The dark, desolate dock was eerily silent. The bloody slaughter had already concluded, leaving behind only corpses strewn across the ground and two standing cadavers, lifeless yet indifferent to their surroundings.
Dorothy, dressed in a white gown, slowly emerged from the darkness. Under the dim light, her expression remained unfazed as she surveyed the bloodstained battlefield. Then, with a mere thought, she commanded the two corpse marionettes to begin cleaning up the scene and collecting the spoils of war.
"Such greed..."
Gazing at the lifeless body of Harold on the ground, Dorothy murmured to herself. Long before the fierce battle on Knight’s Road had erupted, she had already been monitoring the entire battlefield through her corpse marionettes. Naturally, she had also noticed the gang members lurking in the shadows, scheming for quite some time.
Through them, Dorothy had learned the details of their shady transaction—their financier was waiting for them at this very dock. She also discovered that after completing this job, they intended to flee Igwynt and escape justice forever.
Armed with this knowledge, Dorothy had no intention of letting their so-called financier slip away. Harvesting them was inevitable.
Eliminating these ordinary gangsters and aristocrats might not yield any mystical materials, but other useful resources could still be obtained. Their firearms could replenish Dorothy’s ammunition stockpile. Their cash could bolster her funds. And their very bodies could add to her collection of corpse marionettes.
Be it ammunition, money, or corpses, all were high-consumption resources as crucial to Dorothy as spirituality itself. The more, the better.
Before long, Dorothy had completed a preliminary sweep of the battlefield and taken inventory of her spoils. She had acquired nine bodies, an assortment of firearms and ammunition, and 320 pounds in cash—money that had seemingly been intended as payment for the gangsters but now belonged to her.
"Just over 300 pounds is enough to hire a dozen men for murder. Is this what the world has come to?"Holding the cash in her hand, Dorothy sighed. Then, she prepared to load the corpses and other goods onto a boat, intending to transport them upstream via the river to Saint Armanda Academy.
For safety reasons, Dorothy had relocated all her stored corpse marionettes to warehouses near the school. She had rented the space from Aldrich for a little over 20 pounds—a far safer location than the docks.
"Sigh... Why don’t I have something like those space rings other transmigrators get? Finding storage locations all the time is such a hassle... Especially for corpses. They take up so much space..."
As she directed the corpses one by one onto the boat, Dorothy grumbled to herself. She had spent far too much time managing her storage needs and often fantasized about having a four-dimensional pocket or some similar space-bending artifact.
Finally, after much effort, Dorothy had all her corpse marionettes on board. Just as she was about to order them to set sail, her eyes narrowed, fixing upon the small ferry she was using to transport the goods.
This ferry had already been docked at the pier when she arrived. Since it was conveniently close, she had simply used it for loading cargo. Strangely, its engine and rudder were unlocked, as if it had been prepared for immediate departure. Logically, this must have been the vessel arranged by the financier for the gangsters’ escape from Igwynt.
"Wait... I haven’t searched this boat yet, have I?"
A thought crossed Dorothy’s mind. While clearing the battlefield, she had seemingly ignored the ferry. If the criminals had chosen it as their escape vessel, then there might still be something valuable onboard. Even the smallest loot was still loot.
With that in mind, Dorothy commanded her corpse marionettes to search the ferry. However, aside from finding two barrels of fish, they uncovered nothing of note. Just as she was about to give up in disappointment, one of her corpse marionettes made an unusual discovery in a concealed compartment within the lower deck.
It was a bundle of yellowish-brown sticks, bound tightly together. Fuses extended from each stick, all leading to a single mechanical device with a dial.
Through the vision of her corpse marionette, Dorothy studied the strange contraption, muttering under her breath.
"This is..."
…
As the moon set and the sun rose, night gave way to morning.
The golden rays of dawn bathed the refined architecture of Saint Armanda Academy. Countless exquisite stone statues within the campus glowed under the early light, exuding an air of solemnity and sanctity. In the ancient corridors, the students’ recitations echoed, marking the beginning of a new day of learning.
Beneath the academy, in a spacious workshop, a janitor-clad Aldrich sat in a chair, looking somewhat surprised at his unexpected guest.
"This must be the first time in months that you’ve arrived at school on time, Miss Mayschoss. What’s the urgent matter?"
Sipping his tea, Aldrich casually addressed the young woman sitting across from him.
Dorothy, however, simply smiled and replied, "I have a deal for you—one I believe you’ll find very interesting."
"A deal that I would find interesting? Heh... Now that’s amusing. To be honest, it’s been quite some time since I’ve come across a trade that piqued my interest, Miss Mayschoss."
Aldrich chuckled, suspecting Dorothy was joking. But she remained calm and assured him.
"Don’t worry. This deal won’t disappoint you."
"You seem quite confident, Miss Mayschoss. Have you finally decided to trade the secret behind your abilities? Now that, I would truly be interested in."
Aldrich continued, half-mocking. Dorothy, however, shook her head.
"No, no, Mr. Aldrich. What I’m offering is intelligence."
"Intelligence?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Aldrich’s face. Dorothy’s expression grew serious as she spoke again.
"Mr. Aldrich, have you heard of... Deer Skull?"
The moment Dorothy uttered those words, Aldrich’s expression froze. His entire body stiffened, as if his very breath had halted. For a few seconds, he remained motionless, like a statue.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, he returned to normal. Keeping his usual composure, he looked at Dorothy and said, "I believe I do need this information. Name your price, Miss Mayschoss."
Hearing Aldrich’s response, Dorothy hesitated momentarily before extending five fingers.
"Five mystical books. Or, if you happen to have a mystical item that can conveniently store large quantities of goods, then two books plus that item."
After making her bold demand, Dorothy leaned back, confident Aldrich would haggle over the price.
But instead, Aldrich stroked his chin, pondered briefly, and then answered, "Deal. Two books and the mystical item you requested."
Dorothy’s confident smile instantly froze on her face.