Chapter 283: Storm Queen

The newcomer is a woman.

She is tall, wearing an extremely ornate red robe, whose hem is already somewhat tattered, as if she has worn it for many years without replacing it; a silver short sword hangs at her waist. The most striking feature is her beautiful silver long hair, unfortunately tangled and unkempt on her shoulders, yet it adds a wild beauty to her.

This silver‑haired woman's appearance is beautiful, her expression carefree and lofty, and in her gaze there is an air of superiority, as if she cares little for anyone in the world.

She stepped out of the portal, and even the air seemed to solidify, becoming extremely oppressive.

Lei En is very familiar with this aura.

She is a Holy Soul Wizard!

A Holy Soul Wizard who could arrive so quickly, and who entered the lair through her own portal—there's no need to guess her identity; she must be the ruler of the Hohawen Principality—the Storm Queen, the terrifying witch famed throughout the Empire.

Not only Lei En, but several other teammates also recognized her, and hurriedly put down their weapons.

The Storm Queen has two well‑known traits:

First, she is passionate.

Hundreds of years ago, when she was still a legendary witch, she became the consort of the Grand Duke of Hohawen; after the duke died without heirs, she handed the throne to her and became queen by right.

But not long after, the Storm Queen revealed her true nature, and countless rumors spread.

It is said she had three thousand lovers, never spent a night without a man, her private life was extremely decadent; many famous handsome men were her guests, and she fell into passionate love with several, becoming beloved, yet not for long.

Second, she has a fiery temper and is extremely cruel to enemies.

In the early days of her reign as Hohawen queen, before she became a Holy Soul Wizard, those who opposed her rule—especially members of the former ducal family's collateral lines—made multiple attempts at rebellion, all of which she crushed with overwhelming power, launching a bloody purge that nearly exterminated the royal family.

Anyone who dared to oppose her, threaten her rule, or provoke her authority has never met a good end.

However, the Storm Queen is very tolerant of ordinary civilians, so despite her notorious private life, she has long won the love of many subjects.

It can be said that the Storm Queen ruled the Hohawen Principality single‑handedly.

She is as ruthless to enemies as a raging storm, yet warm to friends like the spring sun; this is also one reason for her title.

Lei En, the first time he saw this Holy Soul Witch, looked at her appearance and suddenly felt she seemed familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

His memory is excellent; such an outstanding beauty could not be forgotten.

"I have seen Her Majesty the Queen."

Meli Ge, trembling, took the lead in bowing, using the chance to remind everyone of the visitor's identity.

The others also bowed, lowering their heads, fearing to offend the powerful witch, and casually tossed two Nine-ring Techniques. Only Yasuke could not contain his curiosity, quietly raising his head to look at the rumored Storm Queen, revealing a handsome face.

The Storm Queen's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on Yasuke's face.

Yasuke noticed this detail, his heart pounding wildly, he took a deep breath, raised his hand and adjusted his clothing.

"Hmm."

The Storm Queen responded lightly, her voice somewhat neutral, "You are Meli Ge, I remember you; five years ago you attended a banquet at my castle."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Meli Ge felt secretly pleased, both because the Storm Queen remembered her and because it meant she bore no hostility.

However, before she could explain, the Storm Queen suddenly vanished.

The five stared at each other.

A few seconds later, a flash of firelight, and the Storm Queen returned before them, her complexion not looking good, she snorted coldly: "So this is a vampire's lair, you did well."

"You managed to slay a vampire count; you must have planned it for a long time. This is a contribution to Hohawen; I shall reward you."

"Speak, what do you desire?"

The Storm Queen's words made everyone delighted; they all turned their gaze to Roger.

"Demon hunter, your strength is impressive; congratulations on your upcoming promotion to Mid-stage Legend." The Storm Queen immediately guessed that Roger was the leader of this team.

Roger, with neither arrogance nor humility, placed his hand on his chest and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Storm Queen's eyes narrowed, she observed Roger for a few seconds, then waved her hand: "If you are not afraid of future vampire retaliation, this White Raven Wine Manor belongs to you."

She gave Roger no chance to refuse, and after speaking she stepped into the portal and left.

From start to finish, the Storm Queen never noticed Lei En, whose face was hidden by a helmet, nor did she realize he was not an Iron Guard.

The group patiently waited another half minute, confirming the Storm Queen would not return, then finally relaxed.

"Holy Soul Wizards are terrifying!"

Meli Ge wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Roger also let out a sigh; a single conversation with the Storm Queen felt more dangerous than fighting Aireting.

Yisu was somewhat better; he had seen Anxiwodasi several times, so he was not very nervous.

Lei En need not be mentioned; before leaving Mo Du he had almost daily meetings with his teacher, had long become accustomed to the Holy Soul Wizard's might, and the Willpower protected him from any effect.

He turned his head toward Yasuke, finding the usually talkative bard unusually silent, his eyes flickering, a strange smile at the corner of his mouth.

The Soul Eye showed that Yasuke's soul color at this moment was a mix of yellow and green, intertwining joy and affection.

"This guy…"

Lei En chuckled softly; even with the Storm Queen's terrible reputation, she would not starve herself, and upon seeing a handsome man she would want to get him into bed.

He reopened a portal and returned to Meli Ge's house.

Seeing a garden‑like courtyard, everyone finally relaxed, entered the living room, and casually sat on the sofa or floor, not wanting to move at all.

