Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 699 Opening the Door
When trials come, demons will whisper, and evil spirits will murmur in languages ​​we cannot understand.

What, what's wrong?
White smoke billowed as Thales stared blankly at Hilly before him. The girl cupped his face in her hands, her lips moving anxiously, but no sound came out.

How, how...

The next instant, the icy touch on his neck sent shivers down Thales' spine!
Oh, right, I... I just managed to shout it out?
Perhaps it even brought trouble.

Thales stared at the eerie white smoke in front of him, sensing the presence behind him, and his clarity and rationality gradually returned to his mind.

"Who...who are you?" He reached for his dagger and asked the person behind him warily.

Or rather, what are you?
Seeing this, Hillay became even more terrified and shook her head desperately.

The person behind him gently stroked his neck, their voice growing sweeter and gentler: "That's not important."

Thales shuddered.

strangeness.

This sound is...

No, this is not possible.

"What really matters is, who are you, Thales?"

Thales instinctively turned around and grabbed the wrist of the person behind him!
He was immediately stunned.

She was a blonde girl with beautiful features and wearing glasses.

She stared blankly at the wrist that Thales was gripping, slightly panicked.

is her?

Thales found it unbelievable.

Who is she? — Hilla looked at the girl in front of her with the same surprise and doubt. She couldn't make a sound, but her lip movements were clear and understandable.

Thales ignored Hilly and instinctively released his wrist.

It's Selma.

Selma Walton.

Little rascal?
Thales looked at Selma with suspicion and uncertainty.

Her expression, demeanor, and actions, including her habit of pouting, were exactly the same as when they parted.

She was simply taller and more slender, with more striking features, and her gaze towards Thales was even more...

“No, it can’t be, it must be… How, how did you do that…” Thales instinctively stepped back, but was caught by Hilly.

But Selma sighed weakly:
"Thales, do you remember everything you taught me?"

Her steps were unsteady, her eyes glazed over, just like Long Xiaocheng back then, when she was fleeing for her life with him.

“No,” Thales frowned and shook his head, “Stop, you’re not her, you are, I know what you are…”

"lie!"

Selma grabbed his wrist!
The Grand Duchess of Dragon Sky City stared intently: "You have no idea what I am, what I should be, or what I mean to you..."

No.

This is just a trick.

It's just a trick.

This simply doesn't exist...

Thales felt a sudden panic. He desperately pulled his wrists back, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Selma as possible.

Hilly wanted to rush over to help, but it was as if there was an invisible wall separating her from Thales and Selma.

Even though she struggled desperately, she couldn't get close to the two of them at all.

“You’re just lying, Thales. You’re lying to me, just like back then! You told me everything would be alright, you told me I would have my own choices, you told me I could leave if I wanted to, but you’re lying! You’re lying! With lies we all know!”

Selma gritted her teeth, tears welling in her eyes.

Thales felt flustered and his chest felt heavy as he struggled to break free from the other person's grasp.

Do not!
This is all fake! Fake!

Even if the real Selma came, she wouldn't be like this...

"And I believe in you!"

Selma gripped his wrist tightly, her body went limp, and she cried out in anguish:
"Because you know, you know I'll believe you! So you feel guilty and relieved, because you know that as long as it's you, as long as Thales says it, I'll believe it no matter what! Even if I know it's a lie, I'll still believe it! Because I only want to believe what you say!"

In that instant, Thales felt as if something inside him had been struck hard by a heavy hammer.

He bowed his head deeply.

Hilaire was a foot away from them, frantically pounding on the void, shouting something desperately.

But Thales couldn't hear.

In the distance, a torch flickered dimly in the white smoke, its light fading intermittently.

"Why, Thales, why? Why are you so good to me?" Selma cried herself hoarse, her voice trembling with sorrow as she touched the dagger in Thales' hand, pointing the blade at her heart. "And why are you so mean to me? Why won't you let me go, yet you won't hold me tight?"

The next second, Thales took a deep breath and suddenly looked up!
With a clang, JC's dagger fell to the ground.

In Thales' hand, the torch in the distance replaced the dagger, which he pushed forward with force!

