The Pendant slowly slipped from Wei Bai’s neck, a faint green light gradually enveloping him.
Just as Mida was about to take it completely, a piercing crow’s cry echoed above her head.
Anthony, happily enjoying his meal, happened to witness the scene and immediately ignored the firefly before him, swooping down from the air to pounce on Wei Bai.
Already tense, Mida was startled by Anthony’s sudden movement, causing her to let go and tumble off the reef.
“Ah!”
With all this commotion, Wei Bai was jolted awake by the shouts of the person and the bird, blinking in confusion at Anthony, who stood with ruffled feathers and a fierce look.
“Did I fall asleep?”
Wei Bai scratched his head.
He had indeed been exhausted these days, and even someone like him felt tired.
Relaxing in the sea breeze, he had unknowingly drifted off.
Wait…
Where’s that girl?
Why is only a piece of clothing on me?
He lifted the garment, and a faint, refreshing scent wafted over.
She must have covered him while he slept.
Is this what they call a girl’s fragrance?
At this thought, even someone who had braved blade and flame for years like Wei Bai couldn’t help but blush.
Although he was technically a girl, after spending eight or nine years in the Adventurer’s Guild, he had grown used to living as a boy.
Unknowingly, Wei Bai had come to see himself as human.
“Cough, cough…”
A familiar voice came from below the reef.
Wei Bai curiously peeked over, then quickly drew his head back.
After a moment, Wei Bai jumped down from the reef, stepped into the seawater, and helped the soaked Mida up, carefully avoiding looking at her.
A visible blush spread across his face, while Anthony perched on his shoulder, unabashedly staring at Mida.
Mida, drenched from head to toe, cut a startling figure.
Her wet clothes clung to her body, outlining the curves of a young girl.
Two lofty peaks pressed against the fabric without any attempt at concealment.
Her wet brown hair stuck to her skin, giving her a unique charm.
“Why are you in the water? Weren’t you watching fireflies?”
Wei Bai draped the garment over Mida, turning his head away as he asked in confusion.
Glancing nervously at Anthony, Mida naturally couldn’t admit that she had tried to look at Wei Bai’s Pendant without permission, so she quietly omitted some details.
“I saw you were asleep and worried you’d catch a chill, so I covered you with my clothes.
But then my foot slipped, and I fell…”
“……”
Wei Bai fell silent.
He wanted to speak but realized he had no experience handling such situations.
“Forget it.
Before buying wine, let’s go to my place so you can take a bath.
Otherwise, you might not make it till tomorrow.”
With that, Wei Bai took Mida’s hand and led her toward his home.
“…Oh…”
Mida replied softly, trailing behind Wei Bai and stepping in his footprints.
A night breeze blew.
Mida shivered, her body trembling.
At the end of spring, the temperature had only just risen to a middling level, and the seawater felt cold.
When the wind blew, it felt like falling into an ice cave.
The chill burrowed into her clothes, sending a deep cold through her body.
Mida shivered as she followed Wei Bai’s tracks without looking at the road, and she bumped into his stopped figure.
She looked up to see Wei Bai spreading another wrinkled work uniform, carefully draping it over her and tugging at the corners to ensure she was fully covered.
Seeing Wei Bai’s focused expression, a warmth rose in Mida’s heart.
“What are you staring at?
Come on.
Stay any longer, and you’ll be lying in bed all day tomorrow.”
Wei Bai took a few steps, then called back to the dazed Mida.
At his words, Mida snapped back to reality and hurried to catch up to his shadow.
—
“Squawk…!”
The moment the door opened, Anthony, who was about to shriek, had his beak pinched shut by Wei Bai’s two fingers.
“Alright, it’s already late.
If you keep screeching, aren’t you afraid someone upstairs will come down and cook you?”
Ignoring Anthony’s flapping wings, Wei Bai kept his grip firm.
After speaking, he released Anthony, who obediently flew to a nearby candlestick, glanced at Mida, and closed his eyes to doze off.
The girl behind him was curiously examining the surroundings.
Wei Bai’s home was small, with only a few simple pieces of furniture and a modest-sized bathroom.
Besides that, Mida noticed two even smaller rooms.
One was Wei Bai’s bedroom, and the other was tightly locked, its interior layout invisible.
Living in such a small house helped save on rent, but more importantly, Wei Bai felt secure with his belongings packed into the small space.
He wasn’t forced to live here just because of money.
After all, he was once of royal blood…
“Alright, go take a bath.
There should be a few buckets of water inside—just heat them with a Fire Magic Stone.”
Wei Bai instructed Mida, then turned toward his bedroom.
Staring at his back in a daze, Mida soon began to undress.
She slipped off her soaked outer clothes and, blushing, entered the bathroom in only her underwear.
