What truly causes me pain is not any specific thing; I just feel as though my life, in the midst of daily existence, is like a plantain leaf—not yet fallen, but gradually rotting. (Osamu Dazai, 《No Longer Human》)
Li Yue's thoughts began to wander. She was growing weary of this life—the disputes, the injuries, the constant presence of death and slaughter, and the endless stream of trouble. If this was fate, then she would surely curse it with all her might.
As she thought this, a faint stinging sensation came from her hand. She let out a soft "hiss" before realizing that the blade had just sliced across her finger. Mende, standing nearby, remained silent, though he found the situation somewhat bizarre.
Did she just cut her hand? She clearly startled herself... but why isn't there even a wound? There isn't even any blood.
Did I miss, or did the blade just fail to cut? I sharpen this knife every day... She probably just scared herself and thought she was cut.
It couldn't be... that the wound healed the very instant the blade passed through, could it? That would mean her self-healing ability is far too powerful. That shouldn't be possible.
Li Yue set the chopped meat and vegetables aside, silently marveling at her own regenerative powers. With her magic being so abundant, the wound had been repaired without a single drop of blood being shed.
"Alright, the next step is like this..." Mende took the knife, heated oil in a pan, and skillfully began his culinary demonstration. Before long, an exquisite plate of sea intestine fried rice was finished. After plating it, he gestured for Li Yue to take a bite.
This was a portion of sea intestine fried rice. Li Yue took a spoon and had a taste. The crunch of the sea intestine, the salty savor of the ham, and the aroma of sautéed scallions mixed with the light freshness of the seafood—the various flavors blended together without clashing. The stir-fry time was perfect, and even the chive sprouts added midway remained a vibrant green.
Li Yue nodded. Although she didn't have much of a pursuit for fine dining, she could clearly distinguish whether food was delicious or not. In fact, her sense of taste was far more sensitive than it had been in the past.
Click-clack, click-clack. The sound of heels hitting the floor approached, and Sharon's graceful figure appeared at the kitchen doorway. She was holding a map covered in annotations and looked slightly exhausted.
"I just made some fried rice; do you want some?" Mende took another spoon from a drawer. Sharon accepted it and served herself a small bowl.
"I have an idea." Sharon opened her map and showed it to Li Yue and Mende. she had drawn a small circle not far from their route, marking what appeared to be a small island.
"This is the lair of the pirate Cook. He has a map of this area," Sharon said slowly.
"I remember him. One of the largest slave traders on the sea. Even though he's a Mage, his business is quite extensive," Mende noted with a nod.
"Is he a man beyond redemption?" Li Yue asked, her interest piqued as she set down her small bowl.
"He's far worse than just beyond redemption..." Sharon sighed. "This man works both sides of the law and frequently hosts banquets on this island."
"Every time, his fleet carries many of the sea's powerful elites and even high-ranking officials from the mainland to hold grand festivities there."
"Banquets seem normal enough. I suppose it's just 'pools of wine and forests of meat' with high expenses," Li Yue said with some disdain, not quite grasping the full depravity the phrase implied.
"There is also a fleet filled with all sorts of young girls he has kidnapped or swindled. The youngest..." Mende let out a heavy sigh.
"Stop right there, we're still eating," Sharon said, glancing at Li Yue, who still had a grain of rice on the corner of her mouth. She feared that Li Yue, like her younger self who had just left the academy, would be unable to handle such dark realities.
"I understand. Along with those things, there must be violence like torture and murder," Li Yue said, wiping her mouth. "Say no more. Let's destroy that place."
"Miss Li Yue, what level of magic user are you currently?" Sharon couldn't help but ask, even though she felt the question was somewhat rude.
"Somewhere between a Mage and a Great Mage, I suppose," Li Yue thought for a moment. Facing an ordinary Great Mage, taking on two at once probably wouldn't be difficult for her.
"Then let us move toward their position. Cook is likely away at this time; we'll take what we need and leave," Sharon finished her fried rice and headed for the deck. Li Yue sat in her chair, feeling the ship's direction shift slightly.
The ship's speed didn't seem to change much at first, but as gusts of strong wind blew in, the velocity increased significantly.
"The wind is picking up..." Li Yue murmured as she walked onto the deck. She watched as a small dot in the distance rapidly grew into an island within her sight. She felt a wave of boredom.
As if a cloth were being draped over the ship, the entire white vessel gradually blended into the environment. Mende appeared on the deck with several short swords at his waist; he seemed to be a magic user who excelled in close combat.
"Brother Mende's magic can hide his tracks and create illusions. He's also the most fearless killer among us," Blan said, appearing nearby with a small staff. He cast a light spell, and the ship's weight seemed to decrease significantly.
"I couldn't even stand the sight of blood at first, but I'm much better now."
"Is life in the academy that peaceful?" Li Yue hadn't brought anything with her. She had no staff—or rather, that extremely long, cross-shaped, blood-red sword was her staff.
"The protection measures in the academy's combat classes are too thorough. There are only minor injuries, never the kind of heavy, bloody wounds you see in reality," Blan laughed sheepishly. "Don't you use a staff?"
"Me?" Li Yue blinked. If she used her blood sword, a single strike from the sky would probably sink the entire island. "Setting that aside, are you still afraid of blood now?"
"Not anymore. We've been pirates for a while now," Blan said, puffing out his chest with apparent confidence.
"Really?" Li Yue pulled out a small silver knife and tossed it in her hand, a hint of playful interest gleaming in her eyes.
"Um..." Blan froze. He suddenly felt like a prey being toyed with by a hunter, like being slowly coiled by a giant serpent that could kill him instantly but chose to slowly tighten its grip just to watch his reaction.
Swoosh! The sharp blade instantly sliced across Li Yue's wrist. A massive amount of blood sprayed out, leaving Mende stunned and Sharon, who was steering the ship, speechless. Blan's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees.
The blood spraying in the air ebbed and flowed, seemingly breaking free from the shackles of gravity. The wound on Li Yue's wrist had already healed, and even the lost blood returned to her.
After gaining the Blood Moon, she had grown accustomed to using the moonlight from that realm to attack. Although it had the same effect as slitting her own wrist—since it was all her own blood—summoning the Blood Moon for such a small demonstration felt like overkill.
Li Yue smiled, and the blood in the air condensed into a blood sword made of blood crystals, which dropped into her hand.
"This... this is... the Royal Court!" Blan shouted, trembling.
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