The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Business as usual.

Is it an illusion?

The monkey scratched his head.

Just now, he vaguely heard a muffled sound coming from somewhere, but when he looked up and around, the source of the sound had vanished without a trace.

However, he trusted his intuition. The wild instincts of the Funa people were always very accurate. In this blizzard-stricken weather, in this abandoned former settlement no longer protected by hunters, he could not afford to be careless.

He was the only prospective hunter present. Although he had not yet graduated, he also bore the responsibility of protecting his companions and civilians.

With this thought in mind, Sun immediately focused all her attention on cooking the canned goods in front of her, while carefully watching for any disturbances around her.

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Chapter 40 Encirclement by Allied Forces

"Long ago, the king of the Kingdom of Coldwind conquered the entire continent of Anima and established a cooperative relationship with the Kingdom of Mante, located on the continent of Solitas. Mante provided technological support, while the Kingdom of Coldwind provided resources such as dust crystals. Thanks to Mante's technology, the Kingdom of Coldwind learned how to live stably in the frigid conditions for extended periods."

However, Mant later passed a resolution abolishing art and emotional expression in order to conceal human emotional signals and avoid provoking the Grimm, a terrifying demon capable of discerning emotional signals. While the Kingdom of Coldwind followed Mant, its inland areas continued their original way of life, and the abolition of art and emotional expression was limited to its own inhabitants on the outskirts of the kingdom.

As time went on, the Kingdom of Coldwind began to expand its territory, landing on the eastern coast of the continent of Sanus and establishing colonial outposts. Conflict inevitably erupted with the inhabitants of the local Kingdom of Valley. Although the Valley King repeatedly avoided direct confrontation, large-scale armed conflict eventually broke out in eastern Sanus. It is impossible to ascertain who fired the first shot, but from that moment on, the Valley King could no longer tolerate it and formally declared war on the Kingdom of Coldwind. The Kingdom of Coldwind immediately allied with Mante to jointly resist the Kingdom of Valley.

In short, this was a war resulting from a direct clash between individualistic ideologies advocating freedom of art and self-expression and a totalitarian regime that enforced autocratic rule.

The Great War began 90 years ago and lasted for 10 years, with the flames of war spreading all over the world. It became the largest and longest bloody conflict in the history of Shuburi, and was described as an "ignorant, greedy, and oppressive war."

Initially, the King of Vacuum Kingdom attempted to remain neutral, with Coldwind and Mante promising not to threaten the kingdom. However, they soon demanded a hefty protection fee from Vacuum Kingdom on a regular basis and requested an alliance. Vacuum Kingdom refused their demands and expelled all their forces stationed within its borders. Subsequently, Vacuum Kingdom announced an alliance with Valley Kingdom.

Subsequently, Coldwind and Mante decided to launch a direct attack on the Vacuum Kingdom, intending to cut off its source of dust crystals. However, just as they set foot on the Vacuum Kingdom's land, the Valley King appeared. Legend has it that he wore only a crown, carried a sword and a staff, and single-handedly annihilated the entire enemy army. But some argue that the Valley King's victory in the war was also due to natural factors such as climate.

Finally, this great war ended 80 years ago, and the King of the Valley Kingdom became the King of the World, with the other three kings submitting to him. He could have easily unified the world under his own rule; however, he did not. Instead, on Vit Island/Island of the End of the War, north of the continent of Sanus, he and the other three kings re-established world order. Here, the leaders of humanity chose peace over bloodshed, and built the foundation for modern society, enacting new laws, establishing new schools, and setting new customs, thus securing the hard-won, temporary peace. The King of the Valley then abdicated the throne of the King of the World and founded the Hunter Academy of the Valley Kingdom.

The great war, which lasted for 10 years, has come to an end.

The Great War fueled growing negativity among the humans of the Treebeast world, causing a surge in Grimm numbers, which then began attacking human settlements. Although humanity possessed numerous skilled warriors capable of resisting the Grimm, their infighting on the battlefield ultimately exhausted them, resulting in the permanent destruction of many settlements. As the primary battleground, much of the continent of Thanus became a wasteland overrun by Grimm.

