Chapter 19: Green Past Memories

“Yiluo, what’s wrong?”

As Coco stretched out her little head and asked curiously, Yiluo finally snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head, and smiled softly: “It’s nothing. It’s just that entering Green City this smoothly… I still haven’t reacted to it.”

Coco covered her mouth with both hands and said with a bit of surprise and a laugh: “So even Yiluo has times when she can’t react.”

“Of course. I’m not a god.” Yiluo chuckled.

Seeing Yiluo say nothing more, Coco thought in her heart: Miss Yiluo, in Coco’s eyes, you are like a miracle-granting deity who descended from the heavens.

Mm… a very strange goddess.

Though Yiluo claimed she was fine, she was actually troubled by the earlier reaction from the Green Gorge guard.

She was certain that when the guard saw her, there was a clear change in his gaze. That shock and doubt could never escape her eyes.

Coco entered Green Gorge without any issue.

But something happened with her own identity.

That kind of gaze—did it come from recognizing her, but not being sure?

What kind of background and identity does this body truly have?

Yiluo knew she had some connection with the Holy Church, but she had no idea what level that relationship was, or whether it was good or bad.

If the relationship was good, the Holy Church could be a useful tool.

But if she had to spend every day with those hypocritical bishops and knights, praying to a fabricated deity, she absolutely did not want that.

If the relationship was bad, then her journey to find a way back to her original world would become extremely difficult.

She didn’t want to gamble on such a dangerous risk.

After sending Coco home, if nothing unexpected happened, she must leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

“My dear maid lady, where should I send you two? Do you still need the professional escort service of me, Jack?”

Yiluo’s thoughts were interrupted by Jack’s voice.

She noticed that Jack had become more playful lately, but their employment contract was ending soon. He had arranged things well along the way, so there was no need to be too harsh with him.

“Mr. Jack, find a nearby inn that’s a bit secluded but very luxurious.”

“Alright~”

Green City was actually enormous.

One couldn’t see the opposite city wall at all.

The buildings were grand, the lights were bright, and the economy seemed strong.

Many people on the streets were dressed extravagantly, yet many poorly dressed commoners were also present.

The wealth gap seemed severe.

They hadn’t been in the city long, yet Yiluo had already seen more than ten demi-humans.

They weren’t dressed poorly, but each wore a collar.

The material seemed to symbolize their owner’s status.

This discovery made Yiluo feel upset, and her brows furrowed.

If Coco were forced to wear such a collar when she returned home, Yiluo would never allow that.

“Jack, why are there so many demi-humans in this city?”

Yiluo’s tone turned unpleasant.

She had assumed demi-humans in Green City had even lower status, perhaps captured immediately upon being discovered, not allowed to roam freely like this.

Jack replied casually: “This city belonged to the demi-human race thirty years ago, so having many of them is normal.”

“According to records, thirty years ago, the Holy Church’s titled knight—the Dark Night Knight Hespe Gladys—led seven holy knights into Green City and slaughtered seventy thousand demi-humans. Right after that, the Elva Empire’s army of one hundred fifty thousand arrived. Most residents here are descendants of the army and merchants.”

Eight people killed seventy thousand.

And in a city protected by Green Gorge.

This refreshed Yiluo’s understanding of the Holy Church once again.

Its brutality probably rivaled the blood massacre done by the vampire loli in her dream.

But in such a huge city, was there truly no one who could stop Hespe Gladys?

Yiluo did not believe the demi-humans had no strong guardians.

In this world, individual strength was terrifying—like a walking nuclear weapon.

That was not a good thing.

“Miss Yiluo, look—there is the statue of the Dark Night Knight.”

At Jack’s words, Yiluo lifted the curtain slightly.

In the center of a plaza they passed stood a ten-meter-tall stone statue.

The statue of the Dark Night Knight stood there with both hands resting on a long, thin sword.

A sun emblem was engraved on the blade.

He looked about forty, slightly obese, with a hooked nose, hawk-like eyes, and a sharp chin.

His face was vicious—nothing like a knight, more like an executioner.

Disgusting…

The moment Yiluo saw the statue, a strong sense of revulsion surged through her.

This disgust didn’t come from her mind, but from her body.

The last time she felt such intense instinctive reaction was when she saw the vampire loli’s corpse—though that had evoked hatred.

Compared to the Dark Night Knight, her hatred toward the vampire loli was far stronger—so strong she wanted to destroy the remains.

I know him. I definitely know him!

That thought flashed across Yiluo’s mind instantly.

“Why is the statue of this Dark Night Knight so vicious and ugly? It has none of the Holy Church’s supposed sacredness.”

Jack shook his head with a laugh: “The statue was ordered by the King of the Elva Empire, as gratitude to the Dark Night Knight. It was built by enslaved demi-humans, so it’s probably exaggerated to look worse than he was. But the knight himself didn’t mind—he said only such an appearance fit Green Gorge, to make all invading races feel eternal fear.”

“Oh right—his famous quote: ‘In endless darkness, I shall shine with the brightest holy light.’”

What shamelessness.

You slaughtered seventy thousand demi-humans, yet call it holy light.

And the Holy Church… everyone seems to have a tragic edgelord motto.

Is this the brainwashing of a cult?

At this point, Yiluo already believed that the Holy Church was either a corrupt, selfish organization—or a complete cult.

Though Yiluo felt strongly about the Dark Night Knight, she cared more about Coco, who was also a demi-human.

But observing carefully, Coco didn’t seem to show any emotional reaction.

“If you’re interested, Miss Yiluo, the s*ave markets and auction houses have many demi-humans. But I recommend the auction house—the s*ave market is chaotic and the quality is low.”

Jack added, thinking Yiluo had interest.

Yiluo’s expression cooled: “I’m not interested. I only care about Green City’s history. With so many demi-humans, could it be dangerous? My priority is my master’s safety.”

“Miss Yiluo, you must be joking. With your strength, why would you fear demi-humans?”

“There actually aren’t that many demi-humans left in the city. The Church and Empire control them strictly. Any demi-human who reaches first-rank warrior level is executed. Except for some male laborers, most young and beautiful female demi-humans—and a few handsome males—are servants of nobles or wealthy merchants. Their lives are better than most poor humans.”

“Hmm.”

Yiluo replied lightly.

She had seen racial discrimination before—gun violence in her past world’s M-country, or wealthy Africans discriminating against poor Africans of the same ethnicity.

She didn’t intend to change these things.

She couldn’t.

She only cared about Coco’s safety and feelings.

Seeing Yiluo lose interest, Jack fell silent and focused on driving the carriage.

In this somewhat awkward atmosphere, Jack finally stopped the carriage in front of a luxurious inn near the city wall.