Felicia stood frozen in place. Only now did she realize the true purpose of Liana standing before her.

Liana was definitely not simple. Just as Felicia was about to call for guards, Minoga had already placed her sword against her neck. Her cold voice carried no emotion. “Don’t move.”

“I apologize, Lady Jacaranda, regarding what you mentioned, our Angus Commerce Guild would never engage in such dirty business. We keep every client’s information confidential, and would never actively seek out others’ information,” Felicia said.

“I’ve already said it, so stop pretending to be noble. I know everything; it’s just a matter of money,” Liana said indifferently. “You don’t need to say pleasant words anymore. Just tell me, how much?”

Felicia’s expression became somewhat peculiar. This was the first time she had encountered someone who had just arrived at the headquarters asking to purchase such intelligence. “This isn’t a matter of money.”

“It’s just a matter of not offering enough, or rather, the benefit I bring you isn’t worth the risk you’d take, right?”

Felicia’s eyebrow twitched. It seemed the young lady before her was quite knowledgeable about the Angus Commerce Guild.

While the guild could indeed sell intelligence, obtaining such information carried significant risks and easily provoked dissatisfaction and vigilance from other territories.

Therefore, this type of merchandise could only be sold to those the Angus Commerce Guild could trust—that is, only diamond-level members qualified to purchase it.

After all, if such transactions were to spread, it could be fatal.

Even if one earned a lot of money, having no life to spend it made it meaningless.

“Although our Angus Commerce Guild sells various items, we absolutely won’t do things that cross the line. We follow all directives from the Lisat Kingdom. Although you’re our honored guest, Lady Jacaranda, if you continue to say things that harm our Angus Commerce Guild, we’ll have no choice but to ask you to leave,” Felicia said.

“Not even for your gold-level members?” At this point, Minoga produced a shimmering gold card from somewhere.

Felicia was taken aback. After verifying that there was nothing wrong with the card, she asked, “You’re actually a gold-level member?”

But quickly, Felicia regained her composure.

“This has nothing to do with membership level,” Felicia shook her head, repeating what she had just said. “If Lady Jacaranda is here to shop, we warmly welcome you. But if you’re here to cause trouble, we’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Alright then,” Liana shrugged. Although Felicia couldn’t tell her about the Darriss Territory intelligence, she could understand from her previous words.

The level wasn’t high enough.

Only diamond-level members could purchase such intelligence.

This was all Liana wanted to know, because Tari had mentioned before that there were only about ten diamond-level members, and only these people qualified to purchase such merchandise.

Then, she just needed to have Mephilia investigate who these ten people were, and when they appeared at the guild.

The worst-case scenario would be if all ten people were related to the Laurent Territory or the Darriss Territory. That would be very troublesome.

Liana turned around. “You said that if I produce three more products, I could become a gold-level member. If I could produce ten, would I be able to become a diamond-level member?”

“To become a diamond member of our Angus Commerce Guild, the most basic requirement is having collaborated with us for over thirty years,” Felicia said.

Felicia’s words further confirmed that what Liana feared was very likely to happen.

After all, both the Angus Territory and the Darriss Territory were inherited from the previous kingdom. Thirty years was completely sufficient for them.

Liana looked at the luxuriously decorated ceiling of the headquarters. “I won’t make things difficult for you. I need a ring, a ring engraved with high-level runes.”

“I understand,” Felicia agreed without hesitation, afraid that Liana might change her mind.

“Wow, as expected of the wealthy Angus Commerce Guild,” Liana nodded. It was worth noting that even Second Prince Oester had been very reluctant previously, but Felicia had agreed without hesitation.

It wasn’t because she was particularly wealthy. A ring engraved with high-level runes was equivalent to her earnings for two and a half years. Compared to those earnings, it was better to stay at the Angus Commerce Guild.

Otherwise, if she were exiled, who knew how many two-and-a-half-year periods she would lose.

“After all, it was my fault that caused Lady Jacaranda’s dissatisfaction, so even if I have to pay a price, I must satisfy Lady Jacaranda,” Felicia spoke as if she meant it.

Liana knew very well that just the runes on a ring were relatively inexpensive.

“What type of incantation does Lady Jacaranda need?” Felicia asked.

Liana thought for a moment. Mephilia was probably a mage, so she needed some mana regeneration equipment. As for defense, the clothes she had swindled from Second Prince Oester earlier should already have enough protection runes, so...

“runes related to mana recovery. By the way, the ring doesn’t need gemstones; I have my own,” Liana said.

“I understand. I’ll bring it to you shortly,” Felicia said. “So...”

