Chapter 190: Section 190: He is not a Knight at all


    The howling wind roared, and the waves surged violently.


    Three small boats, carrying Zi Di and seventeen others, rushed swiftly toward Mysterious Monster Island.


    Each boat was loaded with a large amount of supplies, including food, water, and weapons. On the lead boat where Zi Di was, there was also a coffin-shaped wooden box.


    They deliberately avoided the nearest beach and steered clear of the location where the Pig Kiss had shipwrecked, choosing another stretch of beach to land.


    “Hurry, row faster!” Zi Di kept urging.


    Not far behind the three landing crafts, a giant shadow loomed in the sea, quickly closing in on them.


    ...


    “Magic, fighting energy, none can be activated! Damn it, hopefully, the situation on the island will be different. The authority I possess doesn’t allow me to wield magic freely!”


    Zi Di clenched her teeth, watching the immense shadow in the water draw nearer, her heart thudding uncontrollably.


    Fortunately, as they approached the beach, the shadow in the water gradually halted its pursuit, its speed dropping to the minimum.


    The three boats arrived at the beach without incident.


    Everyone was frightened in hindsight: “What exactly was that huge shadow?”


    “Could it be the one that caused the shipwreck?”


    “It’s a relief it gave up in the end; it was about to catch up, but then it hesitated.”


    “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, it’s as if it got scared. Maybe there’s something on the island that threatens its life.”


    “After all, Miss Zi Di, why are we here in the first place?”


    Among these people, some were veteran guards of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, while others were mercenaries hired by Zi Di for this expedition.


    Captain of Kiss was killed by Zi Di with measures taken after the fact. The shipwreck happened so suddenly that Zi Di, despite her best efforts, could only take these people and supplies with her.


    Of course, these people had no clue about it.


    “You should be thanking me first, for I saved your lives, didn’t I?” Zi Di’s response left everyone feeling awkward.


    “Now, just follow my orders.”


    “Get the supplies off the boats first.”


    “Make sure to protect this wooden box, the contents are extremely important. Guard it as if you’re protecting me!”


    “Understood! Miss Zi Di (Mr. Chairman).”


    After a brief rest, Zi Di couldn’t wait to lead everyone into the rainforest.


    As the team ventured deeper, Mysterious Monster Island began to reveal its cruel and terrifying side.


    The complex terrain of the rainforest often brought their progress to a standstill, and the dangerous Magic Beasts lurking within the dense vegetation necessitated that the team proceed with extreme caution. A moment’s negligence could endanger their lives.


    After repeated advisement by the guards, Zi Di, though very reluctantly, had to bow to reality and abandon her plan to quickly find the core.


    They began to set up camp more frequently and, to lighten the load and leave a way out, they left behind batches of supplies at each campsite.


    Zi Di was full of regrets, “Had I known magic was banned here, I would’ve awakened the substitute first. He already possessed Silver Cultivation and had been transformed into a Beastification Person.”


    “Clearly in the Alchemy Factory, I was free to cast spells.”


    “This is going to be a prolonged exploration.”


    “But if I succeed, my life will undergo a complete transformation!”


    “I will succeed!”


    Zi Di’s conviction was firm, but the dangers from the outside world were becoming increasingly severe.


    The team began to lose members; after a couple of weeks into the rainforest, they encountered a nightmare – the Blue Dog Fox Wolf!


    This extremely cunning Magic Beast first deliberately attacked a guard at the rear of the group, intentionally not killing him right away, but dragging him in a frenzied run.


    Zi Di and the others hurried to rescue him, causing a major disorder in their formation. The Blue Dog Fox Wolf took the opportunity to strike. Three guards were lost, and it was heavily injured by a Crossbow. Sensing the tide turning against it, the Blue Dog Fox Wolf fled into the rainforest, and the group was unable to give chase.


    A few days later, the Blue Dog Fox Wolf attacked again. It brought a beehive, and the Fire Poison Bees assaulted the entire camp. Four guards died from the Fire Poison.


    After that, the Blue Dog Fox Wolf kept pestering the Human Race team, launching frequent surprise attacks that claimed the lives of several members.


    Zi Di and the others had to lighten their load, abandoning the wooden box containing the substitute.


    That’s when everyone discovered that the box actually contained a person.


    “He is my fiancé, Lord Zhenjin, and as you know, our expedition was to pave the way for him. But in fact, we used a ruse to help him sneak into White Sand City, catching his competitors off guard,” Zi Di explained.


    “So that’s why the Chairman was so concerned about a wooden box.”


    “But why has Lord Zhenjin been unconscious the whole time?”


    Zi Di sighed, “It wasn’t easy to deceive those opponents. He was supposed to be awakened upon arrival in White Sand City, but now you see, due to unforeseen circumstances, there’s nothing I can do but hope that he wakes up on his own.”


    No matter how perilous the situation became afterward, Zi Di always kept the substitute by her side.


    “The situation is getting worse and worse; he is my last line of defense!”


    But awakening the substitute was extremely difficult.


    Zi Di couldn’t use magic, and forcing the use of the Memory Crystal in such a Magic Prohibition Ring environment could likely fail, with a very low chance of success.


    If she couldn’t awaken him that was one thing; however, should an accident occur during the awakening, and the substitute realized the deception and learned she wasn’t Zhenjin, it was hard to predict what actions he would take against Zi Di in his anger.


    Finally, the last two guards were also killed by the Blue Dog Fox Wolf.


