Chapter 86

When Xiaoman saw Nirvana again, the comic protagonist's reaction was calmer than anyone expected.

She took a few steps closer and said, "Well. Let's go."

"...Okay. Where to?" The monster agreed subconsciously, but his face showed pure confusion.

Xiaoman almost thought that the information Amara told her about collecting a large number of disabled people's hearts was false information.

But last time, he didn’t tell me what he was going to do after taking me away, Xiao Man thought.

If the other party does not show the intention to attack first, she will not take the initiative to threaten others. At this time, Xiaoman just thought about it and answered:

"I haven't seen Ayr City yet."

She tried to take another step closer, looking at the monster whose sense of danger was largely hidden due to the height difference between sitting and standing, and said:

"If you want, you can go together."

This is the greatest degree of gentleness and initiative she can express, and it comes from the privileges inherent in this face.

And if he really agrees, then taking him to the temple headquarters in the Holy City of El should be a way for him to have more control, and the mission is not set in stone.

[Change!] Behind the calm appearance of No. 5 was an urgent call for quick decision.

The nun saw Mr. Biandu looking a little dazed, and suddenly his whole demeanor changed slightly.

Although her facial features remain the same, she is a very delicate and beautiful type among adult beastmen, and is more in line with the aesthetic standards of Hyena women than her peers.

But before this, even though he always appeared calm and cheerful, he definitely looked like someone who was not easy to mess with. If I had to describe him, it was like the ridgeline on the spine of an expensive sword. The outline was not abrupt but it had a superb murderous intent, making it very convincing when he appeared as a lone traveler.

But after being invited by the girl next to him to go with him, his temperament suddenly softened, like a washed, delicate, nostalgic piece of fabric, and even his coexistence with the sunlight became more harmonious.

"My pleasure." He put down his tools, stood up, and answered softly, even avoiding Xiaoman's gaze for a moment.

This time, the person who agreed to go with him did not hold Xiaoman's hand again. Not only because of the differences in appearance, but also because there was mud on his fingers.

Therefore, this answer is just a word, no longer carrying the weight of a promise confirmed by body temperature and blood pulse under the skin.

[As expected, you have to come. Otherwise, you don’t have the temperament to be possessed by the ghost of your deceased wife…] The adjutant, who had nothing to do, sighed as he watched the show.

Yuan Qian was tired: "Please say less."

[It’s okay. White Moonlight can be replicated, but if it’s really permanent, there will be no filter. We won’t often ask you to take over in the future.] The adjutant patted Yuan Qian in his mind.

He did what he said and soon took over No. 5 again. He repaired the broken wounds on the clay doll as if nothing had happened and put it on the eaves to dry in the sun, then went to make the last lunch for the orphans.

Xiaoman was just a stranger passing by. He did not touch other people's food rashly, but just stayed outside the kitchen and chatted with the older orphans.

"He's the toy doctor," said a little girl who was blind in one eye and couldn't see clearly with the other eye. She held a very old rag doll lovingly. The fabric of the doll might have come from a torn adult coat. It was easy to see that the seams at the neck and left arm had been torn and then repaired very well, which was inconsistent with the original workmanship of other parts.

"He doesn't care about us stealing food... With him watching over us, Madam can go out and do her work without worry, so we have to thank him. But I don't think he likes us. Of course, he doesn't hate us either." The hunchbacked girl with a strange look said calmly.

"The statue of the father collapsed after being exposed to the rain, and there were three large holes and two small holes in the stove and roof. He repaired them all. He had no money and no medical skills, so this was all he could do."

"Any strange things happened after he came...? Nothing. Nothing got worse, and nothing got better." The child who was missing a piece of skull said nonchalantly, picking at the sunken and hypertrophic area on his scalp.

All of this information doesn't sound like it fits the description of a powerful monster that even Amara fears so much, and it's actually completely useless.

Xiaoman thanked the children with a handful of copper coins and some inconspicuous ore that could barely be considered gems.

After lunch was prepared, she was also given a portion. Since the gold and silver coins used as donations had already been in the hands of the nuns, she just ignored the prayer session before the meal and was not kicked out.

However, among the beastmen who all maintained their faith in the Star God, there was another person who was just like her.

Niebu threw a slightly flawed wild fruit up and down, and took the opportunity to sit next to Xiaoman.

Xiaoman noticed that when his eyes swept over the monastery members who were praying to the Star God, there was no emotion in them.

