Totem

Very quickly, Weylin’s tears dampened Jiang Nan’s shirt.

Jiang Nan awkwardly stuck his hands in his back pockets and stuck out his chest, asking, “Calm down, Miss Weylin. Did you run into some difficulty?”

“You can just think of it as a difficulty. Rodi, the reason why I came to look for you today…. was to say farewell!” Weylin buried her head in Jiang Nan’s chest and narrated the events of the past several days in a bitter tone, “Ai, do you know? My elder brother already sold Mount Longinus. For a woman, for a femme fatale of a lowly girl, he sold my father’s sweat and blood! Rodi, my father was an illegitimate child. It was only after he struggled for a lifetime that he developed West Farm’s estate, but now…. now, there’s nothing left!!”

She spoke bitterly: “Perhaps you may want to tell me that I’ve only just brought over the Professor. The matter hasn’t fallen to the point that I have no choices left…. But do you understand? Just before, the Professor pushed a mute into a fiery pit just to maintain his face! He’s basically a cold-blooded expert who is dead set on upholding face! I don’t dare to truly believe this kind of person or truly rely on him….”

“Even if it’s like this, it still isn’t necessary for you to say your ‘farewell’, right?” Jiang Nan cut Weylin off, “Okay, at worst, you would just sell the farm and enter the city to become a young aristocratic miss who harbors no worries or cares.”

“*I wish! However, there are people who will not let me do as I please!” Weylin grew emotional, “Forget about others, that lowlife Suzanne firmly believes in completely destroying something from the root, so she won’t let me off! Furthermore,when I am in trouble, the clan headquarters won’t care about whether I live or die. However, now that I’ve lost Mount Longinus, clan headquarters will definitely send someone over to condemn me! Rodi, just watch. In twenty days at the latest, the clan headquarters’ law enforcement squad will appear before me. At that time, even if I haven’t committed an unpardonable sin, I will still have to be imprisoned for eight or ten years, no longer able to see you!”

Jiang Nan was startled, “Is Rhein Headquarters truly so cold-blooded?”

“More than simply cold-blooded, that group of animals can carry out anything!” Weylin laughed bitterly: “Right now, I can only support the Professor’s duel to the best of my ability. I hope that the Professor will perform in such a way that rocks Sun City out of shock in representation of our farm. Only in this way will there be a possibility of me atoning for my sins….”

After she said this, Weylin wiped away her tears and laughed loudly, “Alright, this woman’s shown you a joke again! If you want to laugh, then laugh. In any case, I’ve already said all that I ought to say. *I still have to go prepare for the match on Mount Longinus, so I’ll go first!”

Staring at Weylin’s back, Jiang Nan was silent for several seconds. Suddenly, he called out: “Miss Weylin, I believe the Professor will definitely defeat Gibson!”

“If only!”

Weylin waved at Jiang Nan with her back towards him. From her tone, she clearly did not believe that the Professor would be able to defeat Gibson.

After Weylin left, she sent Suzu back to the farm and brought all the strong forces within the farm that she could muster with her towards Mount Longinus. Thus, the curtains were drawn for the Professor’s match against the Weather Duo.

At this time, Jiang Nan also began to get down to business. He was still, after all, a subst.i.tute team member of the Knife Work Feast team. Moreover, he had to attend Talik’s cla.s.s about anatomy as well.

On the evening of the second day, Jiang Nan appeared in Talik’s cla.s.s, yet just five minutes into the lecture, he facepalmed, “Yi? *I’m just wasting my time here. It’s still better that I go back and continue practicing my Ghost Mystique Arts!”
(*TL: He uses the term ‘I’ 兄弟 in a humble way)

In Jiang Nan’s perspective, the level of Talik’s understanding of the human body could not even enter the ranks of ‘general knowledge’!

To give a concrete example, let’s talk about disa.s.sembling the human skull: The skull is a human’s most detailed yet also one of the hardest bones of the skeleton. With the help of some fine instruments, Jiang Nan could take apart the skull in one second and rea.s.semble it once more.
(TL: remember that he can dissect a body in 27 seconds)

Talik, on the other hand….

Talik needed at least thirty seconds. On top of that, his method included using a ‘hammer to smash’ it! From the looks of it, what Talik was doing was not dissection, but rather ‘destruction’!

After seeing through Talik’s level of achievement in dissection, Jiang Nan truly could not be bothered to listen further. At this time, many knife work specialists who could not bear the sight of the skull getting smashed all vomited. Jiang Nan also pretended to throw up, then secretly stole back away into his room!

The following days, Jiang Nan constantly hid in his room, cultivating the Ghost Mystique Arts. His Skeletal Poison Blade, Death Armor, and Dark Steps had already been comprehended to the point of perfection. All that was left was awaiting the battle on the night of the drifting snow!

