“Mission complete?”
As Villanelle returned to the Adventurers’ Association to settle her task, she happened to run into Lillith. She was still dressed in her red gown, with the crow perched on her shoulder, its black bean-like eyes shining brightly in the hall.
“Yes. Good afternoon, sister,” Villanelle replied politely, her gaze already shifting to the crowd gathered before the Black Iron Rank mission board.
She squeezed her way in with difficulty and soon noticed a new wooden sign had been placed in front of the board. The parchment pasted on it still had wet ink:
[Urgent – White Water Town Insect Infestation Cleanup]
Issuer: White Water Town Chamber of Commerce
So it was newly posted, no wonder she hadn’t seen it this morning… Wait, White Water Town?
Villanelle immediately thought of Grum’s new batch of Flux Agent and Ignis’s adverse reaction to that Aberrant Rune Board.
She composed herself and continued reading.
“Insect swarm activity has intensified at the edge of the Silent Ancient Forest outside the town, severely threatening civilian safety and the roads to the gathering areas. Immediate assistance is needed to reinforce defenses and clear insect nests. Interested parties can register at the counter.
Requirements: Third Tier minimum, must possess certain combat or defensive capabilities, preference given to those with field experience. Total needed: 20-25 people.
Base Pay: 30 silver coins per day. Additional rewards based on cleanup results.
Note: The insect swarm has hard carapaces and moves swiftly. Danger level is relatively high. It is recommended to prepare comprehensive protection.”
The adventurers around her buzzed with discussion.
“Thirty silver a day! Plus extra rewards… That price… Seems White Water Town is really going all out.”
“I heard the bugs over there are pretty nasty. A few of my buddies who went there got injured…”
“Need to form a team… Who knows what kind of monsters we’ll run into.”
Some were eager, some looked hesitant, and others were calculating who to team up with.
A slight commotion came from the edge of the crowd. The adventurers parted as if pushed aside by an invisible hand, automatically clearing a path.
In the middle of the crowd, Lillith walked gracefully forward, her red gown trailing, the crow on her shoulder tilting its head to look around. Wherever she passed, the adventurers’ conversations died down, their wariness palpable.
“What, interested in this one?” A lazy, unhurried voice sounded by Villanelle’s ear, accompanied by a scent of parchment mixed with herbs.
Villanelle withdrew her gaze and turned her head. Lillith’s smooth, flawless cheek was right in front of her, startling her. “Y-yes.”
By the way, why does everyone around seem so afraid of her?
“White Water Town… Recently, there have been more and more commissions related to White Water Town,” Lillith said, as if talking to herself, or perhaps to Villanelle. “Dealing with frenzied insects isn’t very pleasant.”
“Sister Lillith, do you know something?” Villanelle couldn’t help but ask.
Lillith only smiled meaningfully. “I stay in the Adventurers’ Association all day, how could I possibly know these things? If you want to understand, you’ll have to go see for yourself.”
“Well, alright.” Villanelle wasn’t disappointed; instead, she felt a surge of fighting spirit.
That was thirty silver coins a day. Though somewhat dangerous, as long as she was careful not to go deep into the forest, there shouldn’t be any major problems.
Though the kidnapping incident in Frostwhisper Forest was still fresh in her mind, she had made up her mind. This time, even if she starved to death, died outside, she absolutely would not set foot in a forest.
“Keep your wits about you, little sister. Things there might not be as they appear on the surface,” Lillith reminded lazily. “Oh, and one more thing—”
She suddenly leaned close to Villanelle’s ear, her warm breath brushing against the earlobe:
“Remember to buy a bag made of better material. The aura of that little Black Dragon in your pack is just too obvious.”
Villanelle and Ignis in the backpack both stiffened simultaneously.
But before they could react, Lillith had already yawned and strode away, the red hem of her gown sweeping an arc as if nothing had just happened.
She knew?
“She definitely knows,” Ignis’s mental voice came immediately, carrying a hint of chagrin and wariness at being caught. “I should have concealed my aura more… but she doesn’t seem to have any ill intent?”
Villanelle stood rooted to the spot, her heart still thumping from that whisper.
Lillith’s figure had already disappeared around the corner of the stairs leading to the second floor. She seemed to have mentioned it casually, with no intention of pursuing the matter, but the feeling of being so easily seen through still sent a chill down Villanelle’s spine.
“A bag made of better material…” Villanelle muttered, making a mental note. However, the immediate priority was to go register.
She squeezed out of the crowd and quickly walked to the counter with the wooden sign reading “Urgent Mission Registration.” Three or four people were already lined up there.
When it was Villanelle’s turn, the young male clerk sitting behind the counter didn’t even look up, extending an open hand towards her. “Badge.”
Villanelle handed over her Black Iron Rank badge.
The clerk pressed the badge onto a stone slab on the table engraved with fine patterns. The slab flashed faintly, and several lines of small text automatically appeared on a piece of parchment beside it, detailing Villanelle’s basic information and recent commission records.
The clerk glanced at it and nodded with satisfaction. “Black Iron Rank… Both commissions completed well, especially the one for the Steel Workshop. You’re a Fourth Tier mage?”
“The Mage Association certification is Third Tier,” Villanelle said cautiously.
“Remember to find time to update it. Saves trouble.”
The clerk quickly wrote “Vera Lynn” and her basic information in a register, then took a wooden token from a pile nearby and handed it to Villanelle.
“Meets basic requirements, registered, Sixth Squad. Assemble promptly in the Association’s rear courtyard when the clock tower strikes for the second time tomorrow morning. We depart together. Bring your own weapons, provisions, and medicine. Lateness or absence is considered forfeiture.”
“May I ask, who are the other squad members…”
“You’ll know tomorrow. Next!” The clerk waved his quill impatiently.
Villanelle clutched the thin wooden token in her hand and hurried away from the counter. She took another look at the urgent White Water Town commission and thought of Lillith’s well-meaning reminder.
Dangerous, but the reward was also generous. And Villanelle was indeed a bit curious about that troublesome White Water Town.
Ignis had no objections. Borrowing a line from a TV show in his past life, the greater the storm, the higher the price of the fish.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Really,” Villanelle said, turning to leave the noisy hall. “But this time, we need to be even more careful, make thorough preparations… But before that, let’s find a place to buy a new backpack first.”
Lillith definitely knew something, otherwise she wouldn’t have given such a meaningful smile.
For now, just do as she said.
But… what is her real identity? And why did she specifically come to warn me, and not someone else?
Villanelle didn’t think she had anything special about her that would attract attention.