He heard her voice calling out for him from behind."J-James." Her voice was breaking when she uttered it. Margarette instinctively called out, feeling like she would deeply regret it if she didn"t.
However Jiang Li felt too tired, with no whatsoever energy to even look over his shoulder. It was the kind of exhaustion that clings to the spirit. It had silently acc.u.mulated for hundreds of years, suppressed by the bit of fulfillment and happiness from the previous lifetimes. Yet now that a sad realization had been triggered by Margarette, it was like his heart was suddenly too heavy and weary.
The system"s automated voice rang just then. "Host."
"Please let me remind you that you only have ten seconds before the boost ends."
He paused for a second before absentmindedly nodding to show that he understood. "Anything else?"
"Yes. You haven"t answered my previous question yet," it said. "Would you like to leave for the next world now?"
"No." It was an answer uttered with no hesitation or need to be pondered over.
She was right. Outside was a big word that could mean the whole world, not just the backyard of her cold mansion or the chaotic continent of Mu. The definition of "a while" also depends on the speaker. It could be a minute, or a decade.
For now, Jiang Li had no definite plans, aside from not returning for "a while", The system too did not ask anymore sensing that all Jiang Li knew was he needed some long period of peace and quiet.
…
In the s.p.a.ce where the child spirit was confined, the child spirit watched with a complicated expression as the fortune-teller exited the world, forced out by the hostile consciousness.
In his vision was the violet-robed woman staring into the direction of the royal palace with black lines emerging on her forehead. She looked extremely displeased. A moment later, she could be seen glaring into his direction as if she could see him.
"Is that woman aware of who my host or Margarette is?" the child spirit wondered, ignoring the unmasked aggression directed his way.
"If this is the case, is Dong Lan made to accompany my host to disrupt his purpose? Or to a.s.sist him?"
Even now, the child spirit had no idea why the woman had come for Jiang Li and why she caused all those troubles. The last conversation only hinted that she knew something and wanted to get in touch with his master. Since he did not know her goal and only knew all the annoying things she did, his impression of the mother and son pair was not good. It would most likely remain that way even if those two did their best to a.s.sist Jiang Li or curry favor to the child spirit.
If the fortune-teller wanted to mess up with his missions…
Amidst the uncanny darkness, the child spirit frowned before choosing to relinquish the thoughts. "I choose to kill the bridge when I get there… Uhhh, cross the bridge rather… Why do humans have so many nonsensical idioms?"
His eyes then went to his "host" who had reappeared somewhere in the border of the Holon Kingdom.
When he saw that Jiang Li had pa.s.sed out inside an inn due to exhaustion and emptied mana reservoir, he felt pity for the guy. If his guess was correct, the man planned to set out for the other continents after ensuring Agatha"s crisis had pa.s.sed.
As part of him was in Jiang Li"s brain, he was aware of the man"s desire to leave the land of Mu as soon as possible. It was either to teach both himself and Margarette a lesson or for another reason, but he couldn"t do so without making sure Agatha would not die from House White"s schemes. While it was admirable for the man to have this sense of responsibility, it was also quite a pity.
Jiang Li could have just continued doing what he was doing for days, yet everything almost fell apart due to tonight"s events.
The child spirit directed his blaming gaze towards Margarette.
The latter had finally regained mobility. She was now looking blankly at the door.
Was she finally regretting because she disappointed Jiang Li? Or because her actions forced the "vessel" of her adored general to flee from her?
To people from where the master of the child spirit had come from, it was not a secret that he disliked the woman. Actually, the woman was disliked by many in that realm, and there were many reasons for that. When the master chose to help the woman ensure her survival in every world, he was one of those who heavily protested.
"Master, she"s a despicable person, a villainess! Why should we go to that length to help her? It"s her who made the mistake, she should own it and stop dragging others into her mess!"
His master, back then, only smiled before replying. "Say no more. I"ve made up my mind. I wronged her, so she wronged the whole realm. I have to make it up for her."
Even now, the child spirit couldn"t understand the master"s decision.
Since he couldn"t understand, he began to dislike that villainess more.
It was probably the reason why he felt no sympathy as he watched the woman cry after being left by Jiang Li.
He coldly harrumphed. "You seem nice in the previous world. But are you thinking I don"t know you have long discovered me and my host?"
"Even though you forgot so many things and only have your instincts, you still have the ability and inclination to commit evil. Heh. User. It is obvious you purposely made him fall for you and attach to you because you learn that he"s essentially immortal. Is your goal to make him your s.h.i.+eld from the calamity your incarnations will face? So now that you achieved the goal, you"re instinctively showing who you really are? "
Below, in the mansion, all the lamps had been blown away when Margarette screamed out her frustrations at the top of her lungs. She started breaking things with one hand clutching her chest. It was the first time in her life that she felt this hopeless. Because she knew it was she who messed it up.
The searing pain which she had yet to identify as heartache or damaged pride burned in her heart. Margarette"s head was momentarily not as sharp as before so she couldn"t see yet that guilt was the larger part of it. She was given several chances. Even in the street where they watched the observatory crumbled, he was still giving her chances. So why the h.e.l.l did she let it all slip out of her grasp?
The feeling that she lost something so precious due to her own idiocy was driving her mad. None of her maids and guards could stop her rampage.
Back in s.p.a.ce, the child spirit peering down on her felt bored and stopped watching, focusing on his master again.
However, before looking away, in his heart he sneered, "Is it painful? Is it? Hehe. One good thing about Jiang Li is that he is quite… very very very vengeful. It has just started. And I"m happy because you deserve it!"