by N. Heller
The man who greeted her was donned in a white apron. He had a soft-looking face like white dough, and the smile that split across his face reminded Lin Sanjiu of the rounded grin on bread. She would probably forget how he looked after she turned her eyes away, but she was certain she would never forget his voice—the purplish, soft yet rich voice. "Here is our menu. See if there is anything you would like to order?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't understand anything on the menu, nor did she come here to eat or drink. Since everything looked the same to her, she arbitrarily pointed at a dish that was written in a font that resembled cat dung and said, "Give me one of this."
"All right, thank you. Please wait a moment, your dish will be served shortly," the purplish voice said. After that, the tavern owner wedged himself through the crowded guests like an apparition and disappeared into the kitchen.
There were so many strange specimens in the Twelve Worlds, some of whom may not even be called human beings. Even though she had stayed in Heaven Underworld for a couple of months, she still couldn't help but begin scrutinizing the frequenters in the tavern. Amongst the people, she saw one guest who looked more like a giant hornet than a human.
Suddenly, an image of Silvan popped up in her head. Considering his flawless appearance, in a sense, Silvan could also be considered as a "strange specimen".
While she was busy inspecting the guest inside the tavern, the tavern owner returned out of the blue and made Lin Sanjiu jump. She calmed herself down and then offered the owner a grin as she asked, "Are you familiar with Bliss?"
As he helped her to set the table, he nodded assentingly, "Of course I do. Bliss is the biggest sightseeing spot in Mid Mountsburg. Without Bliss, none of our businesses could survive. Do you wish to go there?"
"Well," Lin Sanjiu cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "Do you know Jezebel?"
An understanding smile crawled upon the owner's face as he replied, "So you are Ms. Jezebel's fan too. She has come to my tavern a few times in the past. She is a very beautiful girl, certainly."
"Yeah, I… Ahem, I like her a lot, and I've… I've seen her once…" Lin Sanjiu said, feeling her face getting hotter underneath her mask, "I hope I can see her again…"
The tavern owner maintained his friendly smile and nodded. His voice began to spread out in a purplish hue before her eyes. "That is everybody's dream. Her head of cascading black hair is truly a candy to one's eyes."
"It's so great that you can understand me," Lin Sanjiu exclaimed. A plan had already formed in her head. She planned to feign as a fervent fan who was infatuated by Jezebel's beauty. She put on a nervous expression and added, a serious expression dawned upon her face. "Normally, what time Ms. Jezebel will come out from Bliss?"
However, her heart dropped when she saw the frown on the tavern owner's face. She hastily stretched her arm across the table and shoved a fistful of red crystals into the owner's pocket.
The man's face lightened up. When he began to speak again, the purplish glow in his voice toned down and became lighter, "Well, I do appreciate your kindness, but I don't know about Ms. Jezebel's schedule as well."
"It's alright. Let's chat," Lin Sanjiu laughed, "Normally, when will she go to Bliss?"
Perhaps because of the red crystals, the tavern owner did not go away. He pulled out a cloth and began wiping the table. "Sometimes she will go in the morning, sometime at night. Ms. Jezebel did not have a fixed schedule, so nobody knows when she will be at Bliss."
"Isn't she going to be at Bliss every day?"
"Oh no," the tavern owner chuckled, "But you will know when she is here."
"What do you mean?"
"She is too famous," the tavern owner said slowly, "Every time she is here, there will be a hundred people gathered outside of the center just to see her." Then, he pointed at the Bliss Convention Center and added, "Can you see that? The snow is too clean. This means that she isn't here today."
Just as Lin Sanjiu was dazed for a moment, the tavern owner slipped away again. She glanced at the odd-shaped cutleries on the table, but she did not know how to use them. One of them looked like a horn and another that looked like a glass bottle that was shattered into half. She peeled her eyes away from the cutleries and looked out the window, immersing herself into her own world.
When the tavern owner once again returned with her order, she gave him another handful of red crystals. This time, she asked everything she could think of about Jezebel, hoping that she could make up the missing pieces as much as possible.
