Chapter 1342: Iron Badger

"Achoo!!!"

Following a sneeze that sounded like a muffled clap of thunder, the flock of crows roosting in the Sage's Graveyard of the Dead World were instantly startled into flight, countless crow feathers blacker than ink drifting down and landing on one mound-shaped grave after another.

"Damn it!"

Hearing a curse filled with annoyance, the thirty-eighth grave from the left under the old locust tree on the east side of the Sage's Graveyard bulged abruptly, and then, unexpectedly, was forcibly pushed open from the inside.

Damn it, my coffin is actually growing mold!

After kicking open his coffin lid and sitting up from the grave, the third-generation Director, looking thoroughly disgruntled, took out a handkerchief and blew his nose hard to clear out the mold spores that had fallen in. He then glared at his own tombstone with ill intent and scolded, "The moisture on you is just annoying as hell! Can't you roll further away?"

"Iron Badger, I have come to find you."

From within the thick white mist behind the tombstone came the sound of hooves, both hard and crisp. A tall hind, its body wreathed in dense bands of fog, stepped out from the overwhelming vapor and stopped beside the third-generation Director's coffin.

"Where is your mask?"

After glancing at the third-generation Director's messy pile of a coffin, the incarnated hind asked with equally ill intent, "According to our past agreement, whenever the mask sends a signal, you must wear it and answer one question about the Bureau of Cleanup. Where has your mask gone?"

"It's not that I have to respond to you every time the mask has activity. According to the original agreement, it is enough for me to respond to you once every twenty years, according to my interest."

After correcting the incarnated hind's statement, the third-generation Director climbed out of his coffin, then waved his hand to break open the neighboring grave and dragged out his neighbor's coffin.

Amidst the panicked shouts of his awakened neighbor, the old man pried open the coffin lid, took a black honey badger mask from the neighbor's face, and tossed it to the incarnated hind not far away.

"Here, I was worried about losing it, so I put it in someone else's grave. So, I wasn't planning on breaking the agreement... but since you're already here, don't go through the extra trouble. If you want to ask something, just ask directly!"

This old thing... he doesn't take keeping his word seriously at all!

Looking down at the mask thrown at its feet, the incarnated hind couldn't help but show anger. But seeing the third-generation Director's devil-may-care attitude, it finally suppressed its rage and asked with ill intent, "That cleanup agent named Li Ang in the Virgin Branch—did you give him his anomalous object? If so, what exactly are the effects of his anomalous object?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing the incarnated hind's question, the third-generation Director, who was picking his ear, couldn't help but pause slightly. He then squinted and sized up the incarnated hind, asking back with suspicion, "An opportunity that only comes once every twenty years, and you ask just this?"

"Yes!"

"Well~ then this is interesting~"

After patting the mold spores off his body, the third-generation Director shook his square head, circled the giant hind twice, and then asked with curiosity, "To think you'd use up this question, and even risk coming directly to find me... So, that little guy named Li Ang has caused you a lot of trouble?"

"Iron Badger! I am the one asking you, not you asking me!"

Seeing the greedy look in the third-generation Director's eyes as if he were sizing up materials, the incarnated hind couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out and said angrily, "You had better understand the current situation! If it weren't for us, you would have already perished! Now I demand that you follow the agreement made in the past and honestly answer the question I have raised!"

"Heh."

After hearing the incarnated hind's angry rebuke, the square-headed old man couldn't help but sneer, then said with disdain, "I will repeat it again: the agreement I made with your King-Slaughtering Society in the past was that as long as I choose one question from those you propose every twenty years and answer it truthfully, you must maintain my existence. So, whether or not I answer this question ultimately depends on my mood. If you still don't understand this point, then you'd better get lost!"

"Aren't you afraid that we..."

"I'm not afraid of a fart!"

