“That Necromancer, has he made a move?” Nanami asked directly.
The maid had just arrived before her, not even having had time to speak yet.
Well, Nanami had already learned to answer her own questions.
The maid gritted her teeth and nodded.
“He cleared floor 59?” Nanami continued.
Even though she had already guessed it in her heart, she still found it hard to believe.
“Yes, just now,” the maid confirmed with a nod.
“What’s his rank now?” Nanami asked thoughtfully.
At this point, she didn’t even seem surprised anymore.
“Second,” the maid replied truthfully.
“He’s faster than Yu Qingcang…” Nanami took a deep breath and murmured.
But in fact, it wasn’t just about being faster.
Luan was entering and instantly killing the boss.
His total time was probably three seconds at most!
“I see. You may go,” Nanami said with a nod.
The maid, observing Nanami’s calm expression, sighed inwardly.
Having served Nanami for so long, she knew well the defiance deep in Nanami’s bones, her refusal to ever admit defeat.
Back when Yu Qingcang dominated the global Endless Tower rankings, Nanami had spent months frantically attempting, constantly breaking through.
Eventually, she surpassed Yu Qingcang and became number one.
But this time, she could sense a deep feeling of powerlessness from Nanami.
It was the powerlessness of facing a towering mountain with no idea how to climb and conquer it.
Nanami wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface.
As the maid turned to leave,
Nanami suddenly added, “And what about the materials for my equipment repair? How is the preparation going?”
“They are almost ready. The repairs should be completed tonight,” the maid reported truthfully.
“Good. Finish the repairs as soon as possible,” Nanami nodded.
She turned her back, gazing blankly at the stream in front of her, her fair feet slowly stirring the water. Her inner turmoil was just like the disturbed stream, rushing relentlessly!
That evening, after dinner.
Luan was bored at home and went out for a stroll on the street.
The guild leaders weren’t with him.
Nowadays, Luan could handle himself effortlessly even against the world’s top combatants. Moreover, there were Paladins protecting him in the shadows, so there was no need to worry.
Luan’s house was in the inner city, the wealthy district.
Even now, Luan felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. Having grown up scrambling in the slums, suddenly having all this left him feeling a bit disoriented.
The street was bustling with people.
High-level combat professionals swaggered past.
Various stalls run by life-skilled professionals were thriving by the roadside.
There were also those with useless professions who had lost their purpose in life, idling away, drinking gloomily by the street.
Children who hadn’t yet reached the age for profession awakening played and frolicked past.
The myriad aspects of human life were vividly displayed on the street.
The Koi Spirit followed by his side.
She obediently stayed near Luan, looking around with excited curiosity.
Perhaps this place was different from the main cities of Sakura.
It was also possible that her original Japanese masters, when not using her, would just leave her in the Shikigami space and not take her out for walks.
“Luan?” A surprised and excited call came from ahead.
Luan looked up and saw it was Qin Wuyao.
“Haven’t seen you for the past couple of days. You always rush off right after the morning meeting. What, are you avoiding me?” Qin Wuyao walked up to Luan, pouting and pretending to be upset.
“Not at all. Just had urgent matters,” Luan said casually.
“Just teasing you! I know, of course. The Deathmatch Arena and the Endless Tower, you’ve been stealing the spotlight,” Qin Wuyao said with a sigh.
Then, her eyes fell on the Koi Spirit beside Luan.
The Koi Spirit was also looking at Qin Wuyao.
Their eyes met.
The Koi Spirit’s eyes held a slight wariness and curiosity.
Towards all professionals besides Luan, the Koi Spirit was wary.
Qin Wuyao, on the other hand, also had a flash of hostility in her eyes when she looked at the Koi Spirit.
“I haven’t been stealing the spotlight; no one knows it’s me,” Luan remarked offhandedly.
But Qin Wuyao ignored his response.
Instead, looking at the Koi Spirit, she asked, “Haven’t seen this girl before. A new friend of yours?”
Girl?
Luan was taken aback. He turned to look at the Koi Spirit, then shook his head, amused.
“Not exactly a friend,” he said.
Not a friend?
Then what could she be?
Qin Wuyao seemed a bit tense.
“She’s…” Luan really didn’t know how to explain at the moment.
Just then,
someone approached Qin Wuyao and whispered something in her ear.
Qin Wuyao was startled, then said to Luan, “Luan, I have some business to attend to, I have to go. I’ll find you to hang out another day!”
With that, she hurried off.
Their meeting had lasted only a few minutes.
After leaving,
the image of the Koi Spirit’s delicate and pretty appearance remained in Qin Wuyao’s mind. She had to admit, as a Shikigami, that lovely, appealing look gave her a huge advantage over a human girl!
“Why didn’t you contact me via communicator?” Qin Wuyao frowned.
“We tried, but you didn’t reply,” the subordinate said awkwardly.
Qin Wuyao glanced at her communicator and saw the unread message.
She waved her hand. “Forget it. Let’s talk after we get back.”
Then, as if remembering something, she said, “That girl who was with Luan earlier, investigate her for me. Find out her background, profession, level, where she’s from, and why she suddenly appeared by Luan’s side.”
“Understood,” the subordinate immediately nodded.
She thought the investigation would take some time.
But unexpectedly, not long after Qin Wuyao returned home,
a message came from her subordinate: “Miss, I used a detection skill. That girl… is not a professional.”
Huh?
Qin Wuyao was stunned. Judging by the girl’s age, although she was a bit young, she didn’t expect her to not be old enough for profession awakening?
She suddenly thought again of how obediently the girl had followed Luan.
Qin Wuyao felt a surge of irritation.
“An old cow eating tender grass, that bastard!” Qin Wuyao muttered through gritted teeth.
But then,
another message from her subordinate came through:
“To be precise, that’s not even human. It’s a Shikigami, a monster-type Shikigami unique to Sakura, a Koi Spirit, B-grade quality. However, no Onmyoji controlling her was detected in the vicinity.”
Seeing this message, Qin Wuyao was dumbfounded.
A Shikigami?
That was indeed a summon of the Sakura Onmyoji. Why was it following Luan?
And she knew perfectly well that Luan held extreme hatred for Sakura, and by extension, naturally despised Onmyoji.
Although she couldn’t figure out why Luan was together with an Onmyoji’s Shikigami, and why the Shikigami seemed so dependent on Luan,
in the end, it was just a summon, not a human.
Qin Wuyao let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Just then, Qin Lie also walked in.
It was clear that Qin Lie’s expression was somewhat grim.
“Didn’t I tell you not to go out casually these past few days?” Qin Lie scolded.
Qin Wuyao seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.
After a moment’s thought, she said, “How about… we ask the Heavenly Path Alliance for help? You are, after all, the Grand Deacon of the Blackfire City branch of the Alliance, surely…”
But before she could finish,
Qin Lie interrupted her: “The Qin family’s affairs are not suitable to seek help from the Heavenly Path Alliance. The Alliance has no reason to intervene either. We’ll handle it ourselves. For the next few days, to be safe, do not go out. Missing a few days of experience won’t make much difference.”