However, despite the tavern owner having told her a lot of things about Jezebel, she found nothing interesting about her. Just like what the peac.o.c.k head had dug up on Jezebel, Jezebel was a legendary figure who had no connection to her whatsoever.
Lin Sanjiu sighed dejectedly as she saw the tavern owner pour a slime-like liquid into a small stump. She picked it up and took a sniff. It had a strong scent which made her wrinkle her nose. She picked up another brownish piece that had a spongy texture and dipped it into the liquid. She took one bite and her five senses exploded. Tears, snots, and sweat oozed out from her pores as blood shot up into her brain. Overwhelmed by the sensation, she "cried" for a long while and it took her about six minutes before she finally recovered and regained her senses.
Even though her back was wet with sweat after getting assaulted by the food, she still gave the tavern owner a nod when he walked past her table. She squeezed a forced smile onto her face and said, "This… this is so delicious. Keep this table for me. Burp. I will come here every day."
Mayhaps her acting skill was too great, the tavern owner believed her. Every time she came to the tavern, there would always be a cup of the liquid on her table waiting for her. Bathing in the smell that almost crushed her spirit, Lin Sanjiu waited from morning until midnight, yet she still didn't see Jezebel.
Then, on the seventh day, she couldn't hold it anymore.
"Since Ms. Jezebel didn't show up, I guess I have to change my approach," said Lin Sanjiu. Her voice had become hoarse from the consumption of the weird food. "Perhaps I should go into Bliss and become their…"
Midway through her sentence, she was interrupted by a swarming wave of applaud and cheer. Lin Sanjiu was taken aback a little. Then, the owner smiled at her, "Here comes Ms. Jezebel."
When she looked out the window, she found that the entire street was crowded with people. A streamlined aircraft with an "Ubume" sign slowed to a stop. Its whirring engine blew up the snow into the air. The people retreated and made way as they all looked intently at the aircraft.
A figure dr.a.p.ed in a red blouse stepped down from the aircraft, followed by a few posthumans. She truly did justice to her fame and Lin Sanjiu could see why she was so famous. There weren't any flaws or blemishes in every aspect of her being. She was like a red rose that blossomed in the snow, and her cascading black hair that fluttered in the wind made her look like a person walking out of a drawing. As she traveled down the street, she waved her hand at the crowd, giving the people a glimpse of her delicate body that wrapped beneath her blouse.
Lin Sanjiu stared fixedly at the red figure until Jezebel turned around and greeted the crowd at the tavern. Even though she was very far away, Lin Sanjiu could still see the glimmering in her glowing eyes.
Lin Sanjiu froze.
She did not know this woman.
Chapter 814 - Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire
The applause and cheers slowly receded when the red figure disappeared into Bliss. The crowd had thinned out and only a few people were left. Gripping tightly to the windowsill, Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath, the air so cold it chilled her blood.
"How do you feel?" The tavern owner's voice rang out like a piece of purple satin unfurling in front of her. "Congratulations. You finally saw Ms. Jezebel."
Lin Sanjiu did not reply.
Regardless of whether it was the owner, the guests in the tavern, or the crowd of posthumans in the street, everybody knew the woman in the red blouse was Jez
ebel. If she was Jezebel, then who was the black-haired woman in the pool?
Lin Sanjiu stared at the building for a long while, her brain a quagmire of confusion. The snow was now soiled by dirt and mud after getting trampled by the crowd. There was still a handful of people pacing back and forth in front of the entrance, hoping to see Jezebel again.
"You will know whenever she is here." The tavern owner's words reverberated in her head once again, and it was only now that Lin Sanjiu saw the light.
During her first two encounters with "Jezebel", there were no posthuman waiting in front of the entrance of Bliss.
Lin Sanjiu dropped back to her chair with a plop, almost knocking over the horn-shaped cup.
