Chapter 279: The Old Hunter and the Little White Sheep (23)

Shallow night.

Empress Zhuo Ya was still handling state affairs in the study, with only two trusted maids attending her.

This was a habit she had cultivated over the years, for in the quiet darkness she could think more calmly.

Normally, at this time her mind would settle and focus on state affairs, but tonight for some reason her thoughts wandered, constantly distracting her to think of him.

Having been immersed in the High Ring Realm for decades, she immediately sensed that something might happen tonight.

'What could happen?'

'My mood isn't heavy, so it's probably not something bad, but it's definitely something very unique that I've never encountered before.'

Because she had never before felt such a subtle sensation.

Precisely because she had never experienced it, she awaited it with some anticipation.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, a familiar voice sounded in her mind.

"Miss Zhuo Ya, long time no see."

The voice came from a small side room next to the study, seemingly spoken by Luosen's puppet, but the content was peculiar; after a moment's thought she understood why.

"Luosen, where are you now?"

"At the gate of Bu Ye Gong, I want to come in to catch up with an old friend, but the palace guards are too numerous."

"Wait a moment, I'll have someone fetch you; I'll open a gap, then you can enter through the secret passage as before."

"Okay."

Zhuo Ya's premonition grew stronger, her mind filling with thoughts.

After issuing the secret order to withdraw part of the guard, she couldn't help asking, "Luosen, it's probably not just a simple reunion, is it?"

"You can't hide anything from Your Majesty, after all; I also wanted to bring you a birthday gift."

"A birthday gift, fine—tell me when you reach the side room."

"No problem."

Zhuo Ya picked up a document and began to read, but after a long while she couldn't focus; although she recognized every character, she simply couldn't make sense of it.

"Your Majesty, are you tired?"

Her trusted maid Nali noticed her odd state.

Zhuo Ya shook her head: "There's a bit of it; you may withdraw first, I'll rest a moment and summon you if needed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The two maids withdrew, leaving Zhuo Ya alone in the study.

After about five or six minutes, the side room immediately transmitted a telepathic message: "I've arrived."

Zhuo Ya vaguely sensed something, thinking to herself, "This guy is surely plotting something mischievous, but I can't let him run wild and ruin the radiant imperial clan's rules."

Although she thought so, her heartbeat quickened slightly; she took a deep breath before rising and walking toward the side room.

The side room wasn't far, and she arrived shortly.

Pushing the door open, she found a warm chamber under ten square meters, with a small desk inside; beside the desk sat a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

She called it familiar because she saw the same-looking magical puppet every day.

She called it unfamiliar because the person before her was not a puppet but a living human.

Beside the dim light, he leaned lazily against a thick‑leather chair, opened his arms to her, and smiled, "Last time we parted, it's been two years—how about a hug?"

Zhuo Ya hesitated, then stepped forward, slightly bowed, intending to exchange a ceremonial embrace.

But before she could react, he gently pulled her, throwing her off balance so she ended up sitting on his lap.

She didn't struggle, letting out a amused snort: "Luosen, you're really bold—sneaking into Bu Ye Gong at night, aren't you afraid I'll call the guards to arrest you?"

As she spoke, she leaned against Luosen's sturdy chest, hearing his strong heartbeat, feeling his powerful soul and abundant magic, knowing this return was the true Luosen.

A laugh came from his broad chest: "If I weren't bold, how could I embrace Your Majesty in my arms?"

With that laugh, she felt his hand rest on her lower back, making her hairs stand on end and her heartbeat race even more.

She fully understood his intention, which exceeded her expectations, and immediately grabbed his hand: "Keep it outside, don't slip under my clothes."

That was the limit she could currently accept.

Luosen complied: "Zhuo Ya, guess what birthday gift I brought you."

Zhuo Ya shook her head: "I can't guess."

Luosen reached out and pulled from his pocket an exquisite jeweled headband.

"This is it, and I hope you wear it twenty‑four hours a day."

