The Robbers

"What? The Dawn Wings?!" Liyana covered her mouth, looking utterly astonished. Her exclamation rang out clearly in the somewhat chaotic office.

Mo Lini and Luo Lun glanced at each other, their expressions turning rather interesting.

Mo Lini gently bit her lower lip, trying hard to maintain an outward calm, while Luo Lun slightly raised an eyebrow—both seemed to be struggling to hold back laughter.

Of course, they knew that Liyana was one of the original founders of the Dawn Wings.

Seeing this, Lailo thought he had finally intimidated this troublesome woman. His tone became arrogant again: "That's right, the Dawn Wings. The legendary adventure group founded by the hero Sir Xia Lun, the only Lv.6 adventure group in existence, and historically the largest and most powerful—the dream of every adventurer..."

Lailo continued without pause: "Becoming a member of the Dawn Wings is no easy task. It takes connections and strength, as well as passing a strict screening process... Mr. Laken is a member of the Dawn Wings."

"Oh..." Liyana nodded thoughtfully, looking as if she were pondering something.

Lailo breathed a sigh of relief. Since he had brought up this background, she surely wouldn't persist in her unreasonable demands anymore.

He adjusted his slightly crooked tie and was about to say a few more polite words when Liyana's next words left him pale with anger.

"So, do I get the thousand gold coins in cash?" Liyana stretched out her hand to Lailo, "Or you can exchange it with some other treasure, I won't mind."

Lailo's face stiffened. He hadn't expected that even after all this, Liyana would still press on.

"Miss Liyana... that's the Dawn Wings..." Lailo grit his teeth, "It's not wise to offend them..."

"Your boss alone probably doesn't represent the entire Dawn Wings, does he? At best, he's just an ordinary member," Liyana snorted casually, idly playing with a quill on the table before adding, "Besides, the Dawn Wings is an honorable and upright adventure group, known for fairness and integrity. It's not like some shadowy assassins' guild that hides in corners. They wouldn't go after a weak woman like me over such a trivial matter, would they? Why should I be afraid?"

Luo Lun standing nearby couldn't help rolling her eyes at Liyana's veiled jab, silently protesting.

"Instead, aren't you afraid of tarnishing the Dawn Wings' reputation?" Liyana narrowed her eyes. "A member of the Dawn Wings running an underground casino and cheating winners out of their prizes—if that gets to certain important people's ears, things would get troublesome, wouldn't they?"

Lailo's face turned pale, but in the end, he completely gave up. He resignedly opened a drawer, took out a gilded card, and pushed it reluctantly toward Liyana.

"A gold card from a bank under the Dawn Wings—exactly a thousand gold coins," Lailo said bitterly.

Liyana's eyes lit up as she took it.

"Now please leave, quickly." Lailo waved his hand helplessly, hoping this jinx would just get lost.

He couldn't beat her, and he wasn't in the right. There was really nothing he could do.

Lailo still couldn't figure out what was going on with that slime.

"Thanks!" Liyana whistled cheerfully, tucked the card into her pocket with a flick of her fingers, and walked out of Lailo's office without looking back.

Mo Lini and Luo Lun followed shortly after.

They had both already realized that Liyana's goal was more than just earning some gold coins.

"Aina asked me to come," Liyana explained directly before her companions could ask, her voice returning to its usual light tone. "The Dawn Wings has grown too big, and it's become a mix of good and bad people. Her followers can't manage it all... So she plans to clean house, though I think she just wanted to give me something to do."

"Oh..." Mo Lini nodded thoughtfully, "But why keep it a secret from us?"

"It wouldn't be good if anyone caught on," Liyana said, patting Mo Lini on the head, quickly withdrawing her hand as usual, though Mo Lini didn't seem to try biting her this time.

"We wouldn't let anyone see through us." Mo Lini was a little dissatisfied with Liyana's distrust.

"I was planning to come alone... but I thought Little Lan might come in handy. Maybe we could make some cash, so I simply brought you along." Liyana returned Little Lan to the top of Mo Lini's head, then turned to look at Luo Lun.

Luo Lun was strong, so she could serve as bodyguard. Of course, Liyana could easily deal with those guys alone, but she just didn't feel like making the effort. Life had been too leisurely lately—her bones were practically rusting.

Originally, Aina had intended to have Luo Lun handle this matter, but considering Luo Lun wasn't yet a direct subordinate, she was afraid she might misunderstand, so it was handed back to Liyana.

"That guy named Laken will probably be kicked out of the Dawn Wings soon," Liyana remarked.

Without even meeting him, she had sealed his fate... There was an odd satisfaction in it for Liyana. This was the taste of power!

"But did he do anything wrong?" Mo Lini blinked, "It seems like he did nothing. I don't quite understand."

In Mo Lini's eyes, Mr. Laken had only purchased a tavern featuring slime fights, and now he was about to lose his original status and position—it seemed a bit pitiful.

To her, Lailo—the one who tried to cheat them out of their prize money—seemed far more despicable.

"Mo Lini, some people don't need to dirty their own hands to do evil," Liyana said meaningfully. "They don't have to get their hands dirty... With just a look or a hint, plenty of people will run errands for them, exploiting the weak and grabbing profits.

"Lailo is nothing but a disposable pawn to Laken. If Lailo gets caught, he'll just replace him with someone else. The operation will continue smoothly, funneling money from gamblers into his pockets... And those gamblers will become another source of instability, bullying even weaker people—like their wives and children—sowing more misery..."

Liyana sighed and patted Mo Lini's shoulder. "The world is more complicated than you think. Sure, the streets may be safe now, and there aren't highway robberies, but the bandits haven't disappeared. They've simply dressed up in respectable clothes and learned more refined ways to plunder."