Author's Note: I'm back, and this time I won't be vanishing for another two months. I promise. There's also an announcement at the end of the chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
...
Fog Sea, La Cha Island.
The sea looked clear as sapphires, crashing against the shores below a beautiful castle made of pure emerald. This was Queen Mystic Bernadette's Emerald City.
The tall Queen stood behind the railing for a moment, watching the surging waves. She then sat back down in a half-open room that offered the best view in the castle. She was putting the finishing touches on the magical scrolls she needed for the upcoming journey. She had been locked in this room for the last four days getting everything ready.
The trip itself would only take a couple of hours. When she asked Gehrman what kind of danger they might face on the way, he simply told her he did not know. He mentioned the Spirit World would be the safest route, but he had no idea what was waiting for them on the island itself. So, she prepared for the worst.
On her first day here, she got distracted by the "Chinese" language and tried to decipher more of her father's remaining scripts. She only managed to figure out a couple of words on the page and realized she needed a lot more time. Right now, she had to put that aside and focus on more pressing matters.
Once she moved on from the language, she ran several Clairvoyance sessions. The results were always the same. Going with Gehrman was her best option.
She also tried to find anything related to a god called The Fool. She knew the name was linked to Sequence 0 of the Seer pathway, but her search came up empty. The only "Fool" she found solid evidence of was the Half-Fool Antigonus from the Fourth Epoch. She was certain that was not the being Gehrman served. She thought about asking the Magic Wishing Lamp for answers, but she decided against it. She trusted that genie even less than someone she just met.
At the same time, she went through her father's old voyage notes along with the records left behind by her father's "knights" Grimm, William, Poli, and Edwards. Using the maps they left behind, she managed to pinpoint the exact location of the island. It was not difficult since Gehrman had already mentioned that the island was discovered during a voyage to the east.
Her father described the island as suffering from a special kind of corruption. Dead creatures would eventually return there, regardless of where their corpses were buried or destroyed, as if the island itself was the source drawing them back.
In addition, Bernadette also found that her father had mentioned that he had eventually resolved the corruption problem and made the primitive island his secret base.
But according to The Fool, the mention of curing the corruption was ultimately false. Her father had never truly resolved the problem on the island. He had already been corrupted by the Primordial Moon during that voyage and had not even realized it himself.
Bernadette slumped in her chair and sighed. She already knew about the Outer Gods and the Primordial Moon. As a Mysticologist, she could see the celestial objects in the cosmos and feel them watching Earth. She used Ritualistic Magic to hide her ship and the Element Dawn headquarters, but she knew the Astral Barrier was doing most of the work to block those terrifying gazes.
She looked at her father's notes again. It was crazy to think his fate changed completely just because he visited this one island he barely mentioned. She felt a heavy weight in her chest. She wished she had known the truth so she could have helped him.
She shook the thought away. There was still a chance. She had not lost her father entirely yet, and she was going to do whatever it took to cure him.
Bernadette stood up and adjusted her clothes. She reached out and tossed an illusory ball of yarn into the air. The yarn rolled into the void, leaving a bright, glowing thread behind. Following the path, she moved through the spirit world with the ease of someone who had mastered teleportation, quickly arriving at the edge of La Cha Island.
Standing at the cliff's edge, she looked out over the dark blue sea. In the distance, she spotted someone sitting in a small boat, fishing. She snapped her fingers and a firework shot into the sky. This was the signal she and Gehrman had agreed on.
A moment later, the boat passed through an illusory door and appeared right in front of her. It didn't arrive at the shore but materialized directly on the cliff next to her. Bernadette's lips twitched at the sight.
Gehrman stepped out of the boat, adjusted his glasses, and fixed his hat.
"Everything ready?" he asked.
Bernadette stared at the small boat sitting completely out of place on the grass of the cliff. She then nodded with exasperation evident on her face.
She asked with a hint of skepticism, "Are we traveling through this?"
Gehrman looked at the boat on the cliff and shook his head. "No. This will not do."