However….

When there was only one and a half days left from the match, Jiang Nan suddenly discovered an extremely unexpected issue.

At noon, Jiang Nan was right in the middle of getting his travel pack ready when Eddy’s raucous laughter suddenly burst through from the outside, “Haha! Victor, so a wolf cub like you actually came to my place! This armor of yours…. Isn’t to catch sheep, is it?”

Jiang Nan glanced out the window and saw Victor dressed in a suit of bright yellow armor. Two sharp daggers hung at his waist and he wore an indigo headband. His head of long, ash black hair followed along the headband to flow down the back of his head, and he was currently in the middle of walking into the pasture.

Victor was actually acquainted with Eddy and haughtily said, “This wolf has come for the battle! Eddy, tell Talik that the arranged time has already arrived. Tell him to come with me to Mount Longinus!”

“Go to Mount Longinus to do what?” Astonishment shone from Eddy’s face.

“Eddy, since you’ve been occupied by all the matters concerning the Knife Work Feast these past several days, I didn’t tell you that the Professor will challenge Gibson tomorrow night!”

As he was speaking, Talik walked out from within the pasture. He was attired in the uniform of the empire’s highest legislative office, but below the uniform, he also wore a dark red soft armor. A red and black leather bag also hung on his back.

Jiang Nan’s eyebrows had already furrowed in his room.

These two people were going to go to Mount Longinus?

d.a.m.n it! He had shot off a whole load of talk for the sake of this match in order to create a stage that was ‘closed off, in which he could utilize his Ghost Mystique Arts as much as he wanted’. How could he let these two ruin his entire plan?!

But….

These two people were both people of great status and strength. If they wanted to sneak up Mount Longinus, Weylin truly might not be able to block them….

Alright, alright. To keep outsiders away during the match, it’d be best if he personally went to lead them as far from the scene as possible!

As to how he would do this….

A plan that was somewhat evil popped up in Jiang Nan’s head: the first step of this plan was to join them along the journey to Mount Longinus, and then…. Mislead the c.r.a.p out of them!

Calm down, calm down! For the sake of maintaining a model character, it should be said…. That he was helping them to make the most precise decision. En, helping them, helping them!

“The Professor is going to challenge Gibson?!”

At this moment, Eddy was completely stupefied. Glancing at Victor, he suddenly pulled Talik over to one side and said in a hushed voice: “Talik, you actually did not tell me of such an exciting event! F***, what kind of friend are you! Don’t you know that I love excitement? Wait for me! I’ll tidy things up and then go with you! If you dare not to take me…. Hmph, hmph! Be careful in case I reveal how you took part in the entrance exam of the ‘Imperial Culinary Inst.i.tute’ and flunked!”

Talik’s sinister face suddenly revealed a smile of fond recollection in honor of his youth. However, he still refused: “Eddy, I advise that you not go! While those little guys of Sun City don’t know, don’t tell me that you don’t know the legend pertaining to Mount Longinus? Starting from the day of the Drifting Snow Festival all the way to the New Year, Mount Longinus will devour people!”

“Alright, that’s enough! If you’re there to protect me, do I still need to fear some legend of Mount Longinus? Moreover, the legend of Mount Longinus has been pa.s.sed down for more than a thousand years, but I still have not heard of anybody being eaten by Mount Longinus!” Eddy laughed heartily with a beaming smile, but his voice grew even lower, “Talik, since you’re so afraid of Mount Longinus, why are you going to watch the fight?”

A strange gleam flashed through Talik’s eyes, “Eddy, I can only tell you this. For the sake of my clansmen, I must find the Professor and beg for his help. As for exactly what kind of help…. If you are my friend, then don’t inquire further!”

“Alright, then I just won’t pester you anymore!” Hearing Talik mention his clansmen, Eddy’s expression grew apprehensive, and he hastily changed the topic while pointing at Victor, “How about Victor? Why is he going to Mount Longinus?”

“A little wolf who doesn’t know the heights of the heavens or the depths of the ground wants to find Weylin to propose. Perhaps…. He also wants to find the Professor to have a little contest?”

Talik laughed coldly, “Eddy…. Do you truly want to go to Mount Longinus?”

Eddy chuckled. Swivelling around, he went into his own room, and after ten odd seconds, he walked out with a case of luggage.

This action of his already expressed his att.i.tude, and Talik could only shake his head while smiling bitterly. Just like that, the three of them began to set off towards Mount Longinus.

Yet right at this moment, Jiang Nan walked out from his room, “Mister Eddy, are you going to Mount Longinus? Okay, are you interested in me taking you?”

“You also want to go to Mount Longinus?” Eddy and the two others all simultaneously furrowed their eyebrows. Victor even scolded in a disdainful manner, “You lowly slave! Why would you go to Mount Longinus?!”