vncnus Page 86
Page 86
You sighed. You initially thought the so-called hybrid dragons were just a publicity stunt, but it seems they're actually quite serious about it.
[Following the instructions of the mysterious patron, you found Mage Tower No. 1144 in the outer city and exchanged the data for 1,000 gold worth of white. However, you didn't leave immediately but hid in the bushes, waiting for the person who would take the data to appear.]
Time ticked by, and just as you were wondering if you'd missed something, a prompt for the spell suddenly appeared before your eyes.
Second Ring Spell - Invisibility
Oyster Crackers (Portland) #Online
[There was still no one in sight, but you immediately activated your magic radar network, observing the magical fluctuations of the invisibility spell as it left the entrance of Mage Tower 1144 and entered Mage Tower 1145.]
"Wow, they even know how to counter-surveillance," you muttered, then pondered for a moment, planning to gather more information under the guise of distributing flyers after the opening of the Elf's Mage Tower.
On your way home, you casually bought a copy of the Lundia Daily. The headline, "Holy Knight Tina stood by and watched as thugs committed atrocities; the Dragon Association's president tragically perished," made you frown sharply.
[Leaving aside the fact that this incident had nothing to do with Tina, in that situation, who would pay attention to a Holy Knight who had just finished get off work?]
Several guesses have popped into your head, but further confirmation is needed.
When you get home, you suddenly see Jennifer, clad in golden armor, leaning against the railing at your door. She sees you, forces a smile, bumps fists with you, and then sighs.
[Jennifer tells you that due to the hype surrounding the Dragon Tamer trailer, people have been paying close attention to this matter. However, today they suddenly learned that the Dragon Research Association had exploded, an accident that occurred right under the noses of Tina, the protagonist of Dragon Tamer. The combination of these two events has thrown the entire Magic Network into chaos. Some are offering rational analysis, some are concerned for the injured, but most are immediately launching into a tirade of abuse.]
"That's how the internet is," you muttered, then frowned. Jennifer told you that Tina was in a very low mood, terrified that the Church of Light would expel her from the Order under public pressure. For a Holy Knight, a good reputation is extremely important.
Although Tina can still begin her public dragon-training attempt as scheduled, you are pessimistic about whether she can perform at her normal level under the critical gaze and discussion of many onlookers.
"Latis, if you can think of anything, please help Tina!" Jennifer said sadly. "The priest is also very worried about this. If Tina is devastated by this blow, even if the Church of Light doesn't pass judgment on her, she will never be able to make any progress in her life."
Seeing Jennifer's furrowed brow, you promise her you'll try to find out who's behind this. After all, if Rundia is in turmoil, it will affect your peaceful life, and your little fairy might even get hurt.
That night, while you were surfing the magic network, you suddenly saw people discussing a person in the capital who claimed to have wandered out of Dragon Valley. He boasted that he had observed dragons and dragon-type monsters for over ten years and that no one knew more about dragons than him.
In front of everyone in the capital, he openly declared that the Holy Knight Tina would definitely fail without his help; with his help, her success rate would increase by several percent.
The moment you saw this message, you blurted out "Fuck you!" Who in this world actually wants to take the throne from you, the King of Trump? How dare you!
[However, if you think about it for a moment, you'll realize there's something fishy about this person. The Dragon Research Association's data just went missing, and then this guy suddenly appears—what a coincidence!]
You shook your head, just about to go to sleep, when suddenly your communicator started vibrating again. You raised an eyebrow, two hundred different ways to curse flashed through your mind, and then answered the call.
"Two thousand gold coins." The first thing the other person said was enough to freeze you for ten seconds. You remained silent for a while, then chuckled, "You're smart to know what's good for you."
"Jennifer, the squad leader of the Light God Cult's Lundian Knights, plans to go to the Cult's Sanctuary to pray for the Holy Knight Tina's divine protection. She is deeply favored by the gods; this must not be allowed to happen. Tomorrow, you will travel to Romnia, the holy city of the Light God Cult in the Mountain Wasteland Territory, and ambush her along the trade route with others from all over the world. After the ambush, everyone will return home. Your origins are different and cannot be known through divine divination."
Jennifer?! Your heart skipped a beat. You could no longer ignore this. After a moment's thought, you said, "I can lure her directly in Lundia. I have poison. There's no need to wait for her to go to the Holy City; that's too risky."
"Oh?" the mysterious investor said in surprise. "Alright then, my original plan remains unchanged. You can give it a try first."
"Okay." You kept your voice steady, forcing a smile. "However, this lady is a dear friend and family member of mine... I mean, it'll cost extra."
"Even your closest friends and family have come out." The mysterious patron chuckled and said, "Alright, if it works out, I'll give you four thousand gold coins directly."
"No, no, no," you said with a wicked smile. "I know you have a bigger plan. Count me in."
