Miss Wondrous Item User

More than three months ago, at a war preparation meeting targeting the Temple of Light.

"Yise, you're going to Saint Lan Cathedral?" Su Ming was taken aback.

"The Queen Ghostly Flower's alchemical paintings are extremely complex," Yise explained. "They are not something an ordinary person can manipulate."

Twenty years ago, Queen Ghostly Flower was invited by the Church of Light to recreate the painting that was ostensibly "destroyed" by Zijin but was actually stolen by the Queen herself in the reconstruction of the Saint Lan Cathedral. During this time, she took the opportunity to plant eavesdropping runes in the painting.

In order to avoid being discovered by Augustus, she not only used a large amount of materials that were easily confused with pigments, but also designed the array's function to be extremely circuitous, like a layered alien maze.

Su Ming turned to Katharine and asked for her opinion.

"Perhaps you've misunderstood," Katharine said. "Yise's role is that of a Curious Object User."

"Wait a minute, aren't you a magic swordsman?" Su Ming asked Yise in surprise.

"That's what I was when I was wielding the magic sword," Yise said playfully.

"Yise can use magic equipment and items beyond her level and maximize their potential," Katharine explained. "Therefore, her combat effectiveness heavily relies on her equipment."

"Oh, I see."

Su Ming began to understand why Iser was always dressed in luxurious clothes whenever he saw Yise.

Whether it was the earliest encounter at sea, rescuing a kidnapped girl in a snowy town in the Northern Lands, or besieging "Thread Puppet Prison" Abigai in the Him Cavern, her equipment was always the most dazzling.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding." Yise's tone was somewhat smug. "It's all because ' Stars · Cease Hostilities ' and ' Mithril Wing Armor ' are so useful, so I usually wear the Sword Combat Set."

"Stars · Cease Hostilities" and "Mithril Wing Armor" are Saint Rank equipment, so of course they're useful.

"If I switch equipment, I can play a different role in different combat positions," Yise added.

She suddenly remembered something, and her tone turned resentful. "But please, don't use ' Wondrous Item Disjunction ' on me next time!"

Do you know how many of my good things you blew up that time?!

She was referring to the final moments of the battle against Abigai, when Su Ming, in an effort to break the deadlock, removed the "Mithril Wing Armor" from her body. At the same time, the monster baby winter suit that Katharine had forced on her was exposed to everyone.

"Can't those be fixed?" Su Ming asked.

"Your Spell Penetration too thoroughly; repairing it is more expensive than rebuilding it!" Yise complained. "Your spell is truly my nemesis!"

"I'll be more careful next time," Su Ming said, shrugging.

"There won't be a next time!" Yise said angrily.

She took a key from around her neck, her tone filled with relief.

Thankfully, the "Raven Key" wasn't broken.

"This was a gift from my mother."

It was an antique black and silver key, no more than half a palm's length. The key handle was carved with a Raven its wings, and a deep light shone within the engravings.

Tiny stardust appeared on the edge of the key teeth, then quickly disappeared.

Katharine patted Yise's head affectionately, but a strange glint flashed in her eyes.

This key did indeed come from Yise's mother.

It wasn't her, it was Waliwei.

I thought you were so angry back then because—

Su Ming didn't finish his sentence.

The photo of the little green monster in the snow is still on his phone.

"Hmph!" Yise turned his head away. "That's one of the reasons!"

"So, this matter absolutely has to be handled by Yise?" Su Ming asked.

"Yes, others can't do it," Katharine explained. "Yise is a professional when it comes to magical items."

The eavesdropping array that could operate right under Augustus's nose was indeed no simple matter. Even just activating and connecting it required a thorough understanding of the pigment rune layers and the details of Psionic Power transmission.

"And she's been there many times and is familiar with the terrain," Kaisa added.

Katharine was once a high-ranking member of the church, Yise's position was not low either, so they naturally came and went frequently.

"But isn't this a drawback?" Su Ming asked worriedly, "Many people inside know Yise, right?"

Yise, however, was full of confidence.

"Don't worry, I won't be exposed."

"I'm confident I can disguise myself to the point that even my own family wouldn't recognize me."

"For example, during the Frostflame Festival last time, the girl realized she had spoken out of turn and suddenly covered her mouth."

Katharine's eyes narrowed as if she had thought of something, and then she glared at Yise.

Communication was immediately interrupted.

****

Su Ming was completely confused at the time, but now he understands.

The mysterious woman who, along with Qiluo, Hansite, Younier, smashed up the kitchen of the Silent Dawn Cathedral in the Northern Lands Bubing City was Yise!

Su Ming was finally convinced.

Her disguise skills are so good that even her own family members didn't recognize her.

Therefore, Su Ming has to ask Katharine for back the two and a half gold coins that he had to pay as compensation!

"What's wrong?" Ruixiuli asked, noticing his strange expression.

Su Ming shook his head, deciding not to tell Ruixiuli about it.

