Chapter 423: Santalin

In the night.

The night wind, mingled with the salty tang of Sword Bay's seawater, swept across the empty street.

Under the glow of the dwarf-shaped lamps lining the road, the clatter of guards' patrol armor drifted from afar—cold and merciless.

The curfew brought on by the change of regime condensed into a desolate, murderous air over Axe Beach's nights, and tonight more than ever.

Unlike the silence of the noble quarter, the farming quarter, and the market.

Following the noble quarter's central avenue all the way to its end, the grand main keep of the Earl's Gubao, wrapped by two thick walls—a furious curse tore through the night, leaping across the spacious parade ground and reaching the ears of the stable hands tending the cattle and horses, giving them a fright.

But they dared not do anything, only silently working away in their hands.

The private army that the new lord, Burge Torres, had brought surrounded the entire Gubao.

The private soldiers were strangers and cold, nothing like the familiar faces of the militia, their eyes filled with contempt and disdain for them.

Burge Torres's cursing voice came again.

This time they lowered their heads even more, only hoping they could finish their work as soon as possible.

In the main keep's reception hall.

"Why wasn't it reported?!"

Pot-bellied and ferocious-faced, Burge Torres roared at the militia captain.

"Not reporting is one thing, secret operations another, but setting up an encirclement and sending a seventh-tier expert to the door—and you still let the target slip away, vanished without a trace, and the original lead was cut off because of it! What the hell is your militia good for?!"

"My apologies, my lord."

The captain's expression was equally ugly, dark as water.

His own old squad leader had taken matters into his own hands and acted in secret, hiding it even from him, the captain, and now he was the one left holding the blame.

But putting himself in the other's shoes.

If he had known the target's location, he would have used the same arrangement.

Miss Miss Puwei was a girl who had lived a life of ease and luxury, at most carrying a few protective treasures, with very limited offensive power.

And the succubus sheltering Miss Miss Puwei was only fifth-tier; even adding her fifth-tier bodyguard, the two of them tied together couldn't have been a match for the seventh-tier sent over.

Yet now, the seventh-tier expert was seriously wounded and being treated, and Miss Miss Puwei had vanished without a trace.

"It happened suddenly. We didn't expect Miss Miss Puwei still had reinforcements—a person capable of critically wounding an early seventh-tier expert in a single strike."

"I don't want excuses! No excuses! I only look at results!"

Burge Torres bellowed furiously, red in the face, so worked up he looked as though he might kick the bucket the next second.

"Miss Miss Puwei, Miss Miss Puwei—so close to catching her, and you lot of good-for-nothings had to mess it up! Starting today, the capture of the murderer of the former Earl Miss Puwei will be directed by my private army, and your militia will fully cooperate."

The militia captain's face was extremely ugly.

Having lost the lord's trust, this was equivalent to the militia being placed under the private army from now on.

He unwillingly tried to speak, but the pot-bellied new lord before him was already waving him away.

And an expert from the private army behind the lord stepped forward, rudely reaching out to block him.

The militia captain had no choice but to snort, pretend to be imposing, turn around, and stride away.

Bang!

As the tall, heavy, dark-brown hall door of the reception room slammed shut with a boom.

The fury on Burge Torres's face vanished in an instant.

It immediately shifted into a fawning, sycophantic expression of flattery—and the target of his display of loyalty was precisely the private army expert who had just shooed the man out for him.

"Well done, Burge."

This was a man with Bai Xi skin, slightly pointed ears, and a sturdy build.

His face was condescending, as though praising a little dog.

This was a half-elf.

"You're too kind, too kind—it's all thanks to the help of the two lords. I was just watching the two of you thinking about how to weaken the militia's power, and I didn't expect them to deliver themselves right to our door."

Burge was quite pleased, grinning from ear to ear.

"Fools are everywhere. They think Axe Beach is still what it used to be. Can we pin our hopes on the White Dragon Horn seal in Miss Miss Puwei's hands, the land naga coming to break the tomb? Have they arrived?"

"Reporting to my lord, we can't reach them for the moment. Could they have noticed something?"

"Land naga are greedy enough, not a brainless race. Before this they'll inquire and investigate a bit, but in the end they'll still be consumed by greed. Just wait until you can reach them and notify us."

"Then what about Miss Miss Puwei?"

"Even if we don't need her, we'll find her and deal with her."

"It's just… my lord, the captain just mentioned someone who could take out an early seventh-tier expert in a single strike—won't that be a threat?"

The swarthy man turned his head to look at Burge, his eyes icy.

"Aren't you overstepping a bit, Mr. Burge?"

Burge immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning pale with fright.

He hurriedly put on a sycophantic smile: "This subordinate… this subordinate was only worrying for my lord."

"Hmph, that man will be dealt with by me."

"So it's Lord Virgil taking action personally—then it must be foolproof! If there's a chance, this subordinate would also love to see the heroic bearing of an eighth-tier warrior in action!"

"Heh heh, Burge, you just be a good puppet lord, enjoy your wealth, and don't overthink it."

"Won't overthink, won't overthink… Burge will forever be the Santalin Society's dog~"

Outside Axe Beach.

Inside the naga's luxurious tent.

Rod sat on the outer parlor, gnawing on dried fruit, with Tally bouncing about in his lap.

On the way back just now, they had spotted a few lizardmen passing through the swamp, and she had been telling lizardmen-succubus jokes nonstop ever since.

The body in his arms was fragrant and soft.

Rod rested his chin on her head and simply slipped his hand inside her clothes, rubbing Tally's firm abs and the linea alba between them.

Unlike her, mother-in-law Lady Lilian had a thin layer of fat on her little belly; when she leaned over, a small ring of it would spill out, and it felt very nice to touch.

The succubus was tickled into giggling sweetly by his fingers, turned her head wanting to kiss his lips, couldn't reach, so she could only stick out her tongue and lick his chin.

The bristly stubble tickled and scratched—how fun~~

As for Miss Wen Na Miss Puwei'er.

At this moment, this last eldest daughter of the Miss Puwei'er family was sitting upright on the carpet, her face full of tension.

Suddenly the shadow of a tall half-human, half-snake Naga passed outside the tent, and she gave a start, as if startled.

She didn't even notice the affectionate couple right in front of her.

"Have some, don't be so reserved—treat it like your own home."

Rod noticed this too and pushed the fruit platter toward her.

"M-Mr. Luoluo-de, this should be the land Naga's tent, right?"

"That's right."

"I've heard land Naga devour men—Mr. Rod, aren't you afraid..."

"It's fine. This is my mother-in-law's boudoir; she's a priestess of the land Naga, and we were together just last night."

That statement carried quite a lot of information.

Miss Wen Na couldn't process it for a moment.

Mother-in-law? Together last night?

Then Mr. Rod's wife is?

And the woman in his arms kissing his chin right now is?

(End of chapter)