Asura in Arknights

Yes, it is indeed the room next door, not the room next door.

The apartments on this floor are all safe houses bought by Hinterlanda. Before going to Rhodes Island, Leon also gave the keys to Nian.

In order to fool Daisy without giving himself away, Li Ang specially decorated this room to look like an office. Apart from some traces that he didn't have time to age, it looked quite decent. But after his fuss, the space inside the room became much smaller.

With several people in the room at the same time, it felt a bit crowded.

The interior space of the Scroll World is very monotonous. Unless necessary, neither Maria nor Nian likes to stay in such a place for long. It is unknown how Xi has stayed there for decades without moving.

Knowing she would be staying there for a while, and having nothing better to do, she decided to renovate the place herself.

She completely connected this place with the next door, placing her living area next door.

Apart from the iron gate and the surrounding wooden furniture not quite matching, there are absolutely no problems.

Although I don't know if the firm has any clients, if everyone stays next door, there's no need to worry about making the clients feel impolite.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, Maria immediately saw Destreet sitting at the table, pen in hand, deep in thought.

She leaned closer, a little curious, and asked, "Sister Destreet, what are you doing?"

"It's Maria..."

Seeing Maria enter, Destreet put down her pen and replied, "I was organizing the intelligence I'd gathered some time ago."

Maria was startled, then said apologetically, "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't disturb you, did I?"

“Not at all…” Descartes replied with a wry smile, “In fact, I have absolutely no ideas right now.”

Having nearly lost her life for inexplicable reasons, and subsequently declared dead by two large corporations, it's impossible for Destreet not to harbor some resentment.

At least Descartes hoped that she could die knowing why.

However, if the secret that brought her death were so easily discovered, given Destle's keen sense for clues, she probably would have noticed it during the clue-gathering stage, and wouldn't have unwittingly set a death flag.

So she stayed there for a whole day, but still couldn't figure it out.

"Do you need my help?"

Maria is now at the peak of her energy, and the courses assigned to her by the year cannot exhaust all of her energy.

Perhaps it's in a child's nature to be reckless at this age. Ever since Maria heard about Destreet from her master, she has developed a strong curiosity about her experiences.

Now that she finally had the chance, Maria could no longer suppress her restless curiosity.

"This……"

Destreet looked very hesitant.

This intelligence contains secrets that could lead to death. The blonde girl in front of us is the little princess of the Rinko family. Should we really drag her into this danger?

However, no matter how much Desty hesitated in her heart, she did not show it very obviously.

"Maria, didn't you just finish practice? Why don't you go take a shower? We can talk about my business later."

"Yes, I'll be right back."

Maria blushed slightly, and the thought of approaching someone while covered in sweat made her wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

After saying that, Maria ran into the bathroom.

Hearing the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, Desmond rubbed her temples with a headache.

"The little princess of the Lin Guang family..."

Previously, when the owner of the agency suggested sending her to Lin Guang's house for a while, Destreet didn't take it seriously at all.

As for her private relationship with the clan chief... in Destreet's mind, the other party probably just planned to use the channels of Pol Pharmaceuticals to temporarily place her there.

This would make her position there very awkward, and Desmond could foresee that situation, so it was better to just stay hidden in this place. As long as she didn't go out and wander around, she would probably be just as safe.

Of course, Destle still harbored a sliver of hope, and her decision not to seek refuge at Lighthouse Manor was also to avoid being labeled as belonging to one of their factions after everything was over.

Even if Desmond Desmond hadn't done it herself, she'd seen plenty of people trying to inflate their own status. Once she was completely labeled as belonging to a particular faction, it meant her career was over. From now on, she would be confined to that faction, and many cases would be out of her reach.

However, when Maria appeared before her the next morning, Destreet's illusions were completely shattered.

It's not surprising that the firm owner went out to investigate. He had just obtained so much information from her. If he were still sitting comfortably in the firm, Desmond would have suspected his motives.

It's said that his sister is the one who looks after the house in place of the boss, which is fine, but Dessie was a little surprised. She didn't expect the boss to be from Yan, which is a long way away from here.

Then she saw Maria.

The face was almost identical to that of the Radiant Knight who appeared on television a few years ago, but upon closer inspection, one could still discern that the Radiant Knight exuded heroic spirit, while this little girl was more lively and adorable.

When Destreet guessed Maria's identity and heard her address Nian as "Master," she realized she might have been wrong. The man hadn't lied after all; he did indeed maintain an extremely close personal relationship with the Nearl family.

Feeling a stomachache, Destle resigned herself to her fate; all the fuss seemed no different from seeking refuge at Nearl Manor.

At least, her safety was indeed guaranteed.

Destreet had never seen anyone who could carry a blacksmith shop with them, so that even if they encountered danger and were outmatched, they could leave them in that blacksmith shop and run away.

In just one day, Destreet had become quite familiar with the two of them.

The boy who saved her, like the agency owner, has also disappeared without a trace, leaving only the three of them here.

After a series of chaotic thoughts, the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.

Maria quickly changed her clothes and rushed into the living room without even drying her hair.

"Sister Destreet, I'm here!"

Maria cheered excitedly, which made her look somewhat boyish.

"Alright... I'll let you see it then."

Desmond shook her head and pushed the notebook toward Maria.

This notebook has been read by more than one person, so it doesn't seem to matter if a few more people read it.

"Great!"

Maria cheered and eagerly picked up the notebook.

What is she worried about...? She's just a defenseless lawyer, while the other is the eldest daughter of the Lin Guang family. Why should she worry about her?

Rather, she should be happy that the eldest daughter of the Rinko family would be interested in her affairs.

