Chapter 145: Straight to the Enemy's Nest

The breeding farm's gate opened, and Lei En walked in.

Guard captain Madeline immediately stepped forward, calling, "Mr. Lei En." At a glance she saw the hide Lei En was carrying, its gray‑blue fur bearing lightning‑shaped patterns, strikingly familiar, and she was startled, unable to hold back, she asked, "Did you succeed in killing that Thunder Blade Leopard?"

"Hmm," Lei En nodded, asking, "Your breeding farm should have sales channels, right?"

"Of course," Madeline replied promptly.

The breeding farm's operations are extensive; its output is not limited to demon souls. The various magical beasts that are slain provide materials of great value, usable for enchantments or alchemy.

The Lianseier family also runs its own alchemical material shop.

Lei En pulled two sword‑blade‑like sharp teeth from the hide, and together with the fur handed them to Madeline, saying, "Please appraise these two items for me."

"Very well, I'll send someone right away to summon Mr. Ha Ding."

Madeline gave the items to a subordinate, noticing that Lei En's leather armor was almost ruined, having spent over ten days in the mountains, and it smelled rather unpleasant.

She immediately arranged for Lei En to enter the manor to freshen up.

Lei En did not refuse; after washing, he changed into clean clothes, and when he emerged, Ha Ding and Madeline were in the hall, spreading the Swift Shadow Thunder Blade Leopard's hide on the table for close inspection.

Both wore faces full of admiration.

This Thunder Blade Leopard hide is intact, large in area, of excellent quality, containing a high amount of thunder‑electric elemental power; it can be fashioned into at least three sets of fine leather armor, then enchanted by a Master, and selling for several hundred Gold Shields poses no problem.

Those two Thunder Blade Leopard fangs are also excellent alchemical materials, suitable for forging weapons.

From these two items, it's clear the Swift Shadow Thunder Blade Leopard was immensely powerful in life; they cannot imagine how Lei En managed to kill it on Grey Dragon Mountain.

Lei En had been in the mountain for over ten days without word; they thought he had long given up.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly returned to the breeding farm.

Since the Swift Shadow Thunder Blade Leopard's hide is here, its demon soul must have been captured by Lei En, becoming his trophy.

Lei En's gaze swept the hall, and he asked, "Where is Deris?"

"His injuries have healed almost completely; he returned to Longshande a few days ago," Ha Ding replied. "Mr. Lei En, are you sure you want to sell these two items to the breeding farm?"

He knows Lei En's relationship with Viola; as long as they are taken back to Longshande, the profit can be maximized.

Lei En had originally thought the same, but now he has another plan; carrying those two items is inconvenient, so he must deal with them locally, which cheapens the Lianseier family.

"Hmm, name your price," he said.

Ha Ding's face brightened; completing this deal would earn him a good sum. He tentatively asked, "Three hundred Gold Shields, Mr. Lei En, what do you think?"

"Fine, it's a deal."

Lei En immediately agreed, having no intention to haggle.

Ha Ding was taken aback; his mental price was around four hundred Gold Shields, and he had habitually lowered it, not expecting Lei En to accept outright.

It took him a few seconds to recover, and he hurriedly produced the money he had prepared earlier.

"Thank you, Mr. Lei En, for your support of the breeding farm."

Lei En took three gold notes each worth one hundred Gold Shields, casually slipped them into his pocket, and immediately took his leave.

"It's already dark; Mr. Lei En, why not spend the night in the manor? Tomorrow we can send a carriage to take you back to Longshande," Ha Ding said, his mood buoyant after sealing the deal, and he became even more enthusiastic toward Lei En.

"No, thank you."

Lei En declined Ha Ding's kindness, refusing even a horse, and left the breeding farm directly.

Watching his silhouette merge into the night and vanish swiftly, Ha Ding looked at Madeline beside him and whispered, "He must have something urgent; otherwise he wouldn't have sold the Thunder Blade Leopard hide so cheaply."

Madeline gave a slight nod, but said nothing.

Her gaze drifted, a vague meaning in her eyes; after a long while she let out a sigh of loss, shook her head, and returned to the breeding farm.

In the night, Lei En ran along the road.

He did not sprint at full speed, but maintained a steady pace—third‑grade swiftness, about fifty kilometers per hour; if he activated a "Rapid Run" every half hour, he could increase speed by another twenty to thirty percent.

