"Are you saying Mom is an Exorcist?"
"Yeah. Think about it carefully, isn't it possible?"
On this sumr morning, white bedsheets hung on the rooftop fluttered in the warm breeze. Children rode their bicycles, playfully chasing each other through the streets and alleys, while the cicadas in the trees chirped as if their lives depended on it.
However... the atmosphere inside the living room was heavy. Gu Wenyu silently turned on the indoor fan, while Su Zimai switched on the air conditioner. The room quickly cooled down, making their worries seem to fade slightly along with the sumr heat.
Both of them possessed superhuman physiques. An air conditioner and a fan wouldn't be enough to give them a cold; even enduring a severe storm would be nothing to them. Or at least, that was what Ji Minghuan thought, right up until Su Zimai sneezed right in front of him:
"Achoo!"
'When people buy a refrigerator, they at least get a free fan. Doesn't contracting with the Refrigerator Demon co with cold resistance?' Ji Minghuan thought, utterly speechless.
Su Zimai raised a hand to rub her red nose, then frowned and turned her head, looking suspiciously at Ji Minghuan. "Are you serious? Mom is an Exorcist?"
"Yes, yes, of course I'm serious. Don't you think it's highly likely?" Ji Minghuan said earnestly. "Since you're an Exorcist, there's a huge chance that either Dad or Mom is one too, right?"
He paused. "We can ignore Dad, that useless Muggle who only knows how to enjoy his alcohol. But maybe Mom is actually an Exorcist?"
Su Zimai fell silent. Her little brain spun rapidly, briefly overloading to the point where she felt a buzzing in her head.
She hung her head, pondering for quite a while before finally looking up. "Impossible!"
"Why is it impossible? Think about it carefully." Ji Minghuan continued to guide his younger sister. "Do Mom's daily habits, or the little details in her behavior she unintentionally reveals, have any similarities with you Exorcists?"
"I'm thinking about it, okay? Are you trying to annoy ?!" Su Zimai exclaid. "Besides, thinking about it is useless. If Mom really is an Exorcist, why didn't the Leader tell ? Before I joined the Exorcist Association, the Leader thoroughly investigated my background."
"Are you sure Mom isn't part of the Exorcist Association?"
"If I said she isn't, she isn't," Su Zimai frowned. "Ask
again and I'll end it all."
"Oh, then I'll just kill myself."
"I ant I would kill myself, not you!" Su Zimai huffed angrily.
As she spoke, she suddenly rembered the night before last, when Gu Wenyu accidentally fell off the pigeon and almost perford a hundred-ter high-altitude freefall. She had been so anxious that she burst into tears, and she even let Gu Wenyu pat her head. She had completely embarrassed herself in front of her older brother.
Su Zimai's face rapidly heated up, turning beet red in an instant.
If they were in a children's animated series, her head would be hissing with steam right now.
"Then you should hurry up and jump off the building, Little Sister. Let
inherit your Celestial Drive and beco a legendary Exorcist."
"Get lost! If I had known, I wouldn't have saved you the night before last. Saving you will only end up pissing off your wonderful younger sister to death!" Su Zimai yelled, her brow furrowed tightly.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, until even her ears were bright red. She suddenly whipped her head around and flipped Gu Wenyu off, then used the remote control to turn off the television. Standing up, she stomped over to the stairs and marched up to the second floor, leaving behind only a cold, retreating back.
Ji Minghuan slumped backward, collapsing onto the sofa in a Ge You slouch. 'It's only because Big Brother and Dad aren't ho that we dare to discuss these things so openly and brazenly,' he thought.
Resting the back of his head against the sofa, he stared blankly at the ceiling. 'Little Sister said Ke Qirui investigated our family background, and she claims Mom isn't an Exorcist... so whether this new mber really is Mom remains to be seen.'
'Forget it. In a few days, I'll be able to see this new mber myself, and I'll find out firsthand if she has anything to do with Mom. But if she really is Mom, wouldn't Big Brother lose his motivation to join Rainbow Wing? I was hoping to rely on him to help
get closer to Qi Yuanliuli... The situation just got a lot more complicated.'
At that thought, Ji Minghuan sighed softly.
'Oh, Mom,' he thought. 'If it really is you, you better hurry up and lie back down in your coffin. How am I supposed to live my life if you're back in this household?'
Ji Minghuan placed his hands over his stomach and lay listlessly on the sofa, looking as depressed as if his mother had just died. After blowing in the combined breeze of the air conditioner and the fan for a while, he slowly opened his mouth and let out a sneeze. "Achoo!"
"Crap... I got infected by the Refrigerator Demon. Why would a Dragon-tier Esper like
catch a cold?" he grumbled while raising a hand to rub his nose. Slowly, he closed his eyes and synchronized his consciousness with his third avatar, Yagubalu.
The little shark opened its eyes inside the Crystal Ball, looking up at the blood-red twilight outside the window.
The ti over in the Whalegarden was roughly the sa as Lijing ti, aning it was currently dayti outside. Strictly speaking, the miniature world had no dayti, only perpetual dusk. So, for the residents here, dayti was synonymous with sunset.
At this mont, the Third Prince, Xize'er, was sitting in his bedchamber, his face pale and haggard. He hugged a Pillow, staring blankly ahead like an exquisite Doll. His snow-white bangs hung low, obscuring his clear, crystalline cyan eyes.
Seeing that Xize'er remained utterly silent for a long ti, Shasha, inside the Crystal Ball, decided not to bother him. It knew that the Butler, Ikar, had just recently been beheaded, and the one who ordered his execution was the Second Prince, Cosimo. Xize'er was undoubtedly in imnse pain right now.
