Chapter 159 Chapter 158 Severing Ties with the Past
Ji Ma was being pulled away by George by the horns, her eyes angled up as she looked at his face.
George had a cold expression, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Tsk, such strong control for such a young age.
Ji Ma said, “Can you let go? My neck hurts from leaning like this for too long.”
George released his grip, remaining silent with both hands in front of him, gripping the reins, and the heavenly warhorse was happy to stroll leisurely toward the castle.
Ji Ma patted his shoulder armor: “Are you still mad?”
“No.”
George said, “I was just thinking that I acted unjustly earlier, yet I felt jealousy.”
What a stale mindset.
“Oh, I get it. It’s about that.” Ji Ma said, “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t punish me for luring an innocent girl. At least an apology on my head would’ve been nice.”
“I really did have that thought earlier,” George said, “but then I realized it’s essentially private punishment, just a pretext for venting my jealousy.”
“You’re speaking so seriously, making it sound like you want to hang me or something.” Ji Ma said, “You had several women before. Seeing me getting cozy with other girls and getting mad is really unfair, don’t you think?”
George nodded: “That is unfair to you.”
Whoever is stronger, whoever is fairer, is a principle of the heavens.
Though Ji Ma thought so, she closed her mouth at this moment.
“Then how about this?” Ji Ma said, “You can find other girls whenever you want, as many as you want. I can help you cover for that. In exchange, you won’t stop me from finding girls, and sometimes you can lend a hand. Wouldn’t that be great for both of us?”
The more Ji Ma talked, the more her tail wagged.
George looked at Ji Ma: “Are you serious?”
“Of course, we can sign a contract if you want.”
“No.” George opened his mouth as if to say something, but it didn’t come out; he turned his head and looked ahead.
Ji Ma felt unwilling. Such a great win-win agreement, why wouldn’t he agree?
“Why? Tell me the reason.”
“I can’t betray my marriage.”
“You haven’t even held the wedding yet; you can be a bit more carefree.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Ah.” Ji Ma tapped his shoulder armor again, “Beautiful women are miracles created by the Creator. They are also willing to have a wonderful encounter with a handsome and powerful knight, yet you resolutely refuse, hurting the hearts of countless future beauties.”
“A man’s nature is to spread offspring. Since you have a harem and have encountered me, an enlightened and open-minded wife, what’s wrong with being a bit flirtatious?”
“You look all abstinent, like you’re tied up by moral shackles.”
George sighed, putting on his helmet, and Ji Ma’s chattering voice quieted down a bit.
“Sigh.” Ji Ma also sighed, resting her chin on her hands, “Beautiful women are treasures dropped by the Creator into the world. The process of treasure hunting is so pleasurable; why do so many resist it?”
The sound of George’s voice came from inside the helmet: “Ji Ma.”
“Huh? You don’t intend to lecture me, do you? Then forget it.”
“I don’t have the qualifications to lecture you.” George said, “Did it hurt when I pulled your horn earlier?”
“Of course.” Ji Ma immediately covered her head, fingers playing with the base of her horn, grimacing as if it hurt a lot, “The base is bleeding, there’s a ring of blood.”
“It’s all a lie.”
“Not lying is boring.”
George turned his head, the observation slit of his helmet revealing his azure eyes as he looked at Ji Ma’s flowing black hair: “I think you’d look great with your hair tied up.”
“Oh, really?” Ji Ma smiled and picked up a strand of black hair, “But never mind, it’s troublesome. By the way, where’s Eve Frostleaf?”
“She’s gone.”
Ji Ma felt a void in her heart: “Gone? Back to Elf Island?”
“No, she went to the forest to clear her mind and catch beastmen.”
“Alone?”
“Yeah.”
Beastmen, elf princesses, the wilderness…
“This doesn’t sound like a good development,” Ji Ma said. “I’ll find her in my dreams tonight.”
“She said she would come back tonight.”
The two rode their horses past the military camp, and the soldiers along the way recognized the famous George, all stepping aside. The hooves trod through the mud as they walked through the city gate. Inside the city, it was still crowded, but more orderly than what Ji Ma had seen last time.
The refugees were holding bowls and lined up neatly at the church’s soup distribution point. Nearby was a bulletin board with several commandments, the handwriting neat and upright, which Ji Ma recognized as being written by George.
She observed the faces of the refugees. Dirty, layered with sweat and grime, but with a little color, they couldn’t be said to be emaciated. This indicated that the people in the city were receiving better relief.
She wondered how George had persuaded Duke Casson to open the granaries and how much effort he had put in during that process.
“When we get back to the castle, I have a few important things I want to discuss with you,” Ji Ma said, looking at George. “How about I double as your attendant?”
“Sure.”
The two returned to the castle, to George’s secluded courtyard.
Ji Ma opened a “calm and secretive” barrier and said:
“If I’m guessing correctly, your extraordinary ability is related to establishing order and punishing lawbreakers. You’ve used your abilities on the refugees, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.” George didn’t hide his extraordinary powers from Ji Ma. “The effects are good.”
Ji Ma didn’t ask for detailed content but asked, “Does the sanctuary know you’re in Diamond?”
“They do.”
“Has your armor been repaired and sent back?”
“On the way, but it will take a long time.”
“If the sanctuary puts in all their effort, they can have a mage teleport, or find someone who can fly to shorten the time.”
