[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269686,4431,"Chapter 40: Sister Maria (First Chapter)","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Sister Maria is a good person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, she is a perfect person, even a saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To many elderly people in the dock district, Sister Maria is a true holy maiden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She is not tall, nor particularly beautiful, yet she always wears a gentle smile that evokes a mother’s loving gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether toward the orphans or visiting nobles, she treats everyone equally. The children at the academy, even if they call her “Mother” outright, she never refuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She is often seen holding a child who calls her “Mother,” telling him stories to help him sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maria arrived here one day, and has served the children for so long that the people of the dock district have come to take her for granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing one good deed is not hard; doing so for a while is not hard either—but she—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Maria, next week marks your twentieth year here. The children and the nuns all want to celebrate for you.” The young nun looked at her happily; she herself had come here because of Sister Maria’s inspiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty years already?” Reminded by her colleague, Sister Maria felt a momentary daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For twenty years, she had served the Fuli Academy, acting as a nun-mother for two full decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crow’s feet at her eyes, her increasingly stiff body, the silver streaks in her hair—perhaps these were the marks time had left upon her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What remained unchanged was her ever-gentle smile, and her near-limitless patience with the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, those children who occasionally returned would not keep “accidentally” calling her “Maria Mother.” At such moments, she would always respond with her usual gentle smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, these “children” were the result of her boundless maternal love over the years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to celebrate. The sweets and cakes sent by benefactors should be saved for the children—they’re still growing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that even this twentieth anniversary day held no special meaning for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After prayer came cooking for the children, playing with them, and receiving visiting benefactors—she truly hoped more kind souls would adopt them; life elsewhere, however hard, was better than life at the Fuli Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how hard the nuns worked, they could not give the children the maternal and paternal love they needed most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were too many children, and her energy, no longer what it was in her youth, could not keep up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you hear? That knight who often visits—he stormed the slave market. He smashed the gates and cursed for an entire night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors always spread fast, and grow stranger with every retelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li En’s rumors had piqued Sister Maria’s interest; during her colleagues’ idle chatter, she asked for details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say his Hero’s Blood was stolen. That famous Tail-Cutter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ladies fond of gossip gathered, pieced together fragments, and stitched together last night’s tale into something half-complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sister Maria, amid their muffled giggles and gossip, seemed to have found the core of the rumor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like the Tail-Cutter is done for. That monster who harmed children will be killed at the slave market,” one nun said cheerfully to Maria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all knew Sister Maria had always taken the threat of the Tail-Cutter against children very seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maria indeed smiled broadly, repeating again and again: “That’s good. That’s good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed even lunch tasted better that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lunch break was short; after eating, the children were put to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Sister Maria seemed to remember something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, a great benefactor said he’s coming to visit—he promised to help us rebuild the building. Notify the other nuns; we’ll hold a meeting to discuss how to receive him. You might want to consider which rooms to prioritize repairing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This good news instantly filled the nuns with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their living conditions were far from good; leaking roofs were normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various uncontrolled little animals were what troubled them most as women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While others rushed to notify the meeting, Sister Maria smiled as she gazed out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child had sneaked out to play with a ball during naptime, and she scolded him back inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such a clever plan,” she murmured suddenly, words with no context—yet she had seen through everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the other nuns arrived, watching their joyful faces, Sister Maria smiled too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a long time since they’d been this happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Life is suffering. At least, let them be happy in their final moments.” That was the woman’s most sincere smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two minutes later, the “meeting” ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only Sister Maria, still smiling, walked out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t go in—the nuns are napping,” she stopped the children who had woken up and were rushing to “tell Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, she told them good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell them—we’re going on a spring outing. To the amusement park in the city. Bring all the little friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the good news spread through the entire Fuli Academy; all the children sprang into action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty minutes later, Sister Maria led all the children out, gleefully heading for their “spring outing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, the pre-set device ignited on its own; flames swiftly consumed the entire orphanage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only within the locked meeting room remained the charred, tailless corpses—perhaps they would never again have to worry about fighting children or the little animals in the rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it really Sister Maria? How is that possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had she not been betrayed by a client, even the slave market’s connections would have found it difficult to uncover Sister Maria’s identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once the hidden power behind the slave market fully mobilized, and the noble elites desperate for Hero’s Blood applied full pressure, the entire circle trembled—and those “clients” betraying Maria became merely a matter of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the slave market’s people arrived too late; all they saw was the ash-covered ruin of the Fuli Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find one room—filled entirely with charred corpses. From their builds, all the nuns are inside, except Maria. It’s confirmed: she is the Tail-Cutter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching this conclusion was not hard—but further search proved difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She took the children west of the dock district—apparently entered the ship graveyard. That place is extremely chaotic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li En received the news, it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to other trackers, his advantage was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this direction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The living dot glowed on the magical map, paired with a compass perpetually pointing west—the target’s direction was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ship graveyard? Why here of all places?