The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Of course, my master specifically asked me to explain that staying to destroy the false divine realm is a very dangerous thing, with a high probability of death. He only asked for your help because he had no other choice. But if you are unwilling to help, then take the Sprout of Life with you. I will not force you."

"I understand... Can I think about it?"

"Whatever," Eunice scoffed. "I've already told you, so I don't expect you to help me with this anymore... Sigh, Master is just too stubborn. Why do you insist on making me explain this to you? If I just told you honestly, what stupid person would be willing to do this?"

"However, I must warn you that if this matter is not resolved, even if you stay in the capital, you will not be able to escape the disaster caused by that thief. You'd better hope that I can handle this matter by myself."

Eunice continued her incessant chatter, while Chen Yao simply held the branch in his hand and remained silent.

Indeed, this deity is quite interesting. If he hadn't told me, he might have continued to deceive me. Now that he has honestly revealed the risks, what fool would want to take on such a thankless task?

To steal the home of an evil spirit with the power to steal from gods with the body of a mortal is simply insane.

They lost an entire squad there, crushed like ants by the enemy.

If it weren't for that silver-haired girl who suddenly appeared, he and Xiaolian would probably be dead too.

He died in that desolate town full of mud and corpses.

Damn it... If I could, I really want to live.

But... I've already made a mistake once because of recklessness.

If that guy succeeds, wouldn't all my dead comrades have died in vain...?

This is the closest I've ever come to resolving all of this and avenging my teammates. But most importantly, I must continue to run away. Will my comrades in the capital also pay the price for this?

Or could I... run away?

Tell them these things... away from the capital? Away from Loren?

Anyway, there's plenty of time. I'm already an Aslan player, why should I get involved in this mess...?

Having barely survived, wouldn't it be great if we could just escape?

What do I care about a goddess of life, a daughter of a god...?

Thinking this, Chen Yao suddenly recalled the scene of the silver-haired girl descending from the sky under the blood moon, taking his hand and pulling him out of the horde of corpses.

How beautiful she is... Could she be the daughter of a god?

She saved me that night.

Does this world truly have benevolent deities?

Chen Yao clutched the bud of life, remaining silent for a long time.

Then, he glanced at Xiaolian, who looked completely bewildered, beside him.

The girl couldn't understand crows, so she didn't know what Eunice and Chen Yao were talking about.

So Chen Yao looked up and asked softly, "Eunice, what's the success rate of that... that mission you mentioned?"

"Fool, this was with the master's help, of course it was..."

A gust of wind blew.

"...Fine, fine, the chance of surviving is less than 10%. If you miss, then accept it. Is that alright with you, my dear master?" Eunice said indignantly.

"Oh, 90%, that's quite high."

"Are you deaf? I said less than one-tenth, you idiot!"

Chen Yao stopped looking at the crow, smiled, and then suddenly took the hand of the girl beside him.

"Ah, Brother Chen?" Xiao Lian was flattered, but then she saw Chen Yao trembling as he placed the branch in his hand into her palm.

"Xiao Lian, this deity has asked us to do two things for Him, so we may need to trouble you."

"What is it, Brother Chen? It's no trouble at all. The gods have protected us for so long, it's only right that I do something for Him." Feeling the warmth from the other person's broad palm, the young swordswoman blushed slightly.

“Indeed, so I hope that after you leave, you will go straight to the imperial city without looking back and hand this over to the Holy Maiden of Light.”

"Okay...wait, me?" Xiaolian paused for a moment before realizing what was happening. "Hey? Brother Chen, aren't you coming out with me?"

"I have something... something to take care of." Chen Yao paused for a moment. "Didn't I tell you? I have two tasks, and I have to handle one of them."

"What mission? I can do it with you, Brother Chen."

"It's nothing troublesome, just doing some chores for the deity, so I can rest here a little longer," Chen Yao waved his hand.

"But..." Xiaolian frowned slightly, "Wouldn't it be dangerous to stay here?"

