By the time nightfall was approaching, Li Yue and Lane returned to the oppressive Asylum, each carrying a heavy heart. Aestherin had rarely taken it upon herself to cook, but she had prepared a meal, and everything seemed as usual. Aestherin and Lane chatted and laughed, Melina chimed in occasionally, and Li Yue sat to the side, simply listening.
“I’ve noticed the reduction in heating as well. Areas A and B have already activated their backup heat sources,” Aestherin said, picking up a portion of food for herself and sharing some with Li Yue and Melina.
Although Li Yue didn’t remember being a picky eater, she felt a strange, inexplicable resistance toward vegetables. Nevertheless, she ate them. Days where one could have a hot meal were always good; they reminded her of a warmer past.
Though this food couldn’t satisfy her spiritual hunger, the sensation of swallowing it gave her the greatest sense of fulfillment. As for the hunger that constantly tormented her, she had long since stopped caring—or rather, she had grown used to it.
Melina was struggling to bite through a piece of sinewy mutton. After much effort, she sheepishly asked Aestherin for help.
Lane moved around the table and skillfully used a knife to cut the mutton into small, square pieces. He looked at the bone-in meat on Li Yue’s plate, seemingly asking if she needed help as well.
Li Yue shook her head and took a bite. The thick bone and meat were torn apart together, making a crunching sound in her mouth before she smoothly swallowed it all.
The others froze for a moment. It was only when Li Yue opened her mouth for a second bite that they noticed her row of sharp teeth, along with two particularly prominent fangs.
“What’s the plan, everyone?” Lane threw out the question, glancing at Li Yue and Aestherin as if waiting for their answers.
“You were the one who solved the previous kidnapping case. What method did you use?” Lane looked at Li Yue.
“Just like the news said—infiltrate through the front door, find the people with some authority, and interrogate them level by level until everything is clear.” Li Yue effortlessly bit off a large chunk of meat, chewed twice, and swallowed, shocking everyone once again.
“Infiltrating through the front door... won’t you be discovered?” Melina asked with a look of curiosity.
“It’s fine as long as no living person discovers me,” Li Yue said flatly. Lane and Aestherin’s right eyelids both twitched simultaneously. “Then I just interrogate the targets. They’re usually very honest and tell me everything after a short while.”
“Ahem, I have a report here. In a couple of days, the Asylum needs a few people to inspect the heating factory. This will give you a legitimate reason to go inside.” Aestherin produced a form that needed to be checked off.
“And once we’re in, do we have free rein?” Li Yue swallowed her food. Aestherin glanced at her; her emerald-green eyes met Li Yue’s crimson ones for a split second before she immediately looked away.
“Don’t be too free...” Lane thought for a moment. “We’ll discuss the details tomorrow. The inspection isn't until the day after, anyway.”
Aestherin and Li Yue nodded. Melina had a small appetite and finished first, taking her dishes to the dining area outside the room. This room was originally only used by Aestherin and Lane, who usually ate separately. This dinner was actually quite heartwarming for the four people present.
“Your method of infiltration... won’t it alarm a lot of people?” Aestherin couldn’t help but bring the topic up again.
“No. I usually eliminate anyone who might discover me.” Li Yue looked slightly pained as she finished the vegetables Aestherin kept giving her. “My magic is capable of wide-range attacks.”
She stood up, cleared her dishes, and left after saying she was going to rest.
The expression on Aestherin’s face remained one of shock.
“I’ve been studying my magic for so long, yet to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever killed anyone,” Aestherin said with a bitter smile.
“Some people’s magic must face evil directly, some must carry the burden of slaughter, and some are only meant to tend flowers in a greenhouse.” Lane took a sip of broth. “Everyone’s preference for magic is different. Of course, most of the time, it’s the person who chooses the magic. It just depends on which path you want to take.”
Aestherin didn’t say anything more. She glanced at Lane’s half-white hair and pale blue eyes, then quietly finished the rest of her food.
...
Li Yue performed a quick wash-up and returned to the room Lane had prepared for her in her pajamas. This area was completely isolated from the prisoners’ living quarters. The initial reasoning was to keep Li Yue from coming into contact with true criminals and being triggered; now, Lane constantly praised his own foresight.
If she were ever triggered, the Asylum would turn into a ghost town.
Melina had her own room as well. Her sentence had long since ended, and Aestherin seemed very willing to support this exceptionally talented young musician.
Li Yue had a pair of pink pajamas she had bought on a whim, but the ones she was wearing now were black, a gift from Clo. Clo often gave Li Yue things—sometimes freshly baked cookies, sometimes candies, and usually sweets. Li Yue knew Clo liked sweets, though she didn’t know how she knew that.
