Chapter 653: The Beauty in White

"My turn!"

The system handled the ticket sales automatically, and despite the long line, everything moved surprisingly quickly. Before long, it was the assassin’s turn. He hurriedly bought two tickets, one for himself and one for his girlfriend, then, after thinking about the breathtaking scenery and countless attractions in Dragon’s Roar Town, chose the three-day tour package without hesitation.

Now all he had to do was wait until noon the day after tomorrow, when Dragon’s Roar Town would officially open.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he immediately opened the sightseeing guide attached to his ticket. The moment he saw the sheer number of activities, attractions, and services listed inside, his expression changed.

"Ah!"

He stared at the guide for a moment before groaning in regret. "I already regret this. I should’ve bought the five-day pass. There’s way too much to see and do. Three days definitely won’t be enough."

Fortunately, ticket sales had only just begun, and each person could purchase up to five tickets. Realizing he still had a chance, he hurried back to the end of the line, determined to buy a five-day pass instead.

Meanwhile, high above the endless blue waters of the archipelago, Marcus was riding his elegant Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasant through the azure sky, leading the members of his crew across Twin Wing Island.

Following the markers on Silas the Wanderer’s map and the information they had obtained from the town mayor, they had spent the past several days hunting the level 70-plus monster leaders scattered throughout the islands. Their goal was simple: kill them, collect the weapons and equipment they dropped, and make the most of their remaining time before Dragon’s Roar Town opened.

Looking at what they had accumulated over the past few days, the results were more than satisfactory. Everyone in the group had already upgraded to Golden equipment, and thanks to Marcus’s absurdly high Luck stat, each person had managed to obtain at least one or two Mythic-tier items as well.

It was quite a haul.

"Man..."

"Seriously regretting this."

Several members of the group voiced the same complaint as they looked back over their gains. They should have squeezed in another hunting trip, maybe even two, before Dragon’s Roar Town opened. If they had known the town would attract this much attention, they would have made better use of the time.

Of course, after three complete sweeps of the islands, there was only so much that could be gained from the monster leaders. Even Marcus’s ridiculous Luck could not force them to keep dropping valuable items forever.

Marcus turned his head and glanced back at his companions, the members of the Mad Lion Mercenary Group. By now, none of them were even bothering to conceal their equipment. The brilliant glow radiating from their Golden and Mythic gear was so conspicuous that it practically illuminated the blue ocean beneath them.

For a moment, Marcus wondered whether there was actually another mercenary group in the game capable of matching them.

Naturally, once the opening of Dragon’s Roar Town was announced and the names of Drunkard and Invincible Strong were revealed to the public, players immediately began putting the pieces together.

For example, when the system announcement appeared, ThreeleafAxe69 had been sitting there thinking it over when his younger brother, ThreeleafDad, walked in. The moment he saw him, he could not resist sharing his suspicion.

"Sunshine, I’m telling you, it’s got to be IronWing-Stone and his crew. Drunkard and Invincible Strong? Those two have to be them."

"Yeah."

ThreeleafDad nodded with a grin. "Who else could pull off something this big? They actually own Twin Wing Island. I even had someone look into the other names. Blaze, DragonBlade, Path to Heaven, they’re all there. And Thunder too, our old guild’s top sorcerer. It’s definitely them."

The moment they heard that Dragon’s Roar Town belonged to Drunkard and Invincible Strong, the Threeleaf brothers immediately connected the two names to their former rival, IronWing-Stone.

"Too bad Stone changed his name. We’ve never been able to find him since then. We did track down someone using the name ’IronWing-Stone,’ but it turned out to be a complete fake. Some idiot fanboy stole the name."

ThreeleafAxe69 gave a chuckle.

"That stubborn bastard. He’s really playing it safe this time. Hiding himself and keeping a low profile, sneaking around without making a fuss. Nothing like the ferocious guy he used to be."

He paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

"So that Temple Knight with the hidden name... that’s him."

"No doubt about it."

ThreeleafDad’s grin widened.

