Compensation

After night fell, the wind and snow over Jialesi grew increasingly fierce. The stars were hidden from sight, and countless lights flickered across the earth like stars scattered across the mortal world. Snowflakes melted immediately upon touching the ground, where the surface temperature remained steadily above freezing. Although the sorcerers had no intention of interfering with the celestial phenomena, nature had long ceased to be an obstacle to civilization. "Every item in the villa has been checked. Each can be traced back to its manufacturer and purchase date... We didn't find anything left behind by 'Igola' or 'Harvey'." In the dining room on the second floor of the villa, Yaxiu, who was eating Quenched Smog Lalafell, paused slightly before continuing his meal as if nothing had happened. He gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, then turned to the maid beside him, Weixi. "It really is delicious. I didn't expect Lalafell cuisine from several thousand years ago to have already reached such a high standard." Tonight's chef was Weixi, who claimed she wanted everyone to taste traditional Lalafell cuisine from millennia ago—authentic ancient craftsmanship in every sense. The Quenched Smog Lalafell looked somewhat like a volcanic molten lava cake; at first glance, it appeared coated in volcanic ash, but once broken open, it revealed a sizzling, glistening red filling. A bite was piping hot and silky smooth, melting on the tongue with the gentlest press, filling the mouth with the rich flavors of cumin and meat. It truly astounded Yaxiu, connoisseur of Lalafell that he was. "This isn't even half as good as what I used to eat back then," Weixi said casually after sipping her red wine. "Mainly because many of the ingredients from my era no longer exist. Substitutes can be found, but they always lack that certain something. Besides, this dish is best made with Lalafell from Silent Manor. The ones on the market in the Starry Country just aren't flavorful enough, in my opinion." "I didn't expect you to be so skilled at cooking..." "How could I not know how to cook?" Weixi rolled her eyes at him. "I wanted good food, but I was afraid of being poisoned. Did I have any choice other than cooking for myself?" Though it sounded absurd, it genuinely fit Weixi's circumstances. For an enemy of all living beings like her, who would find nine out of ten people she encountered outside to be her foes, she naturally had to be cautious at every turn, never giving anyone an opening. She either had dominated thralls serve her, or she had to do things with her own hands. Distrusting others was a creed practically etched into the depths of her soul. She would never surrender her safety to anyone for even a single second. Yet, she was also the type consumed by deep desires and the pursuit of pleasure, so she had no choice but to attend to everything personally to satisfy her every need. Thinking about it carefully, it was rather pathetic. Even with power capable of destroying heaven and earth, she still felt the whole world was out to harm her, never spending a single day without living in vigilance. Yet Weixi seemed never to care about any of that. Whether in prosperity or adversity, she could always find a little amusement in life, never complaining about her environment while striving to hone her abilities. Yaxiu felt an indescribable sense of absurdity: Weixi was probably the most optimistic and positive person among everyone present... "Did your trip go smoothly today?" Yaxiu asked after taking a sip of orange juice. While he was on a date with the Sword Princess today, the others hadn't idled away their time either; they had gone around to various underground black markets in Jialesi to purchase sorcery spirits. However, with Weixi accompanying them, there was always the chance it might turn into a free-for-all shopping spree. "Most of what's in the underground black markets are one-winged and two-winged sorcery spirits," Weise said. "Unless you slowly advance them, it's very difficult for them to serve as base materials for your wonders." "Once we return to Gospel, I'll open up the inner imperial treasury for everyone!" Diya gulped down half a glass of milk, leaving a white milk mustache on her upper lip, and declared with grand generosity, "I can also use the national treasury to buy up unused sorcery spirits from the great clans. If they refuse to sell, we'll send Weixi over! Oh, right, before we leave, why don't we have Weixi ransack the Starry treasury!" Yaxiu whipped his head around and sprayed a mouthful of orange juice toward her. Weixi threw up a spoon in an instant, but her face was still sprayed with juice. Taking out a napkin, she wiped her face unhurriedly and said with utter calm, "Spit at her! Why spit at me? It's not like I was the one who suggested it." "I didn't want to spray them, so I had to turn toward you." Yaxiu wiped his mouth, looking at Diya with a complicated expression. "Why would you even think of that?" "It's not our country anyway," Diya looked at him curiously. "Right now, the Stars rule the five countries, and we are enemies of the Stars, which means all five countries are our enemies. Since they're enemies, isn't robbing them only natural?" "What I find odd is why send only Weixi," Weise said. "As you said, we're all wanted criminals already. What does one or two more sins matter?" "That's different. Sooner or later, we're going to defeat the Divine Lord of Stars, and by then, we'll naturally become allies of justice," Diya said. "So we can't have a stain like robbery on our record." Felix suddenly spoke up: "So you'd have Miss Weixi shoulder all these stains, and then cut ties with her later to protect your own reputations? Since she's already..." Almost everyone looked toward Felix at the same time. Felix realized her tone had been inappropriate, and she lowered her head to eat her buttered bread. Weixi glanced at Felix, then abruptly turned to stare intently at Yaxiu. Yaxiu paid no heed to Weixi's gaze. Thinking seriously for a moment, he said, "Witch, you're right. The logic is clear, well-founded, and having Weixi take the blame is quite fitting too." Diya