Because the Kingdom of Mante promoted the abolition of art and emotional expression, the Tree-Children developed a new tradition—naming their descendants with color-related terms, which is the origin of the "Color Naming Method/CNR".

The emergence of Hunter Academy enabled humanity to better cultivate its peacekeepers; and the peaceful conclusion of the Great War brought forth Vitter Day, a commemorative day promoting harmonious coexistence among humanity worldwide. The first leaders of each Hunter Academy were loyal followers of the former King of the Valley Kingdom.

Many of the advanced technological achievements and individualistic cultural customs of the Treebone world originated from this war; at the same time, the war also promoted the improvement of relations between humans and the Funa people and the birth of the Hunter Academy, and gave rise to a call: "Fight for yourself, not kill each other."

Peace guides humanity to a higher realm.

The believer, Hern, rubbed her slightly throbbing temples with her thumb, then picked up the scroll with one hand and continued reading, while her other hand still tightly gripped the throat of the girl in her arms, a gesture that was more symbolic than practical, preserving a certain degree of her right to breathe.

There are some things that must be clarified, otherwise everything is just empty talk.

"The Skyward Kingdom, located on the continent of Solitas, is the youngest and most successful of the four kingdoms, but its situation is quite unique. Its predecessor was the Mant Kingdom. At some point in history, some pioneers ventured to explore the frozen continent of Solitas, the northernmost part of the planet Treebone. Solitas's harsh, frigid climate, like a mountain range, effectively blocked the invasion of the Grim Reapers, ensuring the prosperity of the Mant civilization. At the same time, the harsh environment forced the Mant to be adventurous, developing more advanced science and technology, progressing faster than any other nation in the world. But the real beginning was the Great War. New methods of using and weaponizing Dust Crystals led to the rapid expansion of Mant, with more and more land being used for mining and research. The land near Mant's combat school—Frost Academy—was the ideal location for building a new research base. However, after the Great War ended, things began to complicate matters."

After the Great War, Frost Academy reopened and was renamed "Skyward Academy/Atlas Academy".

During the war, Skyward Academy housed a large number of warriors seeking advancement. In return, the post-war Mante government utilized all the latest dust crystal equipment and technology to expand the academy's campus. The academy's land expanded at an astonishing rate, even helping to maintain stability in the surrounding areas. Soon, the kingdom's army was stationed there, followed by laboratories and research institutions, and eventually, residential areas sprang up. By then, Mante City had become a forgotten gem, living in the shadow of Skyward Academy. The kingdom decided to make Skyward City its new capital and changed its name to the "Skyward Kingdom." The proud people of Skyward called this "the beginning of a prosperous golden age," but those abandoned in Mante City generally considered it "the coldest winter" they had ever known.

The Skyward Kingdom is home to the headquarters of Snowy Dust Crystal Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of dust crystals, and Miss Snowy in my arms is from this family. The country's military power is unprecedented, and General James Earnwood, the principal of Skyward Academy and the chief administrator of the Skyward Kingdom, has great power and connections in the fields of science and education.

This country is the world's leading technological power, with its military maintaining a close cooperative relationship with Xue Ni Chen Jing Company, forming a robust military-financial integrated economic system. As early as the Great War, this country pioneered the development of intercontinental communication towers, which were rapidly deployed worldwide after the war. The "Skyward Ranger" series of large armed mechs and the "Skyward Knight" series of intelligent combat mechs manufactured by this country are best-sellers both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, it is rumored that the Skyward Kingdom is also conducting research and development experiments on humanoid combat life forms.

The political system of the Skyward Kingdom is unique among the four kingdoms, being a highly integrated nation encompassing the government, the academy (Skyward Academy), and the military.

"In other words, even if none of this was my intention, based on the current facts, I looted the Dust Crystal Express of the Treaty between Qingtian and Hanfeng, abducted Qingtian's princess, or rather, the second young lady of the Xue Ni family, and was even branded as the disgrace of Qingtian by the Qingtian Kingdom??? Wait, I understand everything else, but where did this title come from?"

