Category: As a villain, I just want them to behave

Chapter 151: Fate’s Hand

Three days had passed in the outside world. Kailun’s return was a bit later than everyone expected.

On the afternoon of the third day, Carol was taking Bella, the dragon girl, on a tour of the Royal City. On their way, they encountered Saint Chrissy and the assassin girl, Helena, walking together.

The two groups met at a street corner. Upon seeing Carol, Helena immediately hid behind Chrissy.

Although she was an eighth-rank mage, every time she encountered Carol, she felt like she was about to die.

Besides Carol, she also noticed a girl with dragon horns. If the information was correct, she should be Bella, the Dragon Princess of the Abyss.

For some reason, upon seeing Bella, Helena didn’t feel fear but a stirring of excitement.

She touched her chest and realized that her dagger was still with Kailun.

“Staring…”

Perhaps sensing Helena’s gaze on Bella, Carol glared back with displeasure.

“I didn’t do anything!”

Meeting Carol’s gaze, Helena instantly cowered and hid behind Chrissy, trying to prove her innocence.

Chrissy: “…”

She stepped aside speechlessly, giving up her spot to Helena. “You’re an eighth-rank mage. How can you be so cowardly? Helena, what are you afraid of?”

“I… I don’t know…”

Helena instinctively wanted to hide again, but Chrissy stopped her.

Bella looked at Helena curiously. She didn’t feel much, only a faint, almost imperceptible resentment.

She wagged her tail hidden under her skirt and thought carefully. In her memory, there was hardly any information about Helena.

Since she couldn’t figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it.

“If you’re looking for Master, I regret to inform you that he hasn’t returned yet.” Carol shifted her gaze from Helena to Chrissy.

“Of course, I know he hasn’t returned yet. I had someone ask this morning. You two seem to be planning to tour the Royal City. Mind if we join you? I’m quite free lately.”

Chrissy smiled. She was willing to befriend Carol.

Carol: “Aren’t you afraid that the people from the Temple of the Celestial God will find out if you get too close to us? If someone sees us, they might suspect that you betrayed the Temple. It wouldn’t be worth it.”

Chrissy pushed Helena in front of her. “It doesn’t matter. Her Holiness trusts me completely. If I’m suspected, I’ll just say I’m a double agent. You can ask Helena, right?”

Helena had no choice but to deal with this Saint who always forgot her name. She lowered her head and answered, “Her Holiness and the ninth-rank Koya have been successfully deceived. They both believe that Saint Chrissy is loyal to the Temple.”

“That’s right, they all believe I’m loyal. If you don’t believe me, I can even tell you the town where Koya is hiding.”

Chrissy puffed out her chest proudly. She believed that Kailun would praise her if he heard her words.

Helena was speechless. She disdained being associated with such a traitor.

Oh, right, she was a traitor too.

Never mind then. She might as well go along with it. Compared to betraying the Pope, she was more afraid of facing Carol.

In her mind, Carol was the true demon, a being ten thousand times more terrifying than Kailun.

She would rather be alone with Kailun than see Carol. So she secretly tugged at Chrissy’s clothes and whispered, “Can I go back and cook? I’m a great cook. Please~”

Helena pleaded pitifully.

“No, we finally ran into each other. Let’s go shopping and chat, talk about Kailun.” Not only did Chrissy refuse, but she also proactively pulled Helena towards Carol and Bella.

“May I ask if Saint Chrissy is also Lord Kailun’s lover?” Bella asked curiously. After recent inquiries, she had a general understanding of Kailun’s family relationships.

In Kailun’s household, his wife, Afra, and his maid, Carol, were in the first tier, while Hilna belonged to the pet and bottom tier. There were quite a few others in between, and she had only learned a little about them.

She was curious about the position of the Saint of the Temple.

“Sort of. We’re close partners, an inseparable relationship.” Chrissy boasted about her status without blushing.

“That’s amazing. How did you meet?” Bella looked at Chrissy with wide, curious eyes.

“Hmph, we met on the battlefield. To ensure the safe retreat of my comrades, I surrendered to Kailun. After that, I was subjected to his torture. Perhaps my fearless attitude towards a powerful enemy moved him…”

Chrissy abandoned Helena, ran to Bella’s side, linked arms with her, and excitedly recounted her “legend.”

To make her story sound more interesting, Chrissy embellished it quite a bit.

Carol didn’t expose Chrissy’s deception because she was keeping a close eye on Helena, who was trying to sneak away.

“Helena, where are you going?” Carol smiled and took out a black collar.

Perhaps she had been too influenced by Kailun. Carol had learned a bit of his mischievousness.

Looking at the collar in Carol’s hand, Helena realized that her retribution had arrived.

……

Many things had happened during Kailun’s absence, but Afra had easily resolved them all.

It was worth mentioning that on the second day after Kailun left, a seventh-rank knight had caused trouble in the Royal City, but before he could escalate the situation, Afra had slain him with a single sword strike.

If there was any major problem, it was that Phils had been angered to the point of dizziness by Dean Edlin.

Their previous negotiation had been fruitless. Rose and Dean Edlin insisted on continuing the transaction.

If it weren’t for the fact that Duke Pit was already on his way to the Xiya Kingdom, Phils would have stopped them no matter what.

Now, she planned to leave this matter to Kailun and hoped that the two of them would be punished. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to swallow this anger.

No, if Rose and Dean Edlin were punished, but she wasn’t, she would be even angrier.

As for Ella’s Chamber of Commerce, after successfully weathering the first day’s ceremony, it was now flourishing. In just a few days, it had signed large transactions with many kingdoms and forces.

Under the growing influence of the Xiya Kingdom, countless books containing knowledge flowed into various kingdoms, tilting the existing balance once again.

More and more people learned about the Xiya Kingdom, and more and more people traveled there. Even the academy run by Kailson and the others had expanded several times.

Everything seemed to be booming. Without any obstacles, the Xiya Kingdom’s rise was inevitable.

But this prosperity was only superficial. Looking at the world as a whole, one could see that many forces were eyeing the Xiya Kingdom with hostility.

Influenced by the six mysterious ninth-rank vice presidents of the Balance Chamber of Commerce, many leading forces had united to become the fourth major power in the world.

It was worth mentioning that the Loya Ball, Isabella’s family, had also joined the alliance. This puzzled her greatly.

Why would they choose to join this unknown new alliance instead of befriending the promising Kailun?

With this question in mind, Isabella planned to go back and ask personally. In her opinion, although Kailun was a bad guy who had abandoned her, he was worth investing in.

Therefore, Isabella didn’t return to the Royal City. After leaving Kuye Town, she left the Xiya Kingdom directly.

Of course, before leaving, she contacted her guard, Jennice.

In short, great changes had occurred during Kailun’s absence, but Kailun, trapped in Kuye Town, was unaware.

He had already tied up the dog Paul and built a bonfire beside him.

Because there was no firewood in the tomb, Kailun had dismantled a valuable chair to use as fuel.

“Paul, what do you think eighth-rank dog meat tastes like?”

Kailun lit the woodpile, and smoke rose with the flames.

He poked the fire with an iron rod and said, “I haven’t eaten eighth-rank dog meat before. Maybe I should try it today?”

Kailun smiled wickedly. He was clearly intimidating Paul.

Not to mention that Kailun had no desire for dog meat, even Paul’s repulsive odor made him lose his appetite.

Even though he had done many things to Paul, Kailun still felt it wasn’t enough.

Paul’s betrayal was deeply etched in his memory. The pain of having his head cut off was still vivid. So until Paul died, Kailun would continue to torment him.

Paul: “Kailun, I’m the Saint of the Temple of the Celestial God. If you kill me, you will definitely face the Temple’s wrath.”

He smelled the smoke from the burning wood. Compared to ordinary wood, this type seemed to enhance the aroma of food.

“The Saint of the Temple of the Celestial God?”

Kailun couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s hilarious. If the Pope knew I killed you, she might even send me a gift. Did you know? She has long wanted to kill you and Henry. If you hadn’t run away so quickly, you wouldn’t have had the chance to reach the Xiya Kingdom. The Saint might be worth five million gold coins, but you? Forget it.”

“How do you know so much about the Temple of the Celestial God?” The bound Paul tucked his tail between his legs.

“Oh, you’re asking about that? Of course, it’s because I have a good relationship with the Pope. She told me personally.”

Kailun picked up the iron rod and looked at Paul with a malicious smile. “Do you know about barbecue? Usually, you skewer the food and put it on the grill. But I’m worried that your skin is too thick to pierce, so I preheated it first. What do you think?”

Watching Kailun approach step by step, Paul’s pupils constricted.

“Don’t come near me!”

Because Kailun was facing away from the fire, he blocked a lot of the light.

In Paul’s eyes, Kailun’s growing figure became darker and darker, the iron rod in his hand redder and redder.

Perhaps his fear of Kailun had reached its peak, because Paul fainted with fright.

[Paul’s fear of you deepens. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -131]

“Is that all?”

Kailun tossed the iron rod to the ground with a clang, feeling a bit disappointed.

He glanced at the other high-rank mages in the secret chamber and nodded with satisfaction. No matter what, this quantity and quality were more than enough.

He wondered what would happen to Paul, the Protagonist of Fate, if he lost most of his fate. It was truly intriguing.

Extinguishing the bonfire in the room, Kailun closed the stone door of the secret chamber, set up a few magic barriers, and walked towards the main hall.

As before, he easily entered the hall without any obstacles.

Blanche, Fox’s grandma, had gone to the town to set up the magic circle she needed. This was the preliminary preparation. The final task would fall on Fox’s shoulders.

Under normal circumstances, only Fox could cast the core Destiny Magic.

Coincidentally, Kailun discovered that he could also cast these Destiny Magic spells.

What he lacked now was time. He needed to fully understand the remaining scrolls.

Arriving at the jade coffin, he saw the little fox still sleeping soundly, a pure smile on her lips. She looked incredibly adorable.

Kailun quietly flicked her moist red lips with his finger and sat down on the edge of the coffin.

[Your action has offended ???. Her resentment increases. Goodwill -5, Total Goodwill -35]

Right, he almost forgot that the one in the jade coffin still had consciousness. He had been careless.

The spot he was sitting on happened to be right above her head. What a coincidence.

But even knowing this, Kailun didn’t intend to change his position. After all, she was also one of the people using Fox. He didn’t need to be polite.

If Blanche hadn’t signed a contract with him before leaving, demanding that he not touch anything in the hall, Kailun might have lifted the jade coffin and shaken it violently to gain goodwill.

After all, she was a former powerhouse. Her goodwill was very valuable.

He had carefully examined her attributes and obtained intriguing results.

[Name: ???]

[Age: ???]

[Title: Eternal Second, the Unlucky One Buried in Time]

[Evaluation: Marginally useful, but don’t have high expectations. Apart from her extraordinary talent, she has no other merits. Even keeping her alive feels like a waste of food.]

For some reason, Kailun felt a sense of disdain.

Was she really that useless?

“Knock, knock, knock!”

Kailun tapped the lid of the jade coffin with his finger. “I know you can see what’s happening outside. I also know you can hear what we’re saying. And I know you dislike me a bit. But I don’t care about any of that. What I want to say is that I’ll be taking a share of the fate from this sacrifice. Of course, because I’m a kind person, I’ll only take half. After all, thirty percent would be too little for you.”

Kailun continued tapping the coffin lid rhythmically. “You don’t need to thank me. It’s what I should do.”

Fox specialized in Destiny Magic. Giving her half of the fate would maximize the benefits.

“!!!”

The one in the jade coffin was completely stunned by Kailun’s words. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

If she had been half as shameless as Kailun back then, she would have already defeated fate and become the final victor.

How dare he? She had been waiting for this opportunity for ten thousand years, and he just asked for half?

[Your actions have broadened ???’s horizons. Goodwill -15, Total Goodwill -50]

The little grudge holder obediently completed Kailun’s task. This way, he could also get a share of the pie.

This trip to Kuye Town, he had not only figured out what had happened back then, but he had also gained a lot of goodwill, increasing his strength.

When the time came to reap the rewards, his strength would surely surge.

As for guilt?

Kailun took out the parchment scroll and pondered for a moment. He wasn’t sure himself.

The residents of Kuye Town were already dead. Logically, he was just following the original course of events.

In the original story, it was Fox who sacrificed the town.

But now, it was him who was actually casting the magic and performing the sacrifice. After all, he didn’t want the innocent Fox to do such a cruel thing.

To Fox, this was the town where she had lived for over ten years.

He was a bit conflicted. If he interrupted the sacrifice and prevented the original events from happening, would there be huge changes in the outside world?

This matter was not only related to the future but also connected to his past life. It was a rather brain-burning and tangled issue.

With this in mind, Kailun started to analyze the problem from scratch and re-examine the entire town.

It was as if he needed to find a reason.

He closed his eyes and allocated ninety-nine percent of his attributes to mental power. He recalled everything that had happened in recent days.

From what he had seen and heard before entering the town, to the information on the parchment scrolls, and the origin of Blanche’s scroll.

Recalling every person in the town, Kailun could clearly remember their words, expressions, and appearances.

Something wasn’t right.

Now that he thought about it, there were many abnormalities in this town. It was bustling but lacked mobility.

Except for Fox’s grandma, almost no one had left the town. Their living space seemed to be confined within its boundaries.

From the innkeeper’s words, he had learned that fewer and fewer people had entered the town in recent years. Her inn hadn’t had any new guests for a long time.

This was also a problem. If this was a special point in time, so no one else could enter, what about the previous times?

Thinking carefully, there were many illogical things. Because most of his attention had been on other matters before, he hadn’t thought about it deeply.

This disharmony was hidden within the seemingly normal operation of the town. Kailun couldn’t quite grasp it for a while.

To verify whether this was caused by the current special environment or if it had always been this way, Kailun left the hall.

With just an Instantaneous Movement spell, he appeared at the entrance of the town.

His gaze swept over Shirley, who stood out from the crowd, and he carefully observed everyone once again.

Because his mental power was enhanced to the extreme, Kailun noticed more details.

But just observing with his eyes wasn’t enough. He entered the inn he had stayed at before and found the innkeeper standing at the counter.

“Do you need anything, guest? Lunch won’t be ready for a while. Please wait a moment.”

She smiled kindly, looking very benevolent.

Kailun shook his head and asked, “Excuse me, have you ever left the town?”

The innkeeper smiled. “To be honest, I’ve lived for so long and have never left the town. I don’t even know what the outside world looks like.”

“Oh, is that so? But I’m curious about something. This question is even more presumptuous, but I hope you won’t be offended.”

Kailun nodded, his gaze fixed on her, carefully observing every twitch of her facial muscles.

“Please ask. I’ll answer anything I know.” The innkeeper’s smile remained unchanged.

Kailun smiled faintly. “Do you remember where your husband is buried?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kailun noticed a distinct change in her expression, as if she had frozen.

However, this abnormality only lasted for a moment. She quickly darkened her face and said, “That’s too much. I don’t want to talk about these sad things. Please leave, guest.”

Getting the answer he wanted, Kailun smiled even wider. “Excuse me, I apologize for my rudeness. Goodbye. I hope to see you again.”

As he left the inn, Kailun’s steps were lighter. In fact, he had been overlooking a very obvious problem.

When he first entered the first layer of Kuye Town, he had seen his own grave. Although he didn’t know if it was real or not, he had flattened it.

But after entering the second layer, he hadn’t seen any other graves except for the “question mark” tomb. This was clearly illogical.

