Ogyust was hesitant towards Vivian's suggetion. He was accustomed to living alone, away from the crowd, keeping his secrets, and continuously changing his identity. He used to be a businessman, farmer, hunter, prisoner, soldier, and even a smuggler. He would never use each identity longer than 20 or 30 years. If he were to go to Andrea Castle, everything would change. He was not ready to reintegrate into society, not yet.
"My Mistress, I'm sorry." Ogyust got up and bowed slightly before Vivian. "I-I'm not ready yet. The Andrea Family may not accept an immortal person like me. Most of humanity, I'm afraid, won't be able to accept this. They may accept a witch or wizard from the Middle Ages, but it's difficult to accept an ordinary person who lives for eternity, I..."
"Oh, I never thought about that." Vivian nodded. "So, are you going to continue living like this?"
"I'm used to it." Ogyust forced a smile. "It's not that difficult to live within the circle of life and death. Wizards who possess forbidden powers are able to live well too. I'll keep my contact with the Andrea Family, and maybe move to new environment. Anyway, that voice is gone, so my days won't get any worse."
Deep in thought, Vivian looked at this man who possessed an immortal body. Then, she suddenly summoned a small bat and said, "Pavel, stretch your hand out, I need to take some steps for prevention."
Though puzzled, Ogyust did not hesitate. He extended his left hand out. Vivian's bat quickly flew towards him and bit his arm, creating a tiny wound. Ogyust frowned as he found faint black lines spreading, then fading on his arm.
"It's not necessarily a good thing for a short-living species to live eternally unsupervised. Eternal life requires special talents and willpower. I will not allow my servants to do anything that will bring shame to my name. This blood will protect you. If you meet one of my descendants, or other kinsmen who are related to me, it will help you prove your identity, and give you the right to talk to them as equals. However, it will also monitor you. Pavel, don't do anything that will disappoint me. If one day you find that you can't stand immortality anymore, it's best to end it. I don't want to learn from the blood that you've fallen and become a monster."
Ogyust' expression changed slightly, and he nodded calmly. "Your foresight is necessary. I won't disappoint the blood you've given me."
"Don't worry, Pavel," said Vivian, laughing. "I'm not a voyeur. I'm not interested in watching your every move: it only warns you when you're becoming mentally unsound. It does more good than harm. And... it'll cure your 'haemorrhoids'. You can now feel relaxed when you reach 60."
Ogyust was speechless.
They said good bye and left. As they came out from the house, Hao Ren nudged Vivian and subtly said, "You were like a boss just now. I've never seen you like that before."
"Oh, is that so?" Vivian did not know what he meant. She kept looking down at the wooden box, the one that earlier held the "stone" inside. "To be honest, I'm very curious about this thing..."
"What about it?" Hao Ren had the two stones and tossed them in his hand. "Isn't the box empty?"
"Pavel said that I deliberately handed this box to him, and I specifically instructed him to keep it safe as I would come for it one day," said Vivian, examining the wooden box in her hand. "This shows that this thing was very important to me. Yet, I've got no impression of it now."
Lily looked at the wooden box and thought for a while. "Perhaps it was because of your poverty?"
Hao Ren gave her a sideways look. "What does being poor have to do with the box?"
"Look at how exquisite this box is. It may have been worth some money back then and it was probably the most valuable thing Battie had in hand, so it was only natural that she instructed her servants to take care of it. At least, it seems more important than a stone."
"If it was such an important thing, why didn't I just keep it myself? Why give it to someone instead?"
"Because you were going to sleep," Lily said, looking at Vivian. "Maybe you were afraid of crushing it while you were sleeping, or you were afraid that when you woke up, you would forget what the box was all about. Then you would end up selling, or breaking it. So, you handed it to your own servant and told him that it was important. When you find Rakikh's descendants in the future, even if you do forget about the box, at least someone will remind you about it, and you won't sell it for some pennies."
Nangong Wuyue looked at Lily in awe. "...Whoa, I never thought you could be so logical in your thinking."
Lily stood with arms akimbo as she wagged her tail behind her. "How many times have I said that I was smart?"
Vivian and Lily had never seen eye to eye, but this time she praised Lily. "Doggie may be right. This thing must hold a special meaning... that I gave it to the servant for safekeeping. I must have foreseen that I would totally forget about the significance of this box. I'm going to study it when I get back at home."
"Before that, we have to first find out if these two stones are keys to open the door of the vengeful spirit." Hao Ren put the two ancient devices into his pocket. "MDT, begin teleportation—I hope Igor has lunch ready."
The Andrea Castle was celebrating its first peaceful day in 300 years. The servants were running up and down happily, cleaning every corner of the castle. Each window was rubbed sparkling clean. The portraits of the Andrea Family's ancestors had been dusted and they looked brand new. Even the zombie-faced butler and the gloomy old servant in the garden were carrying out their tasks with smiles on their faces.
