Published at 3rd of May 2023 10:00 pm

Chapter 432: Will You Devour Me

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Franca was wearing a silk cloak, the simplest and most inexpensive one she could find in her closet.

The Central District was currently in chaos, and even Franca's father and grandfather had been summoned to the central administration for a meeting. However, this also gave Franca a great opportunity.

Due to her intrinsic 'weakness' of being an ordinary person, she had never set foot outside the Central District her whole life.

Having tied her blonde hair into a high ponytail and putting on a red silken cloak, Franca took her mother's letter and the recipe book next to the mirror and jumped out of the window.

After days of investigating and persuading her servant, Mike, for help, Franca finally left the Curtis household alone for the first time, under the guise of her mother's superb acting at pretending to be crazy.

Over the past two days hearing her mother's confessions, Franca gradually understood more about her mother and learned of her origins.

Her mother was an archaeologist from another world who remained steadfast in spirit and mind in the face of an evil god and maintained her humanity.

Years of confusion caused her to retreat into a protective shell, but her spirit returned to her body once more when she tasted the cuisine of home.

The reason why her father married her mother was also for experimentation, and for the birth of Franca herself... But what sort of power did I inherit? Franca agilely climbed over the little hill in her garden and, gasping for breath, got into a vehicle that Mike had arranged.

This, however, wasn't a private car but a van packed with a bunch of poor workers.

The smell of the machine oil and body odor of the poor, who only bathed once every few months, made Franca, who had always been isolated from such things, nearly vomit. However, she still held it in till she got off the car and leaned against an electric pole before throwing up.

Still, when Franca arrived at 23rd avenue, her clothes looked out of place in this poor community.

It was clear that poor people were everywhere here. Her father and those dignitaries from the Central District had all been lying! The so-called world of happiness and beauty for everyone on the Azir continent, the world protected by so-called saints and witches... were all just hungry mouths.

Finally, Franca arrived at Lin Jie's bookstore with the letter and recipe book in hand.

The somewhat old, dilapidated bookstore was the most magnificent store on the entire block. Franca breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and stepped inside.

Jingle—

Joseph had hung a new tiny cat-shaped bell on the bookstore's door, saying that it had been given to him by children from the slums. Whenever customers entered, it would make a pleasant jingle.

But in truth, the bookstore had few customers, yet the bell chimed incessantly every day and was both noisy and a tad annoying.

Lin Jie really wanted to ask Joseph to throw the bell away, but he couldn't bear to criticize that beautiful heart beneath that manly physique.

"Hello," Franca said politely. "I'm looking for Boss Lin."

It was only then that Lin Jie realized it wasn't the wind but an actual customer—I finally have another customer!

Before him stood a disheveled girl, sweating profusely, but dressed rather luxuriously. Her delicate leather boots were covered in mud, and it was clear they weren't meant for walking.

She's obviously a runaway rich girl... Lin Jie couldn't help but give a silent laugh as he thought back to Ji Zhixiu and Cherry, feeling that he had opened up a rather extraordinary channel of customers right from the beginning.

Putting on his usual professional smile, he crossed his arms and stroked his chin. "That's me. I'm Lin Jie. What can I do for you, young friend?"

Franca's face immediately lit up with a smile as her entire body relaxed in relief.

On hearing that there was a customer, Joseph came out from the basement and saw Franca, whom he had seen before at a past banquet. However, they both had completely forgotten about it.

"Boss Lin, I bought your book at Miss Ji Zhixiu's auction." Franca then took out the book, One Thousand Classic Homedishes.

Joseph froze. This girl… actually obtained this book?!

He clearly saw the title—Blood Sacrifice.

"It's this book, classic homedishes. There are many methods inside that I don't quite understand," said Franca as she wiped away the sweat on her face.

Joseph: ???

"Ah, this book... It's pretty normal that you can't understand it. Norzin's dietary conditions are backward indeed... As for what’s in the book, it’s something I can spend the whole day discussing with you.”

"Thank you, Boss Lin." Franca's eyes lit up as she revealed a lovely smile.

"Oh, and here's my mother's letter." Franca quickly handed the letter to Lin Jie.

As Lin Jie glanced at the letter, his fingers trembled slightly... Even if he had already come to a realization, till that moment truly arrived, his human emotions would still subconsciously want to escape.

He carefully received the letter, and in his field of view, a black shadow crawled onto the surface of the envelope. Aether in the dream space surged, and an immense power abruptly descended, allowing him to see the woman who had written the letter.

A somewhat good-looking mature woman with eyes and brows that seemed familiar. Lin Jie felt that she looked a little like Shendu Archaeological Institute of Cultural Relics' director Duan, whom he had seen at his father's funeral before he transmigrated to this world.

Lin Jie remained silent for a long while before eventually opening the letter—

"Dear fellow compatriot. If you are able to read this text, then perhaps we come from the same place."

"My name is Duan Xuemin. I don't know if you came to this strange world in the same manner as I did, or if you, like me, would always think of returning back."

"I am even more uncertain if I can continue living on, but I feel the need to tell you about the life I have experienced."

Lin Jie carefully read the elegant and familiar name and handwriting on the letter—Duan Xuemin.

The person who was mentioned along with Xu Xiangdong in his father's journal. The older sister of Shendu Archaeological Institute of Cultural Relic's director Duan, whom Lin Jie knew before he had transmigrated. It turned out that she had never died.

She had survived, and... probably personally witnessed Lin Jie's birth.

"I knew it after our team entered that 'door.' We were possessed by an evil god, a force so evil and incomprehensible that it can only be considered divine. The grand palace was the god's womb, and we were nothing but pawns in its ritual..."

"My teammates devoured each other and went to the god's final lair without purpose. Please forgive them. They were only under the influence of that evil god... I knew their kind-hearted nature, and they weren't originally like that."

"The one chosen by the evil god was my teacher's wife, and she bore the evil god's offspring. Then I saw with my own two eyes. Her belly swelled up like a ball, and my teacher, Lin Minghai, dug out a bloody baby from it with his own hands."

"At that point, I was on the verge of crumbling, but I needed to return and tell all of it to everyone."

"I followed Professor Lin in secret, and he led me to the way out. I stepped through the 'door' but found myself in another world. Professor Lin was also nowhere to be found."

"I have every reason to suspect that Professor Lin and the newborn went to Earth, our home. When that child grows up, perhaps it might destroy Earth and we need to do something."

"After passing through the 'door,' time and space will be distorted, and that affects both worlds."

"Perhaps that child has already grown up, and Earth has been destroyed. Or maybe he will accept the guidance of fate and return to this continent known as Azir."

"Or perhaps... that child is you?"

"If it is you, will you devour me?"

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