Chapter 73: Factory and Pursuit

Cuixiu City.

Empty streets.

No. 32 Dabu Street, South District.

The alchemical lamp facing the road emitted a blue glow, occasionally flickering out.

It attracted large swarms of moths.

And it looked as if it hadn’t been repaired in years; one corner anchoring it to the ground had loosened.

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion suddenly rang out.

The violent shockwave flung the already-unstable alchemical lamp into the air, slamming it hard onto the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Through the shattered glass reflections, purple smoke could be seen rising into the air.

Alarms blared instantly.

Luo De and Lily leapt between buildings, fleeing rapidly outward.

“Do all of you Hero Alliance members do this? Blowing up factories on a whim—weren’t we here to investigate?”

Luo De said helplessly.

After sneaking into the factory, they indeed found it producing counterfeit goods.

They even mixed wall plaster and an alchemical waste called Hualiu into the product, just to enhance texture and cut costs—this would kill anyone who drank it.

In a rage, Lily directly detonated their alchemical equipment.

“This is the first lesson the Hero Alliance teaches you, Luo De: politely handing over evidence to the Peacekeeping Bureau is useless. These factories all have patrons—rich nobles can pull them out anytime.”

Lily noticed she was gradually falling behind Luo De.

She furrowed her brow, secretly applying a speed-boosting buff to herself, then steadily pulled ahead by half a body length.

“What about handing it to the press?”

“Useless. Plain, straightforward evidence without drama means nothing to journalists.”

She paused, then added:

“What matters is public outrage. Make the incident big, let it ferment, let it damage their prized tourism industry, then we step in with the truth to calm it down.”

“So you deliberately created the purple smoke.”

“It’s not toxic—just a little trick made from wisteria juice. But we’ll spread the word it’s harmful—you know, people are easily swayed by public opinion.”

Luo De sighed helplessly.

“You’re truly bold.”

Lily smirked smugly, pointing to her mask, which covered only the upper half of her face, and said:

“That’s why we need this. Though it’s not as handsome as yours.”

On Luo De’s face was a mask woven from purple scales, shaped like a snarling, venomous lion.

Baring its teeth, glaring wildly—fiercely terrifying.

He had used part of the 【Sighs That Shake the Heavens】 ability to forge this mask.

To conceal his build, Lily cast a shaping spell on him, reducing him to about one meter sixty in height.

“It’s not that I don’t want to give you one—it’s something only I can use.”

As she spoke,

Dozens of peacekeepers and fire wardens emerged onto the street.

The two drank another vial of invisibility potion and accelerated away from the area.

Luo De’s gaze kept being drawn to the three towering spires that still gleamed brightly even in the night.

He knew—they were just three mage spires.

Meaning Cuixiu City housed three Domain-level mages above the seventh rank.

“But won’t those three Domain mages intervene?”

“Them? They’re not here. The Heavenly Court’s frontlines are strained—they’ve been pulled away to assist. Even if they were here, it wouldn’t matter. Aiselon separates military and governance; they won’t interfere.”

“But Domain mages only operate within the range of their spires, right?”

“Who knows? Maybe they’ve found a way to sustain their magic outside.”

The two sped up, quickly shifting from the city’s South District to the North District.

In the distance, purple smoke rose into the sky, mingling with the bustling crowds.

“How’s that?”

Lily crossed her arms, smirking smugly.

“Having witnessed the Hero Alliance’s methods, doesn’t it feel satisfying?”

Luo De smiled but said nothing.

It was at least a new experience—his curiosity had been sufficiently satisfied.

“The night is long—why not keep going? For example, that blond elf from earlier—he lures human women over fifty, destroying several families. Let’s go castrate him?”

“We could hand him over to the proper elves of Bicui Court.”

“Yes! In Bicui Court, his crimes are severe—he might even be exiled outright. Oh wow, look over there!”

As she spoke, Lily suddenly gasped softly.

Luo De frowned, following her gaze.

There, on the nearby factory street, was a rapidly moving Banshee.

“Banshees aren’t welcome in Cuixiu City. I’ve never seen one inside the city before.”

Behind the Banshee, a man and a woman were chasing her.

To Luo De’s surprise, he recognized both of them.

They were the dark red-haired instructor and the black-haired student from the Magic Academy’s exchange group.

“Oh—it looks like she’s being hunted.”

“They’re from Bahadur Magic Academy. I met them at the Open Maze.”

“Bahadur? Hmph.”

Lily’s expression froze slightly, then she scowled dismissively.

She had once applied to that academy, scoring far above all other applicants in both practical and theoretical exams—top of the class. Yet she was rejected.

Later, she heard they heavily discriminated against non-human races, and her dislike only deepened.

“I’m going to help her.”

Lily decided immediately.

“Help who?”

“The Banshee, of course.”

Without hesitation, Lily drew her wand and weapon—left hand wand, right hand magic shortsword.

ZZZZ—

A magical array appeared beneath the halfling’s feet.

The next instant, she appeared on the street below.

“Spatial displacement. Efficient magic, clean execution—Lily’s skills are impressive.”

After all, those who travel thousands of miles to Cuixiu City to ascend aren’t mediocre.

Over there,

Rita suddenly sensed a magical disturbance behind her.

She quickly pulled Lu En close.

BOOM—

A magic missile struck the ground, sending shards flying onto their black robes with soft puffs.

“Who are you?!”

Rita barked sharply.

Footsteps gradually approached.

A masked halfling stepped out of the darkness.

She sneered smugly: “I hate Bahadur Magic Academy people.”

“Fifth-rank peak? Who gave you the nerve?”

Rita’s dark red hair stirred as she raised her hand and hurled an ice spike.

PING—

The ice spike shattered against Lily’s spell shield, only trembling slightly.

“Not bad. Lu En, go after that thing—don’t hold back on the ring.”

Lu En gave Lily a cold glance and said to his instructor: “Be careful. Finish it quickly.”

“Who do you think I am?”

Hearing his concern, Rita’s heart fluttered, but she still retorted defiantly.

No sooner had she spoken than a magic missile slammed toward her.

Lu En flashed—vanished from his spot.

And now, Rita and Lily began a fierce magical duel on the empty street.

Luo De glanced briefly, then left.

Lily’s level is even higher than he imagined; even if she can’t defeat the opponent, she can easily escape.

“There.”

Tally poked her head out from the shadows and pointed Luo En’s direction to Luo De.

“Old plan—you hide first.”

“A fourth-rank beginner? Is that really necessary?”

“This kid’s off—Tree’s Blessing tells me he carries the scent of withering.”

(End of Chapter)