I want to be a faded person for life

After observing it for a while, she grabbed the protruding ring at the bottom of the iron door and lifted it up. The door slid up with the sound of the mechanism turning.

The scene before me became wider as the iron gate rose.

Green grass, ginkgo trees in autumn, tall mountains under the sky, giant trees emitting golden light, churches and majestic castles.

This magnificent scroll made Xiangzi stand there in a daze for a moment, not knowing where to look.

"Oh, another one who has never seen the world."

A voice filled with malice and mockery, making people want to punch the owner of the voice.

Although the language used was not Japanese, Xiangzi was able to understand what the other party meant.

"The Faded Ones, desiring the Ring of Elden, came to this Junction... I know all about it. This is certain."

"It's really sad to be without a witch by your side. In the end, you can only die in obscurity."

Following the sound, I saw a man wearing a strange white mask leaning against the wall with his hands folded.

The man's white robe was covered in dirty blood, giving him a very dangerous look.

Xiangzi cautiously took off his rapier.

She had no interest in the incomprehensible people with faded colors or the old man's ring in the white mask, but a piece of information revealed by the other party at the beginning made her pay attention.

"Have you ever seen a girl about my age with short grey hair and the same style of clothes as me?"

"Humph…"

The man looked up and down at the girl holding her sword in a defensive posture with his eyes under the mask.

"The ceremonial sword of a limb-jointing noble. It seems you are quite powerful."

He spread his hands to indicate that he posed no threat.

"It's okay if I answer you as a favor... I've indeed seen the faded one you mentioned, a girl as pitiful as a little animal."

Toyokawa Shoko's pupils contracted and dilated.

"Where is she?"

Chapter 6: Tree Guard

As if he didn't notice Xiangzi's anxiety, the man in white mask crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his casual attitude made people very angry.

"Nimgfu is a vast land. It's simply impossible for a Faded One like you, who doesn't even have a witch, to find your lost companions here..."

"But even so, there is still a glimmer of hope—because you met me, the kind-hearted Fan Lei."

"You know the blessing, right? It's the golden light that allows you faded ones to rest for a while."

Blessing...is this what you mean?

Xiangzi glanced at a place not far from Fan Lei's feet, where there was another flickering golden flame.

"That cluster of golden light will point in a certain direction. That is what is called the 'Guidance of Blessing'. It is also the path that the Faded Ones should follow, and your companions are no exception."

"Yes, the guidance will tell you which direction the Faded One should go—or where he should be buried."

These words made Xiangzi frown.

First of all, it was the other party's attitude. The man who called himself Fan Lei always looked at her with mockery and contempt, which was the attitude that Xiangzi was most familiar with when he worked in customer service before.

Secondly, the content of the words. Fan Lei's words contained too many unclear words, but Xiangzi still managed to summarize the useful information.

That cluster of golden flames is called "Blessing". It is a place for the so-called faded ones to rest. It is not a special bonus for her to be reborn in another world. Her healing of injuries and even her resurrection from the dead are all related to it.

The second point is about the whereabouts of the lamp.

Fan Lei called himself and Deng the Faded Ones. According to the other party, the actions of the Faded Ones would be guided by blessings.

Although Fan Lei's words may not be credible, Xiangzi did find traces left by Gao Songdeng near the two "blessings".

"It's really high and mighty."

Shoko Toyokawa didn't plan to pay any more attention to Fan Lei. The most important thing at the moment was to reunite with Deng as soon as possible.

If you look closely, you can see that the golden light particles floating around Cifu are indeed vaguely pointing in a certain direction. If that's the case, there's no need to continue talking to this suspicious person.

Judging from the blood stains remaining on Fan Lei's body, it might not be wise to continue staying with this guy.

Fan Lei didn't seem to care about the girl's leaving without saying goodbye. He just continued talking in a joking voice.

"...I think the direction the blessing is pointing to is definitely the city on the cliff, Stonewell."

"That's the abode of the old, ugly demigod, [Limb-Replacing] Greg."

Xiangzi suddenly stopped.

She heard a word that could not be ignored, turned around and stared at Fan Lei with a sharp look.

"Limb Reattachment... You mentioned before that this rapier of mine is the weapon of the Limb Reattachment Noble, right?"

Fan Lei shrugged.

Xiangzi continued to ask,

"What do you mean by limb replacement..."

Fan Lei let out a low laugh.

"You must have seen those ugly lunatics."

"Limb grafting is exactly what it sounds like—a ritual of attaching the limbs of another creature to one's own body, thereby gaining power."

"Greck was born weak, and he and his people can only make up for their shortcomings through this method. This is also the only legacy left by the Golden Family."

As he spoke, Fan Lei suddenly turned his head towards the girl, his tone full of mockery.

"If I were you, I'd better act quickly. Nimgefu, where you are, is the hunting grounds where Greg uses limb grafts. That old, ugly demigod's favorite thing to do... is to graft the arms of Faded Warriors onto his own bodies to steal their power. Even if he can't use them, he'll save them for his own people."

"Countless people disappear here every day, and most of them... become bacon hanging in the basement of Stonewell."

With every word Fan Lei said, Xiangzi's face turned paler, and cold sweat kept pouring down her back, making the Yuqiu school uniform stick to her body and feel very uncomfortable.

Before Fan Lei could finish his words, Xiangzi turned around and ran out.

"Ugh."