blinked. "But?" "There is no 'but,'" Yaxiu said with a bitter smile. "Our current situation is precarious; any means you choose to employ are understandable. Naturally, I could lay out plenty of reasons—like how taking whatever we want from the world will invite hostility, or how committing evil might cause you to drift toward the Doomsday Quintet, or how I don't want orange juice sprayed on your faces... But if holding ourselves back because of that slows our growth and leaves us powerless against future dangers, wouldn't I be holding you back? While I do have moral boundaries, still..." He spread his hands. "For your sakes, my moral boundaries can be a bit more flexible." The most intriguing aspect of the game called life was that there were no correct answers; every direction held infinite possibilities, and only when one reached the end could right and wrong truly be known. Yaxiu was not arrogant enough to believe he could dictate the entire party's course forward. If it came to foresight, the Witch and Weixi were actually far more qualified to lead the team ahead. "I can't make the call on this matter. Once you've discussed it and reached a conclusion, I will follow orders," Yaxiu said calmly. "Only, if we do rob it, just let me go together with Weixi." The others were taken aback. Yaxiu smiled. "My notoriety right now is basically on par with Weixi's. We're both evil demigods whose names echo across five nations. One or two more stains won't make any difference to me." "There's hardly any need to deploy two demigods, is there?" Weixi rested her chin in her hand, eyeing him sideways as she spoke casually. "Or do you just not trust my looting skills?" "Weixi, no one believes in your abilities more than I do." Yaxiu stood up and patted Weixi's bare shoulder. "That's why whatever you do, I must supervise you. I will never let you leave my sight... You are my prisoner, after all." Weise's expression soured. Her eyes shifted back and forth between Yaxiu and Weixi before she said, "Then let's discuss it when we're about to leave the Starry Country. Yaxiu, when are we..." "Hold on a moment." Yaxiu carried his plate into the kitchen. "I'll inspect the villa one more time right now. Whether I find any traces or not, I will give you a departure date." Once Yaxiu went upstairs to the second floor, the atmosphere in the dining room turned heavy. The Witch and the Silver Lantern both glared at Weixi. Weixi wiped her mouth with an unperturbed expression and leisurely picked up her plate. "I'm done eating too, so I'll go wash the master's dishes and mine first." "Weixi," Weise said coldly, "you haven't bewitched Yaxiu's mind while we weren't looking, have you?" "Who knows?" Weixi lifted her chin. Though she was dressed as a maid, the haughtiness in her smile made it seem as though she were the master. "Perhaps he's fundamentally a bad man at heart and just wants to commit murder and arson with me? Or perhaps he felt embarrassed about spraying orange juice all over my face just now, so he wanted to compensate me?" "He has always been someone who can't remain uninvolved, burdened with that baffling pride of his," Sonia, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "If he weren't like that, would any of you have gotten involved with him in the first place? Could it be that just because you aren't the one at the center of it, you suddenly fail to recognize who he is?" Her tone was not sarcastic; it was calm, merely stating an acknowledged fact. Yet the atmosphere grew even more awkward. Daidalos and Felix tried desperately to shrink their presence. "I'm full!" Diya sprang to her feet, leaving her dishes behind, and scampered up to the second floor, her footsteps clattering. * Pushing open the master bedroom door, Diya saw Yaxiu examining Felix's wardrobe. In shock, she shut the door immediately and lowered her voice: "Yaxiu, you actually like stealing women's underwear?! Could it be that three days ago my panties weren't blown away by the wind after all..." "These are all men's clothes in here..." "Stealing men's clothes isn't allowed either!" Yaxiu scratched his head and explained, "Half a year ago, when I was preparing for my first date with the Sword Princess, I asked Igola to help dress me up. Back then, it wasn't convenient for us to go out to buy clothes, so we had to borrow Felix's men's wear. I wanted to reenact the scene from back then to see if there was any chance of finding a trace." Yaxiu had anticipated long ago that nothing would be left behind in Felix's villa. The Gospel God couldn't even locate Harvey's coffin boards; they had most likely evaporated right along with everything else. Come to think of it, if all the things that had vanished because of them were gathered together, would they even fill two coffins? Probably not even that. No matter how long a person lived in this world, few things truly belonged to them. There were many things to which one held only the right of use, not true ownership. No matter who vanished, the world would keep turning, and people might not even notice someone was gone. That was why Yaxiu was determined to pull those two fellows back. The world had trampled them so mercilessly; if they didn't leave a fiercely indelible mark upon this world, wouldn't they have suffered their tribulations in vain? They were by no means good people; by now, they could even be counted as devils from Hell. But devils were precisely what Yaxiu intended to save. If the world refused to treat you kindly, wouldn't singing alongside devils in Hell be just as joyful? "The first date with the Sword Princess..." Diya pouted. "Were you that earnest and nervous when you met me?" Yaxiu glanced at her and answered honestly, "No. I was already far too familiar with you. But back then, I hadn't met the Sword Princess in reality yet, so... like traveling to meet a long-distance lover, there was bound to be some nervous fluttering." Diya lightly thumped his abdomen with her small fist, then threw her arms around him, saying in a huff, "Aren't you playing favorites a bit too much?" "Then what compensation do you want?" "Back to Gospel!" Diya answered immediately. "Let's leave the Starry Country and go back to Gospel!"