Chapter 71 Chapter 71 You seem very unhappy.
Camus looked at her sullenly for a few seconds, then suddenly slammed his hat hard on her head.
Su Cheng was almost pushed to the ground by him. He took a step back before he could stand firm. "...Hey!"
"There are a lot of people watching you," he said coldly. "There are people following you on the street outside, not to mention those who want to find you."
Su Cheng held up the brim of his hat. "Okay, thanks. Do I need to go take care of it?"
"No, I've already let them go."
The Blood Mage said this unhappily, then turned and left, seemingly not wanting to say another word.
Sasha kept looking at her with some indescribable look.
Kai seemed to be thinking about something, and when he noticed she seemed a little embarrassed, he simply put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let's go back."
But even after returning to the hotel in Dongcheng District, the tense atmosphere had not completely eased.
Under the watchful eyes of the receptionists, they walked into a five-story building.
On the milky white exterior wall, each window is inlaid with stained glass, sparkling in the sun. The lobby on the first floor is extremely spacious. Most of the guests coming and going are dressed in gorgeous clothes, and the rest are mercenaries in robes and armor.
The hotel is in the shape of a U, with a large garden in the middle. You can imagine that it is expensive, and the guests who come to stay here must be well-funded.
Su Cheng walked straight to the bar area and was then held down by someone.
"Go upstairs," Kay whispered, "unless you want to spend the evening chatting with people who are desperate to get close to you."
"Oh, I just thought you wanted to drink," Su Cheng was a little surprised, "Unless you followed me here, do you all know me?"
"You really care about the leader."
Sasha glanced at her and said, "Do you think your appearance is so unrecognizable that you can't be found in a crowd?"
Su Cheng: "That's true...wait, this is the imperial capital, there are so many beautiful women and men."
"Really?" Sasha immediately asked back, "What do you think? If I were a well-informed noble or wealthy businessman, and I heard some rumors about looking for a very beautiful, dark-haired young magician, when I saw you for the first time, would I suspect that person was you and come to chat with you? Even if I'm not sure it's you, I'll know it's worth knowing you by looking at the clothes you're wearing."
Su Cheng: "...Thank you, I understand."
Sasha stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly said resentfully, "I thought you liked light-colored hair. Aren't you and the God of Purity still—"
"Go upstairs first."
Camus stood in front of them, a few steps away from his teammates. Without the protection of his hat, he looked even angrier.
The Blood Mage said in a deep voice, "Someone is already watching you."
Su Cheng turned and boarded the spiral escalator. "...There's nothing between the God of Purity and me. He simply hates me, and I simply think the pony statue is beautiful."
Sasha rolled her eyes at her, "Ha, Pony, that's a really endearing name."
Su Cheng looked up at the sky, "That's not a name! I wouldn't call him that to his face! I don't want to die!"
They went up to the third floor with a lot of noise and entered a luxurious and elegant suite.
The gold-inlaid fireplace in the hall was extinguished. A soft, thick blanket was spread in front of it, and there were several sofas scattered around. Everyone sat down one after another.
Su Cheng picked up the invitation and shook it, "I'm ready--"
Camus took it and looked at it.
It hadn't been in his hand for a few seconds when Sasha snatched it away again, "Hmm, it seems real."
Su Cheng rolled his eyes at him. "The places and times listed here are all real. What other intention do you have in sending me a fake one besides teasing me? Or embarrassing me?"
The vampire threw the invitation back. "That's hard to say. I heard that some of the God of Joy's followers would do this to fool each other. If they succeed, they might even gain more favor from your Lord."
"Really?" Su Cheng frowned. "Does this level of prank count? I thought it would be something worse like humiliation or something like that."
Sasha stared at her for a few seconds. "So you humiliated the Grand Inquisitor of the Holy See for your own amusement? Can you give me some more details? Did you rape him?"
Su Cheng: “…………No.”
Sasha snapped her fingers. "Look at your face. Failed."
Su Cheng held his forehead with his hand. "You know that everything that happens in the Dharma Realm is not real, right? If you do something bad in a dream, it doesn't mean you will do it in reality."
Seeing the vampire about to speak again, she quickly interrupted, "And it wasn't an attempt. I didn't intend to do it. His Highness probably thought I'd be entertaining. Oh my god, can we change the subject?"
