chapter 258: The Misfortune of Ins Zangwill

chapter 258: The Misfortune of Ins Zangwill

During the time he carried Miss Sharon with him, Hastur had been pondering a question.

For so many days, Miss Sharon had been staying inside the mirror. Didn't she need to address her personal physiological needs?

He knew that Sharon was currently in the sequence of a wraith, but her essence was still a human body, right? Humans can't perform photosynthesis, and according to the law of conservation of energy, she would also need to regularly replenish energy and nutrients, right? This question, he could only ponder silently in his heart, as he wouldn't do something as foolish as asking her directly.

If the subject were Maric, Hastur wouldn't have so many concerns and might even be interested in dissecting him.

"Here you go."

Sharon had just emerged from the mirror and handed Hastur a talisman densely covered with various twisted time lines.

This was the talisman Hastur had given her when the Black Emperor approached the ferry, saying that as long as she carried it, it would obscure her fate and allow her to hide more safely in the mirror.

Things indeed developed as Hastur had predicted. Hiding in the mirror, she managed to evade the perception of the King of the Five Seas, even though she had been hiding on Hastur for several days without her whereabouts being exposed.

This item was too precious.

Hastur did not take back the talisman but placed it back in Sharon's palm, smiling, "When I gave it to you, I said that this talisman was equivalent to your payment for accompanying me to Southwell County."

"I'm not worth that much."

"Whether it's worth it or not is for me, the employer, to decide."

"No."

"Then I can extend the employment period until you think it has repaid the value of this talisman."

"…"

"With this talisman on you, it will be easier for you to do certain things, and the people of the Rose School of Thought will find it harder to track you."

Seeing Sharon still hesitating, Hastur added this sentence.

"Okay."

Sharon finally put away the talisman. This item was of great use to her, and combined with her wraith abilities, it could help her evade many high-sequence powerhouses.

"Miss Sharon, do you need to eat something tonight to replenish your nutrients?"

"Well, I don't want to eat fish for now."

"In this regard, Aisala feels the same. It needs to eat some vegetables recently to balance its nutrition. It has gained a few pounds since we left Backlund."

"Meow?"

Aisala widened its eyes and looked down at its slender figure, clearly thinner than at home!

"Don't look. Your little belly is about to fall off."

Hastur gently rubbed Aisala's little belly, then handed it to Sharon and went downstairs to order some food to be delivered to the room.

Sharon, holding Aisala, sat by the window and carefully smoothed the black, shiny fur that Hastur had messed up.

"Meow?"

Aisala licked Sharon's fingers, looking up at her.

Sharon didn't speak, her expression much gentler than usual, her eyes seeming to melt like ice into water.

Downstairs, Hastur ordered the menu and was about to return to the room when he overheard people discussing the coastal defense issues of Southwell County.

They didn't have the courage to make suggestions to the current Duke of Southwell County, but they had plenty of courage to point fingers while drinking here.

Although some of their suggestions were immature, there were still some noteworthy points.

Hastur listened quietly for a while and then asked the owner for a map of Southwell County.

The map only had a few place names marked and no detailed contours.

The owner explained in a low voice that the more detailed maps were not for sale, and it was more convenient to find a living map.

He inquired about suitable candidates, and the owner recommended someone with a smile.

Hastur paid the owner a gold pound for the consultation fee, and the owner, smiling, recommended another person.

This time, Hastur didn't give him another gold pound and left under the owner's surprised and regretful gaze.

When he returned to the room, the ordered dishes had already been delivered.

Smack.

Hastur slapped away Aisala's little paw reaching for the dried fish and smiled as he gave it two green spinach leaves.

"Meow?"

Aisala's eyes widened, and Hastur added a piece of broccoli.

Angry, Aisala waved its paw and jumped off the table, landing on Sharon's lap, lying down with its eyes closed, showing a heroic determination to go on a hunger strike.

"Being picky is not good, right, Miss Sharon?"

Hastur smiled as he added a spoonful of diced carrots to Sharon's plate, then silently placed a tender beef rib on his own plate under Sharon's cold gaze.

