Chapter 8: Odd Cottage and the Girl
Deep down,
a voice full of reason and extremely persuasive told her that these images appearing out of nowhere were illogical, false, and not credible.
Reason told her that.
But………..
Yimi couldn’t understand; the surging emotions she felt earlier were so real, real enough to make her feel as if they were her own memories.
She was a bit confused, unsure whether to trust her memories and reason or her intuition and feelings.
“……Thank you.” Recalling her earlier instinctive action of diving into Dillin’s embrace, Yimi hesitated.
“Hmm?” Upon hearing Yimi thank him, Dillin thought he had misheard.
Seeing Dillin’s confusion, Yimi provided no further explanation.
“Did that woman and her child leave?”
“Hmm, continuing to stay in this town has no future. Those who can afford to leave most likely will choose to go.” If it wasn’t for family and close relatives being in this city, who would willingly stay in Furnace City, where leaving would leave one homeless?
Just as its name suggests, the City of Crucibles, like a crucible that boiled away the bl**d of its people.
“I gave her some universal currency, enough to live on until she finds a place to settle down, and also some alchemical agents for self-defense.” Dillin may not have had many other alchemical agents, but the flashbangs were plenty in supply.
Daily sign-in, daily missions, and lottery wins had made him a walking flashbang dispenser.
This was the limit of what Dillin could do for that unfortunate person; personal strength, after all, was limited.
And, he’d paid a price for it: being kicked out of the inn.
Upon returning to the inn, the innkeeper hurriedly returned the money Dillin had given him, even adding a few extra copper coins, as if fearing that the two would force themselves to stay.
Dillin said nothing, took the money, said, “Sorry to cause you trouble,” and left with Yimi.
Dillin could understand the innkeeper’s feelings. Everyone was an ordinary person with a family. There were elderly parents to support, wives and children to take care of. No one wanted trouble that would endanger their loved ones.
Though Dillin hadn’t moved a finger earlier, the law enforcement team had failed to arrest the suspect due to his interference, and they would very likely use this against him.
As the inn that had housed them, the innkeeper would inevitably be questioned. With bad luck, he might even end up in prison.
In such a situation, no one dared to let them stay.
“Why did the innkeeper kick us out?” On the street, Yimi asked with a blank expression. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Dillin shook his head. “But if the definition of right and wrong in this world were so simple, it wouldn’t be so complicated. Everyone has their own concerns.”
“It’s not black and white.”
“I don’t get it.” Yimi replied without hesitation. “It’s so complicated.”
“That’s right. Humans are naturally complicated creatures.”
“Why did you come to the Empire of humans?”
“The reason… didn’t you already mention it?” Dillin shot a glance at Yimi.
“With the day growing late, if we don’t find an inn that’s willing to take us in, it’s highly probable we will end up sleeping on the streets tonight.” Glancing at the fading red in the sky, Dillin said.
Dillin’s statement was already a conservative estimate. With what happened earlier, it would spread all over the city in no time. By then, every inn in the city would surely have us on their blacklist.
Unsurprisingly, Dillin was surprised.
As expected, they had a rough time. By nightfall, they had visited every inn in the city, and the innkeepers saw them as a young black-haired youth with a Golden-haired Loli, as if they were the plague, avoiding them like the plague.
Some were even more dramatic, directly hanging up Dillin’s portrait outside the shop, declaring no connection.
Seeing this situation, Dillin was utterly helpless, aimlessly wandering around without result.
“Let’s go. We leave the city.”
“But will the guards let us pass now?”
“Of course they will, or why would the pursuers not have come after us by now?” responded Dillin.
“Is there any connection between these two matters?”
“Think carefully, even if we hadn’t taken action, haven’t we offended the guards of Furnace City at least? Normally, they would have called on their colleagues to give us a taste of their power.”
Yimi shook her head; she hadn’t thought of that.
“Because these guards also see us as too hot to handle. Directly dealing with us could cause diplomatic incidents. For their own protection, it’s better to have the inns lock us out and force us out of this city, avoiding further incidents.”
