Southville County, Pulin Port.
Inside the home of Viscount Stan, Ince Zangwill finally took a hot bath, changed into a new set of clothes, ate a delicious dinner, and lay down on a warm, comfortable bed to rest.
The experiences he had encountered at sea over the past few days had once again tempered his mind. He couldn't help but recall something Roselle once said: "Anything that cannot defeat me will only make me stronger!"
That was exactly how he truly felt now.
Bang! Bang!
Knocking sounds came from outside the door. This made Ince Zangwill, who had planned to sleep soundly until dawn, open his eyes in displeasure, a faint chill appearing on his face.
In the end, he still got out of bed and went to open the door.
Standing at the doorway was a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a protruding belly, eight diamond rings on ten fingers, and a head that was mostly bald.
Viscount Stan, the noble who had taken him in to live here.
He could hardly be considered a kind-hearted man who rescued those in distress. He merely happened to know Ince before, and he also had something he wanted from him.
Under the arrangement of 008, he had very naturally encountered the destitute Ince on the street and warmly invited him to stay at his house as a guest.
"Well… I came to see if you're lacking anything here."
Viscount Stan forced a smile, rubbing his hands uneasily while his eyes wandered. It was obvious he had come to ask for help, yet he was also afraid of Ince's current reputation.
With a stern face, Ince Zangwill said, "Is there something you need my help with? If not, then leave. Don't disturb my rest."
"Can I come inside the room to talk?"
Ince Zangwill stepped aside and watched as the man's fat and bloated body squeezed through the narrow doorway. The viscount even muttered that the door was too small and that he would have it replaced tomorrow.
After entering the room, Stan first sat on a chair, but it felt uncomfortable pressing against him. So he got up and sat on the bed instead. His large butt wiggled twice before he revealed a satisfied smile.
Seeing him stain the bed he had just been resting on made Ince Zangwill feel even more uncomfortable.
"Can you speak now?"
"I know you're a powerful Beyonder, and I also know you're currently being hunted and wanted. I invited you to stay here out of consideration for our past acquaintance. Of course, I'm not someone who likes to demand repayment for favors. It's just that I happen to have a troubling matter recently."
Ince Zangwill did not speak. He simply gestured for Viscount Stan to continue.
The viscount raised his head slightly and used the index finger of his right hand to slowly stroke across the four diamond rings on his left hand.
"Yesterday evening, I was strolling along the street when I happened to see a rather pretty young girl. I was quite taken with her and wanted someone to invite her to my house as a guest. But there was a young man beside her who beat the people I sent quite badly and even kicked me to the ground."
"I've been entrusted by the Grand Duke to guard this port for many years. This is the first time I've been humiliated like that on the street. I care about my reputation just like the Grand Duke does. The honor of a noble cannot be insulted."
"Of course, I could send out the port's stationed troops to recover my dignity, but that would be too much trouble. Fortunately, I happened to run into you. I know you have ways to invite that girl to my house as a guest… and make that young man disappear."
After silently listening to the entire story, Ince Zangwill's eyes were filled with mockery.
Inviting the girl to his house as a guest? Clearly he had taken a fancy to her beauty.
With such a fat body, wasn't he afraid of crushing her flat? Thinking about nothing but those momentary pleasures all day long.
"You'll help me with this favor, right?"
"Do you know that girl's background?"
"I'm not sure. She's not a local. She's an outsider who just arrived in Southville County."
An outsider who just arrived in Southville County? Ince Zangwill immediately became wary. Could that girl be from the Demoness Sect?
When they left Backlund, they had also been heading toward the Southern Continent. Judging by the time, they should have arrived in Southville County before him.
But that didn't seem right either. If she really were from the Demoness Sect, this fat pig would already be dead on his bed.
Seeing that Ince Zangwill remained silent, Viscount Stan said in a deep voice, "Right now, the ferries heading to the Southern Continent have already stopped operating. If you want to go there, you'll need a private vessel. And I can help you accomplish that quietly."
"That condition is very tempting."
"Of course. I've always been generous to my friends." Viscount Stan laughed loudly, the diamond rings on his hands dazzling.
"What does that young man look like? Any distinctive features?" Ince Zangwill asked one more question out of caution.
Viscount Stan thought carefully for a moment before saying, "That young man is quite handsome. There's also a little black cat lying on his shoulder."
A little black cat? Ince Zangwill caught the sensitive phrase and probed cautiously, "Does he happen to have dazzling golden hair and a Backlund accent?"
