Chapter 171: It's Bedtime Now!
"What's going on? How can even the broken Stone of Enka unlock the seal?"
Looking at the red sky, Loria's expression became as unpleasant as if she had accidentally eaten spoiled tofu pudding.
In that case, the actions of the emperor who established the Oder Empire would be pointless.
"There must be something important that I didn't understand."
Standing on a narrow street, Loria looked around and decided to chat with the people who had just escaped from the capital.
Because of unknown interference, her simulator couldn't pinpoint the core of the event. So, the information she gathered from those people might be more valuable than what the simulator provided.
Indeed, that was the truth.
After exploring the refugee camp, she learned a lot of interesting news, although it may not be useful.
For example, a certain official's wife and housekeeper ran away together because she was pregnant. They were originally worried about being caught, so this chaos gave them an opportunity to escape directly.
Another example, a nobleman who was planning to leave the capital after marrying the emperor's cousin suddenly discovered that while he was busy packing, his wife claimed to be consoling the emperor but was actually comforting him physically.
"It's so lush and vibrant here."
Loria couldn't help but sigh.
She felt so ridiculous in the simulator that she would have called the emperor senior now.
After all, her role in the simulation was Dark Moon Prophet, and she occasionally worked as a geisha. For someone like her, it was completely normal to go around looking for beautiful girls to satisfy her desires and make money.
Besides, she wouldn't cause trouble for anyone else, only bring them happiness.
But the emperor was different. As the emperor, his reckless behavior was neglecting his duty.
He might be enjoying himself, but the whole country would suffer because of it. Once his actions became known, it would only lead to more chaos.
"Even if there are no rebels causing trouble, who knows if one day some powerful official will use an excuse to behead him and install a 'moral exemplar' as the successor."
Loria was ready to change her strategy and approach the higher-ranking fugitives for information.
Maybe those people would be reluctant to talk, but in this chaotic situation, she had a hundred ways to make them speak.
When Loria reached the exit of the refugee camp, she stopped and saw a group of people approaching from the distance.
That was a group of people wearing clothes of the Goddess Church, and in the middle of the crowd, slightly to the left, stood Miss Golden Knight, whom I had seen at the guildmaster's house last time.
"I got it."
When it comes to being well-informed, how many people can be more informed than the Golden Knight of the Goddess Church?
Loria decided to wait for these people to finish their work and immediately go find that Miss Golden Knight.
She stood far away by the roadside, observing that these people from the Goddess Church came to comfort the refugees.
In the Oder Empire, most people are loyal followers of the Goddess of Dawn, Wind, and Sky. When the priests comforted them on behalf of the goddess, the traumatised souls finally found temporary solace.
Loria saw a mother who had lost her son holding the hand of a nun, wiping her tears while talking about the past with a smile.
She also saw a middle-aged person with broken hands and feet, who, after being treated and healed, prostrated on the ground, banging their head and saying that they could earn money to support their family again.
"What's the use of this goddess other than being a mere totem?"
Loria couldn't help but pout.
In her opinion, the Goddess of Dawn, Wind, and Sky was just a loser.
As far as she knew, since the establishment of the Goddess Church, this goddess had never shown any miracles in official records.
The reason why the Goddess Church was able to develop so quickly, to the point of becoming the mainstream belief in the Ozel continent, was all thanks to the efforts of the church's priests in practicing and spreading the faith.
Not doing any work, just reaping the benefits, isn't that pure waste?
They're worse than those evil gods.
Throughout her journey, Loria encountered the Goddess of Madness and Indulgence, encountered demons in the ruin, and encountered Weaver.
These evil gods may be a little bit evil, but they never hesitate to bestow power upon their followers.
Loria didn't expect the Goddess of Dawn, Wind, and Sky to be as generous as those evil gods, but even if she didn't grant power, as long as she gave an early warning, the situation wouldn't have turned into this mess.
"With the power of the Goddess teachings, they were fully capable of defeating Hidden Leader in the early stages of development. But now, everything is over."
Loria shook her head and sighed.
As she continued shaking, she realized that she had been too harsh with her words.
The Goddess was useless, but not completely worthless.
