Chapter 181: The Visitor Destined to Bring a Storm

A figure draped in a gray cloak walked through the commercial district; at this moment, even among the generally large-bodied orcs, he was not short.

"The view is different too; I no longer need to look up at Talia and the others."

Only later did Li En realize he had unknowingly grown nearly a head taller, and unlike other rapidly transforming body types, his proportions were already complete, more like a uniform scale-up of the whole.

He looked at his hands, now wearing the Fire Giant gauntlets, and realized his arm width had also increased by a full circle without him noticing.

He planned to change the color of these gauntlets when he had time, to slightly conceal their Fire attribute characteristics.

This would also give his entire set of equipment a stable main color; a motley mix of colors was far too ugly.

"This black... never mind, nothing is perfect." The Black Dragon Armor looked very cool.

But in this Fantasy world, this color scheme was perhaps too avant-garde, even somewhat dangerous.

"Black Knight" was not an adjective, but a group, even a species; those who chose black armor had a notoriously bad reputation.

In this world, color always had meaning; Paladins wore either silver or gold armor, while black-armored Paladins were Oathbreakers.

Although it was an unwritten rule that could be explained away, it would certainly attract extra attention.

Why not simply dye it all white? The armor repaired itself automatically after damage; if dyed and then repaired, it would take on a strange appearance of white with black streaks.

Moreover, during daily self-"maintenance," it would slowly re-blacken, so dyeing it was of little use.

Of course, the Black Dragon's instinctive refusal to be dyed also had some influence; thinking of dyeing the black armor white, Li En felt somewhat uncomfortable.

In a sense, this black armor was himself; painting over his own black self... uh, he felt it would subtly invite the Knightly racial group to come knocking.

"Never mind, I'll just tell the truth: it's armor made of Black Dragon material, to preserve its supernatural characteristics."

As always, a blunt truth; although it concealed key information, it was enough as long as it convinced those around him.

But to avoid trouble, Li En conscientiously put on the cloak, revealing only his head.

Walking down the road, the feeling was completely different from before; there was no longer the previous sense of constraint, that constant need to drive the metal with brute force.

However, perhaps due to the ritual's consumption, he clearly felt drained; walking and eating all the way, he still didn't feel full.

"This is equivalent to you having the High Dragonization state permanently activated; your appetite will increase. Hmm, if the armor is damaged, it should also be able to accelerate recovery through eating. At that point, it will be hard to say whether it's you eating or it eating..." The snake still lay on his shoulder, its notebook in the void rapidly recording.

He was also curious about the characteristics of this new supernatural profession; perhaps it truly had the potential to become a legitimate class.

There was no need to force himself into becoming a branch of a normal Warlock; it wasn't entirely impossible.

Leaving other things aside, simply receiving a scalable good weapon and good armor at the first tier might be something many supernatural beings could not refuse.

Li En had also tried it; casting spells in this state was still somewhat constrained, but after getting used to it, the problem was minor; it could be viewed as casting without armor—flesh and blood had transformed into illusory armor, bypassing the interference of metal armor with elements.

The current manifestation of this power not only interested the snake greatly, but Li En himself, as the "experiment," was also quite satisfied.

Generally speaking, borrowed power from outside either brought endless trouble or was a fraudulent contract of rights first, obligations later.

"Borrowing one's own power... that is truly groundbreaking. It should be fine..."

Li En clenched his fist; the black metal wrist displayed terrifying strength. At least for now, besides eating more, there were no obvious problems.

Having walked this far in full armor, the usual fatigue and muscle soreness had not appeared; this set of armor was far more comfortable than pure metal heavy armor.

"This means prolonged combat time, better maintenance of a long-term battle state, but consumption should also have increased." The snake was already recording rapidly, seeming very interested.

Li En was somewhat worried; would the snake, while still here for a few days, stir up some trouble?

"No, the snake will definitely cause trouble; a single case cannot prove anything; at least a few verifiable ones must be created." Li En understood this snake even more; missing this opportunity, the next one might not come for who knows how long.

Better to plant a few seeds now, then see how they grow later; perhaps there would be surprises. Compared to certain persistent heroic souls, the snake might be the true immortal; his sense of time and cognition differed from mortals.

Perhaps to him, the rise and fall of kingdoms or even races was nothing significant. "... I will create a few; you help me keep an eye on them, so they don't vanish in the blink of an eye." The snake made a suggestion.

"I refuse." Li En did not want to invite trouble for himself; he had already determined that the more he traded with the snake, the deeper he would sink.

"Hehe, very well." The snake smiled and said nothing; this was a notification, not a request for a transaction.

As for how to make Li En voluntarily help keep an eye on them, he had ten thousand methods.

Li En saw through it, but could only sigh; some things and some people were truly beyond control...

"Excuse me, is Miss Shaliman here?" Unknowingly, Li En had arrived at his destination.

"Young Master Li En, welcome back."

"Have you had dinner? The Head of the House should be back very soon; let's eat together then."

Facing the maids' enthusiasm, Li En felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"No, I still have some matters; I came specifically to take Lana back. I've prepared two tutoring classes for her; classes start tomorrow, so I need to go back and prepare today..." Lana, who was in high spirits, was rushing down the stairs, unaware that hell awaited her.

Hearing that Miss Shaliman was working outside, Li En felt inexplicably guilty.

While secretly relieved, he also hurried to take Lana away.

"Friend!"

And after the little one came downstairs and saw Li En, she threw herself at him on the spot.

She was not at all angry about Li En's departure, which made the man sigh with relief.

A simple, good girl, rare indeed... While stuffing the little one with lollipops and other small snacks he had brought specifically, Li En took her small hand and quickened his pace to leave.

He did not know that in a certain room on the third floor, someone watched his departing figure and frowned.

"So urgent, is there something? Or guilt?" Even Dai Niya herself did not know why, despite their very short meeting time, her understanding of Li En was inexplicably deep.

She could even detect his vague unease and guilt from his seemingly calm expression and tone—was he worried about meeting me? Did you finally realize how outrageous what you did was?

These past two days, Dai Niya had been thoroughly annoyed by rumors of the "Lifted High Knight"; she had specifically come to Miss Shaliman's house to hide from the trouble... and this was actually the reason Miss Shaliman had gone out to work overtime.

If your direct superior and chairman are squatting in your house, and you are also squatting at home slacking off, aren't you just asking for trouble?..

"Stop him and bring him to see me."

Dai Niya suddenly felt a bit interested, wanting to know what made Li En rush up to find Miss Shaliman and then leave in such a hurry.

Thus, ten minutes later, Li En was brought into this room.

"Oh, it's Dai Niya... uh, Your Highness the Princess."

Noticing Li En's sudden relaxation, Dai Niya inexplicably felt displeased.

It seems it wasn't me that made her feel guilty and uneasy?

You've completely forgotten what you did before? I've been troubled ever since, yet you've already forgotten?

Li En, though slightly surprised, showed a look of delight.

He did have some matters that required the Kingdom's assistance; originally, he had intended to approach Miss Shaliman or Dai Niya.

But before he could speak, another unexpected event occurred.

A maid hurried in and handed a letter to the Princess. Li En saw the royal emblem on its exterior.

And after just one glance, Dai Niya's face changed instantly.

"Mother? The Queen is coming?!"

(End of Chapter)