After spitting at the incarnated hind that was threatening him, the square-headed old man curled his lip and said, "The one who made the agreement with you was the me who was still alive back then. What the hell does that have to do with the me who is already dead? Besides, I am just a lingering obsession now; what difference does it make whether I'm dead or alive? If you have the ability, just break the agreement, stop the offerings, and send me away. From now on, ask whoever you want when you encounter trouble. If you don't have the ability, then hold it in and honestly answer my questions. If you coax me into being happy, I might even respond to you a couple more times... Understand?"

"..."

This damn old thing!

Looking at the third-generation Director who was acting like a rogue, the incarnated hind couldn't help but raise its hoof and angrily pawed at the stone slabs of the graveyard floor. But since it truly had no way to deal with him, it had to swallow its pride and say, "That Li Ang... after he returned from you, he has destroyed our operations three times. Not only did he destroy the Kingdom of Ke Luoke and turn the Snow Owl and Black Owl against us, he even almost ate the Rook Crow alive..."

As the incarnated hind continued its account, the expression on the third-generation old man's face changed from curiosity to surprise, then from surprise to shock, and finally from shock to immense confusion.

That guy who can't even forge an anomalous object properly? Didn't Olivia say last time that he hadn't been in the Bureau of Cleanup for long? This has forced the King-Slaughtering Society to specifically study how to deal with him? Has that silly boy grown a bit too fast?

"In short, this person is a great threat to us."

After briefly recounting what Li Ang had done and the adverse effects those actions had on the King-Slaughtering Society, the incarnated hind said with patience, "I have finished answering your question; now it is your turn to answer mine! Iron Badger! What exactly did you forge for him? Why can he directly strip the authority of the Nightmare King? And what is going on with that almost flawless immortal body?"

"..."

The anomalous object I forged for him... I remember it was a small fork that makes people dream, a snake-skin scroll that forcibly exchanges other people's anomalous objects, and later, to get revenge on him, a pair of gloves that hurt the wearer when they hit someone.

None of these three anomalous objects have anything to do with an immortal body, and stripping the Nightmare King's authority is even more absurd. Although I don't know what his core anomalous object is, it definitely wasn't forged by me!

However, although this matter has nothing to do with me, I can't just say it directly.

"Hmm... I have a slight idea. That kid's situation is indeed very special, and he left a deep impression on me back then, so..."

After reaching out to touch his chin, a look of realization appeared on the square-headed old man's face. He then turned to look at the impatient incarnated hind and said with a chuckle, "The price will have to be increased!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1343 =====

That guy? The one who can't even forge an anomalous object properly? Didn't Olivia say last time that he hasn't been in the Cleanup Bureau for very long? And this has already forced the King-Slaying Society to specifically study how to deal with him? Isn't that silly kid growing up a bit too fast?

"In any case, this person is a major threat to us."

After briefly explaining what Leon had done and the negative impact those actions had caused the King-Slaying Society, the Incarnate Doe said with forced patience:

"I have already answered your questions; now it is your turn to answer mine! Iron Badger! What kind of anomalous object did you actually give him? Why can he directly strip the authority of the Nightmare King? And what is going on with that almost flawless immortal body?"

"..."

The anomalous object I gave him... I remember it was a small fork that makes people dream, a piece of snakeskin scroll that forcibly swaps other people's anomalous objects, and later, to get back at him, a pair of gloves that hurt the wearer when they hit someone.

None of these three anomalous objects have anything to do with an immortal body, and stripping the Nightmare King's authority is even more absurd. Although I don't know what his core anomalous object is, it definitely wasn't something I gave him!

However, even though this matter has nothing to do with me, I can't just say it directly like that.

"Hmm... I have a slight idea. That kid's situation is indeed very special. He left a deep impression on me back then, so..."

After reaching out to stroke his chin, a look of sudden realization appeared on the square-headed old man's face. He then turned to look at the impatient Incarnate Doe and said with a chuckle:

"The price will have to go up!"

(End of chapter)