Chapter 258-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The narrow, congested streets seemed to stretch on without end. The deeper they went, the muddier and filthier the road became. Everyone who caught sight of Bai Muqing pressed themselves against the edge of the path, instinctively keeping their distance. The revulsion and fear were silent—yet deafening.
Dilapidated apartment buildings crowded together at uneven heights. Groups of men loitered on street corners, their eyes roving with ill intent. Now and then a reeking pig or cow would wander into the road, droppings everywhere.
The little girl trailing Bai Muqing shrank close, yet wore a hint of smugness. She tugged at Bai Muqing's sleeve. "So this is where you live!"
"That's what you get for going against the Saintess—I heard people in the upper district all live in big castles with roofs made of gold…"
Bai Muqing paid her no mind. It wasn't that she lacked money. Even with the Bai family in ruins, the wealth accumulated over generations—a mere fraction leaked out—would be enough for a comfortable life in the lower district.
This area was the zone in the East District where Demonic Domains appeared most frequently, which was precisely why it had become the poorest and most chaotic part. Bai Muqing had settled here, first to atone for the Bai family's sins, and second to track down the Dragon Bone's whereabouts.
To avoid disturbing anyone, Bai Muqing had rented out an entire small building. She stopped at the door and reached into her pocket, only to remember that her keys had probably been stolen along with her money.
The thief was a bone-thin child whose movements were swift and practiced—yet still couldn't escape [Divine Domain]'s gaze. It was Bai Muqing's first time encountering something like this. She was somewhat intrigued, and by the time she snapped back to attention, the child had already made off with her things. Bai Muqing had no desire to pursue the matter.
She was someone who valued rules deeply, but as she grew up and gained more experience, she came to understand that even the most tightly meshed gears needed lubrication in the gaps.
Before this, she had often come to the lower district to deal with Demonic Domains during her training with the knight order, but she had never immersed herself this deeply in lower-district life.
Had Ye Zheng come to places like this to provide free healing when she was still the Sei Curia's Saintess?
With a soft click, the lock seemed to gain a mind of its own and opened on its own. Bai Muqing entered and, without looking back, asked: "Aren't you coming in?"
The little girl stood at the doorway, her expression caught between helplessness and indignation. She stared at the crooked, glaringly red scrawls covering the walls and door. She could only make out a word or two, but the malice practically leapt off the surface.
"Someone's been writing mean things about you!"
Bai Muqing's expression remained unchanged. Some people feared her as a powerful ability user and didn't dare confront her directly, so they resorted to this kind of venting.
"It's nothing."
The little girl stubbornly stayed where she was, refusing to enter, as though she were angry at someone. Bai Muqing couldn't figure her out.
"You… aren't you curious how Ye Zheng defeated me and became the Saintess?"
"Come in, and I'll tell you."
The child must have been frightened by the Demonic Domain and was sticking close to her for comfort, Bai Muqing thought. While she could use her ability to find out the girl's address, using abilities on a child didn't feel right. Better to wait until the girl calmed down and then take her home.
The moment Ye Zheng's name was mentioned, the girl at the door scurried inside.
"The Saintess selection process was quite… uneventful. Etiquette checks, ability demonstrations, answering questions from the clergy."
"No dramatic showdowns."
Before Ye Zheng, the Saintess had always been a harmless title—requiring only a display of gentleness and purity before the public.
"Ye Zheng and I had no interaction during the selection itself."
Bai Muqing couldn't help but reminisce. The process wasn't entirely devoid of contact—before it began, Ye Zheng had greeted every candidate. She came across as perfectly courteous and friendly; everyone had a good impression of her.
The last person Ye Zheng approached was Bai Muqing, sitting alone in the corner.
Perhaps because of Bai Muqing's status and temperament, Ye Zheng's greeting had been notably formal. She first placed her left hand over her heart and gave a slight bow—a standard Sei Curia salute—then extended her right hand in friendship.
At that moment, only two words had flashed through Bai Muqing's mind—audacious!
That was a clergy-exclusive gesture of greeting. Only ordained clergy could perform it. Given how meticulous and considerate the girl before her was in everything else, she couldn't possibly have been unaware of this.
Ye Zheng had first declared her absolute determination to win—and then offered a friendly hand.
A person like that was a living challenge to Bai Muqing's worldview. Looking back now, her particular dislike of Ye Zheng during a certain period wasn't without reason—she simply couldn't process the upheaval Ye Zheng brought, and could only chalk it up to the flimsy word "dislike."
"Oh, that's it?" The little girl looked bored and disappointed.
"The Saintess is so strong, and I heard you're really powerful too. I thought you two would have this epic battle that shook the heavens…"
The girl was lost in her imagination, excitedly acting out scenes. A fleeting smile crossed Bai Muqing's face. [Divine Domain] had yet to reveal its full power, and the same was true for Ye Zheng. After the battle with Sykes, both of them had advanced their control over their abilities even further.
"Don't expect us to fight."
Bai Muqing's tone was cool, but her blank white eyes gained a touch of focus from the faint smile. "If we fought here, you really would never find your way home."
The little girl immediately rattled off her home address in protest—her house was so far away, how could Bai Muqing's fighting possibly reach it?
Address obtained, Bai Muqing scooped her up and set off to take her home.
