CHAPTER 1514: CHAPTER 1514: MONSTER

Rock City Governor’s Palace

"So you think this young girl is really Queen Kela of Xiqilelan?" The well-dressed, clean, and handsome young man sat on a fur-covered long chair near the fireplace, with a black pipe in his mouth. With his back to Rote, he gazed at the flames in the fireplace and smiled slightly.

"It’s unrealistic to send someone to Xiqilelan to verify now," Rote said slowly, "but two years ago, a caravan brought me a portrait of Kela. She hasn’t changed much in appearance since then."

"But what can a just adult girl do? Even if she is the queen of Xiqilelan, even if she has innate magical abilities, however," the young man turned his head to look at Rote, puffed smoke from his pipe, "she’s just a young, inexperienced girl. She might not be able to command the Assistant Minister her parents left her."

"She’s actually not that bad," Rote said slowly, holding the piece of parchment in his hand, "and getting a promise from her doesn’t cost us anything, since we also need to deal with the blizzard."

He walked over to the fireplace and sat on the sofa opposite the young man, unfolding the parchment in his hand, "Our current..."

Crack—

A small door on one side was pushed open, and a plump figure, resembling a maid, carried a tray and peeked in.

The tray held two bowls of fragrant soup and two somewhat hard pieces of bread.

"Just put it there." Rote interrupted the conversation, raised his hand, and motioned for the maid to place the items on the small table beside them.

The maid nodded, glanced at the two conversing men, looked down at the meat soup on the tray, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then put the tray in place and quietly left.

Once the small door closed again, Rote turned back to the young man in front of him, handed over the parchment in his hand, and continued, "The city’s grain stock is already at its limit. Within a month, last year’s grain stock will be completely consumed."

"So, what are you trying to say?" The young man looked at Rote and smiled.

"I heard that several major families still have a lot of grain stored in their granaries," Rote said in a low voice.

"Indeed, we do have quite a lot of grain," the young man looked at Rote and laughed aloud, "but the nobles’ grain is not even enough for us, so why should we share it with those lowly people?"

"But you must understand—" Rote opened his mouth slightly.

"Understand what? You want to teach me too? Do you think you’re fit to teach me?" The young man bit the pipe and stood up directly, looking at Rote with a sneer, "Rote, have you forgotten your place after being a governor for a year?"

His voice gradually became louder, as if mocking or taunting, "Your family doesn’t even appear in the history of the city-state. You’re no different from those low people. You’re just a dog that our family keeps,"

He pointed the burning pipe bowl close to Rote’s cheek, lightly tapping on his cheek, "It’s only because I’m not qualified yet that you’re the governor. Being a governor doesn’t really make you one. In a couple of years, you’ll have to give this position back to me."

He stood up again, placing the pipe back in his mouth, "As a dog, you should have the consciousness of being a dog. Don’t interfere in things that are not your concern."

Rote slightly opened his mouth, hesitated to speak.

Eventually, he lowered his head and said hoarsely, "If there’s no food supply in the city, I’m afraid many people will starve to death."

"Those low people, if they starve, they starve," the young man bit the pipe, turned around, and walked slowly towards the exit, "they’re like weeds, they’ll grow back after the winter."

As his figure passed by the small table with soup and bread, he paused, looked down at the soup on the table.

It seemed to be a type of soup made from simmered fresh meat, emitting a rich aroma.

He put down the pipe from his mouth, casually picked up one of the bowls of meat soup, brought it to his mouth, and let the hot meat soup flow down his throat, drinking the entire bowl in one go.

Then he took out a white silk handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his mouth, and bit onto the pipe again, "Just do what you’re supposed to do, and I can ensure you a peaceful retirement."

With a thick puff of smoke, he laughed as he opened the main door and left the room.

Rote lowered his head, looked at the "delivered" parchment in his hand, and after a brief pause, he slightly pulled back his hand and placed the parchment on the chair.

He slowly got up, walked to the small table, glanced at the soup and bread, took the bread in his mouth, and then returned to the seat by the fireplace.

After a while, the side door opened, and the plump maid peeked her head in, looked at the soup on the table, and cautiously asked, "Master, aren’t you going to drink the soup?"

