Endless Debt Chapter 646 - 157: You Can Try

Ewen pushed open the window, and the dazzling sunlight poured in, causing a sharp pain in his eyes as if tears would flow out. He squinted, and only after his eyes somewhat adapted to the intense light did he reopen them.

During his stay in Opus, Ewen hardly ever saw the sun. Industrial fumes combined with the mist emanating from the Great Rift gathered above the city, forming a canopy of gas.

In Opus, every day was gloomy, with sporadic drizzles. When he was young, Ewen used to enjoy this somber atmosphere, but now he only felt that his joints were killing him.

Upon arriving at Free Port, many factories had been built along the coastline here as well, but the level of industrial pollution hadn’t reached that of Opus... at least Ewen could gaze directly at the azure sky and sunlight.

The continuous buildings stretched toward the harbor. In the distance, one could see ships piled on the sea surface, linked together as if land was being constructed from the sea, leading to the dark ocean at the edge of the horizon.

Ewen breathed deeply, the fresh sea breeze bringing with it the thick scent of fish, nearly making Ewen gag.

Wiping the corner of his mouth, Ewen muttered to himself, "Cough cough... this damned place hasn’t changed a bit."

The pervasive fishy smell, the ceaseless clamor and sound of flowing water day and night, along with the many foreigners.

A medley of strange occurrences and bizarre beings.

This place was much like Opus, but most urban areas in Opus boasted good public security, ensuring a certain degree of order throughout the entire city.

Free Port was different. Foreigners congregated into various gangs, and the massive trade transactions brought about maddening gray industries.

Ewen knew all about this. In his youth, he was part of this malformed food chain and personally experienced this cycle of sin.

This place was like a stinking garbage dump, where one could find anything.

Ewen withdrew his gaze, placing a hand on his left arm, gently pressing the short sword hidden beneath his sleeve.

Now, Ewen was getting closer and closer to his destination. Danger lurked everywhere, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

In the past, Ewen believed that evading those gangs or even using money to pave his way would suffice, but things were different now. Far more evil existences than humans were in this world, and they were demons formed from human corruption.

The shadows in Free Port were deep and long. Ewen guessed many demons must be hiding there, crawling from their lairs to feed like beasts whenever night fell.

Demons wouldn’t be swayed by money. The only thing they cared about was the satiation of their soul.

"The human world and their world have overlapped, and at the moment of day and night transition, the world changes."

Ewen quickly jotted down in his notebook.

Sometimes, he would suddenly think of certain phrases or plots and would record them, either to use in the stories he would write later or to seek inspiration.

"Do you have a poor memory?"

A voice came from behind, at close range, and Ewen sprang up from the bed like a bristling tiger.

Ewen shouted, "Can’t you make some noise?"

Cinderella was kneeling on the bed, holding her belly with laughter at Ewen’s reaction.

After getting off the train, the first thing Ewen did was take Cinderella to find her sister, but as soon as they left the station, Cinderella slowly said.

"As for where my sister is... I’m not really sure."

"You’re not sure?" Ewen was on the brink of collapse, "Are you serious?"

"Last time I came here, I was only a few years old, wow... this place looks so different now."

Ewen fell silent, backing Cinderella into a corner. He said fiercely, "Are you taking advantage of my kindness?"

Someone had done the same to Ewen on the journey, exploiting his kindness to achieve some goal, but it was clear those people misunderstood Ewen.

They knew Ewen longed to become a noble person but didn’t consider why he wanted to be such a person.

Those people all paid the price, a price collected by Ewen himself.

"No... not at all. I just find you interesting. Perhaps we can travel together for a while and pass the time during the journey."

Cinderella searched for a reason, "I also helped you, didn’t I? We’re practically natural partners, able to take down those assassins."

That much Ewen couldn’t deny, beneath Cinderella’s childlike appearance was an extraordinary mind and action ability. Ewen even thought if he gave her a short sword, she might do better than him.

