Before entering this place, I put all my stuff in the inventory to avoid getting robbed. Ume's ring alone took fifty slots in the inventory, whereas the Soul Stones I secretly collected from the mines surprisingly took very little space. Ten kilograms of Grade 3 Soul Stones occupied only one slot in the inventory.

"If I take these stones out, they're gonna light up my whole house, and I'd be caught immediately," I murmured, rubbing my chin.

"Vivi, is there a way to consume the Soul Stones without taking them out?"

"Yes. Vivi can convert the Soul Stones into consumable energy inside the inventory and directly absorb it into the Host's body."

"Woww! I love you, Vivi. You're the best. Please do it."

"..."

"Vivi?"

"..."

"Is this thing glitching again?"

"Initializing Host's request..."

"Beginning the absorption of Soul Stone energy..."

"Absorption begin!"

Three windows popped up one after another in quick succession.

"Whoa-whoa, slow down."

A faint trail of light emerged from the inventory's opening and began shrouding my body. Similar to when I bathed in Amrita water, my hunger started subsiding, and I felt energized again.

It took almost three hours to absorb all the Soul Stones I had in my inventory. The good thing was that the stones vanished from the inventory after being consumed, so I didn't have to worry about carrying garbage along with me.

"Are you happy now, buddy?" I laughed, rubbing my tummy. "Now that I'm brimming with energy, it's time to focus on the mission."

"Vivi, activate Vyaghra's Blessing."

"Initializing Host's request..."

"Activating Blessing of Vyaghra..."

A translucent black tiger spirit emerged from my forehead and cloaked my whole body.

"Blessing Activated!

The Host's presence cannot be detected by any sensory organ, skill, or equipment.

Note:

1. Sudden movement or strong physical interaction with the environment may cause the skill to deactivate.

2. A person whose realm tier exceeds the Host's may sense the Host's presence."

"Is this it?" I murmured, looking at myself. "I don't see or feel anything different other than this black mist surrounding my body. Should I test it?"

I moved outside and found Edrick returning home after coming back from the mines.

"You are going to be my test subject, Edrick," I snickered as I followed behind him.

First test — the test of sight and hearing.

"Hey, Edrick, can you hear me?" I asked, walking alongside him to his house.

He didn't respond, nor did it seem like he could see me, so I decided to take it to the next level and blew into his ear.

Surprisingly, that didn't affect him either.

"Husband, you've returned? How was the work?" Edrick's wife asked, lying on the stone bed.

"It was difficult, but Sir Morning Star helped me a lot, and things went pretty easily after that," Edrick replied, moving toward his wife.

"Sir Morning Star?"

"Oh right, Sarena, you don't know his name. The red-haired lord who saved us — his name is Lucifer Morning Star."

"Just like his deeds, the Lord has a heroic name," Sarena murmured with a faint smile.

Edrick hugged his wife warmly and replied, "I don't know what reason he may have to come here, but I think his appearance is going to change the fate of Forlorn City."

The two began cuddling and showering each other with hugs and kisses, so lonesome me bit my shirt in jealousy and left the duo to their solitude.

"I didn't want to see that," I muttered before sighing. "At least now I know that the skill works very efficiently."

Without delaying any further, I moved toward the end of the village where all the mines were situated.

"Mine number 10... mine number 10," I murmured, walking by the wall, trying to find the desired cave.

"Here it is," I announced upon reaching the other end of the wall.

Two guards stood on each side of a cave, and above it, Mine Number 10 was engraved on the wall.

"Hmm, it looks rather ordinary. Let's see what secrets this mine possesses."

Passing by the unaware guards, I entered the cave and walked for more than thirty minutes, expectantly looking for the unexpected.

Unlike other mines, this one had several guards stationed every few hundred meters.

Soon, I found there were two more paths beside the one I was walking on, and all of them met at a crossroad, merging into a single path that continued forward.

"How many slaves did you capture this time?" a deep male voice echoed from the tunnel ahead.

"Sir, the last batch contained forty-eight slaves, and one of them was an awakened," another voice followed, carrying a polite tone.

"I think I've heard this voice before," I murmured, following the sound.

"Awakened? What was his realm?"

"Sir, he claimed to be at the late-stage Foundation Realm."

"And you accepted that without any question?"

"S…sir, I—" the familiar voice flustered but was cut off as the man with the deep voice threw another question.

"Did you confirm it with the group that captured him?"

"Sir, th-the group that captured him had some inner conflict, and they killed each other."

"What a load of bullshit!?" The voice echoed in a loud, harsh tone. "You're telling me that none of them survived after getting into a fight, and still the awakened slave didn't run away? It was a mistake letting you take over the mines of Forlorn City."

"Pl-please forgive my ignorance, Sir. The investigation is already underway to find the actual cause of death for Group 15."

"Forget it. I will look into this matter myself."

Their appearance became clearer as I reached closer.

One of them was wearing a long black cloak, covering himself from head to toe, while the other wore a stylized red coat and had blonde hair on his head.

My eyes widened in shock as I identified the familiar voice I was hearing.

"Isn't he the son of the Mayor, Victor Kale?" I gasped.

"I heard that the Snow Princess visited Forlorn City," the man in black inquired. "Did you find the reason for her visit?"

"Sir, she said her business was personal, and she already left the city a few days ago," Victor replied.

"It's a relief that she left. I hope she didn't suspect anything," the man in the cloak sighed before asking further, "and what about her companions?"

"After she left, the man who was with her created some drama in the city and disappeared as well."

I slapped my forehead and murmured, "How embarrassing!"

Victor's face laced with a smile as he spoke further, "But the beast woman that came with her is still in the city, and Sir, it's not an exaggeration if I say that her appearance is as heavenly as the Snow Princess's."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, Sir. Moreover, she doesn't seem to be very strong."

Victor stepped closer to the man in the black robe and whispered with a malicious grin on his face, "Should I bring her to warm your bed?"

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