Chapter 329: Fragments

Fine, fine, fine, so we're all family, doesn't that make things easier to talk about?

Perhaps in a moment I can also ask about that plum tree Iliyasi's mother mentioned.

But before that, there is one thing Yun Mu is actually quite curious about.

"What is inside this box?" she said, pointing her finger at the dust-covered wooden box.

The throbbing sensation that had previously come from the wooden box felt familiar for some reason, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

There must be some reason why the other party wouldn't let her touch it.

She wanted to know what that reason was.

However, it was a pity that after hearing her words, Xiliya merely shook her head.

"I don't know what's inside, but there is no doubt that if you touch that thing, you will be tainted by misfortune," she said.

"Misfortune?" Yun Mu's expression was somewhat strange.

Do you Federation people still believe in such things?

"It's not superstition!" Xiliya knew what she was thinking just by looking at her expression, so she explained: "The thing in that box was brought from outside the Federation; it is tainted with a certain curse, and as long as you touch it, you will be entangled by death."

"Anyway, that's what my grandfather said."

"I see." Yun Mu nodded in realization, then asked with some confusion: "Since it is such a dangerous thing, why is it still kept here?"

Normally, shouldn't one find a way to dispose of it?

"Of course it's because it can't be thrown away." Xiliya seemed not to want to continue this topic; she placed a hand over her chest: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, I'll take you all to see my grandfather."

"Um, when he sees you, sister, he will surely be very happy." Halfway through her sentence, she changed her wording on the fly.

"By the way, let me introduce myself, my name is Xiliya, the same as my sister's mother's name; this was chosen by the patriarch, who is my grandfather, himself."

"I don't know the reason either, so don't ask me why."

"How about you all?" she said, reaching out to the group.

"I am Yun Mu," Yun Mu spoke up first.

In the Federation language, the two characters for Yun Mu can be connected together, and it doesn't sound strange at all; at the very least, it won't make people mistake it for the meaning of "cat."

Actually, even if one were to say the Chinese pronunciation via transliteration, it would be a decent solution, though there is no need for that at the moment.

"My name is Lita Sisilaiya!"

"Hello, my name is Brenna."

"I, I am Iliyasi."

The group exchanged names with each other and soon became familiar.

They left the abandoned warehouse and walked toward the side gate of the mansion.

"A banquet is being held inside; if they see you, sister, it will probably cause a misunderstanding." Xiliya turned her head and winked at the group: "It's troublesome to explain, so let's bypass them!"

That was understandable; after all, Yun Mu and the others didn't want to waste time on the distinguished guests attending the banquet.

"Hm?"

Yun Mu suddenly felt that there was something extra on her person; she reached into her bosom and touched a hard object.

Square and upright, with a slightly frosted texture... isn't this the wooden box from the warehouse just now!?

How did it suddenly appear on her?

Could it be that she has been targeted by the curse? "..." Yun Mu lowered her hand without changing her expression, choosing not to reveal this matter.

It would be fine if it were only Brenna and the others, but now that Xiliya was right beside her, it was better not to make a scene.

As for why this wooden box appeared in her bosom... who knows.

Perhaps she really has been entangled by the curse, heh.

Perhaps because she was used to the feeling of great storms and waves, Yun Mu was unexpectedly not feeling very panicked at this moment.

Or rather, she felt nine parts calm out of ten.

No matter what she encounters next, she should have the confidence to face it.

But then again... her current label is Evil God, after all; can a mere curse really affect her? "At this time, my grandfather should be painting on the balcony, let's go find him there," Xiliya said while leading the way.

"Your grandfather should be the patriarch, right? Doesn't he need to host the banquet at this time?" Brenna asked with some curiosity.

And beside her, Yun Mu was more interested in the painting.

She wondered what that old man's painting level was like; if possible, it would be even better to exchange ideas.

"No need, it's fine for my father to host it there."

When Xiliya said this, she seemed to think of something, and a smile couldn't help but appear on her face.

"Father should be worrying about my disappearance at this time, but I have brought sister back, so he won't be able to say anything to me afterward, hehe."

Uh... looking at the young girl's happy appearance, Yun Mu couldn't help but feel pity for the young girl's father, whom she had never met.

Of course, this was just an exaggerated way of speaking.

"Young Miss? Why are you..." The group met a gray-haired woman wearing a maid outfit on the road; looking at her two ears drooping like palm-leaf fans, she should be an Elephant Beastkin, no doubt.

"Shh." Xiliya interrupted her.

"I have a very important matter now, I need to find my grandfather, Head Maid, don't tell anyone." While speaking, she pointed her finger at Iliyasi who was following behind her.

And the Head Maid, upon seeing Iliyasi's appearance, immediately opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Um, I understand!" She nodded solemnly, though it was unknown what she had imagined. In any case, she let the group pass quite readily.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Arriving in front of a room door, Xiliya stepped forward and knocked on the door with her hand.

"..."

There was no sound of a reply from inside the door; seeing this, Xiliya frowned imperceptibly, then knocked forcefully two more times.

