Crouching Dragon

Sigh!

Nedy stared at the people within the restaurant with a slightly dispirited gaze. It had been two weeks since she first discovered traces of Iota. But even now, she wasn't able to kill the latter.

'I originally thought of retiring after being paid a lump sum from the hitlist.' This was the reason for her frustration. Even a Shaman could retire and lead a pleasant life if she possessed enough money.

Sure, she would still be looked down upon by the Priests of Garobu City, but that happened all the time. To the regular populace that wasn't able to detect her status as a Shaman, she could mingle with them freely as just someone affluent.

Originally, when she leaked details regarding Iota to the rest of the Sect, Nedy hoped it was just a matter of time before Iota would fall into her grasp. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, even when Keyn Garobu took action.

'It seems I won't be able to kill him anytime soon.' Thinking as such, Nedy got up from her seat, paid for her breakfast, and exited the restaurant, returning to her job.

She was acting as a maid for a powerful merchant. Even though the pay wasn't great, it was safe and provided a stable source of income. Moreover, her employer was aware of her status as a Shaman, which was why she was given the task of spreading rumours.

With her abilities, it was a guaranteed success. For a merchant, her abilities were useful, which was all that mattered in the end, not her status as a Shaman.

Just as Nedy returned to the mansion situated in the noble district, she observed two Spirits entering the place, startled for a moment as she hid nearby.

Thump! Thump!

She controlled her heart rate, calming it down until the pulse strength was minimal. It helped hide her presence as a Shaman to the absolute lowest, enough to fool the senses of even a Spirit.

As long as she wasn't right next to a Spirit, her status as a Shaman wouldn't be discovered. This was the strongest ability in her arsenal that allowed her to succeed in countless missions until now.

No Merit Priest was able to detect her until she took action.

Nedy maintained a distance of hundred metres from the two Spirits and followed them, 'Based on their stature, they are Vhiny and Stunra Garobu. They were the ones that had targeted Lord Dullip before.'

Nedy had been observing the fight from a safe distance. Probably only Dullip and Keyn noticed her presence. For Dullip, it wasn't a situation where he could bother with her.

As for Keyn, he didn't mind her, knowing very well that he had given the hitlist to mobilise all the Shamans part of the Sect. This was why Nedy could observe the situation.

Of course, when Royl, Canl, and Menl never returned, all the other Shamans became apprehensive, no longer actively looking for the traces of Iota.

"Stop! State your identity!" The guards at the mansion stared at Nedy and took a defensive stance.

"I'm a maid here," Saying as such, Nedy took out her ID card, issued by the Twinkle Merchant House.

"She's indeed a maid here." One of the guards recognised her and allowed her entry.

"There are many new faces," Nedy spoke with the familiar guard, inquiring for the reason.

"Well, Lady Vonne has hired a lot of guards recently. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the recent tension between the different merchant houses." The guard scratched his beard and smiled wryly. He didn't know much beyond that.

"I should ask the other maids," Nedy smiled as she bode farewell and quickly entered the mansion, observing the calm pacing of Vhiny and Stunra. Soon, she peeked from a corner of the corridor and observed the duo entering a study, 'For what reason did two Spirits come to meet with the lady?'

Lady Vonne was a renowned merchant, but she wasn't important enough to warrant a visit from two Spirits. Having been on many missions, Nedy was sharp enough to notice that something important was about to happen.

Hence, she further suppressed her presence while churning all her power to her ears, enhancing her auditory senses. Nedy picked up a rag and began to wipe the floor, acting like she was cleaning the place while her attention was focused on the study, hearing the voices within.

"Dullip attacked the palace." Vhiny Garobu said as she stared at Lady Vonne, "We're unable to understand how he's able to appear and disappear throughout the palace. To prevent him from messing up with our plans, Keyn has stationed himself within the palace. But due to this, Keyn is unable to leave the area."

"Dullip proved to be problematic in the end." Lady Vonne removed her spectacles and furled the scroll before her. She placed it in the drawer nearby and poured tea for the two Spirits, "This is Baekle Tea. I heard it's good for rejuvenating the body and mind. Let's talk while drinking it."

"Fine," Vhiny took a seat and sipped the tea, speaking, "Dullip's actions are pretty high profile, so we had to hurriedly kill the Priests that noticed our plan thanks to him. I'm afraid the other Spirits have noticed the disruptions by now. We need to deal with them first."

"Can Keyn kill Dullip?" Lady Vonne asked calmly, "If he fails such a simple task, I'm afraid we'll have to consider sponsoring the lot of you."

"N-No, Keyn will definitely succeed." Stunra said in a hurry, "It's just that Dullip refuses to have a head-on confrontation and has employed hit-and-run tactics."

"I see…" Lady Vonne didn't seem to focus on her words as she spoke calmly after a while, "Say…"

She made eye contact with the two Spirits, terrifying them, "How many Deity Organs does Dullip possess?"

"He…" Vhiny stated in disbelief, gritting her teeth as she recalled the moment she clashed with Dullip, "Except for his brain, the rest of his organs are Deity Organs."

"Ha…haha!" Lady Vonne burst into parlous laughter and almost teared up. She wiped the tears and stared calmly, losing all semblance of emotion, "So, the Garobu Faith has been rearing a Dragon."

"Fine, it wouldn't be worth devouring a weak Faith. This is for the best." She took out two thumb-sized rubies from a drawer and placed them on the table, knocking them once, "Take this."

"It'll help you kill the Spirits."