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Join the ServerAfter hearing Nightmare’s explanation, Xiluo’er nodded, finally understanding the true situation within the Chaos Cult.
No wonder Shadow’s attitude towards her had always felt rather poor. So, this was the root of the problem!
Xiluo’er couldn’t help but feel a little aggrieved. She hadn’t even known about the factions within the Chaos Cult, yet she was already enduring the workplace pressure caused by their power struggles.
However, regarding the so-called “Arrivalists” and “Dominators,” Xiluo’er could still comprehend the situation, despite a strange sense of déjà vu.
After all, even if the Chaos Cult was utterly deranged, it couldn’t achieve complete unity of purpose. Moreover, human greed knew no bounds; there would always be those blinded by profit, seeking to wield greater power for themselves.
Yet, in Xiluo’er’s eyes, there was no real difference between these two factions. They were all cultists, after all.
So, that…
Nightmare, standing nearby, spoke again in a timid voice, “So, I just feel that you are the Grand Priest’s confidante. Although I am your leader in Lund City, we don’t really have a clear superior-subordinate relationship, do we? So, I have no right to order you around.”
“It’s only because of this, you know. I wasn’t being like this to butter you up or anything…”
Xiluo’er: ‘…’
She was utterly speechless.
“What about the intelligence for this operation? What exactly are we after? And where in the East District is it located?”
Xiluo’er didn’t care if Nightmare was trying to curry favor with her. She was merely biding her time, planning to resign and escape the Chaos Cult eventually. No amount of coaxing from Nightmare would change that.
However, after speaking with Nightmare, Xiluo’er’s intuition told her that Nightmare was definitely a person with a hidden past.
This was an assassin’s intuition. Xiluo’er felt that Nightmare was different from those who joined the Chaos Cult purely for power or to worship evil gods.
It was like a two-hundred-pound, socially anxious person suddenly appearing at a gym one day, diligently pursuing rapid weight loss—it just screamed of a story behind it, didn’t it?
Nightmare evoked the same feeling in Xiluo’er due to the incongruity of her presence within the Chaos Cult.
If Xiluo’er could learn more about this person’s background later, she might consider having a longer conversation with her.
“Hmm…” Nightmare scratched her head. “As for the specific intelligence, let’s discuss it once you arrive at the Cult’s stronghold in the East District.”
“Wait, now? You mean you plan to act tonight?”
Nightmare waved her hand in exasperation.
“I don’t want to work overtime either, but this item is supposedly very important to The Erudite Club. They’ll surely send people to snatch it immediately.”
“If I’m too slow, I probably won’t even get a drop of the spoils tomorrow.”
“Well, it’s not really about whether we get it or not. The main thing is to act early to show my dedication to this matter…”
Though her voice was faint, Xiluo’er still caught Nightmare’s final mumbled words.
****
The dark dream gradually shattered, and the girl returned from the dream to reality.
“Ugh, this is such a hassle. Can’t The Erudite Club just snatch the item already? That way, I wouldn’t have to bother with this anymore.”
Murmuring softly, the girl tidied her clothes, then pushed open the adjacent door and stepped out.
The area the girl was in now did not seem to be a prosperous part of Lund City. Rather, the surrounding environment resembled a slum more than a metropolitan city.
Without the tall buildings to obscure it, a solitary bright moon hung in the sky.
Under the crisp moonlight, the girl immediately spotted the figure of a black-robed person standing not far away beneath a tree.
“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting, did I? I had some other matters to attend to…”
Nightmare apologized, scratching the back of her head as she walked towards the tree.
“No matter.”
The person beneath the tree wore a black cloak, and on their mask, several red lines symmetrically extended outwards. Combined with the mask’s shape, it bore a striking resemblance to a spider.
If Xiluo’er were here, she would have instantly recognized that the person standing beneath the tree was none other than Irene, the Red Spider.
“Um, my subordinates should have already told you about the details of the commission. There shouldn’t be any issues, right?”
Nightmare addressed Irene with the same polite attitude Xiluo’er had witnessed in the dream.
“It’s merely helping your Chaos Cult for a period. I take on many such long-term mercenary commissions; there are no problems.”
Irene shrugged, shifting her posture as she leaned against the tree.
