The dozens of Mara-Struck soldiers posed no threat to Luocha and Lumina.
In less than a minute, the pair had wiped them all out.
"Mr. Luocha, I mean you no harm," Lumina said, waving her staff to clean up the fallen Mara-Struck soldiers. A warm, sincere smile bloomed on her face.
Luocha remained silent, studying Lumina's face for a moment before returning her smile.
"Miss Lumina, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Though Luocha couldn't gauge the full extent of Lumina's knowledge, he knew that having one less enemy and one more ally was always the wisest course. Especially when that ally was a key player who could tip the scales of victory...
"Mr. Luocha, you..."
"Hey! What just happened here? Are you both alright?"
Lumina seemed about to say something more to Luocha, but she was interrupted by a brown-haired young girl who came running up. The girl looked at Luocha and Lumina, her voice laced with genuine concern.
"We're fine," Lumina replied. As she looked at the newcomer's smiling face, Lumina's own smile seemed to brighten even further.
Hearing this, the young girl nodded and turned to Luocha. Seeing his reassuring nod, she sighed in relief and introduced herself with a smile:
"Hello, I'm Cloud Knight Sushang. I was recently transferred here from the Xianzhou Yaoqing."
"I'm Luocha, a merchant."
"My name is Lumina. I'm a physician."
Both kept their introductions brief.
"Lumina?" Sushang muttered, the name sounding vaguely familiar.
But this wasn't the time for deep thought. Shaking off the feeling, Sushang surveyed the surroundings and said, "This entire area is under lockdown. I'm evacuating civilians. Thankfully, none of you are injured."
"Come with me. I'll guide you to a safe place."
Sushang harbored no suspicion toward them; after all, they hardly looked like villains.
"Hmm? Who's that?"
Just as Sushang was about to lead Lumina and Luocha away, a black-haired young man approached.
Without hesitation, the youth walked up to the group, his gaze landing on Lumina. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before he introduced himself:
"I'm Dan Heng."
In the game, Dan Heng merely registered mild surprise at Lumina's appearance, feeling no other emotions.
But in reality, the players with their "god-like perspective" immediately went wild.
"How did Lumina get back to Cloudford?"
In the live stream, Little Bear stared dumbfounded at Lumina's sudden appearance. Wasn't she just standing before the Palace of Astrum moments ago? How had she teleported all the way back to Cloudford?
[Confirmed! Lumina is the mastermind behind Xianzhou Luofu!]
[Wait, seriously? We're actually going to fight Lumina?]
[If Lumina's the boss, then we'll definitely get a defeat CG when we beat her, right? (smirking)]
[Lumina's Defeat & The Saintess's Fall: Those Unspeakable Secrets of Bygone Years*]
[Ugh, I hate how easily I understood that last one!]
Little Bear kept his eyes glued to the computer screen, refraining from sharing his thoughts. Based on the information available, either Lumina was the villain, or something in Cloudford had drawn her there. Otherwise, her presence couldn't be explained.
As he pondered this, Little Bear felt a faint twinge of regret.
After all, if Lumina became a boss, she'd inevitably face a beating from the players.
Little Bear still felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of his attacks landing on Lumina's pure and saintly face.
Pushing aside these thoughts, Little Bear glanced at the harmonious comments in the comment section and refocused on progressing the story.
The scene shifted back to Lumina.
Meeting Dan Heng's gaze, Lumina greeted him with a gentle smile. "Mr. Dan Heng, we meet again."
Dan Heng nodded in acknowledgment.
"Oh? You two know each other!" Sushang exclaimed, visibly relieved. She had initially mistaken him for an outsider.
"I'm Sushang. Since you're friends, why don't you come with me? I'll take you to a safe place." Sushang introduced herself to Dan Heng, her smile radiating warmth.
"Thank you, but my journey here is about to end. I'm about to rejoin my companions," Dan Heng replied, shaking his head. "I can find my way out of the port myself."
"If you're referring to March and the others..." Lumina interjected, "I met them earlier. They're currently in the Central Starskiff Haven, meeting with dignitaries from the Palace of Astrum."
"I see..." Dan Heng sighed softly.
Lumina, observing Dan Heng's reaction, smiled and said, "But that was all in the past. I have no idea what the situation is now."
"Is that so..." Dan Heng nodded silently.
"Well, regardless, if your friend hasn't run into any trouble, they must be in a safe zone," Sushang declared, her tone firm as she studied Dan Heng's taciturn demeanor.
"So! Leave it to me, Cloud Knight Sushang, to lead you out of here!" Sushang struck a pose, hands on her hips, her face brimming with pride. "Follow me, everyone!"
With that, she turned and strode ahead to lead the way.
"Oh, right!" Sushang called out after a few steps, as if suddenly remembering something. "You'll need to sign your names yourselves later. I don't know many characters, and I'm afraid I'll mess it up..."
"Mm..." The three murmured in acknowledgment.
As they watched Sushang's retreating figure, a thoughtful glint flickered in Lumina's eyes. Unbelievable... is she really this naive?