At this moment, Diya and Niuniu also spotted Opod, but since they didn't know him, they paid him no mind, continuing their cheerful descent.

Opod, however, was different. He had already mistaken Diya for Robin, never imagining he would encounter this young girl again in this place!

Hearing Diya's melodious voice, Opod's heart began to pound without reason. He secretly thought: Is this her voice?

Perhaps Opod's expression was too strange, as Diya couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times. Yet, these extra glances only made Opod's heart beat faster. "Please... please wait a moment!" Opod’s voice trembled; even he didn't know why the words slipped out. "Are you talking to us?" Diya looked at Opod suspiciously.

Opod nodded, then took two steps forward, pleadingly saying, "I was wrong about what happened last time. I apologize to you, and I beg you to give me back my magical beasts!"

Diya was momentarily stunned, then misunderstood Opod’s intention. She quickly clutched the "Qiu Ka Lu Magical Beast" in her arms tighter and said, "No way! I just bought this. If you like it, go buy one yourself; there are plenty left over there!" Ga~~~

Opod was thunderstruck by Diya's words. She actually thought he wanted the "Qiu Ka Lu Magical Beast." If a grown boy were holding one, he’d be laughed at mercilessly!

In the end, he could only attribute her words to deliberately changing the subject. After a moment of deep thought, he said again, "As long as you return those beasts of mine, I am willing to pay a hefty price to buy them!"

With that, he actually pulled out a storage card!

"Wait a moment, what are you talking about? Do we know each other?"

Diya relaxed slightly upon seeing Opod wasn't trying to snatch the "Qiu Ka Lu Magical Beast" from her, but she was utterly perplexed by his strange behavior!

Opod also felt something was odd now. The girl from that other day seemed less talkative, always maintaining a distant expression, as if untouched by worldly concerns. But why was she so different now, like a completely different person?

Opod stared at Diya with wide eyes. After a long pause, he finally said, "Although we aren't exactly acquainted, we met just the other day. Surely you remember? You took my magical beasts, could you please return them?" "Met just the other day?" Diya’s look of confusion deepened. "Where was that? I have absolutely no memory of it!"

Hearing Diya say this, Opod’s heart felt an indescribable pang of discomfort—as if something had pricked him. He hadn't expected that in just two days, she wouldn't remember him!

Suppressing the disappointment in his heart for the moment, Opod tried again: "Two days ago, in the training ground at my home, you even sparred with a guard. Don't you remember?"

Diya blinked, then exchanged a glance with Niuniu beside her. Then, both of them burst out laughing simultaneously.

Opod was completely baffled by their laughter. What was so funny? Were they mocking his weakness?

While he was lost in anxious thoughts, Diya finally managed to stop laughing and explained, "I think you have the wrong person! You must have mistaken me for someone else?" Opod froze for a second, then scrutinized Diya again, yet he remained absolutely certain this was the same girl!

Diya seemed to sense his doubt and quickly added, "The person you are talking about must be my sister. My sister and I look exactly alike; you must have made a mistake!"

Saying this, Diya giggled again.

This time, Opod was utterly dumbfounded! An identical twin sister suddenly appeared? This was something he genuinely struggled to accept for a moment! "Can you tell me what exactly my sister did?" Diya looked at Opod with curiosity. She finally understood why Opod had been acting so strangely. "You... you really aren't that person?" Opod asked tentatively. "My sister and I are twins. Although we look identical externally, my sister is quieter and dislikes talking much—you can tell that much, right?" Diya asked with a smile.

After her explanation, Opod started to believe her a little more. After all, their personalities were vastly different. If Robin gave him the impression of an ethereal fairy untouched by mortal dust, the Diya before him felt like a lively angel filled with joy. While both their smiles and glances were captivating, the essence they exuded was distinctly different!

Subsequently, Opod and Diya introduced themselves briefly.

When Diya heard Opod's account of that day, she laughed again. Robin wasn't as talkative as she was; if Diya didn't actively ask, Robin rarely shared details.

Seeing Opod look at her strangely, Diya said with a smile, "Actually, you guys are quite lucky. It's a good thing my Xiū Gege didn't unleash his power, or you all might have been in serious trouble!"

