The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 198 Ch.197 Helen Hawkins

If you want to find an enthusiastic and hardworking person on Jin Island, you will find them everywhere.

In particular, the "enthusiasm" of these people made Roland feel as if he was walking barefoot on a carpet of sharp needles.

Sometimes being too sensitive to malice is not a good thing.

Some of the oddly shaped stone houses had bells hanging on them, and some had strange symbols carved on their wooden doors: Roland guessed that these were secret codes agreed upon between the owners and someone.

A silvery, jagged full moon hung overhead, and the mountains were covered with a thin silver veil.

The further Roland went into the city, the more 'noisy' it became.

No less than three groups of people have approached him.
-
Maybe it's because I'm always looking around that I look like a 'newcomer'?
"Perhaps it's your head, King Roland."

With the dim light of the lantern in his hand, a cat's head was revealed.

——Yellow eyes with vertical pupils, two triangular ears, a pointed mouth, a long beard, and a furry head.

"Can you give a speech to express your gratitude for the award?"

"What could have caused you to do this to your head in such a dangerous place, Mr. Conspicuous Bag?"

The tabby cat grinned wickedly, looked up with its two big eyes, and moved its ears.
-
You see, I can turn both ears to the left at the same time.

As he spoke, both ears twitched simultaneously to the right.
-
You can also turn right.

"Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. What should I give you as a reward?"
-
Reward me with the position of Ms. Helen Hawkins.

"Were you deaf just now?"

The cat-headed man holding an oil lamp paused.
-
I mean the actual location.

'She has a separate house in the left inner city.'

Yes, that's not a lie.
-
But the pointer didn't say that she was there too.

Lieyan jumped a few times, seeming a little surprised.

"You're not really a fool..."

He stabbed Roland, not giving him a chance to retort, and the flames were blazing.

It introduces the biographical background of Ms. Helen Hawkins.

When she was young, she was exposed to the mysteries by her mother. Later, she founded an illegal organization on her own, praying to a fictitious god and making a lot of money - she didn't have many followers, but they were all ignorant enough.

Later, the Supervisory Bureau came to her door, but she escaped quickly.

After joining the wanderer camp, it took another ten years for him to gain a firm foothold in the mysterious world.

People called her the Grey Witch.

Wrench only briefly recounted the ritualist's past, which was too normal for a wanderer.

When a person possesses unfathomable power, what does he use it for first?
Most are used for profit.

Make your life better.

This will inevitably hurt others.

What surprised Roland was that such a lady who had such a wonderful first half of her life...

It’s only in the third ring.

The Eighth Crown God: The White Crown Lord of the Wasteland.

The Road of Dry Bones.

Three Rings: Undertaker
This is what Roland found puzzling.

Judging from these sloppy introductions, she had lived a stable life for at least fifteen years.

but…

Three rings?

"Not everyone has your talent and luck."

Wrench said.

"Whether the ritualists of the Eighth Crown God step on 'Dry Bones' or 'Elegy', what they rely on to burn is the desire for life..."

Every link will burn their desire.

rising.

Then, a new link yearns more and more for eternal silence, the end and death.

But at the same time, the ritualist must restrain this "yearning", rekindle vitality, and burn it more vigorously than the previous level - only then can it be possible to meet the conditions for upgrading the level again.

Constant pulling, tearing, and twisting will not only drive people crazy, but most people will simply sink into depravity, extinguish the flame of pain, and stop at a certain stage.

This is qualification.

In fact, the ritualists of the Eighth Crown God are very interesting: the smart ones among them will anchor an object, a few memories or even a person in their hearts early on - with the help of this vibrant anchor, they will continue to have something to burn every time they upgrade their rings.
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It seems that my "fantasy" is much better than theirs.
-
It doesn't tear me apart or make me hesitate.

"yes."

"It will only turn you into a complete lunatic one day who can't distinguish between reality and fantasy."

"Do you think this is better?"
-
Is my cat head cool?

"..."

"You already are."

The cat-headed man stroked his beard and rubbed his nose seriously.

Very fresh.

Although he changed his 'head', he did not have a cat's sense of smell at all.

Roland thought that even his senses would change, or his teeth would become sharper.

If there really was a dream where he could "put on a mask and dress up", Roland actually wanted to become a bird, a bird that could fly freely, away from the stench and filth flowing on the land.
-
I've been feeling 'bloated' lately.

"You consume 'secrets' every day and replenish them every night. The 'swelling' you feel comes from your soul. This means that you meet the conditions for upgrading to the next level. You can proceed with the ritual to upgrade to the next level."
-
So is my cat head cool?

The flames formed a huge middle finger, passing over Roland's ear and pointing to a location in the right city area.

"Follow my love for you, Cat-Man."

…………

……

The witch of the wanderer camp is a news broker. She deals with politicians, ritualists, nobles, merchants, and even criminals.

As long as you have something that interests her.

The place where she landed seemed like a cave destroyed by a hurricane. The entrance of the cave was littered with scattered pieces of cloth and dark bloodstains, and even some dried turbid yellow liquid of unknown origin.

A foul smell arising from steam penetrated the nostrils, becoming stronger and stronger as it went deeper, enveloping the visitor unexpectedly and almost drowning him in the stench.

The path of "Lamentation" involves dealing with spirits.

The "Dry Bones" path is interested in the walking dead.

Fernandez said that a certain grand ceremony on this road can transform people into people who can almost ignore small-caliber firearms - their skin is tough and they are invulnerable to swords and guns, and the more powerful ones can even bathe in flames.
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Can’t take a shower with water?

"That's just a metaphor!!"

"…Anyway, you won't be interested in this ritual."
-
why?
“It requires a special material.”

Flames fell down several characters.

"Some...living babies."

Roland said nothing, but raised the lantern.

"Helen Hawkins."

He shouted loudly into the cave.

"Hello! I'm here to visit Ms. Helen Hawkins!"

The cave is shallow.

First there was a cough.

Then, Roland saw a lantern of the same standard as his.

A pale, thin hand grasped the lamp handle and passed through the darkness -

She was wearing a tattered black dress, had a thin figure but agile steps, and her voice was young.

"I don't remember who I had a date with today..."

She had a hollow skull on her head, which was creaking and turning like a clockwork doll.

She looked for the light.

Then I saw a cat-headed man.

Helen Hawkins: …

"Oh, new business." She rested her eyes on Roland's chest and crotch for a moment, her jaw opening and closing, and she said jokingly, "Good night, Mr. 'Cat'."

(End of this chapter)