Chapter 391: The First Close Encounter
Inside the white tower of the Demon Hunt General Agency.
Holly sat in her seat at the top-level conference hall, her expression filled with nervousness, her hands trembling even as she held onto her cup of tea.
At this very moment, in front of her, there were over a dozen Night Watchers, all of them skilled members of the Demon Hunt General Agency!
Except for Ai, who is a bit weak at note-taking, everyone else is starting at Crown level!
The two most powerful individuals, were even top-tier experts of the Apocalypse level.
One of them is none other than the captain of the Sword-wielding Troop, The Cursed String Music.
The young boy who seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, appeared to be of a similar age to oneself. He had silver hair and a smile that stretched across his face.
In reality, he was already of an age that was difficult to determine, his true age was definitely older than oneself.
The Cursed String Music is actually a name passed down through generations, a special name bestowed by Chord City.
In every generation, the title of "The Cursed String Music" is only bestowed upon World's most gifted prodigies in the art of curses!
If the current generation of The Cursed String Music were to suddenly pass away, then immediately, the person with the second greatest talent in World would be chosen to inherit the title of "The Cursed String Music."
If a new individual is born in World whose curse talent surpasses that of the current holder of The Cursed String Music, then the title of The Cursed String Music would also be transferred to that person.
As for how to evaluate the quality and proficiency of curse talent, Chord City, established by Anomalous Star as a city dedicated to the study of curses, has its own methods that have been developed over millennia.
Chord City, created by the Anomalous Star as a city of curse practitioners, has existed even before the Air Alliance, and has always held a very special position.
He was also the only city among the numerous member cities of the Air Alliance who could refuse the commands of the City of the Highest, being situated in "the City of the Highest."
So, Holly was very scared. The person in front of her was not just the captain of The Cursed String Music, but also a top-tier warrior from the Sword-wielding Troop who had saved World more than once.
Self-proclaimed as the human with the strongest curse talent in a thousand years.
In the pages of history, there was only one person with a talent greater than his... one of the yet-to-be-ascended Rainbows, the Anomalous Star!
Another top-tier warrior at the level of the Apocalypse, standing right across from Holly, was a sturdy old man with white hair.
In a black suit, rarely showing a smile, the Night Watchers regarded him with great respect.
In a sense, his identity became even more impressive!
The director of the Demon Hunt General Agency!
Austin, the Sword Saint!
The director of the Demon Hunt General Agency, known as the "Sword Saint," is said to wield an indestructible divine sword. Legend has it that he has slain numerous powerful Spawns that descended from the heavens, becoming a hero who protects World from destruction.
He possesses a powerful swordsmanship that shines like a shooting star!
Holly was about to faint!
Why are these big shots, right here, right now, all around me?
More than ten of them were stronger than him, but now they were gathered together, exerting a strong pressure as they collectively stared at him.
The pressure burst!
"Um."
Holly was drenched in sweat and felt that this group of people was about to turn into spicy rabbit heads at any moment.
"Tell me, how exactly did you come back to life?" The Cursed String Music asked.
Holly nodded eagerly and began to speak without hesitation, "Yes, yes. After being killed, I found myself in a space that exists for exceptional beings after death... a dimension where we all end up. I'm not exactly sure how long I stayed there, though, because my ability to think gradually faded away."
"Simplify it," Director Austin spoke up, getting straight to the point.
"Oh dear!" Holly nodded fearfully.
"And then, one day, it felt as if I started flying, completely leaving my body behind. Maybe I'm not describing it accurately, but that's exactly how it felt..."
Except for The Cursed String Music, who had a smile, the rest of the Night Watchers from the Director's Office remained expressionless.
Holly swallowed nervously and continued, "Then, I arrived at a magnificent ancient palace."
"Palace?"
The Cursed String Music and Austin exchanged a glance.
They realized that the palace could possibly be the legendary Babel Tower!
It could also be, that the golden palace has been floating above Tatsumi City all along.
"Or perhaps, the golden palace in the sky is the Babel Tower itself?" muttered The Cursed String Music to himself.
In the sky above Tatsumi City, there was a golden palace hidden among the clouds. It had always been protected by an invisible barrier, even beings like them found it difficult to break through.
That seemed like the kind of protection only a palace where gods reside would possess.
