Chapter 200: Heaven, Hell
Sasha Capesh sat on a chair, tapping her fingers on the desk.
For several days, she almost didn't sleep, tirelessly working.
Sleeping was important for Blooded, but she disregarded her body's aging and continuously worked overtime, determined to uncover something.
The primary goal, of course, was to find out who killed the monsters, conduct investigations, gather evidence, and question Alena repeatedly.
Sasha believed that the person who appeared at that time was either an incarnation or a heroic spirit.
Incarnations could appear and disappear at will, similar to a Stand, a move that higher-level powerhouses would use.
Summoning heroic spirits, on the other hand, was much more troublesome. It wasn't as simple as drawing a magic circle on the ground. It required a carefully constructed framework, similar to the Great Holy Grail War that occurred every few decades in Dongmu Town. It was like producing a chip using a huge and complex photolithography machine.
However, there were no signs of such massive magical activity beforehand.
Therefore, either it wasn't a summoning of a heroic spirit but an incarnation, or it was a summoning of a certain special heroic spirit.
It wasn't impossible to keep a heroic spirit in the mortal world.
Sasha pressed her finger against her lips, rubbing the vibrant red color, "No matter what, I will definitely find out who it is."
Her investigation focused on the mastermind behind the summoning of the monster, bypassing Alena and the villagers directly.
A large number of personnel were dispatched these days to conduct investigations, gather intelligence from different regions of the Alliance, and monitor significant financial transactions.
Especially the black market.
After numerous interviews with officials, they managed to find some leads.
They confirmed that a batch of summoning crystals had been leaked in the black market, with a total of three crystals.
Three... that means there is one summoning crystal that hasn't been used yet, and that crystal corresponds to a Hydra.
These monsters have already become extinct on the Europa Continent. The only places where they can be found are the Magic Realm and the Abyss.
The Abyss is not commonly accessible, and once it appears, it will be sealed off. This summoning crystal must have been used by poachers who secretly entered the Magic Realm.
Summoning crystals are essentially for spatial transfer, not for creating life out of thin air. The monsters summoned through these crystals are not tamed beasts; they won't obediently listen and will indiscriminately cause destruction. They pose a huge threat to public security.
Sasha tapped her fingers on the desk, still not understanding why the other party targeted the advanced Blooded. The previous series of murders and eyeball thefts also had the same inexplicable significance. These two incidents caused a rapid decline in Gordan's security level. Moreover, there would be a high school exchange event of the Swordflower Alliance in the middle of December, so they had to allocate some manpower to maintain security and prevent any accidents.
It's really troublesome.
Sasha sighed. She hated this kind of hide-and-seek trouble, and the waiting made her anxious.
But she also had an anticipation, anticipating the other party to make a mistake, while also anticipating the reappearance of that figure, whether it was a heroic spirit or an embodiment.
Selvicer's home.
“It's almost time for the college social gathering," said a woman sitting at the table, looking glamorous. She instructed with a serious tone, "Judy, this is an excellent opportunity for you, remember not to relax."
"Yes, Mother," Judy sat at the side of the dining table, sitting upright, and slightly furrowed her brows as she looked at the abundant spread of food on the long table.
It's too lavish.
Although the family's economic condition was indeed good, is it necessary to have such extravagance for every meal?
Moreover...
"Where is Julian?" Judy asked softly.
"I ordered him to be locked in the room," the lady said indifferently. "He is just like his father, completely useless. He performed terribly on the public examination this time and didn't even make it to the top ten in his grade. I will keep him confined in the room for a few meals and let him reflect on his actions!"
"...Mother."
"Call me 'Mistress'," the lady scolded.
"I apologize, Mistress."
"Judy... you mustn't be like Julian and his father."
The lady got up from the table and held her daughter's hand, the signs of aging irreversible despite multiple treatments. Her hand was loose with sagging flesh, appearing fair, but feeling as cold as dead pork.
The inherent body temperature of Blooded was naturally low.
Judy's first reaction to her hand being held was to pull it back, but it was firmly grasped by the lady.
Her hand bones were a bit painful, she shifted her gaze to her mother and saw her staring with blood-red eyes, facial muscles tensed, her expression ferocious.
"I..." Judy's shoulders trembled. "I will listen to Mother... Mistress's words..."
She no longer attempted to pull her hand back.
"Very good, still my obedient daughter," the lady's expression softened as she looked at her daughter, as if admiring a fine piece of art. "My Judy, you are as beautiful as I was when I was young, but you are smarter and more outstanding than me. So, you must continue to be exceptional. In the future, you must inherit my position and make Selvicer even more remarkable. Don't disappoint my expectations, don't become one of those useless people who just eat and wait to die."
Soft whispers reached her ears, but to Judy, they sounded more like threats than anything else.
She clenched her teeth, suppressing her trembling and discomfort. Despite not eating anything, her stomach churned violently.
"Mistress," Judy held her breath, enduring the physical and mental discomfort. "I will definitely be in the top ranks of the social gathering..."
"Top ranks are not enough, it must be top three," said the lady in a low voice. "You must become outstanding!"
"Yes..."
After the uncomfortable dinner, she bypassed many people's gaze and knocked on the door, carrying the dinner she had bought from outside.
"Julian, it's me..." Judy said, "I brought you some dinner. I know you don't like the food at home. This is from outside, it's from that restaurant you really like."
"... I don't want it." came the deep voice of the boy behind the door.
"You're still growing, don't be sulking, okay?"
"... I said I don't want it! Just leave!"
"Julian, listen to your sister..."
"I don't have a sister like you! Just go away!" came the sound of things being smashed behind the door.
Judy could imagine the boy behind the door sitting on the bed, curled up with his knees against his chest.
He used to always enjoy being with her, but he had completely changed since starting school.
Was it her fault?
Did she put too much psychological pressure on him...
Judy opened her mouth, hesitated, then just put the dinner down and stumbled away, leaning on the wall for support.
She changed clothes, jumped down from the balcony, crossed the courtyard, and left the suffocating high-walled mansion.
Under the moonlight, she ran all the way.
Not wanting to go to school, nor return home, she could only wander the streets.
Under immense pressure, people always tend to think of escaping, and then inadvertently fall into the wrong path.
But she didn't indulge in the bustling streets with taverns, partying all night with trolls, goblins, and orcs.
She knew that this would only lead to endless corruption, and what she wanted was not just her own liberation, but the power to change the situation.
Unconsciously, she had become the appearance of a school bully, relying on this arrogance to support her dignity, seemingly strong and domineering but vulnerable to a single blow.
Judy knew that relying on her own talents, even if she paid several times the time cost, there was still an insurmountable gap.
No matter what, she couldn't get the power to change the situation.
She crossed the street and arrived at a secluded alley, climbed over the courtyard wall, opened the hidden illusion door leading underground, and went down the steps.
"You're here, have you figured it out?"
"Yes."
"Then have a seat. I'm glad to have another guinea pig, hopefully you can bring luck to both of us."
"Yes, mentor."
"..."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Don't call me mentor, call me Mr. Devil! Why are you looking at me? Look at the blackboard; why look at the blackboard? Look at the book; why look at the book? Look at me!"
"Wuwuwu..."
"Crying, what's the use of crying! Can crying make you win against your opponents?"
"Mr. Devil is so scary... I don't want to study anymore, my head hurts so much, it feels like my knowledge is about to overflow."
"I'll compress it and stuff it back in for you! As long as you're not dead, keep studying like your life depends on it!"
"But this is too difficult."
"Who made you progress so slowly, hurry up!"
"..."
Meeting the right person leads to heaven, meeting the wrong person leads to hell.
