CHAPTER 169: CHAPTER 169: METHODS OF INVESTIGATING DEMONS

Several days later.

Charles received news from Anno: she had already completed her report at Blackstaff Tower. The Force Grey squad’s higher-ups were still quite efficient—after all, their organization was still in its formative stage, without much bureaucracy or layers of formality.

Her application had been approved, so she arranged to meet Charles at the market in the Rubble District. Charles and his group had long been ready; after a morning spent switching from one carriage to the next, they arrived smoothly at noon.

By now the season was late autumn, edging towards winter. After a busy fall, both mountain hunters and treasure seekers had enjoyed a fruitful harvest. This gave the market an extremely lively atmosphere: vendors worked hard to peddle their wares—many of dubious origin—while buyers haggled and bargained, the noise rising into a constant din.

Of course, quite a few lost their lives in conflicts with the Mountain Folk or other treasure hunters, but this chaotic territory was simply that way—if you came here, you relied on your own strengths, and could blame no one else.

Charles’s group had already changed into new clothes: he wore a chainmail shirt, the standard garb of adventurers; beside him, Hattie wore a dark blue mage’s robe and a broad, pointed hat, the very image of a spellcaster; Nidalee, for once, donned a brown fur-lined jacket—after all, winter was near, and even a druid couldn’t go about with her midriff bared forever.

Only Theresa looked the same as always—she had only her nun’s habit, which barely managed to conceal her exaggerated figure. The habit did little to disguise her curves; as she walked through the market, countless fiery stares landed on her, refusing to let go.

Then again, with a party this charismatic, any one of them would be a focal point in any crowd. Even most of the local businessmen managed to show restraint, knowing their lives in this place hung by a thread, and thus unwilling to invite trouble for the sake of beauty—content simply to look from afar, never daring to approach.

But the women of the market had no such reservations. Bolder by the minute, they came right up and took Charles’s arm, asking his name and stroking his hand. Charles was left extremely awkward, forced to dodge repeatedly and make excuses about urgent business, sending them away one by one.

In the end, Hattie and Theresa were obliged to flank him left and right, shielding him from the wolfish female adventurers. Nidalee followed behind, so the whole scene looked a bit like they were escorting a criminal.

Fortunately, this awkward ordeal didn’t last long. Soon, at the spot where last they parted ways, a figure clad in full plate armor, helm on head, suddenly raised a hand, waving with vigor. Charles looked on in confusion for a few seconds before recognizing Anno.

It was truly the first time he’d seen her like this—for until now, every meeting had been in plain clothes, or else after her armor was stripped away while a captive.

Seeing her now in plate armor, fully armed, was a little unfamiliar. Still, he waved in response, called her name aloud, and jogged over to her side.

Anno flipped open her visor; excitement lit her delicate face. She embraced him lightly, but her first words were a complaint: "You took so long! I’ve been waiting forever."

She was telling the truth: she had arrived by carriage in the morning, the road also being shorter, so she’d been here nearly an hour already. She’d even arranged the next leg of the trip into the mountains and found time to do some shopping—in fact, she’d purchased quite a few things—by the time Charles and friends finally arrived.

Hearing this, Charles couldn’t help but look awkward. "Nothing for it—there are just too few carriages from the South Harbor District. We had to switch between lines at every stop to get here."

He sighed: "If only South Harbor District had just two more public carriages, we wouldn’t have had to take such a roundabout route."

Little did he know that these casual complaints would, in the future, bring major changes to public transport in South Harbor.

Anno nodded, letting the matter drop. Then, out of courtesy, she greeted the three nuns: "Sister Hattie, Sister Theresa, Sister Nidalee—good afternoon to you all."

Hattie smiled in return, though her eyes showed a trace of resignation. Like Sephera, she instinctively resisted having yet another new girl join the monastery.

But ever since she realized Charles’s true feelings, she’d been forced to hide her own, and make herself accept Anno as one of them.

