Thud.

At the Dawn camp, the infirmary door burst open.

Tiffany, bored on her sickbed counting the leaves of the potted plant above, jumped. Eyes wide, she saw Vivian standing dazed in the doorway, frozen mid-motion—shoulder thrust forward like a warrior’s "Iron Mountain Lean" skill.

Lamplight glinted off the crystal-clear vines coiling the doorframe, scattering a faint green glow over Vivian’s head. For a moment, Tiffany felt a trace of unease—then shook it off.

After all, Vivian didn’t quite *qualify* for that kind of omen.

Not out of mockery—just cold fact.

Green symbolized resilience, yes… but to be "greened," you first needed someone *to* green you with.

"You're back," Tiffany said carefully, mind racing as she studied Vivian.

The blood on Vivian’s temple had already clotted.

Gotta admit—reckless types had their perks.

But Vivian’s mood was clearly foul.

Predictable. After storming off at Mr. Li Wei *and* refusing to bare her chest in apology? Forgiveness wouldn’t come easy.

Especially now that he had a wife.

He’d always played the reserved gentleman—surface-level, at least. Under his wife’s watch? Even less chance of stolen glances.

But men…

Creatures who craved thrill.

Find the right discreet method, and he’d bite.

No rush. The road was long. Tiffany believed in victory. If not? She’d wait a century and settle the score at his graveside.

Elves lived *long*.

…Wait, what if *he* aged too?

Nah. To Tiffany, Li Wei was human anomaly—unchanged by time since they’d met.

"Vivian, you okay?" Tiffany’s thoughts spun fast.

*"Sisters share hearts, but you scheme against yours"*—that was her, a little "green tea" through and through.

Yet she felt zero self-awareness. Pure natural "green."

Self-preservation felt logical. And she *would* share Li Wei later—cost her nothing. Sisters for a lifetime, right?

"What do you think?"

Unaware her "airheaded" sister was scheming hard, Vivian shot her a weak glance. A hint of regret flickered: *If Tiffany had held me back… would things be different?*

Gone in a breath.

What difference would it make? Could it undo Li Wei’s marriage?

Maybe knowing sooner was… liberation.

Tsukika’s words had shattered her defenses—like a warrior ambushing her from grass, unleashing Tremor Strike and Arrogant Sword Qi: silencing, armor-piercing.

She’d wanted to scream *scumbag*… yet even furious, she knew his loyalty wasn’t wrong.

If *that* was scumbag behavior… what was her past longing for a married man?

But she couldn’t accept fault was hers. So… still Li Wei’s problem.

If he’d mentioned Tsukika earlier, she’d have moved on sooner.

Loyalty? Maybe just performance.

Hiding his relationship… dangling hope… basking in admirers’ attention.

He’d regret it. Vivian gritted her teeth.

"You went to see Mr. Li Wei?" Tiffany watched Vivian’s shifting expression. Genuine curiosity. *Did she accidentally create an opening?*

Wait—why "again"? Remembering past false hopes, the elf frowned… yet hope flickered in her eyes.

Vivian faced the question calmly this time. "Yes."

"Something happen?"

"He’s dead," Vivian replied flatly.

"???"

"Huh?" Tiffany’s eyes widened.

Linking Mr. Li Wei to "death" usually meant *"drop-dead gorgeous"* or *"so good it’d kill me."*

This raw, literal "dead"? Far more jarring to her "pure" heart.

*Did Vivian slash him in rage?!*

"I mean he’s dead *to me*," Vivian added tonelessly.

Past admiration, lingering traces of beauty—already faded over years—now dust. She wouldn’t spare them another thought.

"Oh." Tiffany secretly exhaled, patting her ample chest. "Scared me. *That’s* what you meant."

She paused, concern softening her gaze. "Next time, Vivian, be clearer. Easy to misunderstand."

"I read a story: ex-girlfriend told everyone her ex was dead. They met later—he said, *'Heard you’ve been saying I’m dead'*… so awkward! You’d hate that with Mr. Li Wei."

"We won’t meet."

"True. You were never his girlfriend."

"????"

*Is that the point?!*

Vivian felt fresh blood threaten to surge from her temple. *Which side is this airhead on?!*

Annoyed, she glared. This pain shouldn’t be hers alone.

"Don’t you have thoughts on Li Wei’s situation?"

She recalled Tiffany sobbing days ago about his wife and child. *She* was the fool now.

But surely the elf hadn’t moved on? Vivian knew Tiffany had… *notions*… though never saw her as competition.

Misery alone was misery. Shared misery? Comfort.

Cruel to pick on a fool… but she needed an outlet.

Tiffany just blinked. "What thoughts? It’s great."

"…Great?" Vivian froze.

"I figured it out!" Tiffany chirped. "Li Wei was swarmed before. Even after losing power, hidden rivals lingered. Now? Only *one* opponent—and she’s visible."

"So?"