"What danger is there? Didn't you hear me? I just asked about the mission's success rate, and it's 90%."

"Is that so? I'll be careful..." Xiaolian breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, although she couldn't understand what the crow was saying, she could still hear what Chen Yao had just said. "But I'm still a little worried. After all, you always take on the most dangerous tasks in the past."

"So this time I'm thinking of taking a break," Chen Yao laughed. "You're not going to try and take this from me, are you?"

"Okay." Xiaolian nodded, still a little confused. "Then it's a promise, don't make me worry this time."

"Will not."

"Then let's pinky swear!" Xiaolian extended her little finger.

"Oh, why are you making pinkies? Don't be so childish, it's embarrassing."

"But...but..."

"Good boy, you're old enough. Let's let it go this time. I don't want to be laughed at by that crow. You don't know how much that guy has been cursing at me."

“Fine…” Xiaolian reluctantly put her hand down. “Then I’ll let you off this time since you remembered my birthday.”

"That's more like it." Chen Yao patted the girl's head, then suddenly paused, "...Birthday?"

"Yeah, didn't you just say I've grown up? I'll be an adult next month... Hey Chen, you weren't just saying that offhand, were you!"

"Oh no... how could that be? I remember it clearly, hahaha."

"Look at how guilty you look!" Xiaolian chuckled.

After several days of torment, she finally relaxed a bit thanks to Chen Yao's joking remarks. "Alright, you said the mission is urgent, so let's not waste any more time. Leave it to me."

“Okay.” Chen Yao nodded approvingly and looked at Eunice. “Miss Eunice, please see her out.”

Eunice nodded, then called out, and saw the surrounding white mist gradually envelop the figure of the ranger girl.

Seeing her figure gradually thinning out, Xiaolian waved to Chen Yao while holding the Sprout of Life, "See you later, Brother Chen, I'll be waiting for you in the Imperial City."

"See you later, and please give my regards to Sister Xia Lian." Chen Yao gave a hearty smile.

Then, in the last moment before the girl's figure completely disappeared, he whispered in an almost imperceptible voice, as if speaking to the air:

"Happy birthday."

Chapter 134 Martial Law

As the sole survivor of the guard squad, Xiao Lian was sent out of the mist and, while avoiding Gray Gold Town and the things that came out of it, traveled over mountains and valleys to the imperial city.

Compared to the horseback ride we took to get here, this hike was much longer and more dangerous.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

After a long and arduous journey, Xiao Lian finally caught sight of the majestic imperial city under the misty night sky.

At this point, there was still one week left before the second imperial election.

"finally reached."

Arriving at the edge of the crowded settlement outside the city, the girl's ranger cloak was already somewhat torn.

This huge settlement, located outside the high walls of the imperial city, was densely populated and diverse, and was not under the supervision of the imperial guards, making it extremely chaotic.

Outside the rows of simple stone buildings and makeshift tents, there were wandering vagrants, as well as many criminals who had committed crimes in the capital and were hiding here to avoid trouble.

It was already late at night, but the surroundings were still bustling with activity. Groups of villagers dressed in tattered clothes wandered the streets, and noise and the pungent smell of smoke and alcohol emanated from the drafty shacks with braziers.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Xiaolian tightened her cloak as much as possible to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from noticing the light armor she wore underneath.

Although the clothes were tattered and difficult for the average person to recognize, any henchmen from Greygold Town would certainly notice them.

But she forgot that her appearance as a young girl was very conspicuous in such a chaotic place.

"Hey, little girl, you look a bit unfamiliar."

As expected, the homeless man sitting idly by the roadside suddenly saw this petite girl and, like a wolf seeing fresh meat, he couldn't help but surround her.

"It's so late, why are you still wandering around here all by yourself? Why don't you let your uncle protect you?"

"Get out," Xiaolian said coldly.

"Oh dear, you've got quite a temper. Let me cool you down... Hey, there's no need to use any weapons, little girl."

