Taming the Protagonist

Volume 3

Chapter 14 : If Heaven Does Not Grant

When Anselm stepped out of the Labyrinth gate, the members of the Whistling Legion stationed outside the rift were all stunned.

“...Is the time flow difference over there that big?”

A man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth walked over.

The uniform and the badge on his chest indicated his identity—a notary of the Zero Point Explorers.

Zero Point Explorers was not a specific adventurer guild, but like the Ether Academy and the Alchemical Association, it was a unified organization above all adventurer guilds.

In terms of form, Zero Point Explorers was even looser than the Ether Academy, but in terms of actual authority, Zero Point Explorers’ control over adventurers was indeed greater than the Ether Academy’s influence on warlocks.

The rules that adventurers had to abide by—whether explicit regulations or tacit agreements—were almost all established by the Zero Point Explorers.

They were even responsible for executing some specific details to ensure fairness in many matters.

Hmm... fairness to a certain extent, understood by those who understand.

“Bro, I finished so soon.”

The notary of Zero Point Explorers with a cigarette dangling greeted Anselm: “Is the time flow rate over there very high?”

Anselm smiled: “Not really, it’s just that I’ve already got what I wanted.”

“Is that so, alright then.” The man shrugged, “You are an independent explorer. Let’s go through the process, show your gains.”

Adventurers who used exploration permits to explore the Labyrinth had to hand over a certain proportion of the proceeds from the expedition to the guild or force controlling this Labyrinth gate, and the specific amount was naturally verified and determined by the notary of Zero Point Explorers.

However, Anselm’s “harvest”...

The young Hydra said with a faint smile: “What if my harvest is not convenient to show?”

“...Hmm? Afraid of being targeted?” The notary was stunned, then answered somewhat amusingly, “If you are worried, then go back to the branch in Strife Fortress. We can do the appraisal there; that should be fine, right?”

“But it has no actual value, and you can’t analyze any value from it.”

The black-haired young man tapped the hilt of his sword: “Moreover, I am in a bit of a hurry.”

“...”

The notary took down the cigarette dangling from his mouth, stared at Anselm for a good while, and suddenly laughed:

“Fine, then take care, friend.”

He actually didn’t mean to stop him at all, generously letting Anselm leave.

Anselm nodded slightly, his figure disappearing in a flash.

The notary looked at the empty ground where Anselm disappeared, leisurely put the cigarette back in his mouth, and returned to the position where he was resting just now.

Not paying the fee, there are plenty of people to handle it; what does it have to do with him, a notary?

And if the Zero Point Explorers’ thugs couldn’t handle it, then what could he do?

Do as much work as the wages allow. Having become an adventurer, why risk life on such a thing.

Anselm returned to the Cyclops Inn.

He planned to discuss the situation of Ivora and Ephithand with Mingfuluo.

He rarely discussed plans for the future with Hitana.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Hitana, but he felt that discussing such things with the Wolf Miss would have no other effect than making her confused, worried, and extremely anxious.

But as a genius who could synchronize with his thinking, Mingfuluo might be able to find some breakthroughs from aspects he hadn’t discovered yet.

However, the strange gaze of the inn receptionist made Anselm understand that something had likely happened here not long ago.

After just a moment of thought, he roughly guessed what might have happened, and there was a slight surprise in his eyes.

You really have the guts to do this, Marina.

Thinking this, Anselm soon arrived at the door of the guest room where he and Mingfuluo were staying.

The broken and messy corridor silently told of the battle that took place here.

Hmm... it couldn’t be called a battle, just a one-sided slaughter.

After all, judging by this, they didn’t even have time to open the door of the guest room.

Anselm twisted the handle of the guest room, but it only turned a little bit before getting stuck.

Anselm, who had changed back to his original appearance, knocked on the door with some helplessness and amusement:

“Dear Aluo, can you let me in?”

It was quiet inside the room, without a single sound coming out.

This was only natural; the Cyclops Inn had specifically set up soundproofing domains, and the effect was top-notch.

