Chapter 222, Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-One: Guilt

The Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs generally does not have a spiritual attribute testing device.

This is a very expensive high-grade alchemical product. It is commonly found in large merchant groups or prominent families in the underworld, who will open shops in the city and charge rental fees.

But the García Governor's Office has it.

After being converted into a branch of the local bureau, the testing equipment was not moved out; it was all put into the warehouse and piled up.

Yan Shi remained seated on the sofa in the living room, waiting.

Apart from her secretary-general, Jie Sheng, her three newly arrived direct subordinates all went with Aska to the warehouse to retrieve the testing equipment.

When Yan Shi woke up, the complicated cloak, coat, and vest she was wearing were still stuffed into a plastic bag. She had been carrying them all along, and now she placed them next to the sofa.

Everyone had left, and Jie Sheng and Yu Youguan sat on the sofa opposite her.

Jie Sheng stood ramrod straight, seemingly looking down at documents, but in reality, he hadn't turned a page for a long time, his gaze occasionally falling on Yan Shi.

Yu Youguan leaned back in his chair, his fingers twirling the jade pendant on the hem of his robe.

Both of their attention was on Yan Shi.

Lin Cai stood listlessly in a corner of the room, huddled in the shadows, her eyes downcast, lost in thought.

Yan Shi saw it.

But she had no interest in the suffering of strangers, especially in talking to strangers about people she didn't know. Besides, Lin Cai seemed to shatter after learning that Yan Shi didn't know Yan Lan.

Yan Shi selectively ignored Lin Cai's existence.

With nothing else to do, she decided to empty the clothes out of the plastic bag again and started rummaging through her pockets.

Let her see what she carries with her as the director!

Yan was in high spirits.

The cloak had no pockets. The coat, however, had two deep pockets, one of which contained Yan Shi's phone, which she had already taken out.

The other one seemed to contain quite a lot of things.

Yan Shi pulled them all out at once.

She was stunned for a moment.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was all miscellaneous trinkets, which didn't seem like something a bureau chief would carry around.

Besides the wooden hairpin that Yan Shi put in, which was broken in two, there was also a tattered crystal plastic crown and a small wooden box.

The plastic crown looked dull and gray; it looked like it wouldn't sell for 9.9 yuan on a shopping platform.

The lock on the wooden box was broken. When Yan Shi pushed open the lid, before he could even see what was inside, a halberd that was completely disproportionate to the size of the box suddenly fell out.

The halberd landed heavily on the ground with a dull thud. A chill spread through the air.

The halberd was jet black, emanating a faint, eerie light. Within seconds, the carpet on the ground was corroded through, revealing the floor beneath.

The floor is still being corroded.

Yan Shi instinctively shrank back, his clothes brushing against the sofa, his eyes widening in surprise.

Jie Sheng and Yu Youguan, who had been keeping an eye on Yan Shi, were also taken aback by this scene.

“It’s Yanlan’s Undead Halberd,” Yu Youguan said in surprise.

Lin Cai suddenly looked up.

Yan Shi blinked blankly: "Yan Lan's Undead Halberd?"

So how did this thing belonging to Yanlan, which she didn't recognize, end up on her?

Yan Shi was somewhat confused.

Yan Shi began to contemplate life.

Could it be that Ms. Lin Zizui really gave birth to a younger sister but didn't tell her?

Then, after she graduated, she somehow entered this unfamiliar world and discovered that she actually had a younger sister, and they were very close.

Yan Shi felt that he had figured out the whole truth.

So this wooden box contains her sister's things.

Yan Shi opened the box completely and looked at the remaining contents inside.

A light brown envelope, and a small note.

The small note looked like a corner randomly torn from some book, and it was written in very messy handwriting:

Inside the envelope was a very elegant invitation.

Lanlan:

Welcome to visit!

This letter grants passage throughout the territory.

Floating City - Capital Lord's Mansion Meng

They are indeed all Yanlan's things.

Lin Cai was even more distraught: "Lanlan always carries the Undead Halberd with her."

After observing the small wooden box for a long time, Yu Youguan finally realized: "Isn't this the spatial gap that someone gave to Yanlan?"

“There are only three inner worlds. I’m hard to forget. But speaking of which, what happened to the fixed banquet hall in this spatial gap?” she asked, somewhat puzzled. “Why is it empty?”

Yan Shi: "Why don't you deal with this thing first?" She pointed to the halberd on the ground, "The Undead Halberd, right?"

In just a short time, a deep pit had been corroded into the floor. It looked like if it wasn't picked up soon, the Necromancer's Halberd could break through to the other floor.

Yu Youguan shrank back and looked at Jie Sheng. "These belong to the deceased." She was well aware of her own limitations. "With my limited strength, after touching this, I might as well lose my arm."

