Yan’an City was home to the Vermilion Bird Guild, one of the Four Emblems Guilds.
Inside the bustling hall of the Vermilion Bird Guild, a tall woman entered through the main doors, her form draped in a long robe from which a cloth pouch hung at her waist. Her arrival, however, drew no particular attention.
The hall was filled with adventurers engrossed in urgent dungeon quests, leaving no one with the time or inclination to notice Li Jia.
Unperturbed, she stealthily embraced the petite girl from behind, leaning in intimately to whisper into her ear, “Aya Tone, will you come to the dance tonight?”
“No, I’m going home to eat with Xiao Jiu.”
The young woman gently extricated herself from the woman’s affectionate embrace. As she did so, her hood slipped down with an accidental brush, revealing a cascade of silver hair that fell like a waterfall. Unlike Li Jia’s entrance, this sight instantly captivated the crowd in the hall.
Every person ceased their activities, their gazes fixed intently on the shimmering silver strands.
“Look quickly, isn’t that Miss Aya Tone, the guild’s most enigmatic S-rank adventurer? I never imagined I’d be fortunate enough to encounter her today.”
“What?! Are you referring to the Silver-Haired Witch, ranked tenth on the national S-rank leaderboard?”
“Of course!”
“Truly, she’s so adorable, I’m utterly smitten.”
“So tiny, I just want to hold her close, oh my goodness.”
“…”
“Lady Aya Tone, could—could I possibly shake your hand?” While others remained lost in their daze, a brave soul had already approached Aya Tone, extending a hand.
Opportunity always favors the prepared; hesitation leads to defeat!
Seeing the outstretched hand before her, Aya Tone found it difficult to refuse. “Hello.”
“Damn it! Someone beat me to it!”
“That sneak!”
Witnessing someone steal a march, how could the others tolerate it? They all dropped their tasks and surged towards Aya Tone.
A holy war was about to erupt!
As the scene rapidly spiraled out of control, with an increasing number of people rushing towards her, Aya Tone’s eyes filled with terror, evoking unpleasant memories.
“Li Jia, I’m leaving first. You can report to the Guild Master yourself. Remember to transfer the money to my account!!”
Aya Tone swiftly released the hand she was holding, retrieved a magic staff from her four-dimensional pocket, and, after drawing a circle in the air beneath her, a teleportation array instantly materialized at her feet.
“These fanatical admirers are truly something else.”
Li Jia watched helplessly as Aya Tone vanished in a shower of starlight. Wasn’t it just last time that she’d been caught once?
Disregarding the fervent fans, Li Jia made her way through the hall to the reception desk, handing over the cloth pouch that hung from her waist.
“These are the resources obtained from the A-rank dungeon. Please tally them up. Once that’s done, transfer the funds to my account; I’ll go report to the Guild Master.”
“Certainly, Lady Li Jia.” The receptionist respectfully took the cloth pouch from Li Jia’s hand.
****
The Guild Master’s office was located on the second floor.
“Knock, knock.”
“Enter.”
Upon receiving permission, Li Jia pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Guild Master, I’ve returned.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
From her seat as Guild Master, an intellectual woman wearing glasses looked up, her gaze gently settling on Li Jia as she entered.
She was Fire Finch, the Guild Master of the Vermilion Bird Guild, one of the Four Emblems Guilds in Z-Country.
Her unique ability was a rare Divine Beast Transformation. More precisely, the unique ability of every successive Guild Master of the Four Emblems Guilds was a Divine Beast Transformation—a wondrous and uncommon ability that could be passed down through generations.
This was because a Guild Master represented not merely a position, but a spiritual pillar for the entire organization.
Fire Finch, for instance, possessed the power to transform into one of the Four Emblems: the Vermilion Bird.
As long as the Vermilion Bird endured, the Vermilion Bird Guild would forever stand.
“Did that child, Aya Tone, run off again?” Seeing only Li Jia, Fire Finch immediately understood.
“She ran off…”
Speaking of Aya Tone, Li Jia could only sigh with resignation. After every mission, Aya Tone would depart in a hurry, always citing the need to care for her child at home as her excuse.
