Soul Trigger

Chapter 688 Aquile and Love
As his consciousness returned to reality, Ji Li was now back at Green Manor.

The bloodshed and chaos in the town have been largely contained, and the mess has been cleaned up by the believers at Old Green's call.

Ji Li never expected that Old Green would be so suitable as a charlatan, or rather, "professional" as a charlatan.

Now, all that's left is to wait for the people from Birmingham. It won't be long. Ji Li also needs to deal with the aftermath of the events in Red Maple Town and arrange many matters for the Hall of Heroes. Old Green also suggested that he go to a neighboring town to preach, so Ji Li went along with his suggestion.

At this moment, a stack of documents was placed on his desk, which were internal materials about the St. Martin's Dormition Museum provided by Angelica.

It includes not only defense maps, but also the locations of most of the collections, as well as various passageways.

The only problem is that this is a deployment map from three years ago, and Angelica's access level only allows her to access this much, which is sufficient for her needs.

After browsing the file and scanning all its contents into the Ascension Protocol, Ji Li took out the Skull Ring from the Dragon Ring and put it on:

"Is our human extinction party full?"

The skull's eyes glowed red, and it opened its mouth in response to the communication from the tombstone:

"I'm glad to see you've changed your mind. May I ask why?"

"Can the items in the Cemetery be used as an excuse?"

“No problem, I’m not interested in those things at all, and I can even help you get more. Even if what you want is the remains of a god… no problem.”

"If I remember correctly, that seems to be our objective for this operation?"

The tombstone gave a sinister smile:
"It's the target of Operation Babel; our goal is to prevent Babel from achieving its objective..."

"Have you figured out how to deal with those two fellow apostles who came with you?"

How much longer until you arrive in Birmingham?

"Soon, a Red Hunter will be leading a team to Red Maple Town to investigate. I will follow them on their return journey."

"Fantastic! Another infiltration operation. You're truly amazing!" the tombstone praised.
“When you get to Birmingham, I’ll treat you to steak, and by the way, we can also ‘get together’ with those two deadbeats. You know what I mean.”

That's incredibly treacherous.

On one side is the royal internment camp on White Island, and on the other side is the Tower of Babel. Looking around, you really see nothing but enemies.

If Qin's Blood Pact Hermit Society were also in Birmingham, Ji Li would have an extra bit of strength.

Neither the power of Birmingham nor the Tower of Babel should be underestimated; the more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it will be for him.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Tower of Babel only has two Dead Apostles that it hasn't even met yet; they can spread widespread corruption and mass-produce monstrous creatures in the city at any time.

However, those tombstones...

Ji Li stopped his thoughts:

"I have a question, answer me honestly."

"Speaking?"

Do you know me?

"Of course I know you. We met in Silla."

"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about the past me you knew. What did you mean by the pink-haired little girl you mentioned before? Did I raise a daughter?"

The tombstone chuckled:
"I was just joking, you actually took it seriously?"

You'll have to tell me someday.

Ji Li took off the skull ring.

The tombstone's attitude was too ambiguous, which made Ji Li wonder if this guy knew the Pioneers.

Moreover, this guy's purpose remains a mystery.

They said they were investing in him so he would need their help with something important in the future, but so far there's been no sign of it.

He is said to be one of the founders of the Tower of Babel, but he is suspected of being at odds with the Stained Knight and even trying to kill his colleague.
Ji Li tossed the skull ring in his hand:

Let's keep an eye on things and observe further.

Although I can't completely trust the tombstone, at least so far it hasn't harmed me.

Looking at the town scenery outside the window, Ji Li's vision instantly rose into the air, with the shadowy Eye of Odin hidden in the clouds, overlooking the entire Red Maple Town.

This is my first military fortress.

Looking down through the Eye of Odin, Ji Li's vision roamed freely over Red Maple Town and its outskirts, until Anya called.

Thanks to Ji Li's emergency treatment, her corrupted town mayor father recovered, and her mother was out of danger.

Anya was now somewhat incoherent. Although she had known for a long time that Ji Li was called "Odin," she hadn't expected such a grand spectacle—

This refers to Ji Li's act of pretending to be a deity or ghost.

Sally, who knows even less about Ji Li, is now completely bewildered.

But Anya was different. She was the first person Ji Li met when he arrived in town, and they went through the initial investigation together.

So Anya came to ask Ji Li, half-believing and half-doubting, if he was just playing a trick.

"So now that you're Lady Odin, shall I give you the title of Valkyrie?"

"Bah! Is Valkyrie the only one who can be Lady Odin? I want to be Frigga!"

"Who is that?"

"You really are a fake Odin! You don't even recognize your own wife!"

"If this is just a phone call to say this, I'm going to hang up now."