However, the scholar inside didn’t respond to Anselm, of course, not for this reason.

“Aluo? Mingfuluo? My weapon miss, monster miss?”

No matter how Anselm called while leaning against the door, there was no movement inside at all.

The young Hydra could only let go of the door handle and sighed.

“Like this, there’s no place to sleep tonight... then let’s sleep in Marina’s room; she shouldn’t mind—”

Snap!

The wooden door originally blocking Anselm disappeared into thin air without warning.

The petite scholar stood barefoot on the spot, expressionlessly grabbing Anselm’s wrist.

“I’ll give you one more chance to think.”

She looked up slightly, her expression cold: “Where do you want to go tonight?”

Anselm walked into the room following the momentum, saying in a very innocent tone: “But you didn’t let me in first.”

“This morning, who was using a tone coaxing a little girl saying ‘I won’t disturb you, rest assured’, hmm?”

Mingfuluo, not giving Anselm a good look at all, raised her hand pointing to the messy corridor: “This is what you meant by not disturbing me?”

“Hmm...”

Anselm rubbed his forehead, saying rather helplessly: “Alright, this is indeed my problem... I didn’t expect Marina would really dare to include you in her calculations.”

Mingfuluo, whose expression was very bad but still led Anselm into the guest room holding his hand, paused in her steps. She frowned slightly looking at Anselm: “What do you mean? Speak clearly.”

“This involves... that bunch of somewhat overly indulged guys under me.”

Anselm unbuttoned his clothes and threw them casually on the bed. Mingfuluo also waved her hand, letting the room door reappear.

Sitting by the bed, she picked up Anselm’s coat in passing to cover her legs, listening to Anselm briefly explain the conflict between Nailan and Marina.

“...Your subordinates run a brothel too?”

After listening to Anselm’s description, Miss Mingfuluo threw out a question that was obviously not the main point with extreme displeasure.

“Attendant Snake is Nailan’s retainer. Nailan can be considered one of the mainstays of Shadow Swamp; where would she find the time to run a brothel in this small Strife Fortress?”

Anselm poured himself a glass of wine, then poured milk for Mingfuluo, smiling as he said: “The sector she is responsible for is much larger.”

“But in the final analysis, isn’t she still running a brothel?”

Mingfuluo slapped Anselm’s hand, handing over the milk.

She looked very impatient, but the force was so light that even the surface of the milk didn’t shake twice.

Anselm looked at Mingfuluo’s unhappy appearance, the smile on his face retracting a bit.

He gazed at the scholar 's face, asking softly and seriously: “Does Aluo hate this kind of thing very much?”

“...Just can’t stand people trampling on themselves in this way.”

Mingfuluo, pursuing great changes, had a very strong pursuit of human self-worth.

Disdain for mediocrities was one of the concrete manifestations.

This was both condescending arrogance and an overly radical expectation.

“Making lots of money just by spreading legs, how can there be such a good thing in this world? This kind of person should—”

Halfway through her words, she stopped abruptly again.

“Forget it.”

The scholar lowered her eyes slightly, sighing, “It may not necessarily be inherent depravity. People forced by life to do such things also have no choice.”

“If that brothel is demolished, those prostitutes, losing this alternative protection, wouldn’t end up any better. Don’t mind my words, Anselm, I’m just... having my old problem again.”

Hitana learned to hide her claws and teeth following Anselm, and Mingfuluo also absorbed nutrients, constantly growing.

She began to learn humility from Anselm, trying her best to restrain her overly high-and-mighty and unreasonable personality.

At the same time, Mingfuluo was also very clear about one thing—that the “dirty work” done by Anselm’s subordinates would definitely not be limited to just opening a brothel so simply.

Delving deeper into this, apart from increasing distress in vain and making it difficult for Anselm, had no other meaning... If she were omnipotent, of course, she would have the confidence to tell Anselm not to do such things, but the problem was that she was far from omnipotent, so naturally, she had no qualification to dictate.

Thinking this, Mingfuluo sighed again and put her hand on Anselm’s hand.

