Chapter 25: Lowdown

“Who are you? And who am I?”

A hollow voice echoed through the black room; her blood-red eyes held nothing, their unfocused pupils reflecting only Li En’s silhouette.

Her once golden hair, brilliant as molten gold, had faded entirely into a dull, mercury-like silver; her pink lips were cracked and dry from severe dehydration.

Only her skin remained flushed, but the unnatural, baby-like pinkness made her appear unnervingly fragile.

Li En’s gaze filled her with inexplicable fear; she instinctively stepped back.

In that moment, the naked girl seemed especially small and defenseless.

Was she trembling? Afraid? Was it instinctive survival—or simply because she was cold?

“You are Laina Lana,” Li En mused, giving her a new name.

“I’m Lana, Lana—but who are you?” The girl tilted her head; she liked the name, as if she’d heard it before.

“I’m your friend.”

Li En sighed, took off his outer garment, and handed it to her.

He glanced at her original clothes—they were far too large and had long since deteriorated into foul-smelling rags; no wonder she’d discarded them.

The young man lowered his head, watching the girl huddled like a tiny bird, and felt a quiet helplessness.

A person who had lost all memory should have lost more—yet did her body still retain something?

“What is a friend?”

Feeling the warmth of the fabric, the pure girl smiled instinctively.

Her sweet, untainted smile was like sunlight—striking Li En with a faint, painful ache.

“A friend is someone who gives you food, clothes, and a place to live.”

Speaking, Li En bent down and picked her up.

She was astonishingly light—her body felt like nothing but skin and bone.

Her skin was so fragile it seemed ready to tear at any moment.

“Don’t move.”

The girl didn’t struggle; she curled into a tight ball in his arms, perhaps finding warmth there.

“Warm, friend! Good!” She reached out and patted his stubbled chin.

【Species Rank: Inferior Stone. Strength: 2, Stamina: 2, Agility: 2.】 Li En glanced and saw numbers even more despairing than his own.

This girl, if released, would likely die within days.

Or, more realistically, die in some brothel, on some noble’s bed.

“Keep her for now—at least give her the means to defend herself.”

More than half an hour later, in Li En’s living room, he asked the physician who had just finished the examination:

“How is her condition?”

“The Boiling Blood hasn’t fully subsided; the regression has just ended. Your comrade’s condition is relatively good—no obvious disabilities or illnesses. Aside from lost memory, her behavior and thought patterns are normal. Many regressors lose mobility or develop severe mental disorders.”

During this time, Li En had already crafted her identity.

He was a regressor, and so was she. Regressors were exceedingly rare—most died when their injuries reached a critical point; even if one took a wrong evolutionary path, regressing all the way down was almost unheard of.

Effectively, they were “lucky ones” who should have been dead but somehow survived.

Li En fabricated that they had once been teammates, caught in a crisis and curse that caused them both to regress.

She had come seeking him, unable to suppress her injuries, regressing completely—and now, even her memories were gone.

“What about her memory?” This was Li En’s greatest concern.

“Just being alive is a miracle. Mental disorders in regressors are incurable.”

Hearing her memories were likely gone, Li En felt a faint, immoral relief.

The physician took his consultation fee and left; the girl was now under the care of a dedicated attendant.

Fortunately, the household maid hired by the Jiaoyi Society had already arrived—Li En himself caring for her would have been deeply embarrassing and likely disastrous.

At least someone could teach her basic life skills.

“Friend, friend, this clothes are uncomfortable—I don’t want to wear it.”

“Pfft.”

Li En, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out.

He sighed, looking at the girl wrapped only in a sheet—behind her, the maid rushed in holding a maid’s uniform.

This was not his taste at all.

The house had no other women’s clothing; they had to make do with the maid’s garments.

“Laina, people wear clothes,” Li En narrowed his eyes, refusing to look.

“Miss Lana! Don’t do that! Don’t run around in just socks!” Fortunately, the maid arrived in time.

Oh, she wasn’t completely naked—she wore white silk socks. But that was worse than nothing!

At that moment, Li En went completely numb—he might need to hire a child tutor for her.