When Destreet discovered that Maria was reading from the first page of the notebook, she didn't think much of it.

Although some of the cases were quite difficult at the time, they are actually quite interesting from an outsider's perspective afterward.

So Maria quickly forgot about the favor she had offered to do.

As she looked at the notes with great interest, she said, "Lawyer... I think my uncle once said that he wanted me to become a lawyer."

Hearing Maria say this, Destle couldn't help but become curious, "Uncle... is he the current Long Knight of the Nearl family?"

"It's not the Long Cavalry; Uncle didn't take over the Long Cavalry position."

Maria said somewhat absentmindedly, "But it doesn't seem to matter. They're not long riders, but they've been doing long rider work... My sister is the same. I really don't understand what they're thinking."

Mr. Marner wasn't a Longrider? Although curious, Destle wisely refrained from further meddling in the affairs of the Nearl family.

Why does he want you to become a lawyer?

Destreet wondered with great interest why Marner did this.

Is it that lawyers, like knights, are helping to maintain order in Kazimierz, or is there some other noble and righteous reason?

However, Destreet heard Maria reply, "Of course it's because lawyers earn more money. Besides doctors, lawyers rank second in 'The Ten Highest-Paying Professions in Kazimierz.'"

"I'm not as talented as my sister in medical Originium Arts, so my uncle is planning to have me study law."

"You're right, lawyers do earn a lot."

Destle forced a smile and answered somewhat reluctantly.

Such a realistic reason almost silenced her. The glorious image that the Knights of the Light had built in Destreet's heart with countless legends shattered the moment she heard this reason. She couldn't believe that a Knight of the Light would say such a thing.

Clinging to a last glimmer of hope, Desmond asked, "But if it's just about the high income, that shouldn't be a reason to choose this profession, right? Does the Linguang family really need that much money?"

"Of course we're short of them! How could we not be?"

Speaking of this, Maria immediately began to complain, "My uncle used to be just a low-level employee. His income wasn't even enough to support the family, and he still had to spend a lot of money every year to maintain the family estate."

"Uncle finally found an opportunity to get rid of this hot potato, but my sister disagreed. She wanted to earn money again to buy the manor back."

Now, we don't have enough money again.

Even if she redeemed it at the original price, it wouldn't be money Margaret could save up in a short time; she would have to work hard for at least several years without eating or drinking to earn it.

Hearing such a realistic reason again, Destle hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "The Nearl family has also declined..."

Indeed, life is not easy for anyone in this world, and even large families have their own problems to face.

She never expected that the Linguang family would be trapped by the so-called 'manor maintenance fee', and Destreet also agreed with the idea of ​​the salaryman she had never met.

"However, you didn't agree in the end, did you?"

"Of course, I have absolutely no interest in those legal provisions."

So, you're only interested in blacksmithing? That kind of hobby is definitely not suitable for a girl.

However, Destreet doesn't have the right to casually comment on other people's hobbies.

Taking this opportunity, Descartes asked another question that had been bothering her, "By the way, Maria, you should know the owner of this agency, right? What exactly is his identity?"

"It seems like he can influence many of the decisions made by Boer Pharmaceuticals. Is he also very familiar with the owner of Boer Pharmaceuticals?"

Upon hearing this question, Maria also stopped reading the story in her notebook, looked up and gave Destle a rather strange look.

They're more than just familiar; they're clearly the same person.

Seeing Destle's puzzled expression, Maria hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "I know, but since he didn't tell you, I can't say more. You should wait until he comes back and ask him yourself."

"All right……"

Actually, Destreet didn't have much hope to begin with, so Maria's rejection was within her expectations.

Just who is that guy...? Why is he acting so mysteriously?

Because of various misunderstandings, and the appearance of the previous year, Destle ruled out the correct option from the beginning. No matter how much she guessed, she could never guess Li Ang's true identity.

Destle's curiosity was satisfied, and the room quieted down, with only the sound of Maria flipping through her notebook.

However, not long after, the two heard a soft 'creak' from the bathroom, followed by the sound of some liquid falling onto the floor.

"That's strange. Did I forget to turn off the tap properly?"

Maria tilted her head, put down her notebook, and prepared to go over and check on the situation.

Maria hadn't taken a single step when she felt a force coming from behind, pulling her back abruptly.

"Don't go over there!"

Destreet screamed, her eyes filled with terror as she looked toward the bathroom.

Although many things happened after Destle fell asleep that night, she did vaguely hear a strange sound in her dream.

The sounds coming from the bathroom sounded too viscous, with a slight difference from the sound of running water.

It was this slight difference that awakened Destle's hazy memories.

Destreet shivered and said in a trembling voice, "That's what I heard that night!"

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Meanwhile, next door.

Nian conjured her shattered greatsword out of thin air, slammed it onto the table with a bang, and stared at the person opposite her with a threatening gaze.

"Isn't it inappropriate to do this in someone else's home?"

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Arrogant Visitor

Rewinding to a dozen minutes earlier, after Maria went to rest next door, Nian was also preparing to receive the uninvited guest.

She couldn't help but marvel at how this run-down firm could actually attract customers... It had only been open for less than two days, and they hadn't even done any advertising. She really didn't know how people from outside found this place.

"Coming, coming, coming right away."

Responding to the slightly hurried knocking, Nian quickly went over and opened the door for the anxious guest.

Standing at the door was a well-dressed middle-aged Rupert, wearing an obviously expensive suit that was likely custom-made. He knocked on the door slowly but persistently.

When he opened the door that year, he stopped the car in time and left his arm hanging in mid-air.