CHAPTER 206: 206

In a morning back in Riptide City, Ivona went to knock on the door of Michelle’s room, only to realize that no one was there. Instantly, she went to tell Anastasia.

"Ah-..." Anastasia’s reaction was quite calm. "I doubt she went to the black god... She wouldn’t use such cheap lies to fool us." With that, she slammed the door of her room and went back to her bed, leaving Ivona in the hallway.

Ivona also thought such a way, but she still decided to go tell Kieran that Michelle was gone. She wanted to see at least one person shaken up by the news.

Knocking on his door, she had to wait for a while until he peeked his head out of the room. "Did something happen?"

"Michelle’s gone!" Ivona said instantly, with no hesitation in her voice. There was even a bit of urgency mixed in with it. But what made her seem a bit off was the excited gleam in her eyes.

But Kieran was still sleepy, so he didn’t notice it. "I see..." It seemed the information didn’t get to his head because he showed nearly no reaction. He even turned to go back into his room.

But just as he turned around, it dawned on him. Instantly, Ivona was grabbed by the shoulders and shaken back and forth, making her dizzy. "Michelle’s what?!" he ended up shouting. "Are you saying she left alone to the black god’s sect, or what was it?"

"No!" Ivona quickly pushed Kieran back, regretting her decision to mess with him. Usually, he was somewhat calm even if big things were happening, but when he was tired, he was like a completely different person. Rash and irrational.

"Think about it for a moment!" she knocked her fist on top of Kieran’s head, forcing him to fully awaken.

With his brain rudely shocked awake, Kieran glared at Ivona. But he still took a moment to think about her words and the kind of person Michelle was.

Finally, he sighed. "So we don’t know where she went, but we can be sure it’s not the black god. And since she gave us three days to think about whether we go there with her, she will most likely be back in three days."

Ivona nodded. "I think so, and Anastasia probably does, too. She didn’t show much reaction when I told her Michelle went somewhere without us."

"The only remaining question is where she went, but she will probably tell us once she returns," Ivona added.

"Then why hide her departure from us?" Kieran raised a brow.

Ivona shrugged. "I have no way of knowing that."

"With her temperament..." Anastasia’s voice carried through the hallway as she stepped out of her room. "She just couldn’t be bothered to explain things, so she just went and did it. That also means things will be easier to explain once she’s back."

"Didn’t you go back to sleep?" Ivona asked, her brow raised ever so slightly. It showed her concealed, teasing smile.

Anastasia glared at the two in front of her. "Who would be able to go back to sleep with all this commotion you are making? It could wake even the dead!" she grumbled.

Ivona couldn’t help but laugh, and Kieran just sheepishly smiled. He was the one who was loudest, so he felt a tad guilty for it.

But no one continued to make a big deal out of it. They went downstairs to have breakfast and then went to the city.

To their surprise, they discovered that the city had a big underground network, all leading back to the tavern. The network included a market, shops, brothels, inns, and even the auction house in the center of the city. And naturally, the black market.

The group of three decided to split up at the market, searching for things that interested them.

In the meantime, Michelle was lying on Tenether’s back since the middle of the night, a strange smile on her face. "Tene, do you think they will beat me up when I return?" she asked, enjoying the cold wind around her.

The huge black eagle chirped into the air, continuing to fly into the night, away from the lit-up Riptide City.

"No one can beat master up on my watch!" Tenether’s declaration resonated within Michelle’s mind. A stubborn child resolved to protect someone.

"Why am I asking you...?" Michelle chuckled, closing her eyes.

Though there was not much time left until she reached her destination, she wanted to use it to rest her eyes for a moment. She was feeling surprisingly lazy.

Tenether chirped in protest against Michelle’s words, but she didn’t pay him any more attention.

After knowing the shape-shifting monster for a while, she knew that if she constantly gave it attention, it would become unbearably spoiled. So ignoring it sometimes was a must.

In the early morning, Tenether circled above a place Michelle was already familiar with. Reaching into her sleeve, she took out her disguise mask and put it on, transforming into Michael Grayson.

Then, she jumped off Tenether’s back and landed on the ground. The huge black eagle transformed into a small black cat and landed in her arms.

"I see you’re using original means of travel!" A calm voice carried from the entrance to the building.

Michelle turned to look at the source, her eyes locking with the boss lady of the information guild. "This one can be quite childish!" She petted the little black cat in her arms.

"I can see that," the boss lady came closer, glancing at Tenether. She could feel immense power from it, but she could also see how clear its eyes were. They held ignorance and innocence, unsullied by the world.

"But with you as its master, it wouldn’t be long before that gaze changed," the boss lady added.

It was a natural assumption for someone who didn’t know the nature of Tenether. He looked like an ordinary beast, with the only strange thing being his powerful aura.

When, in reality, he had killed and massacred before.

So no matter what he would see while being Michelle’s contracted monster, he would remain the same innocent black cat. It was engraved into his very being.

"He has seen worse things than what I can show him," Michelle said with a smile, carelessly throwing the cat into her spirit domain.

It was time to discuss serious things with the boss lady. "You said you want me to take a few girls with me when I go to the higher realms. Can I meet them?"

The boss lady was expecting Michelle to ask about that. There was not really any other reason for them to see each other. "They are in different districts, so it will take a while until they get here."

Michelle wasn’t surprised. "I was expecting that." She nodded a bit. "In three days, I have something planned, and I don’t know when I’ll be available again. But it shouldn’t take more than a month. I would appreciate it if I could meet them by then."

The boss lady nodded. "No problem. They will be here."

Michelle raised a brow. "You won’t even ask me where I’m going? Just listen to me like that?" she questioned.

The boss lady smiled. "The girls need to know you before they go with you, so I don’t see anything wrong with what you want. Also, I’m grateful that you will take the girls with you to see the bigger world, so I have no questions for you."

Staring at the boss lady, Michelle felt like she was staring at a mother sending off her children to live a better life while she remained drowning in debt.

"You know..." Michelle stretched her hands a bit. "I’ve said before that I could take your whole information guild with me. You don’t have to stay holed up here in the lower realm."

The boss lady nodded. "I know. But do you think an old woman like me has the chance of ever reaching the Divine rank? I can’t walk through the barrier of the Heavenly Law with my power."

Michelle shrugged. "That’s true, but there are always ways to fool things, no matter how otherworldly they are. A mere barrier isn’t that much of a problem."

The boss lady chuckled. "I shall be counting on you then. Everyone will be gathered here in a month. I’m sure they’ll like you."

"You think so?" Michelle summoned her Shadow Spirit Steps, prepared to leave.

"You are an excellent leader," the boss lady didn’t hold Michelle back in any way and let her leave. Their conversation was over.

Using her Shadow Spirit Steps, Michelle jumped over the wall and disappeared in the long shadows of morning. She had a few more things to do before returning to Riptide City.

For example, scouting where exactly the black god’s sect was located.

If she wanted to, she could have flown on Tenether’s back and looked down from the sky. But he was too big and eye-catching, so she decided to use the old method, moving on foot. It was slower, and maybe a bit less efficient, but Michelle didn’t mind.

She basically promised Kieran and the rest she wouldn’t get into the sect by herself, and if she was discovered by the sect, it would be inevitable. And that would be breaking the promise.