Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 20 Emily-style Logic

The black cat seemed to have run out of patience. It glanced back at the clock on the wall and said urgently, "I'm in a hurry, I'm going to be late."

After saying that, it nimbly slipped out of the window and leaped down.

Green quickly walked to the window and looked down. Lillian's figure disappeared in a few leaps, and all he could see was the increasing flow of people on the street.

He looked away and closed the window. A faint scent of Lillian's unique fragrance still lingered in the room.

Grimm composed himself and carefully put the crystal bottle containing the 'Apprentice' potion away from his body.

He opened the door and walked towards the bathroom. It was already bright daylight, and the morning light streamed in through the window, bringing warmth.

Despite not having slept all night and feeling somewhat exhausted, the thought of taking the potion and stepping into that mysterious and extraordinary realm filled him with an irrepressible excitement and anticipation.

Footsteps sounded outside the bathroom, followed by a knock on the door. A voice outside, still groggy from just waking up, asked, "Green? Are you done?"

It's Sula.

"Almost done." Green quickened his pace, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face to help him wake up.

Aunt Sylvia's voice came from downstairs, muffled by the floorboards: "Children, hurry up, breakfast is ready!"

"Okay, Auntie!" Green and Sura replied almost simultaneously.

As Green wiped his face with a towel, he recalled Lillian's instructions:

Find a completely safe place where no one will bother you...

Home is clearly not the best option.

Although Sula, Emily, her aunt, and her uncle are all ordinary people, the process by which they took the secret medicine is unknown, and it would be difficult to explain if any unusual movements or reactions occurred.

We need to find a more secluded and independent place. The office? No, the Scarlet Cult might still be watching that place.

Those abandoned warehouses in the dock area? Or perhaps the woods further out in the suburbs? He thought quickly.

After washing up, he opened the door and saw Sula waiting outside, still sleepy-eyed. "Brother, you were so slow today..."

"Sorry, I need to think about something."

Green stepped aside to let her in, then quickly walked back to his room. He needed to get ready quickly, find an excuse to leave, and then go complete his promotion.

However, the moment he pushed open his bedroom door, a chill instantly rushed to his head.

A person wearing pajamas was standing in the room.

With her back to the door, she was examining with great interest the alchemical vessels that Lillian had used before, which were not yet completely cleaned. Beakers, tubing, and crucibles with traces of strangely colored liquid remaining.

It's Emily!

She seemed to have discovered something amazing, holding a small crystal bottle in her hand and exclaiming in amazement.

It was that bottle of dark blue "Assassin's" potion.

Green's heart sank. He quickly closed the door and locked it. Then, he darted forward and grabbed Emily's wrist, the force not strong, but enough to make her wince in pain.

"Put it down," Green said in a low voice.

Emily felt a sharp pain in her wrist: "What are you doing?! You're hurting me! Who gave you the right to touch me?!"

She tried to shake him off, but Green showed no sign of letting go.

"Who let you in?" Green ignored her shouting.

"Brother?" Sula's voice came from outside the door.

"It's alright, go downstairs and have breakfast." Green said without turning his head, his eyes fixed on Emily.

"Oh, hurry up too."

Sula's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

"Who wants to come in!"

Emily raised her chin. "I saw the door was open and thought a thief had broken in, but who knew you'd hidden these... these dirty, weird things!"

Unable to break free, she pointed to the table with her other hand, "What is this? And this bag..."

She shook the "Nightingale's Sigh," but her eyes were fixed on Green. "It looks quite exquisite. Did you steal it? If you give it to me, I won't tell Dad."

Typical Emily logic.

Green almost laughed in anger. Seeing her matter-of-fact attitude, he loosened his grip on her wrist, took a half step back, crossed his arms, and watched as if he were watching a farce.

"You'd better pretend you didn't see anything and didn't take anything."

Green said calmly, "Put your things down and get out."

"Why should I?!"

Emily reacted as if she'd been stepped on. "This is my house! I can go wherever I want! You bastards, I'm going to tell Mom and Dad! I'll let everyone know what you're up to!"

She clutched the crystal bottle and the small bag tightly, as if they were evidence of her righteousness.

Green looked at her, then suddenly smiled. "Okay, you go and tell them."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, "I wouldn't mind telling my uncle when he asks about what happened last weekend evening, when I seemed to see a 'respectable' figure at the back alley entrance, chatting quite intently with that not-so-reputable pharmacist apprentice from the next district."

Emily's expression changed instantly; her smug look froze on her face, quickly turning into panic and embarrassment.

"You, you're talking nonsense! What did you see?"

What I saw is not important.

Green stepped closer, lowering his voice, "The important thing is, does your uncle believe his daughter would 'bump into' that kind of person at that time, in that place? Do you think he's more concerned about the bottles in my room, or about his precious daughter's reputation and... the Hayes family's standing?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Emily's lips trembled, and her previous imposing manner vanished completely.

She stared intently at Green, her eyes filled with anger, fear, and disbelief.

This usually stoic cousin actually dared to threaten her like that!

"You...you're despicable!"

She could only manage to squeeze out those words through gritted teeth.

"Same to you."

Green held out his hand. "Things."

Emily's chest heaved violently, her fair cheeks flushed crimson. She bit her lip, and finally, the fear of her father's disciplining gaze overwhelmed everything.

She reluctantly placed the crystal bottle and small bag heavily on the table, making a "bang".

"You just wait!"

She uttered some unoriginal harsh words, stomped her foot, and turned to rush out the door.

But the moment she opened the door, she couldn't help but glance back at the bottle of pale blue crystal on the table, which seemed to shimmer with a faint light.

The door was slammed shut, and soon after, the voices of Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Victor could be heard from downstairs.

Green listened to the dull, receding footsteps and slowly exhaled.

He quickly locked the door, tidied the table, and cleaned up all traces of the goldware and materials.

Finally, Green picked up the bottle of "Assassin's Potion" and "Nightingale's Sigh," hesitated for a moment, and then hid the potion in a small, locked drawer deep inside the wardrobe—the place the original owner used to store important documents. He carefully kept the small bag close to his body.

"We need to get rid of the potion as soon as possible. We should find a chance to inquire about an underground black market for extraordinary individuals..."

After tidying up, he checked everything carefully to make sure it looked the same as usual, then changed his clothes, opened the door, and went downstairs.