This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 7 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
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At this moment, Mai was walking along Sohy Bok town, thinking to herself that she couldn't keep relying on others to search for EN. She had to do something on her own to help the group.
She lifted her gaze to the sky. Today it was overcast, the air cool and gentle, with the faint scent of cherry blossoms drifting in the breeze. She—and everyone else in the city—witnessed a strange phenomenon originating from the mountain: thousands of cherry blossom petals drifting upward into the sky and vanishing, while a few softly fell to the ground as if bidding farewell to the people below.
As she wandered, she stopped at a nearby pho shop called "My Little Brother." The aroma of pho was rich and inviting. The owner, a middle-aged man, was working diligently. Beside him was a mole-like AI Witch with a muscular build, carrying trays and serving customers. Its jet-black, glossy fur looked as though it were made of synthetic rubber.
"Hello, young lady!" the owner greeted, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Hello... I'd like a bowl of rare beef pho with full toppings, please," Mai replied.
"Of course. Please have a seat!" he said. As he spoke, he skillfully sliced the meat with lightning speed, his movements smooth and practiced.
Mai suddenly found herself reminiscing. These were the dishes she loved most when eating with her father and grandmother. In the past, every morning she had been served countless delicacies, yet there was a time she had secretly slipped out of the mansion just to find herself a bowl of pho. Her father and grandmother had quietly followed her and joined her. Memories flooded back, and the taste of that pho seemed to linger within her. But now that she was living independently, she had to grow accustomed to a new life—even meals without her father and grandmother.
"Molly, bring the bowl of pho to the young lady!" the owner called.
The mole AI Witch approached, its muscular arms carrying a tray. It placed the bowl onto the tray with professional precision and quickly delivered it to Mai. She accepted it and ate slowly, savoring each bite, letting the flavors bring back old memories. Her gaze drifted around the shop until it stopped at a large photograph of a chubby little boy displayed prominently near the walkway.
"Is that your son? He looks so cute!" Mai asked.
The owner's expression dimmed for a moment. "Ah… no. That's my younger brother." As he ladled broth into another customer's bowl, he paused briefly. "I lost him when I was still a child. Nearly thirty years have passed, and I still don't know where he is… So I hung this photo here, hoping that if anyone recognizes him, they'll let me know. If I find him, I'll reward them generously!"
"Yes… if I see someone like him, I'll let you know," Mai replied hesitantly, knowing that as someone grows up, their appearance inevitably changes, making recognition difficult.
The owner turned back to her with a gentle smile. "I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm going to ask Witchiecoop to use their AI Witch to find my brother. Thank you for your kindness!"
He scratched his head. "Though… it's very expensive—300,000 EN. I've saved up quite a bit already. Just one more day of business, and I'll have enough. Then I'll close the shop and go find him. Just thinking about seeing my brother again makes me so happy!"
Mai was stunned. She hadn't expected Witchiecoop's fee to be so high.
That's daylight robbery -she thought.
"Congratulations! I believe your wish will come true," Mai said.
The owner scratched his head again, smiling with simple sincerity, without any calculation or concern for gain or loss. His hair was unkempt from working tirelessly to earn money, which stirred a quiet sadness in Mai.
"Thank you," he replied.
Mai slowly stepped out of the shop, her mind restless with thoughts.
She knew that casting a spell to locate and reconstruct a person over time required a great deal of magical energy—but certainly not as much as 300,000 EN, as Witchiecoop had claimed. In her estimation, it would cost at most around 100 EN.
But what should I do? I don't have much EN myself. If I help him now, it'll be very difficult to sustain our group's journey.
She glanced at Miki—the golden Eastern dragon AI Witch capable of reconstructing images—then sighed softly to herself.
"What should I do, Miki? I was so upset with the group for not saving EN, and I even scolded Dreamy for his greed for food… If I use EN now, we'll be in trouble. But he's so pitiful…"
Miki spoke calmly, "Master, follow what your heart tells you. I will support whatever decision you make."
