Chapter 474: Letter

Ao Dai Li sighed inwardly for a moment, straightened their posture, and began to ponder the question just now. The bounty also reflects, to some extent, the official's level of attention. Could the mysterious queen have been promoted? Is she now a Sequence‑3 Saint? Or an angel walking the earth? Most likely the latter.

Mr. World mentioned the mysterious queen's bounty change at this moment because the mysterious queen also took part in the contest for the Pas River Valley colony? Moreover, she stands on the opposite side of Lu En and Yin Di Si?

The Pas River Valley affair is so complicated; I previously would have thought it was merely an event promoted by the Knowledge Church to better spread its faith. Fortunately Alfred is unharmed; after Lu En's superiors sign the treaty with warlord Mei Sang Ye Si today, he can return to Beckland.

When Mr. World mentioned the mysterious queen, the Hermit Jia De Li Ya showed no particular reaction; she lowered her gaze, sat at her seat, and seemed a little absent‑minded.

Regarding the Pas River Valley, the queen seems to have reached some tacit understanding with the Moss Ascetic Order; lately the Hidden Sage has also shown changes. The knowledge it releases now contains far more living knowledge, yet it is less dangerous than before, and the knowledge is no longer as massive and chaotic as it once was.

The Sun Dai Li Ke has been in a trance; when A Meng was mentioned earlier, he listened earnestly for a while, but now, regarding the Pas River Valley colony topic, he completely fails to understand and can only sit dazed at his seat, slightly lost in thought.

When the participants at the tarot gathering fell silent again, Lei Ke Dun spoke with a thoughtful smile:

"By the way, bicycles have already entered production here in the Pas River Valley. Is anyone interested? I can purchase a few for you."

"In Beckland, the collaborator of Lei Pa De seems still to be building a factory; at least one or two months are needed before finished products appear."

"Bicycle? What is that? A special kind of carriage?"

Fo Er Si asked, somewhat surprised.

Lei Ke Dun shook his head slightly and said, "It's a portable means of travel, requiring no horses—just your own feet to press the pedals and move forward."

He then proposed to the Fool Ke Lai En to materialize a bicycle; with Ke Lai En's help, a bicycle crafted by artisans Mao Buli and Li Ci appeared on the mottled long table before everyone.

"What a strange shape; can it really move?"

"And it only has two wheels—are we sure the rider won't fall?"

The Moon Ai Mu Lin and the Magician Fo Er Si each gave their opinions in turn.

"Um, I should have materialized a scene of Yode Son and others riding, not a real bicycle itself."

Lei Ke Dun turned his head awkwardly toward Ke Lai En, who was shrouded in the uppermost gray mist; with Ke Lai En's assistance, he re‑materialized a scene of Yode Son riding a bicycle with Tu Ba Ge on the street.

Seeing Tu Ba Ge sitting in the front basket of the bicycle made Ao Dai Li's eyes light up. You can hang a basket in front? Um, Su Xi probably couldn't; it's too big—if it sat in the front basket, it would likely overturn the whole bicycle.

Imagining Su Xi placed in the front basket, Ao Dai Li almost burst out laughing, quickly composed herself, turned to Lei Ke Dun and asked:

"How much does this bicycle cost? I need one—no, three!"

"Since production has just started, the price is 3 pounds. If you need a custom design or extra parts, additional fees apply."

Lei Ke Dun chuckled lightly in response, then looked at the others.

Aside from Fo Er Si and Ai Mu Lin, who looked eager to try, the others showed little interest.

Lei Ke Dun leaned lightly against the chair back, taking everyone's reactions in his eyes. Indeed, the Hanged Man and Jia De Li Ya are at sea, spending most of their time on ships with nowhere to ride a bike; as for the Little Sun, a place like Silver City is even less suitable for bicycle travel.

Fo Er Si and Ai Mu Lin hesitated a bit, but ultimately couldn't resist their curiosity and each ordered a bicycle.

Afterward, the participants at the tarot gathering shared more news until the Fool at the head of the mottled long table announced the end of today's tarot session.

After everyone rose and bowed, deep crimson light surged from the boundless gray mist, instantly enveloping every person in the palace; when the crimson light faded, the grand ancient palace held only the silhouette hidden in the gray mist at the head.

Scanning the surroundings, Ke Lai En extended a spiritual aura that wrapped himself, simulating a falling sensation; his figure quickly faded and vanished into the space above the gray mist.

Southern Continent, Pas River Valley.

The deep crimson light receded from view; Lei Ke Dun felt his mind briefly hazy, and when he came to, he was already back in his inn room.

