novelraw Chapter 613: The Second Conversation
Chapter 613: The Second Conversation
One of the cleaners, mesmerized, held out his hand. A snowflake landed on his black glove. He instinctively curled his fingers, and the snowflake seemed to melt into the fabric.
They gazed at Lu Li and Anna, who stood before the blackened ruins where the fire had died down. Their expressions were filled with awe.
“That...” The mayor’s assistant looked at Anna, his voice brimming with excitement.
“Anna,” she replied coolly.
Her tone didn’t faze the assistant, or perhaps he didn’t notice it at all. “Miss Anna,” he asked, “do you still have the strength for more of that... magic?”
“Yes.”
Controlling the wind required less energy, especially since the In-Between was constantly feeding her soul.
The assistant was trembling with excitement. A few more operations like that, and the city would be cleansed...
“That will only clear the visible dandelions. The only real solution is to leave,” Lu Li’s calm voice was like a bucket of ice water thrown on the assistant, snapping him back to reality.
A murmur rippled through the cleaners, but it quickly subsided.Unlike the residents of the safe zone or those waiting for rescue in their homes, these men understood far better just how tenacious and insidious the dandelions were.
They were like weeds in a field—no matter how many you ripped out by the roots, they would always grow back.
Lu Li looked up. The sky over the fire-cleansed area resembled the eye of a storm, but a bloody haze still hung beyond its perimeter. “While the dandelions are gone, evacuate the residents to the safe zone.”
For the time being, this district, like the safe zone, was clear—at least, the streets were free of dandelions.
The cleaners fanned out, knocking on doors, while Lu Li, Anna, and the assistant started back the way they came.
Although Anna could have summoned more vortexes, they would have been weaker and almost useless—perhaps they would only become effective again once the dandelions had regrown to fill the empty space.
The square in front of the city hall, enclosed by its wall of fire, was close now. Suddenly, their surroundings grew dark and cramped. Before he could react, the assistant walked straight into a display window, crying out in pain as his nose hit the glass, but the pane didn't even shudder.
Anna spun around. From beneath her cloak, her cold, sharp gaze fixed on two figures at a table, figures that seemed to be composed of both a man and a woman.
“We meet again... friends...” Sara said, a faint smile playing on her lips as she looked at Anna and Lu Li, who had turned to face her. “What... are you doing here? In our... homeland...”
The assistant, clutching his nose, stared with wide, terrified eyes.
He realized who was sitting at the table...
“The mayor of Flarand asked for help. We agreed,” Lu Li replied calmly, as if he’d forgotten all about Adam’s note. “And you?”
A look of tenderness softened Sara’s beautiful face. She raised a delicate hand to caress Adam’s cheek. “Adam must have missed his home... We... came back... for a visit...”
Adam’s eyes swiveled as if trying to look at Sara, but all he could see was his own nose. “You forgot... my hometown is a different one...”
Sara’s hand froze, and tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry... I forgot about yours...”
“It’s alright... it’s been so long...” Adam’s lips curved into a slight smile as he squeezed her hand. He looked up at Lu Li. “Friend... we’ll be leaving soon...”
His words carried a clear warning.
“Before we talk... we... should get rid of this annoying little worm...” The tenderness in Sara’s expression vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness. She stared at the assistant, who was pressed against the window in terror. “Your game will be...”
“Wait,” Lu Li cut in, his gaze direct. “Don’t kill him. We need him.”
Sara rose slowly to her feet. Her gaze, fixed on Lu Li, grew no warmer. “There’s no need to spoil our friendship... over one little man... is there...?”
Anna silently moved to stand in front of Lu Li.
Just then, the assistant tugged on Lu Li’s sleeve and, summoning all his courage, said in a trembling voice, “M-Mr. Lu Li... my house is at 138 Prolin Street. The key is under the doormat... My sister has narcolepsy, please don’t wake her. There’s a small bell on the table—ring it three times, and she’ll wake up... Take her to the mayor. The merciful Valentine will see that she’s safe.”
Waiting for the assistant to finish, Lu Li turned back to Sara. “I agree. That’s why you should ignore him.”
In the tense silence that followed, Adam spoke. “Since you’re asking... But... this is the last time.”
“It won’t happen again,” Anna replied quietly.
The icy tension dissipated. Sara walked around the table and took Anna’s ghostly hand from beneath her cloak. “Anna... your vessel is gone...?”
The assistant, who had just been spared, watched with wide, astonished eyes.
“It disappeared along with Paradise,” Anna answered stiffly, unaccustomed to Sara’s abrupt mood swings.
“You seem sad... Is it because of the part you lost...? Perhaps I can help... Come...” Treating Anna like a sister, Sara led her by her pale, ghostly hand toward the bedroom.
“Can’t we do it here?” Anna glanced at Lu Li. She didn’t want to leave him alone.
“We’re just going to talk... Don’t worry...” Adam reassured her.
His words could be interpreted in two ways.
Anna followed Sara and Adam, leaving only Lu Li and the assistant in the living room.
“I’ll keep your secret,” the assistant said, his voice strained.
He wasn't as dogmatic as the exorcist families, but like most people, he regarded anomalies with hostility.
It was the way one fears a tidal wave—a fear felt by everyone except those who have never seen one.
“What secret?” Lu Li pulled out a wooden chair and sat down at the table.
“Miss Anna... she’s...” He trailed off, feeling that the word “anomaly” would be an insult to her.
“Don’t bother. It’s not a secret.”
“But Miss Anna hides herself under that cloak...”
“Only to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
...
“Do you know why I can maintain such sincere... love?” At the thought of Adam, Sara’s face softened once more. “It’s because playing with these little worms... sustains my power... and my passion.”
And your corruption, Anna added to herself. Aloud, she said, “Lu Li doesn’t like it.”
“The only thing that matters is for lovers to be happy together... Don’t you think?” She took Adam’s hand, tilting her head slightly as if to lean against him.
“But it’s just as important not to do things the other person dislikes.”
“You’re wrong...”
Clearly, Sara didn’t understand that. Otherwise, Adam would never have passed that note to Lu Li.
Although they disagreed on this point, their conversation remained peaceful. About twenty minutes later, they emerged from the room. Sara and Adam bid farewell to Lu Li and Anna.
Creak...
The door eased open.