Zhuo Ya was puzzled, taking the headband to examine it closely: "Is it a magical artifact? It looks beautiful, but what if it gets dirty from wearing it all day?"

"Its material is special; it won't attract grime. If you're uneasy about it, you can cleanse it often with a cleansing spell."

"Come, let me put it on you."

As he spoke, Luosen used Mage Hand to lift Zhuo Ya's thick, cloud‑like hair and place the jeweled headband on her forehead; the instant it was done, her face showed astonishment.

"What kind of magical item is this? How can it be so powerful?!"

She felt her soul suddenly surge in strength, its sharpness increasing many times over compared to before.

Before, she only sensed that Luosen was very strong, but now she could vaguely gauge exactly how strong he was.

At the same time, she clearly felt the subtle vibrations of the magic ring, its range expanded manyfold, so that she could sense every living being in the palace, even the soul aura of the sewer rats.

Luosen carefully examined Zhuo Ya's face, nodding with satisfaction: "The headband I designed is excellent, matches your style perfectly, and looks even more beautiful."

Before it was splendid and exquisite; now it has gained an extra mysterious allure, becoming ever more enticing.

"You still haven't answered my question~"

Zhuo Ya coyly tapped Luosen's arm.

Luosen chuckled: "This is a newly developed magical item of mine; it increases soul strength, making the soul tougher and sharper."

It's roughly the strength of Legendary +7, considering your soul is currently Legendary +2.5, wearing it becomes Legendary +9.5. The magic power derived from the soul will also increase accordingly.

In other words, you are now a Legendary 9.5 mage.

Zhuo Ya gasped: "In the world there actually exists such a powerful magic artifact."

She carefully sensed, again gathered magic power, and indeed found her magic power had become much stronger than before.

She immediately picked up the Legendary crystal staff, this staff newly forged by the Alchemy Department, originally able to provide +3 focus.

As a result, she discovered that the final condensed magic power strength reached an astonishing level.

"This magic power seems to exceed Legendary 14."

"Exceeded, roughly 14.6."

Luosen laughed: "In terms of magic power strength, you have already surpassed the Lord of Truth."

"By using some conversion techniques, you can convert soul power of equal strength, which will let you face the Lord of Truth more calmly."

Zhuo Ya fully understood the power of this soul magic artifact, knowing it must be extremely precious, but still asked: "Is it hard to craft?"

"Low-quality ones aren't hard, but high-quality ones are a bit difficult."

"Forget it, I'd rather not say."

She wanted to ask if it could be shared, but felt she was being a bit greedy, no, should say insatiably greedy.

Luosen naturally understood her meaning, and he had already prepared a contingency plan.

He smiled narrowly: "I can share the method to craft a Legendary +1 magic artifact, but this time I need compensation."

+1 Legendary rank Legendary Archmage hat, is Luosen's improved version, the Elves don't have it.

The difference is, the Elves' hat can only be worn by Legendary mages, but after Luosen's improvement, nothing else changed, yet the threshold dropped from Legendary to the 8th ring.

In other words, as long as a mage achieves the 8th ring, wearing the hat will directly make their soul strength that of a Legendary mage.

This is another way to become Legendary, much simpler than using endless crystal.

However, the cost of this path is also very high.

Using the Radiant Empire's Alchemy Department, or his own Natural Empire's Arcane Department's ability, the difficulty of crafting a +1 Legendary hat is much higher than that of Legendary crystal.

The cost to craft one may exceed 200,000 Ogres.

And upgrading it is very difficult.

Even if various techniques are changed, at most it can only be improved to Legendary +2.5.

So, letting both empires possess this new technology can greatly increase the number of Legendary powerhouses, better oppose the Elf Empire, and will not pose any threat to Luosen.

Not only is the strength insufficient, but also because Luosen left a very hidden and special vulnerability in the hat that only someone with immense computing power can discover and crack. As long as someone wears this hat to oppose him, he can exploit the vulnerability to make the traitor wish they were dead.

