Atop the cliff of Sandrift Gorge, an elderly woman with white hair gracefully traversed the rugged terrain.
“Hearing the sound of the landslide, I thought I’d come take a look—indeed, I~made~the~right~ choice~” said the woman, Granny Kasi, who had just witnessed a silver-haired girl hurriedly departing moments before.
Judging by the girl’s attire and appearance, Granny Kasi deduced that she must be the youngest daughter of the Scarlet family: Viviana Scarlet.
(“This is quite unusual… Why would the young lady of the Scarlet Family venture into the territory of the Azure Lizard Lord?”)
Granny Kasi couldn’t help but feel a premonition that the cunning Swarerock might have finally met his demise.
A few days prior, when the traveling merchant group was separated from young Banning due to the landslide, Granny Kasi had thought the lad would die in the valley. However, the appearance of Viviana introduced a new variable.
Swarerock was a sly and treacherous creature. As long as his true race—”Rogue Shadow Demon”—remained concealed, he was virtually unkillable.
For years, Kasi had wondered what kind of ploy Swarerock employed to make the people of Gudetown believe in the existence of the “Rock Shadow Demon.”
“Rock Shadow Demon” and “Rogue Shadow Demon” Stark contrast between the titles.
Even in her prime, Granny Kasi had no means of dealing with a Swarerock that could hide within shadows. But now, Swarerock’s presence had indeed vanished.
Uncertain, Granny Kasi began exploring the gorge. Before long, she discovered remnants resembling granite golems, ultimately leading her to what could be Swarerock’s corpse.
“The demon core has been removed… It seems he was truly killed…”
— (“Could it be the work of the Scarlet family’s young lady? Swarerock must have let his guard down…”)
Granny Kasi knew Swarerock looked similar to an ordinary long-eared jumping mouse, so she couldn’t be entirely sure.
Nevertheless, the evidence of battle within the underground cavern undeniably pointed to the fact that Swarerock had been slain.
Granny Kasi proceeded to examine the cavern further, discovering that not only Swarerock had perished, but his entire clan of long-eared jumping mice had been wiped out as well.
“Such professionalism… This level of execution… Even top-tier bounty hunters could hardly compare…” Granny Kasi praised in admiration, with no sorrow for Swarerock’s death, as she had no real connection to him.
— (“Very well, I shall report this to the ‘Earthly Ghost’ as is.”)
Moments later, Granny Kasi arrived at the wooded area outside Sandrift Gorge.
She carved the “Snake Eye” symbol onto the tree, and after a short while, a green snake emerged from the nearby grass, flicking its tongue.
“Hiss…Kasi, it’s rare for you to seek me out… Has the Rogue Shadow Demon perished?” (Evilkind language)
“Yes, as per the mission, I contacted you immediately. I’d be truly grateful if you could accommodate me, this old woman’s poor hearing and speak in the ‘Common Human tongue’.” (Human language)
Granny Kasi deliberately raised her voice to express her dissatisfaction.
“Hiss hiss… Very well, then report quickly.” (Human language)
The green snake climbed up the tree, switching to the language Granny Kasi requested, though its glowing, sinister eye continued to emit a malevolent aura.
Granny Kasi recounted truthfully what she had observed: In the Sandrift Gorge incident, the Rogue Shadow Demon and its affiliated Long-eared Jumping Mouse clan were annihilated, with the suspected killer being Viviana of the Scarlet family.
Other possible participants included: 15 men from Gudetown Calvary who were all wiped out; Banning, a young man from Iraa village, and Avril, a young girl from the same village – both were alive but severely injured.
“That’s everything.” 𝞸𝓋𝒍xt.𝐜𝒐𝔪
“Hiss… Alright, I will report this upward. When new orders come, I will contact you. You’ve worked hard.”
The green snake didn’t say anything more, as it slid down the tree trunk and disappeared into the grass.
━━━━━━━━━
〖Prison Star Calendar〗
〖Year 187, May 26〗
〖4:27 PM〗
〖Countdown to Confession Death: 25 days〗
━━━━━━━━━
Today, the Abyssal Empire was overcast.
The Evilkind here struggled with perpetually damp clothing.
Within the gloomy Temple of Myriad Demons, the Eternal Winter Lord, wearing a Stone Mask, paced back and forth – a necessary action when deep in thought.
Not long ago, the Earthly Ghost reported the latest news, which gave him some ideas.
— (Viviana of the Scarlet Family… quite young… Is the Scarlet Family secretly nurturing a ‘Divine Heir’?)
— (This time’s Deathbound arrived on the Prison Star on May 5… Deathbound always bring their bodies with them… Viviana of Scarlet Family has no relation to the Deathbound…)
— (Banning… a survivor from Luca village… but the past population of Luca village is untraceable…)
(Avril… a victim of the great migration… has been living inIra village for five years…)
After some consideration, the Eternal Winter Lord believed that Banning was the most likely Deathbound, due to his untraceable background, and the fact that he joined Ira village on the very same day, May 5. If it was a coincidence, it was too perfect to be true.
After pacing a dozen more times, the Eternal Winter Lord made a decision.
“Earthly Ghost, heed my command.”
The Eternal Winter Lord stopped pacing. Behind him, the snake demon “Earthly Ghost” with glowing sinister eyes had been kneeling for quite some time.
“Assign two spies to keep watch on Banning from Ira village. Report his appearance, attire, and location daily, as well as any other suspicious activities.”
“This is my only order. Go.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Once the Earthly Ghost had left, the Eternal Winter Lord resumed pacing.
Ever since his last command, the Heavenly Ghost and Earthly Ghost had each brought back numerous suspects who met the criteria for Deathbound, but the Lord couldn’t possibly bother the busy “Singular Demon God” to personally deal with such trivial matters.
Moreover, the recent battlefront has been tense, and the “Singular Demon God” couldn’t spare any time. The Eternal Winter Lord himself hadn’t slept for three days and nights.
The most feasible approach now was to observe for a while longer, narrowing down the target and confirming the Deathbound’s identity before seeking the help of the “Singular Demon God” to eliminate them root and branch.
It wasn’t that the Eternal Winter Lord lacked confidence in his own power, or that he had no capable subordinates, but that he had to exert all his might to eliminate the The Benevolent Deity-aligned Deathbound with certainty.
As the old saying goes, the Eternal Winter Lord is a firm believer of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, believing in using full force even when dealing with the weakest of enemies.
Even if the enemy was just a Japanese high school student, he would not hesitate to use a road roller to crush him.
Now, the Eternal Winter Lord had a premonition: Banning from the Ira village was The Benevolent Deity-aligned Deathbound in question.