“More than that, I’m actually curious as to why your Chaos Cult would commission outsiders to help you complete a mission.”
Nightmare gave an awkward laugh.
“Although that’s true, the Cult is currently rather short-handed in Lund City. If those few executives who went to intercept were still around, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble…”
Nightmare sighed, a pang of heartache evident in her voice, seemingly grieving for her three deceased colleagues. However, looking at the practical side, she was probably just upset that her workload had increased after their demise.
“In any case, tonight marks our first collaboration. Please bear with me.”
Irene stared silently at Nightmare for a long moment before finally smiling and speaking.
“Honestly, you don’t really seem like someone from the Chaos Cult. There’s quite a contrast.”
“However, I’ve met people with an even greater contrast in your Cult recently, so it doesn’t really matter.”
“It’s just about snatching back something The Erudite Club lost from some thug in the East District; it’s no big deal. As long as you can ensure your people tie down The Erudite Club members, I’m confident I can have a ‘good talk’ with the thug who has the item.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Nightmare looked at Irene gratefully. While her original intention was to slack off, she would be delighted if the mission could genuinely be accomplished.
“But speaking of which, I’m also a little curious why you accepted my commission so readily.”
“Even the Shadow Kill Group usually wouldn’t offend both The Erudite Club and the Destiny Observation Society simultaneously, would they? Besides, many people harbor a slight apprehension towards our Chaos Cult.”
Though curious, Nightmare was actually testing Irene’s intentions. After all, if something went wrong with the commissioned person…
Wouldn’t her superior chew her out?
Upon hearing Nightmare’s question, Irene suddenly burst into a cheerful laugh.
“It’s fine, I don’t care, as long as the money is right.”
Hearing Irene’s words, Nightmare also laughed cheerfully.
“Alright, alright, as long as the job gets done, money is no issue.”
Nightmare wasn’t bothered by the cost of the money; it would be deducted from the Cult’s allocated funds anyway.
Thus, beneath the moonlit trees, a cultist from the Chaos Cult and an assassin from the Shadow Kill Group—two individuals plotting to snatch something from The Erudite Club—shared happy laughter, as if they were close friends chatting.
Well, then.
Irene suddenly stopped laughing, raising her head with a touch of emotion.
“Actually, there’s another reason. Because of someone, I need to stay in Lund City for a while longer.”
“I’m looking for a person—so I had someone help me with a divination. She said that if I stay here longer, there might be a result. So, I haven’t left yet.”
Irene reached out and patted Nightmare’s shoulder.
“So, don’t worry. I just figured since I’m staying anyway, I might as well find something to do. Rest assured, I’m very trustworthy when it comes to commissions.”
Irene herself was as cunning as a mischievous imp, and she naturally understood the underlying meaning of Nightmare’s question.
“I won’t harbor any ulterior motives towards your Chaos Cult. In fact, after spending some time with a rather interesting person from your Cult recently, I actually have a good impression of you all.”
Irene flashed her classic, impish smile. Though hidden behind her mask, Nightmare couldn’t see it.
For no apparent reason, Xiluo’er suddenly shivered.
It was like the classic saying—sneezing when someone talks ill of you behind your back. Xiluo’er just inexplicably felt a chill down her spine.
However, Xiluo’er didn’t pay much attention to it. She was currently sneaking open the door to Eve’s adjacent room and peering inside.
The room was pitch black, and Eve’s figure was nowhere to be seen on the bed. Was Eve not planning to come back to sleep yet?
Since she was going to work overtime with Nightmare, Xiluo’er planned to confirm the situation before leaving, to avoid a repeat of being caught when she returned from her late-night chat in Belen’s room last time.
Yet, she had already met Nightmare in a dream after returning to her room. That was equivalent to having slept once, but Eve still hadn’t returned. Even if she was doing divination, it shouldn’t take this long, right?
“Xiluo’er.”
But Xiluo’er suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her, and this time, it was a genuine chill down her spine.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah?”
Xiluo’er gave an awkward laugh, shaking her head at Eve. “Nothing, just wanted to see if Sister Eve was asleep.”
How strange. Why did Eve always appear at precisely the wrong moment?