The believer, Hearn, entered her name into the scroll, hoping that nothing would come of it.

The result was obvious: there was no information about the strange name "Believer Hearn" in the regular network.

“emmmmmm” Mr. Hearn is in trouble.

A custom scroll, distinctly different from the mass-produced ones Mr. Hearn had, was handed to her from below. The softly lit screen displayed Mr. Hearn's portrait. Instead of his current flashy white suit, he wore a black leather trench coat with a hood, revealing casual bangs and sharp, raptor-like eyes beneath the brim.

The believer softly read the words beneath the portrait.

"In the aftermath of the war, the continuous stream of outstanding demon hunters trained by the four elite hunter academies did indeed stem the tide against the invasion of the Grim Reapers from the Darklands. However, the Skyward Empire, rebuilt on the wastelands of Mant, did not fully endorse the ideals advocated by the Beacon Academy of the Valley Kingdom. In the Skyward Kingdom's view, the decay lurking within human civilization was just as deadly as the Grim Reapers from the Darklands. From farm altars to the heart of city rule, omnipresent Chaos cultists lurked beneath the surface of prosperity, secretly conducting one mad blasphemous ritual after another, attempting to communicate with the Warp in exchange for the favor of their venerated evil god. In the final moments of the war..." For the next eighty years, countless tragedies buried in history failed to sound the alarm bells for the Valley Kingdom. Demon hunters trained by Beacon Academy, one after another, threw themselves into the fight against the Grimm, intentionally or unintentionally ignoring the root cause of those numerous tragedies where Grimm appeared out of nowhere within the kingdom. After the war, the Valley Kingdom consistently attempted to unite the four nations on a shared path of "eliminating differences and achieving global harmony." The courageous Skybreakers approved of the Valley's approach, providing them with maximum military support. However, this did not mean that Skybreakers would, like the Valley, selectively ignore political trends and allow a minority to slide into the abyss of chaos.

"While training demon hunters, the Sky Academy will select the best among them, test their loyalty and faith, and ultimately recruit a very small number of elites into Sky's official secret purge force. This is a manifestation of Sky's steel order."

"Search powers, arrest powers, torture powers, and even the supreme power of execution!"

The believer finally understood why there was no overt magic in this world of surging elemental tides. Not to mention that most mortals do not possess the qualities of a spellcaster and can only use external forces, even spellcasters with innate bloodlines, once they use magic privately or perform rituals, will invariably communicate with indescribable things in the warp, attracting their attention and ultimately causing disastrous consequences.

Magic, in this world, is a power that is officially forbidden and controlled by a privileged few.

If some clueless Muggle were to inexplicably awaken an ancient bloodline and gain the ability to cast spells, what awaits him is most likely not a privileged class offering him a share of the spoils, but rather the Skyward Kingdom's witch hunters kicking down his door in the middle of the night.

"The price of eliminating potential chaos and corruption once and for all by hanging half the village is not high in this absurd world that is known as a defective product." The believer understood just how efficient and unpopular this group of officially approved madmen were.

"But what does this have to do with me?" the believer continued reading.

"Hern, a graduate of Skyward Academy, was the top student of her class and a lifelong meritorious noble of the Skyward Kingdom. From the moment she entered the academy, she was active on the front lines of purging the chaos and corruption with swift and decisive action. From the Beast Continent in the east to Sanus in the west, her name was known to all. In just five years, she created countless miracles—shattering the dirty plot of the old Mante nobleman, Grand Duke Astra, to sacrifice the entire city; turning the tide in the desert of the Vacuum Kingdom's heartland to prevent the reappearance of the Qira insect people; and in Skyward..." Deep within the frozen wastelands of the northern kingdom, a high-ranking demon kingdom, suppressing a potential invasion of the continent of Solitas via a warp rift, exceptionally granted him the title of Lifetime Merited Nobleman and awarded him the Silver Cross Medal. Skyward Academy planned to erect a personal statue in his honor in the very campus where he once studied, for future generations to admire and inspire. Several top conglomerates from the four kingdoms extended offers to him. However, just as he emerged like a morning star, our hero ultimately faded and fell like a shooting star—a fate sealed by the witch hunters. The latest investigation report reveals that Mr. Hearn, while attending a high-society banquet in the kingdom's capital a week ago, is suspected of communicating with the subspace and summoning a high-ranking demon. He disappeared completely in the chaos. Upon arriving at the scene, the witch hunters immediately and forcefully purged this absurd human tragedy. Through the extraction of mana residue from the scene for magical trace analysis, it was ultimately confirmed that the former hero of the kingdom, now its shame, personally summoned the high-ranking demon. Our hero has fallen into the embrace of chaos—this stark reality is far more heartbreaking than the deaths of the socialites during the banquet's cleanup. The kingdom's people can accept the fall of a hero, but not his corruption. Therefore, after careful consideration, the Qingtian Kingdom government has decided to "bury" this hero with the highest military protocol in the coming days. This is SSS-level classified information within the Qingtian Kingdom. Those authorized to view this information are required to strictly adhere to confidentiality regulations. Any disclosure will be subject to legal consequences.

