Chapter 51: Drinking the Potion
After finishing the potion, there was still more than half a day of free time left.
Jima felt a bit hungry. It made sense; although she charged herself up a bit with George in the morning, making the potion and helping the bald alchemist find the meaning of life had consumed quite a bit of energy.
She was running low on energy.
If she needed desire to activate her nightmare ability, she figured she should find a more efficient way to recharge, like orally taking a heather-flavored liquid.
This was really difficult.
Jima passed by the front of the Flen Brothers Bank, resisting the urge to surprise the bank with her extraordinary abilities.
Should she just go back? No, that wouldn’t fit her playful persona and would raise George’s suspicions.
But if she had to say what was interesting about Shalin City, it would naturally be the group of ladies from all over the world. Beyond that, Jima didn’t think there was much fun to be had.
Yet, she was also afraid of running into any danger on the way.
It would be better to just head back and recharge.
As Jima pondered this, a gust of wind blew by, and she caught a whiff of alcohol on herself. George would definitely notice the smell.
So, Jima found a place to bathe, cleaned herself up, and then went to the highest point in the white sand area—a tall building on a bridge—overlooking the water city.
During this time, she used her dual desire eyes to avoid danger eleven times.
The bustling canals of Shalin City injected vitality into the city. On the widest main canal, a flower boat was slowly drifting by, underneath a sunshade stood a row of ladies dressed in various outfits—princess gowns, aristocrat dresses, desert woman attire, and even bikinis, all drawing attention.
None of them were beautiful enough to catch Jima’s eye. But she had to admit that quantity could trigger a qualitative change; this stunning sight attracted countless small boats.
As the flower boat passed beneath her, Jima watched it drift away.
A dark-colored small boat sailed by, trailing a rainbow-like oil slick behind it. Jima suddenly realized that it seemed several small boats left behind oil slicks, indicating they were transporting oil.
Bored, Jima sat on the rooftop counting for nearly an hour and noticed that there were quite a few oil-carrying boats.
Was this for a new program for the Rainbow Festival?
Jima rubbed her eyes, feeling she had a knack for business. Tired of looking at the main canal below, she shifted her gaze to the center of Shalin City—the aristocratic district—a lush little island, with green trees and grand mansions appearing vaguely.
The aristocratic district was connected to other areas by three stone bridges.
White walls were built along the island’s edge, standing on a cliff. If war broke out, closing the gates on the bridges would turn it into an impenetrable fortress. Moreover, the aristocratic district had a dedicated dock leading straight to the sea.
The dock was the only way to reach the aristocratic district from the water.
Jima saw that the dock in the aristocratic district was filled with various flower boats, some resembling moving gardens, while others seemed like they had brought whole wooden buildings onto the boats.
The aristocratic district was beautiful, but Jima was thinking of other things.
What if she burned all the boats clustered at the dock, and then destroyed the three bridges? Wouldn’t the aristocratic district become an isolated island? If she set a fire on the isolated island, that would be even better.
However, people who were good at swimming could escape. She would need to order a team to patrol with small boats and bows day and night, shooting at anyone they saw.
Jima nodded—what a great slaughter plan, just as expected of her.
Her gaze swept over the entire Shalin City, finally landing on the fire zone. Each district in Shalin City was separated by canals, maintaining independence, especially the fire zone, which was almost isolated by the wide canal.
Having observed Shalin City, Jima turned her gaze to the bustling dock area. Rowing boats with sails moved back and forth, and a line of corpses hung limp under the gallows, silently proclaiming the dignity of Shalin City’s laws to the guests.
A crowd had gathered near the execution platform, watching something unclear in the distance.
Jima glanced at the sun; it was the dreaded noon. Most likely, the Criminal Carnival Day had begun. The Criminal Carnival Day was an entertainment program favored by everyone in Shalin City, from slaves to commoners, and it had a high “viewership” as farmers from nearby villages would definitely visit Shalin City to witness the “Criminal Carnival Day.”
The Criminal Carnival Day consisted of public performances where criminals were executed in various gruesome ways. Sometimes, a cage of starving rats was placed near a criminal’s soft belly, and then a fire was lit to drive the rats away.
When Jima first arrived in Shalin City, she saw this show; it was disgusting and left a deep impression on her. Of course, compared to similar programs among the demon race, it lacked some shock value. The demon race was more straightforward, without so many twists and turns, and they liked to display their heads on armor to show their bravery and intimidate their enemies.
Jima turned her gaze away, looking towards the sea to avoid spoiling her good mood.
White-sailed rowing boats drifted over the blue sea, truly beautiful. At that moment, a group of sailors on a boat heaved a bunch of emaciated figures overboard. It turned Jima’s stomach.
She almost forgot that the rowers were slave-oarsmen, chained to the oars for life. Once they died, they were simply tossed into the sea, and if they got sick, the captains wouldn’t know if it was contagious.
Jima stood up, ran her fingers through her hair; the wind had dried it. Just as she planned to head back, her eyes caught a glimpse of the dock area, finding the venue for the Criminal Carnival Day was already packed with people.
It was too lively.
Out of curiosity, Jima stopped and gazed into the distance.
Something was unusual. Teams of city guards were shouting and rushing into the crowd, moving to the execution platform to lift a prisoner onto a stretcher.
Had they killed the wrong person?
Jima’s curiosity was piqued; she turned and walked down the stairs, discreetly bribing a guard while she scoured the streets for information.
Rumors spread like wildfire, quickly moving from the dock area throughout the city. Without much effort, Jima learned about the situation in the fire zone, and after hearing it, she felt quite thrilled.
