Chapter 183: with translation of chapter title

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

There were still two months left until the opening day of the Arcane Exchange Conference.

The Natural Alliance entered another cold winter.

Especially Weilan, where the northern location caused temperatures to drop faster, with sub‑zero weather every day, and the surface of Swan Lake had begun to freeze.

But because the grand Arcane Exchange Conference was imminent, the city was far livelier than in previous years, with many foreign faces.

Naturally, the city's guard forces had also been greatly bolstered to meet the harsher security challenges.

That morning, an ordinary old‑style carriage slowly rolled along the streets of Mondania's outer district.

Two women sat inside the carriage.

One woman was just over thirty, with the characteristic light‑gold hair and emerald eyes of natural divine blood.

The other woman had black hair and violet eyes, a little over fifty, looking like a kindly old lady.

"Your Highness, the Fate Divination tells me we are likely being pursued."

The kindly old lady spoke suddenly.

The young woman's face flashed with surprise: "Is it the Crimson Assassin?"

"I'm not sure; the opponent used a very secretive disguise, likely a method of the Lafuengge faction!"

"Will Lafuengge kill us without hesitation?"

The old lady shook her head: "I don't know, but I already sense danger—extremely terrifying danger!"

"We must get off the carriage immediately and seek help from the roadside guards."

"Don't wait for the carriage to stop; open the door and jump out, Your Highness!"

The old lady's voice was urgent, as if she sensed imminent danger, and she indeed had such ability, for she was one of the guardian Sages of the Levinde Royal Family, the Arcane Soul Fugira.

The young woman complied at once, but still wondered: "Can the roadside guards help us?"

"Ordinary guards can't; those in black can. Look, there are black‑clad guards over there!"

As they spoke, the two leapt straight from the speeding carriage, activating the Divine Step technique and sprinting toward the two black‑clad guards at the corner.

To avoid misunderstanding, the Sage ran while using Spiritual Whisper to call out to the black‑clad guards:

"We are members of the Levinde Royal Family, we are being pursued, and we need the protection of Duke Weilan!"

The two black‑clad guards were very young, probably under thirty.

Initially somewhat lax, they became instantly alert upon hearing the old lady's words.

One raised a staff‑like weapon and shouted low to the two women: "Come—hurry over!"

The other guard decisively triggered an alarm rune on his bracelet; a "zila" sound rang with a flash of lightning, and an invisible electromagnetic wave instantly spread throughout the whole city of Weilan.

Along with the wave, his words were broadcast.

"The Levinde Royal Family is calling for help, location: No. 360 Emerald Water Street, next to Jenny's jewelry shop."

Soon, the two women reached the black‑clad guard, who immediately shielded them behind his body.

One asked, "Where is the assassin?"

Fugira replied at once: "I don't know; they're hiding extremely covertly, but they're definitely nearby!"

The opponent was indeed very covert, but a mysterious Fate spell told her that a massive danger was lunging at them like a ferocious beast.

No one in this world can completely shield the power of Fate, and the more lethal the crisis, the more accurate the Fate divination.

"Lean against the wall—into the corner—hide behind us."

The black‑clad guard shouted, his eyes scanning the block alertly, while holding his staff aloft, ready to strike without hesitation at any anomaly.

In less than five minutes, more black‑clad guards arrived.

A full fifty‑plus turned up.

Among them was also a Four-ring Arcane Master.

The master held an even thicker staff and wore a tremendously powerful Arcane talisman.

He was clearly the commander, and he waved his hand forcefully.

"Shield the two ladies in the middle and return to the Security Bureau!"

As he spoke, he produced an exquisite white talisman, glanced left and right, and placed it on the young woman.

Because at a glance the woman bore the strong natural divine blood, she must be a member of the Levinde Royal Family.

The Security Bureau had long issued orders to protect the Levinde Royal Family's safety at any cost.

Then a squad escorted the two women, using the building walls as cover, and quickly left the block.

The young woman was puzzled: "You seem to have been prepared in advance!"

It felt as if they had rehearsed beforehand.

The black‑clad Arcane Master said solemnly, "The Duke anticipated that Your Highness would certainly come."

Before the words finished, three booming "bang" sounds echoed from the three‑story windows of a building by the street.

Almost simultaneously, a thick icy‑blue glow suddenly manifested on the young woman's body, followed by a "crack" of ice.

After the ice cracked, a layer of burning silver flame still lapped her surface.

But the flame grew very dim, as if it would extinguish the next moment.

"Ah~~"

The young woman screamed in shock, yet found no injury; however, the white talisman she wore was shattered, the concealed Boiling Moonfire talisman bore many cracks, and a pile of shattered ice shards lay at her feet.

The black‑clad Arcane Master exclaimed in surprise, "What a precise firearm!"

Its attack power was also terrifying, delivering three consecutive precise strikes, each with strength no less than Eight-ring.

Had it not been for the hastily added Solid Ice talisman, it might not have protected this Princess Highness.

He did not hesitate, took off his own talisman and placed it on the young woman, then waved his hand at once.

First team! Second team! Go arrest them now, Your Highness, don't stand by the street, go inside and hide!

There happened to be a blacksmith's shop by the road.

A group of people quickly rushed inside, while twenty of them split off and ran toward the roadside buildings.

Before they could steady themselves, the black-clad Arcane Master saw a passerby toss an inconspicuous 'stone' through the blacksmith shop's doorway.

It was such an unnoticeable action that neither the Sage Fulujialuo nor the young woman noticed it at all.

But the black-clad Arcane Master's mind flashed, he swiftly pointed his hand at the stone and then swiftly waved it upward.

The stone flew up into the sky.

Boom!

A violent thunderclap rang out—it was actually a high-powered explosive fireball. Because of this shock, the whole street instantly fell into chaos, with cries, wails, and screams all rising together.

