The Truth (Part 1)

Mason had not originally planned to come to Partington.

The death of the profiteer was unexpected. For this reason, he exchanged his treasure for a possibility.

According to his calculations, this thing should have been used to pick up Oreius in the black mist. But Bai's crying finally touched his heart.

With the death of the profiteer, there was no more spies in Partington. In order to prevent any further problems, he chose to come to Partington in person.

Seeing Bai crying, Mason felt sad. To him, the vests were just consumables. After all, even if they looked like living people, they were just roles he played deliberately. Add to that the curse, and death was a matter of time.

But for the people who were contacted by the vest, the feelings they gave were real. Mason finally coaxed Bai, and seeing the other party's depressed look, Mason was helpless but had to harden his heart.

Even so, he would never reveal his true identity.

If the matter of the World Tree were known to others, there would be endless troubles. He could not take the risk.

While no one was paying attention to them, Bai Qiang pulled himself together and took Mason back by a shortcut. After he had calmed down on the way, he was in the mood to ask the other person about other things.

"Why would the master let you come to such a dangerous place? Where is Xinzhen?"

Unlike profiteers, Mason is just a bloodline who has just been promoted a few months ago. It can be said that it is extremely dangerous for him to come to Partington today.

Mason was prepared: "I ask Roland to take care of the territory temporarily. With the help of other bloodline members, we can handle the affairs of the new town. As for me, don't underestimate those who have connections with the Land of Stars."

He tapped the other person's head gently, and the sadness in Bai's expression faded a little. He rubbed his forehead and said, "But you are indeed very weak."

Mason: “…”

The child has no manners, but I endure it.

How could someone say that when using the alias of a profiteer? Mason secretly clenched his fists and said calmly: "I have trained hard, I am not as weak as you think. If something unexpected happens..."

Bai's eyes lit up when he heard the other party say solemnly, "Running won't be a problem."

The white-haired boy opened his mouth, not knowing how to describe his feelings.

Even though he didn't have great power, Mason rushed to comfort him immediately. This made the boy feel warm in his heart. Just like the profiteer said, the new town seemed to be able to become his home.

Bai looked at him steadily and promised solemnly: "I will protect you."

In the Black Mist Era, there were more separations than reunions. Before being captured by the Black Mist followers and used as an experiment, Bai had some very good companions. He said goodbye to them and witnessed their death.

He kept the profiteer's words in mind, whether it was developing the Chamber of Commerce, protecting the new town and the future lords, Bai secretly swore in his heart that he would do his best in any of them.

Mason breathed a sigh of relief. He transferred the Soul Contract to Bai because the main body's activity area was in New Town, which was out of reach of Partington. The other half was because Bai was very stubborn and he bet that the other party would definitely fulfill the profiteer's [last words]. He hoped that Bai and Violet could support the Chamber of Commerce, and the former obviously knew the ins and outs of the business and could become a future general.

Now it seems that his idea was right. After the profiteer died, Bai cherished everything he left behind, including the new town. In addition, he told Bai to get along well with the future lord and not to worry about his betrayal.

Now, he needs to see with his own eyes how Partington has changed after the death of the profiteer, and what the future of the merchants and taverns will be like.

Walking on the streets of Partington, one can see the impact of this sudden disaster. There are few people on the street, and everyone looks at each other with caution.

The rain served as a cover for the two of them, protecting them as they returned safely to the Black District. The Black Forest Tavern was safe and sound under the protection of the waiters. Bai Ye did not hesitate, and pointed at Mason with a cold face and said, "This is your future lord."

The masked waiters stood up respectfully: "Hello, Lord!"

I am not the one who has to worry about my parents. But if I ask, they will definitely not mind letting me run the new town. Mason smiled and greeted them, becoming familiar with them in the tavern. Bai took him back upstairs, and when there was no one around, he said, "Partington will be in chaos during this period, so you stay here. Without my order, they dare not come to provoke you. I will send you back to the new town when it is safe."

The noble boy smiled and said, "Are you planning to take me on a day trip to Partington?"

Bai stared at him solemnly: "The master is gone, I can't let you get into trouble here."

Mason's conscience pricked briefly, and he looked away guiltily: "No."

The white-haired boy put on his mask again, used the pollutant to switch to a female voice, and instantly transformed into the cold and noble "female" owner of the Black Forest Tavern. He was obviously traumatized by the death of the profiteer, stared at him for a long time, and then said: "If you want to go out, you must be accompanied by me or someone from the tavern."

