Chapter 362 172: A Sad Story

"You might find this absurd, but in reality, many couples in Siracle State are like this—estranged but keeping up appearances, seeking excitement behind each other's backs. I even allowed him to have an affair."

"But it wasn't an affair."

"He came out of the closet!"

Sean: "?"

Everyone else: "???"

Konina said furiously, "If he had slept with another woman, I would have been fine with it. I wouldn't have thought he was 'dirty.' But he slept with a man! I don't care if he was the top or the bottom, I can't accept it!"

'Now that is truly dirty!'

"And do you know what the most infuriating part is?" Konina asked.

Genduo picked up sadly, "The man her husband slept with... was my husband!"

Sean and the others: "?????"

Genduo said, "That day, Konina and I were coming back to Holkaydo from the Black Ghost Rainforest. We were in such a hurry on the road that we barely ate anything, so we were starving and thirsty. Since taking her home meant passing by my place, I figured I'd drop my things off and get a drink of water before taking her the rest of the way."

"All the while, my husband kept texting me, asking when I'd be home. I thought he missed me, so I didn't tell him, planning to surprise him."

"But when I opened the door, I found him getting it on with another fucking man!"

"I was so furious my shouting could be heard by the entire neighborhood."

"Konina heard me and thought something was wrong, so she came up to check."

"And then there was one more person roaring..."

Sean and the others: "..."

Genduo's vivid, nearly tearful retelling left Sean and the others speechless.

'Who would have thought.'

'I thought this was just a simple, fated reunion with old acquaintances in a new place. Turns out there was such a bizarre, thought-provoking, and tragic story behind it all.'

For a moment, Sean didn't know how to comfort them. He could only pat Genduo's broad shoulder and say, "Don't be sad. Out with the old, in with the new. Try to look on the bright side."

Genduo wiped away a tear and smiled. "It's fine. I'm long past being sad about it. He wasn't worth it."

"It wasn't until I came to Sonaros State that I learned what truly strong men are. Compared to them, my ex-husband is nothing."

Sean: "..."

'Okay, I was worried for nothing.'

'A good man is never short of other men.'

He changed the subject. "So, how did you two become Wizards?"

"Don't tell me you went to the grove and bottled some spring water before you left."

He hadn't noticed anyone approaching at the time.

"We didn't," Genduo said, rather sheepishly. "To be honest, I did think about it, but I didn't dare in the end. I couldn't leave my family behind, and I didn't want to drag Konina into it. I promised you I'd get her home safe."

"Then where did your Magic Power come from?" Sean asked.

Genduo: "Well, that's another long story..."

Sean: "Then make it short."

Genduo thought for a moment, then said, "Awakening."

Sean: "And then?"

Genduo: "That's it."

Sean: "..."

'That really was short.'

Genduo said, "We read your book."

On their way out of the Black Fruit Rainforest, they talked a lot about Sean. After all, Sean seemed to know everything from the start and could perform "Magic." Their conversations naturally revolved around him. When Konina mentioned Sean was a novelist, Genduo went online, found his book, and started reading it.

Konina read it too.

The book's descriptions of the Era of Polymath and the "New World," combined with their own personal experiences, made them realize the book might be more than just a simple novel. It was from that point on that they began their own path to awakening.

Self-awakening without a guide should have been a long process, but their ex-husbands helped them out by giving them a huge shock, which accelerated their progress. On the seventh day after the incident, just after hiring the same lawyer to finalize their divorces, they discovered they had Magic Power.

They also discovered they were apparently being followed.

And so, the two jilted lovers relied on each other, fleeing using fake documents, human smuggling, and other means. They wanted to get as far away from Siracle State as possible and eventually ended up in Sonaros State. Later, they met other Wizards and, through an introduction, joined the White Bear Organization.

"Wait a second."

Sean frowned and asked Konina, "Didn't you read my book a long time ago? Why did you only just awaken?"

Logically speaking, even if the experience in the Black Fruit Rainforest was an indispensable part of it, Konina should have awakened when she saw the Smell Crows circling in the sky, not a week after she got back.

Konina's face turned red, and she said, embarrassed, "Actually... I hadn't read it before..."

