Crippled Older Brother

"Oh no, oh no. Isaiah, that old rascal, has been targeted by the Contract Land," Ai De Wen muttered outside Nameless Town as he watched the Star Relic forces depart under the "escort" of the Contract Land guardians. "Damn, now no one's paying attention to me. I'm a wanted criminal too, you know. Are they just going to ignore me?"

Ai De Wen's words carried a mix of dissatisfaction, schadenfreude, and wistfulness. He Wei Ni Ya knew he was saying it for her benefit.

But she didn't respond, merely watching the departing groups in silence.

Eventually, Ai De Wen couldn't stand it any longer. He turned to He Wei Ni Ya, "Come on, my dear aunt, what are your plans? Are we just going to watch?"

He Wei Ni Ya glanced at Ai De Wen, "What else do you want to do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do I want to do'?" Ai De Wen said. "I've always wanted the same thing. Just give me a piece of Corpse Piece, just one piece, and I can start my grand research, deciphering the greatest taboo in this world. Then I'll share this taboo with you, wouldn't that far surpass those fools fighting over Corpse Pieces?"

"Is that so? Then where will the Corpse Piece come from?"

"Well, that..."

"If you think I have one, you can just take it," He Wei Ni Ya said. "No need to be so wishy-washy."

"Hey, I didn't say that," Ai De Wen stammered. "If you have one, that's great. If not, let's hurry and find one, no need to waste time here."

"Didn't you say you wanted to come to Nameless Town?" He Wei Ni Ya raised an eyebrow. "Nameless Town is right in front of us now. Aren't you going to see if there are any remaining fake Corpse Pieces inside?"

Honestly, Ai De Wen did want to rummage through it, to see if he could find any fake Corpse Pieces that hadn't been destroyed.

But Ai De Wen knew the possibility was slim. After all, he had personally watched Isaiah annihilate everything last night. Although most fake Corpse Pieces possessed a certain degree of resistance to destruction, they really weren't strong enough to withstand Isaiah's outburst. Otherwise, that would be too much black technology.

Since Isaiah had annihilated the entire Black Merchant headquarters, it was highly likely that nothing was left.

Furthermore, Nameless Town had already been taken over by the Contract Land. Ai De Wen could still see quite a few guardians lingering in the ruins, clearly guarding against him.

At this moment, risking his life for such a slim chance was absolutely not in line with Ai De Wen's usual modus operandi. Of course, the main reason was that without He Wei Ni Ya's help, he wouldn't dare to do anything alone. Especially after the world-ending battle last night, Ai De Wen realized that his actual combat strength was still far too lacking, given that he only knew how to stuff things into other people's brains.

Damn it, is this the confidence of a Corpse Piece holder?

I want that too!

Ai De Wen shouted in his heart, and at the same time, he glanced at He Wei Ni Ya again, seemingly hoping that He Wei Ni Ya would take pity and give him her Corpse Piece. But He Wei Ni Ya never responded, so he could only give up this unrealistic plan with a sigh.

And what were He Wei Ni Ya's plans at this moment?

To be honest, she didn't know herself.

Last night's battle had also given her a great shock. Although she had only witnessed the final moments, Isaiah's immense power had left a deep impression on her. She realized that his strength was far superior to hers, and considering that He Wei Ni Ya, with seven Golden Sounds, theoretically had few people stronger than her in this world.

However, that wasn't the main point. The real point was... where was Bai Wei?

She didn't believe Bai Wei wouldn't have been present at last night's battle. And if Bai Wei was there, then where was he, or rather... who was he?

It was possible for Bai Wei to parasitize anyone, so He Wei Ni Ya's first thought was whether Bai Wei was one of the two combatants last night, namely Isaiah and another Black Merchant.

But He Wei Ni Ya quickly ruled out Isaiah. Based on her experience, Bai Wei usually possessed individuals like her, who were "small fries" with no status or power, as they were easier to control. Isaiah, as the foremost figure of the Star Relic Sect, clearly didn't fit this category. The other Black Merchant, however, did.

