Chapter 83: Inexplicable

The night was pitch-black and silent, with a crimson moon hanging high. Chu Tian once again walked through the narrow alley where he had been ambushed last time. But now, Chu Tian felt remarkably safe; the presence of an eighth-level Shadow Hunter and a Death God Mage by his side filled him with a profound sense of security.

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian squinted his eyes and spoke to Barbosa behind him as they walked. “Tell the Earth Dragon Mercenary Corps to keep a round-the-clock watch on the Prime Minister’s Mansion starting tomorrow. The moment Andor appears, I want to be notified immediately.”

“No problem, boss!” Barbosa smiled darkly, the scars on his face twisting together. “Heh, I just hope Andor won’t have the strength to stand after drinking that cup of wine.”

“By the way, what poison did you use?” Chu Tian asked, worried that Barbosa might have gone too far. “Could it be fatal? I only want Andor to be sick for a few days. If this ends up being a murder, it would be enough to send the young master back to the arms of the Goddess of Life.”

“Don’t worry, boss,” Barbosa lifted his head, his pale face looking even more sinister under the red moon. “In the next half month, our dear Prime Minister will be both unconscious and suffer from diarrhea.”

*Pfft!* Anna, scouting ahead of Chu Tian, burst out laughing. Unconscious and with diarrhea? That would mean he’d have to spend all his time in bed…

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian suddenly stopped, staring unblinkingly at Barbosa before bursting into laughter. “Hahaha. Barbosa, your salary this month is doubled!” Chu Tian couldn’t hold back. Barbosa was ruthless—if Andor was truly innocent, the poor Prime Minister, the Duke of Caesar, would be reduced to wetting his bed in a coma. How delightfully amusing!

Seeing their boss laugh, the dark mages also broke into wild laughter. Following such a boss promised a bright future. They used to be scorned everywhere, but since joining him, they could openly make the Empire’s Prime Minister wet his bed…

As they laughed, someone suddenly patted Chu Tian’s shoulder. Then, a harsh laugh sounded behind him.

“Hahaha, Vladino, you’re truly amusing!”

“Who’s there?!” Chu Tian was startled and leapt forward, slipping into the group of dark mages while secretly pressing the magical communication stone at his waist.

All his men were within sight, so this shoulder-patter was certainly not one of his own. Moreover, the fact that this person managed to sneak silently behind him, evading Anna’s ears, meant only one thing: a powerful being! Definitely a top-tier expert on the continent!

“Protect the boss!” Barbosa’s expression darkened. Experienced as he was, he knew this visitor was no ordinary person. At his command, the dark mages immediately formed a protective circle around Chu Tian. Barbosa folded his hands into his sleeves.

*Ding!* A sharp, clear sound rang out, and Anna vanished into the night as a jade-green long arrow suddenly appeared beneath the intruder’s feet.

At this moment, Chu Tian finally caught a clear glimpse of the visitor—and breathed a sigh of relief. Standing before him was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, with a delicate, sculpted face and colorful clothes. His sweet and innocent smile made him look like a charming neighbor’s child.

“Heh heh heh, you kids react quickly!” the boy chuckled.

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Though this boy’s strength must be formidable, he was still just a child. Chu Tian, the young master, was confident he could handle a child.

“Heh, little one, why are you still out so late instead of going home?”

“Little one? Hahaha,” the boy laughed uproariously, clutching his sides. His rough, eerie voice was at odds with his appearance. “Vladino, you call me ‘little one’? That’s hilarious. After a thousand years, no one has ever called me that.”

A thousand years? Chu Tian snorted. Lately, all kids liked pretending to be grown-ups.

“Boss, watch out!” Barbosa interrupted, his expression grave. “Look at his eyes!”

Eyes? Chu Tian gasped. The continent was home to many intelligent races, each with different eye colors. But none had eyes like this boy—one eye glowed with a spectral cyan-red light, the other shimmered with nine-colored radiance.

“Heh, you came looking for me?” Chu Tian smiled but took a few steps back under the protection of the mages. Just by those eyes, Chu Tian knew this boy was no ordinary neighborly child.