"...In any case," Kai said in a deep voice, "I hope you can disguise yourself and not let others know that you are interested in the dragon bones of the Sunless Ruins."
Su Cheng gave him a grateful look, which then turned into a question, "Disguise?"
Camus tossed another invitation to her. "The Oulu family reserves a few invitations every year and sends them to some of their collaborators. One of them is my teacher, who is one of the advisors of the Ring of Silence. These invitations are unsigned, and any orthodox elemental mage is eligible to use them."
Su Cheng glanced at him.
This guy has mastered magical knowledge in more than one field, so it's not surprising that he has a teacher.
Su Cheng: "What is the Ring of Silence?"
"It's an organization of scholars," Camus explained, "and also a secret aristocratic society that includes all kinds of magicians..."
Su Cheng nodded, not quite understanding. "So is this organization related to the Olu family, or is your teacher related to the Olu family?"
Camus looked at her and seemed to remember that they were still in a one-sided cold war.
“Both.”
The Blood Mage said this in a seemingly aloof tone.
Kai leaned back on the sofa, stretching out his long legs in a relaxed manner. "Whether you can get an invitation or not, I want to use this method. In the end, you are just helping me. If possible, I would like to go myself."
Su Cheng tilted his head. "I'm happy to help, but I'm just asking out of pure curiosity. Are you not going because you don't know elemental magic?"
"This is a gathering of elemental mages hosted by human nobles. Most of the participants are humans, with a few being half-bloods. They only accept guests who meet the criteria."
Sasha deliberately emphasized the word, "Other races may have some methods of using elemental magic, but the magic power in your bodies is different from that in your body. It cannot pass the detection array at the entrance of the Golden Marigold Palace. Even if it passes, the Oulu family will pay close attention. They have a very close relationship with the Holy See—"
Su Cheng immediately understood, "You don't want to attract the attention of the Holy See."
Judging from the way these people acted, they might have done other things that harmed the interests of the Holy See. After all, they stole things from the temple so casually.
Su Cheng: "...So I really should disguise myself even more. Otherwise, if I meet people from the Vatican, they might pay some attention to me."
Or maybe it's not a problem.
Su Cheng: "Is there any disguise method that will never be seen through?"
Camus shook his head slightly. "There's no guarantee of 'absolute'. If a god were to appear, they could easily identify the soul."
"Are you serious?" Su Cheng looked at him in disbelief. "Should this be something we should discuss? A dinner party for trading magic items would have gods appear?"
"I don't know," Camus glanced at her. "Normally, the God of Joy shouldn't appear in the sewage-filled alley behind the tavern."
Su Cheng was filled with questions. "Is this the same thing? Is it because Qin is looking for trouble? Or are you trying to say that I have a constitution that attracts gods?"
The three men looked at her at the same time.
Su Cheng: “…”
It's written all over their faces that you are it.
Su Cheng: "Okay, how do you disguise yourself?"
"I can do this for you," Camus said solemnly, "Now try it once and see the effect."
Su Cheng: “?”
Su Cheng suddenly turned around and hugged Kai, or to be more precise, he hugged his strong arm that was resting on the side of the sofa.
"Captain," Su Cheng wailed loudly, "Can we find someone else? I have plenty of money! I don't want to be his test subject anymore!"
Kai obviously didn't expect her to do this.
"?"
Although he could easily avoid it with his reaction, he still let the girl hug him.
A warm and soft body pressed against me.
It was just a joking gesture of pleading between familiar companions.
Even so, his muscular arms couldn't help but tense up.
The young human body, emitting heat, was like a piece of freshly baked soft honey, fermenting in the aroma of wine and barbecue.
Through the thin shirt, the soft and heavy feeling was faintly touching the side of the elbow, wrapped in the pad and pressed against the angular tendon.
The hot breath of the girl brushed against his bulging triceps, and his arm stiffened for a moment, and the dormant blood vessels under his skin seemed to be steamed and heated.
Su Cheng hugged his arm tightly. "I remember there are all kinds of strange illusionists or other magicians who can achieve similar effects, right?"
"Having said that," Kai sighed softly, "I just wanted to keep it as secret as possible. Besides, this time it's not a potion."