The mysterious benefactor was taken aback by your ambition. After some consideration, he agreed, claiming that someone would arrange a meeting with you after the matter was settled.
The next morning, you stopped Jennifer at the entrance of the teleportation array as she was about to teleport away. Without explaining much, you simply invited her to have a meal.
"Great! I'm going out for a bit anyway, consider this my farewell dinner!" Jennifer chuckled, then noticed your frequent blinking. Her expression hardened, and she asked, "Which restaurant are we going to?"
Just as you were about to speak, two lines of prompts suddenly appeared in front of you.
【Sanhuan Folk Magic - The Art of Listening to the Wind】
Oyster Crackers (Portland) #Online
"It's a maid cafe," you emphasize. "You probably haven't eaten there before."
Jennifer immediately understood what you meant and smiled, saying, "Of course!"
[You went together to the same legitimate maid cafe. Under the constant monitoring spell in your mind, you drugged the food in front of the maid. The maid, unfazed, closed the door to the private room and didn't show up again.]
[You signaled Jennifer to remain silent, and after waiting for nearly half an hour, the communicator vibrated.]
"Very well, my people have used magic to find out from the restaurant staff that you drugged her. Is she dead?"
You exhaled and said, "He's dead. I'll handle the body myself."
Jennifer winked at you, and seeing you nod awkwardly, she raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, tonight you go to that garbage dump and find the invitation hidden there, then go to the location on the invitation." The mysterious patron, unsuspecting, laughed and hung up the phone.
[You glanced at the oyster senbei that hadn't left the magic radar, shook your head at Jennifer, then asked the maid for a large suitcase and, under Jennifer's mischievous gaze, stuffed her inside.]
"That should do it..." You wandered around outside for a few moments, and after sensing the magical fluctuations of the oyster senbei leave, you carried the box back to your apartment.
"You're pretty skilled at this~" Jennifer said with a grin as she opened the box. She shook her hot hair and asked, "Now you can explain to me what's going on, right?"
You scratched your head helplessly, about to explain, when you suddenly noticed the soaked undergarment beneath Jennifer's armor, which she had removed because of the heat.
"Anyway, things are a bit complicated. It's a pretty elaborate conspiracy... ugh, a pretty elaborate scheme..." You barely finished speaking before covering your face, awkwardly saying, "Look at me, ugh, let me sort this out first..."
Jennifer looked at you with interest, puffed out her chest, and said, "Latis, remember what I said before? If you want to touch me back, it's not impossible, you know?"
Chapter 99 The wind on the rooftop is so cold!
You hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "I'll definitely do it next time."
[After all, I have important matters to attend to right now, and even if I touched her, I wouldn't be in the mood to pursue anything further. You feel this matter needs to be handled on an auspicious day.]
[You explained your situation to Jennifer in detail. After you finished, you scratched your head, about to tell her your plans, when she exclaimed with sparkling eyes.]
"This is so exciting! Should I pretend to be dead in the shadows next, then team up with you from the inside to thwart the enemy's plot?" She excitedly stretched her body, threw a few perfect straight punches, and said, "Wow, this is much more interesting than going out on missions!"
You paused, then couldn't help but ask, "Where did you learn so much?"
Jennifer chuckled and said mysteriously, "My group members gave me a lot of website links! Although the group admin, 'Mr. Silver, the Mage Hand,' keeps muting us, he can't stop our passionate exchanges!"
You listened in stunned silence as Jennifer explained the wonders of beacon communication. Looking at her enthusiastic face, you couldn't help but mutter to yourself, "What kind of group is this? It's really causing trouble..."
[It turns out that beacon communication technology has two uses. One is as a portable beacon, similar to a chat group in the previous life, with a group owner and members. Members are invited to join by the group owner. However, this type of beacon has a risk: it will automatically disband if the group owner dies.]
The second method of use is to project the beacon into the starry sky and periodically supply it with magic. This beacon is similar to a forum in the previous life; no invitation is required, and anyone can post on it simply by sharing the beacon's address.
The risk of this method lies in the fact that, because it is not mobile, it is easily targeted by cyber police. Once it is, it becomes very difficult for the original members to regroup, unlike the portable beacon, which can be quickly reunited by the group owner after being banned by the cyber police.
[You listened to this familiar yet strange world with great shock, feeling as if you hadn't transmigrated at all. Arriving in another world felt like coming home, except that you weren't even in the Third Ring yet, so you couldn't use the beacon communication technique.]
"Anyway, this is what I plan to do..." You lean close to Jennifer's ear and tell her your plan with a sly smile.
Jennifer's eyes widened, and finally, with a hint of camaraderie, she exclaimed, "I support you!"
That evening, you went to the Dragon Research Association's junkyard and found an invitation with a hidden pattern. Opening it, you saw it clearly stated "Basement of the Crazy Horse Club, No. 11 Tianhai Street."
