Chapter 267: Decisive Battle with the Mayor

"Were those just now Tangjiked's memories?"

As her consciousness returned to the Dungeon world, Yun Mu covered her forehead with one hand, feeling the memories surging within her mind.

"Who told you to be so careless, honestly." Lucy sighed with some helplessness and leaned over to stand in front of Yun Mu.

"How do you feel? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

"This, I feel... it's okay?" Yun Mu tilted her head, feeling a bit uncertain.

"Then there's no problem." Lucy breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Memory essence itself isn't dangerous, but memories are different," she said.

"One hundred percent pure memory essence is theoretically colorless; of course, since no one has ever seen one hundred percent pure memory essence, that is merely a theory."

"But through the color of the memory essence, one can still roughly judge its state." Lucy looked at Yun Mu and said slowly, "The color of that mass of memory essence just now was very deep; it can basically be determined that it stored a large amount of memories."

"Through the color of the memory essence, one can also roughly judge the emotions stored within the memories."

"However, that was my first time encountering such a peculiar color. It was clearly a pitch-black color, yet it had a sort of iridescent beauty..."

"That was probably the memory of that Knight... It's no wonder that the memory essence of a guy with a broken head would turn into that kind of appearance."

"... It seems there really is no problem." Seeing that the expression on Yun Mu's face had hardly changed, Lucy said.

"So, what did you see in those memories?" she asked her.

"Um, it's like this..."

Yun Mu told her everything she had seen after swallowing the memory essence, and after listening to her account, Lucy rubbed her chin.

"Then what are you going to do next?" she asked Yun Mu.

"Let's go find the mayor!" Yun Mu had already thought of the answer in her heart, so she nodded without hesitation.

"... I think so too, that mayor definitely has a problem." Hearing her words, Lucy chuckled twice: "Let's go, let's go find that mayor and cause some trouble together."

"I have a premonition that we will be able to leave this painting very soon..."

"Knock, knock, knock."

Relying on asking the residents in the small town for directions, Yun Mu and Lucy successfully found the location where the mayor lived.

Because the time was approaching evening, the fog in the town had just dissipated, and coupled with the news of Tangjiked's senseless killing, the festival that should have been lively had already ended early.

The mayor was at his home at this time, and Yun Mu, as Lucy saw, was knocking on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock... Could it be that the mayor isn't home?"

Standing in front of the door, after foolishly knocking for nearly two minutes, Yun Mu said with some confusion.

"Perhaps he's just asleep." Lucy stood behind her and analyzed: "It's already very late now, and the mayor doesn't look young; as an old man, he might have already gone to sleep at this hour."

"... Um, Lucy, are you telling a joke?" Yun Mu looked at her with some confusion.

In Tangjiked's memories, that mayor was a genuine monster, capable of defeating the old Knight with ease.

How could such a terrifying mayor rest early like an ordinary old man? "These two things have nothing to do with each other," Yun Mu stated her view, while Lucy raised her hand to refute: "No matter how strong one's strength is, once one gets older, one will like to go to bed early and wake up early."

"This young lady is right." Just as Yun Mu was about to reply, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

The town mayor had pushed open the door at some point and was now standing inside the room behind the door.

"You will understand when you reach my age; for humans, being able to go to bed early and wake up early every day is such a happy thing."

"I agree with going to bed early, but waking up early..." Hearing this, Lucy pondered for a moment and said slowly: "I think it's better to sleep until you wake up naturally."

"Haha..." The mayor couldn't help but chuckle twice: "Sleep until you wake up naturally... That is truly enviable."

After he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and walked into the house.

"So, what is the matter that the two of you are looking for me?" The mayor invited the two into the house and asked.

"Um, there is indeed something." Yun Mu sat on a chair in the living room and nodded slowly: "Tangjiked is dead; we killed him."

The mayor's half-closed eyelids twitched twice, then quickly returned to normal: "... Is that so? He is dead."

"A pathetic man; as a Knight, he drew his sword against the people he should have protected, and in the end, he met such an end."

