The Record of Unusual Creatures

Hao Ren found Becky doing nothing at a military officer’s rest camp in the floating city of Hodeceus. She was not ranked high enough to participate in high-level meetings, so she hung around in the base. Taking advantage of her aristocratic and mercenary status, she was happy to enjoy the meals there. Becky was feasting happily at a table full of fine gourmet food and wine on her own when they found her.

Anyone who was left alone in such a way would have definitely felt depressed, but not this carefree mercenary maiden. Hao Ren suspected that she would have not even cared if she were sold as a slave, as long as there was good food and wine for her.

However, there was a caveat—she had to be the one counting the money. She liked counting money.

When Becky saw them coming, she cheerfully greeted them, as usual, in a loud voice. Hao Ren looked at the dinner table. “Good life you’ve got here! Are you planning to die from gorging?”

“All these are for you guys,” said Becky, clapping her hands and laughing. “But I couldn’t wait. So I first tasted two drumsticks, four cakes and two bottles of wine. Welcome, saviours for saving the world again!”

Lily looked at Becky, wide-eyed and impressed. “Your appetite has almost caught up with me. Good job!”

“I enjoy life when things are happening. I don’t care if it’s good things or bad things, because ignorance is a bliss… after a good fight today and smelling blood, the habits of mercenary came back out again,” Becky waved her hand. “Enjoy food while you can, because you don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”

Y’lisabet gently pulled Hao Ren’s sleeve. “Uncle Ren, what’s the phrase after ‘I don’t care if it’s good things or bad things’?”

Hao Ren face deadpan. “Don’t learn from her. She is an ignorant fool.”

Ignorance notwithstanding, Becky’s attitude towards life was an inviable one. Ren could not help thinking that if the world was going to end today, Becky could probably the only one die a happy ghost—or die from gorging.

“What ignorant fool?” Becky had overheard them. “Little girl, let me teach you how to smash a stone block on the chest later. I’ve got skill… Okay, okay, okay, I’m just kidding. Come and eat. Look at you people, looks travel-worn and weary. You all going somewhere?”

Only then Hao Ren realised he was hungry, he had been working non-stop, exerting high-intensity physical work for most of the day. He had not eaten anything yet. Much so, for Lily who was next to him. Her mind wandering when she smelt the food. Squatting at the table and snatching up food like a starving dog, she could swallow a whole drumstick in the blink of an eye—together with the bone.

“We’re leaving soon,” Hao Ren sat down beside Becky, helping himself on the food. “A lot of things have happened. I have write a report. Take it slow, Lily. No one is taking your food… at least you got to spit out the bones, don’t you?”

“Yeah?” Lily looked up, half of a bone still hanging out of her mouth. She chewed it before swallowing everything down. “What?”

“… Forget it. Do as you please.” Hao Ren smiled and shook his head. He placed Lil Pea on the table, gave her a few pieces of wood chips, and chatted with Becky about life in Holletta while eating. The carefree mercenary maiden had not changed; she was extremely slow on the uptake when it had nothing to do with money. She did not even feel the change of atmosphere in the floating city. Even if when she heard about the pope’s martyrdom, she just sighed in silence. “Oh… I can’t believe it…”

Her mind just did not work on higher consciousness or situation analysis.

Chatting with Becky seemed to bring back the fond memory of old times. This amazing maiden did not changed much no matter where she went. She was thought to be adaptable, but now it seemed that she was simply too dumb to change. Nangong Wuyue could not help but sigh. “Sometimes I really envy you. Anyone possesses the same attitude towards life would be a lot happier, Mr. Landlord will not be worrying about all these things all day long.”

“Is this a compliment?” Becky burped, patting her belly. “Thank you for that. Life should be simple. If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying? This is what the Goddess taught me. Oh, I mean your Goddess.”

Becky did some stretching before continuing. “I feel at ease talking to you guys. Entertaining the bunch of mumpsimuses at the functions has been such a stress, especially when the housekeeper is squally…”

Hao Ren forced a smile. Apparently, working in Becky’s mansion was no fun at all.

While Becky grumbled unabashedly, a voice suddenly spoke from behind them. “You need to get used to the life of nobility. At least try to understand your housekeeper, he can’t really let you go to the pub and fight with the gangs, tarnishing the good name of the legendary mercenary.”

Becky turned her head around, her muscle stiffened as she got to her feet. “Marshal … Marshal Ophra! You… you are here!? Have you eaten yet? Do you want some drink? You have any instructions for me? Have some ale, or pastry? What about a massage…”

Ophra waved her hand. “No thanks. I’m not ready to eat your stuff yet; God knows what you’ve added inside again.”

Marshal Ophra’s words reminded Hao Ren about Becky’s attempt to drug her idol surreptitiously earlier. He pasted a smile on his face and whispered to Becky. “You’ve got busted?”

With demon-hunter bloodline in her, Ophra had a good hearing ability that was sharper then Lily’s. She overheard what Hao Ren had said. She laughed. “How could she not blow it when she was doing it so obviously? The tea she made looked like a sludge…”

Everyone looked at Becky, wide-eyed. Becky blushed but still tried to explain. “I was too nervous at that time and poured everything inside.”

Lily asked, “And then what?” her face full of anticipation.

“Then?” Marshal Ophra smiled and scratched her chin. “You know I’m drug-resistant anyway. So I took it. It was kind of chewy.”

Hao Ren’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. Chewing knockout drops was eye-popping enough but making tea-knockout-drops chewy was unprecedented.

Lily looked at the idol and the braindead fan combo, suggesting seriously, “I think you both would make a perfect lesbian couple.”

Nangong Wuyue poked Hao Ren with her tail-tip, and her voice was almost a whisper. “Would it be all right to discuss this topic here? It sounds like an age-restricted topic…”

“Oh yeah,” said Ophra as a thought suddenly came to mind. She looked at Hao Ren. “I came here to ask you something.”

Hao Ren had noticed Ophra’s tense expression. He could not help but got anxious as well. “What happened?”

“You all … or more strictly speaking, you, would you like to try to obtain the blessing of the church like the believers of the Disciples of Glory, and listen to the voice of the Goddess?”

Hao Ren was stunned. He did not expect Ophra would mention this suddenly. He only shook his head after a few seconds. “Do you mean let me become one of them? This is absurd. I have no problem with your faith, but I am attached to another organisation.”

“Perhaps I should put it another way,” said Ophra, seriously looking into Hao Ren’s eyes. “I’m not saying you’re to join the church but just trying out the Branding Ritual.”

“Branding?” Hao Ren froze. He then remembered that this was exactly the ritual that new official clergymen of the Disciples of Glory needed to go through. It was a lifeblood injection and spiritual shaping process, which would let them resonate with the power of the Goddess somewhere in the universe. It was said that the priests after the ritual would be able to communicate with the Goddess. But he did not know why Ophra suddenly told him this. “Why are you telling me this? Is it because we have helped solve your problems, the church decided to ‘reward’ me this way? If so then thanks, but no thanks.”

“I will let the master speak to you,” said Ophra, raising her finger pointing to the back of the crowd.

Hao Ren saw Big Beardy was walking up from behind.