He seemed to have forgotten the overly cautious attitude he had shown when he first came into contact with Xiaoman, and looked very relaxed.

After they left the monastery together, Xiao Man asked, "It seems like they don't know that you are not a beastman."

"Have you seen Chen Xing?" said the monster, who had just regained his attention after hearing the question.

Xiaoman nodded silently.

"So the basis for the orcs' judgment is stupid. As long as they are from the Star Gods and have the same affinity for nature as them, they will not be able to distinguish abnormalities at all."

——On the contrary, they regard the abandoned people who are of the same race but have lost their affinity with natural elements and the disabled people who live in this world no differently as different from others as different species and exclude them.

"Are you also a fragment?" Xiaoman asked this question when he thought of Chen Xing's origin.

"No."

The monster moved slightly closer to her, but somehow it looked more like a waiter serving a distinguished person.

"——I am a lowly being, a fallen filth, the blood of a dead god. I don't even have your power to kill gods, but I still want to try."

"Will you abandon me because of this arrogance?" As he spoke, he actually showed an expression that looked like he was expecting some malicious slander. As if that would prove that there was really no possibility that the world and he himself would be treated kindly.

If others were to receive this kind of attention, they would definitely feel like a thorn in their side, or even feel fear.

However, Xiaoman just looked into those warm grey eyes, and said with extra seriousness as if she was also responding to her mother:

"No. Because the fact that I have come this far is arrogant in the eyes of others."

At this moment, she thought of her recent conversation with Amara, and even of the beginning of the journey and a few words that happened to pass by.

Of course, other people's arrangements for her were not all malicious. In their view, it was a good arrangement for a girl who was too young, introverted and powerless to live a stable and safe life.

But Xiaoman chose the dangerous and arduous journey. The tiny dandelion insisted on going into the wind and rain, which must have seemed arrogant to others.

But she hadn't had those people's inherently more stable lives, and in turn their advice didn't carry much weight.

And someone has always told her that you can have power and become stronger.

Her mother encouraged her to see the outside world, Su Mei made an appointment with her to see the high mountains and the distant sea, her teacher taught her to communicate with and control the elements outside of nature that were sought after by the beastmen, Belu showed her his proud and powerful posture in the most intuitive way, and Lielie made her understand that the true love of the elders for their children is to hope that they will always be straightforward, fearless, sincere, brave and enthusiastic - to sharpen the claws and teeth to protect their beliefs, and have a flawless and strong heart.

Even Ellyretna, the nobleman's invitation to her did not have any derogatory meaning. In the eyes of the female city lord, "Xiao Man" is of course a good weapon that can be so sharp and dangerous, so she is fascinated and wants to own it.

Among these expectations, Xiaoman found the courage to live the way he wanted.

Of course, it also includes awakening. He threw out a goal that seemed so difficult that it seemed impossible to achieve and a so-called mission that sounded simply absurd.

Xiaoman dared to agree because she no longer cared about the outcome, as long as she kept going.

At this time, Xiaoman felt a little relieved when he heard the monster with a similar appearance to his old friend say that he had the same goal.

"You are thinking about that person, right?" Nie Bo suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "She is not special at all, but you still remember her after she died for so long."

"You can just hand her over to me... and the sin as well. I can help you to absolve you of the crime by saying that I did it in your image and take away your memory. Then the crime of murder can be completely washed away."

The touch from the monster quietly passed through Xiaoman's fingers, but before it touched her, she suddenly retracted her fingertips as if she was burned by something, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Xiaoman looked at the sincere expression on his face that said "let me help you solve the problem", but he was still a little dazed.

"No need," she said briefly.

The head of the female city lord that she had taken away in order to prevent Elerytna from coming back to life through the resurrection spell was indeed still in her hands.

Carrying a dead person's head with you is indeed horrifying, but Xiaoman actually doesn't feel any psychological burden. She even rarely takes the head out to check it, just treating it as a special item that she can make sure is not lost.

"Do you like her? And Chen Xing. If you don't like this look, I can change it right away."

Until the sky gradually darkened, Nirvana spoke again.

——He pretended that there was no problem, but kept the things he cared about in his heart for a long time before bringing them up. At least in this respect, he and Su Mei were the same. Xiao Man thought.

"No. That's your self, don't change it casually," she said.

"But I just think this face can attract you...it's meaningless if you don't like it." The monster was so sincere that he even felt a little pitiful.

