Chapter 450
A gust of wind swept by, and a drop of rain landed on the red cigarette in front of Vita, hitting the tip of it.
The blood-red, dry tobacco seemed to twitch slightly upon contact with the rainwater, appearing in Vita's vision like intertwined red nematodes.
Instinctively, Vita flicked the cigarette away, staring in confusion at the red cigarette lying in the filthy water.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t waste it, Your Highness...” The nobleman lunged forward, ungracefully kneeling in the muck to pick up the cigarette, hurriedly stuffing it into the inner pocket of his raincoat, as if protecting a precious treasure.
Something was off... something was very off...
Why hadn’t anyone else noticed this?
Was it because... her spiritual perception was higher than the others?
Vitali glanced around the street once more.
The garden square in the rain was still crowded; the light drizzle couldn’t deter the people of Ansu from enjoying the night. Yet, most of them had a cigarette dangling from their lips.
Perhaps the people of Ansu had grown accustomed to this over time, but for Vita, who had just returned from Farros, the scene felt bizarre and absurd.
Thin wisps of red smoke were exhaled from different mouths, and the burnt-out cigarette butts were carelessly tossed to the ground, carried away by the water into the city’s sewage system.
This was too strange...
“Let’s go.” Vita said simply to the guard behind her, quickening her pace into the rainy night.
She wanted to leave this cursed place as soon as possible and return to the Vitalis Palace. At that moment, she didn’t even want to wait for a carriage; she just wanted to walk back quickly.
Her instincts seemed to be warning her that this place was not safe to linger.
But as she passed the exquisite central fountain of the garden market, Vita instinctively stopped, gazing toward the fountain.
Vibrant flowers bloomed around the marble fountain, and beside it stood a red-haired girl, quietly surveying the crowd in the square.
A green-haired maid held an umbrella for her, but it seemed she was holding something else in her hand.
After saying something to the maid, the red-haired beauty took a strange circular ring from her.
Thud—
Vita’s heart skipped a beat, as if struck by a heavy hammer. The alarm bells in her mind began to blare, warning her that something was about to happen—every ounce of her magical essence screamed for her to flee this cursed place.
Adrenaline surged through her veins; in Princess Vitalis's eyes, the girl’s movements seemed to slow down, as if the surrounding crowd had turned into a slow-motion scene. She could even see the raindrops falling like fine threads before her.
She saw the girl grip the ring tightly, her eyes radiating golden and silver light.
In the next moment, the eerie ring suddenly cracked open, silver fissures appearing on its surface, and with a slight exertion from the girl—
Crack—
The ring shattered.
In an instant, the bustling square seemed to hit a pause button.
The street performers’ calls, the footsteps of departing spectators, the drunken chatter, the speeches of idealists... all sounds vanished, leaving only the crisp sound of raindrops hitting the cobblestones.
“Huh?”
In such a quiet environment, Vita finally heard the girl’s voice.
The girl seemed to have finally noticed that, at this moment, someone was staring at her.
The red-haired girl slowly turned her head, her right eye revealing a silver dial and her left eye a golden gear, both reflecting in Vita’s gaze.
In the moment their eyes met, an indescribable fear surged uncontrollably within Vita. They had never met before, yet she felt a chilling sensation, as if an animal were staring down its predator.
“It’s been a while... I almost forgot, you’re back for a short time today...” The red-haired girl smiled faintly at her, “You didn’t lie; that’s good...”
Crack, crack—
Behind Vita, a sound like breaking bones echoed, as if something was crushing and grinding the bones of her guard.
Crack, crack, crack—
The piercing sound layered upon itself.
Vita could see the still figures around the girl; their skin began to ripple, as if something was voraciously drawing nutrients from their bodies, starting to grow uncontrollably.
Bang—
A mass of slimy mycelium burst through the chest of a man on the other side of the fountain, wrapping around his body and distorting his features.
Blood sprayed into the fountain, and the once pure and clean water now surged with crimson, staining the sculptures above.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
A scream from nearby shattered the silence.
All the “people” seemed to be activated halfway, twisted shadows writhing in the dark, rainy night. Those horrific “people,” entangled in mycelium, lunged at the uninfected, snapping their necks with a “crunch.”
An unprecedented level of bloodshed and terror unfolded before Vita, while the red-haired beauty merely smiled and waved goodbye, turning away with her green-haired maid.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
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PS1:
Let’s continue with 8K tomorrow; I’ll try alternating between 4K and 8K each day to see if I can last longer than before!
Good night in advance!
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PS2: A recommendation for an orange-themed novel, "Chong Niang San Guo" (虫娘三国).
[Leave of Absence 2/3] Experiencing abdominal pain today, not in good condition, taking a day off.
I overindulged in barbecues and various foods during the New Year, and my writing state isn’t great today.
I sincerely apologize for taking a day off; I’ll make it up tomorrow!
Good night in advance!
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Chapter 239: The Mysterious Powerhouse, Shaer (6180 words)
Thud—
A heavy sound echoed from within the Royal Theater.
This was the first echo of realization that something had happened.
However, at this moment, Shaer had successfully reunited with her “muscle,” and even if the strong sound swept over them, they dared not approach alone.
Inside the Archbishop’s residence of the Church of the Savior, in Eleanor’s private prayer room, Shaer, Tara, Eleanor, and Persi were gathered.
Eleanor paced anxiously in the prayer room, feeling the growing terror in her mind, a constant scream that proved just how horrific things were unfolding outside.
Finally unable to hold back, she stopped in front of Shaer and asked, “Your Excellency, are you sure the Saintess is in a safe place?”
“I’m sure.”
“Creating such chaos in Ansu City... can this really disrupt the plans of the Church of the Order and the strong sound?” Eleanor pressed on with a hoarse voice, “With such a major incident, how will it all end?”
Eleanor had indeed believed in and assisted the girl named Shaer because of the divine servant behind Amy, agreeing to help her facilitate the re-integration of the Church of the Savior and the Church of the Order, even including promoting a certain cigarette product...
But as time went on, Eleanor felt increasingly uneasy... The girl who originally wanted to expel the Church of the Savior was now also helping to promote that red cigarette.
The Church of the Savior was responsible for promoting it to the impoverished masses, while the Church of the Order targeted the middle and upper classes. In just a few short days, that new product had become a trend in Ansu City, known by everyone.
There were indeed some extraordinary individuals who tested the red cigarette, but professors from the Farros Medical Association publicly stated that it contained no harmful components, and even the Redemption Society had not commented on the product.
A few low-tier extraordinary individuals who sensed something was off tried to warn about the potential dangers of the red cigarette, but they were captured and interrogated by the girl, who had the two major churches working together against any dissenters... leading to the rampant spread of the red cigarette.
Eleanor, though suspicious, had no choice but to continue following the girl’s wishes—this girl named Shaer could control the upper echelons of the Church of the Order, the Church of the Savior, and the Farros Medical Association. The power behind her was something Eleanor alone could not resist.
Even knowing she had boarded a sinking ship, Eleanor had no choice but to keep moving forward.
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