Chapter 10

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Chapter 10: Please Write a Reflection Paper

Thanks to the two kidnappers, Lin Lin had the chance to see the hidden corners of this city.

To be honest, this city does not compare well when it comes to tall and glorious buildings. But if it’s a crime suspense movie, Tocopia has a big advantage.

The strong salty smell made Lin Lin cough for a while, and she was only slowly let down in a place with few people.

Lin Lin pounded her chest to cough. After riding the Dark Elf express train, her ability to handle it has greatly improved.

Two people wearing cloaks, although much taller than Lin Lin, were clearly very worried that Lin Lin might run away, so they cornered her in a secluded spot.

It looked like a temporary home for a homeless person, with empty meat cans scattered on the ground and a pile of firewood for making a fire, and behind it stood a dilapidated old house.

To be honest, Lin Lin was not very scared. In fact, she felt more angry at Safir’s indifference.

She was a person hanging out in the biggest villain’s lair in this world.

I am scared of the top ten villains in the world, so why should I be afraid of you small fry?

Though she was small, Lin Lin stood with her hands on her hips, exuding confidence as she waited for the next move from her two captors.

But neither side seemed very familiar with the situation, so there was a brief and awkward silence.

"Hand over your wallet and jewelry! Bread will do too!" The tall guy who had taken Lin Lin spoke first, lifting his cloak because of the heat, revealing a wide, boyish face.

He was a boy from the giant tribe. Although he was taller and sturdier than an average adult human, his looks were still youthful.

Rob the bread.

Lin Lin was silent for two seconds. She thought they recognized Safir’s Dragon race identity, or her own "shrine maiden" identity, and wanted revenge or were being racially prejudiced.

But now, they really looked like those foolish villains!

They couldn’t even be compared to streetwise Orc brothers; these guys clearly got beaten badly in the gray areas of the streets and had to take risks, dreaming of hitting it big as pitiful characters.

Lin Lin couldn’t help but hold her head. She didn’t want to see those who sneak into grandmas’ houses to steal bread, only to get beaten and cry back home.

Lin Lin pointed out a way out for the two, "I have no money. Why don’t you catch that guy next to me? He has money! He has a real mountain of gold!"

Lin Lin tried to push Safir forward.

"Don’t try any tricks!" The tall, thin Dark Elf who had cast a spell in front of Lin Lin revealed his cloak; he looked like a young boy, "Don’t we know? Men are strong and easy to escape! Women are weaker and have jewelry!"

Lin Lin: …

What should I do? This Dark Elf looks like he is not very smart.

After the Dark Elf took off his cloak, Lin Lin finally noticed something that had always seemed strange to her, but she hadn’t realized right away. This Dark Elf’s ears were not the delicate and thin ears like Felix’s; instead, they were more like a human’s, round and thick.

Is he a half-blood? He should be a half-blood.

Also, he had golden runes painted on his face that even someone like Lin Lin could see were meant to increase magical power. Real Dark Elves do not need these tools when casting spells.

Lin Lin had seen Felix cast spells, and for them, it seemed like something that happened naturally.

The half-elf boy clearly wanted to use his skin color and the fear humans had of Dark Elves to scare Lin Lin. He smirked, showing a rather creepy smile, "You better hand over everything you have, or we might not let you go."

After being threatened by two half-baked kidnappers for almost ten minutes, Lin Lin thought to herself, who doesn’t have a scary identity?

Lin Lin took off her hat.

The kidnapping duo even seemed a bit impatient, "We don’t want the hat; it’s not worth much!"

Lin Lin took off her hat, revealing her dark hair. She shook it out, and her long black hair fell over her shoulders, matching her bright red lips painted in the carriage. It fit the stereotype some people have of witches.

Lin Lin calmly looked at the two people.

The duo, "Ahhh! It’s a witch!!!"

Thank you to the stereotype, and thank you to witches for all the negative stories they’ve inspired.

Lin Lin covered her ears to block the excited shouts of the two.

Even less useful than I thought.

Putting her hat back on, Lin Lin looked at the two, whose eyes had become much clearer after being scared, "If you have no skills, don’t get involved in kidnapping."

For some reason, Lin Lin began to have the presence of a big sister.

"You are right, you are right."

"You are both tall and strong. Even if you do physical work, you can take care of yourselves." Lin Lin remembers how easily the giant tribe boy lifted her, as if he was raising a kite.

Facing Lin Lin’s question, the giant scratched his head but did not answer. Instead, the quiet half-elf spoke up.

