Chapter 258: 264. Chapter 264: Where Did You Go Wrong?

264. Chapter 264: Where Did You Go Wrong?

"Nonsense."

Lin Ke's expression didn't change, and he replied directly, "Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors."

If he didn't do it, he didn't do it.

He had plenty of confidence and wasn't feeling guilty at all.

If he had used the Dream Stealing Witchcraft back then and some accident had occurred, he wouldn't dare to respond head-on.

"Hehehe..."

Molly sneered.

But in her heart, she believed Lin Ke's words.

She had actually always known that Lin Ke's heart was relatively hard to warm up and that there were no romantic feelings between Lin Ke and Iris.

But between men and women, after spending a long time together, even if there wasn't any before, there would be.

It was hard to say.

Therefore, regardless of the reason, Molly had to express her presence.

The two hadn't reached the point of knowing each other's roots, but they had also developed an unusual tacit understanding.

After two brief sentences of conversation, they suddenly stopped talking and just stared at each other in silence.

In the end, it was Molly who broke the silence first, ending the standoff, and asked with concern: "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, I'm doing great."

Lin Ke also cooperated, stood up, stretched his hands out to both sides, and spun around in front of the screen.

Letting Molly see more clearly, so as to further confirm his physical state and dispel her worries.

Afterward, Lin Ke asked: "How about you? How have you been lately? What were your gains in the cultivation secret realm?"

Hearing this, Molly immediately fell into silence.

Those pains she had suffered in the cultivation secret realm, when recalled inadvertently, still throbbed faintly.

The silkworm baby chirped a few times, apologizing to Molly.

"It's none of your business."

Molly raised her hand to take down the silkworm baby, stroked it gently a few times, and comforted it softly.

After the silkworm baby no longer felt guilty and relaxed, Molly took the silkworm baby back into her sea of consciousness.

"This is?"

Lin Ke witnessed this scene from beginning to end and felt curious.

Before he sent Molly into the cultivation secret realm, he hadn't heard Molly mention any intention of keeping a pet.

"I'll tell you when you get back."

Molly didn't answer Lin Ke's question directly.

Even though this cross-boundary communication was encrypted, who could guarantee that it wouldn't be eavesdropped on?

The "God-Eater Insect" cub, the silkworm baby, was not yet suitable for excessive exposure.

As a trump card, the effect would be better.

"Hmm."

Lin Ke agreed, pondered for a while, and made a promise, "As soon as the portal is built, I'll go back."

"No need to rush; I'm not in a hurry."

Molly said so, and the expression on her face was also very calm, as if she really wasn't in a hurry at all.

It was just that the pair of small hands she had hidden behind her back at some unknown time were already twisted into a ball.

No matter who it was, after suffering painful torture, hearing suddenly that their lover had "eloped" with another woman, their mood couldn't possibly be calm.

Especially since they had encountered an extremely fatal crisis during the "elopement."

For this month or so, even if Molly hadn't been crying her eyes out, she had lived in fear and anxiety.

If it hadn't been for the precognition trait shared with her by the "God-Eater Insect" cub, which gave Molly the intuition that Lin Ke was still alive in the world.

Molly might have collapsed long ago.

Now that he was out of danger and completely safe, that was enough.

Zzzzt, zzzzt.

The encrypted cross-boundary communicator suddenly made static noise.

Without a portal as a relay, just relying on the emergency contact channel, the quality of cross-boundary contact was very worrying.

"Let's leave it at that; we'll talk when you get back."

Molly was understanding and very considerate, taking the initiative to hang up the communication.

Lin Ke let out a sigh and put away the communicator.

Then, facing Flandre—who had appeared automatically long ago, hands on her hips, urging Lin Ke to contact her like a supervisor—he said: "Satisfied now?"

"Hmph."

Flandre didn't answer directly, just raised her chin.

Afterward, without waiting for Lin Ke to act, she returned to the "Small World" that had already stabilized.

The task of post-disaster reconstruction was very heavy; Lin Ke, the World Lord, only knew how to sit back and enjoy the fruits, so Flandre, the "World Spirit," had to work a little harder.

Just as Lin Ke was sighing that it was finally quiet, a guest arrived.

