Although she couldn’t fully comprehend it, there was one thing Violet could be sure of: this was definitely a long-planned operation by the Adventurers Guild, and there must be some greater force pushing it from behind.
Things were really chaotic down there... even Miss Priestess couldn’t quite make sense of the situation.
But regardless, the fact that the Adventurers Guild was willing to step in and eradicate the poachers was a huge boon.
This largest civilian organization in the Human United Kingdom, in conjunction with the official Demon Suppression City, definitely wasn’t to be trifled with. Otherwise, the latter wouldn’t have been so unnecessarily difficult with the adventurers, provoking one of them to anger.
“Master, should we intervene? Which side should we help?”
Ah, true to his indifferent attitude towards all lower beings, Xiao Guang remained impartial... such a neutral stance...
Silently scoffing in her mind, Violet simply shook her head.
“We won’t help either side. Our first priority now is to find that Mr. Side-Swept Bangs, make sure he hasn’t been taken out, and then decide on our next course of action depending on the situation.”
“Understood.”
Finding Mr. Side-Swept Bangs wasn’t actually too difficult. A wide-range SP scan could be used as a trump card if necessary, but before resorting to that, Violet had some more discreet methods.
Like the simplest one.
“Hmm... Xiao Guang, you should still remember Mr. Side-Swept Bangs’s scent, right?”
“I do, Master. He’s in this area. Are we going straight there?”
“Of course, then I’ll count on you~”
The olfactory ability of a pureblood dragon far surpassed that of any search and rescue or drug detection dog by an immeasurable amount, especially Xiao Guang, who possessed the most powerful Diamond Crystal Dragon lineage. Back in the Courage City, she had detected Rebecca’s dragon aura from a considerable distance away, showcasing her remarkable sensitivity.
Now, even though the little dragon girl probably hadn’t paid much attention to or cared about Mr. Side-Swept Bangs, this insignificant human, after spending some time in close proximity, it was as if she had already inputted information into a computer database. As long as the distance wasn’t too far and the time wasn’t too long, they should be able to track each other down by scent.
Deliberately avoiding the most intense combat zones, Violet and her companion entered through a side entrance of the black market.
Guided by Xiao Guang, who intentionally avoided the battles, they moved swiftly. It seemed like the fights in the black market had been going on for some time now, as there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets, and the stalls along the way were either already packed up or in disarray. Occasionally, they came across several poachers who had been slain by the roadside.
Surprisingly, they didn’t see any bodies of adventurers. Perhaps it was because they had come prepared and suffered minimal casualties. Furthermore, even if they did die, their comrades would likely retrieve their remains.
Such a thing would be highly unlikely in the underworld, where even one’s own people could be betrayed and sold out.
As they continued, Violet began to feel something was amiss, or rather, this path gave her a sense of déjà vu.
But Xiao Guang wouldn’t lead her astray, let alone deceive or harm her, so the priestess didn’t say much.
Until Violet could hear the increasingly intense sounds of battle, and the gradually appearing gilded sign confirmed her suspicion.
“Is this... the Universal Emporium?”
“Yeah, Master, the human is just ahead.”
The black-haired girl looked up, and amidst a fierce battle between about a dozen adventurers and an equally numbered group of individuals, Violet immediately spotted Mr. Side-Swept Bangs in the crowd.
He was wielding his shabby double-handed sword, locked in a heated exchange with another man with short light-yellow hair, dressed casually and armed with a gun.
For some reason, Mr. Side-Swept Bangs looked extremely angry, his eyes glaring red. Eileen, who should have been by his side, was nowhere to be seen, which disappointed Violet a little as she had hoped to find out how the girl had obtained that notebook.
Given the current situation, there’s no time to spare to look for her.
Mr. Side-Swept Bangs’s condition wasn’t good at all. There was a deep, bleeding wound on his back, caused by some sharp object, and numerous gunshot wounds all over his body. This made Violet feel somewhat puzzled.
While the other wounds were bearable, the one on his back was clearly the most severe. Although it was deep, it was relatively narrow. If Mr. Side-Swept Bangs continued to fight while bleeding profusely like this, he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long due to excessive blood loss.
But this wound... obviously wasn’t inflicted by the blond man over there. Its caliber didn’t match that of the gun, and how could someone get shot in the back like that...?
Wait, this couldn’t be happening.
However, it seemed Violet didn’t need to lend a hand. By the time they arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.
It wasn’t that one side had won or lost, but for some reason, with a whistle, those who had been fighting the adventurers suddenly stopped and threw several smoke bombs on the ground, disappearing into the thick smoke without a backward glance.
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The only exception was the blond man who had been battling Mr. Side-Swept Bangs with a gun.
“What the heck?!”
The smoke came and went quickly. Seeing his comrades unhesitatingly betray him, this guy seemed completely caught off guard, his composure shattered, revealing a vulnerability.
“Bryce!!!”
Mr. Side-Swept Bangs roared with all his might, descending from the sky like a fierce tiger. He severed the barrel of the gun, which the man had awkwardly used to block, with a single sword strike, then plunged his battered double-handed sword directly into the man’s chest, sending a spray of blood flying everywhere.
“You... you...!”
The man called Bryce staggered back repeatedly under the immense force contained within the greatsword, trembling at the corners of his mouth. The blood gushing outwards almost instantly stained him crimson.
He looked immensely unwilling, as well as incredulous and resentful. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but Bryce was obviously just an ordinary human, with slightly more strength than Mr. Side-Swept Bangs at best.
He couldn’t even compare to a direct current powerhouse. The greatsword that pierced through his chest and pierced his heart took his life in a matter of seconds.
Of course, I’m not referring to the battle.
Alright, now that the show’s over, it’s time to get back to business.
The priestess walked towards the silently standing man with her pet, staring only at Bryce’s lifeless body, neglecting her own wounds. Mr. Side-Swept Bangs, playing cool as always, had been surrounded by the adventurers who had lost their enemies midway.
She was about to say something when she caught sight of a somewhat familiar face in the crowd.
“Huh? Aren’t you...”
It was a gentle-faced middle-aged priest, around forty years old, whom Violet had seen before. He seemed to be a member of the Black Knights Mercenary Group, and a teammate of Mr. Side-Swept Bangs’s squad.
Back in the Adventurers Guild in the Demon Suppression City, he had tried to dissuade the troublemaker, Mr. Side-Swept Bangs, and later brought the leader, Lester.
It seemed like all of Mr. Side-Swept Bangs’s adventurer companions from back then were in the crowd. Violet didn’t remember them well initially, which was why she didn’t recognize them at first.
“Thud.”
As the man pulled out the greatsword, the other man fell silently.
Wow, that was spectacular.
So, these people were actually under Uncle Lester?
“Do you recognize me, miss? And who might you two be...”
Although Violet recognized him, she was wearing a 【Cognitive Obstruction Mask】 when she entered the underground black market, which apparently the priest hadn’t been able to do. Although he seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden greeting from the black-haired girl, there was still a hint of wariness in his eyes.
After all, this was the territory of the underworld. Violet and Xiao Guang weren’t wearing adventurer badges, and while they seemed harmless on the surface, how could someone who could walk around freely in such a place alone be simple?