Echoes of the Past

Chapter 8 Come on, let's go all in!

Pardons are not like that.

Those who are pardoned should be overwhelmed with gratitude, praising the magistrate's virtue and justice, thanking Solize for his brilliance, and inadvertently expressing their willingness to pledge allegiance (which he will, of course, not accept), while also feeling a sense of relief whenever they recall the anxious moments of imprisonment.

What do you mean by wanting to stay in jail?

Looking directly at Suiyue, her prison declaration echoed in his mind. Even though he guessed that she was just trying to freeload, 39-year-old Pirion still felt that his life experience had been greatly enriched.

"Eat as much as you want before midnight." He snapped his fingers, and the maids standing behind Suiyue bowed and accepted the order. "I will have them prepare a food box for you. Take whatever you can with you."

"Just one thing..." Pirion issued his ultimatum, "When the midnight bells toll, leave the castle."

"Don't be stubborn, agree to his request, and then ask about the reward," Nan'an reminded him. "Huoya said he would apply to the Honors' Court, but the gift was sent in a personal capacity."

Suiyue then suddenly remembered that there was such a thing.

"Is there still no news from the Veterans' Home?"

Pirion's knife scraped across the silver plate, making a sharp, short scraping sound.

He glanced up at Suiyue, carefully examining the bewilderment on her face and the sauce splattered on her cheek, and continued to focus intently on cutting the food with an amusing smile.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange.

The magicians on either side of the long table, as well as Pirion at the head of the table, all fell silent.

They quietly and quickly finished their food, then got up one after another and left the scene without saying a word.

No one answered her questions, as if Rongdian Academy had never existed, and even the words that Huoya had said were just hallucinations.

The midnight chimes echoed from the dark tower, heavily shattering the silence.

Suiyue stood outside the castle gate, carrying food boxes in her left and right hands and another in her mouth, her posture not much better than that of a dog carrying a food bowl.

The governor's residence is located in the wealthy district on the south side of Karen City, where only those of noble birth, high status, wealthy families, and learned scholars are allowed to reside.

Even at midnight, the place was still brightly lit, with magical crystals for illumination nestled in intricately carved bronze candlesticks, scattered in front of houses on both sides of the road.

The harmonious and gentle warm yellow light complements each other, like a frozen moment of dusk.

The air was filled with a peculiar, elegant scent, a mixture of the sap of freshly trimmed grass and the slightly fishy smell of damp soil.

The lawns in front of each house are as if measured with a ruler, uniformly green and dense, with sharp edges like they were cut with a knife, and there are no dead leaves or weeds in sight.

Even in the cracks of the stone path, there was no trace of moss or stagnant water.

A limited curfew is in effect in Karen City, but activities and entertainment are still permitted at night.

But lighting is a luxury, so for most urban areas, darkness and silence are the norm at night.

The faint laughter and clinking of glasses emanating from the surrounding tall houses made Suiyue feel a little dazed.

Since leaving the Church of Dawn, she hadn't seen such a lively scene at night for a long time.

Finding a public area for people to rest, Suiyue put down the food box and curiously opened the wooden box.

Upon seeing the gift, she instinctively tilted her head.

A dark green, thumb-sized crystal with a jade-like texture lay quietly on a dark velvet cushion.

Nan'an couldn't see it, so he could only ask in his mind, "What is it?"

Suiyue's voice trembled: "Windwort crystals."

Windgrass, a special plant that appeared after the spread of the Black Mist, was first discovered in the 223rd year of the Black Mist Calendar.

The name comes from the Windgrass Adventurers who discovered it and brought it out.

Given that it grows in areas shrouded in black mist, magicians are very cautious in their research on it.

It took a full 14 years, until the year 237 of the Black Mist Calendar, to complete the exploration of its characteristics and confirm that it possessed an extremely special ability to sense the Divine Nightmare.

This dandelion-like plant can come in four colors: white, green, red, and black, with the level of danger increasing in that order.

It is unclear where Windvelbear's ability to classify and sense Nightmare comes from, but the general conclusion among magicians is that it is through natural selection.

Due to its extremely high accuracy in identification, Windgrass is considered a hard currency by all adventurers who dare to venture deep into the Black Mist region during the Black Mist era.

Windgrass Crystals are an item even more prestigious than potions.

It can only be obtained by repeatedly purifying and soaking it in a high concentration of Windvelvet Grass potion through a magic array.

This magical process is time-consuming and laborious, but the final crystal has a greater sensing range and can be used far more times than a single-use potion.

Without a second thought, Suiyue stuffed the crystal into her chest.

Nan'an, however, was pondering another detail: "You just said, 'Explore deep into the black fog'? Isn't the Nightmare of Gods corrupting?"

"There have been instances of Nightmares carrying deadly contamination in history, but that doesn't mean all Nightmares possess this characteristic," Suiyue explained. "Adventure groups organized by ordinary people can go into the Black Mist to pan for gold after being reviewed and registered, and the official authorities also have dedicated exploration teams."

Nan'an understood now.

The extremely strict vetting procedures applied to Suiyue stemmed from the high status of the person being attacked.

Consul Pirion instinctively characterized it as a premeditated attack that could escalate.

