Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow laughed triumphantly, dismissing all those interrogation techniques, as her straightforward approach worked the best as a fairy!
"No." Owen Bertram shook his head. I did gather the Heterotext, but no one helped me. Little Loach helped me, but he's not a person.
He's lying! Vanessa immediately made the judgment. At this moment, it was like a divine revelation giving her a lifetime of investigative prowess.
"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it." Vanessa continued, "But to show my sincerity, you can go back and tell them that they don't need to worry about the cases of the two government officials. I'll handle them."
Owen Bertram was taken aback. Team Leader and Abbott were killed by me, so how did she conclude that the murderer was "those guys"? She really doesn't seem too smart.
Seeing his expression change, Vanessa secretly rejoiced: He's panicking! Time to take advantage!
"I want to make a deal with you. I have a treasure here that can help you further consolidate the Heterotext into a Responsive Object."
"Responsive Object?" Owen Bertram was confused. Is it the Great Seal in the acupoint below my abdomen?
Vanessa smiled, feeling she had the upper hand: He's interested.
She took out a brocaded box, opened it, revealing a palm-sized Beast Bone that was as smooth and radiant as jade. On it, a tiny Heterotext barely visible.
"This is a Demon Beast Glyph Bone. The Heterotext on it represents the Demon Beast's innate divine skill. This Glyph Bone is one of the most valuable parts of a Demon Beast."
"Ordinary cultivators have a hard time turning spiritual energy Heterotext into responsive objects. But with this treasure, as long as you nourish it day and night and eventually fuse it with your Heterotext, you can form it into a responsive object."
"I can give you this valuable treasure as long as you help me deliver a message to those people. I want to have a frank conversation with them."
This tactic could also be seen as a shortcut, just like how a cultivator seeks the help of a Grandmaster to reach a new level in their spiritual energy Heterotext.
Why doesn't Vanessa use such a precious treasure herself? It's because every shortcut would affect her future prospects on the Great Path.
As a prodigious fairy of the Waves Prefecture, Vanessa was determined to rely on her own efforts to combine Heterotexts and form responsive objects from them.
So this precious Demon Beast Glyph Bone had little value for her.
However, the overconfident Vanessa saw nothing but disdain in Owen Bertram's eyes.
Demon Beast Glyph Bone? Is it really that valuable? Or is this girl not just slow-witted but also inexperienced?
There are so many of them scattered all over the ground in the hall behind the Giant Turtle Nest!
Take, for example, the antler Little Loach ate earlier. It had over a hundred Heterotexts in it, and they were all dark gold! The one in front of him was just pale red. Even Little Loach wouldn't want to eat it, right?
So, Owen Bertram unhesitatingly refused: "No thanks." Then turned around to leave. You think I'm stupid, trying to fool me with this trash as a treasure?
"Huh?" Vanessa was stunned. Everything had gone smoothly, so how could she fail in the end?
Owen Bertram had already walked far away. Vanessa finally realized what happened, stomping her feet like an angry bunny: "This is a Demon Beast Glyph Bone!"
"Pfft—" Owen Bertram sneered.
Vanessa became even more certain: "You're just an ignoramus who doesn't know how valuable this thing is!" She carefully put the treasure back into the brocade box.
The first formal interaction between the teenager and the young girl ended with both sides thinking the other lacked knowledge and had a slow wit.
...
That night, after his sister fell asleep, Owen Bertram dragged the Little Loach out of the wooden bottle. It had the expression of someone being bothered while they were sleeping soundly.
Owen Bertram poked it with his finger, "Don't pretend to be dumb. It's not going to work. We agreed to split the rewards fifty-fifty; where's my share?"
Unable to deceive him any longer, Little Loach reluctantly sent a warm current to Owen.
Just like the warm current in the right chest acupoint, after it entered, the Heterotext here became clearer. It seemed to be the character "life" and then further condensed into a Peach of Longevity.
However, compared to the Great Seal below the abdomen, the Peach was pitifully small, about the size of a grape.
But after the appearance of the Responsive Object, Owen Bertram felt a significant change in himself as if he had been completely restructured from inside out.
Living in Extinct Village for years and affected by the Cold Poison, everyone here suffered from various ailments and diseases. But now, all the hidden dangers in Owen Bertram's body had vanished.
Owen Bertram looked at his sleeping sister and wondered if he should help her get the same treatment.
It didn't seem necessary. Since childhood, Verna had been exceptionally resilient, never easily injured, and the healthiest in the village.
That night, another colossal creature passed by outside the village and headed for the Large Dirt Mound.
Owen Bertram hid in the house, unable to see what the creature was, but when it passed, the whole village seemed to be on fire, unbearably hot.
When he went out in the morning, he saw a huge burnt streak stretching from far away to the Large Dirt Mound, five or six miles away from the village.
Owen Bertram had gotten used to these strange occurrences and decided to stop indulging Little Loach and get back to work properly today.
"Hey—"
Vanessa was standing at the entrance of the village early in the morning, waving to Owen Bertram. Owen pretended not to hear her and avoided her, but she said anxiously, "Help me with something. I will waive your Life Saving Tax for three months!"
Owen Bertram seemed to have just noticed her and enthusiastically greeted her, "Miss Vanessa, good morning!"
Vanessa rolled her eyes but quickly got down to business: "Come on, it's urgent."
Vanessa had received a message from the Horizon Bureau the night before and came to the village early in the morning to find someone to help. However, she didn't dare enter the village casually, so the most familiar person she could turn to was Owen Bertram, an unintelligent and inexperienced country boy.
"I need to find a few experienced Pearl Divers to help me salvage a corpse." Vanessa got straight to the point, "Anyone willing to participate can have their Life Saving Tax waived for three months, and the person who finds the corpse will have their Life Saving Tax waived for one year!"
Owen Bertram's eyes lit up, "Me, I'll do it."
Vanessa waved her hand dismissively: "Don't bother, this situation is very complicated. It's best to get those people behind you involved."
Owen Bertram sighed helplessly. How many times do I have to say that there's nobody behind me?
But considering the three months exemption of the Life Saving Tax, Owen agreed: "Fine, I'll find people for you."
Vanessa handed him a Jade Talisman, "After you find the Pearl Divers, go to the Hunshui River. When you get to the riverbanks, use the Jade Talisman to contact me, and I'll tell you what to do next."
Owen accepted the Jade Talisman and walked away.
He had been diving for pearls in the Hunshui River recently. Most of the adult Pearl Divers in the village made a living on that river.
Vanessa wanted to find skilled Pearl Divers. Owen thought he was skilled, but the girl was stubborn and didn't believe him.
So second best, who else in the village could be considered "skilled"?
Uncle Yao must be one, as he had always taken good care of him.
Master Basil should also be one, for the same reason as above.
There was also Stanley, for the same reason plus one more.
And Berry, for the same reason plus two more.