’s voice, it was a young female voice, a voice Kailun was very familiar with.
‘Shirley?’
He paused, feeling a sense of relief after searching high and low.
“Come in, the door’s unlocked.”
Kailun faced the window, his back to the door, pretending not to recognize the voice.
“Click!”
Shirley opened the old wooden door and saw Kailun standing by the window. She didn’t remember him, but his back looked familiar.
From her feeling, this noble young master standing by the window seemed difficult to get along with. He was probably a bad guy, the kind who would often harass respectable women.
With this thought in mind, Shirley quietly walked to the table and placed the food box on it.
“I’ve placed your dinner on the table. Please enjoy. If you need anything else, just let me know.” Then she backed away from Kailun, intending to leave the room.
“What if I want to enjoy you?”
In a flash, Kailun appeared behind Shirley and blew on her neck.
Shirley wanted to scream, but Kailun covered her mouth first.
Just as she was about to use her immense strength to crush Kailun’s chest, she found that her strength had vanished, leaving her with less than one percent of her original power.
After casually setting up a soundproof barrier, Kailun released his hand and asked, “Shirley, do you still recognize me?”
Shirley’s eyes were filled with panic. She backed away nervously and looked at Kailun. “I don’t know you. Why are you doing this to me? If others find out, even if you’re a noble, you’ll be punished.”
Kailun waved his hand dismissively at her meaningless words. “Don’t say those useless things. I didn’t risk my life to travel thousands of miles to save you just to hear this. I’m asking you, what do you remember? How did you end up in this inn? Answer my questions truthfully, or I’ll throw you on the bed and enjoy you slowly.”
In principle, Kailun wouldn’t make a move on an idiot.
The overwhelming pressure made Shirley unable to resist. Kailun had already imprinted a “submissive” label on her heart. Even though she had forgotten many things, when she smelled Kailun’s scent, she would instinctively obey his commands.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember anything. When I opened my eyes, I was already in this strange town.”
Shirley hid under the table, looking at Kailun uneasily. “The shopkeeper who sells vegetables saw me and asked me some questions. When she learned that I had lost my memory, she kindly brought me back. She asked me to be a waitress at this inn, so she could provide me with food and shelter.”
“Tsk.”
Learning about Shirley’s experience, Kailun clicked his tongue. A stupid Shirley with amnesia, he bet she wouldn’t even know if she was sold.
Fortunately, he had given Shirley many attribute points. She could solve problems with brute force if needed.
Seeing that she was safe and sound, Kailun breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Shirley had gone to Kuye Town under his orders. She had contributed to the completion of the mission and deserved a reward.
“Come here, I’ll help you recover some of your memories.” Kailun walked to the table.
However, Shirley immediately crawled under the table and refused to come out.
Kailun: “…”
Helplessly, Kailun squatted down and looked at Shirley hiding under the table. “If you don’t come out, I’ll bully Princess Hilna severely when I get back. Not only that, but I’ll also tell her that it’s all your fault, that you didn’t listen to me.”
“No, please don’t do that!”
Shirley immediately replied. Although she couldn’t remember who Hilna was now, she strongly opposed Kailun’s actions.
She scrambled out from under the table and squatted in front of Kailun, their eyes meeting.
Shirley: “Please don’t bully her. You can take it out on me.”
“What did the princess do to deserve such a loyal knight?” Kailun patted Shirley’s head and pressed his forehead against hers.
Just as Shirley thought she was about to be molested, a high-rank magic circle appeared beside Kailun, and a flood of images poured into her mind.
Kailun couldn’t restore Shirley’s memories. This was the effect of the special rules, and he hadn’t found a solution yet.
But he could let Shirley see his memories. Kailun used magic to transfer all the memories related to Shirley and Hilna into her mind, along with some scenes from Kuye Town, so she could understand what had happened from a different perspective.
Perhaps he had accidentally included some “peach-colored” scenes during the transfer, because Shirley’s face turned bright red, and even her forehead started to heat up.
