Chapter 215: What Do You Mean What Bookstore?
Chapter 215: What Do You Mean What Bookstore?
“Meow~”
This snow-white cat looked rather chubby, almost resembling a big round ball from the way it sat. In a sense, it seemed quite innocent and cute.
With its head tilted to the side, the white cat watched the two trespassers with its large yellow eyes in a manner that could be deemed ‘adorable.’
But under the current circumstance, this movement appeared extremely menacing.
The dark elf stopped in her tracks and stared at the cat with a frown. She had a bad feeling about this.
It’s just an ordinary cat… But why do I feel that something isn’t right?
She then surveyed her surroundings. This bookstore seems… really ordinary. Yes, it’s unremarkable; in fact, this bookstore even pales in comparison to normal bookstores.
There weren’t any decorations or many furnishings, just rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with books. Rather than a bookstore, this seemed like a pure book depository.
There was no indication the owner of this bookstore had any desire to attract customers.
After a quick scan, the dark elf’s gaze returned back to the counter. Till now, the cat was still wagging its tail, but it had jumped down the counter.
The countertop seemed much emptier with its absence and had nothing noteworthy as with the rest of the place.
Due to its apparently obese physique, the white cat’s strides were unsteady as it wobbled toward the dark elf, purring as it did so.
The dark elf had the sudden urge to retreat, but she forcefully willed herself from doing so.
Squelch!
She reached down and pulled out the dagger embedded in Sandra’s shoulder. The blade had been laced with poison, illustrated by the brilliant sheen of blue on the bloodstained blade.
“Ugh.”
Prima groaned, her face as white as a sheet. Signs of the spreading poison were now evident; her forehead was riddled with beads of cold sweat, and bluish-green veins had appeared on her neck and were creeping upwards.
With her dagger in a reverse grip, the dark elf maintained a vigilant posture as it watched the cat saunter toward her.
Her mission was complete, and she could leave already.
However, the reputation she had built would’ve gone down the drain if anyone were to find out she had been scared off by a cat.
It’s just a cat…
Taking in a deep breath, the dark elf’s gaze turned fierce and a cold glow flashed across the dagger in her hands. In that split moment, aether had gathered on the blade, forming an extremely sharp edge.
A decisive blow was launched without a single sound.
The white cat in front of her stopped in its tracks momentarily before it was split into two. The area surrounding it received no damage and was untouched.
The force of the strike had been expertly regulated, displaying the absolute might of a Pandemonium-rank.
“Phew…”
The dark elf heaved a sigh of relief. She withdrew her dagger, thinking to herself that this false alarm had been kinda funny.
It was just a cat.
She no longer paid any attention to Prima, whose struggles had gotten weaker with each passing moment. Turning around, she took out a hexagonal crystal and channeled some aether into it. A glowing outline appeared on the crystal before it promptly formed a communication array in the air.
Stalkers didn’t use devices for communication as it made it too easy to be spied on. Although using a simple preset transmission crystal was primitive and consumed more aether, the risks that came along with it were lowered.
The voice on the other end connected quickly enough and asked, “Mission accomplished?”
The weakened Prima’s eyes snapped wide open. This was a voice she had heard before and was in fact one she was very familiar with!
It was Jerome, who was a cousin of hers!
Of course… She gritted her teeth.
Of course, the people from her clan who preferred to break the covenant and find a new protector were behind this. They were the ones who had done something to her sister!
Furthermore, Jerome was also a member of the Truth Union. He had once competed with Margaret for the Head of Medicine position but lost. He must have held this grudge for a long time!
The dark elf nodded. “She’s been struck by my poisoned dagger and is currently lying at my feet. Given her physicality, she will be taking her last breath within three minutes.”
“Very well,” the other party responded. “Hmph, attempting to summon Walpurgis from the dream realm? Such behavior is simply foolish and dangerous; with Walpurgis asleep for thousands of years, who knows what sort of creature she’ll actually summon? She’s just as brainless as her sister!”
The lips of the dark elf twitched. “This doesn’t concern me. All you need to do is pay me. If you dare go back on this agreement, it will be your blood staining my blade next. Are we clear?”
“Naturally, if I were to renege on my words, the organizer of the current Blood Feast will personally deal with me to maintain their reputation even if you didn’t kill me yourself. You would at least believe in Blood Feast, right?”
“As long as you’re clear,” the dark elf sneered. “Speaking of which, that Walpurgis you all believe isn’t all that bright. Perhaps you should change your faith and believe in the Broodmother, just like us.”
Jerome replied with a chuckle, “I have to kindly refuse. Prima’s attempts at summons and divinations were doomed to fail. I had already long foreseen this outcome, even if you didn’t tell me so.
“Walpurgis has been in deep slumber for thousands of years, how could she suddenly awaken now? Only fools like them would continue clinging on to their unwavering beliefs.”
Fiddling with the dropped moon dial on the ground using her heels, the dark elf replied nonchalantly, “No, in truth she seems to have succeeded, though the Primordial Witch led her to a crappy bookstore and straight to her death. Don’t you find that laughable?”
Prima was sprawled across the ground, her body growing numbingly cold. Upon hearing what the dark elf said, her fingers stopped twitching as an exhausted look of utter despair took over her face.
Has… Walpurgis really forsaken her anointed?
Using whatever strength she had left, she raised her head and stared at the nothingness before her…
However, what she saw was two wriggling masses that used to be the white cat squirming and dividing. Its cat form had now ‘disintegrated,’ reduced into something that was seemingly a tangled mass of countless maggots. Tentacles wriggled ceaselessly at the base of its body, and at the same time, a large gap had opened in its center, where a yellow eyeball nearly the same size of its body was forming.
Prima was stunned; even on the brink of death, a sense of extreme hysteria ignited within her.
Above her, Jerome’s laughter echoed from the transmission crystal. “Hahaha, this proves that our choice was right. These nitwits can finally see what their beliefs led to. Walpurgis is still nowhere to be seen… and a bookstore.
“Hahaha… wait!”
His laughter came to an abrupt stop as Jerome asked anxiously, “What bookstore?”
With a frown, the dark elf asked doubtfully, “What do you mean what bookstore? It’s just a very ordinary one. This crappy bookstore doesn’t even have a signboard and only has a bell on the door…”
Jerome was silent for two seconds before he let out a hoarse cry.
“RUN!!!”
“Huh?”
The dark elf was confused as she stared in bafflement at the transmission crystal in her hand, without a clue as to why her client had such a sudden outburst.
And as she stared at the crystal, she noticed the reflection on it — a mass of white tentacles with a giant eyeball at its center staring straight at her.
Before she could even turn around, the dark elf stalker was promptly decapitated with a bite.
Her headless body followed shortly after as it was swallowed by the mass of white tentacles. After the sickening sounds of chewing stopped, the tentacles had once again shrunk back into the shape of a chubby white cat licking its paws.
“Meow… Burp~”