Chapter 393: Temporary Residence
Those three faint words, in this moment, I learned the chill they carried in their language.
But I didn’t know why, the more I understood, the more I wanted to laugh.
The young girl before me, when I first met her in the Dream World, was helpless, weak, pitiful, and numb, yet now she could say such words.
This seemed to indicate a lot of things.
When this girl in front of me said “Just k*ll them,” those guys lying on the ground like dead pigs struggled desperately, frantically trying to say something, but because of the Silence Spell, not a word could escape their mouths.
Even if they could speak, I wouldn’t understand; I couldn’t be bothered to link my Mind Communication Magic with them.
Looking at these powerless ordinary people, I seemed to understand one thing.
That is the meaning of power.
At the beginning, my horizons were limited to the Witch Academy, and I didn’t place much importance on the mastery of strength, thinking it was merely a byproduct of skill and knowledge. But now it seems that if the environment is different, it can spawn the possibility that skill and knowledge are merely accessories to power.
After all, countless foolish yet powerful beings continuously prove that knowledge and skill are not necessities on the path to power.
But all of this is just a matter of personal perspective. I have such good fortune; I was reborn into this peaceful world, enrolled in the Witch Academy. Why can’t I choose the path I like?
Now looking back at this girl named Qiu Ruxin, one can say she is decisive in her actions.
But the prerequisite is… she also needs the courage to take action, not just to talk.
…
“Hey, let’s settle the payment and don’t forget to bring more good stuff to my recycling station next time.”
“Okay.”
I took the money, skillfully avoiding the middle-aged man’s attempt to touch my hand to take advantage of me, coldly humphing.
Then I left the recycling station and went to a nearby shop that was still open late at night to buy some water and food.
“Drink some water; are you still feeling unwell?” I offered her a bottle of water.
“Thank you… but no…” Qiu Ruxin looked at the water swaying in the bottle and suddenly recalled the bl**d flowing like water, instantly retching.
I smiled silently, quietly taking back the bottle of water, just silently leading her away from there.
After leaving, I gazed at the distant fire that illuminated nearly half the sky. The fire had been burning for a while, yet no one came to put it out, allowing the great fire to rage on. I really didn’t know what was wrong with this world.
However… the flames had consumed the traces of d*ath, taking away the last hint of value from that abandoned factory. As for the remaining considerable value, I dragged it to sell, and thus my first… oh no, second bucket of gold was secured. The first bucket came from robbing those punks.
As for how those people perished… I glanced at the very uneasy Qiu Ruxin beside me; the answer was already obvious. I was only responsible for handling the scene.
What is there that a great fire can’t get rid of?
It indeed turned out to be quite a big deal right from the start, thankfully this isn’t the Main World.
Or rather, it’s possible for the Main World to develop so peacefully without any extraordinary disturbances everywhere; I have to give it up to the Extraordinary Academy—its management and enforcement capabilities are truly impressive.
When I felt that Qiu Ruxin was in an acceptable state, I timely spoke up, “Qiu Ruxin, I have a question I’d like to ask you, is that okay?”
“Um… huh? Sure, go ahead.”
Qiu Ruxin had gotten somewhat used to the sensation of suddenly hearing others in her mind. Though she was momentarily stunned, she quickly responded.
“Yeah, I’m very curious… how did you come to that conclusion in that moment?”
“What conclusion…”
“Don’t play dumb with me, okay? What’s something that you can’t tell me? You know what I’m referring to.”
“Alright…” A trace of hesitation flashed in Qiu Ruxin’s eyes, but finally, with a long sigh, she prepared to explain.
“Actually, there were many factors I considered, but the most direct reason was… they threatened my life, I had to… be more ruthless than them.”
As I walked, I listened to Qiu Ruxin’s narration. I had no intention of rebutting; after all, listening to others’ thoughts is also the beginning of understanding. A rebuttal would merely serve to organize my own prejudice, nothing more.
Initially, I simply felt that the reason Qiu Ruxin expressed was likely one of revenge, an eye for an eye, after all, a girl’s chastity meant life itself for someone who values it highly. Although this is a different world, some thoughts are surprisingly aligned.
