Chapter Seventy-Seven

Lady sat in the corner, lost in thought.

After leaving the research institute, she sat there, looking at the painting hanging on the wall.

I have a close relationship with these people.

Lady sat there, lost in thought.

She would act without thinking, wanting to kill that man—something she would never do. She didn't know him at all, and had no idea what he had been through.

So why would I want to kill this guy? It's an instinct rooted deep in my memory. Strangely enough, my instincts have nothing to do with reproduction or survival.

It was murder; to be precise, it was only him.

Was I created just for this purpose?

Lady looked at the painting and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

However, besides the painting, she also discovered other things.

Those things just needed to be kept secret for a while. Even Ark wasn't told. He discovered them, remembered them, and figured them out, and that was enough.

She is currently staying at a guesthouse in the research area, and the owner of the house is Kenredy.

Although Lady said she wanted to kill his instincts, the guy didn't seem to care and instead offered her a place to stay.

Ark confirmed that it was just an ordinary house, and she didn't know where the girl had gone. She disappeared somewhere as soon as she was able to find a place to rest.

It's not that you can't find it; this guy has a bell on the table. All you have to do is shake it, and Ark will get here as fast as he can.

Although I can't hear anything when I'm shaking.

However, Yak said the sound was like thunder to his ears.

Lady hesitated for a moment, then used a dagger to cut off her clothes and stuffed them into the bell.

That way, unintentional shaking shouldn't bother it. But if it's really beating like thunder, accidental shaking might bother it.

She put it on her person and then quickly packed up the things she needed to take with her.

Yak had instructed that no matter what was to be done, the first thing to do was to bring everything that might be needed.

This guy is like a mother hen, explaining things to her countless times, patiently and earnestly repeating them over and over again.

In order to avoid listening to this guy's nagging, many people learn a lot from him.

However, the others only learned about it, while Lady only heard about it once. Based on her judgment, she determined that it was a beneficial thing, so she treated it as something she did regularly.

Lady slung the bag over her shoulder, having made sure a few minutes earlier that it contained the necessary items.

Then we can set off. It's getting dark now, a perfect opportunity to sneak away.

Yak watched her sneak away through the door and sighed helplessly.

Sure enough, none of them are easy to deal with.

He took out a notebook, which recorded the current location of everyone on the team.

Almost all of them separated, and most of them got into trouble.

Which way should I go? That's a question I need to think about.

Fortunately, everyone here has a strong sense of autonomy, so he, the one who pays their salaries, doesn't have to think too much.

He only helps out when there are occasional situations that are difficult to handle.

Or rather, simply being a good bystander is something to be commended for. After all, I was once considered a busybody.

Both sides are quite interesting, so it's a bit difficult to completely ignore them.

What gave him the biggest headache was the guy standing behind him.

"I told you, the next time we meet, we'll be enemies."

That's what she said.

"You shouldn't be like this," Ark said hesitantly. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. I started it first; you were just retaliating. And it can't even be called a retaliation."

In front of him was a girl in a wheelchair, with long gray hair flowing down from both sides, covering the entire wheelchair.

"Has it not recovered yet?"

"Over 90% of my body is unconscious, and it's due to my abilities. It's irreversible, but I still appreciate that you considered me. Hey, Ark, are you still as powerful as you were back then?" She suddenly looked up, her expression turning ferocious.

Yak vanished from the spot, along with the rooftop he was standing on.

As he landed not far away, metallic spikes swept in from all directions. The fastest one pierced his brow, and a bean-sized amount of blood flowed down the black spike.

The metal stopped at the moment of contact.

"Forget it, if you get hurt, this city shouldn't even be running. Those bastards will destroy this place in a week." She waved her hand, and the metal disappeared at the same time.

As for Ark, he wiped the blood from his head, and a strange look appeared on his expressionless face.

"You... are stronger than before?" Ark hesitated and said, "As expected, this is what makes me strange about the Demon. His body, which is almost just a consciousness, is actually stronger than before."

"It's all thanks to you." She turned the wheels of her wheelchair and slid it toward the edge.

The metal formed a flat surface that allowed her to slide down.

“It’s been a long time, let’s catch up,” she said. “Ark, that’s not a very catchy name. Aren’t you going to change it?”

"If I change my name, my old friends might not recognize me."

"So-called old friends often change their names, for example, I have changed my name too."

"What's your name now?"

"you guess?"

“Apalli?” Yak casually uttered a strange name, the name of a cat he had seen before.

“You got it right.” This guy actually agreed to the name just like that: “Apari...Apari? It’s a good name, it can last for a hundred years without any problem.”

"You don't have a name yet?" Ark paused, then said, "If I remember correctly, you used to..."

“I asked a friend at church to handle my affairs. My previous name violated too many rules, and the procedures couldn’t be followed. So I changed my name, and after using it for a few years, I asked him to treat it as if I were dead. I’ve been living in this basement for the past few decades. It’s a very luxurious basement, and apart from not being able to come out, I’ve been doing alright lately.” Aparie turned to look at Ark: “Tell me about your recent life, probably within the last fifty years. Although the last time we met was over a hundred years ago, I could still find information about you up to fifty years ago, but I can’t now.”

"Similarly, I also found someone to help me remove the traces. So I've been very well-behaved for the past fifty years."

"Huh? Really? You said you were well-behaved?" Apari looked unconvinced. "Have you ever been well-behaved?"