For several months, the existence of the Golden Palace had become normalized and even considered as a scenic attraction by the people of Tatsumi City.
"Then, I walked in that palace and suddenly saw many people, lots of delicious food, and fine drinks... I recognized some of those people, it seemed like many of my colleagues from the Demon Hunt Agency were there..."
"For example?"
Austin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is there?"
"Mr. Lin Bian, Captain Adelaide, and big guy..."
Holly nodded and continued, not knowing how many times she had nodded in the past half minute.
Austin spoke solemnly, "Remember them all. If any of these people appear in the Air Alliance again, it's worth noting... Perhaps, including the Night Watcher Holly, allegiances have already shifted."
"No! I am still the Night Watcher!"
Holly listened to the other person's words and felt a little angry, but quickly realized that her anger was directed towards the highest boss of all the Night Watchers, and immediately lost it.
"I am still the Night Watcher, otherwise, I wouldn't have come to the Demon Hunt General Agency right after seeing my parents... no matter what happened, I am proud to be able to be a Night Watcher."
However, Director Austin remained unmoved by his subordinate's unusual revival.
"Time will prove everything."
He had seen too many people who thought they were not influenced by demons and evil gods, but in reality, they were deeply infected, beyond cure.
For a higher being, distorting the perception of mortals was an effortless task.
Some people believed they were doing good deeds, but in reality, they were senselessly killing innocent beings - a situation that was all too common.
Holly lowered her head, feeling helpless as she replied, "Um..."
The Cursed String Music sensed Holly's unhappiness, shaking its hand and wearing a wide smile on its face, it said:
"Don't worry, Holly. This old man has seen too much fake and deceit in his life. So he is always very cautious about things he knows about and things he doesn't know about."
The Cursed String Music squinted its eyes, shook a finger, and continued, "For example, even if I were to attack him right now, he would be able to react because he is always alert to everyone around him."
"Hahaha! Maybe when he was eating at home, he even suspected the dog."
Austin looked at The Cursed String Music seriously and said, "The Cursed String Music, there's no need to make me sound so nervous."
"Hahaha! It was just an example, old fellow. You won't take it to heart, will you?" The Cursed String Music continued to frolic and remained completely carefree.
"Hmm."
Austin shook his head and left with his companions from here.
"We must quickly learn enough information about the Babel Tower, this mysterious organization, which may be good or bad. But for us, they cannot always remain mysterious and unpredictable."
Once half of the Night Watchers had left from here, Holly finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The aura of this "Sword Saint" director is truly terrifying!
Just a moment ago, it felt as if standing in front of an ancient dragon...
So powerful!
"You guessed wrong, Austin is not an ancient dragon," said The Cursed String Music with a smile on his face, appearing friendly and carefree.
Even making Holly feel as if she were basking in the spring breeze.
Oh, did he know what he was thinking?
To The Cursed String Music's surprise, he shook his head and said, "No, I don't just know what you're thinking... it's just that most people, when faced with Austin, would assume they are facing a mighty dragon descendant, or even a towering dragon in human form."
The Cursed String Music chuckled and said, "That old fellow does have such a charm about him, hmm, quite peculiar, isn't it?"
"Um."
Holly gave a forced smile and refrained from expressing her opinion on such matters.
Prominent individuals can joke with each other, but she dared not speak nonsense. Even if the big shot himself didn't mind, his subordinates might take offense, and she would have to bear the consequences.
I'm just a little bunny after all...
Just then, Holly suddenly noticed that everyone's gaze became serious.
They were all staring at him/her!
What is happening?
Holly froze in place, but no one bothered to explain what exactly had happened.
What's happening to me?
"What happened? What happened? What... happened, ah?"
Why is everyone suddenly looking at me like this?
At that moment, Holly also realized the reason.
Thick black mist surged from all around, as their own body gradually became translucent and crumbled away.
"What's going on here?"
She became greatly frightened, trying to halt the decay of her body, but was utterly powerless.
"Calm down!"
The Cursed String Music reached out suddenly, attempting to grab Holly's arm, but ended up empty-handed.
"Help me!"
