Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 435: Number G (Part Two)

Bidding began quickly, and when multiple customers took a liking to the same item, the highest bidder naturally won. The price quickly exceeded one million Tong Coin, one million, two million, three million, and was still rising rapidly. The dean was overjoyed; he never imagined that the item he initially thought least likely would earn him so much.

"Ten million! How about that? Any higher?"

The middle-aged man who first discovered G offered the highest price, and everyone else fell silent. Although they were all wealthy nobles who spent money like water, spending ten Tong Coin to buy a mere bedroom toy was still a bit too much.

"Sold! Dear customer, thank you so much for your patronage!"

The middle-aged man didn't give the bowing and scraping dean a second glance, casually tossing him a gold card before stepping forward to examine his prize closely. Long, flowing light brown hair, skin as smooth as porcelain, and features that achieved a perfect balance between cuteness and elegance—she was already stunning at first glance, and the closer he looked, the more captivating she became. This convinced the man that he had struck gold.

The girl was looking at her too.

His gaze remained indifferent.

The man couldn't help but let out a lewd grin.

A large, wrinkled hand brushed through the girl's beautiful, light brown hair and reached towards her fair face.

His imagination was running wild. This girl was so calm now; would she still be so calm when he took her back, tied her to the bed, and deflowered her? What kind of expression would she have? What kind of cries would she make? What kind of allure would she exude? It was truly, truly, truly unbearably alluring—

--Grasp.

Just as his hand was about to touch the girl's cheek, it was grabbed.

It was a thin, bony hand, its pale skin showing an unhealthy, sallow complexion, as if it had suffered from long-term malnutrition.

Follow the hand's direction.

He was a tall, white-haired young man, around twenty-five years old, with a thin build and a dark, empty left eye.

When did it appear?

How did it appear?

Is he a customer too?

"Hey! What are you doing--"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, it was so rude of me to meet you on our first meeting, but..."

The young man smiled apologetically.

"I'm somewhat interested in this child; I'd like to buy her if possible."

The dean was also taken aback. He didn't remember such a person among the guests. After all, white hair and one eye—such obvious features should have been impossible to miss. Moreover, due to the confidentiality of customer identities, he didn't have a detailed guest list at the moment and couldn't verify the information.

"I'm sorry, sir, Number G has already been sold, so..."

"The current transaction price is ten Tong Coin, right? It's okay. Although I don't have many RMB, I can still have as many Tong Coin as I want."

With a loud crash.

A crystal-blue object, about the size of an egg, was shoved into the dean's hand.

Not only the dean, but all the other nobles were stunned.

This is Crystal Fruit.

Moreover, it is a product that has been rigorously refined after being taken from the Northern Realm Crystal Tree. Whether used as an ornament or a weapon material, it is top-notch, and a single piece is worth more than hundreds of millions.

"Is this enough to settle the debt? Well then... I won't be polite?"

After saying that, he took the girl's hand and left amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd.

Even the usually calm and collected girl G was stunned, and was thus led away by the young man.

Walk through the hall.

Walk through the garden.

They climbed over the high walls surrounding the Orphanage.

And so she left the place that had kept her confined until she was nine years old.

They didn't stop until they reached a small alley a few hundred meters from the Orphanage.

"Ah, um..." she spoke for the first time.

My surname is Yu.

"... Mr. Yu, hello. I am a humble woman, and I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

The young woman, G, quickly recovered from the shock and put on a serene smile that she had maintained for many years, as she greeted the person who had bought her.

Although she didn't want to go with anyone.

But it'll be soon.

It has been two months since my superpowers were awakened.

The ability to directly intervene in the minds of others will soon be achievable.

"Interventionist spirit and such are too difficult for you right now."

"--!?"

This time, she genuinely looked surprised; she didn't know how this young man had seen through her.

"Don't be so nervous, you... um... let's give you a name first, your number is G?"

"Yes..."

"G... G... Then let's call her Givinia, and you can think of any surname you like."

"Given, Nia..."

From then on, the girl was given a name.

"Then, until we meet again."

"Huh?"

The young man waved his hand and turned to leave.

Just like that, he left?

"Wait, please wait a moment!"

But the young man didn't stop, and didn't even look back.

"Mr. Yu-- "

"I'm sorry, I didn't buy you from the Orphanage to satisfy that kind of interest. Although I can't say it was without ulterior motives, just consider it a gesture of goodwill from me for now, and besides—"

He paused slightly.

"Don't you also have some things you want to do?"

"..."

After saying this, the young man disappeared.

The girl stood there, her emotions churning for a long time.

... yes.

I still have things I want to do.

Something that absolutely must be done.

Ever since realizing he was a superhuman and possessed power, he made a vow to do certain things.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was the pillar that kept her alive until now.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Yu. It's a pleasure to see you."

"You're lying. You don't want to see me, do you?"

Yusuo Zai gave a somewhat wry smile.