Jie Sheng was also somewhat wary. Although she was quite strong, she was not known for her martial arts skills.

The director's secretariat is looking for all-around talent, not thugs for the enforcement department.

But the young Yanju was looking at her expectantly.

Yanju's eyes were bright and trusting. Her hair was loose, which, unlike Yanlan's cynical indifference, only softened her features.

Jie Sheng quickly assessed the amount of pills and first-aid medicines he carried with him.

It's not impossible to force someone to pick up the Undead Halberd; once you've taken it, just wrap it up with special materials from the logistics department—it'll only take a few minutes.

We cannot let Director Yan down.

Jie Sheng gritted his teeth, preparing to tough it out.

Lin Cai had already walked to the side of the Deathly Halberd, and under Yu Youguan's admiring gaze, she picked it up with her bare hands.

The moment she touched it, Lin Cai's fingertips began to turn white rapidly. She tightened her grip, forcibly controlling herself to hold the halberd firmly, and then lifted it up.

Lin Cai's entire arm was rapidly turning white.

The skin on the fingertips was corroded, and no blood dripped down, but it seemed to be absorbed by the body of the halberd, gradually revealing the stark white bones.

Jie Sheng quickly took out a bag from his personal storage space, opened it, and handed it to Lin Cai: "Put it in quickly."

Lin Cai gritted her teeth. She glanced longingly at the Undead Halberd one last time before putting it back into the bag.

"What is this?" Yan Shi asked.

She was interested in everything in this wonderful world.

Jie Sheng tied the bag shut and handed it back to Yan Shi: "This is a special bag from the Logistics Department of the Bureau of Alien Management. It has array patterns on it, which can isolate all the negative effects that the item itself may have."

"They are usually used by the Execution Department to carry out some special sealing tasks," she explained in detail. "Because smuggled goods always have a lot of the maker's own little ideas, and the vast majority of them do not have corresponding counter-spells or solutions."

Yan Shi understood.

After all, there are many hidden masters among ordinary people.

"Who is the deceased?" she continued. "Isn't the Death Spear Yanlan's? How come it's called the deceased's?"

"Is this her title?"

According to most of the fantasy novels Yan Shi has read, many protagonists have given themselves titles.

The deceased sounded quite handsome?

In an instant, Yu Youguan, Xie Sheng, and Lin Cai all fell silent.

After a moment, Jie Sheng finally spoke, "No. The deceased are...all those who practice death magic..." She barely managed to swallow the words "desperate people."

To be honest, Xie Sheng wasn't quite sure how to explain it for a moment.

Admittedly, the Otherworld is home to many races, and skeletons are one of the recorded fantasy species.

Humans, however, are accustomed to valuing purity. Although the deceased are powerful, their long-term contact with death has often left them in a state of being half-human and half-ghost.

As a member of a traditional, prominent family, Xie Sheng, like most of his elders, was very reluctant to discuss this matter.

They didn't consider the deceased to be human.

However, Yanlan is Director Yan's sister. Even if Director Yan doesn't remember Yanlan now, Jiesheng still can't make too many comments about Yanlan in front of Director Yan.

No one knows what Yanju was thinking originally.

Many times, Jie Sheng felt that Director Yan had too many things to consider. All the affairs of the General Administration, the World Barrier, and countless emergencies all weighed heavily on Director Yan's shoulders.

She often saw Director Yan sitting alone in his huge office when she went to deliver documents, his eyes deep in thought.

The sunlight cannot illuminate Yanju.

"Let me explain," Lin Cai suddenly said. "The deceased refer to those who are desperate fugitives in the abyss of death or places of exile. This is because the cultivation of the deceased is very demanding. It requires long-term close contact with death, or..."

She lowered her head, her bangs falling down to cover her face: "Long-term experience of near-death states."

“Lanlan is a deceased person. Moreover, she is quite proficient in death magic among the deceased. Not all deceased people are capable of using the Necromancer’s Halberd.”

Yan Shi: "Wow, that's so cool."

She roughly understood; it was a necromancer!

"Yes," Lin Cai said in a muffled voice, "very impressive."

Lanlan is amazing, so amazing.

Lin Cai researched a lot of information related to the deceased. In countless vague records, the deceased was always referred to as mysterious and powerful.

But...

Lin Cai muttered to herself, "Director Yan, you don't know Lanlan yet."

Where was Yanlan when he was the same age as the young Yanju in front of him?

Is it in the abyss of death, or in the place of exile?

Lin Cai found it hard to take her eyes off the young Yan Ju, because the young Yan Ju was vibrant and bright, with a completely different personality from that of the adult.

Lanlan looks exactly like Yanju. What would the young Lanlan be like?

Lin Cai tried very hard to think about it.

