Zhen Liu's plan to get into Rainbowden was… mildly convoluted, but kind of necessary.

While they could've easily just walked into town under their real identities and made it easier on themselves from a logistical standpoint, Zhen Liu knew from Logos and Pathos' information dump that the entire place was a hotbed of old enemies that would probably love nothing more than to find an opportunity to fuck with him and his allies. As such, they needed to be incognito about their entrance into town.

And sometimes, being overt was a type of covert.

Zhen Liu's original plan was to pretend to be merchants or would-be-escapees that would join up with the caravan leaving the [Mines of Malevolence] while making their way back to Rainbowden.

However, that plan was shot down by the others the moment it escaped from Zhen Liu's lips.

"Why? What's wrong with this plan?"

"Sweetie, think for a moment about the type of people that would come and do business with a place called the [Mines of Malevolence]," Jinju Ren chided her fiancee.

"That…is a very fair point."

The others pointed out that people who frequently did business with a place called the [Mines of Malevolence] and regularly sent what were essentially sacrificial slaves were probably just…objectively terrible people.

If they pretended to be merchants, there was a very high chance that these guys would attempt to either coerce them for money or arrange an accident that would end in mass casualties and ownerless goods that could be repurposed or resold. Alternatively, if they pretended to be slaves, there was a very high chance that those hypothetical customers would attempt to return them to the mines for a reward or keep them on hand to do something worse.

Granted, they would probably fail either way when they realize that the merchants/slaves were actually incredibly powerful warriors in disguise. This would then lead to a short but brutal fight, which would then lead to an entirely different can of worms/chain of events that would lead to a massive headache and enough collateral damage to irreversibly change the socio-economic landscape of several continents.

Either way, Zhen Liu wanted to try and avoid adding more bodies to his kill count if he could help it.

Thankfully, Jinju Ren had a solution to this conundrum…which was fairly similar to Zhen LIu's idea with one minor change.

"You know…we could just pretend to be fallen nobles or the survivors of a fallen sect."

"How would that be better than the merchant disguise?"

"For starters, we wouldn't have to hide our cultivation as much. In fact, we could flaunt it as a means of deterrence."

"Go on…"

Jinju Ren's logic behind pretending to be fallen nobles as opposed to escaped slaves was actually fairly solid.

Many people in the underworld loved having contacts or contracts with those of high status, because those types of people were usually the ones with all of the money, or they could provide the people in the underworld with an opportunity to become something grander.

Vice versa, many people in noble circles would absolutely love to have contacts in the underworld, since those types of people were the ones who would normally skirt around the law and were more than willing to dirty their hands for the right price.

However, the chances of these two groups intersecting were unsurprisingly small due to matters such as morality and law enforcement.

Fallen nobles, however, were a golden opportunity that underworld groups understood better than most.

Nobles, for the most part, tended to be powerful aether warriors or had a retinue that consisted of powerful aether warriors. This was also true for fallen nobles.

If an underworld group played their cards right in dealing with a fallen noble, they could help propel them back into good standing, reaping a reward that could either be financially great or socially grounded. On the flip side, even if the underworld group was to fail in their mission of restoring the fallen noble's status, they could still recruit the bastard into their ranks and get some hefty manpower in the process.

In other words, regardless of how righteous or wicked a caravan may be arriving to the [Mines of Malevolence], the promise of riches and status was enough to act like a mask that very few people in existence would be able to pierce through.

"Hmmm, alright. This plan could work." Zhen Liu nodded as he ran through the possible scenarios of what could occur. "The only question I got left is: who's going to play the fallen noble?"

"Obviously me, duh." Jinju Ren proclaimed while pointing to herself with a finely manicured fingernail. "Out of everyone here, I am a legitimate princess. I know this kind of crap like the back of my hand."

And thus, with Jinju Ren taking the lead, the group took on new identities for the sole purpose of entering Rainbowden with the shield of ignorance as their cover.

"Alright, boys. Strike a pose."

Zhen Liu, Zhen Xing, Zhen Tai, Lythero, Olstenna, and Antonio were given the role of acting as Jinju Ren's bodyguards, with Lythero acting as their captain.

This decision initially caused confusion amongst their numbers, but then Jun Fang explained the reasoning behind her decision.

"No offense, darling, but between you and your friend, your friend has a flashier appearance that is more likely to attract eyes and suspicion."

"Fair enough..."

"Also, since all eyes will probably be directed at Lythero, that means you will have the freedom to act as you wish in that stealthy manner you're oh so fond of."

"Oh...you understand me."

"Of course, I do."

As for the girls, Rianna, Taurna, and Leona, they were given the role of acting as her attendants, her ladies-in-waiting.

Once again, she surprised everyone present when she made Leona act the leader of this false entourage.

"Wait, what? Why are you giving this role to me? We barely know each other!"

"That's precisely the point," Jinju Ren began to answer. "The lead lady-in-waiting is supposed to act as their ladyship's assistant and best friend. However, that's a privilege that's only applicable to young ladies that have been in a role like that for years and years."

"Okay, you're kind of proving why it's a bad idea for me to play this part."

"However, this also means that ladies-in-waiting in their first few years are considered more approachable by groups and individuals with agendas related to the ladyship."

"Oh..."

By having Leona play the role of the "naive lady-in-waiting," Jinju Ren figured that anyone with ill intent, or the desire to try and gain some diplomatic benefit, will attempt to communicate and influence her first with a touch more obviousness than with anyone with a touch more understanding of social etiquette.

Either way, now there are two forms of obvious social bait instead of one.

A flashy swordsman who will draw the most ambitious eyes, and a naive young lady who will draw the most whispering tongues.

Evidently, despite acting like a wild young woman, Jinju Ren proved herself to be quite savvy when it came to the art of subtle social interaction.

And last, but certainly not least, Hermit Zhong Wei would play the role of the tutor, while Tiny and Mini would play the roles of Jinju Ren's beloved steed and pet.

In other words, their regular roles on the day-to-day.

"My lady, why do I feel as if you had thought about a scenario like this beforehand?" The old hermit asked with a raised brow.

"Why, perish the thought," Jinju Ren teased. "This is merely something I came up with on the spot."

"Like the time you pretended to be a man in order to participate in the Zhen Clan's martial arts tournament?"

"That was different."

"Right..."

Regardless of how well or how little Jinju Ren actually planned all of these roles, the overall plan still worked like a charm once it was put into action.

Then again, it probably helped that the group scheduled to arrive from Rainbowden turned out to be a bunch of criminal artists obsessed with their crafts and were easily bribed.

It only took minutes for the group of "fallen nobles" to easily merge with the envoys from the Lovely Marionette Society as they left for the city of Rainbowden.

^Be sure to give my thanks to the master of the mines,^ Jinju Ren called out to Depth Strider, in an attempt to show that business was running as usual.

[Of course.]

And with that, Zhen Liu and his friends were now on their way to a new adventure...or a whole slew of new troubles as well.

...

[Alright my dear brothers and sisters, place your bets: how long do you think it's going to take until trouble finds us despite our best plans?] Nepherage asked her fellow kaijin. [I give it...until we reach the first tavern.]

[Have a touch more faith, Nepherage, I say until someone rudely bumps into Jinju Ren,] Hurricroak answered back.

[I think these puppet guys are going to be the reason,] Corpse Doll suggested.

[Marionette guys, CD, but I agree.]