Brilliance

She cautiously followed the gazes to find their source. These eyes were staring straight at her, seemingly carrying a hint of anger.

Through the crowd, she saw several middle aged women caked in rouge and powder. They wore luxurious and cumbersome gowns, casting sharp, envious glares at Li Yue through their folding fans.

Good grief, they are all married women.

Li Yue felt a wave of speechlessness. She was somewhat tired of dealing with all sorts of questions, but fortunately, after a few minutes of interaction, everyone seemed to notice the ring on her hand and gradually kept a respectful distance.

Li Yue guessed that this group had associated her with Caesar’s collection of mistresses.

She could not help but let out a small laugh.

It turned out that when a person was utterly speechless, they really would laugh.

She walked out of the circle of people and began to wander near the greenery and flower beds at the edge of the banquet. It was only then that she noticed the melodious melodies.

The graceful music had been echoing throughout the banquet all along. Because she had been part of the noisy crowd earlier, she had not noticed this soft tune. It was elegant, flowing, and did not interfere with the guests' revelry in the slightest.

Li Yue unconsciously walked below the performing orchestra. She sat to the side and listened silently. The melody was at times gentle, at times leaping, and at times soaring. The composer had infused much into this piece, yet she still heard a trace of sorrow within it.

It was like a pessimist making merry at a feast of ultimate joy, yet constantly reminding themselves that everything would eventually fade and that no banquet lasts forever.

As the piece ended, a violinist stepped off the stage and handed Li Yue an invitation.

“Beautiful lady, please accept this. We are very glad you enjoyed our music.” The violinist smiled. “This piece is taken from the musical collection 《Roman’s Blues》. Its author also very much hopes for your presence.”

Li Yue was stunned for a moment, feeling both shocked and confused.

“A blooming white lotus... you truly resemble one, Miss.” The violinist smiled again and returned to the stage.

Li Yue opened the invitation. Inside was a letter with the exact same color as the invitation packaging. The signature was from a Blues musician.

“I regret to inform you that I am not even in Parvati right now.” Li Yue read Roland’s letter, and at this point, her heart could not help but tighten.

“I do not know what Marquis William is troubled by, but he has been commissioning me to go to relatively distant places lately, and even the hunter organization has acquiesced to his actions.”

“I am currently in a small town to the south. There are indeed traces of blood demons here, but for me right now, these clues are still too vague.”

“I have a bad feeling. Something big is about to happen in Parvati, and after receiving your letter, I was shocked to find that you are once again at the center of the storm.”

“I think this matter might be even more of a crisis than the previous bloody incident.”

“I am very worried about your current situation. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to get away for now. As your captain, I hope you can investigate or even prevent future events as much as possible. But as your teacher, I hope you run far away and do not put yourself in a desperate situation.”

“Protect yourself. I will return as soon as possible.”

The signature read: A Performer Lost in the Storm.

Li Yue fell silent for a while. She looked at the reveling crowd behind her. She knew that beneath this surface prosperity, corruption and darkness were surely hidden.

“Miss? Miss?” A waiter stood by Li Yue’s side, pulling her thoughts back to reality.

“The performance is about to begin. Mr. Caesar asked me to remind you to watch.”

“Thank you.” Li Yue tucked away the letter. With a somewhat heavy and disappointed heart, she walked back to the center of the courtyard. On the second floor, she saw William laughing with his disreputable friends, Caesar surrounded by several women in conversation, and various politicians and prominent merchants chatting with one another.

Run, just run. These people are not worth my salvation, and I cannot save them anyway.

Li Yue bit her lip. She hid her face behind a veil and stayed behind the crowd, her expression carrying a hint of loneliness.

A long river separated the magnificence and mindless luxury of this side from the people on the other bank struggling for their lives.

Boom! Like a meteor streaking across the firmament, a brilliant firework exploded in the sky. She widened her eyes, and a bit more light entered her gaze. She had not expected that here, in this world, in this era of magic and industrial development, she would still be able to see fireworks.

She watched the lights flickering on the other side of the river. Couples in love danced under the night sky, elderly people held children’s hands, and workers who had not yet washed away the stains of their labor—exhausted people, passionate people—they all stared at the fireworks in the sky together, laughing.

