Xia Pingzhou spoke with an expressionless face, "Number Ten, how about forming a pact with
and becoming my second Demon?"
As his words fell, a brief silence enveloped the tavern's private booth, making the bustling noise outside seem even more extraordinary.
Soon after, an increasingly uncontrollable burst of laughter echoed within the booth, shattering the dead silence.
Veins bulged on White Wolf's forehead. His face darkened as he slowly opened his cataract-clouded eye, staring across the table at Xia Pingzhou with chilling killing intent.
"Kid... be careful, or I will slaughter you," he growled, enunciating every word.
"It was just a proposal, you do not have to accept it." Xia Pingzhou found a spot on the sofa and sat down, choosing a seat closer to Blood Progenitor and further away from White Wolf.
Andrew slapped the table and roared with laughter, gasping for breath as the liquor bottles rattled. "Hahahahaha! This kid is truly hopeless! His thought process is incredibly bizarre..."
Bernardo raised a hand to cover his mouth, shaking his head with a low chuckle that nearly caused his monocle to slip off.
Blood Progenitor laughed so hard she swayed back and forth, her graceful figure trembling. "To think you dare make such a joke when your precious Miss is not here to protect you... It seems our Brigade's little kitten has reached his rebellious phase."
Xia Pingzhou took a sip of ice water, nonchalantly changing the subject. "Speaking of which, Brother Bernardo, why exactly did you join the White Raven Brigade?"
As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Bernardo.
Bernardo pondered for a mont before replying with a self-deprecating tone, "It is all just an unbearable past, there is no need to bring it up."
"I am very curious," Xia Pingzhou insisted.
"Very well then." Bernardo gathered his thoughts. "I was once a mber of Whalegarden. Later, I was exiled for refusing to kneel before the Royal Family and for abusing certain forbidden Anecdote Fragnts. I suffered imnse humiliation at the ti, my heart filled with resentnt. Eventually, I obtained the Black Death fragnt and gained power... I want to return and prove myself to those arrogant royals."
He paused. "Coincidentally... I heard that the Leader of the White Raven Brigade was also interested in the Treasures of Whalegarden, so I did everything in my power to find him."
"I see," Xia Pingzhou nodded, thinking to himself, 'This story you made up is way too fake.'
"Old man, you will not spread the Black Death to us, will you?" Andrew asked, scratching his head.
"My Heart is still with Miss Ripper," Bernardo smiled gently. "How could I possibly do such a thing?"
"True enough," Andrew agreed. "By the way, where is Miss Ripper?"
"She went to find prey." Blood Progenitor set down her glass. "She should be on the verge of breaking through to a Tier 3 Exorcist, so she has been quite diligent in her Cultivation lately."
'So Miss Ripper is already approaching the level of a Tier 3 Exorcist...' Xia Pingzhou mused. 'Then again, with the chanics of her Celestial Drive, she does not need the accumulation of ti. She simply needs to kill enough humans and Demons.'
Thinking of this, Xia Pingzhou suddenly asked, "What about ?"
Blood Progenitor turned to look at him, her lips curling into a smirk. "Let's go, big sister will take you out to hunt Demons."
"That will not work." Xia Pingzhou shook his head.
Blood Progenitor tilted her head, teasing, "What, afraid the young miss will be upset when she wakes up? It does not matter, just consider it
borrowing you from her for one night. I will write her an IOU, and you can hand it to her when she wakes up."
Andrew joked, "Is there any point in writing an IOU after the item has already been returned?"
"Forget it... let's go."
Xia Pingzhou opened his app and glanced at the Exorcist Association's map of Venice. Nurous red dots flashed across the screen. It seed that as soon as night fell, the Demons in Venice erged in swarms.
In two days, he would have to set off for London to deal with the matter regarding the Red Traffic Light and complete the third main quest for this body. Ti was tight, so he had to maximize his strength within this strict two-day limit.
"Go, go, get this walking streak of bad luck out of my sight imdiately," White Wolf sneered coldly. Blood Progenitor stood up and headed for the tavern's exit, glancing back at Xia Pingzhou. He rose to his feet and followed her, the two of them leaving the booth and weaving through the crowd to step outside the tavern.
The moonlight was serene. The waterways of Venice were completely deserted, with only the wisteria along the walls still exuding a captivating fragrance.
Xia Pingzhou and Blood Progenitor walked side by side down the street. The forr checked the map on his phone, while the latter stared blankly at the night sky.
A mont later, Xia Pingzhou broke the silence. "By the way, I might be able to help you find clues about 1001."
Blood Progenitor froze, then turned to look at him. "I cannot even find him myself. What makes you think you can help ?"
"If you know you cannot find him, then what are you searching for?"
"Who knows? Perhaps I am looking for a phantom, an obsession, or perhaps I am rely searching for my past self... Having lived for so many years, sotis you just need to rember a little sothing so your soul does not get lost in the endless passage of ti." Blood Progenitor paused. "As long as I rember the na he gave , I am still myself."
"Then why are you unwilling to tell others that na?" Xia Pingzhou asked. "If you ever forget it one day, won't it be lost forever?"
Blood Progenitor answered calmly, "Precious things belong in the heart. Words that are spoken aloud will eventually fade away."
"As expected of a long-lived old hag chasing after romance," Xia Pingzhou remarked. "But over a hundred years have passed. 1001 has either died of old age by now, or perished in so war long ago..."
"He is immortal and unaging, just like ," Blood Progenitor stated. "Therefore, I believe he is not dead yet."
"What makes you say that?" Xia Pingzhou pondered. "Immortality is one thing, but you probably did not spend a long ti with him. Why would you assu he is unaging?"
"Because he told
so himself, of course," Blood Progenitor murmured softly. "He said that ever since losing his mories, he had wandered for a long ti, yet his appearance always remained the sa. His body never grew older, just like mine."
Only when ntioning this string of numbers did Blood Progenitor's expression turn gentle and tranquil, as if she had reverted to a young maiden. At all other tis, she was perpetually elegant, teasing, and entirely elusive.
Xia Pingzhou remained silent for a mont, thinking to himself, 'If 1001 truly is an immortal and unaging Esper like Blood Progenitor claims, then there is a high probability he is still alive. Yet, the Tutor told
that 1001 died in the last century...'
'Which side is actually telling the truth?'
'The mysterious Prophet who directly caused my True Self to be imprisoned by the Salvation Society, the Restricted-tier Esper known as 1001, and the Parents who abandoned
when I was four years old... Is there a connection between all these people?'
'There are simply too many unsolved mysteries surrounding the Salvation Society. I have to untangle these clues one by one and unravel all the enigmas.'
'Even if I eventually escape the Salvation Society, I must find that Prophet of unknown identity. I need to catch him and interrogate him about what exactly is going on with his prophecies...'
With these thoughts in mind, Xia Pingzhou asked, "Suppose you find 1001, what do you plan to do?"
"What else is there to do? Catch up with him, chat about everything that has happened over the past century, and tell him about all the sights I have seen on my journey to find him."
Blood Progenitor lowered her eyes, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And also ask him if he ever found that white-haired girl... Thinking about it, he and I are actually quite similar. The only difference is that I am searching for him, while he is searching for soone else."
"That sounds a bit like a defeated underdog."
"Shut up."
"We arrived just in ti. This is the place," Xia Pingzhou said.
The two of them stopped in front of the Grand Canal of Venice.
Looking ahead, an ancient stone bridge spanned the winding canal. Rialto Bridge was the na of this old structure. The bridge was built to resemble a corridor. Its roof cast shadows over the deck, and within those shadows, a pair or two of red eyes could be seen prowling.
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