Isolde spoke as she reached out, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of her teacup.
“You are a clever collaborator, Miss Isolde.”
Ur tilted his mask, which was hidden in the polite shadows, seemingly quite appreciative of her composure.
Then, he spoke in a tone that was almost a whisper:
“However, before this dangerous revenge plan begins, I have a piece of information here that might save you a lot of trouble.”
Isolde lifted her gaze to look at him, her fingers stopping on the rim of the cup, gesturing for him to continue.
“Tomorrow night, the Grey Dove Monastery will transport a batch of high-tier holy artifacts to the Holy Court's main city. Among them is an item that I believe is crucial for you to complete the last wishes.”
Isolde was puzzled. “What is it?”
“The Mooncrown Lock,” Ur uttered slowly.
Just as his voice fell, Isolde's palm suddenly burned again.
The contract mark formed by the Mooncrown Unicorn's Echo of Last Wishes seemed to react strongly to those three words.
Ur leaned back elegantly against his chair, the bizarre smile on his mask looking quite smug.
“It is a chain forged by melting down the horn cores of several young unicorns. It can lock away hatred, curses, and all emotions related to darkness. Anyone who obtains it can purify all evil in the world.”
Isolde was almost driven to laughter by the absurdity. “A lock made from unicorn horn cores, used to lock away darkness?”
“The Holy Court certainly knows how to make full use of everything.”
Ur said in a low voice, “To the Holy Court, that is not cruelty; it is sacred utilization.”
Isolde did not reply, but the contract mark on her palm grew hotter and hotter.
She looked at Ur. “So you mean, if I want to complete the last wishes, I have to go to the Grey Dove Monastery and steal the Mooncrown Lock?”
Ur: “I am merely providing a reasonable suggestion.”
Isolde: “Reasonable enough to happen to require me to go to my death?”
Ur: “My noble lady, you cannot evaluate after-sales service like that.”
Isolde smiled. “Then how should I evaluate it?”
Ur said seriously, “Dangerous, but precise.”
Isolde was noncommittal. She picked up her teacup and took a slow sip.
As the hot tea washed down her throat, her mind cooled down again.
She definitely had to go to the Grey Dove Monastery, but she couldn't just barge in.
Her current home advantage was at Crow Candle Castle. If she left, she would be nothing but a squishy Soul Stitcher.
She needed more intelligence.
“How many people are in the Grey Dove Monastery?” Isolde asked.
“One hundred and thirty resident nuns, eleven clergy members, five hundred and forty guardian knights. The Mooncrown Lock is placed in the Quiet Bone Prayer Room, where security is extremely tight.” Ur glanced at her. “A Silver-Robed Inquisitor is in charge of guarding it.”
Having said this, Ur looked up at her.
“This type of person specifically counters darkness, the undead, curses, evil arts, and corruption. Given your current class state, it will be very troublesome if you catch his attention.”
Isolde looked down at her wrist.
Witch, Soul Stitcher, Castle Boss.
Forget being seen by an inquisitor; if she were to just stand at the entrance of the Holy Court, the holy light would probably deem her a pollutant to the air.
Fortunately, she still had the disguise of the unicorn's holy nature, so she wouldn't be discovered immediately.
Isolde thought in silence for a moment, then looked coldly at Ur and asked,
“Ur, you said the Mooncrown Lock will be transferred tomorrow night?”
“Yes.”
“Does anyone else know this piece of information?”
Ur's smile faltered slightly. Isolde continued:
“It's impossible for a merchant like you to be the only one who knows about the Holy Court's holy artifact transport details. If you can get it, others can too. If I'm not mistaken, I'm not the only one targeting the Mooncrown Lock tomorrow night.”
The candles in the dining room burned quietly. Ur simply maintained his sitting posture without speaking.
Isolde continued, “So, have I fallen into your gamble, or did I accidentally obtain an admission ticket?”
Ur's voice grew cheerful. “You are far more interesting than Duke Valen.”
“Don't compare me to that piece of garbage.”
“My apologies.”
Ur bowed slightly, though his tone held little actual remorse.
“Indeed, another group of people might go to the Grey Dove Monastery tomorrow night. Northern Witch Hunters, the Black Tower, or Descenders.”
Isolde's gaze suddenly turned cold for an instant. She might actually run into other players.
Ur saw this, but he did not stop.
“Their target might not necessarily be the Mooncrown Lock, but they will throw the situation into chaos. My advice is that you do not try to clear the field. The muddier the water, the easier it will be for you to approach the Quiet Bone Prayer Room.”
This was indeed the most logical plan, but Isolde currently had one major problem:
“The Grey Dove Monastery is so far from here. How am I supposed to get there?”
Ur smiled delightedly. “I knew you would need it, so I have already prepared it for you.”
He retrieved a narrow silver box from the inner side of his cloak.
The lid opened, revealing two gray stones lying quietly inside.
Within the stones, mist flowed slowly, as if a small patch of the night sky was sealed inside.
Each stone was engraved with different coordinate symbols.
Isolde's gaze landed on them. “Teleportation stones?”
Ur took out the first one and toyed with it in his hand. “To be precise, one-time-use targeted teleportation stones.”
“This one has its coordinates set to the back mountain of the Grey Dove Monastery. The location is close to the corpse-transport path. There are few patrols, but it's easy to encounter some rather unclean things.”
He retrieved the second one:
“This is the return coordinate, leading straight back to your castle.”
Isolde frowned. “When did you mark my castle?”
Ur smiled. “A merchant's habit. One must always remember the way back from the places they have visited.”
Isolde scrutinized the teleportation stones in his hand, unconsciously clenching her fingers.
She had to buy this.
Time was pressing. If she walked all the way to the northern region, by the time she arrived, the Holy Court would have already tracked her down and blasted her precious castle into dust.
“The price,” Isolde said.
The smile on Ur's mask grew greedy as he held up a single finger.
“One 【Secret-Peeking Button】.”
Isolde's lips twitched.
Well, well, so he was waiting for her here.
Yesterday, she had relied on that very 【Secret-Peeking Button】 to see through the loophole in the contract, forcefully dragging his transaction into an after-sales dispute.
She hadn't expected that after just one night, he would already be eyeing it.
Truly a dishonest merchant. Looting a burning house was practically his basic professional etiquette.
Isolde leaned back against her chair, her tone very calm:
“Change it to something else.”
Ur shook his head. “My noble lady, you must understand that teleportation stones are not ordinary goods.”
His fingertips rested gently on the edge of the silver box, his tone remaining gentle.
“Although my time is valuable, my life is not. The most valuable things are none other than the goods on my person.”
“If it truly comes to a life-or-death situation, a wandering merchant would think nothing of perishing together with his goods.”
At this point, he smiled slightly. “But what about you?”
“Will you choose to let the Mooncrown Unicorn's last wishes backlash and consume your soul, or will you stay in the castle and wait for the Holy Court to track you down, purifying you along with this very castle?”
Isolde did not speak.
On both sides of the long table, the shadows of the faceless servants were stretched long by the light, resembling a row of silent gallows.
Ur did not rush her either. He knew he had offered a very annoying price, and he knew even better that Isolde did not have many choices.
The Mooncrown Unicorn's last wishes had already entangled her, and the Holy Court was also locking onto the castle.
She had to reach the Grey Dove Monastery before tomorrow night.
Teleportation stones were not a luxury; they were life-saving items. Although the 【Secret-Peeking Button】 was precious, it could not carry her across the northern region.
Isolde gritted her teeth inwardly. She had truly been set up by this guy.
This was even more disgusting than outright robbery.
Rate on N.U.
