"So what if it is? So what if it isn't? Isn't this entire kingdom my property?!" the Old King roared, his face flushed with rage at Cipher's words. "What's wrong with me protecting my own possessions? You're just an outsider—what right do you have to lecture me?!"
Cipher wasn't surprised by his outburst. The King's actions had long revealed that he viewed his subjects not as people, but as disposable assets.
A saying suddenly came to mind: "It's not the powerful with great authority that you should fear, but the petty with petty power." Though the Old King ruled a nation, compared to the colossal forces of the Empire and the Alliance looming beside him, he was undeniably a minor figure.
Dio interjected, "So? How do you plan to protect your 'property'? By waltzing into the Empire's army alone with that book and letting them all starve to death?"
The Old King fell silent, unable to answer. Cipher's regard for him plummeted to absolute zero. "Then how do we stop this Divine Artifact's effects?" she demanded.
"Killing the user or closing the book are the only options," Dio said, "but neither is simple."
"Killing the user? How hard could that be?" Douglas scoffed, releasing his right hand. The Spirit Great Hammer he had summoned floated steadily toward the Old King at a speed of one meter per second.
However, as the Divine Magic construct entered the Old King's hundred-meter range, its speed visibly decreased. The hammer wobbled erratically, finally disintegrating and vanishing after traveling only five or six meters.
Seeing this, the male apprentice of the White-Bearded Old Mage cast a Fireball. As it entered the same hundred-meter range, the fiery orb visibly shrank until it dissipated completely.
It appeared that the Travel Book's "Hunger, Decay, Death" effect also applied to Magic.
Feidric then spoke up: "The Grand Duchy of Kandela is entirely human, with an average lifespan of fifty to sixty years. Could we reasonably assume that this 'decay' effect only ages things by sixty years? If an attack could remain potent even after sixty years, might it be able to penetrate the Travel Book's hundred-meter range?"
The requirement for a ranged attack was undeniably harsh.
Douglas pondered for a moment, then hefted his Great Axe once more. After swinging it a few times, he hurled it toward the Old King's position. However, instead of following its natural parabolic trajectory, the axe defied the laws of physics as it entered the Travel Book's hundred-meter range, plummeting straight to the ground. As it fell, signs of age and rust began to appear on its blade.
Douglas clicked his tongue. "Still no good?"
Just as the situation seemed to reach a stalemate, Dio suddenly spoke up. "Actually, I have another idea..."
Aria immediately asked, "What is it?"
Dio replied, "I'll simply walk directly into the Travel Book's area of effect and approach the King."
He glanced at Feidric as he spoke. "After all, I'm a half-elf. If your theory is correct, sixty years shouldn't be enough to kill me outright. At worst, I'll get a few more wrinkles, a slightly hunched back, and tire more easily when walking."
Aria was taken aback. "But that's sixty years of your life! Are you really willing to just throw it away like that?"
Dio chuckled and said decisively, "Of course I'm willing! Who knows if I'll ever witness such an exciting adventure again in the next sixty years?"
His gaze swept across Aria, Feidric, Douglas, and Cipher. "You all stumbled upon the secret of the Hell Book in Stone Pine City. Undeterred by hardship or danger, you braved countless obstacles to reach the capital, determined to save the kingdom from disaster and thwart the King's evil scheme. Isn't that the greatest adventure story imaginable?"
"All I need to do is give you a hand at the end. Just being a part of such a story is worth more to me than sixty years of life."
The King's messenger had relayed these events to Dio the previous night. News of the incident in Stone Pine City had finally reached the King's ears, and he now knew that a group was trying to foil his plans.
The King's deal with Dio was simple: stop the adventurers from Stone Pine City and help him complete his ritual. But upon hearing their story, Dio had immediately grown excited, instantly guessing that these so-called "adventurers" were none other than Cipher and her companions.
Dio verbally agreed to the King's deal, then immediately turned around and ran to Cipher to betray him.
Finally, Dio said, "Of course, I do have one small condition before my physical body passes through the Travel Book's effective range."
The White-Bearded Old Mage, as if anticipating this, asked, "Your condition is that you obtain this Divine Artifact, correct?"
Dio looked back at the Old Mage and wagged his finger. "No, no, no. My condition is that this Divine Artifact ultimately belongs to Cipher and her companions."
"After enduring so many adventures, they naturally deserve some reward. Isn't that how it goes in all the legendary tales? In my opinion, the Travel Book would be quite fitting."
The White-Bearded Old Mage was genuinely astonished. "Are you saying you went through all this and want nothing in return?! As a Bard, doesn't this Divine Artifact of Bards hold any appeal for you?"
Dio shrugged. "The fact that you'd even ask that just proves you don't understand Bards at all. Frankly, this Travel Book is just a notebook for recording adventures. For me, the experiences themselves are far more valuable than this worthless book!"
Finally, Dio approached Cipher and bowed slightly. "Alas, Miss Cipher," he said with a hint of regret, "I fear that by the time I'm sixty and past my prime, I'll no longer be worthy of pursuing you."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Aria and muttered under his breath, "Not that I stand a chance now anyway."
Dio cleared his throat and continued, "Still, leaving a dashing impression in your memory would be quite an honor. If, on some future idle day, you happen to recall me, I'd be more than content!"
