Chapter 60-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Sierra cursed at the youth in front of her for a while, then quickly lost interest and stopped, staring at her curiously.
"Aren't you angry? Don't you want to beat me up?"
Ye Zheng was speechless at Sierra's words. It seemed this little blonde psycho knew how annoying she was.
"On second thought, what I just said was indeed inappropriate. I apologize for my rudeness."
The black-haired, green-eyed youth nodded slightly, looking like she was humbly accepting criticism, without a trace of anger.
"I'll give you my sleeping bag. That area will only be more dangerous at night. I'll keep watch for you two."
"By the way, how should I address you?"
Ye Zheng asked very naturally, as if they were truly meeting for the first time.
She held a sliver of uncertainty in her heart. Sierra was too mysterious; she might be able to see through her disguise.
After all, there was a decade of deep-seated hatred between them, even if it was one-sided on the other's part.
"My name? Sierra."
Sierra casually gave her name to the two strangers. This casual attitude made Ye Zheng suspect it was a fake name, but looking at the carefree girl, she inexplicably felt that this was probably her real name.
Even if this Sierra was doing such world-shocking things, she couldn't be bothered to hide behind a fake name.
Ye Zheng replied politely, "My name is Zhao..."
"I'm not interested. Why bother remembering the names of the dead?"
Sierra interrupted with a grin.
Bai Muqing almost immediately stepped forward but accidentally tripped on a stone under her feet, falling clumsily to the ground.
Ye Zheng, who was reaching into her pocket for a knife, felt her heart jolt. She suddenly realized that the congenitally blind Bai Muqing perceived the world entirely through her ability. With her ability nullified by Sierra, Bai Muqing was completely lost in a world of nothingness.
She helped Bai Muqing up, her gaze fixed grimly on the blonde girl.
"Sierra."
The youth's voice was imperceptibly tight.
"What are you trying to do?"
Sierra shrugged innocently. "Seeing as you were kind enough to offer me something, I'm just reminding you that you're all going to die!"
"Don't look at me like that. I've had enough fun lately, I won't do it myself."
She didn't need to do it herself. After all, once someone's ability was nullified, how long could they survive in this Demonic Domain?
Sierra ruffled her messy blonde hair, her red eyes looking down at the youth who was helping her companion. She suddenly remembered something amusing and curled her lips.
"I'd advise you to give up on her sooner. You might live a little longer that way."
Ye Zheng felt Bai Muqing in her arms subconsciously grab her collar, then release it as if it were scalding hot.
Seeing this, the blonde girl giggled a few times and skipped away, without taking their things or attacking them directly.
Ye Zheng looked down at her own palm. Her ability was still there. Did Sierra go easy on her, or was she unable to nullify her ability?
The youth clenched her hand and looked down to check on Bai Muqing.
Having lost her ability, Bai Muqing looked as stern and expressionless as ever. Only Ye Zheng, who was holding her hand, could feel the extreme coldness of the white-haired, white-eyed girl's body at that moment.
"Your ability will come back, I promise."
Ye Zheng said with certainty. She had also had her ability nullified by Sierra last time, and it had returned after about an hour. Sierra's power couldn't possibly be strong enough to completely erase someone else's ability.
"...Sorry."
Bai Muqing said in a low voice with her head down. Ye Zheng couldn't see her expression. She didn't offer more words of comfort, but simply took Bai Muqing's hand and sat down with her. Then she arranged the sleeping bags, and the two of them crawled in, resting against each other like two cocoons.
Ye Zheng closed her eyes but didn't let herself drift off to sleep. In this place fraught with danger, someone had to stay awake, and right now, it could only be her.
Her consciousness flowed with [Stream] into the nearby river, weaving through the riverside forest. She sensed the activity of many life forces until, in a certain place, she felt the presence of a large gathering of humans.
Ye Zheng's eyes snapped open, meeting the unblinking white pupils of Bai Muqing, who was lying on her side.
"Ye... Zhao Mei, you're not asleep yet."
"You wouldn't sleep."
Bai Muqing murmured to herself.