At least the statue of the Goddess was still useful, both for decoration and for entertainment. And when needed, it could even be used as a weapon.
While these functions may not be practical for others, for Loria, who was skilled at banishing demons as a succubus... well, it was quite powerful.
"Well then, I'll just... um?"
As she was speaking, Loria suddenly noticed a bright lightning bolt flash across the sky.
Clang-
The thunder roared, then dark clouds rolled in, as if the sky was angry.
Loria immediately became unhappy.
"You dare talk back to me when I scold you? Tell me, which part of my scolding was wrong? Oh my, if you have the guts, come forward and argue with me!"
The thunder continued, but it stopped at that.
Loria scornfully snorted.
She wasn't as afraid of the gods now.
These days, she felt like she had caught the attention of several evil gods, so getting on the bad side of one more goddess didn't seem like a big deal.
Perhaps there might even be some benefits.
For example, when a furious goddess came looking for trouble, she might find the evil gods nearby, and then they would start fighting. In that case, she could just sit back and watch the show.
"Are you Lo... Loria Jaratiya?"
As Loria was lost in thought, a familiar voice sounded in her ear.
She looked up and saw the Golden Knight Miss appearing in front of her, somehow.
She replied, "Yes, what can I do for you?"
"I didn't expect to see you here. Are you alone?"
"the guildmaster is here too."
"That's right, Count Lidilia has already fallen."
Seeing the Golden Knight Miss chatting idly, Loria had no choice but to take the initiative to get to the point.
"You came from the capital, right? How is the capital now?"
Miss Golden Knight said calmly, "If you read the newspaper, you should know that the situation is very bad."
Loria asked, "What exactly did Hidden Leader do? Did they create that red cloud in the sky?"
Miss Golden Knight's expression suddenly turned serious. "That is a power capable of devouring everything in the world. Once that power spreads, neither you nor I can escape from it."
Loria said, "If the seal in the capital city is released, will the evil god Hidden Leader worships descend?"
Miss Golden Knight smiled lightly. "Who knows about that? All I can do is unite those who can be united and quickly reclaim the capital city."
Next, Loria chatted casually with Miss Golden Knight and learned that her name was Sharon. She also learned that now both the emperor and the church were preparing to counterattack.
"That's the situation right now."
Inside the rental house, Loria patiently listened to what the guildmaster and others had to say.
"If she didn't lie, then the escape route is completely blocked for us. All we can do is unite with others to restore the seal."
The guildmaster nodded, "There's no need for Sharon to deceive us."
Yes, that's right.
Loria leaned on her chin with her hand.
These days, she has been trying very hard to simulate and study the illustrations and text of Liu Bei, but because she doesn't have much time, she still has a long way to go before becoming an A-level adventurer.
Even with various bonuses, her stamina is only 316, still far from that of an A-level adventurer.
Is she really qualified to participate in this war that will decide the future of the continent?
"This is really difficult."
Loria, who returned to her room, sat on the bed, dangling her bare feet outside, swinging them casually.
Time passed slowly, and she still couldn't fall asleep. In the early morning, she suddenly heard a creaking sound.
"Hmm?"
Loria paused for a moment. Was that the sound of the door opening? Does someone get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom?
Soon she realized she was mistaken, because she heard another sound of a door opening.
Someone is going out!
Loria immediately stood up from her bed.
She hurriedly pushed the door open. All the room doors were closed, but only temporarily.
After a while, the guildmaster also pushed the door open and walked out.
Since the person coming out was the guildmaster, it was easy to guess who had left.
"Vita, what are you doing?"
Loria and the guildmaster looked at each other, their attitudes were clear.
Follow along.
As they were preparing to leave, Doris walked out of the room.
The metal girl who ate minerals didn't need to sleep, and she often squinted her eyes just because she found it boring.
"Then let's go together."
A family should be neat and tidy.
After closing the door, Loria picked up Doris and started chasing after Vita who had just left.
Vita was already being careful, deliberately avoiding all main roads and choosing paths that couldn't even be seen from above, but she still underestimated Loria. She didn't expect Loria to have such a buggy gadget like a simulator.
