Chapter 65: Chapter 57: So You Really Can Find ...
"Uh, haha, I just wanted to give you a heads-up,"
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Yuan’s face. He couldn’t handle being caught in the act like that. "Don’t tell anyone else Kali’s identity. It’ll cause her a lot of trouble."
"...Don’t worry, I won’t say a word."
As he spoke, Wei’en turned and started walking toward the Secret Investigation Departnt. "I’ve got to get to work. See you later."
’This guy really never misses an opportunity to lecture ...’
"I’m serious, Wei’en! Keeping a secret is a fine virtue."
"I know."
Wei’en gave a wave, picked up his pace, and quickly left Golden Street behind.
He thought darkly, ’Next ti, I’ll have to arrange another cuckolding for him...’
Caster City State was as peaceful as ever today. It was only a relative peace, of course, but that was already quite good.
Not long after leaving Golden Street, Wei’en saw at least three squads of the City Guard carrying the corpses of aberrations.
The aberrations were grotesque, with no discernible trace of their original human features.
So were covered in fleshy tumors, others had beast-like claws or octopus-like tentacles, all lying limp on stretchers.
Exposed organs and severed limbs were visible through the crisscrossing wounds.
Their blood wasn’t red, but a yellowish-brown or green pus that dripped continuously onto the ground as they were carried, releasing a nauseating stench.
Like the other passersby, Wei’en rely glanced at the sight before walking away.
He never wanted to get used to such things, but he inevitably saw a sight like this once or twice every ti he went out. He had no choice but to force himself to accept it.
It was just like the proverb that circulated in Shetland: No one wants to beco an aberration, but everyone must get used to their existence.
Wei’en knew full well that there were many scenes like this—things straight out of the Secret Investigation Departnt’s case files or the Despair Sect’s sacrificial rituals. And it was his very position in the Secret Investigation Departnt that would expose him to them all.
He had to get used to it, accept it, and learn to overco the challenges—to deal with the aberrations, the bizarre, and people from groups like the Eternal Life Association and the Despair Sect.
After walking for over ten minutes, Wei’en bypassed the cathedral district and stopped at the mouth of an alley not far from the Dumitru District.
’Looks like there’s no getting out of this...’
Ever since he left Golden Street, notifications had been flashing nonstop on his panel.
[You have been scanned by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s Spirit Sense. Evaluation: Whoa. Reward: Survival Points
1.]
[You have been locked onto by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s killing intent. Evaluation: Relax, it’s just a puppet. Reward: Survival Points
1.]
...
[You have been locked onto by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s killing intent. Evaluation: Looks like she’s fallen for you. Reward: Survival Points
1.]
Wei’en watched the surrounding crowd warily. He could feel the malice hidden sowhere nearby.
But the panel only gave him notifications; it couldn’t distinguish which people were Clelia’s puppets.
"As I thought... you really can find ..."
[You have been locked onto by Clelia Yuli Biondini’s killing intent. Evaluation: This ti, she’s serious about killing you. Reward: Survival Points
1.]
Wei’en flung the case in his hands toward the source of the voice. With a flick of his right wrist, the flintlock pistol appeared in his grip.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
A buxom, beautiful woman in a black dress was shot right between the eyes.
THUD.
As her body fell, several people wielding daggers or short knives charged forward.
Seeing this, the surrounding pedestrians scattered, fleeing in all directions. "AHHH—"
"Run!"
Wei’en stood his ground. With a few flicks of his wrist, he began to pick off the puppets one by one.
His master-level marksmanship turned the flintlock in his hand into an instrunt of the Death God. One after another, the puppets barely took a few steps before a bullet found the spot between their eyes, and they collapsed into pools of blood.
But,
For every puppet that fell, more would appear out of thin air, charging him with savage looks on their faces as they brandished their weapons.
"Fuck."
Seeing this, Wei’en had no choice but to run toward the Dumitru District, hastily reloading as he went.
He wasn’t sure how many puppets she had, but it was obvious that staying here alone was no longer a good idea.
"Don’t run away. My interest in you is growing by the second, hehe..." Clelia’s voice materialized by his ear, dripping with seduction and charm.
’Only a fool wouldn’t run.’
As he ran, Wei’en still found monts to turn and empty his flintlock.
"You’re much more handso than that little redhead. So cute~"
’Cute my ass!’