“Soft targets,” Yimi blandly commented.
“Hmm? When did you learn this term?” asked Dillin, somewhat surprised.
“They are cruel and violent inside, yet overly compliant to outsiders, not daring to unleash even a bit of their malice outwardly,” Yimi calmly looked at Dillin. “Just like you.”
“Do you hate me?”
“I hate you.”
“You betrayed your fellow elves, sold your soul, abandoned your loyalty to the Holy Tree…,” Yimi lowered her head. “…and caused the d*ath of my parents and the entire village, bl**d flowing like rivers.”
“You’re a sinner. I hate you.” Yimi repeated again, calmly accusing Dillin.
There was something she didn’t say.
She should hate Tillysha, hated Tillysha so much, but why—
At the most critical moments, she hesitated, unable to bring herself to act.
Was it because of the remaining kinship that made her hesitate?
Yimi didn’t understand.
“Then, go on hating me.”
“? Yimi raised her head, her gaze toward Dillin filled with a trace of confusion.
“I have a question, Yimi. After you’ve taken your revenge, what do you plan to do?”
“……I don’t know.” Upon Dillin’s question, Yimi shook her confused head.
She had been so focused on seeking revenge, but never thought about what she would do after the revenge was achieved, where she would go.
“Is that so.” Understanding Yimi’s words, Dillin guessed her thoughts, nodding. “Then I’ll wait for you, until you come to take your revenge.”
“But let me be clear, I won’t hold back against someone trying to k*ll me.”
Yimi was silent.
The two approached the city gate, as Dillin had anticipated, these guards promptly let them pass without any trouble.
What a mess! We came here to sightsee, less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and we’ve already made a scene, and yet they are from the esteemed Coleman Academy!
Forget it, the water is too deep, we can’t serve. You two should leave the city promptly.
“My stomach is hungry.” Walking in the suburbs, Yimi suddenly spoke.
“Even if you tell me, your stomach won’t be full.” Dillin said, not looking back. “Are you expecting me to feed you?”
Yimi said nothing.
“The noon meal was the last stored food we had, only dry rations remain.” But unless absolutely necessary, Dillin didn’t want to let his living conditions degrade to that of a savage’s.
“If you’re not picky, try this?” Dillin handed Yimi a piece of hard biscuit.
“It’s so tasteless.” Yimi took a bite of the biscuit like a little hamster and expressed with a blank look.
“Being tasteless is appropriate. Unless absolutely necessary, you might as well survive on photosynthesis.” Dillin didn’t worry about Yimi starving to d*ath, not having fed her for half a day.
Isn’t that the advantage of the Gold Elf race?
The night quickly approached.
“Are you going in that direction?”
“How? Is there an issue?” Dillin asked upon seeing Yimi stop.
“That way, there’s a really bad smell………..”
“I don’t want to go there.” Yimi clearly disliked the smell.
“But there is no other place to stay nearby.” Dillin looked at the distance, the dimly flickering lantern that barely appeared in the distance.
“If you don’t go, we truly will have to sleep on the streets.”
“Sleeping on the streets might affect your assassination plan. After all, I’m used to sleeping in a bed. Without a bed, I won’t be able to sleep soundly.”
“How about it? Your silence means agreement, right?”
Yimi said nothing.
Dillin brought her to the door of this small wooden house.
This cottage was small, with seemingly only one room and one main hall, a very small footprint, surrounded by nothing but the wilderness.
An oil lamp hung on the door, shining a faint light.
“Excuse me for disturbing, is anyone home?” Dillin knocked on the door. “We’re passing travelers looking for lodging.”
“No one seems to be here.” After waiting for a while and not getting a response, as Dillin was about to leave with Yimi, the sound of the door hinge turned, and the door opened.
Dillin turned around and was surprised.
The silver hair danced gently in the wind; the girl who appeared in the wooden house was delicate as if she were a fragile piece of art.
In such a desolate and barren rural wooden house, to find such a beautiful person left Dillin somewhat shocked.
