northernbook Chapter 68, Part 2: Aftermath
Chapter 68, Part 2: Aftermath
"Hoo-ha...hoo-ha...hoo-ha"
In a small alley, Yan Die landed, while Ming, looking disheveled, leaned against the wall, holding the [Reversal Spirit Crystal] in his right hand and clutching his still-painful head with his left, as he walked out step by step.
"My head...it hurts! Damn it, if my opponent wasn't Allen, I wouldn't have revealed this trump card right away..."
A while later, Ming walked out of the alley, leaning against the wall.
Ming finally reached the entrance of the publishing house, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open to go inside.
The employees who were busy inside saw him looking like this and gathered around, asking him all sorts of questions.
"Is the president alright?"
Ming simply waved his hand, "It's nothing, you guys go ahead with your work, I have something to do..."
After saying that, he went straight back to his office.
Ming had barely sat down when the door was suddenly pushed open. Takashiro Hiroki, looking worried, rushed in, then breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ming sitting in the chair.
"President, are you alright?!"
"Uh... I think I told you to knock before you come in, right?" Ming reminded him again as he watched Hiroki rush in.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I heard that there was a spatial quake near Teacher Erya's house, and you went to Teacher Erya's place on my behalf, which made me very worried!"
After looking at each other for a moment, Ming shook his head with a hint of helplessness. "I already said I'm fine. I was just gently pushed by the spatial tremor. Don't always make such a fuss."
Upon hearing Ming's words, Honggui felt somewhat guilty and bowed deeply, sincerely apologizing, "President, I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"
Ming nodded expressionlessly. "I said I'm fine. You should go update your manuscript or help me organize the files."
Just as Hiroki was about to leave after hearing this, she suddenly turned around as if she had remembered something important, and muttered to herself:
"Oh right, what about Teacher Erya? I wonder how she's doing now..."
As she spoke, she quickly walked towards Ming's direction and asked anxiously, "President, what happened to Erya? Is she alright?"
Upon hearing Honggui's question, Ming's expression changed slightly. After a moment of consideration, he slowly spoke: "Erya... she's fine. When I arrived at her house, she had already gone to seek refuge and I couldn't find her."
"I see. You didn't get a reason? That's... a real shame."
Hiroki lowered his head, a hint of disappointment showing behind his round glasses, before turning and leaving the office.
Ming, on the other hand, wasn't too worried. After all, for DEM, an elf who had lost his spiritual power and become an ordinary person right under their noses had already lost his value.
Silencing them wouldn't do them any good. The best plan would be to send them to the hospital and pretend they know nothing. Besides, I'm keeping a seed of life in Erya just in case.
Just then, the publishing house's phone rang; it was the hospital calling.
Ming was startled and picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Tiangong Hospital. Do you know Ms. Honjou Niya?" came the nurse's voice from the other end of the line.
“Yes, I know her. What happened to her?” Ming asked, trying to make his voice as expressive as possible.
"That's right, because Ms. Erya's relatives cannot be found at present, her company or friends can only come to the hospital to claim her."
Ming thought to himself, it seems that Er Ya has indeed been sent to the hospital as he expected. He said into the microphone, "I'll be there right away."
After hanging up the phone, Ming stood up. Then, with slightly heavy steps, he walked downstairs.
When Ming finally reached the bottom of the stairs, he quickened his pace without hesitation and rushed towards Tiangong Hospital like an arrow released from a bow.
When Ming rushed to the hospital, his heart was pounding like a drum. Led by a nurse, he walked through a long corridor and finally arrived at the door of Er Ya's ward.
Gently pushing open the door, one sees Er Ya lying quietly on the hospital bed. Her eyes are closed, and a man and a woman stand beside the bed.
The woman was tall and elegant, with long, flowing golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Upon closer inspection, Ming was startled; this woman was none other than Allen!
Sensing the approaching person, Allen walked towards Ming. Upon reaching Ming, she bowed slightly and politely said:
“Hello sir, my name is Alan Mira Mathers, and I was one of your employees who was picked up by chance during the spacequake.”
