Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Cleaning Up the Mess
Baru’s sudden shout stunned everyone.
Wait!
What did he say?
Philier and the others suddenly realized the hidden meaning in Baru’s words.
It was a feeling they didn’t dare to consider, yet couldn’t help but think about.
Philier even felt his face flush and the mark on his palm begin to itch.
But at the same time, his heart began to race.
They might have been a bit slow on the uptake, but they weren’t stupid. Baru’s words were a blunt declaration: he was either a true Dawn Member, or his understanding of Dawn far surpassed their imagination.
They had long wondered if the organization "Dawn" might still exist, but their previous search and the words of Philier’s grandfather had led them to believe that the orthodox "Dawn" had vanished into history.
’No!’ Philier suddenly remembered his grandfather’s half-finished sentence about the "Scepter."
"You... you are?"
Philier didn’t even realize that his tone of voice was the same as when he was a child who had done something wrong and was facing his father.
Baru straightened his body, his muscles and bones thrumming like steel cables.
An aura!
It was an ethereal thing they had only ever seen in anime, yet now, Philier and the others could feel it clearly.
A suffocating pressure made it difficult for them to breathe.
"The torch and sword in the Sage’s hand, under the banner of Dawn—the Silent Knight."
Baru’s deep voice struck the hearts of Philier and the others like the heavy beat of a drum.
BOOM—
In that instant, a blast of air erupted from Baru in all directions, forcing everyone to take an involuntary step back.
The heartbeats of every young person in the room reached their peak.
The "Dawn Seal" in Baru’s right palm gradually lit up, emitting a faint, magical glow.
In comparison, the scribbles on Philier and the others’ hands looked pathetic, making them want to find a hole to crawl into and hide.
"Don’t you want to know the power of ’Dawn’? Don’t you yearn to obtain the abilities of a Superman? Heh, I can tell you, Dawn has all of that internally!"
With a metallic jingle, Baru effortlessly bent a coin with two fingers and tossed it to the ground.
The group stared at the scene before them, their mouths agape and their minds momentarily blank.
"You really want to obtain it, don’t you?"
Though his tone betrayed no emotion, Baru’s words were filled with temptation.
Philier and the others were still half-dazed, but their heads nodded reflexively.
"In your dreams!"
His shout yanked them back to reality. Baru sounded a little angry.
"Do you have any idea what kind of mess you’ve been making? It’s like carrying a lantern in the dead of night with no weapon for self-defense! The association already knows what you’ve been up to."
"By order of the Sage who manages the Scepter, I’m here to help you..."
Baru paused here, his tone sounding somewhat helpless.
"I’m here to clean up your mess!"
After speaking, he sat down on the stool in front of the table, picked up the baguette he had called disgusting, and took a vicious bite.
After eating half the bread, he noticed the group of young people standing there, not daring to move, even holding their breath as they watched him.
Their eyes were filled with a mixture of shock, excitement, adoration, and regret.
’It’s really "Dawn"! "Dawn" still exists?’
’Those powerful, mysterious beings?’
’A Silent Knight?’
’That sounds so awesome!’
’But considering all the stupid things we’ve done, this Master Knight seems to be angry...’
’What do we do?!’ The group didn’t know how to appease Baru, sweating with anxiety.
Baru’s fierce demeanor didn’t scare the youths, who were already buzzing with excitement.
’They’re still just a bunch of kids, after all.’
Looking at them, he sighed internally and dropped his fierce expression.
’At this point, even holding an M9 to their heads probably wouldn’t do much good.’
As he retracted his aura, the suffocating feeling in the room subsided.
"What are you still standing there dazed for? Come over here and tell me all the earth-shattering deeds you’ve done! Let’s see if there’s still time to help you cover your tracks."
"I said the Demons haven’t broken out, but there’s no telling if those French guys have already got their eyes on you."
Baru said irritably.
"Right, let’s start with introductions. Hmm, write your names on a piece of paper so I can give them to Master Sage."
"You’re first."
The group cautiously approached. Philier, having been called out, rubbed his chest hard a couple of times to ease his tension.
He not only introduced himself but also detailed his family’s origins and their connection to "Dawn." At the same time, with additions from the others, he recounted their recent search for the Dawn Secret Place on the map and the email they had sent on a whim.
