On a nearby island, Li Yue, barefoot, casually walked into a clothing store. Her divine raiment and strange appearance would draw too much attention, so when she emerged from the shop, she was once again that black-haired girl-next-door dressed in casual clothes.
While caught between the pincer attack of fire and ice, her body had escaped into the Death Abyss. Before leaving, she seemed to hear Professor Fen'ao's unwilling roar and the sound of a violent explosion.
She took out the small metal box. Inside was a smoothly polished stone tablet. If one studied it carefully and allowed their consciousness to seep into it, they would discover a map hidden within. However, she didn't know what lay at the destination.
Li Yue guessed that her own God's remains were there; the feeling was all too familiar. For her current self, though, sealing them would be incredibly simple.
But it likely wasn't just her own God's remains; there might be others. Otherwise, why would a professor with no connection to death be so obsessed with it?
Li Yue immediately found an inn. Her aura was completely hidden now, and she was certainly safe for a short time. After all, the fire on the distant ocean probably hadn't been extinguished yet; perhaps those two were still hunting Fen'ao.
Li Yue began drafting a letter.
Dear Miss Clo:
I snatched the thing they were hunting for. It seems to be a map. How should I handle it now?
If I were to turn myself in, would it be okay if I just tied myself up and lay down in front of the Academy's entrance?
It's quite urgent, please reply soon.
From Li Yue, who just escaped.
Li Yue lay down on the bed, seemingly without a hint of worry about being hunted.
In a snow-white tower to the south, in a room at the very top.
Sunlight shone through the window. Clo opened her eyes groggily. It was already morning; she had slept fitfully in the middle of the night. She climbed out of the snow-white bed, still half-asleep. She subconsciously leaned toward the side of the bed, only to find a familiar figure sitting there.
A phantom of Li Yue wearing her divine raiment sat beside her, her gaze fixed woodenly on the distance.
“You're up so early today.” Clo let out a yawn as a letter was handed to her. She froze for a moment before realizing that everything before her was just a phantom. Her hand grasped at the air, and she felt a strange, inexplicable sense of loneliness.
She was clearly used to it, so why did she feel this sense of loss?
She opened the letter and stared blankly at the lines written upon it.
She snatched it already? Is she really this efficient? Oh, I forgot, she’s always been the type to act with such vigor. But if she really gets caught by the Academy, would my personal intervention be enough to bail her out?
Whatever. If it comes to that, I’ll just fight and snatch her back. Aside from the one who oversees the six academies, no one can really affect me.
But thinking about it now, since those things are about to see the light of day again, a storm of blood is inevitable. These God's remains are unsafe no matter whose hands they fall into.
My pocket watch seems to be in there too, but I can't leave the Academy lately. This year, I’m the permanent Mage of the East Academy. How annoying. If I had known, I wouldn't have shirked the responsibility for so many years...
Clo pulled a sheet of paper from the stack in her drawer, conjured a pen, and began to write.
Silly A Yue:
Do not give it back. Those old geezers at the Academy will also fight over those God's remains. No matter whose hands these things fall into, a storm of blood is unavoidable.
That item is both a key and a map. It was always kept by the Academy, but I personally don't trust them. The safest method is to seal those things and put them in the ring I gave you. That ring is very powerful; you can put any dangerous items or powerful dead things inside it.
One of my pocket watches is also in there. It’s somewhat important. If you’re going to compete for the treasures, could you bring it back for me?
There are three such keys, opening the gates to three locations in the tomb. Whether you go or not, or whether you trade it or not, the gates will be opened. Just by holding it, the probability of finding the God's remains is higher, and you’ll be able to snatch them immediately.
It’s up to your decision. The sea has been very unsettled lately; something even more terrifying than that tomb has revealed the tip of its iceberg. The Academy has sent several professors to lead teams. There might be some powerful fellows among them. If you encounter them, remember to show your ring and stay your hand. They might be your classmates or teachers in the future.
By the way, don't write letters in the middle of the night next time. I generally sleep quite early. Unless it’s an emergency.
From Clo, who was startled awake.
In the small town inn, Li Yue looked at this long letter, feeling a bit at a loss.
It was just a letter, not a phone call in the middle of the night... There shouldn't be some special notification sound, right? That would be too strange. Surely it wouldn't come to that.
Li Yue finished reading the letter seriously and got up to buy breakfast. She ate while walking down the street. Her main goal now seemed to be forming a fleet. Helen had given her a lot of gold coins before leaving, and now seemed to be the time to put them to use.
Or, snatching a pirate ship at sea wouldn't be out of the question either... Never mind, I'll lay low for a bit first. This island isn't small, and there are many tourists every day. One more outsider like me should go unnoticed.
In a secret room at the bottom of the sea, an old man with a shattered body returned. He sat leaning against the wall, groping around until he found a piece of bread in a corner.
A rat saw this and pounced, seemingly trying to snatch the bread from the old man.
The old man smiled.
“What's the matter? Have you eaten too many corpses that you’re no longer afraid of humans?” The old man chuckled, picked up the rat, and tossed it into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, “Surely you weren't thinking that your main course was fighting you for an appetizer.”
He smiled, his throat working as he swallowed.
“Ha, I thought so too.” The old man clapped his hands, and the dark space gradually brightened. “What a pity. Four students who had always followed me are dead.”
He began searching through the cluttered room and took out several potions to inject into himself. His broken body first underwent a violent expansion, swelling until it was larger than this several-hundred-square-meter room filled with broken culture vessels, before rapidly shrinking back to the form of a small old man.
“These few... I didn't want to use them. After all, they are the essence of the experiments. I had planned to experiment with them later; the effect should have been better then.” He smiled, his dark green eyes glowing faintly in the dark laboratory.
He stretched his limbs and shattered the hardened walls. The immense water pressure instantly destroyed the deep-sea laboratory.
His body was violently ravaged by the water pressure, and shattered flesh flew everywhere. Before long, he seemed to adapt; deep-sea fish organs grew within his body.
He swam rapidly toward the surface, his strange form allowing him to move much faster than a swordfish.
Perhaps in just a short while, he would reach the island nearest to him to find that Miss Death who had stolen his property.
Rate on N.U.
