Ulrich maintained that smile, blinking to subtly return his vision to normal. While he’d reacted swiftly, it wasn’t enough. His head throbbed, and his eyes swelled with tears. Even then, his professionalism took over, not allowing him to break character.

  “Why don’t we shake on it?” Ulrich nudged with a pleasant, elegant manner of speech.

  Seeing that Terry Mondie didn’t notice his abnormality, Ulrich's shoulder relaxed a little. At least, his acting paid off, and perhaps, he’d unknowingly saved everyone in this warehouse.

  Come on, shake on it, get me out of here!

  “Sir Constantine, you’re right. Forty thousand it is then!” Saying so, he reached forward, shaking hands with Ulrich. All this took no more than two breaths, and Donnie was no less shocked than Ulrich when he saw that ominous shadow.

  While Donnie was elated beyond words, so was Addy. Yet, Ulrich shared none of that. Goddess, forget about having a one-on-one meeting with Terry, he would rather have another manly conversation with Henrik!

  After shaking hands on the agreed-upon amount, Donnie and Terry signed the contract, effectively sealing their deal for good. On one hand, Donnie was able to let go of the time bomb, throwing the problem to someone else while getting his money. On the other hand, the bomb is now in the hands of that man. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but it wasn’t pleasant, not in the slightest.

  …

  On the way back, Victor noticed Ulrich’s strange silence. Well, they were always quiet in the carriage together, but this one felt different, somehow. Not to mention, they agreed to have a meeting with Terry afterward, but the newcomer didn’t bring it up at all, as though he was allergic to the topic.

  “What’s wrong?” Victor asked, concerned, and somewhat ill at ease.

  “He’s dangerous.” Ulrich said as a matter of fact, recalling the ‘shadow’ he saw.

  “You are speaking more and more like our previous seer; it’s getting frightening.”

  “Do I?” He tilted his head, perhaps out of confusion, or to play innocent.

  “…”

  Truth be told, Victor finds every seer quite irritating to deal with; their manner of speech and vague clues were troublesome. Still, a seer's ability and their usefulness cannot be underestimated.

  “I assume you wanted to report to Captain Ottis directly. Why don’t you spit it out now? Let me hear it. Whatever you saw, it cannot be that bad.”

  You wouldn’t say that if I throw Henrik at you, no—If I throw two Henrik at you!

  Ulrich coughed, clearing his throat, and organized his words carefully before explaining what he saw, starting from his encounter with the shadow realm. Just as he opened his mouth, he stopped, then raised a question midway.

  “Have you ever been to the Shadow Realm?”

  Victor, confused, blurted, “No. Why would I go to that stinking place?”

  Right… Not everyone goes to the Shadow Realm. How does he get lesser runes then? Beast hunting at sea?

  “Forget it. I assume you know about the “Great” variant of undead, right?”

  He nodded. "Yes. Sea Beast shares similar characteristics, being "Great Beasts" or Great Sea Beasts."

  Indeed, this is universal.

  “On my first descent, I happened to encounter a Great Fallen Knight.”

  “And you ran?”

  Buddy, can you let me finish before I spit on you?

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Ahem. No, I didn’t run, I killed it!”

  Victor raised his brows, clearly not buying that lie. “Sure… You did. How is this relevant to my first question?”

  “I’m getting there. Be patient.”

  Ulrich blinked; his pupil subtly changed with a dark glow. “Shadow Vision, I’m sure you’re aware, allows a Shadowmancer to see the lines of shadow in tangible form. The greater and more powerful the enemy, the larger and more frightening their shadow is.”

  Victor yawned, getting bored with Ulrich’s lengthy and uninspiring story.

  “Imagine that the Great Fallen Knight shadow is this big, and had this shape, yeah?” He said, tapping Victor on the shoulder to wake him up.

  “Wake up!”

  A bit annoyed, Victor uttered, “And?”

