Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 40 – The Twelve Saints
Since Hua Qiling insisted, Luo Yan started reading.
Soon, she reached the passage Hua Qiling had mentioned, her expression turning serious.
“Whether in historical records or disaster reports from various mega-cities, there has never been any mention of followers of the ‘Witch of Absolute Death,’ not even crude imitations, as if she doesn’t exist.”
“But surprisingly, the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ is the only Primordial Demon whose physical descent has been recorded… and quite frequently, once every decade or so.”
“However, each descent… only resulted in ‘Ruin’ level disasters, not even reaching ‘Peril’ level… And it seems the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ is searching for something, a search that has lasted for millennia.”
“—Allow me to interject here: could this be some kind of cliché love story? Like, ‘For you, I’ve become a demon’~”
“Haha, the likelihood of that is practically zero. ‘Primordial Demons’ aren’t fallen beings, but calamities born alongside the ‘Calamity Tide,’ existing as concepts rather than physical entities.”
“Back to the topic, my rather bold hypothesis is that the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ is the only Primordial Demon who has truly died.”
“Because of her death, there are no ‘Demonic Offerings,’ and therefore, no Death Apostles, because the power of ‘Death’ no longer exists.”
“As for the occasional ‘descents,’ they are likely just lingering remnants of her will, considering their relatively low threat level.”
Luo Yan closed the book after reading the passage.
She scanned it with “Eagle Eye” and “Envy,” confirming that the rest of the book was mostly fiction.
And… a rather poorly written one at that. It was hard to imagine Hua Qiling finding it interesting.
Luo Yan glanced at the author’s name: “Dawnbreaker.”
…A rather unique pen name.
“However, the author’s hypothesis has been disproven,” Hua Qiling added. “Hundreds of years ago, the Witch of Absolute Death suddenly descended again, fully unleashing her domain, the ‘Land of Absolute Death,’ which affected almost all the mega-cities in the western part of the continent. This proves that she isn’t just a lingering will.”
The “Land of Absolute Death” was similar to the blood mist that appeared when the “Witch of Envy’s” will fragment descended, but as a true Primordial Demon, her full power was far greater.
“What happened back then?” Luo Yan asked. “Why did the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ suddenly go berserk?”
“How would I know?” Hua Qiling shrugged. “Perhaps only ‘Mister’ knows.”
Luo Yan pondered for a moment, then leaned back against the pillows and whispered,
“If I have the chance to meet him, I’ll ask.”
The book claimed that the Witch of Absolute Death, because she was dead, had no “Demonic Offerings,” and therefore, no Apostles or minions.
But Luo Yan knew she carried the Witch of Absolute Death’s Demonic Offering—”Death.”
And…
In her dreams during her coma, she seemed to have seen something in the depths of her subconscious.
But she couldn’t remember; the memory had been forcibly erased.
Hearing Luo Yan’s words, Hua Qiling wanted to say that she would never meet him, but she held back.
Countless factions were searching for “Mister,” hoping to find him before he died.
Unfortunately, only Dawn knew his whereabouts.
Not only Luo Yan, but many others wanted to ask “Mister” questions, but his answers were few and far between.
Unless it concerned Dawn or the safety of humanity, he kept the secrets of the Old and New Eras to himself.
“But your taste in novels has become… interesting. I remember you liked reading about sisters… well, never mind.”
Seeing Hua Qiling’s mortified expression, Luo Yan quickly changed the subject. “But I still don’t understand why you find this… novel… interesting.”
Mentioning this, Hua Qiling’s eyes lit up, and she said mysteriously,
“Hee hee, it is interesting! I spent a lot of effort to get this limited edition collector’s item!”
“…That’s it?”
Hearing this exaggerated description, Luo Yan scanned the novel again with “Eagle Eye” and “Envy.”
Yes, she hadn’t been mistaken.
It was still terrible.
“No, no, forget the content, it’s the author, the author!”
Hua Qiling’s eyes burned with the flames of gossip, its intensity even palpable to Luo Yan.
“You mean… ‘Dawnbreaker’?”
Luo Yan asked hesitantly.
“Yes! It’s ‘Illusion’!” Hua Qiling almost jumped out of bed. “This is Lady ‘Illusion’s’ work from her younger days!”
“…?”
A question mark slowly appeared above Luo Yan’s head.
If I remember correctly… I was talking about ‘Dawnbreaker’…
“Oh right, I almost forgot, you’ve been isolated from the world, you haven’t heard of Lady ‘Illusion’s’ great name,” Hua Qiling’s excitement subsided slightly, replaced by reverence.
“Lady ‘Illusion’ is one of the Twelve Saints of ‘Noah,’ ranked fourth. Her Saint name is ‘Illusion.’
“She is currently the strongest woman alive. She participated in the war against the ‘Witch of Absolute Death,’ and it was she who personally sealed her away!”
Luo Yan pondered for a moment, then said, “I’ve heard of ‘Noah’ many times in Yan City, seen it in the records, but it seems you don’t have a good relationship with them… why would you admire one of their Twelve Saints?”
“Those are two different things. Like I said, ‘Noah’ is a city with strong religious beliefs, or rather, a city of fanatics, but they don’t worship gods, but the Saint who founded ‘Noah,’ and the original Twelve Saints who followed him,” Hua Qiling explained.
“The Saint and the Twelve Saints lit the first bonfire for humanity in the Endless Wasteland. They are great heroes who ensured humanity’s survival. It’s like Dawn. Many people in the Free Federation hate ‘Dawn,’ but no one denies the Misters’ contributions.”
