"Okay, we're probably talking about the same thing."
I glanced at the two men in dark green cloaks behind Mr. Bradley, and Mr. Bradley immediately explained:
"They lost Miss Xue and found no trace of her after searching for a long time. I came to see you as soon as I heard their report."
"When did you lose me?"
"We followed her into the Cross Bank, but there were too many people inside, and for some reason... we suddenly couldn't see her."
One of the "dark green cloaks" answered in a smooth voice.
"Have you met the police officer?"
"No."
"I have sent people to——"
"Please don't do this yet."
I interrupted Bradley:
"We still don't know Xue's situation right now, and the risk of taking rash actions is too great. Please wait a little longer. Maybe Xue just happened to do some personal business and will be back in a while."
"...Okay, so be it."
"Thank you."
I nodded to Mr. Bradley, then closed the door and locked it again.
I grabbed the keys hanging aside, put on my coat, and walked toward the back door of the basement.
"Has Mr. Bradley left?"
"Hmm."
"Then I'm going."
After confirming with Gale, I stepped into the tunnel with confidence.
"Why did you refuse their kindness?"
"I believe in myself more."
The authentic lighting equipment emitted a faint light, and the gloomy atmosphere made me imagine that I was slowly heading towards hell.
My footsteps sounded particularly harsh, as if there were always a few bats flapping their wings around me.
The air around me seemed to have been secretly replaced by water, and I gradually felt a little depressed. The feeling of suffocation hit my chest, and my breathing became heavier and heavier.
Could it be magic? A [New Pressure Technique] was applied in the tunnel... In order to prevent pursuit, Mr. Bradley was really cautious.
It would be nice if I brought some medicine.
Every five meters you walk, you will encounter two or three intersections. If you choose the wrong one, you will lose your way - this is Mr. Bradley's cover-up to deal with emergencies.
Relying on my memory and Gale's tips, I finally arrived at the destination successfully after walking in the maze-like tunnel for about fifteen minutes.
The effect of the new pressure technique also disappears.
"Huh...key, key..."
I wiped the sweat from my forehead, opened the lock with the key, and slowly raised the movable wooden board above my head——
"What are you doing?"
A familiar sound mixed with the sound of friction of straw reached my ears.
——A burly man was staring down at me.
"...Come down first and then talk."
......
I decided to return after making sure everything was correct.
"What's wrong? Is there an accident?"
"I arrived at the bank and found several plainclothes police officers. They kept following me. I walked a long way before I got away from them."
"Why are they following you?"
"..."
"Forget it, you'll be fine."
I glanced at the snow behind me which had returned to its original appearance:
"Aren't you cold? Remember to wear more clothes, it's still winter."
"Hmm."
"Just take a good rest in the near future and don't use your mate-finding ability - does it really have no side effects?"
"No."
"It's better to be cautious, unless absolutely necessary... You stayed up late yesterday. Go to bed early tonight. It's very important to maintain a healthy schedule. I used to know a boy who worked on a farm. The farmer always
Assigning extra tasks to him kept him busy until the early hours of the morning. Later, even though he was only twenty-seven years old, he looked like an uncle in his fifties or sixties. I tried to persuade that kid more than once, but he just gave up.
Can’t afford the high amount offered by the farmer——”
"I know."
"Well..."
Is there a new pressure technique in this tunnel... I can actually chatter as if nothing happened.
"Uh, what are you holding in your hand?"
"I brought you wine along the way."
"...Wine? Oh, what are you going to do in a tavern...A place like that is full of people, and you'll be in trouble if you get caught by someone with bad intentions."
"In other words, you don't like it?"
"Now is not the time to drink."
"..."
"...But it's okay to drink some occasionally, so thank you."
"You're welcome."
......
Sitting on a chair in the basement, I spent a lot of effort to pry open the bottle cap of the wine Xue brought back.
After taking a few gulps into my stomach, I took the small note torn from the bottom of the gift box that Xue handed me.
"What are these names?"
"It's the police officers responsible for searching our area."
I returned the small note to Xue:
"Do you have a packet of cypress powder?"
"Already used up."
"Where's the fluffy grass ash?"
"Yes."
"Spread that thing in the palm of your left hand, hold it tightly, then hold the piece of paper in your mouth, close your eyes, and use the [Shaking Wood Sound Wave Curse] without opening your mouth. After about five seconds, you will hear a sentence -
—It will be repeated three times. Don’t open your eyes until you have completely memorized it.”
"...This is a method used by the military. Why do you know?"
"Oh, it seems you understand it quite well. As a well-informed immortal, it's normal for me to be involved in this aspect, isn't it?"
"...I understand, but why don't you do it yourself?"
"I can't use magic."
"In other words, you haven't learned the Shaking Wood Sound Wave Curse?"
"No, I don't have any magical properties at all."
"..."
"You don't believe it?"
"I hate wasteful people, in other words, you are abusing my trust."
"Have you seen me perform any magic so far?"
"...the reason is?"
"Divine Purpose Side Effects."
Well, it shouldn’t be considered a lie.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"..."
