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Thinking of this, she quickly took a look at the knight. Very good, he didn't seem to have any hidden illness.

Perhaps it was because the lustful demon's gaze was too naked, and Edim's righteous words instantly turned into embarrassment. Finally, he raised his head and said, "Can you give me a piece of clothing first?"

Hopper casually took off the armor that originally belonged to Kuk Kuk and threw it to the knight, since she had no use for it anyway.

"By the way, I want to remind you, my dear Edimu. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I'm no longer at the level of a little devil. As a succubus and your queen, I believe I deserve your respect."

"I don't care what form you take, devil." Edim was smaller than the orc, and he had to tighten the armor straps. "I have seen you in all your forms, from rat to woman. You will not be my queen. I don't even remember selling my dignity and loyalty to you."

"That's a hamster! Not a mouse!" Hopper screamed angrily. She patted her chest, feeling that her mind was about to be turned back into a little devil. "Anyway, let's say goodbye, knight. Remember, you only have one year. If that brainless poet can't be redeemed, your soul will be mine."

"But I honestly think you've lost money on this deal," the devil continued, trying to sway the knight. Regret is also a crucial avenue for opening a gap. "Is it really worth trading your soul for a fleeting opportunity? Especially for an emotionally unstable lunatic like Judith?"

The knight blinked innocently and smiled confidently, his eyes as bright as the day he rode with Hopper.

"A kind act will be met with a kind response. Just as the messenger of God responded to my call, you have experienced such setbacks before, haven't you?"

Without waiting for a response, Hopper stood up and looked around, clearly refusing to listen to the succubus's instigation. Even in the dim twilight, he could see that the land was ravaged by fire.

"This is..." His eyes fell on the blackened dancing statues in the distance. "Chuiyan Village?"

"Well, after all, I can't just fly you into Emerald Harbor. I don't think anyone would come to these ruins."

"Speaking of Emerald Harbor," Hopper grinned, "Have you figured out how to explain how you fought your way out of the orcs and returned to them?"

"I believe my appearance speaks volumes about the effort I put in," the knight said, stroking his head, which shone like a barber's shaved head. "There's no other Stigmata Knight in all of Emerald Harbor who would question me."

"Don't say goodbye just yet, Madam Devil. I have another question. If Judith is saved, how should I find you to terminate the contract? You won't be returning to Emerald Harbor, right?"

Hopper laughed even louder.

"Don't test me, dear. You never know. Perhaps one morning you'll find me sitting in your house with my harp, singing 'The Milkmaid' for you."

Yidimu's face turned green as he imagined the scene.

Chapter 146 Dwarfs Meeting

In normal times, the autumn months of Hooping Cooperage Town are always bustling with activity. True to its name, not only are most of the townspeople skilled in the art of barrel hooping, but even their buildings resemble colorful barrels, scattered along the road and hills.

Cooperage is inhabited entirely by gnomes. In fact, ever since the industrious Thora the Cooper built the first barrelhouse with his children in the hills north of Emerald Harbor 200 years ago, Cooperage has rarely been inhabited by creatures of any other race. Emerald Harbor's thriving fishing industry and the vast farmlands to the north provide a wealth of work for Cooperage, so the Harvest Festival is a time of great bustle and joy for the town.

But not this year. Jane Flash walked along the bleak cobblestone road. It was just getting dark, and there was no dwarf to be seen on the streets of Bucket Town. Even the short-legged dogs that the townspeople loved to keep (of course, the dwarfs humorously called them "tall dogs") were locked up in the house.

Jane's destination was the house in the heart of Hoop Barrel Town, also the largest and most fancy house in the town—the Square Toe Wine Barrel. This four-story building served multiple purposes, such as drinking, chatting, banqueting, and political discussions.

The dwarfs' cheerful nature prevents them from sitting down quietly to discuss serious political topics. For the dwarfs, if they don't have a glass of fruit wine during the meeting, it would be too boring, and boredom is murder!

