Chapter 38: I Had A Bold Idea
Even though she had already experienced it several times in the simulator, it was only when Loria faced the swarming reporters and fans that she truly understood what madness meant.
"Miss Loria, can you please tell us how you noticed something unusual?"
"Miss Loria, what did you eat to grow to such a size?"
"Miss Loria, do you have any special practices?"
Loria had been working very hard to maintain her appearance.
But because people kept squeezing next to her, before long she became drenched in sweat.
"Damn it, why did the usually reliable guildmaster abandon me at this moment?"
Loria stared at Guildmaster Adeline, who was standing outside the crowd, with the look of a scorned woman.
Adeline's thoughts were actually quite simple.
She felt that this should be Loria's special moment, and as her "assistant", she shouldn't steal Loria's spotlight.
Loria, who was being relentlessly questioned, could only manage to say a few random words, while her head throbbed.
"The secret? There is no real secret."
"I, Loria, achieved what I have today all by myself!"
"That's right, strive hard, diligently improve your endurance. The more you polish, the more endurance you'll have. Endurance is an essential requirement for a female knight to achieve success!"
After experiencing bankruptcy due to being deceived in the simulator, Loria lost all interest in being an idol, so naturally, she was just talking nonsense.
Would it make people feel disgusted?
Disgusted is just disgusted.
As an ordinary female knight, she didn't have such unrealistic expectations to let everyone like her.
After being tortured for nearly an hour, Loria was finally set free.
She walked with her hand on her sword, longing to poke Guildmaster Adeline, who was like a "deserter," with her finger.
"Rats, you managed to run away all by yourself, leaving me here to suffer. It's making me so frustrated."
Loria felt even more embarrassed, realizing that she was actually getting excited about such a thing.
It seemed that she had to find a way to upgrade the "Endurance Strengthening" skill. Otherwise, while she could still stand tall in reality, her virtual self would easily transform into a fallen female knight in the simulator.
Loria suddenly stopped walking, in the midst of her journey.
On her way back to Guildmaster Adeline's house, someone familiar appeared.
Vita!
The journalist, wearing a gray duckbill hat and sexy red-framed glasses, proudly sporting long, dark brown hair.
"Can I interview you?"
Even if she didn't necessarily want to save Vita, Loria couldn't refuse because Vita had helped her out in the past.
Even though Vita is a potential criminal, she hasn't been punished yet, right?
If she were truly punished…
It didn't seem impossible to accept.
Vita's appearance perfectly suited her needs, but it made the guildmaster somewhat apologetic.
"Oh dear, my guildmaster, everything will be alright in the end," she sobbed.
However, the guildmaster and she were not a couple at the moment. Even if something like this happened, the guildmaster would surely understand her!
"I have something very important to tell you."
"Important matter? Then let's go to the place where I am currently staying."
Loria nodded.
She and Vita were both targets of the slave trading organization, so it was obviously not possible to openly conspire on the street.
After arriving at the hotel where Vita was staying, she immediately sprang into action.
After waking up early, she came up with a bold plan-
Pretending to be a merchant interested in buying slaves or geishas, she secretly contacted the innkeeper and should be able to further confirm if the mayor was truly the mastermind behind it all, once she gained his trust.
If it is, then one should think about how to administer punishment!
Loria came up with this plan based on the spy dramas and crime films she had watched.
After all, she was not some brilliant strategist. With her limited intelligence, she could only come up with this plan for the time being, even if it took her half a day to do so.
She felt that this move had some feasibility.
Many spies in history did it this way, right?
Before revealing her plan, Loria pretended that she overheard the words of the prison warden, in order to make Vita believe her.
"He said he will come to capture you early tomorrow morning, and then he contacted a newspaper called Claren Late Night News to deceive me."
"Is it Claren Late Night News? It is a newspaper that specifically reports various gossip news and provides information about geishas."
As Loria felt her mouth getting dry and started drinking water, Vita fell into silence as well.
The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, making it a little difficult for people to accept it immediately.
And, the water here is deep, not everyone enjoys deep water like she does.
After a while, Vita looked up and said, "Since that's the case, let's take a look first."
Loria breathed a sigh of relief, could this be considered as taking a small step towards success?
"What do you plan to do next?" Vita suddenly asked.
Loria counted on her fingers and said, "Just received a reward. I'll first buy some equipment and then go to the church for a prayer."
"Will you ask me to accompany you?"
"No need, no need."
Loria quickly shook her head.
Next, she had to go buy a bunch of things that she didn't want others to see. If Vita followed her, she figured she wouldn't have time to rest tonight. Instead, she would need to prepare for a dual assault by both land and water.
After leaving Vita's place, Loria first went to the equipment store.
As she was choosing weapons, she didn't hesitate and bought the most expensive knight sword and knight one-handed sword in the store.
But as she was buying clothes, she hesitated.
"The sexy female knight set, priced at 3000 Oder coins."
The clothing lived up to its name, with the abdomen, back, waist sides, lower part of the sphere, and inner part of the thighs all exposed.
It is said that this clothing was designed by a famous designer.
But don't think that it is of poor quality just because it has less fabric. In fact, it is enchanted, providing excellent protection and reducing physical exertion. It is the favorite of young female knights in Creek Town.
"…"
Loria looked for a while before walking away.
Wearing such clothes in front of the guildmaster, it was indeed inappropriate.
Finally, she spent 2600 Oder coins to purchase a set of leather armor that provided protection in crucial areas.
Although this set of equipment couldn't reduce stamina consumption, it had magical protection and looked very nice. The only thing that bothered Loria was that the heels were a few centimeters high.
As soon as she put on these shoes, she was a little unsteady while walking.
But oh, this is so comfortable!
Loria gritted her teeth. With the "Weight Training" skill, if she persisted in wearing it, it should help increase her stamina. So she decided to endure it for now.
Then she covered herself tightly with a mask, transforming into a brave knight sister, and sneakily arrived near the red-light district.
Love potion, sensitivity-reducing potion, stamina potion…
She had stocked up on over a dozen bottles of each type of potion, preparing for the potential upcoming battle.
"Surprisingly, I was constantly looked at with strange eyes. Oh well, who says a hero knight can't buy love potions? Prejudice, it's all prejudice!"
A few minutes later, Loria arrived at the church.
The belief system of the Oder Empire's main civilization was very singular. They worshipped the Goddesses of Dawn, Wind, and Sky, specifically the young maiden depicted in statues with her hands poised in offering.
The rest, like the Goddess of Hedonism and the Dark Moon, were either seen as demons or considered heretics.
It is said that the identity cards used by adventurers are gifts bestowed by the Goddess.
Loria, in fact, didn't believe in the Gods, but it was never a problem to offer a prayer in this world!
"Goddess, I am your loyal follower Loria. I am a hardworking and virtuous knight who upholds the code of chivalry. I always fight against evil with righteousness. I have encountered some troubles now, please, you must protect me…"
Splash-
Loria's hand just closed.
Outside the church's stained glass window, suddenly flashed a terrifyingly thick electric arc.
"It started raining."
Outside, someone began shouting loudly.
Loria's face turned pale. "Oh, dear! I was praying, and suddenly such a big bolt of lightning appeared. Could this be a sign of something bad?"
She left the church with a guilty look on her face and returned to Vita's place.
But as soon as she opened the door, she realized that something was not quite right.
"Why is he here?"
Loria was shocked to find the director lying on the ground, bruised and swollen, tied up like a bundle with a rope.