He looked at her and told her to step back. Bernadette tilted her head, feeling a little puzzled, but she did as he asked.
He clasped his hands together and formed a shadow puppet of a wolf. Then he chanted an honorific name:
"Keepers of the Sefirah Castle; Hunters in the Historical Void; The Hounds of Fulgrim."
A few seconds later, red, black, white, blue, and other colors saturated and overlapped as two slender figures phased into existence. They looked like hounds covered in short black fur. Their eye sockets held balls of dark red, burning flames, and their mouths stretched all the way to the back of their heads. They clearly existed in a physical form, but they gave off a surreal and illusory feeling.
The two Hounds of Fulgrim suddenly lay down on the grass and wagged their tails like cute puppies.
Bernadette blinked at the sight when she realized both hounds possessed strength close to Sequence 3.
A moment later, the two Hounds suddenly sprang up and pounced onto Gehrman. One knocked his hat off while the other pushed against his chest with both front paws. Their long tails wagged wildly as they barked in excitement.
Gehrman staggered back half a step as one of the hounds began licking the side of his face with an unnaturally long tongue. The other rubbed its head against his shoulder like an oversized dog greeting its owner after years apart.
"Enough. Stop that," Gehrman said while trying to push their heads away.
The hounds completely ignored him.
One of them let out a low whine and continued licking his cheek while the other circled behind him and nudged him forward with its snout. Their burning crimson eyes and monstrous mouths made the scene look bizarre beyond reason.
Gehrman grabbed one hound by the snout and tried to hold it back, but the creature simply rolled onto its back and pawed at his coat like a playful puppy.
Bernadette watched the terrifying mythical creatures surrounding Gehrman and slowly smiled.
For the first time since meeting him, the cold and mysterious adventurer looked strangely helpless.
The two Hounds of Fulgrim continued bothering him for a while longer before finally calming down. One laid on the grass with its tail swaying from side to side while the other sat beside Gehrman and nudged his arm with its snout.
Gehrman adjusted his wrinkled coat and bent down to pick up his hat from the ground. A few blades of grass still clung to it. He brushed them away, placed the hat back on his head, and let out a quiet sigh.
Bernadette pressed her lips together slightly, holding back her amusement.
Gehrman gave a short whistle.
The hound sitting beside him immediately raised its head. Its body rapidly expanded as black fur twisted and stretched outward. In only a few seconds, the originally slender creature had grown to the size of a warhorse. Its burning crimson eyes flickered within its empty sockets while dark mist drifted from its mouth.
Gehrman lightly jumped onto the hound's back and looked toward Bernadette.
"Get on," he said simply.
Bernadette glanced at the monstrous creature beneath him for a moment before stepping forward and climbing onto its back behind Gehrman. The hound's fur felt strangely cold, almost illusory, yet solid enough to support them easily.
Meanwhile, the second Hound of Fulgrim slowly backed away before its body blurred and vanished into the Historical Void.
Gehrman rested one hand on the creature beneath him and explained calmly, "One of them will scout ahead through the Spirit World. If it encounters danger, we will take another route."
Bernadette nodded slightly.
A few seconds later, the hound beneath them crouched down before leaping forward.
The surrounding world instantly shattered into layers of distorted color.
Bernadette felt her vision blur for a brief moment before the Spirit World unfolded around them. Countless indescribable and transparent objects floated through the endless expanse. Brilliant colors overlapped one another like flowing paint while faint gray fog covered everything in an ethereal veil.
The giant hound raced forward across the Spirit World at terrifying speed.
Illusory landscapes flashed past them one after another. Fragments of broken buildings drifted in the distance. Strange shadows moved beneath the layers of overlapping color. At times, Bernadette even caught sight of giant translucent creatures floating far away within the fog.
The Hound of Fulgrim continued running without slowing down.
Suddenly, ripples spread open nearby.
The scouting hound jumped out from the Historical Void and landed beside them while running at the same speed. It barked sharply toward the other hound.
