"Is there something in the sky?" Norma glanced at the man beside her, who had been looking up at the sky, and instinctively looked up as well.
Apart from the twilight at the edge of the sky, there was nothing unusual.
"Searching for my own star," Xi Mu responded offhandedly, gazing at the sky. In this world's setting, every person had their corresponding star in the sky. One had to find their star in order to gain a medium of magic power that could interfere with the world.
Now, as he looked up, he was waiting for the game system to refresh and reveal the star that corresponded to him, after which he would be able to unlock the attribute of magic power.
"It's better to look for stars at night," Norma tugged at the corner of her mouth, feeling that the man's train of thought was truly hard to understand.
Usually, to sense one's own star, it was done at night through incessant attempts, taking about two to three years to locate it.
And trying to find a star during the day was practically impossible, not to mention the daytime environment was relatively noisy and not conducive to concentrating.
Of course, there had been historical figures who, with a casual glance into the daytime sky, effortlessly found their own stars.
However, those people all became famous and were recorded in history books.
"All right," withdrawing his gaze, Xi Mu quickened his pace, causing Norma to pause and subconsciously glance at the sky once more.
She seemed to see a star twinkling faintly, but in the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace, as if what she saw was just an illusion.
No... it was absolutely impossible to observe a star during the day, at least for an ordinary person like her.
So it was indeed an illusion, right?
A moment later.
In front of a noble estate.
"Are you the young lady's friend?" The guard at the gate wore a look of distrust. In front of him, a man holding a grotesquely shaped greatsword, wearing trousers stained with blood, and a helmet that covered his face, looked suspicious in every possible way.
"If you don't believe it, you can go ask," Xi Mu said confidently to the gatekeeper, "Just say I am Ahtal, she will definitely let me in."
"...Fine, wait here." The gatekeeper, listening to the front man's cool and natural tone, felt somewhat uncertain and decided it was best to go and ask the young lady.
He signaled to his colleague with a look and turned to enter the mansion.
Xi Mu was not anxious nor did he feel guilty, but with a mischievous tone, he spoke to the remaining gatekeeper.
"Now it seems it's just you... facing me, isn't it?"
"What do you want to do!" The guard was instantly alarmed, instinctively reaching for his sword at his waist, but then saw the odd man in front of him, let out a chuckle of successful mischief.
Clearly, he had been played by this man.
"Don't mind it, I have no hostility towards you," Xi Mu said, waving his hand dismissively and quietly waiting. Norma, observing this scene, was also quite surprised.
This man actually had connections with the nobility. Although it was only a minor noble household, it indicated that this man was at least no ordinary person.
Soon after, the guard who went to announce returned, accompanied by a young maid.
"Please enter, Mr. Ahtal," the maid first scrutinized Xi Mu with a puzzled look, then with a warm smile, led the strange man into the mansion.
Xi Mu followed without any signs of guilt, very naturally, while Norma hesitated for a moment before quickly following behind.
After all, she still had business to conduct with this man.
"Miss is inside, this… sir, please don't frighten the young lady," the maid whispered softly and then bowed out.
Xi Mu strode into the living room and relaxedly took a seat on the sofa. Opposite him was a brown-haired beauty. Whether it was her elegant posture or gentle smile, she perfectly fit the image of a graceful young noblewoman.
Unfortunately, she… no, he was more accurate.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the person known as Anastasia had become memorable in the game known as Mysterious Gate.
It wasn't only because she could trigger important equipment drops during the early levels but also because of her pitiful background. Despite her clearly elegant and gentle demeanor and appearance, the game developers forced upon her the identity of a male.
As a result, Anastasia enjoyed high popularity.
"I heard, this gentleman is a friend of mine," Anastasia poured two cups of warm red tea, placing them near Xi Mu and Norma.
She covered her lips with a light laugh, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Sorry, I seem to have a bit of trouble remembering exactly when I have met this gentleman," she said.
"That's not important. Where is your father?" Xi Mu cut straight to the point and, amidst Anastasia's astonished gaze, continued:
"Has that old man almost assaulted you before?"
The atmosphere turned silent.
Anastasia bowed her head, her hand gripping the teacup trembling, clearly struck by the heart of the matter. If not for this man's lucky intervention, she probably would now be enduring her father's violation on the bed.
But why did this man seem to possess foreknowledge of these details?
"After I leave, you'll still be unable to escape the fate of being violated," Xi Mu spoke to the silent beauty with a sinister smile, "Tell me where he is, and I'll directly take care of all your concerns for you. How about that?"
"...Sorry, I... can't quite grasp what you're saying," Anastasia covered her forehead, a bit overwhelmed by the abrupt change in topic.
