Chapter 107: The Goddess City Lord

The servants' trays held head after head, eyes still wide with unquenched death.

These were fish that had swum willingly onto the hook—and a warning to the envoys.

"As a denizen of this land, I came at your invitation. But I regret that, given the current situation, I cannot come in person at this hour when rest is due."

When Verna spoke, her calm voice echoed through the hall.

This goodwill, this courtesy, eased the tension somewhat.

She came at invitation to negotiate. Since the city lord was following diplomatic protocol, at least there would be no fighting now.

Verna Tarabal, her beautiful face devoid of any smile, her long white hair shimmering with golden light in the night.

Standing there, she naturally became the focus of every gaze.

She was not only the young city lord; the golden pendant on her chest, bearing the sacred symbol, marked her as a High Priestess.

A noble lady of high station, yet her attire beneath the open cloak was startlingly scant.

Beneath the cloak, only a thin, translucent gauze clung to her body; her sensitive curves were bound by golden chains—visually, she resembled a bar dancer.

Yet none among the sane and rational would underestimate her because of it.

Her cold, exquisite beauty and alluring curves, paired with the icy expression beneath her priestly crown, created an eerie sense of holiness.

At that moment, facing her golden-tinged crimson eyes, Violet Rose wore a serious expression.

"Self-sealing? Divine attendant? Goddess?" Beneath those peculiar chains, the magic girl sensed the scent of divine power.

"Yes. My Lord is also my mother." Verna Tarabal, one of the many seeds sown by the Silver Vial Mirror Maiden upon the mortal plane, was also this world's so-called legend.

Her declaration of power had a clear purpose: now, we may speak as equals.

Throughout, her gaze never left Violet Rose.

In this world of the extraordinary, supreme power could ignore earthly authority.

Only a being of sufficient strength could command the full attention of this seasoned magic girl.

"Ha, I've always held great respect for Lady Silver Vial." Violet Rose smiled in reply.

It seemed they could now enter formal negotiations.

But at that moment, an unexpected incident occurred.

Among the mercenaries, a middle-aged man could not—or would not—control his eyes.

He stared fixedly at the scantily clad goddess, his gaze locked on the most sensitive parts of this noble lady.

The foreign dark elves seemed unconcerned; in their culture, men were inferior beings, even property. But this insult—

"Aaaahhhhh!" The mercenary suddenly rolled on the ground in agony.

A malevolent curse spread across his body; large patches of flesh and muscle were directly corroded by shadows.

"Control your dog," the goddess said, her crimson eyes still seemingly calm, yet laced with irritation.

"My apologies. But he's not mine—he's a stray dog." Violet Rose refused to take blame, then casually shoved Sallyman forward to shoulder it.

"This is my niece, and the envoy for this mission." Violet Rose was merely a "mediator and facilitator," ensuring the envoy delegation could connect with the local city lord.

The female countess blinked, slightly astonished—dark elves lived by raw strength, and this girl seemed far too weak.

Not only in power, but as the chief envoy, she had not spoken a single word.

Verna studied Sallyman for several seconds, then gave a mocking smile.

"Hmph." Then she turned away, continuing to speak to Violet Rose.

"Is your upper city truly out of people?" Such a cruel remark was spoken outright!

Though deeply impolite, what she said was not untrue.

As an envoy, Sallyman was utterly unfit—even as a noble, her demeanor was little more than ornamental.

Yet the princess had few trustworthy nobles to rely on in Huicheng; considering her unique abilities, sending her as envoy was understandable, even if reluctantly.

Or perhaps, in the princess's view, loyalty mattered more than ability at this critical juncture—and Violet Rose's presence could prevent the worst outcome.

But now, Sallyman wasn't just unfit—she was embarrassing.

Her condition was terrible, her expression dazed; clearly unfit as an envoy. From the moment she failed to step forward, she had already failed.

The truth was one thing; for Verna to say it so bluntly was outright humiliation.

Sallyman was furious, but dared not react.

This was hard to answer: stand firm and risk ruining the fragile dialogue, or yield and invite further contempt in the coming negotiations.

Sometimes, humiliating the weaker or more desperate envoy to shake their resolve and gain negotiation advantage was a recognized tactic.

"Pfft." At that moment, Li En covered his mouth and laughed aloud.

He was immediately met with a death glare from Sallyman.

"Sorry, sorry. Not intentional—I just thought of something funny."

Then he received an even harsher glare.

