Chapter 465: Hidden Meeting

The agreed meeting point was Axe Beach.

We can also fulfill our agreement with Wenna Pweil and extract the Lilith bloodline from her body.

Deepwater City and Axe Beach are not far apart.

Between them lies only the Edip Forest, a route we traveled just days ago—Luo De had no patience for leisurely sightseeing now.

He cast a cost-free 【Group Flight Spell】 on both of them using the Crystal Swan.

They arrived at Axe Beach's territory in little more than half a day.

Come to think of it.

This Crystal Swan was a gift from Lily's good friend, the mage Doris, and the cat-girl Koi.

The halfling Lily recognized it at once—after all, her friend Doris treasured the thing dearly.

Now that it appeared in his hands, she couldn't help but ask a few questions.

Luo De couldn't truthfully explain it, since Doris had given it to him as a warning not to flee their wedding.

They weren't even that far along.

To be fair.

Right now, Lily seemed more like a good brother or close friend to him.

Except for the odd expression she wore when eating the leftover egg custard last night, she was no different from when they first met in Jade City.

In the end,

Luo De laughed it off, saying it was a gift exchanged between them, and she let it slide.

This time, they entered the city through the North Agricultural Gate.

As they waited in line, they could clearly see the massive gash in the city wall, carved by the 【Sky Blessing】-enhanced 【Giant Sword】.

Four days had passed, yet the battle's aftermath remained uncleaned.

Massive rubble, chaotic, overturned roads, and crater-like indentations formed by bodies slamming into the ground.

Workers bustled about, rushing repairs with urgent haste.

Though he himself had carved that gash.

Yet, emotionally detached and viewing it days later, he still couldn't help but marvel at its awe-inspiring scale.

"I never imagined the Axe Beach regime had been secretly seized by demons and members of the Sandrin—right next to Deepwater City, under our Hero Alliance's very nose."

Lily, seeing him stare at the wall, added with a hint of resentment.

"After all, you were busy slaying dragons."

"Don't comfort me, Luo De. The Hero Alliance doesn't need excuses. But that organization called the Order of the Guangmingqishituan —could they have uncovered the plot? 'To reveal lies and challenge falsehoods in the name of light'? Interesting."

"I've never heard of such an organization. Sounds like something made up."

Luo De's face remained expressionless.

After all, it was a one-time alias.

He deliberately belittled it to lower Lily's expectations.

"That's not entirely true. The Spiritual Continent has entered its Fourth Era—after so many years, some powerful hidden organizations must have emerged. Now that the continent is in chaos, they can't stay hidden anymore."

As he spoke,

A young couple behind them, apparently finding Lily adorable, smiled warmly and offered her a candy.

Though short, Lily had excellent proportions—more like a young human than a halfling.

No wonder they mistook her.

But Lily wasn't grateful; she shot the foolish couple a furious glare, startling them.

Luo De chuckled, took the candy, and handed it to her.

Only then did Lily grumble and reach out.

She unwrapped it, flicked it into the air, and caught it coolly in her mouth.

Then she added:

"And that Gorgon man—seventh-rank, yet he single-handedly defeated an eighth-rank and two high-seventh-rank opponents, winning decisively. That makes me even more certain the 'Order of the Guangmingqishituan ' is a hidden organization from the previous era. Many others must share this guess, and some may even go to test it."

"Uh…"

The halfling girl stole a glance at the towering man beside her, who looked utterly unimpressed.

Such an unbelievable feat automatically made her assume only he could have accomplished it.

The way he'd cleaved the wall with such boundless spiritual power felt familiar to Lily.

And beforehand, he had indeed been in Axe Beach.

But soon Lily shook her head and dropped the thought.

Whether he was or wasn't—what did it matter? Luo De was her cherished friend; friends having secrets was no problem.

Soon,

The two successfully passed the militia's mage inspection and entered Axe Beach.

Lily promptly changed the subject:

"By the way, Luo De—you said you're meeting someone. Who is it?"

"A resident of the Windwall Forest. He's heading to the Mist Forest to gather materials, so we're traveling together to save on teleportation fees."

"Oh, I see!"

"Look, there's Kalist! Over here!"

As he spoke, Luo De waved toward the street ahead.

At that moment, a tall Xiong Ling passed by, blocking Lily's view.

Once the Xiong Ling moved past,

She immediately spotted two tall figures at the end of the street.

One was an elf of rare, exquisite beauty—even among elves.

Her luminous white ears peeked above golden hair, wrapped in a green-and-white cloak, wearing the classic elfish scowl.

Her emerald eyes held a cold, assessing gaze—pure ice queen material.

The other presented a short-haired, efficient, and striking appearance.

First, her height surpassed most human men.

Beneath snug high-waisted shorts were long, full, powerful legs wrapped in slightly sheer, pierced fishnet stockings; a sleek steel tail flicked lazily through the air, sometimes coiling around her thigh, leaving faint indentations in her flesh.

Her tough, cool exterior clashed wonderfully with a pair of tiny pink-eared mouse ears.

Though the street was full of everyday bustle,

Their sudden appearance felt like a gust of fresh wind, instantly forming a stunning scene that drew the gaze of passersby.

Both turned their heads simultaneously, locking eyes on Luo De, then walked over leisurely.

"Whoa, two hot girls!"

Lily gasped.

She elbowed Luo De's side with a mischievous grin: "Girlfriends? Both of them?"

Luo De smiled: "Don't say that. The elf won't tolerate it—she'll curse you."

"Sounds just like the headmaster back at the academy."

"Pretty much."

As they spoke,

The elf Kalist and the mouse-girl No. 3 arrived before them.

No. 3's expression remained blank; her unconventional bangs half-covered her delicate face.

She stepped ahead of Kalist.

Swinging her plump, high-raised rear, her flexible steel tail curled around Luo De's arm, affectionately squeezing it.

Kalist noticed the halfling Lily.

She paused, then offered no greeting.

Elves were like that—proud, never initiating greetings.

She glared coldly at Luo De.

"You never listen to my advice."

Luo De knew she meant "Don't bring girls into the forest."

He exchanged a knowing glance with Lily—both now more certain than ever of the elf's "headmaster" persona.

(End of Chapter)