"Hehe… What are you thinking, my little
After hearing Barbara's reassurance, Anya finally felt relieved.
Though she didn't mind such methods, it still mattered who the target was.
"Then what does the Saintess mean?"
Anya asked.
"Although I haven't revealed my identity, the other party's attitude of simply ignoring everything — doesn't that speak for itself?"
Barbara looked at Anya with a half-smile: "The news that the Bain family has defected to the Church of the Great Serpent must have already spread throughout the North by now. They don't want to wade into these muddy waters… Besides, their intentions are far more complicated than you might imagine. I even suspect…"
Anya's expression turned serious.
Only now did she realize that even in the scheming of commercial intrigue, this Saintess Barbara was every bit her equal.
…
In the hidden basement of the bar — the same meeting hall as before.
The kobold Glover rose respectfully and bowed toward the darkness behind him: "Master, as per your instructions, I've made them back down!"
"Mm!"
A young nobleman wearing a tailcoat, a bowtie, and immaculately groomed hair stepped directly out of the darkness.
He had platinum-blond hair, and his emerald eyes held the arrogance, reserve, and cunning peculiar to the nobility!
"You did well on this matter. It may not have been enough to deceive them, but our stance has been made clear…"
Every movement of the young man was supremely elegant, as though he were attending a grand gala.
"After all, the other party is entangled with the church of a true god — it would be unwise for us to recklessly involve ourselves…"
Glover nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Scoundrel!"
Bang!
In that instant, the young man's expression changed — clear skies giving way to a violent storm.
A cane flew from his hand and smashed into Glover's forehead, splitting open a massive wound from which blood gushed freely.
"Master! I was wrong, please forgive me!"
The Glover before them bore no resemblance to a shadow灌 hound — he could only kowtow before his master, begging for mercy.
"Don't forget your station… a lowly half-blooded slave — what right do you have to offer suggestions to me, the noble
Young Master Eric's face twisted into something savage before he quickly concealed it.
But Glover could only cower prostrate on the ground, trembling from head to toe.
"Remember… your status today, your power, everything — it all comes from me. I can grant you the whole world, and I can destroy it all in an instant…"
The aristocratic smile returned to Eric's face as he patted Glover's head and spoke with gentle admonition.
"I will never forget, Master! You are everything to me…"
Glover was practically wagging his tail to demonstrate his loyalty.
"The Nien Trading Company? It's far from enough to satisfy my appetite… But… that Saintess is truly something, wouldn't you say?"
A flash of madness crossed the young man's eyes, and he burst into hearty laughter.
The flickering lamplight scattered Eric's reflection across the wall in mottled patterns, like the wild dance of a demon.
…
"Your Eminence the Saintess… here is the intelligence you requested!"
After returning with Barbara to their lodgings, Anya's expression shifted.
She spotted the impressively memorable legendary devil hunter standing off to one side with utmost deference. Faint hellfire burned along the surface of the iron chain in his hand, radiating a distinctive scorching heat.
"Mm!"
Barbara nodded, accepting a golden crystal. Then she frowned: "You got into a fight just now?"
"A few high-ranking shadow thieves — ignorant and fearless observers. A pity they were too foolish…"
The devil hunter sneered. Within the flames in his hand, several twisted, translucent faces could faintly be seen.
"Desecrating souls!!! That's something only demons and devils would do!"
Anya's pupils contracted. She screamed inwardly but managed to keep her composure.
"He has only temporarily bound their souls. In the end, these people will still face judgment from my Lord…" As if sensing Anya's unease, Barbara offered a calm reassurance — though how much of it could actually be trusted was highly questionable.
The devil hunter glanced at Anya with cold indifference, as though looking at some tiny insect, and Anya's very soul began to tremble.
She knew this was the majesty of a legendary powerhouse — and that if he wanted to destroy her, it would indeed be no harder than crushing a few ants.
Only then did she appreciate how remarkable it was that Barbara, a legendary-level priestess Saintess, could maintain such a gentle demeanor.
"Watch your behavior. You've frightened my liaison officer!" Barbara frowned.
