Chapter 673: Not Enough

"I have to say, your spirit is commendable, my lady." Thales was dragged forward by Hilley and turned onto a main street. "But please, be realistic. There are only two of us. How are we supposed to chase him?"

"We go somewhere high first. The view will be better." Hilley shook her head with a solemn expression, clearly unwilling to give up.

Somewhere high? Better view?

Thales' expression was subtle.

Fine. What other way did he have?

Very soon, Hilley skillfully squeezed through a group of shouting vendors, turned into a stone archway, and arrived outside a four-story building. She thumped up the exterior stairs to the highest floor, then raised her hand without the slightest courtesy and knocked on the first door.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Wait a... who is it?"

As soon as Hilley heard the voice from inside the room, she tossed her head and walked forward, knocking on the next door.

Thales' expression changed. He worriedly glanced at the door that had been knocked on and anxiously followed the girl.

"What are you doing?"

But Hilley ignored him. She had no awareness whatsoever that she was affecting other people's lives. She simply walked forward on her own and knocked on one door after another, receiving responses from countless male and female residents.

"Stop knocking. The door is unlocked!"

"Ah, damn it. It must be my husband coming back! Hurry and hide in the closet!"

"Get lost!"

"If it is the landlord, say I am not here! Say I will definitely pay rent next week!"

"Is Daddy back? If yes, Mommy said I cannot open the door, and I also cannot tell you she is in the room playing games with Uncle Abby!"

"Snore... snore... snore..."

"Coming, coming, wait a moment..."

"Stop knocking, I am taking a shit! Aiyo, this one is so long! Do not rush me!"

"Ah... ah... ah... darling, faster, faster, faster... no, no, no! You cannot! You cannot come! Fuck! You useless limp egg! Thin is one thing, short is one thing, soft is one thing, but you are this damn fast too! Your wife has not come yet!"

"Grandma said I cannot open the door casually when she is not here! Because the water ghoul will come catch children!"

"Fuck! It might be Security Officers. Quick, quick, you little bastard, stop smoking and pour the goods into the toilet..."

"Do not open the door. Finish first! This old lady charges by the round. Pulling out counts as two!"

The miscellaneous responses from behind the doors made Thales' expression change again and again, but Hilley ignored all of them. Whenever she heard a sound behind the door, she moved to the next room.

Thales was completely confused.

"Hi... Wyana, what are you doing? Who are you looking for?"

"No one." Hilley answered indifferently and knocked on the next door.

This time, there was no response from behind the door.

Hilley's eyes lit up. She stepped back half a pace. The next second, she lifted her skirt and kicked, burdenlessly kicking open the door that was only tied shut with a rope.

Thales was instantly startled.

What was this?

"This is a short-term rental building in Goddess District, close to the new suburbs. It counts as one of the taller houses nearby. Of course, it is an illegal construction. The landlord simply paid enough fines."

Hilley walked into the simple little room and signaled for Thales to close the door.

"The people living here are basically workers from various trades and outsiders. During the celebration, they either have no money and can only amuse themselves at home, or they have to go onto the streets to find work. They will not return for a short time. Do not worry. We are only staying for a while, and we are not using it for free. The owner will be very happy."

Hilley took out several copper coins and slapped them onto the uneven table.

Faced with all of this, Thales was somewhat unable to react. He stared with his mouth open.

"How do you kn... no, you, how are you so practiced at this?"

"My surname is Covendier." Hilley lifted her dust-covered skirt and pushed open a small door, discovering that inside was a storage room. "This city belongs to us."

"Thank you for your logically sufficient and extremely convincing answer," Thales said sarcastically. "It reminds me that my surname is still Jadestar."

Thales opened the window with fear and caution, laboriously stuck his head out, and looked toward Jade City's streets.

"All right. We are somewhere high. The view is indeed decent. We can vaguely see the barber shop too. But basically, we cannot see anything clearly. How are we supposed to find Srimanny... hey, where are you going?"

Thales turned back and saw Hilley squeeze into the storage room.

"To do something bloody," Hilley smiled mysteriously at him. "Changing my menstrual cloth."

"At this time? Really?"

What answered him was the crisp sound of the door closing.

Thales blinked.

What?

"Guard the door. No peeking!"

Miss Covendier's voice came from the storage room.

"Or eavesdropping!"

"I thought we came here to do proper business!" Thales said indignantly.

"Then do your proper business!"

