He identified several targets that Xia Yibing should not mess with.
The royal family is not among them - this is a problem. And most of the others are just people.
Or should we say, they are all “individuals”.
Baron Larence, Principal of Puslint.
There was one exception: only the Wheel of Fortune was on the list as a whole, and the instructor asked her not to provoke any member of the opposing organization.
She was younger at that time and didn't understand the pros and cons. Her natural curiosity and adventurous spirit since childhood prompted her to secretly investigate the organization.
She first spent a month looking up all the information she could find about the library. Then she chose the eternal night - she wanted to sneak into the library to investigate while there were few people around.
Then...
What happened to her, the shock she received that night was no better than what she had experienced in Blackwood City, and might even be worse.
Hitzfeld didn't think so much.
She didn't think about why Xia Yibing was a little distracted, because in her opinion, her connection with the library was undoubtedly closer.
She is a "Special Honorary Member of the Royal National Library of Port Wayne" and enjoys level five authority in the Wheel of Fortune organization.
Moreover, he had inherited his wife's "key of destiny", which could be considered a bit of a privilege.
Even aside from that, she was still the heiress to the Dawson Collection, and as such she had loaned much of the collection to the library, a move she was sure must have impressed them.
It's even possible that this was the act that made the library take notice of her, leading to those powerful appointments.
So in Hitzfeld's opinion, he should be half the host - Xia Yibing should not have contributed anything to the action of seeking help from the library.
She went straight to the two-way rental counter and suddenly found that she had grown a little taller.
Before, she had to stand on tiptoe to barely see the tabletop. Now, she can see the same view just by standing on tiptoe.
She couldn't tell for a moment whether this was a natural development of the body or a benefit of sleep.
But it is always a good thing and a good omen.
"Excuse me."
She tried to shout.
"I am... well, a special honorary member, the holder of the Key of Destiny, Aisuen Hitzfeld..."
"I have something very important to discuss with you, and I hope to meet with the top leaders of the organization."
no way.
The bar was still too high, and she had no way of confirming whether there was anyone behind it.
After a moment of silence, the creaking sound of the tree roots entangled began again.
Hitzfeld opened his mouth slightly, ready to defend himself after hearing any response.
Yes... She had considered almost every possible answer from the other party and had thought of a way to respond, but she never expected that things would turn out like this -
"Wow!"
She only heard a crisp sound as if the bushes and treetops were shaking, and the next moment, a large shadow suddenly jumped out from behind the bar and covered her completely.
“You…you!?”
Hitzfeld was stunned.
This thing that sprang up... this... cylindrical torso, skinny arms, a head covered with branches and leaves...
This is simply a...real wooden man! ?
"Esun Hitzfeld—"
The wooden man stretched out his neck—if it had a neck—and made a creaking sound, as if tree roots were entangled together.
It has eyes, two shiny black spots, set a little below the tree canopy, and the left eye is wearing a monocle. An abrupt and elongated branch serves as a nose, with a crack at the bottom that is gently moving.
“Qualification confirmed.”
With another burst of crisp sounds, the wooden man sat back, and only the sound continued to be heard.
"But the bishops are all busy. They have to preside over the ceremony in the central diocese. The only person you can see is probably... His Majesty the Annual Ring."
"I……"
"I have received news that Her Majesty the Ring of Years is free tonight. You are lucky. Not everyone has the opportunity to meet her."
"you……"
"We only receive our own people, Level 5 authority holder Aisuen Hitzfeld. As for the human behind you, she once offended His Majesty the Tree Ring. She is not welcome here. I hope you can ask her to leave."
"I...then I'll leave too." Hitzfeld finally found an opportunity to speak.
"Wow!"
The wooden man popped his head out again and looked at her as if she were a fool.
"You're crazy! Aisun Hitzfeld!"
"Do you know how rare it is to have the opportunity to meet Her Majesty? She is even more noble than the human king!"
"Oh, really?" Hitzfeld's heart was beating like a drum, but he still tried to remain calm. "I don't think that's the case. She should have taken the initiative to see me."
"Esun-Hitzfeld!"
"You knew I was coming tonight, right?" Hitzfeld narrowed his one eye. "Members, the Key of Destiny, the Puppet Walnut, the Wooden Man Mapus-Dalent... I don't believe these arrangements were made out of pure good intentions."