""

The believer lay on her back on the floor, feeling as if a thousand Inca alpacas were galloping through her mind, as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in her throat and she could not swallow it, which finally turned into a sigh of exhaustion.

What a lucky Golden Witch! What a blessing spell from the Golden Witch! How could a perfectly good Taisho-style mansion exploration trip have turned into this? Even with his good temper, he wanted to go back and give that unreliable Golden Witch in the group a good spanking right now.

excuse me.

“Miss Weiss, look into my loyal eyes and tell me why the Skybreaker officials think I’ve gone to worship Shalis?” The believer’s voice was sincere and solemn.

"If a gathering of the upper class of the kingdom can turn into a chaotic party, how do you think your colleagues will judge it?" A barely audible reply came from directly above his chest, as if every word was something the other party was ashamed to utter.

"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll wipe out all the remaining living people at the banquet. That would be a real disgrace to Qingtian, and every family would agree with their actions."

With her role now fully defined and guided by rich experience and supporting information, the believer Hearn is quickly getting into character.

"That is indeed the case."

"So, one last question: if I want to salvage my reputation, clarify the facts, and prove my innocence, what would you do?" The woman loosened her grip on the girl's throat slightly. "This answer is very important; it directly relates to whether I will snap your neck in the next moment, Miss Xue Ni."

"That's exactly why I came to Hanfeng."

"???"

A moment later, Hearn finally realized the absurd truth—the silver-haired girl he had been tormenting for so long was actually a friendly force that had come from afar to provide assistance.

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Chapter 41's plot introduction is complete. Please begin your mission.

Trying her best to ignore the faint sound of running water that quietly slipped into her ears, the believer Hearn leaned against the bathroom door, rubbing her slightly throbbing temples as she tried to gather her thoughts.

As always, with the continuous access to useful information, the fog surrounding the past of the believer Hearn in the world of the Tree of Life dissipated completely, and everything became clear.

Hearn, a devout woman, was born into an immigrant family whose ancestors had moved from Coldwind to Skyrise. Her parents were not merchants but hunters. They were just ordinary passersby, yet they still stood firm at their posts and gloriously sacrificed themselves in the mission of protecting civilian settlements from the invasion of beast tides, just like most ordinary hunters in the world of Treebone.

He completed his compulsory academic studies at a church school within the Kingdom of Sky, and in an accident, he naturally awakened the power of appearance that ordinary people do not possess—although his parents were just ordinary hunters, it did not affect the fact that their child was the son of a hunter, and the son of a hunter was more likely to awaken the power of appearance than others.

Just before his twelfth birthday, the church school that raised him secured a spot for him, allowing him to study at the [Sanctuary] Junior Hunter Academy, located in the Cold Wind Kingdom, which had close ties to the school. He spent his middle school years in the [Sanctuary] filled with youthful passion and enthusiasm. During those four unforgettable years, he made some close friends with whom he still keeps in touch even today. He eventually graduated from the [Sanctuary] as the top student of his class, bringing back a significant amount of influence for the church school he had attended, which could be converted into material benefits. In a way, he repaid the kindness of his childhood.