"How about this? I’ll approach Drunkard and Invincible Strong under the excuse of offering them an advertising deal. While I’m there, I’ll see if I can find out what Stone’s situation is."

"Sounds good..."

ThreeleafAxe69 had barely finished nodding when a woman strode into the room.

She carried a long blade across her shoulder, and every step she took was sharp and confident. Her presence was fiery without being crude, graceful without seeming delicate, as though a burning cloud had suddenly swept into the room. There was something almost unreal about her beauty, like a goddess descending into the mortal world.

It was Threeleaf FlyingCloud.

She looked irritated, and there was a clear trace of anger in her voice as she spoke.

"Brothers, don’t bother. I already went there yesterday using the advertising excuse. It’s him. That stubborn bastard Stone."

"You found him?"

FlyingCloud’s expression darkened even further.

"Drunkard and Invincible Strong already admitted it. They confirmed that Stone is playing Dominion, but they refused to tell me anything more specific."

Her hands tightened slightly.

"That stubborn bastard. I swear, I’ll drag him out myself."

She had already made up her mind.

Deep down, she was certain of it. The Temple Knight who had appeared during the battle against the White Dog Rat King, the one wearing the rabbit mask and wolf-shaped knight armor, was none other than IronWing-Stone, the man she had never been able to forget.

---

Elsewhere, HeavenBreaker was dressed in a full set of assassin equipment as he watched the system announcement. After reading through the reactions from the other players, he could not help muttering, "Boss, from what everyone’s saying, Dragon’s Roar Town belongs to Drunkard and Invincible Strong. Do you think it’s Third Bro and the others?"

The moment those words left his mouth, SixWingedBoss’s expression changed.

He was fiercely protective of his younger sister, and the mere mention of that man was enough to put him on edge. He was about to snap at HeavenBreaker when he noticed someone approaching from the doorway.

His expression immediately changed.

"Don’t bring him up."

His voice dropped into a warning whisper. HeavenBreaker followed his gaze and fell silent.

The woman who walked in wore a pristine white cleric’s robe. She moved quietly, her steps graceful and measured, but there was a heaviness about her that made the entire room seem to fall silent around her.

She was slender and elegant, her figure delicate without appearing weak. Her presence carried a soft, almost ethereal beauty, the kind that drew the eye without demanding attention.

Her face was as flawless as finely carved jade, pale and delicate beneath long, dark hair. Every feature seemed carefully shaped, as though a divine sculptor had taken his time creating her.

She was beautiful enough to stand out among any crowd. Yet there was no joy in that beautiful face.

Instead, there was a deep, unmistakable sorrow.

A trace of resentment lingered beneath it, along with a faint melancholy and a helplessness she seemed unable to hide. None of those emotions were particularly strong on their own, but together they made her look as though she had been carrying a burden for far too long.

The sight was enough to make anyone with a conscience feel a dull ache in their chest.

Worse still, the pure white cleric’s robe only emphasized how slender and delicate she appeared. She looked almost too fragile for the weight of the emotions she was carrying.

"Damn..."

Even HeavenBreaker felt his heart tighten when he saw her like this.

Whoever had managed to hurt a woman like her had certainly done something terrible. Anyone who saw that expression would naturally feel an urge to comfort her, to find out what had happened and make sure she did not have to suffer alone.

But she gave no indication that she wanted anyone’s concern.

She simply stood there in silence, her expression distant and sorrowful. Her eyes were calm to the point of emptiness, and she seemed completely detached from everything happening around her.

She did not care about the conversation. She did not care about the system announcement.

She did not care who was entering or leaving the room. Nothing seemed capable of drawing her attention anymore.

"Serena..."

Seeing his little sister in such a state, SixWingedBoss could barely hide his worry. The usual confidence in his expression disappeared completely, replaced by helpless concern.

He wanted to say something, but he did not know what words could possibly reach her.

"Third Bro..."

HeavenBreaker was even more anxious.

Seeing Serena like this, he could not help thinking about their Third Bro as well. He wanted nothing more than to find him, drag him in front of Serena, and demand an explanation for everything that had happened.