"No need," Rote shook his head, placing the bread near the fireplace to warm it up, "just like before, dilute it with some water and distribute it to everyone."

"Alright." The maid swallowed her saliva and quickly walked to the meat soup.

"By the way," at this moment, Rote seemed to remember something, raised his head, and looked at the maid, "Is this fresh meat soup? Can we still catch prey outside now?"

The maid was slightly startled, then quickly shook her head and replied, "I don’t know either, it’s from the family supplying the food. They deliver fresh meat soup every day, but only a little."

"Alright, I got it," Rote looked away and shook his head slightly, "tell them not to send it anymore. There’s no need to waste manpower and resources on hunting at this time."

"Okay..." The maid glanced at the meat soup in the bowl, swallowed, paused briefly, then nodded, "Okay, sir."

With that, she picked up the meat soup and walked out through the side door.

Rote no longer looked at her, instead picking up the parchment he’d temporarily put aside and sighed softly.

...

Behind the side door, the maid carefully closed the room door, then looked down at the meat soup in her hands, raised it immediately, and drank the entire bowl of meat soup in one go.

Only after finishing did she lick the bowl bottom, savoring it, before putting away the bowl and walking towards the deepest part of the corridor.

----

Urban Area

The tall soldier in front briefly exchanged words with the gate-keeping soldiers, then entered the house through the back door of the stone building.

They passed through the corridor and several rooms before stopping at a closed door.

A rich smell, as if something was being cooked, wafted out from behind the door, enticing the nostrils of the three soldiers, making their bodies sway slightly.

However, the tall soldier quickly regained composure, walked to the door, and knocked, "Master, the people have arrived."

"Leave them at the door."

A slightly hoarse voice came from inside the room.

"Yes." The tall soldier gestured to the people behind him.

The soldiers on both sides each laid down the unconscious children they were carrying.

The tall soldier gave them a look, seemingly counting heads to ensure all three, including himself, were present, then naturally turned to leave.

Crack—

After they left, the previously closed small door slowly opened.

A thin old man slowly emerged from behind the door, extending a shriveled, claw-like hand to grasp the clothes of the children on the ground, lifting them both.

He then raised his head, looking forward.

His gaze met directly with He Ao’s.

He looked at He Ao, was slightly stunned, and then appeared to understand.

He turned around, headed back into the house, speaking in a familiar manner as if addressing a longtime subordinate, "Bring that one in."

He Ao, carrying a little girl, entered the small house.

The entire house was simply furnished, with a large stone pot in the center where some kind of meat soup was simmering, the air filled with the aroma of grease.

The bottom of the stone pot was connected to a bamboo pipe, with invisible gas flowing from it and igniting into a flame, simmering the meat soup, creating a sort of primitive gas line.

Besides the stone pot, there was a stone mortar left in the corner of the room, containing what appeared to be bone powder-like substances.

Behind the stone mortar are some stacked pottery jars, and next to it is a circular, large cutting board that seems to be directly sliced from a giant tree.

Some slender bones, not completely stripped of meat, lie beside the cutting board.

"Just put the people here." The emaciated elderly man placed the two children he was carrying behind the door and walked to the large cutting board nearby, took out a broad knife and a sharpening stone, and began to sharpen the knife.

He Ao quietly watched this scene, but he didn’t put down the little girl in his arms. Instead, he looked at the large stone pot in front of him, "What’s cooking in this pot?"

Upon hearing this question, a trace of coldness flashed across the elderly man’s face, "That’s something to be offered to the great families above. It’s none of your business and you shouldn’t ask."

He sharpened the broad knife with a screeching sound as the blade scraped across the stone.

He Ao walked over to the elderly man, smiling as he sat across from him, "Are you the owner of this house? Can you tell me exactly what you are doing?"

The elderly man looked up at He Ao.

Faint and intense thoughts surfaced in the elderly man’s mind—first confusion, then the anger of being offended. He opened his mouth, looking at He Ao, "Didn’t I already tell you?——"

His voice abruptly stopped, and he stood frozen, as if suppressed by some invisible force.

He Ao quietly gazed at him, and his deep eyes were covered with a faint purple glow.

The elderly man’s memories unfolded like a scroll in He Ao’s ’field of view’.

