The stone slab was closing faster and faster.
Celine raised her hand and lashed out her Soul Threads. Several strands shot through the gap, wrapping around the mechanical supports on both sides of the slab.
The threads snapped taut, and the heavy slab finally slowed its descent.
“Get up!”
Nolani clutched her lyre and was the first to scramble up.
Footsteps from behind had already crossed the cultivation ground, and the collapsed wooden racks were being pushed aside one after another.
“Stop right there!”
A bolt of green magic flew from behind, grazing Celine’s shoulder before slamming into the stone wall and sending stone fragments flying.
The taut Soul Threads began to snap one by one. Nolani ran to the mechanism, gripping it with both hands as she gritted her teeth and shouted:
“Hurry up!”
Celine quickly retracted her threads, stepped onto the last few wooden rungs, and burst out.
Seeing Celine emerge safely, Nolani immediately let go, cutting off the guards’ curses beneath the stone slab.
But they weren’t safe yet.
The commotion had been too loud. Disordered footsteps already echoed outside the warehouse, and the door lock was being turned rapidly from the outside. Both the main and side entrances were likely guarded.
Nolani glanced upward. A narrow ventilation window was open near the roof beams, several meters above the ground.
“Up there.”
Celine followed her gaze, her Soul Threads already shooting toward the beam.
“Hold on to me.”
“What—”
Before Nolani could finish, Soul Threads wrapped around her waist.
Celine yanked the threads tight, using the cargo racks and wooden beams as stepping stones to ascend rapidly.
She felt like she’d been using her Soul Threads to scale walls and climb roofs as much as Spider-Man lately.
The main warehouse door was kicked open, and several guards holding oil lamps rushed in.
“They’re up there!”
Celine kicked open the ventilation window, and the night wind rushed in.
Nolani tumbled out first, with Celine right behind her. Another spell grazed her foot, shattering the window frame.
The two, clad in black cloaks, landed on the sloping roof, sending tiles sliding down beneath them.
Nolani ran along the ridge, looking down at the wall several meters high.
“What now?”
Celine threw out a Soul Thread, snagging the corner of a warehouse across from them.
“Jump.”
“Could you give me a little warning before you say things like that?”
Celine had already grabbed her wrist and leapt from the roof.
Their bodies swung through the narrow alley between the warehouses, bypassing the guards raising spears below, and landed on the western low wall.
As soon as Nolani regained her footing, Celine retracted her threads and led her in a jump down the other side of the wall.
The shouting behind them grew distant.
After winding through several alleys and passing an abandoned vehicle yard, they stopped in a secluded stone alley once they were sure no pursuers were following.
Just as Celine was about to check the logbook in her arms, a faint sound of breaking earth came from her feet.
Several emerald-green vines sprouted from the cracks in the stones, quickly wrapping around her wrists and ankles, binding her firmly in place.
Celine was startled for a moment. She looked up at Nolani, who stood a few steps away clutching her lyre, and said coldly:
“What’s the meaning of this? The cooperation just ended, and you’re already planning to backstab me?”
Nolani frowned, the smile completely gone from her face, her tone unfriendly. “Why do you have a Decayed Residual Root on you?”
She stared at Celine, asking one word at a time:
“Who exactly are you?”
Celine looked down at the vines wrapped around her wrists and sighed. “I answered this question before. It dropped from a monster. It clung to me afterward; I can’t transfer it, and I can’t throw it away.”
“Why? You recognize this thing?”
Nolani took a deep breath. “I thought before that you were just carrying some item or material tainted with the scent of decay. How was I supposed to know it was an actual Decayed Residual Root!”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous this thing is? The longer you’re in contact with it, the easier it is for your soul and body to be corrupted.”
“The disaster that swept through the continent of Celantia three hundred years ago used this very power!”
Three hundred years ago?
This was the first time Celine had heard of that timeline.
She looked at the elf, who seemed as if the world were ending, and said leisurely:
“Please, my total lifespan isn’t even as long as your name. How would I know what happened three hundred years ago?”