However, as I gradually listened to Qiu Ruxin explain her reasons, I was quite astonished. This world has no right or wrong, only positions; no one can stand above to objectively judge anything. When a person is involved, their position is formed.
Qiu Ruxin, being on the weaker side, understood clearly that when an opportunity presented itself, one must grasp it tightly and ensure the opponent is completely incapacitated; that would count as her victory. Any overly cruel judgment from others only meant nothing in the face of position.
If it weren’t for my appearance, Qiu Ruxin would undoubtedly have been insulted; even if she survived by chance, so what?
Not only did Qiu Ruxin speak of positional reasons, but she also discussed many other factors, which were less reasons and more reflections of her worldview and values. Moreover, her mindset was quite active; I even admired her “rhetoric.”
But the reality is she isn’t good with words; the things she said along the way were quite stuttered. Yet, the Mind Communication Magic conveyed the thoughts she couldn’t express in words in a way I could understand completely.
Even though she was speaking hurriedly at the moment, not knowing how to express herself, I still quietly listened.
Indeed… she is a person with a rich inner world, but not good at expressing it. Such individuals often lead unsatisfactory lives.
It’s quite similar to me; I too am not good at chatting. Such types easily evoke sympathy or, shall I say, resonance from some people.
However, this journey also made me discover a rather strange phenomenon: Qiu Ruxin… is quite unlucky.
Since leaving that recycling center, she had stumbled over stones three times, almost fallen on the uneven ground five times, and once… been the target of a falling object.
This was indeed too bizarre, and Qiu Ruxin’s physical condition was slightly better than average, but not by much; it seemed she was just a tad stronger than the average adult male.
These abnormalities truly piqued my curiosity.
I “saw” a Fortune Seed within her; without a doubt, she is a Child of Fortune, yet her experiences seem more like the misfortunes of an outsider cursed by bad luck.
This puzzled me greatly, yet none of these accidents were fatal. Even the earlier falling object did not directly hit her head, but rather in front of her, the shattered fragments splashed all over her.
I have witnessed the terror of a curse of misfortune; clearly, Qiu Ruxin’s curse is not as strong as mine.
I did cautiously question Qiu Ruxin about this, but she indicated that she wasn’t very clear about it.
“Really? The misfortune of being born isn’t something that happens to just anyone; the world is indeed quite amazing,” I sighed with a smile, then led her into a not-so-large inn.
Though after some busy work, the sky was already starting to show the faintest light, Qiu Ruxin was merely an ordinary person. She had exerted herself too much and needed to rest.
“Only one room?” Qiu Ruxin turned red upon seeing me book a single room; this is a single occupancy!
Although she understood quite well that staying here would be expensive and they didn’t have much money, sharing a room for two was still…
“Of course, this is your sleeping place; I won’t be sleeping. If I were to sleep, I could open another room at any time,” I said, turning my head to respond, then took the room key and handed it to Qiu Ruxin, bringing her inside.
“Oh…” Qiu Ruxin nodded, and even her tone reflected her weariness, “Isn’t opening another room a bit wasteful? Actually… I can also sleep on the floor…”
“No, I have a girlfriend; I need to avoid misunderstandings. It’s just a bit of money; I’ll open a separate room later,” I waved my hand.
“Oh, so it’s… wait! A girlfriend?!” Qiu Ruxin nodded to show she understood, but quickly realized something was off. Girlfriend? How could it be a girlfriend?
Qiu Ruxin unwillingly looked again at the figure beside her… she wasn’t mistaken…
“You didn’t hear wrong; I didn’t say anything wrong. I don’t want to explain; just know that’s the case,” I added, seeing her confusion, not expecting this relationship to be accepted in any other world. Even in the Main World, such relationships are not particularly advocated.
After all, it doesn’t help with population growth. People in the Main World are a scarce resource, and those with good aptitudes are even more so, so the entire Main World strongly encourages reproduction.
“This is the room; go in,” I said as I entered with Qiu Ruxin. The facilities inside were quite simple; after all, good products don’t come cheap.