"No, ahhhhh!" Selma screamed in agony amidst the sudden flames.

It appeared in the fire.

Thales trembled, trying hard not to notice the hot tears streaming down his face.

"No, Thales! Why? Why?!" The Grand Duchess's face was distorted and curled up by the flames.

Disillusionment before God...

Thales bit his lower lip, unable to bear looking at her.

The screaming stopped.

“You said it, you said you would have a way, Thales.” A new voice came.

Thales was startled and turned around.

Sometime later, Selma disappeared.

Standing before him was a little girl of about four or five years old, covered in dirt, looking like a little beggar.

On the girl's face, a coin-shaped burn scar was clearly visible.

That's... Coria?

“We, we all long for you to come, Thales,” the youngest beggar in the sixth house said innocently, his voice full of naive and earnest hope. “We long for you to come and save us. I believe you will have a way! You always have a way!”

Thales felt a jolt in his heart and instinctively took a half step back.

No.

why?
“But you didn’t come,” Coria’s voice dropped, her expression becoming blank, lost, and lifeless. “You didn’t come to save us, you didn’t show up, Thales.”

"Never, not even until death."

He never did it, not even until he died.

Thales swayed.

He stared blankly at Kolia, whose eyes were ashen, and at the burn scars on her face:

“I…no, I just…I…”

I……

I am sorry.

White smoke rose, and the torch in his hand went out with a snap.

On the other side, a foot away, Hilly was frantically pounding and tearing at the air, making "no" gestures and mouthing the words with all her might, trying to attract Thales' attention.

“It’s okay, I know, Thales, I know how it feels…”

Thales looked up, bewildered.

Before her, Selma, her eyes bloodshot, sniffed and tried her best to give a comforting smile.

"But like you said, we must remember, remember this fear of being at the mercy of others, of being unable to make our own choices, right?"

Selma took off her glasses and stretched out her arms. The latter did not react and let the girl wrap her arms around his neck.

Completely at the mercy of others, unable to make their own choices...

“No,” Thales said in a daze.

“You and I, we both loathe this feeling,” Selma looked at him gently, her eyes like water. “This loathe is even greater than the fear we feel.”

"In order to be free from this fear, and in order to one day be able to choose freely, we will, and must, become strong."

Thales trembled all over, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"No matter who you want to become, there is no need to be afraid."

He hugged Selma tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder, as if that would relieve him of many burdens.

“And you know what I’m talking about, Thales, you know.”

Selma whispered softly in his ear, "Whoever you want to be."

"No matter who you become."

"To become...the one who turns around all this misfortune."

Thales's gaze was unfocused.

Turning this misfortune around...

He instinctively clenched his left fist, his fingers touching the scar on his left palm.

if only……

Just a light swipe...

Turn misfortune around.

“That’s enough!”

The next second, Thales felt his arms lighten, he lost his balance and fell to his knees!
"You! Stay away from him!" Hillary's hysterical voice came from afar.

The surrounding white smoke instantly dissipated.

Thales landed on his hands, feeling a sudden emptiness in his mind, the dazed feeling from before vanishing.

Ok?
He was suddenly startled and looked up abruptly!

Hilly stood five steps away from him, gripping the sharp JC dagger and pressing it against her own throat.

Blood flowed from between the skin and dripped down JC.

tick.

She is...

"Oh, is he that important?"

Thales jolted awake and quickly stood up—the aloof Grand Duchess of Dragonsreach stood beside him, looking disdainfully at Hilaire, who had a blade pressed against her throat.

"I'm not joking! Step back!" The young lady from Emerald City was furious, her breathing rapid and her face covered in sweat.

Thales was startled, and Selma's gaze turned cold; the two of them took a step back simultaneously.

"Hilary?"

Thales stared nervously at the dagger at Hilly's neck: "Why... what is that...?"

He remembered something and instinctively picked up the torch from the ground, wanting to relight it.

“‘Appearing in the fire’ is a rumor, Your Highness,” Selma said lazily, as if she knew what Thales was going to do. “Just as people come in all shapes and sizes… fire is only useful to a small part of us. For most of us, fire is a friend, an inseparable companion.”

