MoP: Ch. 165

---Third POV---

Domie hugged her arms around herself and curled up on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Why does this world have such cruel punishments?!"

When she saw that NineTails was about to speak again, she shrank back and covered her ears.

"No, please, don't say any more!"

She looked as though she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

The sight left NineTails at a complete loss.

Domie glanced out through the cracks in the rocks. It seemed some beastkin had been drawn over by the commotion here.

NineTails quickly patted Domie on the back in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't be afraid, I was just talking nonsense, none of it's real!"

"It felt real!"

It took quite a while before Domie's thoughts finally pulled free from the terrifying scenes she had imagined. Her face was as pale as paper, completely drained of color.

NineTails sat beside her, utterly baffled.

"I only mentioned a name. Was that really necessary?"

Judging by her reaction, falling into the hands of the Watchers was worse than death itself. The faction the game had assigned them really did have the worst reputation.

Domie took several steadying breaths. At last, her racing heartbeat began to calm.

She fixed her eyes on NineTails.

"You know black magic, and you brought up the Watchers yourself... could it be...?"

NineTails' heart tightened, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

"No, no, no. What black magic? I was just talking offhand..."

"Don't tell me you come from one of those beastkin tribes that were brainwashed by the Watchers?!"

NineTails' attempted explanation stuck in her throat.

"Huh? Brainwashed?"

Domie nodded.

"I've heard that some backward, ignorant beastkin tribes really did harbor fondness for the Watchers. Hundreds of years ago, they were once kept in captivity by the Watchers. After undergoing inhumane soul reformation, they were tamed like wild beasts! Even their descendants still carry the brand upon their souls!"

As she spoke, her emotions gradually calmed, and she clenched her fists tightly.

"Your impression of the Watchers has long been twisted by them!"

NineTails was shocked. "Wait, what? You're saying the Watchers even performed human experiments?!"

She had only just left the starter village and had already been sent in as an undercover agent. This revelation left her shaken. None of this was mentioned in the forum information.

"Human experiments?"

Domie tilted her head in puzzlement, then quickly grasped the meaning from the words themselves. She nodded firmly.

"Not just humans and beastkin. Elves, sirens, even dragons were once captured by the Watchers! They were a group of powerful lunatics, evil, cruel, stopping at nothing, taking pleasure in the suffering of others! They once plunged the whole of Aeltia into darkness!"

She patted her chest in lingering fear.

"Thankfully, the righteous churches couldn't bear to see their deeds any longer. For the sake of restoring peace to the world, they set aside their differences and joined forces. That was the only reason we gained the peace we have today. At last, the shadow of the Watchers came to an end..."

NineTails stared blankly.

What a joke.

That shadow over the continent might just be on the verge of returning.

Should she be glad her level was too low for them to even bother mistaking her as one of the Watchers' members?

She quietly inched a little closer to the heterochromatic-eyed beastkin, hugging her knees as she asked, "But I heard that the churches believed it was the Watchers' leader who caused the collapse of the Age of Gods, and that's why they were hunted down."

"That is one of the Watchers' crimes!" Domie said sternly.

"They glorify blood sacrifices, delight in curses, devour souls, abuse captives, spread plagues, revel in transforming the flesh and souls of their enemies... If one were to list their crimes, three days and three nights wouldn't be enough!"

NineTails' mouth formed a wide "o."

"Really? Couldn't there be... some kind of misunderstanding?"

Were the Watchers really that powerful?

If so, why did players still have to hide in monster-infested forests, playing at being primitive survivors?

Domie gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's your thoughts that have been twisted by them. The histories of every race record countless atrocities committed by the Watchers. For example, their greatest specialty is soul corruption. Two hundred years ago, even the Knight of Dawn of the Radiant Church, the most famous figure of the age, praised as the brightest hope of ending the dark era after the fall of the gods, failed to escape their clutches! And now, look at you! These are all concrete, undeniable facts of history!"

NineTails let out two dry laughs.

"Is that so?"

So the friendly NPCs hiding in the underground city, who were even willing to help players, were seen by outsiders as this terrifying?

But soul corruption?

She really didn't see any sign of corruption in Edgar.