Ji Li glanced at the door where there had been a knock; someone had arrived.

"and many more!"

Anya remained somewhat silent:

"Are you leaving...?"

"It's just going to Birmingham. Isn't your modeling agency located there?"

"Oh my god...you really scared me. So...can you come with us tonight? Sally's been terrified these past few days..."

"Then you'll have to ask Aquile for his opinion."

"what?"

Ji Li put down her phone and looked at Aquile, who appeared at the door:
"Figured out?"

The red-haired girl stood outside the door, her hair still styled in pigtails by Ji Li, and said with a pursed mouth:
"Who is that?"

"Anya, but she's already dead."

A flicker of emotion crossed Aiquier's eyes; she instinctively repelled Anya and Sally's presence.

But compared to what she was worried about, these things were nothing.

Aquile took a deep breath:

"May I come in?"

"Anything is fine. Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm not in the mood for drinking..."

"Then hot cocoa it is."

"I told you I'm not in the mood for drinking!"

The sound of ice cubes hitting the glass was heard as a glass of whiskey was placed in front of Aquile.

She was slightly taken aback, her expression strange:

"...The hot cocoa in Valhalla is served with ice and alcohol?"

"Sometimes, alcohol can calm you down."

Aquil stared silently at the glass, then suddenly picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

She had never drunk alcohol before, and she took a big gulp. Putting aside the question of whether the alcohol would make her drunk, the taste was definitely not good for her, and she almost threw up.

Aiquier forced a grimace and put down the cup:

"...Are you Odin, the Raven Man?"

"Yes."

"So the sea fog incident... you orchestrated it yourself?"

"Yes."

"You taught me things, signed contracts, and used the Pulitzer Prize to blackmail me... Was that all orchestrated by you?"

"Is such that."

"For what? To reclaim your Valhalla?" "Yes."

Aquil rubbed her eyes, which were already starting to turn red.

The bittersweet feeling made her bite her red lips.

It's laughable to think about how she was so desperate for Pulitzer back then.

"So it was all a lie, so I was just a puppet? A toy you could play with..."

"You are my family."

"Do you even believe that yourself?! How can you treat your own family like that?! Besides, you're not my brother at all, you're not Pulitzer at all!"

Eguirre couldn't hold back his emotions any longer and smashed a wine glass off the table.

Ji Li casually caught the crystal glass, poured more wine into it, and took a sip himself.
“I am not Pulitzer, but I am your brother.”

"Enough, I don't want to hear any of this... I just want to know, when you toyed with my feelings, when you toyed with my... affection for you, was it the same way you looked at those townspeople?!"

Her lips twitched incessantly, her vision began to blur, and her hands gripped her red hair tightly.
"...My affection for you was all part of your design, just so you could better control me, right?"

Just like a sheepdog does to everyone, you used me as a pawn… Everything you said to me the night before the sailing race was a lie, wasn't it?”

Seeing Ji Li still sipping his wine, Aiquier went crazy and slapped him away.
"Can't you look at me! I'm crying! I'm fucking crying!!! You bastard!"

Ji Li helplessly spread his hands:

"Then let your brother hug me?"

"Get lost! I don't want you to hug me! You're not my brother at all!!! Explain yourself! You..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Li had already pulled her into his arms:
"Okay, I apologize, don't cry."

Ji Li didn't need to explain anything, because most of the clues were already self-consistent when Ji Li revealed his identity.

So the answers Aquile was looking for weren't what she was saying.

From a factual standpoint, Odin did not truly harm him; in fact, he allowed her to control a more powerful Awakened force and see a broader future.

Her emotions were complicated, so what she really needed was an outlet rather than an answer.

After all, this girl is just a teenager, not even a fraction of Ji Li's age.

At this moment, Aquile could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam:

"I looked at photos of the school on my phone, as well as past Olympiad trophies..."

Those were all pictures of you, all of them, and they were all named Pulitzer, but… that wasn’t Pulitzer at all! Pulitzer didn’t look like that at all… Do you know how scared I was?!

“That’s a technique that allows you to borrow someone else’s identity at a cognitive level, so even if it’s my face, you’ll think it’s Pulitzer’s.”

"...Are you really the god who protects Red Maple Town?"

"Maybe it was in the past. I've lost a lot of my memories, and I might be older than you think."

"Then are you really Odin...?"

"My code name is Odin. I still don't understand how part of the Norse mythology that this world worships has been influenced by my existence."

After her outburst of tears, Aiquier gradually calmed down. She looked at Ji Li, sobbing, and as if finally having made up her mind, asked the question she most wanted to know:
"Did you kill Pulitzer and replace him? Where did the original Pulitzer go?"

"He's dead," Ji Li said.

