Chapter 49: Arc 3: Chapter 18

The plan from here on out was simple enough. Linger in the camp for a few days, make sure to obtain payment for their hard work, then leave. It would give them enough time to ascertain how suspicious they appeared to others and give more time for the world to lose interest in them, since people would only remember non-notable figures for a few days at most.

From there, their destination would be the outskirts of the Phoenix Sect, where they would plan for… something or other. They couldn’t be certain about any plans until they actually got there, and at their current pace, it would a long, long time until they would be able to confirm anything. Perhaps the Weave of the Senses wasn’t even there, and perhaps there was no chance of them getting it at all. Maybe they’d find something entirely different, which would help her and Song Ming get a better life in some way.

She didn’t know, Song Ming didn’t know, and for all the knowledge Xue Yaling possessed, she clearly wasn’t certain about any of this either.

Ultimately, the first thing they needed to do was to get a certain share from the people at the logging camp. It should be a simple enough ordeal, since there was little for the other side to get caught up on other than the exact payment. Naturally, before doing anything, Bianca consulted with the kitsune, and they concluded, well…

 

“Strictly speaking, the amount we’re making from this operation is minimal. Although Song Ming and I have worked harder than the average worker would have, we are still limited in our strength. There are two of us, whereas the smallest of the other groups involved is… what, seven, eight? And they’re skilled in logging, among other things, and have prepared various tools and artefacts to do their job better,” the kitsune explained, suddenly raising her index finger, “However, if we walk away with nothing, or settle on nothing, it will cause us to be suspicious.”

“How so- wait, maybe I know this one. We arrived with the apparent intention of profiting from all the logging going on here, so if we walked away without getting something for all of our hard work, it would be rather odd. It would also call into question my… character, I guess,” Bianca reasoned, “What kind of demon with two servants would show up, let them work so hard, then just leave?”

“I’m glad you’re finally getting the hang of it, honey. Indeed, that’s exactly why. You need to act the part, and once we’ve left, they won’t spare us a second thought. Or, perhaps they will give us some attention, but it will likely be long after we’ve departed, meaning that it might as well not matter.”

“But wouldn’t haggling a lot also bring attention to us?” Song Ming asked, “They might not even notice us leaving for a day or two, depending on how quietly we leave.”

“Not at all. It’s only normal for someone that is a ruthless demon that sends her subordinates to chop down wood every single day without breaks to demand a fair share of compensation for all of their hard work,” the kitsune responded, “We’re also not so out of the way in this camp that nobody would spot our absence. Most would notice if we left, even if we left behind our tents, and ultimately, it would cause people to wonder about us far longer than they really ought to.”

“Alright… Well, how much should I ask for? Should I even know the exact sum?”

“Not… technically. This amount of work should go for around… five, six planar shards at most? However, nobody in their right mind would begin a negotiation by citing the typical price. It will inevitably be lowered, and so it’s best to begin with a high offer – high request in this case, rather,” Xue Yaling recommended, “Six shards is the price to go for, so try… ten, maybe twelve? A high starting offer might even be better, both from the perspective of fitting your role and making them feel as if they’re getting a better deal when it’s slashed down to the typical price.”

“Um… Xue Yaling, how come you seem to know more than even the inner disciples of sects?” Song Ming couldn’t help but ask, and Bianca quietly nodded as well.

It was a question that could, in theory, be answered with the kitsune’s age, given that she was over two hundred years old and likely was an adult for a good chunk of the time. Hence, she would have gained plenty of life experience, as regardless of how kitsune aged, a day was a day for anyone. Therefore, she had far, far more time to accumulate any kinds of experiences than Song Ming or Bianca ever could.

For her to not know at least a little more than them, she would have needed to completely waste her time for a hundred or two years, which seemed difficult to do even if one was absurdly lazy, since boredom ought to eventually give enough of a motivation to do something every now and then.

However, she still seemed very well versed in a large variety of subjects, more than either of them expected from their own experiences. Song Ming must have seen how those in higher realms typically behave and how much they typically know, whereas Bianca was aware of older people on Orbis that hardly showed a tenth of the kitsune’s range of experience.

“Well, it’s all about travelling and doing as many things as possible. I don’t stick around in one place too long, and I’ve made sure to try out a variety of activities and positions… in more ways than one, I suppose,” the kitsune smirked.

Bianca groaned quietly, since it was a rather obvious direction to go in, but Song Ming looked to her in confusion.

“Just… later.”

“I meant sex positions. Sweetie, you really aren’t innocent enough to have an excuse for this one,” Xue Yaling had no reservations whatsoever and explained it right away, and when Song Ming looked away with a blushing pout – or a pouty blush, perhaps – she simply smirked and continued, “Anyway, I went out of my way to learn as much as possible, and now I’m happily applying my skills to keeping your sorry asses alive and out of… too much trouble, at least. Can’t prevent you from getting into it at all, unfortunately.”

