Chapter 23: Burned
Jima felt a chill run down her spine. Her first reaction was that George was lying to her!
George wore a bucket helmet. The helmet had only a narrow slit for his eyes to observe the outside, limiting his field of vision. He couldn’t even see the enemy squatting right in front of him.
And with her short stature, standing beside George, how could he possibly see? But a paladin would never lie; he wouldn’t go against his oath for this.
Wait, she recalled that the paladin’s profession was associated with light. Could it be that George had the ability to refract light, enabling him to have complete visibility even while wearing the helmet?
Jima steadied her heart, keeping a calm expression as she feigned a pouting look and said, “I tend to get nervous, and my pinky easily cramps up.”
It was the truth. But how coincidental!
George was deep in thought.
“Alright, I did it because I’m a bad person who enjoys watching others die,” Jima said, pretending to be unhappy, irritably kicking an apple core away from her feet. “You can arrest me now.”
George thought she was just venting and felt a little guilty, saying, “Jima, I seem to be a bit paranoid.”
“No, no, you’re very alert,” Jima said seriously. “Always watching out for a wicked one, not letting any hint slip by. You’re indeed the rising star of the Holy Hall, the youngest hero in history to hunt down the Demon King.”
“Jima, I…” George felt guilty. “I’m sorry for being suspicious of you just because of your background, like everyone else.”
“Oh.”
Jima turned her head, leaving George with the sight of her sad profile.
There was silence between them.
George couldn’t see Jima’s face but felt certain she was really heartbroken. The first person she saw after hatching was me; she instinctively believed in me, just like a newly hatched chick following its mother.
After confirming that George couldn’t see her face, Jima’s expression of grievance instantly crumbled, revealing her relief at surviving.
Oh my, I almost lost my composure just now. Scared me to death; this virgin is sharper than I imagined. Luckily he’s a big fool, and I’m good at acting thanks to my succubus talent.
Jima raised her hand, rubbing her cheeks and wiping the corners of her eyes.
George’s voice came from behind: “Jima, are you crying?”
“I’m not!”
Her voice sounded so stubborn.
George felt even guiltier. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Jima turned her head and blinked her slightly reddened eyes, smiling at him. “I’m very happy to be by your side.”
George quietly looked at the smiling little succubus. Jima looked very cute, very beautiful, her big eyes curving into crescent moons, and her mouth revealing little white fangs. His heart, like a stubborn stone, couldn’t help but stir.
He reached out to pat Jima’s head, and she squinted her eyes, like a cat.
“Let’s continue.” After an unknown amount of time, George said, “I will definitely help you break the slave contract.”
“Mm!”
The two continued searching the room. But Jima didn’t want to just slip by like this; as long as George’s doubts remained unresolved, his suspicion wouldn’t fade.
Jima said, “I don’t think I caused their deaths by having them apologize, which angered them and led to this tragedy.”
“Jima, I’m not blaming you.”
“I’m not the kind of girl who likes to be spoiled; I’m quite reasonable,” Jima said. “Logically speaking, if a noble is offended and only angrily lets the offender go without demanding an apology, doesn’t that clearly indicate they have something to hide? I already gave them a way out.”
George thought for a moment, and it really seemed that Jima had acted reasonably at that time.
“As for why they got angry, that’s quite simple, right?” Jima said angrily. “They had been accustomed to being arrogant in Shalin City, and because of their suspicions, they casually searched us and even surrounded us.”
“When they realized they were actually afraid of outsiders, it was normal for anger to surge up. They just didn’t have the chance to calm down.”
Because George had killed too quickly, and to avoid exposing the mission, he didn’t let anyone go.
“That makes sense,” George said. “People are inherently irrational. I’ve seen it before—people get so angry they jump off cliffs into the sea to prove they aren’t cowards.”
As soon as George finished speaking, Jima felt a warm current rise from her abdomen, swirling in her stomach, warm and cozy.
This is… Jima realized what was happening, silently chanting to call out her personal system and saw the message bar.
“DM: Your scheme completely deceived the alert hero, leaving no future issues. You can now attempt to level up.”
“Your next class is called Nightmare.”
“According to the memory inheritance of succubi, to advance to Nightmare, you need whole Dream Grass and the nose of a Dream Eater as the main ingredients, with strong liquor as the base… made into a potion and drunk at the moment of strongest drowsiness.”
For the first level up, I actually need to use a potion? Dream Grass and Dream Eater nose are okay, as they’re not extremely rare materials and can be bought with money, but probably need to be pre-ordered. I’ll have to inquire about the price; it’s definitely not cheap.
But having George around makes things easier.
Jima glanced at George.
This guy is troublesome; he’ll definitely ask too many questions, so she needs to find an opportunity to act alone.
