The wound on Li Yue’s wrist gradually healed. A massive amount of blood from the air had fallen onto the ground, staining the snow-white landscape a vivid crimson. For a brief moment, even she could not distinguish which was her own blood.
Or perhaps all the blood had simply mixed together.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered around her in various states of disarray. Looking at the streaks of light on the horizon, she felt a wave of boredom and opened her hand. The stagnant blood on the ground suddenly became active; one by one, blood droplets condensed into blood crystals, dancing through the air like a passing storm.
The streaks of light in the sky paused. Blue light screens expanded around them as they struggled to resist the onslaught.
Her figure vanished immediately. Having changed into a different cloak, she walked into a quiet alleyway.
In the empty snowy field far behind, several figures supported each other as they landed. A man wearing a thick black coat inspected the area. He looked at the corpses in the snow; most had been sliced open, while others suffered from puncture wounds, some even riddled with holes like a honeycomb.
He knelt down and rubbed the blood that had already mixed with the snow. His expression gradually shifted to one of surprise.
“Is this a blood demon?” he muttered softly, though it was unclear who he was asking. “A congenital blood demon?!”
He collected some of the blood into a bottle and shook it, seemingly observing its behavior. After a while, he slowly stood up and looked around.
“Let’s go. I need to return to the Inner Ring,” his muffled voice came from beneath his mask. “I need to see Lord Rein.”
“Yes, sir,” the others in the snow responded in unison. They gave a military salute and began to collect the bodies of the fallen.
Li Yue listened to the faint heartbeats carried by the wind. It seemed no one was following her, but to be safe, it was better to take a detour.
She let out a yawn, though her speed as she ran through the snow was faster than before.
Half an hour later, she appeared once again at the familiar gates of the Asylum. Aestherin and the others seemed to have already departed. They had taken a carriage, leaving two clear wheel tracks in the snow.
On second thought, she didn't have much else to take with her for now. As for her remaining belongings, she planned to retrieve them once Aestherin or Lane returned.
She checked the mailbox at the entrance; she wanted to confirm something before leaving.
She brushed the snow off the mailbox and opened it. A gold-stamped invitation lay quietly inside. Her brow furrowed slightly as she reached in and pulled it out.
The recipient’s name wasn't clearly written; it simply said “Miss K.”
She flicked her wrist, and the short blade hidden in her sleeve slid into her palm. She gripped the handle, the slender blade dancing between her delicate fingers.
She sheathed the short sword and focused her attention on the invitation.
It was an invitation to a family gathering. She opened it and scanned the contents. It was filled with a series of extremely flowery phrases, but she found herself slightly interested in the families mentioned.
The signature at the bottom was from a family named Black Nightshade.
Are the families here distributed according to magic factions, or are they linked to the resource distribution of Yakutsk? Or perhaps it’s a bit of both? If that Ms. Q is related to the Royal Court, could she be the one creating those blood demons?
Probably not. Such a desecration of life is contrary to the ideals of rebuilding the Royal Court.
Could the manufactured blood demons be those missing people? Since they’ve disappeared, no one has noticed.
The last time she went to the Inner Ring, it was to assassinate a wealthy tycoon who ran businesses in the red light district. However, those businesses were also closely linked to human trafficking. She had killed him in haste back then, but it seemed all of that had only subsided for a short while before making a quick comeback.
It seemed she hadn't caught the true mastermind.
Was I still thinking too simply? Indeed, one cannot be lax. When cutting the grass, one must pull out the roots.
Should she tie up her hair or leave it down? Forget it, she would just do whatever she felt like.
She hailed a carriage by the roadside and glanced back at the Asylum. If there ever came a day when Lane didn't return, she would bring them the judgment they deserved.
The closer she got to the Inner Ring, the brighter the streets became. The accumulated snow began to be cleared to the sides of the road. Aside from a few sets of clothes and the mementos in her ring, she seemed to have nothing, making moving house quite easy.
A banquet attended by important figures... should she dress more formally? Thinking it over, she realized she didn't have many clothes that could be considered truly presentable.
She returned to her bedroom with practiced ease and rummaged through her wardrobe. A black dress in the corner caught her eye.
She pulled the dress out. It certainly wasn't an outfit meant for warmth, but it was indeed grand enough, and it came with quite a few accessories. Li Yue recalled that this was the outfit she had worn when she first arrived in this world.
She changed into the clothes and put on the headpiece. A necklace wasn't necessary, but wouldn't the blood crystal on her chest be too conspicuous like this? Walking would reveal her left thigh, while the right leg was hidden well enough to strap on a ring of throwing knives.
Dressing like this looked so cold. She ran to a nearby clothing store and bought a snow-white black fur-collared coat with silver decorations and obsidian carvings. Draping it over herself like this, she could hide her entire person inside while walking.
As for the venue, the heating would definitely be excellent. While she didn't know if the wealthy of Yakutsk lived extravagant lives, their quality of life was certainly high.
As for weapons, she didn't bother bringing any. If a situation arose, she could just condense a blade from blood. If all else failed, she could pull out the blood crystal from her chest; aside from being extremely painful, there were no side effects.
Having sorted out her attire, she felt a strange sense of melancholy. It seemed this trip would not be easy. She suddenly felt a trace of longing for life in the Outer Ring—perhaps there would no longer be a greenhouse for her to play the violin, no breakroom to share dinner with others, no visits from acquaintances, no dilapidated streets, no flickering streetlights, no bright moon, no long nights, and no eternal winter.
She stood in the wind for a good while. Like everyone who makes the decision to turn away, she stood in the wind for a long time.
The clatter of a carriage approached from a distance. This was the carriage from the family mentioned in the invitation. It had golden decorations that felt completely out of place in this winter landscape, as if it didn't belong to this world.
The driver stepped down and opened the door for her. Another stood ready to assist her as they waited quietly.
Li Yue knew that for this scene, the time to exit had arrived. Whether it was the Outer Ring or further away, their roles had ended. Everything that had been set in motion, everything that it pointed toward, led to that prosperous Inner Ring and that sun-like Energy Tower.
So now, which act had they reached?
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