Next, amidst a subtle level of attention—not quite the spotlight but certainly with countless offers of opportunities—he faced a choice that every sixteen-year-old junior hunter graduate in the entire Treeless World would face: Valley Kingdom/Beacon Academy, Vacuum Kingdom/Sunshade Academy, Cold Wind Kingdom/Wind Shelter Academy, and Sky-Supporting Kingdom/Sky-Supporting Academy.

These are the only four prestigious and highly successful elite hunter academies in the world of Tree of Life. Only by choosing one of them and graduating around the age of 21 can one become a formal hunter recognized by the laws of the four great kingdoms, or a licensed witcher. All others are unlicensed and counterfeit.

There's no need to worry about not being able to afford tuition. The four kingdoms established these four academies with a mission and a sense of duty that far outweighs any profit motive. To put it bluntly, they are just public schools of the kingdoms where you pay a symbolic tuition fee. As long as you awaken your Outer Image Power and volunteer to become a Witcher to protect human civilization, there are basically no eligible young talents who can't afford to go to school. Anyone who can awaken their Outer Image Power is a young talent, so there shouldn't be any problem.

The believer mentally reviewed the impressions left by the four academies, and then found a set of comparable references for easy understanding.

Beacon House—Gryffindor, the school of law and justice, love and courage, the light of the world, the beacon of humanity.

Shade Academy – Hufflepuff, ordinary yet extraordinary, resilient yet inclusive, a pillar of strength.

The Shelter Academy – Lacvenlaw, a trendsetter for knowledge, art, fashion, and high society.

Skyward Academy - Slytherin, matter B.

Although there are some slight differences, their general positioning is almost the same.

In short, on the planet Treeless, unless you were born in the desolate wilderness of the southeastern corner of the Beastland or the vast desert of the western continent of Sanus and had to attend school nearby, and as long as your conditions are above the "good enough" line, then if you choose Skyrise instead of Beacon or Shelter, then you are XX wrong. At least one of your head and buttocks is crooked, and you are not sitting under the universal compass of human harmony.

Back then, the seventeen-year-old Hearn spent about a second considering things in the principal's office of the [Sanctuary] Academy before turning back to pack her belongings without looking back. After bidding a tearful farewell to her close high school friends, she headed north, straight for the Sky Tower.

Skyward Academy actually has a rather bad reputation because its graduates, compared to those of the other three academies, lack the kind of free spirit that Beacon Academy of the Valley Kingdom strongly advocates. Most of Skyward's students actually believe in Love and Pis, after all, the scars left by the Great War on the Treebearer world have not yet healed. The Kingdom of Coldwind is the largest country in terms of legal territory, but its actual effective territory is much smaller than its legal territory. This is because a large part of its territory is still occupied by Grimm roaming in ruins—a consequence of the collective negative emotions of humanity during the war.

However, graduates of Skybreaker are highly loyal to the Skybreaker military. This is deeply related to the Skybreaker Kingdom's unique political system, where the military, government, business, and academia are highly integrated. If the students trained in the other three academies are more like heroic knights in romantic chivalric novels, rescuing princesses and fighting dragons, then those trained by Skybreaker are more like a group of prospective officers than students. Vacuum Kingdom, which was once thoroughly defeated and had a large amount of dust crystal resources extracted by the Skybreaker Kingdom's predecessor, Mant Kingdom, has always been an active advocate of the Skybreaker threat theory. In fact, apart from Valley Valley, which has never made a public statement, both Vacuum Kingdom and Cold Wind Kingdom have expressed corresponding concerns to some extent.

This is unavoidable. The Vacuum Kingdom, due to its desert oasis landscape and the legacy of war, has yet to recover. The Coldwind Kingdom, a major cultural exporter, hasn't even achieved 50% railway coverage across its territory, and is instead riddled with Grimm-infested areas. The Valley Kingdom's situation is relatively optimistic. This ancient kingdom, resembling a long-established capitalist power in Western Europe, is the legal orthodox kingdom of the Treebearer world, ruled by the former World King, a major victor in the Great War, with prosperous people and a stable society. Its transportation is well-developed, and there is little wasteland—the only problem is that with great power comes great responsibility. The Valley Kingdom clearly guards some unspeakable secrets of the Treebearer world. It has a special mission, and its rulers' vision and values ​​transcend the low-level pursuit of national interests, thus choosing to turn a blind eye to many of the issues that the former two kingdoms are so concerned with.

