Chapter 635: Return and the Wild Mage

The salty sea breeze carried cheers crashing against their faces.

Even at this hour of dusk, the Coral Bay pier was packed with people.

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

On rooftops and shadowed alleys, wild mages with obvious magical fluctuations watched too.

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

It was unavoidable.

As Coral Bay's most powerful and wealthy 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 claim he had no followers was a lie.

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

Leading them was Luo De, flanked by the dog-person Sharon, the witch Dimia, and the sea-elf Laura.

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

It gilded their robes with a haloed golden edge, radiating divine presence.

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

Coralfish merfolk, spindlefish merfolk, sirens, great shark sea-dragons, ghost ships bearing cursed flags, and more.

These were trophies Luo De and his companions had gathered on their return voyage, slaying threats along the route for show.

There was no help for it.

Luo De 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 part of his plan.

This large haul of trophies would surely bolster public confidence.

As expected.

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

"Look! Lord Luo De is so handsome!"

"Lord Luo De! I love you!!"

"Who else would personally clear the shipping lanes? Coral Bay will surely become the wealthiest city in the Sunset Hills!"

Many sailors and fishermen looked up at Luo De with reverence.

Yet some also felt unease.

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

"Impossible. It's the ocean—its creatures outnumber those on land. This must be done consistently to yield results. I hope Lord Luo De isn't one to work three days and rest two."

Facing the boiling crowd,

Luo De showed little smile—only solemn gravity.

He would offer confidence, but could not hide the threat of the mutated siren. He could not rely solely on the pink-haired siren Rive's search.

He immediately had Sharon beside him use 【Phantom Sound Spell】 to amplify his voice.

He first summarized the mission's results, then explained the changes in the ocean and the threat of giant creatures.

A strategy existed.

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

Every day, the Coral Bay pier would distribute twenty free 【Soundproof Wall】 magic rings to vessels with valid shipping permits.

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

The Magic Control League's 【Long-Distance Teleport】 service had halted, so 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 the kingdom of Carlinshan across the Monster Sea via trusted merchants.

Based on encounters so far,

the domain's bloodline corruption was not contagious—only the wrecked ships' crews had heard the song. The spell's soundproofing might not be perfect, but it should still help.

After stating this,

fans remained excited, but sailors and merchants grew grim.

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

Nearby,

several wild mages observing the pier gathered in a shadowed alley.

"This forest warden Luo De doesn't act like those nobles who treat human lives as worthless."

A gray-robed female mage praised him, her eyes glowing with admiration.

"He's no noble—he's a forest warden by origin. I even saw the news about him keeping a succubus. Heh, how nice to be young."

Another older mage, with gray-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 dragon nests 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'm staying too, mainly because their cuisine is too bland—I can't stand it!"

Another fat mage added.

The gray-robed female mage felt melancholy.

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

These men were good companions—pity.

She hesitated, then turned to the silent male mage, her 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 stay here for a while."

The male mage didn't look at her.

His eyes fixed on the figure in the sky beneath the sunset, clearly intrigued.

The gray-robed mage frowned: "What are you planning?"

"That dog-person beside Luo De? My type. She seems to have a bad relationship with him. I plan to give it a try, heh."

"Are your old bard habits resurfacing? That's a woman beside Forest Warden Luo De!"

"He has so many women—he can't satisfy them all. I'm just helping him out."

The male mage shrugged, smirking.

"Maybe, heh, that dog-person can help me squeeze something out of Luo De—help me advance. Will you help? I'll pay you. I've done this many times—great men's women are always weak points."

The other two had decided to settle down—they wouldn't agree.

The female mage frowned tightly.

"I decline."

She stepped back from the man.

What a disgusting man. Better to admire Luo De for a while.

But as she turned her head toward the pier's sky, she froze—Forest Warden Luo De had already looked past the crowd, his gaze fixed on her.

He even offered a faint, charming smile.

"He heard!"

The female mage's face paled; terrified the disgusting man would drag her into trouble, she instinctively wanted to flee.

Thump.

A hand had somehow settled on her shoulder.

She froze, trembling uncontrollably.

For a mage to be approached silently to this degree meant almost certain death.

She glared hatefully at the man ahead, still babbling.

"Don't be afraid."

A soft girl's voice spoke.

The female mage froze, then turned stiffly.

A dark elf with a giant spider's lower body stood before her, her pointed ears slightly drooping, her face exquisitely beautiful.

In her peripheral vision, the fat mage and the old man lay unconscious on the ground.

"Might I ask… Your Grace, who are you?"

Her voice trembled with tears.

"I'm Yuna, personal guard of that great one."

Yuna smiled gently as her fingers twitched.

Invisible spider silk flashed a sliver of white light through the alley.

It circled the neck of the man babbling ahead—then, with a soft *plop*, his head separated cleanly from his body.

"P-Please, Lady Yuna… what do you intend?"

"The great one permits me to form a shadow unit to leverage my dark elf stealth advantages. Congratulations—you've been selected."

"Is that great one… Luo…?"

"Not to be spoken of. This shadow unit must do dirty work—you understand. I see you're clever."

The female mage forced a smile worse than crying.

"Can I refuse?"

"Alright."

Yuna smiled gently and pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"Lady Yuna, you don't know—my dream has always been to become a rogue like you."

"That's wonderful~~ Sigh. If only the wild mages were as sharp as you, I wouldn't have to kill so many."

"."

(End of Chapter)