“What kind of weird plot is this… such a mess.”
After ordering the Pink-haired Dwarf to leave on his own and go sleep in the monitoring room, Vyea couldn’t help but rub her own arm, too lazy to keep pretending with her words and actions.
That guy was too cooperative.
So cooperative that even Vyea was starting to lose her composure.
You’re the Headquarters Chief, so why can you so blatantly escort someone who’s clearly hostile toward me?
A fence-sitter, huh?
Putting the confusion in her mind aside, Vyea decided to temporarily focus her attention on the “All-Seeing Eye” replica in front of her.
Back when she was a Hero, she had been to the Academic Tower and was familiar with the Thirteen Impossible Conjectures circulated there.
One of those conjectures was closely related to the “All-Seeing Eye.”
The “All-Seeing Eye” was a treasure left behind by an unknown deity, composed of thirteen gemstones. At the center was a blood-red gem, surrounded like a stalk of wheat by twelve green gems.
It had existed in an unactivated state at the Dusk Ruins until four hundred years ago when the great scholar Aleppe brought it back to the Capital and activated it.
Once activated, the “All-Seeing Eye” immediately shattered into scattered pieces, leaving only the red gem behind in its original place while the twelve green gems vanished.
Seven days after activation, one green gem was discovered in Nelingeri City, located 20,000 kilometers from the Capital on the Northern Frontier.
Later, the remaining eleven green gems were gradually found in various regions across the land.
Subsequent extensive scholarly research revealed that these twelve green gems existed as subsidiary bodies, dependent on the red gem in the Capital…
Each scattered piece of the “All-Seeing Eye” possessed miraculous vision capabilities. They were later gradually developed into rare tools used to defend against Demon Race infiltration.
But nothing in this world is perfect. In its scattered state, the “All-Seeing Eye”’s energy fluctuations were far weaker than those of the complete artifact.
Scholars tried to reunite the gems but all attempts naturally failed.
Those people spent centuries without success; Vyea, having only heard rumors, was naturally far less likely to know how to proceed.
Not knowing didn’t matter, because that wouldn’t stop Vyea from deceiving Hua Shiyu.
“I’m sorry, I lied…”
Vyea sighed softly, her footsteps light as she continued deeper along the plank path.
At the end of the walkway stood a gigantic circular glass container, towering like the Heavenly Tower.
A single jade-green gem floated inside, emitting a misty green light.
In front of the enormous transparent window, Vyea’s figure was tiny, like a speck of dust.
That speck of dust silently stood still for a long moment, as if shaken and yet deep in thought.
Suddenly, Vyea moved.
She took off the long staff coat and removed the duckbill cap pinned to her head, letting her moon-white hair cascade down.
Removing her outward disguise, her emerald green eyes locked onto the green gem behind the glass.
“I never intended to come find you now.”
Through the thick glass, Vyea muttered to herself.
“But my current state is really terrible. The Hero’s Mark still remains but is riddled with cracks. I dare not recklessly wield the Cleansing Authority. Many people don’t trust me anymore. Many old friends don’t dare to seek my help…”
Her tone grew heavy, but then she inexplicably felt amused.
The once self-proclaimed strongest Hero in the world had fallen to such a state.
She used to be surrounded by so many family and friends, but now there wasn’t even a single person to confide in and ease the burden in her heart.
They say Heroes should be as hard as iron, but even the hardest metal, once it reaches its fatigue point, becomes as fragile as glass.
“Now, I even have to use my little disciple to trick that… um, junior sister, and rely on some luck just to get in front of you.”
“Heh heh…”
Vyea suddenly laughed twice.
“I remember back when I was a Hero, if I lost a game and cursed in frustration, someone would come console me and recommend a new game to distract me.
Whenever something like that happened, Flaviel would always come to mock me, saying I was trash, loved playing, and couldn’t stand losing…”
“I would retort with ‘So what?’ and she’d get so mad that Flaviel would threaten not to cook for us for days. Heh, even though she’s a Demon King hiding in human society, she somehow learned to cook so well…”
“We, the entire Hero Squad, could only watch helplessly. Seven of us total, six humans who couldn’t cook, and one Demon King who could not only cook but maxed out her skill points. Isn’t that funny?”
Suddenly, the bright space darkened.
Vyea stopped her story and looked ahead. The clean floor had begun to ripple faintly with pale green waves, though she didn’t notice when it started.
A blurry fluorescent green figure quietly appeared behind her.
Without a sound, fluorescent green droplets slid down Vyea’s face, falling onto the ground one by one.
A sudden insight struck her, and she slowly turned to face the familiar blurry fluorescent green figure.
A great sorrow surged through her like a tidal wave.
“Sorry. Today’s your birthday, but I couldn’t bring a gift to see you…”
The green figure raised a hand, trying to touch Vyea, but passed through her body, hitting nothing.
It was stunned.
“Night Hero… you’re… still alive?”
“No, no, that’s not right.”
The blurry figure looked at Vyea carefully, denying repeatedly,
“No, no, that’s not right. You’re not Night Hero! I must report this! Report to Sister Red, a monster has intruded!”
“Little Green!”