The hound carrying them immediately changed direction without hesitation and charged into another path through the Spirit World.
Seeing this, Bernadette felt a little impressed.
Even in the dangerous and chaotic environment of the Spirit World, these creatures could accurately scout ahead and locate safe routes. Combined with their strength close to Sequence 3, they were terrifying summons.
It did not take long for them to emerge from the Spirit World.
The giant hound landed silently on the shore atop a rocky cliff overlooking the island. The coordination between the two Hounds of Fulgrim had made the journey feel almost effortless.
Only now did Bernadette understand what Gehrman meant when he said traveling through the Spirit World would be the safest part of the journey.
Normally, traversing the Spirit World was extremely dangerous. A single wrong turn could leave even a powerful Beyonder permanently lost amidst distorted coordinates and endless illusions.
Bernadette shook her head lightly as she climbed down from the hound's back and looked toward the island before them. Her father was somewhere on this island. She was finally close to finding him.
She slowly let out a breath and carefully observed her surroundings. The first thing she noticed were the towering dark-green trees that covered the island and mountains. Their color was so deep they almost appeared black beneath the gloomy sky.
Gehrman also stepped off the hound. He casually patted its head once before the creature dissolved into overlapping colors and vanished back into the Spirit World.
He then turned toward the island. "A thin layer of distorted darkness is covering this place," he said calmly. "I cannot directly observe the situation inside."
He glanced toward Bernadette. "We need to be careful not to trigger any abnormal effects."
Bernadette nodded lightly. "Understood."
The two of them followed what appeared to be an old path opened by humans and slowly entered the primitive forest. There were no birds, no insects, and no sounds of wild beasts.
The entire forest was deathly silent. It felt as though time itself had frozen within this place.
According to Bernadette's understanding, many extinct supernatural creatures should have been living on this island. Under normal circumstances, this forest should have been extremely lively. Yet now, it resembled a giant cemetery.
Every enormous tree looked like a silent tombstone. Bernadette subconsciously glanced toward Gehrman beside her. His expression remained as calm and indifferent as ever.
The two continued walking through the silent forest for nearly half an hour. Bernadette still could not sense even the slightest movement of wind.
Suddenly, the dense trees ahead began thinning out. Both of them stopped at the same time.
Gehrman snapped his fingers. Bernadette immediately noticed the surrounding space distort behind and around them. The air twisted into a shadowy invisible barrier, leaving only the front path untouched.
"I set up Space Concealment," Gehrman explained. "This way, we will not be attacked from behind."
Bernadette nodded slightly. "I'll send my Invisible Servant ahead to scout."
Gehrman gave a simple nod.
A moment later, a pair of cold, emotionless eyes appeared before Bernadette. They lacked eyelashes and floated silently in the air. Then invisible hands picked up the Eyes of Mystery Prying and placed them onto the face of an unseen figure. This was Bernadette's Invisible Servant.
The Invisible Servant quickly crossed the remaining forest path.
As it advanced, the distorted darkness in the air gradually weakened. Finally, it arrived at the edge of the open area and transmitted the scene back through the Eyes of Mystery Prying.
Bernadette raised her hand. A flowing illusory screen appeared before both her and Gehrman, allowing them to share the Invisible Servant's vision.
Outside the sparse forest was a massive clearing. Countless corpses covered the ground.
There were red dragons whose scales still faintly glowed like dying embers. Ancient treants stood motionless with hollow mouths and twisted knots for eyes. Eight-legged demonic wolves lay collapsed among giant humanoid creatures with elongated limbs. There were feathered serpents coiled like small hills, their oily feathers and dark-green scales reflecting faint light beneath the gloomy sky. There were also countless strange creatures that resembled mixtures of humans and wild beasts.
All of them faced the same direction. Their heads and upper bodies were lowered toward something unseen, as though they had been worshiping a terrifying existence before dying.
As the Invisible Servant continued forward, Bernadette noticed several humanoid figures among the corpses.
