Chapter 499: Drunk (3k)
“What is a Frost Ghost?”
“It doesn’t seem like a monster from our side, does it? Is it from the eastern region?”
Hearing the term, everyone seemed lost in thought, exchanging glances, not quite understanding the meaning of this “Frost Ghost” monster. The guards who had refuted earlier also fell into contemplation.
After speaking, the one named Mr. Joseph looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a young woman with a hair tail walking from the main table towards him. He instantly became a bit nervous: “Miss, may I ask what’s wrong?”
“Oh, I’m just a bit interested in the 【Frost Ghost】 you mentioned. Would you be able to elaborate?”
Arriving at his table, she stopped. Su Jiu took out some cash she had found on the road from her pocket, about ten thousand rubles, and placed it on the table with a smile, sliding it over. She said softly, “A little tip.”
Looking at the rubles, Mr. Joseph’s nervousness lessened a bit. He didn’t take it immediately but took several gulps of wine before slowly starting to speak:
“Miss, I’m not very clear about the matters you want to know. I heard that it was killed by a Battle King among the outsiders. He also reportedly obtained some spoils of war, which also involved that special monster…”
“Guess what?”
He seemed to have a bad habit of pausing here and asking Su Jiu a question, his gaze sweeping over the equally curious people at the same table, revealing a smile.
“I’m not guessing.”
Looking at him with dead fish eyes, Su Jiu rolled her eyes and bent down, reaching out as if to take the money back.
“Whoa, whoa, don’t rush… I’ll tell you right away.”
Seeing Su Jiu’s action, a look of urgency appeared in Mr. Joseph’s eyes. He quickly covered the money with his hand; this was equivalent to his daily wage, and losing it would make him heartbroken for a long time.
“Since you’ve taken the money, tell me quickly.”
Watching the rubles being taken by him, Su Jiu slowly withdrew her hand, crossed her arms, and pouted, appearing to be waiting for him to explain.
“Haha, Old Joseph, don’t stutter! Listen to this lady, hurry up and tell us.”
“Damn it, I have to be on duty later, and you’re still babbling here like….”
The young guard, seeing Joseph’s predicament, also joined in with a laugh. It was his first time hearing about such a monster, and he could brag about this interesting story to other guards. The other workers waited with anticipation.
“Hehe… A storage bag and a letter dropped from that Frost Ghost. After the outsider received the letter, he wanted to report it to the Snow Guard immediately. Unfortunately, the Commander of the Snow Guard, after reading the letter, directly declared it fake… I don’t know if it’s any important clue.”
With a chuckle, Mr. Joseph stopped playing coy and revealed the incomprehensible phenomenon.
The young man who looked like a guard frowned, looking at Mr. Joseph with a hint of doubt in his eyes, and said solemnly: “The Snow Guard wouldn’t say a letter is fake without evidence. Do you know its specific content?”
“If I knew, would I still be sitting at your table?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Mr. Joseph took another drink, glancing at him indifferently, and said rather matter-of-factly. The young man was speechless.
Hearing what he said, Su Jiu suddenly had some thoughts and, while everyone was chatting, headed back to the main table.
“What? Dr. Su Jiu is also interested in outsiders?”
Having had a bit to drink, Old Master Herb’s thin cheeks flushed slightly. He slammed down his wine glass, feeling a bit dizzy.
“Somewhat interested, but I’m more curious about what was written in the letter they obtained after hunting that Frost Ghost. You know, these monsters have territorial instincts; normally, they wouldn’t interfere with each other. To travel thousands of kilometers to convey information like this…”
“Something very special must have happened!”
Su Jiu chuckled softly, picked up her wine glass again, and looked at the slightly settled substance in the cup. Her delicate lips parted, and she took a small sip. The cold wine slid down her throat, the spiciness mixed with sweetness reaching her taste buds.
She could feel her body’s fire element being slightly stimulated. It was clear that the wine served to entertain them was not simple.
“Not simple?”
Old Master Herb fell into thought. Soon, whether due to the alcohol or for some other reason, he took out a token from his pocket and threw it directly to Su Jiu, laughing heartily, “Take this identity token. Go to the outer city district tomorrow with Rancy, and you should get your answer, right?”
“Thank you.”
Taking the identity token, Su Jiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly thanked him. She then glanced at the token and found an image of a bird-like monster engraved on it, with three crest feathers and three greenish claws, soaring through the clouds.
This was probably the image of Lord Ice Phoenix that Rancy mentioned?
“It’s nothing. Even if Dr. Su Jiu doesn’t go, I will personally investigate it in a couple of days. This matter can be big or small. If monsters are connected, Lord Ice Phoenix’s disappearance is likely caused by them.”
“Now, let’s enjoy the meal.”
Old Master Herb waved his hand at Su Jiu and continued to fork chunks of meat with his fork, leisurely twirling the pasta. It was clear that this Old Master was not as simple as he appeared; everyone had their own considerations.
Su Jiu responded and started drinking again. As the banquet progressed and time passed, it soon approached its end. There were no lively segments, nor anything particularly fun.
