The Past

Located south of the Black Cave Settlement, the streets were full of potholes, and it only took a few steps to come across murky puddles. As Liao Ji walked by, he could smell something like a pair of socks that had been worn for weeks. Judging by the expressions of the people here, though, they seemed to have long since gotten used to it.

The trash cans along the roadside looked like they had been overflowing for quite some time, with flies and mosquitoes buzzing incessantly around them. Irin told Liao Ji that garbage trucks usually came only once every half month. They had shortened the interval after an outbreak of disease in the Shantytown a few years ago, to avoid a similar incident. Otherwise, they might not see a garbage truck for a whole month.

Even in a poor district, however, there were differences in the quality of people's homes. The most common sight was naturally the densely packed shacks, made from a few wooden poles and a piece of ragged cloth. As Liao Ji passed by, he could see through the gaps in their door curtains that there were only a few square meters of space inside, yet enough for a family of three—or even more.

A little better off were those who could afford earthen buildings. From the outside, they looked like lumps of mud. They were still crude, but at least they offered considerably better shelter from the elements than a shack.

Finally, the most "luxurious" homes in this poor district were the squat little buildings that could just barely be called "apartments." Each one was about three or four stories tall, but every floor had at least a dozen residents.

The walls and paint on the apartment buildings had mostly peeled away, and the outdoor stairs used to climb them were rusty, creaking whenever someone stepped on them. Liao Ji worried they might collapse at any moment.

Fortunately, Irin's home wasn't high up. It was on the second floor. For some reason, watching Irin take out her keys and open the door with its old-fashioned lock made Liao Ji feel that the girl actually lived pretty well.

It just went to show how true it was that happiness was relative.

Click.

With the sound of the lock turning, Irin reluctantly opened the door for Liao Ji. It was the first time she had ever brought a man home, and even though circumstances had forced her to, it still felt... strange.

"Sorry to intrude."

Although the girl had already told him no one was home, Liao Ji still gave a token greeting before stepping inside.

In Liao Ji's imagination, a scavenger's home would have been piled high with junk, filthy and chaotic, with nowhere to step. He had even prepared himself for all sorts of strange smells.

But the reality before him wasn't merely different. It was the complete opposite.

"Um... should I change into slippers?" Liao Ji froze as soon as he entered. He looked at the clean, tidy floor and the two pairs of slippers neatly arranged by the door.

The slippers looked very old, but... they were still slippers! In a poor district like this, just changing shoes when you entered someone's home was enough to amaze him. It felt completely out of place.

"Suit yourself. My mom isn't here anyway." The girl had walked straight through without changing her shoes. Considering what Irin had said, it was obvious that this good habit had been a rule set by her mother.

After changing into slippers, Liao Ji took a quick look around. Irin's home seemed to be about thirty or forty square meters. It wasn't large, but it felt like it had everything.

The most obvious example was that the tiny place somehow had two bedrooms and a living room! That clearly hadn't been the original layout. Many of the partitions had been added later. It wasn't hard to see that the owner of the home hadn't given up on it, but had instead tried to make it better through careful planning.

"There's not much room, so just stay in the living room. I'll go change and see if I can find something for you to wear."

After letting Liao Ji know, the girl headed into the inner room. But soon, Irin poked her head back out.

"Don't do anything weird!"

Liao Ji spread his hands helplessly. "Do I look like that kind of person?"

"Yes!"

While the girl busied herself in the inner room, sorting out what to wear next, Liao Ji looked around the house.

A sofa with loose stitching, worn-out tables and chairs, a faded tablecloth, an old lightbulb swaying overhead, and a kitchen faucet that sputtered out water intermittently. Much of the furniture was beyond merely being secondhand. In Liao Ji's eyes, it was the sort of stuff that people on Blue Star wouldn't even bother salvaging. It was clear that Irin's family was in dire straits.

On the other hand, from the slippers by the door to the old, battered furniture Liao Ji had just run his fingers over, there was very little dust. And the garbage bags had been neatly tied with string and placed by the door. It was a striking contrast to the filthy disorder of the poor district outside, and at least showed a positive attitude toward life.

Finally, Liao Ji's gaze moved to the wall in the corner of the living room.

There were many award certificates posted there.

[Most Improved Student], [Third Place in the Black Cave Mathematics Competition], [Award for Excellent Conduct], [Star of Innovation], [Outstanding Probationary Nun], [Passed the Elementary Mechanics Assessment], [Model of Civility Award].

The award recipient was naturally a certain girl—no, judging by the dates on the certificates, Irin had still been a little girl back then.

This made Liao Ji look at her in a whole new light. After all, this wasn't peacetime, and these weren't the hollow awards one might see on Blue Star. They were all hard-earned. Judging by the organizations listed, some had been awarded by schools affiliated with the Church, while others came from training organizations overseas.

It seemed Irin had received an excellent education as a child. It was just that...

Liao Ji checked the date on the last certificate, then compared it with the calendar in the room. Six whole years had passed. Irin must have only just graduated from elementary school by Blue Star's standards. It gave him the feeling that everything had come to an abrupt stop.

Only parents would put up a wall of award certificates like this, especially parents who were proud of their child and had high hopes for them.

Liao Ji turned his gaze to the photo beside the wall of certificates. It was the most conspicuous one, and the one that had drawn his attention the most.

