The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"Smart people are always lonely." Anelisa lowered her eyes slightly while holding Marina's hand. "Arthur is too smart and knows so much... Mel and I are destined not to be able to accompany him for too long. If we leave... he will be left alone."

"He was lonely already."

A mother sighed softly at this moment: "I can't imagine, and I don't want to imagine, how lonely he is."

"When he was a kid, he often talked to us about things... that neither Mel nor I could understand, but they seemed to be very profound. Although he always looked down on us for not understanding this or that, he still talked to us often."

"But... when did it start?"

Anelisa's eyes showed a bit of confusion: "When did Arthur start to be so respectful and polite to Mel and me, but...he never said those words to us again, or to anyone else."

"…Marina."

The woman gradually tightened her grip on Marina's hand and repeated in a low voice: "Anser is very lonely. Even with Xitana accompanying him now, he is still... very lonely."

"I'm his mother, I can feel it."

"He lost... He gave up something that was very important to him."

"If you have the ability, please help him. This is my... request. Please."

Feeling the heat and strength of the palms, Marina and Anelissa looked at each other and nodded very solemnly.

"I will, ma'am...I will do everything in my power to help Mr. Anser, I promise."

Hearing this, the woman finally smiled: "That's good. A smart girl like you must know how to help Arthur... Ah, when you are free, come with me to go shopping. I bought a lot of clothes for little Xitana, you can't leave behind."

Marina also smiled and nodded, but her heart was filled with a heavy cloud because of Anelissa's words.

Mr. Anser...are you lonely?

She was aware of the weight that Anser was carrying, but she had never thought that Anser would be lonely, let alone that even with Hitana's company, Anser would still be lonely.

Madam said, Mr. Anser...gave up something very important.

So what is it?

*

In the training room of the Notong, Hitana, who was sweating profusely just now, was changing her clothes. She looked at the puppet fragments scattered all over the floor and shook her head.

"Anser, no."

The girl looked at Anser seriously: "If it's just a puppet, it's worthless. I don't just want to fight, it's..."

She slowly clenched her fists and slowly exhaled the restlessness in her chest. This intense training battle did not calm the fire in Hitana's heart, but instead made it even more intense.

"What I need is a fight that will allow me to complete the devouring."

A puppet with power but no "life" cannot satisfy the Beast King's desire.

Promotion to the fourth level requires the extraordinary person to select elements and have a certain degree of mastery over them, so that he can hold the "scepter" representing the rules. But for Hitana, the most important "beast" cannot grow in such an environment.

"Since it's useless, don't think about it anymore."

Anser smiled and said, "Take a good rest during this period. Although you are extremely talented, the road to becoming extraordinary is still long. You don't have to worry about the gains and losses of the past few days. It is more important to adjust your mentality."

"...Ansel is right, Lina!"

Xitana's face looked much better. She shifted her gaze to Marina who was standing behind Anther and said excitedly: "Anther has nothing to do for a while, so let's go to the capital together! I have been here for a while, and I haven't had any proper fun! Sister Annie took me out for a walk, but, uh..."

The girl couldn't help rubbing her cheeks, trying to wipe away the fear that had just emerged: "Sister Annie's enthusiasm is a little too strong. It's better to be with you, Lina. At least you won't be treated as a doll, hiss..."

"This shows that mother likes you very much. Although she is kind to others, she is rarely kind to this extent. Speaking of which..."

Anser tilted his head to look at Marina behind him: "Marina, you talked to your mother for a long time before coming here, do you mind telling me what you talked about?"

"...Ah?" Marina was still thinking about Anilissa's words and was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses, "Madam is asking me...about my...feelings for you."

Seeing Marina blushing, Anser smiled knowingly, and without asking any more questions, he just said gently, "So, do you want to go to the imperial capital with me and Xitana?"

The girl lifted her skirt, bent her knees slightly, and said with an elegant and sweet smile: "It's my honor, Mr. Anser."

Standing aside with her arms folded, Xitana tilted her head first, then looked down at the leather trousers she was wearing, the mermaid line exposed under her short vest, and scratched her head with gritted teeth. She didn't know how to make a beautiful move like her sister, so she could only put her hands on her hips and shouted, "Anser, I want to wear beautiful clothes too!"

"Didn't mother buy a lot for you?"

"Well, those won't work!" Upon hearing what Anser said, Xitana's face immediately changed, "I'm not a little princess!"

The young Hydra looked at Xitana with a smile: "But it is indeed very beautiful."

"It's not as pretty as yours... Can you make me another one now?"

