"It's a misunderstanding. Rest assured, I would never dream of disrespecting the Mage Association."
Byron explained with a beaming smile.
Even in this situation, he could still manage to laugh.
Vincent couldn't help but admire him in his heart.
It was no wonder he could become a family head; with such restraint and shrewdness, he was certainly no ordinary man!
"Heh... Lord Byron, you're being too modest. I, Vincent, have only just taken office here. Since this was a misunderstanding, it's best that we've cleared it up. I hope Lord Byron will look after the Mage Association in the future."
"Of course, of course. Your three major associations are the pillars of Moonrise City!"
Byron scanned the surroundings.
"Don't just stand there. Everyone, get out immediately. Don't delay the mages' important business."
With that, he turned to look at Vincent.
"President Vincent, I wonder if you are free to join me for a casual meal?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"Good. Just have your people tally up the losses and let my butler know later. I will personally visit another day with a gift to apologize properly."
"Lord Byron, why speak of such things? Since it was a misunderstanding, there is no need for an apology, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, yes, exactly. Come, come, get in my carriage. I know a place that serves excellent roast meat."
"After you, Lord Byron."
"After you, President Vincent."
The two men walked away chatting and laughing, while the soldiers quickly withdrew.
In an instant, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence once more.
Luo Li hid in the coffin, and although she couldn't see outside, she could hear everything clearly.
From start to finish, she had gained a new understanding of Byron Stuart.
This man's slickness was almost terrifying.
Leading troops to surround the Mage Association was no small matter.
Among the three major non-governmental organizations with massive influence among the people, the Mage Association was considered the strongest in combat power.
If any part of this had been handled poorly, the results would have been catastrophic.
Yet this Byron had completely dissolved the tension with just a dozen or so sentences.
That kind of capability was not something an ordinary person possessed.
The choice of words, the timing of his reactions, and the humility in his tone were all perfect.
Although she couldn't see his expressions or gestures, Luo Li could guess exactly what kind of attitude Lord Byron had used to handle the situation.
He was a true talent.
As expected, no one who could become a family head was ordinary.
It was a pity that Lord Byron belonged to the Stuart family.
Otherwise, she would have truly wanted to recruit him to her side.
Her current strategy was targeted at the nobility.
In this situation, regardless of whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to oppose Luo Li.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to maintain his position as the head of the family.
Having such a talent as an enemy made Luo Li feel a bit troubled.
As she was thinking, she felt the coffin being moved, as if someone was lifting it.
Then it was transported outside.
She was placed onto a carriage, and as the wheels began to turn, the lid above her was opened.
When a sliver of light entered the coffin, Luo Li realized that it was already dark outside.
She had been in that coffin for at least two or three hours.
Appearing before her was Izzy, who looked slightly relieved.
"Thank goodness you're alright, or things would have been troublesome."
Izzy reached out his hand toward her.
"How are you? Are you feeling okay?"
Luo Li didn't say anything. She reached out, took his hand, and stood up from the coffin.
Right outside the casket lay a corpse.
"I'm fine."
She instinctively glanced at Izzy.
"Izzy, that scene just now... you were behind it, weren't you?"
Izzy grinned and shrugged.
"I don't have that kind of power. I just sent a message to someone who would care, and I don't know the rest."
Then he asked her a question in return.
"So, did you make contact?"
Luo Li nodded and looked toward the north.
"I did. Now, all that's left is to wait patiently."
"That's good. Let's head back first. I imagine you need some rest."
Luo Li nodded, saying nothing more.
She sat quietly in the carriage, watching the dim yellow streetlights pass by.
They traveled all the way back to the brothel.
After seeing Izzy off and washing up, Luo Li finally lay down on her bed.
She couldn't help but recall the moment she was lying in the coffin.
She had almost thought she was finished.
Fortunately, that boy had reacted quickly.
After such a scare, she felt mentally exhausted.
In three months and ten days, although she boasted about saving billions of lives, this lifestyle was a bit too intense.
