Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

"who are you?"

"I am just an ordinary maid. If Your Highness has nothing else, I will take my leave now."

"Take your leave? That won't do. You still haven't told me what your purpose is in coming here."

She looked at the person in front of her with a smile. Although there was nothing wrong with her clothes, the noble air that emanated from her bones was undeniable.

Although Lin Xueyin was a homebody before and couldn't distinguish between noble and non-noble auras, he had already met so many people here, from students to princesses, from knights to generals, and even spent so much time with the Demon King. If he still couldn't tell them apart, he would truly be an idiot.

"I'm just an ordinary maid, I just want to keep living here."

To continue living here, in other words, to continue living here? Lin Xueyin frowned slightly and looked up at the maid again.

She's not the kind of woman who immediately catches your eye, but she has a strange charm that draws you in. She's the kind of beauty that grows on you the more you look at her, the more you like her.

Especially now, with a faint sorrow on her face, she exudes a pitiful charm that makes men feel the urge to protect her under their wings.

Lin Xueyin said that he is actually a man, so he naturally has the same feeling. However, there is a voice in his heart that keeps reminding him to be wary of the woman in front of him, because she may not be as harmless as she appears.

Staring intently at the woman, Lin Xueyin shifted her attention to the bathtub already filled with warm water. "Did you fill all this water?"

"Yes, we maids all learn special spells to heat the water, so..."

"No need, I just want to ask, did you put the muscle-strengthening medicine in here?" Lin Xueyin pointed to the warm water in the bathtub, which had some ripples but was still crystal clear, and asked.

"Muscle-softening potion? I don't know about that. I really don't know. How could there be a muscle-softening potion?"

Her panic seemed genuine, and for a fleeting moment, Lin Xueyin thought she had truly wronged the maid. However, considering that no one else had entered the room except for herself and the maid, she wondered who had made the muscle-weakening potion.

As a pharmacist, Lin Xueyin naturally knew the threat this muscle-weakening potion posed to her. Once she came into contact with it, she would lose all her strength and become limp in the basin of water. If an enemy entered, she would be nothing more than meat on their chopping block.

Most importantly, at that time, I would definitely be in the bathtub, naked, falling into the hands of the enemy. That outcome would be something that otaku who have been watching the anime would love to see... cough cough, no, it would be an extremely tragic ending.

"Your Highness, I really don't know. How could a maid like me possibly have something like muscle-strengthening potion? I can't afford it."

"Can't afford it? This muscle-strengthening potion should be very simple to make. It only costs a few gold coins outside. I imagine that as a maid in the imperial palace, your monthly expenses must be more than just a few gold coins."

Looking coldly at the woman kneeling in panic before her, Lin Xueyin's scrutinizing gaze only intensified Lin Xueyin's fear.

"To be honest, there's still hope for you."

"Your Highness, I really don't know, I really don't know."

Her slightly tearful voice, coupled with her pitiful appearance and her face as delicate as a pear blossom battered by rain, would soften even the most hard-hearted man. Of course, Lin Xueyin was no exception.

After a moment's introspection, he realized he might have truly wronged the maid. He waved his hand helplessly, "Alright, you can go now."

However, as soon as she said those words, Lin Xueyin felt an indescribable sense of crisis rising within her again. This feeling was very mysterious; she didn't know why it appeared or what the cause was.

As she watched the door slowly close before her eyes, Lin Xueyin's expression darkened again. With a wave of her hand, the basin of water entered her spatial storage.

Lin Xueyin opened the window to circulate the air in the room, which also helped to dissipate the smell of the muscle-strengthening medicine that had been poured into the warm water.

My arrival here was rather sudden, so how could someone have arranged for a maid to come in beforehand and then try to harm me? This matter probably needs to be thoroughly investigated.

Looking out at the vast sky, so blue and deep, I saw some kind of bird flash across the sky without leaving a trace.

However, she was not in the mood to appreciate the peaceful sky. She had been too soft-hearted. If it were Nana, she would have had the maid arrested long ago.

Under severe torture, she'll surely reveal something, but... Lin Xueyin didn't know what to say about herself. Even now, she still felt there was something suspicious about that woman.

However, it was too late to say anything at this point. The only thing that could be done was to have someone thoroughly investigate the palace and find out what kind of monsters and demons were hiding inside.

Lin Xueyin took out the communication stone in her hand, about to channel magic into it, but then abruptly stopped. It was all just her imagination; there was no evidence. Although someone was trying to harm her, telling her all this felt like tattling. Emmm, always relying on Nana felt awful, like being a freeloader.

Pouting, Lin Xueyin put the sound transmission stone back down and turned her attention back to the sky. It was still azure, but now it stretched for thousands of miles. Without the embellishment of birds or the color of white clouds, it was pure, as if it had been washed by water.

This sky is not suitable for villains. Although I'm just here for sightseeing, I might as well help Nana clean up some ants. After all, she's high above and might not know the dark side of things below.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. Now that the other party had made their move, there was no way they would stop. As long as they found a clue and seized the opportunity, they shouldn't blame him for being impolite.