The normal cycle of life and death in a town would inevitably result in many graveyards. There should be quite a few within a fifty-mile radius, but Kailun couldn’t find a single one.

This was a huge anomaly.

In fact, when he first saw the innkeeper, Kailun had felt that she was somewhat similar to Fox’s grandma. This wasn’t a similarity in strength but more like a weight of life.

But Blanche had lived for five thousand years, while the innkeeper was just an old woman less than a hundred years old. This was clearly inconsistent.

To verify his guess, Kailun walked down the street and chose faces from his memory that had a certain degree of similarity to ask.

But he received interesting answers. After the innkeeper, their answers were more fluent, but they all shared a certain similarity.

“No comment.”

“Are you annoying? Go play somewhere else.”

“Go away. This is not a question you should be asking.”

“A hundred gold coins is impressive, but I just don’t want to tell you. No one can poke at my wounds.”

“…”

One person’s answer might be a coincidence, and many answers might not be comprehensive, but not everyone could resist the temptation of money.

A hundred gold coins was enough to make an ordinary person happy for generations. Everyone refused. Kailun couldn’t think of any other reason.

[Reminder 1: Changes have occurred within Kuye Town. The nature of the changes is unknown.]

[Reminder 2: The “Outside the Narrative” attribute is still in effect. Only one day remains until it expires.]

[Reminder 3: You have attracted the attention of fate again. Fate has cast its gaze upon you. It has been blocked.]

Someone had kindly provided the answer. The mastermind behind this was clearly related to “fate.”

No wonder the question mark(???) in the jade coffin could only be second. She didn’t even know that her lair had been raided.

Making a bold guess, Kailun even felt that this “fate” was raising “fish.”

If the sacrifice was performed normally, what would be the impact?

Kailun took out the parchment scroll again and compared it with the one Blanche had copied.

This time, Kailun’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

Chapter 150: Luring the Tiger into the Mountain

“Don’t make a mistake. If you have any questions, ask them quickly.”

Blanche, leaning on her walking stick, walked to the side of the jade coffin and looked at Kailun warily. She was afraid that he would really be so disrespectful as to take the coffin away.

“Alright, first, I want to ask if you plan to sacrifice the entire town?”

Kailun held Fox with one hand and braided her hair with the other. His casual attitude made Blanche puzzled.

She didn’t know how Kailun knew about the sacrifice. Logically, this level of secrecy was only known to her and her deceased mother.

“Not just the town. The people of a small town are not enough to achieve the goal. So, are you trying to stop me?”

Blanche looked at the fluctuating shadow in the jade coffin. In her understanding, the shadow was only a part of “that one.”

Before receiving the sacrifice, the being inside might only have instinctive consciousness.

When she asked this question, Blanche was ready to break off the facade. This was her home turf. If a fight really broke out, the one in the jade coffin would definitely help her suppress Kailun.

She believed that when it came to fundamental interests, the one in the jade coffin wouldn’t back down.

“Stop you? No, why would I stop you? As a kind person, I might even help you.”

Kailun said with a smile. He had already braided Fox’s hair into many small braids.

From his perspective, what should happen had already happened. He couldn’t change established facts.

Looking back from the present, the Xiya Kingdom hadn’t been affected. Only the residents of Kuye Town had died in this sacrifice.

Their deaths were already set in stone. Rashly changing things might lead to unexpected consequences.

Therefore, Kailun could only set his sights on the high-rank “consumables” who had followed him in.

He carefully recalled. These high-rank mages who had entered Kuye Town hadn’t been active in his past life, at least not before he died.

So it was only natural to eliminate them here. In this regard, Kailun and Blanche had similar goals.

Blanche wanted to make a sacrifice, he wanted to maintain the original course of the story, and Fox would remain in her original state of ignorance.

That was why he had knocked Fox unconscious the moment he encountered Blanche.

Wasn’t it interesting? If everything went according to his plan, it would all make sense.

Kailun was curious if he had been involved in Fox’s story. Could the influence on Kuye Town in his past life be caused by his current self?

If he was truly involved, was it his past life influencing this life, or this life influencing his past life?

Although it sounded absurd, the possibility did exist. Otherwise, why would he be reborn?

His vast mental power made Kailun’s thinking incredibly agile. The questions before him were starting to delve into the realm of philosophy.

“Do you know Fox?” Blanche changed the subject, looking at the strange young man in front of her.

She could see Kailun’s feelings for Fox. It wasn’t ordinary affection.

Kailun: “Yes, we know each other very well.”

Blanche: “But Fox rarely leaves Kuye Town. How did you meet her?”

“It’s a secret. Now it’s my turn to ask. I want to know the specific story of this one.”

Kailun walked to the jade coffin and tapped it with his finger.

[Your outrageous action has disgusted ???. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -20]

She was quite a petty one. If he stepped on her with his foot, wouldn’t her goodwill explode?

Kailun decided. He would find someone to empty this place after he went back. The glittering decorations in the hall were too tempting.

“I only know a little about her story.”

Blanche walked to the wall and looked at the murals. “My mother said that she was the original peak existence, the source of the Abyss, wielding the profound meaning of time and traversing all possibilities. According to my mother, she was an omnipotent being who was reduced to this state because of fate’s persecution. The war ten thousand years ago ended with the victory of fate and humanity. The Temple of the Celestial God, under fate’s command, gained the most…”

Blanche didn’t hide this information, as it wasn’t very confidential.

As she explained, Kailun gradually learned about the history of ten thousand years ago.

In short, the conflict between several major powers had triggered a world war. After a fierce competition, fate emerged as the victor, controlling the development and changes of the world.

The one in the jade coffin became the loser, barely surviving, waiting for a chance to recover.

The good news was that the former powerhouses were all severely injured and no longer had their former glory. The bad news was that they were all recovering.

Kailun had never heard of the names of these powerhouses. It seemed that they had disappeared from history along with the war.

“Speaking of which, isn’t this one supposed to wield the profound meaning of time? Why are there so many Space Magic circles engraved on the walls?”

Kailun followed Blanche’s gaze to the magic circles on the walls. He counted roughly. There were about twenty magic circles, all ninth-rank.

Blanche: “I heard my mother mention this. She said that the one in the jade coffin had joined forces with fate to ambush the one who specialized in space, killing them in the early stages of the war.”

“Wow, that’s pretty ruthless.” Kailun flicked the jade coffin with his finger.

A trace of undetectable magic power merged into the jade coffin with his action.

“…”

The one in the jade coffin sensed the strange change and fell silent. Her shadow spread throughout the coffin, as if about to dissipate.

Who could she blame?

She could only blame Blanche for living to such an old age and becoming senile. In the past five thousand years, Blanche had rarely interacted with others. Coupled with the simple customs of the town, her vigilance towards people was quite low.

For five thousand years, she had lived a monotonous life, rarely going anywhere except the town and the tomb.

Plus, she possessed extraordinary strength. Ordinary people couldn’t even detect her, which further exacerbated the problem.

It was no exaggeration to say that she had spoken more words to Fox than in the past five thousand years combined.

If it had been the one in the jade coffin, she would have attacked Kailun immediately upon meeting him and wouldn’t have talked for so long.

Now, not only was she being manipulated, but her secrets had also been exposed.

But she couldn’t blame Blanche because she had spent five thousand years for her. In just one day, Blanche would die of old age.

If it weren’t for the care of Blanche and her mother for the past ten thousand years, she probably wouldn’t have made it this far.

So she could only vent her resentment on Kailun.

[???’s resentment rises. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -30]

“So she’s a little grudge holder.”

Sensing the resentment from the jade coffin, Kailun raised an eyebrow.

Anyone who could provide “goodwill” was a good person, regardless of whether it was positive or negative. He welcomed it all.

If Blanche weren’t here, Kailun might have jumped onto the coffin lid and bounced a few times. Afterward, he would even kindly nail it shut with indestructible nails to let her rest in peace.

“Tell me your plan. Maybe I can help you.”

After a long silence, Kailun placed Fox on the jade coffin. Only then did he become serious.

……

“Master Henry, you should be honest now.”

Outside the tomb, Paul spat out Henry from his mouth. Henry was severely injured, his two wings bitten off by Paul.

Paul’s dog mouth was stained with green feathers, a testament to his victory.

Paul, having successfully overthrown Henry, was overjoyed. This was a ninth-rank mage, and he had taken him down with just a bite.

If it weren’t for his lack of mental power, Paul might have devoured Henry directly.

“You traitor! You’ll regret this! Without me, you’ll just be a pawn, destined to be sacrificed. I wasted so many resources cultivating you, and this is how you repay me? How ridiculous.”

Henry lay weakly on the ground, blood oozing from his wing stumps.

Paul stepped on Henry with his paw. “Don’t be hypocritical. Do you think I can’t see through you? You only kept me around to use me. You call me a traitor? What about you? As a fence-sitter between the Temple of the Celestial God and the Abyss, you’re nothing but a hypocrite. Why don’t you just give me all your strength? With my talent, I can definitely achieve greatness.”

Paul dismissed Henry’s words. As long as he had a chance to strike back, he wouldn’t give up.

Strength was the most important thing in this world. He would sacrifice anything for power.

He was tired of this miserable life. He wanted to become someone important. He wanted to find Kailun again and crush him to death.

No, just crushing him was too merciful. He wanted to torture Kailun, cut him into a thousand pieces, and then slowly sever his head.

“You’re a joke. You still dream of greatness? I think you’re heading towards despair, hahaha…”

Henry laughed mockingly. He had already foreseen his ending.

He had been careless after all. He had never thought that there would be a place where his strength would be reduced so drastically.

“Crack!”

Paul stepped on Henry’s bird body with a vicious expression. “Understand your situation. Now, I can not only kill you, but I can also torture you. Sometimes, death is just a release. Only by living can you experience true pain.”

Paul wanted to torture Henry like Kailun had tortured him, but he hadn’t grasped the essence.

Faced with this threat, Henry scoffed. He tilted his bird head and laughed strangely. “You? A waste!”

“Shut up!”

Paul couldn’t help but kick Henry hard, sending him flying into a large tree and knocking him unconscious.

“They’re all like this. Just prisoners.” Paul sucked the bird feathers from his mouth and spat them onto the ground.

He spat again and walked towards Henry, intending to pick him up. But halfway there, he suddenly sensed a ninth-rank aura approaching him rapidly.

Without time to think, Paul turned and ran in the opposite direction.

A moment later, Blanche passed by the tree and picked up the severely injured and dying Henry. Looking at the green-feathered bird in her hand, she sighed. “Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift.”

Leaving these words of gratitude behind, Blanche flew towards the town.

Half an hour later, Paul returned to the spot. He looked at the bloodstains on the tree with hatred.

He hated it!

Just one step away, and his chance to reach the ninth rank was gone. This was a huge blow to him.

Why was this happening to him?

Paul felt the malice of the entire world.

Enraged, Paul created craters in the ground. He didn’t stop until there wasn’t a single intact spot within a hundred meters.

“Look on the bright side. Although I lost Henry, I have a chance to rescue Harry. The old woman didn’t take Harry with her when she left. I think he must have been left somewhere.”

Helplessly, Paul could only comfort himself. But in his heart, the ninth rank was clearly more important than Harry.

He lowered his head and sniffed the ground, following Harry’s stinky scent towards the boundary.

Half an hour later, all scents disappeared in front of a tombstone.

Looking at the smooth and polished tombstone, Paul believed that Harry must have been taken here.

He circled the tombstone. Faint traces of Harry’s scent seeped out from the soil but quickly dissipated.

Paul circled a few more times before finally deciding to dig frantically with his front paws. As he expected, there was a door hidden beneath the soil, leading to a dark passage.

Seeing the passage, Paul clearly smelled Harry’s scent. Besides Harry’s scent, he also smelled a repulsive odor.

Was it Kailun?

It was very similar, but the scent he smelled this time was incredibly weak, like a mere fifth rank.

If it really was Kailun, Paul might be very happy because it meant that Kailun had also been captured. Then he could take this opportunity to get his revenge.

However, Paul didn’t know that the scent in the passage had already been cleaned. Otherwise, he would have smelled the residual ninth-rank aura.

Paul carefully followed the passage downwards. He had to seize every second.

If he couldn’t rescue Harry before the old woman returned, he would also become a prisoner.

Every second was crucial now. One wrong step, and he would fall into the abyss, beyond redemption.

Paul tucked his tail between his legs and moved through the shadows. To avoid triggering any traps, he took every step with caution.

Following Harry’s scent, he arrived at a stone door. Paul easily dispelled the casually set magic on the door.

Looking around, Paul felt like he was being watched from the darkness, but every time he turned around, he saw nothing.

He had the urge to turn and leave several times, but smelling the scent getting closer and closer, he endured.

“Boom!”

Pushing open the heavy stone door, Paul saw Harry tied up, sound asleep in the arms of a strange man.

Fortunately, Harry’s clothes were intact. Otherwise, Paul would have suspected that he had been subjected to inhumane torture.

“Harry, I’m here to save you.”

Paul wagged his tail and rushed towards Harry, eager to grab him by the scruff of his neck.

“Clack, clack, clack…”

Just then, Paul heard clear footsteps. He turned around and saw a familiar figure standing by the stone door.

He waved at Paul. “Yo, my friend Paul, long time no see. They say dogs are man’s best friend. I didn’t expect you to actually become a dog. I’m so touched. So, do you want to kneel down and surrender? If I’m in a good mood, I might even reward you with a few bones.”

“Kailun!”

Paul shouted Kailun’s name hoarsely. If he hadn’t been hairless, he might have been bristling with anger.

“Don’t be so enthusiastic. You’re making me blush. I originally just wanted Blanche to leave a door open for you, but I didn’t expect you to be so brave. Is this the power of love?”

Kailun looked at Paul appraisingly. Even though he had become a dog, Kailun could still picture his human form.

Even though he wasn’t human anymore, Paul’s repulsive aura was still strong.

In Kailun’s plan, Paul was a key figure.

After all, Paul had the title of “Protagonist of Fate.” What would be the point of a Fate Sacrifice ritual without him?

Kailun felt that Paul alone might be worth several ninth-rank mages. His existence was closely related to the Temple of the Celestial God.

The more he learned about the past, the more Kailun discovered the hidden schemes.

“Kailun, why are you here? Why isn’t your strength affected?”

Paul involuntarily took a few steps back. Kailun was his nightmare, the terrifying existence who would wake him up from his dreams.

“Why can’t I be here?” Kailun spread his hands. “Who do you think guided you here? Please, if there were really good things in Kuye Town, would it be your turn to get them?”

“You demon! You’ll get your retribution!” Paul raised a paw and pointed at Kailun, cursing.

Kailun: “Yes, yes, yes, I’ve already received my retribution. Not only did I take your sister into my home, but I also turned your aunt into my capable assistant. Oh, and not only that, but I also have Harry as a ‘consumable.’ So, my friend Paul, what are you going to do? Don’t throw another tantrum this time.”

Paul: “…”

[The impotent Paul hates you to death. Goodwill -20, Total Goodwill -121]

As expected of the great philanthropist Paul. Just a little provocation, and his goodwill “increased”.

……

Meanwhile, Kailun had placed Fox on the jade coffin.

To lure the target and capture her, both he and Blanche had to leave the main hall temporarily.

However, before leaving, he had cast a high-rank defensive spell on Fox to ensure her safety.

But a hundred secrets always had one flaw. After countless attempts, the one in the jade coffin managed to release a part of her shadow into the air.

