Chapter 119 | From Galgame Nobody to Eternal Sovereign

By the stone steps of a street corner, a small child sat huffing and puffing with tears.

Sophie stood to the side, waiting quietly.

The crying child cast a pitiful glance her way, just about to voice their troubles, only to be met with a fierce glare from Sophie.

And so, the child resumed crying.

Having zero moral boundaries, Sophie began reviewing the skill masteries she had previously acquired.

Once a skill that wasn't naturally at its maximum level was fully trained, it could be advanced. Sophie was quite looking forward to the mastery abilities of these common skills.

She looked at her panel.

【Trait Mastery: Pickpocketing】

【Unseen Hand: You are less likely to be detected by the target when stealing items. Success rate increases even if the target is alert, moving, or in contact with you】

【Quick Stash: After successfully stealing an item, you can hide it within your clothing or immediate vicinity faster, reducing the chance of being caught in the act】

【Misidentification: After successfully stealing an item, bystanders are less likely to suspect you immediately; if a dispute over the lost item occurs on the spot, there is a higher probability that suspicion will fall elsewhere】

【Reversing...】

【Unseen Hand (Reversed): You are less likely to be detected by the target when planting items. Success rate increases even if the target is alert, moving, or in contact with you】

【Quick Stash (Reversed): After successfully planting an item, you can hide it more naturally within the target's clothing or immediate vicinity, reducing the chance of being caught in the act】

【Misidentification (Reversed): After successfully planting an item, others are more likely to assume the object belonged to the target all along; if a search, interrogation, or dispute over the item occurs on the spot, suspicion is more likely to fall on the target first】

Without hesitation, Sophie chose the third option.

Whether she was discovered or not didn't matter, but this effect looked fantastic.

After all, while the first two were practical, this third one... the flavor was clearly much more devious.

She had already studied it carefully—reversed Pickpocketing was considered a legal action by the system as long as the item wasn't planted inside the target's body.

In other words, a pocket was fine, a sleeve was fine, a bag was fine. Even if Miaoyue opened her mouth to speak, as long as Sophie activated the skill before she closed it, she could stuff snacks from a plate directly in, and it would still fall within the skill's parameters.

This thing...

It felt like it could be used for many quite unhealthy things in the future.

Sophie fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

She couldn't think too deeply about it.

Any further, and it would be impolite.

Sophie, the paragon of morality, stopped her wandering thoughts and casually flipped to the advancement quest.

【Quest: Please use the [Pickpocketing] skill to steal one piece of Rare Grade or higher equipment】

She stared at the line for two seconds and sighed with regret.

This was a bit difficult.

The only two pieces of equipment Sophie had worth mentioning were both Mythic Rank artifacts, which didn't qualify for completing this kind of novice advancement quest. There was no system shop now, and Solitude, being a mining city, didn't have many adventurers. She couldn't even buy a piece of Rare equipment to cheese the quest if she wanted to.

She'd have to wait for later. Once they got closer to the Chaos Wasteland, they would surely encounter other adventurers; she could buy something then.

While checking her exquisite panel, Sophie continued to wait.

The crying stopped.

Sophie looked up.

The blonde Hero in her nun's habit descended from the sky, landing beside the child.

Kaila first glanced at Sophie, then looked down at the child whose face was a mess of tears.

She knelt down, her voice still lacking much inflection but noticeably softer than usual.

After a few questions, Kaila quickly understood the situation. It was nothing more than being separated from their adult companions, and as night fell, the fear had gotten the better of them, leading to the solo crying session.

“It’s fine. Just now, I contacted the child’s parents,” Sophie interjected out of nowhere, patting her chest confidently. “They’ll be here any minute.”

In another corner of the street, a New Moon Cultist watched as a bat puppet kept bumping into his leg. Knowing this was the Saintess’s signal, he stood up and walked toward a frantic couple at the end of the street.

Kaila: “...”

“Come here, come here.” Sophie tugged Kaila to the side.