Damn it. I knew she was unreliable.

Thales spread his hands in disbelief.

It would have been better to let Mallos handle this, even at the risk of letting Zayen know.

But fine. Now he could only rely on himself.

After glancing once more at the storage room, Thales had no choice but to bring his head back to the tiny window and look toward the street.

Go somewhere high.

Somewhere high...

Several seconds later, he sighed.

No good. Too far. He could not see anything clearly at all.

And Hilley, that young lady, was so unreliable.

Thales clenched his fist.

But if he gave up here, then he would have even less chance of finding Srimanny.

And if he could not find Srimanny, the person responsible for defending the case, he still would not know why wool merchant Diop had to be silenced, why wine merchant Dagori had gone to find the former, how these matters were tied to Jade City's political struggle, or how many times Zayen and Secret Intelligence had already crossed hands on such a chessboard. He could only remain in the dark, feeling an elephant like a blind man.

Left to be manipulated and used by King Kessel.

Thales subconsciously gripped the bone ring in his pocket.

Then you can only remain someone else's chess piece, unable to break free, the voice in his heart quietly said.

The more Thales thought, the more irritated he became.

No, Thales. You have to calm down.

He pressed against the window frame, shook his head, and encouraged himself. First, do the small thing before you.

The thing within your ability.

First, it had not been long. Srimanny must not have gone far.

He had to first remember the surrounding roads and go back to tell Mallos.

His personal guard captain would definitely be able to arrange a thorough plan. At least he would know where the trail broke and where to pick it up and continue investigating.

Thales sank a breath, narrowed his eyes, looked down at the intersecting streets, and called on the Sin of Hell's River.

The familiar feeling, Hell's senses, activated, making the distant images and sounds clear.

"Cluster fireworks! Essential for celebrations! Stall owner switching trades due to incident, last day, clearance sale at a loss!"

"Damn it, your fireworks stall has been here for ten years, has it not? Every day is the 'last day'!"

"Today really is the last day!"

After his sight and hearing strengthened, Thales saw a distant intersection clearly. As always, during the celebration, it was extremely lively and bustling.

"The Snowman Circus from distant Allenbia, tickets for the East Coast tour! Exotic charm from the Thornlands..."

"Brothers, 'Is the Sea Eye of Eradication Your Home,' ready, sing! La la la, hahaha, the Sea Eye of Eradication is your home, every voyage you meet it! Ship leaks, sails tear, compass breaks, reefs and whirlpools, pirates come! Pirates come! Hahaha, la la la, maiden curses your mast to snap, waves high, winds fierce, rudder collapse! Emperor waves and princes smile, may you go keep them company! Keep them company!"

"Fuck those Varil State sailor bastards. Everyone, answer them with one: 'Rob a Conmas Man.' Ready, sing!"

"Rickshaw, rickshaw! Two coppers within three blocks! Where are you going? Speak!"

"Local interpretation service! Take you all around Jade City! Tourism, business, language learning, one small silver per day! High quality, great quantity, good attitude, guaranteed satisfaction every time! Thornland tongue, Common tongue, Elven tongue, Dwarven speech, Near Eastern speech, Grassland speech, Far Eastern speech, Orc language! Except ancient Imperial, all sakru-li!"

Thales calmed down and carefully searched one figure after another. But the Emerald Celebration had dense crowds. Just at this intersection, people came and went. Before he saw one person clearly, the next arrived. One had just arrived, and another had left.

He could not see that far, nor could he see so many. He could not even identify or remember the appearance of this unfamiliar street district.

Let alone search for Srimanny's trail.

What should he do?

Not enough.

Thales frowned.

Not enough.

The voice in his heart quietly said to him, Not enough. You are not working hard enough, Thales.

The price you are paying is not enough. Not large enough.

So you cannot find Srimanny.

Nor can you find your own way out on the chessboard.

Nor become a strong person who decides your own fate.

Thales' frown tightened.

Strong person.

Strong person?

Wait!

Looking at the distant streets, Thales suddenly had a thought.

Think, Thales. Think back to Dragon Clouds City, when you resisted Giza.

Among the human powerhouses he had seen, how had Black Sword detected the surroundings in minute detail and scouted information?

Vibration.

Thales remembered.

Black Sword, and Black Sword's Sin of Hell's River, detected vibrations.

Even from a thousand miles away. Even as faint as mosquitoes and flies.

