Although Allen had gone through countless reincarnations, this was the first time he had set foot inside the Thieves’ Guild headquarters.
The previous Allen de Laval wasn’t truly a scoundrel; he was merely rebellious by nature and naturally had no interest in such disreputable places.
Moreover, in most of Allen’s past cycles, he started off as a student, making it even less likely for him to have the opportunity to delve into such a den of vipers.
Now, walking through the dark and damp underground passages, Allen couldn’t help but mutter inwardly: In the original game, they actually had Livia von Stern—a serious and upright knight—coming to a place like this to take commissions and earn money? Even for gameplay purposes, that’s way out of character!
Given Livia’s righteous and unforgiving personality, wouldn’t she just draw her sword and slaughter everyone from top to bottom upon seeing such a nest of sin?
Hmm… well, it’s fortunate the original was an all-ages game. If Livia had been defeated in a place like this, how many defeat CGs would that have contributed?
But then again, Livia’s cold and serious character really isn’t suited to be the heroine of an otome game.
If she were the protagonist in some weird game, she’d probably be an industry best-seller!
Of course, these random thoughts only flashed by briefly. Nowadays, Allen found it hard to have any strange fantasies about Livia.
He simply couldn’t imagine that monster disguised as a beautiful girl ever having a chance of defeat; the only scene he could picture was her expressionlessly hacking all enemies to bloody stumps.
Livia was simply not a normal beauty! She was every villain’s nightmare!!!
The young girl leading the way silently went ahead, and the three of them continuously navigated through the labyrinthine underground maze, turning at one confusing intersection after another.
The walls were carved with various indecipherable symbols, clearly secret codes used within the Thieves’ Guild.
Allen walked while rapidly deciphering the meanings of these marks and firmly memorizing their route in his mind, planning the optimal path for future assaults.
The atmosphere inside the passage was unusually oppressive.
Under normal circumstances, visitors heading to the guild would harass the female guides with all sorts of filthy words, but now, in this confined and stifling space, only the three sets of footsteps and faint distant noise could be heard.
The girl was a Contract Slave of the Thieves’ Guild, bound to work incessantly to repay a debt that was almost impossible to clear.
She had only recently arrived and was still unspoiled. The guild planned to sell her for a good price, so for now, she was only assigned to guide work, learning how to “serve” her future patrons.
Yet, in this most wretched place, she unexpectedly ran into someone she knew.
This made it difficult for her to even voice the usual teasing and rule-bound reminders.
Allen noticed the awkward, almost frozen atmosphere between Finn Hawk and the girl and roughly guessed the story.
It was nothing more than the classic tragic trope of reuniting with a first love only to find they had fallen into the depths of depravity. He hadn’t expected Finn to have such a past.
Allen couldn’t help but lean closer to Finn and lower his voice: “Your relationship with her… is it what I think it is?”
Finn silently met Allen’s gaze and nodded slightly, his expression complicated.
Allen looked at the girl’s frail and humble back, then glanced at the loss in Finn’s eyes, softly reflecting:
“She was probably once a respectable young lady, but fell to this. In this merciless Old Society, pure and beautiful love is nothing but a luxury. Now, you should understand why I want to destroy the Thieves’ Guild, why I want to smash this old world to pieces.”
Pure and beautiful love is nothing but a luxury…
Allen’s words were like a key that unlocked a tender corner in Finn’s heart, carefully sealed away.
Though he spent years surviving in the shadows of the sewers like a rat, sometimes he couldn’t help but peek out, yearning for a glimpse of what the world under the sunlight was like.
Then, his gaze was completely captivated by the girl at that little flower shop.
It was only a chance encounter. When he failed as a pickpocket and was chased, running wildly in panic, that kind-hearted girl had hidden him behind a large bucket of blooming flowers.
The fragrant scent of the flowers and her subtle personal scent masked his presence and saved him.
That sudden and selfless kindness was like a faint but warm light shining into his gloomy life. He fell hopelessly in love with that hardworking and innocent flower girl.
He knew they were from different worlds. His feelings for her were destined to remain a hopeless crush, never to reach her heart.
But even so, Finn would occasionally save up money, dress in the cleanest clothes he could find, and casually pass by the flower shop to buy the cheapest flower, just to talk with her briefly.
Only in those short moments, listening to her soft voice and watching her focused face as she wiped leaves, did Finn feel like a human being, like he could still grasp a flicker of hope living under the sunshine.