She slowly closed her eyes, curled up in a corner, and hugged her quilt.
After an unknown amount of time, her breathing became steady as the moonlight shone through the window frame onto the floor.
The faint light reflected off the girl's face, which wore a peaceful smile.
...
"Don't make a scene. Don't overreact. Act as if nothing happened. Act as if nothing happened."
The moment the communication cut off, a pair of crimson fox ears stood tall and tense.
Her large, fluffy tail was tucked between her legs.
Even though she kept telling herself those words, she couldn't dispel the panic in her heart.
The Saintess wasn't heavily injured; she was missing!
And now, Her Highness had appeared in Moonrise City?
Had someone kidnapped her?
Or had she run away on her own?
Ten thousand questions instantly popped into the fox-girl's limited little head.
But she knew clearly that her most urgent task was to inform the President immediately.
Thinking of this, the fox-girl turned to leave.
But the moment she turned around, a figure suddenly appeared behind her.
She was hiding a secret, so even though the person who appeared was someone familiar, Nina almost cried out in shock.
"Daisy! Ugh!"
Nina instinctively covered her mouth. Seeing that Daisy also looked startled, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew... you scared me to death."
Daisy also patted her own chest.
"You scared me too."
Daisy looked up at the fox-girl's face and asked curiously, "Nina, who were you just talking to? Why do you look so pale?"
"No one... well, an old friend."
Nina had almost said 'no one', but then she realized that would be too suspicious.
She just grabbed the excuse of an 'old friend'. After all, calling the Saintess an old friend didn't seem entirely wrong.
"An old friend?"
Daisy curiously stepped forward a few paces and glanced behind the fox-girl.
"Isn't that a message from Moonrise City?"
"How did you know? Ugh!!"
Nina cried out again and quickly covered her mouth.
Daisy giggled and pointed to the communication device behind her.
"There are still communication records left on it."
"Right! The records!"
Nina suddenly remembered that this thing would leave traces.
"No, I have to quickly..."
The fox-girl instinctively reached for the record.
Just as her small hand touched the paper inscribed with the magic array, her ears and tail suddenly stood straight up, her fur bristling.
The communication room used the fluctuations of mana stones to transmit signals through the magic elements in the air.
Once these signals were received, the mana stones would engrave them onto paper.
Every city had a fixed signal pattern, generally using a hexagram.
In the magic array of each city, there were unique symbols belonging to that city.
These unique symbols corresponded to the city and were used to confirm where the communication was coming from.
Because they all used a standardized hexagram, the diagrams were very similar.
Unless someone was exceptionally familiar with them, it was unlikely they could recognize the location at a glance.
But... how did Daisy know that was the magic array for Moonrise City?
Squelch!
A sudden chill ran up her spine.
Nina stared blankly down at the front of her left chest.
A bloody blade had pierced through the gap between her ribs.
To be able to stab a dagger through the ribs so precisely, the person who struck must be very familiar with human anatomy.
And at this moment, only she and Daisy, who had just entered, were in the communication room.
"Dai... sy?"
Nina wanted to turn her head in disbelief, but the pain in her left chest made it impossible to move.
Just then, Daisy's voice reached her ears.
"Heh... Nina, it's better if this news isn't delivered to the President."
Squelch!
The blade was pulled out from her back. The agonizing pain of her lung being pierced caused Nina to collapse to the floor, her body going limp.
Daisy gave a light chuckle and shook her head.
"What a pity, Nina. I really thought we would be friends for a long time."
Stepping over the fox-girl's body, Daisy picked up the paper engraved with the magic array.
She glanced down at Nina once more before turning and leaving the communication room.
With the click of the magic light being turned off, the communication room fell into darkness.
Barring any accidents, someone would discover the fox-girl's body the next morning.
However, in the middle of that deathly silence, Nina, who was lying on the floor, suddenly snapped her eyes open.
She let out a sharp gasp.
"Sss... cough, cough!"
Bloody froth sprayed from the corner of her mouth with a light cough.