Leaving the newly “born” girl to the Jiaoyi Society’s maid, Li En retreated to his room.

He considered for a moment, entered the bathroom, and returned to the world within the book.

Some things still needed confirmation.

“This is just a plain metal chain. What kind of taming device is this? Again, you’re messing with me.”

The iron chair once used to restrain beasts remained unbreakable—even the Hero’s Sword couldn’t cut it—but the person bound within had escaped; it was now meaningless.

Perhaps, when resources and skill improve, I can melt it down into weapons or armor—metal that even Su Er’s brother couldn’t handle would be incredibly valuable.

After regressing, Laina’s limbs had grown slender, her frame shrunk several sizes, and she simply slipped out of the iron chair.

And from the chair’s design—only restraining the limbs—it seemed this was intentional.

He was waiting for her regression; this restraint never needed a key or mechanism.

“Indeed, no supernatural traces.”

When Su Er had possessed him before, he’d already checked the chair and confirmed it was pure metal. Now, after touching it for a long time, Li En found no trace of hypnotic magic.

This was simply an iron chair meant to restrain Laina—there was no taming device at all.

“Taming, beginner’s gift—typical Li Ensu prank.”

Li En sighed; like Su Er’s brother, he grew more and more disgusted with Li Ensu.

Yet now, as he touched the pale red gem on his hand, feeling warmth spread through his body, he began to understand the terrifying nature of this “beginner’s gift.”

“Perhaps absorbing it will free me from this crippled body.”

Maybe, from the very beginning, this was designed as medicine to mend his own flaws.

The room that once held Laina now held only an empty chair—useful as a storage space. The remaining “regression materials” were wrapped in rags, numerous in quantity.

The severed tail tip bore charred burns; three golden claws were astonishingly hard; a black-glowing orb, placed on the ground, seemed to devour light itself.

Though many small items remained, these three were clearly the most abnormal.

Any one of them, if touched, filled Li En with intense discomfort—as if they were lethal radiation.

“These… must never see the light.”

Li En had already inquired: Laina’s species was “Alvak,” a powerful evolutionary species meaning “Solar God’s Flame Lion.”

After such a unique quasi-mythical species was dismantled, its components retained traces of essential power.

These were high-risk radioactive materials—only those on the same evolutionary path could safely use them.

Selling them might lead to deductions that they came from Laina.

But this bag of red gems, calm as ice, colored like blood, must be the Hero’s Blood Luo Yi had mentioned.

Touching them, Li En felt his body’s primal craving.

Perhaps this was the true purpose of the “beginner’s gift”—if he successfully infiltrated this city and waited patiently, he could use these to restore his frail body.

Given Li En’s nature, he normally wouldn’t use the Hero Card so early—he’d wait until Laina couldn’t hold out and surrendered the gift.

Then, after his body was restored, finding work would be easy—but two rookie thieves and a black-market shop had completely disrupted his plans.

Li En still shook his head; thinking about this was pointless. Whatever he did, he needed to secure his own strength first.

To face whatever hidden hand was behind this, he must at least be stronger than suffering Laina.

“Maybe I should just lie down and give up…” The difficulty seemed too great.

With a weary, self-deprecating smile, Li En returned to the house.

But as he opened the door, he froze.

The girl was waiting outside for him.

Seeing him emerge, she smiled sweetly.

“Friend, friend, Asha said wearing this makes you happy—is it true?”

The black dress, paired with a white apron, white cuffs, and white scarf—the stark black-and-white contrast of the ordinary maid’s outfit—on the girl, radiated an uncommon purity and liveliness.

Perhaps the original owner found it too plain, so lace trim along the hem, collar, and edges was embroidered with adorable cat heads—some smiling, some angry, some making faces.

The girl tilted her head, following the maid’s instruction, lifting her skirt.

But unaccustomed to the round-toed black leather shoes beneath, she nearly toppled over.

Li En caught her, only to receive her upward gaze—a sweet, innocent, foolish smile.

The black cat ears twitched—wait, how are there cat ears?!

“It’s not good to leave those ears exposed all the time—I have fake ones here too,” the maid quickly explained.

Under the girl’s curious gaze, Li En touched them—sure enough, they were fabric headpieces.

