“What happened over there?” During the conversation, Margie suddenly showed a hint of surprise, “Joan… what is she doing?”
Roland also noticed the small commotion on one side of the hall. He saw that the female merchant's witch friend had left her corner and was slowly walking towards Lightning and the others, accompanied by a maid.
And Maisie shuttled back and forth between the two, seemingly passing on some message.
At first, Joan was very nervous, almost only willing to stay behind the maid, only poking half of her body out when the pigeons approached. But after the two sides came into contact, the situation quickly changed.
She not only talked with the witches, but also stretched out her hands, carefully touching Lorgar's ears and tail.
“I see,” Roland couldn't help but smile, “That's Lightning for you.”
“This… is too incredible,” Margie covered her mouth and said, “Do you know how long it took us to get Joan to leave the water? A full two months—and that was with the help of Ms. Camilla.”
“How did she do it?” Thunder was also quite surprised.
“She doesn't need to do anything, just bring Maisie and Lorgar.” Roland laughed, “Joan's defense comes from people's rejection of the other. But when everyone around her is the other, this defense naturally no longer needs to be maintained—whether it's the pigeons or the wolf girl, I think she probably sees them as the same.”
“The… same?” Margie repeated.
“Yes, you've seen Maisie before, and Lorgar is even more similar to Joan,” Roland explained the beastly characteristics of the Mad Flame Three Princesses, “In short, you don't have to worry about whether she can integrate with everyone in the next few months.”
“Has that witch named Lorgar… not been feared and rejected?”
“If not, she wouldn't have come to Neverwinter—even in the extreme south, where witches are regarded as clan goddesses, an appearance that is obviously different from ordinary people would still be considered an ominous sign.” Roland shook his head, “Of course, such resistance also exists in Neverwinter, but it's not so obvious. As for the Witch Union, there's no rejection at all. Everyone is a survivor who has come from the bottom, and they are most clear about the essence of their abilities. They welcome new sisters to join.”
“The unknown is the greatest fear.” Thunder sighed, “The reason I initially wanted to become an explorer was just to make a fortune, but now I only hope that in my lifetime, I can take a few more steps outward—there are too many mysteries in this world that need to be solved. If we don't go out, people will only be able to curl up in a small piece of land, bound by fear for the rest of their lives.”
“That's why I decided to support you,” Roland raised his glass to him, “There's an old saying where I come from: A person will always become as big as their thoughts. You can think like this, and you are destined to be remembered by history.”
“Thank you for your praise,” Thunder smiled as he clinked glasses, “I will do my best on this trip and will definitely live up to your expectations.”
Margie stared at Joan for a long time, as if thinking about something. After a while, she turned her head and bowed to Roland, “Your Majesty, I have a request.”
“Speak.”
“After this expedition is over, I originally wanted Joan to return to the fjord and settle down in her birthplace.” She said softly, “Life at sea is too lonely, and I don't want her to live alone anymore. But now I've changed my mind…” Margie paused, “Your Majesty, can I entrust her to you?”
“You mean—leave her in Neverwinter?”
“If it were the environment of the fjord, Joan would probably only be able to move around in a very small area and talk to very few people. But here with you, she can at least make real companions.” The female merchant nodded, “After all, I was the one who brought her away from the familiar sea, and I can't let her down—now I think there's no place more suitable than here with you.”
“Of course, no problem,” Roland smiled slightly, “The Witch Union was established for this purpose.”
“With your words, I can rest assured,” Margie said with relief and bowed.
*******************
Lily yawned and returned to the bedroom, hanging the wet towel on the hanger. She was about to flip through her biology textbook before going to bed when she heard Mysterious Moon’s murmuring behind her.
“Lost…lost…lost…”
She rolled her eyes, pretending she didn’t hear anything, and indifferently opened the page.
Sure enough, the other party’s voice immediately became much louder.
“The Detective Team lost… the Detective Team lost… the Detective Team lost…”
“Will you ever be done!” Lily immediately felt the veins throbbing on her forehead and turned around abruptly, “Can you just sleep honestly!”
“But we lost,” Mysterious Moon said with a pillow in her arms, looking unwilling, “Don’t you feel heartbroken? I had already figured out how to win her over, but now it’s all in vain. Judging from the way they communicate, it doesn’t seem like they can understand each other at all. How did they do it? Did they know each other before? Now the number of people in the Expedition Team and the Detective Team is exactly the same, and the title of the number one team is also…”
What do you mean all in vain, the other party hasn’t even made a move, and you’ve already lost. “Why should I be heartbroken? Who said we are us!” Lily interrupted, “I’ll say it again, the Detective Team only had three people to begin with, and now you’ve lost the challenge, and you have fewer people than the other party. It’s basically a complete defeat. You should just disband!”
