Petrus (4)

The Adventurers' Guild is located at No. 24 North Street, occupying an area no smaller than a nobleman's castle. Qi Luda led Mi through the back door, around the small garden in the backyard, and finally arrived at a large black door in the inner room. Two guards in black vests stood in front of the door. When they saw Qi Luda and Mi coming together, one of the guards turned and went inside. The other guard stared at Mi for a while before bowing to Qi Luda and saying, "Seventh Elder, it's been a long time since you've visited. Everyone has missed you."

"Is that so? I don't think you're thinking about me," Qi Lu said, taking out a bag of coins and throwing it over. "Let's go drink, brothers."

The man in the black vest took the money bag and stuffed it into his pocket, saying, "Thank you, Seventh Elder. We brothers are just at a free moment. Would you do us the honor of joining us for a drink?"

"I'll take a friend to see an old friend first," Qi Luda waved his hand and walked inside with Mi. The man in the black vest who had just gone in came out and quickly stood aside: "Seventh Elder, please come in. The First Elder and the Third Elder are inside."

"Okay, you guys go ahead with your work." Qi Luda led Mi inside. Mi quietly turned her head and saw two men in black vests standing on either side of the door with their hands behind their backs. Neither of them left.

Qi Luda led Mi into the room in the backyard of the Adventurers' Guild. After passing through a long corridor, they arrived at the innermost room. The room not only had a heavy door, but also no windows. It could be said that there was no exit at all. Mi stood at the door and carefully looked around. There wasn't even a ventilation hole in this room.

“Come in,” a hoarse voice came from inside. Mi hesitated for a moment at the door, but the witch's confidence made her step inside. The room was filled with a stagnant, foul smell and an indescribable stench of decay. Inside the door was a stone screen, and behind the screen was a stone table. Two very old men sat at the table. Qi Luda walked over, took a lamp from the wall, and placed it on the table before placing the marigold coin that Mi had given him on the table.

At the table sat an elderly man with almost no hair, his scalp white, his skin hanging loosely on his head, his face almost devoid of flesh, looking like a skull covered in skin. The skull's eyes were black, reflecting two flames in the lamplight. He wore a black leather jacket, and his thin frame made him look even more like a skeleton. It was impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman, except that he looked incredibly old. The other person, quite different from the skull, was a kind-faced old woman. Her white hair was neatly tied in a bun at the back of her head, her smiling eyes were barely open, and her skin was so full it was almost ruddy. Her plump figure and kind eyes made her look more like an ordinary old woman, the kind who might pull candy out of her pocket at any moment.

"Annie's back?" The skull's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, scraping at Mi's head like a saw.

“This is Miss Mi who brought me here. She came from the Misty Forest.” Qi Luda stood a little further away, forming a triangle with Mi and the two people at the stone table, making the room even darker. Only then did Mi realize that the door had been closed sometime earlier, leaving only an oil lamp on the stone table, its smoke slowly rising. Mi stared at the smoke, watching it leave a black mark on the ceiling. A lamp had always sat in this spot, and there was a coin-sized black dot on the ceiling, covered in a thick layer of black soot, almost shiny with black.

Mi observed the three people before her without making a sound. The skull stared at the marigold coin for a moment, then reached out and extinguished the wick. Mi quickly changed her form, transforming into a witch as darkness fell, and hovered around the black ash on the roof. From this angle, she could see everything in the room clearly. A wisp of black smoke rose from the skull's head, spreading throughout the room. The kind old woman opened her slit-like eyes, staring at the spot where Mi had just stood. Mi didn't know what the old woman's eyes looked like; she only felt a chilling aura envelop her. Mi quietly spread her witch form into wisps of smoke, hovering on the roof, avoiding the skull's black smoke. Qiluda remained motionless, hands clasped, as if nothing had happened. The old woman let out a soft "Eh," and looked up. Mi cautiously avoided the old woman's eyes, spreading from the roof to the stone screen by the door. The screen emanated a chilling aura, just like the old woman's. Mi keenly sensed that the old woman had avoided the stone screen. Mi cautiously avoided the black smoke and the old woman's gaze, while keeping an eye on Qi Luda's movements. However, Qi Luda seemed to be asleep and remained motionless.

"These two aren't human." Mi stared at the skull and the old woman. No wonder adventurers dared to venture into the wilderness alone; these people's abilities were unpredictable. Mi stared at the black smoke above the skull's head; the smoke was increasing, and in a few steps, it would force her to have nowhere to hide.

Mi looked at Qiluda, who still maintained his human form, wondering what abilities he possessed. Mi searched for an exit along the wall; this was the biggest crisis she had encountered since leaving the Witch Forest. Mi didn't know if the skeletons here were also sentient beings, but she was certain they weren't witches.

"What should I do?" Mi's mind raced. She had been too careless, following Qi Luda into this secret room. The convenience brought to her by the witch's body had made her forget herself.

After an unknown amount of time, the old woman said, "I'm getting old. Young people these days like to play hide-and-seek."

Qi Luda swayed slightly and said, "It's good for young people to be more lively. Are they always going to sit still and wait to die like us old bones?" Mi felt that there was something behind Qi Luda's words. She observed for a while and then moved closer to Qi Luda. She held the dagger in her hand. The only person in this room who looked like a human being was Qi Luda.

