Chapter 495: The Walk-Feast and the Sealed Passage

While eating and chatting.

They unexpectedly discovered that the halfling Lily had once submitted heroic stories to a newspaper.

She said there were many bards in the Hero Alliance, all skilled at fabricating tales.

Being around them inevitably led to being goaded into it.

So when bored, Lily would also write down stories of chivalry, but all her works were short pieces, unlike Demia's long, grotesque, and explicit novels.

The two girls, sharing the same interests, quickly became close friends.

After dinner, they even made plans to stroll together along New Rank Street, exploring the night market and hidden mysterious bookstores in Shiying Town.

Luo De had no intention of joining the girls' activities.

He packed a large portion of grilled scorpion, grilled bird, and grilled snake skewers into a platter to take back and let Bond the mare-girl and Cui Qian the giant squirrel try.

But when he arrived at her residence, he found no one home.

Vivian the tree spirit, Ko the half-deer girl, and Bond the mare-girl lived together—none of them, not even the mare-girl, were present.

Luo De sent Vivian a 【Far-Link】, and only then learned their dinner tonight was the Walk-Feast.

The Walk-Feast, you see.

It was when they wandered together through the forest, picking and tasting ripe wild fruits, sharing them, until they were full.

It was simply that all three of them shared a similar habit: they needed to eat wild fruits at irregular intervals.

Other girls in the forest rarely joined.

The elf Kali Site did sometimes do this too, but she was used to being alone—even when she did, she acted alone.

Soon.

Luo De spotted the girls in the pine grove.

And it wasn't just the three of them.

The expressionless tree spirit Vivian walked side by side with Ko the half-deer girl, who held Bond's hand with a tender smile.

Leading the way was Cui Qian the giant squirrel, acting as the vanguard; she had somehow found a long branch and waved it wildly in her tiny paws.

Other Lothatosk gray squirrels who had come to the forest for vacation also clustered together behind them.

Some climbed onto Bond's body to play; one spoke Gray Squirrel tongue, the other spoke the Common Tongue—no one knew if they understood each other, yet they somehow communicated.

Others sat directly on Ko's deer back, lying with swollen bellies resting, or hugged her waist and shrieked in delight as they bounced.

Fortunately, the other gray squirrels were much smaller than Cui Qian, or Ko couldn't have carried them.

Most of all, they fought over positions on Vivian's shoulders and head.

After all, she was a tree spirit, naturally more beloved by gray squirrels.

The forest's bioluminescent plants glowed brightly in the night as the Walk-Feast procession grew larger.

They were all lovely, beautiful girls or cute creatures—how could it not be charming?

Luo De stared at the scene, slightly stunned.

It felt like something only a runaway princess from a Disney animation deserved.

Luo De walked forward slowly.

Before he even showed himself, Vivian spotted him first.

She turned sharply toward the dark forest; as the sound of crunching leaves drew closer, all members of the Walk-Feast froze, the lively atmosphere instantly stiffening, all eyes locking onto the direction.

Only when Luo De appeared holding the food box did they burst into cheers again.

"Good evening, everyone."

Luo De greeted with a smile.

"Luo De!!!" Bond broke free from Ko's hand and sprinted toward him.

"What? It's Mr. Luo De? I thought it was my moment to shine!"

Cui Qian, who had been hiding behind Vivian, said this.

She swung her branch-lance again with a "heh-heh," attempting a full spin, but her arms were too short—*whack*—she hit herself in the head.

"Why sneak up like that? You scared me to death!"

Ko, already timid, patted her chest, still shaken.

Due to winter fat storage, the half-deer girl's chest had grown significantly; her patting made it wobble enticingly.

But she immediately noticed Luo De staring and blushed furiously.

She quickly shielded herself with her small arms and glared at him reproachfully.

Then she realized how ambiguous it looked, stole a glance at Vivian, and sighed in relief when she saw Vivian hadn't noticed.

As for Vivian—

She had already stepped close to Luo De's chest, kissed his neck gently, then slowly pulled away and stood beside him, making room for Bond to rush in.

Outside the period of the 【Mark of Lust】, she reverted to the tree spirit's emotional detachment—though she approached Luo De, she didn't feel the need to cling to him constantly.

Luo De affectionately rubbed the back of her neck and whispered close: "Do you still have the silk stockings I gave you?"

Vivian blinked her glowing white innocent eyes once and nodded.

"Bring them to the cannon room tonight—I want to see you wear them."

"Socks, uncomfortable."

The girl spoke bluntly.

Tree spirits disliked tight clothing—it supposedly interfered with their connection to natural forces.

"Alright, next time I'll have Yuna knit you a looser pair."

Luo De naturally wouldn't force her.

But Vivian hesitated, then added:

"Cut, shorten, Vivian, can."

Does she mean she can accept shorter ones?

