Chapter 9. The Dungeon

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"Little brother?"

Lyle turned to look at Ferran, but in the next instant, he understood what was going on.

The Ferran beside him was one hundred percent human, he could be sure of that.

So... why was that girl calling him little brother? The truth of the matter was clear as day.

"Your sister...?"

Lyle turned to look at Ferran and probed.

"She's dead. Killed by this monster,"

Ferran said flatly.

Hearing this answer, although he had expected it, Lyle still tightened his grip on his longsword as he looked at the girl.

"Haaa~"

The girl let out a soft sigh.

"Clearly, I look and even remember everything exactly the same, yet I don't know why you still can't accept me."

"You monsters will never understand human feelings,"

Lyle said indifferently.

"Actually..."

Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke, turning her head. Her pale golden eyes looked over at Lyle.

"Actually, I can't really understand either, ha."

It was just like how she couldn't understand why, even when each of her identities and personalities were different every time, he could still remember and love every one of her that died before his eyes.

She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head, not wanting to brood any further.

"Let's go. No need to say any more."

After finishing, she even shot Ferran a cold glance.

Although she didn't say another word, that indifferent golden gaze still made Ferran shudder inside.

After this scare, those small thoughts he'd had in his mind just moments before were instantly snuffed out.

Of course, now he was just a guide. She was still the legendary most evil Saintess.

He had no right whatsoever to persuade her to reject "sister's" request because of his own matters.

"As expected of the Saintess."

The girl said with a bit of admiration.

"With just a glance, you can make the rest of the team obey. Truly impressive."

"Seriously..."

Jiang Cheng narrowed her eyes.

"So much useless talk."

With that, Jiang Cheng raised her hand, making a show of preparing to cast another divine spell.

"Please calm down, Your Holiness," the girl dared not say another word, nodded, and turned to walk away.

"Right, your name."

Jiang Cheng suddenly looked at the girl in front.

If Ferran was to be allowed to decide everything by himself, then this girl would be a key piece in the plan; no detail could go to waste.

"I suppose Ferran wouldn't want me to keep using his sister's name. Renata is my new name. Just call me that."

The girl turned back and said.

"Rebirth, huh..."

Tasting the meaning behind the name, Jiang Cheng let out a laugh.

She hadn't expected her to choose the same name as in the original story.

In that case, the odds of using an emotional plea to have Ferran help resolve the incident for real became even higher.

As the group moved forward, after rounding a few turns, their view gradually opened up.

Along the way, they hadn't run into any other corrupted monsters.

But considering Renata's previous behavior of controlling corrupted monsters to attack Jiang Cheng, the reason was obvious.

These humanoid mutants seemed to possess a method to control other lower-level corrupted monsters.

After the group turned the last corner, a vast scene appeared before them.

Within the pitch-black, expansive cavern stood a city!

Complex magic arrays were drawn on the pitch-black city walls, while black sludge squirmed atop them.

But, what was truly odd was that there weren't many people inside the city, as if it were a dead city.

However, considering this was underground, even deeper within the corrupted zone, it was not surprising.

"This is..."

Lyle turned with shock written all over his face to look at Renata and Jiang Cheng.

"Your Holiness should know, right?"

Tilting her head, Renata looked at Jiang Cheng.

"Ha, that's right!"

Jiang Cheng said with pleasantly surprised excitement and took a few steps forward.

"As you can see, my brave hero, this is the true underground city, place of adventure, a great miracle born from the God of Adventure!"

"The true dungeon?"

Lyle asked, raising his head. Could it be that the previous ones were fake?

"Exactly."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Have you ever thought about it, hero?"

"Why is this underground area merely a cavern, yet called a dungeon and not just an underground cave?"

"You mean..."

Lyle finally understood Jiang Cheng's point.

"That's right."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Because the God of Adventure truly built a city down here."

"Unfortunately, now it has become the deepest part of the corrupted zone—a place no one sets foot in."

"This..."

Looking at the miracle before him, even Lyle was overwhelmed.

"So,"

Renata interjected, "now that no humans visit, this city became our home."

"You monsters, you mean?"

Lyle said with a hint of mockery.

Even now, he still had no good opinion of monsters that devoured other people's memories.

"Hero, you misunderstand us too deeply..."

Renata said, feigning sadness.

Seeing no reaction from Lyle, she could only drop her act.

"In fact, we are very willing to assist you, hero, in the great feat of slaying the corrupted monster king."

"Why should I believe you?"

Lyle frowned and looked over at Ferran, who had yet to utter a word and was staring intensely at Renata.

"You see, the people you've hurt are still here. Why should I trust monsters like you?"

Ferran looked up, seemingly in disbelief at Lyle.

He hadn't expected this hero would stick up for him, even at the cost of losing a potential ally.

However, his eyes darkened.

It didn't seem to change much. After all, the true leader of the party was the Saintess.

"Haaa,"

Renata shook her head in distress and looked at Ferran.

"I know you can't accept me, but I didn't expect you to hate me so much, little brother."

"Shut up! Don't insult that title!"

Ferran cursed under his breath.

"Fine."

Renata sighed softly and said nothing more, turning to Jiang Cheng.

"Your Holiness, what do you think..."

"I agree."

Jiang Cheng smiled. What an interesting farce.

Who knew what might happen when the truth eventually came out.

"Why would you agree?"

Turning around, Lyle stared seriously at Jiang Cheng and asked.

"Even if I know she's telling the truth, they're monsters! The kind that eats people!"

"So what?"

What Lyle hadn't expected was that Jiang Cheng's response would be so simple.

"So what?"

How calm, how concise, and... how disdainful.

It was at this moment that Lyle remembered—she was not merely a normal Saintess, but the most dreaded, most evil Saintess herself.

Her helpful advice over the past days had almost made him forget what she was like inside.

"You...!"

Lyle spat out one word in anger, and then turned to stride into the dungeon city.

"I don't need your help. Once I finish exploring, I'll leave."

Those were Lyle's parting words. Ferran looked around and followed after him.

But Jiang Cheng, left behind, did not get angry. She simply smiled and pulled her hand out from behind her back.

On the back of her hand, a small wound disappeared in an instant.

"This divine spell really is useful—its emotion control is great,"

Jiang Cheng casually commented.

"All right, next, I can finally launch my other contingency plan."

Smiling, she blinked, her form shifting into that of a mentor. She looked at Renata.

"It's you?"

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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