Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 311 Mission: 04-2 Nod

"Thanks for your hard work."

Pest said as he looked at the two "subordinates" who had returned.

Weser slammed his flute to the ground and sighed, "As expected, they've invoked their Judgment Authority. Having rabbits around is trouble."

"It's okay." Pest said coldly, "This is all part of the plan. That's why I spread the pathogen in advance."

Indeed, after learning of the Black Rabbit's presence, Pest, with the assistance of Nero and Weser, had already formulated a countermeasure. By leveraging the unwarranted pause and the threat of a future plague, they could quickly tip the balance of negotiations in their favor.

"How much are you going to bid first?" Nero asked. Her face did not look good at the moment.

This was partly because they were in the middle of a fight when a timeout was called, and partly because at the end of the fight I was scolded by Izayoi for holding back with the back of the blade.

It would be fine if you said you didn't appreciate it, but why are you cursing at me?

The two states overlapped, causing Nero to become angry again and want to beat someone up.

Pest, a bit confused by Nero's feelings, simply tilted her head and answered her question, "Three to six months, right? That's when the plague completely destroys their fighting capacity and is nearing its end. After that, their situation might gradually begin to improve. But the specifics will depend on the verdict."

Putting the game aside, this so-called "deliberation and resolution" was essentially a negotiation in which both sides pursued their own interests. Therefore, during the negotiation, Pest would proactively propose delaying the restart of the game—as long as possible.

"What's the expected lowest price?"

However, according to the agreement between Pest and Nero, she cannot kill anyone other than Salamander, so restarting the game after a few months when everyone is dead is not allowed. In this case, Hamel needs to ask the contestants to make concessions in exchange for an earlier start time.

"A week. That's about the limit before someone dies. They should be willing to make concessions. Of course, it would be even better if they were willing to surrender at the negotiation table."

Weser laughed nearby. "That's assuming they can see the deeper meaning behind our decision to postpone the match. At least I haven't encountered an opponent with such cunning."

"Don't worry about that, that guy..." Izayoi's ugly face flashed before Nero's eyes, causing her to utter a dissatisfied "tsk" sound: "That guy will see through it."

"Since such people exist, I have to say this approach is a double-edged sword," Weser said seriously. "Since they're the ones who've initiated the 'bargaining,' this week is effectively a gift to them to 'solve the problem.' If the rules of the game are cracked within this week, the loss will outweigh the gain."

"Are you saying we need to impose restrictions on their victory rules?"

"Yes."

"Well……"

Pest had obviously never thought about this problem before, and fell into deep thought after being reminded by Weser.

"Oh, speaking of this..."

Weser looked at Nero and suddenly said something else: "That weird thing I encountered before, he appeared again. He clearly stood on the side of the contestants."

"Troublesome?"

"It's indeed troublesome. He seems to have the ability to return any damage he receives multiplied." Weser frowned and replied, "If we accidentally injure this guy in battle, we may be seriously injured and lose our combat effectiveness.

"And if I kill him by mistake, maybe..."

Weser's expression spoke volumes about what he didn't say.

"You're smarter than me. Do you have any idea where this strange power comes from or where its weakness is?"

At this moment, the guy described by Weser, who was wearing a black suit, a black top hat, with skin as pale as death and eyes as dull as a zombie, was walking towards the depths of the cave with the bird.

"Is this child's companion really here?"

Asuka stroked the elf on her shoulder, asking with a mixture of confusion and caution. If he hadn't saved her both times, and if the elf from the Rat Catcher hadn't hinted at a familiar scent, Asuka wouldn't have followed such a mysterious man into the sealed cave. But even for these reasons, Asuka still felt a sense of nervousness and doubt.

"I know him!" the elf jumped up and screamed, "Here!"

That meant the man had indeed brought Fei Niao to look for the elves, a reassuring thought. With a little more time to spare, Fei Niao looked up at the man in front of her and asked, "By the way, you haven't introduced yourself yet."

The man knew Asuka's name, but he never mentioned his own, nor the community he belonged to. Could he also be a member of the Rat Catchers? Asuka speculated, but the facts clearly did not support this.

"Would you like to introduce yourself?"

The man's pace slowed down a bit. After a moment, he replied with a sigh, "My name has long been forgotten."

"What about the community?"

"I have no community, and I cannot join any. This is the curse I bear."

The man adjusted his hat and tilted his head to look at Fei Niao. "If you don't know what to call me... just call me 'Nodren'. That's my... code name."

"...Can you move someone?"

"Yes. I'm probably the only Nod person in the world."

"Is this a place name? Where in the world is it?" Asuka asked persistently.

This time, the "Nodites" did not answer.

He just kept walking forward without stopping.

Fei Niao followed the accelerating Noder, his steps stumbling a bit due to the uneven ground and dim light. In the deepest part of the cave, in a hidden space behind a narrow crack, Fei Niao saw something very familiar.

"I've brought the person to you." "Node Ren" said in a low voice.

Then, tiny points of light appeared in the air one after another, and they gathered into a small lake of stars, illuminating the dark cave and the huge black shadow inside the cave.

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

"Thank you so much."

The dense sounds converged together, layer upon layer, ethereal and ethereal. Fei Niao took a step back in surprise and turned to look at the little guy on his shoulder.

"Are you the Rat Catchers?" she asked.

"Yes."

"We are the souls of the one hundred and thirty people who lost their lives in Hamel."

"A victim summoned along with 'Hammel's Demon'."

"The truth about what happened on June 20, 1284, and the true identity of the imposter flute player..."

"Let us leave this in your hands."

"A girl guided by a miracle."

"The companion chosen by the one hundred and thirty-first comrade."

(End of this chapter)