“The cooperation will continue, but whether you’ll get my subsequent products depends on your sincerity,” Liana was in no hurry.

“I understand.”

This left Tari watching in astonishment. Typically, it was only the Angus Commerce Guild that exploited others; this type of situation rarely occurred.

However, what Princess Liana possessed could indeed make the guild compromise.

But if Princess Liana had continued to demand intelligence, the Angus Commerce Guild would have probably eliminated her to prevent future trouble.

If you don’t want to sell through the Angus Commerce Guild, they certainly won’t let you sell elsewhere. If they can’t have it, they’ll destroy it, thus continuing to maintain the guild’s monopoly without any impact.

But Tari, who knew Princess Liana’s identity, wasn’t worried about this, since Princess Liana had many guards.

Moreover, the guard beside Princess Liana had just produced a gold-level membership card, making it even more difficult for the Angus Commerce Guild to take action.

“You’ve wasted a lot of my time,” Liana waved her hand. “I originally just wanted to buy one thing, but someone came offering me something extra. I guess it wasn’t a waste of time after all.”

Felicia’s face was turning green with anger. Now she should just obediently take Lady Jacaranda there and quickly get away from this disaster.

Liana approached Minoga and extended her hand.

Minoga understood what Liana wanted. She handed the gold-level membership card to Liana.

Liana looked at the shimmering gold card. “I didn’t expect you to be so wealthy?”

“Pri— Jacaranda seems to have some misunderstandings about me,” Minoga said with annoyance.

She was, after all, a Judge, one of the top tier in the Lisat Kingdom. It seemed that by constantly being by Princess Liana’s side, she had lost some of her mysterious aura, making Princess Liana think she might be an ordinary person.

However, Princess Liana was indeed harsh to others when outside. She had seen Princess Liana fleece others numerous times, completely different from how she acted in front of Princess Mephilia.

“Why didn’t you take out this good thing earlier?” Liana asked.

“Wasn’t my timing just right? Lady Jacaranda,” Minoga had now completely adapted to addressing her, nearly calling her “Princess Liana” out of habit.

“Indeed.”

Minoga’s timing was perfect. If she had taken it out earlier, Liana wouldn’t have had the opportunity to extort the other party. And by taking it out now, Liana also learned that gold-level members didn’t have this ability, eliminating a large group of people.

The group boarded the carriage.

“Because she’s of the elf race, we’ve sent her to the forest,” Felicia said.

Liana couldn’t be bothered to listen to her explanations. She looked out the window. It could be said that every place in the Angus Territory had been transformed into a space for selling goods, filled with commercial atmosphere everywhere.

Even at eight or nine in the evening, it was incredibly lively. Compared to the daytime, it seemed that more people came to the Angus Commerce Guild at night, [N O V E L I G H T] since some merchandise was only sold during the evening.

However, this had nothing to do with Liana. As the carriage moved, gradually leaving the bustling city center, it became much quieter.

“Because the elves aren’t yet accustomed to life in the human world, and our place is somewhat busier than others, to ensure elves get the best rest, their living quarters are located some distance from the city center,” Felicia said.

After about ten minutes, Liana saw a large forest in the distance, with guards standing at the entrance.

Their rank wasn’t low—a three-person team consisting of two Senior Executors and one High Executor captain.

After Felicia got off the carriage and spoke with them, they opened the gates.

“Number 314 is somewhat different from other elves. She seems to dislike other elves, and correspondingly, other elves don’t have a good attitude toward her. After all, being an elf unable to use elven magic is quite embarrassing.”

As the carriage drove into the forest, Liana saw several elves, each with chains either on their necks, hands, or ankles.

After about five minutes, the carriage slowly stopped. “Since Lady Jacaranda’s target is Number 314, I assume President Tari has already introduced her to you on the way here? Do you need me to introduce her again?”

Liana shook her head.

“Then I won’t disturb you. I believe President Tari will provide you with a good shopping experience. I’ll go prepare that ring for you,” Felicia said.

“Mm,” Liana couldn’t wait for her to leave.

After Felicia left the area, Liana also got out of the carriage.

She looked around but couldn’t see any trace of Sephirena. “Where is she?”

Tari took out a crystal ball, infused it with magic, and the crystal ball pointed in a direction. “Princess Liana, please follow me.”

Since there was no one else around, they reverted to their usual forms of address.

Liana followed behind Tari to a small stream.

But here, let alone Sephirena, there wasn’t even a single elf to be seen.

Liana frowned. “Are you playing games with me?”

Liana considered her temperament to have been quite good, but now she was a bit angry. If it had been the original owner of this body, she would have already caused a huge commotion. Perhaps making a scene would be better?