Xi Mu was quite calm: "I stumbled upon your information through divination. I couldn't stand the sight of your misfortune and wanted to help you change your fate."
"Are you an Astrologer?" Realization dawned on Anastasia, forming a seemingly logical explanation for the man's timely arrival.
In this world, fate was the starry sky, each person connected to a particular star. The trajectory of the stars' movement was the path of one's life.
When people died, their stars would fall.
And the person who had the ability to decipher the trajectory of the stars, referred to by people as the Astrologer, could not only comprehend the fate of the era but also foresee the life of every individual.
On the eve when her foster father suddenly decided to insult her, the Astrologer appeared just in time, interrupting the foster father's wicked deeds.
It's hard to explain if you're not an Astrologer.
"I'll also tell you a piece of information," Xi Mu added, "the person who poisoned and killed your parents is your current foster father."
Lies, this was undoubtedly a lie, just a common strategy used by speedrunner players. In fact, the person who killed Anastasia's parents was not her current foster father.
However, since Anastasia had already suspected her foster father, his words only served to confirm her suspicions.
It also clarified her determination to kill her foster father.
"What's the price...?" Anastasia didn't believe that this Astrologer would help her simply because of her tragic experience.
She found it very hard to completely trust others now.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your body," Xi Mu assured her, before stating his demand, "I'm only interested in your money."
He wasn't gay, and although Anastasia was beautiful, there were plenty of beauties in the game world, and she wasn't worth any special treatment.
Let alone that he just wanted to level up as quickly as possible and speedrun the game.
"…" Anastasia thought for a moment, her expression one of struggle, then she heard the Astrologer persuade her in a detached tone,
"To hesitate in such circumstances, you truly are weak," Xi Mu picked up a teacup from the table and drained it in one gulp,
"Your parents' souls are weeping."
"Don't say anymore, I know what I must do." Taking a deep breath, Anastasia's eyes firmed up.
The Astrologer was right, to avenge her parents and to protect herself from her foster father's harm.
She had to make a decisive choice.
"Then tell me where your foster father is, or actually, just take me to him," Xi Mu said with a smile, standing up and walking towards the living room.
Anastasia, filled with hatred, followed Xi Mu's steps, taking this Astrologer to find her foster father.
But for Norma, this scene was very... confusing. She cautiously followed the two of them, still not quite recovering from the shock.
After all, she was only there to do business. Why was she suddenly involved in a feud among the nobility?
And that man turned out to be an Astrologer; did he really just call her over for business, and nothing else?
Chaotic thoughts proliferated.
...
…
The study.
A fat middle-aged man sat at the desk, fingers intertwined, looking with barely concealed disdain and scorn at the man in front of him, who was wearing only underpants and a helmet.
How could such riffraff become friends with Anastasia?
"Commoner, I will allow you to speak three sentences," his tone was filled with condescension, as if allowing this commoner to speak three sentences was a favor.
Xi Mu was not at all angered by this and removed his helmet, handing it to the Norma beside him. He rubbed his hands together and displayed a flattering smile.
"I hold Miss Anastasia in the highest esteem," he took a deep breath and moved a step closer.
"I hope to receive your permission for Miss Anastasia to marry me."
"Hahahahaha... Commoner, you have good taste but you're also very foolish," the fat man laughed loudly, thinking it absurd that this commoner believed Anastasia to be a woman and was deeply fascinated by her.
"Do you know her true identity?" he looked at his foster daughter with a playful gaze, looking forward to seeing the commoner's despair and disbelief when he learned of Anastasia's real gender.
It would certainly be a pleasurable sight.
However.
"Of course, I do." The pen that had been on the table was now in Xi Mu's hand, brandished like a thrusting spear, piercing the fat man's neck with such speed that it left no time for reaction.
As the pen was withdrawn, blood gushed out like a fountain.
What happened...?
The fat man didn't react at first, only feeling a coolness at his throat and a warm liquid spraying out.
Then, his mouth was covered by the commoner, who wore a dangerous smile and whispered to him,
"Don't yell... don't yell, stay quiet." While saying this, the hand over his mouth pressed harder, preventing any Spells from being spoken, leaving him only to feel his life slipping away.
The gushing blood stained the floor red, forming a pool. The fat man's struggles grew weaker until he ceased moving altogether.
That was the disadvantage of being a Mage specialized in Spells. Once your throat was pierced and your mouth was covered, you might as well be a lamb waiting for slaughter.
Xi Mu withdrew his hand, turning his gaze to Norma beside him: "Clean up the blood here and pack the body in a box, we'll take it with us later."
"Okay," Norma trembled, nodding quickly. She was very familiar with cleaning up blood and packaging bodies, having previously done such work in the fighting arena.
Now, she finally understood why Xi Mu had summoned her; it was to clean up the murder scene.