"This place deserves to be called City of Mist, Backlund. The summer has not even finished, and it is already filled with smog, both naturally formed and industrial waste gas..."
Walking through the dirty but noisy streets, Helene turned her neck from time to time, admiring this City of Cities that she had only learned about in books and chatting with Sailor. Even though this was just the dirtiest East Borough, it also made her feel a unique atmosphere different from the loose and free Trier.
But the moment she looked around, there was only a faint shadow in front of her, and Shermane, whose entire body outline was hidden by "invisibility", disappeared.
Wait, what about Witch?
Helene realized something was wrong. He glanced across the street and saw crowds of people. Passerby, dressed in countless fashionable or vintage clothes, but all dirty, walked by. The figure leading her way could not be seen in the gap.
On the contrary, her bright red hair, uniquely beautiful face, and slim-fitting shirts and tight trousers that could outline her figure quickly attracted the attention of others, making her feel a little uncomfortable.
Suddenly, there was a subtle touch on Helene's wrist, as if someone was breathing next to her. The warm, moist, and itchy air flow brushed against her skin, making her feel palpitations for no reason. The desire she had accumulated due to her frequent wearing of "Madness Ring" was even touched.
This... is the Invisible Spider Silk of "Pleasure" Demoness!
Helene, who had been touched by Tracy in this way many times on "Black Death", reacted immediately. She was shocked at first, and then suddenly realized that she pulled her wrist and realized that the silk thread had been tied to her arm, and pointed out the direction with a slight shaking.
Is it the "Witch" just now... No, "Pleasure" Demoness Shermane... She has been promoted to Sequence 6?
Helene calmly followed the silk thread guidance, bypassing the unfriendly-looking crowd, and came to a street full of factories and warehouses, with countless freight carriages passing through, and arrived at the door of a factory with a brand new nameplate that read "Black Bear Cannery" and printed a bear claw with four fingers.
It was only then that the hooded figure of Shermane reappeared next to her.
"Sorry, East Borough has recently attracted many residents from surrounding cities, and the population has exceeded that before Great Smog. I was worried that you would get lost, so I used the method just now."
Before Helene could complain, Shermane explained in a voice like a nightingale, which instantly made her lose her temper. She could only nod her head and said magnanimously:
"It doesn't matter. I was looking around and couldn't follow you."
There is also a reason why you have been invisible on the road - she added in her heart.
But when Shermane took off his hood and revealed his true face, Helene realized why the other party did this.
What is hidden by the hood is a fair-skinned face, a high bridge of nose, thin and wide lips and smart eyes in just the right position. Together with the long brown hair, they form a beautiful face that people can't take their eyes off.
Well, if she had been on the street with me just now, she would have been the one who caught everyone's attention and saluted. No wonder she wore a hood to hide her appearance, and even used invisibility...
Helene suddenly understood what Shermane was doing.
"I have just been promoted and have not fully mastered the newly acquired abilities, so occasionally... the situation just now will occur."
Shermane further explained that with a flick of his finger, the few strands of Invisible Spider Silk tied to Helene's wrist disappeared together with the "Pleasure" power that was transmitted.
Then, she led the red-haired Helene through the busy factory building, talked with two vigilant guards, and came to the office area at the back.
"The guard just now was Beyonder?"
Helene asked casually as he followed him upstairs, his eyes lingering on the canned fruits piled up in the warehouse and the strange-looking glass bottles that had not yet been filled with liquid.
As a "conspirator", she could sense the confidence and slight sense of threat that the two guards had when facing strangers.
"They are 'Hunter' and they are just Sequence 9."
Shermane replied, opening the door on the third floor and leading Helene into a corridor that was not spacious but kept neat and tidy.
A girl about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a thin coat common in the city and a soft hat on her head, was waiting for them in the middle of the corridor.
"Hugh? Why are you here?" Shermane obviously knew this girl, and quickly said hello, then pointed to Helene behind him, "This is Helene, he is... my colleague."
Xiu, who had delicate but green facial features and some baby fat cheeks, nodded to Helene as a greeting. His dark green eyes looked at her with a faint sense of majesty for a moment, and then looked at Shermane:
"Miss Irene is in the office at the end, talking to the elusive Demoness. Please wait a moment before going over."
After hesitating for a moment, she continued:
"I'm here to get a box of that, the 'Kura' that you haven't started selling yet..."
"It's 'Cola'."
Shermane corrected the other party's pronunciation lightly.
"Oh, yes, it's 'Cola'" Xio repeated the weird word with a bit of embarrassment on her face, "...Fors loves to drink. She drank all the ones I brought back last time in a few days. She also tried to freeze it with magic, saying that it tastes better this way. Let me recommend this method to you."
"No problem, you can come and get as much as you want."
Shermane replied with a smile, letting Helene stay where he was, while he took the little girl to the other end of the corridor, slipped into a half-open door and disappeared.
