Wig Brown's Funeral

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 (Faith 60) heard the name Brown Family and said uneasily:]

[So, are we still going to kill the old bastard?]

Xie Yu smiled. "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?"

He put the cane back and picked up the talisman doll on the table. Turning it over between his fingers a couple of times, he probed:

"What, are you scared? Or did you think I was scared?"

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771's (Faith 60) thoughts stalled, and it didn't dare speak.]

Apparently, it was a little scared itself. Xie Yu observed its emotions.

It was afraid of the Brown Family...

What did it know about the Brown Family? Had it met members of the family?

Wig Brown wasn't alone. He was still connected to the family behind him.

Fry had mentioned before that a Magister from the Brown Family had stepped in to suppress Wig's teaching incident. Wig Brown had ties to the Brown Family that couldn't be severed, so Xie Yu wasn't too surprised to have that confirmed by Sealed Artifact 3-0771 now.

"Demanding that magic academies appoint mental health inspectors is no small move."

"Wig Brown and you probably aren't worth such a major effort. It's more like a small tendril of some vast plan surfaced before us as it stretched into Black Pine City."

Xie Yu spoke.

He was assessing the situation while also reassuring Sealed Artifact 3-0771.

The sealed artifact's narcissism might have led it to consider itself very important.

It thought the Brown Family cared deeply about Wig, so it was afraid that killing him meant directly opposing everyone behind him.

[Is that so...]

"There's one more thing we need to figure out. Did Wig kill Kaiming on the Brown Family's orders, or did he catch a glimpse of what the family was doing and take the initiative to act accordingly?" Xie Yu continued.

[I don't know. I have no idea. He didn't tell me that much.]

Xie Yu hadn't expected the sealed artifact to answer anyway.

Given its personality and intelligence, he could trust the information it provided from observing events, but he probably couldn't put complete faith in its own judgments.

"Does the Brown Family know for certain that you exist? Do they know what you do and where you came from?" Xie Yu asked.

[They probably do. On the fourth day after the old bastard acquired me, he took me to see a Magister in the field of mind and soul. He said he wanted to present me to the family, but the Magister told him to keep me for the time being. By then, I had already demonstrated my function in Wig's hands. Wig could just barely use me, but someone else might not have been able to.]

Sure enough, just as he had expected, the sealed artifact's earlier account of being snatched away by Wig and a battle breaking out had been an embellished version of the truth.

Even if it hadn't thrown itself into Wig's arms of its own accord, it had been willing enough and quite satisfied with him.

"All right, I understand." Xie Yu nodded.

"I can make a judgment now. If you really want to come with me, killing Wig isn't optional for you. It's something you have to do."

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 (Faith 60) was utterly confused:]

[Why...]

"You've already been used, and Wig has become Kaiming. Neither the so-called Brown Family nor Wig has any need to use you a second time. The Brown Family knows you exist, and Wig no longer needs to keep you. Given your value, it would be such a waste to leave you idle. It would be better to take you away for research and put you to use elsewhere."

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 trembled slightly. It realized that what you described seemed inevitable, yet it had never foreseen it.]

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 instinctively felt that if it followed your arrangements, everything could be resolved, though it didn't know how things would ultimately be resolved. Even so, it trusted you more than its own reason and was still willing to act according to your arrangements.]

It asked:

[Then what should we do? Will killing Wig be enough?]

"Go tonight. How do you plan to do it?"

Xie Yu felt no urgency at all about killing someone. He picked up the book about dreams from the four he had just put down and resumed leafing through it.

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 began to consider the question seriously:]

[Killing the old bastard won't be hard. I can perform another fate substitution and replace his fate with that of someone who's already dead.]

[But are there any details I should pay attention to? Should I make it look like someone else killed him... And why move it up to tonight?]

"I learned from Yize that members of the Brown Family will attend the funeral tomorrow. They'll be coming to collect Wig's inheritance," Xie Yu said.

"Since they already know you exist, and most likely know Wig isn't truly dead, that inheritance must mean you. There's no other possibility. At tomorrow's funeral, you might not get a chance to act, and even if you do, you might not be able to get away."

