Chapter 218: As Expected of a Siscon, You Know Everything About Your Sister
A large fox tail wagged back and forth.
Lian Lian’s face was gloomy, her rose-pink pupils like a cat’s, her hunting instincts on full alert.
She hadn’t received any affection from anyone all this time, only a perfunctory pat on the head from Delia…
What were they all discussing?
Lian Lian pricked up her fox ears, but could only catch incomprehensible words like “substitute” and “deception.”
She was just a naive little fox, having escaped from a fox trafficker and endured countless hardships before becoming the Saintess of the [Nea Cult].
Although “Saintess” sounded impressive, in the [Nea Cult], her role was more of a spiritual symbol, a representative figure, like a campus mascot, and Lian Lian was essentially the [Nea Cult]’s good luck charm.
“Ah…”
The little fox hopped forward, seeing Megan’s signature smile.
But she didn’t mind, because Megan had promised her she would return to the surface. Megan had said it, so it must be true.
It didn’t matter where she played. Although the underground was a bit lonely, it was better than being sold like an animal…
“…”
Thinking of this, the little fox suddenly felt dejected.
She shook her head, walking into the stone chamber, her footsteps light as she approached Lena’s side.
At this moment, the table was abuzz with discussion.
Megan said confidently, “The alchemical doll is Delia’s masterpiece, a perfect replica of my body, besides not being able to speak, it has all the functions of a human body.”
“Including reproduction?” Lena asked.
Megan gave her a meaningful look, but still answered seriously, “It can’t reproduce, but it can be used.”
“Oh~”
Lena spread her hands, the fiery gazes from around her almost burning her.
And the pain was intensifying.
She looked down and saw a purplish-red fox biting her thigh, leaving two rows of teeth marks, blood seeping out.
“Attacking me, are you?”
Lena grabbed her by the collar, her voice fierce. “When did I ever provoke you? You bite me just like that, you ill-mannered little fox!”
Her patience had its limits.
“Tell me what’s wrong in front of your guardian, or I’ll pluck all the fur from your tail! And make a duster out of it!”
The vicious words scared the young fox.
She hugged her tail, trembling, her small face hidden, whimpering.
Her display of weakness was similar to Ling Ling’s.
Just a bit more gloomy.
“Lian Lian, apologize,” Megan said. “You’re interrupting our discussion, this concerns the survival of the [Nea Cult].”
“No…”
Lian Lian stubbornly refused. “I don’t want to be disliked by Megan… I won’t apologize…”
She shook her head, her stubbornness inexplicable.
Megan was puzzled, but she asked patiently, “What’s wrong?”
The usually obedient little fox was being rebellious, this wasn’t normal, there must be a reason.
“Relax, try the method I taught you.”
Megan stroked Lian Lian’s back, the small, bony body trembling, she was afraid, or perhaps, afraid of something.
What was she afraid of?
Looking around, her own people were out of the question, Hecate was an old acquaintance, a companion from the same slum… that left the hero and Lena.
“Tell me, I’ll back you up.”
Megan patted Lian Lian’s shoulder, her words uncharacteristic.
“Lena,” Lian Lian said, then hesitated.
“Me?” Lena was confused, when had she ever bullied her?
“Ling Ling.”
Lian Lian then mentioned the name of her long-lost companion.
They had been sold by the same trafficker, displayed in the same black market, but only she had escaped, Ling Ling’s whereabouts unknown.
She had followed the [Nea Cult], wandering the world, searching for her clan, for Ling Ling.
Lian Lian firmly believed Ling Ling was still alive, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so agitated upon seeing the fur in Lena’s bottle.
But why was Ling Ling’s tail fur in a human’s hands?
The softest fur at the tip of a foxkin’s tail was a symbol of trust, only given to a beloved, lifelong partner.
Lian Lian’s first reaction was that Ling Ling had been harmed.
After all, raising foxkin, taking their fur, was a popular pastime among the human upper class, and a coat made entirely of fox fur was priceless.
A symbol of power and status.
