Chapter 10 Chapter 11 The More I Think, The More Angry I Get
It seemed that because Jima had been watching from the side, the usually reticent Shuangye raised her hand to explain:
“There might be clues to breaking the curse in the Demon King’s treasury. As long as I know where it is, no matter who writes to me, I will come.”
“Next time for sure.”
“I’m not a servant at your beck and call, remember that, short-lived creature.”
At that moment, a maid, wrapped tightly in her clothes, approached and said submissively to Shuangye, “My lady, may I ask what you need?”
Shuangye pointed to the silver bow embedded in the deck and raised her chin. The maid stepped forward, took the silver bow, and left, cradling it in her hands.
George said, “Then we’ll be on our way.”
Shuangye waved her hand, “Hurry up, I’ll call the giant eagle to pull you away quickly.”
Jima keenly sensed Shuangye’s dissatisfaction; it seemed she wanted to talk more with George.
In the end, as George had judged, the elves required him to promise not to let anyone mention encountering the elven fleet for a year after all of his crew signed the contract.
The Sea Witch was released.
All of the cargo on board was requisitioned.
At the same time, as an exchange, the elves unexpectedly repaired the ship and even made some repairs to the captain’s cabin. Jima suspected it was Shuangye’s doing.
The next day, the Sea Witch set sail, heading toward the rising sun.
George stood at the bow of the ship, staring at the sunrise, silently offering his morning prayers. Jima stood beside him, turning her head to see the receding silver warship. She picked up a bronze telescope and witnessed a flash of silver-white in the distance, exclaiming:
“What a lovely pair of legs.”
“What did you say, Jima?”
“Nothing.”
Jima said, handing the telescope to George.
George said, “I’ve heard that the sailors are spreading rumors of an inappropriate relationship between me and the elven queen.”
It seemed that during that one excited moment, he had unintentionally used his ‘lie’ ability.
“You know I was just spouting nonsense, do you really think nonsense could become true?”
“What’s odd is, part of those rumors turned out to be true—they really do miss me, just not in that way.”
“So?”
“I suspect there’s something odd about it.”
“Really, it’s not my conspiracy!”
“I’m not doubting you; if I were, I would just ask directly,” George said, “Have you heard of any similar abilities?”
“Anything can happen in the world of the extraordinary.”
…
…
That night.
Jima lay in bed, reflecting on the gains from the previous day.
It was certain that the rumor she spread about “the elven queen having an inappropriate relationship with George over four generations” was one of the reasons for George’s encounter with Shuangye.
“These sailors, full of ** and loneliness, really love gossip involving inappropriate relationships. Their belief and dissemination ultimately allowed this rumor to play a supernatural role; now I understand why my magic expended that day.”
“It’s clear that those who spread rumors, while contributing to making the rumor true, also distort and alter it in the process. Furthermore, this time, the rumor only partially became truth. However, that just a few sailors believing in this rumor could have such an effect is quite astonishing. If they return to the port and keep murmuring that I’m a good person, they’ll probably deceive the Holy Hall’s detection systems.”
“Wait a minute, does that mean Shuangye could be the daughter of the elven queen? George’s luck is really something.”
Her mind conjured up visions of long, silver legs in golden proportion, and she couldn’t help but think of the detestable elven queen.
Jima recalled the queen saying, “This thing actually speaks.”
Even though this had been recorded in her little black book, and she had talked herself down, she couldn’t help but feel more and more angry. She clenched her fists, wrapped herself in the blanket, and rolled around the bed a few times before managing to calm her fury.
Jima gritted her teeth in resentment, “That menopausal old hag!”
She tightened her fists and imagined punching the elven queen’s face. Still unsatisfied, she wanted to do something, to enact a small revenge within her capabilities, or else she would feel anxious.
But she was just a weak silver creature; what damage could she possibly do to the high and mighty elven queen, who wielded power and authority?
“Just venting will do.”
Jima thought hard before finally coming up with a good idea.
Write a little yellow book featuring the elven queen as the protagonist! Set the background a hundred years ago, during a failed battle between the high elves and the dark elves; at that time, the dark elves invaded, and the elven queen, under her husband’s protection, darted through the woods, eventually managing to mount a successful counterattack.
She quickly sketched a preliminary idea in her mind:
The elven queen was actually disguised, mingling among the commoners to escape, but did not expect that the dark elves would sell all the elves into slavery. No one recognized the elven queen; seeing her beauty, they sold her off to humans.
The humans, seeing her beauty, used her for breeding and she bore several litters. Later, when the orcs attacked, they took her away, with the noble elven queen howling day and night in the orc’s tent. Eventually, the high elves rescued their dirty queen, but to keep it a secret, no one spoke of it, pretending that the elven queen was out guerrilla fighting with her husband in the woods.