No matter how cold she usually appeared, showing expressions of disgust and boredom, when it came to serious aspects, Mingfuluo would not forcefully act stubborn.

Anselm, just now, really wanted to let his people dispose of that brothel.

He had already become so considerate of others’ feelings... no, mostly only I and that stupid dog have this treatment.

Mingfuluo, unsure whether she should be happy or worried, had complicated feelings, and as if worried that Anselm really planned to do that, emphasized again: “No need to do anything, I’m just having my old problem again.”

“I know, you also don’t need to emphasize that you are an overly arrogant problem girl, Aluo.”

Anselm couldn’t help but tease with a laugh.

Mingfuluo’s expression turned cold: “Don’t be so arrogant just because I gave you a slightly better look... I’m five years older than you, you should call me sister, what do you mean by girl?”

“Girls all like to be called young girls.”

“Just little girls who haven’t grown up; mature women won’t like such affected forms of address.”

Anselm looked at Mingfuluo who gave a light snort, knowing her thoughts had been diverted from the entanglement just now, so he chuckled and said: “Then I’ll continue talking about their matter.”

The problem between Marina and Nailan was very simple and concise, not complicated at all. If it were to be solved, it would actually just take a tough order from Anselm.

But neither Marina nor Nailan, nor even Anselm himself, had thought of solving the problem in this way.

“Marina’s original words were: ‘For Shadow Swamp to have its current development, Mr. Anselm’s influence is undoubtedly the most important. If I can directly use Mr. Anselm’s influence, what I can achieve might not necessarily be worse than you guys’.”

Mingfuluo, hugging Anselm’s coat, rested her chin on her hands, saying indifferently: “They are really biological sisters. Usually can’t tell... in reality, just like her sister, arrogant to the point of being boundless.”

An ordinary person with nothing, daring to say such words to the most outstanding secret service organization under Anselm, what could it be if not arrogance?

“And then?”

Probably because of Marina’s close relationship with Hitana, Mingfuluo became slightly interested: “How did she want to use your ‘influence’?”

“She said, to do a small thing in my name.”

Anselm shrugged: “I didn’t care too much because in the intelligence Nailan provided me, a Labyrinth gate was about to open, so I went there first, letting Marina play freely.”

The scholar finally took the milk Anselm handed over, saying thoughtfully: “Borrowing your name, something that can provide her help... influence...”

“Since someone came looking for me, it means she caused some kind of ‘trouble’ in your name. Deception? Threat? Intimidation? No... not enough, and too troublesome. It should be something more effective and direct, which can only be...”

“Killing.”

Both said these two words at the same time, only Anselm smiled and whispered, while Mingfuluo frowned and exclaimed in a low voice.

Mingfuluo, holding the milk, turned to look at Anselm, her expression a bit bad: “There is a high probability she killed people from some faction in your name, that’s why someone tracked her... My attack would make them wary of your power, and the identity you walk with outside happens to be that legend.”

“...She is not utilizing Hydra’s influence, but utilizing Faust’s influence.”

“Something obvious.” Anselm shrugged.

“Then why didn’t she use your identity for direct negotiation?” Mingfuluo frowned and asked, “Why must she kill?”

“Because Marina knows very clearly that violence and power are more persuasive than any words.”

Anselm swirled his wine glass, his tone leisurely: “If a person politely visits and claims to be the legendary adventurer Faust, would you pay attention to him?”

“...Most likely not.”

“Then, what if he threw a few human heads at your door without saying a word?”

The corner of Mingfuluo’s eye twitched: “I would first suspect if he has mental problems.”

“Having mental problems is also fine.” Anselm smiled, “Whether it’s Faust or a crazy murderer, as long as it can generate a ‘threat’, it’s enough.”

“With the power to create threats, one has the right to talk and even trade.”

Mingfuluo was silent for a while, then whispered: “This is really... dark enough.”

“Marina had no choice. If she wanted to get help at the fastest speed, of course, she could only choose this dark method.”