Owning a foxkin was a great honor, and Lena seemed like the type of person who valued power and money above all else.
Lian Lian despised such people.
She had followed Megan for a year and a half, witnessing the depths of human evil, the most intense and irredeemable of all races.
The arrogance ingrained in their bones.
The abandonment of humanity and conscience.
The source of their arrogance was their selfish desire to dominate all other creatures. Humans claimed to be the world’s number one race, ruling most of the land, yet they didn’t grant other races the right to self-governance.
Lian Lian felt sorry for her captured brethren.
She was powerless to save them, just a foolish little fox, but Megan could, she firmly believed Megan possessed what humans lacked—simple kindness.
This was the main reason why she had stayed with the [Nea Cult].
…
Lena calmly took out the bottle, turning it.
The golden fur shimmered in the candlelight, incredibly soft and light, with a sweet, milky scent.
“Ling Ling!”
Lian Lian stomped her foot anxiously.
Seeing the precious fur being toyed with by Lena, she could do nothing.
“Don’t worry, little one, do you want your companion’s tail fur back?”
Lena placed the bottle on the table, gesturing. “Since you want it, it’s yours, it’s not worth much.”
“How dare you…!”
Lian Lian gritted her teeth.
Labeling was a particularly rude act, and Lena’s casual dismissal, as if giving away a worthless item, only added to her anger.
The gloomy little fox bared her fangs, looking quite menacing.
“Ahem,” Megan coughed.
Lian Lian’s tail slammed against the ground, shaking the floor.
Then the little fox turned away in a huff, silently adding Lena to her list of enemies…
“Am I disliked?”
Lena feigned innocence, a smile playing on her lips.
“A bit too much,” Megan smiled, their shared cunning creating a strange sense of camaraderie, although Lena was clearly the more wicked of the two.
“Fine, I understand, let’s not talk about this anymore.”
Lena waved her hand, moving on.
“Let’s talk about the conditions, I think I have a good enough reason to help the [Nea Cult] escape.”
She wasn’t doing this for free.
Helping others wasn’t Lena’s style, she had to gain something, or see others pay a price.
“Let me think.”
Megan pondered, counting on her fingers. “Miss Lena doesn’t lack money, nor power, it’s hard to decide…”
Lena raised an eyebrow. “You know me well.”
“Hehe, just a little, after all, Miss Lena is a celebrity in the Imperial City.”
Megan chuckled, her orange hair swaying.
She took out a hairpin, securing her hair, revealing her face, the tear mole beneath her eye alluring.
Megan was quite attractive, the more you looked, the more you saw…
“Mmm…”
Megan paused, then smiled. “I won’t say any ‘righteous words’ to Miss Lena, that’s too old-fashioned and rigid.”
“However, the [Nea Cult]’s teachings have many similarities with Miss Lena’s beliefs, I think we can find common ground, and cooperate, helping each other.”
Lena narrowed her eyes. “Tell me which part.”
Megan beckoned, and Lena leaned closer.
Their cheeks brushed, and Megan whispered two words…
No one heard.
But her lip-reading revealed everything.
“Are you serious?”
Lena scratched her ear, Megan had deliberately blown into it, making it itch.
“The [Nea Cult] desires world peace, but there’s a major obstacle, and this obstacle is also a difficulty Miss Lena will face.”
“And if I say no?”
“This…”
Megan was speechless.
“If I capture you all and hand you over to the empire, gaining their trust, wouldn’t that also benefit my plans? In other words, your offer is based on the assumption that I’ll agree, and the Falmouths don’t lack powerful allies, you seem a bit too naive, too confident, Miss Megan.”
Lena turned the tables.
She could see Megan was at her wit’s end, but she was still acting confident, even smiling.
What was so funny, she was about to die.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is Miss Lena afraid of death?”
“…”
Lena rolled her eyes.
What kind of question was that?
“Everyone is afraid of death, I wasn’t before.”
“Coincidentally, I’m the opposite of Miss Lena.”
“You seem to think your death will be a righteous one.”
