The Record of Unusual Creatures

2It seemed that Anna had listened to their instructions. She did not reveal to others the presence of a space fissure in the crypt, which led to gold treasure. Igor did not even know where Hao Ren and his gang had gone to, so there was no worry that someone may cross the space fissure. After Hao Ren returned from the other side, he had installed sensors and breakers near the space fissure to prevent people from trespassing into Tannagost.     2

Igor asked why Becky did not return with the and Hao Ren explained that she was visiting her relatives in the Plane of Dreams.     

Instead of accepting Igor's invitation to stay, they decided to go home. The first thing Hao Ren did was find his official car in the courtyard in front of the castle. The car had been parked there for a week and was now covered with snow. He patted the roof of the car as he thought to himself in a self-deprecating manner. In order not to cause a stir when he came, he did not tuck his car back into his Dimensional Pocket. Instead, he parked it in the garden. But little did he expect the vengeful spirit phenomenon in Andrea Castle to be so bad that people were not surprised by any supernatural phenomena anymore. The fact that the Andrea Family was the descendant of Vivian's younger brother was out of his expectation too. If he had known it earlier, he would not have gone through all that trouble.     

"The crypt," Vivan instructed Igor, "set up some guards in different places of the crypt, but don't go too deep. Anna knows something about the dimension, let her decide the position of the sentry posts. We've laid a seal near the vengeful spirit's door, but if there are any more anomalies, report it to me immediately."     

Igor bowed respectfully and nodded his head. Then, he carefully asked, "My Lady, how can I contact you? Sorry... our family has lost its skills in the occult."     

Vivian smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh yes, hold on a second."     

Then, she reached into her pocket. Igor suddenly became nervous and tense, wondering what magic prop Vivian was going to take out. It was normal for a witch and her human minions to communicate through a black cat's cry, a crow's shadow, ashes of the Datura flower, and stuff like that. However after a long while, Vivian only took out a small notebook. She tore off a piece of paper and wrote something on it. "Now I have a cell phone. This is my cell phone number; just remember to add the prefix, 0086."     

Flabbergasted, Igor asked, "...Isn't it usually a magic prop? I remember the ancient books of my ancestors mentioning Drops of Blood or something..."     

Vivian knitted her brows together as she said, "That was a long time ago. One must keep up with the times, you know. Can Drops of Blood send text messages?"     

Igor was speechless.     

A 10,000-year-old batwoman was teaching a modern person to keep up with the times. This could only happen to him, Hao Ren thought.     

After giving her instructions, they left Andrea Castle by teleporting back home. Y'zaks was sitting in the living room, reading the paper. Sitting on a sofa reading the People's Daily, he looked exactly like a prisoner in a hard labour camp. Sensing the air distortion around him, Y'zaks looked up with a mean smile. "I knew you were coming back. What took you so long, huh? Where's Becky?"     

"She's gone back to her hometown," said Hao Ren. "You won't guess what we found in the lair of the vengeful spirit! It's a pity you come go along this time. We found a stable passageway connecting the real world to the Plane of Dreams."     

That was unexpected and Y'zaks was very surprised. "Really? Tell me everything about it.     

"Before that, do you guys mind explaining something to me?" said Nangong Sanba as he flung himself on the sofa and spread out his hands. "I'm clueless and my mind is still back in the other world. Can anyone tell me who you guys are? What organization are you from? What team? Are you lone-wolf superheroes, or a coalition of vengeance seekers? It looks like your team is unlike any forces on Earth. Shall I join as a public servant, or an independent contractor?"     

Nangong Wuyue shot her brother a sideways glance. "Brother, you're being too inquisitive."     

"I think I should explain it to you as well." Hao Ren nodded. "Are you prepared for the truth? In the future, you'll need to follow a gang of space-time agents who deal with all kind of things all over the world, and in many cases, in other worlds too. Ours is a high risk job, but safety and security measures are aplenty. It's very exciting, but also very rewarding. You can broaden your horizons, increase your knowledge, and often times get more than worldly returns, such as…"     

Hao Ren took out a golden apple from his Dimensional Pocket and continued, "This Golden Apple. Yes, like the one in the story where Hercules tricked Atlas into getting it. But this one's genuine with a trademark. I guarantee that it's as authentic as the peach that the monkey king stole, 100 % from the realm of God. If you're in, you'll be able to get these things to top up your life."     