As soon as Thales' thought rose, the Sin of Hell's River reacted, gathering in one place as if conscious, scorching hot.

Just like Black Sword back then.

But he could not merely be a copy of Black Sword.

Thales remembered the words of the leader of the Disaster Swords. He could not drift with the current. He had to possess something of his own.

After all, he was not Black Sword.

What he possessed was not vibration sensing, but...

Hell's senses.

Thales' eyes lit up.

The next second, the Sin of Hell's River in his body began to heat and burn, and the scene before his eyes grew clearer. Two, three, four... more and more streets entered his field of vision.

It was as if Hell's senses had expanded by more than double.

But...

Not enough.

The voice in his heart was still ruthless, still coldly reminding him, Only this is not enough.

Thales gritted his teeth.

The Sin of Hell's River seemed to hear his inner voice and began operating even faster.

Thales worked hard to focus, observing the distant streets.

Now, standing behind the window of this simple room, he could hear sounds from any direction, see details from any angle, and investigate the current situation on any street.

But...

Not enough.

The voice in his heart grew colder.

You need to pay more.

More!

Take everything into sight.

Hold everything in your hands.

Make everything serve you.

Thales' breathing quickened, just like the Power of Eradication inside his body. It almost gave him the illusion that he was burning.

Take everything into sight?

Everything.

Everything...

A second figure appeared before Thales' eyes.

He watched that figure in his memories fight one against eight, flashing and moving, strolling as if in a courtyard, taking every detail from all directions under control and turning it into a thousand soldiers in his hand.

Immanuel Zakriel.

The Punishment Knight.

Thales' breathing stopped.

How? How had Zakriel done it?

Not enough.

The Sin of Hell's River grew hotter and hotter. Accompanied by a stinging, burning sensation, it seemed to change from boiling water into flame.

It scattered sparks and exploded inside his body, a point here, an inch there.

Just like Zakriel.

Not enough.

The next second, Hell's senses changed again.

Thales moved his eyes, doubt rising in his heart.

Time. Time seemed to have slowed again?

He turned his head and saw the fireworks vendor pushing his cart forward while shouting.

At this speed, he would probably reach the corner in five seconds.

Thales turned his head again. A messenger hurriedly running down the street would probably enter the next street in two seconds.

The prince did not stop moving his gaze. An auntie carrying two baskets of vegetables was about to turn and enter a blind spot he could not see.

But at this speed, ten seconds later, she would reappear from the other side behind the house and return to his sight.

There were also two children by the canal. They were about to run onto the canal bridge. No, from the sound, they were slowing. It would take three seconds to get onto the bridge.

The Sin of Hell's River continued burning, more and more fiercely, the burning sensation changing from occasional stings into continuous waves of pain.

Thales let out a low groan.

But...

Not enough.

Thales clenched his fist.

Without a mirror, he did not know that his eyes were now full of blood vessels. But Thales felt that as his gaze swept faster and faster, more and more people entered his senses, feeding back different positions, speeds, accelerations, and movement tracks.

Although the details were not yet enough, although there would be many accidents on the road, such as the fireworks vendor being stopped by a customer to buy something, the anxious messenger speeding up, or the two children falling along the way...

But...

Not enough.

In the slowed time and burning pain, Thales slowly turned toward the direction of the barber shop.

From then until now, starting from the barber shop, with Srimanny's walking speed... no, perhaps faster. Add in Srimanny's possible state of mind. Perhaps he would not take the main roads.

Then the directions, distances, and ranges he might have reached were...

Thales expressionlessly turned his head back and forth, moving his gaze.

Centered on the barber shop and following different streets and alleys, in places his vision could not see, he quickly circled three areas. In such a short period of time, Srimanny was most likely to have escaped to these places.

Three areas.

But... how to confirm?

How to confirm?

Not enough.

Thales suddenly thought of the Prison of Bones. There, Jonah Cannon, the former scout of the Royal Guards, had relied on hearing and memory in the darkness to identify the footsteps of the Shadow Shield assassin.

Only footsteps.

Footsteps.

It was simply supernatural skill.

Not enough.

Crackle!

The Sin of Hell's River burned more and more fiercely, crackling like true flame.

Thales instinctively closed his eyes.

The Power of Eradication continued to burn. It flowed into his brain, then surged toward his ears.

Thales jolted and abruptly opened his eyes.

Bang!