But this interruption suddenly eased the tension.

Yet Li En, because of it, now drew attention.

"Hmm? In this age, there are still completely free Classical Oath Knights? Your oath is heavy. Extremely heavy. You've chosen an arduous path." The female lord's crimson eyes flickered faintly with divine flame, now tinged with respect.

Devout priests often respected another devout soul, provided their faiths did not clash.

A free Classical Knight bound only by oath, with no deity to serve, held the potential to serve any god—and could ascend swiftly.

A Classical Holy Knight who followed the path of asceticism might not be powerful, but his religious standing was unquestionable.

"If you wish to serve my Lord, I can make you my granted knight." Verna, thinking of her mother, saw a prize and seized it; a neutral deity could certainly recruit a free oath knight like Li En.

A devout Classical Oath Knight, with his terrifying vow-power—perhaps this man was destined to become legend.

The gaze of a deity, a divine child, and a mortal differ. They perceive a person's essence and soul more clearly—especially their "great vow" and "faith."

Before Li En could refuse, Sallyman stepped directly in front of him.

"No thanks. I thank you for your offer on behalf of my fiancé, but we've already pledged our future."

What? When did we make such a promise? I didn't know.

Li En rubbed the back of his head, bewildered—and received another glare.

Oh, you mean the future where we break off the engagement? No need to blink—I get it, I get it, I won't misunderstand. (Sallyman: You get nothing.)

"Fiancé?"

At that moment, Verna studied Sallyman again, then merely smiled and shook her head, saying nothing.

But this near-silent humiliation was perhaps even worse than direct rebuke.

Sallyman could no longer hold back—she opened her mouth to speak, but Li En seized her hand.

Li En shook his head with a smile; as a diplomat and the weaker party, one must not follow the other's lead.

Seeing Li En's smile, Sallyman calmed. She took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their icy clarity.

"Lucky little girl. I hope you can bear the cost of this fate's gift." Verna, no longer bothering with pretense, spoke plainly.

"My time is limited. What do you want?" She asked directly why they had come.

"As the special envoy of Princess Denia of the Kingdom, I—" This time, Sallyman refused to be led.

Her words trailed off as she glanced around, implying this was not the proper place to speak.

With the topic now serious, the two ascended the stairs, accompanied by their guards.

Li En considered—he had no reason to follow. Seeing Violet Rose ascend, he exhaled in relief.

"Let's keep playing cards. Kuku, I'm winning this time!"

Honestly, playing cards with "yourself" was a strange feeling—your thought patterns were nearly identical.

But losing every hand was frustrating. Li En was certain Kuku was cheating—but he had no proof.

Yet even Kuku, who cheated constantly, couldn't beat Violet Rose—was card-playing itself a test of a spellcaster's ability?

Li En's actions had indeed eased the atmosphere.

Though the countess's attendants still stood silently, they no longer stared across the room.

As for the mercenary, nearly dead on the floor, no one seemed to care.

The secret talks above did not last long. After a little over half an hour, Verna descended first.

Her cold eyes held a faint smile—as if she had gained something valuable.

Upon reaching the ground floor, she left immediately, taking the severed heads with her.

About five minutes later, Sallyman and Violet Rose came down.

The face of the "temporary ambassador of Huicheng" was grim—clearly, the talks had gone poorly.

"It's fine. We reached an agreement: a private non-aggression pact." She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said this.

The crowd in the hall erupted in cheers, pretending to believe it.

But in the immediate private meeting that followed, she rushed to ask:

"Is there any direct way to contact Huicheng?" Something urgent needed to be relayed back.

This scene naturally sparked dark suspicions—but Sallyman was too frantic to care.

All others shook their heads in denial. Violet Rose could return, but returning again afterward was unlikely.

Sallyman was clearly desperate, yet dared not voice certain words.

Li En had assumed this was none of his concern—until Kuku suddenly spoke.

"You do! Li En, you do."

"Me? You mean—"

Li En instinctively pulled out the Spirit Codex; the Spirit Card bearing Kuku's name glowed brightly upon it.

"Yes. Dream Instructor Mode! Almost ready. Almost ready." Kuku's time was less than a week away—perfect timing to activate the final Spirit Hall mode.

It seems possible to establish informational contact through dreams.

This city is indeed not far in straight-line distance from Huicheng—can it truly be covered?

【Large-scale search mode can be activated. Proceed?】 It seems it really can be done.

(End of Chapter)