Their first encounter happened in the pool on the top floor of Bliss. There were no other guests or staff around them at that time. During their second encounter, the third person who saw "Jezebel" was Silvan. However, she was certain that Silvan did not know the true appearance of Jezebel; he might not even know who Jezebel was. After all, if he was someone obsessed with beauty, he could just look into the mirror every day.
The black-haired woman took advantage of Jezebel's absence from Bliss and created a fake identity for herself, and what was more surprising was that none of the staff members in Bliss were aware of her presence. However, there were several things Lin Sanjiu found strange. How could she bump into the woman twice in a row? Did she purposely wait for her there the whole time? And most importantly, who was she?
The Reverie Libretto had given her a clue, but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
Walking out of the tavern and enroute to the hill, Lin Sanjiu was dazed and couldn't untangle the severely matted knots in her brain. Ever since she arrived in Heaven Underworld, the people she encountered went missing one after another. Starting from Ryuji, then Timo, and now "Jezebel".
She had no idea why, but it felt like...
Her hands found purchase on the rock as she wedged herself through the narrow and rugged path in between the stones. After she turned around the mountainside, she stepped onto a flat clearing area. She looked around. There was only a thin forest near the top of the mountain. She peeked through the branches and bushes, and looked at the empty hills below. Mid Mountsburg was totally out of her sight.
She felt that there was a hidden agenda behind the entire incident and she was being kept out of the loop. Intuitively, it seemed to her that it was not just someone trying to kill her.
She forced the agitation away and pulled out a communication device
Originally, there was no clearing on top of the mountain. In order to find an unobtrusive spot to land the aircraft, Lin Sanjiu and Yu Yuan spent two days clearing a large area of bushes and turning it into a small tarmac.
Right now, there were several patches of grass sprouting out from the perimeter of the tarmac as they swayed in the wind.
"You're already there?" Yu Yuan sounded a little surprised. "It is a little early today. Don't you have to stake out some more?"
"Don't mention it," Lin Sanjiu sighed. "It's a long story. I will explain it to you after we're back at Exodus. How are things on your end? Any good news?"
"Well," Yu Yuan laughed bitterly, "I went around for a second time, yet still haven't found anyone who has a spacecraft on sale. Doesn't Ubume control all the transportation in the Twelve Worlds? Somebody suggested that I should try my luck at Ubume…"
Things weren't going very smooth. After she heard what Yu Yuan said, Lin Sanjiu sighed again and rubbed her temples. Her veins were pulsating, and there was a throbbing pain in her head. After she hung up the call, she looked around and found herself a spot. She set a canvas cloth on the grass and laid on top of it. It would take Yu Yuan at least an hour to get to her location. She could make use of the free time to do a lot of things while waiting for Yu Yuan, but she didn't want to do anything. Staring into the clouds fluttering across the sky, her thought slowly slipped away.
She hadn't been so tired in years. Right now, she just wanted to turn back time and return to how she was before the doomsday wreaked havoc in her original world.
Not long after, slight footsteps came from the wind and snapped her back to reality.
Even though her field of vision was blocked by the bushes and trees, she knew it was Yu Yuan. The footsteps were quick and drawing near. It was as if the person knew very well where he was going. As he neared the clearing, Lin Sanjiu continued to remain lying on the ground. She was so overwhelmed with her weariness that she did not even want to speak. Even though she knew there might be a chance Yu Yuan might not be able to locate her, she couldn't bring herself to stand up right now. She just wanted a five minutes break from all the crap in the doomsday.
'Maybe it isn't a bad idea at all to stay in the Data Stream Library with the grand prize…' she thought.
"Hmm? This is weird," Yu Yuan said after he couldn't find Lin Sanjiu. Judging from the voice, he was about ten steps away from her.
Lin Sanjiu knew it was time for her to get up and face reality. She expelled a long sigh and her breath rustled through the grass. Just as she was getting up, she suddenly realized something and froze.
That was not Yu Yuan's voice.
'Who is that?'
