I Revived My Maid, Now She Hungers for My Blood

Despite maintaining a wary stance, Poppy waved her squad forward, leading them toward the edge of the platform. She signaled them to follow and stepped off first, her boots hitting the sun-baked, sweltering concrete of the rooftop.

Pandora and Elsa didn’t crowd them, maintaining a polite yet safe distance as they followed suit off the platform.

Soon, the steam train let out another long whistle. The rhythmic clatter of its wheels faded into the distance. In the blink of an eye, the Victorian-style locomotive, along with its platform and flickering gas lamps, vanished from sight entirely.

Left behind in the air was the pale blue vapor Poppy controlled. It blanketed the entire rooftop, obstructing most lines of sight.

Watching the train until it completely disappeared, Pandora finally spoke, her tone calm. “So, if I had to guess... this is a Fragment World, isn’t it? And you’re the cleanup crew sent to handle it? Took the Academy’s commission?”

She didn’t sound entirely certain, but there wasn’t much doubt in her voice either. While she was still a bit fuzzy on the details of her current predicament, Pandora had always been a quick adapter.

The setup looked bizarre, but in reality, it wasn’t that complicated. If she connected the dots: Amanda, who was supposed to send her to a Fragment World, had run into some sort of variable, and Faye had taken over the operation.

Faye’s approach had simply bypassed the Academy’s convoluted red tape, tossing her straight onto a train that was already en route to a Fragment World.

Just like that, one second she was in Amanda’s garden, and the next, she was in an entirely new world. Laying it out like that cleared her head significantly. At the very least, her immediate situation made sense now.

There was no real rush to head back anyway. A Fragment World was a Fragment World. Amanda’s quest could be completed wherever.

As for this squad she had accidentally bumped into...

“Correct, we’re here for the anomaly cleanup.” Ophelia Sterling nodded. She seemed to be the only one in the group who didn’t view Pandora’s duo with overt suspicion, even exuding a sliver of friendliness.

“The Academy is setting up a new Orchard here. A Master Demon Hunter’s precious energy can’t be wasted on trivial cleanup work.”

“Hence, they need us,” Ophelia’s words were succinct and tranquil.

Pandora and Elsa’s abrupt appearance didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. For whatever reason, the white-haired girl codenamed “The Snow” wasn’t nearly as paranoid as Poppy, casually accepting their presence as if it were perfectly normal.

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“Poppy,” she suddenly spoke up, turning to the red-haired woman. “Remember that generous client you’ve been mentioning over the past year?”

Poppy blinked, a flicker of recollection crossing her eyes.

Ophelia guided her gaze back to Pandora. “Ascension Road’s top-tier Potioneer, Pandora Douglas. Let me reintroduce you.”

“Pandora,” she then turned back to Pandora, gesturing with her eyes to the woman beside her. “This is Poppy, ‘The Smoking Fox’. She was the one who accepted that commission of yours last time.”

“Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for you, she didn’t have to step in that time.”

Pandora naturally looked over at Poppy. Of course she recognized her—a “teaching assistant” she’d crossed paths with a few times, though their interactions had been sparse. She just hadn’t realized that Poppy was the one who had accepted the fallback commission during the Wilbur incident. Talk about a small world.

Poppy stared at her, holding Pandora’s gaze for a few seconds. The surprise in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a far more intricate scrutiny. Finally, she gave a superficial nod, temporarily accepting Pandora’s presence.

However, Pandora could still spot that lingering trace of vigilance in Poppy’s eyes. Even with Ophelia’s endorsement, a Rank-3 veteran who had scraped by in the Ruins for years wasn’t about to drop her guard that easily.

Which was perfectly normal and completely reasonable. Pandora didn’t push it.

She shifted her gaze from Poppy and Ophelia, sweeping over the six-person squad as they instinctively fell into formation. Her eyes lingered specifically on the face of a round-faced girl.

It was still that same adorable round face with its hint of baby fat. But two years had worn away her initial naivety and timidity, replacing them with a steady, capable demeanor. A faint, sharp edge now lingered between her brows.

She was an old acquaintance Pandora hadn’t spoken to in ages, one she’d almost resigned herself to never seeing again. Betty, the “Little Kitchen Maid”. Judging by the familiar frying pan strapped to her back, she still seemed to retain her signature... expertise.

Just then, Pandora noticed a young man standing at the forefront of the six-person squad stepping forward. He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties—tall, dark-skinned, with sharp eyes and a grounded bearing. Clearly, he served as the squad’s leader or coordinator.

Sporting a polite smile, he walked up to Pandora and gave a courteous nod. “From Ms. Sterling’s introduction, you must be... that famous Rank-2 Potioneer from Ascension Road, ‘The Empty Vial’, right?”

His tone was amiable, sounding like a natural olive branch. Even though he said “must be”, Pandora could tell he was already quite sure of it. He was likely one of her past customers; she just didn’t remember him. Totally normal—his power level was rather unremarkable, not exactly the type that left a lasting impression.

The squad leader extended his hand for a shake. Right at that moment, Ophelia’s icy voice drifted over. “Just a heads-up,” her tone as flat as ever, but the words made the leader’s smile freeze slightly. “She isn’t a Rank-2 anymore. Watch your attitude.”

Not a Rank-2 anymore? Which meant... As it dawned on him that the young girl before him—someone who looked even younger than his squad—had actually broken past Rank-2 and stepped into the realm of Rank-3, the leader’s smile completely locked up. His extended hand instinctively recoiled, caught in an awkward limbo.

“Hello.” Pandora, completely unfazed, naturally reached out and lightly grasped his awkward hand. Her grip was gentle and fleeting—barely a touch before she let go.