That man looked every inch the type with unshakable will, a paragon of knightly virtue.

"These might just be rumors. Maybe there's another side to the story?"

"NineTails!"

Domie's face flushed with anger at her obstinate disbelief.

She almost stood up, but then her eyes fell on her younger brother sleeping peacefully on the hay, and her anger turned into helpless restraint.

"The Watchers' soul reformation really is terrifying. Even if there were hidden truths behind some things, how could every single one of their crimes have hidden truths? Just remember this, keep far, far away from the Watchers!"

Her lifted her gaze to NineTails' ears.

"They especially love tearing off beastkin's ears and wearing them on their own heads for fun. No one knows when they might suddenly appear."

Perhaps recalling NineTails' earlier speculations, fear filled her eyes. She turned away, back toward NineTails, and rummaged through the hay beside her.

After a while, she clenched her fist around something and, with an air of secrecy, handed it over to NineTails.

"Before I was captured, I found this near the river. If you ever encounter the Watchers again, use it to escape."

She let out a heavy sigh.

"We don't even know how long we can survive here... I just hope it will be useful to you."

Originally, she had intended to save this stone as a bargaining chip for her own escape should she ever fall into the Watchers' hands.

But now, seeing NineTails' "corrupted" mindset, she decided NineTails needed it more.

NineTails lowered her gaze to the white stone in her palm. The material and texture were strikingly similar to bone.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

"This, this!" Wasn't this the Shadow Contract Stone that first-wave players had?!

The very same one that, when crushed, could summon Viktor!

How did a random NPC also have one?

Domie explained, "They treasure items bearing their own mark. This should at least buy you some time to escape. I'm very grateful you saved my brother."

A sweet fruit and a life-saving artifact, both given as tokens of thanks, but on completely different scales. It was obvious she wanted to draw a line between NineTails and herself.

NineTails had no time to feel bitter about her goodwill being mistaken. Her eyes had already turned into the shape of the Shadow Contract Stone.

A chance to freeload off a top-tier player's help. This was going to be epic.

---

While NineTails was leisurely living a beastkin slave's life that felt more like a vacation, the players outside had already gotten busy.

"What? The Redstone Auction House is preparing to auction off elves?!"

Hannah stared incredulously at her companion, Tina.

"Could the news be wrong?"

The siren with long turquoise hair shook her head.

"Similar rumors started two days ago. We investigated from multiple sources and just confirmed that it's true. Selina left the city precisely to lower the vigilance of the people behind it. It turns out we were right to be cautious."

Hannah was shocked. It took her a moment to find her voice again.

"Humans... really have no fear."

Tina continued, "The elf auction is set for a week from now. As soon as we left, they started auctioning off sirens..."

Hannah was silent for a while.

"You suspect they're auctioning more than just elves?"

"If they have the nerve to lay hands on elves, hiding information from their allies wouldn't be beyond them," Tina admitted.

Hannah let out a breath.

"What does Selina think?"

"Of course, she wants to storm the auction house and rescue the fallen siren directly."

Tina blurted it out without hesitation.

It was just an obscure little town, after all. Even if it had an underground market and gray industries, there couldn't be many powerful individuals supporting it.

Forget magus, there might not even be an archmage, just a pitiful handful of advanced mages.

That level of power was no match for sirens.

Their previous cooperation with humans was only to avoid provoking the human kingdom's capital and escalating things. However, an underground city was never meant to see the light of day. Even if they turned the entire place upside down, no word would ever leak out.

Hannah thought for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Alright, I'll go tell Swiftwind first, then come find you."

"Going to see your little boyfriend again, huh?" Tina curled her lip. "What's so great about humans?"

Hannah's cheeks turned red.

"You'll understand when you meet the right one."

Tina waved her hand dismissively.

"Spare me the mushy talk. Just make sure you're back by morning."

"By morning?"

"Mm," Tina explained. "Everyone else went off to have some fun, so we'll have to wait until they're back before acting."

Since they had originally planned to set out in the morning, everyone wanted to enjoy themselves one last time before leaving, so it was impossible to gather everyone now.

Although sirens were powerful, to be safe, it was best to storm the auction house together.