Young Yanlan should be cheerful and lively, just like when he was a child. But Lin Cai knew that was highly unlikely.

If Yanlan is in the abyss of death, then the despair of living with death for a long time will devour her.

However, much, much later, after Yanlan had passed away and left the abyss of death, when Lin Cai met her again.

Yanlan is like the moon; though she was indifferent at first, she remains bright and gentle inside.

The afternoon sun in Port Novano was so bright and warm, yet Lin Cai shed tears.

She covered her face with her hands and, caught off guard, burst into silent sobs, large tears streaming from between her fingers.

Yan Shi looked at her blankly and tilted his head: "Hey? Why are you crying?"

Weren't they saying Yanlan was so cool?

Lin Cai's voice was broken and intermittent, tinged with sobs: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Yan Shi: "I'm not blaming you. No, what did you do wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Lin Cai cried until she squatted down and curled up into a ball.

If nothing unexpected happens, that would be great.

If Lin Cai hadn't rushed off to her mother's place with her father.

If Lin Cai could stay in the town a little longer.

She then discovered that Yanlan's mother had only taken Yanju with her. After Grandma Shan passed away, Lanlan was left homeless.

Lin Cai could then legitimately invite Yan Lan to her home and grow up with her.

Yanlan wouldn't have been homeless, and wouldn't have ended up growing up alone in the Otherworld, wandering and facing the world's malice on her own.

She should have been spirited and ambitious, flamboyant and cunning in her youth.

Lin Cai: "I'm sorry...it's all my fault..."

She was sobbing uncontrollably, and Yan Shi could clearly sense her pain and guilt.

Yan Shi was extremely puzzled: "Are you apologizing to Yan Lan?"

"But what Yanlan went through has nothing to do with you. That's her life, and she should be responsible for herself."

"And although growing up is painful, she has become a very cool adult. The hardships along the way are medals for her growth."

Lin Cai shook her head in a muffled voice: "As long as she's Yanlan, that's enough..."

The moon doesn't need to fall into an abyss to remain the moon.

Yan Shi: ...

She stopped trying to understand the stranger's thought process and looked at Jiesheng beside her: "They haven't come back with their things yet?"

Jie Sheng: "Director Yan, please wait a moment, it's already on its way."

Yan Shi pouted: "Oh, your work efficiency is so low."

They've been taking it for what seems like an eternity.

Five minutes later, Bian Zheng and the others finally knocked on the living room door again.

Yan Shi looked at the things placed in the center of the room.

The spiritual attribute testing device looked like a large, fancy telephone booth.

It's a very old-fashioned one, the kind that requires inserting coins.

However, it was opaque on all four sides. After opening the door, there was a pure white, enclosed space that was only big enough for one person to stand in.

Bian Zheng placed the spirit stones in order on the outside of the testing device: "Director Yan, it's ready."

"After you enter, the testing device will automatically gather the nearby spirits. Within the small space, the spirits become so concentrated that they are visible."

"Once you can see the light spot, the spirit most compatible with your element will naturally approach you. Just remember the color of that energy cluster."

Yanshi nodded.

She stepped into the small space and closed the door behind her.

After the door was closed, it went completely dark inside, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Yan Shi waited with curiosity.

After a short while, the small space slowly lit up.

They weren't lamps, but rather, as Bian Zheng said, tiny, multicolored lights.

Yan Shi looked at it with almost novelty.

All the little lights seemed close to her. But for some reason, they hesitated to approach, only hovering around her.

Yan Shi puffed out her cheeks and tried to touch the nearest green orb of light.

The little ball of light dodged it...

The little ball of light dodged it?!

Yan Shi then looked at the other small orbs of light.

What does this mean?

That's outrageous!

Yan Shi and the colorful orbs of light played a game of hide-and-seek in this enclosed little space.

All the tiny points of light simply gathered around her. When she reached out, they deftly dodged away.

Just as Yan Shi was about to give up and call a halt, pushing open the door to leave, all of Guang Dian's movements stopped again.

All the colored lights receded, leaving only the golden light cluster around her.

These specks of light contain two types of gold. One is darker in color, while the other is brighter, almost like platinum.

At this moment, what surrounds Tuan Yanshi are white-gold light spots.

They gathered on Yan Shi's chest, crowding and huddling together.

Then, to Yan Shi's astonishment, it pierced her heart and disappeared.

All the white-gold light spots in the small room went inside.

A warm feeling surged from Yan Shi's chest throughout his body, but quickly disappeared.

After all the platinum-gold specks disappeared, the other colored specks, no longer hesitant, all stuck to it.

Author's Note: The latest chapters of this storyline will be available in the comics and forums in the coming chapters (sharpening the knives).

Amnesia is only temporary! Both Director Yan and Yanlan have so many more scenes to come; I've even written out Lanlan's next appearance!