Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 252 - 238: Getting Information
"True, it makes the task easier for us," Jugi muttered, eyeing the surroundings cautiously.
"So, can I know what your goal is now?" Jade asked, his tone steady but curious.
"Destroying the Flonkong Organization located around Heaha town," Aurianna replied, her voice calm but firm. "And don’t worry, no one can hear us at the moment."
Jade scoffed, folding his arms. "I find no reason to waste our time saving a bunch of slaves."
Aurianna glanced at him, unphased. "Remember when I was having a meeting with my big brother Vatium?"
"Yes, why?"
"That’s the reason why," she said simply.
"Fine then," Jade conceded, though his eyes narrowed.
Saem, sitting opposite them, silently questioned the entire ordeal. ’What motives do they have to help us? I hope it’s nothing too bad.’
Aurianna’s gaze shifted to Saem, her tone turning slightly teasing. "Saem boy can save whomever he wants to save, but I get to burn that building to the ground."
Saem’s expression hardened. "What about the other slaves inside? What would happen to them?"
"Don’t worry, I’ll save them too," Aurianna assured. "But they’ll be heading in a different direction from you."
Her eyes flickered toward Saem and his crew. "Also, I was wondering... how exactly did you plan on getting the collars off your mates’ families?" Aurianna’s question cut through the air, and the crew exchanged nervous glances, the weight of their silence heavy.
"No idea, huh? So you were going to rush in with such a stupid plan? Or were you planning to search through the countless rooms, hoping to find a key or something?" Aurianna’s smirk was almost playful.
Candy spoke up defensively, "No, we were gonna buy them at first, but since the price of slaves has been raised so high, we decided to infiltrate the place!"
"Oh, so a suicide mission," Aurianna retorted, her amusement not entirely hidden.
"I doubt it would be one if all of you are helping us," Saem said, trying to sound confident, but his unease was evident.
Avriel grinned. "This boy is totes bold!"
Aurianna raised an eyebrow. "I like your confidence, but here’s the plan: with my sucker, all the slaves will be free of their collars and slave markings."
Saem furrowed his brows. "A sucker? May I ask what that is?"
"This thing," Aurianna said, extending her arm, revealing a crystal spider-like creature crawling from beneath her sleeve.
"Oh, the one you gave to Boara!" Avriel exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in recognition.
"Yeah," Aurianna confirmed. "It can disable slave collars and slave marks. Now, I just need to give you more than 2,000 of these, and we’re all set. It’ll take about a week to complete. It’s... well, it uses my body to reproduce them."
Saem blinked, stunned. "Your body?"
Aurianna chuckled. "Yeah. But don’t worry. I can handle it."
"That’s actually insane. Are you sure it’ll work?" Dami asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
Aurianna folded her arms, her expression turning cold. "If you don’t trust me, I see no reason to work with you! Humph!"
"I trust you," Saem quickly intervened, raising his right arm in a gesture of peace. "So, let’s work together, Aurianna."
"Of course, Saem," she replied, clasping his hand in a firm handshake.
Jugi, meanwhile, had his attention elsewhere, staring at the beautiful purple trees swaying with the wind. "I wonder what kind of trees those are..." he mumbled, watching as the sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shimmering shadows.
"No idea, but they’re captivating," Aurianna replied, admiring the sight for a brief moment before snapping back to focus.
"Also, Avriel, Jade, Jugi—wear these masks," Aurianna said, holding different colored face masks in her hand, her tone turning serious again.
"What are they for, though?" Avriel asked, clearly confused as she examined the masks in Aurianna’s hand.
"Are you dense or just dumb?" Aurianna shot back with an exasperated look. "They’ll cover your face. I don’t want anyone recognizing you, at all. What’s more, no matter what anyone does, they can’t remove it unless I do. Don’t worry, they won’t be uncomfortable when you bathe. You can easily wipe and dry your face."
She tossed the masks toward them, and each one caught their mask and slipped it on.
"Oh, it’s more comfortable than I expected," Jugi commented, adjusting his mask as it fit snugly over his face.
"So, let’s totes do this!" Avriel exclaimed, full of energy.
Aurianna rolled her eyes. "I still don’t like the idea of singing for change," she scoffed, crossing her arms with an annoyed expression.
"Can you play any sort of instrument?" Saem asked, clearly ignoring Aurianna’s complaints, his focus elsewhere.
"Nope," Aurianna shook her head, her thoughts drifting for a moment. ’Never played anything in my old life. All I did was waltz and cook,’ she mused silently.
"But if anyone has one of those wooden things that Easterners play, they can play it for me," Aurianna added, raising her hand as if mimicking playing an instrument.
"Wait, you mean the guqin?" Jugi asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yeah, whatever the name is. I only remember the shape, and it makes good sound, y’know?" she replied with a casual shrug.
"Hmm, alright then," Saem stated, nodding thoughtfully.