But that Black Merchant was dead.

He Wei Ni Ya watched with her own eyes as that Black Merchant, after the extreme radiance, didn't even leave a speck of dust.

But would Bai Wei lose?

He Wei Ni Ya didn't think so. Even though she had personally experienced Isaiah's power, who could be called the strongest below God, He Wei Ni Ya still didn't believe Bai Wei would lose to him. After all, how could a Godslayer lose to someone below God?

But if it wasn't Bai Wei, then who was that Black Merchant? And where was Bai Wei?

More importantly, in He Wei Ni Ya's opinion, with Bai Wei's abilities, if he had been present last night, he would definitely have discovered her.

That's why He Wei Ni Ya was waiting here for Bai Wei to find her, but she had waited all night without him appearing.

Why was that?

He Wei Ni Ya couldn't help but wonder.

Did Bai Wei not discover her, or had he discovered her but deliberately not come to find her?

If it was the latter, could that indicate Bai Wei's attitude? Perhaps telling her not to interfere anymore and to leave quickly?

If Bai Wei had said so, He Wei Ni Ya would naturally have complied. But she was more worried that Bai Wei had fallen into some trouble and was temporarily unable to escape. After all, no matter how powerful he was, he was just a remnant body. Now that the entire Contract Land was in motion, He Wei Ni Ya was genuinely worried that if she did nothing, she would face the tragedy of "the child wishes to support his parents, but his parents are no longer there."

However, just waiting in place wasn't a solution. As He Wei Ni Ya was pondering where to go next, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a few small figures. She turned her head and saw a few scrawny children dressed in rags. They stood blankly on the street, looking lost and unsure of where to go.

Ai De Wen also noticed these children but wasn't particularly concerned. "Ah, the Black Merchants are gone, but the goods are safe and sound?"

Seeing Ai De Wen describe these children as goods, He Wei Ni Ya's brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't say much. After a moment's hesitation, she walked towards the group of children.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?" Ai De Wen exclaimed, alarmed. "Aren't you afraid of being discovered by those guardians? You're... hey, hey, hey, wait for me."

The children saw He Wei Ni Ya and Ai De Wen approaching and were startled, instinctively wanting to run. However, they were stopped by a little girl among them. She stared intently at He Wei Ni Ya's bright red hair, lost in thought.

When He Wei Ni Ya reached her, the little girl quietly asked, "Sister, can you give us something to eat?"

This was also He Wei Ni Ya's intention. She nodded, portioned out some food, and handed it to them. As they took it in surprise, she subtly used magic to heal their wounds.

"Go south from here, there's a small town called De La," He Wei Ni Ya said. "Once you get there, you'll be able to survive."

The children looked at He Wei Ni Ya in surprise. At this moment, Ai De Wen caught up to her, and seeing that He Wei Ni Ya had come out just to show "kindness," he couldn't help but feel a surge of annoyance. "What's the point of you doing this? Do you think a few brats can tell north from south? And you're giving them food. Nameless Town is destroyed, and we don't even know where to get more food now. This is truly meaningless..."

He Wei Ni Ya gave Ai De Wen a faint glance. That single glance quickly calmed his slightly flushed face.

"It's not entirely meaningless," he said sheepishly. "What if?"

"Alright, let's go."

He Wei Ni Ya prepared to leave. She had no intention of helping the children to the very end; she had merely given them a chance to survive. Moreover, she knew very well how important an opportunity could be when faced with the desperate desire to live, so she believed these children would make it.

However, just as He Wei Ni Ya was about to leave, the little girl from before tugged at her sleeve.

"What is it?" He Wei Ni Ya turned to look at the girl. "I can't take you with me."

The little girl shook her head, then took out a small box. "This is for you."

Seeing this, Ai De Wen couldn't help but laugh, though it was a slightly mocking laugh. "Well, well, these brats actually know how to show gratitude? What is it, a pebble or a handkerchief..."

With a swish.