The footfalls started anew, and the person got closer and closer to the clearing. The patches of grass were about half a human tall, so they perfectly concealed Lin Sanjiu's presence. Holding her breath, she curled herself up and assumed a battle-ready posture.
It was very unlikely that he had roamed to this mountain without any purpose. There wasn't anything here that would attract posthuman. What's more, he did not seem like he was lost.
Considering all the facts, Lin Sanjiu was almost a hundred percent certain that he was coming for her. However…
The man stepped onto the perimeter of the clearing, bringing his appearance to the light. Lin Sanjiu angled her head up a little and squinted her eyes, sizing the figure up and down.
No matter how much she looked, the man's figure couldn't ring a bell in her mind.
The man was only standing at about 175 cm tall. He was dr.a.p.ed in a jacket that shrouded his body stature. Truth to be told, whether it be a man or woman, thin person or fat person, everyone who donned this kind of clothing looked similar to each other. If he hadn't shown up here, Lin Sanjiu wouldn't have noticed him, as almost all posthumans shared the same look.
The head of brownish hair turned around, as if the person was looking for something.
"That's weird," he murmured again, "I remember it being here."
Lin Sanjiu had no idea why, but the young man's voice gave her goosebumps. It felt as if a snake was crawling over her body. His voice wasn't deep or particularly harsh to the ear; in fact, it was pretty normal. It sounded just like one of her colleagues during her days in the office.
Even though his voice had a casual tone to it, Lin Sanjiu still felt discomfort. It was as if the abyss had turned into a human and was whispering beside her ears.
"Ah!" The young man patted his forehead and exclaimed, "Silly me! I should have thought of this earlier!"
'He doesn't seem too bright to me…' Lin Sanjiu thought inwardly.
She held him in her gaze and readied herself to pounce on him once he turned his head around. However, the man did not turn his head but stretched his arm and walked forward.
"What is he doing?" Lin Sanjiu whispered. As soon as the words spilled out of her mouth, realization instantly dawned upon her. She wanted to jump on the man, but her inner self held her back. She remained hiding in the grass and examined the man who was brandishing his arm aimlessly.
When his hands fell on something unseen, he began humming a tune. Using his fingers as his guide, he walked around the invisible thing and then stopped on the other side of the clearing. His hand was still held high in the air. It looked as if he was holding an invisible pole.
However, Lin Sanjiu knew it wasn't an invisible pole. It was one of her aircraft's "scythe
s".
Even though Lin Sanjiu knew nobody would come to this mountain, for safety purposes, she still enacted a layer of [Camouflage barrier] around her aircraft. Be that as it may, as its name suggested, [Camouflage barrier] was merely a camouflage. If someone like the young man physically touched the thing under the barrier, then she would be busted.
Lin Sanjiu's jaw was set tight. Harsh lines ran down both sides of her face, and she could feel a vein bulging. She thought she was already careful enough, but…
Chapter 815 - The End Of Chasing
Lin Sanjiu had no idea why misfortunes always followed her. Every time she bought something, someone would come and try to steal it away from her. The man continued circling around the aircraft. He crouched down and c.a.r.e.s.sed the aircraft as if he was petting a child. Then, he nodded and turned around.
From Lin Sanjiu's point of view, even though her vision was blocked by the swaying grass and only half of the young man's face was visible, she could still see that he was pretty good looking. He did not seem as young as she expected, and she could not tell his age from his appearance alone.
The man then spun his face away, leaving only the back of his head visible in Lin Sanjiu's sight.
He clapped his hands and then doubled back from where he came from. His figure got smaller and smaller as he retreated into the distance. Lin Sanjiu waited with bated breaths until he was no longer in sight. Then, turning around to look at the clearing one last time, she began following the man.
No matter how strong you were, it was impossible to completely conceal your presence from others. Fortunately, that was not the case for Lin Sanjiu. Once she went into her hypersensory state, her footfalls followed the waving pattern of the grass and her body became one with the wind. Even though she still made some noises when moving forward, just like the mountain, sky, and forest, she was just another part of the environment.