The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Occasionally, serpentine rain streaks would crawl across the car windows, dispelling the mist of moisture and allowing passengers inside to see the scenery outside.

Only now did Dominic realize that, after going around in circles, she and her car had returned to that deserted train station.

Outside the car window, a few steps away, there seemed to be a figure.

Dominic looked closely and saw Hearn and Miss Van Mielion.

The two stood far apart, unlike travelers and farewell guests at parting. Dominique could sense the familiar, lifeless atmosphere in Hearn's every move. She saw him hand over the familiar dark gold briefcase and the enigmatic book to Miss Vanmillion, then turn and walk back towards the carriage without looking back.

It flowed smoothly and cleanly, without any lingering attachment.

Dominic didn't know why she felt this way, but he had no doubt about the feelings she had after witnessing it.

Hearn got back into the car and sat in the passenger seat, which was unusual. The driver's side door was opened, and Miss Mostima, who had returned sometime earlier, sat in the seat.

"Oh, little Domi's awake?"

As the blue-haired devil tightened the seatbelt, he turned around and smiled sweetly at Dominic, his eyes turning into crescent moons.

"what happened?"

Dominic, who rarely had a chance to lie down in the back seat, was weak and listless, but she still asked the question that was on her mind most at that moment.

Mostima did not answer, but instead glanced at Hearn, who was resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat.

"We'll talk about it when we get back. Right now, the most important thing is to get off work."

And so, with this perfunctory reply, Dominic began his journey home from get off work.

It's worth mentioning that right in the center of the front row, a bizarre and comical doll pendant, with a shape that Dominic neither recognized nor seemed familiar, was silently swaying in the rearview mirror.

Dominic took a closer look at the foreign object that had suddenly appeared in her workspace and realized it was a Cheshire Cat plush toy.

……

Sewers, estuary.

The use of such a playful term to describe Gomorrah, the sinful city on the abyss, is a double entendre.

It both mocks the dreamers who are confused and aimless here, who are actually second-rate people rejected by both worlds, and can be seen as a summary of one aspect of the geographical environment of this place.

In short, within this Abyss City of Sin, there are also rivers flowing into the sea, flowing endlessly.

Some are innate, some are acquired, some have existed since ancient times, and some are places where nearby residents wake up to find a large river has appeared in front of their homes.

Across the river from the glitz and glamour of the Bay Area lies the territory under the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice. As one of the only two quiet areas in Gomorrah, this district, with its towering black buildings, is undeniably a bit too solemn, standing in stark contrast to the decadent Bay Area across the river.

On the top of the black tower, an old man playing chess stopped his game.

The appearance of being old and frail is not suitable for this chess player; on the contrary, it is hard to imagine that words such as handsome, upright, bright-eyed, and energetic, which are usually associated with young people, would fit so well with an old man. However, the fact is as stated above—this person has most of the qualities that a young person should have, except that he looks like an old man.

An old lion, while playing chess, momentarily lost his composure, only for a fleeting instant.

Immediately, the old lion rose from its seat and bowed deeply to the other side of the game.

"Your Majesty, one of my incarnations has vanished just now."

There was no response from the other side of the game, and the old man humbly bowed his head and waited.

This silence did not last long; the old man was met with a gaze directed towards the outside of the black tower.

When the difference in status is as vast as heaven and earth, even a mere glance from the void will carry a weight that living beings cannot bear.

And it was also in accordance with the "gravity" that came with this "quality" that the humble old man turned his gaze to the outside of the towering black tower.

Outside the Black Tower, the Abyss City of Sin, shrouded in sea mist, seemed not to have awakened yet, still immersed in a deep slumber.

In other words, nothing unusual happened here.

Nothing happened.

"Barr."

A low echo came from the other side of the game.

"Your subject is here."

The humble old man, the bowed lion, and the devil, the head of the Four Pillars, responded with the same humility and devotion.

"How many beings in this world can silently annihilate one of your incarnations?"

"Your Majesty, I am but a humble subject. I have followed Your Majesty in conquering countless ages, and I have only barely reached the pinnacle of the Creation Realm. The realms beyond the Creation Realm are the ultimate mysteries that I am not qualified to witness. Therefore, I believe that only Your Majesty can accomplish this—"

The devil's words came to an abrupt end there.

It was not a sign of disrespect or pretentiousness, but rather a well-considered decision to remain silent.

Some things, if not weighed on the scales, will not pass even at four pounds; but if weighed on the scales, they will be too heavy to bear even at the weight of ten thousand pounds.

How simple!

However, in doing so, the secret manual would effectively be removed from the collection under his jurisdiction.

Putting aside the issues at higher levels, Baal was quite pleased to be able to get rid of this hot potato.

"Alright, let's leave this game here for now and come back to Marshem with me."

Marshem is the eternal ruling center of the Nine Hells, and the realm ruled by the supreme ruler of hell.

Old Cat Bal knew perfectly well who he was going to see on this trip. The relief he felt at having gotten rid of the hot potato vanished with the wind, leaving only a bitter sigh in his heart.

"May everything be as you wish, Your Majesty the Lord of the Flies."

……

Chapter 262 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night (Thirteen)

Dominic finally came to his senses in a bathroom in Aphrodite.

This is one of the many shops scattered throughout the Bay Area. It's not large, but it's quiet, or rather, unassuming.

In short, it's a shop where even someone as blunt as Dominic can barely remain calm.

Putting aside factors such as business hours, if one has a relatively stable and decent income, it's not a bad idea to stay here and make a living by setting up a stall.

