After dealing with Alisha, Xia De returned to the shore once more.
Standing at the water's edge, he gazed at the calm surface of Bezerlati Lake, which looked as though nothing had ever happened, and began reflecting on Alisha's story.
Hmm, an inspiring story indeed, but Xia De felt no real sympathy for what she had been through or what she had done.
The "revival" she talked about was nothing more than an excuse to satisfy her own selfish desires; all she truly lusted after was the divine power within the crown.
Otherwise, she could have simply informed the higher-ups of the mermaid race about the divine power sealed in the crown. Even if they hadn't believed her, their attention toward the crown would have increased significantly.
Yet, considering how she, a Tier Seven, managed to steal the crown right out from under a Tier Eight's nose, it was clear she had never told the higher-ups a thing.
As for how many people or magical beasts she had killed to break the seal on the crown, Xia De didn't actually feel any disgust toward those actions.
After all, he was the kind of person who would use any means necessary to achieve his own goals.
He wouldn't condemn her behavior—and even if he did, it would only be for the fact that she had killed humans.
Because positionally speaking, he was human himself. As for other aspects, Xia De felt he wasn't really any different from Alisha.
Except for one thing.
Xia De never used so-called "righteousness" as an excuse to satisfy his selfish desires.
He disdained wrapping his actions in a glamorous cloak of justification. Xia De had never considered himself a good person; if he wanted something, he wanted it—there was no need to hide it.
Sighing softly, he tossed these thoughts to the back of his mind and stared at the lake before him.
Clapping his hands together with a snap, he retrieved a fishing rod from his storage space. His eyes sparkled, and with childish excitement written across his face, he declared aloud:
“Alright, no more thinking about irrelevant stuff! Next up is the thrilling, action-packed fishing time!
“Fish taste best when you catch them yourself! The Master Angler is making his glorious comeback!”
Flicking the bait onto the hook, Xia De gave his wrist a gentle flick. The baited hook flew out and splashed into the water with a plop.
Smiling, Xia De watched the water's surface quietly and murmured with anticipation:
“Watch me catch a big one this time. When I do, I'll write it down in my adventure journal.
“Everyone who reads it will be shocked and thoroughly green with envy.
“Though, it's probably only going to be read by three people, haha.”
However, while Xia De was lost in his daydream, a waterspout suddenly rose from the calm surface before him.
It sucked his hook straight in. Fortunately, Xia De reacted quickly and pulled his fishing rod back in time.
A flippant voice called out from behind him:
“Yo, how come there's still a kid here? Sorry about that—you didn't wet your pants, did you, brat?”
Xia De turned around to look. Two young men with roguish expressions had appeared behind him, wearing mismatched, tacky leather armor.
One was playing with a dagger, while the other stood with arms crossed, looking down at him condescendingly.
One was tall and skinny with prominent cheekbones; the other was of average build, but wore a fierce expression.
Their eyes were filled with mockery as they looked at him.
They had done it on purpose.
Disturbed from his peace, Xia De quickly reached this conclusion, his eyes gradually turning cold.
Before he could move, one of the men spoke up first:
“Brat, let me ask you something.
“Have you seen anything strange or magical around here? Like something glowing, for instance?”
As soon as he finished speaking, his fierce-looking companion chimed in with a threat:
“You better not hide anything. Otherwise, in a lake this big, nobody would notice if a person or two drowned.”
“Yeah, I did see two glowing things.”
Hearing Xia De's answer, obvious delight flashed across their faces, and they eagerly pressed him further:
“Where?! Where are they?!
“Brat, you'd better spill everything you know, or I'll show you how cruel the adult world can be!”
With that, the aura of Tier Three, Rank Six burst forth from both of them as they tried to crush this weak-looking kid with their pressure.
One of them in particular, who felt jealous of Xia De's attractive looks, unleashed his aura at full strength, hoping to scare Xia De into falling to his knees and begging for mercy so he could make a fool of himself.
Looking at the two eager, greedy men in front of him, Xia De didn't bother arguing with them.
After all, who would waste breath arguing with dead men?
He narrowed his eyes, a gentle smile blooming on his face.
Yet for some reason, the moment that smile bloomed, both men felt a sudden chill surge straight from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads.
“Because those two things are right in front of my eyes... and they're glowing with a blood-red light.”
“Brat, you—!”
Before the hot-tempered, tall, skinny youth could do anything, a faint whistling sound came from behind them, as if wind were blowing through a narrow hole.
The two turned back to look, only to see a sharp arrow wrapped in a gust of wind shooting straight toward them.
There seemed to be a tiny mark engraved on the arrow's shaft. As it zipped between the two men, it suddenly exploded.
An off-white powder scattered through the air, instantly blocking everyone's view.
Choked by the white powder, the two started coughing uncontrollably on the spot. Then, an insatiable itch broke out across their faces. Scratching frantically at their skin, they roared in fury:
“Cough, cough! Who's there?! How dare you use such dirty tricks!”
Right after that, a somewhat rascal-like voice sounded out:
“Dirty tricks?
“Your arrow-dition is far too shallow! Guess you guys aren't the scholarly type, huh?
“No worries, though! Seeing is believing, but shooting is believing! Today, I'll give you two a proper arrow-dite lesson in this genius's methods!”
Hearing these provocatively arrogant words, an inexplicable rage surged in the hearts of the two men.
Their aura exploded once more as they tried to disperse the surrounding powder. But no matter what they did, the powder, made of some unknown material, didn't scatter in the slightest.
Watching the two engulfed in the powder, Xia De recalled the voice he had just heard.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Feeling inexplicably chilly, he complained silently to himself:
Wait, is that seriously how you're using "seeing is believing"?!
“Run! Head to your left!”
The voice reached Xia De's ears once more in a whisper, making his eyes brighten slightly with excitement.
This is it! The classic scenario where the protagonist gets surrounded by bad guys, and a powerful expert swoops in to save the day!
Nice, nice! I'm definitely writing this in my journal later!
And so, Xia De followed the instructions of this mysterious, somewhat rogue-like voice.
Pretending to be a weak extraordinary, he put on a panic-stricken face, radiating an aura of total helplessness as he hurriedly scrambled away, running in the direction the mysterious voice had pointed out.
Rate on N.U.