Lei En felt great; he had not expended much energy, not even a drop of blood, and the side effects of the "Frenzy Beast Blood Elixir" had long been replenished by his energy.

Having absorbed half of Aireting's soul, the converted energy upgraded several Elements, and his energy returned to full.

This made him more vigorous than before departure.

He had barely sat down when Yasuke finally came to his senses, leapt from the sofa, and shouted excitedly: "Roger, you have obtained the White Raven Wine Manor!"

"I haven't decided whether to accept…" Roger's face showed some hesitation.

"Does it even need consideration? Of course you should accept!" Yasuke cut him off, "Do you know how much the White Raven Wine Manor is worth? Its annual brewing revenue alone exceeds thirty thousand Gold Shields; you need do nothing, just lie there and earn money."

Meli Ge's eyes lit up; if Roger accepted the manor, he would stay in Hohawen long‑term, which was exactly what she most wanted to see.

But she also had concerns, frowning, and asked, "What about those vampires?"

"That's too easy," Ya Si Ke immediately suggested, "Invite the Storm Queen to the wine manor a few times, then spread the word; guarantee that no vampire dares to cause trouble, unless they're bored with life or want to be driven out of Huoha Wen."

Lei En couldn't help but look at him with new respect; it was a very practical method.

Within and around Zhu Bile Shan Cheng there were so many vampires; the Storm Queen must be aware, and she has likely reached some tacit understanding with the vampire faction: as long as they don't openly cause trouble, they are allowed to hide in the underground world.

If they were to strike at the White Raven wine manor, that would be a challenge to the Storm Queen's authority.

There shouldn't be many vampires that foolish.

Luo Jue grasped the key point; judging from the Storm Queen's earlier attitude, inviting her to the wine manor was not difficult, and was even hinted at.

He smiled and said, "I never imagined that one day I would own a wine manor."

Mei Li Ge beamed with joy, and Ya Si Ke was also thrilled.

"Let's divide the spoils,"

Lei En laid out everything looted from the vampire nest: several large crates filled with Gold Shield, alchemy materials, and gems, plus the blood-colored cloak and a spatial ring. He inspected the ring and found it also contained a fair amount of valuable items—a batch of potions and materials—which he also removed.

All those treasures piled into the living room, dazzling with golden light, the whole room radiant.

"Sss…"

Except for Lei En, everyone else took a light breath of cool air.

During the looting they hadn't felt it, but now they realized how shocking it was to have so much wealth before their eyes; the harvest from this hunt was enormous.

"We're rich, we're rich…"

"With so many good things, how should we divide them?" Ya Si Ke rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Everyone looked at Luo Jue, awaiting his decision.

Luo Jue hummed a few thoughtful sounds and said, "You all risked yourselves for me, helped me slay Ai Rui Ting, gave me a chance to ascend to legendary Mid-stage, and even obtained a wine manor. I won't take part in dividing these items; you may split them evenly."

"You don't need to persuade me; it's decided just like that."

He picked up the blood-colored cloak and laughed, "The most valuable item is this; it's an epic piece of equipment with high‑level magical resistance. Who wants it?"

Yisu immediately shook his head, "I already have a cloak; it's no worse than this."

"This cloak is too flashy, and so red, it doesn't fit my taste; I don't like it," Ya Si Ke said with a smile, "I still prefer the Gold Shield, hehe…"

Mei Li Ge thought for a moment, "It doesn't suit me."

"Lei En, then it can only go to you."

Luo Jue said nothing more and immediately thrust the cloak into his hand, "But once you take this cloak, you can no longer partake in dividing the other spoils."

"Alright, thank you all for yielding."

Lei En gladly accepted, knowing the others were willing to give the cloak to him.

An epic piece of equipment, a rare high‑level magical resistance cloak; if auctioned, it could fetch at least two hundred thousand Gold Shield or more. Taking it himself was a huge bargain.

He indeed wanted it, thinking that if anyone contested, they would be willing to compensate with an equivalent amount of Gold Shield.

Such a result could not be better, and it didn't sour relations.

The group spent a little over an hour tallying the remaining items, estimating their value, then divided them equally among three people.

Ya Si Ke took most of the Gold Shield, nearly one hundred thousand; Mei Li Ge received almost all the alchemy materials and gems—she is an alchemist, so she needed them; the spatial ring went to Yisu, along with several of the most valuable pieces of equipment, totaling roughly one hundred thousand Gold Shield as well.

Everyone got the items they coveted; everyone was delighted.

Afterwards, the five held a small celebration at Mei Li Ge's home, playing cards and drinking until dawn, all becoming thoroughly drunk.

Lei En hadn't been this happy in a long time.

In his previous life he was the type who loved to frolic with friends; rare opportunities for hearty drinking came his way, but because of Truth Willpower, he would never become drunk—after downing several large barrels of fine wine, his mind remained exceptionally clear, with no hint of intoxication.

"So this is what a thousand cups without drunkenness feels like."

Lei En sighed, feeling a slight regret; not getting tipsy from drinking took away some of the fun.

After two days of revelry and satisfying their card cravings, Lei En knew it was time to leave, so he bid farewell to Luo Jue and the others, promising to meet again, and returned to the airship with Yisu.

Looking for a few tickets, any kind will do, all are welcome!

(End of Chapter)