"Please come in."

He came to the reception area, welcomed Paro Sage in, and the two sat opposite each other.

A moment later, Paro Sage said: "The portal will be built tomorrow; when are you returning to the native world?"

"Then tomorrow."

Lin Ke immediately understood and knew that Paro Sage had something he needed him to do.

"Hmm."

Paro Sage just nodded, not continuing to speak.

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

Lin Ke immediately took the initiative to ask, offering a step down.

"Hmm."

Paro Sage nodded again, hesitated for a while, took a small box out of his bosom, and placed it on the table, "Help me give this box to Celine."

The box was long and strip-shaped, about the size of a gift box for a fountain pen.

Under perception, it didn't look like a space storage wizard artifact either.

The things inside wouldn't be big.

"No problem, it will definitely be delivered."

Lin Ke immediately put away the long box, made a promise, and asked again, "Is there anything you need me to convey on your behalf?"

He could tell that something must have happened between Paro Sage and Wizard Celine.

Leading to Paro Sage's current, relatively conflicted performance.

"Hmm..."

Paro Sage pondered for a while, suddenly waved his hand to set up an anti-eavesdropping wizardry, and then asked seriously, "If a man, out of safety considerations, has never responded head-on to a woman. Suddenly one day, this woman, for some unknown reason, makes a complete cut-off with this man in terms of connections, resources, and industries. She still accepts the man's communication requests but is no longer as warm as before. What is this situation?"

After hearing this, Lin Ke bit his lower lip tightly, fully operating his "Brain Seal Technique" to control his emotions.

He was not a professional psychological counselor; if he didn't do this, he would definitely burst out laughing.

Hearing Paro Sage say this, how could he not know what had happened?

He also didn't know why Paro Sage would think of consulting his opinion.

Did he look like a relationship expert?

Lin Ke didn't give advice directly but asked: "What exactly are Paro Sage's feelings for Wizard Celine?"

"I'm not saying it's me and Celine."

Paro Sage subconsciously denied it and emphasized, "This man, to tell the truth, loves this woman very much. But reality doesn't allow the man and the woman to be together for a long time; otherwise, the probability of both of them having an accident is very high."

"I see."

Lin Ke thought carefully and said, "Perhaps Paro Sage should ask Wizard Celine what she wants, instead of thinking that the decision he made is the best for Wizard Celine. Many times, women are willing to accompany men through hardships and are not afraid of danger. What they think about more is that since they love, they should be together forever."

"Is that so?"

Paro Sage was thoughtful and then emphasized, "I'm not saying it's me and Celine!"

Lin Ke bit his lower lip tightly again.

This opportunity wouldn't come again.

Next time he wanted to see Paro Sage so flustered and indecisive, he probably wouldn't have the chance.

Adjusting his mindset, Paro Sage switched topics and asked: "What are your plans after returning to the native world? After the space-time turbulence and the opening of the portal, you and Iris are now people of heated discussion throughout the Wizard World. After going back, you still need to keep a low profile to avoid accidents."

Lin Ke answered his plans frankly: "I plan to go to the Academy Headquarters for advanced studies for two years."

"Advanced studies? That's a good choice."

Paro Sage strongly agreed with Lin Ke's plan.

The Academy Headquarters had two Great Sages, four Level 6 Great Sages, and six Sage Legions stationed there; it was the safest place within the many spheres of influence of the entire Rivose Academy.

Let alone Level 8 Great Sage Michelle, even Level 9 Great Sage Tudor, if he wanted to conquer the Academy Headquarters, wouldn't be able to do it in a short while.

Without ten or eight years, he probably wouldn't even be able to break through the interstellar defense line.

After agreeing, the clearly distracted Paro Sage reacted: "You promoted to a Level 2 Wizard?"

"Hmm."

Lin Ke took the initiative to release the mental power pressure belonging to a Level 2 Wizard. The "Small World" underwent lightning strikes, completed its fourth evolution, helped Lin Ke complete mental power liquefaction, and also gave Lin Ke another feedback, allowing him to better control his mental power.

Therefore, after Paro Sage entered the tent, he didn't discover the mental power fluctuations that would inevitably appear in a newly promoted wizard.

