Chapter 201 - Face Paralysis (1/2)

Chapter 201: “Face Paralysis”

Behind the door, Brand was rather surprised. “Helvig is dead?”

Without waiting for Han Wanghuo’s answer, he laughed and said, “Unfortunately, I’ve already become a Tenebrarum. Otherwise, I really should celebrate with a cup of First City’s finest wine.”

Helvig is so detestable? Long Yuehong was speechless.

Brand quickly stopped laughing and sighed. “I haven’t gone out since I entered this room. Harbinger Song can testify in this regard.”

Song He nodded. “Swearing to become a Tenebrarum implies that one will forever belong to the darkness; they are to be separate from the world. This is a promise made in front of the Kalendaria; violation is equivalent to blasphemy. I believe Brand won’t do that.”

He paused and said, “My room is just a little ahead. I never noticed Brand leaving.”

Song He was using his reputation as a guarantee, and he was one of the most trustworthy people in Redstone Collection.

“Then, I have no problems.” Han Wanghuo chose to believe him.

Tan Jie didn’t say a word.

Behind the door, Brand took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “There are many people who hate Helvig. It’s not too strange for an Awakened to occasionally appear among them. In addition, DiMarco from underground is also a suspect. Leave; I can’t control my emotions any longer.”

Han Wanghuo glanced at Tan Jie and saw that he didn’t object. He then said, “Let’s return to the hall first.”

Under Song He’s guidance, they walked away from the room where Brand cloistered himself.

Jiang Baimian looked back, and there was only silence behind the dark-red wooden door.

After entering the hall, Baz was the first to sigh with emotion. “I didn’t expect that Brand was the one who did those things back then. The Awakened are really terrifying.”

As Helvig’s trusted aide, he also knew a lot about Awakened. However, he had never gained such a deep understanding of them like today.

Song He looked at Baz and nodded slightly. “Continue searching for Viel.”

Baz wasn’t stupid; he understood that the Harbinger didn’t want him to hear the subsequent conversation. Therefore, he waved at Shang Jianyao and smiled. “I have to defeat Viel this time.”

With that said, he wore that iron-black mask.

“All the best!” Shang Jianyao replied sincerely. He didn’t hide his urge to participate.

After Baz left the hall, Song He switched to Ashlandic and said to Tan Jie, “You can come to seek revenge on Brand at any time. You just need to inform me in advance.”

“Alright, Harbinger,” Tan Jie replied calmly. “I need to go back and discuss it with them.”

Song He then asked, “When did you awaken?”

“More than a year ago,” Tan Jie replied frankly.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao interrupted. “Is being emotionless the price you paid?”

“How many times have I told you? You can’t ask what the price an Awakened paid is!” Jiang Baimian immediately reprimanded Shang Jianyao. “He clearly had emotions when facing Brand just now.”

Team Leader, I think you’re just putting on a show with Shang Jianyao… Long Yuehong cursed silently. He turned his head to look at Bai Chen and realized that there was a smile on his petite companion’s lips.

Tan Jie fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “My price can’t be targeted. You can discuss it as you wish. What I paid with was my ability to make expressions.”

“No wonder…” Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and punched his left palm. He then became excited and actively gave suggestions. “You can wear a bunch of masks with different expressions. When you need to smile, wear a smiling mask. When you need to cry, wear a crying mask.”

This was the best solution he came up with after combining it with Redstone Collection’s folklore.

Jiang Baimian immediately thought of a term from the Old World: Emoji pack.

Although the definition of this term was quite different from Shang Jianyao’s description, she felt that the two were somewhat similar.

“I don’t have a mental illness.” Tan Jie tactfully rejected Shang Jianyao’s suggestion.

Shang Jianyao’s eyes lit up as he said, “You are indeed good at Provocation!”

Tan Jie’s eyes revealed a slightly strange expression as he ignored the fellow.

Jiang Baimian saw that the Ashlander was rather friendly by his propensity to answer any question and decided to remind him. “I heard that the price paid will also increase when an Awakened’s abilities become stronger. Being incapable of producing expressions doesn’t seem dangerous, but it’s hard to say when you progress further.”

“Yes.” Song He confirmed. He looked at Tan Jie—who wasn’t wearing a mask—and said, “You should’ve come to the cathedral earlier to listen to the bishop’s sermon. This can allow you to grasp more general knowledge regarding the Awakened and avoid unnecessary risks. It’s very easy for problems to arise if you trial and error by yourself.”

As if sensing Song He’s friendliness, Tan Jie fell silent for a moment before saying, “Back then, the aftermath of the previous cases hadn’t subsided. I felt that the Church was protecting the Red River people and didn’t want to expose their secrets.”

“Fortunately, you don’t have abilities in the Terror domain; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to explain away Helvig’s death,” Song He said with a kind sigh.