Listening to the girl’s explanation, Night Frost gained a rough understanding of the two required courses.

To better manage the people of the Fourth District and the other zones, the Order Keepers had introduced Faith as a mandatory subject.

They intended to retrace the theological path of the past and use it to restrain the people’s thoughts.

Physical Health was a required course designed for Magic Maidens.

Its purpose was to improve their physical fitness. It had nothing to do with ordinary citizens.

But recently, an ordinary student accidentally enrolled in the course and disappeared.

That had left everyone on edge.

Who knew what dirty, inhuman deeds the Magic Maidens carried out behind their dazzling public image?

Night Frost took some interest in the other regulations and looked into them as well.

She discovered that the provisional laws recently issued by the Order Keepers favored the Magic Maidens far too heavily.

They seemed to have completely ignored the people’s protests.

They had disregarded the people and tilted the balance toward their own interests.

For ordinary citizens, there were only two choices.

One was to protest and speak out, letting more people see the true faces of the Magic Maidens.

The other was armed resistance.

As long as they brought down the Order Keepers, they could make their own laws.

“Thanks. I understand the general situation now, but I’m not interested in this…”

“I just arrived in this city. I was only curious because I saw the march…”

“Seems I came at a bad time.”

The girl nodded thoughtfully.

As far as she was concerned, the protest already had enough people.

She didn’t force Night Frost to join them. Otherwise, how would they differ from those Order Keepers?

“Although I don’t know what attracted you to the Fourth District…”

“To locals, it’s just a city covered in smog.”

“After the industrial laws were passed, almost all industry shut down. Technology is still developing, but there’s barely anything worth mentioning.”

“But since you’re a visitor, please enjoy your time here.”

“As long as you don’t participate in resistance activities or join any resistance groups, you can keep yourself out of trouble.”

Night Frost could tell the girl was sincerely giving her advice.

That earned the girl quite a bit of Night Frost’s goodwill.

“Thank you. I might be meddling, but you should still be careful.”

“Don’t go home too late, and don’t walk through alleys alone.”

Night Frost said quite a lot, though she had no idea whether the girl had taken it to heart.

After thanking each other, the girl returned to the protest march.

Night Frost, meanwhile, led the Zone Fifteen Guardian through the streets and alleys.

To outsiders, they really did look as if they were out shopping.

“Why didn’t you ask where she was staying?”

“You two seemed to get along pretty well. And that last sentence was completely unnecessary.”

It was true that Night Frost and the girl had spoken pleasantly.

But Night Frost had no intention of exposing herself to danger.

Marching outside the Order Keepers’ headquarters was practically the same as seeking death.

Recently, quite a few other Magic Maidens had arrived in the Fourth District.

The Zone Fifteen Guardian had given Night Frost a rough description of their personalities.

Among them were Magic Maidens who privately enjoyed killing for pleasure.

There were also plenty who considered themselves lofty and were unbearably arrogant.

Some valued their reputation above all else and would stop at nothing to preserve it.

Once those people heard the resistance march, they certainly wouldn’t let it go.

They might capture the protesters and imprison them. At worst, they might beat them to death.

Since the girl had helped Night Frost, Night Frost naturally gave her a warning in return.

“In short, I’m worried those people might use any means necessary to trace us back to each other.”

“To completely distance ourselves from this, we need to find another suitable place to stay.”

Night Frost pointed at two burly men nearby.

They wore stockings over their heads and were hiding in a corner, apparently carrying out some filthy deal.

“I think those two are suitable targets.”

Night Frost strode over.

She dug at her ear, triggering the following exchange:

【Since you saw us, you’re really unlucky.】

【What a fine-looking girl.】

【Since you’re here, don’t bother leaving. Oh~ There’s an even better one behind you.】

A wild Night Frost appeared!

Night Frost used Flying Kick!

It was super effective!

Night Frost didn’t even need to transform.

Her current physical ability was already beyond what ordinary people could challenge.

The two men had originally planned to attack her.

Now, they leaned crookedly against the wall.

Night Frost cracked her knuckles and looked down at them with the eyes one reserved for trash.

“Mercy, miss! Please have mercy…”

One of them lunged at Night Frost and hugged her thigh.

Night Frost slapped him twice across the face.

She shook her hand afterward.

His face was seriously hard. Her hand hurt from hitting him.

“We’ve just arrived and need somewhere to stay. Make it quick!”

The two men immediately forgot about their deal.

Judging from Night Frost’s words and expression, she might cut them down the next second.

Their heads would then hit the ground.

These two were practically facing their ancestors themselves!

How could they dare delay?

Under Night Frost’s pressure, they had no choice but to remove the stockings from their heads.

One of the men led them to an apartment building.

“I didn’t expect you to live somewhere this nice…”

“Then again, your clothes don’t look like something bought from a street stall.”

Night Frost had been too busy beating people to carefully examine the clothes of the man who had brought them there.

The clothes weren’t from any brand she recognized, but their workmanship and quality were quite good.

They looked expensive.

“Before we go in, I want to know what you two were doing in that corner.”

