Not long after, Xavier and Onett led the caravan to the designated location.

 

As the guild president knew well, this was a small hillock just outside the Bavo Town. Even at its highest point, it was only a dozen meters higher than the town below.

 

They left the majority of the forces behind the hillock and, accompanied by a few elite guards, ascended to the top. Drawing out the Farsight Gems essential for both adventurers and caravans, they closed one eye to begin their observation.

 

“It feels… very quiet. No signs of bandits, and everything is neatly arranged. Can’t find any traces of blood or signs of an attack.”

 

“What about signs of living activity?”

 

There was only one Farsight Gem, so Onett had to rely on Xavier’s descriptions to assess the situation.

 

“Hmm… none. It’s indeed a bit strange. Too quiet. What are the townspeople doing? It’s not possible for everyone to disappear at once, right?”

 

Hearing the boss say this, the guard captain, now as skittish as a startled bird, became uneasy once again.

 

“Xavier! Something terrifying has definitely happened here. We can’t stay any longer! Retreat immediately, trust me!”

 

“…You’re right. This is not something a regular bandit or monster attack can explain. Let’s go. Take a detour to the nearest city, get adventurers and the military to handle this.”

 

Xavier wasn’t foolish, he wouldn’t hesitate to flee when it was time. Though he felt a bit sorry for the missing guards, all he could say was an apology.

 

The scene of Bavo Town made him suddenly think of that legendary cursed city, the Forgotten Land.

 

Both were places that turned into silent dead zones overnight. If there was any connection to those kinds of things, even if you gave ten Xavier Trading Companies, it wouldn’t be enough to fill the void.

 

The two hurriedly returned to the caravan’s base with a few guards, but the scene before them left them in shock.

 

“What’s going on? Where did everyone go!?”

 

This shrewd guild president uttered a surprised exclamation for the first time.

 

Empty.

 

On the backside of the hillock, the entire caravan base, over a hundred people, and even the horses pulling the carts, had all disappeared without a trace. The goods, however, were neatly arranged on the ground, and the carts were positioned exactly where they should be.

 

What a joke! There were over a hundred living beings!

 

Their observation point was at most three or four hundred meters away from here. Onett, a Mithril-ranked adventurer, could even reach here in less than ten seconds, but…

 

The merchandise was neatly placed on the ground, and next to the carts were even the dry bread and water that caravan members had just taken out, with no signs of battle, no cries for help, not even any struggling.

 

These people seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

 

Wait, could Bavo Town also be…?

 

The guild president felt as if the world was spinning. Leaving aside whether they could safely escape from this bizarre situation, losing so many guild members would be enough to bankrupt him, even with compensation.

 

The Xavier Trading Company… Am I… finished?

 

All because they lightly touched the edge of the abyss.

 

This astute businessman in his forties, for the first time, felt a genuine fear from the existence that Onett spoke of—something beyond human intelligence.

 

As he stood bewildered, Onett suddenly unsheathed the large sword on his back, pointing it at a certain carriage in the caravan, assuming a tense and defensive posture as if facing a formidable enemy.

 

“Who’s there? Show yourself!”

 

Seeing the captain’s actions, several surviving guard members, who had been following them, immediately nervously drew their weapons, ready to launch an attack at a moment’s notice.

 

“Wait…”

 

Only Xavier hesitated. He remembered that the carriage carried…

 

“Ugh, so annoying. What’s going on? I rarely get a chance to sit quietly in a carriage…”

 

The curtain was lifted, and a delicate girl dressed in a white priestess robe with naturally flowing black hair emerged. Despite her noble and pure appearance, there was a hint of fiery charm about her. In her hand, she held a staff with a red gem at the top, exuding a faint flame. The staff was undoubtedly an extraordinary piece. The hem of her white robe revealed fair and smooth calves and ankles, extending into brown leather shoes. With a “heave-ho,” she jumped down from the carriage.

 

Upon landing, the girl crossed her arms with a bit of discontent. Her eyes directly passed over the tense Onett and others, scanning the deserted caravan base. She raised an eyebrow.

 

“Daring to brandish weapons against the master… Do you want to die, ants?”

 

Abruptly, another voice, cold and filled with anger, sounded beside her.

 

Onett and the others immediately changed their expressions, swiftly redirecting their weapons towards the figure that had appeared behind them without their notice.

 

She was a beauty not inferior to the black-haired priestess, with waist-length light golden hair that resembled the sun’s rays piercing the earth, dazzling and full of a certain aggressiveness.

 

Her limbs were long, and her figure was well-defined. Compared to the slightly tender features of the former, whether it be her chest or facial features, this girl appeared much more mature and alluring. She seemed to be in the most beautiful period of female youth.

 

The girl’s pupils were vertically slit, sharp and dangerous, like a beast choosing its prey, but her graceful body completely adhered to human standards.

 

She wore a tight-fitting outfit of an unknown material, covering only the essential parts of her body. Most of her fair, healthy skin was exposed, from the enticing legs below her knees to her midriff.

 

Even so, there was no sense of seduction. Instead, it exuded a wild and natural beauty.

 

Most peculiar were her dainty feet, which the girl had left bare. Instead of shoes, she wore a kind of translucent white foot veil, symbolically encircling her ankles and extending down, wrapping around the soles of her feet.

 

The fabric closely adhered to the girl’s skin on her feet, covering only the middle third of the area. Her ten cute and round toes playfully pressed against the ground, and the focus on her heels was the same, making the light veil look more like a special ornament.

 

Even though she stepped directly onto the dirty ground bustling with activity, the girl’s small, white feet remained smooth and untainted, as if an invisible protection prevented any impurities from soiling these seemingly divine, perfectly sculpted feet.

 

She was truly captivating.

 

But now is not the time to care about these things.

 

“Don’t, don’t be in a hurry to take action!”

 

Seeing that the situation is about to get out of control, Xavier, who is also a businessman, was the first to react. He immediately stopped Onett, who seemed to have nerves on the verge of breaking and could draw a sword at any moment.

 

“Miss Violet, and Miss Xiao Guang, may I ask what has happened here? Why are there only the two of you…”

 

The black-haired priestess stared at the businessman for a few seconds, not answering his question but gesturing to the dangerous blonde girl.

 

“Come back, Xiao Guang, it’s probably not them.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

Xavier and the others felt a momentary blur, and the golden-haired girl who had just been standing behind them, emitting a chilling aura, had now appeared next to Miss Violet.

 

“So fast… Is this really the speed that humans can achieve?”

 

Onett’s pupils contracted as if he had thought of something. His face alternated between pale and green, and finally, reluctantly, he lowered the weapon in his hand.

 

Just by witnessing this scene, he had realized that if the girl named Xiao Guang wanted to kill them, they would already be cold corpses.

 

“Mr. Xavier, let me give you some advice. Don’t do anything unnecessary. If you don’t want to die, leave here quickly. The next encounter is coming soon, and it’s not something you people can resist. You won’t be so lucky to avoid it every time.”

 

“Well then, goodbye, we’re even now.”

 

Leaving behind incomprehensible words, the two mysterious girls turned away and headed towards the Bavo Town.

 

“Miss Violet, what are you going to do!?”

 

Xavier stared blankly as the black-haired priestess passed by him. It wasn’t until the girls’ figures gradually disappeared that he exclaimed as if waking from a deep dream.

 

But Violet paid no attention to him, just waved her hand casually, and then disappeared on the other side of the hill with her companion.

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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