Mason agreed and ordered his subordinates to find a bunch of pollutants and let Mason choose. Mason took a glance and knew that Bai had taken out all his family's wealth.

The other party said: "I don't ask you to win the fight, just to escape."

After thinking about it, he was still worried, so he transferred a few soul contracts to the other party, both for personal protection and for escaping. Mason naturally accepted the kindness, selected a few reliable seals, and then asked the other party about his next plan.

"Partington will definitely be in chaos soon. This is an opportunity for the tavern and the Chamber of Commerce to develop. I will immediately ask someone to handle these matters and seize the opportunity."

Mason nodded: "We also need to contact the people on the other side of the Black Mist Border to confirm their situation."

Bai was not surprised how he knew these things. The attitude of profiteers and Xinzhen has always been friendly and secretive. Hearing Mason's words, he thought about it and agreed.

"The last time our caravan sent us intelligence was the day before yesterday. At that time, there was a battle on the border. The current situation is not very clear. I'll send someone to urge them."

Mason analyzed the situation one by one: "We also need to find out the situation of each major family, and we need to provide support from Violet."

He spoke in a calm voice, analyzing the current situation in a leisurely manner. Even when faced with a mess, his attitude remained calm and composed, as if nothing would affect him. His reliable appearance made people feel at ease.

Bai listened in a daze, and added a few words when the other party asked questions. The two of them discussed the follow-up. The Black Forest Tavern moved quickly, and took the lead in maintaining order in the black area. After a brief panic, this group of information dealers who valued money over their lives realized that the big tree behind them was still there, and immediately regained their confidence. They began to investigate Partington's intelligence.

Strategies were released one by one, and Bai couldn't help but think of the profiteer again as he watched the young man making plans. As the latter said, Mason was a very good lord, and they should get along very well in the future.

Owner...

He said silently in his heart.

I won't let you down.

Just as he was thinking this, the boy suddenly said "Ah", and said calmly: "By the way, I have to go out later."

"Where are you going?"

"There's something to do."

The young nobleman smiled at him soothingly and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Don't worry, I will be back on time."

Bai hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded, and reminded him worriedly: "Don't run around."

In Partington, he always protects the other party.

......

Deep in the black fog, a group of earth lizards were hunting. These monsters were the size of children, relatively docile and lazy, and fed on insects. One of them was lazily lying on a rock, and was quick to notice a white shadow flying in the sky. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a bug that had never been seen before.

It rolled the white jade-like insect into its stomach with its long tongue, and thought it tasted delicious. But soon after the insect entered its stomach, it rolled on the ground in pain.

The fellow lizard crawled over anxiously, wanting to see if the other was sick. The lizard's limbs were facing the sky, and its soft abdomen suddenly swelled up, as if something was crawling inside. With a sound like cloth tearing, the lizard's body shrank rapidly and became as dry as paper. A white insect as long as a forearm crawled out of it.

The other lizards were retreating in fear, but after smelling the sweet smell of the insect, they could no longer move and followed their companions one by one. Soon, the entire tribe of lizards was dead. The monster who came to eat following the smell looked at the mess on the ground with disappointment, and suddenly smelled something tempting. A half-human-sized white worm drilled out from the ground, swallowed it in one gulp, and then continued to fly deeper into the black fog.

They flew all the way and ate all the way. When the Insect Queen finally returned to the Insect City, she was filled with eager anticipation.

He was tired of hunting on his own, and these little monsters had little effect on his recovery. If he wanted to grow quickly enough to go back and kill those two people, he would have to rely on the treasures of the City of Insects.

He had specially prepared blood food with excellent effects and stored it in the bedroom of the Insect City. With the careful care of the priests and the provision of the insect people, it would not take long for him to regain his human form.

Thinking of this, the Queen of Insects moved more and more anxiously. She soon saw the walls of the City of Insects. The marks left by her fight with Oreius had not been repaired. This made the Queen of Insects feel a little uneasy.

This feeling of uneasiness grew infinitely after entering the Insect City. Unlike the prosperous appearance in the past, there was no living creature in the huge Insect City.

The entire Insect City was silent, including the insect people, the kowtow insects, and even the Black Mist believers.

The Insect Queen looked at the entire city in astonishment, with countless questions in her mind.

What about His insects?

What about the insect city that he worked so hard to build? ?

How did it become a deserted city?

The Queen of Insects let out a loud cry of disbelief. A moment later, several of the most loyal high priests rushed over, knelt down in guilt and said, "Your Majesty, welcome back."

The white insect transformed into a female silhouette and angrily asked, "What's going on?"

