Chapter 138 | After Rebirth, I Became the Dungeon's Hidden Boss

The wind in the alley swept between the walls of the buildings on either side, gently rustling Nolani's dangling red hair.

Having been suspended upside down for so long, she was starting to see double of Celine.

She carefully weighed their current situation.

If she continued to haggle, she would probably be hung even higher. If she tried to run, she would most likely get caught all over again.

So, showing a keen sense of self-preservation, she changed her tune.

“In that case, may I apply for the privilege of being put back on the ground?”

Nolani struggled to look at Celine through the gaps in her red hair.

“I feel like blood is about to start pouring out of my ears. I promise I won't run, really!”

Celine loosened her fingers. The Mana-Conducting Thread wrapped around Nolani slowly lowered her until her hands could touch the ground, before completely unraveling.

Nolani pushed off the ground and flipped over, her red hair falling messily over her shoulders.

She sat there for a moment to catch her breath. First, she picked up her lyre from where it had fallen, then retrieved her bonnet from beside Moon's hooves, patting off the dust.

“It seems we've reached an understanding.”

Celine watched her, wasting no words. “Where is this entrance you mentioned?”

“Don't rush.” Nolani unhurriedly straightened her collar and plucked at her messy strings a couple of times.

“We just ran through three alleys, across two rows of rooftops, and almost broke someone's roof tiles. This is the perfect time to sit down and rest for a bit.”

She cleared her throat.

“I actually just wrote a short poem about escape and freedom. Would you like to—”

Several strands of Mana-Conducting Thread shot from Celine's fingertips, rapidly tightening in front of Nolani's eyes to form the outline of a fist the size of a steamed bun.

Nolani stared at the fist made of thread, falling silent for a moment.

If that actually hit her in the face, it would do some serious damage to her image as an elven bard.

“Of course, poetry requires the right frame of mind.” She naturally slung the lyre back onto her shoulders. “Since Miss Celine is not in the mood for art right now, I won't play it.”

Only then did Celine retrieve her Soul Thread with satisfaction.

Nolani did not lead the way immediately, but instead looked at Moon nearby.

“Before we go in, though, there's one small problem. That path is mainly for people and small goods, and the passage isn't very wide.”

She eyed Moon. “A black horse as beautiful as this probably won't fit.”

Moon turned its head and snorted in dissatisfaction.

Nolani immediately corrected herself. “I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that the place is beneath your status.”

Moon flicked its tail, ignoring her.

Celine stepped forward to soothe Moon. “I'll find a place for it.”

Nolani looked around. “There are no proper stables nearby.”

“It doesn't need a stable.”

Celine didn't explain. She patted the side of Moon's neck, sending her instructions through their contract.

Moon lowered its head, gently nuzzling her palm with its nose.

Then, it turned around and walked out along the alleyway at an unhurried pace.

Nolani watched the black figure round the corner ahead.

“You're just letting it walk off on its own?”

“It knows where it needs to go better than most people.”

“That's true.” Nolani rubbed the bridge of her nose, which had been hit by the bonnet earlier. “At least it's very clear about what it likes and dislikes.”

Moon had already vanished from sight, but the shouting of the pursuing Green Shade Merchant Guild was drawing closer.

Nolani didn't delay any longer, leading Celine through the alley and escaping down another small path.

The two wound through several streets and alleys until they turned into a deserted, abandoned courtyard. Only then did Celine gently rub the 【Corona Band】 beneath her sleeve with her fingertips.

The next moment, that familiar aura retracted inward, quietly sinking into the depths of the Corona Band.

Nolani didn't seem to notice. She hummed a little tune ahead, occasionally plucking her lyre strings.

Before long, they stopped before a very bustling street.

Celine had expected Nolani to lead her to some remote, dilapidated corner, but the scene before her was the exact opposite.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with a constant stream of merchants and mercenaries passing through. A three-story apothecary stood in the most prominent spot on the entire street.

Large patches of silver-grey vines climbed up the deep purple outer walls, and the windows were filled with potions of various colors.

Celine glanced over the spacious and bright storefront. “Here?”

Nolani smiled and pushed open the shop door. “The more dangerous the place, the less need there is to hide.”

An aroma mixed with herbs, tobacco, and a faint floral scent rushed out to greet them.

The interior was very spacious, with medicine cabinets on both sides reaching all the way to the ceiling, packed with potion bottles, herb bundles, and magical beast materials sealed in glass jars.

A pale purple smoke drifted through the room, though it wasn't harsh.

A dark shadow suddenly darted out from beneath one of the medicine cabinets.

Celine looked closer and saw a plump, two-headed black cat.

The black cat leaped in front of Nolani and gave a soft meow.

Nolani immediately declared, “No dried fish today.”

The cat head on the right let out a dissatisfied purr, while the head on the left, as if having expected this, rested its chin back on its paws.

Nolani continued to lead Celine forward. Behind a beaded curtain lay a long daybed piled with cushions.

A white-haired woman reclined on her side on the daybed. She wore a loose purple gown, her long white hair draping over her shoulders, and held a long, slender pipe in her hand.

Her eyes were tightly shut, but the smoke rising from her pipe seemed alive, slowly drifting around her.