After that, they introduced themselves one by one.
The whole process was a bit chaotic, but the account was still reasonably clear. In less than twenty minutes, Baru had a general understanding of the situation.
He rubbed his forehead, a headache coming on.
’These damn fools. They’ve left too many holes.’
For one thing, their "treasure" hunt all over France had them running around leaving their names everywhere.
The French authorities just hadn’t noticed yet. If they did, they’d be able to root them out quickly.
’I can only place my Hope in Master Sage!’
After sending the names and information, Baru had no immediate countermeasures. He could only tell these kids to lie low and stop stirring up trouble all the time.
At the very least, that new round of exploration plans could be called off.
It would be best if they didn’t even hold meetings before news came from the association.
...
Qin Xiaoxia had sensed it the moment Baru used the Secret Realm Power in his arm.
’He must have started his move.’
Sure enough, not long after getting off the plane, he received a message from Baru on his phone.
"These guys really know how to get around, huh? They’ve been up mountains and into the water..."
Qin Xiaoxia felt the last Wishing Gold Coin in his pocket, feeling a bit reluctant to part with it.
’Sigh, I can only hope to get the Magic Energy Crystal production sorted out quickly, then find some Gold Ore so Doudou can forge more Wishing Gold Coins.’
He took a taxi back to Qingzhen.
The first thing he did was look for Doudou.
As the Weaver of the Secret Realm, Qin Xiaoxia naturally didn’t need to enter it using the preset method like others. He simply stepped into the old association house and was inside the Secret Realm.
The empty hall was still filled with clanging sounds. Doudou was holed up in the kitchen, cooking up some unknown dark cuisine. Everything seemed the same as when he left.
Amidst Doudou’s grumbling, Qin Xiaoxia dragged him by the ear into an empty room.
He used the Wish to erase all external traces related to that string of names and "Dawn" over the past two months.
If this didn’t work, then the name "Dawn" might be exposed.
Fortunately, although Baru was still a hulking brute when he went to see the group, he at least had the Secret Realm Engraving. As long as they didn’t see him for a few hours, Philier and the others would forget what Baru looked like.
After finishing this, Qin Xiaoxia felt he had nothing else to do for the time being. He followed Doudou to the kitchen with great interest, wanting to see what the little guy was cooking and if he was planning to eat it himself.
’I hope I can get another period of peaceful life~ I wonder how long it’ll last.’
As he lamented this internally, Qin Xiaoxia was still in a leisurely mood. ’Tomorrow’s problems are for tomorrow.’
Although he wasn’t particularly tired mentally or physically, he had been on a plane for over ten hours after all. It was time for a break.
Yes, he had considered everything he needed to consider.
Except for a certain girl still sleeping in his room...
...
「France」
The people from the "Supernatural Power Research Department" had indeed made a breakthrough.
While casting a wide net online, they were also working intensely in the real world.
Since it called itself a Savior Organization, it was bound to take action, and it was impossible not to leave a trace. The natural focus was on the anomalous events that had occurred in France.
During one investigation, they accidentally discovered something that seemed interesting but could potentially contain a clue.
They learned from an antique shop owner that a group of people might be "treasure hunting," and they were specifically asking about items with magical legends.
Although it was still unclear if this group was just messing around, the French still dispatched a team to track and investigate the matter. After all, it wasn’t good to have people on the payroll with nothing to do, especially since the budget had just been increased significantly.
With no specific recorded information, they could only deduce the group’s possible direction of movement from what the antique shop owner had told them.
Based on physical descriptions and these possible directions, the investigators actually managed to run into several witnesses who had seen the group.
Two men in suits paid a visit to a certain diving enthusiasts’ club in Lyon.
This was the most definite location so far. Although it was unclear why the group had rented diving equipment, it was certain to have left a record.
Flashing their credentials, obtaining the logbook was naturally not difficult.
’As long as we know their names, even aliases, it will save a lot of trouble...’
Before the thought could even finish, the two investigators and the diving club’s record keeper, who had just opened the logbook, were all dumbfounded.
The very pages they needed seemed to have been soaked by rat urine or some other liquid. They were a yellowish mess, and the writing was completely illegible.
Comments