The Defeated Saintess Is On A Journey To Tame The Evil God Book 01 Chapter 08.02.3 - Late September's Whispers

“Phew~ That’s over with!”

In the Docklands, Aurora dusted off her hands, looking ahead with satisfaction.

She stood in a room that had once been a small factory, now simply furnished with basic items and a modest bookshelf.

The place wasn’t particularly nice—but it wasn’t too bad either.

“Are you sure no one comes here?” Aurora turned around to ask.

"I'm sure." Aria nodded, “The little birds used to sleep here, and no one ever chased them off.”

“Great! Give those little birds who provided the information some living expenses! Make sure they drink lots of milk and grow up strong!”

Aurora waved her small hand, then stretched her body.

Once Aria had left the room, Aurora casually reached out and tore open a rift in space—

Plop.

Aimer fell through it, landing weakly on the floor with her eyes glazed over and tongue sticking out. She twitched now and then, looking completely out of it.

“How are you feeling, Miss Library Spirit?”

Aurora squatted down with a smile, gently patting Aimer’s dump, little face: “It’s been a whole week. Did you have fun?”

“Guh...” Aimer shuddered as some clarity returned to her eyes, “So comfo... Wait, you—”

The blue-haired girl struggled to lift her head, her eyes filled with resentment.

“You wicked...”

“Hey, now, no name-calling.” Aurora lifted Aimer’s chin, “Someone this cute shouldn’t be throwing insults around.”

“Gurk...”

Aimer’s legs gave a twitch, her expression torn between fury and embarrassment.

“What are you planning to do to me...?” She gritted out.

“Be my librarian. I need an informant at Nevirabeta Magic Academy.” Aurora said calmly.

“In your dreams...!”

“Bye then!” Aurora said cheerfully, flashing a radiant smile.

Several tendrils snaked out from the void, wrapping around Aimer’s ankles and dragging her back.

Aimer shrieked almost instantly, “No—don’t! I... I...!”

Her body trembled faintly, as though haunted by some deeply unpleasant memory.

Aurora halted the vines, gazing at Aimer with a curious expression.

Aimer took a shaky breath, seeming to gather her resolve, and then muttered softly, “Can... can I think about it? I...”

“Bye~”

Aurora gave her a sweet little wave, and the vines surged forth again from all directions, wrapping Aimer in a tight cocoon.

“Mmph—!”

A muffled, pitiful cry escaped the vine-wrapped bundle, which brought a look of contentment to Aurora’s face.

“Hmm~ I’ll leave you here from now on. You’ll get two hours of rest per day. I’ll come back next week and see if you’ve had a change of heart.”

She dusted off her hands, pushed the door open, and then locked it behind her with a click.

Then, with a thoughtful hum, she began reviewing the memories she had just plucked from Aimer’s mind—a necessary step to accessing the legendary Merlin’s Superstring Magic Formation.

“... Two six-string Saints? The Young Saintess is only at five-string...” Aurora muttered, sighing, “Looks like I’ll have to help her grow stronger…”

Just then, thunder rolled across the sky. Aurora looked up as fine droplets of rain began to fall, tapping against the cobblestone road of the Docklands. In seconds, a misty spray rose up, enveloping the small figure of the girl.

But she didn’t bother with an umbrella. Instead, she strolled forward, utterly unfazed, humming a carefree melody of her own invention as she walked through the rain.

“La-la-la~”

......

Pitter-patter…

As the meal was winding down, rain began to fall outside, droplets tapping gently against the glass windows. The soft sound added to the warm, comfortable atmosphere in the banquet hall.

Seeing that everyone had just about finished eating, Alice gave a small wave of her hand. The elderly butler sitting quietly at the dining table immediately stood and walked over to her with respectful poise.

“Is there something you need, Miss?”

Alice dabbed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, asking casually, “How’s the Stardust coming along? If I’m remembering right, it should be just about ready for its test flight?”

“In fact, the test flight was completed last week.” The butler replied with a slight bow, “You were occupied at the time.”

“Oh? And no one thought to tell me...” Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Your mother’s orders, Miss. She said if we informed you, you’d just keep finding faults.”

At that, a calm, knowing smile spread across Alice’s face.

She cast a glance toward Xing Mo, then said, “Go get everything ready. We’ll take it out for a spin this afternoon. Since the rain just started, it's actually the perfect time to test how it handles in bad weather.”

“Understood.” The old butler bowed again and left to carry out her instructions.

As the conversation flowed around her, Xing Mo couldn’t help but dwell on one word.

Stardust? Isn’t that the steam airship Senior Alice mentioned before?

Before she could ask, Alice clarified, “The Church of Tides had previously asked to borrow one of our family’s steam airships to intercept suspects aboard the Humpback Whale.”

“…But now, the situation’s even more convenient—since Prince Austin is aboard that whaler too, we can catch them all in one sweep.”

Out of everything Alice had said, one particular detail stuck in Xing Mo’s mind: ‘borrow one of our family’s steam airships.’

Keeping her misgivings to herself, she asked: “Doesn’t the Church have its own steam airships?”

“They do, but most of the airships stationed in the Citadel are just for transport. Now, as for the cross-sea transport industry... who do you think controls it?”

“Prince Austin.” Xing Mo muttered with a sigh.

Indeed, most of the Citadel’s steam airships were under Prince Austin’s control. That cunning old fox had clearly embedded his own network within the fleet—who could say what might go wrong if they relied on it?

In times like these, it was better to turn to people you could trust. For instance—the Pushett Family.

“Besides, most of those steam airships are just basic transport vessels, their performance is pretty underwhelming.” Alice said, shaking her head, “In short, they lack power.”

“What kind of power?” Xing Mo asked, frowning in confusion.

Alice gave a faint smile, “Firepower.”

......

Two hours later, Xing Mo followed Alice through the mansion’s backyard. They walked along a covered corridor that skirted the edges of the garden, eventually arriving at a structure that resembled a bunker.

Once inside, the atmosphere changed instantly—cool and damp. The flickering glow of gas lamps lit their path, casting long shadows along the stairwell as they descended.

After about two minutes, the stairway suddenly opened into a vast chamber. Xing Mo felt as if she had entered a vast area, with a faint mist of steam curling around her before she even noticed.

“We’re here.” Alice said softly.

With a snap of her fingers, rows of lights flared to life, one after another, bathing the underground hangar in its glow.

At the center of it all stood a massive steam airship.

Its bronze-colored metal frame formed a sleek, oval shell that enclosed a great balloon within. Metal sails—shaped like fish fins—were packed around the balloon, fluttering slightly as bursts of steam hissed from pressure valves.

Beneath the balloon hung a ship-like hull, about the size of a whaler. Around the hull were several sets of fishbone-shaped sails—fewer and smaller than the other sails.

And nestled between those sails, Xing Mo saw metal cylinders.

It took her a second to register what they were—cannons.

Two full rows of air-to-surface artillery.

......