“Remember the jungle party at Yuk High School? He was captured and sacrificed by a member of a secret society, which is why I borrowed his identity.”

"died……"

Aquil's pupils contracted slightly, an indescribable sadness welling up inside her, and she lowered her head:
"If Aunt Duke knew... she would be very sad."

“She won’t be sad, because I am Pulitzer now.”

Aquile fell silent again.

Indeed, Pulitzer began to change from that point on.

She actually loathed the former Pulitzer.

She was delighted that Pulitzer had become what he was, and she loved the Pulitzer as he was now, even feeling a stirring deep within her soul.

In retrospect, it seems that what she liked was not the Pulitzer who changed, but someone who was playing the role of Pulitzer but was completely unlike Pulitzer.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. After all, he was her older brother whom she had grown up with since childhood, yet she had never even liked him.

She also resented that this "Pulitzer" she admired hadn't told her anything; no one likes to be deceived by someone they love, especially not in such a way.

You're the one who did the bad things, you're the one who got killed, you're the one who saved people, and you're also the final boss...

Just imagining Pulitzer and the Raven Man talking so confidently in front of him made Aquile grit his teeth in hatred.

As the spell's effects completely disappeared for Aquile, she began to think about those seemingly reasonable details.

For example, the glasses disappeared, the dark-haired Asian face suddenly became popular, athletic, and even helped the forest ranger move logs, challenged Jason, and stole his girlfriend...

The Pulitzer Prize was riddled with flaws, yet neither she, Aunt Duke, nor anyone else in the town noticed anything amiss.

Are you feeling better now?

"This face of yours... isn't it your real face either?"

"No."

"Can I see your real face?"

Ji Li did not refuse.

Upon catching a glimpse of her beauty, Aiquier's heart began to race, her face flushed, and she abruptly turned her head away.

"What...what's going on?"

"My spiritual essence possesses a strong affinity, which also affects my spiritual-physical unity, causing me to become extremely attractive."

Aquil gritted his teeth:
"Doesn't that mean... as long as you wave your hand, there will be a bunch of beautiful girls waiting for you to pick them?"

"Theoretically, that's true, but I never release my hunger indiscriminately; I don't eat fast food."

"Damn it... so Anya and Sally..."

"That's a accompaniment to Western food."

Aiquier was about to berate Ji Li in a fit of anger, but her gaze suddenly fixed on his face:
"You...you look familiar. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

As the memory surfaced in his mind, Aquile's pupils constricted sharply:
"You are...the person on the wanted poster?! Ji Li, the heir of the Yuanling clan of Shulong...you are a prince!?"

“That might be called ‘Crown Prince,’ which you can think of as the son of a Grand Duke or something like that. But it’s just one of my many identities.”

"...Then wouldn't I suddenly become a noble lady?! A noble lady from the Shulong clan at that..."

"That depends on you, because there are some differences between a noble 'Miss' and a noble 'Lady'."

"Get out of here!!!"

"Speaking of which, don't you feel stuffy with your bra? Would you like me to take it off for you...?"

"No, no, no! Don't touch me! I didn't come here today to do those things... um..."

Unnoticed by the two, in a corner, a gloomy, pale face stared blankly at the scene before them.

For eighty years, I was imprisoned on the cross for eighty years, to shield you from the soul-chasing spirit of the shattered white ring. Now I can finally come out.

How desperately I miss you and long to see you.

So what's going on here?!

Watching the two of them locked in a passionate embrace, Clementine felt as if the world had lost its color.

She wasn't against orthopedics, nor was she jealous of Aiguier. After all, Ji Li and the two sisters were often seen together, and she didn't mind watching from the sidelines.

But... at least show some concern for me!

That was the first time I willingly offered myself to you! The first time I felt no fear at all as time seemed to pass incredibly slowly inside the cross!
Why is it that after I finally escaped, instead of you anxiously searching for a way to help me recover from the cross, I see you kissing a red-haired monster?!

Eighty years, that's eighty years!!
Eighty years of nothingness and darkness!!

If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have blocked that blow for you... I wouldn't have...

She kept releasing her spiritual energy fluctuations, trying to attract Ji Li's attention, but neither of them noticed. No matter how hard she tried, it was useless; Clementine's newly reborn bound body couldn't exert much force.

So, I'm just a tool after all...

Almost giving up, Clementine slowly sank into the floor like a dead fish that only bubbled.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by Angelica's soft cough:
"Pulitzer, the men from Birmingham have arrived..."

Besides the Red Hunters, they also brought a team from the Ludwig family, led by a lord. I've already informed Valhalla to prepare.

Ludwig...is he here to take a look at Valhalla? Ji Li narrowed his eyes.
-
P.S.: Let's refine Aquile's storyline a bit, and then we'll continue.
(End of this chapter)