The Raven, whose rank was significantly higher than that of the Consul, was clearly alarmed by this and came to Kren.

Suiyue curled her lip indifferently.

"We've dealt with nightmares before, why all the fuss?"

She didn't have a good impression of Pirion; he was too rigid. What difference would it make if she was locked up for another 15 days?

Nan An chuckled. While the gluttonous girl continued to rummage through the food box, he decided to give her a little nudge.

Pirion was indeed shrewd and capable; he handled the whole thing flawlessly.

From the City of Twin Crowns, the noble bloodline has been attacked. The report immediately raised the danger level to the maximum, which was enough to persuade a professional like Bewitching Raven to come down.

Regardless of the subsequent investigation results, with Huo Ya in power, he, as the local governor, will not be the primary person responsible. If something goes wrong, it cannot be blamed on his ineffective response.

Considering that during the meal just now, a simple one-on-one conversation could have been resolved, but Pirion insisted on having several unrelated people present.

It is quite obvious that this is the starting point for leaving work records and seeking cross-verification by third-party witnesses.

All of these were precautions to prevent anyone from investigating later or bringing up old grievances.

Super non-stick pan.

The "House of Honors" that Pirion avoids mentioning, the expensive gift sent by the Raven in his personal capacity...

Nan'an's babbling had left Suiyue completely bewildered, and she even stopped chewing.

"Is there any explanation for either of these?"

"Yes, that proves that some people don't want you to receive the Honors House award, and the Raven is one of those who can't stand it," Nan'an said. "Pirion understood the reason, saw through it but didn't say anything, didn't want to get involved with either side, and didn't want to be seen as having a clear bias, so he quickly sent you away."

Suiyue froze for several seconds before taking a big bite of the flatbread filled with minced meat.

"Can't understand."

Nan'an rubbed his temples, feeling powerless.

I really envy this guy's insensitivity.

"Old veteran, what should we do next?" Suiyue stretched out on the ground after eating, gazing at the starry sky. "Starting tomorrow, there will be no shelter or food. You're still absorbing my magic power every day. Sigh... my body is so weak."

To demonstrate sincerity, Nan'an had previously been the only one providing instruction, without gaining a deeper understanding of Suiyue's current situation.

He couldn't help but ask, "You have no savings, no temporary accommodation?"

"no."

There's no need to respond so confidently.

Suiyue continued, "What you see on me is what you get; what you see is what you get."

Before meeting Nan'an, Suiyue usually slept in the woods a little closer to the city-state, where she would lay down an animal skin on the treetop and call it her nest.

Forget about saving money; the success rate of hunting isn't even 100%, so there's practically no surplus loot.

Occasionally, when she hunts something good and earns money, she prioritizes buying meat from the tavern, eating most of it in one go, and then buying a bunch of dry, hard black bread that can be used as weapons to soak in water and eat.

Even if she manages to make a profit by chance, she will still have to buy some inferior potions on the black market due to injuries and illnesses. Suiyue is very resilient, and usually when she has to buy potions, she already feels like she is about to die.

Nan'an sighed and rubbed his forehead.

That guy's tough as nails.

The current situation doesn't allow Suiyue to slack off; in order to make a smooth transition, she needs a temporary place to live.

"What's the fastest way to make money these days?" Nan'an asked.

"Murder and arson," Suiyue replied immediately, but clearly with a hint of joking.

This muscle can grow in the brain; the bottom line of a fool who, in a fit of rage, will stubbornly resist the corrosive influence is clearly very high.

The Red Rat Adventurers' values ​​and morals are very similar to those of Nan'an.

People with different values ​​cannot work together, and many were thus excluded from the group.

Nan'an was also very fortunate to have been able to hold on to her principles in such a harsh environment. Looking back now, she felt incredibly lucky to have met them after her time travel.

Suiyue racked her brains, but in the end, she just shrugged.

"Then we can only go 'gold panning'. Black Mist makes money quickly, but the dangers are unknown."

The Windweed Adventurers who discovered Windweed were all awarded medals and rewards after the sages confirmed the plant's properties. Their descendants were protected and remain wealthy to this day.

"Within the black mist lies the solution to all calamities."

This is the viewpoint that emerged from the Church after the start of the Black Mist Era.

Even though they despised the major churches for using the dark fog to expound on the idea of ​​"divine punishment," constantly proselytizing, and taking the opportunity to promote indulgence tickets.

However, compared to sitting and waiting to die, allowing the black mist to slowly devour the few remaining civilized settlements on the Nora continent, investigating deep into the black mist is clearly the best solution when there is no other choice.

The amazing plant, the windwort, is proof of this.

Nan'an hesitated for a moment; he and Suiyue were now one.

If Suiyue is finished, he will most likely be without support as well. For both emotional and rational reasons, he doesn't want this simple-minded Niu Niu to take risks.

But Suiyue seemed eager to try.

Having learned the excellent knowledge of the Gray Star Era, she couldn't wait to find a suitable occasion to vent her frustrations—even though she had only learned the basics of physical skills.

Every choice she made in her life was a gamble, and if she won, she would go to a tavern and feast to her heart's content.

If she loses at all-in, she'll die. It's no big deal, since there's no one or nothing she cares about anyway.