The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

How far away is it?

"It was probably when I was sixteen or seventeen years old. I vaguely remember being reminded of this by the witch I was living with."

"Oh, that's quite a long time ago."

The believer symbolically counted on her fingers, then turned her head to dodge a slap to the face halfway through her sentence. She quickly changed her words and chose a more elegant and easy-going one, which appeased the other party's anger.

"My believer, how come I never realized you had such a masochistic fetish before?"

"That means you still don't understand me well enough, and you're even making misjudgments right now. I don't have that kind of hobby."

"No, I think the reason is very simple: because she can be deadly when she gets physical, so you don't dare to act recklessly in front of her."

"Are you out of your mind to fight? What a joke, she's much gentler than you, okay? In all these years, she's only slapped me once and stabbed me twice—the first stab was from a curse cast by a bad woman, and the second stab was with the hilt of a knife, although it still knocked me unconscious."

"You remember it so clearly, don't you?"

"Who do you think this is thanks to? I'll return that to you verbatim. It's only been a few days, and we've already had three fights. Aren't you tired at all? In addition, you've slapped me twice, fired several magic cannons and magic bullets, delivered a spinning kick, and so on. You even hit me on the head with an ice-cold cola before, didn't you?"

"You remember it so clearly!"

"Although it's the same sentence, why does the first one sound so sour, while the second one sounds so smug?"

The believer, noticing the subtle difference, became suspicious.

"That means you don't know me well enough, you stupid apprentice."

"Not at all. On the contrary, I feel that I have fully grasped your irresponsible nature as a hands-off manager."

"Then why did you lose so badly in the betting this morning?"

"What's so tragic about it? Last night, when I went to the underground research institute, I casually cut off a section of silver ore and threw it into the subspace. That's called taking from the Tree Sea and using it back to the Tree Sea, okay? It is pretty tragic."

Regardless of where the money came from, it is an undeniable fact that it increased Deedlit's allowance a hundredfold. With that in mind, Shinju accepted the defeat with equanimity.

Seeing his composure, Qingzi compared it to the stubborn little hedgehog from her long-forgotten memory, and then couldn't help but smile with relief.

"As for me, I also want to take back my previous slip of the tongue. Compared to the past, you have made great progress."

"Praising me won't do you any good," the believer said, turning her head to look up at the sky. "I don't care about these things. I never cared before, and I don't care about them anymore. Hearing them wouldn't make me happy."

Aoko watched as the dragon's tail, which had betrayed her completely, swayed excitedly from side to side, and thought to herself how gratifying it was that this fool had become so easygoing and understanding.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Pandora, the gray-haired little girl walking ahead, a girl as obedient and sensible as a puppy, as she pondered how to repay the favor.

Looking back, it seems that the woman was surrounded by hot-blooded fools she could entrust her life to, and riddle-solving people who hadn't uttered a single clear word for thousands of years. The only thing missing was a Cinderella with a delicate mind.

Although it's unclear what Xin Nu is planning, Qing Zi finds the girl very pleasing to the eye these days. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll persuade Xin Nu to run away with the girl after this is over. With such a little one by his side as a student, Mr. Hearn, as a teacher, will surely be much more composed.

During their conversation, the group had already entered the interior of the Mystariel World Tree. With Deedlit as their guide, they encountered no trouble and were quite familiar with the relevant procedures. When finalizing the team members, Aoko had indeed wondered what use this seemingly unrelated forest spirit would be, but along the way, Deedlit proved with her actions the added value she brought to the team.

As expected, the three Rosettas and one Forest Spirit in the team all paid a symbolic fee of 1 gold coin for a one-time teleportation permit, while the remaining Gozan True Dragon, Mr. Hearn, painfully pulled out 20 gold coins.

Aoko and Pandora both knew that his pained expression was an act, since the money he spent was the same money he had spent on the Mao family's underground silver mine last night. But being able to watch this guy, who had been invincible since childhood, get his comeuppance was a rare and unique form of entertainment for them.

However, after seeing Mr. Hearn slash open a thumb-length subspace rift with his backhand after passing through security and retrieve all 19 gold coins, this brief moment of mental enjoyment quickly vanished.

"You can't bear to suffer even the slightest loss, my believer."

“You can’t afford to suffer even the slightest loss, Mr. Hearn.”

While waiting for the World Tree Hub to recharge, Aoko glanced sideways at Pandora.

"I'm too lazy to remind you two about your declining grammar. Why do you all like to say such strange things in front of me? Is it my own problem?" Mr. Hern rolled his eyes under their disdainful gazes, then protested, "Besides, Aoko, do you have any complaints about my thrifty lifestyle? Why don't I just lie down and dump all the work of supporting the family on you when we get back?"

"Okay, boss, what's your assessment of the performance of my firm, No. 077?" Aoko asked with a rather wicked sense of humor.

"How dare you mention that? Out of 666 orders, I was the one who delivered it. You're a disgrace to the industry. Anyone else would have been fired by now." Just thinking about this woman made her feel dizzy.

