Chapter 1410: The Shattered Heart

"Someone asked me to stall for time here, to keep you from leaving too early, so you had best chat with me a while longer," Osenfort said. Xia De had a sudden realization:

"I understand now that you put it that way, but what does that have to do with me? Do you have anything else to say? Forget it, whatever you want to say, I don't want to hear it. Are you ready to start fighting? Or would you prefer to take this outside?"

"You really are an impatient person."

Osenfort said, but Xia De couldn't care less:

"You don't think those two low-level demons behind you can stop me, do you?" "We have traded so many times, why not trade once more?"

Stone Osenfort said, taking out a pocket watch to glance at it:

"It is nine o'clock at night; stay here and talk with me for another half hour." "Although it isn't a long time, what if I say no?"

Xia De shook his head.

"There are still many things you don't know; don't you want to continue hearing the story? Also, aren't you curious why I became a Ringed Shushi? This relates to the three items I had you find. If you kill me now, these secrets will likely be buried forever."

"Sorry, that isn't important to me; time is what matters most..."

But after finishing this sentence, seeing the butler and maid behind Osenfort and thinking of the promise of more information regarding demons, Xia De hesitated and changed his tune:

"However, I do have demands. Tell me your method for summoning demons, and where Captain Woody's demon files are. Also, I want you to release these two low-level demons and give them their freedom."

These were actually two conditions, but since they were presented together, it didn't seem abrupt, so Xia De wasn't afraid of the other party knowing his true intentions.

"If that is the case, no problem." Sure enough, the man at the door said:

"The data on summoning demons is in my stone carving studio. It's in the safe behind the cabinet on the right; you'll see it when you open it. As for them..."

He turned his head to look at his silent butler and maid:

"This is also part of my story. After summoning that stone mirror, there was a time I regretted signing a contract with a demon so easily. Humans always have their own ideas, so I came up with a bolder plan."

"To resist your own demon, you wanted to summon another demon?"

Xia De said with a mocking tone, pulling out a chair in the bridal bedroom to sit down: "I find it hard to understand your thinking."

"People always say that peers are the greatest enemies. As a pirate, I agree with this view, so I thought of using demons to deal with demons."

Osenfort said, looking back at Xia De:

"Interestingly, I followed the contents of that parchment to summon the mirror's rival, but I summoned them instead. They... honestly, aren't very strong, but as a butler and maid, they are quite good. When I'm not home, they look after this manor, take care of Haila, and expel some idiots with brain problems, burying them in the backyard. But now..."

He shook his head:

"After tonight, my life will undergo major changes regardless. So, although I am not a person who apologizes often, I must say thank you. I haven't paid you wages all these years, but you know where my wealth is; take whatever you want—you are free."

The old butler and maid nodded at Xia De simultaneously, then both transformed into two streaks of black smoke, flew over Osenfort's shoulders into the room, smashed open the door leading to the small balcony, and flew toward the night sky filled with dancing snowflakes.

"Are you satisfied now? Your opponent is only me now."

The master of the manor opened his arms and entered his bridal bedroom. Xia De knew he was short on time, but some things really needed to be clarified; the matter of Osenfort and the demons was complex, and it wouldn't end just by winning a fight:

"I'll only give you half an hour. After half an hour, I won't listen to another word you say."

"No problem, my friend,

I'll listen to whatever you say." He stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the room's environment:

"How nostalgic. I was so young back then; I will never forget that wedding winter night." "When did Haila Osenfort die?"

Xia De asked.

The expression on the manor master's face became a bit sad, but only for a moment: "The night this illusion represents."

"The night you two married two years ago?" Xia De raised an eyebrow:

"You killed your own wife?"

"Don't talk nonsense. You know my story so well; do you think it's possible I would do such a thing? I would rather kill myself than kill her. For her, I am willing to pay any price, including my life. I love her; I have always loved her."

Osenfort looked at the phantom and the corpse on the bed; his feelings about the illusion currently manifesting were much deeper than Xia De's:

"Haila died before dawn on our wedding night. We stayed in this position all night: I stood by the window looking outside, and she lay on the bed, crying because of the news that bitch at the wedding gave her. Then, before the first ray of dawn illuminated my face, she stopped breathing."

