Chapter 189: Exiled to Kindergarten to Retake the Basic Curriculum

Standing on a plaza in front of the market, Eleanor's smile was already about to twist.

Even though the people of Sunlight City are all clever, even if they don't know each other, they wouldn't idle around bothering those they could never afford to offend.

But a girl standing in an open space, leaning on a beautiful gem‑studied staff and dressed in splendid noble attire, was still a bit too eye‑catching.

She had even fully armed herself to showcase the elegant bearing of a Royal Capital noble, hoping to awe the crowd and leave a perfect impression…

Damn, how can anyone be late on their first time!

Eleanor felt like a circus monkey in a fancy costume, wanting to bolt, but bound by the appointment she dared not leave.

She could only mutter encouragement to herself as usual.

Eleanor, you inherit a royal surname; you're meant for great deeds!

Watching a poor apothecary walk past, she bit her lip.

Fine, I'll tolerate this for now!

Consider it a display of my resolve and magnanimity as a great noble recruiting talent!

Until the poor apothecary passed by a third time, carrying an opened shabby box, she finally couldn't hold back.

"Hello, I'm not interested in buying your potions; could you go elsewhere?"

The apothecary looked up, his face shocked.

"No way, you really didn't recognize me?"

Are you bored? Who would idle and scrutinize a random passerby's face?

Moreover, a person's first impression is usually decided not by looks but by the aura revealed through temperament, clothing, and other elements.

With such ugly, rough clothes and a listless, timid demeanor, unless he showed his true self, Eleanor would have stared for ages without ever linking him to Ji Ming.

She could only widen her eyes and ask hesitantly.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"?"

"Aren't we supposed to go…"

Ji Ming quickly cut her off, gesturing.

"Let's go to a deserted spot first; everyone's about to treat you like a street performer in a slapstick act."

"Okay, okay."

Eleanor had wanted to run already, so she followed closely.

They arrived at a secluded alley nearby, where the two finally stopped.

Ji Ming turned, watching Eleanor tug at her skirt's edge to avoid the dusty walls.

"Priest Eleanor, could you repeat today's mission brief?"

"You…"

You forgot, right!

Suppressing her rising anger, Eleanor whispered emphatically.

"We need to investigate several suspicious sites outside the city, looking for clues about the rampaging beast incident!"

"Oh, you still remember them all."

Ji Ming nodded.

"May I ask, what's the outfit you're wearing? Silk and lace—quite eye‑catching, isn't it?"

Eleanor's face lit up at the remark; she puffed her chest, a controlled smile still widening.

"Actually it's just something I threw on, the simplest piece in the closet."

Damn, I'm not praising you!

Ji Ming could only seriously note the problem.

"It's not… I see your legs are quite agile, why are you leaning on a staff?"

Unlike Buluowa's sturdy long cane, handy for a tabletop head‑shot, Eleanor's staff resembled a magical‑girl's wand, inlaid with filigree, almost hollow.

She carefully lifted it; the dazzling violet gem glimmered faintly in the shadows.

"That's the custom in the Royal Capital Noble Circle—everyone, regardless of age or gender, carries a staff when out to show status."

"Ha, you're lucky. If Lao Nv Shi saw this, she'd break your leg for sure…"

Ji Ming muttered internally, but Eleanor had already slipped into a 'scholarly showcase', reciting with cadence.

"Actually, staffs have nuances: a lapis‑lazuli tip denotes a knight, a shadow‑silver ingot denotes a baron, and if…"

Damn, who wants to know such useless lore!

Ji Ming quickly cut in.

"And this scent on you, is that also a new trend in the Royal Capital Noble Circle?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Like a magic trick, Eleanor produced a fragrance from nowhere and dabbed it on herself twice.

"It's the trending lemon‑citrus scent, but I tweaked the blend to make it more hazy and dreamy."

Ji Ming felt his blood pressure rise, about to interject again, when a thought struck.

A staff you must carry everywhere, occasionally paired with a scent‑emitting item, accompanied by a doctor with some combat skill, to investigate mysterious cases beyond official reach…

Such a paradoxical aura—were you deliberate or accidental?

