Cecelia sat obediently inside the eatery. Outside, the world remained frozen in place, where Gregory and the Voodoo members whose eyes had been pierced stood like statues beneath the suspended, unfallen curtain of rain.
She had never imagined this night would take so many unexpected turns.
First, she had barely managed to shake off the pursuit of "Iron Fist" Kaiwei, only to run headlong into the Voodoo Agency. Then, just as she was on the verge of fighting her way out, Sanctuary Sorcerer "Sovereign" Gregory descended from the sky. And right when she seemed doomed to die on this summer night in Azura, the devil from the urban legends had appeared.
At first, he had babbled incessantly, urging Gregory to stop, flying into a rage only after Gregory smashed his bowl of noodles. He had then frozen the world with an exquisite divine miracle and used plain, brutal chopsticks to discipline every single disrespectful soul present.
And now, here she was waiting to eat noodles, while the devil hummed a tune in the kitchen as he blanched them. He truly was an unfathomable devil.
The devil did not keep Cecelia waiting long. He soon walked over carrying two bowls of noodle soup. "I've eaten here several times. It should turn out fine. The broth here is genuinely good."
Cecelia had just reached for a pair of chopsticks when the devil held out a hand to stop her. "Did you wash your hands?"
Cecelia looked down at herself. She was covered from head to toe in mud and blood, and her metallic silver hands had turned nearly pitch-black. In truth, she was long accustomed to eating in wretched conditions—working for an agency was no picnic. Even so, under the devil's urging, she obediently went to the washroom to clean her hands. Looking up, she saw her wet hair clinging to her cheeks in the mirror. Subconsciously tucking the strands behind her ears, she scrutinized her reflection for several seconds before suddenly feeling a bit foolish, and she hurried back out to the dining area.
The moment she sat down, the devil began chattering away again. "It's not that I have a massive appetite, but I'd barely had a few bites of that bowl before it was gone. It's rare for me to come out for a late-night snack, and leaving without eating my fill just feels like a loss..."
The noodles were delightfully springy, and the broth was rich and savory. Only then did Cecelia realize just how famished she was. She had been sprinting toward Azura without pause since the afternoon, unable to stop for even a sip of water along the way. As the piping-hot noodle soup settled into her stomach, she felt as though she were finally coming back to life.
The devil's mouth seemed incapable of staying shut. As he ate, he introduced what else was good on this food street, as if he would gladly guide her through every stall if she showed even the slightest bit of interest. Right then, Cecelia suddenly remembered a small detail—when was the last time she had shared a meal with someone?
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, a piercing flare burst through the curtain of rain in the distance, detonating into brilliant colors across the night sky. Yaxiu looked up in surprise. "Someone's setting off fireworks in the rain?"
"That's a signal flare!" Cecelia recognized it at once and stood up instinctively. "The Voodoo Agency must have discovered something. They're coming—"
"Sit down."
Cecelia's leather-clad backside snapped right back onto the stool. Yaxiu glanced at the lingering light in the sky and said, "Doesn't it look rather nice?"
He reached out two fingers and pinched at the flare across the distant sky. Incredibly, he actually plucked the burst of light right out of the air, the searing flame blazing furiously between his fingertips. Cecelia stared dumbfounded, stammering, "Th-this... even a legendary sorcerer couldn't do that, could they?!"
"It's not actually that complicated, provided you have a decent light sorcery spirit and a bit of finesse with light sorcery..." Yaxiu pressed the flame into his palm, blew into it, and opened his hands. A butterfly of streaming light in radiant solar hues fluttered into the air. It circled Cecelia twice before alighting on the back of her metallic hand. Its vibrant radiance reflected clearly against the silver surface, light shimmering and colors shifting. In that moment, her hand seemed to be more than a mere prosthetic limb; it was a miracle embedded into her very body.
She gazed blankly at the butterfly perched on the back of her hand and murmured, "So beautiful..."
"Sorcery is wonderful, isn't it?"
Yaxiu smiled. "To be honest, I can't grant your wish, because the problems you want solved aren't things that strength, status, or money can fix. A friend of mine—no, a devil friend of mine once told me that living in this world is like eating at a buffet. Some people occasionally get good food and occasionally bad food, but there are also people who are stuck eating shit all the time.
"Telling you to compromise with life and make peace with fate is the same as telling you to accept that you'll be eating shit forever. I don't want to lie to you, because I've been in the exact same state as you before. Back then, truly everything I did tasted like shit."
Cecelia stared at him blankly. "Then how did you resolve it?"
"I chose to look away from the dining table," Yaxiu said, resting his chin on his hand with a smile. "I stopped caring about what I was eating. I only cared about who was willing to share the buffet with me.
"I can't conjure up someone willing to eat at the buffet with you. But since a flare can turn into a butterfly, any miracle can happen in this world. As long as you keep eating, sooner or later you'll meet that person. When that time comes, you'll feel that every bit of perseverance was worth it."
Cecelia felt as though she truly were listening to a devil preach. Clearly, these were the sort of hollow, grandiose platitudes she would normally sneer at, yet somehow she found herself taking every word to heart. Her chest tightened with conflict, her emotions churning. Turning her head away, she pressed her lips tight and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"
"For the exact same reason I disciplined those people out there." Yaxiu pointed toward the Voodoo members outside the shop. "Because I can, and because I feel like it. And also because back when I was in the mire, the person I love most pulled me out. I hope you can hold out until that person appears, instead of being in such a hurry to seek death."
Cecelia's lips trembled. She looked down at her metallic hands, lapsing into silence, lost in thought.
"Alright, I've thought of what to give you." Yaxiu's tone turned brisk. "While it won't solve all your problems, at least it'll keep you from being troubled—"
"Can I choose my own wish?" Cecelia asked suddenly.
Yaxiu blinked. "You can, but I can only fulfill a reasonable request."
"Can I follow you?"
Yaxiu froze. He saw Cecelia look up, her lovely large eyes fluttering with an unprecedented glimmer of light, her metallic hands clutched tightly together. In that moment, she truly looked like a metallic doll.
"I'm afraid that's..."
"I'm very capable! I can clean and do all kinds of housework, and I can learn to cook too! I can be a maid!" Fighting down her embarrassment, Cecelia exerted every effort to pitch her virtues for the first time in her life. "And I'm a sword sorcerer! I'm good at fighting! I can kill for you and guard you from the front! Even though I'm still weak right now, I'll work hard—"
Right then, a pair of soft hands pressed heavily down onto Cecelia's shoulders. A breath as chilling as a venomous serpent brushed gently against her earlobe, sending a terrifying voice reverberating through her soul.
"I'm sorry, young lady," Vichy murmured in her ear. "You really aren't qualified yet."
Chapter 1187