The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Based on the sound, Moran located the shadows on both sides of the alley. Even though the light hadn't changed, the shadows were writhing.

Even though she knew about the Shadow Clan and knew that these voices most likely came from the Dreamers of Shadow Village who lived in the shadows and wouldn't intentionally harm adventurers, at most they would play some pranks, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

Shadow Hunters, the main Shadow Clan, can burrow into shadows and influence the shadow's owner through them. They can also gain energy from the shadows to raise "pets" specifically designed to target other people's shadows.

This was the first time Moran had ever heard of this ability. In her understanding, a shadow was simply the shadow cast by the body under light. She couldn't imagine how they did it, and naturally, she didn't know how to protect her shadow.

She couldn't find a relevant method on the forum either.

Adventurers' understanding of the magic system in the dream world is only superficial, and they lack exploration.

The unknown is the source of fear.

Just then, she suddenly felt a chill under her feet. Looking down, she saw that her shadow was rippling like the surface of water.

Her hands didn't move, but her shadow danced wildly, and even grew a pair of scarlet eyes that stared straight at her.

Moran instinctively took a half step back, only to find that apart from the chilly feeling under her feet and her shadow being a little unruly, she didn't experience any other negative physical sensations.

Looking down at the shadow at her feet, which was trying so hard to scare her, she wasn't so scared anymore; she even found it a little funny: "Pfft..."

She couldn't help but laugh. The shadow on the ground, baring its teeth and claws, looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and its fur stood on end.

In a short while, the shadow grew four arms and three legs.

Moran still wasn't afraid; in fact, she suddenly felt a little curious about what would happen to the guy hiding in her shadow if her shadow disappeared now.

Making a shadow disappear isn't difficult.

Unable to use other magic, Moran's free left hand hung at his side, and under the cover of his robe, he took out a large, round light ball.

The intense, focused light shone precisely down from above her head, and the shadow beneath her feet instantly shrank to her feet.

"Boom~"

With a soft thud, a dusty little creature was "squeezed" out of Moran's shadow, its round body rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.

The child scrambled to his feet, a comical little braid sticking up on his head, looking just like an antenna.

He looked around in a panic, clearly not expecting his prank to be exposed in this way.

A burst of gloating laughter suddenly erupted from the shadows on both sides of the alley:

"Hahaha! Caught playing a prank!"

"Romy, you idiot! Run!"

……

The little guy named Romy was so anxious that he stomped his feet and turned to run into the shadows on the side of the street.

Moran reacted quickly, grabbing the little braid sticking up on his head: "Trying to run away?"

She deliberately put on a stern face, but controlled the force in her hands so as not to actually hurt him.

Like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, Romi flailed its limbs in the air twice in vain, then slumped down dejectedly: "Ugh... let me go..."

Moran then got a good look at him. His gray skin was dotted with a few freckles, and his big, round eyes were like two black grapes, blinking pitifully.

"Weren't you pretty arrogant just now?" Moran shook his little braid. "Why weren't you afraid when you were hiding in my shadow?"

Romi pouted and muttered softly, "I was just curious... It's rare to see green-skinned outsiders... I didn't expect you to be so brave, not scared at all!" Hearing her companions' unabashed laughter in the alley, Romi added, "Her shadow is really hard to squeeze through, even you guys wouldn't be able to get in! If that big light ball hadn't appeared so quickly, I definitely would have escaped!"

Moran, amused by Romi's cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish in anger, loosened his braid and ruffled his hair.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Go have some fun! Don't go crawling into other people's shadows anymore. In your Shadow Clan's etiquette, that should be considered very offensive, right?"

"I'm sorry..." Little Romi murmured, then dashed into the shadows on the side of the street like a cannonball.

Moran was about to continue walking forward when he heard the shadow suddenly surge violently like boiling water.

Small bumps rose on the shaded surface, from which came the sounds of arguing.
"Hahaha!"

"dare you laugh!"

"Idiot Romy's been caught!"

"You're an idiot!"

As the argument escalated, the shadows began to stir more intensely.

Suddenly, with a "pop," a dusty little guy was squeezed out, followed by a second, a third... In the blink of an eye, seven or eight Shadow Clan children, about the same age as Romi, sprang out of the shadows like popcorn, landing haphazardly on the ground.

They looked at each other, dumbfounded—now they were all exposed.

Moran crossed his arms and watched the group of bewildered little ones with interest: "Looks like you all need to practice your hiding skills a bit more!"

The children immediately erupted in chaos. Some covered their faces in embarrassment, some stomped their feet angrily, and others tried to crawl back into the shadows. As a result, several little heads bumped together with a "thud," causing them to wince in pain.

Seemingly feeling embarrassed, the small black shadow leaped in the shadows, and in an instant the shadows along the alleyway returned to normal.

Their interruption instantly dispelled the eerie atmosphere brought by the writhing shadows.

Next, when she encountered strangely shaped shadows, she couldn't help but wonder if Shadow Clan children were hiding in the shadows, pulling each other's hair and arguing.

She soon arrived at the stone hut next to the village altar.

The style of this cave hut is distinctly different from the other houses in the village.

The low, fan-shaped wooden door was coated with a thick layer of black lacquer. As she approached the door, she smelled a peculiar herbal fragrance.

It tastes like aged mugwort mixed with some kind of mineral powder, bitter with a refreshing coolness.

A string of withered, black vines hung from the edge of the door frame, with a few shriveled berries clinging to them.

The doorbell was hidden among the vines and berries and could not be seen clearly; only a rough rope woven from the hair of an unknown animal hung down.

Moran tugged at the bell cord.

"Ding--"

The ringtone wasn't crisp; instead, it had a dull, echoing sound.

Suddenly, her shadow on the wooden door moved on its own, casting a strange look at her:

"People from Emerald Wood Village? You'd better have something serious to say!"

“Mr. Groot introduced me! This is the letter of introduction he wrote himself!” Moran quickly took out the letter. (End of Chapter)