Chapter 139: Gossip and Exploration

"By the way, Mr. Luo De, do you know what's become of Mr. Falshad?"

The wing-crystal sprite Siti, overcome by curiosity, pulled out a small notebook and asked.

He didn't mean Falshad's current mental state—he meant his relationship with those two tieflings.

Luo De smiled helplessly.

"I was going to ask you the same thing—I haven't seen Falshad in a long time."

"Oh, I thought Mr. Luo De must know something."

"What happened?"

Siti closed his notebook.

He spoke in a mysterious tone: "You don't know? Mr. Falshad is dating a male tiefling named Prula."

Luo De and Tally exchanged a glance, showing no surprise at all.

"You knew?"

Siti blinked in mild shock.

"They're not exactly hiding it," Luo De said with a smile.

"True. Speaking of which, although tieflings often face discrimination and exclusion in society, elves surprisingly get along well with them—they may recognize the discrimination and oppression tieflings endure, and strive to treat them with greater fairness and openness."

"That doesn't sound like something elves would do."

"Yes, only a small number of elves are like Falshad—a kind soul."

With that said,

The group arrived at the entrance of the demon's nest and waited.

Not long after,

they saw Falshad approaching from afar, accompanied by the two tieflings.

"Mr. Luo De, it's been a long time!"

The kind-hearted elf looked genuinely delighted.

But his condition was far from good.

His clothes were torn and worn; his once immaculately groomed hair was now carelessly tied at the back; his towering wooden staff had been shortened into a stubby cane.

The two tieflings behind him looked equally battered, their leather armor riddled with tears.

Prula's horned head had one of its horns snapped off halfway.

Clearly, the three of them had endured a perilous time.

"What happened to you?"

Luo De expressed his concern.

Falshad's smile carried relief as he said:

"Lately, I've taken them into the Adventurers' Guild—we've been busy for quite some time. These two kids have real talent; I can't let them waste away like I did."

"Falshad isn't wasting away at all!"

Prula firmly defended his lover.

The female tiefling, Saixier, stepped up to Luo De, her single golden eye half-lidded, revealing a bright smile.

"It's been nearly two months, Mr. Luo De—you're still so handsome!"

Luo De smiled.

She was a slender, androgynous girl,

barely reaching his chest in height, yet her muscular strength was impressive.

Luo De could sense the spirituality within her.

Unlike her brother Prula, this tiefling was a spiritual warrior.

A team with two males in the back and one female in front?

Just the opposite of my own setup.

No more idle chatter.

The group officially entered the demon's nest, beginning the final assault phase.

As they advanced,

the weaker lower-level demons were cleared by the two tieflings.

As Falshad had said, their talent was exceptional—they had already reached the fifth tier in a short time.

"I heard Kalist almost caught you."

Watching the familiar coordination between the brother and sister ahead, Luo De spoke.

"Almost. Kalist knows my Star Destiny too well—even when I try my hardest to hide, I can't fully escape her."

Falshad gave a bitter smile, his gaze slightly distant.

In truth, several times it was because he and Prula had let themselves go and failed to maintain their concealment spells.

But he couldn't say those words in front of Luo De.

Luo De's expression turned serious.

"You haven't encountered any dark elves, have you?"

The elf Kalist had mentioned that Falshad carried the scent of dark elves.

They were a greedy, ambitious race of predators who believed "what isn't seen isn't a sin," acting cruelly and without restraint.

Legend says elves once fought side by side against demonic threats, but after the battle, some elves were exiled underground by the orthodox elves due to differences in faith and conduct, becoming dark elves.

As a friend,

Luo De felt he had to warn him.

Falshad paused for a moment.

Then he looked gently toward the tiefling siblings ahead.

"Mr. Luo De, you know the legend of the dark elves, don't you?"

Elves once fought side by side against demonic threats, but after the battle, some elves were exiled underground by the orthodox elves due to differences in faith and conduct, becoming dark elves.

Luo De instantly understood his implication.

"It's connected to the tiefling siblings?"

Falshad nodded: "I can't say more. As a friend, I can't drag you into this. But my goals are entirely different from those of the dark elves."

Since the man himself said so,

Luo De couldn't press further.

"And Mr. Luo De—if you encounter a dark elf sorcerer, drive them off, not kill them. They worship a demon prince of the Infernal Realm, which has granted them nearly indestructible bodies. Once they latch on, it's like a persistent, inescapable plague."

The elf spoke with grave seriousness.

Not long after,

they entered a depth never before reached.

After a fierce battle, they passed through an open stone door.

The door was carved with strange patterns, but time had worn away all fine details.

The wing-crystal sprite Siti sketched them into his notebook.

He frowned in confusion.

"Strange—there's never been anything like this in a demon's nest before."

"Could someone have lived here?"

Said the tiefling Prula.

It was hard to imagine a den filled entirely with demons having a stone door carved by human hands.

The frontline tiefling Saixier stepped forward first, crossing the threshold.

Luo De reached out one hand and immediately pulled her back.

At that instant, a sharp screeching sound rang out—a sharp iron spear, dripping with potent venom, shot from the doorframe, sealing the entrance shut and narrowly piercing Saixier.

Saixier looked stunned, barely recovered from the shock.

"How did you notice?" she asked.

"Notice?"

Luo De shook his head. "I didn't notice anything—I just moved faster than it did."

"... r. Luo De really is handsome!"

The comment delighted him; he laughed and patted her head.

"You can do it too—believe Falshad's words, your talent is truly exceptional!"

Tally stood nearby, smiling faintly, carefully observing Saixier's waist, hips, and chest.

Then,

Luo De cut through the iron spears, and Falshad used magic to carefully examine the area.

They discovered a total of twelve magical traps.

"These are spells from the continent, but crude—yet their magical power is surprisingly strong, like a strong adult playing with a baby's toy, easily triggering magical backlash."

He paused.

Then added: "I suspect the seventh-tier demon inside has developed some degree of intelligence."

"A demon developed intelligence? Can demons even have intelligence?"

Prula asked.

As a mage, his knowledge is clearly incomplete.

"It's less like 'evolution' and more like he hasn't yet been 'assimilated' by the continent."

(End of Chapter)