Soon, Sitana, wearing a black waistcoat, put her hands in her pockets, kicked off her thick-soled boots, and turned around contentedly.

"Does it look good? Does it look good?" She looked at Ansel and Marina with shining eyes.

"It's beautiful..." Anser stroked his chin, "but it reminds me of something else."

"Others..."

Xitana was stunned for two seconds, then immediately thought of the windbreaker adventure she had experienced, and her cheeks turned red instantly: "Go to hell! I didn't ask you that! Bad thing Anser!"

She turned to look at Marina angrily, and after receiving the latter's gentle and pleasant compliments, she felt much better... well, or rather, her restless heart calmed down a lot.

"So where do we start next?"

Sitana, who couldn't wait to go out, walked in front. The corridor of the Notong was dark and quiet, and her boots made a crisp sound when stepping on the ground.

"I haven't been back for three years, so I'm not too sure about the changes in the capital, but..."

Standing on the empty corridor, Anser tapped the ground with his cane and called out:

"Lawrence."

"I'm here! Young Master!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a fat grey-black rat came out from somewhere, stood up, and waved its paw towards Anser, saying hello: "What do you want from me?"

"Hitana, Marina, and I are going to visit the imperial capital. Please be our guide for a while and take us to some interesting places."

Shushu's tiny red eyes suddenly lit up: "Young Master, I can actually be of use to you... That's great!"

It rubbed its claws and patted its chest: "Don't worry, leave it to me! I think only Peregrine Falcon knows the situation in the capital better than me. I promise that you will have fun!"

Lawrence slid to Anser's feet, looked at the tall girl with short snow-white hair on the left, looked at the gentle girl with long snow-white hair on the right, and finally chose to climb onto Marina's shoulder lightly: "Let me think... Let's go to the black market first. It's the busiest place there, maybe we can find something interesting there!"

"...Black market?" Xitana was surprised. "There is a black market in the imperial capital?"

"How can there not be? Our Emperor doesn't interfere. As long as the rules are followed and the reputation is clean, the black market can also be a legitimate market."

Lawrence said in an "I understand" tone: "It's just that ordinary people can't get in. Oh, by the way, young master, do you want to hide your identity well?"

"It would be boring if we didn't hide our identity when we went out to play, wouldn't it?"

Anser reached out and touched Lawrence's head: "I'll trouble you with the black market ticket, Lawrence."

"Hey, this is easy, just leave it to me."

Xitana, who was standing by, had been looking at this ordinary-looking mouse that could talk. When she met Flamel and the other leaders that day, she had wanted to ask about it, but she was embarrassed because Flamel was there. Now that she finally had the chance, she couldn't help but ask, "Um, Mr. Lawrence."

"Just call me Lawrence." The mouse waved his paw, "What can I do for you, Miss Sitana?"

"Um, I want to ask you... which one are you?"

"The Head of Devouring." Lawrence bared his teeth and claws, opening his mouth wide. "It's the 'devouring' one that eats. Scary, isn't it?"

Sitana was very rude and amused by the cute look of Mouse. Under Marina's sharp gaze, she managed to hold back her laughter and coughed twice. "Then, can I ask again...what abilities does the Devourer have?"

"Why not? You'll meet your companions in the future anyway, so it's okay to get to know them first."

The three of them and the rat walked towards the teleportation array of the Notong while listening to Lawrence talking: "The so-called 'Devouring Head' represents the 'beast' element of Hydra, which is the control and devouring of life. The ability is also very simple, which is to eat the opponent's power and then use it for oneself."

Lawrence said it lightly, but Xitana was stunned.

The Devourer's Head, the beast element, can devour and plunder the power of others...

Why didn't I take this ring at that time?

The girl looked at Lawrence squatting on Marina's shoulder with envy: "It would be great if my other power of the Head Contract was the Head of Devouring."

"That's not good." "I don't think that's necessarily a good thing."

Anser and Lawrence gave the answer at the same time.

"...Ah?" Xitana looked at the two of them with a puzzled look on her face. "Why not? Anser, didn't you say that my most powerful element is the beast..."

"Have you forgotten what a 'beast' is?" Anser gently stroked Sitana's hair. "It is a wild desire of life that will never succumb to any existence. Once your essence comes into contact with the beast element of Hydra, it will not be a fusion, but... a life-and-death struggle."

"Yeah, yeah." Lawrence nodded. "When you were fighting with that guy Tyr, I felt it... well, a creepy aura. It was a bit dangerous."

