Chapter 182: The Approaching Storm

"Dai Niya's mother? The Kingdom's Ice Queen, Maria Anna Alisha?" Li En suddenly realized.

Dai Niya's slip of the tongue revealed the imminent arrival of Queen Maria Anna.

"Your Highness," the guard quickly reminded her.

Dai Niya blinked, snapped back to awareness, then glared at Li En.

"Don't let this leak out."

Then she lost all interest in chatting with Li En, rose immediately, and left to make preparations.

The Queen and the Princess are two different things; the ruler's travel is always a grand political act, never a personal one.

Once the itinerary is confirmed, preparations—from ceremonies to logistical arrangements—are extremely complex. Even if Li En says nothing, the news will leak out quickly.

This kind of thing can't be hidden at all; too many people have a stake in it. Even the Princess herself, who might receive official notice, likely finds out late.

Setting down the thin sheet of paper that felt more like a notice, Dai Niya's mood instantly became extremely complicated.

She didn't know why her mother, who hadn't left the New Capital in years, had come all the way here.

To support her? That wouldn't require a personal visit.

To oppose her, or to drag her back? That didn't seem to require a personal trip either—a public announcement or a secret letter would suffice.

Dai Niya couldn't guess. The mother and daughter had spent little time together; the Princess might know her mother even less than her own guards did.

The Queen was simply too busy, and furthermore, even toward her own flesh and blood, the Queen remained cold, even indifferent—that was the origin of her title, the Ice Queen.

Watching Dai Niya, thrown off balance by the sudden news, hurry away, Li En knew he wouldn't need to say anything today.

He thought for a moment: "Li En's plan to form a small group for underground exploration" didn't seem worth mentioning to someone of the Princess's rank—having Miss Shaliman handle it would be sufficient.

Registering as an adventurer guild or mercenary organization would be enough; the "Weaver Knights" that Dimon mentioned might work too.

This was what Dimon had asked Li En to do: the concentrated small groups in the Dock District already had plenty of strong individuals, and they intended to participate in the underground exploration as a collective.

It was said this was also one of the traditions of the "Spirit Hall Heir," and the root of why Dai Niya worked so hard to gain influence.

Perhaps this small group's strength is still ordinary now, but look at Dimon's growth rate—if a dozen Spirit Heirs appeared, along with dozens of corresponding elites, within ten years they'd become a formidable young force.

This core group has already begun operating from the Dock District, and they need some official support—at least issuing city access permits to their bizarre members.

"I wonder if this city even has ten years left."

Considering Dai Niya's certain thoughts, Li En abandoned the idea of discussing this with her—otherwise, she'd shamelessly "force herself in," and everyone would be in agony.

The Queen's arrival seemed to have no impact on someone like Li En—let the city's high-ups worry about it. But on another level, Li En already seemed pulled in.

"Don't move."

After stepping outside, Li En pulled out the Spirit Codex. Ever since hearing the name Maria Anna, "he" had been restless.

"Lex Thorne, the Continent's Hero."

The previously silent Spirit card emitted a faint golden glow and finally reacted.

The condition to activate this reclusive Spirit card had always been either encountering the "Princess" or uncovering the truth behind the current event. Judging from the current situation, this was likely Lex's own "last wish."

Since he made the truth a condition, Li En guessed he was probably a fool.

Looking at the glowing Spirit card, there was no need to guess anymore: the "Princess" in his condition was Queen Maria Anna. So, would simply waiting for her arrival activate this Spirit card?

"Snake, can I activate this second Spirit card in my current state?" Li En felt anticipation—he finally had a proper Spirit.

This was a Hero, a once-famous powerhouse of this continent. He shouldn't disappoint, right?

Was he about to take off?

"Yes, I'm not attached to you, but—"

Snake laughed merrily; he'd seen too many interesting things, even considered forcibly altering the timing of the Queen's arrival.

Never mind—he shook his head. Maria Anna was a sovereign monarch; interfering with her fate would bring a fate backlash that could kill Li En. Yes, Li En—now every karmic thread Snake touched was tied to "Li Ensu," and after that demonic vow, the karma would strike directly on Li En (Li Ensu).

In a way, this demonic vow let Snake do more—but fortunately, he still didn't want the Infinite Dragon to reincarnate so soon.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this Queen is a formidable figure. Too bad I don't have much time left—I won't get to see this show." Yet Snake still grinned happily.

In response to Li En's question about the Spirit, he added:

"... Lex? I advise you not to get your hopes up. Would a normal Spirit go reclusive? He's a waste."

Snake delivered a harsh, gleeful evaluation, leaving Li En stunned.

He was the Kingdom's former flagship figure. But then again, given Snake's caliber, ordinary Spirits probably meant nothing to him.

"No, do you think Li Ensu would look down on someone just because they're weaker? I'm not talking about that. You'll find out later." Snake wouldn't spell it out—what if Li En ran away?

