Chapter 187: The Siren and the Eternal Presence

"Your 'good cop, bad cop' routine might be effective in theory, but your execution was dreadful," Igula critiqued, a smirk playing on his lips. "If that elf had even grazed one of us with a bullet, I might've felt some tension. But you two are so stiff, just talking circles around each other without even trying to spice things up. Honestly, it's comforting how badly you're doing."

"Uh, pretty sure I'm not your 'teammate,'" Ash chimed in.

"Definitely not me," Harvey muttered. "All my friends don't breathe."

It didn't take a seasoned fraudster like Igula, a cutthroat death mage like Harvey, or even the somewhat naive Ash to see through the act. The duo's alternating soft and harsh tones were as transparent as glass.

Cleo's response was unexpected: tears welled up in her eyes. "First, I lose Serlina… and now I'm mocked by a bunch of outsiders… WAAAHHH!"

Ash blinked, bewildered. "Whoa, whoa, hold on, sis. No need for the waterworks! And maybe point that gun somewhere safer while you're at it. You know, just in case you sneeze."

The violet-clad girl, Annan, chuckled. "Bold of you to mock us. If it were me, I'd have signed the contract already—grateful to have my life spared. Do you really think you have any bargaining power here?"

"We do."

Igula's voice was calm but firm. "You wouldn't be here negotiating if we weren't valuable to you. 'Outsiders' must be exceedingly rare, and we're likely the only ones you've caught. That makes us irreplaceable assets."

His smirk widened. "So if you want to use us, you'll need to accommodate our terms. Otherwise, good luck finding substitutes."

"Cleo was right," Annan remarked, her emerald eyes narrowing. "You're sharp. Too sharp. The kind of cleverness that always spirals into trouble. A liability."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"But you overlooked one thing," Annan said, her smile turning wicked. "I don't need all three of you."

She tore a contract sheet in half with a dramatic flourish. "I only need one obedient outsider. You, pretty girl, are out."

Igula's expression twitched in indignation. "I'm a man!"

"Fine," Annan said with a mock shrug, pulling out a second sheet. She began to tear it, her voice icy. "Of course, I wouldn't mind having two slaves if someone were to show a bit of initiative…"

The trio's impassive stares were unnerving. Ash and Harvey didn't so much as flinch, as if they were watching a poorly acted play.

"You can't possibly be this loyal to each other," Annan snarled. "Are you some sort of brotherhood of martyrs?"

"No," Igula drawled, his tone dripping with scorn. "They've simply seen through your empty threats. If you were serious, you'd have let the elf blow my brains out for 'quality inspection.'"

Ash chimed in with a grin. "For once, I agree. I'd love to see if his brain really oozes black ink."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Annan's frosty glare turned deadly. Her flawless face, now cold and menacing, made the tension in the air almost suffocating.

Just as Ash braced himself for her inevitable explosion, the distant cries of rescued children broke the silence.

Annan sighed. "What sort of wretched country produces such insufferably cunning demons like you?"

"I prefer the term 'wise,'" Igula said with a shrug.

Pulling out another pristine contract sheet, Annan activated it with a tap, revealing lines of text glowing faintly.

"This is my final offer," she said. "Sign it, or die here."

Cleo fired three precise shots, shattering the miraculous chains binding the trio without so much as grazing them.

Boundless as their imaginations were, Ash, Igula, and Harvey knew better than to resist. With their collars still fastened and surrounded by a squad of armed Redcaps, rebellion was out of the question.

The contract in hand, they skimmed the text. Almost immediately, their expressions turned strange.

"What's with the faces?" Annan snapped, her emerald eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "Don't tell me you're trying to push for even more?"

Ash raised a hand sheepishly. "No, no. We just have a small, reasonable request."

"What now?"

"Could we… get a dictionary?" Ash held up the contract. "There are some words we don't understand."

It wasn't just modesty—half the text was incomprehensible to them. The unfamiliar script wasn't merely archaic; it might as well have been an alien language.

Amused but exasperated, Annan snapped her fingers. A crystalline tome materialized before her, its radiant presence immediately commanding respect.

"The Book of Revelation," Ash murmured.

"Eat these," Annan said, tossing them three small, golden candies.

"What are they?" Igula asked, rolling one between his fingers. It felt oddly gelatinous, like a piece of fruit preserved in jelly.

"Seeds of wisdom," Annan replied with a wry smile. "Consume them, and you'll immediately understand our language."

Blood Moon Kingdom – Outskirts of Kaimon City

"Too bad we can't head upstream to the falls," Adela said wistfully, sitting on a small stool and gazing at the crimson waterfall illuminated by the Blood Moon's eerie glow.

"This campsite is fine," Freya replied, lifting the lid off a pot with tongs. "River stew's ready! Took forever, though. We'd have eaten hours ago if someone knew how to catch fish."

"Well, maybe someone should've learned how to start a fire!"

Their banter was lighthearted, but they wasted no time digging into the stew. Warm, hearty flavors earned contented sighs from both girls as they savored their meal under the Blood Moon's ominous beauty.

Despite the peaceful scene, Adela's eyes drifted back toward the upstream area. "What do you think's going on up there? Why'd they close it off?"

"Probably a virtual realm portal," Freya said nonchalantly, already shedding her outer clothes.

Adela raised an eyebrow. "What, you're full and now you want that?"

Freya smirked. "Relax. Just going for a swim."

Adela laughed as Freya waded into the crimson river, her figure cutting gracefully through the water.

Their idle chatter stopped abruptly as a loud splash echoed from the waterfall.

"You hear that?" Adela asked.

Freya nodded, staring toward the falls. "Something fell. A rock?"

"I don't think so…"

As they watched, a small figure drifted into view, carried by the current.

Clad in a black dress and soaked to the bone, the doll-like girl looked utterly pitiful as she floated closer.

"Kind sisters," the tiny figure whimpered, her voice fragile yet haunting. "Could you help little Serlina?"