21:00, Kit City outskirts cemetery. Liam arrived at the fog-shrouded center of the graveyard and saw the Chairman sitting on a tombstone.
“Chairman, the task you assigned me has been completed.”
Liam reported the progress of the mission to Ivy, then waited for the Chairman’s response.
She felt a bit nervous inside because she knew what would happen next. The Chairman would hand her the vial of potion again, sending her off to assassinate Colin.
Sure enough, just as Liam expected, Ivy casually glanced over the assassination report on “The Furnace Hook” and tossed it aside. She smiled at Liam, then pulled out a seemingly ordinary wooden box from beneath her cloak. Opening it, a bottle containing a black potion exuding a sinister aura lay inside.
“You remember this, right? Since you’ve finished the task I gave you, it means your strength hasn’t declined. Now you should be ready to assassinate that Paladin.”
Liam took a deep breath and took the wooden box from Ivy’s hand.
“Yes! I will complete the mission!”
Hearing this, Ivy smiled even more happily. Then she seemed to recall something and reminded Liam.
“By the way, an assassin once betrayed us for a man. I had no choice but to personally kill both her and that man. Such a pity! Liam, you need to be careful too. Don’t get involved in anything like betraying the Secret Society, alright?”
At her words, Liam’s body stiffened momentarily but quickly returned to normal.
“Don’t worry, Chairman. I would never betray the Secret Society!”
Seeing this, Ivy only smiled quietly and said nothing further.
When the time was right, Ivy waved her hand, ending the contact. Her figure dissolved into a pool of shadows, gradually blending into the darkness itself as if becoming one with the night.
After Ivy completely disappeared, Liam finally breathed a sigh of relief. Carrying the wooden box the Chairman had given her, she headed toward the manor. Once Liam’s figure vanished from sight, the fog surrounding the cemetery slowly dissipated without a trace.
Passing through the Lower District, Liam stopped by the house where Ryan had lived before, just to check. But as before, she found nothing. The place had been thoroughly emptied.
Since completing the last mission, perhaps unwilling to accept her spoils being taken by others, Liam had investigated the remaining forces of “The Furnace Hook.”
She discovered that those remnants vanished like smoke the moment “The Furnace Hook” fell, disappearing without a trace.
Among them, Ryan fled the fastest. When Liam and Colin had just returned from “The Furnace Hook” hidden manor, she had already checked Ryan’s house.
At that time, Ryan was already nowhere to be found. His belongings had been sold off or discarded, completely cleared out. Liam later investigated his escape trail, but he had clearly erased all traces. She could find nothing useful, only confirming that he had simply relocated to do business elsewhere.
It seemed Ryan had long made similar preparations, waiting only for “The Furnace Hook” to fall before fleeing at full speed.
What she couldn’t figure out was where he got the information. Liam stared at the empty house before her, puzzled.
It was understandable that Ryan, upon receiving news that “The Furnace Hook” might collapse, would prepare to run. But how did he know the outcome and flee before the news even spread after “The Furnace Hook” died?
After pondering for a while, Liam couldn’t come up with an answer. She had to accept that her spoils had vanished completely.
Sighing, Liam left Ryan’s former house, giving up any further plans, then returned to Colin’s manor.
As soon as she opened the door upon returning, Liam noticed a new sight inside the manor.
A fox-shaped beastkin maid with two fluffy long ears and a furry tail, dressed in a standard maid outfit and looking quite adorable, was diligently sweeping the floor.
This beastkin maid was the only survivor Colin had rescued from “The Furnace Hook.” Her name was Lola, a beastkin of mixed fox and canine blood, though her appearance clearly favored her fox heritage.
After the last incident, Colin had hired Lola as a maid, making her part of the household. Every day, she helped Colin and Liam keep the manor clean.
Liam wasn’t sure when Colin had discussed this with Lola, but she had no objections to Lola becoming the manor’s maid.
After all, having someone to take care of chores so you don’t have to waste time on tedious tasks every day was nothing but a blessing.
So at first, Liam actually welcomed Lola. Yes, at first. But after a few days, Liam started to feel a bit annoyed by Lola, and the reason was…
Colin came downstairs, seemingly to ask Liam if she had any plans for the evening.
But as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Lola cleaning nearby. Noticing him, she immediately stopped and bounced over to Colin.
“Master Colin! The manor has been mostly cleaned! Is there anything else you need me to do? I’ll do anything you command!”
After saying this, Lola looked at Colin expectantly, as if hoping to please him.
Seeing this, Colin was momentarily stunned, then chuckled softly.
“Well done, thank you. As for other tasks, you can rest today. No need to be so busy. Just tell me directly if anything comes up.”
With that, Colin reached out and gently stroked Lola’s head. Lola didn’t seem to mind the touch—in fact, lowering her head with a faint blush, she might even have enjoyed it.
Watching Colin pet Lola like that, Liam’s eyes narrowed, her expression unreadable as she silently observed the two.
That was it. The reason Liam was annoyed with Lola was because she was too close to Colin!
Though she understood it was because Colin had not only saved Lola but also given her a job and a place to live, hence the closeness…
But wasn’t this too much? Do normal masters pet their maids’ heads like this? And judging by Lola’s look, she seemed to want Colin to keep doing it?!
This was definitely more than just gratitude for saving her life.
Realizing something was off, Liam bit her fingernails, glaring at Colin with a look full of resentment.