Using the magic circles in the hall for amplification, she silently infiltrated Kailun’s magic circle and then entered Fox’s body through her nose, hiding in her mind.

To her complete self, this was less than one percent of her power.

In fact, this amount could only act as her eyes and ears.

Even if Fox left Kuye Town, she might not be able to detect this abnormality. The other party’s level was too high. Ordinary methods wouldn’t work.

??? was secretly delighted. She wanted to use Fox to investigate Kailun’s true identity. She wanted to know why he was surrounded by such dense threads of fate.

If it weren’t for the lack of that repulsive aura on him, she might even think that Kailun was a person of fate.

If he really was a person of fate, she would fight him to the death, even if it meant lying in the coffin for another ten thousand years.

This was confidence. She had to give fate a little shock. Don’t underestimate small victories.

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: “???”

Chapter 148: Waiting to Be Born

“More and more people are coming. I even sensed a ninth-rank presence.”

Perched on a tree not far from the town, Henry gazed towards the entrance.

Several unfamiliar figures were fighting. They seemed to be only seventh-rank, which was good news for him.

Both he and Paul had experienced a decline in strength. If they encountered someone who retained their ninth-rank power, they would probably have to surrender.

“I’ve been feeling like I’m being followed lately. I wonder if it’s just my imagination.”

Paul scratched his head with his paw and licked it with his tongue.

“Being followed? I don’t think so. I haven’t felt anything.” Henry preened his feathers and lowered his head. “By the way, Paul, is your nose very sensitive now? Use your nose to search the surroundings for any strange places or people. We searched all night yesterday and didn’t find anything special. That’s not normal.”

“But Master Henry, I’m not a dog.” Paul wagged his tail, cursing the “bird-brain” in his heart.

“No, you can temporarily be a dog. We need you. My scroll is useless after entering this other side of Kuye Town, so we need to find another way to solve the problem.”

Henry flew down from the branch and landed on Harry’s head.

His strength had declined significantly, and he wasn’t necessarily a match for Paul. To prevent Paul from having any ulterior motives, he had to use Harry as a hostage.

As a ninth-rank mage, Henry had never felt so vulnerable.

Paul lowered his dog head and didn’t answer. He could sense Henry’s unusual intentions. He had been planning something.

Two days ago, he had seen Henry call Archbishop Charles into his room and talk for a long time. Charles had left the room with a smile on his face.

What Paul remembered vividly was that as Charles left, he had patted his shoulder and said, “Work hard. You have a bright future. Henry thinks highly of you.”

At first glance, these were good words, but Charles’s mocking eyes made him shiver.

Since then, Paul hadn’t seen Charles again. He had been keeping his distance from the others, doing things Paul didn’t know.

“Paul, did you hear me? If you work hard, I’ll get you more resources so you can reach the ninth rank faster. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee you’ll have a chance to reach the ninth rank within fifty years.”

Seeing Paul’s silence, Henry started making promises.

“I understand, Master Henry. I’ll try to help you find the anomaly.” Paul nodded and looked towards the town in the distance, carrying the unconscious Harry on his back.

There was a repulsive aura there, as if a hateful person was present.

……

“Your Holiness, Henry took Paul and Harry into Kuye Town, and they’ve lost contact.”

Meanwhile, Charles, staying a hundred miles away from Kuye Town, was contacting the Pope.

To ensure safety, Henry had given Charles a forced teleportation array disk and asked him to set it up somewhere.

To gain Henry’s trust, Charles had exchanged secrets with him.

His secret was very simple: he had vehemently criticized the Pope in front of Henry.

He knew that Henry would secretly record it, but he didn’t care. This was something the Pope had tacitly approved. As long as he showed sincere remorse later, he would receive many rewards.

He soon received a reply from the Pope, who asked him to keep a close watch and, if necessary, stab Henry in the back.

The Pope had realized something. She was constantly adjusting her plans, wanting to accumulate enough leverage for the upcoming changes.

If the Destiny Divination Device within the Temple hadn’t been damaged, she wouldn’t be so anxious.

“I’ll make sure to complete the mission. But this Kuye Town is truly special. Are you sure you don’t need me to go in and gather information for you?”

Looking at the Pope’s reply, Charles expressed his loyalty with a smile.

“No need.”

These two simple words dispelled Charles’s unnecessary thoughts.

The matter of Kuye Town had caught the attention of most forces. The towering red beam of light was like an ominous sign disrupting the world.

Receiving such a reply, Charles was happy to relax. As for the forced teleportation array disk?

He chuckled. He hadn’t installed it at all.

The Pope wanted Henry dead, so he had to die.

……

“Fox, you’re such a lazy pig. You slept for over ten hours. Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”

Kailun and Fox sat facing each other at the dining table in Fox’s house.

He had gone out early to buy breakfast and share it with her, but Kuye Town was just an ordinary town. Milk, cheese, and bread were already a good spread.

Fox: “Are we going to look for my grandma again today?”

Kailun: “Yes, we’ll continue following her. But before we leave, I need to go to the basement and get some scrolls to read on the way.”

“Thief!”

Fox glared at Kailun, then took small bites of the bread he had bought.

“You dare to eat a thief’s breakfast? Aren’t you afraid I drugged it?”

Kailun propped his chin on his hand and looked at Fox with amusement.

She was indeed much cuter now than in the future. Her delicate and weak appearance made it very enjoyable to bully her.

“Would I be able to resist even if you didn’t drug it? You’re just like those nobles, only knowing how to threaten us commoners with force.”

After finishing the delicious bread, Fox licked her white fingers with satisfaction.

“But I am a noble. Nobles are inherently bad to the core. I say the nobles of this world should be destroyed as soon as possible. Otherwise, this world will rot completely.”

Kailun stood up nonchalantly and patted Fox’s head. “I’m going to the basement. You finish your milk. Drinking more milk will help you grow.”

Leaving Fox behind, Kailun went straight to the basement. Pushing open the old door, he walked to the corner and opened the small box containing the scrolls.

He took out the scroll he had finished reading from his pocket, intending to put it back, but his hand froze in midair. He noticed a new scroll in the box.

It was a handwritten scroll, looking very new. The magic circles on it were still complex and difficult to understand.

But that wasn’t the most important part. The most important part was that this scroll hadn’t been there yesterday when he came. This meant that the old woman had put it in afterward.

This discovery confirmed Kailun’s guess: the old woman not only knew that Fox had secretly read the scrolls, but she also condoned it.

Her daily departures were indirectly giving Fox a chance to peek.

From her actions, she seemed to treat Fox well, but she was hiding many things and had impure motives.

Putting the scroll he had read aside, Kailun cast an illumination spell and brought the new scroll closer for examination.

“It looks familiar. Some parts are very similar to the magic circles on the parchment scroll.”

Kailun took out the parchment scroll and carefully compared them. As he expected, half of the magic circles were highly similar.

The more he compared, the deeper Kailun’s frown became. Something was wrong.

Based on the time flow, it was impossible for Fox to learn such a difficult scroll in just over a day. This didn’t match his previous speculation.

No, there was another possibility: he had been adding mental power to Fox like crazy.

But even so, the possibility was still slim. Time was too tight. Fox would have to study all night to have a chance.

But the most important thing was that Kailun didn’t want Fox to come into contact with this scroll. Its very existence was evil, and this evil shouldn’t be placed on Fox’s petite shoulders.

Thinking of this, Kailun unhesitatingly put the scroll away. A vague plan was forming in his mind.

According to the system’s previous reminders, his actions would lead to changes in the threads of fate. So what would happen if he changed things according to the story told by Fox?

A terrifying brainstorm raged in his mind, his vast mental power providing immense computing power.

Ten minutes later, Kailun rubbed his temples and left the basement.

Looking at Fox, who was cleaning the table, he said with emotion, “The peaceful days in this town are probably coming to an end.”

Hearing this, Fox immediately thought of something bad. “What are you going to do? I’m warning you, if you do anything to the residents of this town, I’ll… I’ll smash my head against the wall!”

After thinking for a long time, Fox couldn’t come up with anything to threaten Kailun with.

“You’re really interesting. But how much of this world is truly real?”

Kailun spread his hands. He didn’t choose to share his memories with Fox because that was the worst option.

There was no him, no Shirley, and no Paul in the story from over a decade ago.

They were all outsiders, and they had all had a huge impact on this town.

The fight at the entrance of the town had attracted the attention of many people, and the potholes left behind were the most prominent reminder.

Even though Fox’s grandma had taken away the troublemakers, the impact had still occurred.

In the story told by Fox, these events hadn’t happened.

“By the way, Fox, if I really kill the people in this town, will you really hate me?” Kailun walked towards the door, leaving Fox with only his back.

Fox tilted her head and looked at Kailun with a strange expression. Then she said resolutely, “Yes!”

“What a heartless fox. I’ll remember that. I don’t like you anymore.”

Kailun chuckled, making a joke.

Looking up at the town bathed in sunlight, he walked out the door first.

Looking at his tall figure in the sunlight, Fox felt a pang of pain in her heart, as if she had done something wrong.

Instinct urged her to chase after him, but reason restrained her impulsive behavior.

She didn’t see Kailun again until an hour later. This time, he took her out of town.

Passing by the entrance, Fox noticed that it was exactly the same as yesterday, with no signs of a fight.

The only difference was a female knight setting up a stall at the entrance. Her aura was vastly different from the town’s, as if she didn’t belong here, just like the bad guy.

“Where are we going?”

Fox quickened her pace, came to Kailun’s side, and tugged at his sleeve.

Kailun turned around and looked at Fox. “To a fun place.”

He had asked Shirley to stay at the entrance of the town and prevent any outsiders from entering.

Instead of giving her ninth-rank strength, Kailun had only given Shirley eighth-rank strength because he needed absolute control from now on.

Fox’s grandma was an unknown entity who had lived for over five thousand years. Kailun wouldn’t be careless.

Although Henry still felt like a ninth-rank mage, it was probably just a feeling. If he truly possessed ninth-rank strength, he wouldn’t have fallen for his trap.

As for the other high-rank mages who had followed, they were the core “consumables.” They were still useful.

It was worth mentioning that Kailun hadn’t sensed the aura of the old Dragon King Bolton. It seemed that he hadn’t chosen to come.

But he understood. After all, Bella was still in the Royal City. It was normal for the old Dragon King to be reluctant to leave.

Kailun searched for the auras of outsiders as they moved through the wilderness. He was much quieter than before.

Meanwhile, Blanche, Fox’s grandma, took five outsiders to the so-called ruin.

It was a piece of land shielded by special magic, difficult for even ninth-rank mages to detect.

Among the people Blanche had captured, there were two ninth-rank, two eighth-rank, and one sixth-rank. There had also been a hairless dog and a green-feathered bird, but they had escaped.

The green-feathered bird that escaped had a ninth-rank aura. To be safe, she hadn’t pursued them.

What mattered to her was to question these outsiders about the outside world. Just two days ago, an unknown barrier had appeared within a fifty-mile radius of Kuye Town, sealing the entire town inside.

She had tried many things, but she couldn’t contact the outside world. She couldn’t leave, whether by Instantaneous Movement or on foot.

The worst-case scenario was that Fox’s magic couldn’t extend beyond the barrier. According to her original plan, she needed to sacrifice the entire population of the Xiya Kingdom.

But looking at the ninth and eighth-rank mages she had captured, she suddenly felt that they might be enough.

Thank the heavens for this gift.

“Thud!”

Throwing the five bound outsiders into the cold secret chamber, Blanche hunched over and set up a bunch of magic to prevent them from escaping.

What she couldn’t understand was why these ninth and eighth-rank mages only had seventh-rank strength. If they hadn’t fought at the entrance of the town and revealed their true strength, she wouldn’t have dared to capture them.

“Cough!”

Blanche, leaning on her walking stick, closed the heavy door of the special secret chamber and slowly walked towards the center of the hall.

If the ruin mentioned by the Laurist family existed, it must be where Blanche was now.

To be more precise, it should be a tomb, a tomb that had been buried many years ago.

This tomb had many secret chambers, some of which contained mysterious and ancient parchment scrolls.

The parchment scroll Winnie had given to Kailun came from this mysterious tomb.

Unlike ordinary tombs, the one Blanche was in was magnificent and extravagant to the extreme. Night pearls were used as decorations, gold as flooring, jade carvings as pillars, ninth-rank magic murals engraved on the walls…

The decorations in the main hall alone were enough to buy a dozen Xiya Kingdoms, and the lost magic spells engraved on the walls were even more invaluable.

After being recognized by the residual magic, Blanche walked into the hall and approached the jade coffin in the center. She bowed deeply, her worn-out body almost collapsing.

“There have been strange changes in Kuye Town. I’m investigating the cause and believe I’ll have answers soon. Please wait a little longer. I will definitely bring you back to this world. The Temple of the Celestial God is nearing its end, and the time for change is now. I’ve found someone connected to fate. She will become a nail, driven into the heart of fate.”

“Cough!” Speaking for too long, Blanche coughed violently. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

She wiped her mouth with her pale sleeve. “I’m sorry, my life has reached its end. I can no longer serve you, even with Time Magic. If the plan goes smoothly, you will be fully reborn in three years. Then you will be able to take revenge on the weakened fate.”

As she spoke, a rare glint of light flickered in Blanche’s blurry eyes. If she had to trace the origin, the one in the jade coffin should belong to the Abyss.

Looking down, one could see a blurry figure through the translucent lid of the jade coffin.

This figure seemed to exist in a void, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

Sometimes, Blanche wondered, was this era still theirs?

Even if they returned, could they really change anything?

Blanche didn’t know. She only knew to follow her ancestors’ instructions and complete her mission. The one in the jade coffin was the being she and her mother had served for ten thousand years.

Two five-thousand-year lifespans added up to ten thousand years. For all this time, they had lived in obscurity in this remote country.

The one in the jade coffin had said that she needed to wait, wait for an opportunity.

It might take ten thousand years, or even longer, or perhaps she wouldn’t even get the chance before the world was destroyed.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have little Fox offer you ample sacrifices. Then my mission will be complete. If there’s a future, please take care of little Fox. She’s a good girl.”

This time, Blanche knelt down and bowed again. She had said more words in front of the jade coffin today than in the past thousand years combined.

However, what Blanche didn’t know was that the shadow in the jade coffin was fluctuating violently. She seemed to be terrified of something.

If she could speak, she would definitely shout, “Don’t come near me!”

As a former peak existence, she could sense the arrival of a certain evil being in this land, getting closer and closer.

Most importantly, the little Fox Blanche had mentioned was coming with him.

The worst thing for someone recovering from an injury was to have salt rubbed into their wounds, and even worse, to be finished off in one fell swoop.

She had been dormant for ten thousand years and was this active for the first time. In her perception, the threads of fate had shifted from that man’s hands to another person’s.

And the one who had gathered the threads of fate was approaching her.

He was a demon!

The shadow in the jade coffin wanted to escape, but she was firmly suppressed by the lid. She didn’t even have the strength to move the coffin now.

“It seems you’re very happy. This is the first time in five thousand years that I’ve felt you so happy. Please be patient. After tomorrow, your strength will recover by ten percent. You’ll have at least ninth-rank power then.”

Blanche leaned on her walking stick and got up from the ground.

“…”

The one in the jade coffin fell silent. She wondered where she had gone wrong.

According to the original divination, this situation was impossible. She shouldn’t be found in the normal flow of time.

Despondent. Some people knew their ending before they were even born.

