The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness Chapter 532: Before the Storm

"Yeluer, how are the preparations?"

Inside a secluded building, a bird swooped down from the night sky and landed on a perch specially prepared for parrots.

Only, this building—temporarily converted into a research institute—had yet to house any parrots, and there were barely any researchers either. The robin looked out over the entire space, and only then, amid a pile of scattered precision instrunts, caught sight of an old man dozing with his legs crossed.

The robin froze for a mont, and a flash of anger imdiately crossed its eyes:

"YELUER!!"

"Mm..."

Yeluer muttered twice and slowly woke up, looking just as irritable:

"Who is it... I said it already, don’t bother late at night. Who’s got no sense— I’ll— ah, Mister Robin!"

After seeing the black bird in the distance with its gloomy expression, Yeluer finally stopped complaining and got up at a leisurely pace.

"You didn’t even tell you were coming. I could’ve welcod you properly."

Though his words were polite enough, there was not the slightest reverence on Yeluer’s face. He picked up the coffee cup beside him, glanced at it, and yawned unhurriedly.

"In the middle of the night, an old man’s sleep is very important."

"When I go sowhere, do I need to report it to you?"

The robin replied with a smile that wasn’t a smile, hopping over to the table piled with chaotic docunts and casually flipping through them.

"The things I told you to prepare—how are they?"

"What things?"

"Don’t play dumb with !"

"Oh my, don’t be angry. When people get old, their mory gets a bit worse. Besides, the assistants I was used to working with all suddenly disappeared. Forgetting a few things occasionally is only normal."

Yeluer continued pouring himself coffee that had long since gone cold, still unhurried.

"Most of it is already done."

"Only... most?"

The robin tilted its head, examining Yeluer, a cold gleam flashing through its pitch-black eyes.

"Yeluer, you should understand that the Inner Council’s tolerance for you is limited—"

"Oh my, oh my, let finish first. Don’t be so impatient, it’s bad for the heart."

Interrupting the robin, Yeluer set down his coffee cup, carefully lifted his leg, and stepped over the clutter on the floor that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in ages, walking to the far end of the laboratory.

"Although it’s still not perfect, it should already be enough to et your requirents."

Yeluer snapped his fingers.

Snap.

The magic stone lit up, and a bright light instantly illuminated the space before him.

The massive object hidden in the darkness finally revealed its cold outline.

This was... a cultivation tank.

An enormous cultivation tank, almost like a family swimming pool.

Green solution filled it completely, emitting a gloomy, deep green glow through the glass, like the netherworld itself.

The robin also walked over to the tank, tilting its head and carefully observing the interior.

Within the shadowy liquid, a slender figure suddenly appeared. Sensing the movent outside, it swam over nimbly.

It was a young girl, probably only thirteen or fourteen. Waist-long hair drifted in the solution like seaweed. Every part of her naked body revealed the immaturity belonging to her age.

Yet on that pale skin were dense stitching marks, and the color of so pieces of flesh was even paler, as though they had not originally belonged to her.

She drifted through the liquid like a rmaid, curiously examining the man and the bird outside through the glass of the tank.

"Has her sanity recovered?"

A trace of gravity appeared on the robin’s face.

"No."

Yeluer replied, "In fact, the beast blood inside her is so thick that it reached that previous level. Her sanity was already completely erased and annihilated long ago. What remains now should only be instinct... the few instincts that still belong to being human."

"She looks very quiet right now. Harmless."

The robin looked at the girl before it. Compared to the old man, she seed far more interested in the bird, lightly patting the glass with her small hand.

"Of course. I injected a large amount of stabilizers into the cultivation solution. As long as she stays inside, she’ll «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» be very obedient. Extrely obedient."

Yeluer leaned forward to observe as well. Despite watching her countless tis every day, he still couldn’t help but feel admiration at this mont:

"What a marvelous creation. Before seeing her, I never imagined that in this world, there could be soone whose beast-blood lineage was concentrated to such an extent. Just the blood extracted from her alone is enough to concoct dicine that turns people into monsters."

"Power that cannot be controlled is nothing more than a source of disaster."

The robin sneered. "When she was sent to us, that body had almost been torn to pieces by her own madness, yet her heart was still beating. That terrifying sight was hardly sothing to envy."

"That’s why I’m here—why I, the genius, am here!"

Yeluer pressed his whole body against the cultivation tank, his face filled with fanaticism.

"Only I can make her control the beast blood within her. Only I... can fully excavate the potential inside her body, and even, through her body, completely master that technology... Mister Robin, you understand, don’t you? That technology—that’s sothing that might actually change this world!"

"Heh heh. Of course. Isn’t that exactly where your value lies?"

As if thinking of sothing, a trace of enthusiasm also surfaced in the robin’s eyes.

"But now isn’t the ti to talk about that. If we cannot obtain the support of the authority we want, all of this will ultimately be nothing but a mirage. Those ignorant fools will never allow you to continue down this path. After all, to them... this of yours is a so-called taboo."

The robin tilted its head and looked at Yeluer. "If we fail, you and your research will both be completely erased from this world. Do you understand?"

"I understand, of course I understand. I know this is a road with no turning back. But taboo, taboo..."

Yeluer raised both hands high. In his cloudy pupils, strange and scorching light flickered.

"But it is precisely these things that ordinary people cannot touch that are so... intoxicating!"

...

...

The weather was overcast, dark clouds pressing down.

Belrand still looked peaceful, yet beneath that veneer of peace, sothing unseen seed to be surging, making the atmosphere in every street and alley feel stifling.

At a hidden street corner, Muen jumped down from the carriage and bid farewell to Celicia.

"Everything I said to you before—just forget it."

"Those things?"

"The things about asking you for help."

Muen adjusted the brim of his hat and smiled.

"Things are different from before now. I have the resources of the entire ducal residence, my father’s influence within the royal faction, and the appeal of the First Prince himself. At least on paper, I’m no longer afraid of those rats of the Inner Council who only dare hide in the shadows, so there’s no need for you to wade into this muddy water.

"Besides, looking at the current situation, you really aren’t suited to step into this kind of ss right now. It’s better for you to remain neutral and stay out of it."

"..."

Celicia remained expressionless, staring at Muen with a cold gaze.

After a long while, her statue-like body finally shifted. She nodded lightly.

"Indeed. It would be inconvenient for ."

"Then... let’s say goodbye for now."

Muen waved his hand. After saying goodbye, his figure quickly disappeared into the shadows at the far end of the street.

Celicia watched his retreating back and fell into silence.

She didn’t know how much ti passed before she lowered the carriage curtain again and had the carriage head toward the small residence where she lived.

In the darkness, she closed her eyes in thought.

"President!"

After an unknown amount of ti, the carriage ca to a stop. Veil, who had already been waiting outside, bounced over like an excited little sparrow.

"You’re finally back!"

"Veil, go get paper and a pen."

Without sparing a mont for greetings, Celicia gave the order directly.

"Eh?"

Though confused, Veil obediently brought the writing supplies.

Inside the carriage, Celicia held the quill pen and stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her for a long ti.

It wasn’t until Veil outside had grown impatient and craned her neck, trying to sneak a peek, that Celicia suddenly began to write. Relying on her mory, she wrote na after na onto the page.

After pondering for a mont, she crossed out so nas and added others, then handed the paper to Veil.

"This is?"

"Everyone listed on there—investigate them all."

Celicia paused for a mont, then said:

"Use our covert lines within the Central Intelligence Departnt. As soon as possible."