"So… isn’t it simple?" Tiffany caught herself, softened her tone with feigned sincerity. "If you like Mr. Li Wei… just bypass one person’s defenses."

"I’d *never* like him. And it’s impossible."

"No no no no no no no!" Tiffany wagged a finger. "Is breaking one defense harder than storming the Demon King Citadel? You faced *that*—why fear a little girl?"

(She had zero proof Li Wei’s wife was young… but felt entitled to "little.")

*Logically sound… my foot!* "Why would *any* normal person think this?" Vivian deadpanned.

Tiffany blinked back. "Must my thoughts match humans to be normal?"

"…"

Vivian stared at the ceiling. *Was she the abnormal one?*

*Are all elves this unrestrained?*

"Whatever. Do what you want. I’m done with this." Vivian’s voice turned icy.

She felt free. Two paths now. Only hope: Li Wei never sees her outshine his wife… then crawls back. *How laughable.*

*Perfect.* Tiffany ignored the tone. "By the way… still angry?"

"Angry. But I’ll adjust. Don’t need comfort."

Vivian’s gaze softened slightly. *Only Tiffany’s here…*

"Then adjust slowly."

"Since you’re angry… perfect time for bad news."

Vivian: "…"

Warmth vanished.

"You wouldn’t want bad news ruining a good mood, right?" Tiffany explained sweetly.

Sighing at her "prodigy" teammate: "Just say it."

*Bad news?* Plenty lately. One more won’t break her.

Bad luck had limits. Maybe this was the last.

*"Every beginning is hard. I’ll pull through."* She wouldn’t eat her words—she’d just told *him* that.

Tiffany: "We’re bankrupt."

Vivian: "????"

"Bankrupt?! Why?! Weren’t funds still healthy?" Her composure cracked.

"When Ilena left, expenses spiked." Tiffany counted on fingers, genuinely distressed. "But the real hit? While you were gone, *your* business partners sent a very long invoice."

She handed Vivian a folded paper.

Hands trembling, Vivian unfolded it. Confused—it was long, but not *that* long.

"This isn’t much?" A flicker of hope.

"Oh, this is just the table of contents."

“The bills piled up too much. You know I can’t stand looking at this stuff, so I tucked them away in that cabinet over there.”

Vivian: “….”

She propped herself on the table with one hand. A wave of dizziness washed over her—maybe from blood loss—but she steadied herself.

She didn’t need to check. She knew exactly what those compensation claims covered: the Legion’s lost personnel and gear, resources spent on drastic measures to prevent further casualties, and materials lost eliminating the commander.

Clearly, Viret hadn’t left with a grim face because he’d let it go—he’d gone back to tally the accounts.

After a long silence, she asked quietly, “…Haven’t we had any recent income?”

“We’ve been relying on Mr. Li Wei’s business ventures to cover expenses,” Tiffany said.

“That’s not what I meant.” Vivian cut in sharply. “Haven’t we taken on subjugation missions ourselves?”

“Didn’t we already spend all that money?” Tiffany scratched her head.

Vivian fell silent again. Tiffany murmured, “How about writing your sister? Ask for help.”

“Impossible!”

“Even if you beat me to death or push me off a cliff—I’d never write her,” Vivian snapped.

*No way am I asking Mr. Li Wei to… prostitute myself. And now that he has a wife and daughter, how much would he even spend on me anyway?*

Tiffany shook her head at Vivian’s stubborn glare. “Don’t shut doors too fast, Vivian.”

“So what if I do? I won’t write it. If I do, I’ll be—”

“Hear me out before swearing?” Tiffany sighed.

Vivian frowned. Tiffany continued, “Actually… besides the debt collectors, another group came earlier.”

“They came to petition.”

“Petition?” Vivian blinked in confusion.

“They said several magically corrupted corpses suddenly appeared in the city.”

“Magically corrupted corpses?!” Shock flashed across Vivian’s face.

She knew how taboo this was—such things shouldn’t exist in the human realm.

“How could they appear?! Who’d dare conduct that research?”

“Why not? Elf trafficking’s banned too, yet I saw trades happening last week,” Tiffany remarked.

Vivian wanted to argue it wasn’t the same—but the words died in her throat under Tiffany’s gaze.

She bit her lip. “Tell me everything. What exactly happened?”

“I’m not fully sure. They said the corpses appeared suddenly, deliberately bypassing the Legion. Some suspect Legion involvement. People are uneasy, hoping higher-ups investigate—so they came to us for help.”

Tiffany wasn’t naive.

Every step led neatly to the final goal: financial aid.

Vivian’s brow tightened. She saw their angle—they were likely targeting Li Wei. Not everyone knew he’d left Dawn.

Still, she held authority to escalate matters herself. After all… her sister held a pivotal post in the Grand Holy City.

When duty called, Vivian knew how to prioritize.

*…Though, what would that proud woman think, learning Li Wei already has a wife and daughter?*