Chapter 629: Travel

"Sigh~" Luo Saier let out a heavy sigh, looking like he didn't want to say more.

"It really does resemble you."

Lei Keton looked at Luo Saier, cleared his throat, then stepped forward half a pace, placing his right hand—wearing a mechanical glove—on Xia Erfu's shoulder; the bronze glove became covered with a layer of blackness that kept spreading over Xia Erfu's body.

Xia Erfu kept his posture unchanged, his expression unmoved, only a hint of fear and panic flickering in his pale‑blue eyes.

The blackness spreading from the mechanical glove surged continuously, gradually separating Xia Erfu's fallen thoughts and sinking them into the shadow beneath his feet.

The reinforced shadow instantly revived, flooding like water, and formed an uncontrolled independent creature beside Xia Erfu.

It was entirely black, yet its silhouette matched Xia Erfu's almost perfectly, only lacking a layer of clothing; the dark figure bore many crack‑like strange patterns through which crimson moonlight shone.

"Hmph!" Luo Saier snorted coldly, clenched his right fist, and swung it forward.

Bang! A violent sound rang out, and Luo Saier's fist ignored distance and direction, striking the black figure directly, shattering it into a fragment of deep black and a swiftly vanishing streak of crimson moonlight.

As the "Fallen Shadow" ripped from Xia Erfu was smashed, he suddenly entered a desire‑free sage state, standing calmly in place, seemingly without even the urge to speak.

"Did you strip away too much of his desires?"

Luo Saier glanced skeptically at Lei Keton.

The latter shrugged, replying calmly, "I'd say aside from mating, there's nothing else in his mind."

Luo Saier was silent for a second, then changed the subject: "I originally planned to bring him back to the Southern Continent and keep him by my side, but given his current condition, I think we should drop that. I feel his behavior would tarnish my reputation, so let's put him on the Dawn first."

"Alright, once this is settled, take Xia Erfu to the Dawn, then bring me back to the Southern Continent."

"I'm not your driver."

Lei Keton made a snide remark, but still summoned a pumpkin carriage pulled by two plump rats, shoving Luo Saier and his descendant Xia Erfu inside.

Luo Saier leaned against the carriage compartment and sighed low, "There's no choice. Lately Beiernade has lingered near Beikelande; a member of the Luen royal family's ascension ceremony is nearing its end. Though they've lost Adam's support, they won't give up, and hardly anyone now knows that Adam's identity has vanished."

"Clearly the True Creator's will is at work. We no longer need the Dreamer's ascension ritual, but a large‑scale war would draw the gods' attention and ease the pressure on the Southern Continent."

Lei Keton said nothing, steering the pumpkin carriage to deliver Luo Saier to the Dawn and Xia Erfu to the Southern Continent.

After several round trips, Lei Keton finally arrived at Beikelande when dawn was breaking.

In the West District, inside Lun Na De's detached cottage, Lei Keton's silhouette quickly formed on the living‑room sofa; he rubbed his forehead with one hand, looking a bit drowsy.

The moment Lei Keton appeared, Lun Na De sensed another person in his room; after recognizing the newcomer he exhaled slightly, walked a few steps from the dining area to the living room, and asked Lei Keton, "Why are you here?"

Lei Keton chuckled and replied, "I'm inviting you, grandpa, and me to travel to Triel together."

"Travel? A theft‑focused trip?"

Pa Liesi, using Lun Na De's mouth, sneered, paused briefly, then continued, "You'd better be well prepared. If you appear in Steam's sight, I'm sure He will personally come out of the Perfect Realm to welcome you."

Lei Keton nodded slightly, neither denying Pa Liesi's claim nor caring much, and said, "Don't worry, Steam has only one ally, while I have many."

"That's for the best." Pa Liesi replied flatly.

Lei Keton raised an eyebrow; seeing that Pa Liesi had no intention of emerging from Lun Na De, he asked curiously,

"Do you plan to take Lun Na De with you?"

Lun Na De's expression shifted from calm to terror; before he could ask, Pa Liesi spoke through his mouth,

"I'm just an old man still recovering; if we run into A Meng, he could still serve as a backup."