One, two, three, four, five... When Bernadette counted a few humanoid creatures, her blue eyes suddenly widened.
Those figures wore luxurious clothing from Roselle's era. Their bodies had dried and shriveled with age, resembling mummified corpses more than living humans.
The Invisible Servant moved closer. Bernadette carefully compared their appearances with her memories.
Then she slowly spoke. "Grimm... It really is Grimm."
Her voice became quieter. "That's Uncle William. He taught me swordsmanship when I was young..."
"Uncle Poli..." When she recognized the fourth figure, astonishment appeared on her face.
"And that's Uncle Edwards..." Bernadette's expression became complicated.
"Uncle Edwards lived to be over a hundred years old. He died peacefully in Lenburg." Silence filled the forest for several seconds.
As far as she figured out, among Roselle's knights, Grimm was the first to die because of the corruption, followed by William and Poli. Apart from the three of them, no one else had been sacrificed in the corresponding ritual.
Bernadette slowly let out a shaky breath. 'Mr. Fool had been right all along. The corruption on this island had never truly been cured.'
Gehrman stood beside her silently and listened without interrupting.
He seemed to understand that Bernadette only needed someone to quietly listen.
After a long silence, Bernadette finally spoke softly. "Sorry for showing you such an unsightly side of me."
Gehrman remained quiet for a moment before replying in his usual calm tone. "Grieving for others is one of the purest forms of beauty."
Bernadette blinked. Hearing Gehrman say something so unexpectedly poetic with a completely straight face left her unsure whether she should laugh or continue feeling sad.
Meanwhile, the Invisible Servant continued deeper into the clearing, leaving behind the corpses of Roselle's knights.
Bernadette wanted to see what these creatures had been worshiping. The Invisible Servant carefully passed through the sea of corpses and eventually arrived at the center of the clearing.
There stood a massive stone platform. Above it was a simple baldachin constructed from dark-red wood.
The Invisible Servant circled halfway and arrived in front of the baldachin. It was empty inside. There was no statue, nor was there an emblem formed from symbols, only a burnt out space as if it was blasted with burning flames.
...
Suddenly, Bernadette's intuition stirred. She immediately directed the Invisible Servant toward the opposite side of the clearing. After it nearly reached the forest on the other side, Bernadette suddenly spoke.
"We need to move closer. The Invisible Servant cannot stray too far from me."
Gehrman lowered his head slightly in thought. Then he casually waved his hand. The distorted space ahead suddenly rippled like liquid water.
Bernadette instantly felt the distance between herself and the Invisible Servant shrink almost to nothing. She glanced toward Gehrman and quietly said, "Thank you."
Then she refocused on the Invisible Servant.
The gloomy sky above the island remained covered in faint distorted darkness.
Time passed quickly. The Invisible Servant entered the forest that blotted out the sky with the tree branches and everything before it suddenly dimmed.
Right on the heels of that, the nearly transparent, cold, and undetectable Eyes of Mystery Prying saw through the dim environment. There were pale-white corpses placed in between the trees. Skulls and rotting corpses hung down from many branches.
They consisted of dragons, avian creatures, and some had eight legs, while others were strange giant trees that occupied every empty spot in the forest.
This made Bernadette frown slightly as she directed the Invisible Servant to continue proceeding deeper into the creature cemetery.
Just like that, the Invisible Servant proceeded forward for nearly fifteen minutes in this forest filled with bones and corpses.
Finally, it saw a fourth object beyond trees, weeds, and corpses.
Ahead was another heavily scorched area. Compared to the previous location beneath the baldachin, the destruction here was far more severe. The flames that once burned here had been unimaginably intense.
Whatever originally existed in this place had been melted into blackened slag scattered across the ground.
Standing beside her, Gehrman gave a small nod of apparent satisfaction. Bernadette noticed his reaction from the corner of her eye and nearly shook her head in exasperation, but restrained herself.