Igor stood in the hall and watched as the servants prepared a hearty lunch. Standing next to him were his own children—Anna and Akim. Their condition was not very good, but even at its worst Akim insisted on strolling around the castle: the poor young man had been locked in the house for years and he no longer wanted to live in the cage.
"Dad, will those masters come back?" Anna looked at her father.
Igor held his belly and smiled. "Yes, they have some kind of magic that enables them to go anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. Anna, the next time you meet the witch, remember to greet her. Our entire family is built on..."
Before Igor's voice trailed off, the space next to him suddenly warped. Then, a white light appeared out of nowhere and Vivian's voice was heard within the white light. "Didn't I tell you not to be nervous about the witch? I'm not going to eat people."
Igor was shocked. He quickly greeted Vivian, who was waving her hand. However, Vivian said, "Please spare me the meticulous etiquette. We've got the second stone. Now, let's study the vengeful spirit's door."
Igor cautiously inquired, "How is the Rakikh Family?"
"Ogyust? He's fine." Vivian nodded. "But, he's not coming to meet you. The curse of the evil spirit is over and he plans to start a new life. From now on, your two families don't have to worry about this anymore."
"It feels like a dream." Igor sighed internally.
Lily eyeballed the hearty food on the big, long table as she could not stop drooling. Hao Ren had to hold her back from behind. "I want to eat... I want to eat! I want to eat!" she yelled.
As soon as Hao Ren released his grip, Lily lunged towards the table as if she had not eaten for months. The two naive individuals had probably never seen such a big feast in their entire lives. The generosity of the parvenu was unrivalled.
After the lunch, Hao Ren wasted no time as he led everyone back underground to study the crack.
This time, Igor and his children as well as several other old servants followed him to the entrance of the crypt. There was no more hoarfrost on the iron gate separating the human world and the alien realm. It was just like any other door after the chilly vibe dissipated. In awe, Igor looked into the darkness beyond the iron gate. "There's another world beneath us?"
"It's another dimension, a crack in the real world," said Vivian, speaking into the deep and dark tunnel. "Actually, it's not that you can't go inside, after all, the evil spirit is gone. But if you do, it's better to put up sufficient maps and rest stations along the way. The vastness of the crypt is beyond your imagination, and it is as cold as the land of snow outside. If you get lost in here, don't think of coming back out alive."
Igor shrugged. "You must be kidding. Who would want to go into such a place?"
As he said this, next to him, Anna looked into the darkness in deep thought.
Anna remembered those things the vengeful spirit had whispered into her mind. Some of that information may just be useful.
Ogyust was hesitant towards Vivian's suggetion. He was accustomed to living alone, away from the crowd, keeping his secrets, and continuously changing his identity. He used to be a businessman, farmer, hunter, prisoner, soldier, and even a smuggler. He would never use each identity longer than 20 or 30 years. If he were to go to Andrea Castle, everything would change. He was not ready to reintegrate into society, not yet.
"My Mistress, I'm sorry." Ogyust got up and bowed slightly before Vivian. "I-I'm not ready yet. The Andrea Family may not accept an immortal person like me. Most of humanity, I'm afraid, won't be able to accept this. They may accept a witch or wizard from the Middle Ages, but it's difficult to accept an ordinary person who lives for eternity, I..."
"Oh, I never thought about that." Vivian nodded. "So, are you going to continue living like this?"
"I'm used to it." Ogyust forced a smile. "It's not that difficult to live within the circle of life and death. Wizards who possess forbidden powers are able to live well too. I'll keep my contact with the Andrea Family, and maybe move to new environment. Anyway, that voice is gone, so my days won't get any worse."
Deep in thought, Vivian looked at this man who possessed an immortal body. Then, she suddenly summoned a small bat and said, "Pavel, stretch your hand out, I need to take some steps for prevention."
Though puzzled, Ogyust did not hesitate. He extended his left hand out. Vivian's bat quickly flew towards him and bit his arm, creating a tiny wound. Ogyust frowned as he found faint black lines spreading, then fading on his arm.
"It's not necessarily a good thing for a short-living species to live eternally unsupervised. Eternal life requires special talents and willpower. I will not allow my servants to do anything that will bring shame to my name. This blood will protect you. If you meet one of my descendants, or other kinsmen who are related to me, it will help you prove your identity, and give you the right to talk to them as equals. However, it will also monitor you. Pavel, don't do anything that will disappoint me. If one day you find that you can't stand immortality anymore, it's best to end it. I don't want to learn from the blood that you've fallen and become a monster."
Ogyust' expression changed slightly, and he nodded calmly. "Your foresight is necessary. I won't disappoint the blood you've given me."
"Don't worry, Pavel," said Vivian, laughing. "I'm not a voyeur. I'm not interested in watching your every move: it only warns you when you're becoming mentally unsound. It does more good than harm. And... it'll cure your 'haemorrhoids'. You can now feel relaxed when you reach 60."
Ogyust was speechless.
They said good bye and left. As they came out from the house, Hao Ren nudged Vivian and subtly said, "You were like a boss just now. I've never seen you like that before."
