He smiled and nodded. "I guess traveling the territory could be done in another time." He thought.
The two then rented a horse for themselves and galloped towards the neighboring city to the east of Meizu City.
While on the journey, Isabelle told him about her.
Isabelle was the daughter of a powerful Mercenary King of The Kingdom of Stranc, a vassal of the powerful Steins Empire that is west of the Yuan Empire. Ruling over the second most powerful mercenary group in the kingdom Athos that was presiding the outskirts of the silver Gloria Fort that is in the Southern region, Isabelle lived the life of a noble.
Except for her mother that she has never met and only left a wooden pendant that is shaped like an eight-winged butterfly, Isabelle had a perfect family.
But it all went downhill when the heir of the most powerful mercenary group wanted to marry her.
Akarus Morbius, Isabelle's father, respected Isabelle's decision, and when she said no, Akarus fought for it. Angered by the response, Leon Skarbron, the Mercenary King of the Lions Mercenary Group teamed up with the other mercenary groups to destroy the Athos Mercenary Group.
Akarus was killed and Isabelle, with his brother, escaped, leaving Stranc and going to the west, and reaching Qin.
For her brother, Isabelle trained and cultivated to reach where she is now. She became strong, hardy, smart, and manageable just for her brother to have a good life.
Matthias also told her his "identity" as a retired soldier. Hearing his story, she was amazed.
"A retired soldier reaching an unfathomable level? Unbelievable!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah." Matthias chuckled while scratching his head.
"So what are you doing now?" She asked. "Traveling, mostly. I have almost nothing to do anyway." He replied.
"Is it?" Isabelle nodded in understanding.
They entered the city of Qixi the next day. There, they rode on their horses towards their destination.
After a while, they stopped at a tall building with a wooden plaque with the words "Alqiuea Inn" on it.
Even from the outside, the noise of other people clinking their tankard mugs filled with cheap tavern ale and the same people cheering their comrades for good wishes enveloped the first floor of the inn.
Not minding the ruckus inside, the two entered the inn and took the stairs to the 10th floor, one floor below the highest level. They walked in the halls, the sounds of flying birds permeated from the outside.
They reached the door with the number "107" written on a small wooden plaque. Isabelle touched her ring and, like it was as if it's reacting, the middle of the ring shone and a key materialized on her palms.
She inserted the key and turned it to unlock the brown door. She then turned the knob and proceeded to open it.
Inside the room, it was very peaceful. The window sill was open, letting the fresh wind of the Immortal Territories in. On the bed lay a peaceful looking boy whose complexion is as white as snow. His eyes were shut and his lips were flakey and purple. His black hair had white strands all over his scalp. With the boy's ten-or-so age, having white strands of hair that are meant for adults, the boy's state is not normal.
"Gail!" When she saw the boy's condition, Isabelle panicked and exclaimed. She rushed by his side and held his hand. Cold. It was freezing cold.
Tears formed and trickled down from her eyes, "Gail. Gail! Wake up!" She cried while shaking the motionless boy's body.
While she was filled with anxiety, Matthias' eyes narrowed at the sight in front of him.
Different from the peaceful-looking atmosphere that other people would usually see, he was currently seeing an eerie and blue room with three pale men wearing black hanfu attires and zhongjian guan hats with blue soul chains wrapped on their wrists. On their left waists, a slender black blade shone with a cold blue hue.
The one in front had a bag strapped on his waist and a huge three-feet tall thick and archaic book on his back.
Matthias strode, stopping in front of Isabelle, "Three gentlemen, who are you?" He asked the men.
"W-What do you mean 'Three gentlemen'? Who are you talking to?" Isabelle asked with shock and confusion.
Matthias' eyes furrowed, "Wait, you don't see them?" He said without turning his head.
"Who are you talking about?" Isabelle cried.
Then, suddenly, Matthias thought of something that could be a possibility. He turned his head around and looked at her, "Leave for now. I will help your brother as much as I can, but for now, I am asking you to leave for a moment." He implored.
"I wouldn't leave my brother, Han gongzi!" She exclaimed.
"Now. I am not asking for your opinion, I am ordering you to leave." His eyes turned cold and indifferent and his voice went deeper than usual. The seriousness in his face and voice frightened her and understood the severity of the matter.
"T-Then, call me if ever you need. I'll be just outside." She nodded hesitatingly and walked backwards, leaving the room.
Once she had left the room past the door, Matthias abruptly waved his hand, sending a burst of energy, slamming the door shut.
"Then, will you talk now?" Matthias scoffed and glanced at the three men.
"Esteemed God from the outside realm, I suggest that you don't meddle with our affairs here." The man at the front warned him.
"You know that I am a god?" Matthias raised his eyebrows. "My encounter with this boy's sister is ordained by fate. I, as a person who believes in its power, needs to at least help someone who is linked to me by it." Matthias chuckled with his face emotionless.
"Guessing by your cold auras and your attires, I think I can guess what you three are. The coldness of the Underworld Yin, Soul Chains to bind wandering spirits, and the obsidian blade on your waist that has the power to destroy souls, and that stupendously huge book that is so old that even I can't see through it. Are you three some kind of Grim Reaper and that book is the so-called Book of Life and Death? The boy still has some life force. What are your goals here?" He asked the three indifferently.
"You know our identity, then why are you still not letting us do our job, Esteemed God?"
"Hah!" As if he had heard a joke, Matthias laughed aloud. "How brazen of you to say that with a straight face."
But, abruptly, Matthias' laughing face turned cold, "You should be ashamed when saying that. Jobs of Grim Reapers like you are ought to only be involved with the matters of Hell and The Realm of The Dead. With what I am seeing, the boy is not dead." He chided with a cold, straight face.
"I am alive, meaning that I have every right to be involved with the matters of the Realm of The Living. I should be the one to say these simple words," Matthias shrugged and grunted, then looked right straight to the eyes of the Grim Reaper at the front, "Return to the realm from whence you came." He raised his chin, looking down on them.
Seeing his persistent attitude, the man in front hissed, "Are you sure that you want to go against the affairs of our realm?"
"I'm not interfering or going against the affairs of your realm, Grim Reaper. I am going against you in the Realm of The Living where your authority only scopes the dead souls and the Evil Yin Spirits and nothing else." Matthias countered and smirked.
The man grunted and spat, "Remember our words, lowly god. We are the Emissaries of Hell in the Mortal Realm. Hell's ranks is something that you can never imagine, for we will be your strongest foe until the mortal lands collapse."
"How laughable for you to threaten this gentleman, insignificant emissary." Suddenly, a rift appeared behind the three men. A voice came from the inside, ridiculing the three men.
The men jumped back from it and drew their obsidian blades, "Who are you?! Show yourself!" The man on the front shouted cautiously.
From the rift, starting with the right leg, then two hands that gripped the walls, a messy looking old man came out wearing dirty ragged clothes while his shoulder-long white hair draped down his face.
He shifted his eyes towards the three men, his eyes gleaming with a sharp glint.
"It's me." His posture straightened and her arms opened wide as if welcoming the reaction of the people.
The man in front narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows, "Who are you?" He asked confusedly.
The ragged old man took time to process what he heard. "Wait, you don't know me?" He returned to his hunched back posture and stared dumbfoundedly at the Grim Reaper. The latter shook his head.
The ragged-looking old man took half a minute to process the information. "Heh, has it been more than 666 years since I wrecked havoc upon the Realm of The Living and The Dead?" He chuckled helplessly.
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