Miss Riddler just wants to level up in peace.

To get deeper inside, you must go through the main gate.

But if the men don't leave, they can't get in.

"Could he have fallen asleep?"

Theresa kept a watchful eye on her surroundings; this short period of time was not enough to wear down her patience.

About ten minutes later, the man finally stood up and left.

He fasted for three days specifically for today's worship, which made Theresa marvel at his fervor.

Walking along the passageway, you'll find yourself in a secret room at the far end.

Two guards, their bodies shrouded in black, stood at the entrance, responsible for protecting this place.

Their aura is very similar to that of the assassins outside, and their strength is even much higher. Forcing our way in would be a foolish idea.

Ziyao came up with a solution. She had Theresa go back to the roof, remove the tiles, and stack them back together.

The two then found a place to hide and threw half a tile at the roof.

As if the sky had collapsed, the rubble above, unable to bear the weight, fell one after another, crashing down with a series of ear-piercing clattering sounds.

The two guards exchanged a glance, then sent one of them out to scout the situation.

Theresa gripped the thick wooden stick tightly, reached behind the door, and struck it hard.

The guard immediately fainted, but quickly regained consciousness.

Before she could react, Theresa pulled Ziyao into the secret room.

There was a flash of light.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a secluded little village.

"Ye Village?"

Looking around, Ziyao was surprised to find that they had arrived at Yae Village in the Cherry Blossom Cycle.

The distorted aura was right before my eyes, right there in the shrine on the mountain.

People outside could burst in at any moment, so the two entered the real Yae Shrine without delay.

This place is almost a scaled-down version of the outside, with less of the hustle and bustle and more of the simplicity.

The main hall was brightly lit, with flickering candlelight.

A fox mask hangs on the shelf in the middle; the strange Honkai energy originates from here.

Unlike the corrosive power of Jizo Mitama, the Honkai energy on the mask is warm, like lukewarm water that has just cooled down.

Picking up the mask, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside me.

I want to wear it....

Silent and unnoticed, as if done subconsciously.

It was all too ordinary, without even the slightest warning.

If I hadn't reacted in time, I almost would have put it on.

[Ding! 'Millennium Fox Mask' detected, available for exchange of 2666 crystals. Exchange now?]

"Nightingale, may I take a look?"

Theresa was clearly also influenced by the suggestion, her eyes fixed on the mask, and she reached out to take it.

Before she could even touch it, the mask turned to ashes and vanished.

At the same time, the system issued a notification sound indicating that the transaction had been successfully processed.

For dangerous items of unknown origin, direct recycling is a better approach.

Ziyao casually turned off the system notification sound; it was quite annoying and she hardly ever used it.

After the fox mask disappeared, Theresa immediately returned to normal.

"I just..."

She belatedly looked at her hands, completely baffled as to why she had done that.

"It's a trap."

"I'm sorry, I was careless."

Theresa apologized and looked at Ziyao with gratitude.

If it weren't for her, I probably would have been infected by now.

Indeed, having Nightingale around makes me feel very safe...

This consciousness space was too strange; they seemed to be being manipulated, drifting along without finding a single clue to break through.

"If I ever run into that guy, I'll smash him to pieces with Judas!"

The mere mention of Theresa Himeko's name infuriated her, and she thoroughly explored the shrine, but the culprit remained elusive.

"Theresa...maybe it's hidden right beside us, but we just haven't noticed it."

Ziyao guessed that it wasn't impossible.

[Ding! ??? Solved the riddle, congratulations on obtaining *271 Crystals (+0%)]

After he finished speaking, the system notified him that he had obtained a crystal.

Ziyao, unaware that the sound had been turned off, left the shrine with Theresa.

"..."

The two had barely left when the pink-haired girl emerged from behind the screen.

The katana scraped against the floor, making a harsh, screeching sound.

The fox mask on the shelf has disappeared.

It feels empty, just like my mood right now.

"Yao..."

She placed her hand lightly on her chest, her voice filled with melancholy.

If she could, she would wish the girl never to leave, and she wouldn't need to resort to these underhanded tactics.

She's so smart that you can both love and hate her.

“…”

Not long after, a commotion broke out outside.

As soon as they left the secret room, the two were surrounded by guards.

Those who were skilled at operating shrines last time have already been executed and thrown off the cliff; they will be no exception this time.

The priest leading the group was the same one who had been beaten up by Ziyao yesterday at noon; enemies meeting again are bound to be furious.

Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the corrosive force is, it's not easy to keep Theresa, who has superhuman strength.

It may seem difficult, but if you're determined to go, you'll definitely succeed.

Theresa grabbed someone at random and used them as a weapon, tearing a gash in the air, and ran down the mountain with Ziyao.

The guards were stunned. Was it really that powerful?

Regrouping, they quickly followed the two figures.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, a horrifying scene unfolded.

The streets were filled with assassins emanating black energy, but the shrine did nothing, not even bothering to intervene.

Residents stayed indoors, and some even kept knocking on doors, as if the community was trying to provide warmth and care.

The guards followed closely behind, while a group of assassins surrounded the ticket office not far away.

The two then darted into the midst of the assassins to evade pursuit.

To everyone's surprise, the guards, seemingly oblivious to their own danger, stubbornly continued to pursue them.

And so, the two forces met and stared at each other.

The assassins surrounded everyone, including Ziyao and her companion.

A assassin lunged forward, and the next second, a sharp blade flashed, cleaving him in two.

Yae Sakura jumped down from the roof and stood protectively in front of Zi Yao.

Upon closer inspection, there were at least thirty assassins, and with pursuers nearby, it was quite a troublesome situation.

"You guys go first, Sakura will catch up later."

The sharp blade was stained with Honkai energy, indicating that Yae Sakura had killed quite a few assassins before she arrived.

Volume 1: Chapter 84 Unexpected Turn of Events, Escape Plan

"Mei, shall we run away?"

There's chaos down below; now's the perfect time to leave.

Tomorrow is the festival day, and the priest told everyone to stay put and guard the shrine, and not to leave without permission.

Residents, left with no other option, fled their homes and sought refuge at shrines.

"Kiana, we're not ready yet. Where can we escape to?"

Mei shook her head. She had searched the area thoroughly, but there was no way to leave Yae Town.

Once they leave Yae Town, they will be surrounded by desolate mountains and wilderness, where only endless assassins await them.

"Let's have some tea to calm down first."

As she spoke, Mei picked up the black tea on the table.

The pale red liquid was only half full. She didn't trust the mysterious witch, so she only gave Kiana some to drink.

The effect was unexpectedly good; she finally got rid of insomnia and slept soundly for more than an hour.

Unfortunately, the chaos at the foot of the mountain woke Kiana.

"Ling is going to die tomorrow, I can't calm down."