“Hmm, actually, I’m going out later to help Lady Turing with something. Even if I do sleep tonight, it’ll probably be very late when I get back.”
Eve gently stroked Xiluo’er’s head, flashing a smile.
“It’s alright. If not today, then we can try again tomorrow.”
Well, Eve had clearly misunderstood Xiluo’er’s intention of peering into her room from the doorway.
Xiluo’er didn’t understand why Eve would say such things to her, but her intuition told her it was best not to speak now, or something bad might happen later.
“Um, well, then I’ll go back to my room to sleep, Sister Eve.”
Without another word, Xiluo’er slipped away.
It was good that Eve was going out. This way, Xiluo’er wouldn’t have to worry about being caught when she went to meet Nightmare for overtime tonight.
However, Eve mentioned helping Turing, which meant her overtime task might be the same as Xiluo’er’s.
Xiluo’er actually didn’t care. She wasn’t going to genuinely help the Chaos Cult. It would be foolish to go snatch things with Eve.
Slacking off was simply too good.
Watching Xiluo’er return to her room, Eve shook her head and descended the stairs again.
Eve felt that Xiluo’er was the delicate type—saying no with her mouth, but her body was always honest.
In the downstairs hall, Ellen and several other witches were already there.
“I’m ready, Lady Ellen.”
“So, based on Lady Turing’s intelligence, we just need to go directly to the East District and retrieve the item, right?”
In Eve’s opinion, this matter wasn’t particularly troublesome. It was just about finding a lost item, and The Erudite Club had already clarified all the details.
But to her surprise, Ellen shook her head.
“While that is indeed how it should be, Miss Eve.”
“However, I have a plan—a plan for maximizing profit.”
“I’ll make some arrangements shortly, and then we’ll depart.” Ellen wore a mysterious smile, holding a crystal ball in her hand. Clearly, she intended to bring it with her.
Eve hesitated for a moment, then pointed to Ganar, who was resting on a nearby chair, looking pale.
“Um, Lady Ellen, is she coming with us too?”
In Eve’s view, someone in Ganar’s condition should normally be bedridden. If they were truly taking her along, wouldn’t she just be a liability?
Forget fighting; Eve felt Ganar could barely stand right now.
“No, this level of operation doesn’t require Ganar to come along.”
Ellen shook her head, though her answer was somewhat different from what Eve had expected.
What did she mean by “doesn’t require”?
“Aila, come with me for a moment. I have something I need to discuss with you privately.”
“Ah, oh, alright, Lady Ellen.” Aila, who had been standing silently, seemingly immersed in plotting a novel, was abruptly pulled from her thoughts by Ellen’s words. She followed Ellen into a separate room. After entering, Aila watched as Ellen casually locked the door and then stood quietly before her.
“Lady Ellen?”
Seeing Ellen remain silent, Aila blinked, somewhat confused.
“Sigh.”
Ellen suddenly let out a sigh.
“Aila, that assassin from the Shadow Kill Group who took our commission a while ago.”
“Didn’t you do a divination for her?” Ellen asked, her tone somewhat complex.
Aila, who had been full of doubt moments before, immediately lowered her head guiltily upon hearing this question.
Though Aila said nothing, Ellen understood the answer from her demeanor.
“That assassin, when she first accepted the commission, Aila, she offered to exchange part of her reward for a divination from me. Do you know why I refused her?”
“Destiny is not something where the more you know, the better. I saw the trajectory of her fate lines, and not doing that divination for her was actually the best outcome. If she had known the fate she sought, the trajectory of her future would have fallen into an abyss of no return.”
Hearing Ellen’s helpless words, Aila buried her head even lower.
“I apologize, Lady Ellen.”
“It’s because that assassin pestered me for a long time privately. I truly couldn’t resist her, so I reluctantly performed a divination for her.”
At this, Aila cautiously raised her head a little.
“However, my divination skills are not as good as yours. The result she received was also vague. Will that make it less problematic?”
Ellen gently shook her head and said, “Aila, among all the observers, your divination magic is the best I’ve taught. Although observing fate lines is an ability that cannot be acquired through learning, you shouldn’t belittle yourself.”
“It’s alright, Aila, this isn’t your fault. Perhaps her destiny was simply meant to be this way. And it was wrong of me to think I could change her destiny through divination.”