"Relatively speaking, apart from knowing an unreliable sorcerer, a raven, and a little spider, this is the team we have now."

"An unreliable sorcerer? Oh, that guy, I've heard about him. You took it upon yourself to play matchmaker, but it didn't end well, did it? You hurt both of them badly, and they'll probably try to kill each other next time they meet."

"At least he entrusted the child to me for care, which shows that he still trusts me to some extent."

“Perhaps he simply didn’t want the child. Anyway, I came to see you about something else. You brought a demon with you; tell that child to behave. The Church has eyes here, although thanks to you we haven’t been bothered by them. But did you know? A new member has joined the Central Council.” Apari looked at Ark and said, “That guy, I heard he’s extremely rigid. If they find something wrong with him, they’ll definitely cause trouble.”

"Newcomers? Has anyone joined the Central Church again?" Ark seemed surprised, since the so-called Central Church hadn't had any new members for a very long time.

"Oh, she didn't tell you. That's your fault. She must be having a hard time dealing with it. At least you should contact her regularly to let her know you're doing well. Maybe she's watching you right now."

"Don't change the subject, who is that guy?"

"I don't know. I know nothing except that he's a very rigid person. Oh, and one more thing."

"Is there anything else? It's been so long since we last met, and you're already causing me trouble?"

Apali glanced at the sun in the sky, paused, and said, "The other thing is a request."

"What?"

“Help me deal with that calamity in the forbidden zone.” Apari turned to Ark. “You can’t do it yourself, but you know a priest, right? Get that guy to handle the calamity for me; money is no object.” Apari looked at Ark. “You know why, right?”

“Of course, I’ll do my best.” Acton paused and said, “But that thing is tricky, and I’m not sure it will be easy to handle if I don’t get involved.”

"You don't want to cause trouble for Benny, do you?"

"I don't want to, so I'll think of a way."

"Ah, those were the days. Every time you said that, I knew you were reliable."

“Your paralysis is because of me, and I need to find a way to make amends.” Yak hesitated for a moment before saying, “Before that, I want to know who is in charge of this city now.”

"The manager? Oh, right. Now that I'm in the basement, you should think that someone has taken my place."

"Isn't that so?"

“Yes, you guessed right. I’ve found someone like me, a junior, with no record in the church, much cleaner than me. So he’s the official manager. I’ll arrange for you to meet him later.” Apari added, “There’s one more thing I need to ask you.”

"It seems you've really lost a lot of freedom, but I'll do my best."

"Have you ever heard of the soul imprint of a demon?" Apali ignored the sarcasm in the first part of her sentence and said, "If you absorb something made from the soul of a demon, even a normal person will turn into a demon."

“I know.” Ark nodded. This wasn’t just something he knew; he should be very knowledgeable about it.

“That makes things easier. I had one before, but I lost it in this city. It shouldn't have been used yet, so could you please help me find it?” Apari paused and said, “Let me give you a heads-up: although I can still do you a lot of favors here, this city is very different from when I was in charge. It's so big that I don't even want to come out anymore. Staying in the basement is quite nice.” Apari glanced at him, “I'm going back to the basement. Once you find it, go directly to the one in charge here. Find the highest-ranking official; he'll tell you about my basement.”

"Then I hope you get a good night's sleep." Yak waved his hand. "Chatting with an old friend after so long makes me feel much better."

"Me too, I've been cooped up for way too long. Aren't you leaving anytime soon?"

"I'm not leaving; I'll probably stay here for about a week."

“Oh, then contact me if you need anything… But you didn’t invite me. I thought you’d say something like, ‘I’d be happy if you came with us,’” Apari said. “So it’s because you don’t like monsters after all?”

“I am a monster myself, I shouldn’t hate my own kind.”

“But even among monsters, I’m a big monster, you know. You know a lot about this city, don’t you? It must be hard for you to pretend you don’t know anything.” Apari paused and said, “Good night.”

She snapped her fingers, and in an instant, the place vanished into complete emptiness.

Yak watched her leave and sighed helplessly.

Sure enough, you run into these strange fellows wherever you go. Ark looked up at the sun, which was about to go out, and the reflection in his pupils grew smaller and smaller.

The whole world is like this; these monsters are everywhere, extremely powerful, yet they are all very careful, afraid of being discovered.

Is it because you're afraid of not being accepted by the public?

No, it's just because of the sun wheel. Ark looked at the thing and smiled helplessly.

Honestly, I already look like I have facial paralysis, so why do I still end up forcing a smile over something like this?

The reason these monsters hide is quite simple: a group of even more formidable beings are watching them. Every single second, they are under surveillance.

"I'll only feel a little more relaxed when night falls," Ark thought. He was only able to feel at ease now because some of the people watching him were acquaintances.

Oh, or perhaps I shouldn't say acquaintances? We're clearly closer.

Never mind, that guy isn't the type to care much about what he's called anyway.

Ark jotted down two new tasks in his notebook, glancing at Lady in the distance. She'd finally reached the vicinity of that research institute; it seemed there was something inside that interested her.

To be honest, it was quite interesting to Ark that something a mechanical girl was interested in. The reason he hadn't moved earlier was because the sun hadn't set.

Because that thing is an eye, an eye that can see the whole world.

And as that thing is about to go out, all sorts of demons and monsters can come out and move around.

"How annoying," Yak stretched his shoulders and disappeared into the night.

However, it's not completely invisible. If it's really considered abnormal... Benny, you'll handle it for me, right?