“Uh…”
Li Si felt a bit awkward. The more she looked, the more she felt He Zi actually liked her.
But upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem that way.
After all, it was just data on the panel. Maybe the affection level the cheat mentioned was different from what she thought.
Hmm, that must be it.
Li Si composed herself and said a friendly goodbye.
“Orianna and the others must have guessed your identity already. You were too skilled in that dungeon—skilled… like every time you led us through a raid.”
“Yeah.”
Li Si nodded.
He Zi’s pupils trembled slightly. She suddenly blurted out, “Don’t you have anything to say to me…”
Li Si tilted her head and scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. “Bye?”
He Zi bit her lip hard and clenched her fists. She said nothing more, only shooting a harsh glance at Lili Ya, who had been watching the drama while eating.
Lili Ya had been thoroughly enjoying the show. That glare made her snap to attention, even scooping her ice cream with perfect precision.
He Zi didn’t say another word. She just tossed out a money pouch.
Li Si was caught off guard but caught it with one hand. When she looked up, He Zi had already vanished.
Lili Ya looked left and right. Only after confirming He Zi was really gone did she dare to sidle up, her face full of caution. “Li Si, does Lady He Zi know about your identity?”
Li Si nodded and opened the pouch. Inside was a pile of gold coins and a slip of paper.
The note read: “Pay me back when you come to Soronwell.”
Heh, she was quite thoughtful. She knew Li Si was short on money. There were a full 100 gold coins inside—roughly He Zi’s entire assets from her rookie period.
Li Si didn’t stand on ceremony. She still hadn’t paid off her mortgage, and now there was a dungeon on top of that—a major project that would require money everywhere.
Back in the house, Yadana, who had been quietly following, suddenly spoke up. “Um… milady, your name is Li Si, right? Can I recognize you as my master from now on?”
Li Si smiled, even more certain of something.
Yadana was notoriously a weather vane, so her previous choice of Lili Ya was definitely not a whim.
That meant she had known about Lili Ya’s specialness from the very beginning.
Li Si didn’t beat around the bush. She laid out her terms directly.
“Disclose all the demon realm information you know, and also use the communication network to publicly curse your upper demons by real name.”
Yadana immediately prostrated herself. “Your servant Yadana reports for duty!”
“Not done yet. Finish these tasks within three days.”
“Master! One day is enough!”
Yadana was swift and decisive. She immediately asked for paper and pen and started writing a demon realm document with great urgency.
Lili Ya was a bit curious. What exactly was a dungeon, and what kind of existence were its lords? History books only ever wrote that they were the spokespersons of the demon realm, enemies of intelligent races, and the vanquished foes of heroes, but never specified what they actually were.
Li Si knew all about it. Since she had just returned and wanted to take a bath, she simply dragged Lili Ya to the bathroom for a deep talk.
It was actually quite simple. A dungeon was the demon realm itself. The lords within were demons of different ranks. Yadana, for example, was a lower demon.
Lower demons were the lowest class of demons in the demon realm. They generally governed the lowest-level dungeons. Only under special circumstances could they rise in rank; otherwise, they would remain lower demons forever.
As for higher-level upper demons and royal ministers, that would take a while to explain.
Since the story hadn’t reached that point, Li Si didn’t want to pad things out either.
Once Yadana compiled the information and sent it to the press, everyone would know soon enough.
Changing into a pink nightgown, Li Si helped Lili Ya dry her hair, and together they left the bathroom. Then she took a bottle of chilled tequila from the magic refrigerator and chugged a few gulps.
“Ah~ Nothing beats a drink after a bath.”
Li Si handed it to Lili Ya, who also took a few swigs.
The two drinking buddies naturally sprawled on the living room sofa and started drinking with snacks.
This time, there were no complaints. Both sat quietly, watching the magic screen.
The screen reported on dungeon phenomena in various regions.
Earlier, due to the miasma, outward magical signals had been cut off. Now that the miasma was cleared and signals reconnected, the news was surprisingly shocking.
“According to adventurers across the regions, this generation’s Chosen Ones seem to be losing their divine power due to the fall of the Holy Court. So far, five Chosen teams have lost the power of the goddess. Two have been confirmed to be from the Mu Continent, two from the Northern Continent, and one of them is right here in our city of Soronwell—the Flame Team from Border Town. Just moments ago, all members of the Flame Team lost their goddess-given power.”
“Now, we’ve found their captain, Yanfa Luoqi, who once possessed the power of the hero. Let’s hear how she feels.”
“Hehehe~ You came fast, like horny wild dogs. You want to hear something even more exciting, right? Hehehe~ Losing power makes things more interesting, doesn’t it?~ Want to take this chance to conquer me? The first to defeat me, I’ll offer myself as a gift~ Of course, I heard that dying now means no respawn. I can’t wait~ The feeling of killing~”
“Uh… well, losing power may have hit the former hero Luoqi a bit hard… So let us—”
……
Lili Ya’s hand holding the bottle trembled. She turned to look at Li Si, and seeing her calm expression, she asked softly, “The Flame Team… that was Li Si’s old team, right?”
It was, but that was in the past. She didn’t have any particular thoughts about her former teammates, nor was she too worried. As the heroine group, they wouldn’t be easily defeated. Instead, Lili Ya was becoming more and more interesting to her.
The deeper she understood, the more she felt that her bond with Lili Ya wasn’t a coincidence. It might be some kind of destined inevitability.
And this feeling of destiny seemed to have produced another one as the number of Breeding Mothers increased.
Li Si quietly sensed that intangible connection, drinking until she was slightly tipsy and the snacks were almost gone. She got up to go to the bathroom when a purple-haired figure suddenly scurried up from downstairs.
“Lady Li Si! Someone just delivered a letter. Your humble servant has taken it for you!”
Yadana’s face was full of flattery as she handed over an envelope.
Li Si yawned, swayed as she took it, glanced at it, and froze. The next second, she fell backward and plopped down onto something soft. Too lazy to get up, she just fell asleep right there.
“Mmm… smells like the sea…”
Lili Ya, already drunk and drowsy, fumbled at her face with her hands. The tip of her nose touched something soft and warm, and a familiar scent drifted in.
Yadana wondered what could have scared Boss Li Si to sleep. She bent down to pick up the letter, took one look, and chuckled.
[Letter from the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce
Today is May 1st. Your housing bill has arrived. The remaining balance has been paid on your behalf. This is a temporary notice. Payer: Merlin A. Sorensis]
[Balance Settlement: 300 Gold]
[Congratulations, you are now the official owner of the house]
What, so the boss was that short on money that she needed someone else to pay it off?
Yadana’s little brain turned. With short legs hopping, she hurried downstairs to continue writing a grand oath of allegiance.