"Cola"? What is that thing? Could it be related to the large amount of sucrose that Miss Angelica asked "Red Haired Woman" to transport recently... Helene looked at the backs of the two people and thought, but his ears caught a sound coming from the end of the corridor.
"... If I had met you when I came to Backlund, maybe the things that happened later wouldn't have happened..."
A soft voice whispered, and the tone was like a whisper, but it echoed far away in the silent corridor.
"In that case you have been imprisoned in Chanis Gate."
The other voice belonged to "Golden Queen" Angelica Zaki, with a calm tone, but also a hint of sadness.
What are they talking about? One of them is the "Demoness" mentioned by the little girl who came to ask for a drink just now? Ha, this is not an ordinary "Demoness"...
What is the other one "Miss Irene"? And that little girl should also be Beyonder, Sequence is not low, is her appearance just a disguise?
Helene cursed, seeing that Shermane and Xio on the other side hadn't come back yet, he involuntarily moved his feet forward silently a few steps in order to hear more clearly.
"... It's not just Backlund, if the one at Tingen was not Sharon, but you, maybe everything would be different."
Irene's voice as low as a whisper continued.
"Have you forgotten the first time you met me at Underground Trading Market? Instead of talking about this, it is better to find the real culprit behind Great Smog as soon as possible to atone for yourself and for your highness Prince."
Angelica's voice responded coldly.
Helene showed undisguised curiosity on his face and took two more steps forward. He had almost reached the end of the corridor and was close to the ajar door.
"... Okay, then I'll leave first," the soft voice said, without any change in tone because of being refuted before, "Also, be careful about your 'Mirror Person', especially after you are promoted to 'Unaging'."
"Is this also the knowledge you got from 'Primordial'?"
"No, He said to get close to your Mirror Person, but I think this should be understood the other way around."
Another voice replied with a chuckle, then silence.
"Helene? Come in."
Angelica's voice said, making Helene's heart tighten, and then he realized that his "eavesdropping" behavior had long been under the other party's sight.
She pushed open the door and found that it was a simple office. A woman wearing a light-colored dress with a clear silhouette in the dim room was sitting on the only single sofa.
As Helene entered the room, the woman turned around. It was "Golden Queen" that she was already very familiar with and even appeared in her dreams from time to time.
In the corner of the room, in a half-length mirror hanging on the wall, the dim and deep light was slowly fading away.
That "Irene" is also Demigod of Demoness Pathway?
There was no third person in the room, and Helene knew that "Vice Admiral of Ailment" Tracy, who was Sequence 5, could not directly use the mirror to shuttle. Only "Golden Queen" had shown similar skills in front of her, so she made some guesses.
"Where is Shermane? Isn't she with you?"
Angelica asked softly. Without waiting for her answer, he flashed his eyes and found the answer through divination. He pursed his lips slightly as if to convey the words. After a moment, he looked at Helene again:
"She will be here soon, please sit down first."
Magic Mirror is so convenient... Helene found a chair and sat down, thinking with some envy, realizing that Hunter could only transform himself into Flame Spear to move around, and Pathway, which used Fire Crow and flame spears to attack the enemy, was completely inferior to the other party.
A few minutes later, Shermane walked into the room with three bottles of glass bottles Helene had seen in the warehouse on the first floor that were shaped somewhat like the curves of a woman's body. The difference from before was that these bottles were filled with tan liquid, and the bottle mouths were sealed with thin iron sheets, which looked quite mysterious under the dim gas light.
"What is this?"
She asked curiously, taking the bottle handed by Shermane, and found that the temperature of the bottle was very low, and a layer of condensation had formed in the air.
She suddenly thought of the drink that the girl named Xio was talking about just now.
"Is this the 'Cola' that the little girl just said?"
Imitating Shermane's introduction, Helene asked word for word.
"If she hears what you said, she will be angry... she is already an adult."
Shermane chuckled lightly and handed a glass bottle to Angelica. He took the last one, screwed the iron bottle cap directly, and opened it with a little force. The mouth of the bottle made a "pop" sound, and a little thin white gas spurted out. The brown liquid inside, which looked like medicine, had bubbles on the surface.
Immediately, a sweet syrup mixed with an unknown taste poured into Helene's nostrils, making her sniffle. She also followed Shermane's example and opened the "Cola" in her hand, tentatively put it to her mouth, and took a sip.
Dense bubbles exploded in her mouth instantly, and the sound of "puffing" reached her ears. Along with the chill that rushed directly to her forehead and the spicy irritation, the rich caramel sweetness entered Helene's stomach along with the gas that continued to pour out of her esophagus, making her moan.
"Hiccup, this 'Cola' is too delicious..."
Burping with satisfaction, Helene commented. He raised the glass in his hand and observed the bubbling brown liquid under the light. Suddenly he knew that the little girl just now... No, why was the adult girl in a hurry to get the new "Cola".