Portrait

The Republic of Chuxu, the Holy City Dungeon.

A cell in the deepest part of the prison.

The thick, demon-sealing stone wall closed in from six sides, making the light extremely dim and even the air seem thick.

This is a magic-suppressing prison specially prepared for High Rank spellcasters.

Footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Aideluzi looked up and saw the figure outside the cell door; his eyes narrowed sharply.

"Lady Katharine!" A glimmer of hope suddenly rose in his heart.

Katharine is also a high-ranking member of the Temple of Light. Her joining Star Sand means that I also have a chance.

Especially now that she's come to see me -

"Long time no see," Katharine replied, her grey-blue eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Katharine, out of consideration for our past as colleagues, please put in a good word for me."

Aideluzi spoke urgently.

"I've been locked up here for so long, in the dark every day, and I have no idea why."

"I was perfectly cooperative with them!"

A smile finally appeared on Katharine's lips.

"It seems Su Ming really didn't tell you anything."

"----What didn't you tell me?" Aideluzi asked, puzzled.

He said he didn't tell you that we were mortal enemies so as not to affect your will to survive.

Aideluzi was completely stunned.

"What grudge do I have against you, sir?" he hurriedly asked.

Forty-two years ago.

Katharine's tone was as calm as if she were discussing the weather.

"You tampered with the heart of a newborn girl to trick the Scholar Bay Owl into casting a bloodline disguise spell on Samanya's daughter, Janet."

"That was—a task assigned by Augustus— " Aideluzi tried to explain.

Katharine tilted her head slightly, as if examining an old object.

"I am that baby girl."

Aideluzi's pupils widened in surprise.

But his first reaction was, "That's impossible! Even if my curse spell is discovered, it can't be broken!"

"That baby girl only had two hours to live; there was no way she could have survived!"

"What delayed my death was the Ashy Drongo," Katharine smiled slightly. "The Scholar Bay Owl transformed back into Faerie Dragon and flew swiftly to deliver me to the White Pheasant."

"White Pheasant —no wonder—"

Aideluzi's expression froze, and he murmured.

"You're just an ordinary commoner baby—why would three Titled Scholar save you—?"

"I don't know either."

"I didn't even realize I should be mourning the death of my loved one more."

"Or perhaps it's more about hatred towards you."

"I'm still grateful to them for giving me a new life in such a Legendary way."

"Oh, actually there are also Albatross and Indigo Kite."

Although she is currently only a senior physician, it is widely believed that it is only a matter of time before she receives the title.

Aideluzi suddenly lost his strength.

"You're here to kill me?"

Katharine did not answer directly.

Augustus is dead.

She recounted.

"I spared not a single member of the Dark Side Operations Group who directly participated in the massacre of that family."

"The team leader, Dainkesi, was frozen on the ground of Divine Might Prison by me. He endured a week of suffering before finally dying of thirst."

"And there were also several Divine Covenant Faction families and the Stars Family who fueled this affair."

Her pupils contracted slightly.

"Xialike and I have teamed up and pulled them all out!"

Upon hearing this, Aideluzi realized something and began to tremble.

"----My----·person----"

"You are the last one still alive," Katharine replied coldly.

Aideluzi's eyes widened.

"----One hundred, thirty-five----old and young----" He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if questioning, or perhaps confirming.

"I'm sorry, it's one hundred and thirty-seven," Katharine replied. "While you were imprisoned in Dragon Valley, two more babies were born in your family."

"You demons!" Aideluzi wailed in agony, "You'll go to hell!"

Katharine looked at Aideluzi, a hint of satisfaction finally appearing in her eyes.

"It's rare to hear you say that."

She sat down in the chair in front of Aideluzi, crossed her legs, propped her chin on her hand, and leisurely admired his appearance.

"Oh, there's something I need to clarify," Katharine, as if she had just remembered.

"I didn't do this."

"It was Augustus, after discovering your betrayal, vented his anger by slaughtering you."

"Probably shortly before we captured the Holy City."

Aideluzi was crying and snotting as he kept banging his head against the chains binding him.

Katharine, having seen enough, stood up contentedly and turned to walk out.

"Wait... wait..." Aideluzi said, "You're not going to kill me?"

"Why?" Katharine turned her head and returned a bright smile.

Why would I kill you?

"Don't you look good looking like you're in pain right now?"

"Or are you afraid that you, this piece of trash, will escape?"

She glanced at the other person's forehead, noting the shallow wounds inflicted by the circular chain.

"If you're thinking of committing suicide, you need to put in more effort."

After saying that, she turned and left.

I'm in a very good mood.

In the cell, Aideluzi let out a desperate cry.

****

Younier also arrived in the Holy City.

She found Yise.

"Jielusi asked me to bring this," Younier said, handing over a flat file folder. "A portrait."

