Chapter 214 - 211: In Big Trouble

Chapter 214: Chapter 211: In Big Trouble

To begin with, the Guardians would certainly be on high alert when the creature inside the cell showed signs of a crisis.

But honestly, Lazov knew that whether or not they initially went in to provide emergency aid, they would eventually have to enter and retrieve the body once all signs pointed to the creature’s "death."

Even Tao Xingzhi, who was standing to the side, had to admit that if it were him, he wouldn’t be willing to abandon the "body" and let it rot in the cell either.

After Jiutian finished asking that question, no one, including him, said another word.

They watched the events unfold in silence. A dozen or so Soldiers aimed their high-intensity tactical flashlights at the light fixtures on the cell’s ceiling, using them as an extra light source. The light scattered off the reflective surfaces, increasing visibility throughout the room.

Qin Xiaoxia and Mo Shaoge watched Hama Pi from above.

Doudou’s actual height was similar to Hama Pi’s, but the disguise from his Secret Realm Power made him appear about two heads shorter than Qin Xiaoxia. This change affected more than just his appearance; Doudou’s Visual Sense was adjusted to the same height, so for once, he was also looking down on someone.

Hama Pi got up, trembling, and faced the three black-robed figures. Despite feeling uncomfortably dizzy, he still maintained the most humble posture of a half-bow.

Akenis was the proper name for their race, while Ear-Piercing Monster was a somewhat discriminatory and insulting term used by outsiders.

The terrifying Magic Controller had gotten angry over his little attempt at being clever. Judging by the switch in terminology, Hama Pi realized the Magic Controller knew his race very well.

For a Magic Controller of this level, language was no longer a barrier to communication.

Hama Pi maintained a pained smile on his wrinkled face, one that looked worse than if he were crying.

He begged for mercy in the sharp, unpleasant native tongue of the Akenis.

Qin Xiaoxia’s control over Magic Power had now reached a new level; he could even perform incredible feats with it.

For instance, to ensure Mo Shaoge and Doudou could understand—as Doudou’s Magic Power was too low—he wrapped his own Magic Power around Hama Pi’s neck.

Through the vibrations of his own Magic Power, he helped Hama Pi vocalize, effectively creating a linguistic Magic Resonance with external assistance. The process even preserved the Ear-Piercing Monster’s unpleasant accent.

Hama Pi could feel the foreign Magic Power attached to him, but he didn’t dare resist.

"Respected, uh..."

The moment he spoke, Hama Pi froze for a second before immediately realizing what was happening.

"Respected, great Magic Controllers, I meant you no offense! I, Hama Pi, am an honest and law-abiding merchant. I wouldn’t dare do anything bad. I’m a total victim..."

He rambled on and on, only stopping when he felt he had nothing left to add to demonstrate his "frailty and kindness."

Although the cameras in the cell were broken, a significant number of the more numerous audio receivers were still working. Thus, his words were heard verbatim by the Special Security Team and the Guardian force outside.

However, the machine’s transmission obviously couldn’t include the Magic Resonance component, so what they heard was just a sharp, grating, and chaotic language, the content of which was completely incomprehensible.

Still, they dared not miss a single detail. They started recording and assigned personnel to note key moments, trying to match the creature’s expressions to the inflections in its speech. They hoped to decipher parts of the language by cross-referencing it with whatever the three mysterious figures said.

Only after Hama Pi finished speaking did Qin Xiaoxia retort with a hint of a smile.

"I admit there are many outstanding merchants among the Akenis, but it seems none of you have ever been associated with kindness, have you?"

These words made Hama Pi’s face, which was trying hard to show a sorrowful expression, freeze.

"Speak. How did you get to this world?"

Hearing this, Hama Pi’s eyes darted around. He was about to answer truthfully but felt it was too risky. After several ideas flashed through his mind, he came up with what he considered a perfect story.

"Respected Magic Controller, I’m a member of the Trade Association... ahem, an honorary member. In fact, I was trying to observe this world before, but there was a small accident, and I suddenly fell into it. And the natives here..."

