Chapter 637: Shepherd

Warm sunlight spilled down, turning the grass on the hills into gold.

By the time Luo De reached the main channel of the Hansen River, the elf Kalist had already begun testing with Mouse Girl No. 13.

Samples were taken from the river water, the side-wall soil, and the bottom sediment.

Placed into small sealed testing devices.

No. 13 held a pile of bottles and jars.

She freed a hand to wave at him from afar—her slender, well-proportioned frame stood over 1.8 meters tall, making Kalist beside her seem petite.

Luo De landed and patted her head, then turned to Kalist.

“Isn’t No. 13 training with Hera today?”

As a newborn, No. 13’s instinctive combat skills and animal intuition are very strong.

But that also makes her fighting style overly direct.

Luo De had seen Hera’s fighting style—it should be the same type as No. 13’s.

And both prefer using their tails for attacks, so he recommended her to go there.

“Today’s a holiday. You don’t have to come every day; this is a meticulous job, and no results will show in just a week.”

Kalist didn’t look up, her tone emotionless.

“I came to help.”

Luo De grinned with his thick-skinned charm.

“Besides chatting and disturbing my work, what else have you done since you came over?” The elf girl kept working, speaking without mercy.

“I just couldn’t let you do this alone—I came to check on you.”

A week had passed since they began retesting the water source.

As Kalist said, both the water and soil were normal; the investigation continued.

Nothing major happened during that week.

Four days ago, the coastal shipping cooperation proposal from the pink-haired siren Rive received a response—naturally, they accepted.

That morning, Rive dragged an entire clan of sirens to the shore, shouting loudly.

The guards were terrified, thinking some bold siren had dared to attack Coral Bay under Luo De’s authority.

Only after listening carefully did they realize they were here to negotiate; they only relaxed after Luo De appeared.

But because of this incident,

major newspapers grew even more interested in his romantic affairs and love philosophy.

“How’s the situation on the ocean? Is the potion effective?”

Kalist snorted—he’d lost all effect on her with his sweet talk.

She shifted to asking about the potion’s effectiveness, which mattered more to her.

“Very good—we encountered two mutated sirens afterward, and Sharon and Tally cleared the corruption immediately after taking the potion. But Sharon seems a bit enchanted; after taking it, she’s become clingier, constantly wanting to kiss me.”

Tally hasn’t.

The Celibacy Pill also makes her less susceptible to enchantment.

Previously, Kalist suggested Luo De use sex to stimulate her, but it never worked out.

Once, Luo De finally managed to coax her onto the bed.

He’d barely taken off his clothes—her undergarments still on, no embrace yet—

when the succubus flushed crimson with steam, gasped, and fainted from excessive shyness.

“Kissing? You don’t need to tell me that. I’ll adjust the ratio. I heard Lily went too.”

“Lily is kind-hearted, but after learning the potion’s ingredients, she stopped going.”

Luo De laughed helplessly.

He’d been there that day—he still remembered the dazed expression on the halfling girl’s face after learning the potion’s components.

“Don’t know who to blame.”

The elf girl sneered.

Saying that,

the two walked along the Hansen River, passing a place called Shepherd’s Slope.

It was a gentle grassy hillside, beside which lay a small village of mostly wooden houses; sheep returning to their pens could be seen in the distance.

Such villages used Hansen River water frequently, making them valuable for reference.

Kalist planned to collect blood and water samples there.

But as they approached,

two large men wielding pitchforks blocked their path.

They were awed by the elf’s beauty yet trembled with sweat,

for the three of them radiated an aura far too powerful for a village like theirs.

“Mister and madams, Shepherd’s Village is currently closed. Please come back later.”

“I’m Luo De. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me—we’re here to investigate.”

Luo De cut through the hassle and named himself directly.

He was well-known across the Twilight Hills; even this remote village couldn’t have missed his name.

“Luo Luo De? The forest warden Luo De from Windwall Forest?!”

“That’s me.”

The two men froze, exchanging glances, each seeing terror in the other’s eyes.

One man gritted his teeth: “Lord Luo De, it’s not just that we have some trouble in the village—we need to seal it off for a while. Please don’t hold it against us.”

“I won’t make trouble for you. Send the village chief here.”

“Oh! Yes, sir!”

The man turned and sprinted back, pitchfork in hand.

At that moment, Kalist whispered: “There’s a magical fluctuation—the village had someone cast a spell not long ago.”

A native mage in the village?

Unlikely.

Mages require resources; at least a town’s size can sustain one. A small village can’t.

Soon after,

an old man, leaning on a cane but clearly vigorous, hurried over.

He waved his cane and shouted angrily: “Who’s there?! Don’t you know today is Spirit Day?! How dare you disturb Shepherd’s Village?!”

“Spirit Day?”

Luo De frowned.

Kalist glanced at him strangely: “It’s the day the founding king of Aiselon died—honoring all who helped build the nation. You’re from Aiselon—how could you not know? This village must be the hometown of some founding hero.”

Luo De shrugged calmly: “My mind remembers mostly girls’ affairs. Forgetting this is normal.”

“Hmph. Men.”

At that moment, the man who’d gone to fetch the chief rushed up from behind, breathless:

“Chief! That’s the forest warden Luo De!”

“Luo De? Who?! What’s that to me?!”

“He’s the current ruler of Coral Bay!”

“Then you should respect Spirit Day even more! Get out! All three of you! You’ve disturbed the spirits of our ancestors—you’ll regret this!”

The man turned and flashed Luo De a sycophantic smile.

He continued pleading: “They’re here to investigate, then they’ll leave—no trouble. We’ve let outsiders in before!”

“Only after they passed the trial!!”

“Then let these three pass the trial too!”

“Look at their soft skin—they couldn’t pass even if they tried!”

“Test them, Chief! Test them!”

The chief scowled, thought for a moment, then tossed out a crystal orb.

The man quickly picked it up, wiped off the dust, and bowed low to present it to Luo De.

“Lord Luo De, this is our village’s tradition on Spirit Day—no one dares defy it. Even the Argyle family had to do this when they visited Coral Bay back then. Hehe. Just light up the orb with your spiritual energy to enter; otherwise, we’re sorry.”

Kalist whispered again: “It’s a spiritual storage orb. After absorbing too much spiritual energy, it freezes and preserves the energy inside—it’s worth a good price on the market.”

Luo De took the crystal orb.

He chuckled—good cop, bad cop, huh?

Without warning, the veins on his forearm bulged violently, his fingers clenching hard.

CRACK! The crystal orb shattered instantly, split by a massive fissure, then exploded into shards.

Both the chief and the man stared in horror, as if seeing a ghost.

“Lord Luo De, you—”

“What did you do?! Get out if you don’t follow the rules!”

“Rules? On Twilight Hills, my rules are the rules.”

(End of Chapter)