"Mm, I'm still thinking about what that Sierra really wants."
Ye Zheng figured Bai Muqing probably couldn't sleep either, so she started a conversation.
"Her ability is at least S-rank. How could we have never heard of someone like that?"
Bai Muqing said, confused.
"She's probably a child from the lower district. Her family might not have had the money to pay the testing fee. Without participating in the test, she wouldn't be registered, nor would she be allowed to enter an ability academy."
Bai Muqing's brow furrowed slightly, seeming not to quite understand.
"Testing fee?"
Bai Muqing had never heard of a testing fee. She was born with an ability. She remembered going to the Ability User Association for a formal test at the age of 12. After her precise rank was determined, various academies vied for her. Because of her faith, she ultimately chose the divinity school.
Ye Zheng patiently explained to the clueless Bai Muqing, "The testing fee is a huge burden for the people of the lower district. Unless a child shows clear signs of an ability, they are unwilling to take them for testing to become an official ability user."
"What if they can't pay the testing fee?"
"That's also common in the lower district."
Ye Zheng laughed, devoid of emotion. "It's illegal for unofficial ability users to use their abilities. They can't join ability academies, nor can they join the Security Team or the Knight Orders."
"But there are many gray areas that need such ability users. Not being officially registered actually makes it easier for them to operate."
Bai Muqing recalled her brother mentioning such existences and guessed, "So, Sierra is one of them?"
"Perhaps."
Ye Zheng shrank a little deeper into her sleeping bag, hiding half of her face, especially her pursed lips.
No, Sierra was most likely not one of those ability users active on the black market.
Because Ye Zheng herself had dealt with those people quite a bit. She knew about the famous and powerful underground ability users. Someone with an astonishing ability like Sierra couldn't possibly be unknown in the gray world.
Sierra could even nullify Sykes's ability. Why would an ability user of such strength be completely unknown to anyone? It was as if she had appeared out of thin air...
Her green eyes suddenly widened. Ye Zheng bit her lip until it turned white.
Yes, Sierra appeared out of thin air, along with this Demonic Domain that resembled a blood flower!
In a cloud of fog, Ye Zheng felt she had grasped a crucial clue. She almost wanted to push herself up and chase after the blonde girl to ask more questions. She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to lie down quietly.
No, going to find Sierra now was not a wise choice. She was like a satiated and whimsical wild beast. Although she had no desire to attack now, she might want to play some bloody game on a whim. Ye Zheng didn't have enough confidence to deal with her right now.
The night passed, and light once again rose within the Demonic Domain. Ye Zheng had been almost sleepless all night, but she wasn't very tired, her green eyes burning brightly.
Bai Muqing also woke up early. She found that her ability had returned, but the pain of losing all her senses before falling asleep last night was still fresh in her memory. After "seeing" the world again, she felt no joy, only a shadow weighing on her heart.
The two youths looked at each other. Despite their different worries, they still managed a smile for one another—one a gentle smile, the other a reserved curl of the lips.
"Muqing, I found a place, a place with a large crowd of people. Let's go there."
A large crowd of people? Hearing Ye Zheng's words, a flicker of hope crossed Bai Muqing's expression. Perhaps her brother was there.
As a member of the Royal Knight Order, Bai Mulin might be organizing the survivors within the Demonic Domain with his comrades, protecting the civilians while organizing an attack on the domain. This was their duty.
Bai Muqing nodded, a faint light even seeming to appear in her vacant white pupils.
Following the river upstream, apart from some complex terrain, the two youths encountered no danger. The vegetation here was dense, with many small animals like mosquitoes and insects, but no large animals were to be seen.
Ye Zheng had a theory about this. The larger animals had probably all been digested by that eerie red mangrove forest.
Passing through the dense forest that blocked out the sky, a flat piece of land appeared on higher ground. Dense figures were huddled together, relying on each other.
Bai Muqing suddenly quickened her pace. The vision [Divine Domain] gave her was broad enough; she could already "see" that extremely familiar figure!
"Bai Mulin!"