Instead, she continued controlling the Invisible Servant toward the island's mountain peak. Only a few minutes later, the dense forest suddenly disappeared beyond an invisible boundary line.
Ahead stood a massive mountain hundreds of meters tall. Half of the mountain had been excavated. Embedded within it was a gigantic pitch-black mausoleum.
Most of it appeared naturally fused with the mountain itself, while some portions clearly showed signs of human construction and polishing. It perfectly embodied the concept of a mountain mausoleum.
Rather than resembling a pyramid, it looked like a colossal black mountain carved into the landscape itself. The surrounding area was strangely clean. There were no vines, weeds, or wild growths covering the mausoleum.
Through the Eyes of Mystery Prying, Bernadette could clearly see countless symbols and texts engraved across its surface. She also saw the enormous stone doors nearly thirty meters tall, clearly designed for giants.
Bernadette immediately recognized many of the engravings. Some were excerpts from the Civil Code created by her father. Others represented inventions, philosophies, and social reforms he had introduced to the world.
Just as Bernadette was carefully examining the mausoleum, Gehrman raised his hand and opened an illusory door before them.
"Let's go," he said simply before stepping through.
Bernadette followed behind him. As she crossed the invisible boundary, she also recalled the Invisible Servant back into the Spirit World.
Once they fully entered the clearing near the mausoleum, Gehrman frowned slightly. "My Space Concealment is no longer functioning," he said.
Bernadette nodded. "The distortion effects surrounding the mausoleum are likely interfering with it."
"Then let's continue." The two of them slowly walked toward the gigantic black mausoleum before finally passing through the massive stone doors.
…
After both of them entered the mausoleum, Bernadette stayed in her spot and carefully observed her surroundings.
Without using the powers of Mystery Prying, everything was clearly presented before her eyes.
The interior of the Black Emperor mausoleum was completely empty. Apart from the pitch-black walls and the high platform in the middle, there was nothing else to see.
On the high platform sat a chair that looked perfectly sized for a giant. It was made of dark iron, and its surface was engraved with complicated and distorted patterns. A crown-shaped object rested at the very top of the seat.
At this moment, there was not a single figure on the huge, heavy seat. It sat in heavy silence, looking as if it was patiently waiting for its emperor to return.
As she tried to take a step forward, Gehrman suddenly spoke. "Wait for a moment."
Bernadette stopped and turned her gaze towards him. Standing beside her, he then closed his eyes. He calmly recited the honorific name of The Fool.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
When he finished, the sound of melodious bells immediately resounded through the area where Bernadette and Gehrman stood. The sound shattered the ordinary view inside the Black Emperor's mausoleum like a fragile pane of glass.
When they came to their senses, Bernadette noticed a figure sitting on the throne instead. The shadow wore a deep red tailcoat richly decorated with intricate gold embroidery, along with a ruffled white cravat spilled elegantly from his high collar. The shadow was sitting there casually. It leaned on one elbow on the throne's armrest and rested its head on its fist.
A sudden premonition gripped Bernadette's heart. She involuntarily took a step forward. As her foot touched the floor, the figure stirred. Two slits opened on his face, and bright, clear blue eyes stared right back at her.
Bernadette involuntarily opened her mouth slightly and spoke in fluent Chinese.
"Home..."
The shadow sitting on the throne suddenly froze. Its eyes widened in shock. A dry, hoarse voice echoed in the concealed space.
"Home..."
His voice was filled with hesitation and confusion. He sounded as though he was desperately seeking confirmation. It felt as if that single word had traveled across time from another world entirely.
She could sense it now. She confirmed that the figure was her father. This was the man who called himself Caesar. This was Roselle Gustav.
"Bernadette?" Roselle asked with deep disbelief in his voice.
He stood up from the throne and took a slow step forward, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the very first time. Absolute wonder filled his eyes.
"You've grown so much," he said gently, taking another step down from the platform.
Bernadette felt her eyes redden. She took a step forward as well.
