[Vol. 8] Chapter 79: The Watcher
It seemed that some unknown third party had stepped into the situation, someone whose power was far beyond those petty stalkers, and even Ayla couldn’t come close to matching it.
When the second stalker vanished, Ayla had already focused her attention to the absolute limit. But still, she couldn’t figure out how that person disappeared. There was no magic wave, no sign of teleportation or invisibility, not even a gust of wind from someone moving quickly.
The only thing she sensed was a faint, almost unnoticeable feeling, as if someone, something terrifying, was silently watching her with invisible eyes. It sent chills down her spine.
This feeling... she had only experienced something like it once before, from Miss Dawn, the one who once helped her and was honored by many as the White Fox Saintess. That woman had the kind of deep mystery that made people feel like they were staring into an endless abyss.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Oh goddess above!
Why would such a terrifying being suddenly start watching someone like me? I’m just a small nobody! Things have really been going badly lately...
Even though she was internally freaking out, Ayla didn’t lose her cool. As a Lightborn race who had lived for over 200 years, she wasn’t someone who would panic so easily. Besides, the mysterious force hadn’t targeted her directly yet, it had gone after the stalkers first. That meant… maybe there was still hope.
Doing nothing would only lead to disaster. Even though she didn’t want to bother them, if this was something completely out of her league, then maybe she had no choice but to ask for help...
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Ayla made up her mind and quickly walked down the street, heading somewhere with purpose.
Sure enough, the rest of the sneaky stalkers behind her began disappearing one by one, without any resistance, as if swallowed by some mysterious power. And strangely, the lively marketplace remained totally unaffected. No one noticed anything. Even though Ayla was terrified and sweating with fear, she didn’t dare show it at all. She was scared the next target would be her.
She didn’t have the confidence to face a being like that. The Lightborn Tribe might be strong, but only to a certain extent.
Finally, Ayla made it through the busy street and stopped in front of a shop with an old-fashioned, elegant design. The guards at the door clearly recognized her and were quick to react. They saw something was wrong from her expression and let her enter without asking any questions. They exchanged silent glances and sent someone around through another entrance.
The shop looked like a general store that sold a bit of everything. The front room had shelves filled with glowing potions, strange tools, magical ingredients, and gems. But oddly, there were very few customers. Only a few bored sales clerks wandered around, sometimes yawning. Compared to the other booming shops in the Angel City during the goddess’ descent, this place felt quiet and empty.
Ayla didn’t shop or speak to the clerks, even when some gave her curious looks. She just found a seat in the resting area and sat down, as if waiting for someone.
Not long after, a tall, confident young woman with shining silver-white armor walked out from the back. Her long hair shimmered like Ayla’s, and her eyes were the same clear sapphire blue. She looked around with a puzzled expression as she and Ayla made eye contact.
“What’s wrong, Ayla? They said you looked really shaken. Did another weirdo start—”
Before she could finish, Ayla quickly gave her a look to stay quiet. Then she leaned in and whispered softly behind her hand.
“This time is different... I think something unnatural is watching me. Is Sister Amy or Mister Shui here?”
“That serious?”
Hearing the name, the Lightborn girl, who seemed to be a guard and was named Amy, frowned, her face turning serious. She quickly scanned the room with the corner of her eye, then gave a small nod.
"Follow me."
They moved quickly and smoothly through the main hall and turned into a side passage. Amy raised her hand and opened a hidden door in the wall. She gave Ayla a quick look, then stepped inside without hesitation.
Ayla followed her right away and saw that behind the door was a clean, well-kept secret tunnel, not too narrow either.
It was only now, with a strange protective power surrounding her, that the cold, creepy feeling of being watched finally faded. Ayla, who had been on edge the whole time, could finally let out a breath of relief.
“Phew…”
This shop was called the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. Although it looked a bit quiet and out of the way, it was actually one of the most powerful and mysterious business groups in the entire Holy City. This place was also Ayla’s original destination today.
While the Cecilia family could be trusted, Ayla still couldn’t be 100% sure that everything was safe. Besides doing business with them, she had also ordered some special parts from Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, high-precision pieces needed to "repair" a certain friend. Today, she came to pick them up.
To be honest, she didn’t have any contact with this group at first. It was Miss Dawn, the same woman who once helped her, who told Ayla that if she ever ran into serious trouble, she could come to the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild and mention her name for help. That’s how their connection began.
Later, after a certain incident ended, history itself was corrected by the true goddess, someone Ayla hadn’t even known existed, using a power known as the "Sword of Origin." Because of that, many things around Ayla changed.
Strangely, though, some of the senior members in the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild weren’t affected by that change. They still remembered their past dealings with Ayla, and their bond had grown deeper and more solid since then.
In fact, Ayla had met a friend, someone who caused her plenty of trouble, but also gave her a lot of help and inspiration, because of a chance created by Spirit Veil. That friend was still lying in bed, moaning in pain. Now, this mysterious and powerful group had become one of Ayla’s most important sources of support.
That’s why she didn’t want others to know about her connection with the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. Originally, when she noticed she was being followed, she had planned to cancel today’s trip. But the way those stalkers vanished, along with that terrifying sense of being watched, made her feel truly uneasy.
This was no longer just a "troublesome situation", it was a real threat. If she kept trying to hide her strength and avoid asking for help, she might just end up dead.
So she came anyway.
“We should be safe here now.”
After putting the small strange stone back into place behind them, Amy looked at the tunnel entrance, which had sealed tightly shut again. Then she glanced at Ayla, who still looked a bit shaken, and gently patted her on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. This place is protected by the divine power of the Fox God. No outsider or evil being can get in. Mister Shui is inside… But seriously, Ayla, what’s going on? I’ve never seen you this nervous before.”
Ayla shook her head, let out a tired sigh, and looked worn out.
“Sigh… Let’s talk as we walk. Honestly, things have been going really badly lately. All kinds of weird stuff keeps happening to me…”
Under the soft white light from the glowing stones on both sides of the tunnel, the two women walked deeper into the unknown. As they went, Ayla gave her fellow Lightborn, who was only slightly older than her, just over 200 years old, a quick summary of the strange and unbelievable things that had happened on the way.
Her companion’s eyes widened in surprise as she listened, and she couldn’t help but ask in disbelief.
“Seriously? That sounds way too crazy… Are you sure you didn’t feel any kind of magic energy? It really sounds like some kind of space magic teleportation to me.”