Yise paused slightly, taken aback.

During the battle in the Radiant Holy City, Jielusi mentioned that there was a portrait she had obtained from Su Ming, which was about her.

That painting was, of course, placed in the dormitory at the Ruby Base.

After that, Jielusi and Ruixiuli headed straight to the desert to begin their follow-up operations.

"Thank you." Yise took the package and gently opened it.

Inside was a color sketch.

The painting depicts a family.

The man in the center was handsome and composed, with eyes as firm as mountains; he was her father, Meiwu'er, whom she had never met.

Standing to his left is Katharine.

Her face is almost identical to how it is now, but her expression is much gentler, and she still carries a hint of girlish innocence.

To Meiwu'er's right was a blonde woman Yise had never seen before. A few strands of white stood out in her brilliant blonde hair.

She had a vague feeling that this woman was strangely familiar.

Beside Meiwu'er and the blonde woman stood a small girl.

Little Yise

She was less than three years old at the time.

Wearing a lace tutu, a cute pink hat, and an exaggerated Butterfly tied at the back, she looked like an overly delicate doll.

Yise stared at his reflection in the painting, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Is this really me?

No wonder Jielusi showed it to her like it was a treasure.

Silver Mask leaned closer, and just as Yise was about to put the painting away, he was stopped by Ge'enda'er on the other side.

The two men each grabbed one of her hands, forcibly stopping her movements.

I examined the painting carefully.

"Wow!" Ge'enda'er exclaimed, "Great! You could actually wear something like that now."

Yise glared at him.

Silver Mask seemed somewhat puzzled.

Why is your family photo included in the Jielusi?

Ge'enda'er knew about it; he was on the train at the time.

"When Lady Katharine was rescued in the Northern Lands, she gave Su Ming Su Ming copy of the * Green Bamboo Slips and Rue Book Wrappers * and allowed him to copy the contents of the original."

"The Blue Bamboo Slips and Rue Nature" is Katharine's ever-present magic book, which also contains her various documents.

"This should have been what Su Ming obtained back then."

"Then when Jielusi saw the painting, she was about to arrive."

Yise suddenly noticed the layout of the screen, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Some parts feel very out of place.

The blonde woman was standing very close to Meiwu'er.

On the contrary, Katharine took a slight step back.

Moreover, the self depicted in the painting is standing between this woman and Meiwu'er.

This clearly indicates that the three people besides Katharine are the main subjects of the painting.

Yise carefully put the painting away.

"Thank you," she said to Younier.

****

Yise immediately went to find Katharine.

She didn't even knock; she just pushed the door open and went in.

The door closed behind her, and she walked up to Katharine, unfolded the sketch, and placed it on the table.

Why am I standing next to my father and another woman in the family portrait?

Her knuckles turned slightly white from the pressure.

"And one"

She paused for a moment before saying the rest of her sentence.

Why do I look like her?

Katharine glanced down, her expression unchanged.

"This is your father's sister, Waliwei."

"Isn't it natural that you resemble your aunt?"

You were very attached to her when you were little.

"But later, Aunt Waliwei was killed in battle."

"It's that famous battle where your father defeated the trolls with a smaller force."

This explanation was airtight and watertight.

Yise stared at Katharine's face, then suddenly took a step forward.

He reached out and hugged Katharine, throwing himself into her arms.

Katharine reached out and put her arm around Yise.

"You're such a grown-up, why are you still acting like a child?" she said with a hint of reproach.

Yise ignored her.

She raised her hand, grabbed a strand of Katharine's hair, and brushed it aside.

"Even though we're both blonde."

"But my blonde hair is mixed with a lot of white strands."

"Looking back now—that's actually where my memory comes from, right?"

"Meiwu'er also has solid hair color—so why did I bypass my father and inherit my aunt's power?"

She looked up and stared straight at Katharine.

His eyes, however, held a pleading look.

Katharine's gaze flickered slightly.

He finally sighed.

Back then, she discovered through subtle clues that she was not her adoptive parents' biological child, and traced the cause of her biological parents' deaths.

Unexpectedly, now it's her and Yise's turn to put on this show.

"Yes."

Katharine's voice softened.

"Her name is Waliwei, and she is your real mother."

"She comes from the Kingdom of Haiji, and is the Memory Weaver of the Liusu Clan."

Yise's fingers slowly slid down through Katharine's hair.

She opened her eyes slightly, her lips moved, but she remained silent for a long while.

"The Tassel Clan?"

Yise finally spoke, his voice so soft it was almost unrecognizable.

"A people that has vanished," Katharine replied. "Not exactly wiped out, but rather gradually declined and was absorbed by other peoples and cultures."

She raised her hand and gently patted Yise's head.

This kind of thing has been common throughout history.

"Waliwei didn't want you to find these things a burden, which is why she told me to try not to tell you."