"Back when I made sketchbooks, textbooks, and invented all kinds of small games for you, you were just a tiny midget," Roselle continued, a nostalgic smile forming on his lips. "I remember you really liked the clothes I designed for you when you were young. Unfortunately, you can't really wear layered dresses after you become an adult."
Bernadette walked faster and faster. She finally broke into a run, threw her arms around him, and cried out loud.
"It's alright. No need to cry," Roselle whispered. He hugged her back firmly. "I'm alive, you see. I'm alive and well."
Roselle desperately tried to stop himself from crying, but he failed completely. Tears started to fall unbidden from his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her tight for the first time in over a century.
"I've missed you so much, my princess," Roselle added. His voice was thick with heavy regret and love.
Near the entrance, Gehrman watched the scene unfold in silence. He looked to his right and saw a young man standing there. The newcomer had dark brown eyes and short black hair. He was watching the father and daughter reunion with a soft smile.
Zhou Mingrui smiled and gestured towards Gehrman. The two of them turned around and walked away through the thirty-meter-tall doors, quietly giving Roselle and his daughter the privacy they needed.
***
After a while, Gehrman and Zhou Mingrui returned to the platform to find Bernadette and Roselle standing in noticeably more relaxed postures, quietly conversing with one another. When the father and daughter saw the pair approaching, they fell silent and waited for them to arrive.
Bernadette's gaze instinctively landed on the young man walking beside Gehrman Sparrow.
He looked remarkably ordinary.
Short black hair, dark brown eyes, and faint bags beneath them gave him the appearance of a tired scholar rather than an unfathomable existence.
Her intuition already told her who he was, yet she still found herself slightly astonished upon seeing him in person. It wasn't that his appearance lacked uniqueness. Rather, he looked nothing like the image she had once imagined for The Fool.
As if he had noticed her scrutiny, the young man smiled warmly and offered a greeting.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Zhou Mingrui... though I believe you are more familiar with my other title, The Fool."
Grayish-white fog suddenly gathered beside him before condensing into a black top hat. He casually took it and gave a flawless gentleman's bow.
Despite no longer being a princess for nearly two centuries, Bernadette had not forgotten the etiquette engraved into her bones since childhood. She quickly composed herself and responded with a graceful curtsey.
"The honor is entirely mine, Mr. Fool."
Hearing her reply, Zhou Mingrui smiled gently before raising his hand.
Grayish-white fog surged soundlessly across the platform. In the next moment, Bernadette noticed that a sitting area had appeared where there had been nothing moments ago.
A long sofa rested beside a polished table, arranged so naturally that it felt as though it had always belonged there. Upon the table sat a variety of unfamiliar snacks and desserts placed neatly upon delicate plates. Some were colorful cubes coated in fine sugar, others were thin golden sticks, soft white pastries, dark bitter-smelling squares, and bottles filled with bubbling liquids.
The four of them soon took their seats.
Bernadette was the first to speak.
Without hesitation, she bowed her head slightly toward Mr. Fool and spoke with complete sincerity.
"Thank you for saving my father… and for bringing me here. It means more to me than I can express."
At the side, Roselle could only smile helplessly.
Bernadette still didn't know what Mr. Fool truly wanted.
He had helped her find her father and had even cured Roselle's corruption. After hearing everything from Roselle himself, she found it difficult to imagine refusing anything He might ask of her in the future.
Not that she wanted to refuse after everything He had done.
Zhou Mingrui noticed Bernadette's complicated expression and chuckled softly.
"I called you here because, naturally, I want something from you."
Bernadette gulped and waited for what kind of task he would give her.
"There's no need to feel burdened by this."
"Well... it's nothing difficult."
She glanced toward her father, who was looking at her with evident pride in his eyes.
Turning back toward Zhou, she asked, "What is the task?"
Zhou smiled and said, "I need you to travel to Backlund and stop the disaster that will happen there."
Bernadette blinked suddenly, slightly puzzled as she said slowly, "I... was already going there."