"On behalf of Emerald Town, I thank you, brave strangers."

"After Tangjiked's death, the residents in the town will surely feel much more at ease."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the sky outside the house and stood up, saying: "It's not early anymore; do you two have a place to stay tonight?"

"Not at the moment."

"I see... If you don't mind, please follow me." Hearing this, the mayor walked toward the second floor of the house.

"This is a room I specially prepared for guests; servants come to clean it every day, and it is very clean." Pushing open the guest room door, the mayor turned to look at the two.

"..." Yun Mu and Lucy exchanged a glance, then looked away: "Then we won't stand on ceremony." She nodded and said.

"Mm." The mayor nodded slightly; he left the two in the room and walked downstairs himself.

Before closing the door, he seemed to think of something and asked the two: "When Tangjiked died, did you find anything special on him?"

Of course she did, but that mass of memory essence had already been eaten by her.

Yun Mu would certainly not say such a thing, so she shook her head: "No, nothing."

"... Hmph, I see." A faint glint flashed in his eyes, and the mayor slowly closed the door.

"The two of you should rest early."

Click.

"Did he figure it out?" About two minutes after the door was closed, Yun Mu looked at Lucy and said.

"Mm, you answered too readily, as if you were certain there were no special items on Tangjiked." Lucy pointed out the problem in her words just now.

"At that time, you should have first asked the mayor what these so-called special items were, and then told him that you hadn't searched Tangjiked's clothes—that would have been the right way."

"However, these things don't really matter, because even if he hadn't figured it out, if we want to leave this town, we will likely still have to deal with him."

Lucy walked around the room, a pale blue light flickering in her hand.

"There's no problem in this room, rest early." After a while, she dissipated the light in her hand and said to Yun Mu.

"What was that just now?" Yun Mu looked at her palm with some curiosity.

"Trap Sensing, like the spell for guiding direction, is a power belonging to Painting: Starry Sky," Lucy explained concisely. "Trap Sensing can detect the space within 10 meters around me."

"If a trap or some other means of prying is detected, the blue light will undergo a Transformation into red, and the closer it is to the trap, the faster the light will flicker."

"Can I learn this magic?" Yun Mu thought of something and looked at Lucy with an expectant expression.

"Speaking of which, I have always wanted to ask you, Lucy, to teach me Alchemy, but there hasn't been an opportunity until now..."

"Hmm." Hearing her words, Lucy pondered for a moment. "Does Miss Yun want to learn?"

"I do!" Yun Mu affirmed without hesitation.

"Hehehe." Lucy covered her mouth and chuckled twice, then grabbed Yun Mu's palm with both hands. "Then let's wait until this Dungeon ends, and I will teach you then."

"However..."

"However?"

"As a Transcendental of the Painter series, Miss Yun doesn't actually have a particular need to learn Alchemy, but just learning to understand it a little, I think is also quite good."

"Just remember the principle that biting off more than you can chew is bad; don't put too much energy into Alchemy. It is best to focus on the Painter profession as usual, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, I know." Yun Mu smiled knowingly.

Looking at her smiling face, Lucy inexplicably thought of how Yun Mu had previously specifically asked the Lady of the Dark Night for her own original body.

After a brief moment of silence, she let go of the palm she was holding and turned to lie on the bed.

"... I am going to rest." Pulling the sheet upward, Lucy covered her somewhat flushed cheeks.

"Eh?" Yun Mu was slightly stunned, but soon came back to her senses. She said with some hesitation, "Ah, um... good night?"

"... Good night."

Lucy closed her eyes and soon stopped speaking.

Yun Mu assumed she was tired, so she did not continue to disturb her and just silently extinguished the firelight.

The night passed without incident. "Traveler from afar, as you can see, the town will hold a festival banquet tonight. This is a special day that only happens once a year. Would you like to come and see?"

In a trance, Yun Mu opened her eyes.

Soft yellow firelight entered her vision, and the streets were filled with smiling pedestrians.

The aroma of cooking delicious food wafted over the town, and the ears were filled with laughter.

