Lin Shu looked at the magnificent hall, feeling a sense of nostalgia in her heart.
When she first arrived in this otherworldly realm, she never imagined that she would one day be wearing a mask, hiding her human identity to attend a demon ball.
Nor did she expect that she would have sacrificed so much for the arrogant Leah back then.
Given Leah’s personality, after two setbacks, she probably wouldn’t come to bother Lin Shu anymore.
At this moment, several demons had already gathered at the entrance of the hall, handing over their invitations and waiting to enter.
After putting on her mask, Lin Shu stepped out of the carriage. She walked unsteadily, teetering in her high heels.
Ugh, I’m so not used to this!
Despite practicing for several days, it was still difficult to master high heels; it felt like she was walking on stilts.
To avoid twisting her ankle and making a fool of herself, Lin Shu walked very slowly.
Seraphina also noticed Lin Shu’s discomfort and intentionally slowed her pace.
“Seraphina Drago, of the Drago Vampire Family,” Seraphina said as she handed over her invitation.
Lin Shu took the opportunity to observe her surroundings, and a peculiar figure caught her eye.
“That person… is in a wheelchair?” Lin Shu muttered to herself, somewhat puzzled.
It was a young girl clad entirely in snow-white. She wore a white dress, her frame slender, with her thin, weak hands resting obediently on her knees.
Her hair was a pure, spotless white, and her pupils were a translucent, crystalline white. The girl looked like a porcelain doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
A tall woman was pushing the girl’s wheelchair, slowly advancing toward the main entrance of the hall.
The appearance of this porcelain-like girl simultaneously attracted the gaze of the other demons.
Right then, a dense sound of fluttering wings suddenly came from above:
“Flap, flap, flap—”
A large flock of white pigeons dove from the top of the hall, heading straight for the girl in the wheelchair.
Huh? Where did these white pigeons come from?
While Lin Shu was wondering, the girl in the wheelchair looked up and frowned. The tall woman pushing the wheelchair suddenly drew a sword from behind her back and swung it violently.
The sword qi struck several white pigeons. Upon being hit, they unexpectedly dissolved into motes of light and vanished into the air.
The remaining pigeons flapped their wings in unison, and their feathers transformed into sharp arrows, shooting toward the pair.
Immediately afterward, the hand the tall woman used to hold the sword went limp and dropped. Her eerie movements looked like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been cut.
A few feathers grazed the arm of the girl in the wheelchair, and a wound instantly appeared.
It was an attack!
Lin Shu realized it was a targeted assault on the girl in the wheelchair.
The surrounding demons all backed away; none of them wanted to step forward.
“Why did pigeons suddenly appear? There have never been pigeons in the capital.”
“Don’t act rashly. Perhaps some group is targeting our merchant guild.”
“Mistress, should we help?”
Seeing the white pigeons in the air surrounding the girl in the wheelchair, Lin Shu felt worried and looked at Seraphina nervously.
Seraphina looked at those pigeons, her expression exceptionally solemn.
This flock of pigeons was an offensive method summoned by someone.
She had never seen this type of attack before. At least, not among demons.
Why would someone suddenly target a girl in a wheelchair?
After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and replied, “We’ll help first.”
Lin Shu rushed forward, with Seraphina following closely behind.
“Swish, swish, swish!!”
Several vines burst from the ground, lunging at the white pigeons in the air. The pigeons flapped their wings, and their feather-blades sliced clean through the vines that met them.
Lin Shu frowned.
The durability of the vines was too low; they couldn’t block those feathers.
However, if she could just catch them…
She focused her will and summoned several more vines, entangling a few of the pigeons in mid-air. Thorns sprouted, and toxin from the tips was injected into the pigeons’ bodies.
*Why are you fluttering about so much? Go talk to my Entangling Toxin debuff!*
Soon, several pigeons stiffened, losing the strength to flap their wings, and were trapped directly within the cage of vines.
Once their strength was exhausted, they also dissipated into motes of light.
Having dealt with all the pigeons, Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward the girl in the wheelchair. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine. Thank, you.” The girl in the wheelchair lowered her head. Her white eyelashes drooped, trembling slightly.
She bit down on an almost invisible thread with her lower lip, tied it to her finger, and flicked it toward the tall woman behind her.
As if a connection had been restored, the woman’s arm regained its mobility.
Lin Shu was surprised. This was just like controlling a puppet.
“You’re welcome. Do you know who attacked you?” Seraphina asked tentatively.
The girl in the wheelchair shook her head and said in a low voice, “Do not know. Perhaps, old, enemies.”
The way she spoke made Lin Shu take notice; it seemed she wasn’t good at communicating.
“My name, Eve,” the girl in the wheelchair said, pointing to herself. She then pointed to the tall woman behind her. “She is, Ella. My first, puppet.”
A puppet. So that was it, Lin Shu realized. That meant Eve was a puppeteer, and the thread from earlier was likely what she used to control her puppet.
“Your, names?” Eve tilted her head slightly.
“I am Seraphina Drago, from the Drago Family of the Blood Race.” Seraphina bowed elegantly and pulled Lin Shu forward. “And she is Lin Shu.”
“Drago.” Eve blinked twice. “Name, very familiar.”
Saying this, Eve turned toward Lin Shu and stared at the mask on her face. “Cannot see, face?”
“Ah, because she is quite shy,” Seraphina laughed, brushing it off.
Eve seemed thoughtful. “I also, am not good, at socializing. Had I known, I would wear one too.”
After the brief introductions, they went to the hall entrance together to prepare for entry.
A demon responsible for maintaining order hurried over, concerned about Eve’s condition, and thanked Seraphina and Lin Shu.
“I am very sorry. Our security measures were inadequate. We will notify the guards to increase security immediately.”
Eve looked away awkwardly. She handed a black invitation to the staff and said softly, “Eve. Codename, ‘Deft Hands’.”
“Huh?!”
Seraphina and Lin Shu turned their heads at the same time, their faces full of surprise.
She was “Deft Hands”?!
This thin, weak girl in a wheelchair was actually the “Deft Hands” team that was comparable to an entire army on the battlefield?
But she was only one person. Could it be…
Lin Shu fixed her gaze on the tall puppet “Ella” who was pushing the wheelchair. So, was the entire army comprised of puppets built by Eve?
Or was she simply the person in charge?
Seraphina’s heart was in turmoil, her emotions complex.
Being able to directly find and identify “Deft Hands” ahead of time was a huge gain. That was exactly their purpose for attending the ball.
If the girl was indeed “Deft Hands,” then she had seen Seraphina’s parents, proving she had participated in the war between the Demon Race and the Holy Race.
Eve said that the ones who attacked her just now might be old enemies. Could the attackers be from the Holy Race?
Lin Shu’s key was related to the Holy Race. If the Holy Race was truly present… Lin Shu must not be exposed.
Thinking of this, Seraphina turned to Lin Shu and said, “Little cutie, stay close to me. Try not to act alone.”
“And you must, keep your mask on.”