"I don't understand why you care so much about my opinion." Xiao Man finally expressed his doubts. This guy could even ignore the threat of a strong man like Amara. At that time, he looked completely mean and willful.

Compared to those with stronger combat power, of course, he has nothing special except for his identity. However, many other disabled people have died because of him, so identity is not the key point.

"You mean that... Because in the dirty blood shed by my father, when Nirvana awakened and gained self-awareness, it was like falling from the sky."

"…Then I saw blue fire, and the feeling of hating the whole world was extinguished in an instant. Anyway, I lived to see you, and it was because I wanted to come to you and let you see me with your own eyes that I persisted in devouring other competitors."

The poetic and confused tone turned into irrelevant and casual chat in the second half, which made Xiaoman's mood change from enlightenment to a slight sense of laughter and tears.

So that's how it is, it turns out... he has been watching me since the second time I acquired the talent.

Perhaps due to his experience with the Dragon King and the Star God fragments, Xiao Man was also very sensitive to the fact that what Nie Bo just said was "I thought that this would attract you, so I did it", rather than just "I want to become the person you like".

If she had to describe it, the difference was that, for a non-human who had just come into the world, his state was too autonomous and arbitrary, and even meant that he had been able to distinguish the concept of self and would put self first. In Xiaoman's opinion, even Chen Xing, who was born 40 years earlier, had not yet fully achieved this.

But she hasn't chatted with people so easily in a long time, without having to consider the appropriateness, and without having to worry about accidentally offending the other person or making them lose interest. Xiaoman certainly won't deliberately please anyone just for recognition, but she hopes that the people she likes can be happy, even if it's just chatting.

Because Niebu is an unknown creature that is completely away from social rules and fluctuates between being good at self-management and always wanting to get her attention, Xiaoman doesn't have to worry about anything when she stays with him.

...even though this notorious guy can be really childish sometimes.

The seven cities seen from the sky are distributed in a spiral shape. Since Xiaoman deliberately made them avoid "Mithril" and "Diamond" on the route to the first city, the coordinates of the route are actually closer to the direction of the City of Art.

One day, when passing through a small town, Niebu even half-knelt on the side of the road and tried to touch a napping little white cat kept in a civilian's home.

Unfortunately, small animals have sharper perception than beasts. Even though he had hidden the pair of unusually ferocious horns that Xiaoman had only seen once, and was trying very hard to reduce its presence at this moment, the kitten still ran away quickly before he could touch the fur on the tip of its ears.

The rare opportunity was gone in a flash. Watching the kitten disappear into the dust, the sad monster turned around and grabbed the carriage that seemed ordinary and had been parked quietly on the side of the road, and said directly, "Let me touch it."

Chen Xing opened the car window. For the first time, that beautiful and stunning face was expressionless when Xiao Man was looking at it. She told him simply: "Get lost."

The carriage started moving again and left. Xiaoman hadn't fully understood this unusual situation, but seeing his frustrated face, he hesitated and then silently reached out his hand and gently placed it on the monster's head.

"Everyone ran away... I'm the only one who has never touched it..." The monster lowered his head and muttered in a very low voice with tears in his eyes.

Although he was surprisingly harmless in front of her and didn't interfere with her most of the time, he would occasionally do something strange like this, but Xiaoman just couldn't remain indifferent to this face.

"I told you to be more restrained..." Yuan Qian felt helpless.

[This is called true feelings!] The demon king from another world, who is waiting for an opportunity to play with the protagonist, performs a live show of justification.

"It's hard to change one's nature, even though it can change the country..." Yuan Qian could only sigh.

[Then why don't you come over and fight me to change your impression?]

"...I'll think of a solution."

In fact, Yuan Qian was not as dissatisfied with the adjutant's performance as he appeared to be.

As someone who listened to the whole thing, he felt it most clearly. Regardless of whether this state was attractive or not, at least he couldn't imitate it at all, and his thoughts would involuntarily change with the words of "Nirvana". So it was undoubtedly strong, and his rash proposal to modify it would only cause damage.

This made him feel a little embarrassed, because he had been so relaxed these days that his mind was empty after a long time. He hardly let the character in his hand do anything related to the main storyline. Only his teammates were diligently accompanying the protagonist on the trip.

Yuan Shizhi, ah Yuan Shizhi! You can't indulge in laziness anymore! You can do it! Yuan Qian said to himself, forcing up his thin energy.