Chapter 147: Rewinding Ten Thousand Years

Fox deeply regretted not having her tail. If she did, she could strangle Kailun with it and make him wish he were dead.

To avoid being discovered by her grandma, she could only press Kailun’s head down with one hand and wrap her legs around his neck to keep him still.

Fortunately, the room was very dark, and the old woman, with her poor eyesight, didn’t notice anything unusual.

“Cough!”

The hunched old woman coughed softly, leaning on her walking stick. She looked at Fox, who was sound asleep, and sighed.

For some reason, this remote town had welcomed outsiders, including a ninth-rank mage.

In all her years, she had never heard of a green-feathered bird cultivating to the ninth rank. For a remote and small country like the Xiya Kingdom, high-rank mages rarely set foot here.

Could it be that this place had been exposed?

With this worry in mind, the old woman had followed them all the way. Fortunately, they had only stumbled in accidentally.

From her perception, the green-feathered bird was much weaker than her current weakened state. After all, they hadn’t even noticed that she had been following them.

After secretly leaving a mark on the hairless dog, the old woman returned to the town.

“There have been many outsiders lately. I can’t always watch over you. There’s not much time left…”

She stood by the bed, wanting to reach out and touch Fox’s hair, but she withdrew her hand halfway.

Her heart was filled with sadness. What she was doing wouldn’t harm Fox, but it would have a negative impact on her mind.

In a way, she was using Fox to do bad things. If Fox knew the truth, she would probably hate her.

Fox hadn’t killed “them”, but they would die because of her.

“I’m sorry, I have no choice. I can only do this…”

The old woman muttered to herself, tears welling up in her eyes from guilt.

However, Fox didn’t pay attention to the old woman’s words because Kailun didn’t want her to.

Fox couldn’t understand the meaning behind the old woman’s words, but Kailun deduced some key information.

Combined with the contents of the second parchment scroll, Kailun felt that the keywords were “sacrifice.”

This was consistent with the information revealed by the other Vivian, who had told him to lure more ninth-rank mages here.

There was no better “consumable” than a ninth-rank mage. If there was, it was because there weren’t enough of them.

Before setting off, Kailun had specifically asked Anna to spread some false information about Kuye Town, just to lure these people from the Royal City.

An unknown Fate Stone mine, a mysterious ruin, the biggest secret behind the Xiya Kingdom’s rise… Want them?

They were all buried in Kuye Town. Go and get them if you want.

Even such a flawed story would be believed by many. After all, Kailun’s rise was too strange, and the forces behind the Xiya Kingdom were too mysterious. No one didn’t want to know what was truly hidden behind it all.

However, these matters were too heavy for Fox’s petite shoulders to bear. Kailun didn’t intend to let her know too much.

Therefore, he slipped his hand under Fox’s clothes and moved it towards her cute little navel.

Gently pressing his index finger on her navel, Kailun noticed that Fox’s legs tightened around his neck.

Their close contact allowed Kailun to smell her pleasant fragrance. Compared to the future Fox, she was very innocent now.

From Fox’s reaction, Kailun confirmed that she hadn’t heard the old woman’s words.

To avoid being exposed, Kailun didn’t move his hand any further.

“Strange, why do I smell blood… Oh, it must be the little Fox’s period. It’s normal.”

The hunched old woman sniffed. She smelled blood, and it was quite strong, probably only a few hours old.

She didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just Fox’s period.

After more than ten minutes, hearing the creak of the door closing, Kailun tried to take a step further and pluck this innocent fruit.

One shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Even the innocent Fox had bountiful “fruits”.

“Creak…”

Another soft creak reached Fox’s ears. Only then did she confirm that her grandma had returned to her room.

“Bad guy, let go! It’s going to break, it’s going to be ripped off!”

Fox quickly burrowed under the covers and started a “duel” with Kailun. She lowered her voice, intending to show him what she was capable of.

She didn’t care about strength. She just wanted to tear this bastard who had violated her purity to shreds.

However, Fox overestimated herself. In less than ten seconds, she was stripped down to her bra and panties.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

Recognizing reality, Fox surrendered in an instant.

His speed was beyond her imagination. Before she could even react, most of her clothes were gone.

If this continued, she would be completely naked in less than three seconds.

“Miss Fox, why don’t you be a little more stubborn? Maybe then I’ll get to taste the little fox.”

Kailun cast an illumination spell with his finger. To prevent the magic power from leaking out and being detected by the old woman, he only released the minimum amount.

This level of magic power was only slightly higher than the ambient magic power in the air.

They sat on the bed, facing each other under the covers, only a body’s length apart.

Under the white light, Fox’s skin was incredibly fair. The “fruits” tightly bound by her bra appeared even more plump and round due to the restraint.

Her waist was slender, and Kailun could wrap his hands around it.

Finally, there were her white thighs, kneeling on the bed. Her legs, fairer than milk, carried a natural fragrance that Kailun had smelled earlier.

Fox was still innocent now, a young maiden in her prime, her eyes filled with a unique kind of purity.

The blanket covering their heads was quite old and worn, its faded color appearing even paler under the light.

Perhaps because Kailun was holding the blanket too high, a small opening appeared where Fox was sitting, and a cold draft blew in, chilling her body.

“Ugh…”

Fox shivered from the cold, feeling a chill on her bottom.

She bent her waist slightly, letting the blanket fall and cover the opening.

It was just a simple act of bending over, but in Kailun’s eyes, it looked incredibly alluring.

Innocence with a touch of allure, purity with a hint of flirtation, her evasive eyes even more endearing.

He rubbed his nose, suppressing the urge to pounce on Fox. If he really made her cry now, the ninth-rank old woman living across the hall would probably fight him to the death.

He twirled a strand of Fox’s hair in his hand. It was a different kind of white compared to Carol’s. To be precise, Fox’s hair had a hint of pink that was hard to detect.

Kailun wrapped the end of the hair around his finger. “Fox, do you still think your grandma is an ordinary person?”

“You know Grandma?” Fox looked up abruptly.

“No, I don’t even know her name.” Kailun shook his head and moved closer to Fox. “So, do you know?”

Fox’s expression stiffened. “I… I don’t know either.”

She had asked many times, but her grandma wouldn’t tell her her name.

Every time she asked, her grandma would say it was a meaningless code name and there was no need to know it.

Kailun: “It seems you’ve been kept in the dark too. As expected. But she’s treating you well now. That’s good news. This way, I don’t have to fight her to the death.”

“Who are you? What do you know? Tell me, or else…” Fox grabbed Kailun’s shoulders and questioned him.

“Or else? Or else you’ll eat me?” Kailun scoffed. Fox was just a weakling now.

He could pin her down on the bed with one hand and make her call him daddy.

Remembering what Fox had done to him in the past, Kailun released her hair and grabbed her wrist.

The twenty-something-year-old fox had bullied him when he was a teenager. It should be normal for him to bully a slightly younger fox now, right?

Karma. Fox’s actions triggered some embarrassing memories in Kailun’s mind. The last time Fox had shaken his shoulders, she had been on top.

He had been too weak back then, completely suppressed by Fox and even mocked as a weakling.

The gap between him and Fox back then was like the gap between Fox and him now.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

Sensing the change in Kailun’s gaze, Fox immediately let go of his hand.

For some reason, she always wanted to bully him, like pinning him down, tickling his feet with her tail, and forcing him to do something.

What exactly, the pure Fox didn’t know yet. The only related term that came to mind was “ignite.”

Fox apologized so quickly that Kailun couldn’t help but laugh. “If you want to know the reason, you can come with me tomorrow. I’ll take you to solve this mystery. But before that, you’re not allowed to ask me any more related questions, or I’ll eat you.”

Although Fox had become a little girl, Kailun would keep his promise and help her find out the truth.

Both he and Fox had to know what had happened back then. It was related to a future he didn’t know.

The world in his past life had probably been destroyed. He had died too early and didn’t know much.

Kuye Town held the key information. He had to figure it out.

“What about now?” Fox gestured with her eyes, meaning for him to leave.

“Now? It would be a waste not to use this wonderful time to study.”

Kailun took out the scroll he had taken from the basement.

Fox covered her chest with one hand. “But I’m going to sleep. Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

She was worried that Kailun couldn’t resist and would “devour” her. Fox, confident in her figure, had already started imagining being pinned down on the bed by Kailun.

Kailun averted his gaze from Fox’s body. “You sleep, I’ll read my scroll. We won’t disturb each other. If you kick off the blanket in your sleep, I can even cover you up. Isn’t that nice?”

Fox: “…”

She realized that he was determined not to leave.

Helplessly, she could only sit there and glare at Kailun. In fact, she didn’t have much defense against him. Deep down, she trusted him very much.

Fox’s energy was far inferior to Kailun’s. After just an hour, she couldn’t hold on any longer and curled up in bed, falling asleep.

Seeing this, Kailun put down the scroll, adjusted Fox’s position so she was lying properly on the pillow, and then continued studying. His time was limited, and he had to decipher these scrolls as soon as possible.

The night in Kuye Town was much longer than in the outside world. It was almost dawn when Kailun finally lay down and hugged the soft Fox, falling asleep for a while.

As the sky gradually brightened, Kailun covered Fox with the blanket and quietly returned to the inn across the street.

Because the night in Kuye Town was so long, Shirley, who had already woken up, had been waiting in Kailun’s room for a long time.

Seeing Kailun return, she asked, “Lord Kailun, did you discover anything last night?”

“Yes, I met a few acquaintances.”

Kailun sat down at the table, and Shirley proactively poured him a cup of tea.

After finishing the tea in one gulp, Kailun asked, “Shirley, do you know how long the longest-living ninth-rank mage in this world lived?”

“You’re asking me? Sorry, the memories I have now are all from you. If you don’t know, I definitely don’t know either.”

Seeing the fatigue on Kailun’s face, Shirley walked behind him and gently massaged his shoulders.

Kailun said with satisfaction, “Three thousand years. The longest-living ninth-rank mage in my memory only lived for three thousand years. She was able to live that long thanks to the Time Magic she cultivated, but that magic has long been lost, for almost five thousand years. Logically, this magic should have completely disappeared from the world.”

“Are you suspecting that Kuye Town is related to Time Magic?” Shirley asked.

Kailun turned his head and looked at Shirley with amusement. “I didn’t expect you to actually become smarter. Hilna would be jealous if she knew. If she had your current perspective back then, she wouldn’t have ended up with her kingdom destroyed and her family scattered.”

Shirley: “Although I don’t remember what Princess Hilna looks like, I feel like she’s a good person.”

“No, don’t jump to conclusions. It’s not too late to judge after you regain your memories. I’ll give you a choice then. You can continue to be her knight, or you can become my knight.”

Kailun smiled and poured himself another cup of tea. “Back to the main topic, there’s a huge problem with the flow of time in this town, both the overall time and the daily time flow. But the most important thing is that I met an old woman. From my close-range perception, I could feel the weight of her life. It’s no exaggeration to say that she has lived for at least five thousand years.”

The old woman Kailun was talking about was Fox’s grandma. Last night, when she was standing by the bed, he had carefully sensed her and realized that she was at the end of her life.

A person who had lived for five thousand years was about to reach the end of her journey. Based on the time flow in this world, it would probably be tomorrow afternoon.

A bold speculation: this time coincided with the time Fox had cast the magic.

Something must have been sacrificed, not just fate, but something even more important.

“You’re saying you met someone who might possess Time Magic?” Shirley asked.

“Yes, isn’t it interesting? We might have touched the other side of the world.”

Kailun finished the tea in his cup in one gulp.

The chaotic puzzle pieces were being assembled, and the fog was gradually dissipating. He saw the other side of the world.

There were two types of magic that were most unique in this world: Time Magic and Space Magic.

But Time Magic had been completely lost five thousand years ago when the last Time Mage died, and only Teleportation and Instantaneous Movement magic remained of Space Magic.

The reason was the great war ten thousand years ago. After that war, the various races were defeated and fled to the Abyss, while the Temple of the Celestial God rose to become the strongest force.

Many magic lineages were destroyed in that unrecorded war, and the once-flourishing Battle Mages gradually declined.

Paul was currently cultivating the path of a Battle Mage.

Initially, Kailun had focused on the next three years, but now he had expanded his vision to the entire world, to the past ten thousand years and the next three years.

He had encountered many people this month, including the world-destroying Carol, the fate-manipulating Fox and Isabella, and even the “freebie” dragon girl related to the world’s destruction.

If he could add some key information, he might be able to deduce even more.

“Boom!”

As he was pondering, an explosion came from the entrance of the town.

Shirley immediately ran to the window and looked out. “Someone’s fighting. Should we go take a look?”

Kailun calmly poured himself another cup of tea. “No need. It’s an unfamiliar aura. We don’t need to worry about it. It might be eighth or ninth-rank mages from other forces.”

He took a sip of tea and continued, “I’ll give you ninth-rank strength later. If you encounter anyone with a familiar aura, bring them to the inn. Remember, most of them aren’t very strong. They usually wear light knight armor.”

Shirley: “Where are you going now?”

“Of course, to take my lovely Miss Fox on an outing.”

……

“Have me take people to the Xiya Kingdom to complete the magic crystal transaction?”

“No way! That’s too dangerous!”

“Even if it’s an order from Her Majesty the Queen, I can’t do it. The Xiya Kingdom is filled with powerful figures now. How can I dare to go?”

“Let me through! I want to see Her Majesty the Queen! I want to discuss this with her personally!”

Duke Pit arrived at the gate of the Rose Kingdom’s palace. He had received Rose’s order to take people to the Xiya Kingdom to complete the transaction.

But the cautious Duke Pit disagreed. Through his investigation, he had learned about a woman named Anna, who was in charge of intelligence in the Xiya Kingdom and held a high position.

He now knew that he had persecuted Anna’s mother back then, so he was afraid that Anna would use this opportunity to take revenge.

“I’m sorry, but Her Majesty the Queen is unavailable. Please return, Duke Pit.” The female knight guarding the gate stood her ground.

“I’m a duke! I have important matters to report to Her Majesty the Queen! Let me through!” Duke Pit’s face darkened.

He had already had his people rob some nobles. Although their gains were small, it was enough to last for ten days or so.

During this time, he could make a detour and buy magic crystals from other kingdoms at a high price. He wouldn’t go to the Xiya Kingdom no matter what.

The female knight relayed Rose’s words. “I’m sorry, but Her Majesty the Queen said she’s currently pregnant and cannot see you. If you successfully complete the transaction, she might give you a chance to meet.”

“What! Rose is pregnant! Is it that useless king’s child?”

Duke Pit’s eyes gleamed.

He wasn’t angry but excited. In his opinion, a pregnant queen was even more alluring.

His twisted fetish burned in his mind. The pervert wanted to roar with excitement.

“I can’t take it anymore! I’ll take people to the Xiya Kingdom right now! Tell Rose to wait for me!”

The excited Duke Pit even called her by her name directly. All he wanted now was to satisfy his desires.

Chapter 146: I Really Want to Strangle Him With My Tail!

Royal City of the Xiya Kingdom, 3:00 PM.

Phils, in charge of internal affairs, learned from Anna that the magic crystals purchased by Dean Edlin hadn’t been deposited into the treasury.

Therefore, after counting the 2.5 million gold coins, Phils had Edlin and Rose brought to the manor’s reception hall.

In her opinion, this was a family matter for Kailun, so there was no need to discuss it in the main hall.

