Chapter 26: So You're an Executioner
The fog still hadn't dispersed, pitch-black to the point of not seeing one's own hand.
Cheng Shi had barely taken two steps while carrying his charge before A Ming's anxious shout reached him from ahead:
"Sister Fang, Brother Cheng, where are you?"
Cheng Shi pricked up his ears and listened carefully. He noticed that the noisy ambient voices that had been present seemed to have vanished. He looked with some wonder toward the direction A Ming's voice came from, thinking that this little Assassin's methods were truly efficient.
In such a short time, he'd already killed everyone.
Fortunately, these poor souls he'd never met weren't the Memory Subject.
"Over here."
Cheng Shi called out loudly, then crouched low and tiptoed away from his original position.
A Ming followed the sound and groped his way over. Finding no one there, alarm bells rang in his head. He was about to leave when Cheng Shi seized his arm.
"Who!? Oh, Brother Cheng?"
"Mm. I was worried you'd been swapped out, so I tested you. I have to say, Comrade Assassin, your reflexes are sharp enough."
A Ming rubbed his head sheepishly and looked at the unconscious Fang Shiqing:
"What happened to Sister Fang?"
"Nothing. Minor issue. Saved her. Where are the others?"
"Probably behind me. The moment I woke up, I spotted several enraged dwarves. They struck to kill from the start. I couldn't react in time and had no room to retreat, so I could only… fight back desperately.
Good thing they weren't tough. Just had some [Defilement] divine power on them, that's all."
People dead, memory not shattered. The players were lucky. These dwarves weren't the Memory Subject.
Cheng Shi cast a thoughtful glance at A Ming.
"You're not hurt?"
"Got lucky. No."
"Good. Then let's wait for the fog to clear. Fog of war doesn't last that long."
"Oh, okay. Want me to help?" A Ming reached out to help Cheng Shi support Fang Shiqing.
Cheng Shi smiled and declined.
The two sat in the corner, chatting aimlessly.
"How many of them were there?"
"Six."
"Six people dealt with in such a short time? Impressive." Cheng Shi was generous with his praise, leaving A Ming dumbfounded.
"Well… I am an Assassin after all. Foggy conditions favor me."
"Mm. Since you're that fast, why did you arrive so late when we went to the second act circus?"
Cheng Shi, cradling the unconscious Fang Shiqing, asked the question as if offhandedly.
This question stumped A Ming.
A Ming's expression suddenly stalled. Before he could speak, Cheng Shi casually added:
"And why do you think old man Huang still hasn't shown up?"
A Ming's face grew even worse. He mumbled evasively:
"It's not like we need him. Better that he hasn't come, right?"
"You're also worried he'll cause trouble?"
"Mm."
Cheng Shi's eyebrow rose, and he smiled.
"So you also know he's a Dissonant Lyrist? Oh~ I get it now. So you're an Executioner."
Dissonant Lyrist: a Bard of [Chaos].
Executioner: an Assassin of [Order].
[Order] and [Chaos] were faith-opposed mortal enemies.
A Ming's movements froze for an instant. His gaze swept quickly over Cheng Shi, sharp and irritated, but it lasted only a split second before he reverted to his awkward, stammering persona, scratching his head with no idea what to say.
The fog still hung thick. Cheng Shi hadn't caught his facial expression, but he already knew the score.
"Alright, so you're opposed. So what? It's not a big deal. A certain ancient once said, faith conflicts aren't our fault, no need to carry too much of a burden."
Cheng Shi smiled dismissively, but as he spoke, his hand reached toward Fang Shiqing in his arms.
A Ming's perception in the fog was clearly superior to Cheng Shi's. He distinctly saw Cheng Shi's hand slip inside Fang Shiqing's clothing. But he only frowned slightly and said nothing.
Before long, new sounds emerged from the mist.
"Sister… Sister Fang?"
"Ah~ Big shot, save me!"
One voice trembled, the other was seductive.
Sounded like neither had run into trouble.
The moment these two female voices drifted over, the awkward atmosphere between Cheng Shi and A Ming was instantly shattered. Cheng Shi stood up, dusted himself off, and laughed:
"Everyone's here. Let's regroup."
Just then, the fog began to thin.
A Ming also rose and turned to look, only to find that Fang Shiqing in Cheng Shi's arms had already opened her eyes at some point.
"Sister Fang, you're better?"
"…"
A flash of anger crossed Fang Shiqing's eyes, but she immediately smiled and nodded:
"I'm fine. Thanks to Cheng Shi, who saved me in time."
Kind words, but delivered through what sounded like gritted teeth.
The Firelight Bearer matter couldn't be discussed in front of the others. So even though Fang Shiqing had strong opinions about Cheng Shi's method of refusal, she couldn't blow up now.
Fighters crawling through the darkness were cautious and meticulous. Any unexpected flicker of light could illuminate their trail, turning all their efforts to nothing.
