Chapter 51: Anvil Fortress

The dirt road extended to the oak forest in the distance, with faint rolling mountains, and the abandoned mine, Anvil Fortress, was hidden among them.

The carriage connecting the cities arrived late. Su Mian finally saw another group of players from the City-State, as well as her "foster father," Cain.

Long white hair, Roman collar, black robe, frighteningly tall. His face had sharp contours, perhaps even handsome, yet it was always unclear, as if wrapped in a layer of mist.

He was surrounded by monks and nuns as he passed by them.

Su Mian stood up with the crowd to show respect and peeked like a thief, but saw the priest turn his head just then, so she lowered her head calmly.

Eating the insipid "white man's meal," Su Mian's table had already been approached by several strange players.

This group of players from the City-State Center acted as if they knew they were a cut above the rest, their questions carrying a subtle stinginess, as if they didn't want to waste a single second.

【Charlie】

【High Detective, Identity: Knight, possesses a fiefdom of a small part of the Vibens docks, holds high power, does not believe in ghosts and gods, hates the Talen people.】

Talen people?

Su Mian noticed this term. Was it a name for another city-state or race?

Charlie brought a group of players to ask for clues. Adrian, who was taken as the leader, answered calmly, but the mercenary behind Charlie spoke impatiently.

"So, there are just no clues."

Adrian, who had been interrupted, stopped talking.

He told this group of city players everything that happened after entering the game yesterday, but was rebuffed by this mercenary, who looked like someone not to be trifled with, with "no clues."

It was clear they looked down on them and didn't care at all about the clues they provided.

Su Mian tapped her fingertips on the table, remaining silent along with everyone else.

【Duncan】

【Intermediate Detective, Identity: Mercenary, originally a bankrupt craftsman at the docks, walks in the gray area between morality and law, contemptuous and rude, looks down on clan wealth, has only wine and money in his eyes.】

"You can't say it like that; it's already impressive that they survived."

A petite girl with blonde braids emerged from beside Charlie. Su Mian looked over; she was very beautiful, but there was clear contempt in the depths of her eyes.

【Tiffany】

【Intermediate Detective, Identity: Herbalist, shrewd and capable, behaves appropriately, often appears in Vibens Square, providing herbs to citizens for free.】

Adrian clenched his fists, showing signs of an impending outburst. Bruce pressed his hand and shook his head; now was not a good time for infighting.

"What about you guys?"

A crisp, pleasant voice broke the silence. Everyone looked toward Su Mian, only to see the girl sitting cross-legged on a pile of straw.

The nun's habit outlined her slender waist, and her fingers were idly twisting a lock of black hair.

"What clues can you provide?"

Charlie stepped forward. "An island ethnic group outside the City-State is called Talen. The Noble Council decided to conquer them. There has been constant warfare for the past two years, and many territories have been taken, but they were caught off guard by a sudden plague."

"Yes." Duncan echoed, "The border situation is tense, but those guys in the Council don't want to admit that the largest city-state on an island can't beat a small, powerless ethnic group."

"Plus the plague is raging, so we definitely can't compete with them, which is why we came to ask for divine intervention."

He looked toward the direction the priest had left, his words devoid of any respect.

The farmers looked over with strange expressions, but he wasn't flustered at all, shrugging his shoulders as he added, "I'm a materialist."

Those farmers didn't know what materialism was and silently took their leftover food and left.

"Loading cargo."

Sera muttered, already having no good feelings toward this group of City-State players.

Su Mian looked thoughtfully at the herbalist behind the two. Tiffany pursed her lips and smiled, looking amiable.

The air in the countryside was fresher than in the town, and the fog wasn't as thick. The dirt houses were scattered, wrapped by endless lawns, not as crowded as in the city.

Dusk fell, and the temperature dropped completely. The wind made the fence creak, like it was holding the relics of a saint.

Su Mian casually climbed into a small courtyard planted with grapevines, crushed breadcrumbs, and placed them on the windowsill, attracting the white doves in the room.

After a full meal, she pulled open the thorn bushes, and flocks of white doves couldn't wait to drill out of the small holes, each flying toward the sky.

After finishing everything, Su Mian stood on tiptoe to pick a bunch of purple grapes with milky white frost on their skin, and like she was strolling in her own backyard, she put them into her mouth with peace of mind.

This couldn't be blamed on her; the food on that table was too hard to eat—the meat was cold, and the soup was cold.

They said it was fine ale, but it tasted astringent and bitter, making Su Mian's stomach feel sour.

Just as she was considering whether to bring a bunch for Sera, a sound of footsteps came from behind.

"Are you sure you want to ask her?"

Duncan stood outside the fence with his arms crossed, making no secret of his disgust for Su Mian's behavior.

Charlie saw this scene and also felt that perhaps Tiffany had misjudged, hesitating whether to speak.

Only Tiffany stepped forward, still with a gentle demeanor.

"Are you Yifening?"

Su Mian nodded, her energy focused on peeling the grape skin, not raising her eyes.

"Something up?"

Duncan was a bit angry at Su Mian's attitude and was about to step forward when he was stopped by Tiffany.

"After the purification rite ends, are you willing to go to the City-State with us?"

"... Why?"

Su Mian frowned, not understanding the purpose of these three people.

Tiffany: "You were originally a nun from the City-State; coming to Millford was probably a last resort."

Then you're wrong; I came here voluntarily.

Su Mian muttered silently, but what made her very curious was how these people knew her identity. Su Mian picked another bunch, intending to bring it to Sera.

"The deceased hasn't even appeared yet; how can you be sure there will be more clues in the City-State?"

Her gaze swept over the three of them calmly, her red lips becoming full and lovely after being stained with juice.

"Besides, isn't Adrian also from the city? Compared to me, he seems to have more utility value, right?"

Su Mian curled her lips and raised her eyes, the shadow of her eyelashes falling onto her lower eyelids, carrying a seductive yet world-weary sense of contradiction.

"Oh... I know, you weren't rejected, were you?"

With their purpose exposed, even the decent Tiffany couldn't keep a straight face. Seeing Tiffany's ugly expression, Duncan couldn't hold back anymore.

"Don't be ungrateful. We can come to Millford easily, but for you to get to the City-State is harder than climbing to heaven."

"Be careful not to die before you even leave the newbie village!"

"Duncan!"

Charlie interrupted him, rubbing his temples irritably. "Forget it if she doesn't want to. Let's go."

Su Mian looked at the backs of the three, thoughtful.

Why, in a game about finding a murderer, was there a need to create divisions in the open and in secret, breaking apart and reorganizing all the power that could have been gathered?

Hurriedly selecting people and forces they deemed useful, and then directly executing the remaining players who had no means of resistance—if they were lucky, they might even accidentally kill the real murderer.

Large instances are too time-consuming; checking them one by one would take until the year of the monkey. It's faster to be an evil cultivator, right?

Su Mian sneered, feeling that her demon title should be handed over to someone else. ===== CHAPTER 52 =====