A Tale of Forgotten Gods

Chapter 134: One Last Glance

Taking his casual suitcase, Murphy walked out of his rented apartment and looked around to see if there was anyone.

As he walked through the loud crowd, his expression changed slightly when the scent of food hit him. He moved toward the nearest bakery.

He spoke in his casual tone to the man inside the bakery who was making dough. ”Can I have a few Chelsea Buns? What is the price today?”

Looking back at the detective standing before him, the baker moved away from his work and brought a paper bag. ”At the usual price, sir. I told you that you’d love the food of our bakery, didn’t I?”

”I suppose there is magic in your hands.” Murphy watched him calmly as the man brought a few Chelsea buns and packed them up.

Murphy stared down at the bag, then a thought came into his mind as he spoke again. ”Oh, Sir, can I get a small jar of your gooseberry jam and some hardtack biscuits?”

The baker gave him a half smile, dusting flour from his apron. ”Going on a long journey, Mr. Detective? The jam is freshly jarred from Tuesday. I’m sure you’d love it too.”

Murphy nodded and paid the copper coins and took the parcel. He knew the biscuits would survive the strange rift between their worlds without spoiling, and the tart, sugary jam would be unlike anything Kiyori had ever tasted in her province.

With a gentle bow of his fedora, Murphy stepped back after taking the items.

As he walked through the city, he stopped a carriage before jumping inside and telling him the direction. The station where the train to Latvensa would stop. The cabman nodded in understanding as the horse neighed before running through the street.

Mo Fei slowly called out to Kiyori in his mind and leaned against the carriage. ”Kiyori, are you hungry right now?”

After a few moments her tired voice came. ”I’m in the middle of a pathway in the forest. Why must they be so long?”

Alongside her, a voice rang, that was of kikyo who seemed to eat berries which he probably had stolen from a nearby field. Although Kiyori didn’t eat them, but she didn’t stop him either since he was a Kitsune, at least he didn’t harm them and only took a few berries... Right?

”I bought something for you.”

”Mo Fei, don’t waste your money every day for my food, I can manage myself.” She spoke sternly and slowly dropped her seriousness again. ”You’d need it more.”

”Oh come on, Kiyori. Who am I supposed to spend my money on then? I probably can’t even spend it on myself anyway, and besides that, I’m not wasting it.” Mo Fei defended himself.

”I told you, save it. What if you’d need it?” Yet, she still continued to scold him for a while before letting out a small chuckle. ”You might have already spent a lot for Kikyo on that bag.”

Mo Fei’s expression dropped as he remembered how much that bag cost, only because he didn’t want to give her something cheap. ”Oh, right, but I’d still say I don’t really have anyone here whom I can spend it with. The money doesn’t have more value than you.”

A long silence stretched between them as her steps stopped in her tracks, processing what he just said.

Just then Mo Fei also realized what he just said as he quickly spoke again. ”Cough Wait, no, I mean... I... I actually meant like...”

Kiyori didn’t say anything for a long moment; her expression had changed slightly as she understood his words.

Kikyo, who was eating berries, stopped eating and looked at her and asked. ”Why did you stop?”

Kiyori pressed her lips before a small smile crossed over her lips and spoke. ”Nothing truly.”

She started walking again and spoke in his mind to Mo Fei. ”You really don’t think when talking to me.” Her sudden laugh echoed through his mind.

Mo Fei’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything for a long moment. His expression was embarrassed behind his cold facade of Murphy. ”You know it’s pretty normal; you know, of course money can’t have more value than humans.”

”It’s great that you are understanding it now.” She paused to look ahead as a village came in her line of sight.

Mo Fei spoke first. ”Anyway, I can’t throw it away, so don’t sell it cheap.”

”Since you bought it, we can’t throw it away.”

The paper bag crinkled with the gooseberry jam and the biscuits as they disappeared. Her hands caught them as they appeared, Kikyo startled, moving his head inside the bag.

She looked at the gooseberry jam and the biscuits. Her hand grabbed one biscuit and examined it. ”They strangely look like wagashi cookies. How do you eat them?”

”Mix it with jam and eat, simple.”

She dipped the biscuit in jam before taking a less than half bite, the crunchy savory flavor melting in her mouth as she hummed softly. ”It’s so sweet; it’s really better than those ch... Chel... ch—”

”Chelsea Buns.” Mo Fei finished her words. ”If you liked it more, then I’ll get them more often instead.”

”Mo Fei, did you just forget what I told you?”

Mo Fei groaned. ”You want to starve?”

”No, but you know that you should take care of yourself first. I can manage it fine, and I’m a priestess; except for a few people, I do get respected.”

”You mean ’except for many’ because I have seen how many people doubt you and I don’t want you to get judged.”

”Don’t drop sudden things!”

”I learnt from you.” Mo Fei said with a small mocking laugh. ”I need to complete the mission now; don’t forget to tell me if you face any issues. ’Lucy’ is with you.”

Kiyori nodded as if he could see her nodding before the voice lowered and dissolved.

Murphy was finally back into the station, where the chatting of the crowd echoed as a soft wind blew against his trench coat. His cold, distant gaze looked at the train ahead, which let out a loud roar.

He finally turned toward the ticket counter and stepped into the line, holding a few copper coins in his gloved hands. Within a few minutes, he exchanged them for a slip of paper, turned around, and walked toward the boarding platform as his casual suitcase swung slightly in his hand.

Just then, his gaze lay on the two people walking toward him.

His eyes instantly recognized Lin and Zhuo, and a soft breath trapped inside his throat.

The names echoed in his mind, his mind screaming silently, but his face remained an emotionless sheet of Ice.

As the distance closed between them, Murphy naturally stepped to the side, politely yielding the crowded walkway, but his heart clenched at the sight of seeing them again. His grip on his suitcase tightened as he subtly adjusted the brim of his fedora until the eyes hid behind shadow—eyes that wanted to linger on them to ensure they were truly okay.

Lin noticed the gentlemanly detective who helped them previously. Her eyes softened slightly, carrying an exhaustion of someone who had recently lost a dear friend, yet she managed to give him a warm, small smile and bowed slightly in polite recognition.

Zhuo followed her gaze. Recognizing the detective, he also gave a firm, gentle nod, filled with silent gratitude over the stranger’s efforts last time, completely unaware of what was behind that mask, and those eyes would have gladly died for them all over again.

They looked at him, yet they saw a stranger only. Yes, he helped them, but that was humanity in their eyes. How could they know?

Murphy’s mouth dried up in bitter taste as his chest burned, yet he forced his lips and returned the smile. Lifting his fedora slightly by the crown, he also bowed with the flawless etiquette.

He was a detective right now, just a detective, nothing more than just someone who had helped them once in their eyes.

Turning on his heels, he blended back into the crowd and stepped inside the train without saying a word, leaving the past behind in the steam of the platform.

Both Zhuo and Lin sat on a waiting chair; their train would come after the train to Latvensa departed.

In a while, the sound of the steam engine rushed through the air, leaving behind a memory, knowing well that who knew when they’d meet again or fate would even bring them together again.

’I’m me, or maybe I was never me. How can I be me when I myself am running away from choosing that me? Maybe it was better to live in a dream, but it was also stupid ever to believe it would last long. After all, I’m just a ghost with a living heart, haunting the lives of people who already buried me. A name that no one would remember.’