And,
this silver hair was somewhat similar to Aistride’s.
“Who are you?” The silver-haired girl looked at Dillin and Yimi outside the door expressionlessly.
“Oh, sorry, we’re tourists passing through the crucible city. Due to some reasons, we can’t find accommodations within the city. Is it possible for us to stay for a night?” By the time Dillin finished, his voice was almost breaking.
This girl should be living alone.
It’s late at night; any normal girl would refuse a grown man’s request to stay over, right?
Dillin didn’t want to cause inconvenience. “Sorry to bother you, we’re leaving…”
“Come in.”
“Huh???” Dillin was stunned, thinking he misheard, until Yimi, with her emotionless face, went in front of her, obediently took off her little leather shoes, and went inside the house barefoot.
“Are you not coming in?” The silver-haired girl tilted her head.
“Ah, ah, thank you for your trouble.” Dillin, finally reacting, entered the house after uttering a few responses. He looked at the golden-haired loli who seemed very natural and thought: how could this girl’s heart be so big, and why is she so friendly with strangers?
Is this the culture from the elves?
“Here, wear these.” The silver-haired girl handed a pair of pink slippers to Dillin.
“Oh, thank you.” Dillin hurriedly thanked.
Seeing there were other slippers in the house, are there other people living there?
That’s why they were allowed to enter.
“Miss, what is your name?”
“I don’t have a name.” The silver-haired girl shook her head.
“You… have no name?” This made Dillin a bit surprised.
“Hmm.” The silver-haired girl dressed in a simple white dress looked pure like a naturally crystallized crystal.
“Hmm hmm… forgive my impertinence, but you… lost your memory?”
“Lost memory?” The silver-haired girl stared at Dillin for a moment. “I can also be called someone with lost memory.”
“But it’s different from the lost memory you understand. Unlike those with lost memory, who often forget that they have lost memory and believe they’ve never lost memory, me…”
“I know exactly which part of my memory I’ve lost.” The silver-haired girl calmly related.
“Is it the memory of your name?” Dillin couldn’t resist asking.
“Not just names, but to me, names are unimportant. I don’t need to recall who I am, nor do I need to actively seek the lost memory.” The silver-haired girl’s mechanical tone spoke words that Dillin could understand but couldn’t truly grasp.
“One day, the lost memory will come find me. I will know who I am, but by then, I might not be who I am.” The silver-haired girl deeply stared at Dillin. “I think soon, that day is fast approaching.”
“……… Is that so?” Every word the girl said was incomprehensible to Dillin, together with her mechanical tone, it was eerie.
In simple terms, it was like a riddle person.
Dillin looked around at the structure of the small house. In the hall was a boiler underneath which lay some burned firewood. Various alchemy potions and crucibles and apparatus were laid out on the shelves and cabinets within.
The wooden house was simple, with only the most basic living equipment, but it was very clean.
This girl seemed very enthusiastic about alchemy, or maybe her family was.
“Miss, do you have relatives interested in alchemy?”
“I don’t have any relatives.”
“Huh? Then, who do you live with here?”
“I live alone.”
“Then, these slippers?” Dillin was confused. If she lived alone, how could she have so many pairs of slippers?
“For future guests who will come here.” The silver-haired girl paused.
“Ah, I see.” But in such an isolated place, who would come here? This statement sounded very odd.
This girl, although not a bad person, seemed very strange.
The silver-haired girl shook her head, refusing to explain further.
“What are you thinking? You’re way too friendly with strangers! She invites you, and you go right in without a second thought?” Dillin poked the back of Yimi’s head, talking far enough so the silver-haired girl couldn’t hear.
“………” Yimi said nothing, seemingly deep in thought. “I don’t know.”
“But I feel a sense of ease around the older sister.”
“So I went in instinctively.” Yimi’s expression seemed to be uncertain about what she had been thinking earlier too.
“Have either of you eaten?”
“If not, there is still some food in the pot, it should suit your taste.” The girl’s faint voice came from a distance.
