Chapter 858 Coke tastes really good
"This place is worthy of being called the City of Mist, Backlund. Summer hasn't even fully ended yet, and it's already shrouded in smog. Some of it is naturally formed, while others are caused by industrial waste..."
Walking along the dirty yet bustling streets, Elaine turned her neck from time to time, admiring this capital of the world that she had only known about from books and gossips among sailors. Even though this was just the dirtiest and most chaotic east district, she could feel a unique atmosphere that was different from the relaxed and free Trier.
But just as she looked around, there was only a faint shadow in front of her, and Sherman, whose entire body outline was hidden by "invisibility", disappeared.
Wait, where's the witch?
Elaine realized something was wrong and swept her eyes across the street. She saw a crowd of people, countless passers-by wearing either trendy or retro clothes, but all dirty. She could not see the back of the person who led the way for her in the gaps.
Instead, it was her bright red hair, uniquely beautiful face, and the slim-fitting shirt and tight trousers that outlined her figure that quickly attracted the attention of others, making her feel a little uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Elaine felt a subtle touch on her wrist, as if someone was breathing beside her, warm, moist, and a slightly itchy air flow brushing across her skin, making her feel palpitations for no reason, and even the desire accumulated by frequently wearing the "Frenzy Ring" was triggered.
This... is the invisible spider silk of the "Joy" witch!
Elaine, who had been touched by Tracy in this way many times on the "Black Death", reacted immediately. She was shocked at first, and then she suddenly realized what was going on and pulled her wrist. She found that the silk thread had been tied around her arm and was pointing in the direction with a slight shake.
Is it the "witch" from before... No, the "joyful" witch Sherman... Has she been promoted to Sequence 6?
Elaine calmly followed the silk thread, walked around the crowd with unfriendly eyes, and came to a street full of factories, warehouses, and countless freight carts shuttling through it. She came to the door of a factory with a brand new nameplate that read "Black Bear Cannery" and a four-fingered bear paw printed on it.
Only then did Sherman's hooded figure reappear beside her.
"I'm sorry, but the East District has recently seen a lot of residents from surrounding cities move in. The population has already surpassed what it was before the smog. I was worried you might get lost, so I resorted to the method just now."
Before Elaine could complain, Sherman explained in a nightingale-like voice, instantly making her lose her temper. She could only nod and said magnanimously:
"It's okay, I was just looking around and didn't follow you."
There is also the reason why you have been invisible on the road - she added in her heart.
But when Sherman took off his hood and revealed his true face, Elaine knew why he did this.
Without the hood, there was a fair face, a high nose bridge, thin and wide lips and bright eyes that were perfectly positioned, and together with the long brown hair, they formed a stunningly beautiful face that made people unable to take their eyes off.
Hmm, if she had been with me on the street just now, she would have been the one getting all the stares. No wonder she wore a hood to hide her appearance and even used invisibility...
Elaine suddenly understood Sherman's approach.
"I've just been promoted and haven't fully mastered my new abilities yet, so sometimes... things like that happen."
Sherman further explained that with a flick of his fingers, the invisible spider silk tied around Elaine's wrist disappeared along with the "joyful" power that was transmitted.
Then, she led the red-haired Elaine through the busy factory, talked to two vigilant guards, and came to the office area in the back.
"The guard just now was a Beyonder?"
Elaine asked casually as she followed him upstairs, her eyes lingering on the canned fruits piled up in the warehouse and the strange-looking glass bottles that had not yet been filled with liquid.
As a "conspirator", she could sense the confidence and faint sense of threat that the two guards had when facing strangers.
"They are 'Hunters', all only Sequence 9."
Sherman answered, opened the door to the third floor, and led Elaine into a corridor that was not spacious but kept tidy.
A girl, about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a thin coat common in the city and a soft hat on her head, was waiting for them in the middle of the corridor.
"Xiu? Why are you here?" Sherman obviously knew the girl and quickly greeted her. Then he pointed to Elaine behind him and said, "This is Elaine. She's...my colleague, I guess."
Xio, with delicate but youthful features and a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, nodded to Elaine as a greeting. His deep green eyes, with a hint of majesty, examined her for a moment before looking at Sherman.
"Miss Irene is in the office at the end, talking to that mysterious witch. Please wait a moment before going over."
After hesitating for a moment, she continued:
"I'm here to get a box of those 'Kula' you haven't started selling yet..."
"It's 'Coke'."
Sherman corrected the other person's pronunciation lightly.
"Oh, yes, it's 'Coke'." Xio repeated the strange word awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment on her face. "...Fors loves it. She drank all the cola I brought back last time in a few days. She even tried to freeze it herself using a magic trick, saying it tastes better that way. She asked me to recommend this method to you."
"No problem, just come get as much as you want anytime."
Sherman replied with a smile, asked Elaine to stay where she was, and took the little girl to the other end of the corridor, went into a half-open door and disappeared.
