Chapter 80: Monarch

Trish looked around, brought him to a corner of the square, and confirmed that no one was eavesdropping, then leaned slightly toward Luo En.

This kind of close posture would definitely not have appeared a few weeks ago, but now it seemed natural.

"I usually don't reveal these things to others."

She said in a low voice, her voice carrying a hint of rare sincerity:

"But considering the... relationship between us as fellow countrymen and collaborators, I think you are qualified to know these."

The brown-haired girl paused, as if weighing her words: "Actually, Liyue comes from the Fire Flow Tribe in the south of the Black Mist Forest. She is one of the few survivors."

Luo En raised his eyebrows. This name seemed a bit familiar: "Fire Flow Tribe? I seem to have seen this name in the school archives."

"Your memory is quite good." Trish nodded approvingly, her fingers tapping on the magic stone bag at her waist:

"That was a resistance tribe personally wiped out by Wizard Corinna about fifteen years ago. It is said that that 'extermination operation' almost left no survivors."

When saying these words, Trish's voice was calm to the point of indifference, as if she were just narrating a piece of irrelevant information.

And Liyue, standing beside her, clearly could understand human language, but she was expressionless, without any emotional reaction.

"At that time, Liyue was just a baby. She has no memory of her hometown and her people."

Trish continued, a flash of almost pitying emotion suddenly appearing in her tone, but it quickly returned to that cold narrative tone:

"The mentor discovered that she had a monarch bloodline, so she brought her back to the school and asked a 'modulator' to transform and train her."

Luo En keenly noticed that when the word "modulator" appeared, Liyue's ears twitched slightly, and a flash of extremely hidden fear quickly passed through her eyes, then returned to calm again.

"Modulation?" He pretended to ask casually: "Is that the kind of wizard technique specifically for transforming bloodlines?"

"Exactly." Trish nodded, her gaze sweeping over Liyue:

"For combat slaves, modulators can strengthen bloodline advantages, suppress unnecessary memories and emotions, and ensure absolute obedience."

Speaking of this, she couldn't help but show a subtle smile:

"After I became a primary apprentice and became a student of Wizard Corinna, she gave Liyue to me as a greeting gift. This can be considered quite an honor in the school. After all, a monarch bloodline leopard woman like Liyue who has undergone complete training is worth at least nearly ten complete magic stones."

Luo En looked at Liyue thoughtfully. Throughout the entire process of Trish narrating the destruction of her tribe, the leopard woman's expression was always as calm as water, as if those dead tribesmen had nothing to do with her.

Her golden eyes were focused and vigilant, but no attachment or hatred for the past could be found in them.

"Really... amazing training results," Luo En evaluated cautiously: "This degree of loyalty to the master is indeed rare."

"This is the rule of the Black Mist Forest." Trish said softly, her tone carrying a hint of rare sentimentality:

"The strong dominate everything, and the weak either submit or perish. So we must improve our strength as soon as possible to stand firm in this cruel world."

Her gaze became sharp again: "Speaking of which, seeing you ask so much, are you also interested in cultivating combat slaves? With your current development speed, you should indeed consider this aspect."

Luo En smiled noncommittally: "Just a bit curious. I see that your cooperation with Liyue is so tacit, so I also want to understand relevant knowledge."

Trish raised an eyebrow, a hint of subtle light flashing in her eyes:

"You are always so cautious, aren't you? Don't worry, I won't go around spreading it."

Her tone suddenly became half-joking. This sense of relaxation was exceptionally rare in her usual cold-faced image.

"This level of combat slave is cultivated by almost every sequence member in the candidate wizard sequence."

Trish continued to explain:

"But most people like types with huge bodies and strong destructive power, such as half-orcs, werewolves, or bear people. Types like Liyue that rely on speed and technique are actually relatively rare."

Speaking of this, she looked up at the sky:

"In fact, the battle between sequence members is also a test of their respective cultivation abilities. My mentor once said that the combat slaves a person cultivates often reflect their own personality and aesthetics."

"How to say, what do you think Cynthia's half-orc reflects about her?" Luo En asked curiously.

"Violence, lack of patience, only valuing superficial strength." Trish sneered:

"She gave that half-orc a berserk crystal, which can significantly increase strength in a short time, but the price is serious life consumption. This is her style—pursuing short-term benefits regardless of the consequences."

Luo En nodded to express his gratitude: "Then, based on your experience, what race choices do you recommend?"

The brown-haired girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, her slender fingers tapping her chin: "For you, a multi-armed snake demon should be a good choice."

Her voice became professional and enthusiastic, clearly rarely having anyone discuss these with her:

"They usually have four to six arms and can hold multiple weapons at the same time, which can not only protect you in close combat but also use long-range weapons like throwing spears and bows to provide support. And their intelligence level is not inferior to humans or even higher, suitable for executing complex

"Multi-armed snake demons?" Roan was immediately interested, his tone carrying unconcealable curiosity: "Are they skilled in swordsmanship?"

"Quite skilled," Trish nodded, confirming his guess:

"Their multi-armed advantage gives them unique conditions for swordsmanship. It is said that in the deeper layers of the Abyss, some pure-blooded snake demons can even wield eight different weapons simultaneously, forming an attack and defense system with almost no blind spots."

Hearing this, he couldn't help but start thinking about his own practice of the Sun Corona Sword Art.

If he could teach this set of sword arts to a multi-armed snake demon, combined with his own spell attacks, his combat power would indeed see a qualitative leap.

Moreover, his basic swordsmanship was already approaching the mastery level; if he could find a suitable practice partner, perhaps his future breakthrough speed could accelerate even further.

As Trish said this, her eyes became deep, her words revealing a hint of probing:

"Of course, the price is also very high. Even for the mixed-bloods with the thinnest bloodlines, it would require at least three or four complete magic stones, and pure-bloods start at twenty complete magic stones. Generally, only official wizards can command pure-blooded snake demons. After all, they come from the lower layers of the Abyss; the difficulty of capturing them is extremely high, and the mortality rate when bringing them back is also high."

Roan secretly calculated his financial resources; although his recent income was good, there was still a large gap to such a high price.

"However, you don't need to be too anxious," Trish seemed to see through his concerns:

"You must first pass the potionist certification, then the qualification for a median apprentice, and only after that do you need to consider matters of the candidate wizard sequence. By then, with the powerful money-making ability of a professional potionist, buying a mixed-blooded snake demon should be more than enough."

The two chatted for a while longer until the crowd around the plaza gradually dispersed, and the brown-haired girl proposed to leave.

Before they parted, he took one more look at the tall, lithe leopard woman.