This scenario is a bit like catching your colleague red-handed at a comic convention. It's best to keep it to yourself; speaking out might lead to a workplace injury.

Suddenly, a small patch of fire appeared on the horizon.

Most of the night was briefly illuminated, followed by a dull thud. Ruixiuli looked up and saw that it was coming from the direction of the Diamond Industrial Base.

He looked at Su Ming, only to find the latter's expression indifferent.

"Was this also arranged by you?" Ruixiuli realized.

Su Ming nodded. "Rupert did it over there."

Ruixiuli immediately understood; this was yet another fishing scheme.

He asked no more questions.

The group returned to their base. Su Ming issued a gag order to his personal guards regarding the events of the evening, and then dismissed them.

That flash of fire was intended to stage an attack by the "Last Followers" and the theft of a batch of technological weapons.

This matter certainly didn't end there. Su Ming returned to his office and issued a series of orders.

If you're going to act, you have to go all the way.

The attack on the Diamond Base will inevitably lead to a lockdown, search, internal notifications, inventory of supplies, and verification of personnel, making for a significant operation.

As this "horrific terrorist attack" unfolded, a purge of enemies within the First Sunrise Republic system naturally commenced.

That's one of the purposes of tonight's operation.

An internal investigation is bound to cause some resentment, so Su Ming's excuse must be compelling enough.

Terrorist attacks, stolen weapons, enemy infiltration—these accusations can be slapped on, and no matter how deep or wide the investigation, it can be justified.

Moreover, the high-sounding accusations help those who maintain a "neutral" stance to quickly distance themselves from them.

Otherwise, don't blame Su Ming for being ruthless.

Many people will be staying up all night, and Su Ming has also been working overtime in the office.

Fortunately, he had many people with him, such as the Earth Support Team.

Since the advent of the Other Shore Communication System, these people have gradually abandoned the concept of "vacation." For them, being able to go to work and leave work normally is a wonderful thing.

Everyone chatted idly.

"In the early stages of a nation's development, weeding out the dross and retaining the essence is an essential process." -Jin Rongjia

"To create a stable rear." (Dodder)

"Fast forward to the war!" Fengshou yawned.

"Open the door quickly so I can go home." Su Ming.

****

The office door was pushed open.

Su Ming looked up and saw that the person who came in was Yise.

The girl reverted to her usual military uniform attire, her long hair tied up. The previous flamboyant elements, including her head-to-toe fluorescent pink outfit, were completely toned down.

Even after seeing her in person, Su Ming still found it hard to connect her with that "magical girl".

Unfortunately, Yise fooled them, he couldn't fool the Electricity-Swallowing Beast, who used numerical thinking.

Su Ming's expression remained unchanged.

Yise had no idea that his identity had been exposed in what had just happened.

After a moment's thought, he deduced the girl's purpose.

"Don't interfere in what's happening at the Diamond Base," Su Ming said proactively. "You're not the only one who suspects there's something fishy about the theft."

"Are they all playing dumb?" Yise said bluntly.

"More or less," Su Ming said.

Currently, only Newman, Beianqi, and Rupert are handling this matter.

"President," Yise said solemnly, "The fire just now resulted in five deaths and over two hundred injuries."

Only a small number of these casualties were caused by direct attacks from the "Last Followers".

The main cause was the large number of people at the scene, leading to panic, pushing, and stampedes.

Because there were too many flammable materials, most of the shops around the square were affected. Burned signs, collapsed sheds, walls blackened by thick smoke, and stalls and goods smashed by the crowd made for a terrible scene.

Neither of them mentioned any financial losses, something Su Ming had already made arrangements for.

"I did it on purpose," Su Ming said without hiding anything.

"I don't want a group of annoying people to pop up and cause trouble every now and then for the next few months or years."

"It could be in any city, a factory, or even a point in time that affects the course of a war."

"I need a reason to launch a severe purge!"

Su Ming had expected a dispute, but Yise did not press the matter further.

"I'm sorry, you may have misunderstood," she said.

"I know you're using tonight's manageable losses to mitigate a series of uncontrollable losses in the future."

"I can understand this action, although I do not agree with your practice of sacrificing a small number of innocent people."

"I also know that my mother was involved in the planning."

"The scholars' annual meeting organized in Corona City will probably follow the exact same pattern."

She paused, then raised her voice slightly.

"But"

Yise looked directly at Su Ming.

"I didn't stand on some so-called moral high ground to criticize the bad habits of those who were solving the problem."

"So you can arrange for me to do whatever needs to be done tonight!"

There was a moment of silence in the office.

Su Ming was quite surprised. He looked at Yise and found that she looked very serious, even a little stubborn.

"I was just trying to limit the number of people who knew," Su Ming explained, "It didn't mean I distrusted you at all."

Yise shook his head.

"I know."

"I just don't want others to do the dirty work while my own hands remain clean."

She said seriously, "So, don't schedule me for vacation next time."

Su Ming remained silent for a moment.

"Okay," he replied.