“Even without the divination, perhaps she would have chosen to stay in Lund City anyway.”
Ellen sighed.
“Let’s go. It’s time to prepare for tonight’s operation. This matter ends here.”
****
Previously, in Karna City, Xiluo’er had become quite familiar with the city’s nightscape. However, she hadn’t truly appreciated Lund City’s night view.
If Xiluo’er were to compare the differences between the nightscapes of Lund City and Karna City, she would say the biggest distinction was probably the darkness.
Unlike the pitch-black nights of Karna City, Lund City’s streets, besides the lights from homes, were illuminated by numerous streetlights powered by engraved magic formations, a part of its infrastructure.
This was Lund City, a city renowned as a metropolis. Its prosperity was vividly demonstrated in such details.
Breathing in the cool night air, Xiluo’er stood at the entrance of the photography studio, briefly observing her surroundings.
Although she was staying at the Destiny Observation Society’s hidden mansion, the Snail House, Ellen hadn’t restricted her or Eve’s movements. This freedom had made Xiluo’er’s actions much more convenient.
There was nothing unusual outside the photography studio. It seemed Ellen and Eve’s group had already departed. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Xiluo’er had deliberately waited about fifteen minutes after Eve and the others left before making her move.
However, this also meant she had to act quickly, as she was already a step behind her competitors.
As she swiftly moved through the nightscape of Lund City, another impression the city gave Xiluo’er was that, due to the generally tall buildings, it was rather difficult to take shortcuts by traversing through the air.
If it were like Karna City, with its low walls in the alleys, it would have been much more convenient.
Once she started moving through the city, Xiluo’er’s obstacles weren’t the buildings. As she navigated the city, Xiluo’er recalled the layout of Lund City’s East District in her mind.
While it technically fell within Lund City’s boundaries, the East District bore no relation to the word “prosperous metropolis.”
The East District was Lund City’s lower district, or rather, a slum-like area.
No matter how prosperous a city, it could never be entirely without poor people. However, unlike other cities, the poor in Lund City were more concentrated—mostly found in the East District.
Xiluo’er remembered the state of the East District in the game’s map of Lund City.
The dilapidated buildings and makeshift temporary shelters for vagrants, as well as vast shantytowns… That environment was a world apart from Lund City’s West District.
Soon, Xiluo’er reached the boundary between Lund City’s West and East Districts: the wide Tainy River that separated the two.
After crossing the bridge, she would be in the East District.
Unlike the West District, when Xiluo’er peered eastward from the bridge, her vision was met only with darkness. Yet, behind her, the distant twinkling lights were clearly visible.
This was the most direct visual disparity between the two districts.
Looking at the bridge before her, Xiluo’er couldn’t help but sigh.
Although she had planned to slack off from the beginning, working overtime was truly exhausting.
Strolling through the streets of the East District, Xiluo’er observed her surroundings.
Honestly, the streets of the East District weren’t exactly “clean.” There were always vagrants sleeping on the streets. Some who hadn’t fully fallen asleep would hide in distant corners, peering at Xiluo’er’s approaching figure.
Xiluo’er could feel their scattered gazes, but she didn’t care. Dressed in a cloak and mask, she wasn’t the usual Xiluo’er. If these people harbored ill intentions and tried anything after her mission, it would simply be a death wish.
However, this place was indeed a melting pot of good and bad, making it an excellent choice for the Chaos Cult to hide its stronghold.
After searching among the dilapidated streets and houses for a while, Xiluo’er finally found the Cult’s stronghold based on the marker Nightmare had given her.
‘Have I arrived?’
Looking at the dilapidated house before her, Xiluo’er took a deep breath.
Unlike Karna City, where the Chaos Cult ultimately consisted only of her and Shadow, here, the Cult even had a stable stronghold.
This also meant Xiluo’er couldn’t openly oppose the Cult without restraint, as she had in Karna City; doing so would easily expose her.
Xiluo’er had to admit, the Chaos Cult’s stronghold was exceptionally well-disguised. At least from an assassin’s perspective, Xiluo’er felt the place was perfectly camouflaged—from the outside, it was impossible to tell that anyone lived inside.