“Edlin, I need an explanation. Kailun asked you to purchase magic crystals, why did you sell them to the Rose Kingdom?”

Phils sat in the main seat, looking at Edlin and Rose with an air of authority.

She was angry. Kailun’s interests were her interests, and Edlin’s actions had harmed Kailun.

“What’s the big deal? I was just trying to minimize my losses.” Edlin, in her loli form, said nonchalantly, “Although the contract I signed with Kailun stipulated many details, he didn’t forbid me from minimizing losses for him. Selling these magic crystals at a high price to the Rose Kingdom, isn’t that a good thing?”

Edlin had considered Kailun’s reprimand, but even so, she had to bite the bullet and reduce her losses.

To her, losing money was worse than being killed.

Every night, she dreamed of Kailun, with a wicked smile, emptying her little treasury and then leaving her with a contract to work for a hundred years.

Such a future was too terrifying for her to accept.

“Yes, I think Edlin is right,” Rose, sitting beside her, quickly agreed.

Now, Rose and Edlin had the same interests. As long as they could complete the transaction as soon as possible and transport the magic crystals to the Rose Kingdom, even if Kailun returned, he wouldn’t be able to change the fact.

Moreover, this batch of magic crystals was also related to Duke Pit. Rose felt that even if Kailun found out, he wouldn’t be angry.

“No, your actions didn’t minimize Kailun’s losses. You’re creating even bigger losses.” Phils looked at Edlin, unwilling to back down.

Edlin pushed up her glasses and tried again. “Little Phils, can’t you be more flexible? I’m your dean after all. Besides, we did this to lure out Duke Pit. In the end, didn’t Lord Kailun benefit from it?”

She knew Phils’s special status and didn’t want to offend her unnecessarily.

“Luring Duke Pit is fine, but this batch of magic crystals cannot be handed over to the Rose Kingdom. It can only be used for the play. Besides, if the Rose Kingdom insists on buying these magic crystals, they can only do so at the ratio Kailun mentioned, one to sixty-five. Exceeding this ratio by even a single magic crystal is not allowed.”

Phils sat upright in her seat. In just half a month, she had developed an even more noble aura.

Compared to Hilna, she was more like the queen of the Xiya Kingdom.

“Why are you so rigid? Be flexible! Why don’t you understand flexibility?”

Edlin anxiously took off her glasses and waved them in her hand. “You need to look at the bigger picture. Don’t just focus on the hundreds of thousands of gold coins in front of you. Our future is a mountain of gold and silver.”

Rose, sitting beside Edlin, no longer spoke. She left the negotiation to Edlin, who was much more proactive.

Rose was touched. She had never met anyone as kind as Edlin.

If only Kailun were half as kind as Edlin, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

After two hours of fruitless negotiations, they parted on bad terms.

Phils was so angered by Edlin’s shamelessness that she almost slapped her.

After having Edlin and Rose escorted out, Phils ordered them to be closely monitored.

“Kailun has only been gone for a day, and these people are already having strange thoughts. Should I execute one or two of them as a warning?”

Phils grumbled, sitting in her chair. It had only been a day or two. If Kailun didn’t come back soon, she didn’t know what would happen next.

“Who do you want to execute? Tell me, and I’ll do it.”

Just then, Afra, wearing light knight armor, entered the reception hall. Anna followed behind her.

“Sister Afra, you came just in time. I was just about to look for you. But what I said just now was just out of anger. Don’t take it to heart.”

Seeing Afra, Phils quickly stood up and pulled her and Anna to sit down on the chairs.

Phils respected Afra greatly. She truly regarded her as an older sister.

Whenever she encountered something she didn’t understand at work, she would ask Afra. To her surprise, the seemingly naive Afra actually knew a lot.

Afra sat down and got straight to the point. “If you encounter anything you’re unsure about, you can always ask me. If there’s anyone who needs to be eliminated, you can also let me know.”

“Okay, I will.” Phils nodded repeatedly.

“Actually, we came here to discuss something. The Temple of the Celestial God somehow captured two slaves and intends to consign them to my aunt’s Chamber of Commerce for auction. After some investigation, we found out that these two slaves are pure elf twins. If nothing unexpected happens, they might be the last elves in the world.”

It was Anna who spoke. She relayed the latest intelligence to Phils.

Although Phils was a pervert, her abilities were undeniable. Even Anna wasn’t confident that she could do better.

Hearing the word “elves,” Phils immediately frowned. “If I remember correctly, don’t elves live in the Abyss?”

Afra: “It’s true that elves live in the Abyss, but the last war gave the Temple of the Celestial God an opportunity to invade the Abyss’s rear. Fortunately, the Abyss was well-prepared. The Temple of the Celestial God didn’t gain much. These two elves are their biggest spoils of war. They were captured by a middle-aged woman who is an eighth-rank mage. She has already sent the two elves to the Chamber of Commerce to participate in the auction. Ella has arranged for the Silver Moon Knights to settle them in.”

After Afra finished speaking, Anna added opportunely, “Phils, you should know that the Balance Chamber of Commerce has just established a cooperative relationship with the Abyss. Their Dragon Princess is currently staying at our manor. The Temple of the Celestial God selling the last elves of the Abyss is no different from slapping the Abyss in the face and damaging the relationship between the Xiya Kingdom and the Abyss. This is a blatant scheme.”

“I think I understand. It is quite insidious.” Phils nodded in agreement.

Consigning the elf slaves was a slap in the face to the Abyss. Not consigning them would damage the Chamber of Commerce’s reputation and go against its original purpose.

If the Temple of the Celestial God made a big deal out of this, the Chamber of Commerce’s future promotion would be greatly affected.

This was a clear challenge. They had to give an answer.

“So, Phils, what are your thoughts?” Afra asked Phils.

Afra had a high level of goodwill towards this girl with purple hair. She saw a burning passion in her, and such a person would never betray Kailun.

Phils: “I don’t know. This matter is quite complicated and very unfavorable to us. My suggestion is to postpone the auction until Kailun returns.”

It wasn’t that Phils didn’t have any ideas. She was simply choosing the safest option.

While Kailun was away, stability was the priority. They couldn’t be rash.

She knew the huge gap between her and Kailun and wouldn’t dare to change his plans without authorization.

As for the two elf slaves, they could wait for Kailun to deal with them when he returned.

……

However, Kailun currently had no intention of dealing with elf slaves because he was fully focused on teasing Fox.

“Lazy dog, wake up! How can you sleep at your age?”

Kailun sat beside Fox’s bed, pinching her nose and chuckling. “If you don’t get up, I’ll pull your tail. Not only that, but I’ll also pluck out all the fur on your tail.”

Fox: “!!!”

“Cough!” Fox woke up with a start, looking at Kailun beside her in shock. She didn’t know what he was doing here.

“What do you want? I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny, or I’ll smash my head against the wall and you’ll get nothing!”

Fox huddled in the corner, clutching her blanket, her body trembling. In her opinion, he must have come to her so late at night to do something bad.

Perhaps in a few minutes, she would be pinned down on the bed and bullied.

“Go ahead and shout. Shout as loud as you can. If your grandma hears… By the way, Fox, haven’t you noticed why no one heard you even though you shouted so loudly just now?”

Kailun lowered his head and looked at Fox’s delicate foot peeking out from under the blanket.

“You!”

Fox’s pupils constricted. Logically, her scream just now was very loud. Her grandma should have heard it.

But after a while, she still didn’t hear anyone coming to check. Could it be…

An unsettling thought emerged in Fox’s mind. Her heart almost stopped beating.

Kailun, having finished teasing Fox, didn’t continue to scare her. He shrugged and chuckled. “Just kidding. How could I do something that would hurt you?”

However, the panicked Fox didn’t hear Kailun’s words. She jumped out of bed in her pajamas, barefoot, and ran to the bedroom across the hall.

Pushing open the old wooden door, the room was empty. The old bedding was neatly folded. Because of the unique folding method, she could tell that her grandma had personally folded it.

Relieved, Fox worried about another possibility. She turned and ran to Kailun, grabbing his clothes and asking, “Where’s my grandma? Where did you hide her?”

“I didn’t hide her anywhere. She left on her own. The reason I woke you up was to go find her.”

Kailun squatted down, picked up Fox in a princess carry, and stood up.

“Let go of me! You bad guy, don’t touch me!” The frightened Fox kept hitting Kailun’s shoulder.

“Be quiet. Are you an idiot?”

Kailun glared at her with displeasure and placed her on the bed. Before Fox could understand the situation, he squatted down and grabbed her right leg.

A bright red patch appeared under Fox’s foot. It was blood.

The small house where Fox lived was quite dilapidated. Even the floor was uneven, with many potholes.

The barefoot Fox had stepped on a sharp little stone, cutting her foot.

Because her mind was highly agitated, she hadn’t felt the pain in her foot.

It was only when she followed Kailun’s gaze and looked down that she realized her foot was injured.

As Fox looked on with incomprehension, Kailun took out a white silk handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the blood from her foot.

After cleaning the wound, Kailun cast a healing spell, restoring her perfect jade-like leg to its original state.

“That’s much better. It was hard to look at when it was all dirty.”

Kailun squeezed Fox’s foot with satisfaction. The foot in his hand was a size smaller than the future Fox’s, quite adorable.

Fox looked at Kailun with a complex expression. She couldn’t understand his behavior at all.

She didn’t see any lust or desire in his eyes. They were filled with sincerity and affection.

Fox felt like her head was about to explode. She didn’t even know him. Why did she feel so many emotions?

“Let’s go. We need to find your grandma. I believe she hasn’t gone far. If we’re lucky, we might run into her directly.”

Kailun wiped his hands and stood up. He patted Fox’s head. “I’ll give you three minutes to change. If you exceed this time, I’ll change you myself.”

Leaving these words behind, Kailun left Fox’s room and kindly closed the door.

He couldn’t just wander around with a girl in her pajamas. To the possessive Kailun, even her pajamas were only for him to see.

“Crack!”

After leaving Fox’s room, Kailun crushed the stone that had cut her foot into powder and cleaned up the remaining bloodstains.

“This is so strange. I’m actually touched by a bad guy.”

Fox in the bedroom covered her chest with her hand, a strange feeling blossoming in her heart.

Closing her eyes, she would recall his gaze, his back, the warmth of his large hand.

It was like a heartbeat, but not quite. It was an emotion she couldn’t understand.

But he was clearly a bad guy!

How could she have feelings for a bad guy?

Fox quickly grabbed a pillow and hit her head a few times, trying to wake herself up.

This must be magic, the kind of magic that bad guys used to toy with girls!

Three minutes later, Fox, her ears flushed, walked out of the room in her new clothes. She found Kailun studying the scroll she had given him, using his spare time.

However, his posture was a bit strange. He was leaning against the wall and grinding something under his foot.

“Oh, you’re out. Just in time. Let’s go.”

Kailun put the scroll away and looked at Fox.

“Can I ask your name?” Fox looked up at Kailun.

“Sorry, no, you can’t know my name yet.” Kailun shook his head with a smile.

Fox: “…”

“Let’s go. We should get going.”

Pushing open the door of Fox’s house, Kailun walked out first.

A white fog had risen in the town, but it didn’t affect his perception for now.

“Whoosh~”

A bone-chilling wind blew past, and Fox, dressed in thin clothes, shivered.

“You’re so weak.” Kailun first teased Fox, then took off his coat and draped it over her head.

Fox wanted to refuse, but it was too cold outside. Helplessly, she pulled the large coat down from her head and wrapped it around herself.

Because she was quite petite, it looked a bit strange.

“Bad guys will get their retribution!” Fox glared at Kailun.

“Thank you, I’ve already received my retribution.”

Kailun flicked Fox’s forehead and walked into the white fog.

To follow Kailun and find her grandma, Fox quickly followed and grabbed the corner of his clothes.

For some reason, she felt that he didn’t have any ill intentions.

Minimizing their presence, the two of them left the town and headed towards the location of the trap. Compared to the town, the fog outside was thinner, and visibility wasn’t greatly affected.

To avoid the foul smell, Kailun and Fox observed the changes in the trap from afar.

“Where’s my grandma?” Fox tugged at Kailun’s sleeve.

“Your grandma is following a few older boys, intending to do something indecent.” Kailun answered based on the feedback he received.

Fox: “???”

Kailun: “Do you still think your grandma is an ordinary person?”

Fox: “Isn’t she? But you said she was an ordinary person.”

Kailun: “Me? Of course, I was lying to you, you little fool.”

After teasing Fox, Kailun continued following. He wanted to know what Fox’s grandma intended to do to those unlucky guys.

Trailing behind them from afar, Kailun pondered.

However, to Fox, it looked like they were just wandering around aimlessly, getting nowhere.

After several hours, Fox didn’t even see a shadow of her grandma.

“Tsk, is that all? I thought there would be a fight. I wanted to show Fox a good show.”

After an unknown amount of time, Kailun hid behind a tree with Fox.

Fox: “What fight?”

“Nothing. Let’s go back.” Kailun led Fox back with a disappointed expression.

This trip, they hadn’t seen any exciting fights, nor had they found any clues about the ruin. It was a complete waste of time.

“Where’s my grandma?” Fox stopped and tugged at Kailun’s sleeve.

Kailun: “If you don’t hurry back, your grandma will know that you sneaked out in the middle of the night to meet a man.”

Fox: “I didn’t!”

……

Twenty minutes later, Kailun sent Fox home. Just as he was about to return to the inn to study the scrolls, he sensed the aura of Instantaneous Movement magic.

“Fox, lend me your bed!” To avoid being discovered, Kailun quickly jumped into Fox’s bed.

It was too late to teleport now. The residual magic power from using Instantaneous Movement would alert the other party to his presence.

Both of them were ninth-rank, but the other party’s experience far surpassed his.

Fox froze, seeing Kailun’s actions. Before she could fully understand, Kailun pulled her onto the bed and tucked her under the covers.

“Pretend to be asleep, okay? If I’m exposed, I’ll have to fight your grandma to the death.”

Kailun warned Fox and then closed his mouth.

He curled up beside Fox under the covers.

“Creak!”

Fox originally wanted to kick Kailun off the bed, but the bedroom door creaked open.

The hunched old woman gently pushed the door open, as if afraid of waking Fox.

Having come this far, Fox could only close her eyes and pretend to be asleep. But to her surprise, the bad guy hiding under the covers hugged her thigh.

‘I really want to strangle him with my tail!’

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.”

Chapter 144: I Think I’m Growing Ears

The bustling town was full of life, with the constant hum of conversations reaching Kailun’s ears.

The passersby mostly wore smiles on their faces, appearing carefree and content.

However, Kailun didn’t focus too much on the ordinary people. He kept a close eye on the young Fox.

Using Instantaneous Movement, Kailun followed behind her, maintaining a distance of over ten meters.

He was contemplating what identity he should use to approach Fox.

The current situation was still unclear, and Kailun needed more time to observe.

Considering Isabella’s safety, Kailun had teleported her out while activating the “Chaos” magic circle.

In his judgment, this was the most convenient method.

The current situation was beyond the realm of magic. Kailun had to consider all aspects.

Fortunately, his judgment was correct. This place wasn’t suitable for Isabella.

He followed the young Fox, watching her choose vegetables, inquire about prices, haggle, and finally return to the small house with a bag full of vegetables. Kailun paused outside the house and observed for a while.

After a moment, Kailun turned and went to a small building not far from Fox’s house. It was the only inn in the entire town.

This inn was less than fifty meters away from Fox’s house, and from the second-floor window, one could see the entire house.