Only Su Jiu got drunk.
This was the first time she had gotten drunk since advancing to Battle General. Perhaps it was to relieve stress, she drank cup after cup, making Old Master Herb worried she might have a problem. He reminded her: “Dr. Su Jiu, drink less. This wine contains many Battle King level medicinal herbs, and even some flavor-enhancing herbs of War God level.”
“It’s alright, sir, fill it up!”
With a dizzy head, Su Jiu waved her hand, smacked her lips, and took out a jade wine pot from her ring, handing it over.
Old Master Herb glanced at Bairnis next to Su Jiu, wanting her to persuade her. However, to his surprise, Bairnis just smiled, as if she didn’t understand his meaning.
Helpless, he had someone continue to refill Su Jiu’s cup, but they stopped serving the special wine and replaced it with some low-alcohol fruit wine.
Soon, a servant returned the filled jade pot.
“Why does this wine have no flavor?”
Su Jiu took a sip from the wine pot, her curved eyebrows flattening, and she muttered a few words. Then, under everyone’s gaze, she went “thump!” and slumped onto the table, completely drunk.
With blurry eyes, she saw a graceful figure carrying her away as if she were a doll. Smelling that familiar scent, she heard a gentle voice with a hint of pampering:
‘This wine uses War God level medicinal herbs, drinking so much is really…’
“Little Sisi…”
She felt a bit sleepy, like a kitten purring and falling asleep in front of familiar people.
“Sleep well.”
Hearing Su Jiu’s murmurs, Bairnis just chuckled softly, without thinking too much. She hadn’t stopped her at the banquet because she wanted her to vent.
After all, as her beast pet, she understood best how difficult it was for her to reach this point. She had been diligently cultivating, experiencing countless life-and-death crises.
As Bairnis helped Su Jiu back to her room, night had fallen. Snow outside battered the window, with occasional flashing lights passing by, seemingly signal lights.
Su Jiu lay on the bed, feeling completely dizzy, but her words became bolder. She rolled over, grabbed Bairnis’s arm as she was about to get up, and asked with a silly smile, “You’ll always be with me, right?”
“Didn’t we agree?”
Bairnis was stunned. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her ruby lips parted and closed as she reached out and flicked Su Jiu’s hair. The movement was gentle, as if she were examining her most beloved possession.
The initial contract between the two was not as formal as the one with E Huo. It was made at the moment Bairnis was on the verge of death.
Su Jiu’s initial request was for Bairnis to atone for her sins; only after atonement could she leave… But, what if one day, her sins were washed away and she left…
She truly couldn’t accept that now.
“Mmm…”
Su Jiu let out a soft “um” and turned over, resting her cheek by Bairnis’s thigh. The maiden’s fragrance reached her small nose, but it didn’t stir any other emotion in her. She lay there obediently, like a child…
“We promised to grow old together, Miss… Little Jiu Jiu.”
A gentle song came from the room again, drifting unreservedly into the snowy night along with the falling snow, carrying a hint of fatigue and sorrow, buried shallowly in the snow.
A tranquil atmosphere quietly spread through the small room.
…
Gunazha City was also experiencing its night. The wind and snow were even heavier than in the west, and the scent of steel permeated the entire city.
“Phew…”
In a relatively dark street, the faint light from a formation was quickly obscured by the snow. Li Ziwei rubbed his hands and exhaled a plume of hot air. He then took a small booklet from his chest, slowly opened it, and muttered to himself with a grin,
“Connecting these old formations, I still need to fix fifty-six lines. Once they are repaired, the city’s defensive formation can be activated to cut off the ‘signal’ of the blood sacrifice. However, twenty of these are linked to the neighboring city, which is a bit tricky.”
“It’s rare that no one is watching you, and you’re still so dedicated to completing the mission?”
Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder, and a cold female voice followed. Soon, a cup of warm milk tea was handed over. Lin Mei, holding a bag of candied chestnuts, asked absentmindedly,
“I’ve already noticed that more than two Ferrymen have inspected this place. Even the one who assigned you the mission only has the strength of a High-Rank Battle King.”
“I want to achieve fame and success.”
Taking the milk tea, Li Ziwei lowered his rolled-up sleeves and greedily absorbed the warmth from the milk tea with both hands. He then lowered his head and looked at the black ballpoint pen tucked in his chest pocket, saying softly, “Precisely because my contact person’s strength is insufficient, I have to do more.”
“Heh heh.”
As if seeing him anew, Lin Mei looked at him for a long time before suddenly smiling, peeling a chestnut and handing it over, saying softly, “I’m afraid the fame and success you desire are the fame and success in your heart, aren’t they?”
Saying that, she also looked up at the sky. Snowflakes fell onto her face and then melted, feeling a bit cold, giving her fair cheeks a flush of rosy color.
“Find an opportunity to contact that person again.”
Listening to Lin Mei’s words, Li Ziwei looked at the peeled chestnut in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then ate it in one gulp, as if there was also a hint of sweetness in it.