"Hmph, then I think you have a full understanding of my ability to support the family, boss." Qingzi smiled at Mr. Hearn, hugging the bewildered Pandora. "I don't have my older sister's ability to both earn and spend money, so I'll leave the responsibility of supporting the family to you from now on, you silly apprentice."

"you"

The word "elder sister" reminded Mr. Hearn of his long-lost, internet-addicted older sister. The joy of embracing a free life after starting university was instantly extinguished, leaving only a long, lingering phantom pain in his forehead.

Kaguya shouldn't, probably, or at least not die from overworking during Christmas, right?

Thinking about this, Mr. Hearn's desire to go home grew even stronger.

"Can you three stop flirting? I'm getting so jealous!" Deedlit chimed in from the side. "The Nexus is fully charged. We're going to Ulthuan with yesterday's batch of ore. Hurry up, everyone."

Chapter 123 Youthful Years

Old Chen stood in a corner under the eaves, carrying his sword, as a squad of young armored soldiers passed by on their routine patrol.

The first-class military officer, who couldn't swim, stepped forward, briefly showed his token, and then took a clueless young man from the back of the patrol and dragged him into a sparsely populated corner.

Then he slapped her hard across the face.

The young man being beaten showed no intention of dodging; instead, he seemed to understand that he should stand up straight after being punished for his mistake, and he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and stood ramrod straight.

The veteran's slap finally stopped just before it was about to land, and after a long silence, he let out a sigh.

"Kid, you shouldn't have come."

"But I still came." The young man opened his eyes, his voice resolute.

"Yalan, do you know you're courting death?" Old Chen leaned against the wall at the corner, carefully observing the corridor on both sides, occasionally glancing back at the earth child boy who had transformed into the appearance of a true dragon.

Before entering Silver City, the Sons of Earth on the fleet had already been transformed into a uniform group of Gozan dragons by the power of the Lightforged Colossus during the shipwreck. Even the Silver City defense forces later failed to notice anything amiss, simply assuming they were a group of Gozan dragons who had suffered a calamity.

Although outsiders can't tell the difference, those within the same group can still distinguish them.

However, some inevitably slipped through the net.

Looking at the young earth spirit who had been incorporated into the northern marching army as a pure-blooded Gozan dragon, Old Chen had no other thoughts but a headache.

“If I hadn’t come, perhaps none of us Sons of Earth would have known that Princess Salome had no intention of taking any of the Sons of Earth to the North.”

"So, you even tipped off your compatriots?" Old Chen's expression tightened upon hearing this.

“Absolutely not.” Alan shook his head decisively. “I just want to know the truth.”

""

Looking at this younger brother whom he had taken good care of over the past two years, Old Chen could easily see through his obsessive and delusional appearance.

If he truly came for the truth, why didn't he connect with his compatriots far away in Baiyin City, instead risking his life alone to infiltrate the Northern March?

He was just chasing after that princess he fell in love with at first sight.

It's great to be young.

Old Chen, who was over thirty, looked at the handsome young man, shook his head, and finally let out a long sigh.

"Fine, you won't get past the Jade Dragon King anyway, you'll be screened out eventually."

"Old Chen, what did you mean by that?"

"It's nothing. I just thought I'd already been protecting you for two years, so I figured I might as well protect you a little longer. You can stay with me for a while. I happen to need someone to help me out, so the chances of your identity being exposed will be lower."

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Yalan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"Tsk."

After a brief moment of astonishment, the first-class military officer's face showed no more hesitation. He turned his gaze to the distant view beyond the pavilion and sighed inwardly at the magnificent scenery.

"Next time you use the freight channel to transport my name, I'll write it backwards!"

Yonglin walked out of the hub hall looking disheveled, and stood in the sunlight, vigorously shaking off the mineral lime dust all over his body.

"Seconded."

Mr. Hearn then came out, still looking the same as before, but his expression was slightly unpleasant.

"Keep acting, I'll keep you company."

Aoko followed behind with Pandora, her face also pale. She had been speaking in an encrypted channel, so she had no qualms about it.

"?"

Pandora stood to one side as if nothing had happened, completely unaware of the situation.

"Captain~, I knew you wouldn't abandon me."

Deedlit caught up with the group and, in the blink of an eye, took Mr. Hearn's arm and said affectionately in a coquettish tone.

""

Mr. Hearn wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of someone who offered him something for free. In any case, this suddenly clingy troublemaker just wanted to see him make a fool of himself, so he remained silent.

The problem stemmed from the World Tree's user experience, which was comparable to that of a washing machine. Or rather, it was because the transport route was used for freight and user experience was completely disregarded. In short, riding on a washing machine-like train with a bunch of silver ore was a nightmare for most people.

Perhaps because the stereotype that "Eirin is very resilient" still lingers in his mind, Mr. Hearn, who had the chance to experience it firsthand, forgot to buff Eirin and left her to fend for herself.

That's why we're in this situation now.

Hearn

Realizing that she was the only one in the team who had been thoroughly exhausted, Yonglin turned around and gave her a resentful look.

"What a mess!"