"Master is going to sing... I must etch this into my memory!" Hadina whispered to herself, her excitement barely contained as she breathed heavily. Jugi shot her a weird look, wondering how she could get that worked up.
____
Aurianna sat near the fountain next to Stephanie, her eyes fixed on Hadina and the others a few meters away. Her fingers fidgeted nervously as she glanced down, clearly hesitant.
"Actually... I’m feeling shy," she mumbled under her breath, her voice barely audible.
"Just sing already!" Hadina yelled impatiently, waving her arms to push Aurianna out of her hesitation.
"Fine, fine," Aurianna sighed, still playing with her fingers. Suddenly, Zagan trotted over to her and plopped down onto her lap, curling up comfortably. Aurianna smiled softly, the presence of her familiar soothing her nerves. She stroked him gently, feeling the warmth of his fur.
Feeling more at ease, Aurianna began to sing.
♪ Rivers float to the skies and fall to the land, blessing all below with prosperity. The land flourishes with beauty, and the people thrive... ♪
Saem raised an eyebrow as he listened, his face unreadable. "She doesn’t know the lyrics, huh?" he mumbled, watching as Aurianna confidently sing the words all wrong.
"But her voice is nice, so I doubt anyone will notice," Jugi chuckled quietly beside him.
As the soft melody floated through the air, more and more people started to gather around the fountain, drawn to Aurianna’s voice like moths to a flame. Her singing seemed to place them all in a trance, their eyes glazed over as they stood mesmerized by the sound. None of them appeared to realize that they had stopped in their tracks, too enchanted to move.
Stephanie, played the guqin expertly, her fingers dancing over the strings. She used her tail to point discreetly at the basket before them, signaling Jugi, Jade, and Avriel and the audience before them. After confirming that enough people had fallen under the spell, Stephanie winked, and the trio began approaching the hypnotized listeners.
"Wow, her voice is so beautiful!" a woman gasped, her eyes wide with awe.
"I don’t understand why she’s wearing a mask. With a voice like that, she must be a real beauty," a man beside her mused.
"Who cares?! Just be quiet and listen!" Hadina snapped, her frustration rising as the murmurs of the growing crowd began to drown out Aurianna’s song.
Meanwhile, Jade zeroed in on one particular man, Juvin, who had been wandering the market area before getting caught in the trance like the others. His eyes were vacant, his body slack, as Jade approached.
"Hey, do you know anything about getting tickets to enter the Flonkong Organization around Heaha town?" Jade asked casually, leaning in close.
Juvin’s voice was low and monotone as he replied, his gaze distant. "Yes, down the north streets... there’s a pub. Just say the code ’Thirty Rising Suns,’ and they’ll let you into the black market."
Jade grinned. "Good to know," he muttered under his breath, casting a quick glance at Jugi, who nodded in understanding. Everything had gone smoothly.
"Thanks," Jade muttered before slipping away, blending into the crowd.
"Juvin?! Should we get going?" Elena asked, snapping Juvin out of his trance. In her hand were tickets and a small stone cube that was beeping steadily.
Juvin blinked, shaking off the daze. "No, let’s wait a while. I’d like to hear her finish. At least let her end the song."
Elena sighed but couldn’t hide her own curiosity as she listened to Aurianna’s voice. "She can really sing," she gasped, closing her eyes to enjoy the melody. Not long after, Aurianna’s song came to an end.
Aurianna stood up and bowed with a graceful smile. "Thank you all for the donations," she said, her voice calm but lighthearted. "I’ll have to conclude my singing for today. After all, I’m hungry."
"Oh, please, have a gold coin to buy yourself something nice, lady!" someone yelled from the crowd.
"Take mine too!"
"Mine as well!" Voices echoed as the crowd frantically rushed toward Aurianna, eager to throw money at her.
But Aurianna shot them a sharp glare through her mask, instantly freezing them in their tracks. The intensity of her stare made them rethink their approach.
"Just hand over the money to my assistant," she instructed politely, gesturing toward Stephanie, who was ready to collect the coins. The crowd quickly obeyed, lining up to drop their donations into the basket.
Juvin, still entranced by the whole scene, stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Aurianna. "Um, may I ask for your name, madam?" he asked, his tone sincere.
Elena tugged at his sleeve, clearly irritated. "Juvin, we don’t have time for this! We need to catch those guys before they escape!"
"I do not wish to tell you," Aurianna replied curtly, turning away.
"Please, I promise I just want to know your name!" Juvin persisted, his voice earnest. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Aurianna gave him a glance, then scoffed. "Whoever gave you that haircut deserves jail time. Now scram!" she snapped, her voice cold.
"She’s pretty, but she has a harsh tongue," Elena muttered, crossing her arms.
Juvin frowned, feeling something tug at his instincts as he watched Aurianna walk off. "I don’t know why, but there’s something familiar about her..." he mused,
his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Let’s go," Elena huffed, and with a last glance, Juvin nodded. The two disappeared into the crowd, leaving Aurianna behind