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dock district had no shipyards; the repairmen’s skills were mediocre at best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years, many vessels in the surrounding seas had fallen into disrepair and were decommissioned in this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of these old ships sank permanently in the open sea; others underwent only basic dismantling in the dock district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is, only useful parts were removed—the hulls were simply abandoned to rot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those ships too broken to sail were worth less to fully dismantle than the rotten planks, so they were simply dragged to the corner of the dock district and piled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more they piled, the more they became the ship graveyard before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, only the occasional howl of wild dogs or wolves echoed—even vagrants found it eerie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place had already stepped beyond the dock district; the rotting hulls stretched far along the coast, yet stood empty—what use was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gangs and market people.” As Li En’s group entered the ship graveyard, among the piles of wood and trash, search teams dotted the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s knight squad was already the landmark of the dock district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their relationship had always been delicate; given the recent truce after their deal, they merely exchanged glances and let each other pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this also had to do with Li En’s squad’s unmistakable killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li En was completely different from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver armor covered his entire body; the ancient shield on his back was no ordinary item; his two-handed sword remained unsheathed; his magic gloves glowed with arcane radiance—he was fully armed, a rare state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This armor was borrowed from Sallyman—it was merely a decoration in the mansion’s corridor, yet far superior to common street-grade gear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t repay it anyway; he’d figure it out later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise fully armed was Larry, clad in mithral heavy armor and carrying six magic swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, had Li En not stopped her, she would have ridden her battle beast, the Great Sword Spider, straight here—a brutally monstrous creature rarely seen outside battlefields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knights are not armed the same way in daily life as on the battlefield; donning full armor is time-consuming and exhausting. This temporary squad was unapologetically in full battle mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Dimon had swapped for two better blades and donned chainmail—not because Sallyman had no better stock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fighting in armor is a skill requiring time to master; right now, Dimon could only wear lightweight chainmail that didn’t hinder movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This small knight squad, fully armored and radiating murderous intent, clearly intended to slash at the first provocation—no wonder the outer thugs dared not block them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the “compass” guiding him, Li En did not wander like the other teams; he marched straight into the depths of the ship graveyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the shadows, Talia continuously guided the direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her blood-scent talent remained extremely useful here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her interactions with the children, Larry had received many small gifts in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, these allowed Talia to trace the path by scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?” A male voice suddenly erupted with hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in the ship graveyard, Li En’s group encountered an old acquaintance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Volcanic Howl” Kveirduf appeared abruptly before the squad—someone must have urgently notified him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Sallyman was not present; he made no effort to conceal his aggression and ferocity, as if ready to strike at the slightest provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you here? Planning to renege?!” His only concern was this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That bag has already been traded. We have no interest in breaking our word—we’re here to rescue the children taken away.” At this moment, the Holy Knight squad had no need to clash with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the hostility vanished; the atmosphere eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as it didn’t interfere with Kveirduf’s mission, everything was fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slave market has been encountering constant problems lately, with trade volume and profits sharply declining, earning it severe reprimands from above—he’s under immense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he’s waiting for his subordinates to find the Hero’s Blood and help him meet his quota.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other several managers of the slave market have all been sent out to search for people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those children, if they’re found, tossing them into the slave market brings little profit—but if they can ease relations with the old aristocratic faction, it’s well worth the effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if Li En and his group hadn’t come and applied pressure, they might have just killed them out of annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even being willing to resell them counts as kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that they tracked us down means Li En’s group has their own tracking method; there’s no reason to refuse the power they can lend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above has also hinted that we should show goodwill toward Sallyman and try to ease relations within the aristocratic circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En can die—but not on our side. Not at least for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, it should be right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kveirduv led everyone into a rotting section of floor aboard a broken ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, an open hole revealed a crude staircase descending underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve already found four such holes—all show signs of human construction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are underground ruins here too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larry, who knew the truth, panicked instantly—he knew just how chaotic the city’s underground region truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huicheng’s most famous resource is its underground ruins, a vast area resembling a subterranean city complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they’ve truly connected to the city’s massive underground ruins, they’ve slipped into the sea—finding her will be nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, if it were that easy, she wouldn’t have needed that noble brat as a courier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En sees through this clearly—it’s probably just a relatively independent underground zone; otherwise, the light dots on the living map wouldn’t be underground but elsewhere!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re still underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the slave market has sealed all land and sea routes above; even if there are escape passages below, they must be extremely inconvenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.” Time is now a matter of life and death—if the children are taken away, there’s no chance of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s group stepped in without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2074,"2026-06-19T21:45:41.002Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b32678438c5592233237f7fe8cec548c30bcfe71bfc2d8e18ea8401e341f06b6","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-41","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-39",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]