As soon as the words fell, Lun Na De's voice followed, "Wait, I disagree. I'm a night‑watcher of the Night Church; if my identity is uncovered, it will spark conflict between the two major divine churches, and I'll surely be marked as a traitor."

Pa Liesi let out a chuckle, calmly saying, "Don't worry, no one will discover your identity. In front of a high‑rank thief, identities can be altered at any time. I'll swap your identity and fate with that of an Inditis person; no one will notice. Steam has no authority over destiny—unless confronted directly, He can't see it."

Seeing Lun Na De still hesitated, Lei Keton continued Pa Liesi's earlier words, "I can grant you a 'Hidden' protection; even if your false identity is exposed, no one will discern the true you hidden beneath it."

"Are you sure no one will uncover my true identity?" Lun Na De asked skeptically.

Lei Keton shook his head calmly,

"It won't. Even if it's discovered, it's no big deal; your goddess won't care what Steam thinks. He's powerful enough to fully protect his church's night‑watchers."

"The seven gods have mostly chosen their camps; a minor incident won't sway their decisions. The real danger lies in the Steam Church's retaliation once they notice our actions, but if I can successfully assimilate that trait, I can easily get you out."

"Aren't you afraid of losing control by directly assimilating the trait? Or have you already prepared the ritual and necessary materials?"

Lun Na De looked at Lei Keton with suspicion; directly assimilating a trait for promotion often leads to loss of control even at low ranks, let alone when the other party is an angel—the danger multiplies manyfold.

"Everyone has secrets, don't they?"

Lei Keton smiled lightly at the startled Lun Na De, replying, "That's intentional for Pa Liesi—to reveal some cards so both sides can cooperate better, and to show Him I have the confidence and ability to help fight A Meng; otherwise the 'Time Worm' would never fully aid me."

After a moment of silence, Pa Liesi sighed heavily, "Your secrets far exceed my imagination. I'm already old, yet you lot keep scheming against me—can't you give an old man some peace in his retirement?"

"What secrets?" Lun Na De began, but Pa Liesi cut him off:

"That's not something you need to know now. To understand the gloom beneath this world's surface, you must ………"

Lun Na De's expression froze briefly, then grew solemn; Pa Liesi usually nudged him toward promotion ambiguously, but never so bluntly before.

The old man's tone was especially serious, with a sense of urgency. A demigod, he's already a high‑level church official—a regional archbishop or senior night‑watcher—so promotion isn't easy; even the "Goddess's Sword" remains at rank five, still without a chance to advance.

Sensing Lun Na De's thoughts, Pa Liesi snorted, "Opportunities will come soon. The world is getting more dangerous; to handle the rising extraordinary incidents and potential wars, the major churches will intensify training new recruits."

"Did you not notice that even the archbishop of Saint Samuel Cathedral, though aware you might have issues, only transferred you from the Red Glove squad, marginalizing you, yet still assigns you missions to earn contributions for the 'Spirit Witch' potion?"

Lun Na De paused, as if just realizing, muttering, "Isn't that the archbishop's regard and cultivation of me?"

"What makes you worthy of an archbishop's attention? A parasite? Or a mole under the Fool's command?"

Lun Na De opened his mouth but said nothing, remaining silent for a long time before he

He took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, steadied his emotions, and said slowly:

"I understand. My potion is almost fully digested; by the end of this month I should ascend to 'Spirit Witch'. If I can't obtain the 'Nightwatcher' potion from the church later, I might consider another path, though the grim 'Reaper' route doesn't suit my style."

He paused, then looked at Lei Keton, speaking calmly, "During this period I happened to

"When do you plan to set out?"

"Do you have any matters to handle today?" Lei Keton asked.

Lun Na De recalled briefly, then gave a simple rundown of the tasks he intended to complete in the next two days: "In the West District, the Green Cemetery has recently had several

After a brief thought, Lei Keton

「You can let Klein disguise as you to go complete these tasks; it's very easy for him; you can bring him some specialty from the basement of the Steel Church in Trier as payment. 」

(End of chapter)