Chapter 7: Sky Tower (7)
According to Morris, they would set off from Black Stone City for the nearest demon territory, Cangyan City, in six days.
Assuming nothing goes awry, Prince Eric of the Empire is currently marching his troops toward Cangyan City and setting up a supply station there.
After all, the demons have resolved that Black Stone City must be theirs, and the mission of the embassy led by Morris is two-fold:
First, they need to scout the current battle situation between Black Stone City and Cold Wind City. If Black Stone City really can’t hold up against Cold Wind City, the embassy will rush back to Cangyan City to urge the demon army to launch a swift surprise attack on Black Stone City while the forces from Cold Wind City are still trying to find their footing.
Second, they need to uncover the secrets of the Sky Tower. However, Prince Eric doesn’t hold out much hope for this.
Finally, if the situation in Black Stone City is stable, they just need to keep the Alligator Monster calm and prevent it from getting any ideas.
From the current perspective, Lin Nan believes that Morris has actually given the Alligator Monster plenty to stew over, and they haven’t even set foot inside the Sky Tower yet.
By her standards, Morris’s mission to Black Stone City hasn’t achieved its expected goals, but has rather backfired.
She has every reason to think that the area surrounding the embassy is swarming with spies, and if any of the embassy members so much as twitch, they’ll be immediately zeroed in on.
Whether they can safely leave Black Stone City in six days is anyone’s guess.
Though Morris is a bit reckless, he is still her subordinate for now, and he might be useful later. She certainly doesn’t want him meeting an untimely demise in Black Stone City.
Thus, if necessary, she might even hasten the embassy’s departure from the city.
As for Trissa’s request to destroy the entrance to the Sky Tower,
Lin Nan thinks it shouldn’t be too difficult, but to truly put an end to the problem and ensure the embassy remains intact, she must have control over Black Stone City.
Tonight, she’s headed to the City Lord’s Mansion to take down the Alligator Monster, then command him to open the city gates and surrender to the army of Cold Wind City.
If it weren’t for uncovering the demons’ motives, she wouldn’t have waited this long.
Now that the truth is out, she’s not keen on keeping things under wraps anymore; failing to make use of her power would be foolish.
To quickly bring Black Stone City under control and keep greedy demons at bay, some sacrifices are necessary.
After chatting with Morris and Trissa, the sun has already begun to set.
The winter sun seems eager to abandon this world, and as Lin Nan gazes into the distant, colorful clouds, darkness starts to gather.
“Mu Xunqing.”
“Present,” a thin figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
Lin Nan made her final decision.
“Go notify the Tiger Demon. Once I manage to open the city gates, lead the army to crash into Black Stone City and rendezvous with me.”
Mu Xunqing didn’t immediately comply but hesitated, looking up.
“Master, why not let me deal with the City Lord instead? I’m concerned…”
Lin Nan replied, “No worries, just follow my orders.”
Mu Xunqing reluctantly gave up arguing, slightly bowing her head, “As you wish…”
Watching the girl fade into the darkness, Lin Nan mentally retraced the whole situation. Though her plan is straightforward and a bit blunt, as long as she wields absolute power, no matter what tricks the Alligator Monster has up its sleeve, she’s confident she can fully control it.
After all, brute force breaks finesse.
As for the embassy, they won’t matter for now; once the army of Cold Wind City enters the city, she’ll surely order them to maintain discipline and not h*rass the citizens.
However, all her character cards are currently dispatched to various places.
To ensure her will gets enforced down to the last detail, she has operated this way due to necessity; after all, her hands are tied for manpower. Aside from Cold Wind City, she hasn’t built a trustworthy command structure yet.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and she knows she must be patient and not rush things.
Although she’s going solo tonight, she feels surprisingly calm. After all, she has faced countless battles and tests of life and d*ath over the past half year. This time, she’s confident she will succeed.
The night in Black Stone City is eerily quiet.
As soon as evening falls, patrol squads take to the streets, shooing away any lingering residents back to their homes.
Once curfew hits, anyone still wandering outside is deemed a spy and seized.
Of course, Lin Nan won’t let them catch even a whiff of her whereabouts.
Based on experience, the most grand and magnificent building in the city is undoubtedly the City Lord’s Mansion.
Easily avoiding a few patrol squads, Lin Nan has already made it to the highest point within the City Lord’s Mansion.
But she finds it odd; despite listening for a while, there’s not a single soul stirring inside the City Lord’s Mansion. Logically speaking, it’s early enough that people shouldn’t be resting yet, so where is everyone?
If Lin Nan were to leave now, she could potentially push the whole situation back a few days,
Yet at this moment, Lin Nan has made up her mind to find the Alligator Monster, and even though there’s something off about the City Lord’s Mansion, her confidence gives her no reason to back down.
She even drops down straight into the mansion’s garden, stealthily sneaking closer to what she suspects is the bedroom.
Even with no one around, Lin Nan remains on high alert.
She quietly pushes open a door, revealing darkness so thick you could slice it. Not just this room, but the entire mansion swathed in a heavy shroud of shadows.
Something must be wrong at the City Lord’s Mansion, a thought flashes through her mind.
But the moment her feet touch the floor of the room, bright candles suddenly flicker to life, as if they had been waiting for her arrival.
“Welcome, welcome.”
A rich, deep voice booms.
Lin Nan squints to see, sitting cross-legged on a bed directly facing the door, none other than the Alligator Monster himself.
She doesn’t say a word because she senses someone else is hiding in the room, more concerning than the Alligator Monster himself.
Lin Nan still looks like the person she was before entering the tavern — unforgettable figure, though still not quite matching the true Cold Moon Witch’s beauty, but she certainly fits the “stunning woman” bill.
For the moment, she doesn’t rush to act because she feels something is a bit off about the Alligator Monster’s behavior.
“Who exactly are you?” the Alligator Monster narrows his eyes, his piercing gaze as if it could skewer Lin Nan.
Calmly, Lin Nan responds, “Who I am doesn’t matter; what matters is, if you want to stay alive, you must follow my orders.”
The Alligator Monster bursts out laughing.
With his laughter, Lin Nan suddenly feels an increasing number of shadows gathering outside, densely blocking her exit.
Not an issue, she could always just fly off through the roof.
Perhaps someone had heard her inner thoughts; she clearly hears a sound from above that resembles a torrential downpour.
A net?
The Alligator Monster chuckles slightly, “This place is your very own web, how about it? Ready to beg for mercy yet?”