“Was the Saint very powerful? Compared to Dawn’s ‘Mister,’ how would they rank?”
Luo Yan asked curiously. She didn’t know much about high-level combatants, so she could only use “Mister” as a benchmark.
“That’s… hard to say,” Hua Qiling said with a troubled expression. “Yan City is far from ‘Noah,’ and the available records are ancient.
“Just know that Lady ‘Illusion’ is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly great, and incredibly powerful!”
Hua Qiling puffed out her chest, a smug look on her face.
“So this book is basically her dark past. It’s said that her close friends love to read it aloud to her… A Saint’s embarrassing past, haha, it’s really funny!”
Gossip was human nature, and the author of this book was one of the Twelve Saints of “Noah,” an incredibly influential figure.
And besides the relatively serious historical content, this novel was full of gossip-worthy material, which Hua Qiling, a master of this art, had thoroughly researched.
A poorly written novel was boring, but if it was written by someone of high status…
Well, it was a bit interesting.
Luo Yan suddenly understood.
“By the way, there’s also this…”
Luo Yan pulled out a thin file from the stack of books. It was protected by some kind of power, preventing “Eagle Eye” from seeing its contents. The title read:
—Top Secret – File Number “F-03” Ice Coffin Weapon Containment Data
“I can’t read this, I don’t have access,” Hua Qiling pouted. “Only your aura can unlock it, so I don’t know what’s inside.”
“Is it that important?”
Luo Yan blinked, surprised that even someone like Hua Qiling wasn’t authorized.
“It can’t be helped. Ice Coffin Weapons are dangerous, especially for those of us who might come into direct contact with them. We’re forbidden from knowing these things,” Hua Qiling explained, her expression turning serious.
“There was an incident before, an ability user who knew about Ice Coffin Weapons was tasked with retrieving one after its use. But he couldn’t resist the temptation, made unauthorized contact, and caused a disaster. District Eight was destroyed.
“Therefore, the more likely you are to encounter an Ice Coffin Weapon, the less likely you are to be granted access to this information. Someone like you, with almost no chance of encountering one, has an easier time accessing it.”
“I see.”
Luo Yan nodded, then put the file back.
“Aren’t you going to read it?”
Hua Qiling asked, surprised.
“I’ll read it later, because I’m afraid you’ll peek,” Luo Yan said calmly.
“Ahem… just a little peek wouldn’t hurt…”
Hua Qiling looked away guiltily.
“If it’s so dangerous, it’s better to be careful,” Luo Yan sighed, the image of the bandaged girl vivid in her mind. “‘Ice Coffin Weapons’ are truly terrifying. I don’t want you to be harmed.”
“…Miss Luo Yan, are you… concerned about me?”
Hua Qiling blinked, a delighted expression on her face.
“I suppose.”
Luo Yan’s tone remained indifferent.
Just then, a rapid knock came from the door, and before Luo Yan and Hua Qiling could see who it was, a small figure burst in.
“Lady Luo Yan!”
No need to hear the voice; the address alone revealed the visitor’s identity.
“Anna?” Luo Yan was unfazed, but Hua Qiling was surprised. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the shop?”
“Second Sister Hua, how can you say that? Knowing that Lady Luo Yan was hurt, how could I possibly stay at the shop?!”
Anna said, then excitedly held out a brand new (combat) maid outfit. “Ta-da! New clothes for Lady Luo Yan!”
“Eh?” Luo Yan paused. “Why new clothes? This one is still…”
She suddenly remembered.
She had been wearing the combat maid dress during the battle at Spring Breeze Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the blood mist had almost destroyed it. If it weren’t for her undergarments carrying her strong aura, which the mist couldn’t erode, she would have been exposed.
Anna had visited her during her coma and learned that the dress was ruined.
So, she had taken Hua Qingling’s design and, using even more precious materials, created an identical, but more durable, maid outfit.
…Although Luo Yan didn’t see the point.
Against attacks like the blood mist, even precious materials, let alone a sniper rifle, offered little protection.
However, seeing Anna’s kind intentions and expectant expression, Luo Yan couldn’t refuse and nodded.
“Thank you, Miss Anna.”
“Hee hee, you’re welcome,” Anna beamed, practically vibrating with excitement. “But this isn’t free!”
“How much?” Luo Yan asked. “If it’s a lot, I might need to save up.”
Since Anna even charged Hua Qingling, Luo Yan was prepared to pay.
But she didn’t have much money. Perhaps she should ask Mister Li Ping for a job?
“No, no, Anna doesn’t want money!” Anna shook her head vigorously. “Anna wants something much more precious!”
“Could it be Miss Luo Yan’s panties?”
Hua Qiling popped up from behind the books, interjecting casually.
“Is that… more precious than money…?”
Luo Yan pondered seriously.
“Of course not! Although that would be nice too… (muttering) But!” Anna pointed at Luo Yan. “I want you, Lady Luo Yan!”
“Huh?” Hua Qiling immediately became alert. “Anna, what are you planning?”
“Want… me?”
Luo Yan pointed at herself, confused.
“I want a day with Lady Luo Yan!” Anna said, holding up a finger. “For one day, Lady Luo Yan will belong entirely to Anna!
“Shopping with Anna, eating with Anna, trying on pretty dresses with Anna… that’s what I want!”
Luo Yan pondered for a moment, then asked,
“So you just want to spend a day with me?”
“Yes, yes, yes…”
Anna nodded vigorously.
“That’s no problem, but is that really more precious than money…?”
“Yes!”
This time, not only Anna, but also Hua Qiling, answered in unison.
Leave a Reply