Although it was just a casual idea, Jima was very excited; her intuition told her it could be a hit.
The secret history would cater to the vast readers’ love for conspiracy theories. A noble woman being subjected to the base desires of lesser beings would resonate with men’s darker psychology, not to mention the high elves, a race so arrogant even dogs despised them.
Despite many unreasonable aspects, readers wouldn’t care too much about its rationality as long as the events were suitable for their tastes.
Moreover, since she knew a lot about high elves and orcs, she could rely on real details to enhance credibility, with detailed descriptions of clothing, armor, and language style, using real historical figures—perhaps even those well-versed in history might think it was true.
The only problem was that she had to, against her better judgment, write the elven queen, who did not match her aesthetic, as strikingly beautiful—so beautiful that even orcs were enchanted.
Jima excitedly clapped her hands under the covers, secretly saying:
“Hey! I’m a pervert with a foundation of a thousand books; don’t I know what kind of H scenarios the public enjoys? Just wait, soon the entire continent will be spreading this rumor about the menopausal old woman, reaching all the way to the Elven Isles—her facial expression will surely be priceless.”
“I can even sell the book and make money; I’m truly a genius.”
Jima pictured a rush of gold coins flowing towards her, along with the elven queen’s deadpan face, and rolled around in excitement.
She started outlining the chapters and settings, aiming to write this masterpiece as soon as possible to fill the blank in the spiritual lives of the otherworld’s people—ah, not fill, but poison.
George’s voice came from beneath the bed, “Jima? What’s wrong?”
“I thought of something happy.”
George said, “The high elf queen is quite rude; that’s her fault. But don’t act unwisely because of it.”
“I’m smart, alright? Even if I want to retaliate, I’ll wait until I’m powerful enough.”
As Jima spoke, a sudden idea struck her.
Isn’t George quite good at drawing? To be honest, he paints very well, with excellent color choices. In the otherworld, those who can paint are few; after all, it’s not a profession with much future and has little demand.
Previously, she had gathered many sword manuals, all with incorrect human anatomy and perspective backgrounds—she had rarely seen correct ones.
If George could draw a beautiful picture of the book’s protagonist for the cover, it would greatly enhance the readers’ imagination. After all, no amount of beautifully written words could compare to a high-quality image.
Seeing that Jima had not responded for a long time, George fell silent too.
Jima lowered her voice, filled with grievance, saying, “Why?”
“Hmm?”
“Why must I suffer from verbal violence because of my appearance, my race, for no reason? Why can beautiful Miss Shuangye have such a joyful conversation with you, while I simply wanted to say a word to her, and she ignored me from start to finish?”
“Jima…”
“It’s nothing; I already know the reason. It’s normal; demons are dangerous races, and asking strangers to ignore the danger and be kind to me is indeed quite absurd, after all, you only live once.” Jima said, “But thank you anyway for giving me a beautiful illusion, making me think I could show my horns and tail in public.”
George spoke with sorrow and sympathy, “Jima…”
“But George, why do you, who are so stubborn about right and wrong, advise me not to do anything foolish?” Jima asked, “Why can others hurt me, but I can’t take revenge? I haven’t even acted on revenge; I was just happily fantasizing and yet I’m being warned by you?”
“Jima, I’m just worried you might get hurt.”
“I understand; it’s because I’m too weak. If I were strong, and she upset me, I could tear her clothes in public and hang them on the ship’s sail. After killing a whole bunch of elves, others would advise the elven ones wanting revenge not to do anything foolish.” Jima said, “My previous retort was just to vent my anger at my own helplessness.”
“You have a very typical demon way of thinking,” George said, “Actually, there are many explanations.”
“Of course, I’m a demon, aren’t I?”
“Try to understand the importance of forgiving others.”
“I can’t do that, George.”
“But I won’t just stand by and watch you do something stupid.”
Jima lowered her eyes and said, “Can you draw me a full-body picture of the elven queen? Maybe it’s because her nobility stings me, and if I see her every day, I will gradually get used to it, perhaps I’ll even forget my hatred.”
“Then can you promise me not to do anything irrational?”
I’m quite rational; illustrations to sell books, make money and get revenge—two birds with one stone.
Jima vowed, “Okay, I promise.”
A few days later, the Sea Witch safely sailed into a port in the Knight Realm of Bartu.
The dock tax officer checked the empty ship, which was not carrying any cargo, several times, suspecting there was something wrong with the Sea Witch. But this suspicion was trivial in the face of George’s Bartu noble status.
It was on this day that Jima received a lavishly detailed drawing of herself, depicting the mature, lazy, and proud elven queen seated high upon her throne.
