“Old man, what are you thinking?”
“Hehe… nothing,” he replied flatly.
“Is the Horned Demon dealt with?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. You should think about how to atone.”
“That child…”
“Don’t you dare think about my child.”
“Hehehe…” he chuckled gently.
“I wasn’t asking about her.”
“Oh? Then let me ask you, what is the Church’s first dogma?”
“…Rest assured, I don’t want another fallen angel appearing on the continent.”
He sighed low, seemingly in compromise, yet also in self-mockery.
“Time is almost up. I’m leaving, old man.”
“Safe travels.”
“In ten years, I will send the little girl to the Imperial Capital’s academy as an ordinary Awakened.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll have to take a very close look at the new students when the time comes.”
—
On the town street, at a collapsed building, tentacles lashed out, sending wood and rubble flying.
It was Rokoko; she was helping the residents clear the ruins.
“Wow—such a big piece!”
“This hook has some real weight to it!”
A few old men and children squatted to the side, looking like bored people on Earth watching an excavator, observing the scene with great interest.
**[Mission: “Clearing the Famous Commoner’s Ruins” has been completed. Gained 3% XP]**
Another common mission finished, Rokoko continued toward the next location.
Then, she ran into those two “idiots.”
“Hah…! So heavy!”
Su Yue tried hard to lift a stone slab, her face turning red.
“If you can’t move it, don’t move it. Is there gold underneath?”
Du Lin, who was rummaging for items nearby, commented flatly.
“Ugh… there are a few silver coins…”
“Where, where!”
Du Lin rushed under the stone slab, sticking out his butt as he started searching.
He really did find several silver coins.
Rokoko silently snuck up behind the two of them.
She looked on and reminded them, “Under… the wooden board… there’s more.”
“Under the board… let me see… Wow! There really is!”
“Du Lin!”
Su Yue whispered a reminder.
“Oh, don’t rush me! Almost done picking them up—silver coins, silver coins!”
Du Lin wiggled his butt and moved outward.
“No! Du Lin, stop it! Hey!”
Su Yue grew anxious and kicked that upturned butt.
“Ouch! Don’t kick my butt! I’m getting up!”
Du Lin held the dirty silver coins and stood up with a bewildered look.
“What now—”
He turned his head and saw the smiling Rokoko.
“Hiss—!”
*Thud!*
The stone slab behind him crashed down heavily, giving Du Lin another scare.
“Hello…”
Rokoko waved her hand.
“Little— **[System blocking function activated: Little Saintess -> Little Shorty]** little shorty!!”
Su Yue blurted out.
“What are you saying? What little shorty? She’s clearly the little… **[System blocking function activated: Little Saintess -> Little Cutie]** little cutie,” Du Lin quickly corrected.
Both realized something was wrong and immediately covered their mouths, staring at each other in terror.
Sure enough, the next second:
**[System Penalty: 50% of current level XP will be deducted]**
“NO!” a synchronized wail rang out.
Rokoko was amused.
She naturally knew what had happened, but she wasn’t the type to laugh out loud.
“Ro… koko,” she said, placing her right hand over her chest.
Seeing this, the two immediately stopped their wailing.
“I’m Du Lin. Nice to meet you, Rokoko.”
*Slurp…*
“I’m Su Yue. You…”
*Clang!*
Before Su Yue could finish, the iron belt at her waist fell to the ground.
Her skirt armor, losing its restraint, slipped down.
Fervent gazes from passersby were already turning her way; it looked like some fan service was about to happen!
“Yah!”
A startled Su Yue grabbed her skirt armor and quickly bent over to pick up the belt.
**[System Prompt: Player’s current level is too low. This equipment cannot be worn for now.]**
“Waaaah, Du Lin…”
Su Yue’s eyes were teary.
“Oh, it’s not the first time. Why are you crying? Just find any belt to hold it up for now,” Du Lin said crossly.
“There aren’t any more!”
“You really… sigh! Here, use this cloth armor to hold it for now.”
“Mhm… thank you.”
Her small shoulders shook uncontrollably until Rokoko finally couldn’t hold it back and let out a “Pfft—” laugh.
“Koko, what are you laughing at?”
Lucia’s voice suddenly came from behind.
“Mother!”
Rokoko immediately went forward and took Lucia’s hand.
She then pointed at the two people who had somehow stood up straight like they were waiting for inspection.
“They are friends… They… helped Ino… in the forest.”
“I see. Are they the people Koko was waiting for?”
Lucia asked with a gentle smile, her gaze sweeping over them.
“Mhm!”
Rokoko nodded repeatedly and gave the two a look.
Du Lin and Su Yue understood immediately but only nodded, not daring to say much.
The more they said, the more they’d get wrong; the lesson from just now was still fresh.