"I know. Though you wouldn't have succeeded in stopping it before... now, you will."
She slowly nodded, understanding his meaning.
He then glanced toward the table. "Please, have something," he said, gesturing toward the unfamiliar snacks and desserts.
Bernadette accepted the change in topic and glanced at the strange snacks once more. She recognized none of them, but curiosity gradually overcame caution. After a brief hesitation, she picked up one of the pastries and took a small bite.
While Bernadette examined the unfamiliar taste with mild surprise, Zhou Mingrui looked at Roselle and gestured toward Gehrman. "Meet my Blessed, Gehrman Sparrow."
"Interesting name..." Roselle commented with a raised eyebrow.
"Hahaha." Zhou Mingrui laughed. "I named him myself after all. I found him drifting alone at sea near the end of the Second Epoch. When I saved him, he decided to join me as my Blessed."
When Zhou Mingrui mentioned the Second Epoch, Roselle immediately understood.
'This kid is from Mingrui's dream.'
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Chāoxí zhě..." Gehrman said from the side with a straight face and a slight bow of his head.
Roselle's head snapped toward him.
"...What did you just say?"
At the side, Zhou Mingrui's face twitched despite his perfect control over his expressions, as though he was using all his strength to suppress laughter.
"Umm..." Gehrman looked slightly confused as he tilted his head before repeating himself. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Chāoxí zhě..."
Roselle's lips visibly twitched.
As if he could not hold it anymore, Zhou Mingrui burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Gah, what are you teaching him?" Roselle said through gritted teeth.
"He isn't lying, though?" Zhou Mingrui countered innocently, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
"Bah... You don't say. It's not like you wouldn't do the same."
"I wouldn't..." Zhou Mingrui said with a completely straight face.
"How?"
"Hahaha. I always try to follow the example of the lovely Miss Amanises. She has been alive longer than you and there is still no evidence."
"You're insufferable..." Roselle muttered while resisting the urge to strangle Zhou Mingrui on the spot.
Then he looked toward Gehrman.
"Gehrman, you seem like a good kid... don't call me that again, please."
Still looking somewhat puzzled, Gehrman slowly nodded.
Seeing the way the two of them interacted, Bernadette was suddenly reminded of how her father used to act with Uncle Edwards and the others before he became the brooding tyrant feared by the world.
They had always bickered like this, throwing stupid jokes at one another without end.
For a brief moment, it felt as though she had returned to that distant past once more.
A small smile quietly appeared on her face.
"You two seem like really close friends."
"Yeah." Zhou Mingrui smiled. "We're from the same hometown."
"From the Western Continent?" she asked as she tilted her head.
"Yeah," Roselle answered absentmindedly while reminiscing about home.
Then he suddenly blinked and looked toward her. "How did you figure that out?"
There was a strange pride in his voice.
"A week ago, Gehrman mentioned the word Chāoxí zhě."
Roselle twitched the moment he heard the word again. Bernadette continued calmly as if she had not noticed.
"I connected the dots that both gù xiāng and this word shared a strangely similar pronunciation pattern."
"Then I asked Gehrman if he knew what gùxiāng meant, and he told me. He also told me what this language was called and where it came from."
Bernadette then turned toward Gehrman.
"I didn't ask you at the time, but what did you mean by the Fog Barrier?"
Before Gherman could answer, Zhou Mingrui coughed into his hand. "If we get into that, I would have to recite the entire history of the world." He then took out a silver vine-leaf pocket watch and glanced at the time. "Which I don't think we have time for yet."
Bernadette slowly nodded. What kind of secrets did the two of them hold? She became even more curious.
...
Author Note: I'm currently going through some financial difficulties irl, so I decided to open a Patreon. There is already one chapter ahead available there, and your support would truly mean a lot to me.
Pat-reon: pat-reon/DmonLord
Also, if you have any questions or want to stay updated on new chapter releases, feel free to join the Discord: /PhjmBeKAjr