Chapter 93: Revisiting Lingyin

Looking at the bewildered expression on the priest’s face, Miss White Fox naturally understood that it was a certain Saintess who had deliberately spoken so ambiguously.

Old place…

To say that both Yuna and Vilyric knew of an ‘old place’, the options were actually quite limited.

Counting it out, they had only met twice: once yesterday in the temple’s inner chamber, and the other was at the Summerfield Family’s castle.

However, to be honest, the Priestess didn’t think that the location Yuna wanted to indicate was either of those two. The temple itself could certainly be ruled out, and if it were the Summerfield Family’s castle, the Saintess wouldn’t need to convey the information in such an obscure manner—it would be more straightforward. Besides, that place wasn’t far from the Temple of Bright Light.

If both were excluded, where could Yuna’s so-called “old place” be?

There could only be one answer.

If Vilyric recalled correctly, not long ago, some guy had also described it as the “old place,” right?

“Alright, I understand. If something happened over there, it would indeed worry Yuna. Thank you for making the trip to deliver the message.”

Not knowing what the Saintess had specifically instructed earlier, this distinguished bishop seemed to treat Miss White Fox with much respect. Hearing her words, he quickly shook his head in denial.

“No, no, no, you flatter me, praise the Goddess. Since Miss Xī understands the Saintess’s meaning, my duty is complete. What’s next…?”

“Uh, I’ll head over right now.”

Without further pleasantries, after bidding farewell to the bishop and the nun she had just met, the White Fox Girl turned and exited the temple door, stepping once again into the bustling central square outside.

Looking at the lively scene that was no different from before, Vilyric couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.

Given the background of that place… what could have possibly happened that required the Saint of Bright Light to rush over there immediately? Could it be related to those black and white masks that reappeared last night?

Oh well, no matter what, I’ll find out once I take a look.

Continuing along the intricate, spiderweb-like prosperous streets of the Bright Light District, it took around an hour before Vilyric finally reached the vicinity of her destination.

Lingyin Merchant Association

Four vigorous strokes of ink brushed high above the entrance sign. Two plain-looking young men, who didn’t seem to carry any weapons, were still guarding the entrance. Just looking at this scene, it was no different from what she had seen two days ago, showing no signs of having been attacked at all.

“Huh? Oh! Isn’t that the little fox from two days ago? Today… oh dear!”

The guard on the left, being sharp, recognized the White Fox Girl walking toward them from afar and instinctively prepared to raise his hand to greet her, but the other immediately reacted and smacked him hard on the forehead, interrupting his boisterous greeting.

Then, quickly plastering on a somewhat fawning smile, he stepped forward.

“Oh! It’s the esteemed Miss Xī! Welcome, welcome! I’m Mo Shang, and this guy is my brother Gao Da Qiang. A couple of days ago, we didn’t realize your noble status and acted quite rudely, so today we apologize to you, Miss Xī, hahaha…”

“…Gao Da Qiang?”

Hearing this guy’s somewhat forced introduction and apology, the corners of Miss White Fox’s mouth twitched involuntarily beneath her mask.

What kind of strange names are these? And… Mo Shang doesn’t seem to fit the naming pattern of the locals either; it’s quite similar to the Lingyin tribe’s style.

Speaking of which, these two had previously mentioned a place called “Cangyun Mountain,” but Vilyric had never seen that name recorded in any books from this world. Could it be…?

Forget it, it’s not the time to delve into this.

“It’s alright, just a little misunderstanding. I’m looking for the Oracle today. By the way… has the Lingyin Merchant Association encountered any special situations these past few days?”

“Special situations?”

The oddly named guards, Mo Shang and Gao Da Qiang, exchanged glances, finally just shaking their heads.

“To be honest, Miss Xī, your visit two days ago was the most special situation we’ve encountered during this time. After that, although we heard the sale event had some minor issues, it wasn’t held at the main hall, so that doesn’t concern us, right? Other than that… nothing much has happened.”

“By the way, the threshold to enter this main hall is quite high. The number of people qualified to come in and buy things is actually very small. Sometimes, we don’t even see two customers in a whole day, let alone any special situations.”

“I see…”

Alright then, if Mo Shang isn’t lying, it means he hasn’t seen the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna, visiting the Lingyin Merchant Association. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Vilyric was wrong about what the Saintess intended; on the contrary, it further proves that Yuna intends to keep a low profile and avoid appearing too close to the Lingyin Merchant Association.

“Things like… portals?”

“Uh, what did you just say, Miss Xī? Something invisible…?”

Without explaining much, the White Fox Girl simply raised her gaze towards the partly concealed depth of the merchant association’s door, her tone remaining calm.

“It’s nothing. The Oracle should be here, right?”

Upon hearing this, Mo Shang quickly nodded.

“Oh, yes, yes. As for the president, I’ve been here for several years and have never seen him leave the main hall. If you don’t find him inside, you can also try asking the staff inside.”

“Okay, thank you for the reminder then.”

Stepping through the odd duo’s guarded entrance, Vilyric once again entered the headquarters of the Lingyin Merchant Association.

As soon as she walked in, the White Fox Girl noticed two young girls standing silently, displaying countless rare treasures in the corridor, unable to hide her surprise.

“Hmm?”

After all, those were people she had encountered before.

Certainly, Vilyric recognized them, but Xī might not, so though she was secretly astonished, she didn’t reveal her emotions behind her mask and took a few steps closer. The two girls, who also noticed her arrival, came forward.

“Who are you…?”

“Welcome, Miss Xī. Your mentor has summoned you. The person you wish to see has been waiting inside for quite a while.”

The one speaking was a beautiful girl dressed in a finely tailored dark assassin outfit that outlined her curvaceous figure. Her gray bangs obscured her left eye, exposing only her right icy black gaze, emanating a slightly cold aura.

She was a very peculiar girl—looking to be no more than in her early twenties, but upon contact, one couldn’t sense the youthful vibrancy typical of a girl. Instead, she radiated an almost deathly chill, making her seem quite intimidating.

Next to her was a girl with an almost identical appearance, except her gray bangs covered her right eye. Compared to the former, this girl seemed even colder and didn’t even seem inclined to speak, merely observing Miss White Fox with a searching gaze.

Indeed, it was them.

Dark Spirit and Dark Lotus, the second and third members of the legendary adventurer team, Grim Reaper’s Scythe, from the United Kingdom of Humans. They were a pair of indifferent twin girls, serving roles as assassins and primary damage dealers in the team, tasked with exploration duties.

Previously, while in Demon Town, Vilyric had seen them multiple times near the little princess, Mona. Due to the many peculiar traits that this team exhibited, the Priestess had quite the impression of all four members.

Now that they appeared here, combined with what Leila and Renée witnessed yesterday—the sudden appearance of Soul, chasing after the temple knight Karina, who was parasitized by that black and white mask…

So that’s how it is, the forces behind Grim Reaper’s Scythe are… the Lingyin Merchant Association?!

Oh wow! No wonder these guys have treasure that’s better than the last!

   

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