Chapter 71: This is good enough

The port on the west coast was narrow and dilapidated, appearing even more desolate under the leaden gray sky.

Litt swept her sharp gaze over the handful of docked boats, and without much effort, she locked onto her target.

That was it:

It was an inconspicuous little fishing boat, its weather-beaten hull peeling with paint, exuding a strong fishy smell and the salty tang of seawater.

To prevent it from being swept away by the tide or the coming storm, a thick hemp rope, soaked through with seawater, was tightly lashed to the rusted iron ring at the prow, its other end deeply embedded in a heavy wooden post on the dock.

Looking at this little fishing boat before her, Litt couldn’t understand why, during the Festival, someone would be on this boat, and that person was very likely Tessaia herself.

Though she couldn’t make sense of it, Litt was still prepared to board the boat and check it out.

“Wait … something’s off…”

Just as her feet stepped onto the deck, an extremely faint yet unmistakably vivid “scent” slipped into her senses.

On the fishing boat…there was the scent of magic.

That could only mean there might be a magic circle present here.

At that moment, Litt thought of the Forbidden Ritual Bafister had mentioned.

Could the magic circle for that ritual be on this fishing boat?

With that thought, she began to carefully examine every part of the boat.

This fishing boat was tiny, with very few places on the hull where secrets could be hidden.

Litt combed through it three times, but still found no suspicious traces.

“If it’s not on the boat…could it be underneath?”

She immediately lay down by the side of the boat, leaning her body out to look down.

The seawater was murky, and no matter how she craned her neck, it was futile.

Though it was close to shore, judging by the filthy, oil-slick water, the depth here was no joke—more than enough to drown her petite frame of one meter forty-five.

But if she wanted to be sure, she’d have to go underwater to check.

Unfortunately…she couldn’t swim.

No matter in her previous life or this one, she was a landlubber through and through, harboring an inexplicable fear of water.

Especially after entering the water—once it reached above her mouth, she’d become extremely tense due to breathing difficulties.

That meant there was simply no way for her to investigate the underside of the boat.

Just as Litt was contemplating whether to haul the boat ashore and examine it more thoroughly, a voice called out to her.

“Li—tt—!”

She turned toward the shore.

There, a lively-looking White Sister was waving at Litt.

This was the first person Litt had gotten to know after joining the White Church.

Her name was Molly, a very outgoing girl.

Molly had been the one to help Litt get used to the environment and her duties when she first entered the White Church.

Cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, Molly called out again with her vibrant voice, “What are you doing daydreaming on that broken boat?!”

As she shouted, she bounced in place twice, worried Litt might not hear her.

“Hurry and come over! We’ve been looking for you! The Festival decorations aren’t done, and we’re short on hands. Come help!”

“Okay.”

At Molly’s words, Litt responded, then climbed off the boat, ready to help Molly with the Festival decorations.

Though she still had many doubts in her heart, since she had work to do, she had no choice but to set the matter aside for now.

***

In the cold, damp, and decay-filled sixth level of the underground city.

Red moved forward along the passage.

A few palm-sized Bloodhunting Spiders, their bodies a dark crimson and compound eyes gleaming like ghost lights, scouted ahead and leapt through the shadows by his wings like the most loyal sentries.

Their slender feet skimmed the stone walls, leaving barely visible trails of magic, feeding every detail of the complex sixth-level tunnels back into Red’s consciousness.

Nothing…

The horned scouts searched every corner, but the only result returned was disappointment.

Many danger zones were found, but not a single trace of Tessaia, as if she’d never set foot in this shadowy place.

But besides disappointment, he also ran into a pair of people he really didn’t want to meet.

Dawn’s Edge.

Watching Liz slaying monsters in the distance, Red couldn’t help but sigh, then turned to leave.

Letia’s analysis was probably right—Dawn’s Edge was indeed a bit strapped for cash, so much so that core members had to venture into these mid-lower levels themselves to hunt lesser monsters for materials.

A faint, indescribable complicated feeling flitted across his heart…for some reason, it even felt a bit satisfying?

No, no, no—Red hurriedly crushed that dangerous thought.

What they did had nothing to do with him.

Red only wanted to leave as quickly as possible and avoid this inevitably awkward encounter.

But just as he was about to step into the deeper shadows behind him, a voice called out.

“Red.”

Still that cold, still that ruthless—yet…this time, there seemed to be a trace of unwillingness beneath it.

“What are you doing here?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crystal clear, carrying undisguised scrutiny and doubt, as if Red’s very presence was an offense.

That icy gaze almost froze Red in place.

And indeed, Red didn’t move, nor did he leave immediately.

The footsteps behind grew nearer, just like before, each one carrying an unforgettable, unhurried yet oppressive rhythm.

Finally, she stopped less than five meters behind Red.

“Here to laugh at us?”

Some people always prefer to assume the worst of others; perhaps Liz felt the same at that moment.

Perhaps, having been caught by Red hunting materials in the lower levels, Liz felt a strange sense of humiliation and indescribable irritation.

But Red, from beginning to end, was just passing through.

“No, I’m just looking for someone.”

He didn’t want to explain any further.

Originally, Liz thought she’d receive a cold sneer from Red, or perhaps some biting sarcasm.

But none of that happened.

Red merely replied with a polite smile, as if talking to a stranger, to answer Litz’s questioning.

That smile…to Liz, was even more glaring.

Jessica, beside her, noticed Liz’s tightly clenched fist and her eternally cold and stubborn gaze.

Jessica couldn’t help but sigh in her heart.

She knew full well that Liz was bound to lose, lose completely, and never be able to recover.

The harder she tried to prove something, the more she pushed the other person away, trapping herself within her own cold pride, unable to turn back.

Letia’s already using Red’s recording for her own purposes, yet you’re still standing here glaring?

No chance of winning, and no gains either.

“Liz, was there something you wanted to say to me?”

“I just wanted to say…”

Liz finally spoke, “Even without you, we can still make money on our own and conquer the underground city ourselves. You…are not a necessary existence for us.”

Red smiled, neither denying nor objecting.

He simply said calmly,

“Mm, that’s good enough.”