But to conserve stamina, he did not do so.

From the breeding farm to Longshande, a distance of over 150 li, Lei En bypassed towns and villages along the way, taking a little over three hours to run straight to the outskirts of Longshande.

He did not enter the city, but turned south.

After running nearly half an hour more, he finally arrived at his destination.

It is a bustling town called Boke Town. Around Longshande there are a dozen or so towns of varying size, populations ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands, all belonging to the domain of the Silver Star Duke.

Boke Town enjoys a good location, with a railway station.

This is the essential route from Longshande to the Tuerde Trade Federation; the town has a population of thirty to forty thousand, with extensive fertile fields outside, and the city center is not far, so Boke Town is almost a small city, its trade economy thriving, contributing tens of thousands of Gold Shields in tax revenue each year.

However, Boke Town has long been sealed off by the Silver Star Duke.

Its lord is Viscount Ga Luo Wei Na.

Lei En lived with Viola for several months, and they had mentioned her uncle—who is also the biggest rival—several times.

Viscount Ga Luo Wei Na's territory has good conditions and is nearby; countless members of the Duke's family are envious.

Outside Boke Town stands an ancient castle with a long lineage.

The castle's original owner was a great noble of the early Empire; later the family declined, and when Longshande was designated as the Silver Star Duke's domain, the castle was seized as well.

Ga Luo Wei Na became the lord of Boke Castle, investing large sums each year to maintain it, and named it Boke Castle.

Inside, the castle is lavish; Ga Luo Wei Na often invites aristocrats and wealthy patrons to banquets, expanding his network and forming a complex web of relations.

Many of Longshande's newly risen elites consider entering Boke Castle an honor, signifying entry into the upper class.

When Lei En arrived at Boke Town, it was already past ten o'clock at night.

From afar he saw, a few kilometers outside the town, an isolated hill only a few dozen meters high, half‑shrouded in dense forest; its summit revealed the outline of a castle, with rows of lights dotted across it.

This is Boke Castle.

Empire nobles like to build castles in hard‑to‑defend yet hard‑to‑attack locations, such as solitary hills, cliffs, or surrounded by rivers, giving them greater security.

Boke Castle is no different; Lei En approached the foot of the mountain where the castle stands and quickly ran a lap around it.

His Soul Eye pierced the night, revealing the situation at the mountain's base clearly.

Then, Lei En climbed the hill from the back of the castle, passed through the forest, did not rashly approach the castle walls, but hid in a thicket and activated the Sound of All Things.

A flood of noisy sounds entered his ears.

Inside the castle a banquet was being held, apparently for several hours, and the men's conversations, women's laughter, and the servants' private complaints were all heard crystal‑clear.

Relying on his impression from the trade fair, Lei En quickly identified Ga Luo Wei Na's voice.

He locked onto Ga Luo Wei Na and listened attentively.

Ga Luo Wei Na himself is a supernormal being; otherwise he would not have stood out among the Title: Duke's family, received the Title: Duke's favor, been ennobled as a Viscount and granted this fief.

But at the banquet, Ga Luo Wei Na behaved like a normal noble, never mentioning anything related to supernormal beings.

He was extremely busy, switching conversation partners every so often.

The topics were nothing but business, connections, small talk, or mutual flattery, or the men's favorite subject—women.

Lei En listened for a moment but heard no useful information.

He sat in the forest for a long while; then Ga Luo Wei Na suddenly left the banquet hall, went up to the second floor of the castle, and entered a room that might be a study.

There was already a person waiting in the room.

Listening to the person's heartbeat and breathing, Lei En could tell this was a supernormal being, though he could not discern the other's strength or occupation.

"Lady!"

Ga Luo Wei Na's voice rang out, his tone completely different from at the banquet, seeming extremely respectful toward this person, even somewhat ingratiating.

"Viscount, any news yet?" a haughty voice said, full of condescension.

Hearing that voice, Lei En felt a sudden shock in his heart.

Feilis!

How could she be here?

Even though he and Viola had long suspected, after being cheated at that trade fair Feilis did not storm the Violet House, which was unlike her nature; perhaps she had colluded with Ga Luo Wei Na.

But when he actually heard the two of them speak, he was still somewhat surprised.

