Baiheng was startled and instinctively tried to politely refuse, "No, no need, you are our guest, how could I ask you to..."
"The last key individual."
System, who had been quietly drinking tea, suddenly put down her cup and reminded her plainly. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Baiheng's ears.
Baiheng's words caught in her throat.
That's right! Huo Huo!
That Judge from the Ten Kings Court!
Because she was too tired last night, coupled with Cipher's sudden appearance, she almost forgot about this last piece!
She suddenly looked at Cipher, her gaze falling upon the golden long boots that covered the other woman's thighs. She then recalled the ghostly speed with which Cipher had caught the breakfast earlier, and the description of her abilities... A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
"In that case..."
Baiheng quickly adjusted her expression and carefully pulled out a palm-sized, finely crafted dark red brocade pouch from her small purse.
The pouch was sealed with special silk threads, making it impossible to see what was inside.
"Then I'll trouble you to help deliver something."
Baiheng handed the brocade pouch to Cipher.
"Oh?"
Cipher took it curiously, weighed it in her hand, and then brought it close to her nose to smell it—it had no particular scent.
"What is this? Who is it for?"
"I don't know exactly what it is."
Baiheng shook her head; this was the truth. "This is one of the items Madam Herta requested be delivered to the 'key individual.' As for who it's being delivered to..."
System spoke again at the right moment, simultaneously pulling out a piece of paper from nowhere and handing it over.
The target information was marked on it with clear lines and concise text:
[Target: Huo Huo. Apprentice Judge of the Ten Kings Court.]
[Primary Activity Area: Ten Kings Court Internal Office, and her independent residence (also used as an office) located in the alley behind the Court.]
[Residence Characteristics: Slightly heavy Yin Energy, often permeated by ghostly aura (due to the nature of her work), doors usually closed. Personality Assessment: Extremely timid, easily startled, but highly responsible.]
[Attached Map: Detailed directional map and suggested contact period (e.g., during the shift change gap in the early morning).]
The information was so detailed it was as if someone had personally scouted the location.
Cipher quickly scanned it. The interest in her blue cat-like eyes deepened: "Ten Kings Court? A Judge? That sounds fascinating! Just delivering something, is it really that simple?"
"Yes, it's that simple."
Baiheng nodded, emphasizing specifically, "You only need to deliver it and place it where she can see it. There's no need for a face-to-face handover, and definitely do not disturb her. Return immediately after delivery."
She didn't want Cipher to scare the Judge, who was rumored to be more timid than a rabbit, half to death, or to cause a conflict with the guards of the Ten Kings Court.
"Understood! Quick in, quick out!"
Cipher grinned, revealing her small canines.
She put away both the brocade pouch and the data sheet, and then performed an action that made Baiheng's eyelid twitch—
Cipher pulled out an ancient coin, its edges shimmering with a faint golden glow, and gently flicked it into the air with her thumb.
The coin spun in the air, tracing a golden arc.
Just as the coin reached its highest point and was about to start falling—
"Whoosh!"
Cipher's figure vanished from the spot without warning, like a pencil mark erased by a rubber!
It was as if she had never been sitting there eating breakfast or chatting.
The stone stools in front of Baiheng and System were empty, leaving only half a cup of still-warm tea to prove that the moment before was not an illusion.
Baiheng: "..."
Although she was mentally prepared, witnessing that speed firsthand still gave her an inexplicable sense of dizziness.
She subconsciously looked at System.
System picked up her teacup, took another sip, and commented lightly, "Very efficient. Estimated time: 2 seconds."
Ten Kings Court, Huo Huo's residence and office.
The lighting here seemed naturally dimmer than elsewhere, the air filled with the scent of aged files and a faint chill.
The room wasn't small, but it was cluttered with tall filing cabinets and pending documents, making it quite cramped.
The windows were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn completely, with only the desk lamp providing limited light.
Huo Huo sat at the desk, resting her chin in her hands. Her light cyan long hair hung somewhat messily over her shoulders, and the matching light cyan fox ears on her head drooped listlessly.
A piece of paper was spread open in front of her, neatly filled with writing. The title at the very top was—
"Resignation Application."
She had lost count of how many times she had written, revised, and then stared blankly at it.
As an Apprentice Judge of the Ten Kings Court, responsible for capturing Evil Spirits, this job was immensely stressful for her.
She was naturally timid, afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts, afraid of sudden noises, and afraid of anything beyond everyday comprehension.
Every time she went to file documents and passed through the areas rumored to be "not very quiet," she could feel the fur on her Tail puffing up, and her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat.
(I... I really don't belong here...)
Huo Huo told herself this for the hundred-and-eighth time.
(Every time, I get scared and hide, forcing my seniors to come look for me... Every time I resolve to be brave, but as soon as something happens, I just...)
Looking at the reasons for "incompetence" listed on her resignation letter, her nose felt a little sore.
Just submit it, admit her incompetence, and leave this place where she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles every day... Yet, a faint voice spoke from the depths of her heart:
Someone has to do the work of the Ten Kings Court, and those Evil Spirits need to be dealt with. Can she really just walk away? Won't that cause more trouble for others?
Conflict.
Extreme conflict.
Her courage was like the tide—just as a tiny bit gathered, it was dashed to pieces against the reefs of self-doubt and fear.
(Today... I must submit it today!)
She clenched her small fists, encouraging herself.
(I can't go on like this! Even if I'm mocked, even if...)
Just as she took a deep breath, summoned the greatest courage of her life, and her trembling fingers reached for the resignation letter, preparing to put it into an envelope—
"Hehe~"
A crisp, cheerful girlish giggle sounded right next to her ear, without any warning!
"Waaaaahhhh—!!!"
All the hairs on Huo Huo's body instantly stood on end!
Her scalp tingled, her mind went blank. The extreme fear made her spring up from the chair like an overly startled rabbit. Because the movement was so violent, the chair crashed backward with a loud clang!
She herself stumbled backward and fell, landing on the floor. Her light cyan eyes were wide open, filled with terror. Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembling, and her scream was stuck in her throat, leaving only gasping sounds.
Almost simultaneously—
"Plop."
A dark red brocade pouch, as if appearing out of thin air, dropped onto the desk right in front of where she had been sitting, even bouncing slightly.
"What is it?! You little coward!"
A grumpy, low roar suddenly sounded from behind Huo Huo—more accurately, from the tip of her Tail, which was bristling and standing straight up like a cyan flame due to extreme fright!
That was the Suiyang sealed inside her Tail—Tail Master!
Ordinary scares couldn't wake up this ill-tempered "tenant," but Huo Huo's near out-of-body reaction just now clearly triggered his alertness.
Startled by Tail Master's roar, Huo Huo slightly regained her senses, but her fear hadn't lessened at all. She scrambled backward, pointing at the brocade pouch on the desk and the empty space in front of her, her voice shaking uncontrollably: "G-ghost, ghost... there's a female ghost! Laugh, laughter! And, and something... suddenly f-fell down!"
"Female ghost? Bullshit!"
Tail Master's voice grew even more irritable, and a cluster of cyan-blue flames even emerged from the Tail. "This is the Ten Kings Court! Which blind lonely spirit dares to run rampant inside a Judge's room?! You're tired of living and want to be chewed up as a snack by this Master, is that it?!"
Although he usually called Huo Huo a coward, in crucial moments, his sense of authority and maintenance over his territory was very strong.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"