Ethan, I want to create a world without you.
As he was thrown to the ground with a shoulder throw, he seemed to hear a furious roar in his ear.
Ivy glared down at Ethan, who lay flat on his back on the floor with his limbs spread wide. Her noble upbringing kept her from giving in to the urge to lift her knee-high boot and plant it on his chest. She had always been particular about etiquette, but when his sudden sneeze startled her into jabbing her finger into the sea, she couldn't help swearing.
Her first-ever curse had been dedicated to Ethan.
After a long stare, Ivy said, "Don't sneeze when someone else is casting Teleportation Magic!"
"I never thought the Containment Bureau had recruited a Knight."
Treant Old Mu finally came out of his shock, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least this girl wasn't here to beat him up.
"I'm not a Knight."
"What? I thought only a Knight could manage such a perfect Shoulder Throw!"
Old Mu had witnessed Ethan's body make a perfect rotation in midair, completing a beautiful 360-degree turn before landing on the floor. He could only say that the throw had been a work of art, reminding him of the Stage Play at the Grand Theater in the Imperial Capital.
Ethan, the person in question, listened silently to their conversation. In fact, Ivy's Shoulder Throw was even more masterful than Old Mu imagined. She'd held back when she threw him, making it look spectacular without hurting much. Ethan thought that if Ivy joined WWE, she'd definitely become an All-Star-level competitor.
It was easy to see that Ivy had only been venting her anger; she didn't really want him to disappear from the world.
Sneezing while someone else was casting Teleportation Magic could send them into the sea. Ethan had learned something new today. What a productive day.
The throw hadn't hurt much, but Ethan just lay on the cold floor and showed no sign of getting up anytime soon. As if. His boss had just given him a Shoulder Throw. If he immediately dusted himself off and got to his feet, wouldn't that be a slap in her face?
Ivy had used Martial Arts this time. If he angered her again, she might use Divine Might next time.
He stayed put, watching Ivy and Old Mu talk. He waited until Old Mu had packed the Base Station equipment into a box and Ivy had generously taken out a gold-trimmed Savings Card and handed it over. Money changed hands, goods were delivered. Ethan knew then that it was time to get up off the floor.
Being soaked through made Ivy very uncomfortable. She was still angry, but for some reason, when she saw Ethan drift toward the counter with Ghostly Steps and offer to carry the box, her anger suddenly faded. His little expressions and gestures even made her want to laugh.
Fortunately, she'd had professional training and was wearing a mask, so she hid her feelings well.
She'd accidentally Teleported into the sea. The first thing she did after reaching Fireplace Bay was swim to shore Freestyle. Her plan to show Ethan around had to be put on hold. A proper lady would never wander around in soaking-wet clothes. How would that look?
The deck was livelier than expected. An unexpected commotion had drawn the crowd into a circle. With his arms folded across his chest, he looked on and offered commentary—mostly schadenfreude. Only an idiot would attack a shopkeeper on the Lofik Consortium's turf. This was a rare bit of entertainment.
Ethan spotted another familiar face.
The young man who'd been conned out of a Gold Lion by a bar hostess looked even worse than before. A guard had him pinned down by the shoulders, his face pressed hard against the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was grimacing in pain, but there was nothing he could do against such an overwhelming difference in strength.
Ivy noticed Ethan's gaze. "You know him?"
"Yeah. He's my teacher."
"Teacher?"
Ivy paused, taking a closer look. The young man wore a mask too, so there was no way to make out his real appearance. "Is he from Brookwood Town?"
"No idea. I don't know him." Ethan shook his head. "But his experiences taught me how dangerous Fireplace Bay can be."
As the saying went, "When three walk together, one of them can be my teacher." They hadn't even spoken a word to each other, but Ethan had already taken the young man for a teacher in his heart. If he hadn't witnessed what happened to him, he might have ended up saddled with a huge debt while trying to freeload on occult books at a bookstore.
Ivy's eyelid twitched a few times. Ethan had a peculiar way of thinking that ordinary people couldn't understand.
Perhaps his obsessive research into the occult and Dark Creatures had affected his thinking to some degree, under the influence of the Evil God.
"Then that works out. Wait here and don't wander off. I need to go somewhere first."
"Okay."
Ethan set the heavy box on the ground. He noticed Ivy was holding a black cloth bag that went "jingle, jingle." It was probably full of Gold Lions. She headed straight for the Captain's Room, which was guarded by soldiers and sailors. It was also a place where Zero Krypton players weren't allowed.
He sensibly joined the crowd to watch the spectacle.
Don't pry into your boss's business. This might involve the Empire's dark side. Better not to know.
"It's been so long, and you're still chasing after her. You should give up already."
As soon as Ivy opened the door, she heard the captain's voice. It was deep and a little raspy.
He was a man in his fifties, with quite a bit of gray in his hair. Wearing a white cloak, he stood with both hands braced on the table, studying the Nautical Chart spread across it.
Without looking up, the captain said, "This is for your own good."
Ivy kept a straight face and tossed a bag of Gold Lions onto the chart.
The captain finally paused. He untied the cord cinching the bag shut; golden light filled the whole bag. He hefted it and said, "Looks like you haven't been home in a while."
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
The captain answered with actions. He opened a drawer and put the full bag of Gold Lions inside. "I only heard about it by chance from a friend. Sometime a little over a year ago, he met a buyer—someone with a distinctive Silver White hair color and red eyes. She came into the shop and bought a few things: parchment, a pen, and tools for Magic Recording. It looked like she was going to make a Magic Book."
"A Magic Book?"
Ivy fell into thought. "Why would she make a Magic Book?"
"That's not something I could know. My friend doesn't like to draw attention to himself, and he likes testifying in court even less. He wants you to forget all about this once you walk out that door. Even mentioning it puts him at great risk."
"I understand," Ivy said. "I was never here today."
"That's for the best."
Her conversation with the captain lasted only a few minutes. She walked out of the Captain's Room, tilted her head back to gaze at the eternally dark sky over Fireplace Bay, and sighed deeply.
Winter had been here before.
Once again, Ivy had found a trace Winter had left behind, yet she still felt as though she were chasing a ghost.
Still, her investigation had finally made some real progress.
She didn't know Winter's motives, but she knew that Winter had passed through Fireplace Bay while on the run. She'd bought the basic tools for making a Magic Book, and she might even have left behind a great magical tome.
Ivy had to find that Magic Book.
It was the strongest proof that the Winter Witch was still alive—and evidence the Church couldn't ignore.
(The first week's reader-retention numbers are very important, so please don't let the book pile up unread. Thank you!)
Thanks to Li You Lizhi for the 1,500 Qidian coins!
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