Night Journey

Chapter 109 Confused
For Cillian now, money is not a difficult thing to deal with.

He could easily raid the strongholds of the various monstrous forces, pry money out of their safes, or even accept a hefty commission and use his own blood to extract soul essence.

Cillian had calculated that all of these options were highly feasible.

But in the end, Cillian still found Mafoni.

Money is easy to come by, but Cillian can't get "power".

In order to strengthen its control over the city of Hel, the city council has imposed strict controls on all vehicles capable of traversing the wilderness.

Even if Cillian had enough wealth to purchase it, he would still need to go through a series of approvals, qualification verifications, and guarantees from others.

After the road was blocked, Cillian considered purchasing some components and having Bruce modify them to create a vehicle that could barely pass through.

Unfortunately, if Cillian could think of it, how could the city council not?

Related components, such as small torch arrays and power frames, are also subject to the control of the city council. Even the discarded remains must be handled under supervision.

In desperation, Cillian set his sights on Mefuni.

The city-state council has a strong control, but this is only limited to the city of Hel; the Centipede Merchant Guild is not included in this.

Mefuni asked with a grin, "Cillian, does that mean you're admitting it?"

Ciri feigned a worried expression, took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh.

“Well, what do you need me to do, Ms. Love?”

"Oh, you've grasped the situation quickly, even the way you address people has changed."

Maefuni was smug about having Cillian under her thumb, while Cillian thought she was just a child.

"To be honest, I didn't know what you wanted to do with the money. Can you tell me?"

As expected, this moment has arrived.

Cillian had prepared many lines beforehand, but no matter how exquisitely the lies were woven, Cillian still felt that they were full of flaws when he spoke them.

Looking at MaeFone's naive and somewhat foolish eyes, deceiving her would only backfire.

Cillian confessed.

"I want to prepare a vehicle that can travel in the wilderness."

Mefuni's smile faltered, and she belatedly realized, "Wilderness? Vehicle? Are you leaving Hel City?"

“I am a stranger in this land, and Hull is just a stopover on my long journey.”

Cillian continued, "The situation in Hel City is so bad right now, it might be finished any day, so we might as well prepare in advance."

"You don't need to worry so much. If something really goes wrong, you can leave with the Centipede Merchant Guild's caravan."

“But the Centipede Merchant Guild is the Centipede Merchant Guild, and Ciri is Ciri.”

As soon as Cillian finished emphasizing this, he noticed a hint of disappointment flash in Mefuni's eyes.

"What's wrong? You're as sullen as an otter that can't crack open a shell."

"No...nothing."

Meifuni was indeed very disappointed.

She had very few friends, and Valerie, the only one she could play with, was severely punished by Cillian, although Cillian later became her new friend.

But Maefuni still didn't have many friends. Just when she had finally started to get closer to Cillian, she suddenly learned that he was leaving.

The time of his departure remains uncertain, but the fact that he is about to leave already makes Maefuni feel slightly sad.

She was tempted to refuse the loan so that Cillian wouldn't leave, thus satisfying her own selfish desires.

this is not right.

Maefuni cannot, out of her own selfish desires, prevent Cillian from gaining freedom.

"Uh-huh……"

Meifuni crossed her arms and kept humming, as if she was trying to think about something.

"I can lend you this money, but..."

Meifuni made her demands.

"Tell me about your past, Cillian."

"what?"

Meifuni carefully considered her words, seemingly having Cillian under her control, but given his personality, he was only reluctantly cooperating.

"Since you're going to borrow money, it wouldn't be too much to ask me to get to know you properly, would it?"

"..."

Cillian was slightly surprised, not expecting Mefuni to make this request... a request he found difficult to respond to.

He hesitated, intending to embellish his past experiences and ramble on.

Cillian couldn't do it.

He could not alter what happened in Baiya Town, just like words carved in stone, which no one could change except time and the wind.

Cillian remained silent. A long silence.

"Ugh……"

Meifuni sighed, looking helpless.

Cillian said awkwardly, "Am I being too boring?"

"How could that be? I find you mysterious and distant, which arouses a strong desire to explore you."

Maefuni turned the conversation to herself, "I'm a boring guy, easily seen through... Cillian, you must think I'm completely naked, right?"

"Pretty much, you're quite easy to guess."

"Ugh, this is so annoying."

"Haha."

The two simply changed the subject, ending the awkward atmosphere.

"Since that won't work, then..."

Maefuni thought for a moment, then ordered Cillian, "Go, buy me a cup of coffee!"

“Yes, Ms. Love.”

Cillian stood up decisively and strode away.

Once outside the city guard station, Cillian breathed a sigh of relief.

With Mefuni's promise, Cillian was full of confidence for the upcoming operation.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of doubts washed over me.

Solving the vehicle problem is merely the ticket to traverse the wilderness; many more difficulties await.

During long-distance travel between city-states, in order to reduce the risks along the way, many vehicles traveled together and formed caravans. More caravans then gathered together, eventually forming what is known as brigades.

The group divided the tasks among themselves. Those familiar with the terrain planned the route in advance, and stargazers predicted the upcoming gray zone to ensure that the route would not happen to run into a demon tide or, even worse, step into the spirit world.

When night fell and they set up camp, the torchbearers proved their worth, standing guard around the perimeter of the troupe throughout the night to ensure that no demons would invade.

There were also accompanying spirit craftsmen to prevent the vehicle from becoming disabled...

If it's this difficult for large-scale brigades to operate, then it's even more difficult for Cillian to travel alone. Even if he solves these problems, a new one awaits him.

Where should I go after leaving Hel?

Yes, so where should I go from here?

Cillian had pondered this question countless times, but he could never find an answer.

So he placed all his hopes on the evil claw.

He only hoped that after eliminating the Claws, he could extract more information from them, like a burning fuse to keep Cirion's hatred burning.

And then, and even further after that?

Thinking of this, Cillian suddenly shuddered.

He was holding the coffee he had bought for Meifuni, standing on the bustling street. Some pedestrians hurried by, some strolled leisurely, some chatted and laughed, and some shouted slogans.

This place is so crowded! If Cillian hadn't dodged in time, his coffee would have been spilled.

But Ciri felt very lonely. People were far away from him, so far that he couldn't hear their voices or see their faces.

Cillian felt a rare moment of confusion.

He couldn't see the future after his revenge, like standing in front of a foggy, water-stained pane of glass. Even if he pressed his eyes against it, he couldn't see what lay ahead.

Fortunately, this confusion only lasted a short while.

Cillian is a man who lives in the moment and only cares about tomorrow and the day after.

As for next week, next month...

I can only rely on my future self.

Now...

"Alright, Ms. Love, your coffee is here."

Cillian placed the coffee on the desk with a smile on his face.

"Can we discuss the funding in more detail?"

Meghanie retorted without mincing words, "How impressive, Cillian! You've gone from borrowing money to sponsoring someone in the time it takes to buy a cup of coffee, haven't you!"

"Haha."

Cillian chuckled awkwardly, thinking to himself, "This naive fellow isn't so easy to deal with after all."

"Hmm~"

Meifuni squinted, seemingly lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)