"That's right," Su Cheng puffed up his cheeks, "Okay then."
She turned away reluctantly. "Should we go to the next room?"
The blood mage's face was extremely ugly, as if the roof was about to be blown off in the next second.
Sasha leaned back silently, as if afraid of being affected by the fighting.
The suite they booked was extremely large, with a living room and four bedrooms, which was evenly distributed.
The moment Camus stood up, Su Cheng followed him, praying in his heart that no more bad potions would appear.
The bedroom is very bright, with a floor-to-ceiling crystal glass window on one side. There are pillows on the double bed and an exquisitely embroidered blanket.
There were berries and preserves in a ceramic plate on the bedside table. The colorful wild fruits were very bright and clean. There were also fresh red roses in a translucent bottle with dew on the petals.
Su Cheng walked over, picked up the vase and looked at it, "This color is really beautiful."
The Blood Mage stood aside and stared at her. "Are you not afraid now?"
"We've come this far. If you stick your head out, you'll get hurt too." Su Cheng took out the bouquet of flowers and handed it to him. "This is for you."
Camus looked at the bouquet, then at her. "What are you doing?"
Su Cheng shrugged, "You seem very unhappy, so I'll give you a bouquet of flowers to cheer you up."
He sneered, as if he thought she was too perfunctory, "Then you should at least buy it from outside?"
Su Cheng sighed, "Didn't you guys urge me to come here? Then should I go out and buy some now? I just saw a flower shop that has a location—"
The blond man looked at her darkly.
Hearing this, the steel-blue eyes turned and seemed slightly satisfied.
But I don’t know what I thought of, and I seemed to be even more unhappy.
Su Cheng: “…”
He is really hard to understand.
Su Cheng raised his hand and waved in front of him, "Hey, come back to your senses——"
Then he grabbed her wrist, wrapped his hot, powerful palm around her wrist bone, and rubbed the delicate skin with his thumb.
All the deep and shallow abrasions and scrapes that had occurred before were healed by the holy magic, leaving no trace.
The Blood Mage's expression was terrible, and he looked like he would explode with anger at any moment.
Su Cheng coughed lightly, "So what should we do?"
Camus said nothing, but continued to hold her wrist.
She could clearly feel the lines of his palm, and the hot touch caused a slight itch.
The girl's fingertips were slender, and the bruises and purple spots around the nail beds had disappeared, but some of her nails were split when she was pulling on the reins, making them look untidy.
The blond man lowered his eyes and examined her for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and pressed his thin lips against the tip of her index finger.
Warm breath brushed against the skin first.
The next second, he took her finger into his mouth.
Su Cheng: “?”
Before she could ask a question, sharp canine teeth tore through her fingertips.
It doesn't really hurt, but one still instinctively wants to pull back.
The man's fingers clenched tighter, and his teeth that had sunk into the flesh slowly withdrew, leaving warm and wet heat lingering on the wound.
The tip of his tongue licked the small crack, like some kind of intimate comfort, or like some delicate tasting, as if it were some kind of delicacy.
——Although this should only be a necessary process for casting a spell.
Su Cheng thought so.
He and her fingers separated.
Saliva and blood formed a thin, intermittent line of water.
The blood mage's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he chanted a few obscure-sounding spells in a low voice.
The blood on his lips seemed to be given life, flying up like snakes, interweaving and floating in the air, and then returning to the wound.
Su Cheng: “…”
The pain had become vague, a strange tingling sensation running from my arm to my spine.
The blood dominated by magic burned in her body, and soon the heat rushed to her head. She felt the muscles on her face throbbing.
A slight tearing sensation spread across my cheeks.
Camus took out another bottle of blood from his pocket, poured some into his palm, and silently recited a few spells.
Su Cheng guessed that it was someone else's blood.
The drops of blood in his palm slowly rose into the air, turned into spinning red balls in mid-air, and then fell drop by drop onto her eyes.
She subconsciously wanted to hide, but he pinched her face and said, "Don't move—"
The Blood Mage looked down at her, staring at her deforming features, as if trying to confirm something.
Su Cheng could feel the blood merging with his own.
About half a minute later, he let go of her hand. She touched her face and felt that her nose was rounder. She stood up and looked in the mirror.