She stood in the middle of the street, gradually recalling the reason she appeared here.

"The Ghost Festival that only happens once a year... I am very interested!" She looked at the mayor with some excitement.

"Haha, if you want to participate in the festival, this outfit of yours won't do."

The old man leaned on his cane and chuckled softly. "Follow me."

He brought Yun Mu into the town's clothing store. Because she was an outsider and had not made a reservation in advance, she could only choose from a few extra garments that were the right size.

"Just pick one you like, it's free." The owner of the clothing store was very enthusiastic. "It's rare to have a guest come to our town; we must treat you well."

"Oh my, how could I..." Yun Mu said polite words, but her eyes were constantly examining the four garments in front of her.

Witch, ghost, zombie, mummy, vampire... "I'll choose, the witch—no, the vampire instead." She changed her mind halfway through her sentence.

"I feel like the witch isn't very novel." After making her choice, Yun Mu touched her fingers together and smiled.

"Hey, evil vampire, come and let's have a showdown!"

Not long after changing into the costume, Yun Mu was walking on the streets of the town when she was suddenly blocked by a boy holding a Wooden Sword.

At this time, the mayor had already gone to attend to other matters and was not here.

She squatted down and took a candy from her pocket—this was what the candy merchant in the town had just given her.

"Your name is Asa, right?" Yun Mu chuckled and handed the candy to the boy.

"Ugh, you evil vampire, don't try to use Seductive—no, wait, how do you know my name?" The boy first showed a very conflicted expression, then suddenly reacted.

"Hehe, I am not an evil vampire, you know~" Yun Mu chuckled and unwrapped the candy. "As for your name, Nina told me."

"You know Nina?" The boy was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I do." Yun Mu didn't even blush while lying to a child. She said, "You should be gentle with girls; this candy is for you."

"Oh, thank you." The boy took the candy from Yun Mu's hand.

"That..." Before leaving, the boy gripped the hilt of the Wooden Sword tightly and whispered in her ear, "Gentle sister, leave here quickly. Don't go against the mayor. I know a small path that leads out of the town..."

"Asa."

Before the boy could finish his sentence, a slightly aged voice sounded behind the two of them.

"Ma, Mayor." The boy whose name was called trembled.

"What are you two doing here?" The mayor walked up to them and asked with a gentle expression.

"Nothing, it's just that little brother Asa was running too fast and accidentally bumped into me." Yun Mu silently stepped forward, blocking Asa behind her.

"Is that so? Asa, you've caused the guest trouble. I am very sorry." The mayor looked apologetic, as if he were truly apologizing.

After finishing his words, he looked at the boy again. "Aren't you going to apologize to the guest?"

"Ve, very sorry!" Asa lowered his head, hardly daring to meet their eyes.

"That will do, go play." The mayor waved his hand, signaling that the boy could leave.

"Mm."

The boy nodded and turned to leave.

However, the next second, he suddenly raised the Wooden Sword and slashed hard at the mayor's leg! "Sister, leave here quickly!"

Grabbing her palm, Asa ran wildly with Yun Mu toward the outside of the town.

Yet what he did not know at this moment was that behind him, Yun Mu's face was currently showing an expression of great interest.

"By the way, do you know Tangjiked?" While being pulled by the boy, Yun Mu asked him.

"Who is that?" The boy walking in front was somewhat confused. "I don't know."

"I see, it's normal that you wouldn't know." Yun Mu looked at the thick fog that had suddenly enveloped the two of them: "That man was once redeemed by you, you know."

"Huh?" The boy looked at her, his mind full of confusion, not knowing what nonsense she was still spouting at a time like this.

"Stop."

Yun Mu suddenly stood firm, nearly dragging the boy to the ground.

"Hey!"

Just as the boy was about to say something, he saw a figure slowly approaching in the fog.

"It is time to end all of this."

Yun Mu took the Scarlet Cross Sword from her earring, the tip of the sword pointing straight at the person approaching.

【Elite Challenge!】

【Spirit in the Painting · Dinner Party lv25 (Elite)】

(End of this chapter)