And why, in a world where everyone had animal ears, would anyone need fake cat ears?

Ugh, those evil feudal masters always get bored and crave something new—rabbit ears are nice, but cat ears aren’t bad either.

Yet little Laina still wasn’t used to it; she kept instinctively tilting her head and shaking, as if trying to shake off the thing on her head.

Looking at the “cute little maid” before him, Li En silently looked up at the sky.

Well done, Asha (maid)! I’ll give you a raise!

“A silver-haired, red-eyed, cat-eared maid actually exists. I suddenly feel there’s hope for my reincarnation life again.”

Coughing, Li En set aside the nonsense and noticed the girl was trembling again, barely minutes later.

“Cough, cough, cough.” The girl began coughing again, clearly in distress.

A Low-Stone-tier species isn’t merely low in base stats—it’s a degradation of the normal beastkin’s primal body, a total collapse of physical integrity: frail, sickly, and mostly dying young.

Li En sighed, and under the maid’s subtle gaze, brought her directly to his room.

He pulled out a blood-red gem and placed it against her skin. After a long while, there was no reaction—unlike when he wore it, which had glowed faintly and grown warm.

It seems the Dragon Hunter’s claim that degenerates can’t use their own “materials” includes universal ones like Hero’s Blood.

“Perhaps I’ll need to spend some money to find her a private tutor and doctor.” The previous doctor had said degenerates require long-term care, hinting he couldn’t help but could connect her to better physicians—or even priests.

Hmm, as long as you pay.

“It hurts. Wait until the rent comes in. Tch, I’ve lost my salary too.”

Today, Li En didn’t go to work—partly because of this little incident, partly because he’d been fired.

This morning, a sudden high-level police command landed on the task force.

Not only had Li En—whose consultant title hadn’t even lasted a week and who hadn’t collected his weekly pay—been kicked out, but the entire task force had been suspended for days.

Someone above seemed dissatisfied with Li En disrupting the “order” of the docks district.

“So fast a reaction? Looks like I touched someone’s interests. Could it be those corrupt cops filing reports?”

Li En didn’t care—it was expected. But Talia S Daer was furious, storming over the moment she got the order and ranting for ages.

Li En could tell: she’d come to comfort him, but in the process of talking, she ended up being comforted by the now-resigned Li En.

“Relax. Unless something unexpected happens, the task force will restart soon.” At this point, Li En had no need to pretend.

“I hope so. Sigh, sometimes I feel the biggest pressure in this job never comes from the enemy. Wait—is this your new maid?”

Unnoticed, little Laina had crept over again, clinging to Li En like a newborn cub to its first sight.

“No, she’s my comrade. Former comrade.”

“What?!”

Laina’s presence instantly diverted her attention and anger.

Hearing Li En’s “introduction” of her as a former comrade, she imagined a grim, evil-hunting struggle with terrible cost—and, moved, hugged Laina tightly, comforting this pitiful girl who’d lost everything for justice.

And when Li En asked her to help Laina get official identification, she agreed immediately.

“You trust people too easily.” So gullible—she believed the whole story after hearing only half, making Li En almost embarrassed.

He’d spun a long tale about how Laina had struggled all the way, sneaking into the city until she finally collapsed and began degenerating—but he didn’t even need to finish.

The only thing that worried him was the final, resolute look in her eyes—he feared she might go to extremes and expose everything to the top.

If, in two days, he heard she’d stormed up to complain and got fired outright, he wouldn’t be surprised at all.

With her help, Li En breathed easier—at least she’d promised to help get Laina proper female items and clothes, and even personally teach her not to run around naked.

“Ding dong.”

No sooner had Talia left than another visitor arrived.

Then, the woman the visitor ushered in made Li En nearly lose his composure.

“I—I came to see you. I heard you were fired.” His ex-fiancée, now the executor of a beauty trap, Ms. Sallyman S Daer , clearly wasn’t professional—her lines were badly delivered.

Especially the next moment, when a silver-haired girl, wrapped only in a sheet, ran past behind Li En.

Her forced poker face shattered instantly.

“Pervert!!”

(End of Chapter)