He had just lost one of the people closest to him, and to make matters worse, that person was murdered by another of his closest family mbers. Anyone would be prone to an existential crisis in such a situation, much less a twelve-year-old child like Xize'er.
"Xize'er, Xize'er, now that the Butler is gone, who's going to cook for you?" the little shark asked.
Xize'er didn't reply.
"Why are you ignoring ?" The little shark puffed its cheeks.
"Yagubalu... the Queen Mother is coming over soon. Make sure you keep your mouth shut in front of her," Xize'er whispered. "If she finds out you can talk, she will definitely tell the Father King, who is currently bedridden. Then he'll send soone to take you away from ."
"Of course. I definitely have to stay by your side so those bad guys can't Bully you."
"Thank you... Yagubalu." Xize'er's voice was hoarse and exhausted, his eyes still red and swollen. "Are you willing to believe now, that your brother..." Yagubalu hesitated, swallowing the rest of its words.
Xize'er cut it off coldly, "Let's not talk about that right now, alright?"
Yagubalu nodded silently, flicking its tail inside the Crystal Ball to splash around in the water.
A short while later, accompanied by a series of knocks, soone pushed open the bedchamber door from the outside. Peering through the glass of the Crystal Ball, the shark saw a young woman exuding an elegant aura, dressed in a luxurious black and gold gown.
It was the Queen of the Whalegarden, Carliliena. Her golden hair fell to her waist, and beneath the glow of the sunset, her eyes were as blue as the ocean. At this mont, a trace of worry lingered on her face.
It wasn't until the Queen's arrival that a hint of color finally returned to Xize'er's face, bringing a spark of life back to his hollow eyes.
"Queen Mother..." he mumbled, slowly lifting his gaze from his knees to look sideways at Carliliena.
Carliliena walked over, her long skirt trailing behind her. She glanced at the Nobel Shark in the Crystal Ball before turning to Xize'er. "Xize'er, are you alright? The servants told
you haven't left the castle all day and refused to eat anything."
"I'm fine, Queen Mother," Xize'er replied softly. "I'm just wondering... why my brother and the others killed Ikar without even telling ... I'm the one who understood Ikar the most. He was a very, very good person."
Carliliena sat on the edge of the bed, raising her hand to gently stroke his white hair. "My good child, the Father King has arranged a new Butler for you. By tomorrow, he will take Ikar's place and look after your daily needs."
Seeing Xize'er remain silent, she paused, lowering her voice as she continued, "The Father King is sick, and he cannot protect you. Xize'er, you must protect yourself. You need to be brave."
With that said, Carliliena pressed her cheek against the top of Xize'er's head, gently caressing the back of his neck.
Xize'er stayed quiet for a mont before asking, "Queen Mother, why exactly did the Father King contract the Black Death?"
Carliliena matched his silence for a mont. "Xize'er, you don't need to worry about such things. Your Father King and I will get through this... Also, in a week's ti, on August 1st, your Father King has arranged sothing for you."
Inside the Crystal Ball, Yagubalu, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, paused in surprise and pulled up its main quest interface.
[Main Quest 2 (Phase 2): Protect the Third Prince, "Xize'er," from the assassination attempts by the First Prince and Second Prince, ensuring the Third Prince "Xize'er" survives until August 1st.]
Yagubalu stared at the dark blue text on the panel and thought, 'So that's how it is... No wonder I have to protect him until August 1st.'
Xize'er slowly lifted his head, eting Carliliena's affectionate gaze. "What has the Father King arranged for ?"
"The Father King wants you to temporarily leave the Whalegarden," Carliliena explained.
"Why?" Xize'er asked, startled.
Carliliena leaned down and gently kissed his pale, almost translucent forehead. "The Father King knows you've always wanted to see the outside world, so he wants to give you this opportunity. He also said that when you return from your journey outside, he will pass the throne to you."
"But I don't want the throne."
"You are a genius rarely seen in the Whalegarden in thousands of years. If not you, then who else? You know full well that the Father King favors you over your two older brothers."
Xize'er fell silent for a while before answering. "Queen Mother, please pass a ssage to the Father King for . I will leave this place on August 1st and search the outside world for the legendary Holy Grail. I... I will definitely bring back the cure to heal the Father King's illness."
A faint smile touched Carliliena's lips, filled with worry but also an undeniable sense of pride.
"Alright. Promise your Queen Mother that you will protect yourself out there," she said.
"I will."
"Also... the King ntioned that he will have Li Qingping escort you when you leave," she added.
"Li Qingping?"
Xize'er murmured the na softly, a faint light returning to his dim eyes.
"That's right," Carliliena smiled quietly. "The King knows he is your favorite guard from the Royal Court Squad. Besides, doesn't Li Qingping dislike staying in the miniature world? It's perfect... He will surely be more than willing to take you outside for a walk."
"Understood, Queen Mother. But... if Li Qingping isn't willing, please don't force him. I can manage on my own."
Carliliena nodded. She lowered her eyes in thought before continuing, "Xize'er, a festival will be held on the central island tomorrow. The mbers of the Royal Court Squad will put on an exhibition match. Your Queen Mother will co find you then, and you can watch the tournant with ."
She paused. "Your two brothers will also be there to watch. However, your Father King is too unwell to attend."
Hearing this, the little shark's eyes lit up as it thought to itself, 'A match featuring the Royal Court Squad? Doesn't that an I'll get to see the true strength of the other mbers? By comparing them to Li Qingping, I'll figure out their level in an instant.'
"I'll go, Queen Mother," Xize'er whispered. "But I'm very tired right now... Please let
rest alone for a while."
Carliliena slowly released him and stood up from the bed. She gave him one last glance over her shoulder before dragging her tail-feather-like skirt and walking away.
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