The innkeeper was an old woman with gray hair, probably around seventy years old. She looked very healthy.

Kailun carefully sensed the surroundings and realized that apart from himself, she was the only person in the inn.

The counter at the front desk was spotless, and the tables and chairs on the first floor were neatly arranged, indicating regular cleaning.

“Grandma, I’d like a room, please. On the second floor,” Kailun said.

“Is room number seven okay?” the old woman asked, hunched over behind the counter.

“No problem. How much is it per day?” Kailun rummaged through his pocket for coins as he responded.

“Three copper coins per day. It’s one copper coin cheaper if you stay for a full seven days. Young man, are you new here? You don’t look like a local.”

The old woman carefully examined Kailun’s clothes. The simple and elegant attire wasn’t something ordinary people could afford.

“My family is in the business in the Royal City. I didn’t want to deal with the Chamber of Commerce, so I jumped off the carriage halfway.”

Kailun placed two silver coins on the counter. “I might stay for a month. Please use the rest to provide me with food.”

He smiled innocently, like a naive young man who had never experienced the world.

“No problem, leave it to me.” The old woman happily accepted the silver coins. She didn’t refuse the money from this wealthy young man.

“By the way, I saw quite a few people in the town. Why does this inn seem so deserted?”

Kailun asked casually.

“Young man, you don’t know this, but most people in this town have their own houses. They can all go back to their own homes. Over a decade ago, when my husband was still alive, there were many merchants and tourists passing through, but in recent years, there have been fewer and fewer. I was planning to close down this month, but I didn’t expect to have you as a guest.”

The old woman’s eyes were filled with reminiscence as she spoke of the past.

“Is that so? It seems there are fewer and fewer outsiders these years.” Kailun nodded thoughtfully and continued asking, “By the way, I saw a very beautiful girl with white hair just now. I wanted to ask her name. Does she live with her parents?”

When asking about Fox, Kailun deliberately acted nervous. To make it more convincing, he adjusted his state, making his face flush slightly.

He projected the image of a shy young man.

Out of respect for this place, Kailun chose the safest way to probe.

“So the young man has his eyes on Fox, huh? I advise you to give up. Many good boys have confessed to Fox before, and they were all chased away with a broom. That girl is a homebody. She rarely goes out except to buy groceries. You’re staying here hoping to run into her, aren’t you?”

The old woman looked at Kailun with a knowing smile.

“You guessed it. I’m so embarrassed. What about her parents? What do they like?”

Kailun asked eagerly. To express his sincerity, he even placed two more silver coins on the counter.

This time, the old woman refused the money. She shook her head. “I can’t answer that question. Fox has always lived alone. She has no parents, and I’ve never seen any relatives. Every time I see her, she always has a warm smile. Everyone in town treats her like family.”

“Is that so? I understand. Excuse me.”

Taking back the silver coins, Kailun followed the old woman to the second floor and entered a simple room.

After another brief exchange of pleasantries, Kailun stood by the window and looked towards Fox’s house.

The old woman had just told him that Fox lived alone, but Kailun saw a hunched figure enter Fox’s house.

She had long white hair, but unlike Fox, her hair was white due to old age.

However, that wasn’t the most interesting part. The most interesting part was that Kailun sensed a ninth-rank aura from her.

Did the Xiya Kingdom have a ninth-rank mage in the past?

The possibility was almost nonexistent.

Kailun couldn’t guess her identity for now, but he had a feeling that she was somewhat similar to the innkeeper.

Sensing her turning around, Kailun hid behind the window.

By enhancing his mental power to a certain level, he could shield himself from her perception.

After the woman returned to the house, Kailun sat on the chair and pondered.

He had several main goals for this trip to Kuye Town. First, to rescue Shirley, which was already in progress.

Second, to find out what had happened back then. Kailun was curious about what had really transpired in this town.

Third, to find the ruin mentioned by the Laurist family. The parchment scrolls must be hiding something unknown.

And…

Kailun continued to analyze the current situation. This town was shrouded in too much strangeness. The old woman who had taken in Fox was definitely not an ordinary person.

His intuition told him that Fox’s guardian was directly related to the current events.

After organizing his thoughts, Kailun left the inn.

He wandered around the bustling streets, memorizing everyone he encountered and constantly comparing them.

He would occasionally join in other people’s conversations, either asking about Fox or testing their reactions.

After spending about six hours, Kailun had a preliminary understanding of the town.

Looking up at the sun in the sky, its position didn’t correspond to the normal flow of time. Time in this town seemed to be much slower than what he perceived.

He unconsciously arrived at the entrance of the town. Kailun glanced back at the town and then walked calmly towards the outside world.

He believed that this special phenomenon should have boundaries.

……

Placing the vegetables she had bought on the table, Fox diligently studied her arithmetic book.

“Fox, you didn’t go to my basement, did you?”

The hunched old woman asked the moment she returned home.

“No, Grandma, I’ve been studying arithmetic all morning.”

Fox shook her head, her pink eyes sparkling.

She had heard this question countless times. The old woman would ask her every time she returned.

At first, Fox didn’t pay much attention, but as she was constantly asked, she gradually developed a rebellious mentality.

“Maybe Grandma is hinting that I should go take a look?” This was what Fox had thought the first time she entered the basement.

“It’s good that you didn’t. You can’t go there.”

The hunched old woman nodded and took the vegetables on the table to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

“By the way, Grandma, where did you go this morning? Why did everyone I asked say they didn’t see you?” Fox put down her book and asked, looking at the old woman’s back.

Hunched old woman: “I went outside the town to see a friend.”

Fox: “But you go every day. Won’t your friend get tired of it?”

Hunched old woman: “No, my friend is very good. She just listens to me quietly. But soon, she’ll answer my questions.”

Fox flipped through her book, feeling bored. “So, are you going out again this afternoon?”

“Yes, I’ll be back before dark.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll be good at home alone.”

“Yes, remember not to go to the basement.”

“…”

This kind of conversation had happened many times, always with the same boring answers.

Fox had once planned to follow the old woman, but she would lose sight of her as soon as they left the town. She had returned empty-handed many times.

She helped the old woman prepare and eat lunch as usual, then watched her leave the house.

After the old woman was gone, Fox, having finished washing the dishes, secretly sneaked into the basement. Lighting the oil lamp on the wall, she dug out a small box from the corner and took out the scrolls she had read countless times.

The studious Fox quickly became engrossed. Every time she saw these magnificent magic circles, she would lose herself in studying.

Perhaps it was her natural talent. Even without anyone teaching her, Fox could understand the Destiny Magic on the scrolls.

However, a few scrolls were more complex, and she hadn’t fully grasped their effects yet.

In the blink of an eye, half the afternoon had passed.

Just as Fox was about to stretch and adjust her position, a man’s voice rang out beside her. “Is it that interesting? Let me see too.”

“Ah!”

Fox screamed in fright, instinctively throwing the scroll at the person beside her.

“Thank you, Fox. You’re so kind.” Kailun caught the scroll with a smile.

He opened it and saw an unfamiliar magic circle, somewhat similar in structure to the magic on the parchment scroll.

Seeing Kailun engrossed in the scroll, Fox panicked and tried to run outside, but she was blocked by the basement door.

No matter how hard she pushed and pulled, the door wouldn’t budge, as if it had been sealed with magic.

Realizing that there was no escape, Fox leaned against the door, her back pressed against it, and asked nervously, “Who are you? What do you want?”

Fox sensed a great threat from Kailun. She felt that her chances of defeating him with her small frame were almost zero.

Even the Destiny Magic she had secretly learned was probably useless.

Fox was confident in her appearance and figure. What she was most worried about was Kailun doing something to her.

Kailun, still facing away from Fox, kept his gaze on the scroll. “Don’t worry, I mean no harm. I won’t tie you up and do anything to you.”

Fox: “…”

Kailun’s answer didn’t ease her vigilance but instead made her heart jump to her throat.

A man and a woman alone in a room. If anything happened, no one would come to save her.

It was still a long time until dark. This much time was more than enough for him to “devour” her and leave without a trace.

Fox’s legs trembled with fear, her beautiful eyes filled with panic.

Kailun looked up at her and said, “Miss Fox, don’t worry. I’m not interested in you without your tail and ears.”

Currently, apart from her eyes, Fox looked no different from an ordinary girl.

Although she was still very beautiful, was a “Fox” without a tail still a fox?

“If you want to see, you can come over and look with me. I’m quite generous. By the way, I suggest you don’t tell your grandma about this. If she finds out that you sneaked into her basement, you know the consequences, right? She might abandon you, and you’ll be all alone.”

Kailun lowered his head and focused on the scroll in his hand. He needed some time to decipher the magic circle on it.

Was the accident back then really caused by Fox’s magic?

Not necessarily.

The young Fox was just a kind-hearted girl, her heart filled with countless complex thoughts.

She didn’t listen to Kailun’s words because she was afraid he would suddenly pounce on her and tear off her clothes.

But as time passed slowly, Kailun, studying the scroll, would occasionally look thoughtful. Hours went by without any major changes.

Gradually, Fox’s courage grew.

She squatted on the ground, rubbing her sore legs, her gaze fixed on Kailun.

Another hour passed. Fox saw Kailun put down the scroll in his hand and pick up another one from the box.

She secretly tried to open the basement door, but it wouldn’t budge.

Perhaps sensing Fox’s actions, Kailun rubbed his temples. “I believe Miss Fox must be very curious about many things, but I can’t explain some things to you. So, how about we make a deal?”

“A deal?” Fox’s voice rose two octaves.

“Yes, a deal. Miss Fox, you might know that your grandma is an ordinary person. She can’t understand these scrolls. They’re a waste to her.”

Kailun took out a parchment scroll from his pocket. “So, how about we make a trade? I’ll show you a more advanced scroll, and you let me see these interesting scrolls.”

With that, Kailun tossed the scroll to Fox.

Fox jumped up and caught it. She quickly opened the parchment scroll and saw an incredibly complex magic circle inside, far more complex than the ones in the box.

To Fox, who hadn’t received any systematic training, complex meant advanced. So the scroll Kailun gave her was clearly many times more advanced.

“What kind of magic is this?”

Fox, obsessed with magic, was immediately captivated.

“A super rare special magic. I can’t tell you the name, but its effect is related to chaos.” Kailun, who was very familiar with Fox, smiled at the twinkling stars in her eyes. “So, the deal is that we exchange our scrolls and let each other take a look. What do you think, Miss Fox?”

Fox: “Let me think about it.”

Fox didn’t understand Kailun. Logically, he was so powerful that he could just take all the scrolls. In the worst-case scenario, he could even take her away.

But he didn’t do that. Instead, he offered a more advanced scroll and proposed a trade.

Fox was even more confused. A bunch of questions filled her mind, and she couldn’t make sense of it.

How did he know there were scrolls in the basement?

Did he really just want to trade?

What if her grandma found out?

Her head felt hot, and her scalp itched, as if she were growing ears.

“Don’t overthink it. This is just between us. If you tell your grandma, I might have to resort to force.”

Kailun looked at Fox with sincerity. If possible, he wanted to avoid a fight between two ninth-rank mages.

Strictly speaking, Kailun only possessed ninth-rank attributes. He didn’t have enough knowledge and currently couldn’t even cast a single ninth-rank spell.

He might win in a fight, but it was more likely that he would get injured.

However, to Fox, his words were a blatant threat. If she didn’t listen to him, he would kill her grandma.

“Bad guy!”

Fox muttered under her breath, feeling conflicted as she held the parchment scroll.

If only she were stronger. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied. She could even slap him against the wall so hard that he wouldn’t be able to get off.

“Don’t just stand there. You must be tired. Since you have nothing to do, come and give me a shoulder massage. If you do a good job, I might give you a special reward.”

Kailun sat on the only small stool in the basement.

He had deciphered one scroll in the past few hours. This was the benefit of having high mental power.

He was currently studying the second scroll. No matter what, he had to find the magic Fox had cast back then within three days.

Fox, threatened by Kailun, could only walk towards him timidly. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

For some reason, she felt a sense of closeness as her hands touched Kailun’s shoulders. She had the urge to hug him from behind.

It was an illusion! It must be an illusion!

Fox bit her lip and secretly increased the pressure in her hands. It was precisely because of this feeling that she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Secretly observing Kailun’s figure and back, Fox felt a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.

He looked to be about the same age as her. Could he be her long-lost twin brother?

Otherwise, why did she feel this sense of connection?

Chapter 143: Outside the Narrative

“There are so many rooms in the building, why do you want to share a room with me?”

It was 3:30 in the morning. Carol was absorbing magic crystals while reading the magic book Kailun had left behind.

She had brought Bella into the small building as Kailun instructed and asked where she wanted to stay. Bella said she wanted to stay in Carol’s room.

Normally, Carol would have refused, but faced with Bella’s request, she hesitated.

Bella gave her a feeling of closeness and familiarity.

“Maybe I have some things I want to ask you. Also, you seem very approachable. I want to chat more.”

Bella touched her right index finger with her left, her gaze darting around the room. Her slender dragon tail tapped the white sheets on the bed rhythmically.

Carol paused in her reading, turned around in her chair, and asked Bella, “Do you want to ask about Master?”

“Wow, you guessed it!” Bella chuckled mischievously. After leaving Fox, she felt one step closer to her dream of reviving the dragon race.

Carol marked her page, closed the magic book, and placed it on her lap. “It’s written all over your face. You look completely smitten. I’m very familiar with that look. I’ve seen it on many people, most notably Saint Chrissy of the Temple of the Celestial God.”

“Lord Kailun is truly powerful. I didn’t expect him to even conquer the Saint. It must be because of his charm, right?”

Bella’s eyes sparkled like a starstruck fan.

“No, Master relies on… coercion and force,” Carol said expressionlessly.

Bella rubbed her ears. “Did I hear that right? You said he relies on coercion and force?”

Carol: “You heard correctly. That’s exactly what he does. Are you still willing to stay here, knowing this?”

Carol saw Bella lower her head and thought she was disappointed by the disillusionment.

If it were any other girl, Carol wouldn’t say a word. She might even help Kailun drug them and prepare props.

But she couldn’t do that to Bella. She felt she had to let Bella know Kailun’s true nature.

To Carol, Kailun was the best person in the world, but he wasn’t suitable for everyone.

What would Bella choose if her rose-tinted glasses were removed?

Carol was curious.

“Isn’t that even better!”

To her surprise, Bella suddenly raised her head and grabbed her skirt excitedly. “Isn’t that exactly what I want? I can feel that I don’t have much time left. Instead of leaving without saying goodbye and hurting him, it’s better to have a pure soul connection. I continue the dragon lineage, and he gets to enjoy it. Isn’t that a win-win?”

Carol: “…”

For some reason, she wanted to cover her face like Fox and sigh. This stupid dragon was truly hopeless.

Sighing, Carol gave up on trying to correct her.

She didn’t need to do anything unnecessary because of that strange feeling in her heart. To her, Kailun was the most important thing now.

A single reminder was already her greatest act of kindness.

“You’ve used up your chance to ask questions. Please don’t disturb me now, or I’ll send you to another room.”

Carol reopened the magic book, intending to study all night.

She felt a sense of urgency, wanting to increase her strength as soon as possible.

It was only a few days until the one-month deadline Kailun had set. Would he really keep his promise and “devour” her?

Carol looked down at her chest, which had developed alluring curves. She felt that she had an extraordinary talent in this area.

