Chapter 183 Chapter 184 Negotiation (Part 2)
“Everyone, calm down, calm down.” It was Lord Is who called for calm, “There’s no need to reenact the tragedy that happened twenty years ago when people were thrown out of the window.”
Twenty years ago, during a failed negotiation, lawmakers were tossed out of the window by furious citizens, but fortunately, there was a pile of manure below, so they didn’t die.
“In the name of Sigma, the succubus must be burned to death.” Van Helsing spat out a peach pit, raising his crossbow, the silver arrow glistening.
But the Grand Preacher pressed Van Helsing’s hand down with one hand, saying, “Don’t be impulsive; the Holy Hall is a brother church, and their recognized succubi are not ordinary.”
“It doesn’t say that anywhere.” Van Helsing indignantly lowered his hand.
However, the situation showed no signs of improving; neither side had weapons, but some of the extraordinary individuals had armor advantages and outnumbered them.
Moreover, their quality was not inferior to that of Jenna.
Jima’s gaze shifted away from the Grand Preacher; if he claimed to be a golden deity like her, she wouldn’t believe it.
Furthermore, typically in large cities, the Sigma Church would have a well-trained squad on standby with extraordinary items; direct confrontation was the last option.
Lord Is walked over. Jenna tensed up, muscles coiled, and coldly asked, “What do you plan to do?”
“You know if we attack with full force, you cannot withstand the laws of Marin City,” Is said, looking at Jima. “Not to mention protecting the succubus behind you.”
“Are you going to make a move on the holy maiden of the Holy Hall?”
“No, we’re here to arrest the succubus,” Is replied, “You can leave at any time.”
Jima said, “Jenna, let’s go, I have a way to escape.”
“No.”
“Really.”
“What’s the point?” Jenna’s intelligence level suddenly rose as she said, “I can escape from this house, but can I escape persecution? Sometimes I’d rather be more ordinary; otherwise, there are always some people who seem unable to understand human language, causing trouble and drooling over my body.”
The corners of Jima’s mouth twitched slightly, quickly reflecting on whether she had revealed any telltale signs.
Is’s voice sounded hurt as he said, “I’m not drooling over your body.”
“Remember Nali? The one who was bullied by boys all day when she was young, silly, and always had dirt on her face?” Jenna said. “You bullied her too. If I looked like her, would you have pursued me since childhood?”
Is shot back, “If you looked like Nali, do you think you’d have the confidence to make a hero marry you?”
Jenna fell silent, closing her mouth.
“Hey, hey, hey, I said, so it turns out this is just a love entanglement? You gathered everyone here just for this?” Van Helsing sneered from the side. “If you’re going to fight, then fight, stop wasting my time. I still have to deal with the evil god’s minions; isn’t that much more important than your petty romance?”
The Grand Preacher quietly warned, “Van Helsing, if you’re in a hurry, you can leave…”
“Did everyone get paid? I should have known sooner.” Van Helsing shut his mouth.
Is took a deep breath; his voice sounded incredibly sincere as he said, “None of us want to resort to violence; let’s each take a step back.”
Jima interjected, “Tsk tsk, are you finally going to propose your true demands?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can test my honesty in the honesty field.”
Jenna’s graceful hand below her sleeve immediately began to move.
Everyone tensed.
She uttered two words: “Honesty.”
A blue field descended, enveloping nearly everyone in front of her. Jima secretly stepped back half a step, out of the range of the honesty field, her gaze fixed on Is.
Sometimes, the “honesty field” does not target lies and can even aid deception. Jima, who prided herself on having deceived George for years, felt deeply about this.
What truth had Is prepared to lie about?
Her mind raced.
Is said, “As long as you agree to one thing, I will no longer compete with your father. The alchemy potion shop merely needs to manage the potion quantity well. Moreover, I will do my utmost to persuade the Grand Preacher to spare your good friend, whom you should call Jima, not Little Joe.”
“Don’t agree, Sister Jenna,” Jima said, “Don’t do what the enemy wants you to do.”
Jenna slowly shook her head.
“Jenna, how deep is your prejudice against me? Would you rather believe a succubus using a false identity than me, who is under the honesty field?” Is said. “You didn’t even envelop her with the honesty field; I haven’t even stated my request, and you’ve rejected it outright.”
“It’s not the same.”
“That line coming from a woman is particularly hurtful,” Is said. “Do you want to know how my face was injured back then?”
Jima interjected for Jenna, “Not interested.”
Jenna’s emerald green eyes locked onto Is, her lips pressed tightly together.
“I still remember that day; it was a sunny day. You found a book from who knows where, and there was a section on how to refine high-purity fire oil. You smashed it on my head and said if I could refine the oil, you’d treat me like a man and would play with me.”
“I… don’t remember.” Jenna’s oval face gradually flushed with shame.
“I was overjoyed at the time, and it went smoothly…”
“Ah~~~” Van Helsing let out a big yawn.
Is continued, “As I refined, every time I made progress, I turned around to show off to you. I was laughing so happily because you finally would play with me, yet I didn’t notice you were impatient. When I refined a drop, you said a drop didn’t count. I thought I was making a little, and then there was a flash of white light… I just remembered seeing your terrified face as you shouted loudly. When I woke up, I told my parents the book was one I bought myself.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Jenna’s hands trembled.