But today, the door of this hall that was filled with joy, shouting, and alcohol was closed, and a wooden sign with a large square foot painted on it swayed bleakly in the evening breeze. Jane walked up the steps, looked around cautiously, and knocked on the door three times.

The door opened a crack, and orange light shone through, illuminating the bald head behind the door. The bald dwarf with a goatee carefully examined the visitor, opened the door, and motioned her to go in quickly.

"I almost didn't recognize you, Miss Flash," the bald dwarf hurriedly led her inside. "Everyone is almost here."

"Sorry, Mr. Big-Belly Drunk." Flashessoe, our seductress Hopper, took off his hood, revealing curly hair and round blue eyes, and walked forward without looking around.

Haven Big Belly Wine carried the Flash Rope across the empty lobby, around the counter, down the long stairs, and into the wine cellar. He saw a circle of dwarfs sitting around the middle table.

"I'm sorry, Miss Shansuo," the silver-haired dwarf sitting in the innermost seat said as soon as he saw her. His round belly made the buttons of his vest stretch tightly. "Although Shansuo and his wife have gone south, as their relative, you still have the right to participate in the meeting. We don't consider you an outsider."

Jane bowed her head in greeting. The succubus wasn't quite used to the dwarves' unrestrained and informal style of deliberation. Besides a few unanimously elected speakers, all dwarves were allowed to participate and speak at Cottontown meetings. However, most dwarves felt, "I don't want to get involved in such a chore."

"Now that everyone is here, let's get started." The silver-haired dwarf shifted awkwardly, making himself more comfortable in the armchair. "I believe everyone has heard the news."

"This is already the third executive order, Toga," the blue-haired female dwarf on the right side of the table said angrily. "Last month they aggressively bought up our land, and this month they directly labeled us an inferior race."

"Niya Iron Ring, please calm down." The black-haired dwarf sitting across from her put his legs on the table and said in an annoyed tone, "I know you're anxious, but please don't talk nonsense. The Church of the Perfect Ones has made it clear that they are only eliminating half-blooded humans and tieflings. The Inferior Blood Act does not affect us."

"It doesn't involve us?!" His words ignited the rage of Ms. Iron Ring. She almost jumped onto the table to hit him. "You mean my husband died near the Golden Dome Church, and they didn't even let me collect the body, and it has nothing to do with this matter? They don't have a clear law to deal with us, but they are already persecuting us with a real bloody incident!"

Her words made all the dwarfs present look grim. Hopper looked at her carefully. She looked quite old, with a few tufts of mischievous hair escaping from her tightly tied bun, giving her a certain innocence that was not in line with her age. It seemed that her husband was among the three dwarf bodies found by the Inquisitor.

"Cotton Town hasn't taken in anyone other than those of the Stone People for many years," said the mustachioed dwarf next to the black-haired dwarf. "I don't think the executive order issued by the Church of the Perfect has anything to do with us. They themselves have no control over us; they're just notifying us."

"That arrogant herald doesn't think so," retorted another young dwarf next to Lady Iron Ring. "I really don't like the tone in which she issues orders. Besides, what right do they have to restrict us from selling barrels to tieflings? Tieflings don't bite."

Her words reminded Hopper of that afternoon's scene. Judith, leading a group of soldiers, rode to the center of town and announced to all the dwarves that, according to Emerald Harbor's Third Administrative Order, Barrel Town was not allowed to take in any half-blood humans. They should be wary of any tieflings who appeared, and those who disobeyed the order would be accused of disrespecting perfect beings.

Hopper didn't know how Judith became the Herald of the Church of the Perfect Humans. Perhaps the venerable Knight of the Stigmata had some influence. She was interested in whether she could profit from this turbulent situation, as the Church of the Perfect Humans began to tighten the noose around the humanoids after the Battle of Eagle's Nest.

"I have children to raise, Niya and Kara." The dark-haired dwarf raised his hands in surrender. "What do you want? A direct war? Or do you want to move like the Flash and the others?"

"My children haven't even reached adulthood yet! Wade Liangmu!" Niya slammed the table, her blue hair falling apart, tears glistening in her eyes. "They lost their father, and you turned a deaf ear to him!"