And then He Ao was slightly stunned.

This elderly man’s ’memory’ was filled with various gaps, like moth-eaten, tattered rags, unable to be connected completely.

These missing parts didn’t seem to be covered by some higher power, as He Ao had encountered before; rather, it’s as if he never had this ’memory’ at all.

In those vacant places, his consciousness was completely blank.

And apart from these missing memories, most of his memory consisted of sharpening knives, simmering soup, brewing wine··· and other such repetitive actions.

He hardly ever leaves this spacious stone house.

Yet he seemed never to be aware of it, as if acting based on the instincts of his body.

He Ao glanced over the elderly’s body; his overall condition was extremely ’normal’, no different from any average person.

Even when He Ao looked through his memories, nothing triggered a reaction; he appeared just like an ordinary person.

But the kind of invisible, bizarre, twisted fluctuation He Ao felt outside the house still enveloped this area, still enveloped this room.

It had lingered around since he came in.

Contemplating slightly, a faint orange-gray gleam lit up in He Ao’s pupils.

Given the persistent memory gaps, consciousness blanks, there must be some force affecting his consciousness hidden within his body and soul.

A faint eye contour embedded in an inverted triangle was sketched as an illusion in the void.

The wind and snow between Heaven and Earth trembled at this moment; the battered memories and soul peeled away gently by He Ao, like an onion.

Outside the window of the stone house, the blizzard seemed to become somewhat anxious, the floating snowflakes gradually enlarging, while the dense snowstorm enveloped the ground and sky like a thick wall.

Finally, the elderly man’s body and soul were cut to the deepest layer.

A wisp of faint white glow appeared in He Ao’s field of view.

This white glow concealed in the deepest part of the soul and body, subtly wriggling, swallowing the flesh and soul of the person in front.

And just as He Ao gazed at this white glow, the dazzling radiance suddenly exploded, like a sharp sword, piercing toward He Ao’s view.

The emaciated elderly man’s body rapidly shriveled in He Ao’s view, like a thin paper skin collapsing inward, as if something inside was sucking voraciously on his body and soul.

Simultaneously, a phantom, semi-transparent figure detached from behind the elderly man.

This figure, overall human-shaped with elongated limbs, swelled rapidly.

In an instant, it pierced through the roof of the small house, reaching the second floor, and then pierced through the second floor’s roof.

Violent snowstorm rushed in through the roof breach.

With large snowflakes, they scattered before He Ao.

Hunger, greed, anger, resentment···

Twisted thoughts exploded in He Ao’s mind like a fierce melody.

He Ao quietly gazed at the semi-transparent giant before him.

Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and its internal structure seemed to be made of pure solid ice.

An indescribable terror was spreading along its body.

Under the gaze of the Eye of Truth, some illusory lines stretched from this huge semi-transparent giant, plunging deep into the void, beyond sight.

Bang——

At that moment, the door behind He Ao was suddenly slammed open.

The invisible and bizarre fluctuations were utterly polarized at this moment.

He Ao turned around; silhouette after silhouette appeared behind him.

They seemed to be the ’family servants’ of the meticulous stone house.

Some wore armor, some were clad in plain clothes.

These people stared at He Ao, stared at the giant behind him, neither fearful nor angry.

Their expressions were stiff, their cheeks like taut paper skin.

Woo——

Some kind of invisible whimpering sounded at the world’s bottom, emanating from the transparent giant behind He Ao.

Above the blizzard covering the sky, illusory radiance faintly flickered.

And those ’people’ blocking the doorway also suddenly stiffened at this moment, their bodies quickly shriveling, collapsing inward.

One by one, much smaller transparent creatures consumed the skin covering them, baring sharp fangs, unveiled in this snow-laden world.

"Mmm——"

At this very moment, the little girl in He Ao’s arms squirmed slightly, seemingly about to wake up.

He Ao gently raised his hand, covering her eyes.

Bits of snowflakes drifted down in front of He Ao.

These various-sized transparent creatures gazed intently at He Ao, and their bodies suddenly lunged forward, brandishing sharp claws, ready to tear apart the human body before them.

The pale void trembled, as if some invisible force deep in the world was being invoked.