He rose from the armchair near the window table, stretched a bit, and walked straight to the desk against the wall, where a pale yellow letter lay quietly.

Approaching, Lei Ke Dun reached for the pale yellow paper, examined it briefly. "Te Li Si, this letter arrived later than I expected."

He let out a slight sigh, then focused on reading the letter:

Since I ascended to become a Sequence‑5 Painful Witch, I have vaguely sensed a great presence; no matter how I avoid it, it appears in my dreams, in my sudden flashes of inspiration, even in my off‑hand words.

I don't even know where I will wake up next—perhaps in a sewer, perhaps in a man's or woman's bed.

Can you help eliminate this influence? Though this suffering speeds up my demonic elixir digestion to some extent, I have a vague premonition that if things continue, I will lose the chance to become an Iron‑blood Knight and revert to being a man.

My subconscious resists me seeking your help; I only wrote this letter after daring to find a psychologist to hypnotize myself.

If possible, I probably need you to come to Beckland; I'm worried this plea for help will worsen my condition.

The closing signature reads: Te Li Si Qi Ke!

"Te Li Si Qi Ke, Qi Ke. She seems to be in worse shape than she anticipated; could this be a trap?"

Lei Ke Dun murmured two words softly, and paced in the room at a moderate pace for a while.

At the same time, his eyes flashed, becoming extremely deep, like the sea surface before a storm; in that state, his focus was clearly lost, his gaze hazy.

The state lasted for a while; only then did his eyes clear again. No danger, no abnormality—just an ordinary plea for help, but if it involves the Prime Witch, she could certainly interfere with divination.

After a moment's thought, he decided to go to Beckland, the capital of Lu En; even if danger exists, the arrival of the Prime Witch is unlikely—without a true god descending, there is no uncontrollable danger.

Having decided, he flicked the paper with his fingers; the text faded away swiftly, turning into a fresh sheet.

He then took the fountain pen on the desk and wrote a letter to Tu Ba Ge, explaining his temporary departure, and asked it to take the raven Anu to find the two cats, Mao Buli and Li Ci, for some food and drink.

He pressed the finished paper onto the desk with the pen, turned again to glance around the room, gently rubbed his fingers, and summoned two Invisible Servants, taking away the "Starry Night of Van Gogh" and the "Runaway Crystal Ball" that had been sealed by a spiritual wall.

After completing everything, his figure instantly became transparent, like a statue forged from countless brilliant starlights; the statue shattered at once, turning into specks of swirling starlight that scattered into the depths of the spirit realm.

In the Suniya Central Sea, on Te Yana Island near the Luo Si De Sea, Ke Lai En briefly packed his luggage; anything unnecessary was sacrificed to himself and, in his own way, tossed into the junk heap above the gray mist.

In the end he only brought a handheld suitcase to the inn's ground floor to check out, then took a hired carriage to the port and bought a ticket for the soon‑departing ship bound for the "White City" of the Gar Gasi Archipelago.

The passenger ship will depart around eight tonight; there is still some time, so I can linger at a nearby bar. Since I'm leaving anyway, I might hunt some suitable pirates, swapping the writhing hunger for wandering souls.

Having made up his mind, Ke Lai En hoisted his suitcase and headed straight to the most crowded nearby bar named White Sea Wave.

Upon entering the bar, a cacophony of overlapping conversations reached his ears:

"Damn it! Yesterday I was swindled by a talking sea fish, and I even threw it a full 12 pounds 5 shillings 3 pence! That was all the cash I had!"

"My head must have been crushed by a plank of the ship, so I didn't notice its countless holes in the lie!"

"That really was all your money, so where did you get money for drinks today?"

"Today's drinks are on the generous Captain Narl; if the captain hadn't helped, I would have had to sleep on the streets last night."

"No need to thank me; if you hadn't thrown the money so quickly, I would also have become that sea fish's victim."

"Hahaha, unlucky Solir, next time you go out to sea remember to catch more fish; even if it's not the one that swindled you, you can vent your anger, haha~"

Hearing the words passed to his ears from those around him, Ke Lai En's mouth corner twitched slightly.

Precise to three pence, it showed that was indeed all the money he had on him at the time; from the reactions of those sailors and pirates, they hadn't noticed the problem of that swindler wandering about.

Buying a ticket to leave Te Ya Na today is the right decision; whether behind it is a magical item or an extraordinary being, it most likely belongs to the thief pathway, and the sequence won't be too low, and under the influence of the agglomeration effect, A Meng's doppelgänger could appear here at any time.

As his thoughts drifted, Ke Lai En had already walked to the bar counter, and he casually threw out a four-pence note, saying:

"One cup of Te Ya Na malt beer."

(End of chapter)