He had to jump straight to the point.

"Priest Eleanor, in today's Sunlight City, are you the only Guanghui Capital noble?"

"Probably, because aside from brave newcomers like me, who would abandon the comforts of the Royal Capital to venture into chaotic borders…"

"So you want everyone to know you're personally investigating the rampaging beast incident and have made a breakthrough?"

"What?"

Ji Ming stretched out his hands, gesturing from Eleanor's beautiful jeweled headpiece all the way to her shiny leather shoes.

"What do you say, noble lady who slapped three families with her own strength?"

"……"

"With that IQ, you shouldn't even be in junior high; you should be sent back to kindergarten to relearn the basics."

"Even after all this, there's no way around it—problems must be solved."

Ji Ming had no choice but to send Eleanor back to the church to change out of her overly conspicuous outfit, while he went to buy her some disguising clothes.

"Sorry, I'm actually quite professional, I just forgot by accident; everything else is ready…… Ah, do I really have to wear this?"

"Wear it!"

Although the clothes Ji Ming bought weren't dirty, they were clean linen garments.

But perhaps because they were cheap and coarse, or because this ugly yet easy-to-make style is only worn by the poor, they inevitably gave off a dirty, shabby feel.

Moreover, the clothing was obviously several sizes too big; on Eleanor's not-so-strong frame, the overly long sleeves and pant legs looked somewhat sloppy.

"What is all this……"

Eleanor pouted, yet still had to be instructed by Ji Ming on how to do her makeup and dress.

"Did you see that hood? Put it on, tuck all your hair inside."

"Add some black lines to your face, don't 'ah'—you need this unhealthy look."

"Remember to dab some black on the coarse cloth gloves later, then pat them evenly to enhance realism."

"Tuck away that overly conspicuous reddish-brown long hair, then dab some freckles typical of southern youths on your face."

"Paired with Eleanor's somewhat angular cheeks and her natural physical advantage, at first glance she really looks like a youth."

Ji Ming originally wanted to elaborate further on the demeanor issue, but before he could speak, Eleanor had already turned in a perfect answer.

"Yes, that timid and shrinking, embarrassed-to-meet-people feeling—excellent, turns out you do have acting talent."

Eleanor: Etiquette teacher, I won't let you down!

"……Can I not be embarrassed? What kind of getup is this, it's making the back of my neck itchy."

Seeing her unhappy, Ji Ming could only soothe her with a sentence.

"Just bear with it, what's so bitter about it? Haven't you seen? The locals dress like this."

"How can this……"

Eleanor thought carefully and discovered it really was like that.

"The commoners of Sunlight City and the Royal Capital aren't the same concept, or rather, the commoners you can see in the Royal Capital are only relative to the nobles."

"All I could do was sit before the mirror, hands bound, silent for a moment."

"Sorry."

"Too bad the red bean paste Smith mace is useless; if you really want to solve the problem, you still have to take action."

"I'll repeat our current personas: I am not the God's Chosen, you are not the God's Father, I am an apothecary who likes to swagger and deceive, and you are his little apprentice who hasn't learned anything yet."

"This identity proves indeed useful; the guards at the city gate have sharp eyes, they're skilled at sizing people up, knowing not to provoke big shots and that small fry have nothing to gain—this is the ultimate truth."

"So after seeing the two, aside from jeering, 'Hey fake medicine vendor, your apprentice looks truly frail, like a dog wrapped in rags,' they let them pass."

"Crossing this gate felt like entering another world; the surrounding noise vanished instantly, replaced by hurried pedestrians and roads to the eye."

"Probably also the first time she personally walked in the Outer City, Ailinuo quietly observed the surroundings, looking at the ruined buildings and chaotic layout, wanting to speak but holding back."

"If you have any questions, just ask; I am here as a guide and consultant to assist your investigation."

"I noticed one household hanging clothes; are all these residences?"

"Of course, due to its proximity to the Inner City, this was once one of the busiest commercial streets in the Outer City."

"Ji Ming recalled the place name here, then said."