A loud sound exploded beside his ears. Thales subconsciously covered his ears, his expression pained and unable to bear the burden.

No, not beside his ears.

But...

Thales struggled to raise his head.

It was the impact sound of a wheel hitting a bump two streets away. To Thales, it was as terrifying as eternal oil exploding.

Swish!

This was a woman washing clothes by the river.

Every bristle on the brush struck heavily onto the clothing and mercilessly rubbed over every thread, comparable to countless layers of snow rolling down from a mountain peak, thrilling and terrifying.

Wah!

This was two coachmen arguing over a collision.

Their tongues struck between their lips, their vocal cords trembled in their throats, air rubbed between their teeth, and every sound summoned thunder like giants roaring, shaking heaven and earth.

Snap!

This was several children playing war games with tree branches.

The branches collided crisply, splitting along their grain, yet it was like the earth cracking into deep ravines that extended endlessly until the land sank and the world collapsed in apocalypse.

Ding!

Clang!

Crackle!

Splash!

In an instant, the sounds from within his line of sight were magnified countless times, without focus and without omission, as if they occurred beside his ears, connected into one place and roaring.

Like endless tinnitus.

Thales trembled all over, his face ashen.

Amid the spinning sky and earth, he could no longer support himself and fell to the ground with a thud.

Ahhh!

Thales cried out painfully in his heart.

In just a few seconds, countless noises far sharper than ever before surged in like a tsunami, constantly stimulating his senses.

Black Sword.

Black Sword, how had he done it?

Although his method was different, when Black Sword used the Sin of Hell's River to sense vibrations and detect the Blood Mystic, he must also have been like this, bearing enormous amounts of information from every direction in an instant, magnified countless times.

But that fellow, how did that fellow endure all of this?

Not enough.

The voice in his heart mechanically reminded him.

Correct. Almost there.

Endure a little more.

Just a little more.

Thinking this, Thales gritted his teeth and endured, trembling as he climbed to his feet.

He had already seen the surroundings and heard the surroundings.

Soon.

He would soon find... Srimanny!

For this, he had no attention to spare for anything else.

Not enough.

Thales' breathing was rapid. He urged himself to concentrate, burned the Power of Eradication, and tried to focus his auditory senses on the three areas he had just drawn, continuing to search for the sound he wanted.

This time, the Sin of Hell's River moved as if it were his own arm, seemingly very willing to follow his choice.

Like a beast trapped too long in a cage, finally breaking free and running wildly.

It was incomparably excited and incomparably mad, burning endlessly within his body, the flames crackling.

Not enough.

At this moment, a thought flashed through Thales' heart.

In the past, the Sin of Hell's River inside him had been like strands of mist, trickling streams, or murmuring water, thin and fragile.

But from when had it become roaring flames, burning endlessly, scorching and violent?

When?

Why, as the master and user of the Power of Eradication, had he not noticed?

But Thales no longer had time to think about this.

Not enough.

Under the torture of countless terrifying waves of sound from the three areas, Thales was like an oarsman rowing with all his strength, trying hard to identify a clear stream within them.

Blurred chatting, chaotic arguing, piercing wheels, noisy play, mad dog barking...

Fortunately, with endurance and habit, and perhaps thanks to years of experience using Hell's senses, he gradually got the hang of it.

He slowly found order within chaos, categorized the information, and separated out logic.

Not this. Not that. Not. None of them. What he wanted to find was... what was it?

Not enough.

Following Thales' thoughts, the flames burned by the Sin of Hell's River moved at the same time, turning as if conscious.

Ahhh!

In that instant, Thales' expression twisted to the extreme from pain.

This time, they entered an even deeper level of his brain. Aside from bringing stronger burning and pain, they also awakened and connected to Thales' memories.

Not long ago, Srimanny's walking rhythm, the speed of his footsteps, the friction between soles and ground, even the weight and frequency of his breathing, and the sound of clothing rubbing. These memories were pulled from the surface of the sea of memory, shed their blur, and grew clearer, becoming an accurate standard sound template as if before his eyes.

Thales closed his eyes tightly and frowned hard.

In three areas, search for one template.

Only one.

Footsteps, breathing, friction...

Not enough.

The Sin of Hell's River was boundlessly hot. It led Thales' hearing and memory to gather in his mind into a burning bat. It flew over the streets and alleys he had just observed, receiving countless sounds, observing every corner, absorbing thousands upon thousands of details.