"So you have to do it beforehand."

"As for framing someone else and covering it up, there's no need. It'll happen without you doing anything. If the fake Kaiming dies at your hands and you disappear, who do you think the Brown Family will suspect first? You just need to act at the right time and let everything take its course."

The conflict between the Pine Nut Chamber of Commerce and a younger member of the Brown Family that Magister Yize had divined had already foretold all this.

Having learned of the prophecy in advance, he was now helping bring it to pass.

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 only half understood. It thought for a while and finally asked:]

[What if I fail? What if we're exposed? Is killing Wig worth it?]

"Why are you afraid of failing? Do you think what Wig did can stand the light of day?" Xie Yu glanced at it.

"An elderly nobleman with the surname Brown is obstructing society's development and the running of the kingdom, even going so far as to break the kingdom's laws."

"You weren't afraid of failing when you worked and killed for him. What are you afraid of now?"

[Sealed Artifact 3-0771 examined its heart in response to your question:]

[I wasn't afraid of the old bastard failing. No matter how badly he failed, the worst that could happen was that he'd die, and I'd still be a sealed artifact. I'd just pass from one person's hands into another's...]

[But it's different now. After meeting you, Master, I found meaning. (Faith rose to 80)]

Xie Yu didn't immediately respond to its feelings. Instead, he asked about its progress.

"How is your wind-element magic practice going?"

[I can just about fly now. I'm not heavy.]

"Go on. You can eat him. I'll wait for you to come back."

[If I leave so abruptly and get too far away from you, Master, I might attract that Magister's attention.]

"It's all right. He's on my side."

[Why?]

"You don't need to ask so many questions."

Xie Yu opened the window and tossed Sealed Artifact 3-0771 out of the inn. Kaiming's clinic was only a little over ten minutes away on foot, and flying would take even less time.

From beginning to end, he had never been afraid of anyone learning that he was taking revenge on Wig Brown.

Whether Yize found out, Fry found out, or even his photograph appeared on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper, Xie Yu didn't think he had anything to feel guilty about.

He had only been cautious because he worried that his abilities wouldn't be understood.

He couldn't explain the role he had played in these events, and he worried that the others wouldn't believe Kaiming was a fake.

But now, as he learned more about Wig Brown bit by bit, the information showed that Wig Brown wasn't some "unknown sealed artifact holder operating in secret." Sealed Artifact 3-0771 had a clear origin, and there were people who knew what it could do.

Those concerns gradually faded.

That didn't mean the trouble involved in killing Wig Brown had vanished entirely.

But the other people in the know, such as the Brown Family, would be unwilling to see the matter exposed for all to see.

As for the Education Bureau, the position Fry had "arranged" for Kaiming might become a tendril by which the nobility infiltrated the local school system. Judging by the direction of the kingdom's policies and the fact that almost none of the Education Bureau's officials had noble surnames, the bureau's people stood on the same side as him in this matter.

If no one discovered it, everything would carry on as usual.

If someone did, that wouldn't be a bad thing either.

The one worst-case scenario was that the Brown Family noticed something amiss while the Education Bureau's people had yet to discover it. Then he might have to worry about the fabled noble family pursuing Sealed Artifact 3-0771 and sending assassins after him. He might even have to find a way to make the Education Bureau "discover" it.

Now Sealed Artifact 3-0771 had said Yize might notice, so that was perfect. He would let him notice.

Xie Yu returned to the table, held Dream Magic: Everything from Apprentice to Sage in One Book in his hands, and turned to a new page.

Outside the window, night quietly fell.

"I've finished maintaining Sealed Artifact 3-0771 as promised."

"It's time for your funeral, too."

The wooden house saw an extra star in the sky.

Usually, it couldn't see many stars. The tall buildings around it blocked its view.

Now the star flew down. The backdrop behind the little point of light was no longer the deep blue night sky, but the buildings along the street. It slowly descended.

Perhaps that isn't a star, but a firefly... the wooden house thought.

Suddenly, it noticed that the star seemed closer. In fact, it was coming straight toward it.