But the more it was like this, the more Ewen doubted Cinderella. Her various behaviors were not those of an ordinary girl.

Seeing Ewen silent, Cinderella shifted her position and slipped out of the shadow Ewen cast.

"So... shall we part ways here?"

Cinderella didn’t insist on any of it, but Ewen stared at her intently, just as before, without saying a word, then decisively turned and left after a few seconds.

She was like an octopus; once entangled, impossible to shake off. This was Ewen’s best chance to rid himself of her — along the way, he’d shaken off many people.

Cinderella’s face flashed before his eyes, and at the same time, the strange sense of familiarity from their first meeting kept lingering in his mind, as though Ewen had seen her somewhere before, yet from age and experience, they definitely hadn’t met.

Ewen tried hard to dismiss this strange thought, but it was followed by more and more wild imaginings.

This made Ewen extremely uneasy.

Curiosity.

Once curiosity arises, it’s the beginning of the downfall of self-will.

Ewen knew this well, and tried hard to forget related matters, but a voice in his heart kept calling relentlessly, the girl’s wine-red eyes ignited in his mind, turning into a more dazzling color.

Ewen stopped in his tracks, involuntarily turning his head, wanting to see if Cinderella had left.

The familiar smiling face appeared before him; Cinderella was tightly following behind.

Cinderella seized Ewen’s arm and started shaking it vigorously, "We’re a killer duo!"

Ewen broke free, his vigilance not easing for a moment, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"To find my sister, that’s the truth," Cinderella replied, then counter-questioned, "What about you, Ewen, why did you travel all this way?"

Ewen was silent, and Cinderella’s smile grew wider, "See, we all have secrets. Let’s keep our distance from each other, not interfere. How about it?"

"Why me?"

Ewen didn’t understand why Cinderella was so attached to him.

"Because you’re a good person."

Cinderella’s words caught Ewen off guard.

"Alright, alright, I’ll admit, at first, I wanted to squeeze some travel money out of you," Cinderella confessed, though the extent of her honesty was unexpectedly extreme, "I’ve met many people along the way; just act cute, and they’re easily fooled, then they start thinking things they shouldn’t."

Ewen cautiously took a step back.

"But you’re quite nice, Ewen," Cinderella said, "I like guys like you, not many have principles these days."

"So, you’re not from that small town?" Ewen asked.

"I just boarded there," Cinderella said, "Humans are skilled at filling in details themselves... I didn’t lie."

Cinderella provided a mix of truth and falsehood, and then Ewen deceived himself.

"Sorry," Cinderella apologized, waving her slender arm, "I don’t have your strength, to protect myself, I have to resort to some tricks."

With that, she bowed deeply to Ewen.

Ewen sighed deeply; he could understand Cinderella in this regard. When one’s own strength is insufficient, one can only rely on some tricks.

Like the actions of his younger self.

Ewen examined Cinderella, suddenly realizing where the familiarity came from; in some ways, Cinderella was very much like himself, very much like his younger self — a fallen leaf adrift in the currents.

No... still some differences.

Seeing Ewen hesitate, Cinderella pressed her advantage, "Does this move you?"

"Just half," Ewen explained, "On the train, you saved my life... no, two lives, so I owe you."

Cinderella exhaled deeply; now she wouldn’t have to sleep on the streets in the days ahead, then she asked curiously, "What’s the other half?"

"I always feel I’ve seen you somewhere, though it’s impossible," Ewen tried to describe the dreamlike feeling, "But there’s just this strange sense of familiarity."

Like having seen her in a dream.

Cinderella’s expression was peculiar; Ewen couldn’t understand why she looked like that. Then Cinderella examined Ewen, appearing hesitant.

"Ewen, if you were ten years younger, no! Twenty years, we could have given it a try."

Cinderella’s expression was resolute, as if making this decision had consumed great courage.

Ewen was stunned for a few seconds, then reacted, snapping, "Shut up!"