Chapter 131: Tobacco Merchant

Lei Kedun, having returned to the house across the street, did not choose to rest but instead went out again with the crow A Nu.

Today's weather remained gloomy, with not a trace of moonlight penetrating the clouds; on the street only the dim light of the streetlamps scattered a little darkness.

Dark night, strong wind—perfect for corpses to roam!

Lei Kedun and the crow A Nu's silhouettes were in a cemetery outside the eastern district's suburbs, with five or six corpses of varying decay following behind; in the cemetery without streetlights, this scene appeared especially grim and terrifying.

Lei Kedun scattered a sheet of semi-translucent white fine powder; the powder quickly rippled in the air, forming a bright but not glaring ripple that illuminated the cemetery.

"Ga!"

The crow A Nu cried out twice, flapping its wings and flying off from Lei Kedun's shoulder. Within the illuminated range it scattered some pungent herbal powder.

The crow A Nu skillfully placed the ritual materials in the correct positions; after the ritual setup was complete, Lei Kedun stirred his spiritual energy to light the candles.

With the aid of the ritual, the crow A Nu controlled the corpses following behind, making them spread out and begin digging their own graves in the cemetery.

After the graves were dug, the crow A Nu made the corpses lie down in their respective graves. Then, with the ritual's aid, it cleared the deathly aura from the corpses, returning them to quiet bodies.

Afterward, it communicated with the surrounding spirits, asking them to help bury the freshly dug graves with soil.

The crow A Nu landed on a tombstone beside Lei Kedun, excitedly flapping its wings and said:

"Boss! My grave digger's demon elixir has already been digested nearly one-third!"

"However, I feel that the role-play still has some incomplete aspects."

"Progress is good; in another one or two months I should be able to advance to a spirit medium."

Lei Kedun nodded slightly; this crow is exceptionally talented for the Death God's path.

Then he scattered iron-black material, summoning an invisible giant hand to gather the scattered dirt from the ground, toss it into an inconspicuous corner, and take some concealment measures to ensure that midnight grave-digging would not be discovered.

After cleaning up the scene, Lei Kedun grabbed one of the crow's wings, turned and entered the Spirit World, then appeared in Hilsdon District, blending into the crowd without any sense of incongruity.

As the economic center, Hilsdon District boasts a prosperous night market, with the entire district brightly lit.

Fashionably dressed men and women walked the streets; there were high-income earners working here, as well as tourists and pedestrians out for leisure, carriages and various peculiar machines appearing one after another, perfectly depicting the prosperity of Beikelande.

Lei Kedun carried a newly bought bird cage, the cage casually open, with the crow A Nu standing inside, curiously surveying the surroundings.

Because a sudden prophecy had ruined his appetite for dinner, after a busy round Lei Kedun felt hungry again. He skillfully walked to a snack street with various street food and late-night snacks, and bought a large bag of late-night fare.

Carrying the purchased food, Lei Kedun prepared to find a less crowded place and directly shuttle through the Spirit World back to Mingsike Jie.

Leaving the crowded district, Lei Kedun was about to take advantage of the opportunity to avoid pedestrians' gazes and enter the Spirit World, when the crow A Nu, which had been standing upright in the open bird cage, suddenly collapsed straight to the ground.

Its tiny body was still trembling, as if it had encountered something extremely terrifying.

Lei Kedun did not check the crow's condition on the ground, but followed his intuition to look toward his rear side.

A middle-aged gentleman of outstanding bearing and proper attire looked over here with curiosity.

The middle-aged gentleman had bronzed skin, hair half black and half white, and extremely rare black pupils; he wore a loose black fur coat, medium build, and on his hand a conspicuous black-red ring set with jewels.

Lei Kedun's Peeking Secret Eye allowed him to see more.

It was dark green revealing black scales and countless white feathers, each feather and scale bearing different-shaped strange symbols.

As Lei Kedun continued to stare, wanting to see more, his own spiritual energy suddenly warned him, as if something extremely terrifying would descend at any moment.

Lei Kedun immediately lowered his head, averted his gaze, and stopped looking at the middle-aged gentleman.

One of Lei Kedun's summarized rules for the Peeking Secret Person: restrain his own vigorous curiosity, do not attempt to probe the unknown and hidden that he does not understand.

(From his own captain's experience and lessons!)

He turned his gaze back to the crow A Nu lying on the ground, and after checking its condition, aside from a lingering layer of fear still shrouding its mental body, it had no other problems.

