My teacher is a deity.

Chapter 29 The Holy Grail for Wishing

into the night.

The front line of the Green Valley Underground City.

A large number of puppets were deployed by the city's defense forces and stood around the valley, ready for battle.

At the puppet's feet lay corpses and wounded soldiers, their remains being carried out one after another, but few could be saved.

A large number of first-tier mages were forcibly conscripted by Edith, and the once dilapidated market town has been transformed into a large wilderness rescue zone.

"How is Hegeusius?"

Edith sat in the tent, the blade in her hand honed to a sharp point.

"The situation is not good; the captain has been seriously injured."

Quinn shook his head, his face pale: "It's mainly from internal injuries; one of us poisoned him."

"Poisoning?"

Edith slowly raised her head. She knew there were many spies of the Shadow Children in Gem City, but the fact that they could poison Hegesius was far beyond her expectations.

What surprised her even more was the sudden attack by the beasts today.

"...I was naive; their infiltration was far more extensive than I imagined."

Edith looked somewhat bewildered.

She had followed Ryan for nearly thirty years, from a first-tier assassin to a fourth-tier shadow walker, witnessing countless battles and schemes.

But this time, she truly realized just how ruthless the Child of Shadows could be.

Not only did they have extensive connections and know about their ambush plans in advance, but they also made a ruthless decision in a very short time, exhausting their resources and prematurely catalyzing the demon.

She doesn't consider it luck.

"Ms. Edith, I think we should talk about what's inside the Green Valley Underground City. This is crucial to whether we can continue our cooperation."

Quinn paused for a moment, then added, "The captain's fate is unknown. If necessary, I will report this to higher authorities."

Edith glanced at Quinn and knew what he was talking about.

The death of the Empire's envoy is no small matter. The next time they come to Gem City, it won't be an easy-going law-abiding knight like Hegesius, but the Empire's punitive legion.

Do you know "Night City"?

"Night Capital?!"

Quinn's pupils widened suddenly as he stared intently at Edith.

"The Night Capital you mentioned, is it a relic left behind by the demigod Lilith? Could the Night Capital be located within the Green Valley Dungeon?"

"It's just a replica; the real one has long been hidden away by Blood Moon Lord."

"...Even counterfeit products are dangerous!"

Quinn suddenly stood up and paced back and forth, feeling that the matter had become far too complicated.

The night is an extremely special miracle.

Most miracles amplify divine spells, magic, and the faith of believers, or bestow various forms of wealth and treasures.

But the night is different; it is named after unequal exchange.

Lilith's gifts are never generous, merciful, or even insane, but they are always alluring.

Legend has it that long ago, a beggar found the city of Night, offered up his brother, and ultimately gained immense power, slaughtering an entire kingdom, even killing passing birds.

Some unlucky souls, even after sacrificing enormous amounts of wealth in hopes of eternal life, ended up as a mine that could only scream.

This uncertainty is what makes Night City so feared.

No one knows what crazy things the next lucky person to win Lilith's favor will do.

But now, Quinn knows.

"Children of Shadows, Blood Demons, are they the ones who draw power from Lilith's grace and plunder the strength of others?"

Edith remained expressionless in the face of Quinn's questioning.

"Yes."

"You knew all along what those guys were doing, yet you didn't stop them, and even covered for them?!"

"Yes."

"You are plotting a rebellion!"

This time, Edith did not answer directly, but walked to the window and looked at the lights.

"You can report it, but no one will respond, Mr. Quinn."

"It is not only vampires who crave this power, but the gifts of Night City are not limited to vampires either."

"What...?"

Quinn felt a wave of suffocation, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"What are you talking about?"

Edith sighed: "I've said it before, this is a war. Please mobilize all available resources."

"What do you want to do?"

"Besides the city garrison and the law knights, I am preparing to issue war commissions to the adventurers."

......

The talks took place shortly afterward.

Adventurer's outpost camp.

A large number of wounded people huddled together.

Charcoal fire, beer, dancers—these things that used to intoxicate them were now ignored.

There was an indelible sadness in everyone's eyes.

Ross was one of them.

He was not a high-level adventurer, but just a novice.

He didn't possess any extraordinary weapons or scrolls, and he only knew one healing trick.

The most precious thing he owned was the blunt knife in his arms.

He looked around, feeling a mixture of relief and fear.

The Green Valley Underground City doesn't require tickets, which is lucky that a nobody like him could sneak in.

But he still couldn't compete with those big adventure groups and was ostracized, preparing to scavenge for scraps that others didn't want.

Ross initially thought this was unfortunate.

But today's sudden calamity made him realize that he was actually very lucky, otherwise he would have been like those great adventure groups, rushing to the front and dying the fastest.

"Maybe I should just go back home and farm?"

"This dungeon is terrifying."

Ross pondered, preparing to collect his free meal for the day and then leave.

He is not alone in having similar thoughts.

Most people backed out.

Just then, a metallic scraping sound rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

"Gentlemen, I am Quinn, the squad leader of the Law Knights."

"Since my captain Hegeusius is seriously injured, I will preside over the case briefing."

Quinn stood on the podium, his expression solemn.

Countless whispers arose from below.

After the events of this morning, many people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the official vampire clan, while showing even greater respect for the law knights who bravely stood up for the cause.

Therefore, even if they were dissatisfied, everyone was still willing to give them some face and didn't directly undermine them.

"The culprit behind this incident is the Child of Shadows."

"They secretly colluded underground, using the vast resources of the underground city to prepare for a divine sacrifice."

"Gentlemen, we need your help. We hereby issue a war commission with a daily base salary of 5 silver coins."

Upon hearing this, everyone present could no longer hold back their voices, and all sorts of noises rose up at once.

Some questioned the vampire leaders, believing they were secretly colluding with the Shadow Children.

Some, however, didn't care about all that nonsense and started to consider whether the war commission was worthwhile.

All sorts of rumors and gossip circulated, creating a scene as noisy as a vegetable market.

At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the stage.

It's Edith.

She looked down at the surroundings, and her fourth-level aura immediately intimidated the entire area.

"There's one more thing to add: once we find the location of Night City, we can fulfill a reasonable request."

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

No one could believe what they were hearing.

Night City, that wishing cup?

Ross couldn't help but swallow, a seed of longing quietly planted in his heart.

He is not alone in having similar thoughts.

And this is what Edith had hoped for.

Once the crowd had calmed down, Edith issued another bounty.

"Everyone, I'm personally offering a reward of 10,000 gold coins for information about a friend. If you can bring her back, I'll reward you even more."

But if someone harms her, then this 10,000 gold coins will be the perpetrator's head money.

"Her name is Vichy Ellef, and she is a vampire."