Chapter 269: Seeing an Old Friend
Barrow Bakery.
This was a very ordinary bakery, mainly selling a few types of bread commonly eaten by ordinary people.
The owner, Tess, was a woman around fifty years old, with a plump figure and a natural smile on her round face.
“Ding-a-ling…”
The shop door, pushed open from the outside, hit the hanging bell, making a crisp, pleasant sound.
“Welcome!”
Tess stopped what she was doing and nodded to the customer:
“What do you need?”
The customer who came in had graying temples and wrinkles on his face, clearly already old, but he didn’t have the usual listlessness, or old man smell, that most old people had.
Instead, he was very clean!
Clean like a young man.
The clothes he wore were simple in style, without any fancy decorations, but the material looked high-end at a glance.
His gestures and movements even exuded a noble air.
Tess’s eyes showed confusion. Her shop catered to ordinary people, and she rarely encountered someone like this.
“I’m a friend of Jenny’s.”
Karl glanced at the bakery’s layout and spoke slowly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor:
“Is she here?”
A small business.
The business was also very average, probably only enough to support a family’s basic living expenses.
“Aunt Jenny?” Tess’s face lit up with surprise:
“You know Aunt Jenny? Her health isn’t too good, she’s resting in the backyard. I’ll take you there.”
As she spoke, she wiped the flour off her hands, opened the wooden panel of the counter, and led Karl towards the backyard.
The so-called backyard was actually just a cramped patio, with weak light filtering down from above.
On a wooden chair, an old woman with a full head of white hair lay wrapped in a blanket, her eyes half-open.
“Aunt Jenny!”
Tess came closer and called out softly:
“Someone has come to see you.”
“…” Jenny opened her eyes, her gaze cloudy and dull, and looked up as Tess gestured.
The moment she saw Karl, her gaze seemed to change slightly, as if in confusion.
Or perhaps in hesitation.
“Uh…uh…”
“Jenny, it’s me.” Karl stepped closer, squatted next to the wooden chair, and carefully examined his former friend:
“Your voice…”
“Aunt Jenny got sick when she was young, and she hasn’t been able to speak since then.” Tess sighed:
“Her memory has been getting worse and worse since two years ago, and sometimes she can’t even recognize me.”
“But she recognized you!”
Although Jenny’s change in expression was subtle, it was very obvious to Tess, who was used to it.
“She got sick and can’t speak.” Karl’s eyes were filled with complex emotions:
“How could this have happened?”
Jenny’s voice was extremely unique, which was why she was able to join the National Opera House without any musical training.
Her voice was ruined,
meaning everything was ruined.
And this must have happened after she first arrived in the Royal City, but she had never mentioned it in her letters, only talking about happy things.
“I heard from my mother that someone harmed her.” Tess said softly:
“But I don’t know who exactly, after all, it was decades ago, and Aunt Jenny never mentions it.”
“Your mother?”
“My mother, Percy, was also from the Barrow Opera Troupe with Aunt Jenny.”
Karl nodded.
“The bakery’s skills were passed down by Jenny?”
“Yes.”
No wonder!
The taste is so familiar.
Karl’s eyes were filled with complex emotions. Fate had already given him a hint, he should have guessed it long ago.
“Since she couldn’t speak, Aunt Jenny hasn’t smiled once. Later, with the help of my parents, she opened this bakery.”
Tess introduced:
“A few years ago, my parents passed away one after another, and I also had some trouble at home, so I came to help manage the business and take care of Aunt Jenny at the same time.”
“I see.” Karl straightened up:
“I’d like to take Jenny to live with me.”
“This…” Tess was stunned. She didn’t think Karl had bad intentions. After all, an old person with dementia was a burden to anyone, and even she sometimes complained.
“Isn’t that a bit…?”
“My place is very big, it can accommodate a lot of people.” Karl said:
“It just so happens that I need a kitchen manager there. If you’re willing, you can come with us.”
“I forgot to introduce myself.”
◈◈◈
“My name is Karl, and I’m an Earl. I have a manor in the suburbs.”
*
*
*
Time passed by unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye.
Three years had passed.
Divine Domain Fragment.
“Success!”
Karl let out a muffled shout, his eyes suddenly widening, the light in them burning hot, yet as deep as an abyss.
In his Sea of Consciousness, a complex and profound spell circuit had taken shape, rapidly devouring the surrounding free-floating Astral Energy, transforming it into pure Life Force, which surged into his limbs and bones.
Third-Circle Spell ━ Spring of Life!
Nourished by this Life Force, the Holy Demon Transformation, which had previously been unable to advance, was revitalized once again.
‘The Holy Demon Transformation technique relies too much on assistance. No wonder the Ancient Gods could only cultivate a few practitioners. This is just the Silver Body, the resources needed to complete the Golden Body are astronomical.’
‘But as long as there are enough resources to replenish it, the realm of this Holy Technique can be improved at an astonishing speed. This is something that other Holy Techniques can’t compare to.’
“Hmm…”
Karl’s eyes narrowed:
“It’s time to begin!”
In these three years, in addition to cultivating his meditation technique and constructing the Third-Circle Spell Spring of Life, he had also been testing the reactions of the Soul Centipede.
The Soul Centipede, which was attached to his body, wanted his life at every moment.
Because of the shared life, they had gained a deeper understanding of each other.
Karl was confident.
Even if that person from the Green Family came, they would never understand the Soul Centipede as well as he did.
And now,
it was time to solve the problem!
Ten Thousand Buddha Hands ━ Diamond Seal!
His hands formed a seal, and he blasted the Soul Centipede, which was fused with his flesh, from the inside out. The power of his strikes exploded in the smallest of places.
“Bang!”
The Soul Centipede trembled violently.
Karl’s face also paled, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. The Spring of Life immediately replenished the lost energy.
“Buzz buzz…”
The Soul Centipede, which had reached the third order, also understood that this was a critical moment and began to struggle frantically.
Even if it died,
it would drag the person who wanted to kill it to death with it!
“Good beast!”
Karl’s eyes widened, and he roared loudly. Dozens of tentacles suddenly extended from his back, transforming into hand seals that rushed forward.
Ten Thousand Buddha Hands ━ Twelve Combo Attack!
“Bang!”
“Bang bang!”
“…”
“Pfft!”
Karl spat out a mouthful of blood, his spirit instantly weakened. The Soul Centipede in his body also suddenly stiffened, falling into a state of paralysis.
“Again!”
Ten Thousand Buddha Hands ━ Thirty-Six Combo Attack!
Countless palm shadows descended from the sky, completely engulfing Karl in an instant. The extremely powerful force surged into his flesh.
This strike landed on his defenseless body.
If he hadn’t cultivated the Spring of Life, even with the Silver Body, he would have been crippled.
But now…
Karl collapsed directly onto the ground, his eyes dazed, his body twitching slightly, but still retaining a trace of life force.
Underneath him, a red centipede the size of a finger curled up, trembling violently.
“Heh…”
Karl struggled to get up, found a container, and placed the Soul Centipede inside:
“More than three years, I’ve finally solved you.”
“I thought it would take ten or eight years, but I didn’t expect it to be so fast. It seems that pressure really is a motivator.”
If the Soul Centipede hadn’t been threatening his life at every moment, Karl would never have been able to cultivate the Third-Circle Spell Spring of Life so quickly.
What’s more, not only had he completed the spell, but with a little refinement, he could also turn the Soul Centipede into his trump card.
It could only be said that a misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.
“Next…”
“Seventh Level of the Holy Demon Transformation!”