“I… Anyway, start with somewhere around ten planar shards, right?”

“Mhm.”

 

“Payment… it can be arranged, since we have plenty to spare and will earn even more from your work if we deliver all this to Long Shiyi.”

Lao Ping, the feminine man responsible for one of the larger groups working the silver forest, was the natural choice as he was the least unpleasant and had proven the most helpful so far. It was easier than approaching the big and sweaty men that the rest of the supervisors were… not that Lao Ping wasn’t rather sweaty now as well. She had to struggle not to display her discomfort, though it did help her keep a calm and arrogant expression on her face.

“I just want to get the money and leave, so let’s make this quick,” Bianca leaned back in her seat, crossed one leg over the other, and made sure to look down at him in the most arrogant display she could manage – and that seemed to influence her and her own words, “Fifteen.”

“Pardon me?”

It was blatant that this was a poor start, but at this point, she had little choice but to commit wholeheartedly. Hence, she grinned and nodded.

“Fifteen planar shards. Seems entirely fair to me.”

“You… Come now, we’ve been getting along so far. I’ve vouched for you to all of the other groups, telling them that you would not cause any trouble. If you don’t want to make things needlessly difficult for me, lower that price to something more reasonable, and you’ll find that it is much easier for me to obtain your share.”

‘Uh… pretty good point, actually. However, is this the sort of thing that Demon Queen Bianca Stormsden would accept?’ she asked herself for a second, and quickly arrived at her answer, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward, glaring into the man’s eyes, “What’s that? Is it too difficult for you?”

“A-Aren’t you being a little too demanding, Bianca?”

“I’ve had my servant… and dear pet working ever so hard over there, providing you with so much high quality lumber to bring to that dragon,” she abandoned any attempt at remaining within the bounds of reason and simply let her mouth move however it wished, “And you’re telling me that you can’t let me obtain a measly sixteen planar shards?”

“Don’t think that you can pull one over on me. You asked for fifteen, and that is an already terrible price, not to mention your terrible attempt to bring it up,” Lao Ping seemed to have gathered his will, since any sign of being flustered vanished from his countenance, “Ten is the most I would ever offer.”

“As if that’s proper remuneration for their work… Have you really nothing better to do than to insult me? Seventeen.”

“And have you nothing better than to play around? Others may not have realised, but you’re in the same realm and stage I am. You may have two helpers, but I have more than enough people on my side to overcome you call.”

“Go ahead, try and threaten me. I’m sure it will work out just perfectly,” Bianca’s hand, which was placed on the armrest of her chair, lit up with crimson light, “I’m certain that my strength, and that of my slaves, is no greater than what you think it to be, and that you’ll not come out wishing that you’d died the very moment that I laid my hands on you… So, what will it be?”

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“You’re insane if you think you can… You know what, fine! Twelve shards! A total of twelve planar shards, delivered to you tonight at your logging site. And then, we never see each other again. Got it?”

“Twelve, huh…” she sneered, “You’re a fool if you think that will be enough for me, but I’m tired of your pathetic attempts to refuse what is owed to me. So, you give me that twelve, and I’ll be more than happy not to ever encounter you again.”

 

When Bianca returned to Xue Yaling and Song Ming, she was… well, dazed. Confused. She had let herself go, and the result was… a little terrifying.

“So, how did it go?” the kitsune’s voice came through to her, but it did little to dispel the daze, leaving Bianca standing there with a confused expression for what certainly felt like several years, if not even more than that.

“T-Twelve…”

“Hm? Is that what you started with?” Xue Yaling asked, “Not ideal, but… hey, are you okay?”

“…”

“Let her lie down first!” Song Ming rushed over and helped Bianca over to her sleeping bag, letting her lie down on top of it since there was hardly any need to put her beneath the covers.

 She checked Bianca’s forehead for any signs of a fever, though she found little. At most, her skin was a little colder than usual, though it was unlikely to be anything significant. Nevertheless, the way she was behaving was still a cause for concern, so Song Ming took her hand and held it with both of her own, just as a form of reassurance.

“I… It was fifteen.”

“Fifteen… wait, is that what you began with? How did you ever… ah. Let me guess, the reason you’re so tired right now isn’t because of some great physical effort, nor do you have any sign of an illness…”

“W-Well… I thought… what would Demon Queen Bianca do, and… then, I just… let that take over. I got really carried away, and… that shit was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. It’s like I was losing control over myself, and…” before she knew it, Bianca felt her eyes get wet with tears, blurring her vision even more than her daze was, “I’m not doing it again. Never. Fuck no.”