"Just tell me if I can take her with me."
"Yes, I will go see her."
"No, not only do I want to quit this organization, I also want to take away the books from Dawson Literature Society!"
"…You are threatening the Woodmen!"
"If you think this is a threat!"
"Hitzfeld..."
Xia Yibing walked behind the girl and wanted to reach out and touch her head but was too embarrassed.
She could see that the girl was actually a little scared.
She was also surprised when she saw these things for the first time, after all, their appearance looked so different from humans.
But even so, even though he was afraid and shocked, Hitzfeld never wavered for a moment.
She insisted on defending her.
She trusted her.
Well……
I haven't experienced this feeling of pure trust for many years...
"If I were a human, I would have been pissed to death by you!"
The wooden man screamed strangely and the treetops shook.
"Wow!"
It sat back down again.
At the same time, the wood of the bar facing the girl squeezed and twisted on its own, revealing an arch just big enough for her to pass through.
"Your Majesty has agreed."
"Go straight through this door."
"Remember, never look back halfway."
Chapter 48: Annual Rings
Swallowing his saliva, Hitzfeld walked towards the archway.
When she reached the door, she stopped, turned around, and extended her right hand to the woman in the black windbreaker.
Xia Yibing raised the corner of her mouth slightly, grabbed her hand, and went into the archway with her.
This is an underground tunnel, narrow and deep.
For Hitzfeld, walking here is just "just okay" - just okay to walk here, there is no space for her to jump, kick, stretch her arms... even making bigger movements is restricted.
Even she was in this situation, and Xia Yibing, who was more than ten centimeters taller than her, felt even worse. She had to walk behind with her knees bent, and after walking for a while her whole body was aching.
She suspected that this was revenge from the wooden people.
That must be the case. This race has always been narrow-minded.
"What does it mean when it says don't look back?"
Hitzfeld asked her from the front.
"I don't know." Xia Yibing raised her eyebrows, "But I suggest you follow them, because they always like to play tricks..."
"Are they the 'wooden people'?"
"Yes, this is the truth behind the library and the Wheel of Fortune."
The further you go down, the greater the slope of the tunnel changes.
About ten minutes later, they came to the first fork in the road.
"Right." Hitzfeld chose a path to continue.
Although it is a fork in the road, it is still obvious from the interlaced traces that the original tunnel is on the right.
They walked and stopped, because Xia Yibing was in so much pain that she had to lie down and stretch her limbs to recover every once in a while.
She gradually felt that this was not a bad thing.
Because Hitzfeld couldn't look back—no matter what she was doing back there.
This allowed her to look at her from behind with confidence, boldness and unscrupulousness without being discovered by her.
Hitzfeld's attire had not changed much from before.
She doesn't like to wear makeup, and her wardrobe is full of black dresses suitable for formal occasions.
And without exception, they are all long skirts. The longest ones don’t even show your shoes, while the shortest ones only reveal a little bit of your calves.
Today, she wore a skirt that was slightly nipped in at the waist, which made the hem of the skirt appear slightly puffy.
Although it was still a solemn black, for someone like Xia Yibing who knew her background, she could feel a little extra, a lively vibe that was completely youthful.
When she lay down and stretched her body, she could clearly see her calves under the hem of her skirt.
They are completely wrapped in white stockings, with slender ankles and full calves.
There are no visible muscle lines that would affect the appearance, but she is not too thin to be sickly either.
It is as smooth and flowing as silk.
Looking at the two pieces of calves, Xia Yibing couldn't help but recall the scenery she saw in the car in the afternoon.
Slender and smooth calves and round and fleshy thighs.
She usually wears conservative clothes like this...you wouldn't know she has such a nice figure.
She suddenly had an impulse.
She wondered if Hitzfeld was wearing pantyhose or stockings tonight.
If she was wearing the same stockings as in the afternoon, and if she moved a little closer, would she be able to see the dent where the hem of the socks was?
"Ok?"
Before she could even scold herself for having such a thought, she smelled a faint foul odor.
“There’s something…!”
Hitzfeld became alert.
She knew the smell.
This is corpse odor.
The stench of the corpses became stronger and stronger, indicating that the source of the emanation was getting closer and closer to them.
