How should she answer this?
Luo Li opened her mouth, wanting to speak.
But unexpectedly, the solemnity in Izzy's eyes suddenly vanished.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Heh, don't mind me. I was just asking. If it's inconvenient to say, then don't."
Was Izzy's reaction truly so sharp?
The astonishment in Luo Li's eyes slowly shifted into a focused gaze.
Through just a few exchanges, it was clear that this Izzy was incredibly quick at reading people's reactions.
The two of them only locked eyes for a few short seconds.
But in those few seconds, he was able to detach himself from his state of curiosity.
That kind of mindset and approach alone was already rare and commendable.
Even more impressive was how he could shift the topic so seamlessly in an instant.
The smile on his face had changed with complete naturalness.
Indeed, experts are found among the common people.
This Izzy was a talent worth cultivating.
She hadn't expected to find such a capable person in Moonrise City.
It seemed she still hadn't traveled enough.
Although she had been in Brilliant City as the Saintess and the de facto ruler of a nation.
In reality, her perspective had remained limited to the immediate surroundings of Brilliant City.
Yes, she still needed to reflect, lest she become too arrogant.
"Since you aren't asking, I won't say. Is it time to go?"
Luo Li stood up, already mentally prepared to face any special circumstances.
However, at this moment, she still felt a slight tension in her heart.
Why did this situation feel like a secret agent meeting?
It was actually a bit exciting.
"Yeah, let's go."
Izzy nodded and started walking out, but as he did, he didn't forget to add something.
"Oh, right. There's something I'm sure you'll want to know."
Luo Li's pace faltered for a split second, but she didn't say anything and continued to follow him.
Izzy glanced back at Luo Li, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"But, the price for this will be extra."
"No problem. Tell me what it is first."
Information she wanted?
Izzy should know that she wanted to contact Brilliant City.
In other words, this news likely came from Brilliant City.
What kind of news would make him act so mysterious?
Had something happened in Brilliant City?
Had Lola been assassinated again? Or had the Pope begun his invasion?
"Well, about that..."
Izzy turned back, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together repeatedly as he winked at Luo Li.
After she gave him a gold coin, Izzy made clicking sounds with his tongue.
He really had the face of a greedy person.
But it didn't matter, considering he would be working for her for the rest of his life in the future.
This bit of money could be considered an advance on his salary.
She gave him another gold coin.
This single piece of news cost twenty thousand.
If it wasn't worth the price, then he'd better watch out.
Izzy looked at the two gold coins and slipped them into his pocket before whispering his answer:
"I'm going to tell you, but don't go getting all surprised on me."
"Go ahead. There isn't much that can surprise me anymore."
Good grief, after everything she had been through, did he really think she would be easily rattled?
Did he take her for someone who had never seen the world?
Izzy looked Luo Li up and down with suspicion before cautiously saying:
"An epidemic has broken out in Brilliant City and Refugee City. Bishop Lola has fallen ill, and all power has been transferred to the newly appointed Cabinet Minister, Augus."
"What did you say!?"
"Shhh!"
Luo Li realized her voice was too loud and immediately lowered it.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course it's true, absolutely certain. Well? Is this news worth two gold coins?"
Luo Li's eyes slowly cast downward, a chilling gaze flickering within them.
Problems had arisen in Brilliant City and Refugee City at the same time?
And Lola had fallen ill?
All power had been handed over to Augus?
Just what had happened to cause things to turn out like this?
Luo Li fell into deep thought, while Izzy, standing beside her, was watching her with a racing heart!
In that very instant, a terrifying aura had erupted from the young girl before him.
That feeling made him realize that this girl was absolutely no ordinary person.
This kind of pressure was something he had never experienced, not even from high-ranking merchants.
For a moment, Izzy even felt as if his breathing was about to stop.
The surrounding air felt so oppressive it was hard to draw a breath.
He didn't dare speak and simply stood there, but even so, fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
He had never felt this way even when facing some of the big local thugs.
It was so terrifying that it made him tremble uncontrollably.
