Spirit Core

Looking at Hinako Akuta lying on the ground, like a gambler who had lost everything and returned home to find his wife and daughter gone, Bai Mo had an urge to cover her with a blanket.

After taking one last look at the distant crack, Bai Mo forcibly dragged Hinako Akuta away from the area, and the battle was now considered to be at a temporary halt. But it was far from over; "Qin Hong" had disappeared to who-knows-where, and the Blue Country still had a host of problems to solve.

Bai Mo moved with lightning speed, returning to the underground facility. After reuniting with Ritsuka and the others, they immediately began their search. On one hand, they needed to carefully gather information about the place.

On the other hand, Lanling Wang is still in some unknown room.

The Command Spell are still in effect, so Lanling Wang should be alive. Although we don't know if he has endured unimaginable torment, being alive is at least a good thing.

Finally, Bai Mo found Lanling Wang in an area marked as a ward but that looked more like a prison cell. His mask had been removed, his clothes were tattered, and he stared blankly at the ceiling.

At that moment, he was like a princess who had fallen into the hands of the enemy, having endured unimaginable humiliation and completely given up thinking. If this scene were recorded, it might make him an overnight sensation on the dark web.

There are no "what ifs," and the camera is set up in a corner to the side.

"My God, what have these beasts done?"

Upon seeing this, Ritsuka gasped, then walked straight to the camera.

"Master, what are you doing?"

"Even now, at least preserve his innocence." Ritsuka walked over with a sorrowful expression, but was stopped by Bai Mo.

"Brother Bai, you're not planning to take a look, are you? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to be so open about it?"

"What's going on in your head? He hasn't experienced what you're thinking. Look closely." Bai Mo's large hand held the back of Ritsuka's head, making her look at Lanling Wang's body.

There, a section of his chest had caved in, like a dark hole, emanating a faint, eerie magic.

"Huh? The Spirit Core was taken away?"

Ritsuka was somewhat surprised. Servant's Spirit Core is like a human's heart. Generally speaking, Servant will die immediately if they lose their Spirit Core. However, the Lanling Wang in front of her seemed to be still alive, but had entered a state similar to that of a vegetable.

Finally, maintaining this situation, Bai Mo prepared to find Qin Liangyu to see if he could move Lanling Wang to Mount Li and try to see if a miracle would happen.

Hinako Akuta stood to the side, her hand unconsciously resting on the sword at her waist. Looking at Lanling Wang, she lowered her head involuntarily.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Ritsuka asked from the side, Hinako Akuta gave her a complicated look before sighing deeply.

"Changgong was someone I summoned. Although he didn't have enough martial prowess, he served me faithfully throughout the years in the Lostbelt... It's hard for me to accept his fate like this."

Looking at the dying Lanling Wang, Hinako Akuta couldn't help but question herself. An elf's life is long; insignificant people are quickly forgotten, but those who leave a deep impression are equally unforgettable.

"The real end is when he truly collapses; he still had a breath left, didn't he?"

Hearing Ritsuka's words of comfort, Hinako Akuta snorted coldly, seemingly displeased that she had been comforted. But now, Xu Fu and Reines went to gather intelligence, while Bai Mo went outside to handle matters concerning the Blue Country.

Ritsuka is all I have Ritsuka.

"You're quite optimistic. Your Spirit Core has been dug out; what's the difference between you and a corpse that's still alive but has no heart?"

However, Ritsuka patted her chest and said:

"But we're still here. As long as we're here, we can help him get the Spirit Core back. As long as we're here, we can avenge him."

When he's stuck in a situation where he can't move, isn't that what a companion should do to help?

Seeing Ritsuka's bright smile, Hinako Akuta's expression softened slightly, but quickly returned.

"Hmph, stop talking nonsense. I don't need you to remind me of that. Go to work, I'll take care of things over there."

Watching Hinako Akuta leave, Ritsuka quickly followed behind her with a cheerful smile, like a junior colleague new to the company. She pulled Hinako Akuta along the road and gave her a brief introduction to the AI chat from before.

"Don't you ever learn your lesson?"

"Anyway, they're all just meal replacements..."

I'll beat you to death!

Just as the two were developing their relationship, in a sewer in the Blue Country, a person opened the manhole cover and climbed out, looking like a mudfish leaping out of the water.

"Phew, I'm still alive. Damn it, Qin Hong's gang should have failed by now. Good thing, I don't want to face destruction. I need to quickly gather the people who are still loyal to me."

"Those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune; they can always make a comeback. At worst, they can return to the days when they won people's hearts in the Great Qin Dynasty."

The man was muttering to himself in an alley, while a man passing by, smoking a cigarette, couldn't help but pinch his nose at the smelly, incessantly talking fellow.

"You stink! You filthy thing, did you crawl out of the sewer? Get back to your sewer!"

"What? Who are you talking to? Me?"

"Nonsense, who else here stinks like you besides you?"

The passerby sprayed perfume forward while backing away, but in the next instant, the person in front of him appeared like a ghost. The mud detached at this speed, revealing his true form.

"Big, big king?"

This man was Zhang Xianzhong. Bai Mo had been worried about the safety of Ritsuka and the others, so he punched him, sending him flying. But he never expected that this guy would be so resilient.

"Now you know to call me Your Majesty? Then send your king back to the sewers. Is that your respect and loyalty to me, your king?"

The disloyal shall die!

Zhang Xianzhong ripped open the man's abdomen, then stripped the poor passerby naked and threw him into the sewer. After changing into these clothes, Zhang Xianzhong sprayed himself with perfume.

"Sniff, hmm, there seems to be a smell."

Dragging his somewhat damaged mechanical body, as the ruler of a nation, he had to maintain his dignity at all times. He immediately slipped away and secretly headed to a building.

At the city's waterway entrance, Qin Liangyu frowned and searched the area again and again, but ultimately found nothing. Bai Mo's figure suddenly appeared behind her, glancing at the dark waterway entrance.

"Mr. Bai Mo, are you sure Zhang Xianzhong, whom you killed earlier, is dead?"

"Given his condition at the time, it should have been enough to kill him, but since he was targeted by Landao Tianwu, he must be extraordinary. Moreover, since there was no body found, he is very likely still alive."

"What?! What are we going to do? The sewer system in Blue Country is incredibly complex."

"He won't be here. You should be able to find him over there."