Chapter 68: Talk Therapy
The night raven let out an unpleasant caw. Tide Hunter took out her source bow, her expression puzzled. The aura of Mrs. Kingsley fluctuated between strong and weak, making it difficult for her to tell whether this was an ordinary person or a transcendent.
"Sorry, Tide Hunter, I brought some healing medicine with me."
Mrs. Kingsley's words only deepened Tide Hunter's confusion.
"Remarkable technique."
Su Xiao examined Mrs. Kingsley. He was certain she was an ordinary person, lacking the transcendent aptitude of this world, yet moments ago, she had used transcendent power.
"Let's make a trade. I'll exchange this secret technique."
As Mrs. Kingsley spoke, the rod-whip in her hand turned into a fluid, eventually compressing into a ring that clicked shut around her pinky finger.
After a moment of hesitation, Mrs. Kingsley removed the ring from her finger and tossed it to Su Xiao.
With a snap, Su Xiao caught the ring thrown by Mrs. Kingsley. This was an unexpected gain.
"Bai Ye, you saw the actual effect. Sorry, Tide Hunter."
Mrs. Kingsley raised one hand and knelt on the ground, signaling that she had no strength left to resist. This move was clever on her part. First, she used her protective item to show that although she was a weak woman without transcendent power, she wasn't completely defenseless. Second, while demonstrating this technique, she used it to buy temporary safety, waiting for her husband to come to her rescue.
Blindly enduring was not an option. The punch she threw at Tide Hunter was carefully calculated. First, she had a personal relationship with Tide Hunter; hitting her wouldn't immediately provoke a disproportionate retaliation. At the same time, it showed that if she were truly cornered, she would do anything. She could temporarily comply, but she was not someone to be easily bullied.
No wonder Kingsley was confident in letting this plan proceed. It was partly because he understood Su Xiao, and partly because he trusted his wife.
"Xili."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, Xili ran to an old warehouse, opened the door, and revealed a brand-new vehicle inside.
Xili retrieved a glass cylinder as thick as an arm and half a meter long from the car, quickly returned to Su Xiao's side, and unsealed the cylinder's opening.
Su Xiao placed the ring in his hand into the solution. A large number of bubbles appeared.
"After detaching from the adapter, how long can the 'N775-Count' be preserved in an inert solution?"
Su Xiao's question made Mrs. Kingsley fall silent for a few seconds.
"Probably... about five days."
After saying this, Mrs. Kingsley felt a deep sense of helplessness. Everything had been planned in advance. Her use of the 'N715-Count' to resist was fully accounted for, and the inert solution had been prepared beforehand.
"So, are you ready to show me the characteristics of the 'J615-Queen'?"
"I didn't bring it... Ah~"
Mrs. Kingsley thought better of it. Lying was pointless. This was someone who could play chess with her husband. She removed her earrings, which were the 'J615-Queen,' one of the Eclipse Organization's unique technologies.
Whether it was the 'N715-Count' or the 'J615-Queen,' each could only undergo a single individual adaptation. Once resonated with the adapter, no one else could use them. These items allowed ordinary people to use transcendent power for a period of time, generating invisible energy shields and physical enhancements, while also constructing two forms of weapons.
A moment later, everyone got back into the car. Tide Hunter in the back seat remained on constant guard, afraid that Mrs. Kingsley might punch her again.
The scenery outside the window blurred past. Mrs. Kingsley in the back seat made a move to raise her hand, and Tide Hunter immediately tensed up. Mrs. Kingsley smiled helplessly.
"How about this, Tide Hunter? You punch me too?"
"Alright..."
"I know you can't bear to."
"You're mistaken..."
"Look, isn't it beautiful?"
Mrs. Kingsley raised her left hand, a gemstone bracelet pinched between her fingers. This was a gift Kingsley had given her before their marriage, discovered in some ancient ruins. The gemstone contained an illusory shimmer, breathtakingly beautiful, as if it held the radiance of countless worlds within.
"It's... passable."
Tide Hunter turned her head away, using the gesture to show her disdain.
"It's a gift for you, as a token of our friendship."
Mrs. Kingsley smiled as she fastened the gemstone bracelet onto Tide Hunter's wrist.
"Friendship? You just punched me."
"Exactly, that was the affirmation of our friendship."
"You're shameless."
"I'm not shameless."
Mrs. Kingsley said this with a smile.
"You..."
Tide Hunter turned around, and a finger smeared with ointment touched her face. A cool sensation spread.
"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"
"I'm a warrior. This little injury..."
"I knew it. You don't care."