Luo Li didn't know that her momentary surge of aura would scare Izzy to this extent.
But even if she did, she would have simply laughed it off.
"This news is worth it."
After a moment of silence, the girl spat out those words.
This caused Izzy to breathe a sigh of relief instantly.
"I'm glad it's worth it, glad it's worth it."
Izzy secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead, and he even felt a slight chill on his back.
That was because his back was completely drenched.
Luo Li looked up and saw the slightly nervous look in Izzy's eyes, and she couldn't help but smile.
She reached out and patted Izzy's shoulder.
"Don't be nervous. It's fine."
"Uh... right."
Izzy took a deep breath, no longer daring to look the girl directly in the eye as he shifted his gaze to the side.
"Izzy."
"Yes?"
"There's something else I need you to do."
"You... please say it."
This time, when Izzy spoke, he couldn't bring himself to use a casual tone anymore.
"Don't be nervous. There's no need for such formality, just keep calling me by my name."
"Miss Li Luo?"
"Yes. I want more details on this news. Every single detail you can find. I want everything."
Luo Li glanced at Izzy and then subconsciously looked toward the upper right of her vision.
In her line of sight, a notification had appeared.
【Congratulations, player, you have successfully learned a skill.】
【Passive Skill — King's Wrath】
【Skill Description: A monarch must have the aura of a monarch. Wrath is like surging waves, like a landslide, and it increases one's aura in an instant to intimidate others. It can suppress all non-plant creatures of the same level or lower and resist other aura-type skills. It cannot suppress those of a higher level than the user, but it can influence them.】
【Activation Condition: In moments of extreme emotional fluctuation, such as intense rage, the passive skill King's Wrath will trigger automatically, lasting for 1 to 3 seconds.】
It turned out to be a passive skill, and one she had comprehended herself.
No wonder Izzy's reaction had been a bit abnormal just now.
"You mean you want more news?"
Izzy composed himself.
"I mean more details."
"It's possible, but the price might be quite high. After all, detailed information is very different from general news."
"I understand. No matter how much it costs, get that information for me. The more detailed, the better."
"You got it."
Izzy stole a glance at the girl.
Although he had known from the start she wasn't ordinary, that aura just now had instantly confirmed his suspicion.
He just didn't know what her identity was or why she cared so much about the events in Brilliant City.
A thought suddenly flashed through Izzy's mind.
Could she be... someone from the Holy See?
That's it!
Only someone from the Holy See would care so much about the changes in Brilliant City.
She couldn't be from the Necessary Evil, could she?
Izzy felt a surge of dread.
The Necessary Evil of the Holy See was an organization few ordinary people knew about.
But someone as well-informed as him often heard whispers of it.
They were the shadow hidden behind the giant that was the Holy See.
They were an organization that met darkness with darkness and fought violence with violence.
Uncle Keane had once warned him.
"If you ever run into someone from the Necessary Evil, remember, avoid contact if at all possible. Those people are all lunatics."
But on second thought, the girl before him didn't seem like a lunatic.
On the contrary, she gave off a very composed feeling.
Izzy thought it over; at the very least, her identity wasn't confirmed yet.
Until then, he could still get involved.
The key was... this woman was too rich.
She spent gold coins like they were nothing.
It would be a waste not to earn such money!
With this much money, he could get April a better wheelchair next time and find better doctors and priests.
If he had even more money, could he even hire a mage to treat his sister?
For April's sake, it was worth taking a little risk!
"Let's go. Once we step out the door, try not to speak."
Izzy cautiously warned Luo Li, and she nodded in agreement.
Without saying a word, she followed Izzy out of the brothel.
Waiting at the entrance was a carriage that had been there for a long time. Once they were inside, the carriage slowly set off.
Then, Izzy began to explain today's plan.
"I don't know why you want to contact the Alchemists' Association, but if you want complete encryption, that's almost impossible. The only thing I can do is get you in to make the call and get you out safely."
"In a moment, this carriage will go to the carriage lot. Once we're there, we'll switch to another carriage and head to the civilian communication room of the Mage Association."