The currency circulating in Gomorrah is forged from souls, and in most cases, it is almost omnipotent.

Domi's livelihood, of course, is that car, which is currently parked underground in the backyard.

For some special reason, Dominic could be considered a "regular" at this store—she knew someone who knew the place inside and out.

Stepping out of the bathroom, a hot towel draped over my shoulders, I realized it was closing time and I didn't need to worry about bumping into strangers.

From time to time, broken echoes came from outside the corridor. Domi followed the disjointed notes, turning and resolving as he went down the steps until he found an almost pure white grand piano in a corner of the lobby on the first floor.

Half a person was "buried" under the piano lid.

A pair of pale blue ethereal hands moved intermittently across the piano keys, playing single notes, not for the purpose of performing.

After another period of silence, the person "buried" in the zither stood up straight, turned around, and took out a tuner of another size from the toolbox beside him.

Dominic wisely refrained from disturbing Hearn. She found a place to sit down and, amidst the intermittent lingering sounds, her thoughts drifted away.

When Mostima came to his senses, he had already run away. With trouble at the place he had invested in, the blue-haired man was focused on disclaiming any responsibility.

Thus, the final interpretation of this utterly terrible day rested with the believer, Hearn.

Even as of yesterday, Dominique couldn't say whether she was fortunate or unfortunate in her relationship with the nightclub pianist who had half-buried himself in the piano. However, everything that happened today proved that she was indeed, in a sense, fortunate.

Some things about Gomorrah don't really need to be investigated so thoroughly, because there's no point in delving into them.

What's past is past, and what's past isn't past. If you're alive, live with a sense of hope; if you're not alive, there's no need to dwell on it.

Dominic stared blankly at the young man's back in his somewhat out-of-focus vision. Looking at his focused expression, he occasionally felt that this man was saying one thing and meaning another.

Hearn often said that he was a rotten person with a rotten life, living a muddled existence and dying a miserable death.

However, in reality, he still seems to be living a life that requires considerable thought.

Just like now.

Dominic's livelihood is the car parked in the basement of his backyard, while Hearn's livelihood is the grand piano in front of him.

If we consider the money that Miss Iota randomly sends based on the settlement of last month's commission as extra income, then Domi and Hearn are both poor Gomorrah workers.

Yes, there are no dreams worth chasing.

In the few months since arriving in Gomorrah, thanks to the perilous and troublesome life there, Dominic has come to terms with reality quite quickly, and she has almost broken away from the ranks of ordinary Gomorrah dreamers.

Hearn, Hearn probably already didn't believe in these things when they first met.

Dominic couldn't imagine what kind of person Mr. Hearn, who was chasing his dreams, would be.

The maintenance of this massive piano took quite a while, and Domi just happened to be late coming down.

After the clock struck five in the evening, the devout Hearn finally stopped obsessing over burying himself in the grave of the grand piano. He packed up his toolbox, wiped the sweat from his brow, and went behind the bar.

"any drinks?"

"No thanks, I don't have the money to pay."

Domi rolled her eyes and replied with a helpless and embarrassed expression.

Even if it's a light meal, Aphrodite is undoubtedly the Bay Area's biggest money pit, and I don't have any spare cash to squander here.

To be honest, she still has IOUs for next month in her accounts this month.

That's why she jumped down from the top floor of the apartment building that morning to run errands and buy alcohol so decisively.

An old-fashioned cocktail glass slid down the bar and stopped in front of Domi, its wisps of smoke making her twitch.

"Plain water is free."

From behind the bar came the lucid, even indifferent, voice of the pianist and bartender.

"..."

……

Time was wasted a little bit, which was a shame and a pity.

Dominic held the last vestiges of warmth between his fingers, picking it up and putting it down several times before finally letting out a long sigh.

As expected, there was no way to simply ignore it.

"Miss Van Mielion, has she gone back?"

"Yes, it's packed in a box."

"?"

"If you're referring to that wicked Ms. Lily, I think she probably doesn't have the surname Van Mielion. The only one with the surname Van Mielion is that red-haired lady in the box."

"How did you know?"

"Most of it is guesswork, and a small part is that I know the person in the box."

"..."

Sure enough, otherwise how could this guy have been persuaded to leave the apartment where he was holed up?

"So there's still hope for that mistress?"

"Of course, but the word 'mistress' is too malicious for such a young girl. No matter what you think, I only met the real Miss Van Mielion once."

"A single meeting? Hern, you're a devil and an angel?"

“I didn’t arrive in Gomorrah from the beginning. Before I ended up here, I tried to enter the country from a small border in heaven, but because I didn’t do any good deeds in my life, I was refused entry by heaven.”

"..."

“Angelina Van Mielion, that child was the clerk and guard on duty at the time. After I was refused a visa, she pointed me to the way to Gomorrah and said, ‘Don’t give up so quickly. If you go straight to hell, there will be no turning back. Come to Gomorrah first and try your luck. Maybe you can do some good deeds to make up for the bad deeds you lacked in your life. That way you can save yourself indirectly. Then you can go back to her and see if you can enter heaven.’”

"..."

Because the amount of information was so overwhelming, Dominic was speechless for quite a while. She took a deep breath and gulped down some warm water before she calmed down.

"Hearne, so you weren't originally a native of the Nine Hells?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"So, Hearn, are you still planning to do something virtuous and sneak into heaven?"

"Not for now. As you can see, I'm quite comfortable here, for now."

Has anyone told you that the way you talk sounds offensive?