Chapter 224: Old Friend and Letter

“You still recognized me like this?” Keli muttered as she tossed something to Saul.

No wonder she was surprised—she was clad in full plate armor, with a mask thin as gold foil covering her face, leaving only a sliver of her mouth exposed.

Even her lips were a shimmering gold-red.

Aside from the red ponytail trailing from her helmet, there wasn’t a single familiar feature to be found.

Saul caught the item she threw, immediately opening it. “Oh? What’s this? Honey?”

“Gan Tree Wax. You once said that common materials are hard to keep fresh for long, and using magic to preserve them is a waste. I happened to see this jar from a human body collector out there—maybe it’ll be useful for your research.”

Saul’s eyes lit up at once. “Not bad. This’ll come in handy for experiments. But I came back in a rush this time—I didn’t bring you anything.”

Keli curled her lip. “You owe me then… What happened to your hand? Went out once and lost the meat?”

“It melted. Didn’t lose it. I brought it back in a bag.”

Saul proceeded to tell her about the adventure he’d had in Hanging Hands Valley with Senior Byron.

After listening, Keli pulled a disgusted face. “I’m never going on an outing with you. You’ve got the worst luck.”

“And you’re one to talk?” Saul snorted, giving her a once-over. “Looks like you’ve got your own mess going on.”

Keli lowered her head and patted her breastplate with a metal-gloved hand. The solid clank of steel rang out.

“This is for an experiment!” she said stubbornly. “There was just… a little accident.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she removed her mask.

Her entire face gleamed with the same reflective golden tint as her lips. When her skin and muscles moved, they looked unnaturally stiff.

“The new magic I was researching clashed with a potion I recently took. Now my pores keep leaking poisonous metal.”

Saul frowned. “That’s worse than I imagined. Need help?”

Keli rolled her eyes. “You’re in confinement! Worry about yourself. A genius like me can handle a little thing like this. I’m just fascinated by metal—it’s rare. I want to collect more before I fix it!”

Saul gave her a thumbs-up with his skeletal hand. “You’re a badass.”

Keli instantly replied, “You’re a badass too.”

Sometimes in private, Saul would say strange words Keli hadn’t heard before. She could never tell if he was complimenting or insulting her. So she usually shot back right away and figured it out later.

“How long are you going to be stuck here? I was hoping to apply for a joint research project with you.”

Saul glanced back at the warehouse door. “Hmm… Not long now. I’ve got the base framework sorted out. What’s left is combining the parts and testing them one by one. Should be done within a month… assuming I get lucky.”

Keli twitched. “With your luck? We’ll see.”

But she quickly remembered how unlucky she’d been lately too, and rushed to change the subject before Saul could clap back. “Right, I came to pick up materials.”

She struggled to pull a rolled-up paper from a small pouch on her armored belt and tried to open it for Saul.

Watching her stiff, nearly tangled fingers, Saul shook his head and took the paper himself.

The message was simple—just two characters: “Completed.”

Saul recognized them immediately. He’d just written them himself using the message pen.

“You? You’re the delivery person? You hate this kind of physical work!” But he quickly realized, “Ah, I see. With how stiff you are now, walking’s probably the only thing you can do. Try casting a spell and you might blow yourself up.”

Keli’s expression contorted. She clenched her gloved fist in front of Saul, grinding her teeth. “Hurry up and get to work. If you delay me, I’m docking your credits!”

Saul turned to the storeroom, shaking his head and sighing. “Funny how someone forgot she was on the job first.”

Behind him, Keli stomped in frustration, but her armor was too heavy to actually get airborne.

The materials were already prepared, so Saul returned quickly.

As he pushed the cart out, the warehouse door opened wide, and Keli’s gaze swept across the entrance—until it froze on something.

“Why is Billy inside? Wait, no—that’s Bill? He looks kind of weird.”

Saul had already pushed the cart out, and the door was slowly closing behind him. Bill’s face disappeared into the narrowing gap.

“That’s Bill,” Saul replied, handing the cart over. “How do you know him?”

Keli took the cart, her armor clanking with each movement. “He was also one of Mentor Gudo’s students. I’ve seen him twice. Very memorable. Tsk, tsk. Is he dead?”

“Yeah. The senior who led me into the trap I mentioned—that was him.”

“Well, good riddance then.” Keli turned the cart around. “He’s got a brother, Billy. Even stronger.”

Saul had heard of Billy before, and even seen him briefly during a recent spirit-walk through East Tower. But he wasn’t in a good state of mind then, and so he didn’t remember him clearly.

“Worried he’ll come after me?”

“Nah, don’t worry. He’s too busy. All he cares about are experiments and study—cold and ruthless like a prop.” Keli shrugged, the clatter of her armor echoing. “Still, best stay clear of him.”

“I’m off,” she waved.

Saul had just opened his mouth to say goodbye when Keli suddenly smacked her forehead.

Clang—

The sound was loud enough to echo faintly in the hallway.

“Was that really necessary?” Saul looked at her, baffled.

“Almost forgot.” Keli started fumbling again and finally pulled a thick envelope from another pocket.

“Someone gave my brother a letter to pass on to me, and said it’s for you.”

Saul took it, puzzled.

Who would write him a letter?

“Seems like a relative of yours? You never mentioned having a family—I thought you didn’t.”

He broke the ornate wax seal—

Only to find a plain white envelope inside.

The white envelope wasn’t sealed.

Turning it over, Saul saw four characters on the back, and his eyes went wide. The smile on his face vanished instantly.

“To my little brother.”

Keli, noticing the change in his expression, stepped over. “What’s wrong? Something bad? I checked it—no magic, no mental force. Even paid the Registry to sever any void connections. Nothing dangerous.”

Saul stared at the four words. There was only one person in this world who had ever called him “little brother.”

“Keli, who gave you this letter?”

“My brother said it was from a friend of his. They described your appearance exactly, claiming to be your family…” The more she spoke, the more cautious she became, suddenly recalling all the messy drama in her own family.

“Should we report it to Mentor Kaz?”

“Mentor Kaz…” Might not be helpful.

And Saul wasn’t ready to escalate it just yet. He needed to confirm the sender’s identity and intent.

“Keli, did anyone else know you gave this to me?”

She shook her head, her red ponytail swishing. “No. I didn’t tell anyone else. Even the Registry folks just thought it was stuff I brought back myself.”

Keli was sharp—she immediately understood Saul’s meaning.

“Alright then. I’ll accept it. Thanks.”

Keli studied his face carefully. “If it turns out to be trouble, just toss it.”

But Saul just smiled and shook his head.

He watched as she slowly clattered away with the cart, then turned and walked back into Warehouse Two.

He sat at the lab table and began opening the letter.

He didn’t bother checking it further—if it really was from Kismet, then any hidden tricks would be beyond his detection anyway.

Besides, the diary hadn’t triggered any warnings.

The envelope wasn’t sealed, and there were no unusual energy fluctuations.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe Kismet deliberately left it open like this, as if to say:

“See? I didn’t do anything. So—do you dare read it?”

(End of Chapter)

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