"Someone in Sunset City has hired Adventurers to stop Roxia from becoming an Oath Knight," Natasha said urgently. "That's the gist of it. I hope that Mr. Su Xuan can ensure Roxia's safety during the Oath Knight selection in two days."
"Alright, I understand."
After a brief discussion about the main details of the mission, Lady Natasha got up and left, as she had other matters to attend to.
But as she was leaving, she kept looking back at Rosaline. Her bright eyes seemed to reveal a special care and concern for Rosaline, as if holding some deeper meaning.
"Mr. Su Xuan, I did some digging."
Ivsha whispered in Su Xuan's ear, "It seems Rosaline used to be an Oath Knight for the Yerman Clan, but she perished during a mission ten years ago."
'So they're relatives from the same clan?' Su Xuan murmured thoughtfully.
Furthermore, according to the intel, an Oath Knight was a Guardian who had received the White Rose Ceremony and was tasked with defending a city.
One could only imagine their combat strength!
Of course, after Rosaline was recruited into the Su Xuan Guild, her transformation into an Undead caused her Level to drop to 10.
If she were still in her living state, her Level would probably be at least 30 or higher!
But the Rosaline of today...
Su Xuan turned and looked at Rosaline, who was sitting beside him.
She was gently stirring the coffee in her cup with a delicate finger. Having become one of the Undead, she had long forgotten everything.
She had even lost the ability to speak.
"It's getting late. We should head back."
Su Xuan finished his coffee in one go, casually placed a few Copper Coins on the table, and got up to leave the coffee shop.
Just as he stepped out of the coffee shop, a man in a black robe on the street suddenly caught his attention.
But just as quickly, the man vanished into the crowd.
'Other Players?'
Su Xuan muttered to himself.
According to the information Natasha provided, someone else in Sunset City had issued a request to a Player-created Guild, commissioning Adventurers to obstruct Roxia during the Oath Knight selection process.
This actually made Su Xuan feel a little excited.
It was his first time encountering other Players in the game. Even though they were enemies, it only made sense for an online game to have PvP!
Of course, he had absolutely no intention of holding back.
As for the rival Guild's strength, he expected it to be about on par with his own. After all, this was just an E-Level mission.
"Mr. Su Xuan, what are you looking at?"
Ivsha asked curiously, noticing that Su Xuan was standing there in a daze.
"It's nothing. Let's go back."
...
「Yerman Clan's Castle.」
"Aunt Natasha, are you saying you saw my aunt?" Roxia shot up from her seat, her face filled with shock.
"Yes!" Natasha nodded and explained, "I'm sure it was Rosaline! I'd never forget her White Gold Armor or the clan crest on her breastplate. But... her Status was strange!"
"Aunt Natasha, are you sure you weren't mistaken? Aunt Rosaline perished in that shipwreck ten years ago." Roxia still found it hard to believe that her aunt, Rosaline, could possibly be alive.
After all, ten years had passed since the shipwreck. If her aunt were truly alive, how could there have been no news at all?
"How could I be mistaken, Roxia?! I'm only thirty-four, not old enough for my eyes to be failing me!" Natasha desperately wanted Roxia to believe her.
Hearing Natasha's sincere tone, Roxia's conviction began to waver slightly.
'If Aunt Rosaline is really alive, then this Oath Knight selection...'
"Who was my aunt with?"
Roxia asked urgently.
"An Adventurer I hired."
"An Adventurer? Aunt Natasha, why did you hire an Adventurer?" Roxia's face was full of confusion.
"I heard someone plans to move against you during the Oath Knight selection, so I hired a few Adventurers as a precaution," Natasha explained.
"..."
Roxia fell silent for a moment at Natasha's concern.
She understood that everything Aunt Natasha did was for her own good. However, the selection was protected by the White Rose and supervised by all the Knight Clans of Sunset City. Sabotaging it would be next to impossible.
Still, it was a gesture of Natasha's kindness, and she wouldn't refuse it.
"Natasha, you've been drowning in grief for too long! Rosaline died long ago! And so did Roxia's parents! They all perished in that shipwreck!"
Just then, Mero, who had overheard their conversation from outside, strode into Roxia's study and cut in coldly.
"Uncle?"
"Roxia, I hope you can forgive Natasha's bout of madness," Mero said, shooting a cold glance at Natasha. He continued, "She was the best of friends with your mother and your aunt. More than a decade ago, the citizens of Sunset City even called them the 'Three Inseparable Golden Flowers,' a name that represented the beautiful friendship between them."
"It's only natural that she'd hallucinate Rosaline being alive. She just misses your mother and your aunt that much."
"How could you..."
Natasha's eyes welled with tears. She wanted to explain to Roxia that she absolutely was not hallucinating!
Rosaline had really appeared in Sunset City again!
But Mero didn't seem inclined to give Natasha a chance to speak, cutting her off. "You have to believe, however, that Natasha loves you. She was willing to spend a fortune hiring Adventurers for your sake. Even if those Adventurers can't do much to help, it's the thought that counts."
Hearing this, Roxia gave Natasha a gentle smile and said gratefully, "Aunt Natasha, thank you for caring for me like a mother. Please believe that I will distinguish myself at the Oath Knight selection in two days. I won't let you down!"
"Roxia..."
"Alright! Roxia, it's time for you to go to the church for your weekly worship."
"Mm."
Urged on by Mero, Roxia left the study.
As Mero left, he deliberately glanced back at Natasha, who was still standing in the study. His eyes seemed to hold some deeper meaning.
The look made Natasha feel a hint of fear, but she didn't dare say anything to Roxia.
...
"Well, Mr. Su Xuan~ See you tomorrow~"
After saying goodbye to Su Xuan, Ivsha left the Guild.
Su Xuan was also about to log out. Even though it was Friday, he had to work at Sister Ling's shop the next morning.
Just as he was about to close the game, he noticed Rosaline was still sitting on a wooden chair in the Guild hall.
He had no idea what she was thinking. She was just lightly tracing patterns on the wooden table with her delicate finger.
In just a short while, she had already carved a flower into the table.
This made Su Xuan frown. If Rosaline kept this up, all the wooden tables in his Guild would be ruined!
After some thought, Su Xuan bought a "Qingming River Painting" jigsaw puzzle from the shop.
He walked over to Rosaline, placed the puzzle on the table, and said gently, "If you're bored, you can play with this."
Rosaline looked at Su Xuan, then at the puzzle on the table.
A strange light suddenly flashed in those hollow 'eyes'...
Suddenly, a notification popped up in Su Xuan's vision!
[Character Development Quest Triggered — It Itches! I'm Growing a Brain!]
[Quest Description: Have Rosaline complete the "Qingming River Painting" puzzle by herself.]
[Quest Reward: Random High-tier Swordsmanship!]
Su Xuan: "..."
"Huh!?"