Chapter 694: Eva and the Casino

For Qiongqiong Ancient Tree Eva, who did not know how long she had remained in the Preservation Space,

going outside was undeniably highly tempting.

But she clearly had her own concerns.

“Battle Spirits? I recall that was a spiritual art derived from Land Naga—because they are born with ancestral spirits guarding them and their souls never disperse. Can humans also?”

“Era evolves, Eva.”

Behind Luo De, misty soul energy swirled, and one by one, the Battle Spirits took form: the Bronze Dragon, the Fungal Warrior Gorgon, the Astral Raider, and more.

“My Battle Spirits can not only preserve your soul-body, but also your current spiritual consciousness—you can follow my perspective and experience all living beings.”

Though she could not leave the Preservation Space on her own,

even if she left, the power of the Preservation Domain would prevent her from returning to the land.

At this moment, Eva remained hesitant, struggling.

Now that his [Battle Spirit Workshop] had advanced, Luo De naturally did not want to miss Eva’s extraordinary spiritual resistance and Preservation Domain traits.

Though their encounter had been purely a one-night transaction, and the experience was far from pleasant,

he still wanted to respect Eva’s wishes as much as possible.

I, Luo De, am also a man of feeling and honor!

As Eva was considering,

Tally, lost in thought, leaned close to the trunk and sniffed, then suddenly turned pale.

“Why does this tree smell of its master’s essence?!!”

“.”

A bead of sweat trickled down Luo De’s forehead.

A respectable man is a respectable man, but the gains from that time were substantial—never mind that.

Cutting down that tree was certainly one of his black histories.

No.

It’s been almost a year—how can she still smell it? Is Tally’s nose that sensitive?

Oh right, this is the Preservation Domain—preserving scents is perfectly normal.

“So Master, you’re so fond of trees… I didn’t know you had this kind of taste.”

Tally’s shocked expression turned to pity. “Wahhh, but Tally can’t grow into such a long trunk—I can only turn into a log and stick out my butt. Master, can you? Won’t you get excited too?”

“Shut up.”

Luo De tapped her on the head.

Eva smiled and spoke: “Actually, I also miss hugging you last time.”

Saying this,

“.”

From the way she spoke, it was clear she was a master of self-amusement.

After laughing,

Eva grew serious: “I’m not joking, Luo De. Your scent has become even more pleasant… I’m willing to become your Battle Spirit, but on one condition: before I lose my body, please make love to me once more.”

The surface of the trunk began to writhe.

As it had a year ago, the tree-woman with legs fused to the trunk emerged, smiling at Luo De.

Luo De paused, then unfastened his belt.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Tally immediately grew excited, shedding her clothes with enthusiasm, swaying over to observe and assist.

For succubi, mating with intelligent beings is for essence—their food.

With trees, which aren’t even a proper race… a brand-new experience!

She began dancing with joy.

【‘Qiongqiong Ancient Tree Eva’ Battle Spirit solidified successfully】

【Gained buffs: ‘Will of the Qiongqiong’ +10, ‘Blessing of the Qiongqiong Ancient Tree’ +10, Battle Spirit Will, ‘Preservation Domain’.】

【Partial authority of ‘Preservation Domain’ strengthened】

【Gained domain skill: Preservation Reversal】

【Details: Force target into ‘Cannot Preserve’ state—accelerated decay, contract dissolution, creation of unstable explosives, etc.】

Luo De walked onto the streets of Emerald City.

Although the Dragon Watching Festival had not yet arrived, the city, famed for its fortune-telling entertainment, remained bustling.

“Whoa! Are lizards really this stupid-looking now? Hahaha!”

“Hey! That one—do we eat it, Luo De? Roasted dung balls! So nutritious!”

“How did this elf end up in a chicken coop? Have elves changed so much now?”

A faint mist of soul energy stirred behind Luo De; Eva’s semi-transparent bark-faced head appeared on his shoulder.

She scanned everything on the street with wonder.

The Qiongqiong Ancient Tree, retaining spiritual consciousness, could even emerge half her head without Luo De’s permission.

The stares of passersby were piercing.

After all, having two heads on one shoulder was rather bizarre.

Luo De didn’t care, taking her to wander aimlessly.

A certain forest guard, a natural rogue, would laugh along upon hearing the girl’s pure laughter.

But trees are slow-metabolizing creatures.

After her initial excitement, Eva quickly grew tired and retreated to rest.

With nothing else to do, Luo De took Tally to the casino for a few rounds.

The casino forbade magic.

Unsurprisingly, he soon lost all one hundred Jin Along chips he had exchanged.

No matter—it’s just harmless fun.

Just then, Tally insisted on lunch, so they headed outside.

In the Preservation Space, Luo De had been busy mining and fetching water, completely ignoring her.

This thing had been clinging to his arm like a sloth since earlier, trembling, gazing at her master with eyes so tender they seemed ready to drip.

“Please wait a moment, sir.”

Two black-clad casino staff members in uniform blocked their path.

“There was an issue with your recent bet. Please accompany us to a private room for resolution.”

“I didn’t win a single coin—do you suspect me of cheating?”

Luo De smiled.

“Not at all. There was an error in settling your bet—we need to return you a sum of gambling funds.”

“No need. Keep it.”

He waved them off, intending to walk past.

But the two staff members did not step aside.

One of them hesitated, then looked at Luo De with a trace of reverence: “Mr. Luo De, Emerald City has no record of your entry. Two Domain Masters are closely monitoring you—once you leave the casino, they may move to detain you immediately.”

“You idiot, don’t say that!”

Luo De wasn’t surprised.

Emerald City had three Mage Towers and three permanent Domain Masters—all previously stationed on the front lines of war.

Later, after Emerald City was invaded by demons, the Jade Tree was corrupted, then sacrificed by the rebel legendary mage of Scorching City, who offered a thousand lives.

Only then were two of them recalled.

Luo De’s [Spider Sense] wasn’t useless—he’d sensed watchers long ago.

Two Domain Masters, seventh and eighth rank—though he’d never fought them, he had nothing to fear.

“But why detain me? I’m just a traveler.”

“Both Domain Masters have joined the Igo Cult—in short, our manager Megan requests your presence. She says you’ll understand when you hear her name.”

Megan?

Bone Dragon Megan…

(End of Chapter)