r18novel Chapter 5: A Bet
Chapter 5: A Bet
I snapped out of my daze once again.
"What was I supposed to do again?"
"Oh right, I need to drink a potion." The moment Lorne picked up the potion again, he became dazed.
"What was I supposed to do again?"
"Oh, right, potions."
……
……
"What was I supposed to do again?"
"Knock knock knock"
Just as Lorne picked up the potion, he heard a knock on the door.
Lorne snapped out of his daze, looked at the orange cat beside his legs, and quickly shoved it under the table.
Composing himself, Lorne walked to the door of the room.
The door opened fifteen centimeters, revealing half of Lorne's side profile, and he saw Mrs. Griffin with a serious expression.
"Mrs. Griffin, I remember I've already paid my rent for this month," Lorne said first.
"Am I only here to collect rent, little Lorne?"
"Hehe~" Lorne chuckled.
"Of course not, you're welcome to chat with me anytime."
"Have you been going out at night lately? I keep hearing strange noises in the middle of the night."
"Uh, yes, did I disturb you?" Lorne did not deny it.
At the same time, Lorne was also marveling at Mrs. Griffin's hearing. Although the soundproofing in this era was poor, he swore he had spoken as quietly as possible when he returned in the early hours of the morning.
Are all elderly people in this world this perceptive?
"You know, the security situation outside isn't very good these days. If something happens to you going out so late, I'll be very worried."
"I also have a responsibility to ensure the safety of my tenants, as stated in the rental agreement."
"Is there such a rule?" Lorne scratched his head.
"You going out in the middle of the night..." Mrs. Griffin suddenly realized something and said in a knowing tone, "Oh, that's right, you're getting on in years, it's normal to have these thoughts, but the streets are too dangerous at night, there are a lot of gangsters, you alone..."
Upon hearing this, Lorne's lips twitched.
What exactly do you think I did last night?!
"Um, well, I..." Lorne tried to explain, but Mrs. Griffin didn't give him a chance.
"I know you're a bit impulsive at your age, but for your own health, you need to exercise restraint. When I was young, I saw a lot of guys who couldn't control their lower bodies and ended up dying miserably in hospital beds, their bodies rotting away."
"The goddess taught us... Oh right, I forgot you're a follower of the god of steam and machinery."
It's okay, I'm a fake believer anyway.
Of course, if the Church of the Goddess of Night offers many benefits to its believers, then I can discuss it, and I can also become a believer in the Goddess of Night.
Lorne thought to himself.
"In short, don't go out in the middle of the night. Even if you don't care, don't disturb my sleep."
"By the way, you're acting a bit strange today."
She glanced at the room blocked by Lorne, looked at Lorne once, chuckled lightly, and left.
"Strange, she shouldn't have noticed anything, right?"
"She's just an old lady, she shouldn't be that perceptive, right?"
Lorne lacks confidence in her acting skills.
"Oh right, what was I about to do?"
"Oh, right, the 'Assassin' potion."
"Awoo~"
Hearing the cat's meow, Lorne's heart skipped a beat.
"No!" His voice suddenly rose, and he rushed over in three strides.
"Don't drink it!"
His words had no effect; he could only watch helplessly as the cat's pink tongue curled up the swaying silver liquid in the bottle.
"No!"
Lorne stumbled and lunged at the desk, his knee knocking over the chair, causing him to lose his balance and fall face-first onto the desk, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
When Lorne came to his senses, he saw a broken glass bottle and an orange cat licking potions on the ground.
"No!"
.........
……
"You've gotten yourself into big trouble, you know that?" Lorne said fiercely, picking up the orange cat.
"Meow?"
"Sigh, why did I suddenly do something so stupid? I guess I'm the only one in history who accidentally gave an animal a magic potion."
"Even those rich kids who are stupid and have too much money wouldn't do something so stupid. I'm doomed, I feel like I'm going to become a disgrace to transmigrators." Lorne muttered to himself with a face full of regret.
"Damn it, just go! Go back to being a stray cat." After saying that, Lorne had an urge to throw the orange cat right out the window.
But as soon as he picked up the orange cat, Lorne changed his mind. "No way, if I throw you away, I'll be at a complete loss."
"But what about the potion? This was supposed to be an advance payment from that organization!"
"Why don't you join that organization?" Lorne said, staring at the cat in front of him.
The orange cat didn't move, it just stared at Lorne with innocent eyes.
"Sigh!" Lorne slumped into his chair, looking somewhat lost.
First of all, the "Assassin" potion is no longer available, and if the other party asks for compensation, I don't have that much money to spare right now.
"Perhaps we can sell the 'Monster' potion."
Lorne remembered he still had a 'Monster' potion, but then he realized it was impossible to sell it within a day unless the price was far below market value. But that would mean a difference of several hundred pounds, which he simply couldn't afford.
From this perspective, selling the "monster" potion to cover the losses is simply unrealistic.
Otherwise, just tell that silver-haired lady the truth. She seems quite easy to talk to. At worst, you can just compensate her with the 'monster' potion.
Lorne had considered hiding and not looking for the silver-haired woman. But after thinking it over, he realized it was unrealistic. First, such behavior was somewhat dishonest. Second, the woman seemed very unusual, most likely an extraordinary being. Hiding might not prevent her from finding him, and then things would be completely unpredictable.
From this perspective, taking the initiative to admit his mistake has become the most reasonable option for Lorne now.
"That's the only way." After thinking it over, Lorne decided to take the initiative to apologize to the silver-haired lady tomorrow. He could compensate her with the 'monster' potion, and maybe that would be the end of it.
"Phew." Lorne suddenly breathed a sigh of relief after having an idea.
As soon as he stood up, he felt a familiar sense of disorientation wash over him, but this time it was clearer, as if it were imprinted on his soul.
At the same time, he felt an overwhelming fear envelop him. He saw a scene where he was lying in a pool of blood, and next to him was the silver-haired woman. Lorne could even see her cold smile.
What is this? A prophecy?
"destiny"
The word suddenly popped into Lorne's mind.
"Fate? Does that mean I'll die if I go to her?"
"And what exactly is this scene? Is it a cheat code? Or is it something special about me?"
Lorne paced back and forth in the room, pondering the scene he had just witnessed.
He was somewhat puzzled, as neither he nor the original owner of this body had ever encountered such a situation, but subconsciously he still believed in the reality of what he was seeing.
After all, it's reasonable for a time traveler to have some special characteristics.
If the scene depicts a real future, the likely scenario is that he apologizes to her, only to be killed. As for the 'Monster' potion, even after he dies, it will still belong to her.
Upon closer reflection, Lorne realized that there was something amiss about the silver-haired woman.
The other party's behavior had a very obvious element of manipulation, and I had also felt a strange unease before, which might have been a warning from fate.
At the same time, his previous abnormal behavior also indirectly confirmed this possibility.
If the silver-haired woman wasn't a good person, then everything makes sense.
But now Lorne is in a dilemma. If he takes the initiative to find her, he will die. If he runs away and she finds him, he will definitely die as well.
"Why don't we take a gamble?" Lorne thought of his "monster" potion.
Although "monster" doesn't sound good, it does sound quite intimidating, so maybe it's a very powerful potion.