Chapter 278: Greece
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Vivian had managed to obtain some important information about the Day of Return but, just barely.
"Important relics?" Hao Ren responded with an expectant look on his face. "What's that about? Something to do with 'the door'?"
"No idea," Vivian replied as she spread her arm. "Its existence is still a speculation. I heard a group of Blood Clan members say that they found a sacred item, which can be used to unlock a secret place behind some of the temples in Greece. But it's unknown what the secret place is all about. The family has been very discreet about it as they're afraid that the demon hunters may get wind of it. Anyway, it's said that the Blood Clan members have found some sort of 'primordial power' that's been preserved till today. My wild guess is, this primordial power must have something to do with The Plane of Dreams."
Hao Ren nodded as if in deep thought. He had many discussions about The Plane of Dreams with them prior to this, and many conjectures had been made; one of them was the decline of the other-kind had something to do with the Earth's environment. These creatures of The Plane of Dreams had a hard time adapting to Earth's low-energy environment; as they were cut off from The Plane of Dreams and receiving inadequate energy supply here on Earth, they were slowly weakened from one generation to the next. So, the Day of Return naturally became an attractive proposition to regain power, which most likely referred to their reconnection process with The Plane of Dreams.
If anyone found the primordial power on Earth, chances were high that this primordial power leaked from The Plane of Dreams. Probably, an opened loophole did exist?
The more Hao Ren thought about it, the more he was convinced of the possibility. So, he decided. "Let's go! After all, I've got nothing to do at the moment. What about you guys?"
Everyone was free, everyone said yes. Even Becky, who was busy and having loads of fun at the TV station, decided to join Hao Ren. She wanted to travel the world and widen her perspective. The mercenary just basically had a tourist mentality; new things, new places, you name it and she would be interested. No prize for guessing why everyone could travel impromptu; aside from Lily, who had a so-called proper job and Hao Ren, whose job was travelling around, no one else actually had work.
Another day, another "family trip". Hao Ren started to guffaw. "I can't believe we're at it again. I mean, we just came home... It's a busy life alright."
Lily looked happy. "As the saying goes, 'the more able a man is, the busier he gets.'"
"Speaking of which, this is the kind of intel we've been looking for. You should have told me earlier, not waited until now, Vivian." Hao Ren looked at the vampire maiden, who did not particularly enthusiatic. "Why do you look unhappy?"
"I'm just worried about this very difficult person," said Vivian, looking tense. "This person isn't an enemy, just very difficult. Okay, screw it. Since you're going, I'll just tag along."
Hao Ren glanced at Vivian quizzically, wondering how the low-profiled vampire got herself into trouble with others. The difficult person Vivian mentioned was certainly not a werewolf, as werewolves were her customary enemy. It had to be someone more complex than that. Also, judging from Vivian's tone of voice, that person had to be someone she knew, maybe even a friend—just that, something had happened between them.
Knowing that Vivian did not want to talk about it, he did not press the matter further. After stuffing down the breakfast, he went upstairs, made the bookings for flight tickets and applied visas for his "children."
In fact, he had a better alternative, which was faster and more convenient: courier the MDT to Greece; the MDT would send back the coordinates, which would then be used to teleport everyone over. An even better way was to forget about the courier and let the MDT fly to Greece—it was faster than any manmade aircraft. It was the perfect plan.
However, it was inexecutable: the MDT made a death threat against its own life. If Hao Ren did not respect its dignity as a PDA, it would download 200 episodes of braindead dramas and play it 24/7—it was called suicide, but Hao Ren felt it was more like poisoning...
But, it did not matter even if the MDT did not want to cooperate. He was not in a hurry—the all-paid-for first class cabin ticket seemed like a more attractive proposition. Furthermore, Becky had never flown before. It was an opportunity for the mercenary to get a taste of flying, she may just forget about going home all together after that.
They were not first-time travellers anymore; no more a bunch of clueless rookies. Just as Hao Ren said, after having been to the Otherworld, sliding across a few time zones on Earth in lateral direction seemed like child's play. Even the Petrachelys could travel triple the Earth-Moon distance with just a single press of its pedal, so everyone could now travel overseas like they were just visiting their own backyard. They lazed around the house for a few days as they waited for the flight tickets and visas to be ready. After that, they boarded the flight to Athens.
As they landed, they roamed through the intricate cobweb of streets like headless chickens at noon. They became lost in between the old, classical and mordern architecture before they finally found their pre-booked hotel in the evening.
Reality check: having been to the Otherworld and having sense of direction on Earth were a world of difference!
Hao Ren's global translator device was a savior indeed. It saved them from getting into bigger sh*t when they got lost. Everyone was ready to drop as they checked in and got into their rooms. After they sorted themselves out, night fell. Like in the past, their plan for a street tour in the foreign land was dashed. As usual, Lily had lost her fight with jetlag—she already dropped dead in the hotel lobby in the middle of checking in. In the end, Hao Ren had to seduce her back to her room using a piece of meat floss bread...
Hao Ren was standing by the large windows in his hotel suite, looking out at the city, which was a fusion of the old and new. He was immersed in the exotic atmosphere for a while. Then, he turned and thought to himself, "Someday, I'll to get used to life where I'll always be on-the-go; thousands of miles from home. Even now, I'm starting to feel unaffected by jetlag."
The funding Raven 12345 allocated for the trip was enough—in fact, it was more than enough; they were staying in a high-end hotel, sitting between the old and new sections of Athens. It came complete with a private suite for privacy—a good hiding spot for a bunch of weird, non-human creatures.
Lily was completely defeated by jetlag and she lay half-dead on her bed. On the other hand, Becky had enthusiastically dragged Nangong Wuyue out to loiter around the city: the night was not able to stop the hyper-energetic lady from going out. Ever since she experienced night life on Earth, she came to the realisation that the sunset was not the end of a day; the only thing that prevented one from having fun was energy. She had loads of it, so she decided to have fun.
Meanwhile, the siren—Becky's escort— was completely worn out.
The only ones who stayed were Hao Ren, Vivian and Y'zaks. Three of them gathered in the living area to discuss about their itinerary the next day. Vivian was looking out from the windows at the old town section. "Tomorrow, we're going to see someone. Just like me, she's from the Mythological Era, a bit weird but a nice person."
"She's your source?" Hao Ren recalled what Vivian had said before they arrived.
Vivian nodded lightly. "Yeah, I haven't seen her for a hundred years—the longest among the old friends I've been in contact with. I've got to thank her weirdness; she refuses to leave her home no matter how bad the situation is, so I could contact her because of that."
"How does she look like?" Y'zaks became curious.
"You'll know when you see her." Vivian gave out a secretive smile. Then, she recalled something. "A few Blood Clan families are here too. They may be able to smell us out. So, stay calm if you bump into one. Don't approach them. One of them's very difficult to deal with. Once she warms up to you, there will be no end."
Judging from the strange look on Vivian's face, Hao Ren finally figured out who the "difficult fellow" was. It was one of her own kind!
He wondered what the social circle of this vampire maiden looked like.
Suddenly, there was a signal coming from his Dimensional Pocket. It was only then that he realised he almost messed up. "Lil Pea's still inside!"
That's right. He brought the fish along this time.