"After you left, humans came and stole the Heart of the Insect. When we found out, it was too late. He had already controlled the entire city. We hid ourselves when we saw the situation was bad. Except for us, all the ordinary insect people were controlled."

The Heart of the Insect comes from the Insect Queen and has a controlling effect on all insects. The situation of several priests is better, but they are still powerless to resist.

The queen was extremely angry: "I will definitely kill them! Go and get my blood food. When I recover my strength, I will immediately deal with those people."

The priests did not move. They looked at each other and said, "...they took away a lot of your treasures before they left. Now there is no blood food in the palace, Your Majesty."

The queen was stunned when she heard this. After a moment, her furious voice echoed throughout the entire Insect City.

"Those guys are going too far!!"

On the other side, the red-haired young man slowly opened his eyes. His temples were aching and the things in front of him were blurry. It took him a while to adapt to his sore body. Seeing him wake up, a joyful voice came from the side.

“You’re awake!”

Ricks was surprised and handed him a bottle of water: "We are in the team returning to the Black Mist Border."

"I seem to have heard you say this many times."

Aurelius took the water with a wry smile and moistened his dry throat. He perked up and asked, "Is Mica chasing us?"

"Not yet. We are heading back. If there is any danger, the insect people will tell me immediately."

After Oleus finished drinking the water, Rex handed him another bottle of blood potion. When he unscrewed the bottle cap, a very tempting smell came out. Oleus licked his lips unconsciously: "What is this?"

"It is the blood food purified by the queen, which can provide the maximum nutrition. This is a high-concentration tonic medicine directly purified from the queen's flesh and blood. If an ordinary person drinks it, they will explode and die. Only a guy like you can enjoy it."

Ricks was very proud: "This thing is very difficult to make. There are not many of them even in the Worm City. I took them all."

Oleus took a sip. The liquid inside was extremely viscous, similar to meat soup. As soon as he swallowed it, he felt a wave of warmth rising from his stomach. Then it turned into a hot current that penetrated his limbs and bones, making him feel extremely comfortable. Seeing that there was no adverse reaction, the red-haired young man simply drank it in one gulp to replenish the blood that had been depleted in his body.

After a short rest, he got up and went out. Only then did he see the situation nearby.

Just as Ricks said, it was a long winding dragon. The humans of the Insect City walked on the inner side, while the insect people flapped their wings and circled around the team, alert to any suspicious movements nearby.

People kept a distance from them and hid in the safest place. This mighty team was very conspicuous in the wasteland and attracted many monsters.

The insect people formed a guard team and dealt with the monsters in groups. From time to time, the bloodline of the Black Mist team could be seen interspersed among them, and everything was in order.

"You are amazing. You actually succeeded."

The red-haired young man rubbed his temples, realizing how incredible it was to succeed. Ricks said proudly, "Thanks to everyone's help, Dan and I later joined forces and were able to retreat smoothly."

"Where are Dan and the others?"

"He's in front. Do you want me to call him over?"

"No."

The red-haired young man answered casually, but his eyes suddenly stopped at a certain place. He stared at that place for a while, and his expression became serious.

"Rex, I need to tell you something. I need to get out of here."

Ricks was surprised: "Your wound hasn't healed yet, where are you going?"

"You don't need to know that."

"...Oreus, you don't want to meet that monster, do you?"

The red-haired young man did not answer. Ricks looked at him suspiciously: "You are not that crazy, are you?"

“It doesn’t seem like this is something we can decide.”

Oreius gave an irrelevant answer, and then Rex also saw it.

A person whose face could not be seen clearly stood in the crowd, and a dark mist enveloped him. He seemed to sense the gazes of the two people and turned around to look at them.

Fear ran through Ricks' brain like an electric current, and he subconsciously took a step back. This is the instinctive reaction of humans when they see a natural enemy. It's like a mouse seeing a cat, or an antelope discovering a pack of wolves nearby. He laughed as if he found it very interesting, pointed his finger at the sky, and motioned for the two to look up.

Rex raised his head stiffly. The depths of the fog were always dark and humid, but at this moment, the fog above his head was torn apart.

The dark blue night was endless, and the bright moonlight fell like flowing water, quietly flowing into everyone's eyes. People exclaimed and whispered, not noticing that the faces of all the bloodline people suddenly turned pale. They stared straight at the sky, as if they had seen something incredible.

It was not a disappearance without reason, but an indescribable creature used its body to push away the mist. The translucent body stretched out recklessly, reflecting the clear moonlight. Tentacles invisible to ordinary people swayed, and tens of millions of human faces looked down at the team. All the bloodline members were about to fall.