Diya's comment left Opod utterly confused again, especially the ambiguous "Xiū Gege," which made no sense and caused him displeasure. He couldn't help but ask, "Who is this Xiū Gege you speak of? I didn't see anyone else there at the time!" "The little boy you just mentioned is him. My sister is always very close to Xiū Gege!" Diya said with a hint of helplessness. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have to spend her days only playing with Niuniu. What? Opod's eyes nearly popped out! )) $ $ $

It was nearing noon now.

Opod anxiously followed behind Diya and Niuniu toward the direction of the "Dark Merchant Guild."

When he heard that Diya and the others were staying at the "Dark Merchant Guild," Opod was thoroughly shocked. He had heard his father mention the strength of the "Dark Merchant Guild" more than once and had repeatedly warned him never to provoke anyone from there, no matter who it was!

This was because, within the Autumn Cloud Empire, the "Dark Merchant Guild" was the only entity the "Tillary Family" dared not cross!

Why were they staying here? What connection did they have with the "Dark Merchant Guild"? Could she really persuade her sister to return those magical beasts to him? Would it be dangerous for him to follow them like this? Why was she being so kind as to help him?

Throughout the journey, Opod’s mind was filled with endless questions. He truly couldn't discern whether this girl named Diya was genuinely trying to help or if she harbored ulterior motives!

In this manner, they unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the "Dark Merchant Guild." Diya stopped at this point, turned to Opod, and said, "Wait here for a moment; I'll call my sister out right away!"

Although Diya was innocent and naive, under Keni's tutelage, she understood how to protect herself and knew better than to casually bring strangers into the "Dark Merchant Guild"!

The reason she decided to help Opod was because he had told her about Robin, and she also felt it was merely a small favor!

The magical beasts Opod considered precious were actually quite ordinary, even negligible, to the members of the "Ethereal Mercenary Group."

One must remember that the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" had encountered tens of thousands of magical beasts. Moreover, within Robin's "Storage Bracelet," there was an army of millions of magical beasts. How could such people possibly care about Opod's few weak magical beasts! Seeing what Diya said, Opod could only nod dumbly.

About fifteen minutes later, Diya and Robin did indeed emerge from within. When Opod saw the pair of twin sisters, his jaw dropped wide open! The comparison was shocking; their appearances were truly astonishingly similar!

While Opod was still astonished, Diya and Robin had already approached him. Diya spoke first, "See? I didn't lie to you, right? This is my sister. Look and tell me if she is the one you met last time?"

Opod was in no state to speak now; his brain had completely short-circuited! An unknown amount of time passed before Opod finally regained some composure, stammering slightly, "W-we meet again!"

Although Robin’s expression remained placid, she exuded immense pressure onto Opod, even stirring an impulse within him to flee from this spot! He hadn't realized how weak he was before; it was only after encountering Robin and Zhong Shenxiu that he began to awaken! ---III

Robin just stared quietly at Opod, the atmosphere growing somewhat stifling!

"Sister!" Diya lightly tugged Robin's sleeve, signaling her to say something to break the tension.

Robin, however, was very direct. She first released Opod's few magical beasts, then stated curtly, "Take your beasts and you can go back now!"

Uh~! $ $ $ $

At the west gate of "Jingshou City," a group of over a hundred people approached from a distance. They wore bizarre, flamboyant clothes, and their expressions were arrogant and unruly. Overall, they gave the impression of being disorganized and undisciplined—making it hard to believe they were a mercenary corps!

Few people knew about this group, but everyone recognized the name of this mercenary corps!

They were none other than the "Tornado Mercenary Corps," the ones who had once wiped out the world's second-ranked "Dragon Slaying Mercenary Corps"! It was completely unexpected that they had also arrived at the capital of the Autumn Cloud Empire!

Their arrival immediately drew everyone's attention; in fact, it was hard not to notice, as they had three monstrous insects clearing the path ahead of them!

Some of the more timid individuals immediately backed away upon seeing them! Those who didn't move away watched them with expressions of fear! "Hey, we’re almost inside the city, should we put away the magical insects?" one person asked with a sneer, seemingly savoring the fear in others' eyes. "I heard magical beasts are very popular here. I wonder if they'll be too stunned to speak when they see our magical insects!" another person chimed in agreement. Consequently, these people actually drove the magical insects toward the city without bothering to secure them.

The guards at the city gate saw this but dared not obstruct them; they could only report the news. And in that short time, these people had already entered the city... "Jingshou City" had finally welcomed another source of instability. Would sparks fly between them and the "Ethereal Mercenary Corps"? (Anticipation!) F