"When we get there, take your ticket and just walk inside. Don't say a word to anyone, no matter what they ask."
"Go in and make your call. Remember, you only have three minutes."
"When you come out, tell the waiter at the door, 'He asked you to take me to find someone.' Then he will take you to a private room nearby and have you get into a coffin. Remember not to make a sound. After about half an hour, you'll be safe."
"It's that much trouble?"
Luo Li couldn't help but ask, but Izzy only gave a helpless smile.
"There's no other way. If we want to avoid the eyes of the Borgia family, we have to use this kind of troublesome method. Unless you aren't afraid of them."
"I understand."
She committed all these details to memory. Once they reached the carriage lot, they switched carriages.
Then, they went directly to the Mage Association.
Communication rooms mostly required mages for maintenance.
Because of this, the communication room was located in a courtyard right next to the Mage Association.
Strictly speaking, this place was also the territory of the Mage Association.
It was a joint venture between both parties.
Izzy handed over a ticket and gave a final, cautious warning:
"Make sure you remember everything I told you."
Luo Li nodded, took the ticket, and stepped out of the carriage.
By now, Luo Li no longer had silver hair. After using that hair dye, her long silver hair had turned into a golden yellow.
At the same time, she subconsciously kept her head down.
After all, there was no way to hide the issue with her eyes.
As soon as she reached the door, someone checked her ticket and asked:
"Where do you want to call?"
Luo Li's brow furrowed slightly. Remembering Izzy's reminder, she continued walking inside without a word.
The man was stunned for a moment, then looked at the ticket in his hand, curled his lip, and said nothing more.
Walking all the way into the room, there was a female waiter at the entrance of the communication room. Seeing Luo Li approach, she asked a question.
"Hello, where would you like to call?"
Luo Li didn't speak and simply stepped into the communication room. The girl paused, turned to a colleague beside her, and whispered something.
Luo Li noticed this detail but didn't ask anything and walked straight into the room.
Immediately after, the words 'Communication starting...' appeared before her.
Luo Li remained silent, waiting.
Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty.
Just as Luo Li was starting to grow impatient, a sweet voice suddenly rang out in the room.
"Hello, this is the Brilliant City branch of the Alchemists' Association. I am the receptionist, Ni..."
Before she could finish, Luo Li spoke up immediately:
"Nina, it's me."
"Who are you?"
In the exclusive communication room of the Alchemists' Association in Brilliant City.
A pair of fiery red fox ears atop a head twitched.
The fluffy tail behind her curled into a giant question mark.
Looking at the origin of the communication, it was Moonrise City.
Nina was full of confusion.
The voice sounded a bit familiar, but she was certain she had never left Brilliant City in her entire life.
How could this person know her?
"Nina, do you remember the day I was having tea with Camilla, and you asked in surprise if that wasn't the tea that's only opened when that person visits?"
The voice came through again. Although she couldn't see the person's face, a figure with silver hair instantly flashed through the little fox-girl's mind.
"It's you?!"
Although Nina was shocked, she understood the significance of this call in an instant.
Clearly, the Saintess seemed to be in some kind of trouble and couldn't reveal her identity right now.
Otherwise, wouldn't she have just said she was the Saintess from the start?
"But why are you in Moonrise City?"
Nina was even more confused. Hadn't they said the Saintess was recovering from heavy injuries?
However, she had indeed been harboring some doubts lately.
If the Saintess was heavily injured, why had the President been hiding in her room and refusing to come out?
Alchemists were supposed to be very skilled at treating injuries.
Given her President's personality, if the Saintess was seriously injured, why hadn't she gone to visit her?
These doubts had been hidden in her heart, unasked, because she could see that her President's mood had been very poor.
But today, all those doubts were cleared up in an instant.
The Saintess wasn't heavily injured; she was missing!
"Nina, don't ask anything. Have Camilla contact Ligeia immediately and tell her to bring Lancelot and Mr. Momo to Moonrise City to pick me up."
Rate on N.U.
