Chapter 294: Guilt

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Guilt

She looked at Black Herta, her voice steady but carrying a hint of imperceptible tension: "Madam Herta... what is the’surprise’ this time?"

Black Herta looked at Kafka’s "I’m in a very bad mood, you’d better have a reasonable excuse" expression, feeling helpless inside.

She maintained a calm tone and got straight to the point:

"To make a long story short. Phantylia’s absence is an accident. The reason is inconvenient to detail, but it does not directly conflict with our core goals."

Kafka’s brows furrowed even tighter: "An accident? An accident that can make a Lord Ravager ’disappear’ from the script?"

"It involves a higher-order... entertainment."

Black Herta vaguely glossed over the blame on Aha and directly offered a solution, "But the Xianzhou Luofu script needs to progress. Therefore, I will provide an alternative."

"An alternative?" Kafka raised an eyebrow.

"I will temporarily take Phantylia’s place."

Black Herta calmly stated this plan that sounded a bit absurd, "Trigger the necessary crisis, guide the predetermined conflict, and at the appropriate time... exit."

Kafka fell silent.

She scrutinized Black Herta, seemingly evaluating the feasibility and risks of this proposal.

Let this mysterious and cryptic "Madam Herta" take the place of the Lord Ravager Phantylia?

(Can she grasp the scale of a ’villainous boss’ well enough not to actually tear apart the Luofu?)

(Will she take the opportunity to smuggle in her own agenda and disrupt other parts of the script?)

The risk is high.

But right now... there seems to be no better choice.

Elio’s script cannot be broken here; the Astral Express has already arrived, and the undercurrents of the Luofu are already surging.

"...Can you handle it perfectly?"

Kafka finally asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Naturally," Black Herta replied, as she herself was also considered a Lord Ravager.

Kafka was silent again for a few seconds.

Finally, she nodded slightly.

"...Very well."

Her voice regained some of its languor, but still carried caution, "But we need to agree on some ’bottom lines’. Your scope of action, degree of interference, and the method and timing of your final ’exit’ must conform to the grand framework of the script. I will provide the necessary ’lines’ and’scene cues’."

"Reasonable."

Black Herta agreed, "The details of our cooperation can be finalized later. Now, I need to familiarize myself with the character, and... the current stage setting of the Luofu."

Kafka looked deeply at Black Herta: "I hope this time... it will be a pleasant cooperation, Madam Herta."

"Likewise," Black Herta slightly nodded, her figure slowly merging back into the shadows and disappearing.

Silver Wolf only then fully emerged from behind Kafka, patting her chest: "You scared me to death... popping out suddenly. Kafka, do you really trust her? Letting her replace Phantylia?"

Kafka gazed in the direction where Black Herta had disappeared, her dark red eyes deep: "Trust or not, I have to. The script must continue. And..."

Her lips curled into an ambiguous arc, "Letting her replace ’Phantylia’... perhaps, it will be more interesting than the original, and... more controllable."

Xianzhou Luofu · Baiheng’s Courtyard

The wind was cool, brushing past the aged Chinese viburnum tree in the courtyard, bringing about a rustling sound.

On the stone table, a cup of clear tea emitted wisps of steam.

Baiheng sat on the stone stool, the round black sunglasses she used for disguise already taken off and placed by her side.

She lowered her head, her azure eyes focused on the faintly glowing Jade Abacus screen in her hand, her fingertips tapping on it quickly and gently.

On the screen was her chat interface with Jingliu.

The conversation between the two had been going on for some time.

From Jingliu’s initially somewhat stiff greeting ("There?"), to Baiheng’s cautious response, and then to Jingliu seemingly casually bringing up some trivial matters from the past, discussions on swordsmanship, and even opinions on certain current situations in the Luofu...

Baiheng tried hard to play the role of a "traveling merchant junior who met by chance and holds respect for the former Sword Master," answering cautiously and modestly, occasionally revealing just the right amount of "admiration" and "curiosity."

She had to admire Jingliu; even through the Jade Abacus, the former Sword Master’s questions always managed to get to the point, carrying a kind of insight that went straight to the core, forcing her to be on high alert to handle them.

However, Jingliu’s words, in the seemingly straightforward small talk, quietly laid traps.

She mentioned details of a private swordsmanship practice location belonging to "Baiheng" that only a very few people knew about.

She mentioned a small, insignificant yet memorable episode from a certain battle that only occurred when "Baiheng" was present.

She even described, in a calm tone, an improved archery technique that only "Baiheng" would use, and "asked for advice" on Baiheng’s opinion of it.

Every detail was like a soft yet tough thread, winding around her.

Baiheng’s answers could maintain distance at first, but gradually, in the face of those details that were too familiar and carried too many shared memories, her defenses developed cracks.

Especially when Jingliu mentioned certain habits, certain smiles, and certain unfulfilled promises of a "late friend" in a tone so calm it was almost sorrowful...

Guilt.

The guilt, buried deep in her heart, accumulated over the years, and never dissipated, flooded over Baiheng like a tide.

Guilt towards Jingliu, guilt for failing to prevent the tragedy, guilt for "being alive" but unable to meet in her true form...

Once again, after Jingliu used a seemingly inconsequential question to stir up Baiheng’s surging memories and emotional fluctuations, Jingliu suddenly typed a line on the Jade Abacus:

[Jingliu: So, you actually saw that green meteor back then, but you deliberately said you didn’t, wanting me to watch the night sky for a while longer, right?]

Baiheng’s fingers froze above the screen.

(That green meteor... only she and I knew...)

(I was indeed...)

Her heart contracted violently.

Reason told her this might be a trap.

But emotionally, under the impact of that surging guilt and complex old sentiments, her fingers had already uncontrollably pressed the send button:

[Bai Xing: Hmm... yes.]

The moment the message was sent, Baiheng regretted it.

But it was too late.

The Jade Abacus screen remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, Jingliu’s new message popped up, only a few short words, but like a thunderclap, it exploded in Baiheng’s mind:

[Jingliu: So, you are Baiheng, right?]

Baiheng stared blankly at that line of text; in her azure eyes, all the disguises, all the caution, and all the struggles, at this moment, peeled away piece by piece like shattered glass.

Her hand holding the Jade Abacus dropped powerlessly, and a smile of extreme bitterness appeared at the corner of her mouth.

(I fell into the trap.)

(From beginning to end... she was waiting for this moment.)

(And I... as expected, still cannot perfectly keep up the disguise in front of her.)

She leaned against the cold stone backrest, looking up at the patch of sky cut out by the eaves, and sighed silently.

Having evaded for so long, disguised for so long... in the end, the time to face it had arrived.

------------------------

I’ve posted 70+ Chapters in advance on Patreon.

Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.

It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?

[email protected]/SolyuraMT

"And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"