Chapter 23: The Succubi

Compared to Kalist, Falshad’s face was much softer.

He walked over to his companion, a smile on his handsome face.

He nodded to everyone present.

Though he was an adult elf, he was actually one hundred and fifty years younger than Kalist.

Precisely because he was young, unlike many stubborn elves, he remained curious about every new thing he encountered.

This was his first encounter with a succubus.

Rumors said succubi could easily stir desire in all intelligent races, yet standing before this one, he felt not the slightest trace of enchantment.

“Eye-opening.”

He said sincerely: “I always thought succubi were evil creatures.”

“No.” Luo De, seeing he meant no harm, “Succubi are indeed evil creatures.”

“Hey!”

Tally kicked him from behind.

Falshad suddenly noticed Kalist gathering magic.

“Calm down,” he quickly gripped her shoulder and whispered a plea.

Then he turned to Luo De: “Are you heading deeper? The monsters there are powerful, especially the self-detonating toxins—they’re notoriously troublesome. I personally don’t recommend it.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Luo De has a treasure that resists toxins,” Xi Ti quickly interjected, “It’s getting late—we must keep exploring!”

He urged Luo De to press deeper.

Afraid they might fight.

Luo De shrugged and stepped past the two elves.

Along the way, he glanced at the cold Kalist.

Watching them vanish into the cave.

“That human gentleman is only fifth-rank; he’ll surely leave the depths soon,” Falshad said.

Kalist replied coldly: “You should’ve let me act. Even if you couldn’t kill that succubus, you should’ve taught her a lesson.”

“This is the territory of the Wingcrystal Clan.”

Falshad shook his head: “We cannot strike at their allies here.”

“I’ve heard the situation in the Spotless Crystal Lands is bad, but I never imagined it had sunk to collaborating with succubi.”

“You seem to harbor deep animosity toward succubi?”

He detected other emotions in Kalist’s tone.

Not merely disgust for succubi.

“You’re still young, Falshad. Our clan once suffered a serious incident because of these repulsive creatures.”

Falshad’s eyes lit up.

Curiosity shot from his spine straight to his brain.

“What happened?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“.”

Kalist took a deep breath and said:

“Besides bringing you on this training expedition, the most important goal is to determine the true state of the Spotless Crystal Lands.”

“Hm?”

“The Elder Council plans to assist the Wingcrystal Clan in stabilizing the Spotless Crystal Lands, provided they allow us to station here and exchange techniques for navigating the labyrinth.”

Falshad stared in shock, stopping in his tracks.

“This is invasion! Kalist!”

“No, this is protecting nature.”

Kalist’s expression didn’t change as she stepped forward, walking toward the vast crystal forest outside the mine.

Dwarf alchemical lamps gradually appeared in view.

Falshad didn’t understand.

This was far from the image he’d imagined of elves living in harmony with nature.

And the next words from Kalist shattered his worldview entirely.

“Thousands of years ago, all that met the eye was nature—that was the golden age of the elves. Until humanity grew strong, turning everything natural into artificial, forcing our lands to retreat from the continent’s center to its peripheral forests... Falshad, restoring the continent to nature is the ultimate dream of the Nature Faction.”

Boom!

A monster detonated, spraying blood and organs everywhere.

Luo De spun his longsword, slicing across the arm of another lizard monster.

Blue arcs of electricity crawled over its scales, instantly burning away a large patch.

The lizard monster shrieked in agony.

As they descended deeper, the lizard monsters began to change.

Their forelimbs grew longer, their fingers more distinct.

At this point, Luo De had no choice but to employ various spiritual arts.

“The two elves’ attitudes are quite interesting.”

He unleashed [Aetheron’s Flash].

Brilliant spiritual light instantly illuminated the mine.

He swung three blows faster than the eye could follow, instantly severing the monster into pieces.

“A century ago, the Elder Council was controlled by Grand Elder Manla, who believed humans were part of nature and sent many young elves into human society to learn—so these elves understood human customs better and were more tolerant.”

Xi Ti hid behind.

Seeing Luo De handle himself effortlessly, he finally relaxed.

Tally, normally lazy, actually stepped forward with a magic shortsword.

Her movements weren’t as clean or swift as Luo De’s, but she gradually grew accustomed to the fight.

At first, Luo De feared she couldn’t handle it.

He considered giving her [The Guardian’s Veil].

But she turned out to be stubborn—she flatly refused, calling it “stinking” and “Who wants your stuff?” and scolded him thoroughly.

It left Luo De annoyed.

Yet he couldn’t help anticipating the scene when she later demanded a spirit replenishment.

“Elves, known for restraint, meet succubi, known for indulgence,” he remarked after hearing Xi Ti’s words.

“Exactly—oil and water. I once heard a Rock Spirit say that long ago, the elves suffered a major incident because of a succubus.”

As he spoke, Xi Ti stole a glance at Tally.

Clearly, his gossip instincts had kicked in—he wanted answers from her.

“What are you staring at? I’m not interested in dwarves!”

“Ugh...”

Luo De dodged and twisted, repeatedly unleashing [Aetheron’s Flash].

Boom—boom—boom—

Toxin splashed heavily over his body.

[Chang En Seal], [Tree Armor], and [The Guardian’s Veil] stacked together—plus his recent massive boost in toxin resistance—made the toxins feel like tickles.

What was lethal to others meant nothing to him.

Unfortunately, crystal trees didn’t meet the condition for [Tree’s Blessing], so [Tree Armor] offered no special bonus—but its high recovery remained.

After prolonged combat.

He sensed his spiritual energy was beginning to grow again.

“Tally, tell me,” Luo De asked with a smile, while slicing off another monster’s forelimb.

“Call me Lady Tally!”

“...Lady Tally.”

Tally’s lips curled.

【Tally’s obedience toward you +1, current obedience: 61】

She stepped back several paces and swallowed another healing potion.

“It wasn’t a big deal—just a high-rank succubus accidentally drained Grand Elder Manla to death.”

“What?!”

Xi Ti turned pale with shock, utterly stunned.

“No wonder... no wonder there was never any news of Grand Elder Manla’s death.”

He pulled out a small notebook and quickly recorded the information.

Luo De finally cleared the wave of monsters, caught his breath, and began collecting stomach sacs.

“Don’t believe everything she says.”

“Pfft, how many people have we succubi drained? One elf? Even an ogre would do—I have an aunt who...”

“Stop.”

Luo De raised his hand: “I don’t want to know your weird recipes.”

"How dare you interrupt Young Lady Tally? Punish you by acting as a dog!"

(End of Chapter)