Watching Shendu's spirit drift off, Moss curved her lips into a wicked smile.
That mix of fury and helplessness in his eyes was just delightful!
Hehehehe~
Then, Moss turned her gaze to Shendu's now-soulless statue on the wall and recalled what had been said earlier about Shendu's siblings—the remaining seven demons in the Netherworld.
As one of the Eight Demon Sorcerers, they should all be able to take on statue form, right?
Although the eight demons varied in power and attributes—and the number and types of talismans extracted from them must differ—the Tiger Talisman, like the cerebellum that governs motor coordination, was essential for any demon.
Likewise, the Rat Talisman and Dog Talisman were also core talismans every demon should possess.
"If it works… then there could be eight Tiger Talismans. Eight portions of Balance power!"
Just the thought made Moss's heart race.
Angewomon sensed her elevated heartbeat and asked, "What's wrong?"
Moss calmed herself and replied, "Just had a sudden idea... but thinking about it, it's a bit unrealistic."
Why was it unrealistic?
Because she didn't know the incantation to seal Shendu.
Daolon Wong knew it, but she had no idea where Daolon Wong was.
Alternatively, she could use the Rat Talisman to resurrect Lo Pei and get the sealing incantation straight from its original developer. But the Rat Talisman hadn't been found yet.
And even if she got the incantation, it was specifically designed for Shendu—likely ineffective against the other demons.
Modifying it to work against other demons would take time.
"…This might take even longer than gathering Shendu's twelve talismans," Moss thought.
Although it was a shame she couldn't test her theory, she had no choice.
Rather than brood over it, she turned her focus toward boosting her efficiency in tracking down the talismans.
She looked at the Sheep Talisman embedded in Shendu's statue and reached out to take it—but stopped just before her fingers touched it.
She changed her mind and decided to leave the Sheep Talisman where it was, for now.
Then, turning to the door, she called out, "Valmont."
A moment later, Valmont walked in. Though he moved confidently, his expression carried a hint of flattery, and he spoke cautiously: "Miss, what are your orders?"
He had been relaxed in front of Shendu, but clearly, the scene of Moss effortlessly dispatching dozens of Shadowkhan still haunted him.
Moss said, "If Shendu comes back, let me know."
"Huh?" Valmont was momentarily stunned.
Moss continued, "It's no trouble for you, but it's important for me. How about this— I know the location of a treasure. I'll tell you after the job's done. No, I'll tell you in half a month."
Of course, she knew no such treasure. She was just making it up.
"When I'm among the dark, I act as one of the dark." She was sticking to her word—playing the good guy in the realm of righteousness, and using lies and manipulation in the realm of evil.
"Really?" Valmont's eyes sparkled—hooked.
"Of course." Moss nodded.
Angewomon giggled in her mind—she couldn't hold back anymore.
"No problem. I'll let you know as soon as Shendu returns," Valmont agreed without much hesitation.
This wasn't like talisman hunting, which burned through cash. This was a small favor in exchange for a treasure map. Practically a freebie.
Why not?
Delighted, Valmont asked, "Oh right—how should I contact you?"
Moss replied, "Give me a phone."
"…Alright." Valmont was briefly confused but quickly agreed.
Compared to the vehicles and weapons he'd deployed for talisman hunting, a phone was nothing.
Not long after, Moss walked onto the rooftop of the Dark Hand's headquarters with a new phone in hand and flew off at high speed using the Rabbit Talisman—heading back to Uncle's Antique Shop.
The moment she stepped in, she saw Jade pestering Jackie to take her to Moose World.
Jade might be a tenacious leader in a crisis, but she was still a playful and rather mischievous child.
Moss thought: Shendu is working hard carrying this burden—if I don't help keep things peaceful, wouldn't that render Shendu's efforts meaningless?
So she said, "Jade, how about I take you to Moose World?"
"Really?! Awesome!" Jade jumped for joy.
Jackie, relieved to have someone help look after Jade, smiled gratefully. "Thank you for taking her, Miss Moss. But… could you wear something else?"
Actually, from the waist up, the Angewomon outfit was okay—nothing too outrageous by American standards. But below the waist? It was beachwear at best—not really appropriate for a kids' theme park like Moose World.
Teenage influence was not to be underestimated!
"That's easy."
Moss had given her wings code names—Left One, Right One, and so on.
Now she used Left Four and Right Four to cover her lower abdomen, Left Three and Right Three to shield her sides, and let the remaining four wings hang naturally—together forming a feathery miniskirt.
Her wings were incredibly flexible—perfect for this.
Other angels wouldn't be able to pull this off.
Finally, she let the pink ribbon wound around her arms trail down her back, covering where the wings attached—making it look like the wings were just ornamental accessories on her clothes.
All set, Moss smiled and said, "Let's go, Jade."
"Let's gooo!" Jade grabbed Moss's hand and dashed out of Uncle's shop.
Shendu searched tirelessly for talismans. Moss worked just as hard entertaining Jade. They both had bright futures ahead.
Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, pirate ships…
Moss was savoring this simple, wholesome joy—when something suddenly changed!
Within her sensing range, a heavy concentration of dark energy appeared.
She could usually detect ever-present righteous and dark energy—normally as faint as water vapor in the air.
But this new dark energy had condensed from vapor into a full bucket of water.
"Not Shendu, and not Shadowkhan. Who is it?"
Moss handed the Rabbit Talisman to Jade and said, "There's a surge of dark energy over there. I'm going to check it out. You keep this with you—if there's danger, go back to Uncle's shop immediately."
Jade replied, "Scout's honor!"
Moss chuckled. "You're not even a scout."
Jade gave an awkward laugh.
"Take care of yourself."
Moss knew that if Jade really wanted to go somewhere, no one could stop her. She left the girl with a reminder, then found a quiet place, spread her wings, and soared into the sky—tracking the source of the dark energy.
The source was a man in black.
What made him stand out was his orange skin.
—A Dark Enforcer!
One of Daolon Wong's three Dark Enforcers: Gan, Chui, or Finn.
Moss couldn't remember which name matched which code name—but she did know this was still the Talisman Arc. The Dark Enforcers weren't supposed to show up yet.
Was it the butterfly effect?
Didn't matter. What did matter was this:
If the Dark Enforcers were here, that meant Daolon Wong wanted in on the talisman hunt too.
Hmm, perfect timing!
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Each 10 Powerstones? (1 Bonus Chapters)
BONUS (were at 120 powerstones)