The frame of this Fan Staff was pitch-black, made not from any ordinary wood—in fact, it hardly seemed wooden at all, more like a dark, bone-like substance.
Its weight was exceedingly light.
Intricate patterns were carved all along the framework, each design an ancient Magic Symbol, yet the way they were constructed resembled clusters of blooming flowers.
Enya silently marveled at the exquisite design.
She reached out with her slender, jade-white forefinger and gently touched the deep purple fabric of the fan; instantly, a cool sensation washed over her.
This thing even has its own cooling effect…
The silk threads woven into the fabric weren’t common material either, but derived from some kind of Special Beast—what precise properties it had, only actual use would tell.
Gazing at it for a moment longer, she finally spoke up.
“It must be quite old, isn’t it?”
Enya closed the Fan Staff and looked up at Sharon sitting across from her.
Sharon smiled, nodded to affirm Enya’s guess, then deliberately lowered her voice, adopting a tone of mystery as she continued.
“This, you know, was once the property of the High Consul. But when the Empire fell apart, this special fan wasn’t taken away—perhaps that great High Consul simply forgot about it.”
As Sharon spoke, she seemed so proud, as if she herself had witnessed those days firsthand.
Knowing this bit of history seemed to give her a sense of superiority.
“…”
The Empire? High Consul?
Enya narrowed her eyes.
Are you taking me for someone who barely skimmed her history books? She inwardly curled her lips, then cast her eyes down, glancing once more at the Fan Staff in her hand.
She gave it a slight shake, then closed the box.
“Here.”
She shut the long rectangular box and handed it back to Sharon.
Sharon took the box, looking rather bewildered.
What the…
Who accepts a gift, unwraps it, and then returns the package?
She looked at the box, then at Enya.
At this moment, Sharon noticed that the gray-haired female scholar across from her seemed deep in thought.
Was there something on her mind?
Sharon didn’t think Enya could possibly be connected to the High Consul. After all, the Empire was already a thousand years in the past.
“Ahem.”
Sharon cleared her throat. “Ain, shall we get to business now? Didn’t you want to find the Lord of Mist Church?”
“You said there was an organization that bought out the information.” Enya leaned back against her seat.
“That’s right.” Sharon nodded, then continued, “That organization is Golden Town itself. We’re already working with another group, so we’re not letting anyone else get involved…”
“But, Ain, you’re different!”
“Based on my personal intuition, I believe your investment potential far exceeds that of our current partner.”
At this point, Sharon didn’t continue.
Enya picked up the thread. “So you want to invest in me?”
“We would make the best partners, don’t you think, Ain?” Sharon’s fox-like eyes narrowed, her smile alluring.
How could Enya not understand the implication behind Sharon’s words?
Betrayal was a common thing.
If Golden Town could stab the Lord of Mist Church in the back, it could do the same to their other partner.
It also meant that if Sharon saw enough value, she might backstab Enya as well.
But Enya didn’t care.
If they wanted to betray her, they’d have to be capable of it.
Without the strength, their fate would end up worse than that so-called underground tyrant, Eugene.
At that point, it wouldn’t be Enya simply putting on an act and letting it go—anyone who dared betray her had better be ready to be killed in return.
When the time came, Enya would show no mercy.
If anyone harbored ill intent, she would answer with a thunderous response!
A faint killing intent surfaced.
Sharon suddenly felt as if she’d plunged into an icy abyss.
Though it lasted only a heartbeat, she realized with chilling clarity that this seemingly gentle, intellectual female scholar before her…
Was absolutely not as refined and amiable as she appeared!
Deep inside, there was a cruel, cold side hidden away, meant only for enemies, usually kept carefully concealed.
That fleeting killing intent alone was enough to make Sharon’s blood run cold, making her realize the gap between herself and this Ain.
Even so, Sharon’s gaze remained hungry.
She wanted to seize Enya for herself.
“The Lord’s Manor of White Stone City has an Underground Chamber, with a two-way Teleportation Array inside. Three days from now, we’ll sneak in and activate the array; from there, we can find the hidden Lord of Mist Church. But teleporting recklessly carries great risk.”
“Mm.”
Enya responded blandly.
In the other carriage, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Neither Sophia nor Nina spoke, and Wendy was clearly not the type to start a conversation herself.
She sat up straight, eyes cast down, hands folded.
Suddenly, Sophia and Nina sensed a familiar presence as the carriage door swung open.
Enya entered, fanning herself with a Purple Fan.
She scanned the seating, then sat down beside Wendy.
Sophia and Nina were used to sitting together.
