Chapter 178: Searching for His Highness, the Emerald of the North

Black Wolf Territory, Wolf Castle.

The library.

In the early morning, on a rattan hammock, the silver-haired girl, as delicate as a doll, pushed aside the book covering her face and slowly stretched.

She wore a pink nightgown that swayed slightly with her movements, setting off her skin, which was as pure and dreamy as snow.

Most striking of all were the girl's heterochromatic eyes—the left as bright red as blood, the right as pale as ash. The two distinct colors intertwined within her gaze, giving her a breathtaking charm.

"I fell asleep reading again without realizing it."

Lise looked at the soft morning light filtering through the sheer curtains outside the window and muttered to herself.

She looked around the vast library, and seeing the empty scene before her, a trace of loneliness flashed across her pretty face.

It had been several months since His Highness and her father left the Black Wolf Territory. The girl had finally broken through her closed-off heart, only to be separated from those she cherished once more.

This sense of loneliness often tormented Lise's heart in the dead of night, leaving her with nothing but books to pass the time.

The only thing worth being glad about was that during this time, her relationship with her stepmother had gradually been repaired.

Knock, knock, knock.

The library's wooden door was gently knocked upon.

"Coming."

Lise stretched out her small feet to put on the slippers under the hammock and trotted all the way over to open the wooden door.

Standing outside the door was a noble lady pushing a baby carriage. She had long hair like a waterfall of violets, and her loose clothing could not conceal her full figure.

In the baby carriage sat a blue-haired, purple-eyed, adorable child, who was staring at her with innocent, childlike eyes.

"Little Lise, good morning." Lady Danielle smiled, her beautiful face, renowned as the Flower of the Southern Region, filled with gentle warmth.

"Good morning." Lise returned the smile.

Although she wasn't used to the other party's sudden 180-degree change in attitude at first, after a long time, she was able to handle it with ease.

After all, the other party was one of her few family members—provided, of course, that she and this vicious stepmother had no conflicts of interest.

"Sister! Sister!"

The child sitting in the crib waved his snow-white little hands and shouted in a cheerful voice.

Hearing this, the smile on Lise's face became much more sincere. She walked over to the crib and gently kneaded the child's smooth, egg-white-like cheeks.

"As expected of His Highness's godson. It's only been a few months, and he's already developed as much as a normal infant would in several years."

Lise thought to herself while looking at the deep blue blessing, "Wang Zhi Jiao Zi," atop little Haidun's head.

Starting out with noble lineage, having His Highness as a godfather, a grandmother who is the Lord of the Southern Region, and being born with a divine gift... My god, even the bards wouldn't dare to write such a story.

The girl felt sincere envy for this half-brother of hers.

"Little Lise, let's go. It's time for breakfast. I made the pan-fried fish fillets you like and the fruit pie little Haidun loves," Danielle said softly.

Lise was about to speak when she suddenly felt the magic power within her body revolt again.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A surge of blank magic power, vast as a tidal wave, erupted from her petite body, causing the atmosphere around her to tremble and an invisible shockwave to blow in all directions.

Books on the shelves flew about like a startled flock of birds, and countless volumes fell heavily to the ground.

Danielle tried her best to grip the handles of the baby carriage, veins bulging on her slender wrists, just to keep it from being blown away by the shockwave.

Little Haidun in the carriage, however, was not nervous at all and was still happily clapping his hands.

A long time later, Lise finally managed to control the magic power in her body with great difficulty, but the entire library was already in a mess.

"I'm sorry, I've troubled you, Lady Danielle. Is little Haidun alright?"

Looking at the noble lady panting and in a disheveled state while holding onto the carriage, Lise said with a face full of guilt.

"It's nothing, just exercise before breakfast," Danielle said, brushing back the messy hair by her ears, not caring at all.

"As for little Haidun, he has the noble blessing bestowed by His Highness. Never mind a little wind and wave, even ordinary blades wouldn't be able to hurt him!"

When she said this, even though Danielle's face still carried the flush of intense exertion, her expression revealed a sense of pride.

What a perfect child!

He is destined to become a great hero like his grandfather, forever engraved in the scrolls of history, shining brightly!

And I, Danielle Masha, am worthy of the status of a hero's mother, having given birth to a new hero.

However, this pride gradually faded, replaced by worry for the girl in front of her.

"Lise, how many times has your magic power revolted this week?"

