LRAB Chapter 203 Under the White Skirt
Chapter 203 Under the White Skirt
Chapter 203 Under the White Skirt
A basic skill of a con artist is being able to utter any lie without batting an eye.
Even if the lie was baseless and illogical, or even just a spur-of-the-moment thought.
The woman in front of him asked a lot of questions about the navigator, and Chris answered all of them with great seriousness.
Sometimes, he didn't even fully understand what the woman was asking.
Who cares? Chris is just using this person to get to the frozen continent.
As for whether she might make a wrong judgment because of Chris's false information, that's not something Chris should worry about.
During their continued conversation, Chris learned the woman's identity—Celestia, a witch.
Many people may think that wizards are evil beings, but Chris believes that this is a prejudice of the world.
Wizards, like alchemists, magicians, and even warriors, are simply a class of people.
They possess extraordinary powers, but this does not equate to good or evil.
Of course, Chris also felt that a con artist was a profession devoid of good or evil.
Therefore, Chris was not averse to being near Celestia. He also possessed special powers and was not afraid of powerful forces like ordinary people.
Chris even tends to get close to the witch.
Celestia, though not particularly young, possesses striking beauty, a cool and aloof demeanor, and a distinctly feminine charm.
If Chris could use his sweet talk to win Celestia's affection for a night, he would even be willing to kneel at Celestia's feet and be her dog for three days.
But it was just wishful thinking. Chris might have tested the waters, but he never launched a direct attack.
Chris didn't want to provoke Celestia; the witchcraft this woman possessed was probably enough to kill Chris ten times over in the blink of an eye.
Celestia's beauty might be something Chris could be infatuated with, but he clearly remembered his purpose for this trip.
Fate led him to become a community elder in the frozen continent; he was here to be king!
As the ruler of a nation, he is certainly capable of having women younger and more beautiful than Celestia.
At that time, he guessed he wanted a child.
One, a bloodline truly worthy of inheriting his lineage.
Right now, Chris is following Celestia to her mansion.
This is a large mansion, with young and beautiful female servants busy at work everywhere.
Chris was the only man in this den of women.
They arrived on the frozen continent yesterday, but as soon as they set foot on this land, the cold penetrated deep into Chris's spine, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
Chris left in a hurry, without packing any luggage or winter clothes.
In this kind of weather, Chris would be frozen solid in just one night.
He was also penniless and unable to buy a cotton-padded coat or rent a hotel.
The only way to avoid freezing to death is to continue clinging to Celestia.
Celestia did indeed take him in and sent a maid to buy Chris a winter coat.
Celestia is clearly a wealthy woman, otherwise she wouldn't be so generous.
Chris planned to stay at Celestia's residence for a few more days to learn about the customs and traditions of the frozen continent.
In fact, Chris had already learned some Ice Language from Celestia.
This is much easier to learn than Green Eyes' language, and there's even a teacher to instruct you.
Although Chris is making rapid progress, he is still far from being able to communicate effectively.
For a con artist, language is an indispensable weapon.
Therefore, he wanted to follow Celestia and continue learning the language of ice.
Besides language, understanding the local culture is equally important.
The book's interpretation of the power of destiny can bring Chris a bright and clear future.
But to reach that destiny, Chris can only rely on his own strength along the way.
His only real strength was undoubtedly his skillful deception, so he had to learn the language of ice and the customs of the frozen continent.
To his utter surprise, Celestia suddenly said to him:
"You have to leave my house tomorrow."
The outside world was quiet, bathed in moonlight.
Chris asked, "Why?"
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning,” Celestia said, “and I can’t leave a man behind at my house while I’m away.”
"Leave?" Chris asked, puzzled. "But you just got back."
“I’m not asking you for a consultation,” Celestia said. “I’ve already done more than enough by letting you stay here overnight and giving you a coat.”
Chris understood that Celestia had made up her mind and would not be easily persuaded.
As for Celestia's reason, Chris could only think of one:
"For the navigator?"
Celestia didn't deny it, so Chris knew he was right.
Chris remembered that the witch had said her purpose was revenge.
So he pressed further, "Why? What grudge do you have against each other?"
Celestia, dressed in a white dress, walked through the hall.
After a moment, she replied:
"He attacked my ship."
Even Chris found the reason utterly ridiculous:
"No matter how famous the navigator is, he's still a pirate. Isn't it normal for pirates to attack ships and plunder? I understand your anger, but this flame of hatred seems to have gone too far."
"If it were just ordinary looting, I certainly wouldn't care so much."
Chris sensed something was off: "What do you mean?"
"I didn't encounter the navigator's ship by chance; he deliberately waited for me, attacked, and then didn't approach."