Seeing Enya settle in and the door close, Nina promptly stood up, then squeezed herself between Wendy and Enya, wedging the dragon and the elf apart.
Tilting her head up, her adorable face donned a fierce expression as she spoke.
“Hey, Mother Dragon, what were you talking about with that woman?” “Nothing much. We’re making a move in three days.”
Tch! Enya snapped her Fan Staff shut with a chuckle.
Sophia: “Huh?”
Nina: “Oh.”
Wendy: “……”
I don’t want to get involved in any action, I just want to be a quiet little flower!
Nina turned to look at Wendy beside her. Seeing how nervous Wendy seemed, she lifted her arm and jabbed her with an elbow.
“Hey, Weed, you’re working too.”
“Uh… Alright, okay, haha.” Wendy forced a miserable laugh.
Nina’s blunt nature put huge pressure on her.
The others were either of high status or possessed mysterious and overwhelming power.
Mother Dragon? Did Nina just call her Mother Dragon?
Wendy sneaked a glance at Enya sitting next to her, unable to stifle her curiosity.
This woman, whom Princess Sophia called ‘senior,’ wasn’t actually human, but a female of the dragon race?
“What are you staring at, Weed?” “Eeek?!”
Nina pounced right onto Wendy.
Wendy jumped in fright.
The little gold elf girl threw her whole body atop the forest elf, narrowed her sapphire eyes, and peered into Wendy’s face at close range.
Sophia could only massage her forehead helplessly at the sight.
“All right, Nina, stop bullying Wendy. And your feet are kicking Senior—look, you’ve already dirtied her clothes!”
Enya: “I don’t mind.”
Nina rolled off Wendy and plopped down beside Enya, apparently unwilling to return to Sophia’s side.
Sophia found it hard to believe.
“Nina, you’re abandoning your big sister Sophia?” “Huh? No, I’m not.”
Nina looked completely innocent.
Sophia pouted and grabbed Nina by the ear, pulling her back and forcing her to sit beside her. Then she said to Wendy,
“Wendy, let’s switch seats.” “Ah? Okay…”
Wendy glanced at Nina, then bowed her head and moved over quietly. Sophia joined her, but soon Nina scooted over again.
Wendy ended up all alone.
Luckily, she liked being by herself.
But Enya was now being sandwiched on both sides.
“Senior~” “Mother Dragon!”
With both girls calling her by their own nicknames, Enya’s head began to ache. Which way should she turn to respond?
For a moment, Enya thought about switching places with Wendy, but Wendy obviously wouldn’t agree; even if she did, Nina and Sophia would just follow.
As Sophia and Nina cheerfully chatted across Enya, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
But they hadn’t yet arrived at their destination.
Something was happening…
Outside the carriage, the driver’s voice filtered in.
“Ladies and Misses, we’ll have to wait a bit before we can continue. Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”
Sophia furrowed her brow and called out toward the door.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s the Lord’s wife—she’s returned. The main road’s been blocked by the knights, so we’ll have to wait a little while.”
The Lord’s wife?
Sophia pulled back the carriage curtain.
Their carriage was pulled to the side of the road, and not far off stood armored knights, fully armed and standing guard.
On the main street of White Stone City, columns of mounted soldiers marched in neat rows.
Before long, a large carriage came into Sophia’s view, rolling slowly toward the inner city.
Behind it trailed a convoy of supply wagons, escorted by numerous city guards—quite the spectacle.
“The Lord’s wife?”
Enya muttered under her breath, not expecting the driver to hear.
But the driver promptly began to explain all about the Lord’s wife.
“The current Lord is only thirteen, while the Lord’s wife is thirty-three. She was the second wife of the former Lord.”
“Alas, the Old Lord died of a strange illness, but when he passed, it was supposed to be the eldest son who inherited the title. Who would’ve thought that those sons all died one after another!”
“In the end, only the youngest was left, inheriting the lordship at three years old, along with his father’s wife.”
Wendy, after hearing this, blurted, “So this Lord married his own mom?”
The moment she spoke, everyone in the carriage stared at her, making Wendy break out in a cold sweat.
“Uhh, I was just saying…”
The stares withdrew.
Sophia: “It’s true. This Lord married his mother!” Nina: “Weird.”
Enya, meanwhile, turned her attention to the old driver.
The aura around him was nothing to scoff at—she could only label it as “not weak.”
The way he told these tales, it was as if he’d witnessed them himself.
A hint of curiosity stirred in Enya, and she asked,
“How do you know all this?”
“Old man… was once a retainer of the Old Lord. I speak of what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
Sitting at the driver’s seat, the gray-haired elder reached for his empty left sleeve, his clouded eyes seeming to…