At last, it got a better look. It really wasn't a star. It was a metal pendant flying through the sky, sparkling as it reflected the lights from the street and the ground.

It flew unsteadily, swaying back and forth, and drifted unobtrusively through the attic window. It rolled across the wooden floor with a faint sound.

Then the troubled fake Kaiming seemed to notice something.

Disbelief filled his eyes. He got up and ran up the stairs toward the room with the open window.

He shoved the attic door open with all his strength, paying no heed to its age. The wooden door slammed against the wall with a crash.

He saw that glint of color, an unexpected flash of silver, yet it seemed to be exactly what he had imagined.

Sealed Artifact 3-0771, the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll, had fallen from the sky and landed on the floor. It lay there quietly, as though waiting for him to touch it.

"Lord Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll..."

He had never realized how much he missed this sealed artifact. For the past hour, he had paced downstairs, worried that Xie Yu wouldn't return it and that Xie Yu would take it to the Education Bureau or the kingdom's government and report his murder.

He had lost control of the situation and could only wait for the young man's mercy.

Although he believed he had done everything perfectly, leaving hardly a trace and completely taking over Kaiming's fate, and outsiders should in theory be unable to find any evidence, he still felt guilty. He wasn't sure whether he had left any flaws in more profound fields of magic. What a mage couldn't see through, a Magister might. And even if he could fool a Magister, what about a Saint? A Sage?

The kingdom had no shortage of powerful people. After breaking the law, the best rule for survival was to avoid attracting any attention.

Now, at this moment, all his worries vanished!

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll had been returned intact.

He breathed a long sigh of relief. Sure enough, he had made the right choice to compromise when Xie Yu threatened him last night.

That young man who had been pretending to be weak didn't care about Kaiming's death at all. He had merely happened upon it and taken the opportunity to extort him. Or perhaps he had been intimidated by the surname "Brown"...

A host of possibilities ran through his mind, and he found this outcome perfectly reasonable.

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll ought to have been returned.

Now that it was back, he could report to the family and live out his life in peace as Kaiming.

The little incident Xie Yu had caused last night and the trouble of Roman's early visit today were entirely behind him.

Delighted, he crouched down, bent over, and reached out to pick up the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll.

But the instant he felt its cold surface, a far greater chill enveloped him.

Beyond his control, the talisman doll suddenly lit up red.

The humanoid pendant gave off that familiar sonorous sound, piercing his ears:

"Whose fate do you wish to substitute? Please choose from those you have engraved."

He stared at the pendant in disbelief, wondering whether something had gone wrong with the sealed artifact. Hadn't it been taken away for maintenance? Shouldn't it have been gentler and more predictable afterward?

Why did it seem completely mad and out of control?

"No, I don't want to substitute anyone's fate right now! Lord Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll?"

Just as he thought, the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll was indeed out of control. It rejected his refusal.

The various figures engraved on it began to change, about to enter the selection stage.

"Stop, stop, Lord Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll! This isn't what I need. I need Kaiming's identity, the identity of the Kaiming I am now. Don't substitute my fate again!"

He shouted.

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll had evidently heard everything he said. Its form kept changing until it settled on [Kaiming]'s fate.

At first, Wig breathed a sigh of relief, as though he thought the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll had only been playing a joke on him.

Only when white flames ignited on the little Kaiming the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll had transformed into, and a look of agony appeared on his face as he neared death, did Wig suddenly realize that the Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll had also engraved Kaiming's fate from yesterday.

Kaiming's fate was that of someone who had already died.

This was no joke.

The sealed artifact had gone mad!

Yet he didn't even have enough life left to cry out. He had no strength to resist, and none of the magic he had learned in his lifetime could save him now.

White flames likewise began to erupt around him-the very means he had personally unleashed to erase Kaiming yesterday.

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll's red light reflected in his pupils. The sealed artifact had truly brought down death.

"Sealed artifacts really are dangerous..."

At the very end, Wig actually forgot all about Xie Yu and Kaiming, leaving only a senseless sigh.

Then everything burned to nothing.

The Fate-Substitution Talisman Doll gave a satisfied burp and took to the wind, wobbling as it flew.