Even the bed was the type for single occupancy, and being here gave me the illusion of entering a prison.
“Just rest here; it’s fine, don’t worry about any danger. I’ll use magic to set up some protections here,” I said.
Actually, I don’t really possess any stationary magic; even the Protection Spells will automatically lose control if I’m far away.
So this requires a technique from alchemy, similar to the “Solidification Spell” used in crafting alchemical items. While I haven’t practiced it many times, I did research some “runes” back when I was in Ninglan New City.
Runes are symbols engraved onto carriers, somewhat similar to Solidification Spells. It’s just a mix of various half-baked techniques; as long as it’s effective, it’s successful.
Moreover, I only need to provide her with precautions that will deter anyone who tries to target Qiu Ruxin.
Earlier, we encountered some unsavory characters along the way, some even trailing us. At this point, I also noted the malice this world holds towards beautiful young girls. However, Qiu Ruxin had kept a low profile and tried to appear quite ordinary, but her qualities still shone through. As for me… I was obviously out of place, just in terms of temperament.
“Thank you…”
Qiu Ruxin said gratefully to me.
“Rest well. Don’t go wandering around unnecessarily; wait for me to come back. I have some matters to attend to.”
Before leaving, I advised Qiu Ruxin and only closed the door after receiving her affirmative response.
Looking at the door to this inn, I couldn’t help but sigh. If I had a type of binding spell, I could directly cast it on the door, preventing anyone from entering from the outside. Yet now, I must inscribe spell runes on it.
Fortunately, this isn’t too difficult for me.
I needed to leave for a bit because I had something to do.
Previously, while getting to know this world with Qiu Ruxin, I also inquired whether there were devices similar to phones or computers in this world.
The answer was yes, and they are quite common since such an interconnected network requires widespread existence to have meaning.
Initially, I had planned to use this to learn about the information and news of this world.
However, I quickly realized that there was a language barrier, so I had to shelve that naive thought temporarily. For now, learning the language should take priority; otherwise, I wouldn’t even know what shocking news was happening.
Of course, before that, I still needed to deal with some people—those who had approached with ulterior motives just because of appearances.
Qiu Ruxin was right; some people, once they make certain choices, position-wise, they live or d*e.
Moreover, I have already seen bl**d after arriving in this world; I naturally wouldn’t mind a bit more.
As I stepped out of the inn, I sensed several gazes directed at this place.
I didn’t pay much attention to it and walked on. It was already nearing morning; the dim early morning streets still had some swaying figures.
I had initially planned to deal with the ill-intentioned individuals and then disguise myself in a secluded area before returning, just to blend in with the local customs.
As for… wanting to learn the knowledge of this world, naturally, learning from Qiu Ruxin would be the most convenient. However, she needed to rest at the moment, so I could only wait.
If I were to find others, they would probably think I am crazy. The moment Mind Communication was revealed, it would likely cause an uproar.
So everything must be done cautiously for now.
After going around in a circle to experience this world’s customs, although it left a bad impression on me, I admired the courage of those lower-class individuals struggling to survive in this world.
Furthermore, those who had been following me were already led away by my Illusionary Clone. Their only welcome would be my summons, such as the Spirit Cat Summoning Spell, Falcon Summoning Spell, and so on.
These summoned beings were more than enough to deal with those ordinary people. It was merely a way to clean up the sc*m of this world; the biggest mistake of their lives was harboring lewd thoughts about me.
Ordinary people could never imagine how a spellcaster would draw them into an abyss and yet be able to break free without leaving a trace behind.
After handling these matters, I found a place to completely change my appearance, transforming into an unremarkable girl. Even so, I still attracted the attention of some individuals; indeed, those idle individuals were really starving; they would look at any girl.
But fortunately, there were no traces following me. Otherwise, I would have to go through the trouble again.
After assuming a new identity, I booked another room right near Qiu Ruxin.
There was no need for identification to book a room here, or rather, this country simply doesn’t have such things as identification.
While Qiu Ruxin was resting, I should delve into researching that summoning spell.
After all, if possible, I wouldn’t want to stay in this world for long; it just feels… very unpleasant.