"My apologies, Your Eminence. I shall take my leave!"
The void shimmered and distorted, and the devil hunter's figure vanished without a trace.
He had thoroughly demonstrated his capabilities, making Anya realize that in the face of a legendary powerhouse, her family's defenses were no sturdier than paper.
"Now that this place has been discovered and drawn unwanted attention, should we…"
Anya asked Barbara cautiously.
"No need to relocate. Finding a new base wouldn't be easy. With him here, everything will be handled."
Barbara's tone brimmed with absolute confidence.
Then, as if it were nothing, she handed the intelligence dossier to Anya.
"This is… intelligence from the Black Moon Trading Company!"
Anya's pupils narrowed slightly. The documents in her hands felt as though they weighed a full ton!
The formidable reach of the Church of the Great Serpent's intelligence network only deepened her anxiety. She feared her family might lose its importance to them.
A family that had lost even its value for exploitation wouldn't be far from ruin.
"Take a look…" The Saintess's command came from beside her, and Anya began reading. Her face was soon filled with shock.
"The true mastermind behind the Black Moon Trading Company is Count Eric? The grandson of the Duke Regent most favored by the Silver Moon Queen?"
This staggering piece of news left Anya stunned for a long time.
She knew the high-ranking nobles engaged in dirty and despicable deeds behind closed doors, but the contents of this intelligence had still exceeded her expectations.
"This is what nobles are — willing to sell off the very swords that helped them conquer, all for immediate gain…"
A mocking smile curved Barbara's lips: "Not only that, the other party also seems interested in absorbing the Nien Trading Company — and even… me."
Though Barbara wore a pleasant smile on her face, Anya felt a chill shoot up her spine from the base of her skull.
"Could even today's high-ranking assassin have been sent by him?"
The thought struck Anya in an instant.
"Hehe… foolish mortals… My body, my soul, everything I am belongs to the supreme god
A feverish flush appeared on Barbara's face, sending a shiver through Anya.
"You — come bathe with me!"
Suddenly, Barbara pointed at Anya.
"O… alright!" Anya answered in a trembling voice, a mixture of fear and a faint trace of anticipation churning within her…
…
In the solemn Temple of
"Paladin Commander Rafinia!"
A long-sealed door opened, revealing the face of an aged priest.
"Because of your wisdom, many young paladins were protected. The god has not laid blame upon you…"
The old priest spoke slowly.
In the dim lamplight, Rafinia could be seen wearing a rough sackcloth robe studded with thorns, kneeling in what appeared to be an act of penance — self-punishment.
"But I have not forgiven myself… I allowed evil to escape before my eyes… Other innocent civilians will suffer the consequences… I am guilty!"
Rafinia's face was deathly pale, her eyes slightly sunken with dark rings around them — the mark of untold suffering.
"But now… my Lord needs you, New Silvermoon City needs you, and the people of the North need you even more!"
The old priest knew precisely what would move her.
"A war is about to begin. New Silvermoon City is in turmoil, and innocent people are suffering. What are you waiting for?"
"Look at this city — it needs you! And shouldn't you correct the mistakes you made yourself?"
The old priest opened the door wider, letting a faint clamor drift in, thick with urgency.
"I have never denied that!"
Rafinia picked up the knight's sword lying beside her. Boom!
In that instant, a terrifying aura surged slowly from her body. Though she still wore the sackcloth of a penitent, the Paladin Commander of old had returned!
"I will uproot the Nien Trading Company and the Bain family by the roots… and after them — the Church of the Great Serpent! They will pay the price, I swear it!"
Rafinia vowed solemnly.
"Excellent!" The old priest departed satisfied, unaware that behind Rafinia's back, a sliver of dark radiance had grown even deeper and more sinister…
At the same time, inside a grand mansion in New Silvermoon City.
"The Paladin Commander has come out at last? Ha ha… Good, very good! Leak the location of the Bain family's stronghold to them…"
Eric let out a manic laugh: "They actually dared to make me lose several of my carefully cultivated shadow thieves — I will absolutely make them pay the price!"