She managed to chase me here already!

What should I do?

Knock her out again?

What about reinforcements?

Are we surrounded already?

Should I do a break for it?

For now, let's…

"Wait! Don't you fucking dare knock me out again!"

[Why are you here?]

Is she going to threaten me with the old man's safety?

"*Sigh* Looking for you."

Comes the old man,s voice.

"Oh? Is that little Li?"

[You guys know each other?!]

"*Scoff* Why do you think I am even helping you? Do you think you are handsome or something?!"

[Why didn't you start with that? How was I supposed to know?]

"How was I supposed to tell you while unconscious?!"

[Fair point.]

"Stop arguing and come inside both of you. So let me guess the one you told me you had a conflict with is little Li?"

[Seems so. Just to make sure, I don't have to run as a fugitive anymore?]

"You never had to in the first place you dumbass!"

[But you said I'd spend years in a cell. I'm sure the food sucks there! It would be horrible for Wolfie!]

The wolf in question is just chilling in the corner.

"Wolffie? Your pet?! That's your reason to run away?!"

[Well yeah. But anyway why did you even try to scare me?!]

"I was just explaining how helpful I was."

[Oh.]

"*Chuckle* Stop fighting youngsters. Isn't that a good thing that's he's a baker little Li? Wouldn't you have been in trouble otherwise?"

"T-that's because he took me by surprise!"

This will be a memorable memory I believe.

The time she was defeated by a baker.

Talk about a crushing blow to a warrior's pride.

Then again, she's an investigator, right?

[I'm sorry. I thought you were on their side because you came when they called.]

"Ah, no. I work for the city. I need to assist people if there is an issue. I was simply doing my job."

I kinda feel bad now.

"Still it is the first time I see someone crash a wedding so grandly. Even slapping the groom."

The old man is listening attentively in the back. Seemingly interested in the drama.

[I just couldn't stand him.]

Sher gives me a thumbs up.

"*Sigh* It's good that this has been resolved. Try not to do something stupid again. Later uncle!"

She prepares to leave but...

"Little Li, before you go. What is happening in the city?"

She glances at me uncertainly for a second, but she answers.

"Deaths, lots of deaths."

[?!]

"Necromancy and drug overdose mostly."

"Hum, so evil and idiots?"

"Pretty much."

"How are you guys managing it?"

"*Sigh* That's the issue we don't have a single lead."

[Wait so you are telling me people are dying and you guys have no idea why or who's doing it?!]

"Pretty much."

[Is here even safe? What if…?]

"Don't worry. You guys aren't in a risky area!"

I see.

That is reassuring.

The old man chuckles.

"If you guys need help, I can always ask this kid to help you."

[Old man, why are you pointing at me? I have better things to do.]

"He wouldn't be able to help in any way."

"Hehe, you'd be surprised."

Now that I think about it I could actually be useful.

It would rely on luck quite possibly.

But I am able to observe any area from far away.

Perfect surveillance!

Except it's really tiring. Mentally that is.

[You said something about necromancy, right? How likely is an undead invasion to happen?]

"You are more likely to spontaneously become a god than it to happen."

[Good. That's reassuring.]

"Well, I really have to go now."

"Take care little Li."

[Have a good night!]

As soon as she leaves…

"HAHAHAHHAHAHA I can't believe you were ready to live the life of a fugitive!"

[That…]

"How stupid would it have been if you really ran away?! HAHAHAHA"

[In my defense I couldn't know!]

"How did you even crash a wedding in the first place?"

After I finish telling the story he is on the floor.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is hilarious!"

[Still, I think I may have made strong enemies…]

"Them? No. They are too busy trying to save their respective businesses.

[What would that even be?]

"One family smithing and the other…well they are jobless."

[Jobless?!]

In a fantasy setting jobless people always end up becoming extremely strong.

Don't ask me why.

"Well, they revere the wayfarer god."

[Any relation to the wanderer god?]

"Well, the latter is the broke version for masochistic people haha. The Wayfarer is against poverty and loneliness."

[So how do they even eat?]

"I mean they don't have a specialty as a group. Individually they do whatever they want."

[That sounds great, to be honest.]

"Well, that makes them weaker than the other families."

[Okay, I need to know something. I've been hearing about families and sects for a while. Are both interchangeable?]

"Hard to say.

Sometimes a family will be referred to as a sect and vice versa when there is no one else worshiping said god in the area.

By definition families are people related directly in some way, usually by blood.

But a rule of thumb, families are local overlords while sects are more likely to be strong across the continent.

Perhaps even strong across the earth realm."

[Let me guess there are exceptions? Sects that are extremely tiny and families that are secretly superpowers?]

"I can't say for sure but most likely. I have spent most of my life here after all."

[Makes sense. By the way, how do you know so many people from the city?]

"Hehe, before I became a baker, I used to have a low-level job there."

[Seriously?! Let me guess you were the one that kept bringing cookies for people at work?]

He seems to be reminiscing.

"No, that was my wife."

[Oh, sorry I didn't mean to.]

"Then don't apologize."

[Alright.]

"You know, sometimes pain is good."

[What do you mean?]

"I'm talking about the emotional pain after a loss."

[?]

"Regretting something beautiful at least means we lived it."

[So, you'd rather hurt forever just to have a chance of knowing true happiness?]

"Exactly."

This is so simple, yet so deep.

Human emotions are so complex.

"On that note, good night."

….

After dropping such a bomb, he just goes back to sleep?!

I can't help but keep pondering his words.

That's when I hear footsteps on top of the roof again.

What now?