Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 929 - 930: The Strange Girl

After purchasing two energy bars, Yumo had no intention of lingering and quickly turned to leave. However, before she could take more than a few steps, the sound of intermittent footsteps came from behind her.

Hearing these footsteps, Yumo couldn’t help but pause, instinctively stopping in her tracks. And almost the moment Yumo stopped, the footsteps behind her also abruptly ceased.

After a few seconds of silence, Yumo started walking again. The footsteps then once more echoed in her ears.

When Yumo stopped, the footsteps disappeared. When she started walking, the footsteps reappeared.

Stop, they vanish. Walk, they emerge.

Moreover, when Yumo sped up, the footsteps behind her became more urgent. When she slowed down, the frequency of the footsteps reaching her ears also plummeted. Those footsteps always maintained a certain distance from Yumo. The creator of the footsteps followed Yumo closely without uttering a word.

Unknowingly, until Yumo walked from the east side of the commercial street to the west side, those strange footsteps still clung tightly to her.

Finally, in front of a fountain sculpture with fewer passersby, the fed-up Yumo stopped. With furrowed brows, she managed to reveal a "kind" smile before turning her head to look behind.

"Hey, just how long are you going to follow me?" Yumo asked with a wry smile.

At this moment, less than ten meters behind Yumo, a girl wearing a tattered hooded coat stood quietly in place. It was the cat-hugging girl from earlier in front of the spirit pet store. Unlike before, the girl now seemed to have lost that pitiful aura. The small spiky-tailed kitten was happily nibbling on the energy bar.

The kitten, as before, was held in the arms of the frail girl. The frail girl continued to hold the half-eaten energy bar. For a moment, one person, one cat, two energy bars, together constructed a suffocating scene.

Facing Yumo’s question, the frail girl remained silent, standing still like a statue.

After experiencing the futility of talking to a brick wall, Yumo wanted to leave. But realizing that the other party would also take a step as soon as she moved her feet, Yumo could only sigh helplessly.

"Sigh..."

Yumo turned around and walked straight towards the frail girl, then unceremoniously removed her hood. The frail girl didn’t respond to Yumo’s actions, allowing Yumo to remove her hood.

The next moment, a head of messy black hair, like weeds, instantly cascaded down, revealing the frail girl’s true face—a plain face that couldn’t be more ordinary—right in front of Yumo.

"Hmm, I don’t recognize her..." Yumo muttered softly.

Although there was a fleeting moment when she sensed a familiar aura from the other party, it was indeed a misconception. After removing the other party’s hood, seeing her appearance clearly, and sensing her aura, Yumo was certain that she had never known such a girl in her memory.

Indeed, it was because I bought her cat food that she developed a liking for me and wanted to follow me. Yumo couldn’t help but make such a guess inwardly.

However, she didn’t have the habit of picking up stray pets when going out. It was unlikely to casually bring a young girl back to the Purple Night Palace. Not to mention whether that person at home would be jealous, this ordinary girl was also unsuitable to be with her. If she accidentally leaked some Shadow Power, the miserable fate awaiting this girl would probably be a mental breakdown.

"Don’t follow me anymore. Where are you from? I’ll take you back." Yumo asked softly, looking into the girl’s innocent black eyes.

Unfortunately, the only response was silence. And the sound of the girl and kitten nibbling on the cat stick.

"..."

Seeing the girl’s continued silence, Yumo felt even more troubled.

Sigh, can she not understand what I’m saying? Indeed, her mind isn’t very clear? She should be a foolish child? Hmm, how to handle this? Directly abandoning her on the road doesn’t seem appropriate either. Yumo became slightly conflicted.

But soon, Yumo had a flash of inspiration.

As a good citizen, what should one do when encountering a lost child? Of course, take her to find a police officer!

This child looks like her brain doesn’t work well. It’s unlikely she could grow up alone. There should be family or friends taking care of her. The girl now seems to be in a lost state? Her family members should be very worried, or maybe they have already reported to the police station.

With this in mind, Yumo took the frail girl and headed towards the Order Supervision Bureau, which had the function of a police station.

As it turned out, Yumo’s judgment was very accurate this time. Almost the moment she stepped into the Order Supervision Bureau, before she could say anything, a series of excited and fearful voices suddenly reached her ears.

"Lady Lena!! Great, we finally found you!!"

"Huh? Lena?"

The next moment, under Yumo’s somewhat puzzled gaze, several church guards in red and white armor quickly noticed them entering the bureau. These church guards immediately stopped communicating with the supervisory personnel and rushed towards Yumo and the frail girl, surrounding them in the middle without a second word.

"Lady Lena, where did you run off to?! You can’t just run around randomly, we were worried sick!" One of the female guards in her thirties said anxiously while checking the frail girl’s body.

On the other side, one of the guards came to Yumo, interlocking his ten fingers in front of his chest, and respectfully lowered his head to Yumo.

"Thank you for bringing Miss Lena to the Order Supervision Bureau, Miss Elf."

"It’s no problem, it’s what I should do." Yumo responded with a faint smile to the guard’s grateful words.

"You’ve really helped us a lot. May I ask your name, Miss Elf? Our lord will surely visit to express gratitude in the future!"

"No need, no need." Yumo waved her hands repeatedly, "It’s just a small favor, no need to go that far. Besides, I’m just an elven traveler visiting the Holy Capital Vinati and will leave Vinati soon. Well, since the child has found her family, I’ll be on my way. I still have things to take care of later."

Seeing Yumo unwilling to reveal her identity, the guard was quite tactful and didn’t pry, instead respectfully lowering his head:

"If that’s the case, we won’t take up more of your time."

"Mm." After a slight smile, Yumo turned to leave.

Seeing Yumo about to leave, the frail girl named Lena seemed to want to follow, and a trace of reluctance flashed in her emotionless eyes. If the guards beside her hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have followed Yumo with the kitten in her arms.

"Miss Lena, wait, wait, wait! We should return to the mansion! You can’t trouble others anymore!"

"Miss Lena, here, here, here’s a pancake. Come here, let’s return to the mansion, okay?"

…

On the other side, Yumo, who had just started walking, naturally noticed the commotion behind her and couldn’t help but glance back. The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of strangeness flashing in them.

Hmm, these people seem to really know the girl, doesn’t look like they’re pretending. Their attire? The Prime Minister’s Mansion?

This girl is actually from the Prime Minister’s Mansion?

Then why is she dressed so shabbily and looks like she’s been starving for a long time, even going to nibble on cat food?

Indeed, there must be something wrong with her mind, right?

Sigh, what a pity.

Yumo, who didn’t pay much attention, quickly left the Order Supervision Bureau. After being troubled by this Lena, Yumo had lost the mood to play and leisurely walked towards the Purple Night Palace.

After Yumo left, the guards from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, who had been making a scene at the Order Supervision Bureau for a long time, quickly carried the dazed frail girl, along with the kitten in her arms, back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

About an hour later, the girl named Lena finally returned to the central courtyard of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Looking at the frail girl being led back by the guards, Zuoben, who had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, finally sighed with relief, patting his chest repeatedly, trying to relieve the pressure that had been pent up in his chest for a while. After raising his hand to dismiss the nearby guards and servants, Zuoben, also known as Tania, helplessly came to the frail girl and placed his hand on her shoulder:

"Goddess, the recent plan is at a critical moment. Can’t you just stay in the mansion quietly? If you’re exposed, it’ll all be over..."