Then, with a blank expression, Allen pulled an exquisite card from his pocket.
She gently handed the card to Ming and earnestly instructed him:
"Sir, please make sure to accept this card and give it to Miss Honjo after she wakes up. It contains all the medical expenses that can be used at this hospital."
After finishing his speech, Allen left the medical room without lingering.
Ming watched Allen's departing figure, his mind filled with doubt. He looked down at the card in his hand and muttered to himself:
"Huh, an unexpected bonus? She was just trying to take Nia away by force not long ago... Did she think I abandoned Nia?"
"It evokes sympathy, like that for her when she was abandoned by Woodman."
Then Ming approached Er Ya's bedside, narrowed his eyes, and said emphatically, "Miss Er Ya, please stop pretending to be asleep."
Erya opened her eyes, a sly glint in them. "Hehe, young man, you're still so clever."
Afterwards, Erya made what she thought was a cool gesture and threw out the device that Ming had just used to amplify her negative emotions.
"Here you go, kid!"
Ming caught the display device steadily, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Miss Erya, what do you mean by this?"
Erya sat up and stretched. "This thing is useless to me now. Since you used it to amplify my negative emotions before, it's back to its rightful owner."
Ming fiddled with the device, seemingly lost in thought. "So, what are you planning to do next?"
Erya crossed her arms and looked stubborn. "Although I have lost my spiritual power and become an ordinary person, my wisdom is still there."
"Aren't you going to ask me for the spirit crystal back?"
Ming activated the arbitrary domain to block the monitoring or listening of electronic devices, and took out the rhomboid-shaped Reverse Spirit Crystal from his hand.
Erya looked at the Reversal Spirit Crystal in Ming's hand and smiled slightly. "Keep that as a souvenir. It might come in handy someday."
Ming was even more puzzled after hearing this, "You're really that at ease? This is a power that is almost omniscient."
Niya shook her head. "I believe you, and... omniscience only causes me pain. Right now, I just want to live like an ordinary person, without being troubled by those precognitive abilities that I want to know in advance out of curiosity."
At this point, Erya pretended to be very profound, then burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha, kid~ Look at my all-knowing expression just now, doesn't it remind you of an anime protagonist who has just achieved enlightenment!"
Ming couldn't help but say, "Miss Erya is really optimistic. But now that you've lost your spiritual power, life probably won't be easy."
Erya seemed completely unconcerned. "It's okay, I can make money by writing comics. My past experiences are enough for me to draw lots of interesting stories." Ming looked at Erya's determined expression and secretly admired her.
Just as Ming turned to leave, he suddenly heard Er Ya's urgent shouts from behind:
"Wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Erya in confusion. Erya got off the bed with a disdainful expression and walked quickly toward him.
"Hey, hey, hey! Kid, there's one more thing~ You and Allen, the one who gave you the card, are the culprits who razed my house to the ground!"
"While I admit your spirit outfit is cool, being cool can't put food on the table! I've always wanted a new house, so... how about I come and stay at your place!"
Erya wrapped her arms around Ming's arm, pressing her chest slightly against his, and held on tightly, showing no intention of letting him go.
After hesitating several times, Ming said:
"can."
"Great!"
Meanwhile, at the DEM headquarters in London, UK~
Westcott sat quietly in his spacious, slightly dimly lit office, his deep gaze fixed on the computer screen in front of him.
The screen repeatedly showed the thrilling battle between Ming and Allen.
"Not bad, not bad, really not bad~ The extremely evil spirit [Flame Beast], vicious and ruthless, is also beautiful, it doesn't seem like that woman's masterpiece at all."
With a smile on his face and his legs crossed, Westcott's gaze lingered on the moment Ming pierced Erya with the chain.
"I really wish we could work together... destroy the world? Enjoy despair? Ah~ it feels like we're pretty good friends, especially those empty eyes, so wonderful, so wonderful, perfect, so perfect..."
As he spoke, Westcott burst into laughter.
"Haha ...
Laughter echoed throughout the office.