I will also help protect Nana's country.

Volume 9: The Demon Clan's Journey: Chapter 58 Apology and Investigation (Two chapters published together)

He sat on a small seat next to the throne in the palace, which was probably specially set up because the previous demon king and his concubine who lived here summoned their subordinates.

However, this seemed to be a boon for Lin Xueyin. She no longer had to worry about where she should sit, and could instead sit comfortably next to the throne without worrying about anyone disliking her or causing trouble for her.

Lin Xueyin looked at the people in front of her, a faint smile appearing on her face. She found it particularly amusing to see Hollymus, who had been beaten beyond recognition.

"Why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is there something you need?"

Marias glanced at Lord Musa again, hoping he could say a word for him, so that he could start a conversation and allow Musa to smoothly get into the conversation.

Musa saw the pleading look in the other's eyes and could only sigh helplessly. Indeed, as a city lord, he also bore some responsibility for the trouble that had occurred to such an important merchant guild. Of course, uprooting the Silver Garden Merchant Guild would not be a good option for Chuyun City either.

"Your Highness, President Marias has brought his son to apologize to you."

As he spoke, his arm twitched almost imperceptibly, alerting President Marias, who had been observing Lord Musa, prompting him to quickly speak up.

"Your Highness, my son was unaware of your arrival and offended you, disturbing your mood. I brought him here to apologize, and I have also brought you ten bushels of pearls, ten bolts of brocade, ten exquisite glass cups, one Qingxue Biyun hairpin, and one Luoyun Tianluo robe. There are also some other small items, which I hope you will accept with pleasure."

Lin Xueyin remained silent. In truth, she had no idea what these things were for, so she could only remain silent and wait for someone to explain to her what they were used for.

"Your Highness, pearls and brocade are fine, but the Cuihua Glazed Lamp is a favorite decoration of His Majesty the Demon King. Some of the decorations in your room are made from it. The Qingxue Biyun Hairpin has the effect of calming the mind and restoring magic, which can help mages enhance their meditation and speed of restoring magic power. As for the Luoyun Tianluo Robe, that is, that is..."

"What is it? Why are you so hesitant? It's just a piece of clothing, what's so hard to say?"

"Actually, this is just a tool for men and women to improve their...you know...life. It makes men feel...you know...more in bed." (Don't say the author didn't write it clearly; with the current bizarre censorship, the author wouldn't dare to mess around QAQ)

"Why didn't you say so earlier? It's just a piece of sexy lingerie. Wait, sexy lingerie?" Lin Xueyin looked at Besna, who was also a little embarrassed, incredulously, and suddenly felt that God was playing a joke on her lately.

Are you sure you're not kidding me?

"Your Highness, how could I lie to you about such a thing?"

He shook his head with a wry smile, completely unexpected that the chairman would be so talented as to present a piece of sexy lingerie as a gift to Her Highness the Princess.

In fact, Marias knew it was erotic lingerie, something designed to enhance the pleasure between men and women, but so what? In his eyes, a woman's role was to constantly stimulate a man's senses so that he could always remain interested in her.

Therefore, in the eyes of this Silver Garden guild master, giving this dress to the princess was the most appropriate thing to do. Perhaps after she received even deeper favor from the Demon King, she would even thank him. And perhaps they could even get a ride on the princess's coattails.

Lin Xueyin was unaware of Marias's expectations for the gift. All she knew was that she had a "mmp" in her heart that she didn't know whether to say or not.

"Alright, I'll accept these gifts. You can go back now." Lin Xueyin replied through gritted teeth, suddenly wondering if she had been too agreeable.

Sure enough, Besna wasn't so kind as to end things. Just as Lin Xueyin finished speaking, she interrupted.

“Your Highness, please allow me to presume to speak. Someone has put muscle-strengthening potion in your bathtub. I think this may be related to the Silver Garden Merchant Guild.”

"Wow!" Lin Xueyin was shocked. "Does this guy have some deep-seated grudge against the Yinyuan Chamber of Commerce? He's trying to shift such a huge burden onto them. I, the victim, never expected him to confront them like this."

"Your Highness, are you saying that your bathtub has been poisoned?"

This is no small matter. What was just a minor skirmish before is no small thing now. The other party is clearly targeting the Demon King's favorite concubine, or rather, their goal is the Demon King himself.

"We didn't do it, it wasn't us. I've been in the Chamber of Commerce all day, how could I possibly have harmed Her Highness the Princess? There must be some misunderstanding."

However, other people see things differently. They had just exposed the young master of the Chamber of Commerce, and now someone was trying to harm her. By all accounts, the Silver Garden Chamber of Commerce was the most suspicious party.

Therefore, even Musa, who had been speaking up for Marias, gradually turned dangerous with his eyes, staring intently at the man, ready to pounce at any moment.

“Your Highness, please see the truth. Although Hollymus’s previous actions were somewhat biased, our loyalty to the Demon King is beyond doubt. We have only respect for you and no hostility whatsoever. Please see the truth.”