She wasn’t the only one feeling thrilled. The upper class throughout Shalin City was equally “moved.” Soldiers surged onto the streets to block the main canal, questioning everyone, bringing a hint of unease to the upcoming celebratory atmosphere in Shalin City.
Jima quickly snuck back to the inn, entering the backyard first. She saw the Celestial Warhorse in its stall, calmly chewing on the oats in its trough. Standing beside it were several other horses, and as Jima approached and bent down to look, she noticed that most of them were mares.
“Looks like George has returned to the inn.”
Jima walked back inside, taking off her backpack as she walked, reaching inside it until her finger touched the wooden box containing the “Nightmare Potion,” which allowed her to finally feel at ease.
She went upstairs, got the key, and opened the door.
Sure enough, she saw George’s tall figure, looking out the window, asking, “You’re back so early?”
“The whole city of Shalin is under lockdown,” Jima said, shutting the door behind her, taking off her backpack, and casually placing it by the bed. “Guess what major event just happened?”
“Slave uprising?”
“No, a good fellow named Gray King took an eye for an eye and ripped open the belly of a noble in charge of punishments in front of everyone.” As Jima took off her hooded cloak and sat on the chair, her excitement evident, she continued, “That petty thief’s nephew was nearly starving to death; he stole a piece of bread and was thrown into prison. Fearing his nephew would starve, he broke out of prison but was caught again and was sentenced to be ripped open by the noble. Gray King snuck into the noble’s house, knocked him out, stuffed his mouth with a cork, and switched them out with the petty thief.”
“By the time the noble’s intestines were spilling everywhere, just before dying, they realized they had killed the wrong person. It was quite a spectacle, with layers of people. The guards had to use long spears to drive away the crowd just to save the noble.”
In conclusion, Jima exclaimed, “What a hero!”
George patiently listened but shook his head, saying, “No, he’s a cruel and cold-blooded murderer who orchestrated a murder.”
“Why? That thief was so pitiful; it was an eye for an eye.” He was practically a counterpart to Jean Valjean from another world.
“Where did you hear that the thief was pitiful?”
“From the boatman, vendors, fruit sellers… I heard it from five people.”
“How do they know the thief is pitiful? They probably made it up just to vent their dissatisfaction with life,” George said. “They don’t care who is right or wrong; as long as a noble dies, they’ll cheer.”
“Why are you speaking up for the nobles?” Jima reminded him. “He’s a noble who keeps slaves, unlike you.”
Because the great benevolent lord coveted Jima’s inheritance, Jima was understandably unhappy with the entire nobility of Shalin City. If one day the upper class of Shalin City all died suddenly, she would surely jump up and applaud.
“You’re still too young to understand the dangers posed by Gray King.”
Jima indignantly shouted, “I’m a succubus with inherited memories!” My psychological age is several times yours!
George explained, “This is a bloody cycle of revenge. Gray King is disrupting the law. Without the restraint of law, people will vent their dissatisfaction recklessly, arbitrarily convicting others and killing them. Such chaos will ultimately evolve into mutual slaughter.”
“Law? Whose law? It’s just a tool for the benevolent lords of Shalin City to rule.” Jima said, “Do you know about the ‘Criminal Carnival Day’? Every week they select two criminals, drag them to the dock at noon, and then draw one from over ten creative punishments, including slow slicing and rats in the belly… each one more gruesome than the last, and this is a legal act.”
“George, I can’t believe you’re defending this kind of law.”
George remarked, “Even the most evil law is better than chaos; at least it provides basic stability. Do you know why I’m fighting against the Demon King?”
Jima felt even worse, saying, “I know, to prevent the spread of slave contracts. And also because he’s a demon, that’s why you’re going after the Demon King while letting the fellow citizens of Shalin City go.”
“Because the Holy Hall considered that if they rashly sanctioned the benevolent lords of Shalin City and violently destroyed slavery, it would throw the local area into chaos, leading to serious humanitarian disasters.” George said, “The Holy Hall cannot handle the aftermath of the chaos in Shalin City, but it can ensure the harem of the Demon King, Jima, is well accommodated.”
“Looks like the Demon King will have to recruit more concubines in the future.” Jima was very displeased, her tail flicking irritably against the ground. “Each concubine should be matched with a hundred human servants, and each servant with ten slaves; that way, the Holy Hall would think twice.”
“Jima—”
“Okay, okay, I get it, I get it, law is paramount, everything else can take a backseat.” Jima jumped off the chair, saying, “I’m going to study now, bye.”
George shook his head, saying nothing.
At night, as darkness fell.
The noisy Shalin City finally quieted down.
Jima lay on the bed, completely exhausted and feeling very drowsy. To deplete her energy as much as possible, she bore the nausea and kept studying, burning through two whole candles.
Now, as long as she wanted, she could fall asleep within ten seconds with her eyes closed.
Jima took a glance at George, confirming he was turned away from her before she flipped over, facing away from him, and quietly took out the test tube containing the “Nightmare Potion.” She first applied a bit of ginger oil on her fingertips and smeared it on her upper lip.
The fiery sensation stimulated her nerves.
Jima carefully pulled out the cork from the “Nightmare Potion,” brought it to her lips, and sucked it down in one go, ensuring not a single drop escaped.
The taste was bitter with a nauseating hint of coriander. Other than that, she felt nothing. She set the empty test tube down, tightly gripping the “ginger oil” potion, preparing to fall asleep.
Suddenly, the familiar alarm sound rang out.
“The night gave me black eyes, but I…♪”
Jima was stunned; was that her phone ringing?