"Just watching my ship sink...sink?" Chris wondered. "How can you loot if it's sunk?"
"I was confused at first too, but I've figured it out," Celestia said. "The navigator's goal from the very beginning was to sink my ship?"
Chris couldn't figure out what the witch had done to incur the navigator's hatred so much.
But he didn't ask, thinking that Celestia probably didn't know either.
After all, she still needed to ask Chris about the Navigator.
He noticed something else instead: "Wait a minute, you just said it sank? But if the ship sank, how are you standing here?"
"If the longship sank in the middle of the sea, then everyone on board would indeed have to perish with it. In fact, everyone on board except me drowned. And me—"
At this point, Celestia suddenly fell silent, and Chris noticed that her lips were trembling, a sign of fear.
After a long pause, she continued:
"I have already glimpsed the outline of death. I am merely clinging to this point. Anger and hatred are thoughts that I cannot shake off. My heart will not find peace until I kill the Navigator."
"Just one night," Chris thought to himself, "I can make you forget the Navigator and only have one man left in your mind."
But Chris dared not voice his thoughts; he said:
"Although many people say that the Navigator is nothing but a speculator in name only, he has indeed sailed the seas for many years and nearly killed you. I think you know that killing him is not easy."
"Of course I understand, but a witch's spell is not a lullaby for a baby's pillow."
"But how do you know that the navigator doesn't possess extraordinary powers?"
Chris countered that ever since he himself had control over the power of destiny, he had always suspected that the people he came into contact with actually possessed some kind of powerful force.
Chris has reason to believe that the leader who has achieved such success is no ordinary person.
Celestia fell silent before speaking to Chris:
"I have my own way of doing things, but I don't need to tell you."
Chris could sense the emotion in the other person's words, so he didn't press the matter further.
He would rather please the beautiful witch than provoke Celestia:
"Miss, I just want to say that you've helped me so much. Please feel free to ask for any help you need, and I will definitely do my best to assist you."
"You can't help me, and you're not genuinely trying to help me."
Celestia raised her chin, narrowed her eyes, and glanced coldly at Chris.
"Don't think I can't tell you want to sleep with me; you're just lusting after my body."
"Good heavens, miss, you are really—"
Chris tried to explain, but Celestia interrupted him:
"Enough! Stop wasting your breath. You may be eloquent, but you can't convince me. The reason is simple: I'm not interested in men."
Not interested in men?
Upon hearing this, Chris suddenly realized what was going on.
No wonder he didn't see a single man in the witch's mansion.
If Celestia hadn't been right there, Chris would have definitely sighed, "What a pity."
Chris, too, completely lost the motivation to please Celestia.
Therefore, he just wanted to find an excuse to leave and go back to his room to rest early.
To be honest, after sleeping on the ship for a few days, he would definitely miss his sturdy, solid bed.
After a few words, Chris successfully left Celestia's side.
But it was still early, and he found it difficult to fall asleep.
Sitting on the bed, he decided to try to leverage his own strength.
Chris had already read most of the book, "The Guide to Destiny Interpretation".
Chris had memorized all the methods for interpreting fate recorded inside.
However, the highest level of interpretation is something Chris cannot currently use with his existing power.
Therefore, he planned to meditate to improve his control over his power.
He concentrated his mind and, following the instructions in the book, gathered energy and circulated it throughout his body.
After practicing for about an hour, he felt refreshed, indicating that the practice had been effective.
However, he was well aware of his current strength and knew that he was still some distance away from using the final method of fate interpretation.
But Chris is already able to use other methods with ease.
Chris reinterpreted his destiny and heard its whispers:
"Wizard's Staff—"
"southwest-"
"Elders—"
The Northwest has turned into the Southwest! Chris was overjoyed, thinking that he was getting closer to the signifier of fate!
The advanced interpretation techniques were indeed useful, allowing Chris to know more clearly whether he was getting closer to his target.
He couldn't help but laugh at the thought that he would soon become king.
At the same time, he used the power of destiny to cover his right eye so that he could more deeply experience the exhilarating feeling of having control over his destiny.
But as he was doing this, he suddenly noticed that a cloud of colorful nitrogen and argon was floating in the night sky outside the window.
To be precise, it wasn't color, but the colors of fate cannot be described by human words.
However, Chris didn't need to describe it; he only needed to know that its vibrant color could easily influence the fate of everything around it.
Chris was curious, so he pushed open the door, went outside, and followed the colorful light.
Afterwards, Chris followed Nitrogen and Argon as they traversed Celestia's mansion.
Celestia's maids seemed to have already rested, and Chris didn't encounter anyone along the way.
Soon, he arrived outside a house.
This room is like a warehouse, or serves a similar function.