Mai made her decision. She immediately rushed back to the pho shop "My Little Brother."
At the shop, the owner had closed early. He was counting small EN coins, his face glowing with happiness—he was about to reunite with the person he had longed to see.
Knock, knock.
"Sorry, we're closed early today!" he called out.
Knock, knock, knock! This time, the knocking was much louder, as if someone were pounding on the door with a broom handle.
"I said we're closed today!" the owner shouted.
Suddenly, the door exploded open, the blast shaking part of the shop. It was the local thug who collected protection money from businesses in the area. He arrived with his gang. Accompanying him was a massive pig-shaped AI Witch named Piggy. Its bulky body barely squeezed through the doorway—it was the one that had blown the door apart.
The owner remained calm. "Bokku, are you here to eat pho today? I've already closed. Please understand."
Bokku held a cigarette in his mouth, exhaling smoke into the owner's face. He spat the cigarette onto the ground and crushed it under his shoe.
"Eat? At this hour? I'm here to collect protection money!" he snapped.
The owner stammered in fear, "B-but I already paid this month. There must be some mistake…"
"Yeah, there is—a mistake on my end. You should've been paying double every month. I just remembered today, so now you owe back payment!" he shouted.
"And I heard you're saving money to meet Witchiecoop. Why don't you pay me first? I'll hold onto the rest for you and give it back once you meet them," he added, his tone softening as he turned to his henchmen. "Right, boys?" He and his gang burst into laughter, filled with mockery.
"Please leave. I don't have a single EN for you!" the owner said firmly.
Bokku barked at his men, "Beat him! Don't stop until he coughs up the EN!"
The gang rushed forward and began beating the owner. He clutched his stomach in pain. Molly—the mole AI Witch—automatically stepped in to shield him, taking the blows according to its AI programming, but Piggy kicked it away. Still, the owner never ordered it to fight back.
He ran to Molly and held it tightly. Blow after blow rained down on him. Blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. The attackers showed no mercy, striking every part of his body. At times, the pain forced him to clutch his head.
He muttered weakly, "Almost… I'm so close… I'm sorry, Molly… Just after today… I'll finally meet him… my little brother…"
In his dazed state from the blows to his head, memories of the past resurfaced.
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Thirty years ago, a devastating flood swept away countless homes. The two brothers were left orphaned and wandered the streets, their only possession being the mole AI Witch, Molly. The three of them relied on one another to survive. With no EN, Molly could only assist with simple carrying tasks for the two frail children.
One freezing snowy day, they hid inside a truck belonging to a passerby.
"Big brother… I'm so hungry. I wish I could have a hot bowl of pho…" the younger boy said.
Moved by his chubby little brother, the older boy gently wiped the dirt from his face.
"Stay here. I'll go find you a bowl of pho…" he said.
He and Molly walked through the streets until he found a pho shop. He went inside and begged for a bowl. The kind owner was moved and gave each of them a serving.
Overjoyed, the boy hurried back with the food for his brother…
But the truck was already gone.
That was the moment he lost his brother.
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"Oh, my poor little brother… you must have been so hungry… I'm sorry I lost you… Please wait for me…" the owner whispered through tears, still clutching Molly tightly.
Smack! A sharp sound rang out—Mai had arrived. She wielded a high-tech antenna-shaped sword, striking one of the henchmen and knocking him to the ground. Beside her stood Miki, who had grown to a massive size.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted, then rushed to support the injured owner. "Why didn't you order Molly to use magic to fight back…?"
The owner choked out, "Molly would get hurt… it's only a low-level AI Witch. And… as long as I don't spend any EN, I'll have enough to meet my brother. You should run—it's dangerous. They're all strong young men. Don't get dragged into this because of me…"
Seeing the wounds covering his body, Mai clenched her teeth, her lips pressed tight with fury.
She stood up, gripping her antenna-shaped sword. Beside her was the golden Eastern dragon, Miki.
Lady Le Mai was furious.