Therefore, when she walked out of the town, attempting to climb a hill to get a distant view, the first thing she didn't see was the blood-red solitary island in the sky, but rather Loria standing side by side with Guildmaster Adeline in the cold wind.
"How... did you end up here?"
Completely unexpected.
Loria said, "Instead of asking us, you should first ask yourself why you sneaked here alone. Didn't you just tell me a few days ago that you wouldn't act on your own anymore? It didn't take long for you to go back on your word."
Vita remained silent.
The guildmaster, who was standing aside, suddenly spoke, "You might think that when you left, it didn't make much of a noise, but that was only for those who don't matter. To us, the sound was as loud as thunder."
Vita's expression became somewhat bitter.
When she used to work for the Hidden Leader, she would often let out painful moans under the stimulation of pain, and even her "companions" who were only a few centimeters away never showed concern for her.
But now, things were different. She tried her best to suppress any possible sound, yet Loria and Adeline still caught her immediately.
Does it matter at all?
Under the warm current, her heart filled with strong longing.
She really wanted to embrace everything.
However, some things cannot be shifted by human will.
Vita pointed to a faraway blood-red isolated island.
"I can sense something calling me over there, or rather, something calling the threads within me. It is the power of the gods, though it is still weak now, it continues to grow. One day, I won't be able to resist its call and become its captive. At that time, I will definitely take action against all of you because you possess the Stone of Enka and the Hollow Stone."
Sorrow spread from the depths of her heart.
But this emotion didn't affect Loria at all.
She looked directly at Vita and asked, "How long is 'one day'?"
Vita replied, "One month, perhaps longer."
"Isn't that it?" Loria shrugged, "One month, it's too far away. I don't think you need to worry about it so much. In the current situation, if we can't find a way to defeat the Hidden Leader, we might already be dead in a month. So there's no need to worry about the future. Alright, stop being stubborn."
Saying that, the female knight walked forward.
Her speed was not fast because she was afraid that any sudden move would scare Vita away.
Vita, being an assassin, was extremely fast. Once she made up her mind to run away, Loria didn't think she and the guildmaster could catch up with her.
Fortunately, Vita was not scared by her actions.
It was not until she reached out and firmly grabbed Vita's wrist, squeezing so tight that her wrist turned white, that Vita still didn't run.
*Inhale-exhale sound*
That's good.
"Come, let's go back. It's time for sleep, we shouldn't be running around outside."
Loria pulled Vita towards the small town.
Although it wasn't quite right to do this in front of the guildmaster, there was no other choice. She didn't mean to make the guildmaster uncomfortable, nor did she intend to put a hat on the guildmaster.
Would a brave and honest female knight like her ever do something immoral?
"Wait."
Suddenly, the guildmaster's voice came from behind.
Oh, this.
Loria's footsteps hesitated.
"Wha-what's wrong?"
She stiffly turned around, thinking that the guildmaster was about to scold her.
But the guildmaster pointed the sword to an empty space and said, "There's someone hiding there."
"Someone?"
Suddenly, white mist floated over the empty space. After a while, a person dressed in black appeared. They wore a mask, so their face couldn't be seen clearly. As soon as they appeared, they laughed in a sinister way.
"Why would someone be sleeping at this time? I am really lucky. I just wanted to investigate the situation in the town, but I ended up finding out the whereabouts of the Stone of Enka and the Hollow Stone. Vita, you did well!"
"You..."
Vita's face turned extremely unpleasant.
She didn't expect things to turn out like this. It was all her fault for being too talkative, which led to the worst possible outcome.
Once this person spreads the news, she and Loria will immediately be chased by A-level adventurers.
Unlike Vita, the guildmaster remained calm and composed.
"Your disguise is very clever, but it is useless in front of me. Now that you have caught my attention, there is only one outcome for you."
Clang.
The sword glimmered, as if writing the word "death" in the air.
The battle was about to begin.
Loria couldn't hesitate. In this situation, she had to do everything she could to kill this assassin.
"Doris, give me an update!"
Loria drew her big sword and charged towards the assassin.
PS: I thought I would have more time to write these past few days, but unfortunately, I was too busy. Frustrating! Maybe I can make up for it tomorrow.