“Because I thought it was my fault for scaring you; I thought I was wrong.” Is said, “Later, after experiencing various relationships, I realized that women are the most unfair beings in the world. No matter how much you do, if she’s annoyed with you, it will only add to her aversion.”
Jima retorted, “Is this the reason behind you hanging around women?”
“I always wanted to understand a woman’s heart, and it wasn’t until after I spent wonderful times with many different women that I finally had the confidence to face you, Jenna.”
Jima noticed that the expressions of the men present were somewhat unfavorable. Surely, during Is’s exploration of the hearts of women, he had unintentionally hurt many men’s feelings.
She tugged at the trembling Jenna, whispering, “Not lying doesn’t mean it’s the truth. People are always willing to believe what they believe, and they often like to beautify themselves. After all these years, the pain and resentment are enough to imprint what one believes, like a steel seal in one’s mind, becoming part of their memories.”
Jenna took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she said, “I know, but I might not be; that I believe what I want to believe… a criminal.”
“My request is very simple, and you don’t need to treat me,” Is said. “What I’m fighting for is just fairness. I have a good way to clear the fog of history and seek the truth from back then, but it requires both you and me. Regardless of the outcome, I will not force you. I can sign a contract in the presence of the God of Dawn. Jenna, you want to know what happened back then, don’t you?”
Jenna showed signs of losing control; her expression was somewhat dazed, and the light around her was also unstable, saying, “Okay.”
What to do? What to do? Jenna, you can’t just give in like this; I haven’t even had you yet.
“Sister Jenna, no.” Jima suddenly grabbed her, saying, “Is the truth really important? This must be his trap.”
“I am being straightforward.”
“Get lost! I will make you regret coming into this world sooner or later.”
“Go to hell! Succubus!”
Van Helsing suddenly shouted, his movement faster than anyone’s reaction. A blessed silver flying knife grazed Jenna’s waist and plunged directly into Jima’s chest. She looked on in shock, mouth agape, eyes wide as she stared at Van Helsing.
“No!”
Jenna instantly snapped awake, the guilt of missing her promise striking her nerves. Her hairpin snapped, and her golden hair cascading down her back, she turned around only to find Jima had vanished. “Jima? Jima? Where are you? Weren’t weapons not allowed in here?”
The blue honesty field dissipated, and Jenna’s face abruptly turned to look at Is, her whole demeanor transformed into that of an angry lioness, panting heavily and glaring at Is.
Van Helsing calmly took out a peach from his pocket and took a bite, saying, “Damn, it’s an illusion.”
Is’s expression was one of frustration, as if he had finally hooked the dream fish he had always desired, only for Van Helsing to come from the side and cut the fishing line.
Didn’t this guy get paid? Why is he causing trouble at this critical moment? Isn’t he afraid of being punished by the Grand Preacher?
Lord Is glared at Van Helsing, who smiled back at him, holding the bitten peach up and asking, “Want a bite?”
Jenna muttered to herself, “This is a trap; it’s a trap. Knowing it’s a trap, she still followed me, and I failed to keep my promise.”
Her golden hair floated without wind, looking even more like a lioness.
Is said, “Wait, your good Jima wasn’t hurt at all.”
“Trap!”
Jenna shouted and charged forward, targeting the witch hunter Van Helsing first.
“Isn’t this more fun than a meeting?” Van Helsing laughed, gathering his strength in his legs, leaping back five or six meters to dodge Jenna.
Thus, Lord Is unfortunately stood in front of a girl named Jenna, who was no different from a rampaging lioness.
“Stop! I don’t want to fight you.” Lord Is had no time to dodge; his protective sound wave was shattered by brute force, and he had his own reservations.
Jenna swung a punch at his cheek, sending the golden mask flying.
For the others, the situation was a bit complicated. They needed to intervene but had to be careful, or it would be hard to explain.
The remaining extraordinary members exchanged glances, deciding to let Lord Is be the punching bag for the moment.
They prepared to subdue Jenna all at once.
Ten minutes later.
With a swollen face, Is trembled as he picked up the golden mask, placing it back on his face.
A large hole had been broken in the glass window, and the rampaging Jenna had surprisingly escaped. Everyone was reluctant to use too lethal abilities; of course, more importantly…
“Although it’s bad news that the cow-like Jenna has escaped into the city, she can’t cause too much trouble; she certainly wouldn’t easily harm others. We can wait for her to recover and settle the score slowly,” Van Helsing said, ignoring the only injured person in the room, Is.
Even in her rampaging state, Jenna was still careful with her strength. Naturally, many did not want to get involved in this troublesome matter.
Van Helsing picked up a piece of paper and saw that the back said: “Oh, we’re in big trouble.”
What he held was paper marked with the Holy Hall’s seal. Van Helsing raised his hand, showing the paper as he declared:
“The Holy Hall says this succubus has the ability to disrupt the order of a city; she herself caused chaos in Shalin City. It seems we better find that cow to talk.”
Lord Is, boiling with rage, asked, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Van Helsing shrugged, “It’s written on the back.”
“You’ve put the entire city in jeopardy.”
“Oh, oh, oh, then I’ll just be an accomplice; the main culprit is you. Who provoked the cow? You’re not giving an inch and are being aggressive.”
“Get lost!”