But when Chris got to the door, he found it was only slightly ajar.
Chris carefully pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
The room was empty, almost devoid of anything, which reinforced Chris's earlier suspicions.
However, if it is just an ordinary warehouse, why would it emit such a dazzling light of destiny?
Or perhaps, Chris guessed, that dazzling brilliance shone only for me?
Chris grew increasingly curious, and he also noticed that the source of fate came from the deepest part of the room.
He walked quickly, and when he stopped to gaze, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and disperse the energy gathered in his eyes.
Chris realized he was wrong; this wasn't a warehouse, it was an interrogation room!
Chris had been captured many times, and the various instruments of torture placed next to the rack were a haunting nightmare in his memory.
He then suddenly remembered that Celestia was a witch.
I've heard that wizards lack basic morality and empathy; perhaps that's true.
What kind of good family would prepare such a room in their home?
Chris was also curious about what kind of people had been interrogated here before.
But this damned curiosity was immediately satisfied by a cold voice that entered his eardrum:
"Many people have been tortured here."
Chris's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly turned around.
That's when I realized it was Celestia.
She stepped forward and continued:
"But the person I interrogated recently is the one I remember most vividly. She was a beautiful young woman, and just looking at her face was enough to satisfy my soul, making me not crave food for three days and three nights."
"Therefore, I couldn't bear to see these instruments of torture applied to her body; I only wanted to test her spirit. But in the end, she betrayed me."
Chris gradually regained his composure: "You regret it?"
"Of course I regret it," Celestia said. "I don't know what came over me, but I didn't get close to her."
To truly possess her.
Regret this? Chris didn't know how to comment.
Celestia suddenly looked at Chris and said, "It's impolite to wander around someone else's house."
Chris felt a chill run down his spine: "I'm so sorry, miss, please forgive me, I—"
"...Your explanation is irrelevant," Celestia said. "According to the rules of witches, I must punish you."
"Miss, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time!"
Chris pleaded desperately, saying he didn't know what Celestia might do to him, but he should never imagine the witch's methods.
Damn it, how could this happen?
He came here based on his own abilities, so why has it turned into the current situation?
Celestia ignored Chris's words and simply said coldly:
"How should I punish you—oh right, didn't you want to sleep with me?"
At this point, how could Chris admit it?
"Miss, I, Yonglai, never said that—"
Celestia said coldly, "I intend to grant your wish."
"No, miss, no—!" Chris belatedly realized what was happening. "Miss, what did you say?"
Celestia said nothing more, but smiled and reached out her delicate hand to untie the knot on her skirt.
Chris widened his right eye, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.
Is this punishment? It's clearly a reward!
So this was what fate had in store for him! Chris cheered inwardly, for fate never fails to deliver!
Celestia keeps saying she doesn't like men, ha, it's just a fragile lie.
Or perhaps, it's a matter of sentiment!
Chris was just curious why he hadn't noticed Celestia was lying.
If you don't take the initiative at this point, what kind of man are you?
Chris started taking off his clothes too, even faster than Celestia.
He looked ahead expectantly, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. But when the white dress slipped to the ground, what was revealed was black, decaying skin.
Her body was covered in blood, almost festering, and her skin was riddled with holes, with a pale yellow ooze constantly gushing from her body.
Tiny creatures, resembling worms or fish fry, wriggled within her black body, carving out worm tunnels.
It was even eaten away, leaving deep craters that looked like black eyes clinging to her body.
"I told you before, I don't like men. That's not a lie, but it's not entirely true either—that was true before, but now—what I don't like is humanity!"
Celestia spoke as she moved closer to Christopher.
Chris didn't dare to respond and could only back away.
"You once asked me why I could sing of the seabed or return. Now you know, this is the price."
Celestia continued to explain,
"I have clashed with the deep-sea races, and within their ancient bloodlines lies a powerful force that is neither good nor evil."
"They let me survive in the ocean, not out of kindness, but because they needed a hatching nest to lay their eggs."
"I cannot kill the larvae on my body, nor can I even take my own life, and I have recently discovered that I am no longer interested in humans."
"They changed my thoughts and preferences, so now you understand why I had to kill the Navigator. He sank my ship and made me who I am now."
"You tried to pry into my secrets, and I initially wanted to kill you, but I still felt uneasy. Fortunately, I've come up with a better punishment: to let you taste my pain—"
"No, don't..."
As the gruesome body slowly approached, Chris could only weakly beg for mercy.
He was backing away, but this was indoors, and the door was on the other side; the path behind him seemed to have no end.
He then felt a touch on his back and knew that he could retreat.
The black body pressed down on him, and Chris slumped against the cross, utterly dejected.
"God—"