There was a small bathroom in the room with a wooden barrel and a bronze mirror hanging on the wall. She saw a strange face in the mirror.
Her hair had become a little browner, and her face was still pretty, with small freckles on her cheeks.
"How long can it last?"
"...It's probably only a quarter of an hour now, because very little blood was used. By that time, it will at least keep you going until dawn."
Camus stood up and walked to the window. "Has the magic power been affected?"
"No problem."
Su Cheng casually pinched a wind blade and let it disperse.
However, once we get to the gathering, we probably won't have the chance to fight with magic, since that place is full of powerful wizards.
"Come to think of it," Su Cheng sighed, "Can't I bring a companion with me?"
The blood mage glanced at her and said, "What do you think this is? A matchmaking ball for the nobles?"
"Okay, I have another question. What kind of society is the Ring of Silence?" Su Cheng raised his hand. "Is it about studying forbidden spells? Is it about studying dangerous magic?"
“…they were indeed seeking forbidden knowledge,” Camus paused, “but their thoughts went beyond that. They were trying to find some existence that had disappeared from history.”
Su Cheng was listening attentively, but he didn't say anything else.
"I have a question too," the blood mage suddenly asked, "Has your curse struck again?"
Su Cheng nodded slowly.
"How did you solve it?"
"I met someone I'd met before in the Vatican—"
"I've seen him before?" Camus said with a subtle expression, "Not White?"
Su Cheng: “…No.”
She had wanted to discuss why some people could solve the problem with their hands, but after getting the answer, Camus stopped asking altogether.
Thinking about it again, it is probably due to the special properties of the power of light.
——If it were powers of other attributes, it would be impossible to do things like blessing the square.
The Vatican’s current status and influence are related to this.
Su Cheng: "If you want to disguise me as someone else, then this person should also have an identity, otherwise, if other guests ask, how should I introduce myself?"
"Vanessa Kahn."
Camus glanced at her, "A member of the Ring of Silence, a seven-star junior wind magician, and a two-star warrior."
Then I talked about Miss Kahn's background and family situation.
Su Cheng nodded, "What type of fighting spirit does she cultivate?"
"No one will pay attention to your fighting spirit at that gathering," he said calmly, "If you really want to fight someone, use magic."
"Okay," Su Cheng frowned, "Where is Vanessa herself?"
"She died three months ago, but no one who knew about her death would show up at the rally."
"How did he die?"
"He blew himself up while researching forbidden spells."
"……All right."
Su Cheng would not question the issue of a mere third-level mage researching forbidden spells.
The concept of forbidden spells is very broad, and it does not necessarily mean that magic can blow up a city.
Some magic spells that have a smaller impact range but are still powerful and can at least cause harm to one or two people are also listed as forbidden spells because they are too uncontrollable.
Su Cheng: "Are you a member of the Ring of Silence? Shouldn't you tell me about the situation there? Otherwise, what if others ask?"
Camus remained noncommittal. "The magicians at the gathering probably won't ask you this, and even if they do, you can choose not to answer. Besides, Vanessa is just a peripheral member. Like most people, she joined the society simply to learn more advanced magic. Their age would have prevented them from attending prestigious magic academies. They joined the Silent Circle because of their aristocratic bloodline, so they wouldn't know many of the organization's core secrets. If you're really questioned, the invitation was given to you by Mr. Lodge. As for the reason, just say you gave him a bag of delicious jam-filled bread."
Su Cheng: “……?”
Su Cheng: "Does your teacher have the same taste as you?"
Camus shook his head slightly, "Not like me."
He was silent for a few seconds before he suddenly spoke, "I don't have any taste preferences. It's just that they like sweets, so I was influenced by them and got used to it."
"Ah?" Su Cheng looked at him blankly, "So you actually like it too?"
Camus seemed to think for a moment, "It seems so."
Su Cheng couldn't help laughing. "That's fine, isn't it? As long as you're not forced and as long as you can have fun, then there's no problem."
The blond man was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and picked up a strand of fading hair by her ear, as if observing the color changes.
"You're right." He gave her a thoughtful look. "I did get something... out of this."
Su Cheng nodded vigorously, "right?"
"Hmm," he looked a little uncertain, but nodded slowly, "sometimes it feels sweet, but sometimes it seems bitter."
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