"Hmph!" The skull's hoarse voice rang out again, "I'm not going to die." The skull shook its head, and after a while said, "Turn on the lamp." Mi quietly came behind Qi Luda, avoiding the old woman's eyes. The air was filled with a chilling cold that almost froze Mi.

Qi Luda shook his arm, walked over and took the oil lamp to the lamp stand by the wall. The oil lamp suddenly lit up, and the room was filled with light again, and the temperature rose. Qi Luda placed the lamp on a protruding bracket on the wall, then walked to the stone table and sat down before beckoning to Mi: "Come, sit down."

Mi sheathed her dagger; the three old monsters could pinpoint her location. She stared at them for a while before revealing herself behind Qi Luda, slowly saying, "I'll just stand here."

"Speak, what do you want?" The old woman still had a smiling face, but her voice turned cold.

Qi Luda took out Jian Da's letter before saying, "She took care of two hunting dogs yesterday."

The old woman picked up the envelope with the adventurer's mark, looked at it, and said, "It's from Redstone Town." As she put the letter down, she said, "Tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

Mi stood to the side and shook her head: "I've only been in Taiyang City for five days, and I haven't even gotten to know the way around yet." Mi indicated that she was truly innocent; apart from owing the owner of Huayuan Inn for accommodation fees, she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Where did you give yourself away?" The skull's hoarse voice rang out again. The skull sniffed, and a wisp of almost indistinct blue smoke was inhaled from Mi's body. "Derek's sleeping smoke, you've messed with the royal family?"

Mi thought about how she had indeed encountered many members of the royal family when she went in and out of Derek Palace, so she honestly said, "Lincheng asked me to deliver something in," she added, "just a few pieces of clothing for a child, not for anyone in the royal family, but for a little baby." Mi thought for a moment but still didn't mention Zara's name.

“No, you’ve come into contact with members of the royal family,” the skull asserted. “This is a unique sedative smoke characteristic of Derek’s bloodline.”

Mi lowered her head and thought for a while before saying, "I have seen the kingdom and the queen from afar, and I have also seen the prince, and Princess Denise trying on the crown—" Mi suddenly stopped, as Haina and Princess Denise had once worn her witch body.

“This is difficult,” Qi Luda said after thinking for a moment. “Should we do this?”

“What could possibly happen to Princess Denise? She’s just a vain little girl. She’s too old to control her bloodline.” The old woman interrupted Qiluda. “Derek’s sleeping potion has already been taken care of for you. Don’t go to the palace so often in the future.”

Mi watched as the wisp of blue smoke, completely alien to her, was absorbed by the skull. The feeling of being watched, which had been constantly following her, disappeared, as did the voices that had been asking her questions. These two were truly skilled masters. Mi observed the three people before her; they meant her no harm. After a moment's hesitation, she took out another blank white envelope. "This is from Red-haired Annie, who asked me to deliver it to the Adventurers' Guild."

Qi Luda, the skull, and the old lady looked at the blank envelope together. After a long while, the old lady took the envelope and said, "Don't worry, I will pass this letter on."

"Alright, I'll get back to you later." Qi Luda stood up. "It's not good for a young lady to be constantly going in and out of the Adventurers' Guild since she just arrived in Sun City." With that, he turned and left with Mi.

* * *

At the Derek Palace Star Observatory, Aris incredulously put down his instruments. He searched carefully on the star charts, and after a while, he pulled out a yellowish star chart and handed it to Calvin: "You're young and have good eyesight. Take a look, is this the star chart?"

Calvin took the observation instrument and checked it several times before saying, "Teacher, the sun hasn't set yet, and the star chart isn't clear."

"You stay here and verify the star map tonight, then draw a new one. Be quick and accurate." Aris stood up. "I'm going to see Her Majesty the Queen. Keep this place tidy and don't let any outsiders in."

Calvin took out a blank piece of parchment and sat down at the observatory. His tools—a set square, compass, diagonal line—were all in place, and a ray of red light shone in from the window. The dimly lit observatory returned to silence; every star remained in its constant position, as if it had never changed.

"Your Majesty, the Queen's Guide has disappeared." Aris reported the latest news to Queen Angelis.

"How could this be? Are you sure?" The Queen suddenly stood up. "What does it mean that the Queen's Guide has disappeared?"

"The connection between the guide and the royal family has been lost, and the Queen's Star Chart has been destroyed." Aris held a thick stack of papers. "These past few days, besides the newly arrived hostage, Colin, there has also been the delegation from Lin City 17 in the royal palace. They haven't left the palace at all, and Colin didn't attend the New Year's celebration either. Your Majesty, there must be others who have entered the palace. Yesterday, Siefel asked the King for two hunting dogs."

"They killed the Guide?" Queen Angelis clenched her fists. "That was the Queen's Crown, the Queen the Flower Kingdom had waited for for five hundred years. Is bloodline really that important?"

“The Queen is of your blood, Your Majesty,” Aris whispered a reminder.

"Hahaha, does the Derek royal family really look down on my bloodline?" Queen Annis's eyes were red-rimmed, tears welling up in her eyes. She kept her eyes tightly closed, tears streaming down her face. Queen Annis opened her eyes: "Aris, I refuse to accept this, I refuse to accept this."

"Your Majesty, history will record your achievements."