After saying that, she snorted, shifted her gaze back to the , and decided that no matter how much the other party disturbed her, she would never pay attention to her again.
But unexpectedly, Mysterious Moon didn’t continue to pester her, and everything behind her was quiet for a moment.
This wasn’t right.
She felt a little uneasy in her heart. Had she said too much? This guy was a bit annoying, but her intentions were good. If it hadn’t been for this outburst, Joan wouldn’t have been able to get along with everyone for who knows how long. Apart from eavesdropping on His Majesty’s conversation, which was a big mistake, she hadn’t caused any other losses… Perhaps she was being too harsh?
In an instant, an even heavier thought jumped into her mind.
Mysterious Moon was different from her. She used to be extremely restrained, and because of her ability, she had been scolded by Hakala a lot, like an invisible person in the Co-prosperity Society. Now that the other party had finally become cheerful and lively, would she become depressed again because of her criticism?
Thinking of this, Lily suddenly felt a little regretful.
She swallowed and slowly turned around, the words of apology already on the tip of her tongue.
However, what caught her eye was a ten-yuan bill.
She saw that the other party had somehow snuck up behind her, holding the banknote in both hands and respectfully presenting it to her.
“W-what are you doing?” Lily was startled by this gesture.
“Please don’t leave the Detective Team. I’m willing to exchange it for a bottle of Chaos Drink!” Mysterious Moon said with a worried look, “If even you leave, the Detective Team will have no chance of recovery!”
I said I’m not, can you just listen to people properly—Lily sighed helplessly and put her hand on her forehead, feeling a little relieved. Fortunately, this guy wasn’t as fragile as she had imagined after releasing her true nature.
After a long silence, she reached out and took the ten-yuan bill from the other party.
“You agreed?” Mysterious Moon said in surprise.
“No,” Lily tapped on the table, “There are still many things I want to do, and I simply don’t have time to mess around with you. But I can give you a hint, and this banknote is the reward. In the future, if it doesn’t take up my work time, I can also give your Detective Team some ideas, which is at least better than trying to win over a strange witch.”
“What hint?”
“If you want to expand the size of the team, you shouldn’t come looking for me—not everyone in the Witch Union is as busy as Soraya. You can put your target on those who are free.” Lily suppressed the guilt in her heart and silently said an apology, “Think about it, who else accompanied you to the academy to look for arson clues last time?”
“Uh… are you saying to look for Evelyn? She can’t do it. Although she doesn’t have much time to use her ability, she still has a tavern to manage.”
“Not her.”
“Er… are you saying, Amy?” Mysterious Moon showed a hesitant look, “But she’s not a Graycastle person, and she has her own companions…”
“Isn’t that even better? Bringing her into the Detective Team is equivalent to winning over the Wolfheart Witches as well,” Lily counted on her fingers, “Besides Annie, Hero and Broken Sword aren’t too busy, and the latter has fixed collaborations with you… As for where they come from, does it matter? Joan is still a Fjord witch, why didn’t I see you considering that?”
“I… I know!”
“Also, those combat witches who originally belonged to the Bloodfang Society can also be considered. They’re usually very free anyway. As long as you ask, I think they shouldn’t refuse. If you count like that, the Expedition Team will have several more people, at least not losing to the other party in size. But remember two things: one is that you must never cause trouble for His Majesty, and the second is that you must not casually launch a challenge to the Expedition Team,” Lily instructed, “I don’t know why, but I always feel that you can’t possibly win against the other party.”
“Because you’re biased.” Mysterious Moon pouted.
“That’s nonsense! Anyway, that’s all I have to say, go to bed and don’t bother me anymore.” She waved her hand.
“Oh…” Mysterious Moon took a step, then turned back.
“What’s wrong?” Lily found that after the previous ups and downs in her mood, she had even become more patient.
Well, let’s just do it as a precaution. It’s better to regret it after a problem has occurred.
“That ten-yuan bill of mine was the recruitment fee for you…” Mysterious Moon hesitated, “Since you’re not joining the Detective Team, can you give it back to me?”
In an instant, Lily heard the sound of glass breaking in her heart.
“No—way! Get—out—of—here!”