Xia De and Osenfort both fell silent. After a full half-minute, Xia De asked:

"I am certain there were no wounds on the corpse, nor any signs of self-harm. So, to put it politely, she died because of..." "Died of a broken heart. And my heart died at that moment too."

"Since Lady Haila passed away two years ago, who did I see in 1854? Did you resurrect her?"

"I don't have that ability, but it does. Coincidentally, it wanted to add some content to our contract, which is how the current complete version of the contract came to be."

"Resurrection clearly has a price."

Xia De said softly, and Osenfort shook his head; even now, he was unwilling to discuss the details of that contract with Xia De:

"I know you hate me, and sometimes I hate myself too, but there's no help for it; this is life. My life changed the day I met Haila; perhaps the eyes of the gods were focused on me that day. I found a way to leave the fleet, redeemed the family manor, and became a great merchant. But all of this is fake."

He grabbed at the air with his hand:

"You are curious why this place became so dilapidated overnight, right? Actually, this is the true appearance of this manor; it is simply too old, too worn, and it shouldn't exist anymore. And I used its power to maintain the surface luster here. Now that it has sensed my thoughts of resistance, the power is gradually stripping away from this manor, and it has returned to its original state."

"You shouldn't have kept what should have been let go."

Xia De looked at the woman on the bed.

"You don't need to hint with words; I know what I want to do."

Osenfort laughed, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall by the door, while Xia De remained sitting sideways in the chair pulled out from the table.

"I know what the demon really wants to do, so when I signed that contract, I tried my best to avoid being 'collected' by the demon. It wasn't easy, but thanks to you."

His hands slid through the air, and light danced with his movements. This was the basic spell "Light Spell"; although basic, it also represented his status as a Ringed Shushi:

"After coming into contact with the mystical, there are only two outcomes. Either you head toward madness, just like the people in the fables; or you discover your talent and become a Ringed Shushi, just like you and most Ringed Shushi. And I am clearly an exception. I do have some special talents, but after signing a contract with it, the power of the contract bound my soul, and I could not become a Ringed Shushi." Xia De thought for a moment:

"So, the three items you wanted me to find are related to you becoming a Ringed Shushi now?" Osenfort nodded:

"My contract with it has a supplementary clause; it is a bet. The full content of the bet is this: the 'wedding ring' representing my marriage, the 'medal' representing family honor, and the 'sapphire earrings' representing my love, were hidden by it in different parts of this city."

"These three parts represent the things I cherish most, representing a part of my soul. By retrieving them, my soul can be complete, and the demon will undo my shackles, allowing me to become a Ringed Shushi."

Speaking of this, Osenfort's tone became very relaxed:

"So, although you hate me very much, I am actually glad to have met you. The demon gave me a fate where I absolutely could not obtain those items, but fortunately, you showed the power to overcome fate."

"Can I see your Life Ring?"

Xia De suddenly suggested, and Stone Osenfort nodded: "Of course."

In the thick steam mist, accompanied by whistles and bell sounds, a brass wheel ring slowly emerged. The core spirit runes were two, just like Xia De's: Inspiration 【Heart】 and Inspiration 【Stone】, which was not unexpected.

Because he had only been a Ringed Shushi for two days, his first-ring Life Ring currently only had the silver blasphemous spirit rune 【Demon】.

"After coming into contact with the demon, you must have learned a lot of occult knowledge yourself, right?" Xia De asked again.

"Yes, and I never worried about going crazy. Sometimes, I even wished I would go crazy."

"I don't understand. Since you know occultism, why did you summon a butler and maid when you summoned a demon to deal with it?"

Osenfort looked at Xia De with a very strange expression:

"First, I must clarify that we are talking about summoning demons. You don't think those ancient evil spirits are good people, do you? As long as I make a wish, I will get a corresponding response? I did want to find a demon to deal with the demon itself, but quite unfortunately, although two were summoned this time, they had no power."

The two demons being discussed had now turned into black smoke and flown away. If they just left like this, Xia De would not be able to find them again. ===== CHAPTER 1411 =====