"Coke"? What was that? Could it be related to the large amount of sugar that Miss Angelica had "Redhead" transport recently? Elaine looked at the backs of the two people and pondered, but her ears caught a hint of a sound coming from the end of the corridor.
"...If I had met you when I first came to Backlund, perhaps none of the things that happened later would have happened..."
A soft voice whispered, the tone was like a murmur, but it could be heard from far away in the silent corridor.
"Then you'd already be locked up in Charness Gate."
The other voice belonged to the "Golden Queen" Angelica Sage. Her tone was calm, but there was also a hint of sigh.
What were they talking about? Was one of them the "witch" the little girl who'd just asked for a drink mentioned? Oh, this wasn't just any "witch"...
What was the other "Miss Irene"? And that little girl should also be a Beyonder, with a fairly high Sequence. Could her appearance be just a disguise?
Elaine complained inwardly, and seeing that Sherman and Xio had not returned yet, she involuntarily moved forward a few steps silently so that she could hear more clearly.
"...It's not just Backlund. If it was you instead of Sharon in Tingen, perhaps everything would be different."
Irene continued in a whisper-like voice.
"Have you forgotten our first encounter at the underground market? Instead of dwelling on this, why not find the real culprit behind the smog as soon as possible? Atone for your sins and for the sake of your prince."
Angelica's voice responded coldly.
Elaine's face showed undisguised curiosity. She took two steps forward and was almost at the end of the corridor, close to the half-open door.
"...Okay, I'll be leaving now," the soft voice said, its tone unchanged by the previous rebuttal. "Also, be careful of your 'man in the mirror,' especially after you achieve 'immortality.'"
"Is this also the knowledge you obtained from the 'Origin'?"
"No, He said to draw close to the person in your mirror, but I think that should be understood in reverse."
Another voice replied with a chuckle, and then there was silence.
"Elaine? Come in."
Angelica's voice said, making Elaine's heart tighten. Only then did she realize that her "eavesdropping" behavior had long been under the other party's sight.
She pushed open the door and found that it was a simple office. A woman wearing a light-colored long skirt, whose outline was clearly visible in the dim room, was sitting on the only single sofa.
As Elaine entered the room, the woman turned around and saw the "Golden Queen" who was very familiar to her and even appeared in her dreams from time to time.
In a corner of the room, in a half-length mirror hanging on the wall, the dim and deep light was slowly fading away.
That "Erin" is also a demigod of the witch path?
There was no third person in the room, and Elaine knew that Tracy, a Sequence 5 "Disease Vice Admiral", could not directly use the mirror to travel through time. Only the "Golden Queen" had demonstrated a similar technique in front of her, so she had some guesses.
"Where's Sherman? Isn't she with you?"
Angelica asked softly, and before she could answer, she flickered her eyes and found the answer through divination. She pursed her lips slightly, as if conveying words, and after a moment she looked at Elaine again:
"She'll be here soon, please take a seat."
The magic mirror is so convenient... Elaine found a chair to sit down, thinking with some envy, and realized that the hunter's method of only turning himself into a flaming spear to move around and using fire crows and flame spears to attack the enemy was completely inferior to the other party.
A few minutes later, Sherman walked into the room with three glass bottles that Elaine had seen in the warehouse on the first floor. The shapes of the bottles resembled the curves of a woman's body. The difference from the previous ones was that these bottles were filled with brown liquid, and the bottle mouths were sealed with thin iron sheets, which looked quite mysterious under the dim gas light.
"What's this?"
She asked curiously, taking the bottle from Sherman and finding that the bottle was so cold that a layer of condensation had formed in the air.
She suddenly thought of the drink that the girl named Xiu had mentioned just now.
"Is this the 'Cola' that the little girl just mentioned?"
Imitating Sherman's introduction, Elaine asked word by word.
"If she hears you saying this, she'll be angry... She's an adult."
Sherman chuckled and handed a glass bottle to Angelica. He took the last one himself, twisted the iron bottle cap directly, and pried it open with a little force. The bottle mouth made a "pop" sound and a little light white gas sprayed out. Bubbles appeared on the surface of the brown liquid inside that looked like medicine.
Then, a sweet smell of syrup mixed with an unknown flavor rushed into Elaine's nostrils, making her sniff involuntarily. She also followed Sherman's example, opened the "Coke" in her hand, tentatively brought it to her mouth, and took a small sip.
Dense bubbles instantly exploded in her mouth, and a "hissing" sound reached her ears, accompanied by a chill rushing straight to her forehead and a slightly spicy stimulation. The rich caramel sweetness, along with the continuously flowing gas, went down the esophagus into Elaine's stomach, making her moan involuntarily.
"Burp, this 'Coke' is so delicious..."
Elaine commented with a satisfied burp, raising the glass in her hand and observing the brown liquid that was still bubbling under the light. Suddenly she understood why the little girl... no, the adult girl was in such a hurry to get the new "Coke".
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