Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
Late at night, the team fell into sleep by the bonfire except Han Jin. The news about the massive invasion to be made by the guards of vampires frightened them all, but couldn’t stop their demand for sleep. After all, it was a crisis in the future, not now.
Han Jin was sitting straightly there, throwing some dry sticks into the bonfire from time to time. He was pondering something, that was, how to seize the opportunity to build a city of his own, in which he had the highest right of speech and explanation in this more and more disordered world.
He was a friar, and had been a part-time private detective in the past. By no means had he been a powerful person with great ambition or a military enthusiast fond of killing. Strictly speaking, he was just an ordinary person good at reading the minds of others due to his vocation and extensive experience.
Now, he had set a goal for himself. But he was at loss about how to realize this goal and where to start.
Suddenly, a low sound of groan came to him. Han Jin raised his head and looked at the direction of the groan. Reg was making tiny movements and struggling to raise head.
“You have woken up. It seems you are robuster than I expected.” Han Jin walked to him immediately and said in a low voice.
His face reminded Reg of the last scene he had seen before falling down in a faint. Reg wanted to say something, but some kind of malodour wafted out from his own body stopped him. He looked down to find his arms covered by bloodstains. On his palms, there were many black red blood clots, as if he had climbed out from a pool of blood.
“You… saved me?” Reg showed an expression of astonishment.
“Don’t think too much. You need rest now.” Han Jin gave him an irrelevant answer. In terms of Thick Black Theory, Han Jin’s attainments were very limited. In his eyes, he had only brought Reg here, but hadn’t really saved him. So he couldn’t consider himself as Reg’s life-saver.
“Did you kill them?” Reg couldn’t help asking.
“No, I didn’t.” Han Jin replied honestly.
“You have already saved me, are you afraid that I will betray you?” Reg showed a bitter smile. He didn’t believe Han Jin’s reply at all. If Han Jin hadn’t killed all the knights, he would have been caught back by them. What’s more, where did the blood covered all over his body come from?!
“Ho ho…” Han Jin made a dry cough. He didn’t know how to explain it.
“Thank you.” Reg said in a low voice. Though his thankfulness was simple, his tone was very firm.
“Not at all.” Han Jin smiled.
He thought it natural to accept Reg’s gratitude. Anyway, if he had not brought Reg out from the village, Reg had either been frozen or starving, or chocked by the flowing blood to die, or been killed by the vampires. When they pulled Reg out from the corpses, his face, even his nose was full of blood. It was Han Jin who cleaned for him personally.
A trace of intricate feeling was reflected in Reg’s eyes. Han Jin’s acceptance of his gratefulness proved lots of things, including the reason and process for him to appear in this place. “You have got yourself into great trouble. You shouldn’t help me.” A moment later, Reg said in a low voice.
“Trouble? Ho ho…” Han Jin smiled. “I don’t care about trouble.” He meant it. Since he came to this world, he had gone through various of troubles.
But unlike Reg, Han Jin always dressed himself up clean and tidy. His natural and unrestrained manner as well as his calm expression on face left great impression on Reg. In the eyes of Reg, Han Jin was a very courageous man, a man with indescribabletemperament who could tackle complicated problems in a very easy manner. Such temperament could impress others greatly, at least had impressed Reg greatly.
Reg didn’t say anything more. He had thanked Han Jin with words already. He knew that’s not enough at all, but he could only keep this favor deep in his mind.
“Well, you should rest now. Your recovery from injury is the most important thing.” Han Jin reminded him again. “When your wounds are healed, you can leave, if you like. We will not detain you. But if you want to stay with us, you are welcomed. We will share our food with you as long as we have.” This said, Han Jin drew a charm of Spirit Refreshment in the air and threw it into Reg’s body.
Reg was startled at first, but soon he felt ashamed of his reaction. He shouldn’t consider his life-saver was attacking him. A moment later, the expression on his face altered greatly. He had felt the change of his body brought by the charm. “What magic… is that?” He asked in a tremulous voice.
“A magic to help people.” Han Jin replied indirectly with an unfathomable smile.
Cessacioun opened his eyes slowly and raised his thumb to Han Jin from an angle invisible to Reg. He knew exactly what an amazing feeling it was. Almost all professionals in this world desired to reach the highest peak, but few had enough confidence due to the limitation of aptitude, energy and time!
