Four Split Personalities

...

"I swore to my father that unless I became a legend of a mage renowned around the world, I would absolutely not return to Caselo."

Jadka sighed with a rueful smile and shook his head, "The result was that I couldn’t even meet them once before they both passed away, ha, I’ve turned into this sorry state, I’ve already become a joke in the family, how could I face going back?"

Dabus patted the old man’s shoulder, "You’re just thinking too much."

"Let’s not talk about whether I’m thinking too much..."

Motan looked at Jadka’s troubled old face and smiled, "Changed your mind?"

The old mage stood by the window, hands behind his back, and looked wistfully northward, "I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my mind. It’s just that after talking with Dabus a while ago, I did realize that I might be obsessing over trifles. After all, most of my elders and most of my peers are gone, and the kids in charge now... Sigh, they are actually good kids, it’s just me who can’t get over my own issues."

Dabus shook his head, "If you don’t get over this hurdle soon, you probably will never go home in this lifetime."

"Home?"

Jadka chuckled wryly, supporting himself on the window sill, "That place hasn’t been my home for a long time, but if possible, I really would like to go back to pay respects to my parents."

"Then just go!"

Xiaoge clapped her hands with a flap of her wings, flying next to Jadka, she laughed, "Speaking of strength, isn’t it easy to go back in style? When the time comes, just say Dabus and little Anthony are bodyguards, Ya Ya is a pet, I am the cook, Mor is the apprentice, tsk tsk, a knight apprentice taught by a mage and with impressive talents and insight, pretty prestigious, huh!"

Motan grinned, "I have no objections."

Dabus also nodded vigorously, "That’s a good idea."

Ya Ya also mumbled drowsily, wagging her mouth and nodded, "Woof also wants to help Jadka."

"You guys..."

Jadka’s face turned red and he waved his hands, "Don’t be in such a hurry to conclude, let me think about it some more, just a little more."

Then he left the room swiftly.

As the door closed, Motan and the others heard a loud sound of blowing one’s nose.

"There isn’t a traveler who doesn’t think of home..."

Dabus sat cross-legged on the floor, shrugging, "Jadka is actually a pretty simple man, just too stubborn. This predicament has probably been plaguing him for a long time."

Xiaoge also put away her smile, holding her ankle-length hair and muttered, "I can understand family honor and dreams, but did he need to go to such lengths... not going home even once in so many years..."

"There are no rights and wrongs in such matters."

Motan laid down Ya Ya, who was tangled around him like an octopus, on the bed and looked down at the book in his hand, "A Diesel Knight Raising Guide - Handwritten Version", and said softly, "But no matter what, the Diesel family has definitely always kept a place for him, and he has always missed his family, there’s no doubt about that."

"Yeah, I think no matter how much he struggles, in the end, he will still come with us."

Xiaoge smiled easily and then looked out the window at a few Viper Chamber of Commerce carriages, "If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll leave tonight, so if you need to rest, now’s the time~"

Ya Ya flipped over, muttering.

Dabus stood up and steathily walked towards the door, "I’ll go out for a stroll while Anthony is asleep, call me if you need anything."

A few minutes later

Xiaoge looked at Motan, who appeared deep in thought, her pristine wings rising slightly behind her, "If you want to log off, do it now, don’t wait until tonight and end up unable to."

"Uh, I’ve been quite busy lately, but now it’s okay."

"Then shall we go out for a stroll too?"

"What about Ya Ya?"

"Let her sleep, we can pick up some treats on our way back."

"Good idea, where shall we go first?"

"Vegetable market!"

"Is it still possible for me to log off now?"

"Hey!"

...

Game Time PM17:21

Violet Empire, the Capital of Sālāmù’ēn, Gray Prison

Barfi Marshal, who had been feigning sleep, slowly opened his eyes, got up from the luxurious, soft sofa, poured himself a glass of wine made by the Flower Elves, and drank the bright red liquid expressionlessly.

This was a ’cell’ located in the deepest part of Gray Prison. Although its size and decoration were even more luxurious than most Noble residences, it was still a cell. Regardless of the status and identity previously held by the person confined here, he was merely a ’prisoner’ inside, a prisoner without complete human rights.

For instance, right now, even though all his strength had been stripped away, Barfi Marshal still knew that at this very moment, there were at least ten pairs of eyes watching him—perhaps through a monitoring array, perhaps through a projection of magic power, perhaps by an illusion technique that could hide one’s form, or maybe through some kind of barrier that made walls seem nonexistent. In any case, there were definitely at least ten Zijing Guards, equivalent to High-level Professionals, paying attention to this place, watching over him, the highest-level prisoner in the history of the Empire...

A few days ago, Barfi Marshal was still one of the most powerful figures in the Empire.

"I never thought I would still lose..."

The former Duke Marshal put down his wine glass and smiled composedly, "Anthony Dabus, Shu Bresen, Double Leaf... Heh, I never underestimated you from the beginning, and there was also Miss Jiawen’s cooperation. Yet, I still utterly lost, there’s no way not to accept defeat."

He shook his head, then as if speaking to himself, he whispered softly, "So, you heard nothing just now, because Barfi Marshal was just quietly repenting his crimes, doing nothing, saying nothing. I have always been in this exquisite cage, waiting for the judgment to come, never leaving, I have never left, whether it’s now or later, I’m just quietly staying in this cell. Now, to the person with the highest authority who can hear me speak, please come here, respectfully escort a nonexistent person out of the prison, and forget all this, then continue to watch over the unforgivable Barfi Marshal, while others will turn a blind eye to what happens next."

Moments later, a wooden door that appeared out of nowhere opened in front of the Duke, Barfi Marshal, and two masked men covered in dark purple cloaks slowly walked out from it, making a ’please’ gesture to him.

"Thank you both very much."

Barfi gave a slight smile, then raised his eyebrows and asked softly, "May I ask where Barfi Marshal is?"

"Barfi Marshal is in the sixteenth level of Gray Prison, he has never left."

The two of them replied in unison, their expressions not the slightest bit unnatural.

"Very well, you are worthy of the name of Zijing Guard."

Barfi nodded in satisfaction, then continued to ask, "Then who am I?"

The two men in front of him showed no reaction, as if the question and the questioner did not exist at all.

"Heh, still a bit rigid."

Barfi shrugged, then comfortably laughed, "But it’s no big deal."

He then stepped through the wooden door, and the two Zijing Guards followed out after him. They had already done their part, letting a nonexistent person go and continuing to guard Barfi Marshal—they had to stay focused, as the latter was always quietly remaining in this cage, allowing no room for negligence.

...

Ten minutes later

Sālāmù’ēn, the corner of the Noble District

"Thank you for your cooperation, soldier."

Having exited the secret passage, Barfi smiled at a guard and serenely said, "But don’t forget, you didn’t see anyone, you never left the perimeter of Gray Prison, and you certainly didn’t see anyone you shouldn’t have. You were just on your usual patrol, noticing nothing out of the ordinary, understand?"

The guard’s eyes briefly flickered bewilderedly, then regained clarity, he nodded slightly, and slowly walked away.

"So..."

Barfi walked through the alley towards the central avenue of the Noble District, "I am an average-looking merchant."

The next instant, he turned into a nondescript greasy man.

"I am low-profile and ordinary, not drawing the attention of anyone..."

"My strength has never been stripped from me, in fact, it’s even greater than before."

"I have never left this place, nor can I be tracked by any scent."

"Praise the Whisper..."

Chapter 474: End