“Heh heh heh, trying to run away?” The boy stretched out a translucent hand, pointed at Chu Tian, and tilted his head with a crooked smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning to kill you right now. You carry the scent of many old friends; for their sake, I won’t kill you.” He winked mischievously. “But… if you don’t answer my questions honestly, that might change.”

So he had questions for the old me, huh? Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and smiled. “What do you want to know? But I might not have the answers!” Even if he was powerful, extracting anything from the young master Chu would cost a price.

“You may call me Morphett.” The boy smiled as he stepped closer, but his voice turned ice-cold. “If you don’t know, heh, then I’ll just have to kill you.”

“Oh no, that wouldn’t be good!” Morphett suddenly reached behind and produced three short arrows in his hand. “Little girl,” he said with a smirk, “even the Elf King wouldn’t dare do this to me.” He raised his hand, and the arrows began to fall—but just before touching the ground, they vanished with a swoosh.

“Ah!” Anna screamed. Chu Tian looked over to see her pressed against an earthen wall behind Morphett, terrified, while the three arrows hovered threateningly at her throat.

“Boring!” Morphett shook his head, and the arrows clattered down at Anna’s feet. “Picking on a little girl like you is no fun. Hmm, how about this: I’ll give you another chance in three hundred years! Hahaha, that should be interesting!”

Anna stood frozen, and Chu Tian was stunned. What was this? Even an eighth-level Shadow Hunter like Anna couldn’t fight back? Who exactly was this Morphett?

“Enough talk.” Morphett stepped in front of Chu Tian, and Barbosa and the dark mages seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force. Morphett pointed sharply and demanded, “Now tell me! Where is McKenzie?”

Chu Tian’s legs trembled involuntarily, but his mind raced. He had no idea who McKenzie was—he couldn’t reveal that, or Morphett might kill him in a rage. Although he had secretly activated his communication stone, and the fastest reinforcements should be on their way, Chu Tian had little hope. The overwhelming aura alone made his legs shake—he had only experienced this once before, in the presence of the Dragon Emperor.

“McKenzie? Praise the Goddess of Life! I haven’t seen him in ages.” Chu Tian squinted, wearing a sincere expression. “I don’t know where he is now, but if you need, I can help you find him!”

“Hahaha, you’re lying!” Morphett laughed, but everyone could feel his anger. “You say you haven’t seen him in a long time? Then how do you explain the strong scent of McKenzie on you?”

What the hell! Chu Tian panicked. He had never heard of any damned McKenzie, let alone smelled like him. “Morphett, that must be from long ago. Back then, McKenzie and I were together every day, so the scent lingers.”

“No, no, Vladino, you’re lying again.” Morphett grabbed Chu Tian’s collar and pulled him close. “Except for his wife, McKenzie never spent time with anyone else… I know this well.”

Praise the Goddess of Life! Chu Tian gave a dry laugh, looking down at the boy barely reaching his shoulder and swore, “I swear on the Goddess of Life’s name, I’m telling the truth!” At critical moments, Chu Tian always pulled out the Goddess as his shield.

“The Goddess of Life? Alice? You swear by Alice’s name?” Morphett laughed uproariously, clutching his stomach.

After a long time, Morphett’s laughter subsided. He rubbed his face muscles and said, “Vladino, I’m very angry! Alice died ten thousand years ago in Sunset City! You swear by a dead woman’s name? Tell me, should I kill you?”

Praise life… What a damn joke! Chu Tian had no temper left. He had always used the Goddess of Life’s name to bluff, thinking the ancient gods were just legends. But now Morphett told him the goddess truly existed—just that she was dead.

“Hm? Your helpers have arrived.” Morphett looked up at the sky. “There’s the aura of both a Golden Dragon and a Great Dragon. Heh, interesting little guy.”

A clear dragon’s roar sounded. The hybrid dragon NMD glided between Chu Tian and Morphett, circling around Chu Tian as its mighty wings, usually folded at its sides, fully spread.

“Boss, I’m here!”

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Morphett suddenly froze, staring at NMD’s calm circling form. Then he nodded to himself: “No rank, no wonder you’re not afraid of my aura…”

“Enough, Vladino. I’ve lost my patience.” Morphett pointed again at Chu Tian. “Now, tell me, where is McKenzie?”