  Ulrich dramatically gestured a humanoid shape outline in the air with two hands, perhaps to represent the Great Fallen Knight's shadow. Then, he gradually expanded his hand, drawing an exaggerated size.

  “This is Terry Mondie Shadow.”

  Having returned to the Sanctuary beneath Cartwright Security, Ulrich reported to Captain Ottis, trying his best to persuade him of the danger pertaining to Terry Mondie.

  “Are you certain of what you saw?” Captain Ottis pressed, his hand tapping the handle of the smoking pipe. The office in his room was perpetually covered in a layer of smoke, and fortunately, there were no children around. That’d be quite the disaster, though, knowing Captain Ottis, Ulrich doubted he’d smoke around kids.

  Captain, how do you afford to smoke with your salary…

  “Yes,” Ulrich said. If anything, he could show them the Soul Core of a Great Fallen Knight; this way, he’d be more credible. People tend to trust those with capability, and having shown that he’d killed a Great Fallen Knight, Ulrich would certainly be capable. However, that might seem excessive, and he didn’t want to reveal more than necessary, even if it was the Ministry.

  Ottis Owen grew silent, his eyes hazy through the smoke. For a moment, only the subtle cackles from the smoking pipe occupied the room, with nothing else to quell the unease in Ulrich’s growing expectation.

  “Alright. You can go.”

  Ulrich blinked, a bit confused. “Are you not going to investigate further?”

  “We will. But this matter is of great importance with a considerable degree of danger. With Rosaline outside of the Repository, it will be much safer. It won’t be like last time.”

  Last time…?

  That matter with Dulvis, the mutation, as well as Victor came into his mind. Indeed, they were unprepared that time. It was only proper that they learned from the past and be thorough this time around.

  When that was said, joy and elation swelled in Ulrich’s heart. This was the only good news he’d heard so far after returning from the Shadow Realm. That was besides the fact that bedding was better, food didn’t taste funky, and the air was normal.

  Ulrich raised his hand, tipping his hat. “Yes, sir!”

  "..."

  Captain Ottis had promised to inform him of the operation later at night. Until then, Ulrich had the free time to himself.

  How long has it been? It felt like years…

  Walking down the familiar Euston Street, he’d imagined the countless events and troubles that had passed.

  It had been so long since he had taken a walk, a real walk. No worries, no responsibility, and no stress about anything. He wasn’t walking to a destination or with a purpose at all. He walked, watching the people crossing the street, savored the aroma of freshly brewed tea, and enjoyed the sight of the sun as it rested peacefully in the sky.

  I wonder how Mr. Vander is doing… is he still fishing at the shore? Living off the income of a fisherman? I wonder how Selena is doing…

  And he wondered how his family back on earth was doing, his mother and sister (Zhou Mei), all of whom depended on his income to survive. Perhaps, for a long time, he’d pushed those thoughts aside, afraid of facing them directly. And that only by not letting them affect him can he act decisively in this new world.

  Taking a stroll down this street, he was reminded of everything. It infuriated him, all these thoughts and concerns, knowing that regardless of his effort, nothing was done or accomplished.

  Killing Henrik? It’s a great achievement, and anyone should feel proud of themselves. However, that feeling of ecstasy was fleeting, like the countless loops he’d experience in his dream. Or deep down, he’d unknowingly believed that life was just a dream that would eventually wash away. And that the loops which he believed didn’t affect him, unknowingly, affected him.

  Zhou Mei. Have you finally attended university? I’d imagine you are similar to Selena’s age now, but I’m not there to see it…

  The meaning of life was finding happiness. Zhou Ren didn’t feel happy without his family, without his life on earth. Everything that came after that cold, winter night was another version of him. Not the true him, the happy version of him!

  In the end, Ulrich stopped, turning left to greet a familiar door. It was a tea shop, unremarkable and obscure in the daylight. With a smile on his face, he tipped his hat and entered with steady steps, leaving the worries and anxiety at the door.

  “…”

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  Date: 12/22/2025

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