Thales frowned.

"As for 'disillusionment before the gods,' well," the Grand Duchess smiled slightly, "at least that's what humanity desires?"

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

"Shut up!"

Hilla roared, blood streaming down her neck from the dagger down her wrist.

"You, come over here—throw that thing away!"

Thales instinctively dropped the extinguished torch, stood next to Hilla, and confronted "Selma" before him.

"Who was that?" Thales asked in a low voice, still shaken.

“Tell me! Who is she?” Hilly replied irritably, clearly in a bad mood.

Thales took a deep breath and dared not speak again.

"Selma" sighed, "Cecilia, you know the cost of suicide, right? It's not just death."

Hilly swallowed hard; the pain in her throat made her expression tighten.
"Yes, then I'm in breach of contract."

Thales looked surprised and suspicious.

Hilla dared not loosen her grip on the dagger, and gritted her teeth as she spoke to the "Selma" before her:

"But you, you will forever lose the bridge and ferry to the human world! It's okay, right? You just need to wait a few hundred or a thousand years, and maybe you'll get lucky and run into the next clueless, stupid girl!"

"Selma" fell silent.

"So, you're willing to breach your contract just to get him, him?"

Hilaire spat and said, "None of your business."

Selma smiled slightly.

"Then, the contract is made, and one day, Cecilia Regina Bella Kevindir, you will fulfill your promise..."

Thales's expression changed.

Selma's gaze sharpened, pointing directly at Thales.
"Only for him."

what?
What contract?
"what?"

Thales wasn't the only one surprised; Hilly was equally astonished:
"Me? Him? Hey! Monster! This isn't a consensus! No, this isn't a contract! You can't just..."

The next instant, "Selma" suddenly appeared in front of Hilla and, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, snatched the dagger from her hand!

"careful!"

Both of them were startled. Thales was startled and instinctively pulled Hilly back, watching "Selma" warily.

"Selma" skillfully twirled the JC dagger in her hand, revealing a provocative smile.

Oops.

Thales and Hilly exchanged a glance.

"I...I have many other ways to commit suicide!"

Hilly spoke quickly, lowering her head to rummage through her fanny pack:
"Poison, yes, I have poison, the most terrifying kind... You simply won't have time to react..."

“You didn’t bring any poison today,” Selma said lazily, “because I was afraid of accidentally poisoning His Highness.”

Hilly froze as she rummaged through the things.

Selma's smile became increasingly glaring.

But the next second, Thales grabbed Hilly and put his arm around her!
“I… I can kill her!” Thales pressed the JC dagger back against Hilly’s neck, looking menacing.

Selma's expression changed. She frowned as she looked at the vanished dagger, lost in thought.

Hilaire was taken aback, then realized:

"Yes, yes! He can kill me! He's incredibly powerful!"

Thales brandished his dagger and nodded fiercely.

Hilly wiped away the blood that had dripped onto her nose with disgust.

Selma's gaze turned cold.

The three stared at each other for several seconds, until "Selma" suddenly bent over and burst into a thunderous laugh:

"Haha ...

She laughed heartily, overjoyed, and even rolled around on the ground in happiness.

Thales and Hilly looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Oh, just kidding!"

"Selma" finally finished laughing. She clutched her stomach, panting, and pointed at Thales:

"Don't worry, don't worry, my dear Cecilia, I won't do anything to him... Look, this child is marked: there's a big 'This is taken, keep away' written on his forehead!"

Ok?
Thales and Hillary were both puzzled, and Thales even subconsciously touched his forehead.

"But what I find very strange is who ordered such a shipment."

Selma stopped laughing, sat down on the ground, and looked Thales up and down with interest.

Thales felt uncomfortable under its gaze and whispered to Hilly:

"What do you mean? A mark? And can it please stop talking like that? At least... at least change its appearance?"

Hilly raised an eyebrow:
Who is this girl?

Thales hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

But the next second, as if "Selma" had heard what Thales said, countless white smoke billowed from her body!
The two were startled, but when the white smoke dissipated, what appeared before them was a pitch-black human body. It was smooth and glossy, light in stature, and had all four limbs intact.