Sitting at the head of the table, the chubby Toga coughed twice and patted Niya's hand in a comforting gesture. His round, childlike eyes scanned the table's fellow tribesmen before he said, "That's enough, gentlemen and ladies. Don't hit the dog before it steals the sausages. Arguing won't solve the problem. Does anyone else want to speak?"

Hopper watched them arguing with gusto. The short resident made her feel very familiar, as if she had turned into a little devil again. However, the devil never liked to stop arguing. She said softly, "Everyone, you all know I'm just here to recognize my relatives. But Uncle Shan Suo and his family have moved away, so I shouldn't have said anything."

Of course not. I came here to look for my relatives because I knew Shansuo and his wife had moved. This place is not far from Emerald Harbor and Eagle's Nest, which is enough for me to get the information.

"But, I have a question. I heard that Lady Hearthheart is one of the most powerful nobles in Emerald Harbor. Why don't we ask her for help?"

When faced with a problem, the devils would often turn to the most powerful person to solve it. After all, a king's cough is better than a beggar's shout.

Wade Brightwood's face turned grim. He put his feet down from the table, leaned forward, and said to her sternly, "Miss Flashes, I know you're from outside. So I won't blame you this time. But please don't mention Lady Hearthheart anymore. The nobles won't help free people like us. They'll only exploit us."

Hopper rolled her eyes. "You didn't even try. You deserve to be defeated one by one." However, on the surface, she still lowered her head humbly and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Liangmu."

"Ignore her, Miss Flash," said Kara, the young dwarf who supported Lady Iron Ring. She seemed to look down on Bright Wood. She mocked him directly, "He's just jealous because his wood board business was taken away from him."

"That's right, that's right. I know a noble lady who's very nice. She's even a long-legged person," the male dwarf next to Kara chimed in. "The last time I accompanied Niya to the city, she treated us all to a meal for free."

"Enough!" Toga slammed his wine glass down on the table, stopping the two dwarves from arguing. "Miss Flashing Suo has a point. Regardless of whether Lady Hearthheart competes with us in business, she is a member of the Stone Clan after all. Seeking her wisdom is not a wrong choice."

"I'll send a messenger to visit Lady Hearthheart," he finally decided. "After gathering her opinions, we'll discuss our next plan."

Chapter 147 Mother and Daughter

"Jane, Ms. Jane Flash"

The meeting had just ended, and before Hopper walked out of the wine cellar, she heard someone calling her name from behind. She turned around and looked, only to see a conspicuous blue hair.

Niya Tiehuan hurried over to her side, grabbed her sleeve and led her aside. She had already combed her hair back into place, which had just been tangled by the excitement. The candlelight illuminated the wrinkles on her face.

"I'm sorry to let you see me in such an unseemly way," Ms. Iron Ring apologized while wrapping her headscarf. Compared to her domineering attitude just now, she now looked much kinder.

"I appreciate your boldness in speaking out. Few Stone Clan members are willing to speak out for justice when they first arrive from abroad."

Lady Iron Ring maintained the usual naiveté of a dwarf. She seemed to have directly categorized Liangmu as part of her own camp just because of Liangmu's rebuttal to Shansuo.

Hopper didn't respond immediately. She nodded to Toga, who was slowly passing by her. After he was far away, she spoke: "You are so kind. I just offered some insignificant advice. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I have a very difficult matter," said Mrs. Iron Ring, without hiding anything, "and it concerns my little daughter, Ann."

"Tell me about it."

"Ann is obsessed with the elves' arcane achievements. She's always looking forward to trying her luck at Emerald Harbor's market." Speaking of her daughter, Lady Iron Ring smiled. "And I can responsibly say that Ann has shown talent since she was young. She's bound to achieve extraordinary success in the arcane."

Hopper coughed twice, reminding the proud mother to get back to the point.