Hmm, it’s rather simple.
Two towels hung on the wall with nails, a toothbrush stuck in a cup beside a cracked mirror.
But…
There’s even a bathtub.
Though it looked a bit old, it seemed this guy cared about cleanliness.
Mida ignited a Fire Magic Stone and tossed it under the tub, then poured in water.
Once everything was ready, steam filled the bathroom.
Mida removed her underwear, her youthful figure sinking into the hot water…
Wei Bai, tinkering in his bedroom, naturally paid no mind to Mida’s bath.
He was far more concerned about something else.
His Pendant, which he had tucked inside his clothes while sleeping, was now outside when he awoke.
He glanced at the dozing Anthony and dismissed the thought.
No, it couldn’t have been Anthony.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen Wei Bai’s spirit body before, and he knew the danger of exposing it in front of others.
He wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake.
Then could it be…
Listening to the sound of splashing water from the bathroom, Wei Bai felt a surge of unease.
Why did Mida take the Pendant?
He’d never shown it in public, so how did she even know about it?
Could it be that Mida had discovered his identity and wanted to expose him?
Or was it just an unconscious action?
Wei Bai pondered, quickly making up his mind.
No, he’d known Mida for a year.
She wasn’t that kind of person.
If she had questions, she would ask directly, not act without reason.
The issue must be with the Pendant itself.
Thinking this, Wei Bai carefully examined the Pendant.
He noticed that inside the once-clear Droplet-shaped Gem, something seemed to writhe, pulsing with green light.
He fetched a magnifying glass from a nearby cabinet and scrutinized the gem.
Aside from a faint, flickering pattern inside, nothing else stood out.
Putting the magnifying glass away, his suspicions deepened.
Please don’t break, oh heavens.
My fate as a human depends on you!
Wei Bai pressed the Pendant with his hand, then decided to tuck it back inside his clothes.
Such a precious item had to be hidden well.
Judging by the current situation, he might even need to find another piece of equipment with the same function.
If this thing failed one day, his end would be beyond miserable.
But it seemed impossible to find something equally miraculous.
As Wei Bai frowned and tucked the Pendant back into his clothes, his hand loosened, and lines of text appeared before his eyes.
Name: Tear of Lirvea (Epic)
Type: Pendant Equipment
Function: Stores energy, autonomously absorbs energy, identifies all things, active energy release (magic form)
Active skill: Unknown
Passive skill: Unknown
Activation status: Activated, bound to [Mo Baiwei]
What is this?
This Pendant on me has such functions?!
Judging by the name, it might even share an ancestor with me?!
Wei Bai stared in surprise.
He hadn’t expected that after absorbing his blood for nineteen years, the Pendant could still reveal hidden abilities.
No, absorbing his blood must have been the hidden function.
He had never figured out its true use all these years.
But the Pendant’s grade… Epic?
Besides suppressing bloodlines, were these seemingly useless functions really those of an Epic weapon?
In this world, weapons are ranked by quality from lowest to highest as Ordinary, Exquisite, Standard, Craftsman’s Art, Masterwork, and Epic.
The higher the quality, the stronger the functions and the more complex the craftsmanship.
Weapons above Craftsman’s Art can no longer be forged by dwarven smiths alone, requiring the combined expertise of masters from various fields and enormous resources.
Epic weapons are already exceedingly rare, with perhaps only a handful known to exist.
It’s said that above Epic lies Divine Weapon, but those are legendary artifacts—none are known to exist today.
And now, an Epic-class Pendant hung around Wei Bai’s neck.
If word got out, he’d be doomed.
He could handle petty thieves, but facing an Epic item, even the Holy Emperor couldn’t resist.
Ask yourself—could you take on the Holy Emperor?
You’d be lucky not to be crushed in an instant, let alone think of victory.
Wei Bai tightened his collar.
This Pendant must never be seen by anyone.
He wasn’t worried about someone in a remote village recognizing it; he feared rumors growing ever wilder.
A man of no power suffers for possessing a treasure.
But at least he could let go of his suspicions about Mida.
It must have been the Pendant glowing in his embrace that attracted her attention—she probably thought it was a firefly.
Listening to the dwindling sound of water from the bathroom, Wei Bai glanced at the damp clothes on the chair, stood up, and started rummaging through the wardrobe.
Before long, the water stopped, and Mida’s voice called out from the bathroom.
“Hey! Stupid pig, do you have any spare clothes…”
As if remembering something, her voice trailed off to nothing.
“I brought you some. They’re by the door—grab them yourself.”
Wei Bai replied with a chuckle, placing the clothes on a stool at the bathroom door before returning to his room.
He had guessed that with this girl’s intelligence, she wouldn’t have thought about clothes before entering.