stonecrandall Page 79
Page 79
"...On the bedside table next to my hospital bed! According to the trembling reports of my useless subordinates...it was that good-for-nothing bard Barbatos! Thrown over like alms to a stray dog on the street!"
She used all her strength to shout out the word "charity" through gritted teeth, as if it were stained with blood.
All eyes turned to D'Artagnan again.
D'Artagnan covered her face, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground. Her voice was weak and filled with a sense of utter embarrassment: "I...I...in Liyue, I 'invited' those four Hilichurl ancestors...for a whole day...They said they wanted to experience the local customs and culture of Liyue, so I went with them...They wanted to buy all the novelties they saw and eat at all the stalls that looked delicious...and I paid for everything...My Mora went through like water...I was their 'three-accompanying companion' for a whole day (accompanying them to play, shop, and pay the bills)..."
He sighed, utterly despondent: "Then... that evening, that guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, Mr. Zhongli... came to our door... He gave me the Heart of the Rock God... and said... 'Thank you, young master, for securing such a pleasant day of leisure for my old friend and me. This item is of no use to me, so I will give it to you.'"
Tadalia mimicked Zhongli's calm and even tone, then shrank back into the chair.
"What I said..."
A sinister voice rang out.
The ninth seat of the Fools, "The Rich" Pantalone, adjusted his monocle, a warm yet chilling smile on his face.
He slowly picked up a stack of bills so thick they could be used as bricks, and flicked them lightly with his long, slender fingers.
"Why... was the vault of the Liyue branch of the Northern Bank almost emptied in one go?"
He squinted, his gaze sweeping over D'Artagnan like a scalpel.
"And...why did we receive so many exorbitant bills from Wanmintang, Xinyuexuan, Liuliting, jewelry stores, toy stalls, and even storytelling teahouses?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two debt collectors dragged in a huge flatbed cart piled high with countless bills and slips of paper!
D'Artagnan shuddered as he looked at the mountain of bills and quickly changed the subject: "Ha...haha...Um, Commander! By the way! How did you... obtain the other two Hearts of God?"
He emphasized the word "get".
Upon hearing this, the clown's lips twitched uncontrollably. He even subconsciously raised his hand to touch a large bump on the back of his head, hidden beneath his thick hair, which still hadn't completely subsided. The scene from that day seemed to reappear before his eyes...
He was walking normally down the corridor of the Winter Palace when suddenly a portal opened beside him, and the Hilichurl thug named Zhang Chu leaned out, holding that familiar, crackling thunderhammer, and simply said, "Hey, masked guy, catch this!"
Then everything went black...
The clown broke free from his humiliating memories and said expressionlessly, "I was suddenly knocked unconscious from behind by that thug named Zhang Chu... from behind. When I woke up, the Heart of the Grass God was in my hands."
He paused, then added the sentence that infuriated him and all the executives: "Before I lost consciousness, he seemed to... casually say something like, 'We're looking forward to... the performance you'll ultimately deliver.'"
After speaking, the clown fell silent again, and the air in the conference room seemed to freeze.
"Performance……"
The third seat of the Fools, the ethereal voice of "Girl" Columbia, rang out, carrying a hint of strange sigh.
"Does he regard all our efforts to seize the Heart of God... and even Her Majesty the Queen's great achievements... as nothing more than a drama for their amusement?"
"But unfortunately, they do possess the strength to be rated that way."
The second seat of the Fools, "Doctor" Dottore, toyed with a test tube containing a strange liquid, his tone complex.
“My strongest fragment… possessed power approaching that of a god, and vanished without a trace, without even sending back a single message. To this day, we still don’t know how he was killed, or even who did it.”
He rubbed his brows.
"I don't even dare to show my true form easily now, it's really... a headache."
"Hehe... Perfect... So cool... This mechanical structure... This energy conduction... This elegant form..."
The seventh seat of the Fools, "Puppet" Sandone, completely oblivious to the serious atmosphere of the meeting, was staring intently at a sophisticated multi-angle video recorder in her hand, which was playing a video repeatedly—
The "Barbatos Emperor Sirius" Gundam, transformed by the Wolf King, is shown transforming, fighting, cooking, and even bowing elegantly!
For her, who created countless powerful machines, the existence of the Wolf King was simply the ultimate romance!
In comparison, his own masterpieces seemed like children's toys.
Therefore, Sandonne was completely convinced of the quartet's ability to create the Wolf King, and even admired them.
Seeing Sandone's drooling, infatuated expression, the first seat of the Fools, "Captain" Capitano, shook his head helplessly.
His view of the quartet was relatively objective: they possessed the power to overturn the world, yet they seemed to uphold a certain self-restrained moral code (though it was difficult for ordinary people to understand).
Their actions may not conform to the world's "justice," but they are absolutely self-willed and have no regrets.
It is an extremely dangerous existence, yet difficult to define as "evil".
The fifth seat of the Fools, "Rooster" Puccinira, rubbed his meticulously groomed beard, his tone filled with genuine regret.
"Their opinion of the Fools has clearly plummeted. And they seem to lack nothing (force, technology, even entertainment), otherwise I'd really like to meet them in person and perhaps we could negotiate..."
His politician mindset still includes the possibility of a deal.