If that's how things were in the Three Kingdoms period, then what about B... Qingtian?

The Sky-Piercing Kingdom has officially announced that it has 37 fully-equipped airborne carrier battle groups...

In addition to his studies, Mr. Hearn also read modern history. Thinking back to this, a strong sense of déjà vu washed over him.

Isn't the current global power structure just a barely manageable four-way balance of power between the British Empire, the Desert Camel, the Far East, and the Russian Bear and the Bald Eagle, all in their prime?

However, this has little to do with Mr. Hearn.

After returning to Sky Tower, he unexpectedly did quite well. Although he went astray on the path of a demon hunter, he was exceptionally talented and embarked on the path of a witch hunter. He smoothly transitioned from the PvE battlefield to the PvP battlefield, and from then on, he became famous and infamous.

Optimus Prime needs a flag like him to tell the inhabitants of the Treebone World that there is more than just Valley Beacon on this planet. He is a regular at the Witt Festival Tournament, and he has monopolized the individual and team championships for the next three years since the first school year. Every year he leads a completely different team, so the Beacon's judging agency cannot stop him from competing according to the rules, until the fourth year when the Beacon could no longer tolerate it and directly broke the mask and banned him for life - on the grounds that it was not conducive to the mental health development of young hunters.

Outside of competition, he reveled in the joys of university life in his spare time—roaming freely within the world of Tree-Bubble. The Sky-Supporting Kingdom spared no effort in nurturing him as its banner; he possessed the power of investigation, arrest, interrogation, and, most importantly, execution. The Sky-Supporting military had already reserved a highly advantageous position for him as a starting point, somewhere between the frontline officer system and the rear staff. Clearly, Sky-Supporting believed that placing this sharp blade on the front lines would have a greater deterrent effect than sending him to the rear to retire at such a young age. From then on, wherever there was darkness, there were his profound fantasies, and heretics lurking in the shadows were often found hanged from lampposts in front of their own homes the next morning. After successfully suppressing the demon lord whose lower body was stuck in a toilet—in the deep subspace rift valley of the Arctic permafrost of the Solitas continent—his influence soared to an unprecedented peak.

He was an anomaly among witch hunters. While most of his peers lurked in the shadows, indulging in midnight door-knocking activities, he walked in the shadows as a witch hunter while basking in the sunlight as a demon hunter. As a newly promoted nobleman of the Sky Kingdom, he deeply understood the profound truth that even a hero in his twilight years is less valuable than a dog, a truth steeped in the blood and tears of his predecessors. He had been maintaining a business partnership with the Xue Ni Chen Jing Group, the leading conglomerate in Sky Kingdom and, in fact, in the world of Shu Bu Zi, for five years, a partnership that had deepened as his reputation grew.

A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Since fame can bring wealth and a promising future, why bother pretending to be aloof? At least Mr. Hearn asked himself honestly if he was not a lofty person, but a pure pragmatist.

Time flies, and both have made a fortune. Jacques Schereschewsky's values ​​are not entirely aligned with his, but they are on par. Schereschewsky is a ruthless live-in son-in-law who will stop at nothing to marry into his wife's family. His self-promotion and forbearance over the past ten years have earned him a transcendent position second only to the king in the Kingdom of Sky. One can't help but admire him. Once, after drinking too much, Mr. Hearn was filled with emotion and sincerely bowed to Mr. Jacques Schereschewsky, praising him, "Mr. Schereschewsky, you are brilliant, truly brilliant!"