"That's right. You know him?"
"Yes. I do."
"Your friend?" Viscount Stan's expression immediately became ugly.
"No. More like an enemy."
"Hahaha, that's good…" Viscount Stan's expression relaxed, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. But before he could finish speaking, the Ince Zangwill in front of him suddenly grabbed his throat.
Under his disbelieving gaze, he was strangled to death.
"Of all people to offend… you had to offend him." Ince Zangwill muttered softly. He glanced in disgust at the pile of fat lying across the bed and used the blanket to wipe the bit of grease that had stained his palm.
"Every time I encounter him, misfortune follows. I'd better leave this place as soon as possible."
Ince Zangwill sighed helplessly. He had only wanted to find a place to rest properly, yet he still ended up involved in something related to that man, Hastur.
Just as 008 had said, fate was beginning to converge.
If he was merely a tributary, then Hastur was the source of fate itself. No matter what, he was always inevitably swept into it.
He didn't stay in the room any longer. After packing his belongings, he turned around and was about to leave through the window.
Suddenly, the supposedly dead Viscount Stan on the bed opened his eyes and came back to life.
Stretching out his thick arms, he fiercely wrapped them around Ince Zangwill's waist.
The strength was enormous, far beyond what a living person could produce.
Ince Zangwill felt as if his waist was about to be crushed. His face turned blue, and his heart felt like it would be squeezed out of his throat.
"Requiem!" He tried to soothe Viscount Stan's spirit, but nothing happened.
He quickly opened a door beside him, attempting to summon powerful creatures from the Spirit World to help him escape the predicament.
But the surrounding space seemed to have been cut off. His door could not summon any Spirit World creatures.
With no other choice, he could only fully reveal his Mythical Creature form.
The flesh and blood on his body swelled and writhed as four arms covered with blood vessels grew out. Soon, white feathers spread across the arms.
With a surge of immense power, he broke free from the restraint. Viscount Stan's body exploded directly into fragments.
The violent noise immediately attracted a flurry of chaotic footsteps.
Knowing someone was still watching him from the shadows, Ince Zangwill didn't dare end his Mythical Creature form.
He could only crouch forward like a demonic wolf and dash toward the window, leaping onto the roof of the neighboring building in one bound.
At the same time, one arm took out 008 from his clothes and began writing on his clothing:
"Today, Ince Zangwill's luck is extremely good. His enemies are always in a state of underperformance. Because of a momentary mistake, they allowed Ince Zangwill to escape this encirclement."
At that moment, the dim night sky suddenly brightened. A massive fireball streaked down like a meteor toward Ince Zangwill's location.
This was originally a technique he liked to use. Now someone else was using it against him!
"The meteor deviated from its course and brushed past the lucky Ince Zangwill." 008 wrote another line.
The fireball grazed his right shoulder before crashing down, the scorching heat instantly burning his shoulder. The faint smell of roasted meat filled the air.
Boom!
The fireball smashed into a building and exploded violently.
In the sky, more and more fireballs began appearing.
Ince Zangwill's scalp went numb. He didn't dare stay any longer and hurriedly fled into the Spirit World.
The powerful Spirit World creatures previously attracted by 008 caught up to him in just a few breaths.
He fled in panic for a distance before returning from the Spirit World to reality. At the same time, 008 wrote:
"The powerful Spirit World creatures, unable to reference the coordinates of reality, ultimately lost track of Ince Zangwill."
After returning to reality, Ince Zangwill again used 008 to write sentences ensuring the hidden pursuers could not catch up with him.
Only after finishing all this did he finally end his heavily damaged Mythical Creature form, utterly exhausted.
Just now, in order to escape those two powerful Spirit World creatures, his Mythical Creature form had almost been torn apart. In the end, he had to sacrifice two arms to successfully escape the Spirit World.
Combined with the injuries he had previously suffered from the King of the Five Seas and the time he had spent drifting across the ocean, if he continued maintaining his Mythical Creature form, he would either explode and die or completely lose control and become a monster.
"For now… it should be safe, right?"
Ince Zangwill gasped heavily, feeling as if he were wandering back and forth between this life and the next.
"Relax. For the moment, it is safe… but only for the moment." A voice sounded from ahead.
Ince Zangwill raised his eyes and looked at the person.
A handsome young man with golden hair was smiling brightly at him.
Hastur Campbell! The nemesis in his destiny! A special existence that even 008 cannot script!
He never expected that he would encounter the other party at this moment.