CHAPTER 18
The man continued, "A few days ago, a disaster happened to a few towns and there was no survivor left at the scene. The investigators' team found some strange clues that only a legendary person could do. Ten thousand years ago, something also happened like this. Sera, the Great Destroyer,
almost destroyed the whole world if not for the gods' mercy."
Cruella and Sera look at each other knowingly, but a teasing grin appears on Cruella's face when she learns that it was already ten thousand years ago.
Sera was embarrassed and couldn't believe it had already been ten thousand years since her demise.
"The entire Sun City was on edge because this city might be the next to disappear from the map. This city is not that far from the town that the Great Destroyer had destroyed. What if she's on her way here? So, if I were you, you should leave the city now!" the man persuaded seriously.
"It's fine. We are not afraid. We are adventurers and we are ready to face any challenges. If the city is in danger, we will face the Great Destroyer."
The man shakes his head. "You... don't be ignorant! The Great Destroyer is so powerful and you might lose your life without you knowing! Sigh..."
Cruella smirk. "Then why are you still here? Aren't you afraid you'd lose your life as well?"
"That..." The man was speechless for a while and defended himself. "If I don't sell, my family will go hungry..."
"Oh,"
Cruella and Sera smiled wryly.
"May I have an apple?" Lucy suddenly chimed in while blinking her eyes at the apples. They look appetizing.
Cruella smiled. "Of course. Well, mister, we'll buy some apples."
The man was overjoyed and quickly packed some apples.
Cruella nudged Sera to pay. Sera reluctantly took one treasure out and handed it to the man.
The man froze with eyes widened in disbelief. He felt like he had grown two heads. What are they paying him?
"I... I can't take such a valuable thing! The apples didn't cost that much!" the man refused and he felt his heart leap out of his chest. But he was tempted to take such valuable treasure. From the look of it, the value of the treasure will be enough to last his family a lifetime.
"Take it as a payment for some information. You can't refuse." Cruella said firmly and the man reluctantly accepted with shaky hands.
The man thanked them repeatedly with tears in his eyes.
Just like that, the trio walked away like nothing happened and went on a shopping spree after exchanging some treasures for gold coins. They've got 50 thousand gold coins in total.
Cruella and Sera don't care about the value as such things were just tools for them to make them happy momentarily.
Lucy, on the other hand, was computing in her mind how much they had got. She knew that she could buy plenty of candy with just 1 gold coin. She had no idea since she didn't see so much money in her life.
And of course, Cruella bought a lot of sweets and some unknown delicacies!
She felt like in heaven!
However, her joy vanished because it turns out that Sera and Lucy also love eating sweets!
Cruella was unhappy because she had a competition!
In the end, almost all the stores that sell delicacies were emptied by them.
If Evangeline were to learn this, she can only smile bitterly.
After shopping, they quickly checked in at a hotel and cleaned themselves, especially Lucy!
The trio bathed together in a big bath with hot water.
Only then that Cruella see the weird tattoos all over Evangeline's body.
"Why do you have tattoos all over, Eve? I mean, Sera?" Cruella couldn't help but ask in curiosity.
"Well, I don't know either. These tattoos would ache if I wanted to go beyond my limits. I wonder why..."
Cruella suddenly realized something. "Oh, I know! I just remembered that when I used my divine world eye on you, I saw your soul bound with some curse shackles that restricted your use of power!"
Sera was stunned and speechless. She plans to keep it a secret but Cruella finds out instead. She smiled bitterly. Cruella even can see through everything. How powerful was she exactly?! Sera could only imagine!
She pouted and watched Cruella personally clean Lucy.
Afterward, Cruella dressed Lucy up to her liking. She braids her soft chestnut hair while humming a song.
Lucy is cute but she looks cuter when she dresses up decently!
Cruella couldn't help but pet Lucy's head and pinch her cheeks. Lucy giggled in response.
Meanwhile, after getting dressed, Sera was looking at herself in the mirror and admired Evangeline's beauty. But her face soured when she glanced at Cruella whose beauty was otherworldly like a fairy descended from heaven.
Cruella saw Sera making a sour face and chuckled.
She stood up and snaked her arms around Sera's waist which made the latter stiffen from the sudden contact.
Sera watched their reflection in the mirror with a flushed face and her eyes widened when Cruella's lips landed on her cheeks.
"I haven't told you yet, but welcome to the family, Sera..."
Sera was stunned. "Family?"
Cruella nodded with a sweet smile. "Hm, you'll be the fourth member of my family!"
Sera felt warm in her heart and at the same time, her eyes and throat felt hot and her nose soured. Before she knew it, she burst into tears and choked.
Cruella engulfed her in a warm hug with a smile while patting Sera's back. Her goal was accomplished. She got another member of her new family! She felt over the moon!
'I still need more members in my family! I hope there are other lost souls like Sera around and recruit them! The more the merrier they say!'
Cruella grinned from ear to ear.
Then a pair of tiny hands both tugged at Cruella and Sera's dress. The duo was stunned and looked down to see Lucy with an excited smile. "I want a hug too! Let me join!"
The duo chuckled and both hugged little Lucy.
Sera was really happy and felt fortunate to meet Cruella. How she wished that she had met her sooner before she turned astray ten thousand years ago...
Cruella, Sera, and little Lucy stood at the entrance of a conspicuous building while holding back their laughter. Alas, they burst out laughing in the end no matter how hard they tried not to.
"Pfft!"
"Are we in the right place?" Sera blurted out while stifling a laugh.
Cruella even laughed so hard that her eyes glistened with tears.
In front of them is a building designed like a human and beast form.
The trio wouldn't have to laugh if the design was perfect and elegant.
The thing was, the art is so unique that it looks funny in the eye of the beholder.
Moreover, the colorful paint of the building was a big contrast to the surroundings making it conspicuous.
And the sun emblem on top of the building was so noticeable.
This building is none other than-the Adventurers Guild of Sun City.
"Woah! What a unique building!" an angelic voice caught the trio's attention.
They turned behind them and instantly gasped in awe. The trio looked like they were blinded by the sun.
'So bright!'
Meira Latona with her staff and long white hair swayed gracefully by the wind looks as bright as the sun while standing there with a bright smile.
When she saw Cruella's silver-red hair, her mouth hung in awe and a flash, she arrived in front of Cruella and touched the latter's hair with eyes sparkling in awe.
Cruella was about to attack the latter as a reflex but held back herself when she saw the bright smile and harmless look on the woman's face.
"Ah, so soft!" Meira happily caresses Cruella's hair and feels like she's in heaven when she smells the unique fragrance of Cruella. She was about to pat Cruella's head when she was sent flying into the distance.
Shocked, Meira blinked her eyes and what happened just now still didn't register in her brain. She heard yelling and saw Sera fuming like someone had taken her favorite candy just now.
She stood up with a puzzled look and approached the trio again.
When Sera saw her face clearly, Sera's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and pointed her finger to the latter while stuttering. "G-G-Great Saintess?!"
"Huh?" Meira wore a puzzled expression while pointing to herself. Later on, her smile widened, and she grabbed Sera's hand enthusiastically. "You know me?! Do you know who I am? Great!"
Sera was nonplussed and she looked dubious. "Huh? Aren't you Meira Latona, the Great Saintess?" she uttered with an uncertain tone.
Meira's eyes sparkled in joy. "Yes, I think I'm Meira Latona!"
Having lost her memory, Meira was like a headless chicken with nowhere to go the past few days since she woke up and was teleported into this unknown city.
She's an epitome of a goddess and some people who saw her think she's a real goddess because of her otherworldly beauty.
...
AI Photo of the Great Saintess: