By the Hunshui River, everyone was busy rescuing Cliff Maxwell. After a while of hustle and bustle, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. "The poison isn't lethal, it just paralyzes."
Owen Bertram ordered a few of Cliff's companions, "The sun is about to set, carry him and let's hurry back to the village."
Knowing the gravity of the situation, everyone immediately began their journey back.
The jade talisman followed them, faithfully transmitting everything back to the small building at the entrance of the village.
Cersei Bertram couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"
As they walked, Owen Bertram replied, "He was lucky, he was about to be eaten, but the demon beast hunting him was ambushed by another stronger beast. I just found a chance to save him. Thankfully, both beasts didn't notice us, otherwise, not even I could have returned."
"I'm not asking about him, I'm asking how you could stay in the river for so long?" Cersei blurted out, then realizing it seemed rather unfair to Cliff.
But those around Cliff didn't recognize this unfairness, instead, they were all staring at Owen, curious about the answer.
We're all from the same village, doomed to wait for our deaths together for three years, so why did you suddenly become so impressive?
Owen said, "I've told you before, I am the best pearl diver in the village, it's her who didn't believe."
He pointed towards Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow.
Vanessa's eyebrows shot up, couldn't we let this be? How many times had he mentioned this already? She pouted and crossed her arms, showcasing her generous chest, deciding not to argue with this fool.
Mostly because she really was in the wrong, and would lose the argument.
Cersei Bertram laughed, not pushing the subject further. "Did you discover anything while you were in the river for so long?"
"I suspect it's not in the river," Owen said, "I plan to look in the Hunshui River again tomorrow."
The other pearl divers shook their heads. "Impossible, we've searched that section of the Hunshui River thoroughly, there's nothing there."
Owen responded, "I'm going to look further upstream."
Owen had a hunch, but he couldn't voice it.
Back in the village, everyone returned to their homes. Owen noticed the lavish yard and small building at the entrance of the village and reminded Vanessa. "Remember to dig a hole."
Everyone from the Horizon Bureau looked at Vanessa puzzled, the girl's cheeks were flushed red as she spit at Owen. "You're the one who should dig a hole, your whole family is full of mice."
But she still obediently reported on the abnormalities in the Extinct village as night fell, while Cersei was reluctant to dig the hole," let's just find a spacious cave in the vicinity instead."
Digging a hole wasn't necessarily safe, it was just safer than staying in a building.
The Chief Flag was curious, "I want to see what happens at night."
...
Oven and Verna were fortunate to have meat for dinner tonight.
Then, as was her after-dinner routine, Verna snuggled up to her older brother, ready to sleep.
Owen held Verna as they burrowed into their hole in the ground. Verna fell asleep quickly, but he was thinking about that corpse.
Owen had a strong feeling that the body could be in the Giant Turtle Nest.
"Has a new consciousness already been born, like a zombie?" Owen wondered to himself.
As he was pondering, a huge warm current surged into his body, Owen knew that Little Loach had finished digesting the demon beast.
After the heat flowed throughout his body, it settled in the large acupuncture point in his lower abdomen, merging into the newly condensed heterotext, which became even more clear. Owen felt that if he encountered another demon beast, the heterotext would manifest a "responsive object".
One major acupuncture point, two responsive objects? Would that cause any problems?
He was also worried about Little Loach, it was the first time that the "second-in-command" of the house had spent a night out alone. Would any issues arise?
In the daylight, after saving Cliff, with eyes all around them, he didn't get a chance to call Little Loach back into the wooden bottle.
His instructions to Little Loach were to swim back to the Hunshui River and spend the night there.
But as a man, the most helpless thing is being unable to control your second-in-command.
Owen vaguely sensed Little Loach's location, it was still in the river.
"Oh well, it's grown up now, it probably won't encounter any problems."
...
By nightfall, Cliff Maxwell was still paralyzed.
He had a wife and children, his family took care of him. While Cliff's body was immobile, his mind was clear. Watching his wife and children, he couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow.
Having been in the river thrice, he was infected with a strange poison and struggled against the cold poison at night. Cliff knew he'd survived this time, but feared his body was damaged. It would be difficult to provide for his family from now on.
But who could he blame? Could he blame Owen Bertram for saving him?
He still had a grip on reality and his morals.
He had competed with Owen for the position offered by the Horizon Bureau out of desperation. He was bitter about losing to Owen, but he couldn't blame others.
Owen had saved him out of kindness, how could he possibly hold a grudge?
"I just never expected that kid would become so impressive, he truly is the village's top pearl diver." Cliff admitted with a resigned sigh. Just the fact that Owen could stay in the river for so long was something he knew he could never match.
Plus, the way he moved like a live fish when he rescued him.
"Incredible!"
"Tomorrow, I'll tell everyone to follow Owen from now on." He no longer had the power to lead everyone, the least he could do was to provide them with a lifeline.
...
In the icy and bone-piercing night wind, a giant figure galloped from afar, heading straight towards the large dirt mound behind the village.
Everyone from the Horizon Bureau, watching from the mouth of the cave, was astonished by the sight. "That's at least a Tier-4 demon beast!"
Cersei suddenly remembered, "Extinct Village? Is the mound behind the village the legendary Burning Hillock?"
Vanessa asked, "A tomb mound?"
"No, Burning Hillock! The kind of burning in 'burnt'."
"Oh--" Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow seemed to understand suddenly: "You mean the burning graves."
Such wit!
Cersei Bertram saw the Chief's men turn around and try to stifle their laughter, and she sighed: "Dear niece, how did you manage to gain the title of the number one genius fairy of Waves Prefecture?"
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow blinked, did I have any misunderstanding?
"Anyway... this Burning Hillock was mentioned in our private internal newsletter of the Horizon Bureau." The Horizon Bureau had its newsletter, published bi-monthly. Many matters that common people would see as "shocking secrets" were often openly printed in the newsletter, serving as a reminder to the different places.
An item in a previous issue of the internal newsletter detailed several events that could lead to a "crisis". One of these events was the "Strange Movements at the Burning Hillock".
The Bureau received news that recently, some cultivators had started gathering around the Burning Hillocks, leading to speculations that something might be happening.
Just this one piece of news, and the same level of news... totalled forty-one. If you didn't look carefully, you would miss it.
Cersei Bertram skimmed through it, and if it wasn't for coming to Extinct Village, she probably wouldn't think of it again.
"Something changed?" Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow muttered, looking at the large dirt mound from afar, plunged in darkness: "Where is it burning?"
...
The grand aunt Cersei Bertram, the very next morning, had Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow rearrange the tall courtyard.
Having an underling like Sucky and a business like a bar, he tried to please Cersei Bertram and prepared a unique and lavish breakfast. Setting up several tables, Cersei Bertram was very satisfied with the scene.
But they couldn't finish it, so Cersei Bertram ordered them to share it with Owen Bertram and others.
And these exquisite foods actually tasted surprisingly good. Owen Bertram thought of Verna and unceremoniously asked Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow: "Got any leftovers? I want to take some back for my sister."
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow handed him a food container, filling it with various dishes, and Owen Bertram requested Uncle Yao to help send it back.
He had eaten his fill, he had to work.
These people from the Horizon Bureau, gave a high reward, and treated him to breakfast, of course not just because he was handsome.
Owen Bertram went straight to the Hunshui River, dove into the water and met up with Little Loach. Seeing that the fellow was completely unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Next, he pretended to search up and down the river, wasting half the morning, and of course found nothing. Eventually, Owen Bertram began to intentionally get closer to the Giant Turtle's nest.
If it was really inside, Owen Bertram would have to figure out how to lure it out.
The palace behind the Giant Turtle's nest is Owen Bertram's secret.
He couldn't let others discover the Demon Beast Glyph Bones inside that Little Loach had been thinking about.
…
The people of the Horizon Bureau, of course, were waiting for news in that tall courtyard. Today was even more routine, the few younger military officers all went to meditate.
The Chief rose: "I will go to relieve myself."
This courtyard is Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow's magical instrument, an illusion of a house would not have toilets. He had to walk a bit farther.
Cliff Maxwell got up much later than usual, and the poison had passed. He ate something and then went directly to the Hunshui River to see if there was anything he could help with.
He wanted Owen Bertram to take over his older brothers, and so prepared to swallow his pride and apologize to reconcile their relationship.
As he passed through the village, he suddenly kicked something. He picked it up and it was a beautifully exquisite gold painted lacquer box.
At a glance, this thing must have been discarded by the few Horizon Bureau officials, the people of Extinct Village wouldn't have such exquisite items. Cliff Maxwell wasn't so courageous to steal the officials' things.
He picked it up intending to return it.
But as he held the box a sudden wave of greed surged in his heart.
In Cliff Maxwell's eyes, this small box was irresistible, thus a voice in his mind persuaded: Take a look inside and see what's there.
Cliff Maxwell didn't realize that his eyes had turned bright red. The unseen cold poison suddenly rushed into his body at an accelerated rate.
He avoided people, found a grove, and opened the box filled with greed.
Shh-worthy--
A stream of black smoke sprayed out, and Cliff Maxwell passed out.
By the time he slowly woke up, his body had returned to normal, but his temperament had completely changed.
"Hmph, a brat barely grown, dares to threaten my position in the village? Daydreaming!"
"If I can't have something, neither can he."
"He purposely saved me, to make me thankful and indebted to him, and from then on at his command in the village, right? Hehe, good calculations, but unfortunately you've got it wrong. I won't let you succeed!"
"I'll take everything he has!"
"Whatever he wants to do, I'll make sure to completely break it!"
"Everything he cares about, I'll destroy!"
Cliff Maxwell looked around and saw a few things had popped out of the box: a human skin mask, a bottle of pitch-black pills, and an intricate crossbow.
The crossbow was intricately designed and gave off a sense of depth as if it could actively communicate with an unmentionable force in the surrounding space.
The crossbow arrows were even more precious, there were only three.
Cliff Maxwell "naturally" knew the functions of these things.
Once worn, the human skin mask allowed one to breathe under water as if on land.
The pitch-black pill, called the "Great Freedom Divine Pill", could dramatically boost one's strength. Even ordinary people could advance three levels in a short time after taking it!
As for the crossbow, it was even more terrifying. It was named "God-slaying breaker" and it could kill anyone below the Great Realm!
It's just a pity that there were only three crossbow arrows left. Otherwise, Cliff Maxwell felt that he could unify the entire Extinct Village.
He swallowed a Great Freedom Divine Pill and felt like he was floating as if he was flying in the sky. It was truly an extraordinary feeling.
Then, he carefully packed his things and headed straight for the riverside.