### Chapter 5 Exploration (4)
==============================
Ahead stood a magnificent and grandiose palace,
with soldiers of Cold Wind City bustling about.
Most of them glanced at the recently arrived seven-member team with strange looks.
Indeed, no matter how hard they tried to conceal it, those baggy military uniforms couldn’t hide the delicate figures of Lin Nan and Trissa,
or the slight sway of their hips that ladies just can’t escape while walking.
In summary, spotting women in the military was already quite the challenge.
But suddenly, two eye-catching demonesses appeared at the city gate, their figures frankly hard to miss.
In the bright firelight, their faces shone beneath their helmets, strikingly similar to humans, evoking voyeuristic interest from the crowd.
Just then, the guard captain leaped down from the city walls.
By the looks of him, he seemed to be a little demon from Tiger Wolf Cave, sporting a white wolf head. Though in human form, he was covered in a thick layer of wolf fur.
“I say, ladies, how the heck did you get assigned to the patrol team?”
Though the white wolf let them through, something felt off.
After all, in Cold Wind City, demonesses were a rarity. The men usually pampered and protected them, so why would they make them patrol?
Trissa didn’t expect this guy to be so persistent and clenched her fists tightly.
Lin Nan thought her acting was pretty solid and assumed she hadn’t given away any flaws. It was probably just the white wolf’s paranoia that drove him to ask more.
Suppressing her disgust, Lin Nan put on a pitiful look. “Oh dear brother, you see how hard everyone has been working? My sister and I just wanted to lend a hand. After all, everyone has taken such good care of us. It’s exactly the right time to step up, don’t you think?”
Upon hearing Lin Nan’s words, the white wolf nodded and smiled. “Oh, that’s how it is. But next time, remember the passphrase, will you? Lucky for you I’m the one asking. If it were someone else with a less sharp mind, you might’ve ended up as a hedgehog!”
“Right, right! Thank you for looking out for us, big brother.”
Lin Nan beamed, her smile bright enough to rival spring flowers.
The white wolf blinked, feeling a fire kindling in his heart, his gaze towards Lin Nan growing softer.
“Well, go on then, hurry up and check in.”
“Sure thing, big brother!”
Lin Nan glanced around. Under the watchful eyes of the white wolf, they had no choice but to choose a random direction and walk forward.
Hopefully, they were headed roughly the right way, Lin Nan silently prayed.
After all, this guy seemed rather meticulous. If he began to suspect them, explaining things would surely become a headache.
“Wait a minute!”
The white wolf’s voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.
With a dubious look, the white wolf turned to Lin Nan. “And where exactly are you ladies going?”
“Didn’t you say we needed to switch shifts, dear brother?” Lin Nan blinked her big, innocent eyes.
The white wolf frowned. “But that direction… only leads to the handsome tent!”
Everyone jumped in shock.
Trissa prepared to conjure her four-stringed harp at any moment, ready to step up if things went south.
Lin Nan smacked her forehead and instantly put on an adorably goofy grin. “Oh no, I can’t believe I forgot where we just set up!”
Recalling Lin Nan’s earlier performance, the white wolf shook his head. “Forget it, I can’t believe the butterfly demon general sent you here.”
He pointed to another direction leading directly to the palace entrance.
“The patrol team resides in the palace for easy shift changes. Off you go now. I’ll speak to the higher-ups in the morning to keep you girls from meddling.”
With that, he shot Lin Nan a look of exasperation and turned to leave, as if unwilling to waste more time on a fool.
“Thank you, big brother! You’re such a sweetheart!”
Lin Nan made sure to add a final note, ensuring her parting words were memorable.
With the crisis averted, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Nan snapped back to her usual cool demeanor; that last bout of cuteness had seemingly drained her entire reserve of shame.
Seriously, no one better ask me to act cute again, or it’ll be over my dead body!
After venting in her mind for a moment, Lin Nan led the group toward the palace.
But maybe this wasn’t so bad, she thought. Initially, she assumed the palace defenses would be tighter and harder to breach.
Little did they know, they had found a legitimate reason to enter the palace.
Though two guards wielding weapons stood at the entrance, being within the city walls, the two didn’t seem particularly alert, and even as Lin Nan’s group strolled in, they didn’t ask a single question.
The ease of their entry took everyone by surprise.
Once inside the palace, the lighting dimmed slightly, with torches spaced far apart along the walls. Inside the grand hall, snores echoed.
To their surprise, as they cautiously circled the area, they found no underground entrance; the entire hall was enclosed, and aside from soldiers dozing in tents, there was nothing else around.
Could the underground entrance be hidden behind some kind of mechanism?
Lin Nan felt relatively calm, but Trissa and the others couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in their chests.
They thought destroying the Sky Tower entrance would be a cinch, but it turned out both her father and she had underestimated the complexity of the task.
Trading lives for it?
But with no entrance to even find, throwing their lives away here would be utterly pointless.
Yes, in the past, she was not only arrogant and domineering but also a tad naive when pondering problems.
Perhaps the hidden dangers went unnoticed most days, but when the crucial moment arrived, they’d realize the dire situations they faced.
After circling around with heavy hearts, the group returned to the palace entrance.
Lin Nan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s head outside first and thoroughly scout the area; maybe the underground entrance is hidden in some unexpected place.”
Everyone nodded, but Trissa felt her heart warm.
If they hadn’t run into Lin Nan this time, they likely never would have gotten inside the front door and might have been wiped out by the enemy instead.
Possessing a complicated mix of emotions, Trissa sighed softly.
Exiting the palace, they noticed the newly erected campsite seemed far less populated; after all, it was already late in the night, and those who had stuck it out to this point were growing quite tired.
As they walked through the increasingly quiet castle, Trissa felt her heart rise.
Just then, a sharp cry echoed from the distant sky.
Everyone glanced up and witnessed a gigantic creature, pitch black and almost melding seamlessly with the night, suddenly appear above Black Stone City.
The winds stirred by its flapping wings knocked over many of the makeshift tents.
Instantly, the camp erupted into chaos as soldiers spilled out, planning to yell curses, but instead found themselves confronted with a terrifying sight.
They fell silent, their gazes collectively drawn to the tiger demon that appeared alongside the mysterious creature.