The future "Li Ensu" was still invisible, but just by observing those around him, one could already imagine the amusement.

Li En wanted to press further, but Snake vanished without a trace again. Left alone, Li En was numb—he felt this was a bottomless pit, but could he really not activate the Spirit card in his hand?

Li En clearly sensed the power within Lex's card was far stronger than Sul's or Kuku's.

"Maybe I should investigate the truth of the past myself—even if I can't activate the Spirit card, I can make a judgment. If I actually meet the Queen, activate the card, who knows what 'he' might do." Li En remembered how, during the Spirit possession, he'd lost control.

If the Spirit Lex really did something... better take it slow.

Li En shivered, making a new decision.

Snake's behavior had tilted fate once more, and helped Li En slightly escape the express train to "hell."

Meanwhile, "Snake," somewhere unknown, suddenly stopped.

In the void, he rolled on the ground, weeping with regret.

But then he laughed, because fate's "correction mechanism" was incredibly powerful—the karmic threads were already a tangled mess.

Often, when you think you've avoided it, fate immediately delivers a brutal kick.

The meeting is inevitable, the amusement guaranteed—and by observing "Maria Anna," Snake had already seen plenty of amusement, twisting again like a serpent.

Li En himself merely tucked away the Spirit card, hired a carriage, and returned to his home in the South Gate District.

He could have walked back, but considering Miss Lana, her attendant maids, and the goods he'd purchased, there was no need to be so frugal.

"I'm back! I'm back! My home, I'm back!"

Miss Lana was quite excited; she immediately ran back and forth in the courtyard.

Li En carried things into the mansion, and soon, the aroma of cooking wafted from the kitchen.

With the arrival of night, the small mansion glowed with a faint light, and Li En, eating dinner together, felt inexplicably moved.

Could this perhaps be the feeling of home?

Watching Miss Lana happily smear soup all over her face, and the maid chasing her to clean up, he felt somewhat reassured.

"Will the awakening of the previous Heroine drag her in?" This thought suddenly popped up, leaving him somewhat stunned.

"It shouldn't be, right? The Hall of Heroic Souls selects people based on compatibility; a blank slate, a degenerate, does she have the qualification to become the new Heroine?" Li En smiled and shook his head; it was all because of the snake's nonsense that made him suspicious.

And while he was enjoying this rare family time, the city's high-ups were destined to work overtime through the night.

The message suddenly conveyed by the Queen naturally sparked much speculation and preparation. She did not specify the exact time of the visit; it would take about a month for the New Capital to reach here, but since the notification had been sent, it would happen at the latest within these few months.

At the same moment, another woman destined to be entangled with Li En for life had just fallen asleep.

"Hah." In the hotel room, Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei had barely gotten into bed before she completely sank into dreamland.

She was very tired; not only did she have to travel, but she also had to help care for and stabilize the condition of two juniors. To return to "Dear" as soon as possible, she had already tried very hard.

On the bed next door, the two little girls slept together; they might need Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei's care when they "fell ill" at night.

"Bai" was still reading the storybook she brought, using the small light; compared to a few days ago, her condition had worsened significantly, her deer antlers had already expanded by a full circle, and her body showed many more signs of beastification.

Compared to "Xue," her beastification progress was obviously much higher, and her situation was deteriorating even faster.

After losing her "Contractor," the beastification progress had become unstoppable; if she did not find a new stabilizer, she feared she would soon completely transform into a new "Deer."

She had actually thought it through: if she truly had no hope of being saved, then transforming into a deer herself and contracting with "Xue" might save her.

"Coward!" And she, as usual, received the routine of multiple personalities, being scolded as a coward by another personality.

Sighing, she also knew she was not particularly strong; perhaps her deterioration was faster than expected because she lacked the will to survive. Perhaps her little bit of toughness lay entirely in her new "sister."

Blowing out the lamp, she also quickly fell into dreamland.

In dreams, there should be no abnormalities or pain brought by beastification, no discomfort from the body forcibly healing after cracking apart.

"What a good child, do you want to sign a contract with Uncle?" A cute little black snake suddenly appeared before her half-asleep, half-awake self.

"Absolutely not!" Instantly, Bai woke up; she remembered that seemingly cute contract beast from before.

"Absolutely not refuse? Good, good." But how could that Beast Prince compare to the real monster before her eyes, the true inventor of the Magical Girl contract?

The little black snake instantly transformed into a night that swallowed everything, directly swallowing the little one.

A new contract instantly replaced the vacant contract slot.

Early the next morning, Bai, who had already returned to her pure white girl state, looked at her intact self in the mirror, completely stunned.

"This isn't a dream. Uh, I contracted another 'me'?!"

"Wait, I can be summoned now? What kind of strange thing is this?"

Twin sisters would probably need some time to adapt to a bad guy's rare kindness.

And he himself, the snake, had already climbed onto the bedside of another "woman," smiling happily.

"What a good child, do you want to sign a contract with Uncle?"

(End of Chapter)