"Can you come out now?"
"Uninvited guest!"
Qin Ran leaned back in the hot spring pool, making no attempt to move or adjust his posture as he spoke slowly.
The vaguely familiar method of concealment was enough for Qin Ran to guess where his visitor had come from.
The Elders Council!
More than a month after his encounter with Joffini, the observer, the "high-ranking recruiter" Joffini had mentioned had finally appeared-and in a rather direct fashion.
Trespassing into a sworn enemy's territory was certainly typical of the Elders Council.
"Uninvited guest?"
"You should have received advance notice!"
As the cool, icy voice rang out, the indistinct figure became clear.
The swirling steam rolled aside like two rows of attendants welcoming the figure. Like a lofty noble, she stood suspended over the water, looking down at Qin Ran with an appraising gaze, without the slightest concern for their difference in sex.
"The notice I received never said I should be fully dressed while soaking in a hot spring."
Qin Ran stressed the point.
At the same time, he studied the woman before him.
She had a beautiful face and figure, with long platinum-blond hair falling over her shoulders and gleaming strangely through the mist. Naturally, what drew Qin Ran's attention most was her weapon.
A long, narrow sword in its sheath.
Merely glancing at it made Qin Ran feel as though he could hear the wails of the dead and undergo a mental check.
A powerful weapon!
Whether the phenomenon came from the sword itself or the slaughter it had wrought, it was enough to command Qin Ran's attention.
Especially with that sword in the hands of someone so threatening, Qin Ran had already put himself on full alert despite his relaxed appearance.
He was ready to counterattack at any sign