As a weapon spirit, I might not be the brightest individual, but I can say with confidence that I’m more mentally endowed than Lucia. Of course, there are times where even a genius can be enlightened by a fool, so when Lucia insisted the Shadow Devil Sect was in Ming County, I was sure it wasn’t, but a tiny nagging part of me couldn’t help but think that I was wrong. Thus, I chose not to say anything, and as a result, we’re lost. Well, not completely lost since we know our current location.

“This is the Shadow Devil Sect?” Lucia stood in front of a worn-down wooden gate. Its corners were frayed and splintered, and a dilapidated fence was attached to it, surrounding a small building no bigger than a chicken coop. “What happened to it in ten years?”

“Excuse me, Miss, are you looking for someone?” I turned around, towards the voice. A shop owner was standing behind a stall with cracked white buns on display. Inside of the cracks, red liquid seemed to drip out. “Rather than standing around in front of that abandoned old building, why not try some of my pork buns? That way, at least you’ll fill your belly while waiting.”

“That’s a good idea!” Lucia’s head bobbed up and down. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact the stall owner said the building was abandoned and only paid attention to the pork bun portion of the sentence. She went up to the stall and picked up a bun before sniffing it. “I’ll take all of them!”

“Yes, that’ll be … all of them?”

“Mhmph.” Lucia was already chewing on a bun. “All. Mmph.”

The stall owner didn’t say anything as Lucia systematically devoured the buns on the stall. She patted her stomach and exhaled. “It’s been so long since I’ve had meat.”

That’s right. She was eating those pills Ilya gave to her to avoid building up impurities in her body. “Why aren’t you eating those pills?”

“I finished them all! And Ilya’s not here to make me anymore.” Lucia wiped her mouth on her sleeve and blinked at the stall owner. “How much?”

“Two silver coins.”

Lucia lowered her head and furrowed her brow. “Uh…. How much is that in gold coins?”

“Pardon?”

“How many gold coins do I have to give you if I don’t have any silver ones?”

“Um, just one? However, I don’t have any change and—”

Lucia placed a gold coin down before the owner could finish. “Mm. Here. The buns were good.”

“Oh, thank you, Young Miss!” The gold coin disappeared underneath the owner’s hand. He smiled at Lucia and me. “Why were you standing in front of that abandoned building? I’ve been running this stall for many years. Perhaps I can help you out with some information.”

“Really? That’d be great.” Lucia nodded and pointed at the building behind her. “What happened to the Shadow Devil Sect? Where is everyone?”

“Around thirty years ago, the sect leader of the Shadow Devil Sect slept with the daughter of the city lord, triggering a major conflict between the sect and the city. In the end, the city lord enlisted outside help, the Mo Family, and wiped the Shadow Devil Sect out of existence. Nowadays, this old building is kept as a warning.”

Lucia tilted her head. “To warn people not to sleep with the city lord’s daughter?”

The stall owner coughed. “As a warning to anyone seeking conflict with the city. Even if there’s a major sect backing you, you have to behave yourselves inside.”

“Oh.” Lucia nodded. “Wait a minute. Thirty years ago? The Shadow Devil Sect was still around ten years ago! How were they wiped out thirty years ago?”

Well, that’s because you’re wrong, Lucia. It’s simple. “This isn’t Softie’s Shadow Devil Sect.”

“But…, but…, Ming County. It’s right! It’s definitely supposed to be here!” Lucia’s tail slapped the ground, and the nearby buildings shook. A few screams rang through the air. “Why would the voice in my head tell me to come here?”

Is this the voice that Lucia said was telling her to kill everything? “You’re not supposed to listen to those voices, Lucia.”

“But, this time, the voice wasn’t telling me to kill people. It just told me that this was the right place. Mm, well, it didn’t exactly say this is where Softie was, but it very strongly suggested I come here.”

I sighed. It doesn’t matter to me where we are or where we go. As long as I’m by Lucia’s side, I’m satisfied. There’s no end to the amount of people she’ll pick fights with, letting me fulfill my purpose as a weapon spirit. Even though that’s the case, Lucia should try to go to Softie. I can tell, despite my lack of emotions, that Lucia is troubled after being abandoned by Ilya. If she loses Softie too, she might break. She’s very fragile despite her strength.

“Could it be?”

“Hmm?” Lucia and I turned towards the stall owner.

The stall owner cleared his throat. “Actually, in a month, the Slaughter God’s Tomb is going to open. If you’re hearing voices in your head telling you to kill people, perhaps you have a fated connection with the Slaughter God.”

Lucia’s eyes widened. “Huh? Really? Do you think so?”

Can something that convenient exist? Why does it feel like this stall owner is trying to trick Lucia into being trafficked?

“Yes, absolutely! Why would I lie to you?” The stall owner rubbed his hands together and smiled at Lucia. “You can ask anyone in town. Everyone is preparing for the Slaughter God’s Tomb opening day. There’s actually a sect recruitment as well. Since the tomb is going to open, the sect’s earth-realm and sky-realm experts are gathering in our city. While they’re here, they’re hosting a tournament to recruit talented disciples. You two must’ve been looking to join the Shadow Devil Sect after hearing about it, right? But since it’s gone now, you might as well take your chances at the sect recruitment and join a powerful sect then.”

A competition? “Let’s check it out, Lucia.”

“Huh? But what about Softie?”

Eh…. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Besides, didn’t that voice in your head tell you to investigate the Slaughter God’s Tomb?”

“Didn’t you say I shouldn’t listen to that voice?”

“And now I’m saying you should. Is there a problem with that?” I’ll use a little bit of my killing intent to smooth this over.

“Durandal. Your killing intent doesn’t work on me anymore, you know that, right?”

…How am I supposed to force her to listen to me? She hasn’t even been bothering me for sex lately; I can’t threaten her with lack of sex if she’s like this. “I bet there’ll be good food at the competition.”