"Shut up, Puchinella!"
A chilling voice interrupted him.
The fourth seat of the Fools, "Servant" Arecino, stared intently at the rooster with eyes that seemed to burn with dark fire.
"If you're so eager to see them, I can 'send' you there right now! I guarantee the shortest route, straight to your doorstep!"
As for whether what comes back after it's sent there is a whole rooster or just a box of ashes, that's hard to say.
Arecino had even prepared her report: 'Lord Rooster, disregarding warnings, insisted on provoking those four beings and tragically died a heroic death.'
"Shut up, everyone!"
The clown slammed his hand on the ice table, interrupting the increasingly off-topic meeting, and turned his cold gaze to the "Doctor".
"Dottore! I'm asking you! Where's the skirmisher?! Where is he?!"
Dotore shrugged nonchalantly, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather: "Oh, him... he accidentally found out some... um... 'little details' about himself, and now he hates me to the core and has unilaterally declared his defection from the Fatui. According to reliable sources, he's now obediently following General Raiden, acting like a 'good boy'."
The clown felt his blood pressure soaring, and he clenched his fists tightly to prevent himself from flipping the ice table in front of him onto Dotole's face.
This mad scientist! If it weren't for the fact that his technology and knowledge were still useful for the plan, the clown would have killed this newborn thing on the spot!
The clown forcefully suppressed his anger and announced it in the tone of a final decision.
"Her Majesty the Queen's latest decree: Effective immediately, all members of the Fatui are prohibited from any action against those four Hilichurls and their associates (including but not limited to the Traveler, the White Worgen, and the Flying Mystic Elf)! Surveillance level to the lowest possible level; avoidance is the priority upon encounter!"
He glanced around at the executives, whose expressions varied, and emphasized, word by word: "They... are not beings we can afford to provoke. Anyone who disobeys will bear the consequences."
The meeting ended in a tense atmosphere.
The executives left one by one, leaving only the clown in the cold conference room.
He looked at the four Hearts of God again, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
Obtaining the Heart of God was so "easy"...
It's almost as if they deliberately delivered it to us...
What exactly are they trying to do? Just have some fun? Or...?
An extremely audacious, even suicidal, thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Should he... try to guide those four lawless bastards... to touch the "Abyss"? Or... even try to test the maintainers of "Heavenly Law"? For example... that "Ruler of Death"?
But the thought was quickly suppressed by the throbbing bump on the back of his head.
Forget it……
Given the personalities of those four guys, even if they did go, they probably wouldn't go all out; they'd likely treat it as just another "performance"...
What if "they" find out that I was the one who orchestrated this...
The clown seemed to already see that Qiuqiu thug named Zhang Chu, once again carrying his thunder hammer, appearing behind him with a "friendly" smile...
He shivered violently and shook his head.
I don't want to think about it anymore... It's good to be alive...
At least... I won't get hammered again for now.
Chapter 88 Aru Village
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty!"
Candice, the guardian of Aru Village, bowed deeply and with utmost reverence to the tall skeletal figure.
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, and her heterochromatic eyes shone with indescribable gratitude and awe.
The hem of her dress, a symbol of protection and vow, swayed gently in the hot desert wind, as if paying homage to the being who brought miracles.
Not long ago, this land was just part of endless yellow sand and scorching rocks, and drought and barrenness were its eternal themes.
At this moment, on the edge of the village, a vast and clear lake, like the most dazzling sapphire, was suddenly set in the golden sea of sand!
The lake surface shimmered under the blazing sun, reflecting a breathtaking light.
Along the lake, a vibrant oasis was spreading out at a visible speed: lush green grass, towering palm trees, and even some strange plants she couldn't name, laden with fruit...
A vibrant sense of life swept over us, completely transforming the desolation of this land.
All of this stems from the unimaginable power of the skeletal god who calls himself "Supreme Being".
He simply stood there calmly, without even chanting any incantations, merely raising his bony finger, and the earth changed, the laws were reshaped.
The flying squirrel's smooth skull nodded slightly, and the crimson soul fire in its eyes flickered calmly.
He was actually a little uncomfortable with this overly formal expression of gratitude...
It's this kind of scene again... Would saying 'You're welcome' be beneath my dignity?
Isn't it too arrogant to say 'this is what you deserve'?
Hmm... I guess nodding is fine...
Maintaining his aloof and mysterious image, he didn't say a word. His figure disappeared silently, as if blending into the shadows, leaving only a faint, otherworldly magical fluctuation.
Candice slowly straightened up, her gaze fixed on the spot where the flying squirrel had disappeared, her heart filled with shock and gratitude.
Then, she turned around and looked at the new lake and oasis. A bright and hopeful smile finally bloomed on her beautiful and resolute face.
"That's great...that's really great..."
She murmured to herself, her voice choked with emotion.
"With this water and this fertile land... the villagers can finally cultivate farmland and grow crops, and no longer have to worry about children crying from thirst or elderly people fainting from hunger at home... Aru Village... finally has a future..."
However, as a guardian, her thoughts did not stop at joy.
She understood the laws of the desert better than anyone—water and oases meant life, but also struggle.
Such a remarkable miracle would inevitably attract the attention of greedy, gilded caravans, mad outlaws, and even more dangerous beings deep in the desert.