Three minutes later, Kailun stopped the magic and touched his burning forehead. “Now you should understand what happened, right?”
“I understand, but I didn’t expect you to do so many things to Princess Hilna, and each one was worse than the last. Putting such a noble princess in those positions… Ugh~”
Shirley’s face was flushed, and her emotions underwent a strange change. Apart from Kailun’s plan, her mind was filled with images of whipped cream and pastries.
It was so perverted!
“But why do you think I’m an idiot? I’m not stupid, okay?” Shirley glared at Kailun.
Shirley was inevitably influenced by Kailun. This was a double-edged sword.
The good news was that she had gained a broader perspective, seen more things, and her horizons had been broadened. She might even become a little smarter.
The bad news was that she not only knew what Kailun thought of her but also saw what he had done to Hilna.
While criticizing him in her heart, she actually found it quite interesting. The princess in those positions seemed a bit cute. She wanted to see Kailun bully her even more.
At least, the amnesiac Shirley currently harbored such thoughts. She had been “corrupted” by Kailun.
“Do you believe that yourself?” Kailun asked, flicking Shirley’s forehead.
Shirley: “…”
Looking back on how Kailun saw her, she realized that “stupid” was no longer an accurate description.
“Let’s not talk about the past. What about now? What are you going to do now?” Shirley wisely changed the subject.
“First, investigate the origin of this world. Second, investigate the so-called ruin. And most importantly, help Fox investigate what happened back then.”
Kailun stood up and sat on the chair. Squatting on the ground like an idiot, he might be “assimilated” by Shirley at any moment.
Shirley also stood up, but she didn’t sit down. “Based on the memories you gave me, it seems that this world was created by the anomaly in Kuye Town. My amnesia should also be related to this world. It’s a pity I can’t remember what happened before. If I could, I might have some useful information.”
Looking at Shirley, Kailun nodded with satisfaction. “Don’t be discouraged. Being able to think normally is already the biggest gain.”
Shirley: “…I feel like you’re insulting me, and I have evidence.”
Kailun: “Be bolder. Remove the ‘feel like’.”
Shirley: “…”
……
A flash of red light, and three figures appeared at the entrance of the town.
A human, a hairless dog, and a green-feathered bird.
The human was Harry, the hairless dog was Paul, and the green-feathered bird was Henry.
Due to the special changes in the town, they not only lost their memories but also their human forms.
Harry seemed the most normal, but he had also lost the most. He had lost not only his memories but also his intelligence. His current mental capacity was probably only at the level of a three to five-year-old child.
Henry had lost most of his memories, and his strength had dropped to the sixth rank, even weaker than Harry.
Paul retained most of his memories, but his strength had dropped to the seventh rank. These weren’t the most infuriating things. The most infuriating thing was that he had become a hairless dog.
For a moment, Paul wanted to smash his head against the stone at the entrance of the town. This was a blatant insult. He felt the world’s malice towards him.
“Master Henry, what do we do now?” Paul raised his dog head and looked at the green-feathered bird on Harry’s shoulder.
Although Henry had changed his appearance, Paul could recognize him at a glance.
“I don’t know. It seems like I’m missing a lot of things in my head. I can’t make sense of the current situation. I think we need to exchange information.”
Henry scanned the town. He only remembered entering the red light with Paul and Harry. He had forgotten everything else.
Now he was just a bird, with little strength left.
The good news was that he still retained his ninth-rank aura, which he could use to intimidate others.
“Harry, what’s wrong? Harry, say something!” At this moment, Paul noticed Harry’s abnormality. He quickly bit Harry’s trousers and asked.
“Doggy, I want to ride doggy, hee hee hee…”
Harry saw the hairless dog at his feet and pounced on it. A primal desire gave birth to a strange thought in his mind.
Paul and Henry were both speechless, dumbfounded by Harry’s actions.