He had been about to bad-mouth them, but then he looked at the physique of the mysterious Magic Controller before him, which seemed similar to the natives’. Hama Pi slammed on the brakes and changed his tune.

"The natives here... gave me a warm welcome..."

Qin Xiaoxia glanced at the mostly healed bullet hole in Hama Pi’s arm. ’It seems their welcome was very warm indeed.’

As for Hama Pi’s so-called "honorary membership," he doubted its credibility. The claim about observing this world also sounded like an exaggeration.

All the mutations and Demons he had encountered to this day had not entered the Earth World intentionally; every one of them seemed to have arrived by accident.

According to what Doudou had said back then, aside from those lucky enough to pass through the World Wall, many were blocked outside it, while some were trapped in its crevices.

He estimated that while some with extremely strong Life Force could survive for a while, most of those blocked by the Power of the World wouldn’t last long. Being cut off in the Void outside the world barrier was like a human being in outer space; unless they were incredibly powerful, they would definitely die.

The Power of the World was indeed showing signs of slowly weakening, but Qin Xiaoxia didn’t believe the bullshit about this Hama Pi having the ability to actively do something to Earth’s World Wall.

The Trade Association, however, did pique his interest.

"With your pathetic amount of Magic Power? Heh heh heh heh..."

Other than Mo Shaoge, who actually believed him, even Doudou knew it was a lie. Hearing his big bro’s soft laughter, Doudou couldn’t help but shiver.

’Trying to pull a fast one on my big bro? This guy must have a death wish.’

"Weak little Akenis, I’m afraid you have no idea what kind of world you’ve come to, do you?"

His tone was deep and grim, laced with thick sarcasm.

It made Hama Pi feel uncontrollably uneasy.

"Did you realize you’ve arrived in a completely unfamiliar world?"

"Heh, did you realize you’ve never seen any of the creatures here before?"

A faint but extremely intimidating purple light flickered in Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes. It was the spontaneous condensation of Magic Power, a projection of the highly active source of magic deep within his soul.

"And did you... perhaps think you’d stumbled into a treasure trove?"

With each question, Hama Pi’s expression shifted slightly. Though the movements were subtle, none escaped Qin Xiaoxia’s discerning gaze.

’Hmph. As I thought, this guy was just bluffing.’

The sense of unease in Hama Pi’s heart was growing.

As a merchant among the Akenis, no matter how unimpressive he was in other aspects, he had worked hard to learn the tools of his trade. He knew of numerous worlds open to contact. In fact, he arguably knew more than most Elves, Magical Creatures, and other sapient life forms.

But he had never heard of this world. Everything here was so unfamiliar. Perhaps this would be normal if he had ended up in a dilapidated or ruined world. It would even be plausible if he had, against all odds, stumbled upon a newborn world.

But Earth was clearly not like that. Setting aside everything else, one point alone—the sheer richness of its species—was enough to shatter all those theories.

A world with such abundant life could definitely compare to several of the famous, major worlds. It absolutely shouldn’t be unheard of, let alone completely unknown!

Hama Pi started sweating again involuntarily, feeling as though he had gotten himself into some serious trouble.

Qin Xiaoxia extended his right arm from beneath his cloak. The Dawn Seal on his palm shone with a clear, bright light under the fluctuations of his Magic Power.

"The organization you speak of could not possibly know of this place. Even if they did, given the Akenis’ nature, they wouldn’t dare make contact..."

His voice grew lower and lower, until the listening devices could no longer pick it up. His speech slowed until he was enunciating every single word. His tone became heavier and heavier, until Hama Pi was crushed by the weight of it and collapsed onto the floor.

"The ancient world shrouded in dark clouds... the shifting realm hidden within the Void... the birthplace of the primeval Dark Tide... Since you’ve come... I’m afraid... you’ll never be able to leave..."

The vibrations of Magic Power made the entire cell tremble with a low RUMBLE.

PS: Chapter two for Tuesday.

Chapter three will be late. You can read it tomorrow.

I took on this frustrating design freelance gig last year, and it’s still dragging on. They’ve recently started demanding all sorts of changes again, and they still haven’t paid me! It’s infuriating! Infuriating! Infuriating!