BXBX NOVEL Chapter 68: Villain Simulator, Ch 68
Chapter 68: Villain Simulator, Ch 68
[Fortunately, you\'re just a cute little boy now, and the young lady doesn\'t seem to be angry about your nonsensical words. Instead, she smiles and says, "Hello, little brother. My name is Jean, Jean Gunnhildr. What\'s yours?"]
Oh my!
It\'s actually Jean?
How could such a noble become the princess of the WindBlume Festival?
You should know that many nobles wouldn\'t tolerate such public exposure.
Although surprising, this isn\'t entirely strange.
In reality, the Gunnhildr clan gained their high status in Mondstadt for being major contributors in helping Vennessa overthrow tyranny.
However, in the simulator, history has changed. Vennessa\'s existence was completely erased by the Lawrence clan, and consequently, the Gunnhildr clan\'s merits no longer exist.
So, in the simulator, the Gunnhildr clan is just an ordinary minor noble family, incomparable to the powerful Lawrence clan.
This is probably why Jean became the princess of the WindBlume Festival.
["My name is Lucas Lawrence," you give your name. However, upon hearing this name, a clearly complex expression flashes across Jean\'s eyes for an instant.]
[Nevertheless, she quickly regains her smile, raises your hand, and announces to the crowd below that you have received the blessing of the Anemo Archon.]
[Achievement unlocked: Anemo Archon\'s Blessing]
[Gained title: Anemo Archon\'s Blessing (You already have this talent, so an additional boost is applied to its effect)]
[Effect: Agility increased by 40%]
Can title actually be stacked?
However, the title "Anemo Archon\'s Blessing" seems somewhat ironic on Lucas, considering that Mondstadt, protected by the Barbatos, has been destroyed at least twice by him in the simulator.
Of course, this should just be a talent obtained from receiving the feather.
Unlike a thousand years ago when Lucas stood on the high platform as Eberhart, only able to see fear and hatred in the eyes of the people.
But now, their eyes show only celebration and joy.
It seems that Kreuzlied has indeed developed this city into what he envisioned.
Part of this is also due to Eberhart\'s contribution.
If it weren\'t for the "Great Purge" he carried out a thousand years ago, reshuffling the nobles and commoners of Mondstadt, it would have been difficult for the entire country to be reborn from the ashes.
["Goodbye, Sister Jean." You waved to Jean, preparing to go back to find Eula.]
["Goodbye, little cutie," Jean nodded and smiled, "Perhaps we\'ll meet again in the future."]
Compared to the impressively valiant and capable Jean in your memory, the Jean before you seems more like an ordinary noble girl, delicate and endearing.
No wonder, even the same person, growing up in different environments, can develop different personalities.
...
[However, when you return to look for Eula, she has disappeared, which puzzles you greatly. After all, you know her personality very well. If she said she would wait for you here, she absolutely wouldn\'t leave even if it rained knives.]
[Soon, you find a ribbon on the ground nearby, which belongs to Eula. A sense of foreboding arises in your heart.]
[You take out a pendant from your pocket, very similar to the one you gave to Eula. This pair of carefully chosen gifts is made of a very precious magnet, which will attract each other no matter how far apart they are.]
[You find that the pendant is pointing in a direction that is not towards Lawrence\'s mansion, but towards outside the city. So, you decide to...]
[1. Go home to report this matter to a trusted adult]
[2. Immediately go to Eula following the pendant\'s guidance]
"The second one!" Lucas blurted out almost immediately.
Even in the honest and simple Mondstadt, there are bound to be thieves with ill intentions. A pretty and cute little girl like Eula could easily become a target for human traffickers.
Although she is quite capable, she is still young and lacks social experience, which could put her at a disadvantage.
[Forcibly entering immersive mode]
[Target mission: Find Eula]
[Mission reward: B-rank talent x1]
At this moment, Lucas is in the busy marketplace, holding Eula\'s ribbon in his small hand.
Recently, there have been frequent reports of missing girls in Mondstadt, which makes Lucas even more nervous.
Due to the change in history, there is no Knights of Favonius established by Vennessa in Mondstadt now, and the process of registering missing person cases is quite cumbersome.