It looks like a "person" covered in thick black oil.

It just lacks facial features.

Thales felt disgusted by it.

Okay, it looked better before.

"Hmm, you must be very valuable, Your Highness. Perhaps you're quite delicious?"

It "looked" at Thales, scratched its arm, and ripples spread across its smooth, jet-black body:

"Tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes me want to take you away even more, and makes me even more willing to offend the big shot behind you..."

The ripples on its surface increased, like the trembling surface of water.

"Yes, take you away, possess you, torture you, destroy you, and offer all of this to the sovereign I serve, to the great, thousand-faced monarch who bestows my favor..." Its speech quickened, and the "person" trembled, clutching its head and tilting its head back, its voice trembling:
"Just imagine how happy His Majesty must be! Aa ...

As Thales listened to the other party's offer to "take away" him and then "offer" him to some Thousand-Faced Monarch, his expression became subtle.

“Ignore it,” Hilly whispered. “It has a time limit here.”

But the madness of the dark-skinned human body continued:

"...And once His Majesty is happy, complacent, or carried away, I will have my chance..."

"I have the chance to kill it, torture it, imprison it, destroy it, and become the new king! Haha ...

Thales frowned:
"Does your monarch, that thousand-faced thing, know that you've always harbored treacherous intentions and wanted to kill it and take its place?"

It trembled upon hearing this and lowered its hands.

Ripples appeared on the faceless, jet-black face:

"Huh? This? It, it, it..."

It seemed troubled, slowly curling into a ball, until it stretched out its limbs again and burst into wild laughter:
"Of course it knows! Otherwise, why do you think it would bestow its favor upon me instead of upon other worthless people who don't even have the courage to rebel, kill their lord, or destroy themselves?!"

The pitch-black human body, cradling a smooth head, trembled with its head tilted back, resembling a sluggish, mechanical doll.

"Your Majesty, long, long ago, it has been anticipating, hoping, and yearning for the day when its subordinates will be strong enough to rival it, resist it, destroy it, and even replace it, so that it may find the most unparalleled and supreme enjoyment in greater, more terrifying destruction and devastation, in painful roars and the bitterness of defeat? Hahahahahahahaha..."

Thales struggled to understand the other's logic, but Hilly simply shook his head solemnly.

"Just like long ago, the demons incited humans to seek the unknown, urging them to touch the forbidden..."

It reached out its hand to Thales, trembling, its words filled with unparalleled joy and madness:

"Go break free from faith, go against the gods, go despise order, go loathe yourself, go pursue excellence, go seek magical power beyond all understanding, go become a calamity that this world cannot digest, go and cause unprecedented catastrophe, chaos, terror, and amusement that even the demons themselves will find agonizing! Aa ...

what?
Thales grasped something from his incoherent and illogical words.

"And they succeeded!"

It danced wildly, yelling and screaming amidst the white smoke:

"When the first mage pierced the boundary, awakening the gods and shaking their faith! When the calamities and the kings fell into hell, slaughtering and destroying, questioning the origins! When the River of Hell was thrown into boundless chaos, the rulers of hell rejoiced amidst pain and torment, enjoying success between destruction and rebirth: they finally played the self-destructive poem they had longed for since their birth, the chaos and disorder that even the supreme gods could not remedy! Heaven, the mortal realm, and hell, fate began to turn, heading towards a terrifying end, and this boring world finally became interesting!"

what?
Thales was stunned.

White smoke billowed, its wild laughter never ceasing, yet it remained as black as ever.

“This is…” Hilley began, frowning.

“Why?” Thales suddenly asked, “Why are you telling me all this?”

Its maniacal laughter came to an abrupt halt.

“Oh, my prince, you know why.”

The smooth, featureless face turned toward Thales, giving the latter a chilling feeling of being watched:

"You know."

Thales was taken aback and was about to ask further when he saw it flip into the air!
“Alright, Cecilia,” it landed behind them in the hazy white smoke, “since you’ve given me so much fun—I’ll give you a discount today!”