"Fine," you sighed, "I hate plots with all these interconnected mysteries. I just want to punch you guys to pieces."
You quickly arrived at the location indicated on the invitation. Looking at the row of brightly lit massage parlors, gentlemen's clubs, and bars, you thought to yourself, "I wonder if the duties of the cyber police include cracking down on prostitution."
The waiter led you, now hooded, to the basement. You glanced at the several mysterious figures in black robes sitting demurely at either side of the long table, sighed, and took your seat at the head of the table.
The man in black robes stared blankly at you, before he could speak, the door to the private room opened again, and a dignified-looking man walked in.
"We have a new member today... uh?" The man looked at you, sitting in the head seat, equally stunned.
[By this time, you've recognized the man's voice—he's the mysterious sugar daddy who shamelessly calls you every night!]
"...If you sit there, where shall I sit?" The man asked after a moment of silence.
"Oh." You crossed your legs, shrugged, and said, "Sit wherever you like, don't be shy, make yourself at home."
The man took a deep breath and managed to suppress the urge to curse under everyone's gaze. Luckily, he was prepared for your personality; otherwise, he would probably have suffered a stroke and collapsed by now.
"In short, the reason I've gathered you all here today isn't to assign you tasks; I've already done that. The most important thing today is to offer you empty promises."
The man showed no embarrassment at his choice of words. He patted the table, looked at the fruit platters the waiter brought to each person, scratched his head, and continued, somewhat puzzled:
“Once this is accomplished, we can replace the Tina family's position. Although her family has only been developing in the capital for less than twenty years, they have already occupied a small niche, which is enough for us to recuperate and better share the burden for those above us.”
The man exhaled and continued, "Families from other regions entering the capital can lower the guard of the local nobles. Then we can use the prestige of the Dragon Knights... Portland, how's your research on the dragons coming along?"
You were secretly alarmed, glancing at the tall, thin man at the table who was about to speak, thinking, "So it really is him? He rushed to the capital to show off as soon as he got the dragon information? He's really impatient..."
Portland said, "Piece of cake. I've memorized all the characteristics of the hybrid dragon. We can easily ensure Tina's success in taming it by applying control spells to its weak points."
"Hmm, let's not rush." The man forked a piece of Epper and popped it into his mouth, frowning slightly. "Let's wait until she's completely desperate before we make our move. That way, we'll gain more fame, keep Tina, and retain more public attention... Who ordered the fruit platter?"
Several men in black robes put down their fruit forks, exchanged glances, and then began to eat without giving it much thought.
"I ordered it," you laugh. "I'm new here, so I wanted to get to know everyone!"
"You're actually a pretty nice person!" Several men in black robes laughed heartily, instantly creating a harmonious atmosphere.
"No." The man's face was grim. He reached down his throat and started pulling, cursing as he did so, "You fucking drugged me?"
You grinned, pointed to yourself with your thumb, nodded proudly, and said, "That's right!"
"The antidote!" the man roared angrily, a violent surge of magical energy erupting from his body. He slammed his fist on the table. "Don't force me to take action!"
"Sorry, you won't have a chance to make a move." Jennifer's voice came from outside the door. You chuckled and opened the door for her.
[She was holding something that looked like an upside-down triangular iron tower. She smiled and hooked her arm around your shoulder, saying to the man, "Oh, it's you, Lord Winter of the Floating Island."]
The man, his face grim, sensed the inverted triangular device rapidly dispersing the magical energy in the area. He said coldly, "Jennifer, you're still alive!"
He glared at you hatefully, finally bursting out, "You despicable scoundrel! You took my money and then betrayed me?!"
"Bosses who make phone calls late at night should go hang themselves from a streetlamp," you laugh, wave your hand, and say, "Then enjoy the rest of the drug's effects!"
"What?... " The man felt the bull gradually raising its head, and his face instantly drained of color.
[You and Jennifer walked out of the room, nodded to the Holy Knight who was recording the enforcement process with a photographic technique outside, and then left the Crazy Horse Club.]
"Once we make it public, Tina shouldn't face so much criticism anymore..." Jennifer stretched, rubbed the back of her head, and said relaxedly.
"I hope so..." You shook your head and asked, "Who is this Lord Winter?"
"Some of the families ranked at the bottom of the floating islands," Jennifer shrugged. "I've heard they're always plotting to gang up on the families ahead of them; they're really shady."
Remembering the floating island families who had besieged Hines City in the previous simulation, you couldn't help but say worriedly, "You all really need to be careful!"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure they interrogate this Lord Winter properly!" Jennifer nodded vigorously.
After you've been wandering aimlessly around the streets for a while, she suddenly says, "Let me take you somewhere fun!"
You scratched your head and said, "Okay, but it's so late, is there anywhere else we can go?"