The box was opened, and upon seeing what was inside, Ai De Wen's mocking expression froze.

Because what lay inside the box was, unmistakably, a finger.

Ai De Wen was stunned. Before he could even react, the other children, following suit, took out similar boxes from their clothes. The boxes naturally contained different Corpse Pieces.

"This actually works?" Ai De Wen immediately realized something and urgently grabbed one of the children by the collar. "Tell me, where did you get these!"

The child was startled and quickly pointed to the side. "When we came out, we saw a cellar over there..."

Ai De Wen couldn't wait to hear the rest of the child's explanation. Knowing the general direction, he immediately let go of the child and ran towards it, muttering frantically, "Ahaha, it came to me effortlessly, effortlessly! My research can continue!"

Seeing this, He Wei Ni Ya's brow furrowed deeply.

She hadn't expected Ai De Wen to find these fake Corpse Pieces through such a bizarre twist of fate.

This way, Ai De Wen's research would proceed smoothly.

So what should she do? Watch Ai De Wen complete his research?

But she didn't know what consequences that would bring.

As He Wei Ni Ya hesitated, the little girl from before poked her waist again and took out another box. He Wei Ni Ya was a bit confused and was about to ask when the girl whispered.

"A Crippled Older Brother asked me to give this to you."

He Wei Ni Ya's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Bishop, we've arrived."

As the carriage door opened, Luo Qi, who had been groggy from sleep, immediately saw the uniquely shaped spectacle piercing the sky. He was instantly startled awake. "Damn, what the hell is this thing?"

"Uh, this seems to be some kind of device from Contract Land," the Knight Captain said, scratching his head. "They seem to have been preparing this for some time."

Hearing the Knight Captain say this, Luo Qi immediately realized that this was the ultimate weapon Contract Land had prepared to deal with Ulu.

Judging by its appearance alone, it was truly terrifying. Even from this distance, he could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from it, and a mighty power that made one want to submit and worship.

Luo Qi had only felt this way when facing the true divine statue in Rhine City, which symbolized the Rhine God. Coupled with their Rhine specialty, the Devourer, Luo Qi couldn't help but wonder if this thing was also made from a god's body.

It was truly powerful and sinister, especially its shape...

Luo Qi looked at the giant pillar from all angles, always feeling that its shape resembled something indescribable.

He really didn't know what it would look like when it activated. Wouldn't it be something that erupted?

That would be too wild.

"Bishop?" The Knight Captain noticed that Luo Qi had been staring at Obedience of Heavenly Voice for a long time without speaking and asked cautiously, "Is there a problem?"

"Ah, no."

Luo Qi snapped back to reality. He realized his thoughts had been too scattered, but he couldn't blame himself. He hadn't had a good rest in a long time and had been on edge day and night, so some mental fluctuations were completely normal.

"You seem a bit tired," the Knight Captain observed and then asked confusedly, "I don't quite understand why we had to travel all night. We could have set off with the Star Relic Church after dawn... uh, sorry, I'm not questioning your decision."

Facing Luo Qi's fierce gaze, the Knight Captain immediately shut his mouth.

Idiot, if I hadn't run away all night, I might be dead by now! Luo Qi cursed inwardly.

Damn it, Ring Finger and Ulu wanted me to stay by Isaiah's side to draw fire, which is absolutely impossible. Especially after realizing that Isaiah likely knew my identity, the farther I can run, the better. After all, it's better to rely on oneself than anyone else.

Only after running all the way to Obedience of Heavenly Voice did Luo Qi finally feel a sliver of security.

After all, no matter how bold Isaiah was, he wouldn't dare make a move under Obedience of Heavenly Voice, right?

Look at this... uh, this magnificent divine artifact! Even if Isaiah gathered more Corpse Pieces, he absolutely wouldn't be able to contend with it!

Therefore, before coming here, Luo Qi had already made up his mind: he would absolutely not leave this place until Isaiah was dealt with.

He would cling to this magnificent divine artifact even if it meant death!