Hilaire was startled:
"Discount? What do you mean? You wait—"

But before she could finish speaking, she saw white smoke dissipate, and a figure cried out as it fell out!

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

It's Srimani.

Thales' eyes widened.

The chief arbiter of Emerald City looked as if he had just woken from a nightmare, staring groggily at the white smoke around him: "What are these things? Where is this place?"

The next moment, it—a bizarre, pitch-black humanoid figure—appeared behind Slimani and waved to Thales and Hilly.

The two were immediately startled:
"Manny!"

"Let him go!"

But as soon as he said it, Thales realized that Slimani couldn't hear him.

Just like what happened to Hilla.

The next second, Slimani turned his head to look at "it", and was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

No.

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew that Slimani must have seen or heard something, just like he had just done.

"No, no, no, you're not real, not real, not real..." Slimani didn't dare to look up. He covered his head with his hands, trembling and muttering to himself.

"You really don't remember, Manny? We made a promise, didn't we?"

This time, its voice rang out softly, and even Thales and Hilly could hear it:

"When you and your wife were living in a short-term rental, unable to earn money to pay rent, unable to afford a decent suit, and struggling to make ends meet? When you were working day and night, thinking only of getting ahead?"

Slimani remembered something.

He stared wide-eyed at the thick white smoke in front of him.

"Do not……"

"When you, after countless exhausting afternoons at work, after countless numb nights returning home, suppressing your tears and pain, filled with resentment and sorrow, voice your questions to me..."

Slimani covered his ears tightly, his expression terrified.

It paused for a moment, seemingly enjoying the other's fear.

“Remember, Manny, we made a promise: you would willingly offer me a tribute, something that comes naturally, leaves silently, neither increases nor decreases in its presence, and is never noticed when it is gone…”

“No, no, I didn’t!” Slimani trembled even more violently.

"Something you've always had, but never really valued..."

"No, it's impossible!" Slimani shook his head desperately, in great pain.

But its words came crashing in unstoppable:

"An object that not everyone has, but when others possess it and you don't, you feel exceptionally happy and joyful; yet when you have it and others don't, you suffer even more pain and misery—a cursed object..."

“I didn’t! I didn’t do anything—” Slimani said with his eyes tightly shut.

The next second, it suddenly roared, its voice terrifying:

"Look at it!"

Slimani shuddered in fright, instinctively opened his eyes, and felt something in his hand.

The chief lawyer lowered his head in alarm.

At that moment, he realized that what lay in his hands was a twisted, shrunken, blackened, and wrinkled body, with its head especially tilted to one side...

A dried-up infant corpse.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--"

He was so frightened that he dropped the infant's corpse in his hand and screamed in terror.

"Let him go!"

Thales was extremely anxious. He instinctively rushed forward, but the white smoke in front of him formed an insurmountable wall, preventing him from moving forward an inch.

"What is this? Can we break through it?" Thales asked Hilly anxiously, frantically pounding on the smoke in front of him.

“I…I don’t know,” Hilly said nervously. “When an anomaly occurs, many common sense rules don’t apply. No, don’t look over there directly, you’ll be affected…”

On the other side of the smoke screen, the twisted infant corpse began to writhe under the white smoke, emitting eerie cries.

"No! No, no, no, no! No! Ahh ...

Slimani was terrified, tears streaming down his face. He crawled on the ground, disregarding his appearance, wanting only to get as far away from it as possible.

Thales stared, his eyes wide with rage.

"Manny—"

At the other end of the white smoke, the desiccated infant corpse twisted and crawled, its mouth opening and closing eerily, emitting a shrill, wailing sound:
"Remember! You mortgaged it to me, and to your life, in exchange for a better life—fine clothes and sumptuous food, with surplus grain even in times of famine! In a position of power, a single word can decide life and death!"

