Who hid My Corpse!

March 28th, Nameless Town, evening.

Isaiah sat by the window, gazing out at the Black Merchant Headquarters, which appeared incredibly mysterious to outsiders.

In his right eye, sealed with the entire expanse of the starry sky, the few energy-emitting nodes on the outskirts of the town were exceptionally clear.

Those were the Array Eyes of the "Array of Stars."

Soon, the door was knocked on, and with his permission, yesterday's Black Merchant elegantly entered after opening the door: "Mr. Isaiah, the Array of Stars is ready."

"Yes, I can already sense its presence," Isaiah said with a smile, "You've set it up very well."

"To receive your approval is our greatest honor," the Black Merchant replied with a smile. "Frankly, we weren't sure if we could succeed before, as it is exceedingly intricate and complex. It's the most profound array I've ever seen in my life. Of course, only such an array can harness the power of the stars."

Isaiah could tell that half of the Black Merchant's words were sincere, the other half flattery, but he didn't mind, just nodded slightly: "Indeed, it is the unique skill on which we Star Relics rely for survival, but it's also the shackle restricting our development. After all, we can't always stand beneath the Star Sea forever."

"I believe that one day the scholars of the Star Relics will find a way to break this bond," the Black Merchant said. "Nothing in the universe is immutable, is it?"

Isaiah knew the Black Merchant was hinting again, hoping for his help in clearing their names at the upcoming assembly. He didn't refuse, smiling, "Of course, that's my hope as well."

Then the two exchanged smiles, sealing the deal.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" the Black Merchant asked.

"Just keep everything as it is until tomorrow night," Isaiah said, "The Array of Stars will begin operating on tomorrow's Innocent Night. I will handle everything then, but before that..."

"I understand your meaning," the Black Merchant placed his hand on his chest again, "Rest assured, we won't startle the snake."

After speaking, the Black Merchant took his leave, leaving Isaiah alone in the room.

Isaiah turned his gaze back out the window.

So far, everything was going according to his plan.

As long as tomorrow night comes, with the advent of the Innocent Night and the full activation of the Array of Stars, he would be free to act against Tongue and Rocky, who would have been driven here.

The prerequisite for all of this, however, was that Tongue and Rocky would arrive by tomorrow night.

And that depended on Mina's side.

According to the plan, Mina was to make a move tonight against Tongue, who was still in Delar Town, and that guy called Edwin, driving them here.

Mina was Isaiah's most prized disciple, and he was confident in her capability.

However, to be cautious, Isaiah would still monitor that starry sky. As soon as Mina made her move, he would know immediately.

Therefore, Isaiah quietly gazed in the direction of Delar Town, waiting for the prelude to come.

What Isaiah didn't know was that at this moment, Mina was no longer in Delar Town.

She was already according to plan, about to reach the outskirts of Nameless Town.

Only a day early.

...

"We can no longer sense Edwin's presence," Fenris said, "Which means... unfortunately, we've lost him."

"I think you don't need to feel sorry at all," Rocky mocked, "If you lament every time you lose track, you'll spend the rest of your life wallowing in regret."

Facing Rocky's mockery, Fenris didn't show much reaction. He typically didn't care about this, naturally making Rocky feel like he was punching a cotton ball, leaving him with a sense of powerlessness. So, he shifted his target to Mina: "I say, is your plan even working? What if those two guys don't come to Nameless Town at all? Won't we look like fools, running for nothing?"

Rocky's anger stemmed from the fact that they had rushed from Delar Town overnight.

To avoid startling the snake, they left their respective troops behind in Delar Town and came alone here.

For Rocky, this was certainly exasperating. His injuries were not yet healed, his right hand still missing a finger, making him entirely a cripple.

Moreover, throughout the journey, they had to be cautious not to be noticed by Tongue ahead, lest Tongue simply turn back and butcher them. That would be a grievance they couldn't speak of.

Fortunately, they had already covered most of the journey; Nameless Town was just ahead. Even if Tongue discovered them now, Isaiah wouldn't likely sit back and let it happen, so by now, they were relatively safe, giving Rocky the energy to pick on his two "companions."

After spending these days with Rocky, Mina had come to thoroughly understand this irritable Bishop Rhein, knowing that he was merely picking a fight, but she wasn't bothered, replying warmly: "They have no reason not to come. If they don't come here, where else can they find Visas's Corpse?"

If it had been earlier, Mina might still have felt some dissatisfaction with Rocky's unreasonable attitude, but now she no longer did.

After all, who gets annoyed with their prey?

The Rocky who followed her here had already one foot in the trap like a wild boar. For a Hunter, its howl was music rather than noise.

Next, she just needed to follow the plan to lure Rocky into Nameless Town.