"This crow is interesting; it perhaps has an unusually extraordinary origin."

A very gentle, affable voice came over.

Lei Kedun looked up toward the sound, seeing the middle-aged gentleman who had approached. He gave a slight nod, but his gaze kept avoiding direct eye contact with the man.

The gentleman's eyes were fine, but Lei Kedun's intuition kept him wary of them, as if his Peeking Secret Eye would see what ordinary eyes cannot, bringing unpredictable danger.

"Sir, do you have much research on birds? Are you perhaps a biology-related expert?"

Lei Kedun made casual small talk, easing the awkwardness.

"I didn't expect to have such an academic air, but unfortunately I am merely a merchant."

On his face appeared a fitting hint of regret.

After saying that, the middle-aged gentleman half-squatted, placing the trembling crow lying on the ground back into the bird cage that Lei Kedun was holding.

Having done all that, the middle-aged gentleman let out a sigh of relief and said:

"Sorry, I accidentally frightened your crow just now."

"It's fine; it's no longer problematic."

Lei Kedun shook his head slightly and replied:

That gentle-spoken middle-aged gentleman opposite is very likely a high-ranking powerhouse of the Death God's path; Lei Kedun estimated the man might be a demigod or higher, for otherwise it would be hard to frighten the crow to this extent without Lei Kedun noticing.

"May I curiously ask where you bought or encountered this crow?"

The middle-aged gentleman asked politely.

Lei Kedun suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows, showing a doubtful expression:

"Sir, why are you so interested in this crow?"

"It is that I happened to encounter it in the Beikelande Bridge Area; it snatched the bread from my hand at the time, later I caught it and kept it by my side."

Upon hearing that, the middle-aged gentleman showed an expression of understanding; it was unclear whether he believed Lei Kedun's explanation, but he smiled slightly, nodded, and said:

"It seems you two are fated; it carries somewhat unusual blood, though diluted, but if you nurture it well, it may possibly return to its ancestral form in the future."

"Unusual blood?"

Lei Kedun repeated it softly, already having formed a related conjecture in his mind.

Afterward, he looked at the middle-aged gentleman, bowed slightly with a slight bend of the waist.

"Thank you for your reminder; after chatting this long, I still don't know how to address you, sir!"

Pulake·Aiges, a tobacco merchant from the South Continent.

It's a shame you're not a tobacco lover; you don't have the scent of tobacco on you, otherwise I'd give you a portion of my favorite tobacco—believe me, it's worth treasuring!

Pulake·Aiges introduced his identity in a gentle tone, only showing a different infatuated look when speaking of tobacco.

The other's surname surprised Leikeddun a little; Beikelande truly is a miraculous place—just walking down the street you could meet a descendant of the Bailang Empire's royal family.

Leikeddun suppressed his surprised expression, merely showing a hint of surprise in his eyes as he said:

Aiges! You're a South Continent native, Mr. Pulake—you really are a great noble!

Just a marginal member; the merchant identity comes before that.

Pulake·Aiges merely gave a brief explanation, not saying much, but also did not deny his identity as a descendant of the Bailang Empire's royal family.

Leikeddun nodded slightly, not continuing the topic; after a long time, even the former Bailang Empire's royal family would surely have split into several factions internally, and it's normal for some to be marginalized.

The crow Anu in the cage had recovered, cautiously looking around inside the cage. It seemed unaware that the earlier influence came from the middle-aged gentleman before it.

Mr. Pulake, I'm Aer·Tains, a Finibote person, just arrived in Beikelande recently.

I think I should leave.

Speaking, Leikeddun also lifted the crow that had already recovered in his hand, as well as the night snack in the bag on his other hand.

Hmm, if you have any tobacco-related questions you need to consult, feel free to come ask me; if you come to buy tobacco from me, I'll give you a better price than anyone else, haha.

Whenever Pulake·Aiges talks about tobacco, he becomes especially enthusiastic and full of energy.

After Leikeddun and Pulake·Aiges said goodbye, they walked a distance, turned into an alley, immediately entered the Spirit Realm, and left Xiersidun District.

Pulake·Aiges, leaving in the opposite direction, paused his steps slightly after Leikeddun entered the Spirit Realm, then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened, seeming to have thought of something pleasant, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

What an interesting young man, and he even keeps an interesting crow.

. It seems I've been away from home too long; seeing young people makes me easily think of my own child. Perhaps I should also go back and look at that kid who always has a gloomy face.

(End of chapter)