The next moment, the infant corpse convulsed and raised its head, its cries heart-wrenching:

"Isn't that right! Skinny Slimani! Useless Slimani! Talkative Slimani! Bookworm Slimani! Slimani who can't do farm work! Country bumpkin Slimani! Poor Slimani! Odd-job Slimani! Lowly Slimani! Temporary worker Slimani! Slimani who can't pay rent! Stupid Slimani! Easy to bully Slimani! Cowardly Slimani! Clever Slimani! Guard Slimani! Pen Slimani! Report expert Slimani! Eloquent Slimani! Guard's pen Slimani! Great Defender Slimani! Watertight Slimani! Cunning and clever Slimani! Slimani who reverses verdicts! Knowledgeable Slimani! Customer-first Slimani! The highly respected Mr. Slimani!"

Each time it uttered a name, Slimani on the ground would convulse in pain.

“Look at what I’ve given you over the years—no, it should be that over the years you’ve worked hard, struggled to get ahead, and through my insignificant little intermediary, you’ve exchanged something with this world.”

Its voice softened, becoming less shrill, but carrying a hint of indifference.

"No, no, no...no!"

The crawling infant corpse was still some distance from Slimani, but the latter, surrounded by white smoke, lay on the ground, terrified, screaming incessantly and kicking desperately at the air: "I just, I just..."

“But you broke the contract.” Its voice suddenly became dry, monotonous, and devoid of emotion.

It was as if it were a business transaction.

“You took it back not long ago, without permission—according to the contract, it was my property,” the infant corpse stopped convulsing and crawling, and slowly dissipated into white smoke. “So, I have come to fulfill the contract and reclaim the collateral.”

Slimani's struggles lessened, and he stared blankly at the white smoke in front of him, watching it transform into a smooth, pitch-black human figure.

"Including principal and interest..."

It raised a finger, pausing subtly in front of Slimani's eyes: "Add a little penalty for breach of contract?"

The very next second, Slimani seemed to see the most terrifying thing in the world. He clutched his head and screamed, "No no no noa ...

"Hey!" Thales pounded on the wall of white smoke, gritting his teeth, "Let him go! You devil!"

"Don't look at it!" Hilly grabbed his arm, her voice filled with panic. "No!"

But the dark figure ignored them.

"Why, why! Why me!" Slimani screamed, wailing repeatedly.

It responded with a loud laugh:

"Don't complain, Manny! Because this is a transaction, a contract, a fair deal. Your example is one of the laws that many fools believe in: Abandon humanity, and you'll be rich and have a good life. Believe in humanity, and you'll die a violent death!"

"Because the gods, or rather, those beings on the other side of the world, want to see your struggle, your torment, your trials, your winding and turning life, your unexpected ending, and to see you prove your worth with everything you have, just like watching a performance or reading a novel—just like us!"

"And the price is that all mortals in this world, including you, will be tormented for all eternity, with no way out! You will be the one being admired, acting as an actor in every glance, laugh, and curse they cast, repeatedly reenacting that pathetic, pitiful, foolish, and laughable life! Ahh ...

Its laughter was unrestrained and exuberant.

Slimani's screams began to weaken.

"Besides, compared to your landlord and boss..." it chuckled, putting down its finger, "you're much more fun."

Slimani's screams finally stopped.

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

The next moment, Thales felt nothing in front of him as the wall of smoke suddenly disappeared.

"What did you do to him?" Thales rushed in front of Slimani and roared.

It turned around and innocently spread its hands:
"Don't worry, he's alive. He didn't pawn his life to me."

Thales felt a sense of relief upon sensing Slimani's breath, but the sight of the monster before him caused his nerves to tighten again.
"What the hell are you!"

“Evil,” Hilly murmured as he came up behind him, “it is evil.”

"Nonsense! I'm not evil at all!"

Upon hearing this, it chuckled, a ripple spreading across its smooth, black face:
"Compared to the most terrifying, evil, and horrifying existence in this world, compared to the great magic it has perfected over thousands of years, compared to its operating mechanism that can twist every ordinary person into a villain who harms each other, compared to its ingenious concept and grand vision of transforming extreme evil into the mediocrity of evil, compared to its decadent music that can make everyone willingly and even proudly embrace evil and even consider evil as good... tsk tsk tsk, my kindness, purity, and integrity are even worthy of Losophia waking up to write books, write biographies, and erect monuments in my memory..."