"This is the fourth time." Facing her stepmother's inquiry, Lise could only smile bitterly.

After her great feat of breaking a city with a single strike in the previous war, her already precarious Morning Star Rank shackles were as thin as a sheet of paper.

She could easily break through if she were to compress her magic power even slightly, but doing so would only invite the fierce judgment of the Storm Church.

After all, it is too dangerous for a heterochromatic-eyed person to break through to the Morning Star Rank!

She had once heard Bishop Lu En mention that in the Storm Church's Holy City, Wind Breath City, there was a Silver Luo Pan capable of divining the entire Sossia region, and that Luo Pan was set to point toward all heterochromatic-eyed individuals at the Morning Star Rank.

This meant that once she broke through to the Morning Star Rank, she would immediately be discovered by the upper echelons of the Storm Church.

This was the reason she had been suppressing her magic power and refusing to break through all these years, but now she was nearing her limit...

"Lise, your magic power has already far exceeded the scope of a magician, and even surpasses the vast majority of Morning Star magicians."

Recalling the terrifying amount of magic power from earlier, Danielle made a judgment with lingering fear.

She was certain that her own mother, Rosa, a magician who had operated at the Morning Star Rank for many years, did not have such strong magic power.

And the most crucial thing was that at the end of that magic power, she saw the strange colors of bright red and pale white intertwined...

"Lise, the advancement of rank is not something you can suppress. May I, as your family, offer you a small piece of advice?"

After thinking for a long time and weighing the interests of all parties, Danielle said with a concerned expression.

"Please speak."

"Given the current situation, it won't be long before you advance to a magician. By then, the Holy Knights sent by the Storm Church to capture you will definitely not be something you or I can withstand," Danielle said slowly.

"To be saved, there is only one way—you must set off immediately to Twilight City to find His Highness. Only His Highness, who possesses the 'Wang Zhi Jiao Zi' blessing, can make those Holy Knights abandon their orders and choose to retreat."

The purple-haired noble lady voiced her opinion; after all, the only thing that can make divine power shrink back is the royal power located at the very top.

Go find His Highness?!

Lise's expression froze. She could clearly feel that when she heard these words, the first thing that surged in her heart was anticipation and joy.

She wanted to see His Highness, or rather, she had tossed and turned on her hammock so much that she had already had several dreams of reuniting with him.

However, this emotion was quickly pressed deep into her heart.

"Lady Danielle, wouldn't I be bringing trouble to His Highness if I did that? Let's forget it." The silver-haired girl sighed and shook her head gently.

His Highness above, if you don't leave, heaven knows if the Holy Knights who storm the castle will take me and little Haidun away as heretics. Besides, little Haidun's 'Wang Zhi Jiao Zi' blessing is not suitable to be exposed!

Danielle was inwardly frustrated, but a gentle-as-water smile remained on her pretty face.

"But, little Lise, have you ever thought that if you were captured by the Holy Knights and burned at the stake, His Highness would surely be very sad when he returns?"

Danielle said with a face full of sorrow, as if she were worried for the sad His Highness of that time.

Would His Highness be sad because of my departure?

Lise's heart shook, and she couldn't help but think about this question.

I am just a heterochromatic-eyed girl viewed as ominous. Would His Highness, who will possess the entire continent in the future, really be sad because I left?

Even if I secretly offered him my first kiss, taught him magic, and received his roses...

"His Highness is a gentle person. He would even bow down to embrace a raving, insane peasant woman, let alone you, who have spent every day and night with him?"

Seeing the girl's expression waver, Danielle immediately struck while the iron was hot.

Recalling His Highness's help at the infant honor ceremony and his saying that he liked spending time with her, Lise hesitated for a long time before finally nodding hesitantly.

She truly did not wish for His Highness to be saddened because of him, so she would go to request an audience with His Highness and cautiously ask if he would be willing to provide her with sanctuary; if His Highness were unwilling, she would leave immediately without saying another word of pleading.

If His Highness were willing, then she would dedicate the rest of her life, which had been preserved because of him, to him!

Seemingly having thought of something, the corners of the young girl's lips curled up slightly.

"Good, I will prepare a carriage for you right away!" Seeing this, Danielle was overjoyed, and as if fearing the other party might go back on her word, she spoke immediately.

