Chapter 79: Under Attack |
Breaking the rules would lead to weakening; breaking the rules would lead to restrictions. As the number of violations increased, the offender would gradually fall into a disadvantage.
This snowballing restraint, if without an upper limit, would mean that given enough time, anyone could die here.
But this set of rules had one major loophole.
Punishment could not descend out of thin air; it required a crime as its fuse.
Its "punishment" had to come after the "crime."
So, breaking out of this predicament was simple.
The answer was: kill everyone here, all at once.
............
Half an hour ago.
The shop was very quiet now. The men who should have been loitering here had all fled after Grill's visit earlier.
Only the Attendant in the Red Vest and the maid, Irina, remained.
The Attendant in the Red Vest sat on the floor behind the counter, his back against the wall, cold sweat pouring down him. His body trembled uncontrollably, shaking a little, clutching his hunting rifle in his hands, but he couldn't hold it steady.
Irina approached the Attendant silently, her posture still impeccably elegant.
"Sir, you might need to rest and change your clothes. Your current state is a bit undignified. Let me take care of the shop's operations for now, alright?" the maid Irina said gently, slightly bending down as she reached the Attendant in the Red Vest.
The Attendant looked down at his sweat-soaked vest, then shifted his gaze to his constantly shaking legs.
He forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Uh... seems... seems so. I... I do need... a break."
He acknowledged Irina's words.
Grill had already left, but he was still somewhat drained.
"I... I'll go sit in the staff break room now. If any customers come, you can call me," he said to Irina, pushing himself up from the floor.
With that, he took a step, his gait a little unsteady, intending to head toward the staff break room at the back of the shop.
Right then.
Ding-a-ling.
The main door of the Hat Shop was pushed open, making the wind chime above it ring a few times.
A person walked in through the open door.
The maid and the Attendant both instinctively looked toward the door.
It was a middle-aged man with black hair, wearing long sleeves and pants, and a dark, hooded trench coat. His features were rugged. He looked about forty years old, but he didn't give off an aged vibe.
After pushing the door open, the man didn't waste words. He didn't glance at the wide array of clothes, nor did he look at the barely-standing Attendant. He stared straight into Irina's eyes.
"Little girl from the Iris Flower, I need you to add four new rules." He held up four fingers, cutting straight to the chase.
Irina clearly recognized him.
A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes, but the man paid it no mind, continuing in that flat, monotonous tone:
"The four rules to add are: 'Smiling is forbidden,' 'Laughing is forbidden,' 'Feeling happy is forbidden,' and 'Enjoying pleasure is forbidden.'"
"Hmm?" Irina seemed taken aback by his words. "Consuming four rules at once could make it impossible to guarantee the ritual's success in the end."
"I know." The middle-aged man nodded, his voice crisp and decisive.
"Furthermore," Irina emphasized again, her voice still gentle, "the scope of these four rules is too broad. It could cause widespread paralysis in this town."
"I know." The middle-aged man continued nodding.
Irina clasped her hands over her stomach. "Sir, the way you're speaking now makes me suspect you might be an impostor."
"Doesn't matter," the man said, still terse. "If the ritual fails, we'll figure out the consequences."
"But there's something more important right now."
"Sorry, but the master of this mission is not you. You have no authority to cancel it." Irina gave a slight bow.
"..."
"I understand." The middle-aged man nodded for the third time.
Boom!
The floor of the Hat Shop suddenly bulged upward, splitting open with cracks.
As the middle-aged man nodded for the third time, a violent explosion erupted.
Considering they were partners, he had already given her three chances.
For him, that was already somewhat indulgent.
But unfortunately, Irina didn't seem to appreciate it.
The ground violently arched upward, bursting open from below. Flames mixed with molten rock spewed out from underneath.
At the same time, the glass shattered, the wall lamps exploded, and the shelves and items exploded one after another.
Including the gunpowder in the hunting rifle held by the Attendant in the Red Vest.
Most of the combustible materials exploded without warning in that instant.
The entire shop was swallowed by a sea of flames in a flash.
The air was instantly ignited, distorted, letting out a piercing shriek. A gale swept up the flames, blasting through the top of the building before carrying a wave of heat and debris skyward, forming a fiery tornado.
As the Hat Shop's glass shattered, Irina grabbed the Attendant in the Red Vest with one hand and leaped out through the window.
The Attendant was terrified out of his wits. He couldn't say or do anything. The gun he had been holding was kicked away by Irina, and now he was being dragged out by the collar.
A faint starlight clung to the Attendant's body. Irina's arm muscles bulged, she spun her body half a turn, and with her arm fully extended, she hurled him with tremendous force.
The Attendant quickly turned into a reverse-flying meteor, soaring over two streets before crashing into the second floor of a distant building.
Her control over the force was precise; the kinetic energy dropped to zero just as the Attendant smashed into the house.
As for the high-speed airflow during the flight and the acceleration at the moment of the throw, the spirituality she had attached to the Attendant would provide some protection. But how much damage he would take...
Who knows. But it was better than dying.
Her spirituality suddenly stirred. Irina tightened her core and forcefully jerked her head back.
Bang!
A sound like a gunshot rang out.
A tiny spark of fire narrowly brushed past her face, slamming heavily into the side wall of a three-story brick building diagonally across from the Hat Shop. Then, with a "puff," it exploded, instantly destroying a large portion of the building.
Then came a second, a third...
Dozens of sparks gathered around the man before shooting out in all directions.
The man slowly raised his right hand, and in his palm floated a translucent red gemstone.
Irina reached out and grabbed hold, as if catching an invisible rope.
A tremendous force came from the other end of that rope, yanking her quickly out of the range of those sparks. Then it jerked her violently, swinging her around like a flail.
As she was being flung, Irina's mind raced.
What gave him the right to do this?
Wasn't he afraid of the "punishment"?
Arson... Explosion... Attempted murder... Intentional destruction of property... Assault... Malicious wounding...
The "punishment" from all these "crimes" combined wouldn't be light.
Enough to crush a four- or five-mark Law Seeker down to the level of an ordinary person.
But he still acted recklessly, without any concern.
What exactly was he...
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