Chapter 635: Return and the Ye Fa Practitioners

The salty sea breeze swept in, carrying cheers.

Even now, at dusk, the Coral Bay pier was packed with people.

Crewmen, dockworkers, numerous bards, and some watching merchants.

On rooftops and in shadowed alleys, Ye Fa practitioners with obvious magical fluctuations also observed.

More were Rod's fans—mostly girls, young to mature, too many to count.

It was unavoidable.

As Coral Bay's wealthiest and most powerful man, he was not only young and strong, but also possessed a face as handsome as an elf's.

His human identity added further appeal.

To say he had no followers was false.

They waved banners and glittering dwarf lanterns, gazing excitedly at the sky.

Leading them was Rod, flanked by the dog-person Sharon, the witch Demya, and the sea-elf Lora.

The setting sun filtered through thin clouds, shining behind them.

It gilded their garments, which flapped in the wind, with a haloed golden edge—almost divine.

Rod tugged the rope in his hand, revealing a small boat just behind him, laden with the severed heads of ocean monsters.

Shahu merfolk, Spindlefish merfolk, Siren sea-witches, Great Shark Sea-Dragons, spectral ship flags radiating strange cursed energy, and more.

These were trophies Rod and his companions had gathered on their return journey, slaying along the route for show.

There was no help for it.

Rod knew he was too famous now; every move drew attention.

His cleanup of hazards along the shipping lanes would inevitably be noticed, though it had always been within his plan.

This large haul of trophies would surely bolster public confidence.

As expected.

As the boat appeared, Coral Bay erupted again in thunderous cheers.

"Look! My lord Rod is so handsome!"

"My lord Rod! I love you!!"

"Who else would personally clear the shipping lanes like My Lord Rod? Coral Bay will surely become the richest city in the future Sunset Hills!"

Many sailors and fishermen looked up at Rod with reverence.

But there was also concern.

Someone asked: "Are the shipping lanes completely safe now?"

"Impossible. It's the ocean—its creatures outnumber those on land. This must be done long-term to yield results. I hope this Lord Rod isn't one who works three days and rests two."

Looking at the boiling crowd before him,

Rod showed little smile; instead, his expression was grave and solemn.

He would offer reassurance, but he could not hide the threat of the mutated Siren sea-witches—he could not rely entirely on the pink-haired Siren Rive's search.

He immediately had Sharon beside him use 【Phantom Voice Art】 to amplify his voice.

He first briefly summarized the results of this mission, then explained the changes occurring in the ocean and the threat posed by giant creatures.

A strategy existed.

From now on, Sharon and Tally, both possessing domain power, would clear the shipping lanes daily; Rod himself would join irregularly.

The Coral Bay pier would distribute twenty 【Soundproof Wall】 magic rings daily, free of charge, upon presentation of shipping permits.

Of course, beyond that quantity, they must be purchased at full price.

The Magic Control League's 【Long-Distance Teleport】 had halted; sales of magic rings in the market district had stopped too.

He planned to sell small batches in Coral Bay, then ship large quantities to Carlinshan across the Monster Sea via familiar merchants.

And based on what they'd encountered,

the domain's pollution of bloodlines was not contagious—only the entire crews of stranded ships had heard the singing. The spell's soundproofing might not be perfect, but it should still help somewhat.

After stating this,

the fans remained excited, but some sailors and ship merchants grew solemn.

After all, according to Rod's account, this was no longer just a problem near Coral Bay—it was an issue across the entire Monster Sea!

Nearby,

several Ye Fa practitioners gathered in a shadowed alley, watching the pier.

"Lord Rod's conduct doesn't resemble those nobles who treat human lives as worthless."

A gray-robed female mage praised, her eyes shimmering with admiration for Rod.

"He's no noble—he's a Forest Warden by origin. I even saw the news about him keeping a succubus. Heh. Young people are wonderful."

Another older mage, with gray-and-white beard, chuckled.

"Hearing you say that, are you planning to stay?"

"I'm old now—I can't travel like I used to. Climbing into dragon dens or scaling griffon nests for spell components? Impossible anymore. Coral Bay is fine."

"Yes. Coral Bay's reconstruction is still young—everywhere lacks people. I plan to stay too, mainly because their cuisine is too limited—I can't stand it!"

Another fat mage added.

The gray-robed female mage felt a pang of loneliness.

She was still young, believing she still had potential to advance, and looked forward to future journeys.

These few were good companions—pity.

She hesitated, then turned to the silent male mage beside her, of similar age: "What about you?"

Though she didn't hold him in high regard—he'd joined their small group midway—she asked out of courtesy.

"I'll also be staying here for a while."

The male mage didn't look at her.

His eyes were fixed on the figure in midair beneath the setting sun, looking quite intrigued.

The grey-robed female mage couldn't help but frown. "What are you trying to do?"

"That dog-person beside Rod — she's my type. She doesn't seem to be on great terms with Rod. I'm going to give it a try, hehe."

"Your old bard habits acting up again? That's the ranger Rod's woman!"

"This ranger has so many women, it's hard to satisfy every one of them. I'm just going to help him out."

The male mage spread his hands, looking utterly frivolous.

"Who knows, hehe, that dog-person might even help me squeeze a fortune out of Rod and let me advance further. Will you help me? I'll pay you. I've done this sort of thing plenty of times before — most bigshots' women are a vulnerability too."

The other two had already decided to settle here, so naturally they wouldn't agree.

The female mage's brows knit tight.

"I'm afraid I can't join you."

Saying so, she put some distance between herself and the man.

What a disgusting man — better look at Rod to soothe the eyes.

But the moment she turned her head toward the midair above the dock, she was startled to find that the ranger Rod, far in the distance, had already passed through the crowd on the dock and was looking right at her.

He even wore a faint, charming smile.

"He heard!"

The female mage's face changed drastically. Fearing the disgusting man beside her would drag her down with him, she instinctively wanted to flee.

*Smack. *

A hand had settled on her shoulder at some unknown point.

It made her whole body stiffen, trembling uncontrollably.

For a mage to be approached this silently was almost a death sentence.

She glared resentfully at the still-gabbing disgusting man ahead of her.

"Don't be afraid."

It was a gentle girl's voice.

The female mage froze, then stiffly turned her head.

It was a dark elf whose lower half was the body of a massive spider, her pointed ears slightly drooping, her features exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful.

In her peripheral vision, the fat mage and the old mage had already fainted and collapsed on the ground.

"Excuse me, my lord, you are—"

Her voice carried a sob as she asked.

"My name is Watching Yuna. I am that lord's personal bodyguard."

Watching Yuna said with a gentle smile, her fingers twitching as she spoke.

Invisible spider silk flashed with a thread of Bai Guang in the shadowed alley.

It looped once around the neck of the disgusting man blathering ahead — *puchi* — and his head separated from his body with casual ease.

"P-please, Lord Watching Yuna, you want—"

"That lord has permitted me to build and train my own shadow troop, to bring out my advantage as a dark elf in stealth. Congratulations — you've been chosen."

"That lord, surely it's Ro—"

"Mustn't say. This shadow troop will inevitably have to do some dirty work, so you understand. I can see you're a clever one."

The female mage forced a smile uglier than crying.

"C-can I refuse?"

"You can."

Watching Yuna's smile was gentle as she pointed at the corpse on the ground.

"L-Lord Watching Yuna, you don't know, my dream is to become a ranger-thief just like you—"

"How wonderful~~ Sigh. If only Ye Fa mages were all as sharp as you, I wouldn't have to kill so many."

"."

(End of chapter)