Chapter 61.2 Brightwing Butterfly
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The weather here was pleasant, and sleeping felt comfortable. Lin Zhaohe rested on Zhuang Lao’s chest, placing his chin on his shoulder. One human, one doggie, they drifted off to sleep like that.
Expecting to sleep through the night, Lin Zhaohe was abruptly awakened by a commotion in the middle of the night. Opening his eyes, he found that Zhuang Lao, who should have been sleeping beside him, was nowhere to be seen. Outside the window, he heard a woman’s scream and a man’s curses, knowing that something had gone wrong.
Lin Zhaohe struggled to get down from the bed, using his short little legs, and crawled onto the windowsill.
With his head propped up, he peered down and saw a large group of butterflies and several soldiers on the street. Were they capturing the butterflies?
Lin Zhaohe’s first instinct was that the people in the city were capturing butterflies to obtain alchemical materials. However, he quickly realized that something was amiss— the number of butterflies was increasing, and the people on the street began attacking them with their weapons, trying to drive them away.
“Grandma, Grandma!” Amidst the chaos, mixed with the cries of children, Lin Zhaohe saw an enormous butterfly carrying a child as it flew into the sky.
The elderly woman cried helplessly, throwing anything within her reach towards the butterfly. However, the butterfly was swift, and in the blink of an eye, it soared high into the sky.
The soldiers were powerless against the butterflies. Their spears, thrown in an attempt to stop them, fell halfway. The other butterflies continued their relentless attacks on humans, with a few even attempting to carry people away. However, their weight couldn’t bear the burden of an adult, and they soon gave up.
“My child, my child!” The old woman’s wailing cries echoed through the night sky.
The others seemed accustomed, standing numbly in their spots, watching the butterflies gradually fly away. Witnessing this scene, the old woman became greatly agitated, crying out as she attempted to attack the butterfly cocoons hanging by the roadside. However, she was stopped by the soldiers.
“You can’t harm the chrysalises of the Brightwing Butterflies!” The soldiers couldn’t do anything about the butterflies but easily restrained the old woman’s actions.
The old woman sobbed, “It has already taken everything from me. Why does it have to take away my last hope—my only grandchild? Why are there so many butterflies? Why?”
The soldier remained silent, only gripping the old woman tightly, refusing to let go until he disarmed her.
The old woman slumped to the ground in a daze, staring blankly at the sky. Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in mid-air, and Lin Zhaohe immediately recognized him—it was Lin Yan!
Lin Yan flew off, gradually shrinking in size, clearly pursuing the butterfly that had taken the child.
Zhuang Lao and Mr. Li appeared on the street, and the remaining butterflies hovering in the sky seemed somewhat afraid of the two of them. After circling twice, they immediately flew away into the distance.
The two didn’t attack the butterflies, but watched as their figures gradually…
“Woof, woof.” Lin Zhaohe stuck out his head and called out to Zhuang Lao.
Zhuang Lao looked up and saw his little dog awake. “Don’t come out. You’re so small, what if the butterflies snatch you away?”
Lin Zhaohe bared his teeth, claiming that he had sharp teeth and those tiny butterflies weren’t a match for him.
Zhuang Lao glanced at his missing milk tooth and thought that biting them would probably just tickle them. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to discourage his little dog and said, “Alright, alright, I know you’re a tough little doggie. It’s windy outside, don’t let it blow you away.”
Lin Zhaohe thought to himself, hmph, as if any wind could blow him away. However, when the last butterfly flew away, the flapping of its wings caused his body to be lifted off the windowsill, staggering him for a moment, and nearly causing him to fall.
Lin Yan went after them, hopefully able to rescue the child. Zhuang Lao and Mr. Li returned to the inn, the soldiers assisted the old woman and departed, and the street regained its nocturnal tranquility.
Sofia was still awake, sitting on the ground floor, drinking. When she saw the two returning, she waved and greeted them.
“What’s with these butterflies?” Mr. Li asked.
“Oh, it’s been going on for a while,” Sofia replied. “Maybe there are too many of them, and their habitat has been invaded by mushrooms. Unable to satisfy their food needs, they’ve started coming to town occasionally to snatch people.”
“You just let them snatch people like that?” Mr. Li found this situation incredibly outrageous.