"Oh, yes, yes," she said, coming back to her senses and smiling sheepishly. "Especially recently, the legendary Archduchess Bettys and her fleet have brought back hundreds of boxes of antiques from overseas. Rumors are everywhere that she is not only wealthy enough to rival a nation, but also a powerful mage who has lived for many years. There are also some dark legends about her identity..."

Hopper coughed twice again, reminding the mother who had strayed off topic to get back to the point.

"Excuse me, where were we? Oh, Ann, she really wants to go to Emerald Harbor, and I'm really worried about her going alone. But you know, the Harvest Festival is approaching, and there won't be a single idle person in the whole of Coal Hoop. So I'd like to ask you to accompany Ann on the trip."

"I guess Tiehuan's business was always managed by her husband," Hopper muttered silently. "Otherwise, with Mrs. Tiehuan's erratic conversation and offensive emotional intelligence, she would have starved to death long ago."

Hopper looked at the expectant Ms. Iron Ring, nodded, and said casually, "No problem, Ms. Iron Ring, I'd be happy to go out with a promising arcane researcher. But you've been quite busy with business lately. Can you handle it alone?"

I don't know if she really didn't hear Shansuo's sarcastic tone or if it was true, but Ms. Tiehuan puffed out her chest and said proudly, "That's right, I also managed to keep the business going."

-

Before marriage, female dwarfs usually only use single-word names, and their husbands will add a word to their names on the wedding day as a symbol of maturity.

However, Ann was much more mature and well-mannered than her two-year-old mother. Hopper had expected her to be as impatient as Niya. But this round-faced girl with a monocle looked more like a grown-up dwarf than her noisy mother.

On the way to Emerald Harbor, Andu sat obediently and properly with Shansuo in the back of an ox cart filled with barrels. They were surrounded by the woody aroma of the new barrels and looked around curiously.

Emerald Harbor's North City was just as busy as when Hopper first arrived, with lines of people and patrolling soldiers everywhere. However, Hopper keenly noticed that there were many more humans among the people coming and going than last time, and almost no humanoids were seen.

It seems that Archbishop Eichmann's work is progressing quite quickly.

The oxcart stopped to unload its goods not far from Sheriff Square. The two dwarfs got off and walked to the Surf District, where the market was larger and more diverse than that of the Shade District.

As an adult dwarf, Flash led the way, casually chewing an apple and observing the people coming and going. Hopper didn't stop when he passed the small house where he used to live, just glanced at it. The plants on the corridor were still lush and green.

The surf zone was at the southernmost end of Emerald Harbor, and they needed to walk down a long stone path. When they passed the archway at the junction, An shook Shansuo's hand and pointed to the notice board on the side of the road.

A number of people had already gathered around the notice board. The dwarfs' height was of great use to them. They made their way through the thicket of legs and feet, walked to the front row, and looked up at the notice posted at the highest point.

Fortunately, the font on the notice was large enough and the color was bright enough, otherwise, with their heights, they might not be able to see what was written on it.

The black parchment covering Executive Orders No. 2 and 3 contained the following words in beautiful, ornate gold ink:

"The auction of Grand Duke Betty's rare collection will be held at noon on the third day of the Golden Moon. No later than the appointed time."

An immediately looked at Shansuo. After seeing what she was interested in, her immature nature was exposed. Her eyes were shining, full of desire.

"Ms. Flash, it's tomorrow. Let's go together. Mother will understand."

"Why not?" Hopper shrugged. Lady Iron Ring had already provided the funds in advance, so he didn't need to save money for her. "Didn't you come to Emerald Harbor just for Grand Duke Betty's collection?"

Ann nodded repeatedly. Hopper's indulgence quickly brought them closer. She leaned over and lowered her voice, "Not exactly. Many sailors say Grand Duchess Betty is a vampire, and her crew are all controlled by her. I want to study that, too."

Shansuo decisively grabbed her hand and left. She took back her evaluation of An. In terms of not considering the occasion, she was exactly the same as her mother.

Although necromancy wasn't completely taboo in many places, public panic could still cause significant trouble. An's words were enough to earn them a visit from the sheriff.