More importantly, every minute wasted increases the danger for Eula.
Now, he can only rely on himself.
Of course, given Lucas\'s personality, he wouldn\'t just rush in recklessly to save someone.
If his body were an adult... no, even if it were just in adolescent form, with a spear in hand, he could easily handle dozens of ordinary humans.
But now, he\'s just a nine-year-old child, with greatly reduced strength and speed.
...
In a blacksmith\'s shop, Wagner, with his full beard, is using a hammer to forge a long sword.
He is one of the top blacksmiths in Mondstadt, but his shop doesn\'t do very good business. The reason is simple: this guy has a bad temper and a very arrogant personality.
He doesn\'t show any friendliness towards customers, and if anyone dares to say there\'s a flaw in the weapons and equipment he forges, they\'re sure to get a scolding.
Despite this, many adventurers still frequently visit this blacksmith shop. After all, although the service attitude is poor, his weapons and equipment are all good stuff that can save lives.
"Mister!"
Just then, a crisp voice came from beside Wagner. He looked around but didn\'t see anyone.
"Damn it..." Wagner stroked his chin beard and frowned, "Is it haunted in broad daylight?"
"Mister, I\'m here!" A small hand suddenly raised up from in front of the counter.
Wagner stood up and finally saw a little boy, not even ten years old, standing in front of the counter.
"Hey, kid, this isn\'t a place to play. Be careful not to get your head smashed by a hammer," Wagner waved his hand rather annoyed, "Go away quickly."
"I\'m not here to play," the boy, who is naturally Lucas, shook his head and said, "I\'m here to buy a weapon."
"Buy a weapon?" Wagner laughed, "The shortest weapon here is taller than you. Can you even lift it?"
"It\'s okay," Lucas said, "I want to buy a dagger."
"You\'re not planning to use a dagger to scare other kids when you fight, are you?" Wagner sneered, "That won\'t do. My precious creations will cry if they don\'t taste blood."
"I want to buy a new dagger as a birthday gift for my dad," Lucas widened his bright, big eyes, launching a cuteness offensive, "He\'s a hunter, and his old dagger has become so dull it can barely cut through rabbit skin."
Hearing this, Wagner, who had been scowling all along, paused slightly. After pondering for a moment, he took out a rather exquisite dagger from the cabinet behind him and placed it in front of Lucas, saying:
"Take it, kid. I originally made this as a gift for my son, but... that fool can\'t use it anymore."
There seems to be some story hidden in these words.
However, Lucas no longer has time to delve into it. He placed the bracelet he was wearing on the counter and said, "Thank you, mister. I don\'t have money, so I\'ll trade this for it!"
"I\'ll take a loss on this one. Deal." Wagner\'s eyes glanced over the bracelet.
Although it looks like a gold bracelet, how could a child from a commoner\'s family afford such a thing? It\'s probably just a copper bracelet with gold plating.
To be honest, Wagner\'s dagger is a fine piece that he put a lot of effort into crafting. It was originally intended as a gift for his son, but due to that "incident," he probably won\'t have the chance to give it away anymore.
The reason he\'s "half-selling, half-giving" it to that kid is probably because Wagner was moved by this act of filial piety.
"At least he\'s a filial little brat," Wagner chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Much better than that fool."
He sat down again at the anvil and began forging the unfinished longsword. Just then, a sturdy black-haired young man came in carrying a stack of iron ingots. He placed them nearby and said, "Master, the new iron ingots are ready. Do you think I could try making the next batch of weapons?"
"Schutz, your skills aren\'t there yet," Wagner replied without looking up. "Blacksmithing is something you can\'t rush."
"I see..." The apprentice named Schutz sighed in disappointment. He casually picked up a bracelet from the counter. After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "Master? When did you save up money to buy this gold bracelet?"
"It\'s just gold-plated," Wagner said offhandedly. "Some kid left it here."
"Master, this... this isn\'t gold-plated at all," Schutz said, gently biting the bracelet. "I swear by Barbatos, this is pure gold!"
"What?"
Wagner finally realized something was amiss. He stepped forward and picked up the bracelet to examine it, his expression turning to one of astonishment. He rushed out of the blacksmith shop in two quick strides, but Lucas was nowhere to be seen.