Is this a nightmare?

I'm afraid such horror can only be born in nightmares.

"Damn..."

Ricks looked very unhappy. With ordinary people around, they couldn't escape even if they wanted to. At this moment, he heard someone beside him whisper, "I'm going to see Him."

"Are you crazy!?"

Rex said excitedly: "I can't hand you over to Him! Oreius, you can't stay here!"

“Think about ordinary people.”

Ricks stared at the Monster Lord and said excitedly, "Maybe he is deceiving you. Monsters can't be so kind!"

"We have no choice." The red-haired young man said coldly. "The Taboo has a strong contamination. Since even ordinary people can see you, it means that He does not intend to kill these ordinary people. There is no need to go to such great lengths to deceive us. Rex, He came for me."

"You are right."

A leisurely sound came from far away and the Monster Lord strolled to their side. No one noticed his presence, as if he was already a member of the team.

"I don't have the bad taste of the [Insect Queen], so you don't have to worry about it. The life and death of humans is meaningless to me except for you."

Rex took a step forward, regardless of the strange monster he was facing, and protected the red-haired young man behind him. He stared at the monster master nervously, and felt that the other party might be more terrifying than the queen.

"No, no. We agreed to go back together. There's no point in leaving you here alone."

"I know you, the priest of the Queen of Insects."

The Monster Lord looked at Rex with interest.

"In the era before the Black Mist, you were a good patron of the insect god. Unfortunately, you are now in the Black Mist. As long as the Insect Queen wants to heal her wounds, she will not give up on you. You are a great gift."

Ricks's face turned pale. The red-haired young man said in a deep voice: "Let them go, and I will come to see you."

"It's a deal."

"Oreus...!"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to die here."

The red-haired young man tilted his head slightly and smiled as usual. He had an overly sharp face, cold features, narrow eyes, and bright golden pupils. No matter what story he was in, it would not make people think that he was a good person at first glance. Ricks's nose was sour and he whispered, "But I can't let you go alone every time."

He cherishes his friends very much, but each of his friends will choose to move forward for various reasons, leaving him alone watching their backs.

Sometimes Rex would be breathless because of this. These people who sacrificed in the dark, these people who marched forward even though no one knew, why did no one know what they did? Why did no one remember their sacrifice?

He held onto Oreius's hand tightly and said in a hoarse voice: "...Don't go."

The latter just patted the back of his hand, his expression was relaxed and gentle. It seemed that the road ahead was not a desperate situation, but a magnificent and smooth road. Even though he was about to face a bloody storm, the red-haired young man still had a light smile on his face.

"Someone has to go. Don't worry, I'll be back."

Ricks gritted his teeth and loosened his grip a little. He felt powerless. His lips moved and he finally said.

"You must come back."

"Of course."

The red-haired young man smiled and nodded, then walked towards the figure in the crowd.

After he did so, the mica above him restrained its own aura and merged perfectly with the black mist. The bloodline members who could not see him breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly communicated in low voices. Little did they know that the huge creature was right above their heads, escorting the team away, half as a guard and half as a warning.

When the last person disappeared from sight, a black hole opened in the air, and the flax-haired boy landed beside the vest. Although they looked completely different, their faces were equally stern.

Looking at their expressions at this moment, no one would doubt the relationship between the two. Mason looked deeply at the Monster Lord.

"I'm here."

“We finally meet.”

“He” looked at the human boy, his tone revealing a trace of undisguised happiness.

"But before that. To eliminate future troubles——"

The Monster Lord smiled and snapped his fingers.

The powerful pressure came upon him, and the red-haired young man's heart suddenly stopped beating. The black mist corroded his flesh and blood like sulfuric acid, and the young man's body slowly fell to the ground, and his breathing stopped.

The linen-haired boy had no time to care about the vest, his eyes were deep and solemn. The black mist flowed along the edge of the monster lord's clothes, revealing his true face.

Mason suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the other person's face.

"You look surprised."

The Monster Lord said with a smile. He had a young face, black hair, yellow skin, and calm eyes. He looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a typical oriental face. The boy's face was pale, and his heart flew up lightly, and then sank heavily.

He had thought of many possibilities, but this was the only one he hadn't thought of. The intermittent sounds came out of his throat, and Mason broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it.

"you..."

"You miss it a lot, don't you?"

The Monster Lord admired his expression, a playful smile appearing in the depths of his eyes.

"This is your former face. Mason, I should still call you..."

"Where's Li Xinyang?"