Luo Wei committed these three places to memory: the Demon Sea, the Abyssal Canyon, and the Plague Forest.

From her original memories, she had only heard of the Demon Sea, which lay in the region near their fishing village. The fishermen always steered clear of that area.

Legend spoke of a Demon Island in the Demon Sea, piled with bones and haunted by souls, home to man-eating monsters and evil witches.

Luo Wei narrowed her eyes - could this Demon Sea be a gathering place for followers of the Soul God?

"I know of the Demon Sea. Tell me about the Abyssal Canyon and Plague Forest," she said, turning to Troy.

"The Abyssal Canyon lies in the frozen tundra of the North. Burning magma flows at its depths, and demon roars often echo from within. The infamous Exile City lies not far from there."

"The Plague Forest sits at the southernmost tip of the Western Continent - a mangrove swamp submerged in seawater. Sea monsters dwell there, along with venomous creatures and brain-eating water monkeys. Anyone who enters contracts the plague."

Troy deliberately emphasized the dangers, fearing Luo Wei might take interest in these places.

Indeed, Luo Wei wasn't drawn to those two locations, as she had already made her decision: "When school breaks for holiday, we'll explore the Demon Sea."

The Demon Sea!

That was the most terrifying of the three forbidden places!

Troy deeply regretted his words - if only he hadn't made the other two places sound so dangerous.

Once Luo Wei made up her mind, nothing could sway her: "We have about a month. Contact your former subordinates, see if any are willing to join. The terms are negotiable."

Troy thought this would be nearly impossible - any sane person would recoil at the mention of the Demon Sea.

Seeing the change in his expression, Luo Wei smiled faintly: "If they're unwilling, we can hire mercenaries. A hundred gold coins per person - surely there are some brave souls out there."

"A hundred gold coins," Troy's eyes lit up, "Could my griffin and I count as two? My griffin is quite fierce in battle!"

Luo Wei: ...

Well, here was someone who valued gold over life.

Due to the demon's appearance, Siria was under martial law. Patrols frequently marched through the Academy Street, and shops on both sides had shuttered their doors.

The city gates only allowed entry, not exit. The only people still moving about were clergy, patrol guards, and students hurriedly riding back from outside the city.

Guards stood at the school gates, checking each entering student against a parchment scroll before allowing them to pass.

"No red eyes, no fangs, roll up your sleeves."

"Hmm... no scratch marks either. You may enter."

Luo Wei lowered her sleeves and walked through the gates, her expression cold.

The guard didn't suspect anything - every noble they asked to roll up their sleeves wore the same expression, as if deeply insulted.

He continued comparing the demon's portrait on the parchment with the students queuing to enter. The portrait was grotesquely drawn.

It depicted a monster with a green face and protruding fangs, blood-red eyes, pitch-black body, blood dripping from its chin, hands like withered chicken claws, and flames drawn as wailing ghost shapes.

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It looked nothing like Luo Wei's cool death god disguise, more like a despicable thief.

The Temple was truly despicable, using such methods to tarnish the image of the Dark God's envoy.

Luo Wei's mood darkened. People were visual creatures - with such portraits circulating, who would believe in the Dark Gods?

People would think, if the envoys looked this hideous, the Dark Gods must be even worse. How could she attract followers then?

Whoever drew that portrait - she would make them pay dearly!

Luo Wei returned to her dormitory, seething.

While changing into her nightgown, she saw her unblemished arms and felt grateful that the Soul God had healed her wounds in advance.

The inspection at the gate meant the High Priest still suspected the "divine envoy" was an impostor and hadn't given up the search.

Her performance had been like walking a tightrope - one wrong step would have been disastrous.

If the academy's teachers and students hadn't avoided the commotion, she might have been exposed on the spot. Any magic spell could have brought her down.

Her success came from exploiting people's fears. Everyone was so terrified of demons that their first instinct was to flee rather than confront her.

She had observed the High Priest that morning - clearly an old lecher whose body had been ravaged by wine and women. He could barely lift a water flask; his magical prowess couldn't amount to much.

Fortunately, her gamble had paid off.

As Luo Wei reviewed the day's events, she considered whether she had left any loose ends.

If anything unexpected had happened, it was only the peasant woman and the High Priest's holy water.

She hadn't expected the holy water to actually burn her.

Yet the drop of holy water from that morning had no effect.

Luo Wei's eyes flickered as she retrieved the small porcelain bottle from her discarded dress.

Was there something wrong with the morning's holy water, or... with the person who sprinkled it?

She opened the stopper and turned the bottle upside down.

The clear liquid slid down the bottle's side, hanging from the rim, about to drop.

Luo Wei touched the water with her finger. It felt cool and wet, with no burning sensation.

Perhaps it only worked when she manifested her wings?

Luo Wei concentrated and released her wings, but still felt no change in her hand.

Finally, she confirmed it was just ordinary water, nothing more.

Principal Morrison - had he switched the holy water?

Luo Wei recalled the conversations she'd overheard that morning, the senior students saying: "Since when did Principal Morrison have a beard? He's not as handsome as before."

Had the principal's beard appeared just today, or had he been growing it for months?

"Caw caw — CAWK!"

A harsh, grating bird cry suddenly pierced the air.

Luo Wei quickly retracted her wings and strode over to yank open the curtains.

In the dim light, a familiar crow fluttered away from the windowsill, its legs twitching spasmodically as it flew erratically up and down.

Luo Wei frowned, watching the crow disappear over the treetops toward the other side of the lake.

As she withdrew her gaze, something dark caught her eye on the windowsill.

Hmm?

Looking closer, she discovered a furry spider crouching outside the curtain, identical to the one she'd found on her bed over a month ago.

"An Infernal Arachne?"

Luo Wei quickly grabbed a cup and trapped it inside.

Strangely, even though she had contained it, the spider crawled out from the other side of the cup.

Thinking her eyes had deceived her, Luo Wei picked up the cup and tried again.

This time, she swore she wasn't mistaken - the Infernal Arachne really did crawl out of the sealed cup, as if it had learned to phase through walls.

The furry spider flexed each of its hairy legs in turn, then used its pedipalps to toss out a messy clump of crow feathers.

Luo Wei: !!

This was eye-opening - her first time seeing an insect defeat its natural predator and claim a trophy!

Under her watchful gaze, the spider leisurely made its way down the window frame, passed right under her elbow, and crawled into her room along the wall.

Luo Wei bent down to place the cup in its path, curious to see if it could phase through walls again.

The Infernal Arachne stopped, probed the glass with its sensory appendages, then suddenly reared up and used its pedipalps to toss the cup aside.

Its arrogant manner suggested it felt completely at home.