Just under a month of “nutritional supplements” had brought about a drastic change in her figure. Compared to her past self, she was like an ugly duckling back then.

Carol felt that she should be more proactive. For example, she could subtly remind Kailun of their agreement next time she saw him.

“Okay, then you go ahead. I’m going to sleep.”

Hearing this, Bella simply flopped onto the bed and covered her head with a pillow. She had always been a carefree dragon.

If it weren’t for the burden of continuing the dragon lineage on her petite shoulders, she might have lived an even more carefree life.

……

At eight o’clock in the morning, Rose asked her grandfather Bruce to skip class and help her contact Philip, the shop manager, and Count Laurist.

In order to better utilize his granddaughter Rose, even Kailson, her real grandfather, participated in their discussion.

The good news was that Laurist and Philip were currently in the Royal City. Around 8:30, they gathered in Bruce’s office at the Magic Academy.

However, there was an extra person in the office when they started their discussion. It was a little girl wearing glasses.

“Don’t mind me. I just happened to be passing by and came back to take a look. You might not know this, but after today, I might not be myself anymore.”

Sitting in her familiar spot, Dean Edlin looked sad.

Just one shopping trip, and she had already owed Kailun 800,000 gold coins. Even selling herself wouldn’t be enough to fill that hole.

All she wanted now was to avoid seeing Kailun for as long as possible, so she wouldn’t have to face her miserable life.

Edlin had never thought that she would turn a sure-win situation into a massive loss. With only 2.5 million gold coins left, she really wanted to run away with the money.

But not only were there two vice-captains of the same rank as her along the way, the contract restrictions made it impossible for her to run away with the money.

She had no doubt that Kailun had known beforehand that the price of magic crystals would skyrocket. There were no such coincidences in the world.

“Sigh…”

Edlin put her feet up on the chair and hugged her knees dejectedly.

Kailson and Bruce exchanged glances and dismissed the idea of kicking Edlin out. In terms of position, Edlin was a vice-dean just like them, so there was no difference in their status.

Most importantly, Kailun had entrusted Edlin with managing five million gold coins. This was an unusual sign.

“Ahem, since everyone is looking at me, I’ll explain why I invited you all here.”

Kailson coughed and took the initiative. “Actually, it all started with a task Lord Kailun assigned to Rose. Yesterday, Lord Kailun invited Rose to meet in a private room. They had a very pleasant conversation, and afterward, he gave Rose a task. Although the task itself isn’t difficult, it’s not easy to do it well and please Lord Kailun.”

Count Laurist asked straightforwardly, “What task?”

“To lure Duke Pit of the Rose Kingdom here for a transaction.” Bruce glanced at Laurist with envy.

In his opinion, Laurist was a prime example of successfully selling his daughter. It was thanks to Winnie that Laurist had risen to prominence, jumping from viscount to count in one step, and now he was even aiming for marquis.

Don’t underestimate the title of marquis. In an ordinary kingdom, even a duke wouldn’t catch Bruce’s eye, let alone a marquis.

But the Xiya Kingdom was different. They knew that behind the Xiya Kingdom stood at least six unknown ninth-rank mages. This power was already approaching that of the Abyss.

And this was just the strength they had revealed. No one knew how big the iceberg hidden beneath the surface was.

In any case, Kailson and Bruce had already decided to cling to Kailun’s thigh. They were determined to sell their granddaughter Rose.

The question now was how to sell her at a good price, how to sell her in a way that would please Lord Kailun.

“I think it’s a bit redundant. Aren’t you both eighth-rank? You could just go to the Rose Kingdom and kidnap him.” Laurist asked, puzzled.

In fact, he had also attended the Chamber of Commerce ceremony yesterday, but he and Philip were sitting in the front row on the first floor. That was why he was able to arrive as soon as he received Kailson’s message.

“Although that method could also achieve the goal, Kailun clearly wants to humiliate and toy with Pit.”

Rose explained. Conspiring against her own noble with outsiders made her feel like a truly wicked woman.

Laurist looked at the woman hidden inside the mage robe. “Who are you? How dare you address Lord Kailun by his name directly?”

Rose: “…”

If anyone dared to speak to her in that tone in the Rose Kingdom, she would have them beheaded and displayed in public.

But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. To satisfy Kailun’s wicked whims, she could only answer dejectedly, “I’m the Queen of the Rose Kingdom, and also… someone close to Lord Kailun.”

No matter what, Rose’s heart wasn’t strong enough to tell others that she was Kailun’s escort without changing her expression. After being a queen for over ten years, she still cared about her image.

“Oh? The Queen of the Rose Kingdom? So the Rose Kingdom has already surrendered?”

Laurist struck again with his sharp words.

“I believe Queen Rose must have her reasons. But deceiving Duke Pit happens to be part of my plan, so I think we have room for cooperation.”

It was Philip who spoke. He felt that if Laurist continued, the former queen would explode.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Philip became the mediator.

With Philip’s participation, the conversation finally returned to normal.

After a brief exchange of information, Philip, who was more familiar with Kailun, quickly formulated a new plan.

To summarize, they would sell magic crystals to the Rose Kingdom at a ratio of one to sixty-five, and Duke Pit would be appointed as the person in charge of the transaction.

On the surface, this was Queen Rose giving Duke Pit a chance to redeem himself. In reality, it was a trap to lure him in and kill him.

Duke Pit was always cautious. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t dare to come to the Xiya Kingdom to die. So they needed to fabricate some believable information to make this play even more interesting.

“Wait!”

Just as everyone was about to make a decision, Dean Edlin suddenly spoke up.

She took off her glasses and looked at Queen Rose seriously. “I have a batch of magic crystals that I can sell to you at a ratio of one to seventy. If the transaction amount exceeds one million gold coins, we can even reach a ratio of one to seventy-five. What do you think, Queen Rose?”

“Is that really possible?” Rose looked at Edlin with bated breath. Compared to Kailun, Edlin was practically a saint!

Edlin smiled confidently. “Leave it to me. It’s just a small matter.”

In Edlin’s opinion, if she could sell the magic crystals at a ratio of one to seventy, her losses would be greatly reduced.

If the Rose Kingdom needed a large quantity, she estimated that she would only lose 200,000 gold coins in the end.

With this profit, she might be able to pay back her debt to Kailun even if she lost all her assets. Even if she was a bit short, it wouldn’t matter. She could just offer him some “benefits” to waive the remaining amount.

As long as she didn’t completely lose herself, she still had a chance to turn things around.

Kailun wasn’t home anyway. It wouldn’t be a problem for her to use his resources to earn some money, right?

Philip didn’t stop Edlin’s “left hand to right hand” scheme. Dean Edlin’s mistake should be dealt with by Lord Kailun himself.

He only needed to report the truth. As for how to solve it, it had nothing to do with him.

As someone who wanted to perform well in front of Kailun, Philip probably had the highest EQ among them.

……

“Achoo!”

Walking on the path in the town, Kailun suddenly sneezed.

“I feel like someone is trying to steal from me. I wonder if it’s just my imagination.”

Kailun rubbed his nose. They had been walking all night, but they hadn’t found Shirley.

They had searched all the houses they passed but found nothing unusual.

It was strange. Shirley’s team had about a thousand people, but Kailun hadn’t encountered a single one of them.

The town was only this big. Logically, they should have encountered someone by now.

Along the way, apart from his own grave, Kailun hadn’t encountered anything strange.

“I feel like the threads of fate here are constantly changing. It’s like this place is independent from the outside world, completely illogical.”

Isabella, holding onto Kailun’s sleeve, analyzed the environment ceaselessly.

“Although I’ve lost my original talent, I can feel the changes here. If it’s not resolved, it might have a very bad impact on the world.”

Fox, holding onto Kailun’s other sleeve, said.

To avoid getting lost in the fog, she and Isabella were both holding onto Kailun, using him as their guide.

Hearing Fox’s speculation, Kailun nodded slightly.

According to the intelligence Shirley had initially sent back, Kuye Town was very likely the location of the ruin.

But after walking for so long, Kailun and his group hadn’t found any trace of it.

It was impossible for just the three of them to dig up the entire town, so they had to find another way.

He had heard Fox’s story before. Over a decade ago, Fox was still a young girl. She looked very similar to a human girl, except for her fox-like eyes.

In Fox’s story, there was always an unnamed old woman.

No matter who analyzed it, this old woman would be an important figure.

Connecting this to the undiscovered ruin, Kailun felt that the key to solving the problem lay with the person who created it. So their seemingly random search actually had a clear purpose.

“This should be it, the Fox’s home.”

Looking at the dilapidated house in front of them, Kailun stopped.

Due to the interference of the unknown fog, they would completely lose their sense of direction in the fog. Even Fox, who was familiar with the town, would get lost.

But their efforts paid off. After a night of searching, Kailun found the place where Fox used to live.

“How do you know this is my home?” Fox looked at him as if he were a monster.

Fox clearly remembered that she had never told anyone about her childhood home, not even Bella.

But how did Kailun know?

Looking at Fox’s gaping mouth, Kailun smiled at her. “Of course Miss Fox told me herself. It was a dark and stormy night. I was riding a fox across the vast grasslands. I asked you where your home was, and you said it was in Kuye Town, next to a small house near a well.”

Hearing Kailun’s words, Fox couldn’t help but want to turn and run.

Crazy, he was truly crazy. She had never said such a thing.

But hearing Kailun’s recounting, she felt like something similar had really happened.

The confused Fox felt like she was going crazy.

“Don’t overthink it. I was just lying to you. I actually divined it.”

Kailun grabbed Fox’s tail to prevent her from escaping. If she really ran away, he might not be able to find her in a short amount of time.

“Liar, you’re a complete liar! Do you think I still believe you can divine? You must know something we don’t.”

Fox stared at Kailun warily. She wanted to uncover his secrets. She felt that he might know the real reason behind the loss of her talent.

“You want to know? I won’t tell you. Come on, let’s go take a look.”

With that, Kailun held Isabella’s small hand in one hand and pulled Fox’s tail with the other as they walked towards the small house.

With her weakness in his grasp, Fox could only grit her teeth and follow behind Kailun.

She had to stay close to him. Otherwise, if they were too far apart, her tail would be stretched taut.

To a creature like Fox, this was unbearable pain.

For example, it felt like having a silver needle inserted between her toenails and then kicking the corner of a wall with that toe.

Hiss~ Just thinking about it hurt.

To avoid falling behind, Fox tried to snatch her tail back while closely following Kailun.

Before she knew it, they had entered the basement.

Under the illumination of Kailun’s magic, Fox saw the familiar surroundings.

In a sense, this basement was the beginning of her sorrow.

If she hadn’t entered this basement, if she hadn’t opened those magic books, the people in the town wouldn’t have died, and she wouldn’t have become homeless.

Releasing her tail, which she couldn’t retrieve from Kailun’s grasp, Fox looked down at her chest.

At this moment, she was a bit envious of Isabella because Isabella could see the ground just by lowering her head.

Isabella: “???”

Isabella tilted her head in confusion, feeling insulted by Fox.

“Can you sense the abnormality here?” Kailun asked, shaking Isabella’s hand.

She snapped out of her thoughts and scanned the entire basement, carefully sensing every aura. Finally, she used a few simple Destiny Magic circles.

“This place is very ordinary, as ordinary as the outside world.”

Kailun nodded with satisfaction. “But here, this ordinariness is the biggest abnormality. I think we’ve found the key.”

“You two stand over there. I’m going to start setting up the magic circle. Fox will be in charge of the illumination for now.”

To fully focus on setting up the magic circle, Kailun entrusted the task of illumination to Fox.

Fox nodded, tucking her freed tail between her legs. She looked at Kailun with a complex expression.

Now, she understood him less and less.

After the two of them obediently stood in the corner, Kailun took out the parchment scroll from his pocket.

He had only partially deciphered its effects. To set it up, he had to meticulously follow the original content, stroke by stroke.

Kailun took out the tools he carried for engraving magic circles and began the long process of setting up the circle on the basement floor.

Adjusting his attributes to focus on mental power and magic power, Kailun concentrated all his attention on the task at hand.

To avoid disturbing him, Isabella and Fox didn’t exchange a word. They both carefully studied Kailun’s technique.

Time passed slowly. The setup of the magic circle, which had taken several hours, was nearing completion.

The reason it took so long wasn’t just because the magic circle was very complex but also because it conflicted with current magic theory. He could only use a more primitive setup method.

“Fox, come and wipe my sweat.”

The exhausted Kailun closed his eyes for a moment. Feeling Fox beside him, he grabbed her tail and wiped his forehead with it.

Fox, holding a handkerchief: “…”

[You are utterly wicked, irredeemable, and insane. Fox’s Goodwill -15, Total Goodwill -70]

It seemed that Fox was still quite resistant, but it didn’t matter. She would get used to it eventually. After all, she was the one who had taught Kailun all these things.

“Didn’t you say the effect of this magic circle is chaos? Why do we need to use it?” Isabella asked, looking at the magic circle on the ground.

“Since this basement is the only ordinary place in the entire town, we’ll make it change and assimilate with the town. It’s a simple idea, but also quite risky.”

Kailun grabbed Fox and Isabella’s wrists, one in each hand. “Actually, my original plan was more conservative, but after coming here, I changed my mind. It’s not gambling, it’s just that the speculation is very unbelievable. By the way, you can go back and tell Afra and the others that I might be delayed for a day or two. The specific time is uncertain.”

Kailun looked at Isabella as he said the last sentence. To this town, she was an outsider, and her current strength wasn’t enough to deal with the upcoming random events.

“What? Are you trying to get rid of me?” Isabella suddenly panicked.

Although she had already gained a lot, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more.

“Clever, you guessed it.” Kailun smiled at Isabella with a familiar, wicked smile.

While Isabella was unable to resist, Kailun imprinted a magic circle onto her body.

Before Isabella could even protest, he activated both magic circles simultaneously.

A flash of red light, and they disappeared from the basement.

As they vanished, a beam of red light shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds. It stood in the basement, at the center of the town, visible to everyone in the Xiya Kingdom. Most importantly, it lingered, refusing to fade.

……

“Thud!”

Isabella fell into a temporary camp fifty miles away from the town. Eve, the young knight in charge of the blockade, immediately recognized her.

She rushed over to help Isabella up and asked, “Aren’t you Isabella? Why are you here?”

Isabella pouted pitifully, looking like she was about to cry. “I was tricked by that heartless Kailun… Wuwuwu…”

Poor Isabella couldn’t hold back her tears.

Hearing Isabella’s cries, Eve sighed. “Master is really something. He even took advantage of such a young girl. It’s really inappropriate. He could have just asked us if he wanted to. There are three of us.”

Hearing Eve’s words, Isabella cried even harder.

……

[Detecting drastic fluctuations in Destiny Magic]

[Your Destiny Magic resistance has increased again.]

[Because your Destiny Magic resistance exceeds the predetermined threshold, initiating judgment.]

[Judgment in progress…]

[Judgment complete. You have resisted the invasion of Destiny Magic and temporarily gained a special attribute: Outside the Narrative]

[Outside the Narrative: As a key figure, you are both an outsider and not an outsider. For the next three days, you have the ability to retain your self and your memories.]

[Special Reminder 1: The Destiny Magic of Kuye Town has been interfered with again, and the threads of fate have deviated. Your actions in Kuye Town will lead to changes in the threads of fate.]

[Special Reminder 2: Fate has noticed you and locked onto you, but the lock has failed due to interference from an unknown thread of fate.]