"Haven’t you experienced it?" the half-elf asked back, his silver eyes looking at Lin Lin, "How humans and other Light Races treat us."

Clearly, the half-elf now saw the witch as an ally in the same group.

Lin Lin frowned slightly.

To the Dark Elf, the boy in front of her is human, and to the human, he is a Dark Elf.

After learning that Lin Lin is a witch, the two boys became even more discouraged and even worried that Lin Lin might rob them instead.

The only small wooden stool was left for Lin Lin to sit on. She poked the pot with a stick used for the fire, revealing the leftover lunch in their iron pot. It was a thin porridge made from rice grains and canned meat.

These two children are still growing.

Lin Lin quietly looked at the two big young men, "Can we find other people? Like those who believe in the God of Darkness?"

The two exchanged a glance, "Most people who believe in the God of Darkness are very exclusive and can easily be pushed away."

Lin Lin spat out, "What a terrible city, finding work is so hard!"

The two, "…"

Lin Lin shared her experience as someone who had been through it, "No matter the reason, you should just blame the overall situation. It must be the environment’s fault, not mine."

The two learned from her.

Lin Lin said, "In any case, you can try several times; just be brave and thick-skinned!"

Why does the fantasy world have such realistic life struggles? What is this feeling of confiding with a fresh graduate?

Lin Lin suddenly thought of a job she was familiar with, "Have you ever thought about being a servant to the Demon King?"

The Dark Elf was very surprised that Lin Lin would ask this, "Of course I thought about it, it’s a stable job. But there is only one chance to take the test each year, and the written exam has two difficult papers."

Why is there even a written test! Why did those under the Demon King, who look like they can’t even hold a pen, pass the written exam!

Lin Lin was immensely shocked. Could it be that someone like her, who didn’t pass the exam to become an underling of the Demon King, got in through connections?

No, on second thought, the younger brother of the orca brothers couldn’t even read! He seems more like someone who got in through connections!

Lin Lin felt complicated after unintentionally discovering that she had become part of an office secret.

She took out two gold coins from her pocket and handed them to the two; the Dark Elf did not reach out, but the giant boy happily accepted both coins.

Lin Lin seriously suggested, "You might want to keep an eye out for jobs related to hot springs in the future."

After hearing this news, the giant boy was even happier. He opened his palm, which had just tightened around the two gold coins, and said to Lin Lin, "Then you can take them back; if we get a job, we won’t need these gold coins."

Among the dark-religion races, there is also a large part with an orderly nature and their own beliefs.

Lin Lin didn’t reach out again, so the giant boy’s hand remained in front of her, his deep brown eyes looking at her with some confusion.

The giant tribe always thinks in a simple way.

Lin Lin glanced at the Dark Elf, who nodded, and she then reached out to take back the two coins.

Just as Lin Lin’s hand was about to reach the young man, a sharp zapping sound filled the air, and the loud noise made her shudder.

[Everyone inside, listen up! Put down your weapons, put down your weapons, and surrender with your hands up.]

The voice of the boy, somewhat distorted, came through the loudspeaker.

Lin Lin looked up in surprise and saw that the Dark Elf and the giant boy beside her had already raised their hands quite skillfully.

Not resisting at all! No wonder you are the low-level bad guys!

An old man and a young man.

The old man wore the clothes of a priest. His eyes were kind, but his clothes were still very old and had visible patches.

In comparison, the boy named Lin Lin, who walked with a swagger and shouted at them through a megaphone, looked much more familiar.

He was the red-haired boy lying on the wheat straw behind the carriage, trying to greet Lin Lin.

Different from how she felt then, Lin Lin looked at his arrival with a bit of confusion.

[Hey there," the boy still held the megaphone and lectured the two troublemakers, "Don’t pick on outsiders! It will ruin our city’s reputation. Although, honestly, it’s already pretty bad. But at least don’t make them completely give up on our rescue funds!]

Your main goal is the rescue funds!

Soon, the red-haired boy saw Lin Lin sitting on a small chair through the figures of the two people.

He also noticed her reaching for the gold coins in the hands of the giant tribe boy.

[Wow, I didn’t expect it to be Miss Witch," the red-haired boy’s voice continued to come from the megaphone. "Outsiders can’t rob our city’s people!]

[The people of Tocopia are very simple and kind.]

Simple, my foot! This place is just a breeding ground for criminals!

–

"I’ve told you a hundred times, those two gold coins are mine!" Lin Lin never expected that her first time in a church would be because of this, with her hands handcuffed, treated like a criminal.

