This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 445: Did Chen Ke Fall Asleep?

Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Did Chen Ke Fall Asleep?

Chen Ke was startled.

"The stairs have been removed, so there’s a break between the fifth and fourth floors, and we’ve turned the area below into a toilet. You just squat at the top of the stairs and let it go," Jacob explained.

Chen Ke was momentarily at a loss for words. That actually made a lot of sense...

"Okay, I’m going to check on the kids. You can come with me or find a corner to rest in. I’ll come find you later to chat," Jacob said.

"It’s fine, I’ll come and see the children with you," Chen Ke nodded.

The two of them walked toward the sleeping children. Many were already asleep, with a substantial number being girls, at least half. But since there were a limited number of folding beds, even some of the older girls were sleeping on the ground.

By a load-bearing pillar, Chen Ke saw a blackened spot where they had lit a fire, indicated by some wooden sticks and combustible material nearby.

At the base of another wall, Chen Ke noticed a pile of parcels, with stacks of small bowls and pots neatly arranged beside them. Even as wanderers, they seemed to have all sorts of living necessities.

"You must not lack the money to buy folding beds," Chen Ke couldn’t help but ask.

"We have to be ready to move at any time, so we can’t take too much with us. We just can’t find a place to settle down for long," Jacob explained.

What Jacob said was reasonable. In many Hollywood movies, the Thief Guild and assassin organizations were based in sewers, which was ludicrous. Not to mention, the maintenance workers responsible for the pipes would surely find you, leaving aside the unsanitary conditions. If you didn’t get sick after a month down there, you’re not human.

Besides, this world was not normal. Ruins that were too old would cause a Spirit Explosion, birthing monsters. In the 21st century, this had become an industry. So Jacob had to ferry the children from hideout to hideout, greatly limiting the places he could choose.

The awake children cast curious glances at Chen Ke, their hands holding shiny little knives and daggers, evidently for peeling fruit.

The sleeping children snored evenly. The younger ones occasionally kicked, their fists flailing in the air aimlessly. A bout of sobbing caught the attention of both Jacob and Chen Ke.

"Why is Dan Ni crying?" Jacob approached the small bed where a 5-year-old girl was curled up in a blanket, sobbing. Another older girl was holding her.

"She said she just dreamt of her mother," the girl looked up at Jacob.

Jacob crouched down and gently patted Dan Ni’s head, pulling a small pocket watch from his coat and placing it in her little hands.

"Be strong, young lady," Jacob whispered, then glanced at the other girl.

The sentiment of missing parents could easily spread among orphans. The girl’s eyes also began to glisten with tears, while the other awake children sat silently, hugging their knees.

Jacob stood up and slowly walked away. Chen Ke looked at him and then at the little girl and asked softly, "Does this happen often?"

"Not really, many of these children were sent to the orphanage as babies. By the time they began to remember, they didn’t have memories of their parents. Dan Ni was abandoned by her parents six months ago. They probably couldn’t afford to keep her," Jacob explained with a shrug.

"What do you dream about, Chen Ke?" Jacob suddenly smiled and asked.

"I haven’t dreamt in a long time..." Chen Ke shook his head.

Jacob looked up and pointed to a window at the opposite corner, a quiet spot away from the children.

Chen Ke understood and followed him to the window, both of them squatting down by the wall.

"Let’s sort things out, shall we?" Jacob suggested, finding a shard of stone on the windowsill and, in the moonlight, began to draw on the ground.

"See, we’ve already met Sean and obtained the necessary information," Jacob said, drawing two circles; he wrote ’Holy Diamond’ in one and ’children’ in the other.

"You obtained part of the diamonds from Baron Mox which proves Sean wasn’t lying, right?" Jacob looked at Chen Ke.

Chen Ke nodded, but pointed out, "But I only got a part of them; Edward has the rest. And I don’t know who exactly Edward is."

"Right, all we need is a name." Jacob drew a line from the diamond circle and wrote ’Edward’ at the end of it.

"Chen Ke, see, your affairs are progressing, while mine are not," Jacob said.

"Okay, tell me, what are you planning to do now?" Chen Ke asked.