Sean: "?"

"But you even tipped, didn't you?"

He knew Konina's reader ID.

"You don't have to read it to tip," Konina said, defensively though she knew she was in the wrong. "Is there some rule that says you have to read a book just because you bought it?"

Sean: "..."

'Damn it, a fake fan!'

"So, you two are rookies in the White Bear Organization now?" Elise spoke up and asked.

Genduo nodded. "Yeah."

In terms of both Magic Power and time since joining, he and Konina couldn't be newer. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have been assigned to take turns "guarding the door" at the 789 Club.

Most of the customers playing pool were actually members of the organization.

'What kind of respectable person goes to play pool in the middle of the morning?'

'Don't they have jobs to go to?'

"How long have you been in Sonaros State?" Elise asked.

Konina thought for a moment. "About three months, I guess."

"Do you know anything about the Kovloki Family?" Sean asked.

"I do." Upon hearing the words "Kovloki Family," Konina's expression grew grim. She said seriously, "Sean, listen to me. No matter what you're here in Sonaros State for, whatever you do, don't provoke the Kovloki Family."

"Oh?" Sean asked, feigning ignorance. "Why is that?"

"Because they are the true masters of Sonaros State," Konina said. "Even the government has to listen to them."

"Isn't it the same in Siracle State?" Sean said. "Remember Johnson? The guy whose uncle worked for the Florist Family? Didn't he say that the local governments all have to act according to the Florist Family's whims?"

"It's different," Konina said, shaking her head.

After she and Genduo became Wizards, they took the opportunity to inquire about the world's true "social structure." It was true that on the surface, the various major Witch Hunter Families were at the top in each state. But the relationship between these families and the government wasn't exactly one of leader and subordinate. In most regions, the government and the Witch Hunter Families were more like colleagues of equal standing. It wasn't about one ordering the other around, but rather a matter of mutual respect.

But Sonaros State is different.

Here, the Kovloki Family calls all the shots, completely and utterly.

From the district police stations all the way up to the city mayors and even the Governor, they are all the Kovloki Family's own people. To put it in political terms, there aren't even any factions among them. You could say the entire state is a monolithic block that no one can make a dent in.

Coupled with the Kovloki Family's ruthless methods, no Wizard dares to provoke them.

When hunted, all they can do is run for their lives; they wouldn't dream of fighting back.

In the past, Sonaros State had a sanctuary that brought together the vast majority of the state's Wizards, called "Freedom Manor." Back then, facing the Kovloki Family's extermination campaigns, they still had the strength to fight back. From time to time, they would even retaliate and sabotage the Kovloki Family's businesses.

Until that woman named Bofunova appeared.

First, she devised a plan to lure the snake from its hole, killing the leader of Freedom Manor with overwhelming force. Then, she brought in reinforcements from other states and organized them, along with all of the Kovloki Family's Witch Hunters, to launch a year-long, sweeping manhunt for the remaining Wizards. Of the hundreds of thousands of Wizards in Freedom Manor, it's said that fewer than a hundred survived.

Ever since then, there have been no more Wizard sanctuaries in Sonaros State. All that's left are a few small, city-based organizations barely surviving, living in constant fear. The White Bear Organization is one of them.

The first thing Konina and Genduo heard after joining the White Bear Organization was, "Do not provoke the Kovloki Family."

Otherwise, if they were killed, no one would avenge them.

"So this woman is that powerful..." Sean sighed.

'First, she crushed the leader of Freedom Manor, then she injured the Night Watcher's eyes... This Bofunova has probably almost reached the threshold of a Grand Mage.'

'But what a pity.'

'No matter how close she is to the threshold, she's still not a Grand Mage.'

'And as long as she's not a Grand Mage, I can afford to provoke her.'

"The White Bear Organization..." Sean mused. "How about this, Konina? It would be difficult for you to take us to your headquarters, but passing on a message shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Help me tell your Chairman that I have something important to discuss with him."

"Huh?" Konina asked subconsciously. "What kind of important matter?"

Sean: "Wiping out the Kovloki Family and letting this land change its master."

Konina: "???"

...