"Oh, is that so?" Vivian did not know what he meant. She kept looking down at the wooden box, the one that earlier held the "stone" inside. "To be honest, I'm very curious about this thing..."
"What about it?" Hao Ren had the two stones and tossed them in his hand. "Isn't the box empty?"
"Pavel said that I deliberately handed this box to him, and I specifically instructed him to keep it safe as I would come for it one day," said Vivian, examining the wooden box in her hand. "This shows that this thing was very important to me. Yet, I've got no impression of it now."
Lily looked at the wooden box and thought for a while. "Perhaps it was because of your poverty?"
Hao Ren gave her a sideways look. "What does being poor have to do with the box?"
"Look at how exquisite this box is. It may have been worth some money back then and it was probably the most valuable thing Battie had in hand, so it was only natural that she instructed her servants to take care of it. At least, it seems more important than a stone."
"If it was such an important thing, why didn't I just keep it myself? Why give it to someone instead?"
"Because you were going to sleep," Lily said, looking at Vivian. "Maybe you were afraid of crushing it while you were sleeping, or you were afraid that when you woke up, you would forget what the box was all about. Then you would end up selling, or breaking it. So, you handed it to your own servant and told him that it was important. When you find Rakikh's descendants in the future, even if you do forget about the box, at least someone will remind you about it, and you won't sell it for some pennies."
Nangong Wuyue looked at Lily in awe. "...Whoa, I never thought you could be so logical in your thinking."
Lily stood with arms akimbo as she wagged her tail behind her. "How many times have I said that I was smart?"
Vivian and Lily had never seen eye to eye, but this time she praised Lily. "Doggie may be right. This thing must hold a special meaning... that I gave it to the servant for safekeeping. I must have foreseen that I would totally forget about the significance of this box. I'm going to study it when I get back at home."
"Before that, we have to first find out if these two stones are keys to open the door of the vengeful spirit." Hao Ren put the two ancient devices into his pocket. "MDT, begin teleportation—I hope Igor has lunch ready."
The Andrea Castle was celebrating its first peaceful day in 300 years. The servants were running up and down happily, cleaning every corner of the castle. Each window was rubbed sparkling clean. The portraits of the Andrea Family's ancestors had been dusted and they looked brand new. Even the zombie-faced butler and the gloomy old servant in the garden were carrying out their tasks with smiles on their faces.
Igor stood in the hall and watched as the servants prepared a hearty lunch. Standing next to him were his own children—Anna and Akim. Their condition was not very good, but even at its worst Akim insisted on strolling around the castle: the poor young man had been locked in the house for years and he no longer wanted to live in the cage.
"Dad, will those masters come back?" Anna looked at her father.
Igor held his belly and smiled. "Yes, they have some kind of magic that enables them to go anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. Anna, the next time you meet the witch, remember to greet her. Our entire family is built on..."
Before Igor's voice trailed off, the space next to him suddenly warped. Then, a white light appeared out of nowhere and Vivian's voice was heard within the white light. "Didn't I tell you not to be nervous about the witch? I'm not going to eat people."
Igor was shocked. He quickly greeted Vivian, who was waving her hand. However, Vivian said, "Please spare me the meticulous etiquette. We've got the second stone. Now, let's study the vengeful spirit's door."
Igor cautiously inquired, "How is the Rakikh Family?"
"Ogyust? He's fine." Vivian nodded. "But, he's not coming to meet you. The curse of the evil spirit is over and he plans to start a new life. From now on, your two families don't have to worry about this anymore."
"It feels like a dream." Igor sighed internally.
Lily eyeballed the hearty food on the big, long table as she could not stop drooling. Hao Ren had to hold her back from behind. "I want to eat... I want to eat! I want to eat!" she yelled.
As soon as Hao Ren released his grip, Lily lunged towards the table as if she had not eaten for months. The two naive individuals had probably never seen such a big feast in their entire lives. The generosity of the parvenu was unrivalled.
After the lunch, Hao Ren wasted no time as he led everyone back underground to study the crack.
This time, Igor and his children as well as several other old servants followed him to the entrance of the crypt. There was no more hoarfrost on the iron gate separating the human world and the alien realm. It was just like any other door after the chilly vibe dissipated. In awe, Igor looked into the darkness beyond the iron gate. "There's another world beneath us?"
"It's another dimension, a crack in the real world," said Vivian, speaking into the deep and dark tunnel. "Actually, it's not that you can't go inside, after all, the evil spirit is gone. But if you do, it's better to put up sufficient maps and rest stations along the way. The vastness of the crypt is beyond your imagination, and it is as cold as the land of snow outside. If you get lost in here, don't think of coming back out alive."
Igor shrugged. "You must be kidding. Who would want to go into such a place?"
As he said this, next to him, Anna looked into the darkness in deep thought.
Anna remembered those things the vengeful spirit had whispered into her mind. Some of that information may just be useful.