In his youth, Mr. Jacques Scheres was a renowned talent, but unfortunately, he failed to awaken his external manifestation ability, thus missing out on a career as a demon hunter. From then on, he devoted himself to the financial industry, shrewdly plotting and enduring hardship to achieve his goal. Now, in his forties, he looks back with a sense of regret for his early setbacks and late success. Seeing the young man before him, who also came from humble beginnings, so promising and quick-witted, he saw a reflection of his own past and felt a desire to make up for his regrets. In addition, he was a little drunk at the time, so he immediately bowed and replied, "Lord Hern, you are tough, really tough!"

James Einwood, the chief executive of the Sky-Piercing Kingdom, who was seated in the central seat, originally didn't want to pay attention to the two drunken lunatics. He silently cut his meat and ate in silence. Unexpectedly, the old man and the young man not only got drunk but also reached a high level of enjoyment. They both raised their glasses and turned towards the head seat. Lord Einwood was completely puzzled and put down his knife and fork, looking bewildered. Then, two perfectly synchronized toasts were heard: "Commander! Tall and strong!"

"..."

An old fox and a young fox. Einwood smiled on the surface but cursed inwardly. It was rare for him to flatter so elegantly while drunk.

The extraction of valid information has ended.

The devout woman, Hern, leaned against the bathroom door, silently placing WeissSchnee and SunWuKong on opposite ends of a scale, pondering her next move.

The Kingdom of Qingtian blocked the news of his "fall from grace," but it did not block the news that the second young lady of the Xue Ni family had been kidnapped by Bai Ya.

He couldn't be sure that his sunny, honest, and shrewd fellow traveler from Funa would easily believe a lie he made up on the spot.

Just then, the shower stopped.

……

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Chapter 42 A Clean Break

The bathroom door opened inwards, and the believer, having anticipated this, adjusted her balance, stood still, and turned around.

Two pairs of pale blue eyes, with thin pigmentation, met each other silently once more, one with a hint of sorrow, the other with a hint of amusement.

Personal relationships are personal relationships, and business is business. Jacques Scheres has always kept his family and business separate. In other words, even though business collaborations have brought considerable profits to both parties, outside of business, His Excellency Jacques Scheres has never invited a witch hunter like Hearn, who lives on the edge of a knife, to his own residence even once.

Hearn had indeed flown over the Snowy family manor in an aircraft, and at this point, he had finally grasped something related to the term "White House." That pure white Gothic castle, which looked like it had been carved out of a glacier in a fairy tale, was indeed very much a White House. Unfortunately, as things stand, it was still off-topic.

WinterSchnee, the eldest daughter of the Schnee family, works as a high-ranking executive in the family business while also serving as an officer in a special forces unit of Skybreaker. She is roughly the same generation as Mr. Hearn in terms of age. She is an extremely rational and outstanding businesswoman with extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience. She is known for her strict discipline and decisive actions. Incidentally, she is also an exceptionally beautiful woman. Mr. Hearn often dealt with her during his time at Skybreaker Academy due to business matters. Most of the interactions were not pleasant, ranging from playing the piano to a clash of titans. Over time, Mr. Hearn keenly sensed that this icy beauty had a hidden tendency to be attracted to older men, and he immediately expressed his regret and gave up.

Hopefully, she won't be the one assigned by Einwood to lead the investigation into the aftermath of the "Disgrace to Skybreaker" incident; otherwise, this matter will be difficult to resolve peacefully.

However, at this critical juncture, Xue Ni's second beloved daughter was unfortunately kidnapped by Bai Ya. It felt like if Qing Tian really sent troops into Han Feng territory, that troublesome woman would most likely come.

Although Jacques, that old devil, outwardly appears to be a kind and compassionate father, those who know him well can see that he actually protects his daughters very well, especially when it comes to their safety. Perhaps in his view, after his two daughters graduate, they should find jobs in companies according to their abilities to pass the time, and live the proper lives of noble ladies in Qingtian—that's the right path in life, at least it's better than being demon hunters left to rot in the wilderness.

Unfortunately, strict fathers often have rebellious daughters, and doting mothers often spoil their sons. The eldest daughter, Winter, did indeed hold a high-ranking position in a company, but at the same time, she enlisted in the army. As for the younger daughter…

The woman lowered her eyes slightly, silently observing the little white swan that had just emerged from its bath, wondering if the chairman would be so angry he would die.

