Chapter 267-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
"Lady Shu Wan, I'm afraid I need to ask a favor of you."
"Could you probe what's beneath this tree."
Shu Wan took the White Bone. It was only the second time she'd held it, yet its aura already felt familiar—even strangely intimate.
"Let me try."
The two stood in the shade of the tree. Shu Wan crouched down, cradling the bone in one arm while plunging her other hand into the soft earth.
Ye Zheng watched quietly from the side. Her mother's ability [Summer Flower] was similar to her own [Mother of All Things] in its capacity to manipulate life force. [Summer Flower] was limited to the realm of plants, while her [Mother of All Things] could act on any living thing—even non-living matter.
As Shu Wan channeled her ability, her brows gradually knitted together. Last time, she hadn't understood what happened either—the mysterious bone in her arms had spontaneously supplied her with a ceaseless flow of power. But this time the bone remained still.
Fortunately, she had been actively training her ability during this period.
The tangled root network underground began to stir, then stretched purposefully deeper into the earth, causing the surface to tremble faintly.
Ye Zheng knelt beside Shu Wan, her gaze fixed intently on the ground.
Reason told her the tree's growth had nothing to do with Dragon Bone. If Dragon Bone were buried beneath the Divine Plaza, sealed behind layers of containment, it couldn't possibly affect the tree's growth.
Wen De had also brought Dragon Bone here to investigate before and found nothing.
"Zhengzheng, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual in the fifty meters below—are you looking for Dragon Bone?"
Ye Zheng gave a muffled "Mm."
She stood up. It wasn't quite disappointment—Dragon Bone couldn't be found that easily.
Even if she couldn't locate it, Bai Yi would eventually bring Percy and the others to the East District to find the remaining Dragon Bone. Until then, she just needed to avoid tipping anyone off.
"Mother, let's go."
The sun was growing fiercer. In the blink of an eye, spring was nearly over, and the Empire would soon welcome summer.
Yet Shu Wan remained kneeling, her hand not withdrawn from the soil but pushed even deeper—her entire forearm was nearly buried.
"Mother?"
Shu Wan turned back against the glaring sunlight, her expression somewhat dazed. "The aura underground is a bit strange. Zhengzheng, I can smell something similar to this bone, but I can't tell where exactly it is..."
Ye Zheng leaned down to look at the White Bone cradled in Shu Wan's arms, a hint of urgency in her voice. "Can you keep tracking it?"
"It's... the aura is like thin air. I can't grab hold of a mass of air."
Hearing this, Ye Zheng slowly straightened, turning the word "air" over in her mind. Her eyes flickered.
After gaining [Mother of All Things], she too had become highly sensitive to Dragon Bone's aura. Walking through the East District, she could feel its familiar presence, yet couldn't pinpoint its location. The sensation was exactly as her mother described—like "air." Everywhere and nowhere, impossible to grasp.
Ye Zheng fell into deep thought. It felt as though only a thin membrane separated her from the truth, but she couldn't break through it just yet.
Almost there.
"It's alright. Let's head back for now."
Ye Zheng reached out and helped Shu Wan to her feet, took out a handkerchief to dab the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead, then escorted her back to the base. After they said their goodbyes, Ye Zheng and her entourage returned to the upper district.
The return journey took two days. On the train, Ye Zheng encountered two assassins, but they were subdued by her Knights before they could get close.
Ye Zheng stepped onto upper district soil unharmed. Escorted by a formal procession, she arrived at the Papal Palace.
No sooner had she returned to her chambers than she received news about the North District.
"Your Holiness, the North District has been ambushed by Sierra! The City Wall bordering the West District has collapsed. Sierra currently controls the surrounding area. The North District government is requesting reinforcements from the upper district."
A Nun reported in a rush.
Ye Zheng stood in the doorway. She casually unfastened her coat and handed it to the composed old Nun beside her.
"Understood."
Ye Zheng said, "Just send some people to assist the North District church in maintaining order."
Whether it was Sierra or Percy who unearthed the North District's Dragon Bone, it would ultimately end up in her hands.
—That said, Sierra really did hold grudges. Last time, Ye Zheng's intervention had prevented her from successfully ramming through the South District's City Wall. This time, she'd gotten her wish.
Then again, perhaps it wasn't just about grudges. Sierra had seized control of the area near the North District's City Wall—maybe the Dragon Bone really was buried in that zone.
Ye Zheng stepped into her chambers and casually pulled the door shut behind her. Her soft laughter was muffled behind it.
Sierra was in the open; Percy was in the shadows. Even she couldn't predict which of them would succeed.
Meanwhile.
In the Middle District, deep within a secluded forest, Wen De arrived with her team to rendezvous with Wu Shu.
"You brought too many people." Wu Shu leaned against a tree trunk, complaining.
Wen De's stern expression didn't waver. "Her Holiness warned us—it will be very dangerous down there."
"Precisely because it's dangerous, the team needs to be lean—otherwise how am I supposed to get you all out?"
Wen De looked down at Wu Shu. She recalled that Ye Zheng had also reminded her to keep the team small. So she had brought only two people—four total, counting herself and Wu Shu.
"Your ability... I understand."
Wen De turned and instructed the two young women to hold their position, then she and Wu Shu headed deeper into the forest.
The tall, broad-shouldered Knight stole an inconspicuous glance at Wu Shu, who looked perfectly at ease. Wu Shu chatted with her enthusiastically.
