Chapter 599: Vein and Intelligence

The next morning, the rain fell continuously under a cloudy sky.

From December until now, mid-April, this was the first rainfall.

Rod was always happy at this time.

When the rain moistened the dry hills of Twilight and washed away the accumulated dust from the forests, the entire woodland appeared much cleaner.

The view was pleasant.

He sat under the eaves of the stairs at Henry's Farm villa, his upper body bare, with a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his well-defined, muscular chest.

The door behind him stood slightly ajar, the scent of mud and rain easily overpowering the strong, strange odor inside.

The Campbell family's expedition was set for two days later.

Rod felt no heavy burden; aside from planning to open the 【Euphoria Party】 over the next few days, there was nothing else to say about the short two days.

He weighed the black-gray rune stone in his hand, lost in thought.

【Starlight Vein Sovereignty Rune】.

【Details: The holder can manipulate the growth direction of an entire Starlight Stone vein.】

Starlight Stone, huh.

For advanced uses, it can be used to forge enchanted weapons or armor.

It can also serve as a spellcasting material to enhance spells related to stars and moonlight.

There are also slightly simpler, unprocessed, low-level uses.

Crushed into powder, it can dispel low-level undead or purify contaminated water sources.

Though not quite a common daily necessity, it could certainly be considered a standard reserve item.

A single Starlight vein would be enough to improve life in a small town like Shi Ying before its expansion.

"Heaven knows where that guy Seamus got such good stuff."

Since Shi Ying Town was founded on mining, discovering another Starlight vein was not entirely unexpected.

The question was where to place it.

After pondering for a moment, Rod decided to locate it in the area near Coral Bay.

This was mainly to separate it from Shi Ying Town's mining district, avoiding competition for their human resources.

"We must at least wait until the recruitment team leaves before making any arrangements."

Drip, drop, drip—

Cold rain splashed onto his body.

Sensing something, he looked up.

He saw three girls huddled under a small dome field above their heads on the stone path not far away, chatting and laughing as they approached.

A halfling, a catgirl, and a human girl.

"Rod, good morning!"

The halfling Lily, squeezed between the catgirl Kou Yi He Fa and the mage Doris, pushed and shoved playfully; upon seeing Rod, she raised her hand and waved.

The catgirl Kou Yi He Fa and the mage Doris.

These two were Lily's friends in the Hero Alliance; the 【Victory Pod】 that had killed the Dark Elves earlier was delivered to her by them on Lily's behalf.

And the ceramic swan with the 【Mass Flight Spell】 that Rod possessed was also a gift from Doris.

Afterwards, they said they went to investigate Coral Bay, but no results were heard; until the Dark Elves and the Archduke of Purgatory were driven away, they were not seen again.

According to Lily,

those two only investigated for two days before running off to travel and play elsewhere.

A fairly standard bardish behavior.

Rod smiled and nodded at Lily, then turned to the other two.

"Miss Kou Yi He Fa, Miss Doris, long time no see."

The catgirl Kou Yi He Fa was more polite; she smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Rod, the entire Coral Bay is yours now!"

Doris, however, crossed her arms in dissatisfaction and demanded, "Others may fear you, but I don't! You promised me you wouldn't run away from your wedding with Lily! Remember that!"

"What wedding? What have you been saying?"

Lily protested, her face turning slightly red.

She shoved Doris aside with her shoulder, saying, "Rod and I are just ordinary friends!"

"How can you still be just ordinary friends?! How many times have you mentioned his name in our ears?!"

Doris wailed.

Then she looked at Rod: "Lily, that fool, is as dull as the male protagonist in a storybook. You can't just go along with her wishes; be forceful, take her by force first! Eh? Why is there a Ya Yin on your neck?"

All three girls froze simultaneously.

They all looked up toward the half-open wooden door behind Rod.

In the darkness, one could vaguely see more than one girl lying on the bed in the room deep inside.

Clomp, clomp, clomp—

Doris dragged Lily backward, her face flushed, shouting exaggeratedly:

"Scum! This person is a scumbag!"

"What are you yammering and wailing about?!"

Lily slapped her hand away, but her face wore a stiff expression.

The catgirl Kou Yi He Fa stood stunned for a moment before realizing: "Didn't you know? As soon as I approached, I smelled it. One, two, three, four, five, six... there are six girls inside, and the scent of girls on Rod is more than just those."

"Pervert! Let's not love him anymore, okay, Lily? Once we find your brother, we'll leave him! Marry me; I promise to love only you."

Doris also felt a bit awkward, so she pretended to cry, trying to brush it off as a playful joke.

Rod paused slightly: "Brother? I've never heard you had a brother."

"No, we were separated long ago. I just have something important to discuss with him."

Lili's smile faded; no emotion could be read on her face.

"Let's not talk about that. By the way, Rod, aren't you going to raid that Campbell family in a couple of days? I'll go help you!"

"This time it's quite dangerous. You understand."

Yet the halfling girl showed no fear at all; her eyes brightened.

"Danger is best. Without some challenge, how could our great legendary deeds be forged!"

Rod pondered for a moment.

He had originally planned to take only Tally for this raid, leaving the others outside to await and counter-ambush.

Mainly because a pincer attack from front and rear would be quite dangerous.

He possessed the Dragon Scale Art, and Tally's escape ability was strong; the two of them could handle it easily, so he wasn't too worried about an ambush. But once more people joined, considerations multiplied, making it troublesome.

However, the halfling Lili was different.

Her combat power was sufficient, and she was experienced, cultivating both magic and spiritual arts. Even if she couldn't win, she was capable enough to escape.

Without further thought,

he agreed.

"Speaking of which, we met a small messenger on our way here. He didn't dare approach, so I accepted it on your behalf."

As Lili spoke, she handed over a letter.

Rod thought it was a reply from Isabella Argyle, but upon taking it and looking, the sender's name was blank.

Rubbing the red sealing wax, he found no emblem either.

Yet he still smelled a faint, spicy floral scent—the fragrance of Dragon Tooth Flowers.

Heh heh.

Rod raised an eyebrow, tore open the letter, and found only one sentence on the white paper.

—'The Yige Sect Cardinal is suspected to be Ninth Rank. Do not go.'

Inside the medical station of Shi Ying Town.

"You told him?"

Captain Eve, pretending to have her arm in a sling, turned her head on the hospital bed and asked Rosalia, who had come to visit.

The Tooth Fairy's hand, slicing fruit, froze; the small knife clacked against the exoskeleton of her finger.

"..."

"You should know this was a matter personally entrusted by Lord Marco, Rosalia."

"I know."

"You must also know that if Rod does not go, Grand Captain Carter will not go either. Then we will never know who the Yige Sect is meeting, or where. This also means Lord Marco's mission is about to fail, and you, you might be expelled from Wind of the Hunter's Shadow."

"He saved me. I cannot stand by and watch him be dealt with."

Rosalia lowered her brows and eyes.

It was true she wanted to investigate the tragedy of the small fairies, but not at the cost of exchanging Rod.

Eve, however, smiled: "Brave. What kind of person is one who repays kindness with ingratitude?"

"Captain..."

"But you misjudged Rod's character. I knew it when I fought him; that message cannot withstand his desire to kill..."

"Yes, I know that too."

"Knowing that, you still told him. Anyway, we'll find a chance to sneak in."

(End of this chapter)