Shiya, held by the arm, answered like that.
Her light golden eyes glowed brightly, staring intently at Leonora.
“I promised Mr. Yige’er that I would take good care of little Ilya, and I can’t stand by idly and let you, Lady, take risks for me.”
Finally, she roughly shook off her arm.
Leonora irritably scratched her maple-red hair tips with the other hand.
Shiya touched several bottles of black enhancement potion in her pocket.
She was not completely defenseless.
Earlier, Fluite had overturned the alchemical ship, and these potions had fallen into the sea.
Later, she had asked Village Chief Edward to retrieve them.
Fortunately, the metal box Mr. Yige’er gave her was well-sealed, so the potions were not damaged.
“Suit yourself. Don’t blame others if you die.”
The girl responded and turned to walk toward the dessert shop.
The young lady, who had just acted indifferent with a tsundere attitude, now nervously grabbed Shiya’s wrist in reverse.
“Where are you going?”
Shiya turned her head, chuckled lightly, and patted her luxurious dark blue dress.
“If I get it dirty, I can’t afford to repay you even if I give myself to you, Lady.”
Leonora was clearly startled.
She was silent, showing no sign of letting go.
Shiya was stunned for a long time.
Blushing, she spat lightly, decisively slapped away the lady’s palm, and fled like a runaway.
Her light red eyes inadvertently glanced at a bit of dust on the hem of the girl’s skirt.
After a moment, Lilith walked out from the shadows, her expression icy.
“Have everything been arranged?”
“Of course, Lady. Finding Miss Shiya’s changing room was easy. Of course, I’ve already installed the device. Put this on and you’ll be able to see directly.”
The female guard stepped forward and, under the lady’s bewildered gaze, placed a magical goggles in her hand.
Leonora first involuntarily swallowed, then furiously threw the magical goggles to the ground and crushed them under her leather boots.
“You idiot, I told you to bring more people from the Duke’s Estate!”
So, after Miss Shiya borrowed a cook’s clothes covered in grease and walked through the filthy sewer, she saw the two masters and servants both looking troubled.
Leonora looked distracted, as if vaguely regretting or resenting something.
Miss Lilith, on the other hand, had her hands behind her back, awkwardly turning her face away, with a red, swollen bump on her forehead.
At this moment, a guard from the Duke’s Estate who was behind the three couldn’t help muttering.
“We’ve been walking for nearly half an hour. Why is there no movement at all?”
The female guard beside him, wearing a mage robe, was very patient.
She crouched down and picked up a bit of moss trampled by iron military boots.
“If the security team can travel through the sewer for half an hour while wearing stifling hot armor, it means these professionals have indeed sensed something. Be a bit patient.”
The scolded male guard gave a dry laugh.
“Owila, you’re just relying on the traces left by the security team along the way, that’s why you didn’t get lost.”
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Because at the next corner, an enormous space filled with white hospital beds completely stunned him.
If not for the crisscrossing stinking ditches around them constantly reminding them they were still in the sewer, the storage lockers with signs of daily life, the large iron cauldrons for brewing potions, and even the dozens of people in patient gowns all seemed to be showing the Duke’s Estate party that this was clearly an underground black hospital.
More than ten guards, including Lilith, immediately shielded Leonora and Shiya behind them, some drawing swords, others raising staves.
But their response clearly missed the mark.
Those people who looked like patients had hollow eyes, paying no attention to the intruders.
Lilith swept her gaze over the disgusting patches of mold on the hospital beds and couldn’t help muttering to herself.
“Even for a black hospital, such hygiene is too appalling.”
The male guard holding a shield in his left hand walked forward boldly, but if you looked closely, his defense was nearly flawless.
No one responded.
And at that moment, the rusty alarm clocks placed on the surrounding tables and chairs suddenly jumped up, and a series of dense ringing almost pierced people’s eardrums.
In response, those patients who had been indifferent and numb to their surroundings all stood up, raised their hands, and shouted in unison:
“We don’t produce longevity, we are just the porters of longevity!”
This eerie and absurd scene instantly made Lilith and the others clench their throats.
As the patients hurriedly surged toward the deeper part of the sewer, this empty ward was left with only one person.
A doctor in a white coat, wearing a face mask, with gray and messy hair, was sitting in an office chair with his back to them, writing furiously.
Lilith moved quietly, carried a short-handled hammer, walked behind him, and hooked the stool leg with her toe.
This old man who looked like the mastermind behind the scenes let out a grunt and fell flat on his face on the ground.
In the next moment, five or six coldly gleaming long swords were pressed against the man’s neck.
“What’s your name? What are you doing here?”
Lilith’s voice was calm and indifferent.
Seeing that the old doctor had no intention of speaking, the female guard wasted no words and began to brutally break the drawer locks on the desk, searching like a whirlwind.
Soon, after a check by everyone, a long-sealed file bag was handed to the young lady.
Leonora opened it on the spot and flipped through page by page.
Shiya also couldn’t help being curious.
She rested her chin on the lady’s shoulder and whispered softly.
“These look like ordinary records of treating patients.”
But she didn’t notice that the heavy weight on her chest pressed down on the lady’s back, instantly making the lady’s fingertips tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing Leonora’s body stiffen, Shiya turned her head in confusion.
For a moment, her cherry-colored lips were very close to the lady’s cheek.
Then she considerately turned to the next page of the file for Leonora.
But when her gaze fell on the photo on that page, her light golden pupils suddenly contracted.
Maple-red hair like a quietly burning little flame; on the childish face, those newly developed phoenix eyes already had a hint of future cold and proud aura.
Like a little phoenix that never admits defeat.
If only one could ignore the three large blood-red characters stamped under the photo— Deceased.
Leonora’s face visibly paled.
Her breathing stopped, and her light red eyes began to glaze over.
“Shiya…”
The young lady seemed to have finally recalled something.
Her voice dry, she struggled to utter the last sentence.
“Run quickly. Don’t think about coming back to save me, a dead person.”
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The old doctor, whose neck was held by layers of blades, calmly took out a small notebook from his pocket and began to count the people present.
Then, he pointed the pen tip at Lilith.
Then slid to Leonora.
“Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight.”
“This one is dead, cannot be counted.”
Finally, landed on Shiya.
“Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. Hmm, the longevity factory is about to complete phase production. This is really a good omen.”
And the moment his words fell, the originally calm sewer ditch suddenly stirred up huge black waves carrying a stench, sweeping toward everyone present.
In the rush, Leonora pushed Shiya toward the exit.
But the stubborn girl instead grabbed her wrist, pulled her into her arms, held her tightly, and refused to let go.
She would not allow even a moment’s separation between the lady and herself.
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