"Young Master, you have a great vision," it said admiringly. "In terms of the 'beast' element, even Hydra can feel threatened. This means that Miss Xitana, you may be able to be on par with Hydra in terms of the beast element in the future!"

"But it's also quite strange. You are obviously a normal human, how come you have such a strong beast element..."

Lawrence was quite confused by this, but after looking at Anser who looked calm, he didn't say anything more.

Anyway, my young master must be very clear about this, so there is no need for him to say more.

Its next job is to be a good and responsible guide and bring a good sightseeing experience to its young master and his ladies!

Speaking of which... the black market in the imperial capital has been caught up in factional struggles since the death of Grand Duke Shenghui.

Forget it, it’s none of my business. I’m just an innocent mouse responsible for leading the way.

If you guys don't keep your eyes open and run into trouble, and end up messing things up, forcing the young master to take over the black market...

That has nothing to do with me, Shushu.

Chapter 7: The Snake That Hates Sheep (K)

As the imperial capital, Tianxin City is so huge that ordinary people cannot imagine it.

Even the lower city area where civilians live is much more prosperous than the aristocratic city areas in most of the empire's territories.

And in a secret area where the upper and lower cities meet, there is the largest black market in the entire empire.

From mundane items such as gold, silver, jewelry, and art and paintings to extraordinary items such as alchemical tools, rare materials, and spell scrolls, the imperial capital's black market has everything.

"This is really——"

Xitana, wearing a mask, looked at the bustling market with great shock: "Why are there so many people?"

"The floating population in the imperial capital is astonishing." Anser looked at the end of the bustling street, his tone quite nostalgic, "This place is the same as it was three years ago, not much has changed."

"Hey, has Anser been here before?"

"This place is just like Lawrence said. It is one of the most attractive places in the imperial capital."

Anser smiled, "How could I not have been here?"

Lawrence, squatting on Marina's shoulder, patted his chest and said, "I can guarantee that the inside is completely different from what it was three years ago! Young Master, where do you want to go? Do you want to take a walk around the ordinary market here first, or go directly to the extraordinary market deep inside?"

"Now take a look here... Doesn't Xitana want to buy some clothes?"

Anser glanced at Xitana, who was looking around. Even with the mask on, he could imagine her curious expression. He said meaningfully, "There are a lot of nice clothes in here."

"...Hmm? Anser can do it for me anyway, so I don't care."

As Marina's knowledge gradually grew, she was able to read from Ansel's eyes what those "good clothes" might be. Her face turned slightly red, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she felt a little expectant and excited in her heart.

The three people and one mouse walked into the widest main street. The shops and stalls on both sides of the street were filled with all kinds of messy objects. Hitana walked in front, looking here and there, extremely interested.

"An… Master, Master."

Xitana, who subconsciously called Anser's name, quickly changed her name shyly and awkwardly: "Come and take a look at this thing."

Ansher glanced at the plain black leather collar around the girl's neck, and met her slightly embarrassed gaze, and couldn't help laughing as he walked over to her side.

"Look at this." She pointed at the azure ice crystals on a vendor's table, her eyes shining, "This is a specialty of the North! My mother told me a story about it, it's called... what's it called, tears?"

"Deep Blue Tears, this lady is very knowledgeable." The man sitting behind the stall laughed, "This is a rare gem that can only be mined from the underground glaciers of deep blue collars. Only twenty or so are produced each year, and they are all monopolized by the Grand Duke of Gray Tower. This symbolizes eternal loyalty, steadfast love, and..."

The stall owner's words were so exaggerated that Xitana was very excited. She looked at Anser's eyes, then at the gems on the table, and looked up at the stall owner and said, "How much is one?"

"My friend stole this from a marquis's house at the risk of his life, and rushed here overnight to sell it." The stall owner rubbed his hands, "The risk is a bit high, so I'll give you a cheap price, 100,000 gold coins, and I'll accept Imperial Bank notes."

Xitana was stunned for a moment: "How much did you say?"

"One hundred thousand imperial gold coins." The man answered without hesitation. "If I put it in an auction house, the price would be at least three or four times higher. If it wasn't obtained from a shady source, I wouldn't put it in a place like this."

The girl, who was extremely excited, was discouraged by the high price. Although she had followed Ansher for some time, she still had no concept of money. After all, she almost never asked Ansher for money, and even if Ansher gave her money, it was basically Marina who took care of it.

Miss Wolf didn't want to ask Anser for money, nor did she want Anser to buy anything for her, so she could only cast a pitiful look at her sister.