Although the explosive fireball detonated twenty to thirty meters above the ground, some people were still hit by the blast fragments.

The situation became extremely serious.

Especially since it happened on the eve of the Arcane Grand Assembly, it was practically a blatant slap in the face of Duke Weilan.

Imagine if this had occurred not on the street but at the venue of the Arcane Exchange Conference—unthinkable consequences! More than a dozen black-clad guards immediately rushed out and, at once, subdued the person who had thrown the 'stone'.

The black-clad Arcane Master immediately shouted: 'Clear the area! No one may come within fifty meters of the blacksmith shop!'

Immediately afterward, he triggered the distress alarm again.

No sooner had the alarm been sent out than more black-clad guards arrived.

Even a specially made Electric Car drove up.

They came not because of the alarm, but as a second wave of reinforcements.

Gah—

The Electric Car stopped at the blacksmith shop's entrance, and two more black-clad Arcane Masters appeared, bringing additional arcane talismans.

After clarifying the situation, the two masters immediately distributed the talismans and loudly called out: 'Two ladies, bow your heads and walk forward, get on the vehicle!'

They also shouted at the black-clad guards: 'Cover the two ladies as they board the vehicle!'

The black-clad guards immediately surrounded the two women tightly in the middle and held up black umbrellas.

Both women were dazed, even though one was a Fifth-Ring Sage and the other an Arcane Master.

Faced with this new-era assassination method, and with the assassin carrying a powerful concealment talisman, they had no effective means of response.

At this moment, their behavior was basically no different from that of ordinary people.

Soon, the two women boarded the Electric Car.

The vehicle immediately sped off at great speed, much faster than an ordinary carriage.

Along the route, the streets had already been cleared; amid the blaring horn, pedestrians hurriedly made way to the side.

Soon, the vehicle entered a massive tempered black-clay building, whose gate bore a bronze plaque reading 'Headquarters of the Island Safety Bureau'.

This building is extremely tall and sturdy; its outer walls alone are over a meter thick and ten meters high, essentially like a city wall.

After entering the building, the vehicle did not stop but went straight along a concealed passage, quickly descending underground.

After traveling several hundred meters in the underground passage, it finally came to a complete stop.

The black-clad Arcane Master opened the car door: 'Two ladies, this place should be safe.'

The young woman and the elderly lady got out and found themselves in a spacious underground corridor.

At the side of the corridor stood an open door, with fully armed soldiers guarding both sides tightly.

'Where is this?'

'It's the underground shelter of the Safety Bureau; ahead is a safe house that can block all arcane scrying, personally designed by the Duke.'

'Moreover, there are many guards around, sufficient to repel any intrusion.'

The two women instantly breathed a sigh of relief and hurried into the safe house.

Clang—clack!

The safe house's door was shut; it was plain to see that the door was very sturdy, made of pure steel, nearly twenty centimeters thick, and its surface was engraved with numerous mysterious, intricate arcane runes.

When the door closed, a thick layer of watery blue light appeared on the interior walls, and the room instantly became very quiet.

Shhh—

Fulujialuo first exhaled in relief, sat down on a chair in the safe house, and said: 'Your Highness, we are temporarily safe.'

With such a sturdy underground refuge, plus a defensive spell array personally designed by a Seventh-Ring mage, it ought to be able to withstand any danger in the world, right?

'I know.'

The young woman is the Eldest Princess Levinde; her judgment of this underground chamber matches Fulujialuo's.

As her mind relaxed, she felt her legs go weak, so she also sat down in a chair.

After a long silence, she asked, somewhat puzzled: 'Sage, Rafseg could have acted against us earlier; why did he wait until we reached Weilan?'

Fulujialuo shook her head: 'Your Highness, I don't know either.'

'Perhaps because he not only wants to kill us, but also to frame Duke Weilan and, incidentally, sabotage the Duke's Arcane Exchange Conference.'

'Isn't he afraid of utterly provoking Duke Weilan?'

Fulujialuo gave a wry smile: 'What wouldn't a madman like him do?'

She paused, then her face showed a deep apprehension.

'Moreover, Rafseg may not fear Duke Weilan either, for I faintly sense that his magical power is also extremely strong, as if he has broken through some kind of limit.'

The Eldest Princess started: 'You mean he also has Seventh-Ring power?'

'I don't know, but he is immensely powerful; I am far from being his match.'

She sighed softly: 'Your Highness, the Natural Alliance has now completely lost control; the divine authority of nature is waning, and the Alliance's order has begun to be dominated by new powers.'

No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice suddenly sounded inside the safe house.

"Princess, Miss Fujiluora, you don't think hiding underground makes you safe, do you? Hahaha~"

"It was actually Lafengge's voice."

"The voice was filled with a sense of chaotic madness, making it impossible to predict this person's next move."

"What's even more shocking is that this place is clearly guarded by a powerful spell barrier, yet the opponent's spell power can still penetrate it."

"The Elder Princess instinctively let out a cry: 'Could it be that even this place isn't safe?'"

"Fujiluora also looked horrified: 'Could Lafengge have personally come after Weilan?'"

"She instantly felt a sense of despair when facing a terrifying demon."

"She even felt that even Duke Weilan might not be able to protect them."

"In the midst of their shock, a young man's voice suddenly sounded in the room."

"'Your Highness, Sage, don't be nervous, and don't respond—just stay quiet!'"

"'Lafengge is using an area spell; he only knows your approximate location, not the exact spot.'"

"The Elder Princess immediately recognized the voice's owner, having met him on White Sturgeon Island: 'Duke, is that you?'"

"'That's right, it's me.'"

"'We are currently communicating via a lightning messenger.'"

"'Ladies, please wait a moment; I'm on my way!'"

"(End of chapter)"