But Nina didn't care about that. She lifted her head and glanced behind her.
The communication room was silent. Her nimble fox ears twitched, confirming that Daisy had indeed left.
"Daisy, I never thought you would do this."
She touched her chest. If she were an ordinary human, she might have been dead by now.
But Nina knew she was different.
Her heart was not like a normal human's; it was on the right side.
Although that strike had pierced her lung, Nina was not just any ordinary person you'd find on the street.
She used the 'Hibernation' skill she had learned from the Bear tribe to briefly shut down her breathing.
To an outsider, she appeared dead.
"But you still underestimated me! Cough..."
Spitting out more blood, Nina quickly took out a glass vial she carried and gulped it down.
While it couldn't heal her injuries instantly, it could at least suppress them for a short time.
From the information the Saintess had left, it was clear she was in some kind of trouble.
She couldn't let anyone know where she was.
But now, the paper with the array had been taken by Daisy.
No matter how foolish Nina was, she knew the Saintess's location was now exposed!
There was no longer any need for secrecy!
With a bang, a muffled thud echoed through the quiet Alchemists' Hall, causing everyone to instinctively look toward the sound.
When they saw Nina clutching her chest, her pure white clothes stained red, the entire Alchemists' Association instantly erupted!
"Nina!?"
"Miss Nina!"
"Lock down the Alchemists' Association immediately! Notify the Temple knights at once!"
One old man even stomped his feet and cursed.
"Who the hell did this! This old man will kill them!"
"Lord Vice-President..."
When she saw this old man, Nina's eyes lit up.
"I need to see the President. I have important news to report."
"What? You're looking for Camilla? Wait here, I'll go find her immediately. And what the hell are you all standing around for? Go find a priest!!"
The old man shouted loudly, then turned and sent someone to find Camilla.
While the interior of the Alchemists' Association was in chaos, Daisy, who was outside the gates, had already delivered the magic array diagram.
She looked back at the hall in shock when she saw Nina walking out while clutching her chest.
She gritted her teeth, turned, and left the Alchemists' Association, disappearing into the vast crowd.
A moment later, a boom echoed at the entrance of the Alchemists' Association as smoke rose.
It was followed by a miserable cry from the old man.
"Camilla! You blew up the door again! What did the gate ever do to you!"
A beautiful elf with long, fiery red hair stepped out of the smoke-filled Alchemists' Association.
"Charles, I am the President. The gate belongs to me. If I want to blow it up, what business is it of yours!"
"Even if you're the President, you can't blow up the door every day!!"
However, Charles's voice received no reply.
Because at that moment, Camilla had already taken to the skies.
Although the flight skill was a distant dream for many, it wasn't difficult for someone of Camilla's age and level to learn a few skills that allowed her to fly.
Accompanied by a streak of fire, Camilla's figure streaked toward the north like a meteor.
She didn't even care about the no-fly zone in Brilliant City.
She flew all the way past the north of the city and arrived at Dragon City in just a short time.
By now, more than half of Dragon City had been completed.
With the help of the skysoar dragons and slime adhesive, the construction of the city had become much easier.
At this moment, a light drizzle was falling from the sky.
Ligeia sat quietly in her room, holding a book in her hands.
Although her eyes were fixed on the pages, her pupils were unfocused.
Clearly, she wasn't paying attention to the book.
"Little Luo Li, I know you're not dead, but where are you now?"
She whispered softly to herself, revealing what was weighing on her heart.
Just then, she seemed to sense something. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes refocused.
She suddenly turned her head to look out the window.
A streak of fire entered her vision and came to a stop outside.
Seeing the newcomer, Ligeia looked at her in surprise.
"Camilla? Why are you here?"
"Ligeia, mobilize the Dragon Knight Corps and follow me immediately."
"What are you planning to do?!"
Hearing that Camilla wanted to use the Dragon Knight Corps, Ligeia's brow knitted together.
Brilliant City couldn't afford to be without the Dragon Knight Corps right now.
"Your little Saintess is waiting for you in Moonrise City!"
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