Under the astonished gaze of the three-story wooden house, it flew out the window, rose over the road, and returned the way it had come.

Yize hadn't gone out today. For the latter half of the day, his work had centered on Xie Yu.

He was preparing to bring Xie Yu into the public eye.

His superiors' intentions were already clear: Xie Yu was to be presented to the public and put to use. Northern Plains Province needed someone like him.

Even if there were some doubts about his so-called perfect score, as long as those doubts were well enough concealed and unlikely to be discovered by outsiders, they would be treated as nonexistent for the time being.

"People like this kind of story: an ordinary person with nothing becoming someone the whole world watches."

Yize was making arrangements for Xie Yu.

"We need to establish the true limits of Xie Yu's abilities. We need a sufficiently convincing test. Fry said Xie Yu plans to apply to an academy related to sealed artifacts. That's a good direction. It doesn't place as much emphasis on spirituality and magical talent, and he won't need to demonstrate spellcasting. It would be good if there were a sealed artifact Xie Yu could tame."

"Perhaps we could borrow a mild sealed artifact and have that boy 'pretend to tame' it?"

"The difficulty is that sealed artifacts are all accounted for. We can't hide the fact that one was borrowed from everyone."

"How would a sealed artifact from elsewhere suddenly end up in Xie Yu's hands? It could be a lucky coincidence, or it could be fate. One lie would give rise to more lies."

As his thoughts turned to Xie Yu, he suddenly sensed an inexplicable clarity that hadn't been there before. It was as though the frosted glass that had always surrounded Xie Yu had been removed, as though sunlight had fallen into a forest and dispersed the thin mist.

Xie Yu's fate became a little clearer to him than before.

Previously, there had seemed to be some nearly imperceptible interference and concealment, but now they were gone.

Xie Yu's future fate remained uncertain, but his present fate was no longer blurred.

He could foresee Xie Yu reading in his room, occasionally muttering to himself. He was well behaved but not quiet, turning the pages loudly. Aside from that, everything was as usual.

Yize sat in his room, frowning, but didn't disturb him. Golden light flowed through his eyes as he quietly watched, setting aside the work in his hands.

A little over ten minutes later, Xie Yu's fate blurred again.

Yize clearly sensed the haze emerging from nothing.

Xie Yu, along with everything in his room, suddenly became easy to overlook again.

But having seen the contrast, Yize found that this sense of being "easy to overlook" stood out all the more.

This time, Yize deliberately broke through the haze, golden light shining in his eyes as he gazed at that peculiar fate.

If the mist would not clear on its own, then the blazing sun would burn it to ash.

He saw it.

He saw fluctuations in the wind element. He saw Xie Yu reading as the evening breeze blew outside the window, lifting a metal pendant and carrying it through the window to land in Xie Yu's soft bed.

Xie Yu picked it up and said with a smile:

"Well done."

What was well done? Yize wondered.

Looking more closely, Yize found the source of the haze around that fate. Aside from the uncertain future, a large part of the haze that had surrounded Xie Yu's fate all along actually came from that tiny pendant.

That was power from the domain of fate, an Abnormal State in the domain of fate...

Yize examined its flavor and finally reached a definite conclusion.

It was a sealed artifact, one with an anomaly in the domain of fate, a fairly powerful sealed artifact... It even showed faint signs of surpassing a four-star magician.

Where did Xie Yu get it?

The sealed artifact's own peculiar nature had kept Yize from noticing any of this before.

He could no longer "pretend he hadn't seen" this.

By tomorrow at the latest, Xie Yu's name would be deliberately spread throughout Northern Plains Province. Nothing that followed could go wrong.

He did not rush to use divination. Instead, he left his room and knocked on Xie Yu's door.

The door was actually unlocked and slightly ajar, as though expecting a visitor.

Yize saw the young man sitting at his desk, with many books spread open before him and the little metal pendant in his hand.

When the door opened, the young man turned to look at him and grinned:

"Wig Brown is dead. I killed him."

P.S. It's Monday. Please keep reading and vote with your monthly tickets.