Elrianthe and Gaz left the alley, following Alice. Gang members surrounded them on all sides, ready for any eventuality in case it occurred to them to try to escape.

Despite the presence of the guards, who theoretically served the town's authorities, they preferred to look the other way, figuring it wasn't their problem.

'Seemingly very different worlds, and the law enforcers here are no different from those in my previous life,' thought Elrianthe.

Tie: “Hey Gaz, will you tell me what you have in common with her?”

Tie: “Do I have to?”

Tie: “You totally should.”

Tie: “In short, nothing pleasant. This gang was founded by her ex-husband, Serek. Both of them used to be adventurers, and you found out for yourself that it's not a very profitable job. My previous organization did business with them, and I was present here for that purpose.”

Tie: “That's it?”

Gaz sighed.

Tie: “No. You see, now she is the gang's leader, but not because she was better. Serek held the group together well and made everyone a profit, better than in the guild. However, she felt they might have made more money if he had been more ruthless. Serek didn't want his gang to get a reputation as violent monsters, which could provoke the authorities to eliminate them. Alice then killed him and took the lead, setting the gang on a new path.”

Tie: “What do you have to do with all this? Did you help her?”

Tie: “No, absolutely not. It's just that after her husband died, Alice was looking for a new...”

Tie: “There you go. You had a chance to place yourself well, and she doesn't look so bad at all. You just have to watch out for an accidental backstab.”

Tie: “You don't understand. She's crazy! I refused her proposals and dismissed her for a long time, but she wouldn't let go. She threatened me and invaded me at night. Several times, drunk, she forced me to have sex... You know very well that it's not a pleasant experience if you don't want it.”

Tie: “You don't have to convince me.”

Tie: “She is a real tyrant. She holds this town by the throat, thanks to her harsh policies and exploitation. People are afraid to stand up because they know the payback will be painful.”

Tie: “I hope we can settle this quickly.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at the largest inn in town. Of course, it was under Coyotes' control. Outside, as well as inside, it was swarming with gang members, which convinced Elrianthe that Gaz was not overreacting at all.

The watchful eyes of the menacing men followed her as she passed through the main door. If it weren't for the fact that Alice was leading them, she would probably have had several of them on her back by now. Charms of the life of an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

Alice walked past the counter, behind which stood someone like a bartender, and opened the door, inviting them inside. A moment later and a floor higher, Elrianthe found herself in a private part of the inn, which Alice used for business as her meeting room.

In the center of the room stood a round table on which was spread a map of the town and its surroundings. Along the walls were numerous cabinets, filled with a variety of ornaments, liquor, and weapons. Under the window, facing the main street, was a desk with a comfortable armchair. The room was illuminated by an ornate gold chandelier, suspended above the table. There were no candles, and electricity seemed to be unknown to the inhabitants of this world; the light came from crystals infused with magic.

“Since you're here, I'll fill you in with the details,” Alice said, approaching the table. “A certain group of hotheads from Garharren have sent some of their men to our town. Their goal is to undermine our fundaments and turn the people against us, thus weakening our position.”

“What is a group from a city 200 kilometers away doing in our area?” asked Gaz.

“I don't know if you know, but they have already managed to take over cities such as Conovati and Wisfield. We're next in line. Back on topic, their action of bouncing our customers has hit us the most in the pocket. We have a deal with most of the merchants, offering them protection in exchange for money.”

“We saw it in action,” Elrianthe interjected.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Alice measured her with a cold stare. “Of course, there were idiots who let themselves be tricked into buying their cheaper protection package, causing them to abandon our services,” she explained.

“Let me guess, you're still collecting money from these traders even though they don't want your protection?” asked Gaz.

“You know very well that I do. I'm not going to take pity on the morons who thought they'd cut corners, thanks to this. Now they are paying double for their stupidity,” replied Alice.

“So... what will my role be?” asked Elrianthe, putting her finger on the corner of the map.

“I have eyes on the whole town. The spies meet in two places,” she pointed to the map. “You go there, find one of them, and bring them to us, or you follow them so my people know who to follow.”

“If you have your people everywhere, why doesn't anyone know what they look like?” asked Elrianthe.

“It turns out that they are smarter than you, and they immediately replace their agents when they are exposed. We don't have that option, so I have to rely on you,” mocked Alice.

“There is another problem. There are two meeting places, and I am alone. If I alternate trying at one and the other, it will take me at least a few days to hit the right moment,” Elrianthe pointed out.

Alice straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest, “So? You'll keep trying until you get it right.”

“I have a better idea,” Elrianthe said, looking straight into Alice's eyes. “Send someone else to the second meeting.”

“And why is that?”

“There's a higher chance that someone will show up at the place where I'll be waiting,” Elrianthe argued.

“Or they'll go to another place we don't know yet,” Alice reflected.

“In any case, that will be a better and faster solution,” added Gaz.

“Good. I also want to get it over with as soon as possible. We'll try it your way,” replied Alice.

Two hours later...

Approaching the door of the inn where the enemy faction's spies were to meet, Elrianthe felt a little tremor.

'Why am I so stressed? I need to find some activity to occupy my thoughts. But first...'

Elrianthe pushed open the door and went inside. The inn wasn't as big as the one Alice had set up, but many troublesome types were hanging out in this one as well. Already at the first step, she began to arouse considerable interest. Whistles and bawdy comments began as if on cue. All in all, she should be used to it by now. Surely, if she revealed her identity, half of them would crap their pants.

Unfortunately, she won't check it out today.

Ignoring the horny herd, she walked up to the counter and ordered something to drink from the waiter. She didn't have to wait long before one of the daredevils approached to try to pick her up.

“Sorry, I have a boyfriend,” Elrianthe replied, even before the brunet had time to say anything.

“I don't see him here,” he replied.

Elrianthe looked at him, “And you wouldn't want to. You'd have your legs broken right now,” she stated.

“Okay, relax, girl. I just wanted to talk,” he stepped back.

“But I don't want to talk to you,” Elrianthe replied, flushing him away.

< Research >

< Research >

< Research >

After scanning the entire room, Elrianthe saw no one who fit the list of suspects.

'I guess I'm still too early. I'll check something,' Elrianthe thought as she opened the system window. She hadn't had a chance to review the achievement she had earned before.

[ Achievement gained:

Warning shot - perform an action that discourages an opponent at least 5 levels stronger. ]

[ Reward: +1 level for the selected skill ]

She was awarded this achievement for her creative use of illusion to set a small scene in an alley, so it was a natural choice to invest the reward in this particular skill.

[ The < Illusory Aura > skill reaches level 6. You can reserve a percentage of the magic limit to create a permanent illusion that covers a part of the host's body or equipment. Maximum number of illusions: 5 ]

[ Achievement gained:

Let's join forces - gain an ability that requires four skills to use. ]

[ Reward: 10,000 free XP ]

[ A new combination of skills has been obtained:

< Acquired Psychosis > - the host has the ability to create illusions inside the target's mind that affect all his senses, completely disrupting his perception of reality. Physical contact is required. ]

'Holy shi-'

“Hey, baby,” another bolder interrupted her.

“Fuck off.”

“Excuse me?” asked the surprised man.

“I'm busy!” growled Elrianthe.

She couldn't control her emotions because she had just gained the ability to completely capture someone's mind. She needed as many as four skills at the right level to gain this ability. Illusory Aura was responsible for illusions, Pheromones of the Deceiver was responsible for facilitating deception, Analysis was responsible for insight into the brain, and Silent Suggestion was responsible for transferring everything into the victim's mind.

However, the growing interest in the lone woman drinking beer at the counter only grew, and Elrianthe had to find another place to chase away the men. She noticed that a hooded man had just moved away from another lone woman. She was sitting at the end of the room, too far away for Elrianthe to reach her with her skills. However, something caught her attention - the reason why people avoided contact with her.

'She's an elf! No, she doesn't look like me. She's a half-elf. Perfect,' she thought, heading in her direction.