Anselm didn’t mind at all. Similar things, ten or a hundred times crueler than this, he had done countless times. Compared to this “darkness”, he appreciated Marina’s decisiveness more.

“By the way, she told me in advance that it would likely affect you. If I didn’t agree, she wouldn’t continue.”

Mingfuluo grabbed Anselm’s sleeve, wiped the milk stain from the corner of her mouth, and said expressionlessly: “So I didn’t wrong you.”

“I said it, I didn’t expect she really dared to do this.”

Anselm smiled and rubbed the corner of Mingfuluo’s mouth with his fingertips again, his tone brisk: “No matter how bold my subordinates are, no matter how much they have their own little thoughts, they wouldn’t dare to violate some ‘taboos’, and everyone knows that you and Hit have long been the biggest taboos for me.”

“But Marina really dared to utilize you... although she obtained my permission in advance, if there was even half a bit of fear remaining in her heart towards you, she wouldn’t have the guts to do this.”

The young Hydra lamented thus: “For a mortal body, this is already a boldness that makes even me sigh with admiration.”

“...Hmph, I was used, are you very happy?”

“I didn’t show how happy I was, and Aluo, aren’t you also not too angry? Marina can be considered acting according to her own selfish desires this time.”

Mingfuluo was silent for a while, then said softly: “Because thinking carefully, the risk on her side is actually greater, right? If the target she provoked happened to be a guy who completely wouldn’t think carefully or listen to reason, she would be finished directly.”

“Directly finished is unlikely; Nailan’s people are watching nearby.”

Anselm brought the wine glass to Mingfuluo’s lips, and after being slapped away in disgust by the latter, said with a smile: “But the position of secretary definitely can’t be kept.”

“To her, that’s no different from being finished.”

The young Hydra patted Mingfuluo’s head: “You are quite considerate of Marina, Aluo. Do you appreciate her very much?”

Mingfuluo recalled how Marina brought breakfast over today, remembering that she understood her dietary preferences so well, and couldn’t help shaking her head.

“Just feel... It's a pity. She has such great guts, such strong ability, able to borrow your name, utilize me in passing, and risk being finished at any moment in the process, but what she got in the end... what does it count for?”

Shadow Swamp’s intelligence deployment in Strife Fortress was just operated by a member under Nailan. If Attendant Snake wanted to get intelligence on Strife Fortress, she could obtain the information in an instant.

To Shadow Swamp, this was but a trivial arrangement... but for Marina, she had to stake everything.

If she took a wrong step, or even if her luck was just a little bad, she would lose everything and be doomed eternally.

Is it worth it?

The girl clutching the bullet asked herself in her heart.

Then, she looked up at the mature woman sitting opposite her, whose smile was gentle to the point of being somewhat docile, and already had the answer.

In any case, it’s always much better than a mortal who “deserves nothing”.

“Then... that’s it?”

Yapo whispered gently: “If there is anything, Miss Ma Ganlei, just contact me at any time. By the way, if it’s not troublesome, Mr. Faust...”

“I will introduce you, Ms. Yapo.”

The woman revealed an extremely delighted expression: “That would be great! I will deliver the news you want as soon as possible, Miss Ma Ganlei.”

The girl nodded with a smile, watching the renowned Queen Bee leave.

In the room, Nailan’s figure appeared again.

Attendant Snake bowed respectfully to her. The latter didn’t care but stared straight at Marina.

“So you struggled to this extent, risking being crushed by Queen Bee with one hand, just for mere intelligence on Strife Fortress?”

Marina picked up the beret by her leg, coiled her snow-colored long hair, stuffed it into the hat, and turned back into that thin and delicate tomboy appearance.

“This is just the beginning, Ms. Nailan. I will go further.”

Even if the Transcendents just had a random thought, she would have to risk everything for it. The mortal girl struggling with all her might murmured softly.

“If you are unwilling to hand over Shadow Swamp’s intelligence to me...”

A cold shadow flashed across her eyes.

“Then Marina Lansmarlos will naturally exhaust everything to take it.”