Brain bloom

"Can we complete the auction now?" Mori asked with a fake smile. "The auction will be stopped now, and the highest bidder will win."

“Yes, they’re in a hurry and are waiting outside.” He then showed a piece of paper stating that someone had bid ninety-three gold coins. Sen Shi roughly calculated that, including commission and consignment fees, he would ultimately receive ninety coins.

Upon seeing her nod, the Brain Slime fled as if escaping, heading straight to another room to trade with the buyer.

“Sen Shi…” Dandelion was annoyed by what had just happened.

Sen Shi comforted him, "Don't look so serious. I won't let you suffer any losses. Let's get the money first."

"Indeed, I acted impulsively... but I can't swallow this insult."

"You're a princess; it's not your place to get angry."

So Senshi took out a piece of parchment and wrote a line on it: "The Rain Wizard is hiding in the Merchant Guild and is conspiring with the people here to escape on a merchant ship. Come and investigate immediately. There are also messengers of the devil in the Merchant Guild."

The paper was handed to Fufu, who of course knew who it was for, and she ran out in a flash.

Soon, the brain slime took the money, all in cash, a mountain of gold coins.

"Would you like me to get you a money box? And also hire a group of reliable mercenaries to protect you."

"No need for that. As for the mercenaries? You can keep them."

Volume 1 #038 - Anyway, it's none of our business

With the proceeds from the auction, Morishi now had nearly two hundred gold coins in her purse. Of course, she threw all the money into her bag, otherwise the weight of these coins would have crushed Morishi's back and blinded every passerby.

As soon as they left the consignment shop and stepped outside, Dandelion quietly tugged at Larsen's long, drooping hair.

"Mori, can I get one for you?"

"It's possible, but why?"

"Don't laugh at me, I feel very reassured having gold coins on me."

She certainly wouldn't laugh. Instead, she picked out the newest gold coin and placed it in her princess's hand, her heart filled with guilt. After the country's collapse, her princess must have suffered a lot to develop this mentality... Mori decided to work harder to earn more money in the future, because the princess needed to be raised in luxury.

Dandelion toyed with the cold gold coin, touching the SB letters engraved on it, and laughed as she cursed, "The coffin carriers and the Holy Coffin Kingdom both deserve to die, but the money should stay."

“I agree. Let the utterly foolish coffin bearers and the utterly foolish Holy Coffin Kingdom die.”

After saying that, Mori sighed.

A little while later, Fufu came running back—the task assigned to her had been successfully completed. She said she had secretly handed the paper to the soldiers without revealing her identity. Senshi and Dandelion patted her head with satisfaction, finding the salt sprite increasingly adorable.

If all goes well, the military will come to investigate, and no matter how powerful the chamber of commerce's backing is, it will suffer serious damage. For these businessmen, having ties with the devil is extremely damaging to their reputation, and it will also be a heavy lesson for the chamber of commerce.

Therefore, Sen Shi glanced at the Chamber of Commerce a few more times with a meaningful look, and then left with Dandelion in a good mood.

……

The trip to Frozen Bear Town yielded considerable gains; a substantial initial sum of money was piled up in their bags, quietly waiting to be put to use. Even without bothering to restore their kingdom, with this money, the two of them could buy a magnificent house in any country in the world and live a comfortable life.

That's not bad either.

"Sen Shi, let's check out now and head back to Silvermoon City immediately, so we can be back by tomorrow morning." There was no hesitation in Dandelion's eyes, only hope for the restoration of her kingdom.

"Okay—oh wait, I have two more things to do."

"Ok?"

Mori adopted a mysterious tone, talking about the hidden dungeon in Frozen Bear Town: "Under a manhole cover in the upper town, there's a strange library connected to the heretics, where you can learn something from a book—"

"Advanced magic - Elemental Restriction, right?" Dandelion interrupted.

"...Uh, you know?"

"Of course, it's very famous. Decades ago, when the town of Frozen Bear was renovating its drainage system, they accidentally discovered a library filled with monster corpses, human skeletons, and the like."

She spoke with perfect precision, clearly describing the familiar scene from Mori. But she sounded somewhat dazed. Yes, the passage of time drives history, and even if the town of Frozen Bear remains unchanged, time is indeed flowing on…

Many things have changed.

Dandelion continued, "Many people died back then before we could defeat the undead creatures guarding the innermost part of the library. The book that recorded that advanced magic was picked up by one of the participants in the battle. That was the most valuable thing in the library."

Sen was taken aback.

"You said that magic was taken away? Sigh... So, it's been monopolized too?" Mori was very sad because it had some special uses. If it was really monopolized by the royal family like the healing spell, it would be troublesome to get it again.

Dandelion nodded: "Indeed, it's monopolized by a country with a long history."

"I'm so annoyed, it's so useful."

"Yes."

"Forget it... at worst I can just write the principles myself and reconstruct one." Mori felt inexplicably that he was capable of doing that.

"So if Mori wants to learn, I'll teach you!"

Dandelion suddenly spoke, her voice unusually cheerful, and she even crossed her arms and struck a proud pose.

"Hmph, the Kingdom of Flowers monopolizes it. Our ancestors were once very wealthy. Back then, the Kingdom of Flowers was a famous and powerful nation. Of course, we had to get a share of the spoils when we were fighting against undead creatures."

"Then please be sure to teach me when you get back!" Mori Shi slipped another gold coin into his hand. "This is the tuition fee, Teacher Dandelion."

"Yes, you are a very sensible and well-behaved student."

