CH 66

Chapter 66: Seed of Slaughter (V)

Once again, Qi Leren sat in an airship.

Fortunately, this time, he was not in the ship with a big hole, but in a ship belonging to the Court, which was smaller, faster and more bizarre. Even if he were used to all kinds of steampunk-style instruments in the Village of Dusk, seeing an aircraft that looked at first glance like a strange insect hurt Qi Leren’s aesthetic feeling as an (interior) designer.

The airship was very small, about as big as the cockpit of a helicopter. Al sat opposite him, and the distance between two people was only a small square table less than half a meter.

“Why should my movements be restricted? Is it a crime to be heroic?” Qi Leren, who was forced to be taken aboard the airship, angrily said.

Al held his arm, squinting and dozing off: “Please cooperate with the work of the Court, thank you.”

“At least you have to tell me the reason. I can’t accept being taken to the police station without rhyme or reason!” Qi Leren said.

“It’s a courtroom. There’s no police station here,” Al said with his eyes closed.

“So why?” Qi Leren persisted in asking questions.

Al was silent for a few seconds, as if he was really asleep. Just when Qi Leren thought he wouldn’t answer, Al opened his eyes. In the afterglow of the sunset, his eyes were no longer brown, but reflected the flaming sunset, which seemed to be burning, but even so his eyes were still cold.

“Why?” He murmured, putting down his crossed arms on the table. He leaned forward towards Qi Leren. Although he looked like a teenager, his presence was amazing. This narrow space made Qi Leren feel uncomfortable. He leaned back, but did not avoid his eyes.

“If I don’t take you away…” Al cocked his head and showed a slightly mocking smile, “how long do you think you can live?”

Qi Leren’s expression froze on his face, and there was a sharp pain in the back of his neck again, and he almost cried out.

Al leaned back in his seat lazily, watching Qi Leren endure uneasiness and doubt, and said with a smile: “Have you felt it?”

“What, what?” Qi Leren was a little panicked, and he realized that he was in big trouble now.

“It’s trying to grow, like a seed, stretching its roots and absorbing the nutrients in the ‘soil’ as it grows. It’s a tenacious little thing.” Al muttered as if dreaming, “One day it will grow up, become stronger and more greedy, and drain every trace of nutrients in the 'soil’, even if the 'soil’ dries up, it doesn’t matter, it never knows gratitude or feedback, it will only plunder. Even so, there are always people who covet its power, drink and quench their thirst and ask for it until they fall deeper and deeper, until they are irreparable.”

Qi Leren had vaguely guessed what he was talking about: “The seed of slaughter…?”

But how was that possible? He had already loaded the file, why was he still infected?

Al laughed. It was hard to tell whether it was sympathy or coldness. He didn’t answer.

&&&

The aircraft landed in a remote corner of Sunset Island, and Qi Leren followed Al off. The buildings bathed in the sunset ahead seemed to be medieval sanctuaries, with a road lined with stone pillars as the central axis and symmetrical white buildings on both sides, full of religious essence, but not purely religious buildings.

They landed in the central square, with a few people walking by sporadically, dressed in the same uniform as Al, and in a hurry.

Al took Qi Leren to a white building in the distance. From a distance, he could see that the building was higher up than the surrounding buildings. Along the way, there were statues of clergy, praying in different positions. Qi Leren stepped up the steps and looked up. The white building built on the hill was majestic and seemed like holy sanctuary in the sunset.

A sea breeze blew, and the slightly salty air made Qi Leren sneeze.

He rubbed his nose and raised his head as he walked.

Two young men came out of the courtroom.

The one who walked in front had long black hair. He was wearing a uniform similar to Al’s, which was covered with a long black trenchcoat. As they neared, the sea breeze blew, and his long hair floated with the coat, revealing his slender white neck and beautiful androgynous face.

“Boss,” Al stood up straight, bowed his head, and spoke.

The man glanced at the two people carelessly, acknowledged them coldly, and then walked over without looking at them.

Qi Leren was stunned.

Not because of the man just now, but because of Ning Zhou walking behind him.

Ning Zhou stopped beside Qi Leren and gave him a deep look.

The setting sun softened his face and his eyes, but Qi Leren knew that the tenderness at this moment was just an illusion brought by light. He clearly remembered that Ning Zhou didn’t look at him in this way. At that time, “she” looked at “her” quietly, just like looking at the most precious treasure in the world. Now, the burning love in that same pair of blue eyes had been ruthlessly doused by reality, and would even be frozen into ice over time.

The big blackbird perched on Ning Zhou’s shoulder cawed. As if unable to bear to see the two strangers, it flapped its wings and flew to the sea and sunset.

Ning Zhou looked down, walked past Qi Leren, and quickly caught up with the man ahead of him.

“You seem very interested in him?” the long-haired man raised his eyebrows and asked.

“Why did he come to the Court?” Ning Zhou didn’t answer and asked instead.

“Hey, you’re taking the initiative to ask me? What relationship does that newcomer have with you?” he asked with interest.

“It has nothing to do with you.” Ning Zhou opened the door of the airship parked outside the courtroom and sat in it. The long-haired man clicked his tongue and sat down opposite him.

The airship lifted off and flew toward the border of the Twilight Township.

The long-haired man opened the drawer in the table, took out the tea leaves, and made tea. The airship shook slightly, but his hand pouring water was steady: “Have a cup of tea to get rid of the alcohol, I can smell the hangover on you, hehe.”

Ning Zhou didn’t move, didn’t speak, deep and remote cold eyes staring at him.

The long-haired man took a sip of himself and disliked it. “What type of tea is this?”

The pilot of the airship behind the partition whispered: “Sorry Boss, I’ll change it later.”

He snorted again and put the cup down: “OK, don’t stare at me, I’ll say it, he’s probably parasitized by a seed of slaughter.”

Ning Zhou frowned faintly: “I can…”

The man waved his hand: “There are ways to deal with this kind of thing. It’s just that he has other uses.”

Seeing that Ning Zhou looked at him with a slightly poor expression, he laughed instead: “Ah, don’t worry. For your sake, I won’t kill him.”

The airship soon reached the Land of Dusk, which was a sea away, and passed through the barrier of its city wall, and the world outside was ruled by demons.

The long-haired man sent Ning Zhou to the border.

“I’m returning to Neverland. Inform me in time if there’s any news,” Ning Zhou said.

The long-haired man leaned against the airship bonelessly and waved lazily at him: “Have a good trip. Say hello to the Pope for me.”

Ning Zhou disappeared into the boundary, and the man yawned lazily and returned to the airship.

“Now return to the Court?” The driver asked in a low voice.

The man sitting on the seat looked at the endless sea with his cheeks propped up. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the side of his face, and every eyelash was dyed brilliant golden red: “Go back and we’ll visit that unlucky little guy.”