“True, but my rank and mission aren’t sufficient.”
“You have both; your mission is still to assist Duke Casson, right? The sanctuary hasn’t adjusted your mission deployment, has it?”
“It hasn’t.” George said, “But I fully understand the sanctuary’s decision and will comply.”
“You’re still on the fringes at the sanctuary; I’m not wrong in saying this, am I?”
“My rank has been raised.”
“But it’s nowhere near the treatment you used to have.”
“Ji Ma, are you trying to shake my resolve?”
“Yes, as long as you surrender to the demon clan, I assure you the benefits will be substantial.”
“Lies.” George’s face became extremely serious: “This is not a joking matter, Ji Ma.”
“Then you give me a standard interrogation process,” Ji Ma said, “Issue a certificate proving that I currently have no interest in the Demon Lord’s extraordinary material.”
“What?”
“That means I don’t want that stuff anymore.” Ji Ma sat back in a chair, leaning against the backrest. “The sanctuary fears I will obtain the Demon Lord’s extraordinary material, leading to greater disasters, which would also concern you. My actions won’t drag you down.”
“Really?”
“If it moves you, then shed some tears.” Ji Ma propped her head on one hand, looking at George. “I’m giving up the opportunity to grow stronger for my dear husband.”
“That’s not like you; I’m very pleased.”
“Then hurry and shed a few tears.”
George smiled and shook his head, placing the heavy helmet on the table, “But I won’t take it easy during the interrogation.”
Ji Ma crossed her legs and laughed: “Tch, scumbag.”
George took out a scroll of parchment, signed a contract with Ji Ma, and meticulously followed the standard interrogation process to ensure the authenticity of Ji Ma’s promises.
Ji Ma listened to George’s serious questioning, looking into his azure eyes, getting lost in his gaze gradually.
With each clear question from George, she felt as if she was gradually cutting ties with the past Demon Lord Ji Ma.
“May I ask the fundamental reason you want to give up pursuing the Demon Lord’s extraordinary material?”
“To sever ties with the past.”
As the words left her mouth, she felt her words turn into a sharp blade, completely severing her last ties to the past.
“Say goodbye to the past?”
Ji Ma replied earnestly: “Yes, a final farewell.”
“Okay, interrogation complete.”
George put down the pen.
Ji Ma stood up and stretched.
“Have you forgotten something? You haven’t asked me this all along?”
“What is it?”
“About your armor.” Ji Ma raised her tail to bump George’s “simple” armor, “If I don’t gather a legal thousand gold coins to redeem your armor, they can slaughter you at will; it doesn’t matter how many people come.”
“By saying that, you must be quite confident.”
“Of course.” Ji Ma placed her hands on her hips, “I’ve just realized that I really have a talent for writing novels. My books have raised the price of Adolph paper by tenfold—can’t remember, but they’re selling like hotcakes.”
“Good, that’s a good thing.”
“I expect that within a month, I can come up with a thousand legal gold coins. So, you should stop hoping to make me bear children soon.”
“Only a month left?”
“Don’t you feel it’s a pity?” Ji Ma laughed, “I’m a firm anti-natalist. Goodbye.”
She patted her belly in front of George and waved goodbye. Unfortunately, there was no expression on George’s face, which left Ji Ma, who had an excess of performance desire, quite disappointed.
As dinner time approached, after George整理 various documents and certificates, he packed them into cardboard boxes. Ji Ma planned to take them directly to White City in the evening to show the sanctuary.
By the way, in the evening.
Eve Frostleaf returned, carrying a smell of sweat, her long legs drenched in sweat, beside her steed, tied with a string of beastman horns, her face expressionless.
Ji Ma maliciously speculated that this elf was unable to fulfill some kind of need, leading to her involvement with several beastmen.
Thinking like this, she gazed at the string of beastman horns hanging from the elf’s steed and said softly, “What bad luck, becoming a punching bag for the strong, but ultimately it’s still because I’m too weak; can’t blame others.”
Eve Frostleaf, mounted on her steed, turned her face with an icy glare, so cold it seemed to emit frost.
Ji Ma smirked: “I know what you were doing that night.”
Eve Frostleaf said nothing, narrowing her eyes slightly. The cat Li An Xi in Ji Ma’s arms shivered, her fluffy fur and chubby body could hardly resist Eve Frostleaf’s “cold stare.”
Yet the elf’s arrogance and her icy demeanor fell like a powerless arrow before Ji Ma’s thick skin, landing on the castle wall with a ding and dropping to the ground.
Eve Frostleaf rode away without uttering a word.
Later that night, after going to bed.
Ji Ma ran a marathon in her dreams, delivering the related certificates to the sanctuary in White City. Upon returning, her procrastination kicked in, and she didn’t feel like sleeping, planning to go out and have some fun.
Returning to the real world, it was already early morning, the whole city sweetly asleep under the moonlight.
Ji Ma flapped her wings, remaining invisible as she flew over rows of houses, feeling like she was sneaking out to do something bad, her mood quite good.
She first went to George’s secluded courtyard and was surprised to find he hadn’t gone to sleep yet.
The paper window was filled with white light, reflecting George’s silhouette as he held a book.
What could he be reading at this hour? Quietly, it couldn’t be some forbidden book, could it?
Curious, Ji Ma decided to find an opportunity to sneak into his room, so she went back home to get her beauty sleep.