However… the fact that the believer of the White Fluff God was actually the legendary Little Saintess still shocked them quite a bit.
They felt like their hearts were going to jump out!
Wasn’t their purpose in coming to the Echo Fief precisely to get in touch with the Little Saintess?
In short, from now on, whatever the Little Saintess said was law.
Finding a spot under the shade of a tree, the group sat down.
After Rokoko’s stumbling explanation and Du Lin and Su Yue’s intermittent nodding responses of “Whatever you say is right,” the conversation ended.
Lucia knew Rokoko’s abilities well, and the little girl never hid them.
From Rokoko’s words, she had guessed the general story.
Summary: Rokoko was playing god and ghost to tease these “fools”!
She had also noticed these two in the church; they really had helped share quite a bit of her pressure.
They were quite good and lacked any scheming, making them perfect teammates for Rokoko.
“Du Lin, Su Yue, right?”
Lucia asked with a gentle tone.
“Yes!”
The two answered in unison, sitting up straight instantly.
Lucia’s smile deepened as she reached out to rub Rokoko’s head.
“No need to be so restrained. I just wanted to ask if you have any intention of forming an adventurer team? My Koko seems to like you very much. She also just finished registering her Adventurer’s License and needs to complete a trial.”
“WE ARE WILLING!!!”
The two lunged in front of Lucia, their eyes nearly spitting fire with intensity.
“Hehehe… that’s wonderful then,” Lucia covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Welcome~”
Rokoko reached out her two small hands, smiling to show her little tiger fangs.
“Mhm—”
Su Yue slid over and grabbed the soft small hand, tears welling in her eyes.
‘Guild Leader—I succeeded! Waaaah—Our Village has hope!’
“Teammates for life!”
Du Lin also rolled over, grabbed the hand, and kissed the back of her fair hand.
‘Hmph, I’ll post the pictures later! I’ll piss off those blind former teammates of mine!’
With a light smile on her lips, Lucia slowly stood up.
“Let’s go. We’re heading to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Mhm!”
Rokoko withdrew her hand and stood up to follow.
By the way, she wiped off several saliva marks from the back of her hand because Du Lin had kissed it several more times afterward.
Du Lin and Su Yue followed quietly, pushing and pinching each other to release their uncontrollable excitement.
—
A moment later, in the Adventurer’s Guild hall.
*Gulp…*
“Flame Falcon…”
“Ah—it’s the Star Flame Falcon…”
“Can they win? An adult Star Flame Falcon is a Level 25 boss, right?”
“Two God-Chosen and the Lady Mage… it should be… fine, right?”
“I don’t think so. Those two God-Chosen look like they haven’t even reached Level 20. Especially that knight; she probably hasn’t even hit Level 15.”
“Don’t look down on them. That knight is a God-Chosen who can use Overdraft Regeneration.”
“Even so, the level difference is too great. Actually… I just took a peek at the form. It clearly says Level 13, Level 16, and Level 18.”
“What? Isn’t that just seeking death! The Lady Mage is being foolish!”
“Mind your own business. She’s being watched over by a Master Mage; how could anything happen?”
“What Master Mage?”
“The Lady Mage’s mother is a Master Mage. The receptionist accidentally let it slip that day.”
“Brother, your news is way behind. She is the Black Witch, the legendary Black Witch!”
“Huh!?”
“Brother, are you serious?”
“You’ve all heard about that Horned Demon, right?!”
It was another lively day in the guild hall.
In the town, everything seemed to have returned to how it was before.
Whether it was the deeds of the Saintess Candidate or everything that happened in town, even though it happened before the last dawn, it had already become the talk of the streets and alleys.
Strange horses pulled the carriage, slowly driving toward the outskirts of the city.
Inside the carriage, purchased supplies took up most of the space.
In the back half of the carriage, Du Lin and Su Yue were on one side.
The two were excitedly huddled together, their fingers tapping away, whether browsing the forums or messaging someone.
On the other side was Ino in Moon Wolf form, still sound asleep.
Then there was Rokoko, leaning on the edge of the carriage, looking at everything in the town.
Her body swayed with the slight jolts.
She sighed: ‘As expected of the world of Aesterelle, it’s truly both realistic and magical.’
As the carriage left the city, the system’s voice rang in her ears.
Her mission settlement had also begun.
**[Mission: Salvation—Settlement in Progress]**
**Mission Objective:** Help the injured in the town by any means. Rewards are based on contribution and Faith points obtained.
**People Aided:** 1,641
**Contribution:** 5,982
**Faith Obtained:** 8,752
**Reward Settlement:** Five Level 20–40 Lucky Treasure Chests (minimum Blue quality), three Random Skill Crystals (maximum B-rank skill).