Chapter 191: Dark Elves Appear

Lin Saixier paused: "You mean you'll give criminals a chance at redemption?"

"No."

Luo De boredly pulled out the black Shi Laimu and rolled it around in his hand.

"You might as well consider them dead—after submitting to me, they merely emit their final afterglow; all their actions are my will."

Not long ago, he had played with this black Shi Laimu alongside Tally.

The succubus molded it into a hollow cylinder and slid it over the rocket to build up energy, but its size was too limited to fully encase the powerful rocket—its top needed Tally's mouth to handle.

Unfortunately, the 【Elibert's Secret Guide to Pleasure】 has expired, and this breathing technique still classifies Luo De as training with Tally.

It couldn't achieve spiritual exchange.

Afterward, the two tried many other methods—all failed.

After a week of effort, Luo De largely gave up and decided to seek help from 【Growth Spirit】.

Add points! Give me a path!

【Growth Spirit used successfully】

【Special-body Shi Laimu (unnamed) gained skill: Slime Ball】

【Details: Growth Spirit activated an innate spiritual art the special-body Shi Laimu (unnamed) had not yet mastered—the Shi Laimu can consume its own moisture to synthesize and expel slime balls, inflicting a slight slowing effect on enemies.】

【Remaining Growth Spirit: 62】

Good good good.

Pathetic skill.

Worse still, this thing counts as a sentient race—each point upgrade costs 10 Growth Spirit.

As a proper universalist,

he read the skill's details while keeping an eye on the girl beside him.

The tiefling Lin Saixier fell silent upon hearing this.

Given her race and identity, she must have hidden troubles.

But Luo De wouldn't probe for now—their relationship hadn't reached that point.

If it were Kali Site or Dimeya, it'd be fine—both were already acquaintances.

Ahead,

the shouting at the negotiation table grew fiercer.

No one knew what they were arguing about, but the Coral Bay people were flushed red, clearly falling behind.

They signaled a red-hooded mage from the rear to come forward and assist—the debate escalated further.

Tally: "Wow, so cheap—calling in outside help."

Meanwhile, Kali Site frowned.

Luo De noticed: "What's wrong?"

"That red-robed mage is a Dark Elf."

Kali Site 's gaze sharpened, fixed on the Dark Elf completely concealed by the red robe at the distant negotiation table.

No one knew how she could tell, but she wasn't the type to speak recklessly.

History is written by the victors; she was a traditional Elf of the Nature School, and she loved knowledge.

Throughout the Elf histories she'd read, Dark Elves were always stigmatized.

Though they had merely split due to ideological differences, most traditional Elves—including Kali Site —considered Dark Elves irredeemably evil and chaotic.

Dark Elf, huh.

Luo De glanced again at the tiefling girl beside him.

Falshad had said the Dark Elves they encountered were connected to these tiefling siblings.

Moreover, this group of Dark Elves served a Hell Duke.

Demonic periods have been appearing frequently lately—and the master mentioned by the demon Artu might be this Hell Duke?

Luo De shook his head.

Not necessarily.

The Nine Layers of Hell each have at least one Duke; their methods of interfering with the surface vary.

He decided to test Kali Site 's stance first: "What do you do when you encounter Dark Elves?"

"Kill them."

The Elf's reply was direct and icy: "But unlike traditional Elves who prefer to act alone, Dark Elves travel in groups—in past travels, if I encountered them, I'd naturally find a way to kill them."

Luo De finished for her: "But now that you live in the forest, to avoid endangering your forest companions, you've had to hold back."

Kali Site didn't deny it; her expression was sour, and she snorted coldly.

"At least you know you're holding us back."

Aren't you only sixth-rank too?

"By the way, aren't you already hundreds of years old? Why are you still only at peak sixth-rank?"

Hearing that Elf girls weren't as sensitive about age as human women, Luo De asked bluntly.

Kali Site 's face remained expressionless: "It's fair. While Elves are granted the innate spiritual art 【Longevity Race】, their ability to absorb and accumulate spiritual energy is severely suppressed—as the price for their extended lifespan."

"Humans, however, differ—though your lifespan is merely a century without intervention, your magical and spiritual aptitude is among the strongest on the entire continent."

Speaking of magical aptitude,

Luo De recalled his friend, the halfling Lily from Emerald City—her spellcraft and combat proficiency were quite impressive.

When they rescued the Dragon Soul Naolin, she had fully dominated a sixth-rank high-tier student from Bahadur Magic Academy despite only just reaching sixth-rank low-tier.

As idle chatter flowed, time slipped away.

The first hour of negotiations had passed, and it was now the time the leader had agreed to meet with Ameier.

Aside from Lin Saixier, Luo De's group slipped away secretly.

Yiku Hill.

The leeward slope, across a mountain from the negotiation table.

An elderly tiefling with red skin and demonic horns slowly stepped over the grass, leaning on his staff.

His clothes were neat, his white hair combed precisely behind his head.

His expression was calm, as if resigned to entering his grave.

Soon,

he stopped before a small slope bearing signs of a landslide, then tapped the ground with his staff—magical ripples immediately spread from his position.

Until those ripples touched the brown soil of the landslide.

【True Sight】.

A spell capable of revealing ordinary, magical, and dark secret doors—also capable of piercing invisibility, illusions, and shape-shifting.

Of course, only if the user's skill and rank are sufficient.

As the magical ripples rippled, a secret door concealed by magical illusions appeared in the slope's soil.

The elderly tiefling stepped forward and opened the door.

A chaotic, filthy alchemical laboratory came into view.

He sighed at the middle-aged human beside him: "Ameier, as an elder, I must give you advice: one key principle of magical research is cleanliness—removing external influences yields more stable results. You're a plague mage specializing in micro-level phenomena; you know how complex bacteria and dust spores are, right?"

"Actually, I don't understand. Plague mage is just my side job—so is being a mage. What are you doing here, Old Lu Xiusi? I don't recall scheduling a meeting with you."

Ameier spoke flippantly—he was a bearded middle-aged man radiating an untrustworthy aura.

"The negotiations with Windstorm City have begun."

The tiefling Lu Xiusi cast 【Mage Hand】, sweeping debris off a wooden stump, then used 【Cleanse】 to wipe the surface clean before sitting down to rest.

As an elder, he naturally preferred sitting over standing.

(End of chapter)