A young man who was speaking in the center of the crowd froze, then immediately stood up and ran towards the direction of the voice.
"Bai Muqing! Why are you here? You really came!"
The man in the red uniform was somewhat incoherent, his gaze at Bai Muqing a mixture of reproach and emotion.
After seeing that Bai Mulin was safe and sound, Ye Zheng's gaze calmly observed the small base before her.
Most were civilians, huddled together, their faces somewhat numb. Royal Knights in uniform and Sei Curia Knights in white robes walked among them, as if on patrol to protect them, yet also as if they were guarding something, their expressions cold and impatient.
In comparison, Bai Muqing's brother seemed much more amiable. Ye Zheng's gaze shifted back to Bai Mulin and soon discovered that his expression was also a bit strange.
"It's good that you're okay. Everyone at home was very worried about you."
"Hahaha... They must be blaming me for acting on my own again, right?"
The young man scratched his head, his smile a little forced.
Bai Muqing's usually emotionless face showed clear emotion and admiration. She said, "Everyone is proud of you, Bai Mulin. You are a true knight."
Her brother hadn't needed to come, but he had resolutely followed the Crown Prince into this Demonic Domain and had protected many civilians.
Bai Mulin's smile suddenly froze, slowly flattening. He looked at his sister, his lips moved, but before he could say anything, a gentle voice was heard.
"Miss Bai Muqing is here as well."
A young man wearing glasses walked over from somewhere, a smile in his eyes as he watched the touching scene of the siblings' reunion.
"Miss Bai is right. Knight Bai Mulin is a true and brave knight."
Yu Tianming's eyes shifted to the grim-faced Bai Mulin.
"Knight Bai Mulin, you see, everyone is waiting for you to make the right decision and fulfill your duty as a Royal Knight."
Bai Muqing heard Yu Tianming's ambiguous words. She didn't understand what he was saying, but she remembered this glasses-wearing man had always been an annoying character.
Bai Mulin, in his red uniform, lowered his head and clenched his fists so tightly his nails were almost digging into his flesh. It was obvious he didn't want to respond, while Yu Tianming stared at him with a smile that held no warmth.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt."
A youth's slightly hoarse voice suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.
"Would you mind letting us know what's happening? Perhaps we can help."
Only then did Yu Tianming shift his gaze to the unfamiliar youth. The black-haired, green-eyed youth was about his height, handsome with a distinguished air. He looked like he was also from the upper district, yet he had no impression of this face. He just found him somewhat familiar but couldn't put a name to him.
Then, he must not be an important character.
Yu Tianming pushed up his glasses, contempt in his heart, though his tone remained deceptively amiable. He responded to the youth's question, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Mulin.
"The Crown Prince is trapped in a forest over there, trying to save everyone."
"We want to gather our forces to rescue him. It's what we should do, isn't it?"
The black-haired, green-eyed youth let out an "Oh," his voice filled with abundant and deliberate emotion. "Oh my god, His Highness the Crown Prince sacrificed himself for us. We certainly can't let him down."
Yu Tianming's expression twitched slightly. This was the effect he wanted, but the youth's words had a strangely sarcastic undertone.
"Knight Bai, let's set off quickly."
The youth had already appointed himself a member of the Sykes rescue squad. His pair of clear green eyes looked at the somber-faced young man, and Bai Muqing also fixed her gaze on her brother.
Bai Mulin met the pure gazes of the youth and his sister and looked away in shame.
"...No, I can't do it—"
"I can't send them to their deaths!"
The young man suddenly roared in anguish. The group of numb and weary people on the flat ground stood up in a panic, looking lost.
Yu Tianming could barely maintain his gentle expression. His gaze on Bai Mulin turned completely cold, a threatening scrutiny.
Everyone was looking at the suddenly outbursting Bai Mulin. Unnoticed by anyone, the youth's green eyes were like a bottomless, dark pool. She first looked at Bai Mulin, then her green eyes shifted, staring at the high-and-mighty Prime Minister's son with a deadly coldness.
Who, did Yu Tianming want to send to their deaths?
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