*Bing-Bong!*
We interrupt this chapter to help inform the reader about what the hell is going on with these chapters.
The writer of this work and the [REDACTED] thought it would be easier for people's brains to wrap around parallel stories by doing them in sequential order as opposed to just...random POV shots with a scene transistor.
As such, the sequence is going to be as simple as one, two, three, or in this case, the sequence is going to be Zhen Liu and Jinju Ren, Alice and company, and Alicia and company.
I was also inford that it, and whenever this gets illustrated, the adaptation would have these scenes done on a chapter-by-chapter basis, all beginning with a panel explaining tiline placent.
Either way, we apologize for the inconvenience and will now return to your regularly scheduled chapter.
Thank you.
Also, not that the following chapter will be spoken entirely in Scorch Talk.
...
Are you serious right now? I thought you changed your writing patterns to be more consistent.
|What can I say? Shit happens.|
You're really circling the drain when it cos to your sanity, huh?
| Says the guy who may or may not be a fignt of my imagination. |
Motherfucker, you didn't just say that after you—
*Bing-Bong!*
___________________________________
"Ah, Miss Ren Jia! I see that you did decide to accept my invitation after all," Alain said with obvious joy in his voice. "And you even brought a friend, or rather, a lady-in-waiting. I see you noticed the token I sent was one ant for an entourage."
"Indeed. However, I could only bring one with . My other lady-in-waiting ca down with an unexpected illness. Sothing disagreed with her at lunch."
"Ah."
After settling up with the staff about providing Hermit Zhong Wei so form of bodyguard accommodations, Ren Jia (Jinju Ren) and i Yue (Zhen Liu) entered the private dining room.
Alain was sitting all by his loneso at a table that was clearly designed to accommodate at least eight people or more, with an expectant look in his eyes and an easy smile on his face.
'Well, good to see this man hasn't beco a completely shaless bastard…yet,' i Yue thought to herself as she looked over how the dining room was formatted.
A part of i Yue thought that Alain was going to be bold enough as to only have all the dining placents positioned in the spots that were directly next to him.
Instead, following proper etiquette of the royal nobility, Ren Jia's dining placent was placed directly opposite of Alain's. Additionally, two more dining placents were placed in-between the two of them, one of which was obviously for i Yue. As for the other, the one directly opposite of our protagonist's seat, there was no clear indicator of who that seat was for.
All that could be gleaned from this mont was that a fourth person was joining them for dinner and that they were here before the girls had arrived.
As evident by the presence of a filled water glass and the lack of a napkin on the plate.
As Ren Jia and i Yue took their seats, the latter made sure to ask about this strange discrepancy.
"It appears that you have also brought along a guest. Are they blood brothers or an escort?"
"The forr," Alain answered in a casual tone. "He is actually a friend I had recently made while here in the city. I figured that it would be no fun if your lady-in-waiting was left all by her loneso."
After making this statent, Alain directed his gaze at the empty seat and lightly grimaced.
"Apologies ladies, but just as your lady-in-waiting had suffered from an issue of the stomach and is absent because of it, my companion has yet to realize he is unable to hold his liquor in the slightest."
"Oh hush now, your highness, I can handle my liquor just fine," a posh-accented voice called out into the room.
'Oh no...'
From the mont that voice reached i Yue's ears, she could imdiately tell three things.
First, the voice was enhanced by soone who was at least at the mid Aether King level.
If i Yue hadn't broken through recently, she would've been a bit more nervous about the presence of a powerful warrior like this.
However, now that she was an Aether Lord, i Yue was certain that she could easily punch above her weight class.
Second, there was a strange twinge of an anima mixed into the words, as if the owner of both was trying to hide the fact that they had just attempted to dig into her head.
Thanks to her cultivating [Chaos], i Yue wasn't worried about her mind getting read. Hell, she was more worried about the other guy accidentally getting a splitting headache from trying to pry into places they shouldn't even try to pry.
However, the third detail she noticed about this voice, and that part that got her actually worried, was that it had a very distinctive yet recognizable accent originating from the Stampeding Bison continent.
More specifically, she has only heard this accent from a certain sheep Bloodliner in her life.
Seating themselves in the dining place directly across from her was a sheep Bloodliner with distinctively curly hair and an air of royalty to them that she and Ren Jia were quite familiar with.
"Apologies, mademoiselles, for this improperly tid Introduction," the sheep Bloodliner prince said with a voice that was as smooth as a silk scarf. "You may call Alder Ecaredies. A prince from the Bronze Bell Kingdom and blood brother of Alain."
"Oh, you don't need to say it with such pride," Alain added with a chuckle. "I only saved your life from the maws of a giant lion."
"And let keep the core."
"That I did."
"Oh, how charming," Ren Jia complinted in mock admiration disguised as being genuine. "My na is Ren Jia, princess of the Smoking Rain Kingdom, and this is my lady-in-waiting, i Yue."
"Nice to et you."
'Fuck. Just...fuck," i Yue ntally cursed and lightly grimaced after exchanging greetings.'Does her family just have a natural tendency to make allies with natural enemies?!'
"But enough gossip and gab," Alain declared while grabbing a nu from seemingly out of nowhere. "The dining nu for the evening is set by the chef, but we can at least order so drinks and cocktails."
At this exact mont, i Yue could feel Alder's gaze landing on her. Needless to say, she had the urge to stab him in the eyes.
"Is there sothing on my face?"
"No, I just couldn't help but notice how green your eyes are," Alder complinted. "Like the finest eralds in a royal crown."
"Oh...thank you," i Yue said in gratitude while noticing where Alder's eyes were actually directed towards.
And now she had a good reason to.
While this was happening, the kaijin who were serving as quiet escorts at this ti had their own thoughts on the matter.
...
[Wait, I'm confused,] Corpse Doll asked Blazejudicator. [Why is eting with one of Bellona's cousins a bad thing? I thought family helps family.]
[I think it has to do with the fact that Miss Ecaredies's family is in the middle of a violent succession war,] Porcelain Doll pointed out. [So any contact with any mber of her family could be considered risky at best, or violent at worst.]
[Nailed it in one,] Blazejudicator praised Porcelain Doll, [but you forgot to factor in the fact that if Bellona's family is making friends with people like Alain, then there is a very high possibility that Buzza is involved. And if Buzza is involved, that ans Grafted warriors may be involved as well.]
[...]
The Doll Twins were silent at this revelation, doing their best to process what exactly this ant for them and their Caretaker.
Honestly, it didn't take them that long, but the observation they had in relation to this was honestly more terrifying.
[Wait... didn't the curators ntion that it was weird that all of the Caretaker's old enemies seed to be gathering here for no clear reason?] Corpse Doll asked. [But what if that reason is because of one of his old enemies?]
[What do you an?] Porcelain Doll asked, wanting to understand her sister's thought process.
[Well...while we were at the library, one of the books I skimd through had a line reading sothing about how if sothing happens once it's happenstance; twice, it's a coincidence,and three tis it's enemy planning,] Corpse Doll explained. [And right now, Caretaker is dealing with three different group of enemies all gathering in the sa city as the next inheritance he is trying to claim. Is it possible that soone knows sothing we don't?]
[That...huh.]
...anwhile, at the library...
Hearing Corpse Doll's idea, Logos and Pathos stayed dead silent as they looked at each other and did a series of gestures that they knew couldn't be tapped.
Sharing a possibility that scared the shit out of them.
User Comments
0 comments from readers