“Why would you think that? I don’t think my life is any more valuable than anyone else’s. I’m just a grain of sand, ordinary, plain, insignificant.”
The intense battle of wits had shifted the balance once more.
Megan was the most skilled psychological opponent Lena had ever encountered.
She knew what she needed, and she knew what Lena desired…
This was a worthy opponent, Megan had earned Lena’s respect.
Lena was serious for the first time. “It seems you don’t possess the blind arrogance common among some leaders.”
“I’m very clean,” Megan chuckled.
“How clean?” Lena teased, her eyebrows raised.
“We’re getting off topic, Miss Lena.”
“Mm, fine… I’ll take your one-to-one alchemical doll to the authorities, and you’ll escape,” Lena recounted Megan’s plan. “So, how can you guarantee Red will believe me?”
“That depends on Miss Lena’s skills.”
Megan winked playfully.
Lena: “…Tell me you’re joking.”
“The young lady of the Falmouth family, the commander of the Imperial Guard, and Hero Snow…” Megan listed them off like a menu, then changed her tone. “Three important figures simultaneously identifying a criminal, do you think Red will believe it or not? Will he stop, or not?”
And with the all-night storm and magic bombardment, the physical and mental toll on the Imperial Guard was immense.
They were exhausted, barely holding on.
At this point, even if Red was suspicious, his men probably wouldn’t agree to continue.
The matter was settled, at most, he would send people to investigate the battlefield, but there was nothing to find.
“Such a brilliant plan… are you a genius?!” Lena feigned surprise.
“You flatter me, Miss Lena, I’m just an ordinary person.”
Megan said with a kind smile.
Lena didn’t believe her, but she inwardly acknowledged the orange-haired girl’s intelligence.
A master.
…
The rest of the time, Lena transferred some of her purified magic power to Matt, who was on the verge of death, and he awoke, making Delia cry with gratitude.
Hecate had more to say, but Megan had already arranged everything, saving him the trouble.
He prepared to leave with his men, along with Lena and Snow.
“Where’s Lian Lian?”
Megan suddenly asked.
She had been in the stone chamber just a moment ago, but now she was gone.
“I’ll go look for her, she probably went for a walk,” Delia stood up.
“I’ll go,” Megan stopped her. “And I have a private request for Miss Lena.”
She winked at Lena.
“What is it that you can’t say now?”
Although unsure, Lena followed Megan out of the stone chamber, stepping onto the shattered ground, the air cold, her breath turning to mist.
“About Lian Lian, you also have a foxkin at home, right?” Megan said slowly.
“How do you…”
“Heh, it’s not a secret, a little investigation and you’ll find out… that child is called Ling Ling? Ling Ling, Lian Lian, quite a coincidence…”
Megan, like a prophet who knew everything, suddenly seemed much older.
“Can you take Lian Lian in? She longs to find her family, to return to her clan, and she also misses a companion of similar age.”
This was becoming an obsession for Lian Lian.
And now, Ling Ling was likely the person Lian Lian had been searching for, and letting Lian Lian stay with Lena was much better than her wandering around with the [Nea Cult].
Megan caught a snowflake.
“The [Nea Cult] can’t lose its spiritual leader, but the Saintess can. Lian Lian is a good child, once she accepts someone, she won’t change her mind. She bit you because she thought you were a bad person, but if you’re good to her, she’ll repay you a thousandfold.”
She wasn’t just asking Lena not to hold a grudge, but also trying to soften her heart.
A soft heart was easy to persuade.
“Can you?”
Megan bowed deeply, not getting up.
She was bowing for the first time, to a woman.
She had come out here so no one would see this, she had her pride, but for Lian Lian, she had lowered it.
Lena watched silently…
“Can you?”
Megan remained bowed, her face flushed from the blood rushing to her head.
An orange head, like a large orange.
She didn’t dare look up.
She knew Lena was still considering, she couldn’t falter now.
After a long while, Lena sighed, as if accepting her fate, a helpless smile on her face.
“How did you know I have a thing for soft and cute little fox girls…”