Speaking of which, this was her first meeting with Nightmare in real life—the previous encounter at the inn didn’t count.
They had met several times in dreams before, so did this count as an online meeting now?
Xiluo’er’s fanciful thoughts didn’t last.
Because at that moment, her mind had no room left to ponder such useless questions.
A dagger materialized almost instantly in Xiluo’er’s hand. Without a trace of hesitation, Xiluo’er struck at a tricky angle diagonally behind her body.
Until just now—until she knocked on the door with the agreed-upon secret signal—Xiluo’er had indeed been thinking about these trivial matters.
But the moment she stepped into the utterly unlit house, Xiluo’er sensed something was wrong.
An assassin’s keen observational skills immediately made her realize that the house before her was amiss, very amiss.
Someone was ambushing her in the dark.
Thus, the dagger sliced through the darkness, emitting a cold glint. Xiluo’er’s strike was aimed at the area behind the door, diagonally behind her body—someone was definitely there at that moment.
The instant she struck, a question arose in Xiluo’er’s mind.
‘Why would someone ambush her here? Isn’t this the Cult’s stronghold?’
‘Could it be that the Chaos Cult had already discovered her betrayal but deliberately kept it secret, all to set a trap for her today, coaxing her to walk right into it?’
‘That wasn’t impossible; after all, the Cult genuinely lost something. Xiluo’er herself had seen them lose it that afternoon.’
Xiluo’er didn’t have time to consider too many possibilities; the battle had already begun silently.
Though her reaction was swift, Xiluo’er’s strike missed. She instinctively wanted to rush out of the house, but unfortunately, the door slammed shut with a “bang.”
It seemed there were people hidden not only behind the door but also on the other side of the entrance—that person had just closed the door.
‘More than one opponent. This seems a bit troublesome.’
Xiluo’er didn’t hesitate. Since the entrance was blocked, she immediately retreated towards another wall.
This way, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about someone ambushing her from behind.
Leaning against the wall, Xiluo’er observed the darkness before her, a frown creasing her brow.
‘Something’s wrong. That strike just now missed. Something’s definitely off.’
There were many reasons why a dagger might miss its target, such as being blocked or dodged. But this miss was an entirely different situation.
The dagger’s trajectory had been forcibly altered mid-air, preventing it from striking the opponent.
Simply put, Xiluo’er had misfired.
This feeling was somewhat familiar to Xiluo’er; she had encountered a similar situation when fighting Shadow in Karna City.
Shadow had subtly shifted her attack using his shadows, causing her strike to miss. The current situation was very similar to that, except this time she didn’t detect Shadow’s energy.
The difference was also obvious.
Xiluo’er tried making two small, empty swings with her dagger, feeling the lines the blade traced through the air.
Firstly, her “misfire” just now felt incredibly natural, as if the dagger’s trajectory was always meant to be that way, destined not to hit anyone.
It wasn’t like this when Shadow fought her; Xiluo’er could sense that something was amiss when her attacks were artificially deflected by Shadow.
Secondly, Xiluo’er felt traces of magic being activated. This meant that someone had used some kind of magic to interfere with her attack.
Without further hesitation, and before the opponent’s attack could arrive, Xiluo’er launched another offensive. Throwing knives rapidly shot from her sleeves towards several potential hiding spots within the room.
As an assassin, Xiluo’er’s night vision was quite good. After releasing the throwing knives, Xiluo’er fixated on their trajectories.
Sure enough, several of the throwing knives “naturally” veered off course in mid-air, away from Xiluo’er’s original estimated positions.
Now, Xiluo’er was almost certain of her opponent’s method.
No mistake. This method of altering “destiny” must be Destiny Magic.
‘This is quite a headache.’
Although she had figured out her opponent’s means, Xiluo’er didn’t have much understanding of Destiny Magic’s practical combat effectiveness.
After all, Destiny Magic was a rather peculiar branch on the great tree of magic.
When playing the game, Xiluo’er hadn’t delved much into destiny-related skills, as Destiny Magic was mostly useless for offensive purposes in actual combat. The game required numerical values to defeat monsters.
Most applications of Destiny Magic in the game were probably just for increasing luck or similar effects.
Now, encountering this magic in real combat, Xiluo’er was momentarily at a loss as to how to respond.