However, the magic of Han Jin subverted all of these limitations. As long as one could get the help from Han Jin, his dream could come into reality sooner or later! Cessacioun knew, from his own feeling the first time he had tasted this magic, that it was a great temptation to any professional.
“You are awake too?” Han Jin smiled to him.
“Sh…” Cessacioun put his index finger on lips and pointed to the other side.
Looking at the direction where Cessacioun was pointing at, Han Jin nearly burst into laughter. Moxinke and Sylner were intertwining with each other, fast asleep. They had a private conversation before sleeping. Now Moxinke was sleeping like a baby. His face, which was permeated with a sweet smile full of happiness, was buried between Sylner’s breasts, and his body was under one of her legs.
In fact, Moxinke was a light sleeper. But he still slept well even a leg was put on his chest.
“Raphael, do you know what relationship they have?” Cessacioun asked in a low voice.
“Hasn’t he told you?”
“No. I asked him. But he told me to mind my own business.” Cessacioun replied with some depression.
“Sylner is the daughter of his teacher. They grew up together.” Han Jin smiled, “As for what relationship they have now, I think you know and don’t need I to explain it any more.”
“Yes. I know Sylner likes him very much. But Moxinke… Does he like her too?”
“Of course he does.” Han Jin lowered down his voice. “After all, they have had a good relationship for over ten years. But Moxinke can’t withstand her temper. He feels very distressed. For that he even had a conversation with me.”
“That guy…” Cessacioun said angrily. “He asked me to leave him alone, but turned to you himself! How dare he to look down upon me like that!”
“He said you were crafty and couldn’t be trusted. Telling you these was equal to leaving you a handhold to mock him.” Han Jin smiled.
“Me…” Cessacioun was unwilling to submit. But when he saw the handsome face of Han Jin, on which was a warm and kind smile, he had to admit that he was really not as easy going as Han Jin. He sat closer to him and forced a fawning smile, “Tell me. What else has he told you?”
“I don’t think it appropriate to release his secrets to you.” Han Jin showed an expression of hesitation.
“Ah! It’s all right! I won’t tell him!” Cessacioun seemed impatient.
“As a matter of fact, his trouble is simple. Have you imagined what your future wife will be like, Cessacioun?”
“Yes…” Cessacioun rolled his eyes at Han Jin. Why would the topic switch to himself since he was the one who wanted to find out the secrets of Moxinke.
“She must be a perfect woman in your imagination, gentle and generous, clever and sensible, and most importantly, beautiful. Anyway, she is a woman integrated with all kinds of virtues. As for the shortcomings… None will she have.”
Cessacioun was confused. “Who would wish shortcomings?”
“That is the contradiction between imagination and reality.” Han Jin said in a soft tone, “The same is Moxinke. He wishes his wife to be a perfect woman. So he doesn’t think Sylner is qualified. But he does like her.”
“Then how did you persuade him?”
“I told him that everyone had shortcomings, including himself.” Han Jin paused, “Do you know what his most annoying shortcoming is?”
“Dirty!” Cessacioun gnashed his teeth. He was really headache about this. “Each time he finishes practicing of sword art, he smells sour all over him. And he likes to run around without taking a shower first. If I remind him of this, he will say it is the smell of a man. Pooh!!”
“The same as what I have told him. I asked him whether Sylner disliked him due to this.” Han Jin continued, “his answer was negative. In fact, if you like a person, you will accept not only her merits, but also her shortcomings. Sylner is a good woman of naivete. So she is not philistine at all. She has had affection for Moxinke since he was still a boy, and has kept this feeling till now. No matter Moxinke is successful or not in the future, she will stay with him. Such kind of affection is rare and must be cherished.”
“You are right.” Cessacioun nodded.
“Of course Sylner’s shortcomings are as many as her virtues. She is too naive… even childish, and doesn’t know the blackness of human’s heart, nor does she know the difficulty for surviving in this world. She always brings troubles to herself and others.”
“You said she is not philistine due to her naivete, but now you also said she is childish due to naivete.” Cessacioun forced a smile, “I am totally confused. Is naivete good or not?”
“Have you seen the sword of Moxinke?”
“Yes!”Cessacioun was even more confused. “Then what?”
“Many things are like the double-edged sword. If you use it well, it will help you. Otherwise, it will hurt you.”
“You…” Cessacioun paused, “I wonder, was Moxinke confused or not when you told him these?”