“Harry, snap out of it! This place is dangerous.” Paul easily jumped away, dodging Harry’s pounce. He hadn’t expected Harry to even target him after he had become a dog.
As he ran, Paul felt like he was missing something. He lowered his dog head and looked down.
To his shock, he had become female?!
Paul stopped in his tracks and carefully examined himself. No matter from which angle he looked, the fact remained unchanged.
“Thud!”
The moment Paul stopped, Harry pounced on his back.
“Doggy, my lovely doggy…”
Acting on instinct, Harry began his assault without hesitation. However, his strength was much weaker than Paul’s now, so before he could do anything, Paul escaped.
“Harry, snap out of it!”
Although he told Harry to snap out of it, Paul kicked Harry in the head, knocking him unconscious.
“Master Henry, Harry has been deeply affected by this place. My suggestion is to leave as soon as possible. It’s very dangerous here.”
After dealing with Harry, Paul quickly looked at Henry, who had flown to a branch.
Henry pecked at his feathers. “No, we probably can’t go back. Although we encountered some unexpected events, don’t worry. This might be an opportunity for us.”
He had originally thought that there was a Fate Stone mine or a ruin hidden in Kuye Town, but he hadn’t expected to encounter something even more magical.
Before entering the red beam of light, Henry had prepared himself for unexpected events. After all, such a change might attract other powerful figures. In the worst-case scenario, all six ninth-rank mages of the Xiya Kingdom might arrive.
He had been nervous at first, but now he was much more optimistic.
As a ninth-rank mage, he could tell that their current abnormal state was only temporary.
Others who entered would also experience similar changes, and their situations might not be any better than his. If they were lucky, others might only have third or fifth-rank strength after entering.
“Are we going into the town now?” Paul asked again.
Looking at the dark and clearly abnormal town, Henry said, “No, we’re not going in. We’ll hide near the town and see if anyone else arrives. Only by gathering enough information can we make an accurate judgment. The most important thing now is for us to exchange information.”
Paul keenly sensed from Henry’s words that he had lost a lot of memories, so he decided to hide some important information.
Henry currently only had sixth-rank strength. Was there a chance for him to subdue him?
If he could capture Henry, Paul felt that he might have a chance to absorb ninth-rank strength in reverse.
“By the way, what about Harry? He seems to have gone crazy.” Paul nudged the unconscious Harry with his dog paw.
“Take him and hide him. He probably can’t be of any help now.” Henry stared at Paul coldly.
“Yes, Master Henry.” Paul lowered his head, grabbed Harry’s clothes with his teeth, and threw him onto his back.
They walked towards the wilderness outside the town, intending to find a good place to observe and study.
“Boom!”
Ten minutes later, a loud explosion came from the wilderness.
Followed by a furious roar, “Damn bastard! He actually set up magic traps!”
Apparently, the lucky Paul had stepped on one of Kailun’s traps specifically designed for certain individuals.
The trap wasn’t very powerful. It mainly released a strange smell and covered the target in filth. It was clearly designed to mess with people’s minds.
……
“Boom!”
The old woman, sleeping in Fox’s house, was awakened by the explosion in the wilderness.
Worried, she got out of bed.
After drinking a life-prolonging potion at the table, she carefully left the house, wearing her clothes.
Walking onto the deserted street, she looked around and then slowly walked towards the outskirts of the town, using her walking stick for the first time.
“She paused for a moment, as if deliberately waiting for someone. With her strength, she should have teleported away directly. This is illogical.”
Shirley, hiding behind the window, watched the old woman slowly leave.
“I didn’t expect you to actually become smarter. Not bad, not bad.” Kailun first praised Shirley, then put his notebook back in his pocket. “Maybe someone triggered my trap and made her suspicious. Starting tomorrow, you go and walk around the entrance of the town. If any members of the Knights stumble in, bring them to the inn.”
Shirley nodded. “I understand. Are you going to follow her now?”
Kailun smiled mysteriously. “It’s a secret.”
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