He seemed helpless about something, or perhaps troubled by something, but the phrase "seemed troubled by something" itself was also included. Layers of emotion, like a cabbage, were wrapped around him, yet in the end, it seemed he wasn't expressing any real emotion through that expression; he was merely contorting his facial muscles. But what it revealed was...

--No, let's stop.

Givinia slammed on the brakes in her mind, forcibly stopping her conditioned reflex of "immediately analyzing people's expressions upon seeing them."

Her previous encounters had made it clear to her that any attempt to read this man's expression was futile.

Yusuo Zai.

The least known man among the top executives.

Yes, he was the person who made Givinia feel most lost.

"... May I ask, Mr. Yu, what brings you here?"

"I suddenly remembered someone I'd met a few times before, so I came to check it out."

"If you are looking for a lady—"

"Self-deception is also a form of self-protection; you know perfectly well that all I want to do is look at you."

Yusuo Zai revealed a... somewhat dry expression.

If you only heard what he just said, you might mistakenly think there was something ambiguous about it, but Givinia only felt a chill.

It's like standing blindfolded on the edge of a bottomless black hole.

"... What brings you here?"

"Didn't I say I just wanted to see an old client? After enduring so much, will you finally find a happy ending? I'm a little curious."

"When you say you 'care about it a little,' it's nothing more than stopping to look at a strange insect for a few seconds while you're out for a walk."

"An interesting metaphor, but I can't deny it."

"..."

"Alright, I'm not one to force people. I just really wanted to see you one more time. Go back now, lest Madam become suspicious."

"... Okay, goodbye—no, it's better not to see you again."

Givinia forced herself to look away from Yusuo Zai and turned away.

Don't talk to him anymore.

With every word she spoke to him, every glance she took at him, and even every extra second she spent with him, Givinia felt she was one step closer to that black hole.

If anyone in this world can get along with this man calmly, that person must have the heart of a monster.

But his voice came again, and even though she forced herself to ignore it, his voice kept drilling into her mind.

"The most difficult thing for a person is to 'know themselves,' and the second most difficult thing is to 'not regret their choices.' Givinia, have you ever felt regret?"

"I... sigh, there's no point in asking these questions now, is there?"

Givinia's fists clenched without her realizing it.

"Anyway, everything was destined from the moment you took me out of the Orphanage."

"So-called destiny is a formula. The formula is fixed, but the result will change depending on the values you input. What truly determines destiny is your past choices. As for me, I am just a parameter. Only you can guide yourself to the end."

When Givinia looked at him one last time, she found that Yusuo Zai.

A strange feeling of weakness swept over my entire body.

"My own choice? Ha..."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

He scoffed at himself.

"Anyway... now that things have come to this, there's no turning back."

The deepest part of the Cathedral of the True God--

"Huff... huff... huff..."

The slender, elf-like girl, Ji Ling, walked quickly, striving to move swiftly without making a sound.

However... even though she had taken off her usual Goddess robes and changed into casual clothes that she had begged from her female attendants, her speed was still quite limited.

And this dress is too big.

... especially my chest, it feels empty.

(Seriously! Why are you still worrying about this now?!)

Am I just naturally thick-skinned?

No! Instead of thinking about all that, let's focus on the task at hand!

The air became tingly, as if filled with static electricity, a sign that the divine barrier was about to appear—others might not be able to sense it, but as Goddess, the Priestess's sensitivity was unmatched even within the entire Divine Law Cult.

(Great! If all goes well, this should be the last floor!)

The spirit held its breath and tried desperately to calm its wildly beating heart, but the more it tried to calm down, the faster its heart beat, pounding like an alarm bell.

(Calm down... calm down... calm down, please!)

One step. Two steps.

Three... steps!

The tingling sensation, like static electricity, intensified for a moment, then disappeared in the next instant.

Nothing was triggered, and no alarm sounded.

"--Whoosh!"

It passed successfully!

Although she knew perfectly well that the barriers within the Holy See would have little effect on Goddess of extremely high divine status, she still couldn't help feeling nervous.

After all, for a priestess who has always been detached from the stresses of life, it is far too difficult to overcome the guilt in her heart and strive to uncover the truth about the Vatican.

Moreover, this is the eve of the decisive battle, and the Vatican—and even the staff inside the Cathedral of the True God— have been mobilized, making this the most relaxed moment in the Vatican's history.

There was no time for hesitation, which is why the spirit of the sacrifice made up its mind to act.

Starting in the Sadington Underground Sanctuary, they witnessed the oppression of commoners by nobles, discovered that the world was not as beautiful as described in the scriptures, and encountered a fourth Goddess who should not exist.

This triggered a series of suspicions and inner struggles, which ultimately led her here.

A place where confidential information is stored.

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You wouldn't believe it, but my wife Winnie actually has some connection with that guy. Although there wasn't any explicit foster father/daughter dynamic, the truth will come out later.

The next chapter is going to be high-energy!