"Uh~"
Tide Hunter had nothing to say. Before long, she wasn't as angry anymore.
After successfully mending her friendship with Tide Hunter, Mrs. Kingsley shifted her target. She didn't plan to escape, but she wanted to secure better treatment while being held captive.
"Xili, you're not young anymore. You should start thinking about family matters."
"Heh."
Xili let out a contemptuous laugh.
"Emily is also at the age to settle down. I think you two are a good match."
At Mrs. Kingsley's words, Xili's foot unconsciously pressed harder on the accelerator. Emily, such a familiar name. Countless nights of longing, and the fantasy object of his escapades. But she didn't see him as worthy.
"Heh."
Xili let out another contemptuous laugh. He was resolute.
"Ah~ Poor Emily. What kind of man will she meet? Will he cherish her? Who will she share her bed with? Whose children will she bear? When they get married, will you go, Xili?"
"Hahahahaha, I won't!"
Xili laughed, but then suddenly felt as if life had lost its color. He felt like a complete fool, with an inexplicable green tint over his head.
"Look at you, so scared. Emily mentioned you to me. In her impression, you're an annoying man."
"I knew it."
Xili shook his head with a smile and continued driving, eyes fixed ahead.
"Do you know, Xili? When women dislike something, as long as it doesn't exceed a certain limit, they develop a bit of curiosity. You're a high-ranking official of the organization, a powerful transcendent, a mysterious figure of the night. Guess what? Do you think Emily might be curious about you? If I often bring you up to her, what would happen then?"
"Commander, save me! Your subordinate is facing an unprecedented trial!"
"Shut up and drive."
Su Xiao, who was leaning back in the passenger seat resting, spoke in a calm tone.
"Yes!"
Xili straightened his back.
"Bai Ye, you're too harsh..."
"You shut up too, or I'll stuff you in the trunk."
"Alright."
Mrs. Kingsley dared not speak anymore. The car fell silent.
The vehicle sped along at full speed, eventually driving into a manor. Through the moonlight outside the window, Mrs. Kingsley could vaguely make out the scene in the courtyard. On either side of the gravel path were large flower fields, and the retro castle ahead looked increasingly familiar. She suddenly realized—wasn't this one of her and her husband's residences? They just hadn't lived here in a long time.
Realizing where she was, Mrs. Kingsley knew it was over. No matter how hard the Eclipse Organization's members racked their brains, they would never think she was here.
The car stopped. Everyone got out and walked into the castle. Bubu Wang, Baha, and Amu were already waiting there.
When they reached the second floor of the castle, Mrs. Kingsley noticed that all the servants inside were female. This secretly relieved her. If she were guarded by men, it would be very inconvenient.
Su Xiao casually picked a bedroom and walked in. He lay down on the bed and fell asleep immediately. Since the Western Continent war began, he hadn't had a proper chance to rest. There were still many dangerous tasks ahead, and he needed to stay in peak condition.
In the third-floor bedroom of the castle, Mrs. Kingsley looked at the fully stocked items and felt a mix of emotions. Strangely, the baby in her arms never cried. Even when it woke up, it just stared around with its big, round eyes, occasionally smiling—a stark contrast to ordinary infants.
That night in Garman City, there wasn't much commotion. The Eclipse Organization's members remained restrained. Although their leader's wife was missing, they knew who was responsible. The reason behind this move was that the Eclipse Organization had sheltered the three knights of the Western Continent.
It wasn't until dawn that the undercurrents in Garman City began to calm down a bit. Then Kingsley himself appeared. He went alone to the organization's headquarters.
Kingsley stayed at the headquarters for less than half an hour before leaving, his expression grim. All the high-ranking officials from various factions who knew about this understood one thing: something big was about to happen.
That afternoon, in the parliament hall of the Southern Alliance, several council members were present, along with two white-haired old men. The atmosphere was oppressive, as the organization and the Eclipse Organization were on the verge of war again.
"Kukulin Bai Ye has gone mad. Soon, Kingsley will be a madman too. I'm wondering if Garman City will be leveled to the ground by them."
The old man with the hooked nose scowled, his gaze sweeping around. All the alliance council members who met his eyes either lowered their heads or looked away.
The hooked-nose old man, Alexander, looked around and felt deeply disappointed. At this critical moment, no one could step up.
Alexander knew the situation was dire. Half a month ago, the two big shots governing the transcendent beings of the Southern Continent had clashed, even fighting. That time, it was just over seizing the dangerous object S-006 (Mermaid). Now, only half a month later, these two big shots were about to fight again, this time in Garman City, to the death. Who could endure this? How were people supposed to live?