After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 143 - 37 Invitation

The night was cool as water.

Moonlight pierced through the gaps in the dark clouds, scattering over the babbling river surface, and was then churned into fragments by the waves.

With a slight frown, Xi Mu slowly opened his eyes, leaning against a giant boulder, facing a girl draped in a cloak with shoulder-length curly hair.

There was a fire between them, where the cloaked girl sat on her knees, the light of the flames reflecting off her delicate face.

They looked at each other without speaking.

Xi Mu subconsciously felt around him, seemingly in search of his weapon—a manifestation of his lack of security.

"Please don’t move rashly, or you will aggravate your injuries," the cloaked girl said, lowering her eyelids and throwing some wood into the fire.

She could tell that the knight was very tense, presumably because of the previous battle, which had made him wary of anyone.

Xi Mu fell silent at her words, staring at the girl’s exquisite cheek. Although she was dressed simply, it inadvertently highlighted her natural outstanding beauty.

He looked down at his abdomen to see that it had been wrapped in grey bandages, likely torn from the girl’s cloak.

Touching the bandages, his fingertips came away with a trace of blood.

"Thank you," Xi Mu said softly, sensing that the cloaked girl opposite him meant no harm.

The cloaked girl shook her head upon hearing his thanks and said, "Your abdomen was pierced by a dagger, magic power excessively drained, and you’ve also been infected with Sulter’s Flame."

She looked at Xi Mu.

"Your condition is very bad right now."

"..."

Xi Mu didn’t answer immediately. He gazed at the burning fire and frowned, "Are you also a follower of the Dusk Cult?"

"..."

The cloaked girl shook her head, her voice calm and unusually serene, "When you were unconscious, your body temperature was abnormally high."

That was her explanation. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Your body was instinctively self-healing, burning life through Sulter’s Flame to ensure your vitality."

"Is that so?" Xi Mu said, slightly taken aback and seemingly somewhat incredulous. But he knew the girl was telling the truth. Although Sulter’s Flame would consume the life force of its host, before extinguishing that life force, it could add a stack of enhancements to the player, not only boosting strength but also enhancing the player’s recovery abilities.

Of course, this wasn’t good for ordinary people. After all, this enhancement came at the expense of life, like injecting a person with a strong adrenaline shot—it naturally feels like the body is in excellent condition. But once the effect wears off, one has to face the side effects.

And when the effects of Sulter’s Flame subsided, it meant that it had consumed the host’s life, passing from being to an inevitable death.

"The more the body is injured, the more fiercely Sulter’s Flame burns. This is common knowledge among followers of the Dusk Cult."

The cloaked girl sighed, seemingly not wanting to elaborate further on this matter, and calmly changed the subject.

"I’ve temporarily sealed the Sulter’s Flame inside you. If you never use magic power again, Sulter’s Flame will not burn your life force."

"Who exactly are you!" Xi Mu’s expression grew more guarded. In this world, there were not many who could casually speak of sealing Sulter’s Flame, not even witches could necessarily achieve that.

After all, Sulter’s Flame had become part of the human body, just as blood is a component of the body. To seal Sulter’s Flame is essentially equivalent to draining a person’s blood.

And then the person could not survive.

"Just a nun who has lost the favor of the God of Omniscience," the cloaked girl explained calmly, then spoke of what mattered most to him.

"The method to seal Sulter’s Flame is due to my special abilities, which is why I can seal it."

A lie.

That was what Xi Mu thought, but he didn’t point it out, maintaining his silence instead. The girl opposite him didn’t initiate conversation, simply sitting on her knees in front of the fire, occasionally adding a log to ensure the flames didn’t die out.

After a while.

The sound of hooves approached as the mare returned, carrying herbs in her mouth. Seeing Ahtal awake, she displayed a hint of relief.

Although she didn’t believe this man named Ahtal would die here, she still felt uneasy.

Now seeing Ahtal awaken, she fully let go of her concern.

"Ah... partner, it’s so good to see you," Xi Mu said to the mare, his smile filled with joy.

The mare simply nodded in response, then sat down beside the girl and laid the herbs she carried in front of her.

When the girl noticed this, she checked the herbs. After confirming there was no issue, she got up, fetched a pot of water from the river, and set it over the fire to start brewing a decoction.

Her very simple methodology almost made one believe she was just a normal nun—why else would she not use prayers but rather the most basic of herbs?

"By the way, I realize I’ve never introduced myself," Xi Mu said, watching the girl with her head bowed, earnestly preparing the medicine.

He smiled and continued,

"Ahtal, you could say I am a knight... well, perhaps also a mage, considering my teacher was Hecate."

"Eden, a nun who practices the faith of the God of Omniscience," the girl also spoke, introducing her identity at the moment.

She had many identities and many names. As the years changed and history cycled, she too kept changing her name, ever swapping her identities.