Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 780: The Test of the Heart (1)
While killing the Thunder Beast, Xi Wei also kept observing Bai Yao’s condition. Seeing Bai Yao fall from the sky, he immediately stepped forward to catch her. He initially thought Bai Yao was injured, but upon closer inspection, he discovered she had merely fainted from exhaustion.
It was understandable.
First, the arduous climb up the mountain had exhausted her.
Then, without a moment’s rest on the mountain, she had to fight the Thunder Beast. The mental and physical pressure was immense.
He carried Bai Yao back to the vicinity of the spell array. The rest was not his concern. He had helped the Titans fend off such a large beast tide, making the Twilight Winter Festival much easier. Each Titan seemed to be handling the relatively small number of Thunder Beasts with ease.
The Titan King bore the brunt of the effort.
To prevent the younger Titans from getting injured.
He had to face the pincer attack of two Demigod-level Thunder Beasts alone.
When Xi Wei inquired if he needed assistance.
The stubborn Titan firmly shook his head.
In his words, if he were to die by the claws of a Demigod-level Thunder Beast one day, it would mean the gods deemed it time for him to abdicate. It would be time for the next Titan to inherit the Chieftain’s position, and his soul would ascend to the Divine Kingdom to be with the gods.
Xi Wei remained noncommittal about this superstitious attitude.
He found it difficult to comprehend the Titans’ loyalty to the gods.
But perhaps it was this very loyalty that maintained peace and stability in the Material Plane.
Just imagine, the Titan God Race not only restricted their own development but also kept the dragons in check. And they were so obedient. Could there be a more convenient subordinate?
He then, along with Ruo Yi and Connie, silently watched the Titan race collect their year’s worth of food. The Thunder Beasts were numerous, more than enough to satisfy the Titans’ appetite. The dense beast horde was truly an excellent larder.
However, Xi Wei was unaware that.
During the time he was waiting.
The third trial of the Goddess of Thunder and Judgment had already begun.
Bai Yao fell into a coma after killing the Thunder Beast. When her consciousness gradually returned, she found herself no longer on Thunder Peak but back in her old orphanage.
“Is this a dream?”
Dark storm clouds gathered, and the wind howled through the trees, making the leaves spin and dance in the air. Dusk was settling, and the damp, cold moisture mixed with the earthy,腥味 filled her nostrils, causing Bai Yao to shiver.
She pinched her thigh.
It hurt.
This meant that what she was seeing was not a dream at all.
But this orphanage had already burned down, hadn’t it?
Bai Yao looked down at her bare feet.
She had become much smaller, and she wasn’t wearing the distinctive maid’s outfit of Winter City. Instead, she wore tattered clothes that barely covered her body. They were faded from washing but made of thick material. Even with a few holes, they still provided warmth.
Under some unknown power.
Bai Yao’s memories of Winter City became somewhat hazy, making her feel as if she had had a very long dream, and that her true self was still a small demi-human in the orphanage. The King of Winter and everyone in Winter Fort were merely distant, unattainable dreams.
Little Bai Yao pursed her lips, a hint of sadness welling up in her heart.
If only that long, drawn-out dream were real. She and You Ye could live happily in Winter Fort, and all the demi-humans would receive help from the King of Winter. As time passed, they would settle in Winter City and coexist peacefully with the surrounding human residents.
“Sigh… it’s going to rain…”
Bai Yao sighed, her light body dragging as she walked into the orphanage.
An old figure was busy in the courtyard. Upon seeing Bai Yao, she quickly called out, “Bai Yao, come help me bring in the laundry! Oh! This wretched weather, one moment it’s sunny, and the next it’s about to rain and blow. Can’t an old woman catch a break?”
It was Madame Callista.
Bai Yao’s spirits lifted, and she hopped over.
“Coming!”
The two frantically gathered clothes, finally managing to bring all the washed bedding and clothes back inside before the rain.
“You young people are so quick,” Madame Callista said, rubbing her aching back with a sigh. “I’m old now. I move so slowly even just bringing in the laundry… sigh…”
“You’re not old, Madame. You’re the most beautiful woman in my eyes. You’ll live for another thousand years!”
Bai Yao looked at the aged woman before her, her gaze filled with gentle warmth.
Madame Callista was a widow. She had adopted over thirty demi-humans, which had nearly depleted her entire savings. Yet, whenever a demi-human in need approached her, she never refused. Now, raising a brood of demi-humans to grow plum berries and spin yarn had become the orphanage’s main source of income.
If not for Madame Callista.
Bai Yao felt that she and You Ye might have already died one pitch-black, cold night. Despite the harsh living conditions, they at least had a home.
Thinking of You Ye, Bai Yao shook her slightly dazed little head and turned to ask Madame Callista, “Madame, where are You Ye and the others? I don’t see them.”
“They went to the market to buy things. Are you still groggy from sleep? You Ye even called for you this morning, but you insisted on sleeping in,” Madame Callista said, chuckling. “Aren’t you interested in the urban entertainers anymore?”
Urban entertainers…
Images of men juggling fireballs in the city and performers swallowing swords in the palace flickered in Bai Yao’s mind. Strange… why would she have memories of the royal palace?
She and Madame Callista sat by the fireplace, lost in thought for a moment.
Suddenly, a loud “bang” echoed from outside.
Over a dozen men with ferocious expressions and arrogant demeanors strode into the orphanage. Behind them followed You Ye and a group of demi-humans. However, everyone’s faces looked grim. The hoods they wore to conceal their identities had been removed, and they carried the goods they had bought at the market on their backs.
Seeing this.
Both Bai Yao and Madame Callista’s hearts sank.
It’s over!
A ruffian with a menacing scar sauntered out from the group. He surveyed the orphanage thoroughly, his gaze eventually settling on Madame Callista. A smirk played on his lips, and he sneered, “Isn’t this our town’s great benefactor, Madame Callista? I initially thought you were just adopting ordinary orphans and I admired you greatly, but… tsk tsk, adopting demi-humans? That’s a serious crime! In the Kolon Empire, demi-humans are merely items to be traded. You’re not unaware of this, are you?”
“What serious crime?”
Madame Callista shakily rose from her chair, pointing at the ruffian, and said with feigned bravado, “We don’t have such laws in our small town, nor does the Empire!”
“Oh really?”
The scarred man caressed the hilt of his sword and chuckled indifferently. “But if I mention your adoption of demi-humans to the Mayor, our small town will immediately have such a law. So, Madame Callista, how about we discuss a collaboration?”