The suffering of all living beings...

She watched the fireworks burst one after another as the ordinary and settled people danced. The long river reflected the brilliant flames, mirroring the river of light embroidered in the sky. It diffracted the busy but happy masses, then merged into the river of time, injecting a few more points of starlight into this riverbed that had been dead for so long.

Perhaps this place was not good enough, but it would surely get better slowly. What was needed here was a revolution—a revolution of humanity and productivity, not a blood soaked struggle.

She took off her veil and gazed at the distant shore. Her blue eyes gradually grew brighter. At this moment, she suddenly understood why Roland stayed here, understood his decision, and understood his sorrow.

She decided not to leave. Not for now. She would watch over this place until Roland returned, doing her part.

The music ended and the crowd dispersed. At this dreamlike firework show, Li Yue seemed to find a bit more motivation—motivation for life. This was also the first time she formally viewed herself as a demon hunter. No matter what she became, she would slaughter all the blood demons.

Perhaps she was infected by the atmosphere here, or perhaps she felt a resonance with those ordinary and happy people who worked hard at life.

In that one instant, she wanted to protect them, to protect this way of life, even if it was not perfect.

...

Caesar sat opposite her, letting out a rather weary yawn.

“Perhaps I was overthinking this time, but my intuition tells me that William seems to have other plans. You should have realized some of it by now.” Caesar propped up his head, his gaze skimming over the scenery along the road. The night carried a sense of tranquility.

Li Yue looked at the floor. Although her eyes held a bit of complexity, they remained firm.

“Did you intentionally have me come to see this chaos?” Li Yue looked up, staring at Caesar with her blood red eyes.

“That old thing William... I don't know what he is thinking.” Caesar shrugged. “I will be blunt. I crave a peaceful era that allows us secular people to produce and trade, and then expand our influence.”

“Aren't you all also protecting order, in a way?” Caesar smiled. “I can provide you with opportunities to contact high society and investigate events. After all, that fellow William seems to have allied with many factions; even you cannot conduct investigations openly.”

Li Yue nodded, effectively agreeing to Caesar’s suggestion. She lowered her gaze, her pupils dilating slightly as her thoughts drifted far away. Caesar’s gaze also moved from the window to Li Yue’s rhombus shaped eyes. He narrowed his eyes.

The Royal Court? The word flashed through his mind.

Why isn't she maintaining her previous disguise anymore?

Caesar shifted his gaze back to the window. Li Yue paid no attention to Caesar’s small movements and simply sat there in a daze.

Now is the time when strength is needed. Will those blood crystals give me strength?

Li Yue rubbed the blood crystal in her palm, her brow furrowed slightly.

The banquet procedures had lasted until very late. She hated these tedious social etiquettes, but many times, she had no choice.

The fireworks continued to shine in the sky, and amidst this brilliant light, a young girl quietly departed.

...

Carrying her exhaustion, Li Yue changed into a water blue nightgown and sat on her bed. The loose clothing allowed her spirit to relax quite a bit. She let out a long sigh. The entire small villa was quite quiet now; many of her colleagues who usually laughed in the card room were out on investigation missions at the edge of the city, and even Miss Kelly had accompanied Yorick to the surrounding villages.

One was responsible for handling and dissecting blood demon remains, and the other for recording files.

Her stomach growled a few times. She suddenly realized she had eaten nothing at the banquet.

She walked to the window. The nearby shops had all closed. At this moment, even if she was hungry in both body and spirit, she could only endure it.

Fortunately, she was already used to enduring hunger.

Her hand lightly searched through her discarded evening gown and found the blood crystal. She stared at the deep blood color, hesitated for a few seconds, and put it into her mouth.

It did not have the hard texture from before. Instead, it turned into waves of warmth, flowing toward her internal organs and limbs.

A wave of dizziness surged up. She felt as if something was striking her soul and brain. She locked the door, kicked off her slippers, and crawled into bed, her eyes uncontrollably and slowly closing.

Drip.

