Chapter 502: 503
Several minutes later, Lamia sat on the edge of the bed, wiping her long hair with a towel. Her hair was very long, making it quite the task.
After drying off her body and fluffing her hair a bit, she looked somewhat more normal. She resembled a seductive demoness more than a ghost from a horror movie.
Aiden moved a chair to sit across from her, pondered for a while, and then pointed at the small blanket folded on the bed.
"At least cover your legs if you wonât wear clothes," Aiden suggested.
"Youâve been staring at me for three minutes, and now you think of covering me up?" Lamia laughed.
Still, she followed his advice, pulled the blanket over her lower body, and used her long hair to cover her chest.
The Revenge Goddess suddenly appeared before Aiden, taunting with a chuckle, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, kid, youâ"
"Shut up!" Aiden replied with his mind, cutting off her mockery.
"Whatâs there to mind? Itâs a normal physiological reaction for a man to have!" The Revenge Goddess burst into laughter. "Donât be shy. We can feel it every morning these days, canât we?"
"If you really understood that, you wouldnât bother mocking me on purpose. Go back, and stop acting like a greenhorn," Aiden said before making the illusion of the Revenge Goddess vanish from his sight.
They were now sharing a body, and any reaction it had, she could feel it as wellâthe so-called lack of privacy was basically just like that.
"So, how exactly did you get into this room?" Aiden asked, staring at Lamia.
"Heh, didnât you tell us where you live? I just followed the direction and found my way here," Lamia replied with a smile while she dried her hair.
"I told you the address in case of an emergency that required urgent contact," Aiden corrected seriously. "How exactly did you come in? Is Qiqimora here too?"
"Sheâs still on surveillance. This place isnât your prison, just a regular room. If they canât handle this, can they even be called a Great Witch?" Lamia didnât answer the question directly.
"Then what are you doing here?" Aiden frowned.
"To report on the situation over there," Lamia answered.
"Couldnât you have just contacted using the Great Witchâs credentials?" Aidenâs frown deepened.
"We canât bother Abigail every time. Plus, I really wanted a hot bath, and I havenât had proper rest or closed my eyes for nearly two days. While switching shifts with Qiqimora, I just decided to come here," Lamia stuck out her tongue. "Your room is really not bad at all."
Aiden had a bad premonition. "You better not tell meâ"
"Can I sleep here tonightâ"
"No, donât even think about it!" Aiden refused before she could finish.
Anyone with a functioning brain wouldnât let a monster who could swallow them whole be alone in a room with them, let alone sleep soundly through it.
"This guy really does whatever he wants, huh?" the Revenge Goddess commented in Aidenâs consciousness.
"Are you one to talk?" Aiden retorted, then told Lamia out loud, "If you want to sleep on a soft bed, go book a room yourself."
"But Iâm a wanted criminal, and I only wore a robe for show on the way here, with no pockets at all. Where do you expect me to keep money, looking like this?" Lambia raised her hands.
"Enough talk, Iâll book a room for you," Aiden said grumpily. "Now report your progress."
"We have figured out the innermost structure of the core area, here is the schematic," Lamia said, producing a roll of parchment from seemingly nowhere and handing it to Aiden.
"Well done," Aiden unfolded the hand-drawn map and glanced at it, then realized something amiss, "Hold on, where did you pull that out from just now?"
Lamia did not answer but simply revealed a secretive smile.
Aiden wisely did not pursue the question and continued to examine the map, "Itâs pretty sketchy."
"After all, Qiqimora only had a short time each visit, and the intelligence gathered was limited," Lamia replied, "Even so, weâve been discovered."
"Whatâs the status of the experiment now?"
"Naturally, itâs been halted, and the core area is kept fully manned; Qiqimora can no longer get in," Lamia explained.
"About what I expected," Aiden nodded, "Didnât find the location of the Divine Artifact?"
"That kind of thing is definitely locked up like a treasure; itâs not something you can find in a few seconds," Lamia said.
"But once we know its location, Qiqimora could use her powers to steal them away, no matter how secure the locks," Aiden stated, "Weâll proceed with the plan on the day of the action."
"So when exactly are we going to act?"
"Weâll make a move directly tomorrow afternoon, to avoid unnecessary complications," Aiden replied.
"Hmph, I like men who are decisive," Lamia smirked, and Aiden was surprised to find that her mouth contained normal teeth this time, with only the canines being slightly sharper than those of an average person, "But why not arrange an earlier time?"
"Because Iâve only just managed to borrow the manpower," Aiden gestured towards the birdcage by the window ledge, "It takes time to transfer manpower over."
"That pigeon looks quite tasty," Lamia said, licking her lips with her tongue outstretched.
The pigeon in the cage flapped its wings frantically in fear.
"Enough, youâll scare it so much it probably wonât be able to deliver the message," Aiden stopped Lamia from getting closer to the cage.
"To be able to borrow troops in such a place, your influence is really eye-opening," Lamia expressed her admiration.
"Save the flattery, how goes Mr. Redcoatâs investigation?" Aiden continued to inquire.
"Iâve killed three confirmed controlled insiders in the past two daysâheh, I really love this job!" Lamia revealed a pleased smile, "Rest assured, Iâve dealt with it very cleanly, the bodies are essentially gone, only leaving a bit of residue that I spat into the pond!"
"Donât tell me the details of your crimes!" Aiden interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
"Anyway, that guyâs control is getting very close to the experimental core, I reckon we havenât killed off all of the followers that scumbag had brought up yet, and he must have noticed the halt in the experiment too."
"Not just him, Professor Dodge must have also become aware," Aiden spoke slowly, "He will take action too... perhaps he might show up at that base, we need to keep a close watch."
"If thatâs the case, wouldnât attacking the base mean making an enemy of him as well?" Lamia asked.
"If it really comes down to that, try negotiating with him, there might still be a chance to persuade him."
"And if negotiations fail, thatâs the worst-case scenario?"
"Of course not, thereâs something even worse. Donât forget, the biggest threat to us is always that cult leader," Aiden responded somberly.