“And I wish you to defeat it, Your Highness,” it tilted its head, its tone playful, “to become—the most evil of evils, the most wicked of wicked.”

Thales frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

But it just chuckled, and the entire human body began to disintegrate and dissipate...

"Get out!" Hilly snapped out of her daze, grabbed a rock, and hurled it at the creature.
"Leave far away!"

"Don't be like that, little Six-Fingered, you're one of my most valued customers! As for this prince whose future is uncertain, hehe, please remember my name, so we can do business together in the future..."

Thales frowned.

"By the banks of the Hell River, we are warm and hospitable," its laughter pierced through the smoke, "Borrowing and returning, soul and bones, Jacques!"

Soul Bone, Jacques?
Thales was startled and turned to look at Hilly.

But the latter simply shook his head.

"Alright, before I go home, I still need to go to the outskirts of the city to find a client," its voice came through the white smoke. "A blind old widow who lost her daughter years ago but lost her case in court, unable to get justice, and can only pray all day that her enemies will get their comeuppance. She's waiting for me to fulfill my promise and deliver the message—maybe I'll charge her a little more commission?"

Thales seemed to remember something and looked at Slimani in his arms.

"And she might believe once again: justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent! Haha ...

Amidst seemingly endless, maniacal laughter, the surrounding white smoke gradually dissipated.

The last laugh echoed in the thin white smoke:
"The sun and moon are both pitch black, the River of Hell is a cup of blood, I am a cannibal, I will open your heart for you!"

Finally, the white smoke that had been obscuring our view completely dissipated.

Only Thales remained kneeling on the ground, supporting the unconscious Slimani alongside Hilla.

"Your Highness, why did you stop?"

Thales shuddered and turned around, only to find Golov standing in front of him, with Rolf, who looked equally puzzled, behind him.

They were in a quiet, deserted alley.

Occasionally, passersby would glance at the group with curiosity.

Golov looked at him, puzzled, as if nothing had just happened.

It seems like just a second ago, they were walking down the street perfectly fine.

But just now, just now clearly...

"Excuse my bluntness, but we are still in danger and cannot... What's wrong with the defense attorney? Has he collapsed from exhaustion?" Golov noticed something was wrong and took the slumped Slimani in his arms.

Slimani groaned and slowly woke up.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile:
"Manny, are you alright?"

Slimani opened his eyes, looking ahead groggily: "Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing..."

Snapped!
The sound of fireworks exploding came from afar, as if a large number of cluster fireworks had been ignited somewhere.

Upon hearing the sound of fireworks, Slimani sat bolt upright, startling everyone.

He looked up and smiled.

"Oh, by the way, wife," he said, a simple, silly grin spreading across his face as he looked up at the moon, "I copied fifty warrants today and also helped a secretary correct two grammatical errors. They gave me an extra five copper coins!"

Thales' smile vanished.

Hilaire, who was beside her, sighed.

Golov looked at the defense attorney with surprise, and cast a puzzled glance at the prince.

No one spoke, and Slimani realized something.

His eyes changed, he shrank back, avoiding the moonlight, and said timidly:
"But, but I gave the money to the old woman at the street corner, but she and her granddaughter... are almost starving!"

He covered his head, his voice trembling with sobs:

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Honey, I know I was wrong! I won't do it again!"

Thales stared blankly at the trembling Slimani.

“Manny…” he began with difficulty.

"I know!"

Slimani suddenly looked up at the moon again, a simple, silly grin on his face.

“I heard the security department is recruiting temporary staff. I can read, I can do arithmetic, I can recite scriptures, and I can copy documents. And those official documents and reports aren’t that difficult, are they?” He counted on his fingers one by one like a child. “Trust me, wife, trust me, next week, just next week…”

The former renowned lawyer took a deep breath, his fear tinged with a glimmer of hope, yet brimming with confidence:
"We, we'll definitely be able to pay the rent!"

"must be able to!"

At that moment, Thales stood there dumbfounded, staring at Slimani's silly grin.

I don't know what to say.

(End of this chapter)