novelraw Chapter 76: The Spire of Imprisonment
Chapter 76: The Spire of Imprisonment
I was used to playing games with Mirrorheart with voice chat muted, so when Scarlett suddenly blasted the volume to max, Loren felt a bit disoriented.
But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be fired. At this hour, Anna and the others should be asleep, and the soundproofing in Loren's house was pretty good. Loren could only gamble that they wouldn't hear.
"What's going on? Why did I hear Scarlett's screams?"
Anna and Naclis appeared simultaneously at the door of Loren's room. However, Mirrorheart had been standing guard here for a while, her ear pressed tightly against Loren's door, eavesdropping on something.
"Nothing. Master just thinks Scarlett is too useless and is giving her special training in the middle of the night. She's never been able to handle hardship, so screaming a couple of times is normal."
"Scarlett really does need special training. What if she encounters danger someday when we're not around?"
Naclis placed her hand on her chin, thought for a moment, and found it reasonable.
"True, Scarlett really does need 'special training,' not like you, sister."
Anna, however, curled the corner of her mouth upwards, patted Naclis's shoulder with a "you'll understand when you grow up" expression, leaving Naclis completely bewildered.
Once they left, Mirrorheart knelt down again, pressing her ear tightly against Loren's bedroom door......
Loren didn't sleep well that night. The moment he closed his eyes, he could see a certain Liu Haizhu scolding him, "Chasing madmen, *ing idiots, is there anything you *can't* do?"
In contrast, Scarlett slept peacefully, her complexion rosy, her breathing steady.
He finally managed to fall asleep. When Loren woke up, it was already noon. Normally, Mirrorheart would come to wake him at this time, but not today. Probably because Mirrorheart knew he was tired last night...
"Good morning, Master Mentor."
Anna, who was eating, immediately greeted Loren when she saw him come out. Loren casually returned the greeting.
"Good morning, Master."
As Loren sat down, Scarlett immediately clung to him, even forgetting to fight Anna for food. Anna seized the opportunity to snatch the things from Scarlett's plate.
"Mhm, good morning."
Normally, Loren might have pushed Scarlett away, but today he genuinely felt a bit embarrassed.
Naclis sensed the atmosphere was a bit off, but she didn't know the specifics.
"Hehe..."
Scarlett lay on Loren's lap, looking up at his face from below, and suddenly giggled foolishly, making Loren a bit awkward. He could only pick up a newspaper to read, using it to mask his embarrassment.
"The old king's son, over eighty years old, has finally ascended the throne. He was assassinated just a few days after his coronation. The newspapers are all boasting about the new king's greatness and that his ascension was ordained by heaven."
As for the king, no one present cared. No matter who took the throne, they'd all have to treat Loren with reverence.
Loren flipped to the other side of the newspaper. This kind of mutual business flattery wasn't very nutritious. Loren was only interested in the international news at the back.
"A strangely shaped spire has been discovered in the Bardo Kingdom. Nearby residents are certain this tower wasn't there before..."
"It's finally appeared, the [Prison of Sin Spire]!"
Loren suddenly became excited. This was exactly what he had been waiting for all this time.
The Prison of Sin Spire could randomly appear anywhere. Loren only knew it had once appeared in Bardo, but not the specific location or time.
"Children, pack your things. We're heading out to the Bardo Kingdom."
The Prison of Sin Spire could be considered a type of secret realm. It held both danger and treasure. The Judgment card Loren wanted was also inside.
However, most of the dangers targeted sinful individuals. The souls of sinners who died inside would be forever imprisoned within their corpses, eventually mutating into twisted monsters.
"Leave right now?"
"Yes."
Facing Anna's question, Loren's answer was decisive. He had been prepared to depart long ago. Loren had already stuffed enough food for a year, along with changes of clothes and daily necessities, into Scarlett's Life Thief space. They could leave at any time.
"We'll take the train. It's fast."
This world did have trains. However, except for the territory of the God of Night and Thunder, electricity couldn't be used elsewhere. They were pure steam trains.
The gods didn't use their authority to help their believers;
instead, they took away what originally belonged to everyone else.
Bountiful harvests belonged to the whole world but were concentrated by the God of Bountiful Harvest in his own territory. Electricity also originally belonged to the whole world but was controlled by the God of Night and Thunder. Even if Loren hand-cranked a generator, it wouldn't function normally.
Once the final reward of the Prison of Sin Spire was taken, it would disappear. Loren didn't dare gamble;
he could only go as quickly as possible.
The judgment of sin within the Prison of Sin Spire was very peculiar. In the eyes of the spire, killing evil people counted as a good deed, while protecting evil people counted as a bad deed. Back when Luna was being a superhero, she saved plenty of evil people. So, when the time came, Loren didn't plan to let Luna enter.
He estimated she would genuinely be judged a sinner by the Prison of Sin Spire. As for Loren, although he had killed many people, he was confident he counted as a great philanthropist.
Loren discovered that the Prison of Sin Spire's judgment of good and evil aligned with his own views. That was actually pretty good.
"I'll go tidy up the house a bit, then we'll leave."
Mirrorheart stood up and walked into Loren's room. She intended to clean up the aftermath between Loren and Scarlett.
"You all go pack too. It's a bit cold over there. Change into thicker clothes."
The territory of the God of Bountiful Harvest was never cold, even when it snowed. This was also part of the Bountiful authority. Crops always maintained their fastest growth speed;
a snowfall just counted as watering.
A few minutes later, everyone was already packed. They didn't need makeup, so they were fast. Loren also changed into slightly thicker clothes. With his 20-point stamina, he wasn't very afraid of the cold.
"Master Mentor, am I cute~"
As soon as Anna changed her clothes, she ran in front of Loren, tilting her head, her index fingers pressed against her cheeks. She had changed into a thick, pink-and-white Lolita dress, wearing white velvet tights with some pink patterns on them, and a pair of matching small leather shoes on her feet.
This outfit was one Anna picked out herself. Her aesthetic sense was indeed good.
"Cute."
Loren stroked her hair. It felt very soft and smooth, pleasant to touch. Anna, being petted, also enjoyed it. She closed her eyes, emitting even breaths.
Although, with Starnight's intelligence, she could just be left at home, Loren still decided to bring Starnight along.
Birds, unlike dogs, don't see their owners as masters;
they see them as partners. So, many high-intelligence birds get jealous. In severe cases, they might turn yandere and peck other birds to death. Loren was afraid Starnight would feel lonely, which is why he chose to bring her.
Everything was ready. Loren prepared to depart. Just before leaving, Loren asked Mirrorheart about the whereabouts of those bedsheets.
"I've collected them. I originally planned to collect that school uniform from before too."
"..."
Here we go again. Mirrorheart said something utterly cringe-worthy with a completely expressionless face.