[Special Reminder 3: You don’t belong here. Remember to return to your world. Before you leave, remember to restore everything to its original state. This will benefit you.]

[Isabella thinks you’re a heartless man. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill 30]

Except for the last one, all the previous reminders contained a huge amount of information.

In a flash, the white fog dissipated, and Kailun appeared at the entrance of the town.

The town was now bustling with people and laughter. Children were playing and running around, looking very real.

No, in a sense, it might actually be real.

Kailun took out the second parchment scroll and glanced at it. Overall, he had guessed correctly. This incredibly dangerous scroll had become a key clue.

If he had to give it a name, it would be “Fate Sacrifice”.

As the name suggested, it was an incredibly evil thing. Kailun couldn’t set it up yet. He needed more time to study it.

Just as he was about to put the scroll away, a little girl ran past him on the street.

Although the little girl had a human form, she had white hair and pink fox eyes.

She looked just like the young Fox from over a decade ago, innocent, beautiful, and charming.

Before he could think, Kailun immediately chased after her as she was about to disappear around the corner.

He couldn’t let Fox escape this time. Her previous disappearance was the last straw.

With a flash, Kailun vanished from his spot.

Chapter 142: The Converging World

“Miss Fox, I think I need an explanation.” Kailun’s gaze was chilling.

This fox had long harbored thoughts about his body, once clamoring about turning him into a puppet for research.

But Kailun believed Fox was all talk. She wouldn’t actually do such a thing.

However, even if Fox hadn’t done anything that outrageous, she must have done something unusual. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the title of Fate Thief.

“Explanation? What explanation can I give? This is clearly slander.” Fox tucked her tail between her legs, her eyes darting around. “Isabella saw it too. You’re clearly standing right in front of us, alive and well. The words on the tombstone are complete nonsense.”

For some reason, Fox felt very guilty looking at the inscription on the tombstone, as if she had really done such a thing.

Isabella tugged at Kailun’s other sleeve. “Huh? What happened? I don’t know anything about this.”

The rational Isabella didn’t side with Fox. She knew who to listen to for her own benefit.

Kailun pulled Fox’s wrist, bringing her closer. “Miss Fox, you have five seconds to think. After that, I’ll start rubbing you.”

Some things were better left unknown. Once he knew, he couldn’t easily forgive.

The environment and rules of this town were quite special. The things recorded here should be true to a certain extent.

He couldn’t believe it completely, but he couldn’t dismiss it entirely either.

When it was time to “rub” Fox, he wouldn’t hold back. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to avenge the “rubbing” he received from her in his past life.

“This wasn’t my doing. Why should I admit it? Besides, this place is clearly very strange. Are you sure this grave is real?” Fox quickly explained. She noticed Kailun’s gaze lingering on her ears and tail, and even worse, he had paused for a moment on her chest.

So Fox hurriedly covered herself with her arms, but even the tight-fitting bodice couldn’t conceal her shapely figure.

“Confirm? No, I don’t need to confirm. I just feel hurt, so I want to rub Miss Fox to get revenge.”

Kailun took a step closer to Fox. Looking at her drooping ears, he had the urge to take a bite.

It was all because of this stupid fox that he had developed some strange fetishes in his past life. He couldn’t resist those fluffy ears.

“That’s outrageous! Your arbitrary behavior should be punished! You… Ugh~”

Before Fox could finish her accusation, Kailun pushed her to the ground and squatted down. Her ears became the main target as Kailun relentlessly ravaged them with his wicked hands.

If he continued rubbing like this, Fox felt like she would go bald. So she started to resist.

But the result of her resistance was naturally not pleasant. Not only did Fox fail to protect her ears, but even her tail, tucked between her legs, was exposed.

After being thoroughly played with by Kailun’s skillful hands, Fox almost collapsed to the ground.

“Don’t touch the base of my tail… It’s going to… break…”

Her eyes glazed over, and Fox’s brain short-circuited.

Like a cat encountering catnip, Kailun’s “rubbing” technique could only be described as intoxicating.

She couldn’t resist at all. It was even more intense than the first time, so pleasurable that it felt like her tail was about to break off. Every touch perfectly hit her sensitive spots, to the point that her eyes… moistened.

[Fox feels like her soul is floating on clouds. Goodwill +10, Total Goodwill -55]

“Can I rub it too?”

Isabella looked at Fox eagerly. She also wanted to rub her fluffy tail. It would be so comfortable to use it as a pillow.

“No, Fox is my exclusive pet,” Kailun replied instinctively.

“Get lost! I’m not your pet!”

Fox pushed Kailun away and escaped from his clutches. She looked at her messy tail with regret and sighed.

She shouldn’t have come with Kailun. Now she couldn’t even run away.

Fox felt that with her eighth-rank strength, she could only barely protect herself in this place. This town had undergone changes she didn’t understand.

If she observed carefully, it was a bit like that day.

“We’ll talk about further punishment later. Let’s focus on the present for now. Miss Fox, please don’t interrupt.”

Kailun patted his hands with satisfaction and discarded the fox fur he had inadvertently pulled out.

He walked towards the grave with a calm expression, looking at the low mound like a passerby.

Apart from the inscription left by Fox, which had messed with his mind, he felt very peaceful.

“Boom!”

In an instant, an eighth-rank magic circle covered the grave. Under the immense pressure, the ground within a five-meter radius sank.

“Eh? Aren’t you going to check it?” Isabella asked, looking at the flattened grave.

“No need. This grave shouldn’t be here. Seeing what’s inside would only add to our troubles. If you really want an explanation, you can look at this parchment scroll. It has a certain connection to this town.”

Kailun took out the parchment scroll he had tucked into his pocket before leaving.

Out of the two parchment scrolls, he had focused on studying one of them and had made some decent progress.

Kailun glanced at the grave, which had completely sunk into the ground, and waved the parchment scroll in his hand. “Isabella, haven’t you wanted to see this for a long time? Come here.”

In fact, the moment Kailun took out the parchment scroll, Isabella rushed over excitedly.

She had been craving Kailun’s scroll for a long time, but because the price he offered was too high, she hadn’t received permission after discussing it with her family.

The Loya Ball wasn’t like the Abyss. In terms of resources, they were far behind.

Even though the Xiya Kingdom had lifted the restrictions on knowledge, ninth-rank magic books were still undeniably valuable items.

Isabella was willing to part with them, but others weren’t.

Now that she had the opportunity, she quickly ran to Kailun’s side and stood on tiptoe to examine the scroll in his hand.

Fox hesitated for a moment. If Isabella hadn’t been so eager, she might have hesitated even longer.

On the way to Kuye Town, she had learned about Isabella’s identity from Kailun. She had heard of this famous “pure lustful woman,” but she hadn’t expected her to be so petite.

Cautiously approaching Kailun, Fox hugged her tail and looked at the scroll in his hand. It was an extremely complex magic circle.

Even she felt a headache at first glance. It was a magic circle she had never seen before, and its complexity surpassed even the ninth-rank magic she had seen.

She glanced at Isabella and saw the excitement in her eyes.

“Miss Fox, can you really not see anything?” Kailun’s voice reached her ears.

Fox: “What?”

Kailun: “The special aura on this scroll, in other words, the scent of fate.”

Fox frowned, her jade-like hand tightening its grip on her tail, flattening the fluffy white fur.

Kailun looked thoughtful. “It seems Miss Fox is truly useless now. Isabella saw it the moment she saw the scroll.”

Fox couldn’t have lost her talent for no reason. At this time in his past life, Fox had already returned to the Abyss, and her strength should have been intact.

Logically, the loss of her talent should be related to something that happened after his death.

At this moment, Kailun suddenly remembered the scene in his dream. He seemed to be gradually replacing Fox.

According to the normal course of events, it should have been Fox who found Carol, but in his dream, the figure by the river was him.

A bunch of questions filled Kailun’s mind. Helplessly, he increased the allocation of his mental power.

“Yes, I’m useless. You should be happy to hear me say that, right?” Fox lowered her head.

Her heart was filled with complex emotions, a sense of powerlessness overwhelming her. “If you knew this would happen, why did you bring me along? I can’t be of any help.”

Sensing the change in Fox’s mental state, Kailun handed the scroll to Isabella for her to study alone.

He placed his hands on Fox’s shoulders and shook her gently. “Do you remember what I said before we left? I asked if you wanted to investigate what happened back then with me. It should be very important to you, right? So, we should focus on the present and cooperate, try to find out what happened in this town and what’s hidden here.”

This was the first time Kailun had encountered Fox acting sulky. In the past, she always projected the image of a capable older sister, always in control, always strong.

The few times she fulfilled Kailun’s wishes were out of her own kindness, as there was a huge gap in their strength.

Seeing the opportunity, Kailun placed his hand on Fox’s ear and pinched it gently. “It’s fine if your talent is gone. Just be a “fox”.”

“You have ulterior motives. You’re even admitting it openly now.”

Fox sensed the hidden meaning in Kailun’s words and quickly swatted his hand away.

She almost fell for it. She was almost touched.

Fox took a wary step back. Kailun had never had good intentions. He had always wanted to “rub” her.

“That’s right. I’ve wanted to keep a fox as a pet for a long time. Miss Fox, you can try to escape. Of course, if you really run away, I might bully Bella. Once I have Bella, there will be no place for you in the entire Abyss. You’ll have to come back obediently.”

He nodded, not denying it.

Fox froze. “You demon…”

Seeing Fox back to normal, Kailun turned his attention to Isabella, who was carefully studying the scroll.

Feeling Kailun’s gaze, Isabella looked up and said, “Although I can sense the aura, I’m not capable of understanding this magic circle yet. It’s too difficult for me. I can’t decipher it.”

“It is indeed difficult to decipher. I only managed to understand it partially using special methods. The magic recorded on this parchment scroll is quite special, a type I’ve never seen before. It’s a corner of a massive magic circle. This piece in your hand has a peculiar effect. To use a vaguely accurate term, it’s called ‘chaos’.”

“Chaos?” Isabella’s confusion deepened. She asked, “Shouldn’t magic strive for stability? Why would this part have the effect of chaos? Aren’t the creators afraid of the magic circle collapsing and exploding?”

Kailun shrugged. “My guess is that this part of the magic circle plays the role of disrupting something within the larger magic circle. Similarly, there might be another magic circle with the effect of reorganization following it. Of course, this is just speculation.”

After saying this, Kailun carefully observed Isabella and Fox and noticed that they both looked contemplative.

It wasn’t that he suspected them. He just felt that Fox and Isabella in the later stages should be aware of these things.

Based on the currently known clues, they would gradually be connected to these events.

Actually, Kailun had a more direct method, which was to go back and ask the other Vivian.

But his reason told him not to do so. Her existence was, in a sense, illogical. If he allowed her to reveal any more information, Kailun felt that something unexpected might happen.

Looking at the foggy town, Kailun pondered his next move.

……

“Thud!”

In the brightly lit, wide-open underground prison, Vivian was diligently carving the wooden figure in her hand.

It was already three in the morning. After taking a bath, she gradually felt sleepy.

She didn’t know when this wooden figure had appeared in her hand, but looking at it always reminded her of Kailun. So she subconsciously started carving it to look like him.

Make a wooden figure that looked exactly like Kailun. This thought lingered in Vivian’s mind.

Vivian felt that she had become sleepy these past few days. Strange and blurry memories would occasionally appear in her mind, like dreams, but not quite.

Placing the half-finished product on the table, Vivian propped her chin on her hand and examined it carefully.

It felt like something was missing. It wasn’t as good as she had expected.

Unable to continue carving, Vivian stood up and left the chair, intending to go back to bed and sleep.

Passing by the mirror on the dressing table, she noticed something unusual and quickly approached it for a closer look.

Vivian gently touched her face and muttered to herself, “That look in my eyes just now wasn’t mine. Was it an illusion?”

She waved at the mirror, and her reflection did the same.

After verifying it again with rock-paper-scissors, Vivian didn’t find anything unusual.

“Maybe I’m just seeing things after arguing with my sister…”

Rubbing her eyes, Vivian left the dressing table and stumbled onto her soft bed.

She was so tired that she fell asleep without even taking off her clothes. Her mental energy had been depleted much faster than expected today.

However, Vivian didn’t notice that her shadow had disappeared as she walked towards the bed.

Instead, the “Vivian” in the mirror smiled wearily. After a moment, the illusion stepped out of the mirror.

She looked exactly like Vivian, carved from the same mold, equally cute, petite, and charming.

Perhaps the biggest difference was their temperament. The illusion was much more intellectual and mature.

The illusion first looked at her gradually solidifying hands, then pinched her own face. After confirming its reality, she quietly walked to Vivian’s bed, took off her shoes, and covered her with a blanket.

After doing all this, she returned to the still-warm chair Vivian had just been sitting on.

Picking up the knife and the wooden figure, she slowly carved the unfinished artwork.

With each cut, her body became more translucent.

But the illusion didn’t care about the changes in her body. She focused all her attention on the wooden figure in front of her.

She shouldn’t exist in the first place. Her existence confirmed the existence of the past life, which wasn’t a good thing for this world.

If the world was to operate stably, Vivian could only be Vivian.

In her understanding, there could only be one world. Otherwise, unexpected situations would arise.

All the threads of fate had converged due to human intervention. The changes in the world stemmed from the Xiya Kingdom, from Kailun.

In fact, at one o’clock in the morning, Vivian had left the underground prison and asked a maid for some late-night snacks. On the way, she encountered Carol and learned that Kailun had left the Royal City for Kuye Town.

At the same time, she also learned that Kailun’s sudden departure was because Isabella’s divination had suddenly changed.

This information was useless to Vivian, but it was very significant to the illusion.

She felt that her existence might be causing these changes. Every second she existed, every impact she had on the world, might be pushing these changes towards an unpredictable direction.

That was why she didn’t dare to reveal any more information to Kailun.

The illusion stared at the wooden figure in her hand and sighed. She also wanted to be more selfish, but she couldn’t.

The current situation was the result of the cooperation of many people, including her, Isabella, Fox, and Carol…

There were also others, but it was better not to mention them.

Judging from the dreams that Hilna and Vivian had, everyone seemed to harbor the consciousness of their past selves to varying degrees. This was a very bad sign.

If the dreams continued and progressed, a situation similar to hers might occur.

Her existence, in a sense, increased the likelihood of this happening.

“If only there was more time…”

The illusion sighed. Although her heart was in turmoil, every cut she made on the wooden figure was surprisingly steady, as if she had carved it thousands of times before.

……

Alaye, the headquarters of the Temple of the Celestial God.

The Pope had found the Empress and was discussing their strategy regarding the Xiya Kingdom.

At the same time, the Empress was fiddling with a massive fate divination device.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the device the Empress possessed was different from the Temple’s. It had been modified and, in addition to divination, also had the ability to alter fate.

But both divination and alteration required Fate Stones to function.

“Click!”

A giant golden device that resembled a clock made a clicking sound. A long wave merged into the world, and the magic circles related to fate surrounding the device were operating frantically.

“It seems this attempt was successful. But I’m curious, what exactly did you do? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

It was the Pope who asked. She was standing behind the Empress.

Empress: “A seed of chaos.”

Pope: “What is it for?”

Empress: “To break a game set up by someone unknown.”

Pope: “When did it start?”

Empress: “Over ten days ago.”

The Pope asked persistently, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

This time, the Empress remained silent for a moment. She raised her head and looked up at the giant “clock”.

“You’re not in the game…”