Theresa, from the start, was sincerely delighted. At that moment, her smile was radiant and genuine.

As for Nidalee, her feelings were somewhat more complex as she gazed at the paladin before her.

Strictly speaking, they were rivals in love. In truth, Anno was the one Charles truly recognized and was pursuing; she herself was just his prisoner.

On the other hand, she understood perfectly well that, for this journey into the mountains, to keep shielding her identity, Charles would continue pretending to be "Nidalee’s fiancé"—even in front of Anno.

And the latter would also need to play along. Which meant, right in front of this paladin, she could hug Charles as much as she liked—cling to him, kiss him, show affection as brazenly as she wished...

This thought made Nidalee so excited she trembled all over, unable to contain herself.

Oh, Lady Anno. I wonder what it will feel like to watch another woman lie in the arms of the man you love dearly, yet still have to force a smile?

Nidalee didn’t know. But just imagining it sent a thrill through her.

She realized her mindset was becoming a little warped, but couldn’t keep herself from fantasizing. Every time Anno’s likely reactions flashed through her mind, she could barely suppress a laugh.

At the moment, Anno thought Nidalee’s smile was the strangest of all and felt a touch worried. Still, she didn’t dwell on it; after being polite, she moved to business: "It’s getting late—should we have lunch first, or ride to Rockseeker Camp and then eat?"

Behind her, the halfling uncle who handled her carriage arrangements was already impatient, scratching the thick yellow hair on his own shins.

Hattie and Theresa shook their heads, saying they didn’t need lunch. Nidalee explained, "No need, I prepared some goodberries this morning. That’s enough to keep me going. Let’s get on the road, and eat once we reach Rockseeker Camp."

Goodberry—a 1st-level spell that creates ten berries charged with primal magic; eat one, and it will sustain you for a full day. Exceptionally convenient.

Anno nodded in realization. "So that’s it! I forgot Miss Nidalee is a druid. Well then, shall we depart?"

The group had no objections and quickly boarded the carriage. The halfling driver, crouched beside the cart, let out a long sigh, lit his pipe, and took up his whip. With a flick to the plump rumps of his mules, both animals neighed in pleasure and started walking, all four legs moving in a steady rhythm.

Inside, Anno asked Nidalee for a goodberry, ate one as her lunch, and then began outlining their mission.

"For this, Blackstaff Tower dispatched three squads," she said. "One will negotiate with the Alliance of the Mountain Purifiers. Another will investigate the movements of the Dark Elves. The last—my squad, with you—will be investigating any traces of demons."

She sighed, adding, "Actually, compared to the hostile Mountain Folk and the Dark Elves of the Underdark, demons are the easiest to find."

"The mountain range is the Mountain People’s homeland, full of their lookouts and watchers; the Dark Elves have most likely returned to the Underdark—so if you don’t go very far in, you’ll get nothing."

"But demons, with their own uncontrollable, chaotic, and frenzied power, always leave some pollution or signs of spawning around their hiding places."

"The most typical case: rampant plant growth forming tumors, animals going berserk and attacking others, residents plagued by endless nightmares, falling ill, sometimes even losing their sanity..."

Anno explained all this, her conclusions clear. "So once we reach Rockseeker Camp, as long as we follow areas where plants suddenly rot and die, or animals lose control, our investigation will easily catch the demons’ trail. They may try to hide, but this is the kind of thing that simply can’t be concealed."

Charles and the others listened closely—he himself already had some experience here, having at least cleared the pure love route in the past.

But of course, knowing it in theory isn’t quite the same as applying it in real life. Like some men who have watched all the movies and know the techniques and sequence, but in actual practice, still...

Ahem!

And so, as the carriage rumbled over the hillside, with the box rattling and shaking, Anno patiently shared all the knowledge she’d gathered.

The sun drifted southward, but the autumn wind in the mountains remained crisp and cool. Sleepy and swaying with the ride, the group continued on toward Rockseeker Camp.

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