Cheng Shi clearly knew this, so he immediately turned back and grinned:
"Don't you still owe me a thank you?"
"You…"
Fang Shiqing nearly cracked. She gnashed her teeth, rapidly reassembled her facial expression, and then produced a smile of the utmost reluctance.
"Thank you. I'll remember you."
"No problem at all. Just a hand raised in passing."
It was indeed just raising a hand. A knife-hand chop only required lifting a hand.
The fog gradually cleared, and the two groups, separated by no great distance, immediately spotted each other.
The group converged and walked together. Halfway there, they encountered the inhumane massacre scene on all sides.
Six dwarves, each beheaded on the spot, blood pooling across the floor to vaguely outline the shape of a guillotine blade.
Had Cheng Shi not known A Ming was an Executioner, he truly wouldn't have recognized what this pattern represented.
This was the signature vicious flair of the Grand Tribunal's Executioners: using the blood of executed criminals to depict the instrument of their death.
It was just that the blood guillotine drawn on the floor was crooked and wobbly, clearly the work of someone not yet proficient.
"Tsk. Brutal technique."
Xu Lu and Bailing both shuddered at the sight. Only Fang Shiqing cast a thoughtful glance at A Ming and said nothing more.
"Where are we?"
The place the group stood in was a very large room. Along the left wall were a dozen beds lined up side by side. Along the right were various workbenches. Ahead, a long rack hung with clothes of different sizes. Behind them were several separate small rooms.
The spot where Cheng Shi and Fang Shiqing had met was clearly inside one of them.
Fang Shiqing shot Cheng Shi a few glances. Seeing him still playing dumb, she dropped the matter altogether, knitted her brow in thought, and said:
"It looks like servants' quarters, but it's rather too large. This could house a dozen or more servants. I've never seen servants' quarters this size before. To be safe, we should change into appropriate clothes first, then go out and scout, so we don't run into conflicts with the people outside."
No one objected. They each selected an outfit, changed, and followed the carry out of the room.
After confirming the surroundings were safe and encountering a few real servants, they established that this was indeed servants' quarters.
And servants' quarters this large weren't limited to just one.
Because this was the estate of the Duke of Brooks, and the Duke was currently hosting a grand banquet.
"A banquet?"
The hypnotized servant answered excitedly:
"Yes! The Duke has invited all the nobles in town to a banquet, and plans to announce a new refugee law. All refugees from Gasmela will be expelled. Our food won't be tight anymore, and our jobs won't be taken!"
"So the Memory Subject from the previous act was a servant in the Duke's estate?"
"Huh? Didn't you know? York was the Duke's stable boy." Cheng Shi chimed in helpfully.
Hearing this, Xu Lu frowned and complained:
"Why are you only mentioning useful information now?"
Cheng Shi blinked and fired back: "Did you ask?"
"I…"
Xu Lu fumed but held her tongue, simply shuffling closer to Fang Shiqing.
"So why would dwarves who were refugees appear on the Duke's estate?" A Ming interjected to break the tension between the two and asked.
"The Duke wants to expel the refugees, and the refugees naturally don't want to be expelled. So isn't the purpose of their coming here obvious? Right, big shot?"
Cheng Shi said this while looking at Fang Shiqing, but Fang Shiqing currently had zero desire to engage with Cheng Shi.
She had a feeling, a certainty, that Cheng Shi wouldn't reveal the Firelight Bearer matter. But she still couldn't understand how he could refuse so cleanly.
After all, the talent Moving Heartstrings didn't simply listen to the symphony of the heart. It could even faintly sense the other party's intentions and inclinations.
The voice in Cheng Shi's heart clearly leaned toward accepting, yet he had refused anyway.
What was this person thinking? How could he act against his own instinct?
She didn't understand, and she didn't have time to figure it out.
Thus far, nearly five hours had elapsed. The countdown read 7:14 remaining. They had to pick up the pace, because they had no idea how many more acts of memory lay ahead.
"A private estate is different from a public venue. Acting recklessly will quickly cause a commotion, especially when it's a Duke's estate.
We need a proper identity. Servants are convenient, but there are still many areas they can't access.
Next, everyone splits up and goes solo. Hide yourselves well and see if you can secure a new identity. One hour maximum. Meet up over there."
Saying this, Fang Shiqing pointed toward a small doorframe.
"Remember, stay away from the servants' quarters. We didn't dispose of the bodies inside. It could very well trigger a chain reaction. The closer you are, the easier it is for the anomaly to be discovered. Now, move out. Good luck to us all."
Everyone scattered. At the end, Fang Shiqing still stole a glance at Cheng Shi.
Unfortunately, Cheng Shi wasn't looking at her. He was looking at A Ming.
He watched A Ming walk in the direction away from the servants' quarters.
After a long moment, when no teammate remained in his line of sight, a playful smile crept onto Cheng Shi's face. Then he turned and strolled back to the very place they had just arrived from.
The place everyone had been avoiding…
The servants' quarters.
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