Next, Stelle used the Flame Lance to easily destroy the blood formation.
As for that Sparkle doll?
Acheron (๑•. •๑): "What are you keeping this for?"
Stelle (ಡωಡ): "Keeping it for later... ahem, I want to study it carefully later."
Hearing Stelle's explanation, Acheron didn't think much of it and gave the Sparkle doll to her.
This matter was put aside for now.
For now, they had clear evidence and a target.
"Are we going to act together next?"
Acheron shook her head. "No, it's better to act separately for now."
Although Stelle wasn't a member of the Ability Bureau, she did have a connection through Yunli.
She could come forward and use the blood rune formation discovered today to give the Ability Bureau a heads-up.
If, in the end, they really couldn't stop the Church's conspiracy from happening...
Then all they could do was take it one step at a time and adapt to the situation.
Just as the two were about to head their separate ways, a familiar figure suddenly appeared without warning.
"Yo, so you're here? I've been looking for you for ages!"
"Aah?!!"
The sudden noise gave Stelle a start, making her shudder.
Acheron stood where she was, her expression calm and indifferent.
The two looked closely and saw that the newcomer was actually Cipher.
Cipher's gaze swept over Acheron and quickly landed on Stelle. Her eyes lit up, and she waved with a smile.
"Little Gray, long time no see!"
"Cipher? Why are you here?"
"Well, life's tough, so I came out to find someone to help me."
Cipher waved her hand dismissively, her tone light, then her blue eyes turned toward the silent Acheron.
Acheron looked up at her, her voice still cold. "Do you need something from me?"
"Hehe, it's just a very, very simple little thing I'd like your help with."
Cipher immediately stepped closer, rubbing her hands together with a fawning smile on her face, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Acheron.
Acheron shook her head helplessly at the sight, but after a moment's thought, she asked anyway.
"What is it?"
Cipher's eyes lit up, and her Tail unconsciously perked up behind her. "It's simple. I just want you to look after someone for me at a critical moment!"
Cipher briefly explained that she had promised a friend to protect someone to the best of her ability.
At this point, Stelle had a question and asked, "Then why don't you protect them yourself?"
"Oh, well, there's a reason for that, hahaha."
Cipher laughed it off, trying to brush past the question.
This commission wasn't actually that difficult for her, but the problem was that there was no specific time limit. Was she supposed to secretly follow Liu Xiyue for months?
More importantly, her left eyelid had been twitching wildly lately; she felt like Sparkle was playing a very big game this time.
Just to be safe, it was never a bad idea to get more people to help.
She calculated inwardly: perhaps with more people and a bit of luck, she could even earn the money while doing nothing!
That way, she wouldn't have to work too hard and could still complete the commission—truly the best of both worlds.
"You just need me to look after them if I run into them?"
"Exactly, exactly!!!"
After hearing this, Acheron nodded slightly, feeling that it didn't seem like too much trouble.
Just as she was about to agree, Stelle's wise eyes seemed to see through everything.
She curled her lips into a mischievous smile. "Why do I feel like something's not right? Are you hiding something from us?"
"Hmm?"
Sensing Acheron's hesitation, Cipher immediately dropped her playful grin and threw herself into the other's arms, resorting to her ultimate acting-cute technique.
Immediately, Cipher's pair of fluffy cat ears drooped, and two crystal-clear tears squeezed out of her eyes as her voice took on a heavy sob.
"Mei, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime request! You can't just leave me to die!"
Two incredibly beautiful sights were pressed together, oblivious to anyone else.
Seeing that sincere expression from such a close distance, Acheron was momentarily dazed.
A hint of visible emotion appeared on her usually cold and indifferent face.
Stelle, who had intended to watch the drama silently from the side, couldn't help but twitch her eye.
Good grief, those tears fell just like that. She really is a veteran actress, definitely a match for Sparkle!
Seeing that Acheron seemed to be genuinely moved by Cipher's obviously fake acting...
Stelle, currently in her mischievous mode, was clearly not going to just stand by and watch this happen.
She cleared her throat and said leisurely, "Hmm? Cipher, are you sure you're not just trying to cast a wide net and then earn money while— mmmph..."
Before she could finish, a flash of golden lightning streaked before her eyes, and Stelle's small mouth was firmly covered by a fair hand.
"Little Gray, the deal is almost done! You can't attack your own ally like this!" Cipher said dissatisfiedly, her small hand still covering Stelle's mouth.
Stelle's expression remained unchanged as she caught a glimpse of the small hand with golden nail polish.
Slurp—
Cipher: (⸝⸝ ↀ ᯅ ↀ⸝⸝)
"Eww?! Little Gray, you really haven't changed a bit!"
Having regained her freedom, Stelle licked the corner of her mouth and put her hands on her hips.
"Ally? Count me in. How about an 80-20 split?"
"Little Gray, you're really being greedy! You can join, but it's a 90-10 split—and I get the ninety!"
"Deal."
Stelle ঌ( ˘▽˘ )໒: 'Hehe, a little Cat Girl is easy to handle. As expected of me—I can get some free pocket money just by putting in a bit of effort depending on the situation!'
Cipher (=ↀ⩊ↀ=)੭ﾞ: 'As long as I don't mention it, how much that ten percent actually is will depend on my mood. Little Gray, you just be a good little laborer for me!'
Their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other's thoughts. They shook hands, beamed with joy, and were extremely satisfied.
Both felt that this deal was very beneficial to them—it was simply a win-win.
The silent Acheron watched their transaction with a dazed look in her eyes.
In the end, Acheron agreed to the request.
At the same time, she brought Stelle into the fold.
"Since the deal is made, I'll be off now. Remember to contact me if you run into any trouble~"
With that, Cipher's figure instantly vanished from their sight.
After the interlude, Stelle and the other continued with their separate plans.
However, what the two didn't know was...
A bolt of golden lightning tore through the air, speeding away from Muyun City in an instant, leaving only a fleeting trail of light.
Just before reaching Canglan City, the golden lightning suddenly vanished as if it had never appeared, completely hiding within the vast streets without leaving a trace.