*
A day later, Percy's group successfully arrived in the South District.
The South District's city center was still under repair. Word was that Sierra and her monsters had practically torn the area apart, and it was only when the Sei Curia's main force arrived that Sierra was forced to withdraw.
Percy had felt their overwhelming presence firsthand. If even they couldn't dig up the Dragon Bone, he could hardly imagine how deep it was buried.
The four stood in the shadow of the half-destroyed government building, and only then did Bai Yi reveal the secret of how the Dragon Bone had been interred.
"The demon dragon possessed terrifying regenerative abilities. Legend has it that even if you severed one of its wings, it could regrow before hitting the ground. To prevent any mishaps, after the God of Hope killed the demon dragon, the Divine Sword was used to carve the remains into several pieces."
Percy recalled Sykes in his dragon form—the regeneration had indeed been astonishing. Yet Ye Zheng had used a web of razor-thin water lines to shred him into chunks in an instant, denying Sykes any chance to heal.
"To prevent the remains from being accidentally discovered, the ruler at the time, Aston XIV, together with my ancestor, scattered them across multiple locations and buried them using different methods."
"Different methods?" Percy asked.
"Most were placed in underground chambers built with aberrant stone, which blocks detection by Demonic Domains and ability users. But one location was different."
Bai Yi pointed at the ground beneath their feet. "The South District uses the underground-chamber method. Buried here is one of the demon dragon's bone wings."
Percy nodded, though his mind lingered on Bai Yi's mention of "one location was different." He thought of the East District—the one Bai Yi had been conspicuously avoiding.
"When they buried the Dragon Bone, they took the opportunity during the city's reconstruction to build hidden passages leading to the underground chambers."
"This is a secret known only to the successive heads of the Bai family."
Caleb pumped his fist excitedly. "That's great! This means we can find all the Dragon Bone before the Sei Curia does."
But when he looked around, he found everyone else wearing their own shade of gravity.
Percy glanced at the preoccupied Bai Yi. More pressing than the Dragon Bone's location was the question of what to do with it.
Suddenly, Bai Yi shot him a covert look. Percy read the unspoken message in his eyes and spoke up. "Now that we've confirmed the location, let's find somewhere to rest. Everyone's had a hard few days."
No one objected. The four found an inn and settled in.
Percy met privately with Bai Yi.
Since Bai Yi had joined them, the four had been together almost constantly, making it difficult to find a moment alone.
"You seemed like you had something to tell me earlier today?"
Percy asked bluntly.
"Are you aware that Roy is… his child?"
"I've already picked up on Roy's true identity."
Bai Yi's expression grew even more conflicted. He studied Percy for a long moment and realized the young man was not quite what he'd assumed.
"The reason my ancestor and Aston XIV did what they did was to prevent the demon dragon's revival—and to buy the Empire time to recover. Back then, the Empire needed one absolutely safe zone from which to coordinate reconstruction, and to give people hope that safe ground still existed."
"I swore loyalty to the Aston Royal Family, but I have no wish to be blindly loyal. I agree with your cause—but the Emperor won't simply let you act as you please."
The implication: Roy's presence would hinder their efforts.
"I know."
"But I want to give Roy a chance—a chance to continue the friendship between us."
Looking into Percy's resolute, open eyes, Bai Yi felt his heart soften. He patted Percy on the shoulder. The Divine Sword had chosen well. Percy was a young man of honor and integrity.
"All right, let's table that topic then."
"What I need to tell you next—Percy, you and the Divine Sword may be able to truly destroy the Dragon Bone and end this disaster that has endured for five hundred years!"
Meeting Bai Yi's excited gaze, Percy looked astonished—yet within, he was strangely calm. His hand gripped the humming sword hilt, feeling the surging intent the Divine Sword transmitted.
As if this was exactly who he was meant to be—the path he was always meant to walk!
*
They talked for what felt like ages. Percy mulled over the staggering news Bai Yi had shared as he paced back to his own room.
He opened the door—and was greeted by a head of dazzling gold. Roy looked up, his expression an unusual mix of conflict and unease.
Seeing Roy's face, Percy had a fair idea of what was coming. He feigned nonchalance. "Roy, what brings you here this late?"
"Percy, you've probably figured it out by now."
"My real identity is the Emperor's… illegitimate son. I was placed at your side to monitor you—his special test subject."
Roy turned his head away and finally confessed.
A suffocating silence spread. Percy smiled wryly. "Roy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't care. But I'm glad—glad you chose to come clean."
Roy clenched his fists. "You should at least yell at me or something!"
"You've never once harmed any of us. What is there to be angry about?"
"You chose honesty. Can I take that to mean that from now on, you're simply my friend—Roy of the Cloud-Soaring Squad?"
Roy was quiet for a beat, then said, "I didn't tell him about this mission of ours."
He didn't want to live for the Emperor anymore. Carrying out his orders had meant doing one thing after another that went against his conscience.
Now that the Emperor had completely lost the people's trust, continuing to play the obedient puppet just made him look like a fool.
Roy's awkward answer had told Percy everything he needed to know. Percy pulled him into a firm embrace—a wordless understanding between them.
Meanwhile, outside the manga, the live comments were already screaming and swooning over the brotherhood.
*
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