Jacob wanted to save the missing children. His reason for helping Chen Ke was because Chen Ke’s fighting ability was superior to Jacob’s.

Jacob drew a line from the children’s circle and wrote ’orphanage’ at the end.

"The missing children on the street, are in the orphanage?" Chen Ke pinched his chin.

"Not just that... When I was in the academy below, I got to the lower level before you did. I saw Mr. William and three others discussing something about the children..." Jacob added William’s name outside the circle of children.

Chen Ke didn’t have that memory, naturally unaware of what Jacob was talking about, but he could already feel that the memory he had lost was very important.

"What did you encounter down there? I’ve always been curious," Jacob asked.

"You should know... it’s those things that ordinary people can’t understand," Chen Ke evaded the question.

"Hmm... You’re no ordinary person, Chen Ke. But I don’t care where you come from. You can fight those monsters, and you’re not a bad guy; that much I know is enough," Jacob said.

"What did I do to make you think that?" Chen Ke asked.

"Maybe it’s just my intuition? Maybe because you’re sitting right here? I don’t know, believe me, I’m a thief, I’ve met all kinds of people, and you’re obviously different from them. By the way, what about your partner? She’s not really dead, is she?" Jacob countered.

"I don’t know, but whether it’s something you want my help with, or something I want to do myself, the premise is to get the rest of the diamonds," Chen Ke said.

"I know, your remaining diamonds are with Edward. We can further narrow the scope; Baron Mox knows four Edwards, at least he wouldn’t give the diamonds to someone he doesn’t know for no reason..." Jacob spoke as he wrote four Edwards on the floor.

"What next..." Chen Ke sighed. Was he supposed to try his luck with each one?

"Chen Ke, I can help you with that, my kids are good at gathering information. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll have them watch the four Edwards to see which one has your diamonds," Jacob offered.

Chen Ke breathed a sigh of relief; this time Jacob really helped a lot.

"What do the rest of your diamonds look like?" Jacob asked.

Chen Ke pulled out a set from Florence, five orange Holy Diamonds glowed slowly under the moonlight. He let Jacob take a look and said, "Like this."

Jacob picked up one of the Holy Diamonds, examining it carefully in the moonlight. The Holy Diamond was only the size of a thumbnail, a thin slice that really did look like a human fingernail, but its surface was not smooth, and it emitted light from time to time.

He clicked his tongue in wonder, "This must be worth a lot of money."

"I’m not planning to sell them... The rest of the diamonds are the same color. There is also one that’s purple," Chen Ke said.

He had forgotten how many Blasphemous Daggers there were, An Helei’s Elegy had five, and the Moonlight Sword one.

"Can you divide these five diamonds you have and give them to the kids for reference?" Jacob asked.

"No..." Chen Ke immediately refused.

These were the Holy Relics, especially the set from Florence, exchanged for souls. Losing one would break the set, and the remaining four would be meaningless.

"Alright, I figured you wouldn’t agree. But could you at least let them see them tomorrow morning?" Jacob asked again.

Chen Ke nodded; that was no problem.

"What exactly are these diamonds for?" Jacob was still a bit curious.

"They’re mediums I use to cast magic," Chen Ke said.

Jacob laughed, not saying whether he believed it or not, stood up, pulled two blankets out of a nearby bag, and threw one to Chen Ke.

"Get some rest, Chen Ke," Jacob said with a smile, sitting down opposite Chen Ke below the window, spreading his blanket on the floor, lying on it, and covering his face with his hat.

Chen Ke sighed, laid the blanket beneath him, and leaned against the wall, slipping into the emptiness of the Sage.

The moonlight was so serene, the children slept peacefully, and Jacob started snoring quickly. Some kids assigned to the night watch looked at Chen Ke from a distance, curious yet cautious, not daring to approach for a conversation.

The night was long, and Chen Ke looked through the window at the big clock across the street. It was 1:40 am, with at least four hours until dawn. He yawned, feeling his eyelids getting heavy.

"Wait a second..." he suddenly realized something was off, yawned again, and a strong wave of sleepiness swept over him.

"I can’t believe... holy shit, this is..."

His eyelids got heavier, Chen Ke closed his eyes, and for the first time since he had crossed over, he fell asleep.

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