Feidric had mentioned that Cipher's striking beauty would undoubtedly attract many admirers in the Alliance. Coincidentally, Dio was a native of the Alliance with a particular fondness for Beastmen, especially Catfolk.
Their tastes aligned perfectly. Dio's initial approach to Cipher upon her arrival in Cloudsea City was genuinely driven by her appearance—a simple, innocent greeting without any ulterior motives.
After listening to Dio's endless rambling, Cipher suddenly interrupted him. "Honestly," she said, "with sixty years of experience, you'd be better off finding yourself a lovely wife instead of constantly pining after me."
Dio blinked, momentarily confused. "What?"
Cipher stuck her tongue out at him and made a face. "Just stay put!"
Then, before anyone could react, she spun around and bolted, dashing into the range of the Travel Book's effect in the blink of an eye.
Come to think of it, I might actually have... infinite lifespan? If so, this mission is perfect for me.
But the others didn't know this. Stunned by Cipher's sudden move, they froze. Aria, after a moment of shock, also started running, as if to stop Cipher. But Cipher was far too fast for her.
Feidric and Douglas swiftly restrained Aria, preventing her from entering the Travel Book's range as well.
The perspective shifted back to Cipher. She didn't use Divine Speed, but even at her normal pace, she covered the hundred-meter distance in just a second or two, arriving at the Old King's side.
Ignoring his bewildered expression, she snatched the Travel Book from his hands and slammed it shut. "Give it here!"
The Old King remained stunned for a few more seconds before suddenly lunging at her, his hands outstretched. "It's mine! This Divine Artifact belongs to me!"
Cipher, thoroughly annoyed, delivered a swift kick to the old man, sending him flying several meters. He landed heavily on the ground, clutching his abdomen and howling in pain.
Perhaps due to his advanced age, or perhaps because she had grown up in a country that revered elders, Cipher subconsciously held back some of her strength when she kicked him.
It was like walking down the street when an old man suddenly collapses in front of you, wailing and trying to scam you. Any normal person would be furious, but even then, no one would start punching and kicking the poor fellow, right?
Cipher suddenly realized this wasn't her previous world. She shouldn't have held back; a single, decisive kick would have been far better.
Instead of delivering a finishing blow, she held up the Travel Book and called out to Aria and the others, "If I close this book, does that mean it's over?"
"Huh... huh?" Dio stammered, utterly bewildered by the scene and the question. "That was... that was fast! Wait, shouldn't we be asking you if it's over? How do you feel? Do you feel that draining exhaustion from having your lifespan consumed?"
Cipher rubbed her stomach with her left hand, tilting her head slightly as she tried to recall. "Emmm... I guess it's over? You can come over now."
Truthfully, she had been running so fast that she hadn't paid close attention to how she felt. She had simply snatched the Travel Book. Now that she thought about it, she didn't feel the "lifespan drain" Dio had described. Instead, she only felt the gnawing hunger one gets from going a full day and night without food.
The fact that her hunger hadn't intensified meant the Travel Book's effect had worn off.
Dio cautiously walked ahead, testing the air. When nothing happened, he quickly rushed to Cipher's side, staring at her in astonishment. He scrutinized her from head to toe several times, his expression growing increasingly bewildered. "This... what's going on?"
Why did Cipher look exactly the same as before? There wasn't the slightest sign of aging.
Normally, the average lifespan of a Catfolk was around 120 years. Sixty years represented half of their life. After sacrificing such a significant chunk of her lifespan, the young girl should have transformed into a frail old woman. How could she remain unchanged?
Could their earlier hypothesis be wrong? Was the Travel Book's effect not about aging at all?
No, no, no. A more likely explanation dawned on Dio as he gazed at the young woman before him. Sixty years might mean nothing to her. Her true lifespan likely far exceeded anyone's imagination. Time itself might hold no sway over her.
Was that why they were so eager to take on this task? Because they knew their lifespan was extraordinarily long?
Dio asked doubtfully, "Miss Cipher, are you... truly a Catfolk?"
Cipher raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be? You don't think these cat ears on my head and this tail behind me are detachable accessories, do you?" As she spoke, she deliberately twitched her ears and flicked her tail.
Dio remained skeptical. "But now that I think about it, why don't you have the same verbal tic as other Catfolk?"
After a moment of silence, Cipher replied, "Uh... you mean ending every sentence with a 'meow'?"
Dio pressed on, "And do you know the name and location of the largest Catfolk nation in the Alliance? What's their most famous folk song? What's the most popular Catfolk dish? And... what's the legal age of adulthood for Catfolk?"
"Uh..." Cipher took a half-step back, a hint of distaste flickering across her face. "The first few questions were normal enough, but wasn't that last one a bit... perverse?"
Naturally, she couldn't answer any of them. Dio didn't press further, instead adopting a thoughtful expression.
Just then, Aria and the others rushed to Cipher's side. Without hesitation, Aria dove onto Cipher, cupping her cheeks and scrutinizing her face repeatedly. "Sister Cipher, how are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Feidric looked puzzled. "Cipher, you... you look exactly the same as before? This is..."
But before anyone could fully grasp the situation, a massive fine gold arrow suddenly plummeted from the sky, striking the wailing Old King with deadly precision. With a sickening thud, it cleaved him in two.