"However, a week ago a violent biological incident broke out here; although casualties were few, the strange big bugs still scared away many customers and merchants, so commerce just declined like that."

"Watching Ailinuo still scanning the surroundings, he sighed."

"Don't look; it's desolate and grimy, filthy and chaotic—this is the hallmark of the Outer City, the same everywhere, quite normal."

"Who would have thought the other party would immediately say."

"No, this is not normal!"

"……"

"Ji Ming smiled briefly, then immediately composed himself."

"Yes, not normal."

"The two quickly arrived at the first location, entered the alley mouth, and the previously quiet surroundings suddenly became lively."

"At the corner, children wearing various clothes were roughhousing, their noses red from the cold; upon seeing them, they ran off."

"Seeing this, Ji Ming took a small gong from the assorted colorful medicine bottles and began to strike it with a small wooden mallet."

"Selling medicine, good medicine transmitted from Guanghui Capital, brings the dead back to life, flesh and white bones!"

"Each strike means activating the 【Farewell Technique】; although the damage isn't high due to rhythm issues, probing feels great—whoever reacts the most is invaded by demonic energy, and then we just kill them."

"As for Ailinuo's question……"

"Wandering apothecaries all sell medicine like this; if you don't make a commotion, who will notice you? Since we're acting, we must go all out."

"One of Ailinuo's strengths is being quick to learn; hearing this, she promptly nodded."

"Townsfolk aren't fools; they naturally move toward relatively stable districts."

"Even if they can't afford housing, can't they pitch tents and build shantytowns?"

"Thus, you take one room, I take another, making the already narrow alley even more pitiful."

"Of course, their dwellings are certainly not modern wind- and water-proof camping tents, nor simple makeshift blue-roofed shelters."

All you need is to prop up a patched rag with a wooden stick, then line the inside with some rotten fluff, and that's a home.

If you can add a few sturdy iron rods, or pile on a few more layers of thatch, then you're a rare lucky one.

Moreover, most of the refugees living there are still wounded, perhaps torn by ferocious beasts, or perhaps beaten by each other while fighting for scarce supplies.

As far as the eye can see, it's withered, yellowed, ruined—a sea of lifelessness.

…the situation is worse than I imagined.

Ji Ming shook his head silently.

When I left, the outer city was still Ge Tan; returning now, it's almost a slum.

Ji Ming and Ai Li Nuo, after all, are just two young "men" traveling together; no one would risk robbing such a hard‑to‑chew bone.

So we kept walking into the deeper parts of the block before anyone dared to reach out and block the road.

What they demanded wasn't food or wealth, but…

"Are you a doctor? Please, give me a bottle of poison; living is too painful for me."

Ji Ming stopped, looked down, and saw a withered, skinny arm clutching his trouser leg, the other side merging with the darkness inside the tattered tent.

How pitiful, but I'm a doctor, not a killer—where would I have any poison?

I intended to harshly shake the person off, yet I noticed several parallel gouge marks on that arm, as if a huge beast had clawed it fiercely.

Without Ai Li Nuo needing to touch his cuff, Ji Ming already smelled a clue…

Forget it, better not smell it; this place is too foul and disgusting.

He lowered his voice, adopting a trustworthy sales tone, while staying alert to the faint whiff of blood in the air.

"Friend, what's wrong with your arm?"

It was less a sigh than a painful moan; something in the darkness shifted, gradually emerging a…

Ai Li Nuo, who had been self‑hypnotizing, forcing herself to muster courage, trembled, and couldn't help but hide behind Ji Ming.

…Damn, aren't you the super‑brave noble? I originally wanted to push you ahead!

Having no choice, Ji Ming straightened his back, ready to summon the Deep Forest Battle Shield at any moment.

Melee? Kill?

No, against something like this, better to flee three thousand li first before discussing anything else!

Because.

A cracked jaw, missing beast ears, an eye gouged out, an arm folded behind the body…

Emerging slowly from the tent's black void was a filthy, blood‑stained creature, taking a long time to identify, barely recognizable as a "human" wild werewolf.