"Come in." A dignified voice came from inside the room, only... Yun Mu and Brenna looked at each other, feeling that this voice didn't sound like an old man.

However, this seems normal; after all, the lifespan of a Transcendental is very long, and although the Federation has no Transcendental, it has a Magic Rune system similar to it.

As long as you spend enough money, anyone can become a "Transcendental."

And as the patriarch of a great family like the Fire Weaver Bird Family, the other party must certainly have had Magic Runes inscribed on his body.

As for his strength, perhaps he is a Master? Yun Mu only knows of the Federation's Magic Rune system and does not understand the details within it.

So she can only guess blindly based on her intuition.

As for the Blood Perception, it cannot detect anything; judging solely by the life aura in the blood, it is only at the level of a Second-tier Elite.

"Didn't I say that when I am Painting, no one is allowed to disturb me unless it is something important?" Pushing open the room door, a man with bird feathers on his back, just like Iliyasi and the others, sat on the edge of the balcony and said.

In front of him was placed a canvas, and the content on the canvas was a long-range view, seemingly depicted from the perspective of the person sitting on the balcony.

However, unlike the real scene, the city in the painting had an inexplicably gloomy and sinking feeling.

Perhaps this is the painter's true thought about this city in his heart? "Of course I know that, but Grandpa, turn around and take a look, who did I bring over?"

"Hmph, it doesn't matter who you bring back." The man let out a cold snort: "I think your skin is really itching; even your father wouldn't dare to interrupt me when my inspiration comes."

He turned around, his gaze looking at Xiliya, and then shifted to Yun Mu and the others.

Upon seeing Iliyasi, Yun Mu noticed his pupils contract violently for a moment, but they quickly returned to normal.

"This is what you call an important matter?" The man put down his Paintbrush and stood up to walk in front of Iliyasi.

"How is your mother Xiliya doing now?"

Although she knew her grandfather was referring to Iliyasi's mother, Xiliya still felt somewhat strange when she heard her own name.

"Mother, she passed away some days ago." When talking about the topic of her mother, Iliyasi could not help but feel a bit sad.

"... Is that so."

Hearing Iliyasi's words, the man did not seem very surprised.

It was just that Yun Mu and the others were somewhat puzzled.

Judging by their generation, Iliyasi's mother should not have reached the age of passing away yet.

And there is one thing that is actually very strange, which is that Iliyasi has never mentioned anything about her father.

It couldn't be that her father also passed away, right? Yun Mu suddenly thought of the wooden box in her arms.

Xiliya said that the wooden box would bring a Curse to people, that anyone who touched it would be entangled by death, and it was brought from outside the Federation, and packed together with the relics of Iliyasi's mother... She absolutely did not believe there was no connection here.

Of course, if there really was no connection, then just pretend she didn't say anything.

"After coming to the Federation, have you had any abnormalities in your body?" The man suddenly asked Iliyasi.

And after hearing his question, Iliyasi was slightly stunned, but quickly replied: "No, no, I don't have any uncomfortable places."

"That's good, that's good..."

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, the man sat down slowly and recalled: "Your mother, Xiliya, had been inexplicably very weak since birth."

"You all look like Iliyasi's friends, so I will just say it directly."

"After discovering the physical problems of Iliyasi's mother, I contacted many of the Federation's top hospitals. At that time, those doctors all said it was a normal phenomenon and there was no problem, so I didn't pay much attention to it. It wasn't until your mother became an adult that these symptoms further intensified that the problem was finally detected..."

"It turns out your mother suffered from an extremely rare congenital Disease. Because this was the first case in history, this Disease was finally named after your mother—Xiliya Energy-Repelling Disease, or Energy-Repelling Disease for short."

"Just like the name of the Disease, this is a Disease that is born with a repulsion to Magic Energy. As long as one is in an environment filled with Magic Energy, the body will become very weak, eventually causing a fatal reaction..."

"It was already too late when we discovered it. Even moving to an environment without Magic Energy to live could only slightly alleviate these symptoms, and then, your father..."

The man sighed imperceptibly: "Although Bulaisi was a human, he was still a man with a sense of responsibility. In order to cure your mother, he took Xiliya and set sail, leaving the Orc Federation, hoping that Transcendental from other kingdoms could cure your mother's illness."

"In the end, that man failed, but at the same time, he also succeeded."

"The item he brought back is called a Meteor Fragment by people outside; it is a fragment of a star said to have been shot down by the God of War."

"That item can continuously erode the holder's life force and grant the holder a certain amount of Supernatural power."

"Bulaisi used the power of that Supernatural Item to link his own life with Xiliya's through a special Ritual."

"However, because using that Meteor Fragment would erode one's life force, the life force held by Bulaisi would be less than Xiliya's life force."

"Therefore, before Xiliya passed away, Bulaisi was the one who passed away first."

"..." The man was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and said: "Xiliya, she did not want to extend her own life by sacrificing others."

"So after they left the Meteor Fragment behind, they left the Federation."

"Together with you, who was still an infant at the time."

(End of this chapter)