Sunny was utterly confused by Alista's statement—"Daddy's Home." He couldn't comprehend the meaning or the audacity.
Caster, ever the diplomat, stepped forward. "Blood Emperor, may I know why you are disturbing the settlements?"
Fors smiled innocently. "We were celebrating our meeting, you know, making it here safely. We simply took a dance."
Aiko immediately interrupted, seizing the chance to garner support. "Lady Changing Star, she tried to scam me! She's asking for 137 Soul Shards! She is a member of the Gunlaug Handmaidens!"
Nephis looked at Fors, her face impassive. The disdain from the surrounding settlement weighed heavily on Fors. Nephis immediately began to move forward, but Alista and Artemis blocked her path completely.
Artemis was firm. "You won't lay a hand on her, Nephis."
The other members of Nephis's cohort looked on in surprise. Caster, however, immediately recognized.
"Lady Artemis, Princess of Valor, it is an honor to meet you," Caster stated, bowing slightly.
Artemis's expression shifted to a confident, slightly smug smile. "It is good to meet you, too, Han Li clan's Heir."
Alista then stepped in, taking control of the negotiation. "First of all, Fors didn't scam Aiko. Second, Aiko has a debt of 137 Soul Shards; it was won fair and square. If you want to inquire about Aspect Usage, I will have to proceed with an inquiry about Aiko's Aspect Usage…"
He looked pointedly at Aiko, who was sweating profusely, and continued: "…If she cheated, she needs to return the shards to others."
The entire outer settlement looked at Aiko, demanding an answer. Aiko capitulated instantly. "I will return the Soul Shards, but I don't have 137 Soul Shards on hand right now."
Fors, ever generous to the poor, stepped in. "No need. Just pay in installments. First, pay me 20 Soul Shards."
Aiko rushed toward her personal storage and quickly handed over the Soul Shards. After the transaction, Alista, Artemis, and Fors Wall left the Gambling Den.
After roaming for a short time, they found an empty home—a place where the three of them could talk out of earshot. As Alista traversed the slums, he observed many empty houses and quickly picked the most secluded one.
After entering, all three of them tidied up the place and sat down.
Artemis immediately got to the point. "Now that we've reached the city, what are the next steps?"
Alista was about to speak, but then he noticed a slight movement of a shadow near the edge of the room. Alista immediately understood: Sunny was spying on them using his Shadow.
Alista looked at Fors and spoke clearly, feigning ignorance. "Fors, you said you felt you were being watched."
Artemis and Fors were momentarily confused. Fors was about to voice her confusion but saw a subtle eye gesture from Alista pointing toward the shadow flicker. Fors immediately understood the gravity of the situation and spoke in a grim tone.
"Yeah, someone was watching me. When I was in the Castle, it felt the same as when I was back at the Academy."
Now, Alista was genuinely confused. 'I intended to point out Sunny's immediate spying, but it seems something else has been happening.'
Alista frowned. He leaned his ear toward Fors, compelling her to speak secretively. Fors explained that after entering the Castle, as per the original narrative, Sunny and Cassie had entered too. Sunny had been staring at her with spite, making her deeply uncomfortable. She had told Seishan about it, but Seishan had only told her that she would take care of her if things escalated further.
Alista clenched his fist, his rage simmering. He spoke to Artemis. "Arty, discuss the future plans with Fors. I will explain to our watcher the ground rules."
Artemis nodded, her mind already suspicious. 'Something is definitely off. That wasn't just a simple spying attempt.'
Alista went outside, his fury mounting. 'Fors is scared of Sunny; it makes sense. Sunny is a person who holds grudges. He never forgets, and he will come for Fors one way or another. I need to make sure that nothing happens.' Alista was furious. He would never lose another close one's life—not in this life.
[Nephis Cohort, Inside a Room]
Sunny was monitoring the area using his Shadow that he had sent into the slums. "Alista Tudor just left his room. Only Artemis and Fors are still inside," Sunny reported to Nephis.
Nephis nodded, her gaze fixed on Caster. "Caster, is there any idea about Fors's abilities?"
Caster responded calmly. "Fors's ability revolves around short-distance teleportation. Other than that, she has a good sense of direction." Caster then detailed his journey with her.
When he finished, Nephis spoke. "Any idea about the Valor Princess?"
Caster elaborated. "She is not kept in the same place as other family members. She is treated like some sort of black mark, but she still strives to earn their recognition."
Nephis listened coldly, calculating the possibilities of Artemis being an assassin sent by the Valor Clan. As she calculated, Effie interjected with her usual bluntness.
"A two True Name wielders in the Forgotten Shore! Blood Emperor… he seems cute, though. Well, let's see how strong he is?"
Suddenly, a voice cut across the room, startling everyone. "Why don't you find out yourselves, Effie?"
They all looked toward the sound's origin. Alista was standing nearby the entrance of their makeshift HQ.
"What? Seeing things?" Alista smirked.
[Alista Tudor POV]
Alista was looking at their shocked faces. Even the ice-cold façade of Nephis showed a brief flicker of surprise.
Nephis quickly regained her composure. "What are you doing here?"
Alista returned the question with contempt. "I could ask the same thing, you know, sending a shadow to spy on me."
Now, Sunny was stunned. He was so sure that they hadn't noticed his Shadow.
"How…" Sunny began, his voice laced with shock.
Alista looked at him, his voice hardening. "Look, Changing Star, don't ever send that bastard's Shadow to spy on anything related to us, or else…"
Sunny, fueled by his own grudges, retorted with a smug expression. "Or what?"
Alista looked at Sunny, his expression turning venomous. "Shut up, Lost From Height."
Sunny shuddered and was instantly enraged by the cutting insult.
Alista didn't wait for a response. "Or else, it won't end well. It is my Warning." With that final threat, the Blood Emperor turned and left the room, leaving the cohort in stunned silence.
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