Leave a comment

Fishead is a freelance translator, you can support them on:

After the day’s classes were over, Mo Li’s arms and shoulders felt sore from sleeping. Under the setting sun, silence filled the streets, as if a black car could appear at any time with three assassins popping out. Seeing that there was no one around, Mo Li took out the ordinary-looking gray ring, holding it up to the fading sunset. “Not dusk either, huh?” Mo Li’s brows twitched slightly.

In reality, he never gave up and still truly wanted to figure out how to use this ring. After all, it might actually unfold like those cliché hero tales, and he’ll discover hidden treasures inside. Even if there isn’t any treasure, just finding some gold coins wouldn’t be bad either. Something like that would be of great help to the currently impoverished Mo Li. After holding it sideways, backside up, and frontside up to no avail, Mo Li could only give up in frustration.

Elsa had previously warned him not to let others see this ring if possible. Judging from her tone and expressions, it wasn’t because something bad would happen if people saw this ring, but instead due to its peculiarity. The ring shouldn’t be seen by certain people, as doing so could attract mortal harm. With this in mind, Mo Li became even more curious about the origins of this ring. He wanted to know why the old drunkard would instruct the orphanage director to give this ring to him when he turned fifteen.

The old drunkard definitely knew something; it was just that the whereabouts of the old ******* had completely disappeared, making it impossible for Mo Li to find him. Reflecting on how he didn’t have any memories from before the age of 5, Mo Li wondered if this ring had something to do with that portion of his memory. Mo Li, however, temporarily put these thoughts aside as he had more important things to do.

At a large mansion.

Earl Norma sat within the courtyard, still a little shocked by the assassination attempt a few days ago. In response, he heightened the security of the mansion, recognizing the possibility of a mole within his guards. All of them were replaced, and a sentry was positioned every 5 meters. Only then did he feel a sense of peace. Before the tea on the table even got cold, a guard opened the door and entered.

“My lord, there’s a teenager outside claiming to be ‘where the mountain waters meet’. He’s saying that he’s your guest and clamoring to come in. Should I forcibly drive him away?”

“Let him in.” Norma’s eyes became serious and quickly ordered.

“This… might it not be the best idea?”

“He’s not a stranger but my guest.”

“Understood, I’ll ask him to wait in the lounge right away.” After the guard left, Norma went over to a standing mirror and lightly tidied up his clothes and appearance.

“Rocco.”

“My lord, I’ve been here the whole time.” A black shadow appeared from behind Norma.

“Later, if that boy wants to escape, just hold him down, understand.”

“As you command.” After those words, the black shadow disappeared. Rocco is a member of the Black Phoenix, an elite force of the Papal States royal family. Due to the recent assassination attempt a few days ago, the pope, concerned for Norma’s safety, specially selected Rocco to be a hidden guard responsible for his well-being. As such, he is now completely under Norma’s command and is the reason why Norma could sleep soundly in the past few days.

It could be said that having the protection of a member of the Black Phoenix was equal to absolute safety. After all, this elite force guards the Pope, and each member is worth 100 normal guards. Norma had made every preparation, waiting for Mo Li to come and find him. Since Mo Li could be said to have saved his life, Norma didn’t want to make things hard for him if possible. However, this is based on the condition that Mo Li is willing to obediently answer his questions. Norma still had doubts that needed to be answered, and if Mo Li wasn’t willing to cooperate, then Norma would be forced to use some force to keep him.

Rocco, an elite of the Black Phoenix and a personal guard of the Pope, had forsaken his true name, adopting only his codename upon joining the ranks of the Black Phoenix. Describing them as machines designed for fighting and killing wouldn’t be an exaggeration; even seasoned assassins would find themselves outmatched. The mansion was also brimming with vigilant guards, giving the impression that this quiet residence was akin to the open mouth of a ferocious beast, allowing prey to enter but not exit. After completing all his preparations, Norma straightened his posture and descended to the lounge.

In the lounge.

The cloaked teen couldn’t sit still; his curiosity made him glance around like a fascinated child. The mansion, a true noble residence, exuded an opulence and luxury that surpassed the wildest imagination of a slum-dwelling kid like him. To describe it succinctly, poverty had confined Mo Li’s imagination. Upon entering, he felt as if his eyes were unveiled to an entirely new world. The Yuzhi incense in the burning incense burner imparted a soothing and invigorating ambiance. The oil painting on the wall and the lifelike stone sculpture in the corner filled the lounge with an air of artistic refinement.

This lounge alone is already bigger than most people’s entire houses. Looking at the agate and jade ware, tsk tsk… randomly taking one out will probably be enough to feed myself for several months. No, no in this life, I definitely won’t get involved in things like stealing again; it’s sure not to end well. Hmm, although I’m done with activities like stealing and such, nothing’s stopping me from taking a closer look, right? Yep, just getting a closer look, and also poke and rub it a little to see what luxury goods feel like…

“Plop!” At this moment, a small item came loose and slid out along Mo Li’s bosom. As this occurred, footsteps could be heard approaching. The door of the lounge was pushed open, and Norma appeared.

“Crap!” It was only after Norma’s gaze shifted downward that Mo Li realized there was a significant problem. The ring he was carrying had slipped out due to not being securely fastened. Since it had already happened, Mo Li quickly reached out to pick up the ring. However, as he was halfway through the motion, a black shadow flashed by him. How fast! Mo Li’s gaze narrowed; he couldn’t discern when the cloaked man in front of him had appeared, but in his hand was the ring that Mo Li had just dropped.

This, he is strong. After coming to his senses, a wave of fear washed over Mo Li. If the man’s previous action was intended to kill him, his head probably wouldn’t still be attached to his body. The man was strong, imperceptibly strong, at least it wasn’t someone he could take on. Mo Li gulped as the two of them locked gazes. The man’s lifeless eyes caused Mo Li to feel as if he’d been targeted by some fierce beast.

“Sorry, sorry, my bad. This is my hidden guard, Rocco. I hope he didn’t scare you… Excuse me, is this ring yours?” Just as the two were locked in a standoff, Norma hurriedly intervened to defuse the situation. When Norma’s gaze fell on the ring, he displayed a slight shock, followed by pupils shrinking, but then he questioned Mo Li as if nothing had happened. Mo Li felt a little surprised. He didn’t know if it was his illusion, but it seemed that Norma’s tone when talking to him had a little more… Nervousness, affection, a certain type of unconcealable emotion?