Workers' footsteps, horse hooves landing, tourists cheering, oars cutting water, sacks dragging over the ground, children playing, guards shouting angrily, coins ringing crisply...

Until finally, the bat flapped its wings and fed back a familiar set of sounds in his mind.

"Damn it, get out of the way, get out!"

Thales' spirit shook.

Not enough.

The burning bat circled in the sea of perception, drawing a moving picture before Thales' eyes.

A man, a man breathing rapidly with scattered footsteps, was running through the streets in panic.

He knocked aside several pedestrians in his way and ignored their curses.

The man did not care. He only looked back nervously from time to time.

His expensive boots stepped into an alley filled with filth and urine stains, making strange echoes.

Until the man stumbled into a small alley, tripped over a stone underfoot, and fell hard.

Thud!

The next second, Thales abruptly opened his eyes and returned to the simple little room.

Enough!

This was it!

Thales suddenly turned back. Sparks from the Sin of Hell's River scattered again inside him, but the prince could not care about so much. He crossed the cluttered room in a few steps, just in time to see Hilley Covendier open the small door of the storage room and hurriedly look toward him amid a strange smell.

"Out of the shop, turn left, straight to the third intersection, turn right, straight to the second intersection, turn left, the alley by the stone wall on the left side..."

Thales spoke anxiously.

"The third slanting alley beside the fork on Regina Street near Milton Pawnshop!" Hilley was equally urgent.

They spoke almost at the same time and froze together.

"How do you know?"

"What place is that?"

But in that instant, the Sin of Hell's River completely went out.

The next second, Thales saw stars. Tired, sleepy, painful, bitter...

"Ugh..."

Thales groaned in pain.

Aching all over his body surged like waves, leaving him unable to maintain balance. He collapsed weakly.

"Hey, you, what is wrong!"

Hilley was greatly alarmed and grabbed the swaying Thales.

"I, I... accident. Hehe."

Thales fell into her arms and showed a weak, powerless smile.

Bad. It had come. The price of overusing the Sin of Hell's River.

Thales gasped heavily and felt as if his lungs were about to burn.

Damn it.

Why at this exact moment?

Wait. Just now, how had he forgotten this?

How had he driven the Sin of Hell's River so madly?

Hilley supported Thales with all her strength and slowly lowered him down.

"You are so heavy... Do not tell me you saw another pretty girl?"

"Yes." Thales gradually adapted to this pain. He trembled all over and did his best to act relaxed. "Even though she does not think so herself."

Hilley smiled sarcastically.

"A glib tongue will not help you catch up to..."

"Mm!"

Her whole body trembled, and she covered her mouth in terror.

"You, what is wrong with you now? Why are you sweating so much?" Only then did Thales notice that Hilley's condition seemed wrong too.

At this moment, Hilley was drenched in cold sweat, her face pale.

Hilley lowered her hand and smiled with difficulty.

"Do you know what I ate for breakfast?"

"No. Why?" Thales felt the sky and earth spin the moment he opened his eyes and had no choice but to close them again.

"Because we will soon know."

The next second, before Thales could react, Hilley threw herself onto his chest and, with a "wah," uncontrollably vomited.

Thales was shocked. He could not care about the filth all over his hands or the sour, foul smell and hurriedly held the weakening Hilley.

"No, heavens, what is wrong with you? Are you all right? Hi... Wyana? Sister?"

In a puddle of filth, Hilley, after vomiting, weakly raised her head and looked at him.

"Damn it. It is all digested. I cannot see the original form of the meal."

"Is now the time to care about that?" Amid the piercing sour stench, Thales shifted his backside in disgust, doing his best to move a little farther from the puddle. "And I do not have the tiniest, tiniest, tiniest interest in knowing what you ate for break..."

Hilley's expression changed. She suddenly lifted a finger, signaling Thales to wait.

"What now?"

The girl of the Iris family smiled at him, her smile extremely forced.

But only one second later, Hilley's expression became fierce again.

She abruptly leaned onto Thales' chest.

"Ugh... ugh... ughhh!"

During Hilley's second wave of vomiting, Thales, already exhausted and suffering, painfully turned his head away.

He worked hard not to look at that large puddle of food residue, which was still gradually increasing.

Good. Although he did not want to know at all, Thales could basically confirm it now.

Miss Hilley's breakfast had at least three kinds of vegetables.

And they were emerald green.

Full of life.