Chapter 9: I Don

The disposal of the bodies was ultimately entrusted to Vivian.

After all, she was the only one who could handle it.

At that moment, faint commotion came from afar.

The sky, streaked with sparks, jolted the residents of Shiying Town from their sleep.

They gradually made their way toward this direction.

Luo De had no intention of letting them see his face; he and Tally mounted their horses and rode toward Shuangzhi Mountain.

As for the secret labyrinth.

Shuangzhi Mountain housed a dormant underground labyrinth, no longer capable of producing monsters.

It was remote enough that even homeless vagrants avoided it—making it an excellent choice for a secret camp.

Before departure, Luo De entrusted Vivian to inform the town’s Garrison Commander about the half-elf Ali.

“Miss Isabella, we have results.”

Garrison Commander David bowed respectfully to this young lady of the Argyle family.

On the slope stood a female knight clad in bright armor, riding a white horse.

Her resolute features, crisp posture, and powerful aura all confirmed her as a sixth-rank peak warrior.

As the most gifted young member of the Argyle family,

Isabella had trained in spiritual arts since childhood and reached sixth rank at age twenty-seven, just one step away from seventh rank.

After relations between the Kingdom of Aitherong and the Heavenly Flower Kingdom deteriorated,

she voluntarily requested deployment to the front lines, reportedly having slain a seventh-rank orc warrior single-handedly.

Tales of Miss Isabella circulated widely in Shiying Town.

Thus, everyone present held her in deep respect.

“Speak.”

“The prophecy indicates Miss Daphne is located at Shuangzhi Mountain and has not yet been harmed.”

David glanced at the man behind him.

A male half-deer.

His face bore arrogance; his arms were crossed.

His agile deer ears twitched occasionally—said to be their perfect medium for communicating with spiritual forces.

As the most renowned prophetic race on the continent, half-deers charged exorbitant fees and displayed abysmal attitudes.

David wanted to spit in his face, but he could only swallow it silently.

“Is it accurate?”

Isabella continued gazing into the distance.

“Ninety percent likely,” the half-deer said proudly.

This result was exaggerated; prophecies, after all, are merely one thread among countless fates—merely glimpsing one is already a unique ability on the continent, let alone achieving one hundred percent accuracy.

He chuckled inwardly, having long heard of the Argyle family’s power; if he could climb this high branch, what future could he possibly fear?

While still daydreaming, he heard a sharp hiss!

A steel sword suddenly unsheathed and slashed at him.

“No!”

The half-deer screamed in terror.

When he regained his senses, Isabella’s gaze was cold—but she had made no actual move.

Beside him, David stared at him with a strange expression.

He instantly understood: this young lady of the Argyle family was giving him a warning.

The sheer aura the half-deer had never felt even from other seventh-rank warriors.

Only sixth-rank peak. Truly terrifying.

He gritted his teeth and imitated David’s bow.

“If I am wrong, I accept full responsibility.”

“Good.”

Isabella whipped her battle cloak and turned to face her troops.

Her gaze was so sharp, few dared meet it.

She swiftly issued battle orders, urging the killing of every bandit—her tactics were extremely aggressive.

She showed no apparent concern for her sister Daphne’s life.

“Miss Isabella.”

David stepped forward, gritting his teeth.

He said: “Such a large-scale display may provoke the bandits and put Daphne in danger.”

“Daphne is my sister.”

Isabella’s expression remained unchanged.

Yet her voice carried a hint of softness.

Just as David thought there might be room for negotiation,

“The Argyle family never bows to or compromises with any enemy—only battle! Battle until the final moment! Even in hell, we will not stop!”

Isabella said coldly.

“This—”

“All troops! Advance!”

Her resolute voice echoed through every ear, and instantly, they felt their blood boil.

Silence.

This was Luo De’s first impression of Shuangzhi Mountain.

The sky loomed dark and heavy; the banyan forest grew wild beyond reason.

It seemed to split the mountain’s base and peak into two separate worlds.

Though the Windwall Forest was sparsely populated, it teemed with diverse creatures—birdsong and insect chirps never ceased at night.

Here, only the hum of the night wind remained.

From the feedback of the Tree’s Blessing,

the trees here had all existed for over five hundred years.

Luo De advanced a little farther.

Soon, he spotted a glow.

Near a massive tree hollow, where blue crystals grew outward, a dog-man dozed off.

The enormous tree hollow was the entrance to the abandoned labyrinth.

Labyrinths resembled what Earth called dungeons.

They appeared mysteriously in certain locations, their internal environments drastically different from the outside.

Creatures that wandered in underwent partial transformation, becoming monsters with strong aggressive tendencies.

Some scholars speculated they were portals connected to an evil god from another dimension, one method by which it corrupted the continent.

In fact, records from tens of thousands of years ago already documented the existence of labyrinths.

If this other-dimensional evil god had been establishing portals for tens of thousands of years, that theory held little ground.

Now, most believed labyrinths were natural disasters—unpredictable and unstable.

“Tally, do as I told you.”

Based on the secret letter, Luo De judged that Ali had not yet entered the labyrinth.

“Got it~”

Tally cast a transformation spell; her height gradually shrank until she took on Ali’s half-elf form.

She had just fought a battle, and over these past days, Luo De had practiced celibacy in seclusion.

Her magic energy was nearly depleted.

Thus, to prepare for the coming battle, the two had been forced to perform two magic-replenishment rituals on horseback.

Then, Tally used a shadow spell.

She dragged Luo De into her shadow.

“Ah!” Tally let out a soft cry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Master entering makes me ticklish~”

“Don’t turn into a man and say things like that.”

“The succubus transformation spell has a flaw—it can’t become male. Look, I’m still”

She reached to pull down her pants.

“Stop! Stop! Focus on the mission!”

Luo De immediately halted her.

Tally smiled smugly, clearly believing this was a victory in her game with Luo De.

【Tally’s obedience toward you +1, current obedience: 59】

The mission comes first.

The goblin at the door woke at the footsteps and grew tense.

Seeing the halfling Ali, it relaxed.

“Vanguard Commander, it’s been a long time.”

Tally nodded but said nothing more to him.

She was about to walk straight in.

But the goblin called out to her.

“By the way, Vanguard Commander, where’s John? Why isn’t he here?”

Luo De’s heart skipped a beat.

Could this be a code?

The steel sword slowly slid from its sheath; he prepared for the worst.

Tally turned her head coldly.

Revealing the scar on her left cheek.

“John? A waste like you—even dead, he’d still be dragging me down.”

The goblin broke into a cold sweat and immediately bowed and scraped.

He hurriedly led her inside.

Luo De exhaled in relief.

That made sense.

It was a secret mission, yet this encrypted message wasn’t destroyed—and it listed names and locations. How meticulous could these people possibly be?

(End of Chapter)