A moment later, Lise was hurriedly shoved into a carriage. Watching the two figures—one large and one small—pushing a baby carriage and waving goodbye outside the window, the corners of her mouth could not help but twitch.

Only then did she realize that she seemed to have been kicked out by her stepmother.

Lise sighed helplessly; she knew this was already out of consideration for His Highness's sake, otherwise that vicious woman would never have wasted so many words.

"Miss Lise, please rest assured, I will safely deliver you to the side of the Master," the Knight Suolin driving the carriage outside said with a grave expression.

"I'm sorry to trouble you," Lise nodded slightly to express her gratitude.

Afterward, the young girl, who had departed in such a hurry that she hadn't brought any books, rested her chin on her hand and looked at the azure sky outside the window, her expression slightly lost.

What kind of future was waiting for her, exactly?

She wasn't afraid of death, it was just... if she were rejected by His Highness, perhaps she would be a little bit sad!

The time that followed passed by like a murmuring stream, and in the blink of an eye, a full half-month had gone by.

During this period, Xia Mingyu largely repeated his daily routine of studying magic books, drinking potions to produce food, seeking out Miss Anliya when he had a headache, and gathering with the members of the Monster Circus.

Occasionally, in the dead of night, he would take the members of the circus for a walk on the deserted streets, which felt quite like leading a parade of a hundred ghosts.

And seemingly because he brought joy to the circus, that heterochromatic ringmaster with extraordinary strength would teach him a few illusion tricks from time to time.

As of now, Xia Mingyu could already skillfully perform position swapping through the roses he summoned; this point greatly increased his ability to save his own life.

However, what he most wanted to learn was undoubtedly that magical silhouette illusion and the incredible time magic that could slow the passage of time.

The former could significantly improve his comprehensive combat ability, while the latter... was simply omnipotent.

It was just a pity that when he proposed learning them, that magician ringmaster only shook his head and said that with his current rank, he could not yet do it, so Xia Mingyu could only regretfully give up for the time being.

Library.

"Finally memorized one-third..."

Xia Mingyu closed the magic book, rubbed his throbbing temples, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Through his tireless efforts day and night during this period, as well as the juice provided by Miss Anliya that carried the ability to improve wisdom, he had miraculously memorized the magic power flow of one-third of the paths in that cumbersome magic diagram in such a short time.

"If this speed remains unchanged, I can memorize it completely in one month at the fastest, and then I can start working on using magic power to depict the magic diagram of the Extreme Cold Purgatory in the air."

Thinking that it wouldn't be long before he could use new magic, and the core magic of the ancestor of magic at that, Xia Mingyu stretched comfortably.

"Relax a bit, go blow some snowflakes."

With a thought, Xia Mingyu piled a few books into a pillow, lay on them, and silently activated his ability.

"Starfire Connection, activate!"

Accompanied by a flash of crimson light, his consciousness was swept up by some force and drifted toward the distance, crossing a long distance of thousands of miles.

The Northern Region, in a village suffering from famine.

"Your Highness, you've come!"

Dorovai, who was distributing food to the emaciated villagers, looked with pleasant surprise at the tiny figure that had suddenly appeared on her shoulder.

"That is the legendary Food Fairy of the Jade Knight!"

"So cute, I really want to touch that Fairy Lord."

"Presumptuous, do not be rude! Our food was all conjured by this Fairy Lord!"

The villagers whispered among themselves.

Over the past period, the knight girl had been delivering relief food to villages suffering from famine across this vast land of the Northern Region, and thus her reputation had gradually spread.

Because of her beautiful, jade-like emerald eyes and her conduct and behavior like that of a heroic knight, she was reverently called the "Jade Knight" by the people of the Northern Region.

And her massive source of food naturally attracted the attention of many interested parties. Having learned from the Pale Witch that one could be seen by ordinary people after filling their body with magic power, Xia Mingyu, the fairy who appeared from time to time, naturally became the best explanation and was called the "Food Fairy" along with her.

In a sense, these people's guesses were really not wrong.

After distributing enough food to this village, Dorovai left this place with Xia Mingyu.

On the boundless snowfield.

The two were exchanging news when they suddenly tightened their expressions and looked toward a certain direction in the distance in unison.

They could both feel two powerful magic fluctuations rushing toward them from the direction of the previous village at an extremely fast speed.

If nothing unexpected happened, they were enemies, not friends.

(End of chapter)