Now that they had obtained this unexpected clue, the next course of action became very clear.
However, it was already late today, and they had caused trouble for Uncle Lester and the others in the evening. It wouldn’t be right to disturb them again now, so Violet decided to visit the headquarters of the Black Knights Mercenary Group tomorrow.
With the information almost shaken out, Lan prepared to leave. The lodging she arranged for Violet and the others was not far from her own private residence, it was just a few steps away. It was said to be a place she bought for out-of-town friends to stay temporarily, and it happened to be vacant now.
Because it was located right next to the residence of this third special squad leader, the daughter of the Lord, Violet could ensure she wouldn’t be caught by the Demon Suppression City military under the cover of darkness.
“Oh, by the way, wait a moment.”
“?”
Stopping the twin-tailed girl who was about to leave, Violet thought for a moment amidst the puzzled gaze of the other. She casually took something out of thin air and tossed it to the other.
“My companion, Xiao Guang, broke your sword. Now that we’re partners, consider this as compensation. Take a look, does it suit you?”
Lan instinctively caught it and then pulled the slender sword outwards. She tapped the blade a few times with her fingers, and her eyes lit up instantly.
“Huh?! What a great sword! The blade is so thin and light, yet it sounds resilient. I’ve never heard of metal forged like this before. Could it be... it has such amazing magical adaptability and hardness? Could it contain some high-grade magic crystal powder inside? And this sword shape, it’s almost like it’s custom-made for the sword techniques in ‘True Explanation of Famous Swords.’ Its size is not inferior to my Demon Slayer, yet it’s even lighter and sharper... ”
The girl lifted her head in amazement, as if a peculiar gleam had been added to her eyes.
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“Violet, you actually have such a precious sword? I was originally half skeptical about your ability to help me further comprehend ‘True Explanation of Famous Swords,’ but now I’m convinced. You really have a deep understanding of this art. If there’s a chance, could you teach me a few moves?”
“Huh?... Um, let’s talk about it when we have the chance.”
Professionals are really different. Upon receiving a new weapon, Lan’s immediate focus wasn’t on its grade, but rather its compatibility with swordsmanship and its feel. Because she spoke so quickly, even Violet only half understood what she said.
Since Lan practiced swordsmanship from “Illusory World,” the common swords in this world weren’t suitable for her. That’s why she had to customize her own weapons. But for Violet, that wasn’t a problem.
“This sword is called ‘Clear Skies,’ which is quite similar to your name. Maybe there’s some fate between you two. Let me lend it to you for now. It can be considered as the first stage of our cooperation reward. You can use it freely until I leave Demon Suppression City. Of course, if you perform well later, we can consider giving it to you. Also, ‘Clear Skies’ is a spiritual weapon... um, a treasure.”
“Clear Skies, Clear Skies... what a nice name, what a great sword! This is simply... Well, then I won’t be polite! Don’t worry, good sister, if you need any help, you can come find me anytime! Haha!”
Lan seemed to be completely taken by Clear Skies in every aspect. She didn’t even pay much attention to what the priestess mentioned about its grade. With a joyful smile, she hugged the sword tightly and left contentedly.
Watching Lan leave, the priestess opened her mouth, looking helpless.
“This girl changes her attitude so quickly...”
She even called her sister directly, even though they almost fought not long ago. She couldn’t understand what these swordsmen were thinking all the time...
As she said, Clear Skies was a golden-grade spiritual weapon, known as a super weapon called a treasure in this world. Violet’s decision to temporarily lend this sword to Lan was naturally well thought out.
First and foremost, the most important reason is that there isn’t much inventory of weapons below the golden grade in her backpack, and the native swords produced in this world aren’t suitable for Lan’s use.
In addition to what Violet mentioned, there was another reason. They couldn’t rely on an empty promise to keep the other party continuously working.
Cooperation should be based on mutual benefit. If advancing in swordsmanship is a long-term process and the ultimate bargaining chip, then “Clear Skies” is the initial deposit paid by Violet.
However, in this world, spiritual weapons are valued too highly by ordinary people. Giving it away directly could easily lead to trouble. That’s why she said the word “temporary lend.”
Unlike with Lester last time, Violet only brought out “Clear Skies” after careful consideration. Like using both the carrot and the stick, balancing reward and punishment, she could grasp others’ hearts.
As for the Lord Taylor’s side, let Lan explore it on her own. If she could achieve results, that would be great. If she failed, it wouldn’t matter much because Violet would visit the Black Knights Mercenary Group again tomorrow and try to find a way to contact the so-called Ghost Thief Group through Mr. Side-Swept Bangs.
After this trip, it’s almost time to lay all the cards on the table.
Although the wanted notices outside were virtually meaningless to Violet and the others, it still caused some inconvenience. Especially for Theresa, a child whose strength wasn’t particularly strong, she might encounter danger accidentally.
It’s better to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
.........
The next day, Violet and Little Dragon Girl headed to Lester’s place early in the morning, while Leila and Rene stayed behind to watch the house and wait for contact. After all, gathering information didn’t require too many people, and it would be more troublesome if the target was too big.
Wearing the 【Cognitive Obstruction Mask】, Violet and the Dragon Girl walked together on the street. Probably because of the multiple changes, such as yesterday’s massive search, the city was clearly much gloomier than before. Many shops were closed, and the whole city was filled with a tense atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.
But Violet knew that the comprehensive escalation of the conflict between the two sides, or the outbreak of the monster war, shouldn’t happen now.
At least, the fact that the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains chose to send elite demons and that strange butterfly named Tiyelu to infiltrate the city indicates that they also want to avoid direct conflict with the Human United Kingdom as much as possible.
But if this rescue mission turns out to be fruitless, or worse, if they fail in Demon Suppression City, then it’s hard to say.
The effectiveness of the 【Cognitive Obstruction Mask】 remained reliable. Even walking on the street in such a conspicuous manner, even seeing the wanted notices and portraits posted on bulletin boards, the civilians and soldiers around them seemed to be blind, paying no attention to Violet and Little Dragon Girl.
Smoothly, they arrived at their destination.
The headquarters of the Black Knights Mercenary Group was still the same as before, seemingly unaffected by the events of last night.
It might seem unbelievable, but actually, this was the normal situation.
After all, this was a world where the strong were respected.
Being a Sky-level, a large mercenary and adventurer group with hundreds of members, as long as they only harbored fugitives and didn’t directly conflict with the army, Demon Suppression City wouldn’t do anything to them.
After all, the situation was tense now, and once they really went to war with the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, adventurers would be an indispensable force.
However, today, it wasn’t Mr. Side-Swept Bangs guarding the gate.
Feeling it would be troublesome, Violet simply used the Chameleon Cloak to conceal her form, and she and Little Dragon Girl directly bypassed the guards at the entrance.
Just as they stepped through the gate of the headquarters, for some reason... the term “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage”[1] suddenly came to the priestess’s mind.
TL Note:
[1]
The term “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” (三顾茅庐) is a Chinese idiom that refers to the story of Liu Bei’s three visits to Zhuge Liang’s thatched cottage in order to persuade him to come out of retirement and serve as his advisor. The idiom is often used to describe someone who is sincerely seeking out talented people to help them.