Back to the main topic.

Zhuo Ya now has soul strength of Legendary 9.5, her insight extremely keen; upon hearing Luosen's words, she faintly guessed his intention.

Her cheeks 'peng' turned red: "Can we change the compensation?"

"No, I want this."

Zhuo Ya cursed low: "You bastard! Can't you wait a bit?"

She announced the trial difficulty, already made her intentions very clear, yet this guy insists she lose her purity before marriage, what a complete bastard.

Luosen smiled faintly, pointed at his own lips: "Not even a kiss?"

"Ah?"

Zhuo Ya startled, then realized she guessed wrong, feeling a bit ashamed, she said: "Of course it's fine."

She took the initiative to give Luosen a kiss.

On this kiss, Luosen wouldn't let go, he enjoyed it for a while, only stopping after making the Radiant Empress's lips swollen.

Zhuo Ya panted 'xu xu', her face flushed like fire, her body limp leaning in Luosen's embrace, not uttering a sound.

But unexpectedly, Luosen reached out and produced another thing.

"My birthday gift is not just one item, Your Majesty the Empress."

Zhuo Ya turned her eyes to look, but found it was an exquisitely beautiful necklace, material neither metal nor wood; with her current keenness, she actually couldn't discern its function.

"What is this?"

"Infinite Phase Shift Necklace, also called Escape Necklace."

"When encountering mortal danger, it ignores any binding magic array's effect, takes you away from the dangerous place, directly teleporting to my side."

This necklace gained inspiration from the Moon Goddess Duola, but underwent some upgrades and modifications.

The necklace alone is just one part; the other part is connected to Luosen's Laifu.

About 1% of computing power is allocated to this, not much, but enough to judge danger and activate the artifact, bringing Zhuo Ya to escape at critical moments.

While explaining, he gently placed the exquisite necklace on Zhuo Ya's long, snow-white neck, and leaned to her ear, speaking warmly: "If you encounter a strong enemy you cannot handle, remember, I will always firmly stand behind you."

Zhuo Ya gently stroked the warm, smooth-feeling exquisite necklace, feeling her heart go numb and tingling, filled with an indescribable emotion.

She has grown up this way, always facing difficulties alone, never seeking help from anyone; only Luosen made her feel a solid-wall-like sense of security.

A thought surfaced in her heart: 'Ah~ I actually know what he wants. But he treats me like this, why am I still being reserved?'

"'Better... better let him taste some sweetness, as long as I guard the final step.'"

After this thought arose, she lowered her head and spoke in a mosquito-like whisper: "This time, what compensation do you want again?"

Luosen felt the moment was ripe, then leaned to her ear: "I want my hand to go inside your clothing."

"'If you love to go in, then go in.'"

Luosen then reached in, immediately feeling warm, fragrant, smooth jade in his hand, delightfully beyond words.

Zhuo Ya just closed her eyes, as if asleep.

Luosen continued: "I won't come to the birthday banquet the day after tomorrow, because I'm rushing back to the lab. Of course, my puppet will attend."

"'Mm.'"

At the banquet, I will personally give you the most advanced and safest lightning chariot, and I will also give the empire 200 Apocalypse War Chariots.

Zhuo Ya's heart jolted: "200 Apocalypse War Chariots?"

She certainly knew the Apocalypse War Chariot, which is a major treasure of the Nature Empire's army.

Six Four-ring mages boarding this contraption can unleash astonishing combat power on the front lines.

The Radiant Empire has also developed a similar product, but its performance in every aspect is far inferior to that of the Nature Empire's Apocalypse War Chariot, and its production capacity is nowhere near comparable.

Before, she had wanted to buy a few Apocalypse War Chariots for the empire's arcane department to study thoroughly, even willing to pay a huge price, but Luosen kept dodging with vague excuses; yet she never expected him to give her, personally, not just one but 200 of them at the birthday banquet.

