Everyone simultaneously looked toward the source of the sound. In the next moment, about a third of them burst out laughing.
"Little sister, that money isn't easy to earn. The Church of Hope is notoriously protective of its own," the Scrawny Man, who had previously haggled over the price with Syl, kindly reminded her.
"Birdie, don't go." Madam Niu Niu also tugged at the sleeve of the person who had raised their hand.
That's right. It was Syl who had raised her hand, volunteering to investigate the Saintess of Hope.
I'll investigate myself!
Isn't this 3000 currency just free money? I could even give you the Saintess of Hope's measurements!
Moreover, having others investigate her—the constant feeling of being watched—would make Syl even more uncomfortable, to the point she wouldn't dare find a place to transform.
But if she investigated herself, there would be no such concerns.
Perhaps, through an outstanding performance investigating herself, she could even find out who was behind the investigation.
She might even be able to join their subsequent plans. Whatever they intended to do to her, she would know.
"You?" The girl finally spoke, her tone thick with distrust. "How will you prove you're capable?"
"Do you have paper and a pen?" Syl asked, looking at Anor.
"Uh... yes, wait a moment." Anor hurried off to find a pen.
Anor hadn't expected that the newcomer recommended by Old Kelly would be so bold.
To jump right in and accept Little Monster's commission... In the past, Little Monster's commissions were always discussed and accepted jointly by several Salon members.
But Anor was also starting to get curious. How would the bird-beak-masked girl complete this task? The thought made Anor feel somewhat excited.
It was as if he himself were personally participating in the tense and thrilling world of the supernatural.
Soon, Anor found a pen and a newspaper, as he genuinely couldn't find any other paper in such a short time.
Handing the items to Syl, she only took the newspaper and pen. Seeing it was a newspaper, she suddenly changed her mind and lowered her head to look at it.
As she read, she made marks on the newspaper. After about two minutes, Syl handed the newspaper to the monster-masked girl.
"A waste of time..." the monster-masked girl said flatly, then began to look at the newspaper.
Then, she saw the marks Syl had made—just underlines beneath certain letters.
"What nonsense is this... Huh?"
The monster-masked girl had intended to glance at it and set it aside, but when she pieced together those scattered words, her entire body froze.
[Sil·Saint]
The monster-masked girl's mind felt like it was experiencing an earthquake.
How is this possible!?
The Saintess had only appeared a few days ago. Her first public appearance was just yesterday. No ordinary person knew her identity.
To find the Saintess, their organization had even sacrificed a long-term undercover agent, and all they had learned was the name.
How did this person know the Saintess's name!?
Suppressing the shock within, the monster-masked girl immediately thought of one possibility.
She's from the Church!
A magic circle materialized in the monster-masked girl's hand, and flames instantly reduced the newspaper to ashes.
This sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise. Tuck was the first to react.
"Without materials!? Third Tier?"
"My goodness..."
"Little Monster is actually a Third Tier Possessor?"
Almost everyone was astonished. This monster-masked girl, who had been around for nearly two years, who hardly spoke except to post commissions, was actually a Third Tier existence.
Amidst everyone's exclamations, a chain of ice materialized around Syl, encircling her completely, yet it did not move to restrain her.
Syl recognized this chain almost instantly. It was nearly identical to the ice chain that Andaman had used to attack her.
Was this a Possessor's ability? Or was it magic researched by Andaman's organization?
But there was no time left for Syl to ponder this deeply, nor to retrieve the new blades from the box. Relying purely on a physician's instinct, she instantly flipped out a scalpel from her toolkit and gripped it.
However, Syl pressed it against her own wrist.
If the monster-masked girl dared make any rash move, Syl would immediately cut herself, triggering [Calamitous Fate] to launch hallucinatory attacks on everyone present.
Seeing Syl's self-harming gesture, the monster-masked girl also dared not act rashly.
Her intuition told her that if the bird-beak-masked girl before her cut her wrist, something major would happen.
"What is your relationship with the Church?" the monster-masked girl asked after a moment of silence.
"I have no relationship with any Church," Syl sneered, then continued, "And I never believed in any gods. So-called gods are merely more powerful people."
Syl's words plunged the entire room into silence.
Even Anor, who had been preparing to mediate, stood frozen in place.
Everyone present thought the bird-beak-masked girl before them had gone mad.
Gods are merely more powerful people? Not even the most anti-Church individuals would utter such words.
Someone who says such a thing is either insane.
Or truly audacious.
Gods? Just people. I can become a god too.
Too audacious.
This statement completely dispelled the monster-masked girl's suspicions of Syl.
Even if she were a Church plant, she wouldn't risk uttering such blasphemous, insulting words about the divine.
"My apologies, I was abrupt." The monster-masked girl waved her hand, dispelling the spell, and bowed her head slightly toward Syl. "Your conviction is respectable, even if it is utterly impossible to achieve."
After speaking, the monster-masked girl reached into her pocket, took something out, and tossed it to Syl.
"This is a check. You can take it to the Suramar Central Bank to exchange it for a 1500 currency deposit," the monster-masked girl said flatly. "Imprinted on the check is our organization's emblem. If you find yourself without a stable residence, you can come find us."
"Alright." Syl glanced at the check and emblem, put away her scalpel, and casually stuffed both into her pocket. "You scared me."
"I apologize again, Miss." The monster-masked girl lowered her head, seeming somewhat embarrassed.
"It's fine. Just don't do that next time," Syl replied equally flatly.
Beneath her mask, the connection between Syl's face covering and her neck was already soaked with cold sweat.
Just now, she had come perilously close to disaster.
Fortunately, she genuinely held no faith in gods and dared to say anything. Otherwise, proving her innocence would have been much harder.
"Whew... you guys scared me to death..." Anor wiped away a cold sweat. He had genuinely thought a fight was about to break out. "Have a little faith in Old Kelly's recommendation, Little Monster."
"Mhm..." The monster-masked girl nodded.
"Alright then, free discussion time. Everyone can have some snacks or something." Anor clapped his hands, thinking about what methods he could use later to dispel the somewhat tense atmosphere.
"Silver Crow, may I call you that?" The monster-masked girl looked at Syl and asked, "Can we talk alone?"
After speaking, the monster-masked girl pointed to the table at the very edge, currently unoccupied.