Luo De thought for a moment.

Among a group of girls in long white silk stockings, a pure, cute, emotionless girl in short white silk stockings appeared.

That might not be bad.

"Fine, let Ko help you shorten them—she knows how."

"Vivian, shorten, Luo De, no, ignore, Vivian."

Her glowing eyes showed no visible change, but a faint trace of unease was visible.

Luo De smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'll never abandon you, because I love Vivian the most."

"Vivian, love, Luo De, too. Like forest, same."

Love like the forest.

This was probably the highest form of affection a tree spirit could express.

Vivian's obedience increase was actually simple: just protect this forest.

Recently, when driving away the Witherers, her obedience rose slightly by two points, already reaching 98—the highest among all his enslaved subjects.

Luo De had a feeling that when obedience reached 100, the enslavement spell might change slightly.

Wait

Has Bond developed again?

The mare-girl clinging to his waist and chest now had a thick, solid chest—leaving him awkwardly flustered.

Ko seemed to sense something.

She frowned and came over, cautiously pulling Bond away.

"Hey, what are you doing here? You don't join our Walk-Feast."

Her tone was discontent, but concealed a trace of hope.

That's how tsundere worked.

Even if she wanted him to join, she'd never say so.

Luo De lifted the food box and smiled:

"I brought extra snacks for everyone."

"Extra snacks!" *2

Bond and Cui Qian both cheered.

The other squirrels rushed over.

As soon as the box opened, the aroma of grilled meat spread instantly.

Ko froze, then got angry: "You're disrupting us! You came to ruin our Walk-Feast! Walk-Feast is vegetarian!"

"It's winter—why stick to vegetarian? Eat more of this to replenish protein."

Luo De smiled and pulled out a grilled scorpion, offering it to Ko.

The half-deer girl was timid, and girls generally feared insect foods—he'd intended to tease her.

But unexpectedly, her tiny nose sniffed twice, and her expression shifted to interest.

"You're not afraid?"

"Afraid of what? Scorpions?" Ko asked, surprised. "Before you came, I'd often go to the edge of the Death Desert to catch scorpions and roast them. It's only since you started giving Bond's food allowance regularly that I stopped."

"Uh…"

Misjudged—Ko was a beastkin, not some pampered city girl from his past life.

Saying this.

Xiao Ke wiped her hands, then pinched a roasted scorpion between two snow-white fingers and swallowed it whole.

She smiled contentedly.

As for the others.

Little Bond, of course, was even more indiscriminate—he ate everything.

Cui Qian, the big squirrel, had been hesitant at first, but seeing Bond enjoy his meal, she decided to try some too.

Vivian took only a small bite, sitting quietly on a rock, slowly tearing off a sliver of snake meat.

"Delicious! Hmm, you should try some too—it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Uh, no thanks."

To be honest.

Although Luo De had brought them, he himself didn't eat roasted scorpions.

Xiao Ke's round, deer-like eyes glanced at him curiously, as if seeing through him.

A maternal smile appeared on her face as she removed the tail and head of one scorpion.

"Here, isn't this less scary now? Open your mouth—ah—"

Saying this.

She held the roasted scorpion to Luo De's lips, as if to feed him.

Sensing his gaze, her cheeks flushed: "I'm not trying to feed you! I just think it's rude for you to pay for food you haven't even tasted!"

Luo De chuckled helplessly and leaned forward, biting down on both the scorpion and her slender fingers.

He flicked his tongue against them lightly.

Xiao Ke froze, glanced at Vivian—who hadn't noticed—and quickly pulled her hand away.

"Y-you dirty dog!"

The night wind blew.

The food walk had turned into a tasting session.

Everyone sat together, chatting as they ate.

Luo De had already eaten, so he asked Xiao Ke about Coral Bay.

To counter the Dark Elves' sorcerers' ability to constantly resurrect, Kali Site had been discussing and researching solutions with Xiao Ke.

The half-deer's prophetic ability could somewhat verify Kali Site 's rituals.

Xiao Ke sighed, her optimism tempered:

"The only thing that can currently guarantee 100% prevention of resurrection is the 【Victory Pod】 in your hand. The 【Demonic Feast】 that Kali Site controls can deeply bind the subject's body and soul, but it only succeeds with a 50% probability."

"And the 【Demonic Feast】 usually works on only one person at a time, consuming vast amounts of magical energy and ritual materials."

"The cost-to-benefit ratio is too low."

"Exactly. So Kali Site shifted her focus to researching spells that seal the Hellish Passages. That's why, not long ago, I went with you to Jianwan—to find the necessary ritual components."

As she spoke, Xiao Ke once again tore off the tail, legs, and head of another roasted scorpion.

She lifted her eyes, saw that Vivian wasn't watching, and quietly placed it into Luo De's plate.

(End of Chapter)