Hannah understood and left without hesitation.

"Then, see you tomorrow."

---

When Hannah returned to the newly repaired underground garden, Garble was still waiting there.

A smile appeared on her face as she took his right arm.

"Sorry, something came up just now. Let's continue our walk."

Garble nodded.

They began their eleventh walk through the garden, a garden they had already strolled through at least ten times in the past few days.

"Did something happen with your people?"

"Just a small matter," Hannah said offhandedly. "They ran into some trouble and will leave Nary Town a bit later."

"I'll talk to the Scarlet Casino. You should go lie low outside the city for a while."

"Oh?" Garble's heart stirred.

It worked!

It seemed the information had successfully reached White Dove's hands.

Time to move to the next step.

He went along with her words.

"What's the matter? I was actually planning to go train for a couple of days. I came today just to say goodbye."

"Train?"

Hannah's expression first showed confusion, then turned into excitement.

"You're about to reach to Advanced Mage!"

"In just one week, you've gone from a Beginner Mage to a Advanced Mage. You really are the most outstanding human I've ever met!"

Garble awkwardly let her hug him.

"It's not that amazing... After all, you and Claude gave me so many rare magical fruits and potions. Breaking through was only a matter of time."

Those materials could increase magical affinity, strengthen mental power, and raise levels.

For Garble, a player, consuming them was like a Pokémon using Rare Candy.

Now, even just taking a shit, he could hear the continuous notification sound in his ears: Experience +10, +10...

And that was after he'd secretly pocketed two-thirds of the materials without using them.

"How can that be the same thing."

Hannah frowned delicately.

"The last person who passed the Trial of the Opportunists had the exact same resources as you, and even after five years, he still hadn't advanced to Advanced Mage. That just proves how exceptional your learning talent is, far above anyone else."

She held both of Garble's hands.

"Reaching that level is no small matter. You must not take it lightly. Let me protect you while you train."

Garble froze.

"Well, I mean, you can, but..."

"It's settled then."

Hannah cut him off joyfully.

"Nothing is more important than your safety. White Dove's team will be fine without me, but right now, you need me the most."

She quickly decided where Garble would train.

"How about by the riverside? The wind there will help you communicate with the wind element, and I can guard you from within the water."

"When do we leave?"

Garble swallowed his intended refusal and changed his tone decisively.

"Right now."

Hannah agreed happily. "Then let's go see Claude first."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Where Garble couldn't see, a triumphant smile appeared on her face.

Training together, guarding him while he meditates, just the two of them alone. It was the perfect chance to deepen their relationship.

Selina had always been watching her like a hawk, so this was the perfect opportunity to completely push her rival aside while she was busy searching for the fallen siren.

At the same time, where Hannah couldn't see, Garble was furiously typing on his game panel.

[The conflict trigger is set. Both sirens are about to be lured away. Power balance achieved. Troops, prepare to move!]

Soon, replies started flooding in on the forum.

[That was fast! Weren't we supposed to act tomorrow morning? It's not even curfew time in the game yet!]

[The underground city needs to descend into chaos before we begin the siege.]

[Garble moves at godspeed, as always!]

[Wait, wasn't the plan to spread fake news that he got kidnapped to lure the sirens out to rescue him?]

[Yeah, we haven't even started that yet!]

[And I thought once you enter the underground city, you can't leave??]

Garble glanced up at casino guard, who had cheerfully let them pass, and sighed.

He resumed typing.

[No need for the fake kidnapping. I said I'm going to train, and Hannah volunteered to protect me. Once I disappear with her, Selina will naturally come chasing after us.]

[Exhausted. Not talking anymore.]

It wasn't that he was overconfident.

It was just that he'd seen this same thing happen too many times over the past few days. The two sirens knew each other's movements better than the man standing beside them.

If the other one found out he was alone with Hannah, she'd definitely come rushing over.

A flood of question marks appeared below his post.

It sounded tragic... but somehow it reeked of showing off.

The grand doors of the Redstone Auction House stood wide open.

A glimpse inside revealed a luxurious, ornate interior, drenched in the scent of money.

After a night of debauchery and excess, a few uninvited guests arrived at its doors.