Only until Lin Ke took the initiative to reveal it did he know that Lin Ke had already promoted to a Level 2 Wizard.

"So fast? It's only been a few years?"

Regarding Lin Ke's promotion, Paro Sage felt somewhat unbelievable.

Four years, less than five years, to go from an ignorant mortal to a Level 2 Wizard.

And it was that kind of Level 2 Wizard with off-the-charts combat power, who could perhaps face a Level 3 Wizard head-on!

It was simply outrageous.

Recalling himself, who was also hailed as a super genius, he had spent nearly eight years to walk this path.

Sure enough, it was a great change not seen in thousands of years; promotion at all levels was not as difficult as before.

Paro Sage suddenly stared fixedly at Lin Ke's eyes and instructed seriously: "After going back, don't do anything else; go directly to Dean Forrest. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

Lin Ke promised solemnly, "After going back, I will go directly to Dean Forrest."

"Hmm."

Paro Sage got up and walked out, "I will say hello to the Dean in advance."

Getting up and walking to the tent flap, watching Paro Sage leave, Lin Ke sat back on the mat and began to ponder.

Clearly, Paro Sage had thought of something, which was why he instructed him to find Dean Forrest as soon as he went back.

This was because he was worried that after the news of his promotion to a Level 2 Wizard was exposed, some people or some forces would disregard their faces and forcibly abduct Lin Ke.

And then, seize the initiative in the matter of the parallel universe portal.

"The tree wants to be quiet, but the wind won't stop."

Lin Ke sighed, he just wanted to develop in peace; why was it so difficult?

A day passed in a flash.

The portal was built.

The first batch to pass through the portal, relaying through the rear camp in the Barren World and returning to the Wizard World native world, were the wounded and the corpses of the fallen from the Paro Sage Legion.

In the battle with the Abyssal Demon army, the Paro Sage Legion's servant soldiers and fairy troops suffered heavy casualties, almost to the point of being crippled.

The servant soldiers were no longer usable and were repatriated to their respective worlds; the fairy troops were disbanded on the spot after receiving their rewards.

On the wizard side, 13 Level 1 Wizards unfortunately perished.

This was after the campaign entered the strangulation stage, when an interstellar warship with a capacity limit of 15 people had its engine broken by a Level 4 Shadow Demon with a shadow blade that could cut space, losing power.

It was then swarmed by countless medium and low-level demons and completely destroyed.

The legion's rescue arrived late, only saving the captain and first officer, two Level 2 Wizards, and then collecting the bodies of the 13 Level 1 Wizards.

This was the only permanent reduction in personnel since the Paro Sage Legion set out, and also the largest reduction.

13 Level 1 Wizards traded for one Level 6 Rock Demon, one Level 5 Flame Demon, one Level 5 Shadow Demon, and millions of medium and low-level Abyssal Demons; this combat loss ratio and this result could not be described as anything but astonishing.

However, the magic stones and supplies consumed by the Paro Sage Legion were also countless, directly emptying Paro Sage's decades of accumulation.

The second batch to pass through the portal were Lin Ke, Asande, and Renee Clarke.

"Goodbye."

At the cross-boundary portal, Lin Ke said goodbye to Asande and Renee, drove a spare vehicle of the 1st Ring level, and headed toward the lakeside villa.

This time, Lin Ke notified Molly in advance.

He didn't want to be bitten again.

Although it didn't hurt.

But Lin Ke didn't have a masochistic habit.

"Back?"

"Back!"

Returning to the villa, getting out of the car, followed by two extremely plain lines of dialogue.

"Drink some tea, eat some snacks."

Molly turned and walked toward the dining room, saying as she walked, "I made them myself; I hope they aren't hard to eat."

"Is that so? Then I must have a good taste."

Lin Ke's eyes lit up, looking very expectant.

On the dining table, tableware and tea snacks had already been carefully arranged.

"Sit."

Molly took the initiative to pull out a chair for Lin Ke, very thoughtful and very virtuous.

"So polite?"

Lin Ke was flattered, his heart suddenly suspended, and he sat on the chair "trembling with fear."

"Start eating, taste my craftsmanship."