The closer you get to the wave zone, the more humanoids you'll see. However, most of them are traveling with their families, in a hurry, with serious expressions on their faces—they're all travelers preparing to move by ship.

Looking at the growing crowd around him, An also cooled down from his excitement and held onto Shansuo's clothes tightly, fearing that they would be separated from her.

"Don't get lost," Hopper warned, pulling the dwarf back two steps to avoid a drunk orc in broad daylight.

She stared at the orc for a few seconds. The latter paid no attention to the people around him. He just lowered his head and moved around staggeringly, muttering incomprehensible words such as "hostile takeover" and "robbery".

"Look, that must be Grand Duchess Betty's crew!" the dwarf whispered, pointing to a man and a woman at a corner in the distance. They were both slender and pale-skinned, and they really looked like vampires.

Hopper turned his head and saw another familiar figure.

"An, that dwarf seems familiar?" Shansuo gestured to An to look at a short man who was climbing the hill. His ginger hair was particularly conspicuous in the autumn sunshine.

After taking a closer look, Ann said happily, "It seems to be Mr. Lane Bolt, a friend of my mother and Ms. Kara. I remember he should have a shop near the old lighthouse area."

Sure enough, that was the dwarf who had supported Niya and Kara at the meeting a few nights ago. Hopper remembered that he seemed to have been entrusted by Toga to communicate with Lady Hearthheart.

An shouted Lann Bolt's name, but he seemed not to hear and walked away slowly. Then, An grabbed Flash's arm again and said nervously and excitedly:

"Jane, look! The Inquisitor is going to arrest Grand Duchess Betty's crew!"

Author's words: Thanks to Obsidian for providing the characters.

Chapter 148 The Judge's Interrogation

Hopper looked up and saw his old acquaintance, Judge Igor, wearing his leather trench coat that he never changed, interrogating the man and woman who looked like vampires.

"Do you think he will catch the vampire? Or will he resist arrest and start a fight?" An stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck, trying in vain to hear the conversation over there.

"Oh, Ann. Come on, let's go. That tall man looks scary." Jane fully played the role of a timid dwarf from outside the city, but her feet were like nails to the ground and she couldn't move.

Surprisingly, Igor didn't give the couple much trouble. He simply asked a few questions and then let the two sailors, whose faces had turned increasingly pale with fear, leave. What surprised Hopper even more was that the Inquisitor, after looking around, actually walked straight towards them.

It would seem too deliberate to leave at this time, not to mention that An Zheng was staring at the judge nervously and excitedly, and it was impossible to pull him away.

"Good day, ladies." Igor nodded politely and got straight to the point. "I'm Inquisitor Igor. I wonder if I have time to answer a few questions."

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" Without waiting for Shansuo to reply, An jumped up excitedly. She had never spoken to the judge before!

"Ann, don't do this, you will waste the Inquisitor's time." Hopper stopped Ann anxiously. She looked at the gloomy Inquisitor uneasily and was about to cry.

The Inquisitor had seen countless tears and cries in his career, and he had no intention of showing any sympathy or considering other people's feelings. He just stared at the two little dwarfs in silence, waiting for them to calm down on their own.

An originally wanted to argue with Jane, but the judge's hawk-like eyes made her shut up unconsciously. She hid behind Jane and did not dare to look directly at Igor.

"Very good, we can begin," Igor said expressionlessly. "First question, have you heard of the god, the Perfect One, the Marble King?"

Jane and Ann looked at each other and shook their heads. Hopper said tentatively, "Is that a new name for the perfect person? We haven't heard of it."

The Inquisitor did not answer her question, but continued, "Do you know any dwarfs who have recently converted?"

Jane looked at Ann. As an outsider, she couldn't answer this question. Ann was already frightened by the Inquisitor's serious tone. She frowned, thought hard, and finally replied, "No, not at all. Unlike the Long-Legged People, we have the protection of the Gods of the Golden Hills, and we share our respect and creativity with them. My mother never told me that anyone didn't believe in the Gods of the Golden Hills."