[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-diary-of-a-dead-wizard":3,"chapter-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-97":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Diary of a Dead Wizard",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1380760,1828,"Chapter 97: The Cocoon of the Nightmare Butterfly","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-97",97,"\u003Cp>Ada let go of the old madman and rushed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man called Jayce turned back and said nonchalantly, “What are you so worked up about? I was just checking on how Penny’s doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penny’s none of your business!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada lunged forward, grabbed Jayce by the collar, and yanked him close. His other fist hovered in the air, seemingly ready to strike at any second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jayce didn’t flinch or get angry. He simply grinned and said, “You’re out all the time, and you keep Penny locked in at home every day. I was just trying to cheer her up a bit so she doesn’t get too bored alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Ada really did want to swing his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn't beat Jayce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul, still supporting the old madman, saw everything clearly from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Jayce was disheveled—his hair and beard were tangled together—but his exposed arms were densely muscled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada, while fairly sturdy himself, looked smaller and more fragile standing next to Jayce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was probably why, despite all the bluster, he didn’t dare to actually throw the punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, when Jayce saw Ada’s reddened eyes, he chuckled awkwardly and swatted away Ada’s hand. “Alright, alright, I’m going. That good enough for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He left the fuming Ada where he stood, casually straightening his collar as he passed by Saul and the old madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Saul’s ragged appearance and rolled his eyes, “Big-hearted Ada, bringing home strays again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul watched Jayce leave the courtyard, then turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Ada was crouched by a window in the same pose Jayce had used, talking to someone inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, he turned around, looking a bit glum, and saw Saul still standing at the courtyard gate with the old madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada directed Saul to drag the old man into the room closest to the gate, while he returned to unlock the door and slip inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul hauled the old madman into the room and found it dimly lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room had no furniture, with belongings strewn about in a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul looked around and laid the old man on a straw-stuffed mattress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man had stopped resisting by now. He muttered a few words—“barbarians,” “evil spirits”—then rolled over and started snoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood there for a moment and asked softly, “There are barbarians here too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s only reply was deafening snores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul was convinced the old madman wasn’t as crazy as he seemed, and it looked like Captain Jeff had noticed something too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the term \"barbarian\" hadn’t also come from Senior Nick, Saul probably wouldn’t have paid this man any mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul glanced at the gate. The courtyard was empty; Ada had gone back to his room to deliver something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slender black tendril extended from the back of Saul’s neck and gently tapped the old madman’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It slid up along his spine and lightly touched his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man seemed truly asleep—his snoring steady, his breathing even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Algae returned to Saul’s side and lightly waved the tip of its tendril.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant it didn’t detect any evil spirits or lingering souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Algae was more sensitive to spiritual entities than Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Saul needed to enter a semi-meditative state to see obvious spiritual forms, Little Algae could instinctively sniff out even the tiniest soul fragment as if it were food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the old man wasn’t showing any signs of abnormality for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had Little Algae retract itself and stepped out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he walked into the courtyard and looked up, he saw that one of the windows in Ada’s room was haphazardly boarded up with wooden planks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through a crack between the planks, a pair of silver eyes were staring straight at him, unblinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul met the eyes for a moment. They were so cold and clear, like a spring in the woods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you reached into that spring, you’d find it bottomless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Saul, get in here! If you stand around too long, people’ll think you’re about to steal something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada had come out by now, stripped of his sweat-soaked shirt, and called Saul over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Saul replied. When he looked back at the window, the silver eyes were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped toward the house, feeling a faint sense of anticipation in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was simple, just like Saul’s dorm—no partitions. A wooden bed frame was set against the wall, both ends sealed up tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the head of the bed was a cabinet, its doors and side panels riddled with thumb-sized holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly intentional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Saul looked, one of the holes suddenly revealed a silver eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the eye shifted and was replaced by a pair of cracked, dry lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada laid some dry grass over the room’s only small wooden table, then shook out a tattered piece of clothing and spread it on top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s getting dark. You’ll sleep here tonight. Try not to wander around after sunset.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right,” Ada turned toward the cabinet and called, “Penny, come on out. Come say hi to a big brother—you remember him, right? He used to be our neighbor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an ear-piercing sound, a little girl crawled out of the cabinet on the bed like a kitten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clumsily scooted to the edge of the bed, raised her head toward Ada, and revealed a pair of silver, nebula-like eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Penny. Last time you saw her, she was only three. Pretty, right? She's growing up nicely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny wasn’t exactly pretty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her skin was sallow, her cheeks sunken, and her hair dry and straw-like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her silver eyes were truly beautiful—so beautiful it made you want to fall into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Saul stared into those eyes, his diary suddenly flew out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>April 11th, Year 316 of the Lunar Calendar,, Clear\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lovely weather today,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and lucky you,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To stumble upon the cocoon of a Nightmare Butterfly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fancy spending your life entangled with nightmares?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then here’s a tip—dig those eyes out~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada, still grinning foolishly, noticed how Saul was staring wide-eyed at Penny and suddenly scowled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Saul, you better not be thinking anything funny!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul finally pulled his gaze away, meeting Ada’s overprotective glare. “What are you talking about? She’s, what, seven? I was just curious about her eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She went blind. After we ran out of the village, I was carrying her the whole time, didn’t notice when she got hurt. By the time I found the wound, it was too late. It healed like that. Still, they look kind of nice now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada was clearly used to explaining this and sounded calm. He walked over and handed Penny some food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny refused it, pushing her brother’s hand away and staring directly at Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is she... really blind? Saul walked over and waved his hand in front of her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny stared straight at his face. She didn’t blink, didn’t flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Saul!” the little girl suddenly chirped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Penny.” Saul bent down and smiled at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Saul!” Penny called again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada suddenly yanked Saul back and cried exaggeratedly, “No way, Penny, you remember him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Penny smiled shyly and retreated back into the cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada ignored the oddness of her movements and grumbled, “She only ever calls me ‘Ada,’ never ‘brother,’ but you show up and she’s all sweet and polite?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Saul shrug innocently, Ada repeated himself again, louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No funny ideas about my sister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1240,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","bcc83eb2c27235c95427aaa98692faf4ba407bcb7bb303898ff7f30f3970d394","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-343","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-342",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]