The Priestess’s flattery was truly effective.
Vice President Duke was blushing and smiling, completely unguarded against Samimi.
Even though he was a Vice President, he wasn’t very old. He was only in his early twenties and couldn’t withstand the charming allure of a Priestess at all.
It could only be said that Samimi had changed her outfit to fit the male aesthetic. Her previous look as a black-clad Demon-Hunting Nun was actually better at keeping people away, as she never had so many “flies” buzzing around her back then.
‘But who am I? I’m Samimi!’
‘I have the strength and the acting skills to turn this flattery into help. Who in this world is better at “tea art” than me? After all, tea art is a technique used to handle suckers.’
The group entered the hidden door and found themselves in another vast crystal space. It looked exactly like the previous one, which left everyone stunned.
“I know. This must be a labyrinth made of a continuous series of hidden doors. As long as we find the hidden door, we can enter the next level,” Vice President Duke analyzed confidently, pointing his finger.
“I see! Vice President Duke, you’re so smart,” Samimi chimed in with praise, acting as “tea-like” as possible.
“Haha, it’s not as exaggerated as the Priestess says. It’s all just experience. You can do it too, Priestess. And you don’t have to call me Vice President. Just call me Duke,” Vice President Duke replied with a smile.
“How can I do that? Then… I’ll call you Big Brother Duke,” Samimi said, feigning a shy appearance that almost made one want to slap her.
“Of course, of course!” Duke couldn’t see through the Miworm’s true nature at all. He was being played like a lapdog without even knowing it.
“Big Brother Duke, I heard that guilds have rankings in the Adventurers’ Guild. What rank is your Yaoguang Guild?” Samimi asked a sharp question while feigning innocence.
“Our Yaoguang is a large guild ranked second. We have many powerful members under us and are a main force in dealing with the Abyss Crisis,” Vice President Duke answered confidently.
“Big Brother, that’s amazing!” Samimi clapped her hands.
“If the Priestess doesn’t mind, you can join our guild. We would be very welcoming,” Vice President Duke said, still unable to see through her.
Men are like this — they lose themselves in the Priestess’s constant praise. But don’t laugh at him; if you were in his shoes, you’d be lost too.
This was why it was said that tea art was meant for dealing with men. Even if they see it clearly, even if they know better, they are unwilling to admit it or speak up. They will jump into a trap even if they know it’s there. That’s the beauty of it.
Not to mention those who couldn’t see through it at all, like Vice President Duke.
Looking at his handsome appearance, he didn’t seem like the type who lacked women’s attention. In fact, he had two women with him right from the start. Yet, he was being twisted around Samimi’s finger so much that he looked ready to kneel and propose on the spot.
“Brother, this isn’t right? Shouldn’t there be a test before someone joins our guild?” Sailinji looked more and more annoyed as she watched from the side. Her eyes looked like she wanted to swallow Samimi whole. She finally found a chance to interject and complain.
“Sailinji, she is a Priestess. Every team is currently in desperate need of a Priestess. Guilds are scrambling for them. What kind of test do we need?” Vice President Duke’s tone turned serious when he spoke to his sister. He looked at her as if she were a disappointment. His change in attitude was incredibly fast.
These words revealed an important piece of information: the previously undervalued Priests had become hot commodities with the arrival of the Abyss Crisis.
The problem was that it was too late to want Priests now. The Church had already detained all the Priestesses and was quietly raising them as “private wives.”
Thinking about it this way, Samimi realized it wasn’t entirely the Church’s fault; the market dictated everything.
Before, the adventurer market didn’t need Priests, and the Southern Adventurer Association was afraid of being infiltrated by the Church’s influence, so they rejected the Church’s Divine Officials.
In that case, the Church’s decision to keep the excessive number of Priestesses to raise as trophy wives was a last resort. Otherwise, the problem would have been hard to solve. They couldn’t just send all the Priests back home to farm, could they?
“Even so, shouldn’t you look at her character? Her martial skills? Her wisdom? Do you want to ruin our father’s life’s work?” Sailinji questioned indignantly.
“Don’t use Father to pressure me. I know what I’m doing,” Vice President Duke said.
“Don’t fight, don’t argue. It’s my fault. Let’s finish the dungeon first,” Samimi interjected as a peacemaker, reaching the peak of her tea art.
“You shut up! You better not hold us back,” Sailinji said, pointing her small finger rudely.
“Little sister, what’s wrong with you? It’s like you took the wrong medicine. Everyone is trapped in the labyrinth together and should work as one. Why are you questioning everyone? The Priestess hasn’t done anything to you. What is wrong with you?” Vice President Duke stepped forward and shielded Samimi, protecting the Priestess he had only met a few times.
“I…” Sailinji was momentarily speechless.
Because if she thought about it carefully, Samimi really hadn’t done anything to her. The Priestess hadn’t said anything out of line. To others, it just looked like Sailinji was the one acting crazy.