“Uh… is this some consequence of her technique? Should we-”

“No, it’s a psychological issue. Falling too deep into an act isn’t too good of an idea. Don’t ask why I know this, but spies and the like can suffer quite a bit if they end up convincing themselves that they are the character they play,” Xue Yaling explained, “And whether fortunately or not, it seems like our Bianca has quite the talent for playing a role. Perhaps too much of one… Did it feel like it was some different personality taking over?”

“…Yeah. The Demonic Tyrant… uh, Demon Queen-”

“Demonic Tyrant… I like that name. You sure you wouldn’t prefer that over Demon Queen of Ruination?”

“… when did you add… never mind… No. Never. I’m not letting myself actually turn into… into that!”

“Xue Yaling, don’t. We’ve listened and put up with you so far, but if you mean to harm her – or either of us, really – then don’t expect us to remain near you,” Song Ming’s tone sounded unusually certain and serious, though Bianca struggled to see much of anything at the moment.

Instead, her vision was filled with the image of that terrifying skull that had appeared around her when she had broken through to the second realm.

In comparison to the simple screen that was her primary method of interaction with the Demonic Tyrant, the skull was certainly a better representation of that insidious thing. While she tried her best to remain sane, and behave as she might’ve done on Orbis, it kept pushing all kinds of nonsense onto her, and now she wasn’t even able to keep herself in check… though it wasn’t too different from what happened when she let her impulses to steal take over.

Bianca had known for quite a while that her impulse control left much to be desired, though being reminded of it wasn’t exactly the most pleasant thing, especially not when it ended up with her doing something she’d have found unimaginable not long prior.

‘Although, I had stood up to and even punched that guy… whoever he was… at college, so maybe…’ she nearly shook her head and slapped herself, though she held back since she knew that such an action wouldn’t be of use, nor would it sit well with the two around her, who would undoubtedly feel some concern as a result – even if that concern would come from very different places from each one of them, “I’m not letting that happen again. It was… absolutely fucking terrible. It’s even worse than the times I end up taking… random things.”

“Speaking of, I hope you returned that manual properly,” Xue Yaling said, hardly needing to wait much longer before sighing, “For ancient’s sake…”

“Enough! Xue Yaling, you are insufferable!”

“And Bianca could well have endangered us by failing to do a single simple thing and return the manual. What if… no, never mind. We’ll be concerned with the matter of getting our planar shards first, then depart the moment we’re able to.”

 

‘Idiots. Both of them… There’s no reason for anyone who doesn’t see us three as a completely invincible threat to give us such an extortionate amount. On the contrary, it would be far simpler for him to do as he initially threatened and stop us from getting a single shard. If he did, we wouldn’t be able to do much, not even if we were committed to killing them without a moment of hesitation…’

The kitsune kept quiet while those did whatever it was they usually did together. She wasn’t entirely sure what dynamic they had in truth, but she was more than happy to keep teasing them as being girlfriends, so she wasn’t too concerned for the moment.

Instead, she was more concerned with the reality of the present situation. Most likely, the people here took more notice of the wanted posters than she would have preferred, and recognised some characteristics in common between the targets and them. However, even in that kind of scenario, there was no guarantee that people would bother to enforce the will of the sects just for a minor reward – which was the case for all three of them. Xue Yaling herself had a slightly higher price on her head, but either way, it wasn’t something that would typically push people to risk their lives.

Of course, there would be little risk of death for the loggers if they simply worked together. Song Ming had a decent sense for battle, but she wasn’t sufficiently experienced to take down a large group, especially not while her physique energy still had the risk of getting out of control. Xue Yaling was strong, but she tended to do best with sufficient preparation. Leaving behind ghostflames was difficult in this camp, so she didn’t have much of a chance to accumulate her energy.

When it came to Bianca, it was difficult to say much with certainty. If her fury came out and her demonic side emerged – one that she didn’t seem to recall unleashing during their spars, as was clear from how horrified she became at its appearance during the negotiations with Lao Ping – then she could likely devastate a number of enemies at the same realm. If not, however, she was mostly useless, though she’d be able to keep herself safe for a while thanks to some impressive self-preservation instincts.

There must have been something that drove them to do this, and she suspected it was the theft of the manual. It would have confirmed Bianca’s identity more so than her appearance, since her thieving tendencies were described on the wanted poster, and would’ve given them a better reason to go after her than just the bounty. Of course, a single manual for a roughly average-level skill wouldn’t be a particularly big incentive, but it could easily tip the figurative scales in the favour of attacking them.

‘Regardless, we need to make it out alive, and while I can certainly attempt a few things to raise our chances, it won’t succeed if Bianca isn’t fighting as well as she… or, perhaps, as her body can.’

She could imagine a few ways of getting the results she wanted, but there was one way that seemed like the easiest, and would be the most certain to succeed. There was also no reason to go against it, as far as she was concerned, so once she double-checked every important factor, she committed to it without a second thought.

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