"Great and righteous God of the Dead."

"Great and righteous God of the Dead."

"Otilette, Sovereign of Order in the Realm of Death."

"Otilette, Sovereign of Order in the Realm of Death."

"I am Your devoted servant."

"I am Your devoted servant."

"I come before You in prayer."

"I come..."

...

Luo Wei guided Lidia in offering a heartfelt hymn of praise to the God of the Dead.

A warmth spread across her back, but unlike the searing pain from holy water, this sensation came from the divine mark itself.

[O God of the Dead, in whom I place my unwavering faith, do You see the burns that cover Your servant's body?]

[Great Lord of Death, forgive Your servant's weakness. The holy water's burns leave no cure - I can only fade and perish day by day.]

[But please do not grieve, for You have countless other faithful followers who will surely offer You the sweetest praises and prayers in my stead.]

Luo Wei prayed with profound sincerity in her heart, certain that He would hear her innermost thoughts.

The warmth on her back intensified, and her shoulder blades began to itch furiously, as though countless ants were gnawing at her flesh. The sensation was nearly unbearable.

Luo Wei knew this was proof that the God of the Dead had heard her prayers and acknowledged her recruitment of a new follower.

His blessings always manifested in such otherworldly ways.

This itching was even more excruciating than when her wings had first emerged. Luo Wei's fingers dug into the chair's armrests as she fought the urge to scratch.

Looking at Lidia, still deep in prayer with closed eyes, she spoke to distract herself from the discomfort.

"That will suffice. Your prayers are complete for today."

Lidia's eyes fluttered open, gazing at her uncertainly. "What... what should I do now?"

Her voice was harsh and raspy, like a wild duck that had swallowed sand.

"Just listen," Luo Wei commanded, her grip tightening on the armrests. "From this moment forward, you are Rosie, my personal maid."

Lidia lifted her face. Her eyes were like perfectly polished turquoise stones, clearly treasured pieces that had been lovingly handled for years.

"Rosie..."

A misty sheen formed over the turquoise stones, adding another layer of moisture to their already glossy surface, reflecting light like dewdrops.

"Can you forget your former name? Forget everything from your past?" Luo Wei asked.

"Yes! I can do it!"

Tears welled in Lidia's eyes. These were the nightmares she had longed day and night to forget, and from this moment on, they would finally be nothing more than distant dreams.

Luo Wei was indifferent to her answer. If the girl proved unable, magic could always assist in the forgetting.

"I have two items here - hair dye and contact lenses. You'll need to change both your hair and eyes to black."

The dye was a concoction of black beans and grape vinegar that Bella had brewed, while the contact lenses were crafted from leftover resin from her previous red lens project.

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These physical disguises were far safer than relying on magic.

After all, Siria Magic Academy teemed with apprentices and full-fledged mages. With her current magical capacity, any glamour she cast would be far too easily detected.

Lidia - no, Rosie now.

Rosie submitted completely to Luo Wei's arrangements, for this was her divine salvation, her very reason for continued existence.

The maddening itch on Luo Wei's back finally began to subside. Glancing at her hands, she noticed the scratch marks had vanished.

She leaned down to untie the ropes binding Rosie.

"Follow me."

She led Rosie down to the basement and lit the wall sconces.

"This was once a wine cellar. It will serve as your bedroom now, and you are not to leave it for the next month."

"You must repeatedly apply the dye on the table until your hair is pure black."

"You'll also learn to craft your own black contact lenses. I'll have more tree resin brought to you. Don't worry about waste - focus on quality. Rough lenses will damage your corneas."

"There's water and food on the table, and a chamber pot in the corner. Someone will come regularly to empty it."

After these instructions, she tilted Rosie's chin up, examining the angry scar on her cheek.

Fortunately, the muscle beneath remained undamaged. Though the wound appeared severe, a child's remarkable healing ability meant the scar should fade within a month.

Assuming she wasn't prone to scarring.

"Take proper care of that facial wound. I won't keep a scarred maid in my service."

"Yes, my lady," Rosie answered hoarsely.

Luo Wei studied the young face before her. Though she struggled to distinguish between Western features with their high bridges and deep-set eyes, she could tell this was a face of remarkable allure.

Perhaps the combination of red and green naturally held such power to captivate.

Like a single red bloom in an endless sea of green, or one leaf amidst countless flowers.

"Beauty is no sin. Stop deliberately marring your face. I know you could have dodged that stone."

"Thank you... my lady..."

Tears traced silvery paths down Rosie's gaunt cheeks.

She fell to her knees, pressing her forehead to the damp earth in deepest obeisance.

"Rosie thanks my lady!"

"Rise."

Luo Wei had said enough. Having settled Rosie's arrangements, she departed the cellar.

Half an hour later, hoofbeats echoed from beyond the courtyard.

A girl who could have been Luo Wei's twin dismounted from a carriage and hurried into the yard, anxiety clear in her eyes.

"Master."

Upon seeing Luo Wei, the girl's expression cleared as if finding an anchor in a storm, her eyes growing misty.

"Master, you've returned!"

"Well done, Bella. Come inside and I'll restore you."

The girl followed Luo Wei into the house. Moments later, the door opened and Bella emerged, once again wearing her maid's uniform.

This had all been carefully orchestrated - while Luo Wei raided the execution ground, Tom had taken Bella sightseeing to establish her alibi.

Everything had gone perfectly, save for one detail - Luo Wei's wand.

Alone in her room, she stared at the black rod in her hand, now sporting a crack that split it from base to tip, and fell into troubled silence.

No wonder powerful mages favored proper staffs - it seemed wands were as disposable as contact lenses.

How would she explain this to others?

Professor Moses had specified this wand was meant to last the year.

If only she could obtain some pitch to repair it.

When Troy returned, she would need him to search for coal mines and oil wells. Natural pitch was common near oil deposits; failing that, they could distill it from coal and resin.

Thoughts of coal and oil triggered a cascade of industrial formulas and concepts in her mind, ultimately centering on weaponry.

Coal mines meant steel production for the firearms she envisioned, while oil could yield fuel, rubber, and even mass-produced petrol bombs.

These would be her true foundation in this world.

But this modest courtyard could never house a proper factory. First, she needed to secure her own territory.

Two hours later, Troy scaled the courtyard wall.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"All handled. The phonographs were dismantled and melted in the blacksmith's furnace, and the griffin devoured the balloon skin."

Luo Wei nodded. "Were you seen?"

"No," Troy replied, "but the city's under martial law. Priests and guards are patrolling everywhere. We likely won't be able to leave for several days."

"That's fine. I had no plans to send her from the city anyway."

Luo Wei fixed Troy with a stern gaze. "Now that this matter is settled, we need to address your conduct."

"Troy, do you remember that you are my hired guard?"

Troy lowered his eyes. "I... I know."

"Do you truly? Do you understand how your reckless actions could have gotten your employer killed?"