"Master, this thing must be worth a fortune!" Schutz grinned foolishly. "Maybe we could even use it to negotiate with those nobles and get Brother Raphael out of jail earlier!"
At the mention of "Raphael," Wagner\'s face immediately darkened. He coldly said, "Don\'t touch this gold bracelet. Wait for that kid to come back and claim it. As for my foolish son, he\'s in there because of his own actions. We don\'t need to concern ourselves with him!"
"I don\'t understand. He just said a few words, and he has to serve over ten years in prison," Schutz grumbled indignantly. "All that talk about \'thousand-year lies\' and \'Lawrence being the real culprit from a thousand years ago\' - how could anyone take such nonsense seriously?"
"Shut up!" Wagner glared at him furiously. "I\'ve told you never to repeat those treasonous words! If such talk spreads, it will absolutely cause a huge uproar. What, do you find our current life too peaceful?"
"I\'m sorry!" Schutz quickly shut his mouth.
Although he still didn\'t understand how some bizarre rumors could possibly shake the Lawrence family\'s rule.
...
Meanwhile, Lucas, guided by the pendant, casually drew out the dagger.
The blade gleamed coldly, carrying a hint of frost. Lucas\'s face was faintly reflected in the sharp edge.
He had initially thought trading a gold bracelet for a dagger might be wasteful, but seeing the quality of this dagger now, he realized it wasn\'t such a bad deal after all.
Soon, he slipped out of the city and walked another four or five miles. The pendant\'s reaction grew stronger. Lucas continued searching and spotted an abandoned barn in a rather secluded location.
At the entrance of the barn, a man was yawning, looking around with boredom - clearly not a very competent guard.
Inside the barn:
"Boss, we\'ve got a good catch this time!" A woman in her thirties pushed the tied-up Eula onto a pile of hay, laughing. "This girl was so easy to trick, she took the bait without any effort."
"Mmph!" Eula\'s mouth was gagged, but she still glared fiercely at the people around her, her face full of anger.
"My, she really is quite pretty," a red-haired man approached, a malicious smile on his face. "Let me inspect the goods... Ouch!"
Suddenly, Eula raised her leg and kicked the red-haired man in the groin. The kick was powerful, instantly dropping him to the ground where he rolled in agony.
"Damn this little wench!" The red-haired man struggled to his feet, raising his hand to strike Eula, but his arm was suddenly stopped.
A man who appeared to be the leader grabbed his wrist, coldly saying, "Turner, can you afford to damage such valuable goods?"
Turner reluctantly lowered his hand. "I got it, boss."
"Why hasn\'t there been any movement outside for so long?" The leader frowned. "Turner, go check the situation."
Turner walked out reluctantly, still grumbling, "Damn it, I just wanted to cop a feel. It\'s not like I\'d take a piece off her..."
"Un... Uncle..."
Just then, from behind a nearby tree trunk, a cute boy no older than ten appeared. His face was tearful as he sobbed, "I... I\'m lost. Can you help me get home?"
A smile immediately spread across Turner\'s face.
To think a fat lamb would deliver itself to their doorstep - such a cute little boy would fetch a good price if sold to the priests at the Favonius Cathedral.
He seemed completely oblivious to how suspicious it was for a little boy to suddenly appear in such a remote area.
"Come here, come here!" Turner hurried over, putting on a gentle facade. "Don\'t be afraid. Tell uncle, where\'s your home?"
"You... you need to bend down," Lucas said pitifully.
Turner bent down with a grin. "Go ahead, tell me where your home is. Uncle will take you back..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. A sharp dagger had been plunged into his chest, blood instantly gushing out.
"Let me take you home instead,"
As Turner tried to cry out, Lucas swiftly pulled out the dagger and slashed it across his throat. "To your final home!"
This series of actions was smooth and fluid, completely unlike something a child could do. Turner stared at Lucas as if looking at a monster. He stepped back twice, clutching his throat, before collapsing to the ground.
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Author\'s Note: 1 more extra Chapter, but can be increased to 2 if we reach 400 ps real quick!