The Defeated Saintess Is On A Journey To Tame The Evil God Book 01 Chapter 06.12 - Whale Song

After leaving the great library, Xing Mo went to Lucius' office in the South Tower alone, on the pretext of submitting homework.

"Please come in."

After receiving the instructor's response, Xing Mo pushed open the door and entered the office.

A quaint aroma of incense wafted through, accompanied by the crackling sound of the fireplace, making Xing Mo feel relaxed.

Lucius was sitting behind a desk, a weary expression on his face, his lake-blue eyes looking somewhat hollow.

On the desk in front of him, candlesticks formed a rudimentary magic formation, with a flowerpot containing a withered tree branch in the center.

Xing Mo sensed lingering spirituality in the air.

She sat down across from the instructor and looked at the withered tree branch: "Still no progress?"

The instructor smiled and shook his head, then placed his wand on the desk: "I'm further away from success than we are from the Goddess."

Ever since Lucius learned about Aurora's assessment of life from Xing Mo, his experiments had become less frequent.

"With only life, without soul, besides a twisted existence, what else could be born?" These were Aurora's words.

Seeing the instructor's tired appearance, Xing Mo suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

After all, even the least bright mind in the academy could see why the instructor wanted to study the string of life—

—it was because of Miriam.

"Actually, I have fantasied before, about the possibility of Miriam coming back to life." Lucius spoke abruptly. Xing Mo looked up, noticing the weariness in his lake-blue eyes churning like the tide.

The middle-aged man glanced at the string magic formation on the desk, then at the withered tree branch, and sighed: "Merlin also saw through my thoughts. He knew the direction of my research would never just stop at studying plants. Eventually, it would be about humans, living, breathing humans."

"But he still approved it. Even though the string of life has always been off-limits, he went against the tide and approved my research."

"He knows that an old dog caught in the rain needs a roof over its head. He also knows that even with a roof, the old dog is still an old dog, unable to return to the sunny days it longs for."

Faced with the instructor's sudden confession, Xing Mo paused for a moment, then said softly: "Miriam's soul has returned to the stars. She's watching over us from there."

"Yeah. I'm really selfish." Lucius showed a self-deprecating smile, "I couldn't avenge her, so I've been trying to escape reality with this futile method. It's downright foolish."

"You just tried to do what any loving father would." Xing Mo said softly.

"It's okay. At least I made a tadpole grow three heads, right?" Lucius smiled humorously. He skillfully brewed a cup of coffee and pushed it across the desk to Xing Mo: "So, Ms. Xing Sheng, what brings you here tonight? I believe today isn't Wednesday."

Of course, Xing Mo was aware of it, so she didn't mention anything about "Aurora." Instructor Lucius also keenly avoided addressing her as "Xing Mo."

Without Starflow Horizon provided by the Stargazing Pavilion, if anyone wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, they would be able to.

"It's a small matter." Xing Mo took out the black and white picture from her pocket and handed it to Lucius.

"I found this location. It is Sir Derek Larson's whale oil factory, and it seems to conceal information about Steam Man's nature. What do you know about this man?"

In the previous information exchange, Xing Mo had already told Instructor Lucius about her inference regarding Steam Man, and the latter found it sensible.

At a time like this, it was reasonable for Xing Mo to come to Lucius: as a hero of the Steam Revolution, Instructor Lucius should know something.

Sure enough, Lucius's brow wrinkled slightly, as if there were a fly buzzing nearby.

He chewed on the name "Derek Larson" before murmuring: "That guy is a devil."

"It was he who first proposed using large binding equipment to confine narwhals in factories, then use inhumane methods to breed and exploit those pitiful animals for their whale oil."

"As you know, whale oil is a crucial raw material of the Steam Revolution, and Sir Derek Larson has maximized his gains in the revolution by capitalizing on his cruelty."

Suspending whales in factories as if cows... Xing Mo shuddered at the thought.

Wait a minute... "large binding equipment?"

Viewed in this light, it is indeed possible that the key to binding or controlling Steam Man lies in this factory.

Feeling like she had grasped a lead, Xing Mo continued: "My intelligence network tells me that Sir Derek Larson is connected to Steam Man, implying that his and Prince Austin's interests must align to a certain degree."

"If we can catch him, we might be able to obtain enough evidence to arrest Prince Austin."

When he heard this, Instructor Lucius suddenly smiled: "Your intelligence network? It seems you've been helping that little one organize a lot of... new friends."

Instructor... don't mock me for this... it's not like I wanted to be the Saintess of an Evil God!

Xing Mo puffed out her cheeks, and Lucius burst into laughter: "I see what you mean. Alright, I'll go with you."

"I haven't invited you yet..." Xing Mo's cheeks remained puffed.

"But only I can make sense of the intricate machinery and pipelines, right?" Lucius smiled faintly and added two spoons of sugar to his coffee.

The next moment, his gaze suddenly became sharp: "Moreover, if that scumbag Derek Larson is in cahoots with Prince Austin, then he must also be related to Miriam's death."

"I will personally interrogate him until he spills out the entire truth."

......

Friday morning, when Xing Mo woke up from a dream full of glittering golden light, the first thing she heard was the sound of torrential rain battering against the window.

She groggily sat up in bed and looked out the window, only to see dark clouds looming in the sky, rain accompanied by strong winds sweeping across the Citadel.

Heavy rain days have been more frequent lately... are there narwhals at the shore?

Xing Mo yawned. She skillfully removed Aurora, who had been sleeping on top of her, covered her with a blanket, and then got dressed and headed out.

She had breakfast in the Great Hall, then made her way to meet Instructor Lucius at the academy gate.

From afar, she spotted the instructor standing by a carriage—Lucius wore a black trench coat, held a black umbrella, wore a black hat, and had silver-framed glasses resting on his prominent nose, making him look less scholarly.

"This is my first time skipping class with a student." Lucius smiled when he saw Xing Mo approaching with an umbrella, "Shall we?"

"Let's go." Xing Mo nodded.

Then, the two boarded the sky carriage and soared through the rain, heading toward the Northern District's Docklands.

......