Like most families in the world that benefit from the theory of bloodline, the Xue Ni family, with its long history and the genetic inheritance of a bug-level visual power called "Glyphs," is just as outstanding as its family's visual power.

The believer had praised Winter's talent and beauty to her face many times—the latter more, of course. But she had to admit that the ice queen had lost the ethereal, otherworldly aura that came with her ancient lineage shortly after graduation, thanks to her military service. She was a down-to-earth and capable woman, which was truly admirable. But the men who admired her felt a little sorry for her. To be honest, this feeling was a bit perverse, but also very real. At least Mr. Hearn missed the old days when Miss Winter, the senior student representative, gave a speech when he entered the university as a freshman.

Back then, that beautiful senior was like a swan on the lake, only to be admired from afar and never to be touched. She wore the white uniform of the Skyward Academy with blue crystal emblems, her hair styled in a high princess bun, with a refreshing fringe to the right on her forehead. Her long, silver hair had a faint blue tinge, and her skin was fair and delicate, like the snow that never stopped falling in Atlas throughout the year. The thin warm sunlight shone through the snowflakes onto her fair neck, and the pale blue veins seemed to be visible beneath her almost transparent skin... The polite smiles and gestures of that princess-like senior when she went on stage to give her speech were beautiful memories that never faded for those hormone-fueled freshmen in the years after they entered the academy.

Of course, they didn't just stop at reminiscing; they even enjoyed creating memories. In fact, those boys did a lot of silly things after enrolling. One of them tossed and turned in his dormitory all night, unable to sleep, so he climbed to the window and howled like a banshee. He was caught red-handed by the dormitory manager and made to stand in the courtyard all night in the cold northern midnight wind. The next morning, as the sun rose, he suddenly had an epiphany and ran to the second-year girls' dormitory area with dark circles under his eyes to confess his love. Although it was ultimately unsuccessful, it gave a lot of admirers the courage to follow suit. For a time, Qingtian Academy was in chaos, with love letters and roses flying everywhere. It almost escalated into a duel between the upper and lower grades. The then Dean of Qingtian Academy, James Ironwood, had to step in to mediate and explicitly prohibit it. Only then did the matter come to an end in the open. As for the undercurrents that followed, they are now impossible to trace and will not be mentioned for now.

During his years at Optimus Prime, Mr. Hearn was engrossed in eradicating the feudal remnants of the old Mante era from the kingdom, busy upholding justice and accumulating primitive capital. Therefore, he had no time for the romantic escapades of his youthful days. Otherwise, it's uncertain whether the hundred-person night battle between upper and lower grades could have lasted until Ainwood arrived with reinforcements to quell the unrest. However, before each trip to the front lines aboard Optimus Prime's armed transport planes, Mr. Hearn would habitually sit on the edge of the academy's towering control tower, using his ninja-like, superhuman dynamic vision to gaze at a certain graceful figure in the harmonious arena below. All of this demonstrates that even someone as ruthless and efficient as him couldn't escape the allure of that turbulent youth.

However, just as every bedtime story eventually comes to an end with the mother's voice, fairy tales always come to a close. One day, Winter graduated, and the white swan took flight, disappearing without a trace. When Mr. Hearn graduated and joined the army, officially becoming a witch hunter, the next time they met, Winter had transformed into a ruthless and decisive witch of the winter. She was incredibly efficient, skilled in everything from chasing criminals across vast distances and destroying entire families to tracking down suspects and suppressing riots. She was adept at everything, and certainly capable of handling any situation. It was just a question of whether she could cook, and she had lost that fairy-tale charm. Perhaps she had spent too much time fighting alongside older men in the army, and had even become an incurable nymphomaniac, which was disheartening.

Now, Xin Nu felt as if a smaller version of Winter had suddenly appeared before her. No, strictly speaking, she surpassed the Winter of yesteryear in every way—frail and ethereal, petite with delicate features. They were clearly two completely different people, and memories tend to idealize the past with an extremely idealistic embellishment—even knowing this, a pure emotion called "nostalgia" still stirred deep within her heart.