“No, no!” Tari shook her head repeatedly. “The crystal ball definitely shows that Number 314 is nearby!!!”

“Princess Liana,” Minoga pointed to a tree on the opposite bank. Under the moonlight, it stood out from the other trees, appearing somewhat sacred.

“Tari.”

“I’ll prepare a means to cross the river for you right away,” Tari said.

“No need. You just wait here,” Minoga’s cold voice sounded. She wrapped one arm around Liana’s slender waist and in two or three leaps, crossed to the other side of the river.

“Minoga! Couldn’t you at least tell me what you’re doing first?!” Liana felt like her little head was going to be shaken to pieces.

“Well, what comes next isn’t convenient for Lady Tari to hear, right? It’s better for her to stay on the other side of the river,” Minoga said.

“That’s true,” Liana hadn’t wanted her to come along anyway.

She approached the tree Minoga had pointed out earlier. “Is this it?”

“Yes.”

Liana curiously extended her hand and poked the trunk. “There’s nothing special about this...”

Suddenly, Liana saw the strange red line appear on her wrist again. “Minoga! Minoga!”

“What’s wrong, Princess Liana?” Minoga saw that Liana looked somewhat panicked, as if she had seen something strange.

“What is this!” Liana held out her hand for Minoga to see.

“Hmm?” Minoga tilted her head, looking confused.

“???”

It was understandable that Princess Avira couldn’t see it, but why couldn’t Minoga see it either? Wasn’t she a Judge?

Contract! Yes! Contract! This red line only appeared when Sephirena mentioned the contract earlier. She must know something about it.

“Nothing...” Liana shook her head.

She looked back at the strange tree. The red line connected her to the tree’s branches, suggesting that this tree indeed had some connection to Sephirena.

“Sephirena,” Liana called out her name, but there was no response.

Liana frowned. The Angus Commerce Guild might deceive her, but Minoga definitely wouldn’t. This small tree before her must have something special about it.

Liana lifted her clothing, revealing the bracelet that had been covered by her clothes. “This is a bracelet given to me by Princess Avira. She told me that when elves see this bracelet, they would treat me as an honored guest.”

Rustle!

Liana heard the sound of branches breaking. The bird’s nest that had been perched in the tree flew away after sensing the disturbance.

The branches that had been entwined around Sephirena began to slowly fall away, and Sephirena’s figure appeared before Liana.

Her silver-white hair cascaded like moonlight; under the moon’s illumination, starlike glimmers flickered between the strands.

Her deep red pupils carried a hint of coldness. Long elven ears peeked out from her hair. Her exquisite features were flawless. Her slightly trembling eyelashes tugged at one’s heartstrings. Her porcelain skin appeared sacred under the silver moon’s bath.

Her light green gown, woven from the silk of silver moon spiders, had a hem embroidered with temperature-sensitive luminous flowers—ice blue when cold, crimson when warm.

Sephirena reached out, about to grab Liana, but Minoga beside her certainly wouldn’t just watch. She pointed her sword at Sephirena. “Don’t move.”

It would have been better not to speak; the moment she did, Sephirena was stirred. She had been seeking death all along, and now she had no choice but to act.

She showed no intention of stopping, her outstretched hand aimed directly at Liana’s neck.

“You!”

“Minoga,” Liana signaled Minoga not to intervene.

Minoga put away her weapon but still grabbed Liana with one hand, retreating several steps to maintain some distance from Sephirena.

Sephirena fell to the ground because her bare jade feet were entangled by vines.

“What are you trying to do?” Liana asked.

How had she become one with nature? This didn’t look like someone abandoned by nature at all.

Vines, birds nesting on her head, and all.

“Have you come to kill me?” Sephirena coldly looked at Liana, saying the same words as when they first met.

“Huh?” Minoga was stunned. What kind of development was this?

“Can’t we sit down and have a good talk? Starting with talk about killing as soon as we meet doesn’t seem right,” Liana walked out from Minoga’s protection.

Sephirena’s blood-red eyes looked at Liana, no, at Minoga behind Liana. She could sense that Minoga was very, very strong.

“Now that you’ve come here, aren’t you here to fulfill our previous promise?” Sephirena asked.

“Promise?” Minoga looked at Liana in confusion. “Princess Liana, what kind of promise did you make with this elf lady?”

“Within three years, Liana must kill me, or else I will kill her, and then you all will kill me,” Sephirena said coldly.

“Huh?” This time Minoga truly didn’t understand. What was going on? “Princess Liana, you must explain this clearly to me.”