    The girl embarked on a perilous river crossing, but soon realized she was still hanging by a thread.


    She took out the Memory Crystal, beginning to activate it with all her might.


    The girl grew more anxious, muttering under her breath, “Hurry, hurry! Please, start working.”


    The Blue Dog Fox Wolf struck once more.


    At the moment of Zi Di’s utter despair, the substitute suddenly opened his eyes.


    Awakened by the roar of a beast, he kicked fiercely, sending the Blue Dog Fox Wolf into the river.


    “I, I’ve been saved?! Did I manage to wake him up?” Zi Di’s pupils shrank, her breath hitching as she gazed at the boy’s slender back, feeling a strong sense of security.


    Relying unexpectedly on the Python Vine in the river, they dealt with the Blue Dog Fox Wolf, but Zi Di realized the boy had amnesia.


    Her heart skipped a beat, “Most of the memories weren’t instilled? He doesn’t even know his own identity?”


    “You’re Zhenjin, you’re actually Baron Zhenjin. My God, Lord, have you forgotten your own identity?” The girl quickly reminded him, her face eager and anxious, a true reflection of her inner emotions.


    Zi Di started fabricating lies, temporarily stabilizing the substitute boy.


    During their conversation, Zi Di mentioned the Holy Temple Knight, which triggered a flashback in the substitute boy.


    “Yes, I remember now. I was taking a solemn oath when I became a Holy Temple Knight,” the substitute replied.


    Zi Di was elated, “Lord, perhaps you could try and see if you can summon your Fighting energy?”


    The substitute shook his head, “No, I have no memory of cultivating Fighting energy at all, and I can’t even feel it inside me, let alone know how to use it.”


    This answer from the substitute gave Zi Di a clear grasp of his memory condition.


    “Perhaps the time hasn’t come yet. But it doesn’t matter, Lord, this at least proves that your memory can be restored! It just… needs some time.”


    Zi Di comforted Zhenjin, but in reality, she was calming herself as well.


    “It seems memories have been instilled, only interrupted midway, preventing recollection.”


    “However, once he remembers, it comes naturally, without a trace of doubt.”


    “Maybe soon he will recall the key memories. Perhaps this environment doesn’t prohibit Silver Fighting Spirit!”


    Originally Zi Di had lost all hope, but the awakening of the substitute reignited her hope.


    At the same time, she didn’t let down her guard, “What if the substitute’s memory has flaws? It’s possible that one day he’ll discover his true identity.”


    The two set out, talking as they went.


    Returning to the scene where the two guards had died, the substitute boy was injured by a Bloodline Centipede Snake.


    The substitute kept asking Zi Di about everything concerning himself.


    Zi Di’s vigilance grew, constantly reminding herself, “I must be as careful as possible! I can’t reveal any inconsistencies when deceiving him.”


    “There are things I can tell him, and some I must conceal!”


    “He’s not Zhenjin, not a Holy Temple Knight; he’s a Beastification Person transformed by War Merchants. Essentially, he’s no different from Evil Wolves and Bloodline Centipede Snakes.”


    “He’s a beast, merely deceived by me for the time being.”


    “Perhaps one day, he will realize the truth and bare his fangs, swallowing me whole for having deceived him!”


    They made camp at night.


    By the fire, Zi Di dressed the wounds of the substitute boy.


    “If only you had been wearing this Iron-made Protective Arm earlier, Lord, you wouldn’t have been injured by the Bloodline Centipede Snake.”


    The substitute boy was inwardly stirred, reaching out involuntarily to touch Zi Di’s hair.


    Zi Di shivered slightly.


    “Lo-Lord,” Zi Di lowered her head, seemingly frightened by Zhenjin’s gesture, holding her breath tensely like a scared little kitten.


    She was truly afraid because it suddenly occurred to her, “Zhenjin is a lecher, could the substitute have inherited this trait?”


    “We traveled carefully by day, and now it’s night, just him and me.”


    “If he truly has any designs on me, I’m utterly powerless to resist, and there’s no one to save me!”


    But the substitute quickly withdrew his hand, asking flatly, “Zi Di, what kind of person do you think I am?”


    That was a difficult question indeed. S~ea??h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A wrong answer could betray her deceit.


    Zi Di instinctively held her breath, her mind spinning rapidly. After carefully choosing her words, she replied, “Lord Zhenjin, to be honest, I don’t know much about you.” (Setting the tone at the outset could save me from much cross questioning.)


    “But according to rumors, you usually avoid the company of women, preferring solitude. Even in serious matters, you do not openly display joy or anger.” (I hope this deters any intentions you might have toward me!)


    “Most of your time is spent in arduous training at the Holy Temple, your demeanor serious, and you’re often reticent. Your daily life and every move you make are graceful and composed, befitting the nobility.”


    “Although you have few friends, you’re always willing to help others, especially the weak and the poor. As a result, Lord, your reputation among the lower classes has always been very good.”


    “Furthermore, your recent unexpected entry into the competition for the lordship of White Sand City seems to have surprised the other Holy Temple Knights.”


    With these words, Zi Di crafted an almost perfect image of a Holy Temple Knight.


    Since he had lost all memory, this narrative was a process of shaping and controlling him.


    As for the future, back in Human Race society, whether the substitute would harbor doubts upon learning the truth, Zi Di couldn’t afford to care much about that now. Indeed, even if there were doubts, Zi Di had already provided an explanation in her first sentence—”Lord Zhenjin, to be honest, I don’t know much about you.”