For some reason, Ashley felt a surge of tension and irritation in her heart, her gaze sweeping back and forth over everything in the hall.
Without any orders, she walked to the bird’s nest on her own and lightly tapped the Golden Beak Mask with her fingertip, producing a pleasant tinkling sound. She laughed,
“Hee hee, I’ve been watching for a while, but I couldn’t find a single person to speak up for you~ Is your popularity really that bad?”
“…Yinyin is enough on her own. Yinyin doesn’t need friends.” The little loli’s voice carried a suppressed sob, and this sentence struck another heavy blow to her fragile heart.
“It’s so strange. No one’s even discussing you. It’s like they’re avoiding the topic. Your name has become taboo now. Oh, right—where are your parents? At a time like this, they still haven’t come to comfort their daughter? Looks like your parents and family have abandoned you. Once the Little Flower is removed, you’ll have no value left. They’ll toss you away like garbage, and your Little Flower will be used to nurture a child. That child will be sacrificed to some hidden, terrifying existence. Just thinking about it is horrifying.” Ashley spoke without mercy.
“Why tell Yinyin something so cruel… Yinyin hates you…” The little loli couldn’t help but sob. “You’re rotten to the core… You’re a complete bastard…”
“Then… do you want me to help you?” Ashley’s eyes darted around as she asked.
The Golden Beak Mask instantly fell silent, not even a breath could be heard.
“If you do, then say, ‘Big sister, save me.'” Ashley added.
The little loli desperately suppressed her excited sobs and tremblingly said, “Save… me… Big sister… save me…”
Ashley’s heart trembled, and her eyes blurred for a moment. Her thoughts drifted back to that day inside the Fig when she had begged the Little Cousin for help. Though many years had passed, it felt like it had happened just yesterday.
“Is it real? You… you’ll really help me? But… how can we escape…” The little loli’s pupils dilated, her breathing rapid, like a drowning person clutching a lifeline.
“Giggle giggle, I was just kidding. I don’t have the ability to save you, and I don’t want to at all~” Ashley let out a cheerful laugh like a little hen.
“Waaah—! I hate you! You’re the worst villain in the world! I won’t let you go even if I become a ghost! Absolutely not!”
This time, the little loli completely broke down. She struggled desperately, slamming her head against the Golden Beak Mask, but she was immediately injected with a sedative, leaving her body numb.
A few minutes later, Screw Horn the sheep-head man arrived with two doctors. He indicated that Ashley didn’t need to perform the surgery; they just needed to extract the ‘Holy Grail’ at the end.
“Were you two having a pleasant chat?” he asked.
“Of course~ We’re best friends.” Ashley replied with a beaming smile.
“Oh.” Screw Horn responded noncommittally.
“Have people from both great families all arrived?” Ashley asked.
“About a tenth of the high-ranking cadres are here. The Blood Nobles began accumulating capital even earlier than Union City. Their industries are vast now, and just mobilizing personnel has nearly filled this place.” There was a note of pride in Screw Horn’s tone.
“Oh.” Ashley nodded lightly. What a shame—one net to catch them all was impossible.
“After the surgery is complete, transfer the Holy Grail here.” Screw Horn pointed to the fleshy pedestal crawling with bright red veins on the tray. It was an ancient relic with life-support functions.
At that moment, Mr. Crow stood up to give a speech. His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears.
“This is a day worth commemorating. Under the sincere cooperation of the Crow and Sheep families, a pure ‘Container’ has finally been born, granting us the qualification to pay homage to the [Blood King].”
Applause erupted throughout the hall, and even Ashley couldn’t bear to ruin the atmosphere as she clapped along.
The two doctors received the signal and began the surgery.
The procedure was very simple. After local anesthesia, they cut open Yinsu Helin’s abdomen like a doll’s, stitched two lines along the area to be removed, clipped it out with hot forceps, and finally applied ointments to promote healing and disinfection.
Ashley cradled the still-steaming Little Flower in her hands. Instead of transferring it to the fleshy pedestal, she naturally stuffed it into her own belly, through a slit interwoven with blood-red veins, where it vanished like magic!
The banquet guests were still toasting and mingling; no one noticed.
Screw Horn, right beside her, reacted first. The sheep-head man trembled all over, cold sweat trickling down his temples. He lowered his voice. “Have you gone mad? Take it out quick. I can pretend I didn’t see anything. If you’re discovered, it’ll really be the end for you…”
But Ashley gave him a cold look. “Pretend you didn’t see it, and I can spare your life.”
Screw Horn was dumbfounded, weighing her words in his mind repeatedly. Suddenly, he noticed that eerie green fireflies had begun floating in the hall at some point. And though it had been dim twilight, the hall outside suddenly brightened as if experiencing a last burst of light.
Screw Horn swallowed dryly. His mind hadn’t caught up, but his instincts told him something utterly terrifying had happened!
His legs shook violently; he desperately wanted to scream and flee!
The anomaly grew more obvious, and people in the hall began noticing one after another.
“Is this… ‘Twilight Eternal Extinction’?”
“It looks exactly the same. I saw it that day in Fountain City!”
“Don’t scare yourself. It’s just fireflies from rotting grass drifting in from outside.”
“Someone’s disappeared!”
“Don’t leave the glow’s range!”
“Why is the Fountain City Lord here?”
“Lord Yongmie! What is the meaning of this?!”
…
Everyone was sealed in place by the green fireflies, not daring to move an inch, their eyes filled with fear and shock.
Ashley calmly removed the golden headpiece from the Little Doctor’s face and tossed it to the ground with a loud clang, immediately eliciting a chorus of startled screams.
Then, she slid her hands under the Little Doctor’s back and knees, gently lifting her up.
The Little Doctor looked at the blue-haired loli with incredulity. The sturdy arm hold and resolute gaze gave her an unparalleled sense of security. With a whimper, she instinctively curled up and burrowed into her embrace.
From behind, Mr. Crow let out an enraged roar, his feathers bristling straight up as black light surged from him, rippling outward in trembling waves!
“Is taking her away Lord Yongmie’s will?!”
Ashley didn’t answer. She strode forward with steady, powerful steps.
“Do you know the consequences of angering us?!” Mr. Goat roared from ahead. The floor cracked section by section as vine-like twisted black horns erupted from the ground, lashing toward Ashley!
But in the next second, the ground smoothed over like a mirror, the severed horns gleaming with metallic sheen. Meanwhile, Mr. Goat vanished from his seat!
Ashley frowned. That guy hadn’t been annihilated by the twilight light; he’d escaped through warped space.
It seemed some methods could dodge this unreasonable extermination, but none could confront it head-on.
The ‘Time Bird’ hadn’t recorded the ability, meaning Egori had used biotech or relic power, not his innate one.
With the clan leader’s fate unknown, the remaining family members didn’t dare move. They could only watch as Ashley walked out the door.
Black light flashed as the Great Raven descended from the sky, winds whipping up along its wings into small whirlwinds.
“I’ve put the Holy Grail inside me. If you want it, come find me!”
She glanced back, tossed out those words, then—with one arm holding the Little Doctor and the other grasping the raven’s claw—rose into the sky.
Yinsu Helin had been conscious the whole time, witnessing everything from start to finish, yet she still found it hard to believe.
“We escaped?! You saved me?! You… you really did it?!”
“Hmph, I didn’t want to save you. It was the Great Raven that saved you… Say, thank you Great Raven.” Ashley turned her face away.
“Thank you Great Raven! And thank you too!” Yinsu Helin gulped down the free air, shouting happily.
