Laughter drifted in from outside the window. I crawled out of bed—just past nine o'clock. Groggy, I pressed my aching head, still suffering from last night's drinking with Leah King. Looking out, I saw the hill covered in blooming hydrangeas, and the old dead tree stump was still visible.
My head throbbed, my throat dry and scratchy. Dizzy, I got up and drank some water, feeling a bit better. Leah King was still asleep in my bed, her face twisted in pain. The others had already left—only Leah and I remained in this orphanage.
Leah King has been cheerful these past few days. We've stayed here for nearly a week, but we have to leave today—she needs to return to work tomorrow.
Leah was happy last night, but what still puzzles me is whether what I saw that morning was a hallucination—or something else. The seed Zhang Qingyuan handed me in my dream, I buried it, but felt nothing at all.
After eating the breakfast Lynn Yuan prepared for us, I went straight up the hill and stood before the dead tree stump. No new shoots. Yet I was certain I saw the stump split open and sprout a tender shoot that morning. Now, there was nothing—just the dead stump.
For several days, I checked every morning and evening, but nothing changed. I squatted before the stump, focused my senses, then sat across from it, silently staring, my hand supporting my chin.
"What exactly is going on?"
I'd asked Mona Ouyang before—she said it was probably just my imagination, since she felt nothing either. Basil Bertram has truly vanished from this world, leaving only the dead tree stump. Now, the Ghost Sovereigns are busy dealing with things sealed in Yvonne's Instinctive Space.
Basil Bertram's wife led her subordinates to the Underworld Court. Just as I was about to get up, I heard footsteps approaching.
"Roxie, why do you come here every day? What's going on?"
I glanced at Leah King and then smiled, sighing helplessly. Leah stared blankly at the old tree roots, then after a while, she smiled too.
"I don't know why, but looking at this dead tree always gives me a weird feeling."
I blinked at Leah King.
"Weird how?"
I asked, and Leah King shook her head.
"It just feels like it's the same as the flowers blooming around it."
Saying this, Leah King walked over and pressed her hand against the old stump, rubbing it for a while before turning around and pulling me to my feet.
"Let's go. After breakfast, I'm heading home—work starts tomorrow."
Before going down the hill, I looked back at the old stump once more, temporarily setting aside my doubts. Now, I had to find a way to rescue John Chou and Isabelle Frost. Basil Bertram was gone, and of all those who truly understood ritual arrays, maybe only the Arcane Society had anyone left.
But when I thought about seeking out the Arcane Society, I had no idea who to approach. The Ten Guides in the Hades Circle knew a bit about ritual arrays, but compared to the Buddhist and Daoist Orders, they were far weaker.
I considered seeking help from Master Richard Ming. That old monk is wise and compassionate—he might help John Chou. But then I remembered all that John Chou had done. To the Arcane Society, the Ghost Sovereigns are enemies, and no matter how broad-minded, no one would help their foes.
My only option now was to find someone from the Nether Syndicate. But when I asked around, my parents said that after so many years, no one knows where the Nether Syndicate is—some even say it never existed.
All I could do was try to locate the Nether Syndicate myself, though I had no idea how to contact their leader, Old Cat. Maybe he would know what to do.
"You look pale, Roxie. Is something bothering you?"
I smiled awkwardly and shook my head.
"It's nothing."
After lunch, Leah King and I drove away. I planned to drop her off at home, then have my parents try to help. If that failed, we'd mobilize the Hades Circle to search for the Nether Syndicate.
But whenever I thought about the Nether Syndicate, it felt like there was something I'd forgotten. Now, even the Heavenly Soul was missing. I asked Mona Ouyang, but she said she didn't know.
On the afternoon highway, as soon as we entered the city, traffic ground to a halt. Irritation welled up in me—I kept feeling I'd forgotten something, and every time I thought of the Nether Syndicate, it was as if something in my mind began to stir.
Finally, after four in the afternoon, I dropped Leah King off at the entrance to her apartment complex.
"Why don't you stay at my place tonight, Roxie?"
I shook my head.
"Get some rest when you get home. I have things to do!"
With that, I drove off, still preoccupied with the matter of the Nether Syndicate—what had I forgotten?
A sudden screech startled me—I nearly ran a red light. My heart pounded wildly. The car's wheels had rolled onto the crosswalk. Seeing the traffic camera, I knew I'd be fined again. I shivered all over.
"Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper."
I slapped my forehead, no longer caring about anything else, and turned south. Suddenly, it all came back to me. Zhang Qingyuan had told me that among the greatest benefactors in his life, Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper were included. He'd spoken of them often, and before the couple left, they'd told him they'd left something in the house—if Zhang Qingyuan ever needed help, he could contact them.
I sped along, and sure enough, within half an hour, my phone buzzed with a traffic violation—three points deducted, six hundred yuan fine. I sighed.
It was nearly nightfall, the sun had set, and I was hungry. Around eight o'clock, I arrived outside Fortune Teller's Row, found a parking lot, grabbed a quick bowl of noodles, then headed into Fortune Teller's Row. If I wanted to find the Nether Syndicate, I had to contact Mrs. Blake and Mr. Cooper—they'd surely help.
Just as I entered the street, a shaman woman walked right toward me.