And were the people ambushing her truly from the Chaos Cult? Were there still people in the Chaos Cult researching Destiny Magic?
However, the enemy clearly wouldn’t give Xiluo’er time to devise a countermeasure.
Before Xiluo’er’s eyes had fully adapted to the dark environment, two figures, one from the left and one from the right, darted out of the darkness, forming a pincer attack against Xiluo’er.
But this level of sneak attack was hardly enough to faze Xiluo’er, an assassin.
She ducked low, then pushed off with her leg.
Xiluo’er instantly reacted.
She could dart out from between them before their physical attacks at such speed could reach her.
‘Two people attacking at once, that actually makes it easier for me to use my strength and escape through the door.’
In Xiluo’er’s opinion, they should have at least left one person to guard the door; that would have been the correct choice.
But her confident plan encountered a problem at the very first step of execution.
Xiluo’er had prepared to rush out, but just as she exerted force, her foot somehow tripped.
In an instant, her foot naturally acquired the fate of tripping on flat ground.
‘Oh!’
‘Damn it!’
She truly lacked practical experience with Destiny Magic and hadn’t anticipated such a move from her opponent.
‘Tripping on flat ground! How utterly humiliating!’
Since she couldn’t rush out, Xiluo’er was naturally apprehended by the two figures who lunged at her.
The moment she was caught, Xiluo’er heard the figure from her right, who had pounced on her, angrily exclaim,
“Why did you throw those throwing knives so casually? Aren’t the lives of throwing knives lives too?”
Xiluo’er: ‘…’
‘Why does that statement sound so familiar?’
Having successfully ambushed their target, Aila and Natasha naturally no longer needed to hide in the dark room. So, they lit a lamp before the unlucky, cloaked person, who was now tied securely to a chair.
“Speak! Did you ever consider the throwing knives? You just threw them out like that; did you consider their feelings?”
Looking at Natasha, who was angrily questioning her, Xiluo’er really wanted to reach out and sigh deeply—but unfortunately, her hands were tied to the chair, making movement rather difficult.
As for sighing, Xiluo’er felt that if she did, the very angry Natasha might come over and punch her a couple of times, so she wisely remained silent.
However, in reality, she really wanted to ask the two witches before her a very crucial, very crucial question.
‘Why are you witches here?!’
Xiluo’er didn’t think she was directionally challenged and shouldn’t have taken a wrong turn. She should have entered the Chaos Cult’s stronghold, and even if ambushed, her attackers should have been Chaos Cult members—but what was this neurotic witch doing here?
Firstly, shouldn’t Ellen and Irene have gone off to find the item? Why did they suddenly switch to an offensive stance and come to suppress bandits?
Secondly, Ellen and the others left only about fifteen minutes earlier than her, right? Moreover, she had followed Ellen’s instructions all the way here without any trouble. How was it that as soon as she entered, these witches had already cleared out the stronghold and were waiting to ambush?
‘No way? The Chaos Cult is a major evil cult, after all. Is this all the strength they have?’
Finally, while Xiluo’er admitted that Nightmare seemed to be slacking off, she shouldn’t have made such a serious work oversight. How could the Cult’s stronghold have been leaked?
These questions swirled in Xiluo’er’s mind, ultimately only able to transform into a small sigh, quietly released when Natasha’s voice was loud.
‘This is a huge problem now!’
Being caught dressed like this, sneaking into the Chaos Cult’s stronghold in the middle of the night—she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River. Although Eve didn’t seem to be here, that was at least a small mercy.
The problem was, Xiluo’er didn’t remember a storyline in the game where the Destiny Observation Society cleared out a Chaos Cult stronghold and captured an internal informant.
So why was she encountering such a situation tonight?
Lost in thought, Xiluo’er suddenly realized something, and her confusion instantly vanished.
Xiluo’er suddenly remembered that at this point in the original story, she and Eve were not even in Lund City!
No wonder she had no impression of this so-called confrontation between the Chaos Cult and the Destiny Observation Society—because this plotline simply didn’t exist in the game!
In the game, when this event happened, a severely wounded Eve should have just escaped from Kari and returned to Karna City, where she would recuperate for a period before coming to Lund City for other reasons.
