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As the sun set, a gentle breeze caressed Lilith’s face, tousling her hair and causing her clothes to flutter. It was warm and tender, like the touch of a lover’s hand, and carried the scent of grass and woods from a distance. However, Lilith’s mood remained sour and her distress only deepened.

“I knew it. I was naive to even think that Cornelia could be reliable.” As Lilith watched the setting sun slowly disappearing behind the mountains in the west, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Despite not having engaged in any physical combat, she felt as drained as if she had just returned from a perilous battle.

When Cornelia deactivated her divine power, time resumed its flow, but she didn’t clean up the mess left by Lacey beforehand. In other words, her efforts had changed nothing except for delaying the inevitable for a short moment. Naturally, with the flow of time, the white smoke was once again… no, the explosion continued as it should have been. Half of the floating establishment exploded into flaming wood chips that scattered in the sky and turned to ash.

The other half remained afloat on the river, held together by the remnants of the array on board. Lesiah and the others should be in that other half, but given the current mess, it was hard to confirm their well-being. However, Lilith believed that they should still be safe.

Lilith let out a long sigh, her eyes appearing tired and lifeless. Despite her youth, Cornelia was proving to be unreliable, and Lilith was unsure of who had influenced her. She wished that Cornelia could rely on herself and develop into a mature and responsible individual.

Upon seemingly hearing her mother’s call, Cornelia swiftly turned her head and flashed a smile while manipulating a giant transparent bubble that protected Lilith, Kieran, Lacey and herself.

“Eeyah!”

“How can you still cheer, do you really believe that you did a great job?”

Cornelia tilted her head to the side, her huge watery eyes sparkling like they usually did.

“Ah, forget it, I give up. You win. Put us down first,” Lilith conceded. She slapped her forehead, growing increasingly weary. It was futile to try and wake a person who was pretending to be asleep, let alone educate someone who was oblivious to their error.

“Eeyah.”

The transparent bubble landed slowly on a larger piece of wreckage floating on the river, providing just enough space for several people to stand on. Cornelia was the first to alight. The wobbly wooden wreckage immediately stabilized on the water surface like a solid ice, becoming a small piece of island.

Lilith walked to the edge of the wreckage, paused, and surveyed her surroundings before commenting, “Strange, there don’t seem to be any boats on the river, and there are no people walking along the shore. Has everyone gone to bed already at this hour? It’s not even dark yet. Do the residents of Jeorgetown sleep this early?”

“Of course not.” Kieran rolled his eyes at Lilith’s remark. He stroked his chin, and mused, “The envoys and interview groups from various nations will start arriving today, everyone has probably gone to see them.”

“I see.” Lilith nodded and gestured toward the remaining half of the boat on the river. “What do we do now? In any case, we have to move that to the shore first. Kieran, since you’re familiar with this area, can you arrange for assistance?”

“Of course I can, but…” Kieran suddenly gazed into the distance as a peculiar smile appeared on his face. “I don’t think there’s any need for that.”

Suddenly, an ear-splitting buzz filled the air, and a small black dot appeared in Lilith’s vision. It rapidly grew closer, revealing several figures flying toward them, each wielding a black magic relic. They landed gracefully in front of Lilith, clad in pure black armor with silver and white dragon tattoos on their chests. Their faces were obscured by faceplates, but their piercing gazes could be felt through the slits.

The leader, a tall armored man, scanned Lilith and spoke in a deep voice, “We are the Team C of the City Security Enforcement Team. Can anyone here explain the situation? We require information on what happened here.”

At the same time, he gestured to the group of men behind him. The other armored men immediately dispersed and swiftly investigated the floating debris in the vicinity.

“They are from the Security Enforcement Team, the department that Durance’s father is now managing. They are responsible for maintaining security and order in Jeorgetown, and Team C specializes in handling emergencies,” Kieran explained to Lilith through voice transmission, a technique that warriors could use.

Lilith put her hands on her sides, and transmitted her voice back to Kieran. “The department that Durance’s father is managing? That means they’re allies, no?”

“What are you thinking?” A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Kieran’s heart for some reason.

“Don’t worry, I won’t act recklessly. After all, I still plan on participating in the Great Celestial Rite, so I’ll stay out of trouble.” The corner of Lilith’s lips then lifted into a smile. “I just want to establish a good relationship with them.”

The leader of the group was starting to get impatient, probably because Lilith had remained silent for a while. “Are you refusing to cooperate with the investigation?”

“Oh my, how can you say that? We’re very cooperative.” Lilith smiled coquettishly and spoke in a way that made Kieran’s scalp crawl.

“We’re law-abiding citizens.” While saying that, Lilith took two steps forward. Moving like graceful fish in water, she threw herself into the arms of that armored man. She discreetly slipped a bag of jingling gold coins into the crevice of his armor. “Just a small token of our appreciation, hope it’s not too little. Take them home to your children and buy them some candies.”

The armored man remained silent, his face hidden behind his faceplate as he studied Lilith for a while. Finally, he broke the silence. “You’ve attempted to bribe the Security Enforcement Team. You’re coming with me later.” He then took out the bag of gold coins from his chest and placed it in a clear bag that seemed to be an evidence bag.

“Wait, this isn’t how the script should go.” Lilith panicked, addressing the armored man. “I clearly have all the gold coins in there, you better look closely again.”

“I see, so they’re gold coins.” The armored man nodded. “That’s a serious offense, and the use of valuable gold only makes it worse.”

Lilith looked at Kieran in disbelief and asked, “So there are people who can’t be bribed with money in this world?”

“The Team C of the Security Enforcement Team undergoes rigorous training from childhood, with strict military-style management. They are not accustomed to using money and naturally lack a sense of its value,” Kieran replied helplessly.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Lilith was now glaring at him.
“Well, you didn’t ask!”
“How useless. I should have known better than to rely on you.”
“I bet you never even thought of relying on me in the first place!”

Lilith turned her head toward the armored man and beamed a smile. “Umm… I actually know the son of your boss.”

“I know him too.”

“…I’m also good friends with the son of your boss.”

“I’m not, but…” The armored man’s gaze suddenly intensified under his faceplate. “You’ve been trying to bribe me or get closer to me. You’re suspicious and I suspect that you are trying to hide something!”

“………”

The armored man gestured with his hand. “Search more thoroughly, leave no place unchecked.”

“Understood!” His men replied in unison.

Lilith came back to her senses and stomped her feet in frustration. “Who are you calling suspicious! You are the suspicious one, your whole family is! I, Lilith, have always been transparent and truthful in my actions. I have no guilt toward anyone or anything! I refrain from criminal activities such as arson, murder or theft. Why would I have anything to hide!”

“There’s no need for you to explain, we’ll investigate,” the armor man replied.

Lilith sneered. “I’d love to see the outcome of your investigation. If you can’t find anything, I’ll definitely sue all of you.”

“Very well,” the armored man replied stoically. “However, if we do uncover any evidence, don’t blame me for upholding the law.”

“Hmph, I’d like to see what people who don’t even dare to show their faces are capable of.” Lilith scoffed, then turned to look at Kieran. “Come, let’s find a spot to sit and watch this circus show.”

“Ummm…” Kieran had an unpleasant expression on his face as he gently tugged at Lilith’s sleeve.

“What’s wrong with you?” Lilith asked in confusion.

Kieran gulped and once again transmitted his voice to Lilith. “Did you forget?”

“Forgot what?”

“Lacey.”

“Lacey? What about him?” What trouble could that ugly doll possibly cause, now that he is in Cornelia’s possession?

“Not this Lacey. The body that Lacey controlled before.”

Lilith’s face immediately stiffened.