"Okay, okay, everyone says that. That money grew from your pockets, dug up right outside your door," the red-haired boy lazily nodded, stacking the paper and pen on the table in front of Lin Lin. "Please write an apology letter."

"I told you I am innocent!" Lin Lin exclaimed angrily. "And you are not even police, so you have no right to arrest me!"

The boy nodded, "That is true, but Tocopia doesn’t have guards, so we mainly guide against the bad behavior of minors."

"I am over twenty! I am an adult!" Lin Lin argued.

"Sorry, a witch is considered an adult at fifty," the boy casually flipped through a red book nearby that was filled with small notes about many kinds of creatures. Then he looked at her with great curiosity, "Can I touch your hair? Will I die from poison like it says in the notebook?"

Lin Lin’s anger had worn off, and finally, she said with a cold face, "Go ahead, it could poison you."

The boy happily touched her hair, and the strands, washed with the precious shampoo from the Demon King Castle, were very smooth. He sincerely exclaimed, "It feels so nice."

Lin Lin suddenly really wanted him to meet her brother, Allen, the orca; their personalities were just like twins.

Lin Lin stopped bothering him and decided to ask the more proper-looking old man for help, "Sir! I’m being wronged!"

The old man, who was facing forward in prayer, had his hands clasped together, his head slightly bowed, and his back straight. He did not respond at all to Lin Lin’s cries.

The statue the old man was humbly kneeling before was high up and faceless, as if it responded to every devotee by slightly lowering its head.

The boy rested his chin on his hand, watching how Lin Lin finally gave up after shouting a few times, "Sorry, Grandpa can’t hear very well; he can’t hear you unless you use that horn."

Lin Lin: … The real purpose of that horn is for him to hear!

At first, I thought you were the police!

The boy was still very excited, "My name is Paul, what is your name?"

Lin Lin finally stopped struggling, "Lin Lin."

"Okay, Lin Lin," Paul said with a smile, and Lin Lin then noticed that his eyes were a lively shade of green, "So please tell me, why are you with the Lizardfolk? What are you doing in this city?"

Lin Lin remembered their meeting at the carriage. At that time, Paul did not see Safir, so he only focused on her and the Lizardfolk.

She could not reveal Safir’s Dragon race identity.

The Dragon race is a very rare group. Most of them are greedy and cruel, and destroying a city is not hard for them. Therefore, the Dragon race is always watched carefully wherever they go.

This is also why Safir pretended to be human before entering the city; his enemies included not only followers of the God of Light like Paul, but also all the townspeople.

"Well," Lin Lin began to make up a story, "there is a rich landowner who wants us to help him open a Hot Spring Hotel."

Paul tilted his head slightly, "Just a hotel? Does it really need witches and Lizardfolk?"

Lin Lin coughed softly and whispered, "It seems I have to tell you a big secret. You must not tell anyone else."

Boys at this age are very curious about secrets. Paul’s bright green eyes sparkled as he leaned closer, "Tell me! Tell me!"

Lin Lin said, "We will secretly take a little piece of land at the Dragon race to build an inn."

"Hmph," Paul said, feeling disappointed and thinking Lin Lin was just bragging, "You should just keep writing your apology letter…"

The boy’s lazy voice stretched out as he relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

[Grandpa, this witch is a big liar…] The boy’s finger moved slightly, and just as he was about to speak, he noticed the elderly man he had called had turned around at some point.

The old man’s cloudy eyes looked at Lin Lin, who was pouting her face in anger.

The boy turned his head and looked at the woman in front of him.

It was already night, and the light in the ruined church flickered. A soft light, brushing against the fingertips of the God of Light statue, fell on the woman’s pure black hair, as if giving her a layer of golden glow.

In the center of the dim church, only she shone brightly, as if favored by the God of Light.

Paul remembered that three days ago, the old guys had come here to share the message of finding the "Holy Maiden."

But the Holy Maiden should not be a witch with black hair.

Although hesitant, the boy pointed to the statue of the God of Light, "Do you feel anything when you look at this statue?"

It is said that the Holy Maiden is someone called by the God of Light; when they see the statue, they experience deep emotions that make them cry, and the stronger the feeling, the louder the tears.

What! Is this the moment for people to gain favor by pleasing others?

Lin Lin gathered her spirit and looked seriously at the featureless statue.

Lin Lin struggled to find a word of praise, "Very handsome?"

Paul: …

Paul urged Lin Lin to finish her apology letter quickly.

The boy turned his head, ignoring the increasingly angry Lin Lin.

How annoying, the light shining on this woman seems to be a little brighter!