Molly sat opposite Lin Ke, spread the napkin, said a word, and ate her own share of tea snacks by herself.

"Hmm..."

Lin Ke glanced at the two different tea snacks in front of him that the butler Hamid had uncovered, speechless in his heart.

The tea snack on the left was Black Sugar Deer Ball Milk Tea, and the snacks were puffs and tiramisu;

The tea snack on the right was green tea, and the snack was a stuffed tangyuan.

The tea snack combination on the left was Iris's favorite.

The tea snack combination on the right, the tea was Lin Ke's favorite, and the snack had another meaning.

Lin Ke once joked to Molly that she was like this tangyuan, smooth and pure on the outside, but black and shiny on the inside after being bitten open.

Obviously, was this eating tea snacks?

This damn thing was eating a Hongmen Banquet!

If Lin Ke chose the tea snack combination on the left, would he be stabbed today?

Women who act spoiled are indeed self-taught, and their level is terrifyingly high.

Lin Ke glanced at the tea snacks on the left and complained feignedly: "Why did you prepare such sweet and greasy tea snacks for me? You know I've never liked these."

As he spoke, Lin Ke picked up the green tea, took a sip, and ate a hot tangyuan: "These are still the ones that best suit my heart."

His survival instinct was fully maxed out.

"Is that so?"

Molly had a smile on the corner of her mouth and asked with interest, "I thought you were tired of eating them and wanted to change your taste. Or..."

She deliberately dragged out her tone and said sarcastically: "Or you wanted to eat both and change back and forth. Tired of one taste, change to another, taking turns. When you're tired of both, find a new taste to eat. Men, they're all like this, fickle! It's very normal, no need to cover it up, I can accept it."

"How could that be."

Lin Ke emphasized righteously, "I don't forget my original intention and always stick to my preferences."

"Hmph."

Molly smiled and sneered, "I'll let you pass."

Waving her hand to signal Hamid to remove the Black Sugar Deer Ball Milk Tea, puffs, and tiramisu, Molly chose to let Lin Ke off.

This made Lin Ke let out a sigh of relief.

Finally made it through; it was more tiring than having a fight.

Molly then launched a surprise attack, saying out of the blue: "I've promoted to a Level 2 Wizard, and there is one thing I need you to help me do together."

Hearing this, Lin Ke wasn't pleasantly surprised; instead, his brows furrowed tightly: "What happened?"

Molly summoned the "God-Eater Insect" cub and pointed at the silkworm baby, which was as smooth and clean as white jade: "This is my companion spirit beast, the 'God-Eater Insect,' the natural enemy of the gods in the God World, a species created by the royal family of the former Zerg World."

Pausing, Molly said: "The 'Bone-Chattering Insect' is the 'God-Eater Insect' after degradation."

"Is that so?"

Lin Ke was thoughtful and then asked, "How do you know these things?"

Wizard Celine, as the owner of the "Bone-Chattering Insect," obviously didn't know this point.

Otherwise, she would never have used the "Bone-Chattering Insect" as a foundation to develop that scheme to improve wizard aptitude.

Molly, on the other hand, was clear about these things, obviously something Lin Ke didn't know had happened.

Only hearing Molly say gloomily: "Fortunately, you sent me to the cultivation secret realm; otherwise, I wouldn't even know how I died."

If she hadn't entered the cultivation secret realm, the "God-Eater Insect" indeed wouldn't have hatched so early.

But there would always be a day when it absorbed enough magic power and was born.

At that time, there wouldn't be a top-tier Level 6 Great Sage sitting and waiting for death, who liked to find fun, to help.

Lin Ke instantly recalled the unknown help he had received in the cultivation secret realm.

His mood instantly became incomparably complicated.

After so many things, Lin Ke had already understood a truth.

Although the Wizard World didn't believe in fate, fate truly existed.

To gain, one must pay.

Both he and Molly had accepted help from unknown high-level existences; later, at some point, they would have to pay back the equivalent "remuneration" or pay the equivalent "price."

All the gifts gifted by fate had already been secretly marked with a price.

He only hoped that this price wouldn't be outrageously high.

Otherwise... ===== CHAPTER 259 =====