activa-t Chapter 174 Evil Within Good
Chapter 174 Evil Within Good
Rewind a few days, just as Mu Feng's desert journey was about to come to an end, in the Daocheng Forest on the other side of the rainforest, a surging undercurrent was churning beneath the calm surface, pushing the central whirlpool to its climax.
"Hey, Brother Tinari, what brings you to Vimo Manor today?"
At the entrance of Vimo Village, Little Yudan, who was sitting idly in a small boat, watching a bass leap out of the water to pass the time, suddenly brightened up and waved to Tinali from afar.
In their small village, the new forest ranger, Tina, is quite popular.
Not only because he has fluffy ears and a tail, but also because every time Tinali comes, he brings delicious tumble peaches and sunset fruits, or pretty candies that can only be found in Sumeru City.
Of course, this also applies when the diligent forest ranger is distributing candy while simultaneously sharing knowledge about mushrooms.
That kind of knowledge that makes you dizzy and confused, like poisonous mushrooms, is probably of no interest to anyone except Lana, who wants to be a forest ranger.
However... Brother Tinari is very busy. If he came a few days ago, he should be working in Daochenglin today, right?
"Youdan, why are you all alone today?"
Tina handed a small basket of fruit to Yudan and asked casually.
Upon seeing the long-awaited Dun Dun peaches, Xiao Youdan excitedly took the bamboo basket, cleanly and decisively putting aside the slight doubt that had just arisen.
"Hmm... We were supposed to be watching the ferry today... but Brother Alfonso said he could take us to the rainforest to pick sunset berries."
At this point, Yudan took a big bite of the peach in her hand and slammed the wooden paddle into the head of a bass that had just leaped out of the water.
And so, yet another bass that aspired to leap over the dragon gate turned into a sleeping bass.
"But I lost to Kaus and Sudabe in rock-paper-scissors! I have to stay here and watch the ferry..."
Yudan looked dejected, but Tinari's expression suddenly turned grim, and his right hand involuntarily gripped the Hunter's Path on his back.
Am I too late again?
"Hey, how come you're back so soon?"
Just as Tina was feeling annoyed, Yudan, who was happily munching on a peach, suddenly turned her head, stood on tiptoe, and waved her juice-covered hand behind Tina.
Tina was taken aback. He turned around and saw a brown-haired young man wearing boots and a leather vest walking towards Vimo Village in the distance, with what seemed to be an apologetic smile on his face.
Beside him were two children who seemed uninterested.
"Don't even mention it, there aren't any wild fruits there at all, they've probably all been picked clean long ago."
Sudabe puffed out her cheeks angrily and kicked a pebble into the lake.
Just then, the bass, which had been stunned by Yudan's oar a moment earlier, regained its senses and struggled to surface for some fresh air.
Take a deep breath; feeling dizzy is normal.
However, a dark shadow suddenly flew through the air and slammed it back into the water.
A series of bubbles rose to the surface of the water. If fish could talk, they would probably be cursing something very vulgar.
"Hahaha, sorry little Sudabe, it's been quite a while since I last saw that fruit tree, so someone must have beaten me to it."
Alfonso scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his expression a mixture of apology and embarrassment.
"Hehe, Brother Tinari brought Dundun Peach! Today is a great victory for Yudan!"
Yudan, who had unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune, stood on the bow of the boat with one foot, proudly swinging the basket full of fruit in mid-air, her face full of smug smiles.
"Waaah, Yudan, you're not allowed to eat alone!"
"We want some too! We want some too!"
Seeing a large basket of fresh peaches glistening with dew, Kaus and Sudabe, who had spent the afternoon searching without success, stopped complaining and immediately lunged at the fruit basket held by Yudan.
In the struggle, Yudan dropped the heavy oar in his hand into the water, accurately knocking the bass, which was cautiously surfacing once again, back down.
"Ahhh, stop fighting! The boat's going to capsize!"
Fish: Some fish look alive, but have actually been dead for a while.
……
Seeing that the two children who had left were safe and sound, Tinari secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the fingers that were tightly gripping the bowstring relaxed slightly.
He made a mistake in his haste. He should have realized that if the other party wanted to remain hidden in Vimo Manor for a long time, they would not openly harm the children in the manor.
"Mr. Tinari, good afternoon. Are there no missions in Daocheng Forest today?"
Alfonso stepped forward, extended his hand, and greeted Tinari warmly with a gentle smile.
Judging from this alone, no one would associate this sunny and outgoing young man with the mastermind behind the disappearance of children in Vimo Village.
Tina felt a sense of unease, but he calmly extended his hand to shake it back, his expression as usual.
"Hello, Mr. Alfonso, it seems you had a very pleasant afternoon."
Alfonso smiled憨厚ly, pointed to the children playing around, and extended an invitation to Tinari.
"While the children are still playing, would you like to have a cup of tea nearby? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about identifying mushrooms."
Tina Li pondered for a moment, his gaze secretly sweeping over the surroundings. Seeing that the nearby residents were coming and going by the river and that the children were not in danger, he finally smiled.
"As a scholar, I am happy to answer your question, and I will gladly accept your offer."
"Hey, are Alfonso going out with Tinari now?"
Yudan, who had lost two-thirds of her peaches in the process of playing around, heard the commotion behind her and turned around in confusion to ask.
Alfonso crouched down and patted his head with a smile.
"Yes, I have a few questions I'd like to ask Mr. Tinari. Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
So, with Youdan urging them to come back for dinner as soon as possible, the two left the entrance of Vimo Village one after the other and walked along the river into the distance.
Neither of them spoke the rest of the way, even though they both knew that this was not the way to the teahouse at all.
Finally, after turning a corner into a quiet, deserted place, Alfonso, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. He stood silently in place and let out a long sigh.
“Mr. Tinari, I thought I had disguised myself very well. When did you find out?”
Tina's gaze was calm as she casually took the Hunter's Path from behind her.
“I had my suspicions about you when you repeatedly suggested that the children go to the rainforest, but I cannot disclose your true source of information.”
Alfonso gave a self-deprecating laugh, turned around, his gentle and refined expression vanished, and his pupils became bloodshot.
"But what can I do? If I fail to complete the mission, I will be the one who disappears."
However, Alfonso's hysteria did nothing to move Tinari, who held his weapon and stared intently.
"However, you had a better choice, but you still ended up on the path of aiding and abetting evil."
"If Yudan and the others knew, they would be very disappointed in you."
These words seemed to have touched a nerve with him, and Alfonso was speechless, lowering his head and remaining silent.
After a long silence, he said in a low, almost inaudible voice:
"Yudan... if I had the chance, I really would like to become his real older brother..."
He raised his head, revealing his true form as a debt collector, and two sharp sacrificial knives appeared in his hands.
"Thank you for your final courtesy, Mr. Tinari. Now, let's proceed!"
"I am evil in good, poison in medicine, wolf in lamb, mercury in a golden cup."
"My name is—Trofen Schneicevich!"
……