Chapter 7: The Seed of Suspicion

Rona’s attention successfully diverted from her, allowing Xiluo’er to exhale with relief. To prevent revealing too many tells before this woman of terrifying intuition, Xiluo’er could only bury her head in her food while Eve and Rona conversed.

“Is there still no trace, no clue at all, regarding the missing persons cases in Kana City?”

Eve’s question prompted a disheartened sigh from Rona.

“Though I’m reluctant to admit it… that’s indeed the case.”

“Nevertheless, I won’t give up. No matter what, this time I will get to the bottom of this investigation.”

Rona’s tone sounded resolute.

Eve nodded gently.

“Mm, just don’t overexert yourself.”

“Rona, it’s not just that the City Guard’s patrols have intensified; you yourself seem quite invested in these disappearance cases.”

At her words, Rona clenched her fist. “Of course, after all… ah, never mind.”

After shaking her head, Rona stood up.

“I’ll be heading off, Eve. My patrol isn’t over yet.”

“Once I’m done with patrol, I plan to go back and sift through the clues for the missing persons cases again.”

Eve hummed in acknowledgment and nodded.

After casually smoothing down her knight’s uniform, Rona patted Xiluo’er’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m off then. Bye-bye, Xiluo’er.”

“Ah… mm. Bye-bye, Big Sister Rona.”

Xiluo’er’s body subtly stiffened for a barely perceptible moment before she quickly replied.

Only after Rona’s retreating figure vanished from the Adventurers’ Guild entrance did Xiluo’er swallow the last mouthful of food.

“Big Sister Eve, I’m finished eating. I’ll head back to my room now.”

“Go on.”

Xiluo’er obediently rose, pushed her chair in, and headed towards the second floor of the guild.

Resting her chin in her hand, Eve watched Xiluo’er’s small figure, her thoughts beginning to wander.

‘This little one… seems quite the eater?’

‘At least, Xiluo’er seemed to have been engrossed in her meal just now.’

For some reason, Eve suddenly felt as though she were raising a small pet.

A faint curve touched the corner of her lips, though Eve herself didn’t seem to notice it.

****

She ascended the stairs, traversed the corridor, and entered her room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Xiluo’er’s body instantly straightened against the wall.

Her hand reached towards her shoulder, retrieving something from that spot.

Opening her hand before her, a small, brown seed lay nestled in the center of her palm.

Xiluo’er’s expression grew complex.

‘As expected—’

‘It appears Rona truly has grown suspicious of me.’

Recalling the scene of Rona patting her shoulder just before leaving, Xiluo’er sighed.

‘Discreetly planting something on an assassin is hardly a simple feat.’

However, Xiluo’er had to admit that an ordinary person might genuinely not have noticed Rona’s subtle move.

Weighing the seed in her hand, Xiluo’er clicked her tongue.

‘A Starblue Flower seed, indeed a clever trick.’

Xiluo’er recognized this type of seed. Though it was an ordinary seed, Starblue Flower seeds possessed an additional use.

It could record auras. If one carried a Starblue Flower seed, not only the carrier’s aura but also the auras of those they intimately interacted with would cling to the seed.

However, very few people knew about this particular function. Even if discovered, most would simply assume it had accidentally stuck to their clothes.

Coincidentally, Xiluo’er was among the small fraction of people aware of the Starblue Flower seed’s true purpose.

After all, in the game, Starblue Flower seeds with this function were classified as special items.

And she, Xiluo’er, in her previous life, had been a “dedicated high-level player willing to spend time delving into game mechanics.”

‘Alright, to put it plainly, a shut-in who could only play games in their free time.’

Xiluo’er cautiously pulled open her bedside drawer and placed the seed inside.

‘Fortunately, I discovered it. Otherwise, if I had gone to meet my contact tonight with such a seed, I would have been doomed.’

‘However, this is also a good opportunity.’

‘Since I’ve perfectly seen through Rona’s plan, couldn’t I turn around and use this seed to my advantage?’

At this thought, Xiluo’er let out another helpless sigh.

‘Seriously, how did I get suspected so quickly?’

‘Then again, it makes sense. If this were the original storyline, my interactions with Rona wouldn’t have been this extensive at all.’

‘After all, in the original plot, at this point in time, Xiluo’er and Eve weren’t even acquainted yet!’

‘Does that mean my being taken in by Eve earlier led to me encountering Rona prematurely, thus creating a butterfly effect?’

‘This is tricky.’

Xiluo’er angrily pounded her pillow with her small hands.

‘It seems I’ll need to be even more careful and discreet with my actions from now on.’

****

At midnight, in the Adventurers’ Guild’s backyard.

Xiluo’er crept cautiously along the wall.

Gone was the timid demeanor she displayed before Eve. Now, Xiluo’er was like a short blade hidden in the shadows, its sharp edge concealed.

It merely awaited the opportune moment to strike, a flash of cold light signaling a deadly intent.

Xiluo’er wore a long, black cloak and a plain, unadorned mask on her face.

This was her attire as an assassin.

The crisp moonlight, the sole source of illumination, spilled into the backyard. Xiluo’er immediately spotted the cloaked figure standing there.

‘It seems this is the contact.’

Xiluo’er slowly emerged from the shadows, walking towards the contact.

She wasn’t worried that the other party would discover her gender identity, as almost no one knew her true identity.

Within the cult known as the Chaos Sect, her identity was kept entirely secret.

Her gender, age, name, and appearance—none of this information was known to anyone except her “direct superior.”

Even within the cult, she operated solely by a codename, taking orders directly from the High Priest.

‘If not for such a clandestine identity, how could she have been assigned a mission as an infiltrator?’

“You’ve arrived, Cat’s Tail.”

Watching Xiluo’er step out of the shadows, the cloaked figure showed no extraneous reaction, merely speaking in a detached tone.

“Cat’s Tail” was Xiluo’er’s designation within the Chaos Sect.

The cloaked figure’s entire face was hidden beneath the dark garments, and their voice was sharp and peculiar, making it impossible to discern their gender.

Xiluo’er quietly composed herself, nodded, and said nothing further.

“I am the contact arranged by the Sect in Kana City. You may call me Shadow.”

“While that is true, I am only responsible for liaising with you within Kana City. There is no hierarchical relationship between us.”

The Chaos Sect was considered a cult with a relatively wide sphere of influence and scale. It was rumored that they worshipped an evil god, operating in various locations to resurrect him.

Such a degree of infiltration by the Chaos Sect in Kana City was, in fact, quite normal.

Even in the game, Xiluo’er had encountered traces of the Chaos Sect’s activities in the various quests she undertook.