It's Not Her!

"I've fulfilled my end of the deal," Mickey said. "Now it's your turn to pay up. By the way, you should have told me that boar was pregnant. My beast is badly injured from the fight."

He glanced over at tan skin man trying hard to suppress his rage.

"I also took care of the trees the boar knocked down. Considering the extra work, I think a 10% increase in payment is reasonable. You might want to consider hiring a gardener to maintain your plants."

He added with a devious smile forming on his face.

"Oh, and one more thing, I'm willing to sell you the boar's tusks and hooves for 35 million spirit coins each. That's a 75% discount."

'You little shit!'

Wednesday's face twisted in outrage as he looked at Mickey, who was trying to swindle him. He had seen the video of Mickey's lackluster fight against the boar, which made Mickey's audacity even more infuriating.

What really got under his skin, though, was that Mickey had stolen from his garden and was now demanding payment for his "gardening services."

Mickey tried hard to suppress his laughter, from seeing Wednesday's expression, as he added.

"What's wrong? You look upset. Don't people at Treasure Store appreciate it when someone does them a favor?"

Wednesday could only force a helpless smile on his square-shaped face.

'Mickey! Mickey! Do you have any slight idea that your secret is know by us?.'

Wednesday sighed in helplessness. Mickey was important in their master's plan, and they had to make sure he is killed by the right person.

"Fine, I will give you the money you need."

Mickey's eyes narrowed as the blue-eyed man agreed to his request, a sense of unease settling in his chest, his fist tightening involuntarily.

'I only acted the way I did because I wanted him to attack me... but seeing him act like this must mean that they are keeping me alive for a reason.'

'Just what is that reason...'

He didn't know, and just shrugged the issue off at the moment.

…

As summer drew to a close, the heatwave had given way to unseasonable rains, bringing a crisp coolness to the air. Although it wasn't quite cold enough for winter coats, the chill had prompted many, especially the mortals, to don jackets.

In a science lab at Levels High School, a woman with a pixie-cut blond hairstyle intently examined a selection of herbs laid out before her.

Hugh Qian wasn't an experienced alchemist, but she had a basic understanding of it. She was attempting to create a remedy for the widespread cold that had been circulating around mortals.

Hugh Qian could have easily dismissed the mortals' plight, just as many other Book Lords did. But to her, the lives of mortals held the same value as those of Book Lords.

However, even kindness has its boundaries.

With a hint of wistfulness, she thought to herself,

'I wish someone would surprise me with a lily...'

She could buy herself flowers, but now she was running out of funds. She could ask her boyfriend, but her pride couldn't let her.

He had his own issues to handle after all.

In the end, she could only depend on herself and was holed up in the chemistry lab doing her research.

She was focused, but as a Book Lord, she had to be on alert.

'Who is that?'

Her brows knotted up into a frown as she felt her jindan reacting to the presence of another jindan - a book Lord was coming her way!

'This aura, it must be a person who is about to break through to the second stage of the spirit realm.'

"!"

Her eyes widened as she felt another aura with the silhouette coming towards her.

'That's an elementary realm profound beast, and it must be hurt considering how weak its aura is.'

As a Book Lord who specialized in healing, she could tell that much, and this made a bright little flash in her eyes.

'He must be here to ask me to heal his beast. I will ask him to buy me a blue-ice lily.'

In a remarkable display of efficiency, Hugh Qian transformed the cluttered lab into a tidy space in mere minutes.

Seated on a stool, she appeared to be deeply engrossed in the formula for the cold remedy, her eyes fixed intently on the page.

But in reality, her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts.

'5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and now!'

Knock-! Knock-!

The knock did really come at her doorstep, and she replied in a reluctant tone.

"Come in."

She did not even try to look at the figure despite her curiosity. She only reacted when a familiar countertenor voice echoed in her ears.

"Happy 22nd birthday."

Hugh Qian quickly turned her eyes at this daring young man, only to be greeted by a bouquet of blue-ice lilies in front of her face.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the one who bought her flowers.

"Mickey, you remembered my birthday?"

The boy in the red hoodie just showed a light smile.

"It is the 4th of July."

Hugh Qian scowled at this red-eyed brat.

"Are you sure there is no catch for this?"

Mickey's expression did not change.

"There is none. I just want to thank you for looking after me when I was at this school. Now that I have become a Book Lord, I thought it would be wise to drop out."

The young lady stayed silent.

She was happy that Mickey had become a Book Lord, but hearing how honest he was made the worry in her heart deepen.

'Whatever he needs, I'm not giving him.'

Mickey noticed her suspicious gaze and quickly addressed.

"I can take the flowers if you don't want them."

"Where did you get them?"

"From the forest."

"What is your talent grade?"

"The worst of the worst."

Hugh Qian finally took the flowers.

She was worried about Mickey since being a Book Lord was not easy, but she was even more worried about how he was going to behave towards her now that he had become a Book Lord.

She brought the lilies close to her nose and sniffed them to test if they were fake.

"They smell nice."

"I know, right?"

The scowl on Qian's face deepened, and she now wished she had never received these flowers.

However, Mickey knew what she was making and took the paper that was on her desk.

"Oh, my! I must have the ability of foresight. Blue-ice lilies are needed for this potion you are making."

Qian became even more suspicious and confirmed that Mickey indeed knew what she was making.

'When I announced this potion, I had not yet figured out that blue-ice lilies were needed. How did he know?'

Mickey took a pen and started modifying the formula as he stated some of his own theories to Qian.

"Blue-ice lilies do contain a high concentration of ice spirit essence, but they're more effective as an antibiotic than a cure. Instead of just treating the symptoms, why not create a remedy that enables the body to fight off the cold on its own? This approach would provide longer-term benefits, granting the people immunity to the cold for a certain period."

Hugh Qian felt a little joy, but did not show it.

"Are you taking part in alchemy?"

Mickey answered honestly, he could not lie to her anyways.

"Not yet."

The concern in Qian's eyes dissipated.

'If Mickey became an alchemist,' she thought, 'Who knows what kind of disastrous concoctions he'd create? A radioactive bomb would be a more pleasant surprise.'

"I hope you die."

"I know you don't."

"Tsk."

…

At a medium-sized house, the police had surrounded the whole place, leaving no space for a mortal to escape.

In front was Chi Di; he was not the leader of this operation and had begged to be put on the assault team.

With an AK-47 gun, the pretty boy started walking toward the wooden house together with the others.

They were as silent as falling snow, but they were also swift.

The neighbors were told to hide somewhere; hence, the whole place was shrouded in silence.

Chi Di walked past the lawn with a vigilant expression and tiptoed past the stairs leading to the front door.

The whole prism house was covered in red dots, and he was sure the criminal would not escape.

Bam-!

He kicked the front door and was met with a surprise that made him faint right away.

The other police members came to assist him and saw the horrifying sight.

There was a head with its skin peeled off on top of a glass table, with blood flowing out of it, hitting the body that was sliced into pieces underneath.

On the wall were the words, "It's not her!"