Holly, whose body was falling apart, cried out for help. However, The Cursed String Music simply shook its head, indicating its powerlessness.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. You should have a chance to come back," he reassured. In fact, he had noticed Holly's unusual condition long ago, knowing that her body was not made of flesh and blood.
"Don't! I don't want to go back!"
Holly suddenly realized something and shouted anxiously, "I want to go home! I don't want to leave like this..."
Everything came to a sudden stop.
Her body completely disappeared.
This ethereal form, in reality, was still not made of actual flesh and blood.
Therefore, after the completion of the mission by the core members of the Babel Tower, it was time for Holly, who served as a support personnel, to return to Valhalla.
When she arrived in the mortal realm, she didn't see any Core Operators to assist in battle, nor was she assigned any missions. Instead, she had time to go home and visit the White Tower of the Demon Hunt General Agency.
It was all because of Bai Yan's compassion and contemplation.
The true resurrection still had not arrived.
"Hmm, the power of the Babel Tower is truly mysterious and unpredictable."
Witnessing Holly's disappearance, the expression of The Cursed String Music turned serious.
At this moment, the handsome young man with silver hair possessed a regal aura that was unquestionable and unparalleled.
He adjusted the black sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose, and once again, a smile illuminated his face.
The regal aura that had just been there seemed to be a fleeting illusion, vanishing without a trace.
"Interesting, really very interesting. I'm becoming more and more eager to see the Savior with my own eyes."
--
Meanwhile.
Inside Mu Ling's family villa, in the living room where guests are received.
"Hello."
A man in a white suit sat calmly in front of Mu Ling and Housekeeper Huo.
"Ah, finally meeting you, Miss Mu. You are the last heir of the Tatsumi Citycrime-hunter family, a powerful female hunter... the legendary Babel Tower Hound."
This man looked very calm.
He pushed up his glasses and reached out, introducing himself, "I am Ringi, the Leaf King's advisor, strategist, friend, secretary, bodyguard... Nice to meet you."
Ringi?
Mu Ling and Butler Huo Xin exchanged a glance, both of them had never heard of this name before.
But she politely shook hands with the other person.
"Mu Ling."
Ringi nodded gently and continued to speak:
"You might not have heard of me, and that's okay because I rarely show up at official events... I believe that this is the true meaning of being a strategist."
"So, do you have something to talk to us about?" Mu Ling straightforwardly asked as she opened the door.
"Um, of course,"
Ringi nodded gently and said in all seriousness, "We have recently discovered some unusual occurrences at the Demon Hunt General Agency. Several individuals have been experiencing problems... They seem to have been replaced."
"Replace?"
Mu Ling, a slight confusion crossed her face.
"Yes, even though they still lived and worked as they used to, appearing to be him and feeling like him, but in reality, they were no longer the same person... These Night Watchers have been replaced with some kind of special beings, not human-like creatures."
Ringi's tone grew serious as he said, "Three! Three Night Watchers have already been replaced!"
"Why would you tell me something like this?" Mu Ling was filled with confusion and puzzlement.
Throughout, even though the Night Watchers had been dispatching personnel to keep an eye on this place, they maintained a hands-off approach, never directly interacting with her.
But today, the situation had taken a completely different turn.
Ringi looked at Mu Ling, expressionless, and replied with a shrug, "Isn't it often said that your Babel Tower has no ill intentions and aims to save World? Why not cooperate with the authorities on this matter... help us find the culprit and the truth."
He added, "For some reason, we cannot directly investigate this matter... hmm, you wouldn't want to be forever hiding and evading, would you? This collaboration is a legitimate opportunity for Babel Tower to come forward, like a stepping stone onto the stage."
Mu Ling furrowed her brows, taking a moment before gently shaking her head.
"In fact, I am just a knife, a weapon, a mere 'Babel Tower hunting dog'... I cannot make any decisions for the Babel Tower."
Ringi wasn't surprised at all. She nodded and continued to speak:
"Mmm, I can guess... But could you please pass on my message to the Savior? I think you can definitely communicate with the Savior of the Babel Tower."
Mu Ling pondered for a moment and eventually nodded.
"Okay."
(Translated by Gravity Tales 😨)
All along, she had been able to convey most of her thoughts to the Savior.
As she thought about this, she paused for a moment, feeling a faint joy in her heart.
Perhaps, the great Savior would often gaze at her?