“If you want to find me, just call. I will come to you,” Kaila said expressionlessly. “Do not do this next time.”

“But baiting Miss Hero is very fun,” Sophie said triumphantly.

Snap.

A flick to the forehead, neither too light nor too heavy, landed precisely in the center of Sophie’s brow.

“Ugh.” Sophie immediately covered her forehead. “Why again?”

“Because you deserve it,” Kaila said calmly.

Damn it, next time I’ll enter combat mode and trade forehead flicks with you using Seeking Defeat.

Watching her already short health bar at the edge of her vision drop to the bottom in an instant, leaving only a dangerously thin sliver of red stubbornly flickering, Sophie thought silently.

“A child is crying. You should not use that to bait me.”

“It’s not like I left them alone...” Sophie muttered under her breath.

“I know,” Kaila said. “Therefore, only one flick.”

“And what if I do it again next time?” Sophie asked, clutching her head.

“Then I will flick you again.”

Kaila looked at her, estimated the time it would take for the parents to arrive, and spoke.

“I can stay for thirty seconds. Speak now, or speak tonight.”

“Actually, it’s nothing major,” Sophie said with a smile. “I’m heading to a border town in a few days. I’ll probably be there for a week or two. Would Miss Hero like to come with me?”

“You are leaving?”

“I have some business.”

Sophie replied.

The border was quite a distance from Silvervein City; even an alchemy carriage would take three days one way.

Although express delivery for the brain could speed up the trip, Sophie actually wanted to wander around and see the sights of Solitude along the way.

It would be even better if she could have a Hero-shaped body pillow.

“No.”

“That was a fast rejection.”

“I have other commissions,” Kaila said.

After she finished, she glanced at Sophie as if remembering something and added, “Is it safe for you to travel alone?”

Sophie immediately looked delighted.

“Miss Hero is actually worried about me. I’m touched.”

Kaila didn’t take the bait.

Sophie continued on her own: “It’s fine. I’ve already found a companion; I won’t be alone. You don’t have to be so reluctant to let me go. I’ll be back soon.”

Kaila’s calm gaze shifted upward by a fraction of a millimeter.

After those words, the air seemed to drop several degrees in temperature.

Sophie blinked, realizing it a second too late.

Hmm?

That’s a super rare jealous expression.

Miss Hero is so cute.

“The person going with me is...” Sophie started to speak, but Kaila cut her off.

“It is irrelevant to me,” Kaila said. “Thirty seconds are up.”

Sophie: “...”

Wow, so cold.

Not even a goodbye hug?

Sophie opened her arms wide to make her intention clear.

Kaila ignored her and turned to leave.

Sophie stood in place, watching that straight, cool back under the nun’s habit.

Sigh, no fragrant and soft Hero body pillow to hug for the next two weeks.

This was truly a major loss in quality of life.

She sighed softly, just about to turn and leave as well, when Kaila suddenly stopped ahead of her.

The Hero did not look back.

The evening wind swept through the alleyway, lifting the blonde hair that fell behind her shoulders, and carried a whispered sentence.

“Come back.”

Sophie froze for a moment.

Kaila herself seemed to freeze for a moment as well.

The child had stopped crying and was looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I definitely will,” Sophie promised. “Miss Hero better wash up and wait for me~”

Seemingly put off by the flirtation, Kaila’s back stiffened for a brief instant before she quickly returned to normal. Her footsteps resumed, giving Sophie no further chance to follow up.

Before long, her figure disappeared at the other end of the street.

Sophie walked forward a couple of steps, stopping with regret only when she confirmed she couldn't see the figure no matter how she adjusted her angle.

Noticing the child’s curious gaze, she glared fiercely at the child once more.

And so, the child started crying again.

Annoying brat.

Sophie rubbed her face vigorously until she had rubbed all the loneliness in her heart into that grinning mask of hers. Then, she turned and strolled away with a swagger.