Chapter 106: The First Battle of the Spiritual Fox Priestess

Sitting alone on the rooftop, Miss Vilyric checked the time on her panel.

It had been about half an hour since the Faceless One launched a large-scale attack, and Yuna returned to the Temple to summon reinforcements.

To be honest, that was a bit too long.

Considering that the Saintess directly used space transfer to return to the Temple of Bright Light, plus gathering the knights, and factoring in the travel time over the distance, even if it was just a bunch of ordinary people, they should have arrived by now.

It seemed that something was holding them back as well.

Moreover, what the heck are these guys looking for here? They keep babbling about light… Could it be some treasure left behind by the Light Goddess?

Thinking about it, Miss White Fox glanced down at the battlefield.

In the Grim Reaper’s Scythe team, aside from the Soul, the other three had already engaged in battle, but perhaps due to the absence of one member, the team’s coordination was lacking, and their strength appeared a bit uneven.

Aside from the Ferryman who still showed legendary-level prowess, Dark Lotus and Dark Spirit seemed to possess only peak sky-level combat power. Although defeating those Faceless Ones with weak average strength was easy, they were clearly at a disadvantage against the truly threatening mask ambushes.

The Oracle did not join the battlefield directly, but the massive magic array covering most of the block seemed to be powered by him standing near the Merchant Association’s main entrance, assisted by several treasures placed around him.

Interesting—this was quite a marvelous spatial formation.

Miss Vilyric had witnessed several times where the Dark Spirit, Dark Lotus, and many Merchant Association guards would be caught off guard and about to be hit by a mask, only to suddenly vanish in a flash of silver light, appearing in a safer location to catch their breath and adjust their positions.

At times, when a group of Faceless Ones launched an attack and were about to retreat, they would inexplicably find themselves surrounded by elite guards, who then cut them down with a flurry of blades, turning their masks into mere shards.

Clearly, this battlefield assistance was the Oracle manipulating the array beneath him. Thanks to his presence and the leadership of powerful figures like Captain of the Guards Amy and the Grim Reaper’s Scythe, the Lingyin Merchant Association was able to hold off against numbers that were even more than double their own with just a few hundred guards.

But it could only be so.

After all, Lingyin was just a merchant association, with only a fraction of the manpower available in a city. Even as a central branch, it couldn’t casually summon thousands of warriors like a true ruler.

Moreover, the sudden and bizarre nature of the Faceless Ones’ attack seemed completely unforeseen, even by the Oracle, an old man who could predict some heavenly secrets, indicating serious unpreparedness.

The number of guards was limited; while they were elite, they couldn’t withstand heavy losses. If they were assimilated, they would quickly become assets for the enemy, leading to a rapid deterioration of the situation.

“Well ~ it’s about time.”

Miss White Fox looked up at the sky and stretched lazily.

Watching the situation unfold to such a critical point, it was clear that it was time to take action.

Xī was not Vilyric; she didn’t need to stay low-key or hide to avoid trouble.

Or rather, the purpose of the Priestess fabricating this fake identity was to gain enough fame and prestige so that she wouldn’t be perpetually bothered by boring individuals while also having enough status to conveniently do the things she wanted to do.

A bunch of annoying clowns… Letting them stir chaos in the city for this long, it was finally time for them to exit.

The girl stood up, gracefully leaping down from the rooftop to the side of the Oracle who was managing the magic array.

The old man’s condition didn’t look very good; after all, he had mentioned that he was just an ordinary human, and at his age, he was certainly getting old. Even if he had some means, operating such a large array with a mortal body was a heavy burden.

This was evident from the damp black cloth at his graying temples, drenched in sweat.

“Hey, hey, how about we talk business?”

Although he looked a bit flustered, the Oracle’s calm demeanor seemed unaffected, as he kept fiddling with the ancient abacus he always carried to manipulate spatial movements, replying without turning his head.

“Hehe, please feel free to speak, Miss Xī.”

Miss Vilyric wasn’t concerned about his attitude and knew the situation was urgent. Nodding, she got straight to the point.

“Your losses are mounting, and there hasn’t been a trace of support from Mingguang City. Relying on them is probably a lost cause… As I said before, how about I help you resolve this? For payment, let’s consider that million Sacred Light coins for the ‘Landscape Scroll,’ and remember to just give it to me afterward!”

“…?”

Finally feeling some surprise, the old man slowly turned his head, his eyes obscured by the black cloth, seemingly scrutinizing the girl with her hands on her hips and a smug posture, speaking helplessly.

“Miss Xī, the Merchant Association initially intended to directly gift the treasure to you. It was you who insisted on discussing the price. Besides, as the Spiritual Fox Priestess of the Lingyin Clan, in a sense, our Lingyin Merchant Association…”

“I already said, that is a title you unilaterally conferred upon me. I have never acknowledged it! This is this, and that is that. I won’t casually accept benefits from others nor do I like to be bound to any undeserved title or organization. Therefore… it’s crucial to clarify the trade and distinguish the interests. So, do you accept this condition?”

Listening to Miss White Fox propose a trade where the contributions and benefits didn’t truly match, the Oracle momentarily paused in his speech, and finally, he could only offer a wry smile.

“You truly live up to your reputation, no wonder Ming Lan said… Fine, fine, exchanging the ‘Landscape Scroll’ for saving the Merchant Association from danger, how could our Lingyin Merchant Association refuse such a good deal?”

“Deal.”

“Great, deal!”

Miss White Fox flashed a thumbs-up, and although the Oracle couldn’t see her smile beneath the mask, he could hear from her light tone that despite making a seemingly unprofitable trade, the girl, oddly enough, seemed in good spirits.

Thus, the masked girl waved her hand and, defying the principles of gravity, floated straight up rapidly into the sky. As she descended once again…

She had already arrived at the center of the battlefield on the street.

“Wow! Ghost! Watch out for the sword… Hey wait? Aren’t you that one from before…?”

The sudden appearance of the girl, like a ghost, startled Captain of the Guards Amy, who had strikingly radiant, intertwining hair like light. Just as she was about to strike, she realized that the mask the girl wore was different from those of the Faceless Ones, and only then did she finally recognize the fox lady whom she had briefly met before.

“It’s me! You all step back, I’m more than enough here.”

Caught off guard by the girl’s strange behavior and having her shoulder tapped, Amy was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed.

Because in that brief moment of pause, several laughing black and white masks had just shot towards her from behind Miss White Fox!

The Light Tribe Girl quickly raised her sword to slash.

“Hey! I don’t know what you’re pretending to be, but don’t think just because you’re wearing another mask, they’ll consider you as one of their own, you idiot!!”

   

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