Wei’en cursed under his breath. Seeing more and more puppets swarming around, he temporarily gave up on shooting and focused all his energy on running toward the Secret Investigation Departnt.
However, while he could escape, the ordinary people around weren’t so lucky—
The puppets chasing him rcilessly swung their blades, cutting down anyone who stood in their path and turning them into corpses.
"Ah, save !"
"Please, O Dawn!"
"Damn it, I don’t want to die! Ah!"
Amidst the agonized screams and desperate curses, a wave of panic spread rapidly through the area.
"Stop!"
The commotion soon attracted the attention of a nearby City Guard patrol, as well as the Guardians of the Dawn Church from the direction of the Cathedral.
People from the nearby Secret Investigation Departnt were also rushing toward the scene.
"Halt!"
The City Guard ford an orderly line, their expressions grim as they watched the puppets behind Wei’en. They aid their flintlocks at them. "I’ll say it again, halt!"
They could easily recognize the Secret Investigation Departnt uniform Wei’en was wearing.
But they weren’t sure what the deal was with the puppets.
They showed no signs of mutation; they looked more like madn just released from an asylum...
"Wei’en?"
Lisi saw the commotion from a window, her eyes locking onto Wei’en at the front. She leaped straight from the third floor, charging over while brandishing her Two-Handed Axe.
"Lisi, it’s Clelia!" Wei’en shouted, having also spotted her.
"Clelia?"
Lisi’s expression changed. She stomped her foot, the terrifying force blasting a crater into the stone ground, and with a great leap, she landed in front of Wei’en. "Aled!" (Dharma Seal: Shatter!)
As she swung the Two-Handed Axe, its furious blade tore through the puppets, reducing them to a bloody pulp as severed limbs flew in all directions.
"Run! It’s those unholy things!"
"Run..."
At this sight, the surrounding crowd fled in an even greater panic.
More puppets appeared, their gazes fixed on Lisi. "It’s you again, you violent woman. Tsk, no fun at all~"
"Clelia!"
Lisi stared at the surrounding puppets, her teeth clenched. "How dare you do this?" she growled. "Aren’t you afraid Caster will activate its Array and trap you here?"
"Oh~ I’d almost forgotten. Caster is one of the four great city-states of the Shetland Kingdom..."
The surrounding puppets all stopped. Then, the form of one puppet shimred and changed, transforming into the familiar woman.
"But I really, really like this young man. Could you give him to ?"
"...give him to ?"
"...to ?"
With each phrase, Clelia’s form would appear on a new puppet, as if to say, ’See? Do you know which one is ?’
"Consider this a little gift. I look forward to our next eting. Especially with you... my cute young man."
The woman looked in Wei’en’s direction, puckered her alluring lips, and blew him a kiss. "You’d better miss , you hear?"
’Who would miss you?’
Still, seeing more and more people arriving, Wei’en breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure from this Thousand-faced Clelia was just too much.
"What in the world are you trying to do?" Lisi glared at her, the Two-Handed Axe in her grip practically humming with eagerness, as if she wished for nothing more than to cut Clelia down right then and there.
"? It was really just a little gift. But it seems you didn’t much care for it~"
Clelia glanced around imperiously, her eyes lingering on the figures from the Secret Investigation Departnt in the distance. But her beautiful face soon scrunched into a slight frown. "Ugh, an annoying pest is here~"
"Bruno." (Holy.)
A blinding beam of light shot from the direction of Krimms Cathedral, crossing two city blocks to arrive here.
"ROAR—"
"AHHH—ETERNAL LIFE! ETERNAL LIFE! I WANT ETERNAL LIFE!"
"Damn you, Dawn!"
As the light fell upon them, it was as if all the puppets were being consud by a blazing fire. They wailed, struggled madly, and slowly turned to ash.
"Bastard!"
Lisi cursed as well, plunging her Two-Handed Axe into the ground before her. "Kurd!" (Aegis!)
A fan-shaped, azure curtain of light appeared, shielding her and Wei’en.
’The Dawn Church...’
P.S. I can’t get the extra Chapter out today. Went out drinking tonight and got back late.
I’ll definitely, definitely post an extra Chapter tomorrow. I’m now 2 Chapters behind.
Also, a big thank you to all the patrons for your monthly ticket support. Thank you.
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