She felt some liquid drop onto her eye. She slowly opened her eyes and found it was rainwater from the eaves. The weather was misty, and she could barely see the dim sky.

She tried taking a few steps and found that her stature seemed to have become smaller. Noisy sounds came from behind her.

The last time she had this hallucinatory feeling was seemingly just after she had transmigrated, though the sensation then was different from now. Right now, she clearly felt a sense of rejection.

“Lambert, you’re slacking off again!” A forceful whip strike landed on her body. She felt a burning sting, somewhere between illusion and reality.

She turned to look at the large bearded man behind her. At this moment, there was not a trace of strength in her body, and she was even unable to move for a moment due to the pain.

“What are you looking at? Get to work!” More whip strikes came toward her. She stumbled into the noisy room. The pungent smell of glue filled her nostrils. Countless children of similar height to her kept their heads down, sticking labels onto bottles and jars.

She took a tube and, enduring the pungent smell, coated the back of each label with glue and stuck them onto the bottles. It was only then that she noticed her hands were already somewhat festered from long term corrosion by the glue.

The scenery before her changed rapidly. It seemed to have reached the night after work ended. She clutched two copper coins in her hand and walked on the damp ground. The smell of moldy wood from the roadside filled her nose, but this scent was much better than the glue.

The bakery on the road was still open. She spent one copper coin to buy a loaf of bread and broke it into three pieces. This was the food for the entire day tomorrow.

The scenery before her spun rapidly. Her body seemed to have grown a bit taller, though she was still frail. She limped down the street, completely failing to notice a carriage speeding toward her.

“Watch out!” A crisp female voice rang in her ear. She saw a girl wearing a mage robe. The girl waved a magic wand, and her body floated lightly into the air, landing steadily after the carriage had sped past.

The girl walked forward urgently, looking at her injuries with concern. She stared at the girl’s face. It was a delicate little face; her jet black hair was braided, and a hint of paleness showed through the rosy complexion.

The scenery before her began to change again. In the memories, she learned that the girl was the daughter of a cake shop owner. She had a talent for magic and had begun to study it.

From then on, she diligently saved money every week. Every weekend, she could use the saved money to buy a small cake and see the girl who had saved her.

The smoggy sky seemed to have a sliver of light.

She and the girl spoke intimately under the sunset. She racked her brains to think of jokes, and the way the girl laughed brought light to her world once more.

This feeling was so real, like watching a movie in the first person with a VR device while constantly empathizing and feeling with the protagonist.

The girl taught her simple magic. Gradually, her talent for magic began to reveal itself. In their long period of contact, she found her own magic. She did not need to secretly go see the girl every week; as long as the girl thought of her, she could appear in her mirror.

Such happy days lasted for a long time, until one day she suddenly found that the girl could no longer move around freely. The girl’s face grew paler by the day. In every day of their revelry, in places she had not noticed, silence and sorrow quietly crept onto the girl’s brow.

She began to search for a way. She spent all the savings intended for a wedding, searching the entire Royal Court for a way to save a life, but unfortunately, there was not a single shred of hope.

She knocked on the doors of the cathedral. This was the only source of information. The cathedral’s magic had the power to resurrect the dead, but she was turned away because such forbidden magic was not something a commoner like her could touch.

On a misty morning, the girl’s smile was forever frozen in a painting. She said nothing, not even shedding a single tear. She bought one last cake, placed it on the bedside table, and then she left.

She attacked the church. Amidst a sea of fire, she traversed one mirror after another and stole a ritual tool. In the blurred reflections, she struggled to read through that forbidden magic book. Unfortunately, such things really were not for commoners like her to learn. Her blood contained nothing special besides despair and anger.

She donned a robe. She left her hometown. She ate the flesh of monsters. Her heart stopped beating one afternoon and completely turned into a piece of red crystal. In the last fragment of blurred memory, a man in a black uniform led their group into Parvati.

In the memories after that, there was no more sunlight, only endless blood. She painted her face with greasepaint, she accepted a badge engraved with a Joker, she executed, she assassinated, she took revenge...

Until the final moment arrived. The judgment of death finally fell upon her. She snapped awake in an instant and looked out the window. It was already morning.