Chapter 8: Bernadette: The Starry Sky, Always So Fearsome

Chapter 8: Bernadette: The Starry Sky, Always So Fearsome

After the trial, Mrs. Gemanie cordially invited Hastur to visit her home that evening, hinting through her words that her husband would not be returning home tonight due to other engagements.

Faced with such an intimate invitation, Hastur could only politely decline, stating he had important matters to attend to that evening and it would not be convenient.

Mrs. Gemanie was not angered, merely giving Hastur a few lingering looks before she contentedly left in her carriage.

Snap!

Hastur pulled out his pocket watch; it was thirteen minutes past four, well beyond three o'clock in the afternoon.

Heh, women are deceivers, and boys must protect themselves when outside.

Hastur sighed, sensing the naked gaze measuring him from behind, scanning down from his shoulders, especially lingering on his buttocks.

A glance from the corner of his eye revealed two aged noblemen with round bellies, which sent a chill through him, prompting him to hastily catch a carriage to leave.

…

Returning home, Hastur went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. With plenty of time before the meal, he decided to make some hand-beaten beef balls.

First, he tenderized the beef surface carefully and repeatedly with a smooth rolling pin, turning the beef into mince. Then he sprinkled a suitable amount of flour, poured in water, a little salt, some spices, and kneaded it into balls before setting them in warm water to shape. The beef balls were thus successfully made.

After a satisfying meal, Hastur took off his coat, rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, and began to wash the dishes and the rolling pin.

At times like these, he thought about hiring a suitable chef to prepare his meals daily, preferably a pastry chef skilled in making various desserts to satisfy his cravings.

But the thought of having a stranger live in his home made him uncomfortable, so he temporarily abandoned the idea.

He would consider hiring a butler and a chef once he had a stable income.

For now, he had only 1,000 pounds deposited at Beckland Bank, with just 405 pounds, 8 shillings, and 4 pence in cash on hand.

Legal potion formulas and potion materials alone had cost him around 530 gold pounds, legal studies another 50 gold pounds, and various foods and transportation expenses had also added up.

He needed to set aside money to purchase the extraordinary materials for Sequence 8 Barbarian and keep 500 pounds as emergency funds, leaving not much for spending.

He also needed to gather 2,000 pounds to repay Viscount Glaint.

The thought of owing so much money gave him a headache; in any world, life is hard without money.

He did want to open a law firm to take on commissions and earn money, but his current level of legal knowledge was far from sufficient to stand on his own.

The best way to make money would naturally be to encounter some vicious extraordinaries, deal with them, and sell their extraordinary characteristics and potion formulas.

But that would require him to advance to Sequence 8 Barbarian first.

"Sigh, for now, I'll just have to endure it and wait another couple of months until I've fully assimilated the potion."

Hastur collected his emotions, went upstairs to bathe, and changed clothes. He needed to pack the used clothes in a bag to take to a specialized laundry, another expense.

The long night stretched before him, and he could only study by lamplight in his study, continuing to read those three introductory law books.

He fought on until eleven o'clock, Hastur's favorite time.

Closing the books and setting them aside, he got up, walked to the adjacent bedroom, lay on the bed, and prepared to enter dreamland.

More precisely, to enter the Hall of Stars.

The dull and monotonous daily life left only the small pleasure of whipping the genie at night.

Sitting in the first chair, his gaze fixed on the star where the genie resided, he simultaneously wielded the Chains of Order, ready to strike.

When the phantom of the Wishing Lamp appeared again, Hastur chuckled and lashed out with a powerful whip.

This time, he didn't observe the genie's reaction; he whipped and left without pausing for a breath.

Hastur tapped his fingers on the desk, a slight smile on his lips, murmuring, "It's time to rest again, hopefully, the genie can also enjoy a pleasant night."

…

Snap! The heavily sealed Wishing Lamp was once again flung away, crashing to the ground.

"Damn it! More detestable than the lord of the mysterious!"

The genie's phantom materialized again, its gaze unfriendly, looking up at the starry sky.

This time, Bernadette was intrigued.

She had stayed awake all night to explore the genie's secret and indeed caught the moment when the Wishing Lamp acted strangely.

In that instant, the heavy seals seemed to be broken by some mysterious force, a mighty power falling from the stars, as if whipping the Wishing Lamp, sending it flying directly.

This was not a disturbance the genie could cause on its own; it was a force from the stars affecting the Wishing Lamp!

Although she couldn't see the genie's face at that moment, she knew it must be fuming.

"The great and extraordinary you, to have such a wretched moment, is truly unexpected," Bernadette began to taunt.

The genie just sneered, "You have no idea what that power represents."

"I only need to understand that the power is not here to help you break the seal, and that's enough."

"Hmph, are you so sure?"

"Is there really an existence in the stars that wishes for your return?"

Bernadette's retort silenced the genie.

It had once had a glorious record, making many enemies.

Now sealed within the Wishing Lamp, those existences not taking the opportunity to destroy it was already a show of friendliness.

"We could cooperate," the genie expressed a willingness to collaborate, pressed for time and not wanting to play mind games with Bernadette any longer.

"I refuse."

Bernadette didn't give the genie another chance to speak, saying, "The night is deep, I should get a good night's sleep."

…

The genie watched Bernadette leave without seeming too anxious.

Bernadette was a smart person, and finding conditions to move her was difficult.

But there was one chip she absolutely couldn't refuse, though the genie didn't want to waste such a big bargaining chip.

For several days, every night around half-past eleven, the Wishing Lamp would be flung from its spot.

Bernadette had gone from being on guard to mocking the genie's impotence.

Of course, she still maintained enough vigilance in her heart, and the Dawn was still roaming the seas near the Storm Church.

One day, the genie finally chose to manifest from the Wishing Lamp.

Being flung away every day, coupled with Bernadette's taunts, had made it unable to endure any longer.

It had to find a way to counter this situation; it couldn't let the other party mold it as they pleased, after all, it was a powerful Old Day!

Bernadette said unceremoniously, "Tsk, finally not playing the shrinking turtle?"

The genie ignored Bernadette's taunts, its voice cold, "Let's make a deal."

"I think it's just right now, I can enjoy watching you get whipped like a dog every night."

"Verbal attacks won't bring you any benefit."

"But they make me happy."

"Hmph, my patience is limited, sooner or later you will need help more than I do."

Bernadette waved her hand lightly, "Then we'll talk about it in the future."

Seeing the conversation break down, the genie returned to the Wishing Lamp.

Bernadette placed a seal on the Wishing Lamp, stood up, walked out of the cabin, and came to the bow of the ship, looking up at the starry sky.

These past few days, watching the genie's frustrated demeanor had been quite interesting.

But it also brought a crisis; that mysterious power from the stars, friend or foe?

What if it was already trying to help the genie break the seal? Now that the genie was humbly seeking a trade, it could also be an act, just to let her guard down.

She wouldn't easily trust the sincerity of an evil god.

But she had tried all sorts of sealing techniques, yet still couldn't stop the nightly changes.

Was she really going to hand the Wishing Lamp over to the Seven Gods for suppression?

It was a Level 0 Seal that could save lives at critical moments, even offering a chance of survival against the descent of the Seven Gods.

"The starry sky, always so fearsome."

A sigh drifted over the vast sea.

(End of Chapter)