Margaret had still been completely dazed at the time, not knowing whether it was because she had just woken up or because she had been frightened silly.
Looking back now, she only wanted to give Darian two slaps.
Ken Territory was going to be handed over to her in the future, yet that brat didn't even think about what she was saying.
She slowly smoothed the creases on her skirt with her hands. However, since it was rare for Darian to ask for anything, and it was such a major matter, she should cooperate with all her might.
She looked up out the window just as a sparrow darted past the branches.
Six years.
The time Darian had spent away from her was already longer than the time she had spent by her side...
“My Lady, do you believe I can shoot that bird down?”
Darian lay sprawled on Wu Yao's back, her chin resting on Wu Yao's shoulder, maintaining a posture that wouldn't crush Xuanmiao or cause herself to slide off.
Even like this, she still managed to free a hand, pointing at the bird spreading its wings in the morning light as she boasted.
Wu Yao let her words drift past like the wind.
From the moment they left Ken Territory until now, a journey of barely half an hour, Darian's mouth hadn't stopped for a second.
She now only wanted to rush to Qinghe Town and drop Darian off.
If she hadn't found Darian's own traveling speed too slow, she wouldn't have bothered carrying the extra weight.
Wu Yao vaulted over the low wall of the town hall, landing directly in the courtyard, and threw Darian off her back onto the ground.
Not seeing the coordinates of Benita and the others on her map, she randomly pushed open a door and walked in.
Sitting by the window was a young woman. Her light brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and she held an open ledger in her hands. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her fingers flew across a mechanical calculator.
Wu Yao walked over, stopped beside her desk, and asked, “Where is Benita?”
The young woman looked up from her ledger.
The moment she saw Wu Yao, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pen tip left a tiny ink smudge on the ledger.
But she quickly steadied her expression, looking up to reply, “The Mayor went to the outskirts to handle some business.”
Wu Yao asked again, “Is Phelin with her too?”
She nodded.
“What about Suren?”
“She is too.”
“Eleanor?”
“She's there as well. A small incident occurred over there. The Mayor received the news just as she arrived at the town hall, so she took some people and rushed over.”
“Alright, point me in the right direction.”
The young woman meticulously drew a simple sketch on a piece of scrap paper.
Wu Yao took the sketch and stuffed the sleeping Xuanmiao into Darian's arms. “You and Xuanmiao wait for me here.”
Darian shrugged indifferently, sat down on an empty chair nearby, crossed her legs, propped them up on the edge of the desk, and flashed a familiar smile at the young woman.
Wu Yao casually cast Appraisal on the young woman.
【Qinghe Town Tax Collector: Vance】
【Age: 29】
【Affection: 80/100】
【HP: 100/100】
【Skills: Arithmetic Lv.11, Drawing Lv.9, Official Documents Lv.7, Socializing Lv.7...】
No wonder she was doing accounts here. Not bad. She could raise her Affection a bit and throw her into the territory as a tax collector.
Huh?
Wu Yao had only taken a few steps away after turning around when she suddenly backtracked, sizing her up curiously.
Vance tensed her spine under that gaze. Her fingers curled slightly against the ledger, but she did not avert her eyes, quietly meeting Wu Yao's gaze.
Her eyelashes were long and thick, the outer corners of her eyes tilted upward slightly, and there was a faint amber luster deep in her pupils.
“Do you know me?” Wu Yao asked.
Vance nodded.
“Do you like me a lot?” Wu Yao tilted her head.
Vance's ears flushed a light red at a visible rate. She lowered her eyelashes, and her hands resting on the ledger clasped even tighter.
Then, she gave a firm nod.
Wu Yao grinned. “Come on then, join my territory.”
Vance didn't seem to react in time, but she nodded again subconsciously.
【Vance has joined the territory.】
【Current Residents: 3/100】
Wu Yao patted her shoulder in satisfaction, turned toward the door, and her figure quickly vanished.
Vance sat frozen in place, looking as if her soul had been sucked out, staring blankly in the direction of the doorway.
“Hello, are you still there?”
A voice suddenly drifted over from the side, laced with a hint of teasing.
Vance snapped back to her senses, her professional smile returning to her face.
“Hello, I am Vance, the tax collector of Qinghe Town.” She nodded in greeting to Darian.
“My name is Darian.” Darian leaned back in her chair, a subtle smile playing on her lips. “You just blushed.”
Vance put on an impeccable smile. “That was the noble Lady Witch. Naturally, I admire her.”
Darian narrowed her eyes, staring at her for several seconds.
Vance simply smiled and let her stare, her expression remaining completely unchanged.
Darian was the first to give up.
She slumped back into her chair and crossed her legs. “Go back to your accounting. I'll wait here for her to come back and pick me up.”
Before traveling too far, Wu Yao spotted the positions of Benita and the others on the edge of her map. She immediately launched herself toward the northern outskirts of Qinghe Town.
From a great distance, she could see two groups facing off in an open space beside a wheat field.
To the south were the Qinghe Town soldiers brought by Benita and the others.
About twenty men, wearing mismatched leather armor and holding spears and shields. Suren stood at the very front of the soldiers, holding a longsword. Her stance was incredibly steady, as if her feet had taken root in the ground.
To the east were five fully armed knights.
They rode tall, imposing horses, clad in iron armor and wielding silver lances. The leading knight wore no helmet, revealing a sharp, angular face with his chin tilted slightly upward.
His horse was half a head taller than the other four, its mane neatly trimmed, and a longsword hung from his saddle, its scabbard adorned with several gemstones.
Eleanor was currently standing between the two factions.
She wore a riding outfit, her back straight as she conversed with the leading knight at an unhurried pace.
Wu Yao adjusted her angle, deactivated Wind Wings, and dropped straight down from midair, shielding Eleanor behind her.
“What are they here for?” Wu Yao asked aggressively.
The moment Benita saw her, her eyes lit up. However, due to the tense standoff before them, she did not show too much excitement.
Phelin had no such reservations. She shrieked, “Sister Wu Yao!” and rushed out from behind her mother, burying herself in Wu Yao's embrace, her arms tightly wrapping around Wu Yao's waist.
Wu Yao ruffled Phelin's head and pulled her behind her back as well, her gaze sweeping over the five knights opposite them.
Eleanor stepped up to her side and gave a brief report in a low voice.
“Those opposite us are knights from Peiva Town. The leader is Logan, the eldest son of the Mayor of Peiva Town and the captain of their cavalry squad. After Ohm died, the town was in chaos for a few days, and the news likely leaked out. They caught wind of it and sent five men to probe the situation.”
“Before you arrived, I was catching up with him, saying this is all just a misunderstanding, and that the business with the mages has nothing to do with them. I told them not to worry, as the Association will naturally send people to handle it, so there is no need for them to trouble themselves.”
Rate on N.U.