Based on the information she’d left, Aya Tone was barely of university age. Li Jia mused that children these days simply enjoyed causing mischief.
‘Back in my day…’
“Let her be. That child is special.”
While others might be unaware of Aya Tone’s circumstances, how could she, as the Guild Master, not know? After all, she had personally tricked Aya Tone into joining.
Originally, only women were permitted to join the Vermilion Bird Guild, yet Aya Tone’s power was not to be underestimated, even by Fire Finch, who wielded the strength of the Vermilion Bird herself.
An S-rank combatant was a rarity for any guild, and Fire Finch had only managed to uncover this elusive gem through countless clues and subtle hints.
‘What did it matter if their true form was male? After transforming, they took on a female body anyway.’
‘And so adorable, too… Hehe.’
Recalling Aya Tone’s bashful demeanor, Fire Finch couldn’t help but let out a lecherous chuckle. Tricking this child into joining the guild was, in her opinion, the most glorious achievement of her life.
“Guild Master, even though it’s just the two of us here, perhaps you should still be a little more discreet.”
Li Jia shot Fire Finch, who was lost in her daze, a look of utter disdain.
Had she not known that the woman before her was genuinely female and remarkably beautiful at that, Li Jia might have considered eliminating this potential threat to Aya Tone.
‘Stalker, absolutely not!’
Still, that little imp Aya Tone truly was adorable—so tiny and soft to the touch. Li Jia couldn’t fault the Guild Master for her obsession, though she often wondered where Fire Finch had managed to ‘abduct’ her from.
Within the entire Vermilion Bird Guild, half of the members were ‘mama fans’ of Aya Tone, while the other half constantly plotted to ‘kidnap’ her and bring her home.
As Aya Tone’s dedicated teammate, Li Jia felt it her duty to protect this endearing child.
“Was this latest subjugation mission the same as always?”
Fire Finch’s expression shifted effortlessly; one moment she was lost in a lecherous grin, the next she had seamlessly transitioned into her professional work mode.
Accustomed to Fire Finch’s wildly fluctuating thoughts, Li Jia replied, “Indeed. My job was simply to collect resources throughout the entire process—effortless.”
As Aya Tone’s exclusive teammate, Li Jia possessed the A-rank ability of a Spatial Mage.
Space was king, and time was paramount.
Despite her A-rank evaluation, her strength was only slightly inferior to S-rank ability users, making her a prized strategic adventurer, a true treasure to any major guild.
Yet, within the Vermilion Bird Guild, she was relegated to being a mere, unfeeling transport machine, tasked with trailing behind Aya Tone and collecting scraps.
Initially, Li Jia had been deeply dissatisfied with Fire Finch’s decision. Why should an A-rank Spatial Mage like herself be assigned to logistics, even if her partner was an S-rank?
As Li Jia, a dignified A-rank Spatial Mage, she had never endured such an indignity.
The outcome, however, was entirely predictable. After clearing a dungeon with Aya Tone, Li Jia exclaimed how truly wonderful it was, declaring that no one else could possibly replace her in this role.
There was simply no alternative; Aya Tone’s magic was of a world-shattering caliber, complemented by an utterly unreasonable reserve of magical power. From the moment they entered a dungeon until its core was vanquished, only a matter of minutes would pass.
In such a brief span, truly no one but a Spatial Mage like herself could possibly gather all the resources.
“Guild Master, does Aya Tone truly have a child?”
Li Jia simply couldn’t fathom which scoundrel had managed to charm such an adorable and formidable Aya Tone, and the thought utterly infuriated her.
If she ever discovered who had deceived her little darling, she vowed she wouldn’t let him off easily!
As the conversation returned to Aya Tone, Fire Finch’s expression softened. She had met the child when helping Aya Tone find a house, and found them to be quite adorable as well.
“It’s true.”
‘It really was some scoundrel!!! Damn it!!’
Li Jia’s eyes glinted with murderous intent, and spatial fluctuations inadvertently rippled around her.
She thinks the father ran off??? 😭