She lifted her bound wrists. “According to what you’re saying, shouldn’t I be more of a victim?”
Nolani froze, unable to refute her for a moment.
The stories of the decay disaster three hundred years ago were practically common knowledge among the elves. Many elders had lived through that period, and the legends still circulated within the Sylvan Court.
But humans had short lifespans. Many city-states didn’t even have complete records from several decades ago, let alone three hundred years.
It seemed normal for Celine not to know.
While Nolani temporarily believed she was innocent, the wariness in her heart didn’t completely vanish.
The woman before her had an unknown identity, an astonishing number of tricks, and was carrying a 【Decayed Residual Root】 capable of causing a disaster.
Yet, strangely, that residual root hadn’t contaminated her; it even actively absorbed the surrounding decay for her.
To say she was connected to the disaster three hundred years ago seemed a bit far-fetched.
At least for now, she didn’t look like a spreader of contamination.
Nolani’s thoughts went in circles until her head hurt.
“I really don’t know if meeting you was a stroke of luck or a curse.”
With that, she plucked a string.
The vines wrapped around Celine slowly loosened and retracted into the cracks in the stones.
“We can leave that question for later,” Celine said, rubbing her wrists. “But for now, I’d rather know what exactly happened three hundred years ago. And what exactly is a Decayed Residual Root?”
Nolani stowed her lyre and leaned against the wall.
“That’s a long story. Besides, the Green Shade Merchant Guild might not have just this one cultivation ground. I need to find out if they’re doing the same thing elsewhere first.”
“Once I’ve figured it out, I’ll come find you.”
She turned to leave.
“Wait, is it that hard to finish what you’re saying to my face?”
Celine was a bit impatient. Why did everyone always leave things half-said? It was such a cliffhanger!
Nolani didn’t stop, her voice returning to its previous casual tone. “Oh, I’m just in a hurry to investigate, aren’t I?”
She looked back, flashing that easy smile again. “If you really want to know about what happened three hundred years ago, you can go check the Red Kite Library. They should have the relevant historical documents preserved there.”
“It’s getting late. I’m heading out.”
Seeing the elf truly had no intention of staying, Celine flicked her finger. A strand of Soul Thread quickly chased after her, wrapping around Nolani’s wrist.
Nolani looked down. “Why are you binding me again?”
“So you don’t actually run away for good,” Celine said, retracting her hand. “At least this way, I’ll know where to find you.”
Nolani plucked at the Soul Thread with her finger, not getting angry. “Fine. I’ll treat it as a gift from you.”
She shook her wrist, her smile gaining a hint of teasing. “Even if it doesn’t look very valuable.”
With those words, her figure quickly vanished at the end of the alley.
Celine withdrew her gaze and turned toward the Rosalind manor.
Along the way, the clues she had gathered tonight quickly linked together.
During their management period, the Castro family had unauthorizedly modified the warehouse, giving the underground space to the Green Shade Merchant Guild for long-term use.
The Green Shade Merchant Guild collected a large number of plants with high vitality, extracted that life force through hidden devices, and funneled it toward the center of Red Kite City.
The identity of the person at the end of the pipes was unknown, but they possessed enough power to make both the Green Shade Merchant Guild and the Castro family cover for them.
Then there was the decay disaster from three hundred years ago and the abnormal absorption reaction of the 【Decayed Residual Root】.
What she had discovered tonight far exceeded the issue of a warehouse’s ownership.
But Celine still hadn’t changed her original plan.
The bigger the situation, the more she needed to secure a legal foothold first.
And the Rosalind warehouse was exactly the first stepping stone she needed to enter this game.
However, with the commotion they’d made tonight, the Green Shade Merchant Guild would certainly realize someone had discovered the underground cultivation ground.
They would destroy records, move the plants, and perhaps even seal the entrance overnight.
She didn’t have much time left.
Tonight, she had to have Leora submit an emergency freeze application to the Golden Scale Merchant Guild to freeze all transfers and modifications of the warehouse.
As for the formal review, it would begin as soon as dawn broke.
Rate on N.U.
