"Hm, the treatment for Lightloss Syndrome took longer than expected," Yue Tianlang said as he approached the armored girl. "But for you, Star Envoy, to come out and greet me in person… does that mean—?"
"Yes," the girl nodded. "Princess Fengling has returned."
"Princess?" Mo Yan blinked. "Wait, there's royalty here too? Even in this world?"
The girl, referred to as Star Envoy, didn't answer. Instead, she glanced briefly at Mo Yan before turning back to Tianlang.
"Tianlang-sama, who are these people?"
"Oh, just some friends," Tianlang said with a smile. "They saved my life earlier—if not for them, I'd be toast."
"I see. My apologies, honored guests." The girl bowed formally. "I am called Heavenly Sword Star. Welcome to Xuan Yue Town."
"Heavenly Sword Star? What kind of parent names their kid that?" Kaelin muttered.
"It's probably a title," Zixuan murmured thoughtfully. "Like our in-game nicknames."
Mo Yan observed the girl carefully. She had cherry-pink hair, her limbs armored from shoulder to boot, and a long sword on her left hip with twin shortswords at her right. Definitely a skilled swordswoman—probably a high-ranking warrior.
But if she were just a guard, Tianlang wouldn't be so polite. Calling her by title instead of name was a clear sign of deference.
Tianlang turned to the group. "No need to overthink it. Star Envoy here is a guest too, like you. She just happens to have a job to do."
With that, he turned and gestured forward.
"Come. Let's not keep our next guest waiting."
—
He led them into a large hall. Between two ornate couches sat a table filled with pastries and tea. At the far end, on a sofa near the door, a curtain of pale-pink hair caught their eye.
"Aiyaa~ You finally arrived, Lord Tianlang."
The voice was sultry and teasing. She put down her teacup, stood up, and turned to face them.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Fengling. Always a pleasure," Tianlang said with a half-smile, settling onto the couch across from her. "Though let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? I assume your visit today is the same as always."
Mo Yan and the others stood quietly nearby.
He stared openly at Princess Fengling. There was no denying her beauty: the mole beneath her eye, her elegant dress—it all screamed aristocratic charm. But still… something about her felt off. Almost too perfect, like she wasn't real.
Like a spell, or a mask.
"Hey—stop staring!" Kaelin jabbed him in the ribs.
"Ah—sorry." Mo Yan scratched his head, embarrassed.
"You noticed it too?" Zhao Heng asked quietly.
Mo Yan's eyes widened. "Wait—you felt it?"
Zhao Heng nodded. "In my line of work, I've met many people who wear masks. That woman… she's projecting an artificial aura. It's intoxicating, but hollow. Like an illusion. A dream."
"So she's faking her identity?" Kaelin muttered, suddenly catching on. "Also… Zhao Heng, you talk way more than usual."
Zhao Heng said nothing more—just folded his arms and returned to silence.
Tianlang and Fengling, meanwhile, continued their verbal sparring.
"You understand what's at stake," Fengling said, still smiling. "Lightloss Syndrome has persisted for half a month. If the Moon Festival fails again in three days, you'll be held responsible."
"So what?" Tianlang replied coolly. "You call yourself a princess, but won't even say which kingdom you're from. And you expect me to hand over the 'Token' to someone that shady?"
"Hehe~ gaining your trust really is difficult," she chuckled. "Though I did hear something curious today… about an attack in town. A group of black-cloaked men chasing a boy in a hood?"
Tianlang's eyes narrowed.
"And what of it? That's none of your business. Unless… your group has already declared war on the Guardians?"
Fengling's laugh was soft but chilling.
"Fufu~ don't misunderstand. Just gossip, that's all. But surely you don't want such chaos to continue. Outside this castle, the situation's only worsening. More and more people are falling into darkness. Surely, even you can't handle it all alone."
"That's not your concern!" Tianlang snapped.
"Well, if there's no deal to be made today, I suppose I'll be going. I'll return again soon—hopefully before it's too late."
She stood, still smiling. "Oh, and thank you for the snacks. Made the wait far more pleasant. Until next time, goodbye."
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Tianlang grumbled.
Once she was gone, Tianlang exhaled deeply and turned to the others.
"Sorry about that, everyone. That must've been awkward to watch."
"Don't worry about it," Mo Yan replied with a smile.
"But seriously, who was she?" Kaelin asked. "And what's this 'Token' you were talking about?"
Tianlang chuckled. "She claims to be a princess from some unknown nation. Says she can 'solve' Lightloss Syndrome if I give her the Guardian Token. But if ordinary people could fix this, why would the gods exist at all?"
"You think those black-cloaked guys were hers?" Kaelin pressed.
"Most likely," Tianlang said. "They call themselves the Fallen God Brigade. A newly formed group, no more than half a month old. Their goal is simple—steal the Tokens of all eight Guardians, open the path to Dreamsky, and challenge the Holy One."
Everyone fell silent.
"So… this is serious," Kaelin murmured, unease creeping into her voice.
Tianlang sighed. "Yeah. You'd have been caught up in this eventually anyway, so I may as well tell you. That woman came to me yesterday, same time as now. Claimed she knew about Lightloss and had a way to stop it. But in exchange, she wanted my Guardian Token—the symbol of my office as the Moon Saint. A divine appointment, mind you. You think I'd just hand it over to some mystery woman?"
"And when you refused…" Zixuan concluded, "that's when the black-cloaks attacked today?"
~~------------------------
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