Fortunately, as long as she buys the materials. With her alchemy skills, she should be able to make the “Nightmare” potion; she had done it before during her last level up.
Jima continued to look at the information bar, pretending to search for hidden mechanisms on the floor.
There was only a short line about the Nightmare’s introduction.
“The Nightmare, the master of dreams, can manipulate the desires of others through their dreams, appearing and disappearing without a trace.”
It seemed very suitable to be an unseen mastermind. Jima felt a surge of anticipation. But she hoped it could enhance her physical body; right now, I’m so weak that even fighting a goblin is tough.
“DM: As you gain complete mastery over the Apostle of Desire, you can now not only incite the desires of others but also reverse them, causing negative effects.”
What does that mean? Reverse incitement? If I reverse incite a lecher’s lust, will he instantly lose his drive? What about an enraged enemy—if I reverse incite them, will they become timid?
In a moment, Jima had countless guesses in her mind. If it weren’t for George being right next to her, she would have run out to find someone to experiment with.
After searching for twenty minutes, they found nothing but a few coins.
All they knew was that a mage named “New Delhi” might know who could break the slave contract. Or perhaps it was just their wishful thinking.
Before leaving, Jima was also planning how to persuade George to burn the crime scene. After all, they had left too many traces. For example, the sword wounds on the corpses could help the opponent deduce the type of weapon used, narrowing down the suspects.
George was kind and might not be able to accept the idea of covering up the evidence.
“They deserve pity; they are merely a group of people who sell their lives for food to a great benefactor,” George sighed. “They are sons, fathers, brothers, and younger brothers, who should not be punished with death. I pray to the Lord of Dawn, asking for my god’s light to guide their souls, wishing they suffer no pain in death.”
“Ahem, George, I know you’re kind,” Jima said. “But while you’re talking to yourself, could you stop what you’re doing first?”
“Aren’t we in a hurry?”
As George spoke, he poured fire gel onto the face of a corpse with white scars. The corpses were piled up to ensure they burned thoroughly. He even dismantled a wooden cabinet to pile the corpses on top.
Do you know how awkward this looks? It’s like a Texas chainsaw killer wearing a saintly expression while chasing down victims.
Jima twitched her mouth and said, “Yes, you’re right.”
George lit the fire and took the celestial warhorse with him. The two quietly left through the back door, while the grocery store behind them was engulfed in thick smoke. The startled people used buckets to douse the flames, luckily the fire did not spread.
Two hours later, Jima and George were on a small boat, going around the small island in the center of Shalin City where the nobles lived, heading towards the White Sand District near the temple area.
The Fren brothers’ bank was located in the White Sand District. Every day, hundreds of accountants, captains, and merchants came to the banks in the White Sand District for financial activities. Or to purchase and experience Shalin City’s specialty—slaves.
The influx of high-end crowds brought continuous nourishment to the White Sand District. The ground here was clean, and the banks were lined with banyan trees whose roots hung into the waterways, sucking up the “nutrients” from the river.
It was said that the banyan trees were modified through alchemy.
Jima stepped off the small boat onto the clean street. Looking at the well-dressed passersby, bustling about, breathing in the air tinged with a light floral fragrance, she felt invigorated as she took a deep breath, finally emerging from the stinking mud pit known as the Fire Zone.
Jima just wanted to wash herself properly and then lie on a feather bed for a good sleep. It would be even better if she could rest her head on the white silk thighs of an elf goddess.
“Jima,” George’s muffled voice came from inside the helmet, “we should get to a district that suits our status.”
Jima inquired about the districts in Shalin City and, without a moment’s hesitation, headed straight to the White Sand District, ignoring the more affordable Southern District.
“Ah? My lord, while the noble district fits your status, it’s filled with private residences and doesn’t welcome outsiders.”
“What I mean is, our travel expenses won’t last long.”
“Staying somewhere nice lifts your spirits and helps with travel,” Jima said, hugging her sword and hopping towards the inn.
George shook his head and followed along, leading the horse.
Of course, Jima didn’t choose the White Sand District for personal enjoyment. She selected it for a simple reason: because the Fren brothers’ branch bank was located there.
And she had an anonymous account at the Fren brothers’ bank. The account contained not only lovely gold coins but also a large number of low-level magical items for getting through her vulnerable period.
However, the most precious item inside was a key. The assorted low-level magical items were just a distraction; she hid the key to her treasury among them.
Although the Fren Bank claimed it prioritized the confidentiality of customer identities, and Jima had opened the most expensive account, anyone could access the account with a simple password.
But Jima worried that the benevolent benefactor might take special measures. Times were tough in Shalin City, and the benefactor spared no expense, sending adventurers to find her treasury in hopes of obtaining her “legacy” to get through a crisis.
She also didn’t fully trust the Fren Bank. The sooner she got the key to her treasury, the more at ease she would be.
