The wheels rolled on under the fierce glow of the fire, and the group continued forward.
Anke pushed the cart silently, his body trembling slightly.
His wife Marian held one of his arms, supporting him with her strength.
"Uncle Anke, is it you?"
As they passed a house with iron bars on its windows, a little girl’s voice emerged from inside.
"You are... ah, you are Flora."
Anke was jolted from his memories.
"Yes. Uncle Anke, have you seen my father?"
the little girl asked.
"Father John? No, I haven’t seen him. He might have gone on patrol with the Church Hunters."
"I don’t know. Dad was unwell today and was supposed to stay at home. But after my mom and I finished dinner, he disappeared. Mom went out to look for him, and now I’m all alone at home. Whoo-hoo."
The little girl let out a low sob.
"Don’t worry, your father is an excellent hunter, and he will bring your mom back safely."
Anke offered futile words of comfort.
Although he knew that what he said was closer to a lie.
In this pallid night, no one was safe.
Especially the hunters, being near them could sometimes be more dangerous than being near beasts.
"Uncle Anke, can you help me find my parents? Tell them Flora is very scared all alone at home, and ask them to come back soon."
the little girl pleaded.
"I’m sorry, Flora, I still need to take my family to the Church in the Hamlet of Pain. But if I run into your parents on the way, I’ll tell them."
Anke said apologetically.
Nina started to say something but was silenced by her mother covering her mouth.
The little girl fell silent.
"Do you still have food and water at home?"
Anke inquired after scratching his head.
the little girl replied softly.
"Then stay at home and wait for your parents to come back. But no matter who knocks, make sure to check their identity and condition, understand?"
"Understood, thank you, Uncle Anke."
the little girl responded politely.
"Ah, don’t thank me, there’s not much I can do."
If he were alone, he might have chosen to help.
But now, as his entire family relied on others for protection, what could he do?
"Then this stranger, Uncle, can you help me?"
the little girl spoke up again.
Liu Zheng lifted a tentacle, pointing to himself. Chapters first released on novel⁂fire.net
"How do you know I’m a stranger?"
Everyone fell silent.
They looked at Liu Zheng’s white chef hat, then at his yellow vest and bare feet.
No, big brother, with your distinct attire, even a fool could tell you’re a stranger.
"Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Sorry, I still have work to do. I’ll come to look for you after I finish my work, if you’re still alive, maybe I can help you then,"
Liu Zheng said casually.
"Uh, Mr. Liu Zheng, we Yate people tend to speak more indirectly, and after all, Flora is just a child."
Anke ventured to suggest.
Speaking to a child whose parents were missing was a bit too harsh of the stranger.
If it were not for feeling that Liu Zheng’s nature was essentially kind, Anke would have doubted if he had made a wrong decision.
"Those with parents are children; those without parents are born adults,"
Liu Zheng stated flatly.
"Mr. Liu Zheng, you..."
Anke perceived the hidden meaning in his words.
"Yes, I am an orphan."
"I’m sorry to hear that."
Anke felt ashamed of his earlier thoughts.
"It’s okay, this is actually a good thing for me."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
If he had not developed resilience and the ability to discern others’ intentions as an orphan, he likely would not have survived his first delivery job.
Anke scratched his head awkwardly.
"So, Mr. Outsider, if I could pay you, would you help me find my parents?"
It was unclear which words touched Flora, but the little girl suddenly spoke up again.
"Oh? What kind of payment?"
As soon as his words fell, a window protected by iron bars opened a crack.
A pale little hand reached out, holding a ruby pendant.
"Sorry, I don’t really need this."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
Although the pendant clearly had great value, it was indeed of no use to him.
By the time he returned, the Nightingale should have received the final payment, and he would again be someone of modest means; there was no need to delay his journey for such an item, not knowing how much it could fetch.
"This is the Blood Gem."
Anke suddenly exclaimed in shock.
Liu Zheng observed the gem carefully and indeed noticed something peculiar.
The inside of the ruby was not semi-translucent stone but filled with many fluffy inclusions, resembling blood vessels.
He fetched the City Hall’s journal and indeed, found relevant information there.
"Item of mission: Blood Gem"
"Required amount: unlimited"
The meaning of an unlimited amount was the more, the better.
"Okay, I accept your commission. However, I am only responsible for finding your parents and conveying your message, and I cannot guarantee to bring them back alive."
Similarly, conveying a message did not guarantee conveying it to the living; conveying to the deceased was also the same.
"I understand. Please take the pendant, Mr. Outsider."
The little girl’s voice was somewhat choked up.
"There’s no need for that, I will come and take it once I complete the commission."
Since the City Hall had an unlimited demand for Blood Gems, it implied that these gems were plentiful; thus, there was no rush.
"Without the ruby pendant, my parents won’t believe you,"
the little girl explained.
"Is that so? Then alright."
Liu Zheng was not pretentious and walked over to the window to accept the gem.
"Name: Small Blood Gem (one-time use)"
"Type: Object/Miscellaneous"
"Effect one: Direct use can restore one’s ’Blood Quality.’
"Effect two: When set into a weapon, it provides an additional effect."
"Note: Defiled by the blood, sanctified by contamination."
"Can be taken out of the instance: Yes"
It was another item like the Killing Stone Fragment, possessing dual types.
But what exactly is ’Blood Quality’?"
"Do you know what this is?"
Liu Zheng turned to Anke.
"This is a Blood Gem, which can only originate from the body of a powerful Beast."
And the ones capable of hunting powerful Beasts must be even more powerful Hunters.
When Anke earlier mentioned that Flora’s father was an outstanding Hunter, it was mere politeness, but now it seemed that this Father John was indeed no ordinary man.
"Mr. Liu Zheng, may I have a word with you?"
Anke walked up to Liu Zheng and whispered into his ear.