Her brother was questioning her, but as a fellow “villainous supporting role,” Samimi understood her. Sailinji also had a sense about Samimi. She could tell at a glance that this flamboyantly dressed Priestess was not a good woman.
“Big Brother Duke, how many Braves are certified by the Adventurers’ Guild?” Samimi ignored the siblings’ quarrel and continued to gather information.
“Five. The top three guilds in the Adventurers’ Guild all have them. The first-ranked guild has two Braves, while the second and third each have one. Finally, there is one near the Royal City, which is the Brave you might be more familiar with. The number is just right to form a small team,” Vice President Duke explained patiently.
“I see,” Samimi nodded.
“What do you mean by that? What are you trying to ask? Are you a spy for the Church?” Sailinji questioned.
“I’m not a spy. I’m actually the Demon-Hunting Nun, Samimi…” Samimi said experimentally.
“Ha! You? Then I’m the Pope!” Sailinji interrupted with a loud laugh.
“Listen to me first. I am a loyal fan of the Pig Demon Nun, Lady Samimi. She is pushing for reforms within the Church and supports us Priestesses coming out to see the world. That’s why I came here to train,” Samimi tested them. It seemed no one believed her.
“Sister, don’t be rude. Why can’t you just talk nicely?” Vice President Duke said.
However, according to the typical cliché tropes, Sailinji should have been the protagonist.
Vice President Duke was the type of thick-headed man who was blinded and wouldn’t listen to the female lead, while Samimi occupied the role of the “scheming woman.”
In the end, the female lead would rise up and slap both the scheming woman and the thick-headed man.
But unfortunately, that was the way romance novels were written. We don’t have romance here, only counter-trope trolling.
Samimi had always felt that the romance novel style was low-grade because everyone stood from the perspective of the “long-suffering” female lead. How could anyone enjoy watching a thick-headed man act so unreasonably every day?
When a female lead is more patient than a ninja, shouldn’t she learn from the Miworm and just give him a slap?
But now that she was playing the “scheming woman” herself, the feeling was different.
Being a “tea bitch” was satisfying. It was pure bliss.
Furthermore, these three people from the Yaoguang Guild definitely had strength, but Sailinji didn’t dare to hit her.
She couldn’t be like the Miworm and slap someone just because things didn’t go her way.
If the Miworm didn’t act like a person, should she also stop acting like a person?
Reluctantly, Sailinji could only follow Samimi closely to keep an eye on her.
However, Samimi had already obtained all the information she needed and stopped making trouble.
Knowing that there were five Braves left, she had a general idea of the situation.
Then, as they walked…
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Several hidden doors in the crystal walls suddenly opened automatically. Strange monsters crawled out, surrounding the five people who had wandered into the Crystal Labyrinth.
They were peculiar humanoid monsters made of crystal. They moved with stiff, eerie motions, carrying crystal machetes as they charged at the five.
“How sneaky,” Samimi said, sliding dozens of meters away.
“NDL, protect the Priestess!” Duke nearly got hit. Fortunately, he had some skill. He dodged the attack, pulled out a shiny rapier, and counter-attacked the crystal men.
The movements of these crystal men were extremely stiff and easy to predict. Duke performed the Drifting Dragon Body Method, weaving through the enemies. The loud *clink-clank* of sword strikes rang out, filling the space with crisp echoes.
What a fast sword! It was clear that Vice President Duke was powerful with very solid fundamentals. This wasn’t just for show.
However… *clink, clink, clank*. After fighting for a long time, he realized that none of the crystal men had died. At most, a few crystal shavings had been scratched off their surfaces.
This was a literal case of “scratching an itch.” Vice President Duke had shown off for a long time but couldn’t deal a single bit of damage.
Fortunately, he had some self-awareness. After demonstrating his footwork and technique to prove his strength, he retreated in time to show he had a battle plan.
“Sister, my attacks can’t break their defense. I lack attack power. It seems these monsters require blunt force trauma to be defeated. It’s up to you,” Vice President Duke analyzed solemnly.
His first show in front of the Priestess was a bit of a failure. Encountering crystal monsters that perfectly countered him made him lose face.
“My turn,” Sailinji said, her battle intent surging.
Even though she couldn’t beat up the Priestess, she could beat up the monsters to vent her frustration. At the same time, she would show these ignorant Church women the true Brave’s Power!
Now, she could finally reveal the weapon in Sailinji’s hands, which was the source of her title, “Brave of the Shield Axe.”
It would be more accurate to say that the weapon in her hand was the true protagonist, and she herself was just a companion to the weapon.
At first glance, what she held was a deep blue sword covered in mechanical lines, representing future technology. It could be combined with a thick, round shield. To be precise, this was clearly a multi-functional sword.
*K-chak! K-chak!*
With two mechanical sounds, the round shield automatically slid to the tip of the deep blue sword and locked into place. It transformed into an axe.