"The Dragon Bone in the Middle District has to be the easiest to find—because the people of the Middle District are the best in the entire Empire at self-preservation. This forest is surrounded by fully developed commercial and residential areas on all sides. Everyone tacitly avoids this place..."
Wu Shu's ability allowed her to jump through space. Apart from being unable to escape a Demonic Domain, she could move freely through any space—even an underground palace built from Heterogeneous Stone couldn't stop her.
The Empire used special instruments to assess each person's ability rank. Children struck the instrument with all their might, and it issued a rating.
Wen De didn't understand the inner workings of those instruments, but as commander of the Knight Order, she had encountered many talented young ability users and found that the rank assessments were often flawed—sometimes outright unreasonable.
The Wu Shu beside her was definitely another case of instrument error.
Against Demonic Domain monsters, Wu Shu might rate as B-rank. But used against people, her ability was probably S-rank.
Wen De hoped she would remain loyal to Ye Zheng forever.
"Ah, we're here."
Wu Shu stopped in her tracks. A vast, seemingly endless lake shimmered with rippling light. She noted, with some amusement, that she seemed to have a mysterious affinity with water.
Wen De frowned. "Underwater?"
"Underwater."
Wu Shu nodded.
*
The lower district, North District.
Percy stood on a hilltop, gazing at the collapsed City Wall in the distance. His tightly pressed lips had gone pale.
Sierra again. Her target was most likely the Dragon Bone too.
Ye Zheng was currently far away in the central Sei Curia of the upper district, unable to move freely. For the moment, their most troublesome adversary had turned out to be Sierra.
They had arrived in the North District three days ago. After finally waiting for Bai Yi to secure the Dragon Bone and rejoin them, an explosion shattered the peace—Sierra's sudden arrival had upended the North District.
"Those Black Dragons are operating separately across this area." Roy surveyed the distance, analyzing. "It looks like Sierra can't find the Dragon Bone's exact location either. She's relying on those creatures to sense its general direction."
As he spoke, Roy turned to the middle-aged man with a half-smile. "But we know the exact location—don't we, Mr. Bai?"
Bai Yi's expression was grave. "I know the location. But the problem is—how do we get it out?"
"The North District government and the Sei Curia won't just let Sierra run rampant, right? Maybe they'll drive her off in a few days..." Caleb said naively.
"They're obviously terrified of Sierra. Forget driving her off—it's a miracle they haven't fled." Percy clenched his fists, his expression mocking. "Unless the upper district sends reinforcements, just like last time in the South District."
"Ye Zheng has most likely already noticed the situation here. We need to act fast."
Everyone fell silent. They were caught in a dilemma. Acting rashly would only hand their hard-won gains to Sierra, but doing nothing and waiting for Ye Zheng's people to arrive might make their situation even worse.
Suddenly, Percy's voice broke the stalemate. "Why don't we give it another try."
All eyes turned to him.
"If we can destroy the Dragon Bone on the spot, we won't need to worry about smuggling it out under everyone's noses."
Percy's expression was resolute. During the days without Bai Yi, he had trained almost every waking moment, sleeping fewer than four hours a night. Just yesterday, he had cleared a Demonic Domain that descended on the North District. His fusion with the Divine Sword seemed to have advanced even further.
"No!"
Roy blurted out. Everyone stared at him in surprise.
"What I mean is—it's too risky. What if you can't pull it off? The commotion might lead Sierra straight to the right spot, and all our efforts would be wasted..."
Percy fixed his gaze on Roy. Rarely did he show irritation toward a companion, but his voice was low and blunt. "Enough, Roy. Do you have a better plan, or can you only object?"
"...I'm a Prince. I carry an Aston Royal Family insignia."
Roy produced a medal that gleamed with dazzling gold in the sunlight.
"I can lead the North District in driving Sierra out. You use the opening to take the Dragon Bone."
Percy was stunned. His eyes met Roy's, and in them he saw unwavering resolve and pride.
It was the first time any of them had seen Roy like this. Though Roy had already revealed his identity to them, never before had they felt so acutely that Roy was a Prince—that he might very well be the Empire's heir, the next Emperor.
Under his companions' burning gazes, Roy's body tensed almost imperceptibly, and inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.
The mountain wind tousled his golden hair. A smile crept irresistibly to the corners of his mouth, and he felt utterly refreshed.
He didn't want to be a supporting character propping up Percy's life story anymore.
He wanted that man to see that he, too, could serve as the Empire's heir—not an ignored illegitimate son, not a disposable stepping stone.
Percy felt a complicated mix of emotions he couldn't quite name. He looked at Roy long and hard. "Alright. Let's do it."
*
While monitoring situations across the regions, Ye Zheng found a moment amid her busy schedule to send Heath one more directive.
She had been minimizing contact with Heath as much as possible. If the Emperor detected anything unusual, Heath's position would become extremely precarious.
But this question had been weighing on her mind, and she had no choice but to ask Heath to take the risk.
Ye Zheng ran her fingers over the White Bone in her hand, her eyes lowered. To be precise, this was not Dragon Bone—it was a segment of a human spine.
So, where were the rest of Margaret's remains?
Buried in some district like the Dragon Bone, or hidden by the Emperor within the Imperial Palace?
Ye Zheng had a faint suspicion. She was waiting for Heath's answer to confirm it.
*
Comments
Post a Comment