Neither of them mentioned the sad story of the country's destruction. Instead, they chatted about the interesting things they knew about the Kingdom of Flowers. Fu Fu would occasionally chime in with a few questions, and they returned to the hotel in a harmonious atmosphere to check out.

……

The second thing Mori wanted to do also failed to happen—there was once a special wall in Frozen Bear Town, with ancient lacquer patterns on it that possessed a soul and life, and thus had lived for a very long time.

Mori wanted to go and say hello to see if the other person still remembered him, since many of the missions back then were related to this old guy.

But after inquiring at the hotel, I learned that the old man was already dead.

That happened when the ghost had just appeared and begun to take over the town at night; it was killed by the ghost—that's what they say. Anyway, when people woke up the next day, they found the painted walls cracked, and the wise old man's soul had vanished. Because of this incident, the people of Frozen Bear Town are terrified of ghosts at night.

There was nothing more to do at that time, so the two of them had no reason to stay any longer.

On their way out, they witnessed a group of soldiers rushing to the merchant guild, and also saw hundreds of fully armed combat slaves protecting civilians. In addition, soldiers carrying lists frequently appeared in the free market and in front of merchants, buying up large quantities of items believed to ward off evil.

Mori felt a sense of relief, because his words had been heeded.

Numerous troubles are brewing in the town, and could erupt at any moment.

The town's order gradually fell into chaos, and a rumor circulated among the people: "The lord is going to kill the Rain Wizard and get the compensation back."

The people who were cursing the lord for being weak yesterday are not cheering for the tough stance; instead, they are using even harsher language to curse the lord.

Because Lady Pearl Shell was untrustworthy and went back on her word. And—it really did bring about war! Everyone knew that killing the Rain Wizard meant starting a war with the Peda Empire, with no room for reconciliation…

Sen Shi and Dandelion were not involved and had already left before the city was locked down.

"Let them do whatever they want, who cares who they fight with."

"That's all we can do."

The autumn wind blew along the desolate road outside the city. Merchants and farmers could be seen hurrying along the way from time to time. However, this was already a dangerous area. Sen Shi turned Fu Fu back into a salt fairy and put her in his pocket. Otherwise, such a cute little girl would be too conspicuous.

The two of them walked towards the sea.

Along the way, a fellow traveler struck up a conversation with them in this way—

"I am a traveler from out of town. May I ask where I can see the sky at dawn?"

Volume 1 #039: The Traveler Chasing the Sky

The words sounded familiar to Sen Shi; had she heard them recently? However, she had experienced quite a lot in the past two days, and her mind was too full to recall them immediately.

But Dandelion remembered—this was the first question posed by the demon summoned by the Rain Wizard.

The person asking them the question appeared to be an ordinary human girl. Her face was covered by a veil, with only her eyes showing, and she seemed unremarkable.

"The sky at dawn? What...what does this mean?"

Dandelion's heart was already in turmoil. If it weren't for her robes concealing her body, her slight trembling would have been obvious, and she would no longer be able to feign composure. She tried to ask—

Are you the kind of traveler who... simply wants to see the scenery?

"Yes."

The traveler seemed to have no ill intentions whatsoever.

A beat later, Mori realized what those words meant—she gasped, feeling her lips dry and cracking.

Is the person in front of me the devil? What exactly does this sentence mean? Is it a test? A mockery? Or a declaration of friendship? Mori couldn't come to any conclusion... She was used to thinking about things in the most pessimistic direction, so she prepared for the worst.

fighting……

The win rate may be dismal, but it's not impossible; it all depends on the level of the opponent.

"You guys didn't know either? What a shame, not a single person told me along the way."

The traveler, seemingly possessed by a devilish air, spoke with regret, then shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun with his hand, his face beaming with contentment.

"The scenery along this coastline is so beautiful. I thought I could find the best viewpoint... Ugh, I'm going home tomorrow, so I can't take my time to find it myself. After all, dawn is so short..."

Her tone was impeccable. If it weren't for the impressive-sounding greeting she used, they certainly wouldn't have thought anything of her other than that she was a traveler who loved the scenery.

Maybe they're overthinking it, and this is the truth?

The traveler continued, "Are you residents here? Or are you, like me, travelers?"

“That’s right, we are all outsiders and have nothing to do with Frozen Bear Town.”

Mori spoke, trying to distance himself from Frozen Bear Town, knowing that the devil might very well harvest the souls of the entire town. Then, Mori pointed a finger in one direction—

“If you want to see the sky, I have a good place. Just walk straight, through a rather dry forest, and you'll reach the edge of the cliff by the sea. Whether you want to see the sunrise or the glow of dawn, it's perfect there.”

In an instant, the traveler's eyes brightened, like a night that had been gloomy for several days suddenly clearing away the clouds and revealing a bright full moon.

She looked in that direction with great anticipation, her whole body radiating joy. She pulled out an old book from somewhere and began writing and drawing on it with a quill pen, seemingly recording something.

But both Sen Shi and Dandelion took a half step back at the same time, raising their guard to the highest level.

The old lady of the Black Cat family once mentioned that the devil carries a book, which is also a characteristic of that devil! Mori's intuition roared, telling her that the person in front of her was the devil.

"It sounds like a beautiful place..." But the traveler's voice was so gentle.

"It is indeed beautiful... You can see the most expansive sea and blue sky from there, and it's also the direction of the sunrise. Just remember that there is a very dilapidated cross there, which is like a landmark."

Suppressing his fear, Mori continued to agree with the other person. His eyes, however, kept scanning his surroundings, trying to find the unique black mist that should accompany the demon, but the air around him was clean.