I felt like I was being glared at by snow, but when I looked at her, she had turned around and turned her back to me.
She seemed to be pouring something into her hand.
......
After listening to Xue's retelling, I had to admire Manda's ability to summarize information. Thanks to her, I now have information about the police officers who will come to search in the next few days, including their names and their spouses.
and life experience.
"Thank you, you have a really good memory."
"..."
"Have you probably guessed my plan? Yes, I am planning to contact those police officers again."
I yawned:
"There is no doubt that the risk of doing this is very high... In fact, I also have other plans, but just now, I gave up on them because the divine eye warned me in time." p>
"The Eye of Divinity? In other words, that divine talent that has always had no sense of existence finally works?"
"Hey, hey, don't be too sharp."
Sure enough, Xue still maintained a dubious attitude towards my plug-in.
"What prophecy did you receive? In other words, proactively contacting the police officer has a greater chance of success?"
"No, I only got one piece of news - that the lord wants to kill me."
"..."
"So I have to strike first."
"Why do you want to kill me? I don't understand."
"I don't know."
I replied calmly, and then took the opportunity to ask:
"Speaking of which, the lord seems unwilling to let you kill people with your own hands. Is there any hidden reason?"
"...I am a demon. Once I kill someone, my demonic mate will be stimulated, making it more active. In other words, killing someone will increase the possibility of [falling into a demon]."
"That's it..."
I understand the meaning of becoming a demon, but I didn’t expect that killing someone would lead to becoming a demon.
Falling into a demon is equivalent to the "second awakening" of a demonic mate. The demon who has completed the demonic fall will become powerful and uncontrollable, with immeasurable harm. Moreover, after the demonic fall, the host will often gradually lose control of the body.
, the magical mate will take its place.
"Sorry, I am ignorant."
"Only soldiers and some homeless people pay special attention to this. In other words, it's normal that you don't understand."
"Well...but, that's it?"
"In other words, do you think there are other factors?"
"No, I'll just ask."
I swallowed back the words I was about to say.
Now I can't guarantee that my brain is completely awake, so I decided to be cautious to avoid causing snow's misunderstanding.
Although I do think there is something unusual.
"So, in short, since I can't use magic, I need your help in dealing with the police. You can just act according to the situation, and Mr. Bradley will cooperate with us."
"Okay."
"And, well..."
"Are you hesitating? Why? I'm happy to hear anything you have to say."
"No~~ I just suddenly forgot what I wanted to talk about."
I waved my hand:
"It's too late. Let's talk tomorrow. It's time for you to rest."
"Well...you drink less."
"Okay~~"
"..."
"...Xue, you are not a demon."
"..."
"You are not a demon, definitely not... Just because a cat accidentally gets caught in the stench from the sewer, you cannot regard it as a kindred spirit of mice."
"A very vivid metaphor."
"Thank you."
"Good night, in other words, it would be nice if I met a kind person like you earlier."
"...Good night."
I smiled bitterly.
Nonsense, of course you can’t be a demon, at least as far as I am concerned.
But I'm not a kind person, I just want to confirm... If they can't tell clearly, they will be disappointed.
It is the demons who kill innocent people indiscriminately.
......
About thirty years ago, I developed the habit of visiting the elderly in nursing homes.
Compared with young people and children, the elderly seem to want to talk to me more, and the content of the chat is always related to their past experiences.
They often tell the same story many times, and even as soon as one person finishes telling it, the other person will retell it from a different perspective. This is not surprising, after all, they all live in the small town of Vig.
I gradually understood their intentions - they seemed to be tirelessly carving their own traces on my eternal "statue", using this method to preserve their stories for a longer time, at least not to be accompanied by
Turn them into dust together.
It is a pity that no matter how deep the traces are, they are only on the surface of the "statue". Over time, they will always be eroded by wind and rain.
At present, I have unconsciously lost many memories about them. In probably more than ten years, I may not even be able to remember their names.
This is helpless.
Just like a finished diary, if its content gradually deviates from reality, it will inevitably be buried under books and new diaries. At first, I may occasionally take it out and read it on a whim, but once
There are more and more things pressing on it, and I have no time to take care of it.
Among the elderly, there are many whose temperaments have changed drastically due to the loss of their spouses. In the eyes of the caregivers, they are paranoid and forgetful, but they still maintain a cordial attitude towards me because I have seen them in their prime.
They felt that I could understand them... To be precise, they accepted a part of me. However, I am immortal, so they did not regard me as a similar person after all.
Therefore, I have the title "lonely old man".
What a terrible name.
I really want to change it. If possible, I will change it to "Stewart" or "Robert" immediately, which sounds nice and smooth.
However, regardless of Woolworth's rigid and strict regulations on changing identity information... I haven't found the survivor that Eleanor mentioned yet. If the other party happens to meet me one day, I am no longer
If you are "alone", then the other party will probably think that you have recognized the wrong person.
"Lonely Old" is unique, but "Robert" is not necessarily the same.
For example, the police officer who is unconscious in front of me is named Robert.
"What a terrible name."
I muttered and looked at the police officer ID card in my hand.