She was still a bit puzzled: "This isn't something you can decide on your own, is it?"

"Of course not; it's a resolution reached after I persuaded all the cabinet ministers."

"Besides the war chariots, we also include subsequent maintenance, and will provide a batch of shells free of charge."

The reason is simple: the Holy Elf Empire's power is far greater than estimated; he fears the Radiant Empire cannot withstand it, so he decided to bleed a bit.

The war chariot's performance is at least fifty percent better than the Radiant Empire's comparable war chariot, but somewhat inferior to the one used by ourselves.

For example, the Endless Legend Crystal installed inside the vehicle, which originally came standard with ten thousand Luosen Legendary Mana, was reduced to five thousand Luosen; the main gun caliber was also reduced somewhat.

Yet this is still a huge concession, which moved Zhuo Ya greatly, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, under Luosen's manipulation, her usually calm and clear mind became somewhat hazy; she felt her heart pounding like a drum, her breathing quickened, and a surge of hot blood rushed through her limbs.

In her dazed state, she sensed Luosen had reached the brink; her heart and spirit tightened instantly, she wanted to speak out to stop him, but Luosen's voice came from beside her: "Zhuo Ya, after this, I don't know when we'll meet again."

Those words softened Zhuo Ya's heart; she pursed her lips and whispered angrily: "You're truly terrible."

She also reminded: "Use a magical barrier; make sure no one discovers it."

Luosen immediately complied, then continued.

"Be gentle!"

"As you command, Your Majesty."

After an unknown amount of time, Zhuo Ya complained with a slightly hoarse voice.

"My skirt is torn; how am I going to explain this to Nali?"

Luosen knew Nali was her trusted maid, and that now was indeed not the time for a public relationship, so he said: "Then just take it all off; I'll use magic to repair it for you."

Zhuo Ya knew Luosen had skill in artifact refining, so mending the skirt would not be difficult; she complied.

"Ah~ why are you coming again!"

Luosen sighed softly: "My dear, let me have a few more memories."

He truly hated to leave, especially Zhuo Ya's long, straight legs, which are really impressive.

Zhuo Ya's heart was also reluctant, for the sensation just experienced far exceeded her imagination.

She originally thought this was no big deal, even somewhat frightening, but after actually experiencing it she discovered it was as exhilarating as ascending to heaven.

She certainly knew that it wasn't just the act itself that was exhilarating, but also because this guy Luosen is exceptionally talented.

She couldn't help thinking: "No wonder Erin would rather divorce than leave Weilan; it turns out this scoundrel has such excellent skills."

If from now on we can't experience this, life would be terribly sad.

Unable to hold back, she retreated another step, her face flushed with shame, whispering: "Why not set up a phase-transfer beacon in the faith chamber? Then you can come directly whenever you think of me."

"Really?"

"Really, but it must have a magical lock so only you can teleport; others cannot."

"That's only natural."

He'll need to set up this beacon properly.

Next came another violent storm that blew the Radiant Empress about, making her sway wildly.

He didn't stop until ten o'clock at night, then went to the secret chamber to arrange the teleportation beacon.

And Zhuo Ya, after careful grooming, finally left the small compartment.

Arriving at the study, she summoned her trusted maid back.

Nali found it strange: "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"

The Empress has always been diligent in governance; previously she had never rested this long.

Zhuo Ya shook her head guiltily: "No, I just overslept by accident."

"Your Majesty, your headband is beautiful; huh, why is there also a new necklace?"

Zhuo Ya's face darkened, she stopped the curious maid: "Fine, I just changed an accessory. Don't be curious; there's still plenty left to handle."

Yet inwardly she worried: "My gait feels odd; I don't know how many days it'll take to recover. I must not let anyone notice."

Then she couldn't help thinking of Luosen again; her face, which had just returned to normal, began to flush once more.

"It's all this scoundrel's fault!"

"Oh no, I owe another side story."

(End of chapter)