Lin Xueyin chuckled as she looked at the kneeling man in front of her. Although he wasn't exactly begging for mercy, he was definitely flustered at the moment.

"This is the first time I've heard of a big merchant being loyal to the Demon King. You're probably more loyal to the money in your hands and external benefits."

With her eyes slightly narrowed, Lin Xueyin changed the subject before the other party could reply in alarm.

"Alright, there's no need for you to be so hypocritical and say things against your conscience. I don't believe you don't hold a grudge against me, but that's inevitable. Of course, I won't point the finger at you because of this. However, the other party did make a move. So, what you need to do now is not beg for mercy, but to find out the truth of this matter and clear your names."

"Your Highness, but you asked us to investigate, how can we...?"

"As a large merchant guild, don't tell me you don't have any intelligence network in Izumo City. If you say you don't, then I'll have the Demon King investigate for me. If he finds out anything wrong, don't blame His Majesty the Demon King for being impolite."

While toying with the communication stone in her hand, Lin Xueyin's eyes were cold and her expression was heavy with pressure as she relentlessly pressed towards Marias, who was still kneeling on the ground.

As for Holimus, he was trembling with fear. The unfolding of events was completely beyond his expectations. He originally thought it was just an apology, just coming here to deliver gifts. He thought that as long as he said a few words to soften the situation and gain sympathy, and just had Lord Musa say a few words on his behalf, he could get through this difficult time. However, a sudden ambush turned all his expectations into wishful thinking.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, we didn't do this, I..."

"Alright, whether you did it or not is not for me to decide, nor is it for you to decide. What I want to see are clues and facts. If you are innocent, then use your own methods to clear your names. Of course..."

Changing the subject, Lin Xueyin turned her attention to Musa. "Lord Musa, I think you also owe me an explanation. After all, this is Izumo City, the Demon King's palace. To be ambushed here by the enemy, I think you are also involved."

Having anticipated this, Musa showed no sign of panic. "Your Highness, this was indeed my oversight. The maids here were all left behind by the former Demon King and have not been replaced. We will do our best to investigate the matter thoroughly."

"Well then, thank you for your hard work. I will wait for your investigation results, but I don't want to wait too long. At least, His Majesty the Demon King won't give me too much time."

Lin Xueyin meant that the Demon King wouldn't let her play outside for much longer, but Musa and Marias interpreted it differently; it was a blatant threat.

If the matter isn't investigated thoroughly in time, she'll speak directly to the Demon King. He'll then personally send people to investigate. Regardless of the outcome, the impression of incompetence will be etched in the Demon King's mind, and he might even suspect her of colluding with those people. At that point, he can easily fabricate charges against her, leaving her truly at his mercy, her life and death entirely out of her control.

"We will certainly not let Your Highness down and will investigate the matter thoroughly as soon as possible."

Hmm, I don't understand why they suddenly became so resolute and confident. However, since they have already made their promise, Lin Xueyin naturally won't undermine them or discourage them.

"I understand. Good luck to you guys. I believe you can do it."

"Then I shall take my leave."

Musa left in a hurry, without even glancing at Marias again. After all, who knew if this matter had anything to do with them? Only after investigating and figuring it out himself would he dare to continue contacting them.

Pulling Hollymus along, he apologized to Lin Xueyin again before hurrying away, leaving the once lively hall deserted once more.

"Besna, do you think they have anything to do with this?"

When Lin Xueyin asked her the question, Besna paused for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, regardless of whether there is any connection, they have a responsibility to investigate this matter thoroughly. However, I think the probability that they are the masterminds is not high."

"Yes, I understand. Before they have absolute strength, any tricks are just a joke. They are not stupid people, and they naturally know how to maximize their own benefits."

Besna nodded. That was indeed the case. Whether it was Musa, the city lord of Izumo, or Marias, one of the top powerful figures in Izumo, they both had their own interests and couldn't possibly make such a simple move against a princess. The only possibility was that someone wanted to use this as an excuse to get Lin Xueyin to take action and eliminate these people.

But what is the purpose of doing this? What will they gain after causing chaos in Izumo Castle?

"It's strange, isn't it? The enemy's objective doesn't seem very clear. However, perhaps there are still some things we haven't figured out, and some clues haven't surfaced yet."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, "Besna, do you think this might be related to the Temple of Curses? We destroyed their Dragon-Eating Flowers and Annihilation Beasts before, maybe they want to retaliate. And, there might be other conspiracies involved."

"Your Highness, that's impossible. Izumo City is different from other cities. It's a mixed-race city, and the management of religion is quite strict here. In order to prevent conflicts from arising over religious issues, the spread of religion is strictly prohibited here."

After thinking about it carefully, Besna finally voiced her thoughts. Indeed, what Lin Xueyin said was a possibility, but considering the special circumstances of Izumo City, this possibility was actually the lowest.

"Huh? Is religion prohibited here? But what about the foreign merchants?"