Was that... a family portrait?

In the precious photo, Liao Ji saw a young Irin. She still had a baby face, chubby cheeks, and fair skin. She smiled at the camera, joyful dimples lifting both corners of her mouth. She was adorable.

A woman with coffee-brown hair held the little girl's hand on the right side of the photo. This was obviously Irin's mother.

The woman wasn't dressed in anything particularly fancy, and she wore no pretty accessories. Her upper half was covered by nothing more than an old-fashioned linen shirt. Even so, if Liao Ji had to say, she could easily outshine many actresses on Blue Star.

Especially with the mature charm of a married woman, paired with her lovely features and shapely figure. Liao Ji felt Irin owed a great deal of her own looks to her mother's excellent genes.

The only thing he found hard to put into words was...

Did every married woman like to tie her hair into a side ponytail and drape it over one shoulder? It did make her look gentler and more domestic, but...

Ma'am, your hairstyle is seriously dangerous!

Liao Ji thought he might have found the reason Irin's mother was gravely ill.

Finally...

His gaze moved to the little girl's left. By all logic, this should have been where Irin's father stood, but strangely, that part of the photo looked as though someone had violently torn away a large chunk.

Come to think of it...

Ever since he had met the girl, Irin had mentioned her "mother" many times, but she had never once mentioned her "father" to him. There were only two pairs of slippers by the door, too.

So...

"He died." The girl's voice came from behind Liao Ji. Irin had changed her clothes at some point.

She glanced at the family portrait Liao Ji had been looking at and said in a flat voice:

"He died when the Corrupt Calamity inside him backlashed. On the second day after he became Corrupted, he went berserk and lost control. In the end, he turned into an ugly monster and was shot dead by everyone."

"And the night before, that man had excitedly painted a picture of a bright future for his worried wife and daughter. He said that soon he'd make a fortune with his powers as one of the Corrupted, then take us away from this chaotic settlement to live in a big city full of hope."

"Heh. Ironic, isn't it? He threw away his wife and daughter, and his own life, all for that pathetic bit of power. He kept saying he'd protect us and give us everything, but he had no idea what we really wanted."

The girl looked away from the "family portrait," but the fists she clenched made it clear that Irin was far from as calm as she appeared.

"...Sorry." It seemed that was all Liao Ji could say.

He understood now why Irin had reacted so strongly to the words "the Corrupted" back in the secret room. He also understood why the little girl who had excelled both academically and in conduct, as shown by the certificates on the wall, had eventually become a scavenger.

"So the Kobold Clay Statue from back then..." Liao Ji hadn't forgotten that it was what had led to the gang's complete annihilation. Given what he now knew about this world, Corrupt Calamity objects weren't something an ordinary person could get their hands on.

Irin made no attempt to hide it. She nodded and answered frankly:

"That's right. He stumbled across that Corrupt Calamity item at the black market. He absorbed the Corrupt Calamity from it and became one of the Corrupted. It's also the only Relic he left us. I've kept that statue with me all this time. I never thought I'd actually use it someday."

Irin gave a self-mocking shake of her head, then quickly changed the subject.

"Enough, old fossil. That was all six years ago. It's in the past now, and I'm not some little girl who needs comforting anymore. I'm only telling you because... here, your clothes."

Irin handed Liao Ji the worker's clothes she had been holding in her arms. They looked as though they hadn't been worn in years and were full of wrinkles.

"There are no men in my house. The only clothes I could find for you were my dad's old ones. If you think they're bad luck, there's nothing I can do. Just put up with it."

Speaking of which...

Actually, the moment Liao Ji had turned around and first seen Irin after she changed, he'd wanted to say something.

"You call that changing?"

"Your ragged coat, ripped leather pants, and... those rough boots. Other than looking a little cleaner, as if they'd just been washed, how are they any different from what you were wearing before? Anyone can still tell at a glance you're a scavenger! And couldn't you at least put on some makeup?"

Liao Ji wore an exasperated expression.

Irin, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed by what he said. She had spent so long getting dressed in the inner room, thinking she'd made herself look different, only for this guy to say there was no difference!

The girl secretly tugged at the hem of her faded trench coat, which had been washed many times. She sounded a little defeated as she said, "W-what am I supposed to do? These are the only scavenger clothes I have at home! I don't have anything else, let alone makeup! Hmph, I'm sorry for being poor!"

Ignoring the girl's grumpy complaint, Liao Ji thought for a moment, then let his gaze drift to the money pouch fastened to Irin's waist.

If he remembered correctly, the girl had taken it from one of the gang members when she'd searched the Kobold's corpse for candles.

Liao Ji had been willing to turn a blind eye to this presumably substantial fortune before. But now...

"Miss Irin, would you like to experience what it's like to be a young lady?"

"No! Not at all!" Irin immediately saw what Liao Ji was planning and desperately guarded the pouch at her waist.

Unfortunately...

"No, you do." Liao Ji used the Contract to control Irin's body, making the girl obediently place the money pouch in his hand.

"Besides, I want to look presentable when I meet your aunt. I'd like to make a good impression on her. You understand, right? First impressions matter, so lead the way, Miss Irin. We'll go to, um..."

"We'll go to the most expensive, most luxurious clothing store in this area."