Feeling uneasy under that resentful gaze, Mr. Hearn withdrew his right hand from Deedlit's affected embrace, stepped forward, ruffled Eirin's hair into a mess, and then stroked her long, soft tail against the grain a few times. While marveling at how the feel was almost identical to that of a Samoyed, he lightly flicked his wrist, flipped the realm, and slew the white fox clean and tidy.

After realizing the change, Eirin became happy again, her soft fox ears standing up high.

"No matter how many times I look at it, I feel it's too convenient. It would be very worry-free for daily life at home, this person."

Deedlit crossed her arms and assessed the situation quite seriously, while casting a confirming glance at Aoko.

"This is indeed quite convenient, but as for this person, I'd better not bother."

Aoko shrugged indifferently, bringing this harmless interlude to a close.

"Everyone, follow me."

Deedlit quickly returned to her role as a guide, walking ahead to lead the way for her teammates.

“We’re still on the outskirts of Ausuan. The freight route only goes as far as this hub. Embassies are usually located in the inner city. If Miss Jiang Xue’s Gozan Dragon Brigade has already arrived, they’ll probably be there. Captain, do you have her contact information?”

"Of course, leave the communication to me, you just need to lead the way."

The believer glanced briefly at the road beneath her feet. Unsurprisingly, all she saw was a layer of emerald green wood grain. Looking to her left and right, she saw lush green forests flanking the road. Even if she were to crash into them, it would be difficult to pass through that green wall, embrace the sky above her head, and bid farewell to life.

They were walking on a branch of a giant World Tree called Ulthuan, and within the canopy of this ancient tree lay the main city established by the Forest Spirits after their resurgence in the Fourth Epoch, connecting with the natural world.

As the main city of the forest spirits, it was naturally bustling with activity. As you walked out of the hub hall, you could see bean sprouts with similar attire everywhere.

Deedlit was a relatively uncultured person who spent most of her time traveling, and with the numerous businesses owned by the Gozan Dragons in Silver City, her fashion sense had essentially reached the Silk Age, and she dressed up in a very respectable manner.

In contrast, there are minimalist, natural, and retro-style bean sprouts, entwined with green leaves and vines, walking casually through the streets and alleys of Ausuan.

It has to be said that bean sprouts are a species that produces many handsome men and beautiful women. From time to time, you can see a group of fair-skinned, beautiful, tall, long-legged ladies who are over 1.8 or 1.9 meters tall. Coupled with their natural and ethereal temperament, Mr. Hearn couldn't help but take a few more glances with his original intention of appreciating the wonderful creations of nature.

Yonglin was already used to this, after all, he had grown up in the forest and was very familiar with the local culture of these old forest neighbors.

"what--"

Suddenly, a familiar scream came from behind them. Yonglin and Deedlit hurriedly turned around and saw Mr. Hearn covering his eyes and trembling as he was being dragged forward by Miss Tianlanlan, while Miss Pandora was supporting him on the right with a normal expression.

Seeing this, Yonglin understood and wisely chose to keep quiet.

"Speaking of which, Deedlit, why are all your compatriots tall and have legs that are over 1.8 or 1.9 meters, while you're only 1.6 meters tall?"

Behind her came Mr. Hearn's signature jarring voice, and Yonglin immediately understood that his eyes were probably fine.

"Oh, because I'm only 160 years old, still a minor," Miss Sword Chanter said coquettishly. "And I'm not exactly short-legged either."

“Hern, both the Forest Elves and the Rosetta people have their coming-of-age ceremony at 200 years old.” Yonglin, who was just looking for an opportunity to dispel the awkward atmosphere, explained at the right time, “Although their physical maturity period is similar to that of the Gozan Dragons, their mental maturity is related to the social atmosphere of their place of residence. People like Deedlit, who have been running around outside the forest all year round, are already calling themselves ‘old lady’ and ‘grandma’ all the time. Those who are the same age as her and have never left the forest are basically still dreaming.”

"Your mother and grandma are superfluous. Would it kill you to say less?" The Sword Chanter, who had just been acting all innocent, grinned and said, clearly dissatisfied with Eirin's words. "You little fox cub, you're only 18 and you're already talking like this. Looks like you've been punished quite a bit."

“Of course, as the youngest child born out of wedlock, and with my mother passing away early, a whole bunch of relatives and friends wanted to kill me. If I hadn’t been precocious, you wouldn’t be seeing me now,” Yonglin explained with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Aoko slowed her pace and came to the left of the nobunaga, whispering in her ear.

"I say, is this what they call karma? I feel like this Yonglin is living out your old script."

"Can't you learn something good? All you do is focus on other people's suffering."

The believer had already put on another pair of completely blacked-out sunglasses to prove her innocence, and her demeanor was further reminiscent of a certain deceased erhu player from Wuxi in the 20th century. After returning home, she could go and find Hua Shan to perform "Erquan Yingyue".

"Huh? What's there to learn?"

“Learn from the philosophy of life of those ancient people. They are still young girls at 160 years old, while you are only 119 years old and you kick me every day for the slightest joke.”

"I don't have your thick skin."