Yet, beautiful moments were always fleeting. Later, he heard that the flower girl’s father had fallen into gambling addiction and owed the Thieves’ Guild a huge usurious debt.
Later still, that little flower shop disappeared as if it had never existed, replaced by a new store. And the girl vanished without a trace.
The only light in Finn’s life was extinguished, and he sank even deeper into darkness.
He never imagined that he would meet her again in such a place, in such a manner.
The cruel hand of fate had mercilessly twisted their roles in a shocking reversal.
Finn first felt a great irony, then an uncontrollable surge of anger.
If sinking into the abyss of darkness was his own fault, what had the flower girl done wrong?
She was hardworking and kind, supporting herself with her own hands, yet still fell to this fate!
Even the last clean corner in his heart, the place harboring beautiful illusions, was utterly defiled by this filthy world!
Finn hated the merciless Old Society more than ever, and his faith in the ideal world Allen described grew even stronger and more passionate.
He was no longer the humble rat hiding in the shadows, peeking out from afar.
Next time, he would return as a Liberator! He would bring Sunshine back to this girl swallowed by darkness and give her true freedom!
The girl leading them forward didn’t know that Finn’s gaze no longer held humility or loss, but the resolute confidence of a savior.
At this moment, she was trapped in intense shame and inner turmoil: Why… had it to be him… Why had he seen her at her worst…
Allen, having caught a little “gossip” from his subordinate, returned his focus to memorizing the route and analyzing the environment.
His incredible memory was enough to perfectly replicate the complex and winding path.
He knew that beneath Leclair City lay an ancient and vast network of quarry tunnels, and the Forgotten Madonna path to the guild headquarters exploited these natural labyrinths.
No wonder cultists and enemies never seemed to be completely cleared in the Starshine Love Song game—who knew how many secrets still lay hidden in this dark underground world?
After passing through the long maze, the three finally arrived at the true core den of the Thieves’ Guild.
The moment Allen stepped into this huge underground space, he immediately understood why the guild had set up its headquarters here—
This was by no means a naturally formed or simply excavated space; it was a massive shelter with clear mechanical excavation marks, even supported by thick steel structures!
It was very likely an underground shelter built during the early days of the Lorraine Kingdom, located directly beneath the Old City District.
A thousand years had passed, the shelter abandoned, and eventually discovered by criminals who transformed it into the prosperous and sinful underground city it was today.
The intricate underground tunnel network provided them perfect conditions for escape and concealment.
Allen curiously examined this “Criminal Paradise,” quickly matching it to the in-game map and soon mastering its layout.
How to deploy forces, how to cut off escape routes, how many troops were needed, what security measures were in place… a clear attack plan swiftly formed in his mind.
This adventure was worth it.
In essence, this underground world was not an impregnable fortress. Most of the guards were ragtag mobs; aside from a few possible cultists, there were no formidable enemies.
A well-trained mercenary company could easily sweep through these poorly organized and untrained thugs.
And once the cultists acted, the Heretic Inquisition Squad would have a legitimate reason to intervene.
The hardest part was simply finding this place—and Allen had already accomplished that.
At that moment, Allen noticed that quite a few well-dressed nobles were entering and exiting the “Land of Tenderness” area.
One nobleman had his arm intimately linked with a beautiful girl with light golden hair, dressed in an exquisite court gown.
Allen squinted for a closer look and nearly dropped his jaw.
“Princess Charlotte?! You too… have gone undercover to experience life?”
The girl’s appearance was exactly like one of the romanceable characters in 《Starlit Romance》, Princess Charlotte Durand—the heir to the Lorraine Kingdom throne!
But as Allen looked more closely, he found that although similar in appearance, their auras were completely different.
The real Princess Charlotte, like her brother Charles, was a ruthless and rational political animal who would never display such submissive and deliberately flattering charm.
Allen instantly understood—The Thieves’ Guild was truly brazen! They had actually trained a princess’s double to satisfy the most audacious and filthy desires of certain nobles!
He observed carefully and found that the girls near the “Land of Tenderness” were far superior in quality to the gaudy women on the surface; they were all carefully selected beauties.
Even the demure girl guiding him and Finn paled slightly in comparison.
No wonder the Thieves’ Guild stood unshaken… this move alone must have gained them many powerful patrons as protectors…
However, this era was different from the modern world Allen knew; even possessing evidence of these nobles frequenting such places wouldn’t pose a real threat to them.
The bureaucracy was deeply entangled with these evils.
Indeed, these vermin must be thoroughly eliminated physically! Allen sneered coldly in his heart.
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