She ran into Anna on the way, who hesitated for a moment before complimenting her outfit. But those were just minor interludes; Li Yue only wanted to sleep. The day’s travels and the bitter cold had left her exhausted.
Just after she lay down and blew out the kerosene lamp on the nightstand, plunging the room into darkness, she closed her eyes. In the darkness, a faint, eerie white light appeared particularly dazzling. With a hint of confusion and annoyance, she sat up. The light was coming from the gathering invitation on the nightstand. The moment she touched it, she was transported once again to that temple in the mist.
Li Yue’s face was practically written with exasperation. If the projection in the mist hadn’t been a black formal dress—if it had been a black nightgown—she probably would have just slumped over the table and gone to sleep.
“Good evening, everyone,” the man sitting at the head of the table spoke first. Li Yue scanned the room. There were still many empty seats around the round table, but there was a new masked man in the corner. Everyone seemed familiar with one another and didn't make a special effort to interact with him.
“The fluctuations in Yakutsk are becoming more and more intense. What’s going on? The surrounding territorial waters have also been blockaded,” the man wearing a captain’s hat spoke first, looking at the woman beside him.
“Reinhardt... that man seems very interested in the Death Abyss as well.” The woman bit her nail, looking somewhat troubled.
“Is it confirmed to be the Death Abyss this time?” Mr. P tapped his scepter and stood up from his seat.
“It’s basically confirmed.” The woman nodded. She looked at Li Yue, who was half-asleep on the table, and felt a bit speechless.
Talk about an incredible level of nonchalance.
“If I recall correctly, Miss K is also in Yakutsk,” Ms. Q said, looking at Li Yue. The latter lifted her head, appearing a bit more awake. The gaze of the man in the corner fell upon her, staring for a long time without looking away.
“In the Outer Ring area,” Li Yue yawned.
“We may need to stay in touch in the coming days.” Ms. Q stared into Li Yue’s blood-red eyes. “Can you give us a specific address?”
“The Asylum. I’m staying there lately,” Li Yue said after a moment’s thought.
The others were stunned. The girl before them clearly looked like a normal person, but then they realized that not many 'normal' people attended this gathering to begin with.
“Speaking of which, does the lady know the reason behind the recent temperature drop in the Outer Ring?”
Ms. Q lowered her head in thought for a moment, seemingly unaware of the matter. She shook her head, appearing lost in thought, and the scene fell into a temporary silence.
“Is everything normal at sea?” Mr. P looked toward the gentleman in the captain’s hat.
“The temple is still inaccessible.”
He then looked at the man in the corner.
“Internal infighting continues; they have no time for external affairs.”
Mr. P nodded. The current focus seemed to have shifted to the God's remains known as the “Death Abyss.”
“What is the Death Abyss?” Li Yue propped up her head.
“It is said to be an abyss concealing tens of millions of active lives. It can devour anything it touches and can even affect the minds of people within the region. As for its specific effects, they are absolutely terrifying.” Mr. P thought for a moment. “It won’t be weaker than the ‘Blood Moon’ of the heart.”
Li Yue nodded, feeling that things were becoming subtly troublesome.
“In a few days, I will send you a letter. Future contact will be based on the location in the letter. I need to go and find out what Reinhardt’s objective is.”
“I need to find the cause of the temperature drop in the Outer Ring first.” Li Yue straightened up, but only to lean back against her chair. She looked extremely exhausted.
“It seems Miss K is not in the best of states. Let us conclude here for today.” Mr. P stood up and tapped his scepter on the ground. Li Yue rose with the others, and after a flash of white light, she was back in her room. She didn’t think much and fell asleep instantly.
Inside a pitch-black palace, a standing knight moved. His black armor trembled slightly as he slowly repeated to himself:
“A miracle... a miracle has truly come.”
In a magnificent hall, a beautiful woman seemed to have no desire for sleep. She walked through the hall, moving through the dancing crowds as she stepped to the side, searching for a partner she liked.
Outside a dark temple, a fleet of ships lingered. The wind and rain here were immense, with occasional tsunamis and tornadoes. A captain with a greying beard stood on the deck, his gaze piercing through the storm.
Lane finished his daily bedtime prayer. He looked at the stacks of scrolls in the corner of his room and the pages pinned to the wall, thinking in silence. After a while, a silver sword appeared in his hand. He weighed it in his palm, then set it back down.
In the distant sky, a storm seemed ready to gather.
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