This meant that even if the Chaos Cult stronghold in Lund City was taken down by the Destiny Observation Society at this time, it had nothing to do with her.
‘Damn it, does that mean I came at the wrong time?’
Having figured this out, Xiluo’er finally couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh right in front of Natasha.
This was not what she had anticipated!
“Natasha, stop yelling for now. Let’s get to business.”
Aila’s words from the side made Xiluo’er’s body tense instantly. If these two really found out who she was, she would truly be doomed today.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”
Even with the sound-distorting magic engraved on her mask, Xiluo’er’s voice still carried a hint of panic.
“Don’t touch me yet! You can ask anything; I’ll confess everything!”
Hearing this, Aila and Natasha exchanged confused glances.
“But we weren’t planning to ask you anything anyway?”
The two had simply come with Ellen to clear out the cultists’ stronghold and, incidentally, to see if they could catch any more members returning to the stronghold by waiting. They hadn’t planned for an interrogation session.
‘Ah, this…’
Xiluo’er was stunned. It seemed that was indeed the case.
“Natasha, take off her mask first.”
“Alright.”
Seeing Natasha reach out to remove the mask from her face, Xiluo’er truly panicked.
She absolutely could not let these two see what she looked like!
Xiluo’er instinctively tried to lean back to avoid Natasha’s hand, but unfortunately, her range of movement was severely limited while tied to the chair.
“Don’t touch me yet! I have something to say to your leader!”
“I, *cough, cough*, I won’t tell you anything! Unless I see your leader, I’ll only speak to her alone!”
Natasha’s smile faltered.
‘We already said we weren’t going to ask you anything.’
Xiluo’er felt like crying but had no tears. She had no experience as a captive; how was she supposed to know what to say at a time like this?
She couldn’t exactly say, “I know your boss, Ellen. Give me some face; don’t touch me yet. I need to talk to your boss,” could she?
Xiluo’er now desperately wished Ellen had come with them to suppress this bandit. Because Ellen knew her identity, if Ellen were here, she would still have a chance.
Xiluo’er racked her brain, thinking about how to get these two to call Ellen over without revealing her relationship with Ellen.
“Besides, what do you mean? Why can you talk to Ellen, but not to us? Are you looking down on us? Aren’t our lives lives too?”
Natasha’s tone suddenly shifted, and an angry expression reappeared on her face.
Aila, who had been stroking her chin and contemplating, looking at Xiluo’er for a long time, suddenly spoke up, “What do you think of a story about an assassin who was originally commissioned to assassinate a villain, but accidentally killed a neighboring nobleman instead, and was then forced to embark on a journey of escape?”
Xiluo’er: ‘…’
Now she was truly at a loss.
It was already difficult enough to figure out how to get these two witches to call Ellen. But since witches were such an eccentric race, the communication barrier was even greater.
Xiluo’er now felt as though a thick, impenetrable barrier, named “communication breakdown,” had formed between her and the people before her.
But just then, Xiluo’er suddenly heard a clear and elegant voice from the side.
“Natasha, Aila, did you two catch anyone?”
Turning her head with the two of them towards the source of the voice, Xiluo’er immediately trembled with excitement.
It was Ellen! She really did come along!
Xiluo’er noticed an open, dark door leading underground beside Ellen. It seemed she had just come up from there.
It appeared that the true nature of this place, as the Chaos Cult’s stronghold, was that cellar.
‘So Ellen did come along after all!’
‘Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!’
Facing Ellen, Xiluo’er didn’t dare to call her by name directly to let her know who she was. After all, it would be very strange for a random assassin to know the leader of the Destiny Observation Society, and Xiluo’er couldn’t reveal any flaws in front of the two.
However, Xiluo’er’s strange behavior naturally caught Ellen’s attention. After glancing at Xiluo’er for three seconds, Ellen casually withdrew her gaze.
“Who is this person?”
“We caught her just now while waiting to ambush. Lady Ellen, should we lock her in the cellar and continue to ambush Chaos Cult members who return to this stronghold?”
In response to Aila’s question, Ellen shook her head.
“No need. That’s not the main focus tonight.”
“You two go down and help me check if the Chaos Cult members we just caught are properly restrained.”
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