V3: Chapter 74: Still So Clingy
"When I got that golden thing, I found it was a gold key."
At this point, a look of melancholy appeared on the old lady's face.
“If only I hadn’t picked up that key out of greed, put it in my pocket, and taken it home. If only I hadn’t been so young and naive, and hadn’t disliked adventure, I wouldn’t have gone to the beach, wouldn’t have brought disaster upon my family, and wouldn’t have lost my loved ones.”
“That key, it’s like a curse. Though its exterior is golden, the inside is black, almost rusty.”
“The morning after I brought it home, as soon as I crawled out of bed, I smelled a strong stench of blood. It wasn’t coming from my room, it was coming from outside. At that moment, I had a bad feeling. When I rushed out of my room, I saw blood everywhere—no, even on the walls.”
“Thinking back on that scene now gives me goosebumps. I regret it so much, but what’s the use of regret?”
The old woman gave a bitter smile.
"For commoners like us, before the Soteland Empire underwent reforms, even if I told the upper-class nobles, no one would care about us. No one cared whether we lived or died; they even thought our deaths were a way to conserve food."
This was indeed true.
Liang Lin silently clenched her fists.
The old woman continued:
"The night after I buried my parents, I had a very strange dream. In the dream, a voice kept telling me, 'Never, ever throw away that key, or sell it, or give it away.'"
"The voice said that this key must always be with me, and I should give it to someone who can use it."
"The first night I had this dream, I didn't believe it. I packed my things, ready to go to the royal city. I wanted to leave this place that made me so sad."
"But on the way to the royal city, I had the same dream for a month, exactly the same, repeating the same sentence: 'You must keep the key with you, or you will regret it in the future.'"
"But gold can be exchanged for a lot of money… I…"
"I'm so glad I listened to that voice."
The old woman smiled.
"I thought I wouldn't live to see someone who could use this key. I thought I would take this key with me to the grave."
The old woman stared intently at Liang Lin and Liang Di.
“Now that you’ve arrived, my mission is complete. I’m handing this key over to whoever can use it. I hope you can avenge me, avenge my family. Whether you kill the sea monster or take your own, it will give me satisfaction, it will make me feel like I’ve avenged my family.”
Tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes as she finished speaking.
Large tears streamed down her cheeks and neck. She wiped her face and eyes with her sleeve.
“Alright, you all have your own things to do, so I won’t keep you here any longer. Go and do what you need to do, don’t delay anything important.”
To be honest, this old woman looked so pitiful. Although Liang Lin wasn’t particularly empathetic, she wasn’t heartless either. Seeing this scene, she felt a pang of sadness.
"Hmm... Grandma, don't be too sad. Anyway, anyway, wait for our good news. It will make you feel the great contribution you has gained."
She spoke with absolute confidence, as if she had a sure thing.
However, sympathy was one thing, pity was another, but they really couldn't stay here with this poor old woman. They had to go back and wait for Octaville and the others; they might suddenly return at any time and want them to go to the beach together.
"Then we'll be going now, Grandma."
Liang Lin pulled Liang Di to her feet, straightened up, and walked towards the door.
When they reached the door, Liang Lin glanced back and saw that the old woman had already stood up, looking at them with a complicated expression.
Liang Lin forced a smile, revealing what she thought was an exceptionally kind, exceptionally gentle (with a hint of fierce malice) smile.
“Just wait for our good news at home. If we win, I'll personally bring it to you.”
After saying this, Liang Lin and Liang Di couldn't bear to look at the poor old woman any longer. They walked straight out of the house, through the bustling commoner's district, past several noble castles, and back to the inn.
“Phew~”
Liang Lin took off her coat and lay down on the bed.
“Today actually yielded some results. I thought we'd spend a few dry days here until Octaville called us over, then we wouldn't have anything to do. Turns out, we've already got things to do on the first day.”
Having walked so far, Liang Di also felt a little tired. She also took off her coat and shoes, lay straight down on the bed, rolled around a couple of times, and then instinctively rolled to Liang Lin's side, lifting her head and resting it on the other's arm, snuggling into her embrace.
Liang Lin cooperated by putting her arms around Liang Di's shoulders, resting her chin on the top of the other's head.
Liang Di is as clingy as ever.
While they were enjoying their sweet moment, surrounded by pink bubbles, Octaville was incredibly busy.
Although she had temporarily dealt with the unseen tentacle, she had a feeling that several more unseen tentacles were lurking in the shadows, ready to attack at any moment.
However, they had other very important matters to attend to and couldn't afford to worry about the monsters and tentacles. So, Octaville used magic to send a message to the Magic Tower in the forest, summoning half of the magicians within.
Immediately afterward, she, Hilary, and Laura began preparations for their trip to the beach.
By the time the magicians arrived, five days had passed. They didn't possess Octaville's powerful magic, so drawing teleportation arrays was somewhat beyond their capabilities, causing the delay.
"I apologize, Tower Master, we are late."
The elderly magician at the head of the group bowed deeply.
"I'm so glad you're here. I feel relieved now."
Octaville patted his shoulder. "Now go and clear out all the monsters around here. Remember, some are invisible; you'll have to use your scent and intuition to spot them. One wrong move and you could be in mortal danger, so be extremely careful."
After giving these instructions, Octaville wanted to take Laura to the beach.
Finally, they had a chance to go to the beach.
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