“What? You weren’t here to arrest us?!”

One of them was stunned.

At first, they had thought Night Frost was an innocent girl who had gotten lost.

While being beaten, they assumed she was an undercover Magic Maiden who had come to arrest them.

But now Night Frost was telling them she was neither!

Had they taken that beating for nothing?

“Why would I arrest you? I’m not an Order Keeper.”

“I’m not interested in your deal. I just wanted somewhere to stay.”

“I didn’t plan to attack you, but you two were asking for it!”

“Still, you didn’t take that beating for nothing.”

“At least I had a great time.”

Night Frost’s words only made the two men more frightened.

This woman seemed completely unpredictable.

She was probably far more terrifying than those Order Keepers.

“We… smuggle machine parts, carry out illegal modifications, and…”

“Some drugs, too…”

The man’s voice was very quiet, but Night Frost heard him clearly.

Smuggling machine parts was one thing.

But why were they smuggling drugs as well?

They clearly didn’t take the Order Keepers’ headquarters seriously.

That was unbelievably bold.

“You two don’t look bold enough for that.”

“You turned into this pathetic mess after only a couple of punches.”

“But it pays well!”

“Otherwise, where do you think I got this whole building?”

Night Frost nodded.

She felt the man had made a fair point.

Money could drive people to take dangerous risks.

And smuggling could earn a great deal.

Wait.

This whole building?

Night Frost had assumed he merely lived in one of the apartments.

But he was saying the entire building belonged to him.

“You’re already this rich. Why do you still need to make money?”

“You can never have too much money!”

He suddenly shouted.

He was about to lose his temper, but then he saw Night Frost’s fist.

“Ahem. That was rude of me…”

“I mean, there’s no such thing as too much money. There’ll always be plenty of places to spend it in the future.”

“And if I get sick again, I’ll need a huge amount of money.”

“If something happens later, supplies and other necessities will still cost money.”

“In my opinion, money is important.”

Night Frost glanced at their briefcases.

Those had to contain the smuggled goods from this deal.

“I plan to stay here for a while.”

“You can continue with your business.”

“Unless you can find me somewhere more secluded, of course~”

“I’ll pay you.”

After Night Frost finished speaking, the man breathed a sigh of relief.

“My surname is Wang. You can call me Wang Wu.”

“As for him, I won’t reveal his name. He’s my client this time.”

“This place was originally meant to be rented out, so you don’t need to pay.”

“I can find a better place for you soon. As for what happened today…”

He rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile.

That reaction was only natural.

Night Frost and the Zone Fifteen Guardian were stronger than him, and they had caught him in the act.

But Night Frost had no intention of making things difficult for him.

“I won’t tell anyone what happened today.”

“We were never here, and you don’t know anything.”

“If you don’t trust me, we can sign a contract.”

Night Frost’s meaning was already clear.

She hadn’t seen anything today.

And he knew nothing about her.

Wang Wu didn’t sign a contract with Night Frost.

She was extremely powerful, and she needed a place to stay.

Clearly, she hadn’t entered the city through official registration.

There had to be some force backing her.

Doing her a personal favor might earn him even more later.

Wang Wu tossed Night Frost a Key.

It opened Room 402, where she could stay temporarily.

Wang Wu and the mysterious man went to another street to complete their deal.

Afterward, Wang Wu circled around the city several times before returning home.

He carried a heavy case.

When he opened it, he found five thick stacks of currency inside.

By taking a risk only twice a month, he could earn what an ordinary family made in a year.

After placing the money in a corner of the basement, Wang Wu took out a pinhole camera.

He developed the photographs he had taken of Night Frost and the Zone Fifteen Guardian.

Then he completely erased all the information stored in the camera.

A person always needed a backup plan.

After handling everything, he turned around.

A streak of white hair brushed past his cheek.

The girl had crimson-gold eyes and wore a high-waisted black dress.

Crimson-gold accents decorated the edge of her skirt.

And on top of her head were two black horns.

No matter how he looked at her, she didn’t seem human.

Behind the girl stood a tall woman cloaked in dark teal Magic Armor.

She remained silent, standing like a quiet knight.

“You really are disobedient.”

The girl’s voice was pleasant.

But to Wang Wu, it carried endless terror.

Wasn’t that the voice of the girl from earlier?

When had she arrived?

And how had she gotten inside?

“Are you human… or ghosts?”

“No, you’re Magic Maidens?!”

Wang Wu stepped backward, one step at a time.

The photographs scattered across the floor.

Night Frost snapped her fingers.

CrimsonGoldFlame landed on two of the photographs.

The flames burned quietly, leaving behind only a thin layer of ash.

“Please, let me explain!”

“About these photographs… I didn’t betray you!”

“Mm. I believe you didn’t.”

“But what were you planning to do afterward?”

“Sell the photographs to someone at a high price after we left?”

“I…”

Night Frost had guessed correctly.

That was exactly what he had intended.

His body trembled.

The words of denial reached his lips, then vanished back down his throat.

“Please… give me one chance.”

Wang Wu wanted to live.