Green had always felt this Guard captain looked familiar, and only now did he recognize him; this fellow was An Zhui, who had once been ordered to take command in a crisis.
He just didn't know why the man hadn't replaced the helmet left behind by the previous captain.
Presumably, the finances didn't allow for it.
Captain An Zhui judged from Green's expression that he had been recognized.
He slowly took off his helmet and gave an awkward smile.
"Long, long time no see, Lord Green. I'll take this blind fool away from your sight immediately."
When the other team members saw the captain take off his helmet, they all involuntarily took a few steps back.
Rumors were spreading throughout the entire Guard circle that this helmet brought bad luck.
Seeing this, the old drunkard began to feel like retreating.
He had originally intended to throw a tantrum and act shamelessly, but the Guard captain was being extremely respectful to that young man.
Looking at the Guards' panicked expressions, how could he not realize what was going on?
"Fine, collusion between officials and civilians, is it!"
"Remember this, I will never let this matter drop!"
After saying that, he glared fiercely at Meli, then turned to shout threats at Green.
"You'd better tie your daughter to your belt! Don't let me catch an opportunity!"
"Haha! Meli, everyone wants me to be your dad."
Green smiled helplessly.
Meli, meanwhile, ground her teeth audibly, and Elsa quickly pulled her tightly into her arms.
The little girl shouted things like "Go die" while constantly trying to break free from Elsa's grasp.
Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, the old drunkard felt he had lost face completely. He rolled up his sleeves, stepped forward, and began shouting with spittle flying everywhere.
"You pretty boy! Let's see if you can still laugh after I knock out a few of your teeth!"
It wasn't his first time in prison anyway; at least someone would provide food there.
Before his voice had even faded, his fist swung toward them.
Green casually stepped to the side, dodging steadily, and called out, "Good doggy, look here!"
He reached into his waist, pulled out the magic mirror, and held it directly in front of the old drunkard's eyes.
Countless dazzling whirlpools suddenly appeared on the mirror's surface, and hypnotic particles as fine as stardust flew out, burrowing into every part of the old drunkard's body.
"You are a dog... You are a dog..."
Green's voice carried a strangely penetrating quality.
The light faded from the old drunkard's eyes as they became dull and vacant. A coarse, low growl squeezed out of his throat: "Woof... Woof woof..."
Green nodded in satisfaction and kicked a pebble near his foot.
The old drunkard immediately dropped to all fours and pounced, sticking out his tongue as he excitedly chased after the stone, looking exactly like a stray dog.
Having dealt with the drunkard, Green turned to look at An Zhui and the others, speaking warmly: "Do you guys want to..."
Alarm bells instantly went off in An Zhui's mind. He waved his hands frantically: "No, no, no! No need, Mr. Grimm! We can handle it ourselves!"
As he spoke, he actually crouched down, mimicked a dog barking "Woof woof woof," and scurried toward the street corner.
His subordinates followed suit, and for a moment, Iron Barrel Street was filled with the sound of dogs barking.
Green scratched his head, looking bewildered.
"No, I was going to say there's too much cake to finish and asked if you wanted to take some with you... We're acquaintances after all, what kind of person do you take me for..."
An Zhui's body stiffened. He stood up in a daze, brushed the dust off himself, and forced himself to stay calm. "That's not necessary, Mr. Grimm. We still have patrol duties to complete!"
He waved to Green, then turned and whispered to his men: "I was imitating the criminal's behavior to understand his mindset, do you understand?"
Several Guards hurriedly nodded and bowed: "Understood, understood! Boss, your imitation was the most realistic!"
The group fled as if their feet were on fire, not daring to linger for a second... "Dogs are so cute; doing this really damages a dog's reputation. If you ask me, a guy like that should be buried alive."
Meli grumbled, cursing fiercely.
Green held the magic mirror and tilted Meli's chin up: "If you don't behave, I'll turn you into a dog too."
"Then the first thing I'll do after turning into a dog is bite you to death! Honestly, why let that scum leave so easily."
The little girl jerked her head away and argued indignantly.
"Mia and Ato's Mother was beaten to death by him! If I had been a step later yesterday, those two kids would have been dead long ago!"
"Heh, that outrageous?"
Green was stunned. He had thought the drunkard was just a domestic abuser, but he hadn't expected him to be a murderer as well.
In that case, letting him live as a dog for the rest of his life to atone for his sins was just right.
The power of the magic mirror wolgaroth was absolutely catastrophic for ordinary people. Without external intervention, that state was almost irreversible.
Seeing Green sneer, Meli thought he didn't believe her.
The little girl pouted, her voice half-aggrieved and half-defiant:
"You blind fellow, whether it's turning into a dog or getting beaten, do whatever you want!"
Green snapped out of it, slowly bent down, and reached his left hand toward the top of Meli's head.
Though Meli talked tough, she felt an instinctive wariness toward Green.
Her eyes snapped shut, her long eyelashes trembling with nervousness, and even her breathing slowed.
The next second, Green's palm landed gently on the top of her head. With a warm touch, he gently smoothed her messy hair, his tone unusually soft.
"I didn't mean to blame you, Meli. You did very well this time."
This girl was only focused on buying dresses. If she got her hair done too, she would probably look no different from a young lady of a great family.
Meli snapped her eyes open, her clear gaze still holding a lingering trace of fear.
It took a moment for Green's words to register, and the stubbornness she had been forcing up mostly collapsed instantly.
She turned her face away and muttered, "It seems you're not completely blind yet."
Elsa watched this scene, her smile gaining a touch of genuine softness as she spoke slowly.
"Meli-chan really has been tamed."
Hearing this, Meli indignantly slapped Green's hand away.
"If I had known, I would have let the Black-winged Bat bite him to death yesterday. Now that he's escaped, there will definitely be constant trouble later."
Green comforted her: "Don't worry, there won't be any trouble. That man's soul has already completely taken the shape of a dog."
These were meant to be soothing words, but as they fell, Elsa and Meli both froze, and the surrounding air instantly grew heavy.
They had both thought Green had merely used some minor trick to disturb the man's mind, making the drunkard crazy for a few days at most; they hadn't thought any deeper.
Seeing their expressions were off, Green was full of confusion: "Did I say something wrong?"
Meli, being outspoken, asked directly: "Do you mean that guy will think he's a dog for the rest of his life?"
Green nodded stiffly: "Unless it's undone, that should be the case."
Elsa's smile faded, replaced by a touch of solemnity. She slowly paced two steps around Green, and when she looked up at him, her gaze was complex and hard to read:
"Green-kun, you are really similar to 'Mother.' You both possess eerie and unpredictable abilities. She can transform a person's body into a lower organism, while you transform a person's soul..."
Green gave a wicked smile: "I actually have other ways to train... er, turn a person into a dog. Do you want to find out?"