Mythology Rebooted

"That's the situation, the issue with the big shot will be smoothed over by Mister Lando. As for you..."

Veronica let out a cold laugh, her tone mocking, "Although I have no clue what outrageous thing the boss has done, you'd better skip town for a while. Otherwise, you might go to sleep and never wake up, and then there'd be nobody to collect their pay."

Is it really that exaggerated?

Wayne raised an eyebrow. He simply hated trouble and didn't want to provoke a big shot who had a foot in both the underworld and the law, lest he get caught in an escalating cycle of beating the small ones only to face a bigger one. If they really pushed him too far, right to his doorstep, it wasn't him bragging—based on his own capabilities, he could...

He wasn't bragging, but Ah Bin was incredibly brave.

If they had the guts to come at night, he'd bury them all behind the Detective Agency's backyard!

"The big shot may decide to save face for my father, but that will take time, and during this period, you're not safe," Veronica said straightforwardly, as if she had read Wayne's mind.

Veronica, bluntly speaking, added, "Don't think less of ordinary people just because you've become a mage. You're not faster than a bullet. If they set up a sniper, how would you deal with it?"

Wayne nodded silently in agreement; within seven steps, the gun is quick, and beyond seven, it's both swift and accurate.

Too bad he couldn't use a gun, and in the short term, he couldn't train himself to shoot with pinpoint accuracy. Otherwise, having a pair of magic tools at hand would've provided some measure of security.

"Furthermore, you're a mage, but can't the opposition be mages too? If they're willing to pay, there are countless black sorcerers willing to work for them," Veronica stated seriously.

He found her words sensible. Taking the North District, where the gym was located, as an example—the fog at night was notably less dense compared to the warehouse and dock-filled East District. The main roads were even brightly lit, without a trace of fog.

The North District was merely a middle-class enclave, let alone the wealthy Inner Lundan Central District—what a formidable place that must be!

Wayne had seen it with his own eyes, up close and clear. Reality had proven that money works wonders everywhere. The wealthy knew how to control mages, or perhaps, they were from families of mages with generations of heritage!

"If you're leaving town, you'd best go tonight. I'll take you to the train station. Mister Lando has a secluded manor in the countryside, I'll call and arrange for you to stay there temporarily."

Veronica's face soured, a feeling of unspeakable grievance in her heart—it was the first time she was parting with a man at the train station, and that man was Wayne.

It was terribly disappointing, considering she had once fantasized about a beautiful romance.

It happened as the sun set; she and her indistinct boyfriend tearfully said goodbye. Her boyfriend waved from the train, and she chased after it until they could no longer see each other.

Just thinking of the scene where she had changed Wayne's clothes made her even more upset. How could she face a pure love in the future, unclean as she was? What if her husband brooded over this matter and their marriage fell apart?

"Veronica, you're so kind!"

Wayne was deeply moved, attempting to grasp Veronica's hands, holding them cherishingly to his chest.

But his grasp failed; she dodged.

Teeth clenched, Veronica glared at the offender who had ruined her chance at a happy marriage, "Get packing, just a few changes of clothes, and hurry to the train station with me."

"Right now? What about my owl?"

"Leave it with me; I'll take care of it for a few days."

Veronica refused to let Wayne bring the owl on the train—it was too conspicuous and would draw other mages' attention, only adding to the complications.

Wayne nodded his assent. While packing his clothes, he contacted Ah Bin through The Book of Greed; he would be away for a few days, telling the dog to keep quiet recently and stop marking his territory all night, at least taking on some of the duties of watching the house and guarding the yard.

In a certain cemetery in Lundan, far from the Detective Agency...

The dense fog was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, chilly wisps of phosphorescence fluttering midair, the surrounding trees with twisted branches dancing wildly in the ghostly glow.

The Resentful Spirit enveloped in the fog, howling as it whipped up walls of deadly mist, a spark of soul light coalescing in its mouth, splitting into seven tiny specks of light.

These specks of light were the children of Ah Bin, long dead. To this day, it still hadn't let go, trying to use its power to summon the children back to its side.

By the side, an undead warhorse with a robust physique snorted, exhaling purple flames wreathed in black smoke.

Its mouth was full of sharp teeth in a crisscross pattern, possessing a spirit body similar to Ah Bin's, cold light encasing its bones and draped with saddlery and reins, and a white bone knight's sword hung on its back.

This horse was a recent friend of Ah Bin's. As fellow magical beings, they got along fairly well. The undead warhorse was imparting its knowledge, showing Ah Bin how to better wield soul magic.

Hearing Wayne's call, Ah Bin paused, then turned to silently communicate with the warhorse.

"Yuliya, my master is calling me back to watch the house," Ah Bin said.

"That must be nice, my master has gone missing..."

"Let's stop here for today. When my master returns home, I'll come find you to practice magic."

"What do you mean your master isn't home?"

"Mmm."

"Then why don't we just go to your house and practice magic there?"

"Really? You said you've always stayed here waiting for your master's call."

"It's fine, I've been thinking about switching masters recently."

"Would you consider my master?"

"Whatever, I'm not fussy. As long as I can pull out this sword..."

————

The Cathedral Train Station.

Wayne left overnight. Veronica paid for his luxury train ticket.

Veronica huffed as she saw Wayne off on the train and turned to leave, huffed and exasperated. The young girl's beautiful fantasy of love, her highly treasured first farewell, was utterly shattered that night.

Not only did Wayne kill her dreams, but he had also borrowed two thousand Xianling from her before leaving, which went beyond merely dancing on a grave—it was like digging up and repeatedly whipping a dead fantasy.

"Damn bastard, you'd better die out there and never come back!"

Veronica kept her face stern, growing angrier the more she thought about it. Her strong resentment formed a black fog that could be seen from a good distance away.

Unbeknownst to her, to outsiders, she looked like a lovelorn girl abandoned by her lover.

A lady wearing a black dome hat passed by Veronica, the brim covering half of her face, making it impossible to judge her age, but she was certainly very beautiful. Passersby could see her pale, delicate chin and the gradually rising arc of her red lips.

She wore a black lady's suit mixed with a long skirt and stepped in a pair of black high-heeled shoes. Her overcoat cloaked her body's contours, with only a section of her lower leg peeking out from the long skirt.

The slender lines of her legs were elegant and charming, and against the backdrop of her black attire, her skin glowed with a pearlescent radiance.

Dazzlingly white!

The lady paused to glance at Veronica before boarding the same carriage as Wayne.

"Edith, I have some matters to attend to and must change my plans last minute. Please cancel all my appointments," she said.

"I know. Have them wait!"

Shortly after the train started, a pure black owl flapped its wings and flew out of the window, vanishing into the vast night sky in the blink of an eye.