Ga Luo Wei Na did not reply immediately; instead he clapped his hands, and another supernormal being entered through the outer gate, asking, "Yi Nuo Ke, have your subordinates inquired today? Where exactly did Lei En go?"

"Viscount," Yi Nuo Ke's voice was deep, "not yet."

"Useless!" Feilis's tone rose a few degrees, "He's just a pretty boy; you searched for over ten days and still couldn't find him. Last time he ran into the underground fortress; you couldn't locate him then, fine, but when he emerged you should have acted immediately. Yet you were cowardly, and it dragged on until now."

"Ga Luo Wei Na, you know the recent situation well; the Phonograph is selling like hotcakes in Longshande. If you don't act now, you won't become an earl in this lifetime."

Ga Luo Wei Na gave a wry smile, "Lady Feilis, it's not that I don't want to act, but that kid Lei En can't be found; even capturing his family is useless."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Feilis said bitterly, "There are only a dozen days left until the Divine Birth Festival; see to it yourself."

"I'll give you five more days; after five days, if Lei En still hasn't shown up, this plan is abandoned. I'll find someone myself to eliminate Viola, without needing your trouble."

When she finished speaking, the room rumbled, as if a portal had opened.

When the portal closed, Ga Luo Wei Na muttered low, "That bitch, no brain at all; if you weren't the Wizard of ParrasFloatingCity, you'd have been killed long ago."

After a moment, he asked again, "Yi Nuo Ke, what's the situation at Eagle Marsh Town?"

"The brothers have been waiting for my word; as soon as Lei En appears, we'll act and send the people to the city's warehouse," Yi Nuo Ke replied in a low voice.

"Fine," Ga Luo Wei Na said, "The Title: Duke will confer a title on him at the Divine Birth Festival; he will definitely appear."

After their exchange, the two returned to the banquet.

In the forest outside the castle, Lei En's face showed no expression.

He stared at the brightly lit castle, his eyes flashing, turned without hesitation, sprinted out of the woods, and raced straight to Berk Town.

Near nightfall, most of the town's residents had already rested.

Lei En slipped past a few drunks, found a weapons shop in town, slipped inside and knocked the shopkeeper unconscious. Ten minutes later, he emerged wearing a set of black armor.

The armor was thick and heavy, unenchanted, weighing over one hundred pounds.

After putting it on, Lei En found it didn't hinder his movement at all; the helmet had only a T‑shaped slit at the front, and once worn it completely concealed his face.

In addition to the armor, there was a massive two‑handed sword.

The blade alone measured over 1.5 meters; with the hilt the total length approached two meters, weighing over two hundred pounds, forged for berserkers or great‑sword masters—an ordinary person couldn't even lift it.

Lei En gripped the greatsword with one hand as easily as if it were a straw.

Leaving Berk Town, he dug a pit in a remote spot and buried everything that could reveal his identity—the Song of Azure Sky, a premium rune book, a dragon‑skin belt—deep underground.

Then, Lei En headed toward Berk Fortress.

This time, he didn't climb up from behind the castle; instead he approached from the front, along the main road, openly. In the darkness outside the castle, he waited patiently for his chance.

The banquet continued, though it was nearing its end.

Near nightfall, groups of guests left the castle by car or carriage. Many of these guests were supernormal beings of considerable strength, yet none noticed a fully armored silhouette standing in the shadows outside the castle.

Ga Luo Wei Na stood at the hall's entrance, bidding farewell to the guests.

Lei En locked onto his position while observing the castle's guard forces. As a Viscount and top‑tier magnate, Ga Luo Wei Na had over twenty supernormal subordinates, mainly iron guards and spearmen, all of modest rank.

In addition, the castle housed a contingent of over fifty guards; they were ordinary people, but rigorously trained, equipped with armor and weapons, forming a complete private militia.

Within the Sound of All Things, the castle's noises gradually faded.

Ga Luo Wei Na saw off the last guests, instructed the steward and servants to clean up the banquet, and returned upstairs to rest.

The castle's main gate slowly rose.

Lei En took a deep breath, stepped out of the darkness, and advanced toward the castle step by step.

His speed started slow but accelerated, shifting from a walk to a sprint; within a few breaths he burst into the guards' sight, accompanied by a fierce howl.

The guards instantly spotted the intruder; before they could utter a word, a terrifying shockwave knocked them down.

Boom!

With a charge, Lei En slammed into the castle's main gate.

(End of chapter)