Without hesitation, Xiaolian drew her dagger and forced back several clueless homeless men.

She possesses the strength to serve as a guard in the Aslan royal palace; even a few of these guys wouldn't be a match for her.

These slovenly people squatted back down by the roadside, but the little commotion attracted many ill-intentioned glances.

As Xiaolian walked along the road, she felt uneasy as she watched from the dark corners where the firelight couldn't reach.

Fortunately, it seems that all of this was just psychological, or perhaps her performance was enough to make those restless guys calm down. Even after they arrived outside the towering city walls, no one came out to bother her anymore.

However, as she approached the closed city gate, the guards stationed there blocked her way.

"Travel is prohibited within the imperial city. Go back to where you came from."

"Why are you suddenly not allowed in?" Xiaolian asked in surprise. "I have an urgent matter!"

"This is an order from the palace. Even if it's urgent, go back and wait."

"How could this be?" Xiao Lian was truly at a loss. The gate was finally in front of her, and she had no choice but to slightly pull open the collar of her cloak. "I am a royal guard of Princess Femishiel of Aslan. I have very important business to attend to in the city!"

"Even if you are Emperor Aslan's guard, it has nothing to do with me. In Loren, you should abide by the rules of Loren!" The soldier looked at the girl's ragged appearance with impatience. "Step back and abide by the laws of the Empire. If you continue to harass me, I will arrest you for obstructing official business!"

Arrest... If you're arrested, you'll most likely be locked up in a prison right outside the city walls, where you won't be able to use the community system...

Xiao Lian was very anxious. She knew that once she entered the city, she could contact the other players who were royal guards, but this strange thing had to happen at the last moment.

"When will the city gate open?"

"How would I know? That depends on what the officials in the palace say." The guard waved his hand. "It's a sensitive time right now. We'll have to wait until after the royal selection is over."

"How long is that?"

"About a week later."

One week... one week and the daylily is already cold!

The girl couldn't help but curse in her mind. She glanced around briefly and noticed that there were indeed many more guards at the city gate than when they left the city before.

Forcing her way in... no way. With her current skill level, that's unlikely. She'd have a hard time even dealing with this squad of ordinary-level guards.

Xiaolian convinced herself to stay calm. She had finally reached the last step, and she couldn't let impulsiveness ruin everything.

If it's Brother Chen...

She thought about it carefully for a while, then reached into her waist pouch and pulled out two silver coins.

"Um... Brother Guard, how about you take these silver coins..."

"Do you think I'm a beggar?!" the guard roared. "Even if I let you through alone, the gate wouldn't open. Can't you see that?!"

Brother Chen's method didn't work either...

Xiaolian is about to have a mental breakdown.

The standard armor of the Aslan royal guards was the best pass, so they didn't bother to bring any souvenirs when they left the city.

God knows what they would encounter later. She was the only one left to return from the entire squad, her clothes were tattered and unrecognizable, and now she was being kept outside the city gate.

Xiao Lian reluctantly put away the silver coins and left the city gate under the guards' urging.

Undeterred, she lingered nearby, wondering if there was any way to get over the towering city wall... or perhaps a hole or secret passage like in those games.

Unfortunately, this was naturally just wishful thinking on her part; rather, the idea of ​​a city wall having holes was inherently abstract.

Just as she was at her wit's end, a figure dressed in a black robe and acting suspiciously emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree trunk and slowly approached her.

"Who are you?" With her senses as a wandering knight, Xiao Lian could easily detect this guy. Seeing him suddenly approach, she immediately reached for the short sword tied to her waist.

"Wow, don't be nervous, miss." A thin man, around thirty years old, appeared from under the hood of the man in black. "I've noticed you've been lingering here. You want to enter the capital, right?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

“Don’t be so impatient, miss. To be honest, I’m a middleman,” the man rubbed his hands together. “I know a black market merchant who’s planning to sneak into the city. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to some connections.”