Seeing that the other party had run quite a distance, Fan Lei, wearing a white mask, spread out his hands helplessly and shook his head.

"Without a thorough plan and a broad enough vision, once one's vision is constrained by something, one will expose more flaws, leading to an embarrassing outcome..."

On the grass in the distance, the girl who was running forward suddenly felt her body lighten and she was thrown high into the air.

"Ahem——"

The last thing that caught Xiangzi's eye was a warhorse covered in heavy golden armor and a sharp axe blade the size of a wheel.

The girl's body was cut in half, her internal organs and spine exposed to the air, and the hot blood spilled onto the surrounding bushes like pouring rain.

The horse's hooves then came down, crushing her upper body like a balloon filled with water.

"Just like this."

Fan Lei rubbed the blood stains on his white robe with his fingers and sighed in a mocking tone.

"...The blood all fell into the mud. It was such a shame that it was unbearable to watch."

-

"Ha ha."

Xiangzi gasped violently and sat up in the blessed firelight.

The sharp slash and heavy iron hoof reminded Xiangzi of a tram on rails. The glaring scarlet on the TV news reappeared in her eyes, which was even more severe than the shock of death itself.

So this is what it feels like to be run over by a train.

Every bone in his body creaked, and his internal organs were squeezed out of his throat like a frog in a laboratory.

The girl hugged her shoulders and after a moment she stood up straight with the help of her rapier.

"Oh...you adapted so quickly?"

Xiangzi dragged her somewhat stiff body and stood beside Fan Lei. This time she saw clearly what had caused her death.

On the grass not far away, a knight on a warhorse was patrolling back and forth.

He was extremely tall, at least over two meters tall. Both he and his horse were covered in heavy golden armor, and even the outside of his eyes had protruding armor plates.

The knight carried a long-handled axe the size of a wheel, and on his other arm hung a large golden shield as big as a table.

"..."

There is absolutely no hope, Xiangzi made such a judgment.

The previous monster with attached limbs could be destroyed together with her by using the suspension bridge, but this one, riding a warhorse and wearing full armor on the grassland, was an object she could not defeat even if she tried her best.

How can people wrestle head-on with a train?

"Who is he and why did he suddenly attack me?"

Fan Lei touched the bare chin of the mask, smiling.

"The Great Tree Guards, the most elite heavy cavalry of the Royal City of Rodel... Honestly, I don't know why there are Great Tree Guards in this place. Perhaps the lord in the Royal City doesn't want to see any Faded Ones leave the King's Chapel."

"This guy is quite dangerous, otherwise why do you think I would be standing so far away?"

Chapter 7: A seemingly old friend

Xiangzi knelt on one knee, lowered his body and observed the situation in the distance.

The heavy cavalry in golden armor was still wandering on the path at the foot of the hill, and seemed to have no intention of chasing.

Not long ago, she tried to talk to the knight, but was still smashed into pieces by the long-handled axe.

She tried to launch a sneak attack, but the rapier could not penetrate the heavy armor. The next second, she was kicked away by the hind hooves of the warhorse. Before she could get up from the ground, she was embedded in the ground by the axe blade.

What to do...

Xiangzi, who had been resurrected here three times, frowned and bit the tip of his thumb, completely unaware that blood was already oozing out from there.

This time she noticed that the flickering flames on the ground seemed to have become a little weaker. With her death and rebirth, the power called blessing seemed to be continuously consumed.

This phenomenon made Toyokawa Shoko feel depressed. The number of resurrections was probably not infinite. Once the flame of blessing burned out, she might not have the chance to start over again.

"You could actually try to get around him."

The white mask standing behind Xiangzi suddenly spoke.

"The Great Tree Guards are proud knights of His Majesty. Their purpose in stationing here is probably just to eliminate those who possess the potential to become kings."

"In other words, he probably wouldn't be interested in a small-time character who hides his true identity. After all, in the eyes of the noble knight, that's not the behavior of a king."

Yeah, why don't I try to get around him?

Xiangzi was stunned. He should have thought of such a simple question.

The girl shook her head. Although she still felt that Fan Lei was very suspicious, she had to thank him for helping her calm down.

"Why do you want to help me?"

The white mask rubbed his bloody hands, and his laughter reminded people of a slimy and venomous snake.

"It's an investment, my dear lady."

"I think you're a talented person. Maybe we'll have opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Even Toyokawa Shoko herself did not notice that she was rapidly adapting and becoming skilled in repeated deaths. From an observer's perspective, this speed was astonishing and even abnormal.

It only took half a day for the young girl who was just pretending to hold a sword to become a reckless warrior who dared to attack the knight of the royal city from behind.

"...Thank you so much."

Without saying anything more, Xiangzi jumped down from the hill with one hand on the hilt of the sword.

The girl with blue hair and twintails rolled on the ground to release the force, then dove into the bushes.

After observing the knight's approximate location, she made a circle on all fours and slowly crawled forward.

His knees were hurt by the stones in the soil, and Xiangzi now regretted more and more that he had not taken off the robe of the aristocrat with limb grafts and put it on. Yuqiu's short skirt was really not suitable for moving in such an environment. Even an extra pair of trousers would be much more convenient.

"Hey, what is that?"

Xiangzi felt something pulling his hair.

The girl was startled and turned her head to see a brown goat chewing on a bush. It seemed that the goat mistook her hair for food.