“What else can we do?” Sofia replied. “People can be born again after they die, but if the Brightwing Butterflies disappear, they go extinct.” She propped her chin up, her gaze unfocused. “Their size isn’t large enough to capture adults, so they can only grab some smaller livestock. Of course, unlucky children might also…”
Mr. Li: “And you let them breed in the town like this? Are you all out of your minds?”
Sofia: “What can I do? I have no say in this matter. Now the whole town is under Victor’s rule. If he wants to keep the cocoons, we can only listen to him. After all, he’s our hero.”
Mr. Li: “…I see. At this rate, you all will become an endangered species.”
Sofia laughed, listening to his words, saying that with so many humans, their extinction wouldn’t be a big deal. She had just asked Victor if he had time, and he said he could meet them and have a chat at eight o’clock.
Mr. Li sneered. “Now I’m starting to think this alchemy mentor isn’t reliable.”
Sofia: “Having someone is better than having no one, right?”
Mr. Li: “Sometimes, less is more.”
Sofia: “Indeed.”
But the meeting was set, and they decided to meet. It was only a little past five, so they could have another nap. Zhuang Lao returned to his room first, while Mr. Li waited in the lobby for Lin Yan for a while but didn’t see him return. He murmured, hoping that the child wouldn’t encounter any trouble.
Sofia: “Was he also taken away by the butterflies?”
Mr. Li: “He went after the butterflies.”
Sofia: “?”
“Are the butterflies dangerous?”
“Not particularly dangerous. But our rule here is not to harm them, and their numbers are quite abundant…”
Mr. Li finally felt relieved, thinking that Lin Yan shouldn’t have any trouble dealing with a few butterflies. He decided to return to his room and rest.
At eight o’clock in the morning, Lin Zhaohe, still groggy from sleep, was carried by Zhuang Lao to Victor’s alchemy laboratory.
Lin Xiao Puppy felt the light was a bit too harsh in Zhuang Lao’s arms. He used his paws to cover his eyes, with his little pink tongue sticking out, which made Mr. Li itch to give him a playful pinch.
Of course, this indulgent desire had no chance of being fulfilled because he was still no match for Zhuang Lao.
Victor’s alchemy lab was located in the center of the town, the place where Alfarr used to reside. Sofia didn’t like it there and led them to the entrance before turning around and leaving, allowing them to enter and talk on their own.
Zhuang Lao knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside. After waiting for a while, contemplating whether there was anyone inside, the heavy metal door creaked open, and a young voice came from inside, “Come in.”
Zhuang Lao pushed open the door and entered, finally laying eyes on the rumored alchemy laboratory.
It was quite similar to what he had imagined. The place was cluttered and filled with various experimental tools and samples. A pot of boiling green concoction emitted a gurgling sound, while a peculiar metallic scent permeated the air.
Lin Zhaohe didn’t particularly enjoy the smell and used his chubby paw to cover his nose.
“Mr. Victor?” Mr. Li called out his name.
From deep within the room, there came a clattering sound, and after a moment, a man wearing alchemist attire and sporting a monocle walked out.
He held a vial of golden elixir in his hand and had a smile on his youthful face. “Rare guests, it’s been a long time since anyone visited here.”
Mr. Li didn’t expect such a friendly attitude. It was a stark contrast to Alfarr. Mr. Li still vividly remembered his first encounter with Alfarr, where he had to find ways to drag him out of the laboratory, not to mention the effort spent in persuading Alfarr to concoct the necessary elixirs. The difference in their business demeanor was truly night and day.
“Hello,” Mr. Li said, extending his hand. Since the other person was being so amiable, he couldn’t confront him directly. “My friend has fallen victim to alchemy and has been transformed into a dog. I wonder if there is any potion that can turn him back into a human?”
Victor responded, “Is this adorable little dog the one you’re referring to? Could you let me take a look?”
Reluctantly, Zhuang Lao handed over his own Lin Zhaohe to Victor.
Victor lifted Lin Zhaohe and performed a brief examination of his body and bones, furrowing his brow.
“Is there something wrong?” Zhuang Lao grew concerned upon seeing Victor’s grim expression.
With a furrowed brow, Victor continued to palpate for a while before finally wearing a serious expression. “It seems this little dog is a bit overweight, all chubby and plump…”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
Zhuang Lao: “……”
Thanks to Arta for the support!
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