The horses' hooves clopped steadily, following a mechanical rhythm.
Lingren watched the trees slide past on either side. His eyes were devoid of warmth as he repeatedly recalled every scene at the altar, until the invisible hand belonging to the Harvest Mother Goddess pushed him away, completely ending any chance he had of obtaining the experimental material.
The Magician's return was such a nuisance.
Now, all he had gained from this run of the deduction game was a fragment of Edgar's heart, where flesh, machinery, and divinity had fused together. It wasn't nothing, but watching his prey slip away right before his eyes left a bitter taste.
It had been a long time since Lingren had felt this frustration at having his prize stolen from under him. Especially when the one who'd stolen it wasn't either A Xing or Hua Subai.
An eyesore. An absolute eyesore.
A deep, savage fury stirred inside him, threatening to surge to the surface. The coachman's back looked like a target. All Lingren had to do was raise a hand and crush that insignificant NPC into a heap of bloody pulp for a little comfort.
But Lingren didn't act.
The negative emotions inside him came from Gui Chen. Only that tree could magnify such dark desires, making those who wielded its power lose control and act solely to obtain nourishment.
Lingren would never let a tree control his emotions. Killing a minor NPC would only be an impotent fit of rage.
He closed his eyes slightly and leaned against the uncomfortable seat, setting thoughts of gain and loss aside for a moment as he reviewed the main reason for his failure.
...Was it because he wanted to leave the young master with a false memory of their alliance?
Was it because, out of a soft