Lily blinked. "Why do I have the feeling that you're talking like an MLMer?"     

Nangong Sanba stared at the golden apple in Hao Ren's hands, none the wiser. He asked instinctively, "What if I don't join?"     

"I don't think a normal person can resist this. But if you insist on not joining—fine, you can do so," said Hao Ren, taking out a pen from his Dimensional Pocket again. "Look at the little lamp here and wait for me to count to three. You'll then forget everything you've seen in the other worlds. But truth be told, I don't know if this thing will work. When my boss handed it to me, it was said to have come from Er Li Qiao Wholesale Market, the largest gathering place of fakes in the celestial community. There are a bunch of guys who always use counterfeit gadgets to make money, so this thing may make you forget a lot more things. It's said that there's a 10 % chance of causing gender identity disorder as well, but rest assured I'll recommend you some gay websites where you can embark on another journey of happiness. You won't remember the women you've loved... Lily, stop biting me!"     

Lily released her bite, and raised her head away from Hao Ren's arm. "You've been talking a load of nonsense!"     

Cold sweat trickled down Nangong Sanba's back. He quickly swore, "I solemnly declare that I'm in—by the way, why do I suddenly feel that his is an illegal organization..."     

"You won't be able to find a more legitimate team than us in the whole world," said Nangong Wuyue as she stuck her tongue out and gave Hao Ren a sh*tty look. "It's just that the captain's a little weird. He's making you a little confused."     

"Fine, Wuyue will brief you about the situation of our Space Administration's EN35 node at the Bastard Barrio office. After that, I'll bring you over to report to my superior," said Hao Ren, putting away the pen and allowing the siren maiden to handle the rest. "I'm going to look for Big Beardy. Since the door to the Plane of Dreams is now opened. I have to ask him if he wants to go home."     

"He's gone out for classes." Y'zaks stopped Hao Ren. "He'll be back in the evening."     

Hao Ren asked dumbfoundedly, "What classes?"     

"He's giving a talk on health, environmental protection and low-carbon life to the backstreet gang of old folks and housewives," Y'zaks said. "The class was just opened a week ago, but it's booming... he is fast becoming a friend of women."     

Hao Ren was struck dumb. He could not imagine Big Beardy, the most rustic, boring ascetic becoming a hit. But when he heard that Big Beardy had gathered so many people to give them a talk, something felt a little off to him. He quickly went out. "I'll find him!"     

When Hao Ren came to the back street, wanting to ask someone for directions to the lecture, he found that it was not necessary. There was a crowd gathered under the big mandarin tree on the eastern side of the street. Eight out of ten were women. There was no need to ask to determine that it was Big Beardy, who was preaching there. He hurried over to the clearing where the crowd assembled and saw Big Beardy sitting on a rock, giving his lecture solemnly.     

"...so the path of natural harmony is the way of long-term survival. Our predecessors taught us that everything in the world comes from the same place, and they will die and return to the same place as well. All things are equal and particles of this world. Whether they are rich or poor, what's left of them will only be flesh and bones in the end, just like the plants and the tree; such is the principle of life. Man is made of dust and will return to the earth, so one should be content with life and be happy with what one has. Eat sparingly and you will be fine; sleep soundly and you will be well; dress modestly as that's all your body needs. If you would like to enjoy yourself, be self-sufficient..."     

As Big Beardy talked, the housewives just kept nodding their heads. The low-carbon and environmentally-friendly topics were most suitable for their appetite, though they understood nothing.     

Suddenly, a voice came from the side. "Hao Ren? You've come for the class too?"     

Hao Ren turned his head and found the one speaking to be an old neighbor, the fat boss who opened a supermarket at the end of the street. He shook his head and said, "I'm here to find someone. You've come for the talk too?"     

"Who in their right mind would want to listen to this? I'm here to drag my wife back home," said the fat boss, almost crying. "It's been making people's lives miserable... She has been bewitched and I've had no proper meal at home for days. She even told me that if I wanted to eat meat, I would have to go and catch rabbits in the wild myself.     

Hao Ren was at a lost for words.