Chapter 170 – Laying the Groundwork

“Welcome home, Master.”

Thor bowed respectfully to Lin Xi.

“Would you like dinner first? Or a bath? Or perhaps…” Her small face reddened. “Would you like to ‘eat’ me first???”

“It has to be the last option, doesn’t it, Master?”

Lin Xi: “…”

Qin Ling, who had followed Lin Xi inside, stared in shock. “You two… You two really do this sort of role-play?”

“We do not!” Lin Xi protested. “She’s the pervert. I’m not.”

“Thor, why are you still awake this late?”

“I was worried about you, Master.” Thor circled Lin Xi, checking her from head to toe for injuries. “I was so terribly worried that I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.”

“I’m fine. How could anything happen to me? And, uh… thanks for worrying.”

Having someone at home worrying about her was its own kind of happiness.

“If you want to thank me…” Thor leaned her head closer. “A pat on the head would be the best reward.”

“What a nuisance.” Lin Xi obliged.

Qin Ling watched, growing more anxious by the second. “Haki Dragon, you have the nerve to accuse everyone else of getting a head start?”

“You’ve already lapped the rest of us!”

“Ehehe…” Thor giggled smugly. “Of course none of you can compare with me. I am Master’s personal Dragon Maid.”

“Do you have any idea how much the word ‘personal’ is worth?”

Lin Xi told Thor to stop talking nonsense, then briefly described what she and Qin Ling had encountered.

“The Cursed Blade?” Thor looked thoughtful.

“You know about it?” Lin Xi asked.

“I’ve only heard of it. Apparently, it’s an extremely powerful Dark Realm Relic.”

“Mm. That man said it was on par with a Special-Grade Disaster.” Lin Xi could not help worrying about the passerby who had picked it up. “I hope they’re all right…”

As Qin Ling had said, they had no way to search for it. All they could do was wait for the Cursed Blade to surface again.

“Does that mean we failed the mission?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way.” Qin Ling was more philosophical about it than Lin Xi. “We successfully eliminated two menaces from the Dark Realm Alliance and avenged our murdered colleague.”

“The Cursed Blade being picked up was entirely unforeseen.”

“Mm.” Lin Xi nodded. “It’s late. Let’s wash up and get some sleep.”

“I… I’d like to stay the night…” Qin Ling said, a little embarrassed.

“No problem,” Lin Xi replied. “You can sleep in my bedroom.”

“What?!” Thor erupted. “Master, why does Qin Ling get to sleep in your bedroom when I don’t?!”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lin Xi shot back. “You’re a pervert. Qin Ling isn’t.”

Thor: “…”

Qin Ling: “…”

“Let me make one thing clear,” Qin Ling said, blushing. “I didn’t ask to sleep in your bedroom. You’re the one insisting. I am merely accepting because I have no other choice.”

Lin Xi was quite satisfied by Qin Ling’s reaction. That was how a normal girl ought to respond-not like Thor and Shi Yu, who practically wished they could break down her door for a midnight raid…

…

Tap, tap, tap.

A quiet knock sounded at the door.

“Come in…” Yang Tongtong crawled out from beneath her blankets.

She had been sleeping soundly while hugging a chibi body pillow of Sis.

The person who entered was her Maid-the woman Lin Xi called the Evil Maid, Liya.

“My lady, I sincerely apologize for disturbing your pleasant dreams.” Liya bowed her head respectfully.

“It’s fine.” Yang Tongtong told her to get straight to the point.

“My lady, I just received word from the Alliance. Two of its members were killed.”

“Oh?” The news woke Yang Tongtong considerably. “Two of them at once? No wonder the Alliance is furious.”

“But Liya, was this really important enough to wake me?”

“I may be a senior member of the Alliance, but I only joined for fun.”

“My loyalty isn’t to the Dark Realm Alliance. It belongs to Sis.”

Yang Tongtong had never told anyone in the Dark Realm Alliance that her beloved Sis was the Queen of Lust, one of the Seven Monarchs of Desire.

Aside from finding the organization amusing, she had joined because it provided a great deal of useful intelligence.

In particular, it gave her information about whether any of the other Seven Monarchs of Desire might descend into this world.

So far, only Sis and the Monarch of Sloth had arrived.

Through the Dark Realm Alliance, Yang Tongtong had learned that Drax the Destroyer, far away in A City, was attempting to bring his master, the Monarch of Pride, into this world.

Apparently, it was not going well…

Yang Tongtong had suggested that Sis travel to A City, eliminate Drax, and prevent the Monarch of Pride from descending. Then Yang Shanshan, the Queen of Lust, would be the strongest being in this world.

But Yang Shanshan was too much of a Salted Fish. She could spend an entire day fishing with Lin Xi or solving math problems with her, but she had no interest in traveling to A City to kill someone.

Unless Lin Xi went to A City with her…

Even if the Monarch of Pride descended, the Monarch could do nothing to Yang Shanshan. They could simply stay out of one another’s affairs.

“Did Drax send people from A City to Z City again to test Sis’s response?”

Yang Tongtong already knew that Drax had sent people to sabotage Z City’s defensive barrier.

“Damn that Drax. Is he really going to keep pushing until he enrages Sis?”

“No,” Liya said. “Drax’s people were not responsible for killing these two.”

“How can you be so certain?” Yang Tongtong asked, puzzled.

“One of them sent the Alliance a distress signal while he was fleeing.”

“He said his companion had been vaporized by a strange Fireball…”

“A Fireball?!” Lin Xi came to Yang Tongtong’s mind instantly. “Was it Lin Xi?!”

The last time she visited the amusement park in District 1, she had personally seen Lin Xi use a Fireball to wipe out more than a dozen First-Grade Disasters.

“That is my suspicion as well,” Liya said. “That was why I took the liberty of waking you.”

“The Alliance believes the two were killed by members of ZERO.”

“In other words… Lin Xi is a member of ZERO???” Yang Tongtong’s interest surged. “She really is fascinating.”

“She’s a witch, yet instead of committing evil, she joined the righteous side.”

“She’s with ZERO, while I’m with the Dark Realm Alliance. I knew I could never get along with the bastard who has Sis so infatuated.”

“The Alliance is furious,” Liya said. “They’ve sworn to retaliate and are calling on everyone to investigate the killer. Should we give them Lin Xi’s information-“

“No. Don’t give the Alliance anything about Lin Xi.”

Yang Tongtong was not trying to protect Lin Xi. She wanted to confront her personally.

She had already planned to make contact with Lin Xi and put some pressure on Sis.

“Sis still doesn’t know Lin Xi is a member of ZERO.”

“I’m going to uncover more of Lin Xi’s secrets and make Sis give up on that bastard!”

“Once I ruin Sis’s romance, she’ll finally turn back into the Queen of Lust.”

“Liya, prepare some strawberry cake for me.”

Yang Tongtong was no longer going back to sleep.

It was time to lay the groundwork…