Chapter 470: Instructions and the Dragon Slaying Request

"Oh dear, it's only because Forest Warden Luo De has a kind heart that you were allowed to stay—every girl in the forest belongs to him, don't act rashly."

"I don't care who that green-skinned orc belongs to! She nearly beat my soul to pieces! How can I keep my face if I don't settle this with her? And as for Luo De—I'll find him after I've dealt with the orc!"

With that, she turned away.

Luo De sensed a surge of spiritual energy from within; the myconid Scarlett's perception instantly became hazy and scattered.

It was 【Spore Form】.

Soon after, a large cloud of pale green spores burst from the cave entrance, never even noticing Luo De, and flew straight off into the distance.

Out behind them, the rabbit-girl Oana looked frustrated.

Then she spotted Luo De by the cave mouth and froze for a moment.

Her wheat-toned, adorable face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Luo De, you're back."

"Just arrived last night."

Luo De smiled in reply.

After brief pleasantries,

the two entered the magical wooden hut inside the cave.

Oana poured him a cup of locally farmed mushroom tea.

Her face carried an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, a few days ago the Magic Control League had an urgent matter—I had to return briefly. I didn't expect Scarlett's soul to heal faster than expected and just slip away, then fight with Amy."

"It's fine. A little brawling is normal. But what urgent matter? Did something happen again on the continent?"

Major events had been happening frequently lately.

Luo De felt he was developing PTSD.

"No, it was Lady Yulia—she sent a blood clone back from the Pit and gave me some instructions."

Oana's expression turned slightly awkward.

She'd assumed the instructions were important—after all, it was Lady Yulia herself returning from the Pit.

But when she got back to the Magic Control League, she learned it was merely because the Lady had taken a liking to the new skincare line from the famous brand "Dawn Magic Complexion" and had come back specifically to tell her to buy it.

Now, recalling it in front of Luo De, she felt inexplicably embarrassed.

Luo De noticed her discomfort and kindly refrained from pressing further.

"By the way, Luo De, Lady Yulia asked me to give you this."

The rabbit-girl handed him a deep red magical stone.

For me?

Luo De immediately recalled the note from his newly acquired 【Yulia's Blood Burst】 skill—"This skill will attract the attention of the Vampire King Yulia."

Her coming to him was inevitable.

Oana added: "Also, Lady Yulia says your Star Fate is being shielded by psychic energy—she can't reach you directly. Please remove the psychic shield and use this stone when you can."

Psychic energy shielding.

That was Hart the Mind Flayer's ability—the very reason Luo De had kept him despite knowing his innate cruelty.

Turns out it's quite effective.

Even the famed top-tier combatant, Vampire King Yulia, couldn't bypass it.

"Hmm, I'll do it when I have time. By the way, can't spiritualist mages achieve this kind of shielding?"

Oana shook her head.

Her face held a hint of resignation: "Generally, a living being's spiritual awareness is divided into two layers: surface consciousness and deep consciousness. Most spiritualist spells affect only the surface consciousness.

Mind Flayers are different—they live in isolation within labyrinthine mazes long before their psychic powers erupt, never having encountered spiritual energy. Their ability stems from their own generated psychic energy, making it extremely difficult to replicate."

"I see."

Luo De nodded.

Given the typical behavior of mages,

it meant Mind Flayers had only recently appeared on the continent.

Once more live specimens were captured and dissected, a corresponding spell would almost certainly emerge.

The two chatted for a while.

As a lone man and woman, Luo De didn't dare overstay.

He prepared to take his leave.

Oana cradled her teacup in both hands, blowing gently on the steaming mushroom tea.

After a small sip, she walked him out of the cave.

Just before he left, she suddenly called him back:

"Almost forgot—I remember you posted a Dragon Slaying request at the Magic Control League. There's been a response. Don't forget to check it out when you have time."

Luo De's eyes lit up.

He'd just returned from a mission at Axe Beach and had nothing urgent to do.

So he simply paid another teleportation fee to head to the Magic Control League.

As Oana said, someone had left a message on the Dragon Slaying request.

The responder identified themselves as the Blizzard Mercenary Company and requested a preliminary site survey, asking Luo De to leave his address.

Though he didn't understand why a Magic Control League field agent would call themselves a mercenary company,

Luo De didn't care—he left his contact details and address in the dwarf's 【Rock Heart】 mission log and left immediately.

He hadn't expected them to be so efficient.

The next morning,

the cannon room had been disturbed all night—Pani the Ghoul had woken up first.

She drowsily pulled her mouth free from her master's finger, groped through the messy bed until she found Luo De's face,

couldn't resist kissing him several times while muttering that her ghoul sentries had detected visitors entering the forest.

No sooner had she spoken than she nuzzled his lips again and drifted back into sleep.

It wasn't that the forest guard was lax—it was that her ghouls sensed the visitors meant no harm.

Luo De woke up to see Pani's pale, strikingly beautiful face biting him and nearly jumped out of his skin.

He'd also heard about the forest visitors.

He struggled to extricate himself from the tangled, bare limbs, got dressed under Yuna's assistance, and hurried out to meet them.

Sure enough, three outsiders were being blocked at the forest's edge by Pani's ghouls.

Luo De took a closer look and let out a quiet exclamation:

"Crocodile-men?"

One of them was a muscular, towering figure with a crocodile head, clad only in a scale-mail skirt, revealing a body radiating raw power with hardened scales.

The other two were human—a man and a woman—unremarkable in appearance.

None of them carried weapons; behind them stood two tense-looking Shi Ying Town constables watching closely.

Recently, due to the Coral Bay attacks, Shi Ying Town had temporarily halted new arrivals, so every unfamiliar face was watched and monitored.

These three claimed to be here for Luo De, so the constables dared not refuse entry—but insisted on accompanying them.

Now that Luo De had arrived, they all visibly relaxed.

"Thanks for your trouble. Have a drink with David when you get the chance."

Luo De smiled at the two familiar but unnamed constables.

They chuckled in reply and turned back toward Shi Ying Town.

"Mr. Luo De."

The crocodile-man, who introduced himself as Jierong, was clearly the leader.

He extended his hand to shake Luo De's and introduced his two companions—his speech and gestures bore an elegance incongruous with his appearance.

"I'm the reconnaissance representative and also the leader of the Blizzard Mercenary Company. We're already familiar with most of the situation in Dusk Hills. This visit is purely for an on-site survey."

"Understood. Thoroughness is always good."

"Mr. Luo De, you're straightforward, so I'll be direct—the estimated fee for this mission is three million Jin Along."

(End of Chapter)