“Nolani,” the woman took a drag from her pipe, her voice lazy. “The last time you walked in, you had three debt collectors chasing you. Why have you brought two guests today?”

Celine instinctively glanced behind her. Other than herself and Nolani, there was no third person in the shop.

“There are only two of us here.”

“Is that so?”

The white-haired woman still didn't open her eyes, saying flatly, “Then I must have miscounted.”

Nolani seemed completely oblivious to the strangeness in her words, raising her hand to introduce her to Celine:

“Matilda, the owner of this apothecary. She's a witch with a very good temper, very high prices, and a fondness for scaring her guests.”

Matilda blew out a puff of smoke. The smoke formed a slowly drifting jellyfish in midair, floating right over Nolani's head.

“I've never scared a guest. They simply lack a sense of romance.”

Celine didn't say anything, silently observing the woman.

From the moment they stepped inside, Matilda had kept her eyes closed, yet she could accurately pinpoint their positions.

Is she blind?

Just as the thought crossed Celine's mind, Matilda turned her face directly toward them with perfect accuracy.

“What are you buying this time?”

Nolani naturally parted the beaded curtain, lowering her voice.

“Matilda, the Holy White City knights have been guarding the city gates lately, and they're really not very friendly to new guests. We'd like to borrow the path in the back to enter the city.”

Matilda didn't shift her posture. “Sounds like you've provoked someone you shouldn't have again.”

“It wasn't exactly provoking them.” Nolani raised her hand to tidy her wind-blown red hair, looking slightly awkward. “This time, it's mostly to make amends.”

Matilda's eyes remained closed, but her brow slowly arched.

“Oh? You actually have times when you apologize to people?”

Nolani gave an embarrassed laugh, immediately changing the subject to prevent her from probing further.

“Let's not talk about me.” She turned sideways and gestured to Celine standing beside her.

“This is Celine, a friend I just met. I promised to take her into the city.”

Celine glanced at her. “A friend?”

Nolani lowered her voice and whispered an explanation:

“I can't exactly introduce you as the person who just hung me upside down in an alley, can I?”

A soft chuckle escaped Matilda's lips. The smoke in the air coalesced into a fox, circling Celine once before dissipating.

“You just met her, yet you're willing to guide her. It seems your apology this time is quite substantial.”

Nolani gave a somewhat helpless smile.

Matilda didn't press Celine on why she was avoiding the city gates, simply beckoning the two-headed black cat with her finger.

“My path is open to use, but I'm not responsible for letting your pursuers in along with you.”

“The usual rules. Check them first.”

The two-headed black cat sniffed around Nolani first, then padded over to Celine's feet.

The cat head on the left sniffed her cloak and the edge of her boots, quickly losing interest.

The head on the right, however, paused for a moment, tilting up to stare at her.

At the same time, the smoke blown out by Matilda slowly drifted close to Celine, circling her body as if searching for something.

The 【Fog Mirror Earrings】 at Celine's ear grew slightly warm.

【Magic mark probe detected】

【Probe target: Tracking, locating, cursing】

【Core disguise untouched】

The smoke briefly split into two wisps behind her. Matilda's finger holding the pipe twitched imperceptibly, before she drew the smoke back.

“No tracking marks.” Her tone remained lazy, but a faint, fleeting smile played on her lips. “As for other secrets, they are none of my business.”

Celine didn't reply, but the vigilance in her heart deepened by a fraction.

This witch might have discovered something.

Just because the 【Witch's Mask】 hadn't been seen through didn't mean she couldn't perceive things beyond the mask.

But judging from Matilda's current attitude, she had no intention of exposing her.

“Since there are no tracking marks, can we go in now?” Nolani asked.

Matilda rose from the daybed, walking with her eyes closed toward another long table piled with potion bottles.

She bypassed a low stool at her feet with perfect accuracy, picked up a long ladle, and slowly stirred the thick purple liquid in the cauldron.

“With a regular guest's guarantee, of course it's fine.”

“I'll guarantee her,” Nolani said immediately. “I know the rules.”

“Of course you do.” Matilda set down the ladle and walked over to her. Reaching out, she pinched a strand of red hair, twirling it gently around her finger, her voice carrying a smile. “After all, you're quite a famous figure around here.”

The smile on Nolani's face stiffened. “I hope that reputation is a positive one.”

“Everyone is very happy to see you.” Matilda let go of her hair. “Is that not positive enough?”

Nolani opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't press further.

Matilda then turned to Celine, stopping less than half a step away from her.

She was too close.

Celine could even see her thick white eyelashes and her dark lips beneath the smoke.

Matilda leaned in slightly, as if studying her intently.

Celine didn't back away, but her fingers hidden up her sleeve were already prepared to weave a Mana-Conducting Thread at any moment.

After a moment, the corners of Matilda's lips curved upward.

“I like you very much.”

“Come sit in my shop more often when you have time.”

With those words, she took a puff from her pipe and blew it gently toward Celine's face.

The purple smoke instantly spread out, obscuring Celine's vision.

Celine instinctively held her breath and took half a step back. By the time the smoke cleared, Matilda, who had been standing right in front of her, was gone.