Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 290: Trouble at Ironspire City (Part-8)

That single sentence was enough. The reckless thoughts that had begun to stir in a few hearts quickly died down. Top Academy students were not people ordinary Spirit Warriors could afford to offend. One wrong move, and there would be no second chance.

Zora sensed the change and relaxed a little. It seemed that the trouble earlier in the day had at least earned her a quiet shopping trip now.

She wandered through the rows of stalls, her eyes gliding over medicinal herbs, demon crystals, and weapons without much interest. None of it was bad, but none of it was special either. This was exactly what she had expected. True treasures were never left lying around for long.

Just as she was about to turn away, something tugged lightly at her mind.

Her steps paused.

At the corner of a stall lay a small black parchment scroll, casually tossed among a pile of useless trinkets. It looked completely ordinary, but a faint ripple brushed against her spiritual sense, so light that most people would never notice it.

Zora’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She stepped closer, taking in the rest of the items on the stall.

There were medicinal herbs, demon crystals, and a few weapons, all decent but nothing she truly needed. The scroll lay mixed in with cracked beads and scraps of metal, as if it were worthless.

Yet her intuition whispered otherwise.

At the same time, Shihtzu’s attention had been completely stolen by the glittering demon crystals. It padded forward with shining eyes, drool practically forming at the corner of its mouth.

"Girl, what are you looking to buy?" the stall owner asked. He was a middle-aged man, his face worn by years of bargaining.

Before Zora could answer, Shihtzu leapt straight onto the stall, planting its paws firmly on top of the demon crystals as if they already belonged to it.

When Shihtzu suddenly pounced on the stall, Zora’s eyes lit up at once. This little fellow was sharper than it looked. It had clearly sensed her interest.

She bent down and scooped Shihtzu into her arms. Even as it was lifted, it stubbornly clutched a demon crystal in its paw, gripping it as though its life depended on it.

The stall owner burst into laughter at the sight. "Miss, your pet is quite amusing."

Zora smiled helplessly, brushing Shihtzu’s fluffy head. "It just likes pretty things."

The stall owner nodded in understanding. In his eyes, Shihtzu was nothing more than a decorative demon pet. These kinds of beasts were cute and harmless, and they always had a strange fondness for shiny objects.

"How much is this demon crystal?" Zora asked calmly.

"That one comes from a second-rank magical fox. One hundred gold coins," the stall owner replied.

Her brows lifted slightly. "A magical fox demon crystal usually sells for around eighty or eighty-five at most. Your price is a bit high."

The stall owner looked awkward for a moment. He clearly had not expected this young girl to know the market so well. "Miss, magical foxes are not easy to hunt here. The Beast Mountain Range is far from our country. The mercenaries go through a lot of trouble to get these."

Zora did not argue further. She simply glanced down at Shihtzu, which was still hugging the crystal with all its might, refusing to let go. The stall owner grew a little anxious. If this girl walked away, he would lose the sale.

After a brief pause, Zora said, "Fine. Your demon crystal really is expensive. You should at least throw in something extra."

Her tone was light, but her thoughts were sharp. She knew very well how trading markets worked. If she showed too much interest in a single item, the stall owner would immediately grow suspicious and raise the price with more and more nonsensical justification explanations.

Buying something small and ordinary along with it was the safest way to get what she really wanted.

The stall owner put on a troubled expression, though his eyes flickered with hidden delight. "Miss, I’m just a small businessman. How about this? You can choose two things from these trinkets."

Zora smiled faintly. That was exactly what she had been waiting for.

She casually picked up a small, pretty dagger, then reached for the black parchment scroll and said, "These two will do."

"Deal," the stall owner replied cheerfully. In his eyes, those little items were worthless. Letting her take them cost him nothing at all.

With the purchase complete, Zora left the trading market. She gently patted Shihtzu’s head, her eyes shining. "You’re really clever."

Shihtzu puffed out its chest proudly, wriggling in her arms. "Of course!"

Little Black and Little White both snorted at the same time. "Show off."

Shihtzu ignored them completely. Those two were just jealous. After all, it was the only one the master could bring out.

"It’s getting late," Zora said softly. "Time to go back."

Yet just as she spoke, a subtle change flickered through her gaze. Something in the air ahead felt... wrong.

Zora’s eyes darkened, and the faint glimmer in them sharpened into something dangerous.

"Master, someone has locked onto us," Little Black said, his voice low and tense. Earlier, the people who had been tailing the students from Imperial Academy were gone. These ones were different. These had appeared only after Zora left the inn alone. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Little White added gravely. "There are three of them. All are at the Red Realm. I can’t judge how deep their cultivation is."

For a Spirit Warrior at the second stage of the Crimson/Red Realm, facing three opponents of the same realm was no small pressure. And in a place like this, where the street had only just quieted down, calling out full demon beasts would attract far too much attention.

"And me!" Shihtzu huffed, clearly offended at being left out.

Little Black and Little White froze for a second before remembering that this fellow had just broken through a few days ago. A fifth-stage Crimson Realm beast was no small reinforcement.

Zora lifted her head slightly. The street was nearly empty now, only a few vendors packing up their stalls. The timing was perfect. Too perfect.

"Since you’ve already come, there’s no need to hide," she said calmly. "Come out."

As her words fell, three figures emerged from the shadows. One man and two women stepped forward, all dressed in black robes with veils covering their faces. Their figures were sharp and silent, like blades drawn from a sheath.

"You have good perception," the woman on the left said coldly. "Unfortunately, you won’t live to use it tonight."

Zora’s dark eyes glinted with a chill that could freeze bone, yet her expression remained steady. There was no trace of panic.

"Who sent you?" she asked. "Guinvere?"

At present, there was only one person who, in her opinion, had both motive and ability to hire such powerful assassins against her, especially when Kael isn’t around her.

Guinvere... She was the sort who smiled sweetly while planting a knife in someone’s back. With Kael returning to Heaven’s Gate to deal with internal matters, this is the perfect opportunity for Guinvere to kill her and keep Kael by her side.

"You don’t need to know that," the man in the center replied in a hoarse voice, gripping his weapon.