At the evening port, the setting sun hung just above the distant sea, and the gentle sea breeze brought heavy moisture, feeling comfortable on the face.

It was the busiest time for dock workers, with fishing boats returning from the sea.

Hastur, holding Aisala, walked down the street with Sharon, heading to a clothing store.

The dozen or so sets of clothes and daily necessities they brought from Backlund were lost in the steam train explosion.

The newly purchased items were crushed to powder in the ferry's cabin by the King of the Five Seas.

Two hours later, the sun had set, and the crimson moon began to appear.

Hastur and Sharon finally emerged from the clothing store, each carrying a suitcase.

Aisala, not being held, lay on Hastur's right shoulder, secretly relieved.

Fortunately, all its custom-made clothes for the New Year had been destroyed, so it didn't have to wear those restrictive and annoying things.

It didn't understand why its owner and Miss Sharon insisted on wearing clothes.

...

At night, on the dark sea, waves surged, shattering the light of the crimson moon.

In the increasingly strong waves, two empty oak barrels were tied together with ropes, floating unsteadily on the sea.

On top of the two oak barrels, Ince Zangwill lay exhausted, his originally not-so-fair skin now pale from soaking in seawater, his fingers and toes pruned.

His clothes and hair had never been dry.

Fortunately, he had seen the beacon of hope.

Not far away, a tall lighthouse was guiding the returning ships.

Ince Zangwill lifted his head slightly, revealing a forced smile.

His unfortunate fate had finally turned around.

In the last battle with the King of the Five Seas, he had used the ability of Script 008 to summon two powerful spirit world creatures, eventually escaping the spirit world in the chaos.

He landed in the vast sea, falling into the water as soon as he left the spirit world, and had to swim desperately to get away.

Fortunately, he found a floating oak barrel on the sea, giving him a tool to save his strength after swimming for a long time.

But one oak barrel wasn't enough. He had to hold it with both hands, half lying on it, with his lower body still in the water.

Without a proper tool to paddle, he could only move in the direction of the current.

On the third day, he found another oak barrel floating on the sea, finally allowing his lower body to stay out of the water.

Although lying on two oak barrels like a frog was not elegant, it was the most comfortable way for him.

He had also tried to use Script 008 to write a script where a ship would pass by and rescue him from the sea.

However, the script never played out, and he could only keep drifting on the sea.

He knew that Script 008 was deliberately trying to kill him.

In his incomplete state, he couldn't compete with Script 008 for the ability to write scripts, only barely resisting to prevent Script 008 from writing him to death.

He had also thought of traveling through the spirit world to escape his current predicament, but the two spirit world creatures he had summoned were still lingering nearby.

Rather than returning to the spirit world, staying in the real world was safer. Although the situation was difficult, there was no immediate danger to his life.

As an extraordinary being, his physique had been strengthened through multiple promotions, otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the sun's scorching during the day and the heavy moisture of the waves at night.

Fortunately, fate hadn't completely abandoned him. Following the current, he was not swept into uninhabited waters but was about to reach a port with a lighthouse.

In the latter half of the night, Ince Zangwill had reached a point 500 meters from the shore, but the surging waves couldn't push him ashore, instead pushing him further away.

At this point, he had to abandon the oak barrels that had been his lifeline for days and swim with all his might against the waves.

Unfortunately, his perseverance had no audience.

When the sun began to rise at the horizon, the waves calmed down.

Ince Zangwill finally swam to the beach, feeling an urge to cry. The feeling of solid ground was so wonderful.

Barely leaving the water-soaked beach, he reached a higher spot, stopped his difficult steps, and lay down on the sand, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.

Ince Zangwill turned his head slightly, looking at the orange sun, a satisfied smile of survival on his face.

On the coastline, Hastur opened the window facing the sea, letting the first rays of the sun in.

Sharon, who had rested in the mirror for the night, also emerged, holding the lazy Aisala, and came to the window to admire the magnificent sea and sky.

"Good morning, Miss Sharon."

From the window of the next room, Hastur's head popped out, smiling and greeting her.

"Good morning, Mr. Hastur."

Sunlight fell on Sharon's face, seemingly revealing a faint smile.

(End of Chapter)