Heart of Blazing Flames

After drawing up an initial cooperation plan with everyone and agreeing to discuss the details formally tomorrow,

Li Li saw off the uninvited guests and began handling his own affairs.

The Magical Girl who had slid through the door and dropped to her knees before him was, like Aer, a "special unit" who believed in him.

No matter what order Li Li gave, she was incapable of refusing it.

However, the five Gold Rank knights who had followed her were not as easy to push around as their saintess.

Though they also believed in the Creator God, they were not devout enough to lose themselves completely. When facing Li Li, they could still think normally and would not blindly carry out his commands.

Precisely because they were thinking clearly, even if they did not show it openly, they were still subconsciously evaluating whether Li Li truly was the Creator God described in their doctrine.

After all, the Salvation Army, founded upon faith in the Creator God, was an intensely fanatical religious organization. Its attitude toward and definition of "gods" differed entirely from that of the Thirteen City Alliance, which regarded gods as "extraordinary individuals."

Representatives of the Alliance's major factions had naturally accepted the objective fact that Li Li was a "deity."

Meanwhile, the Salvation Army's knights appeared reserved and at a loss when faced with Li Li, who was so mild-mannered as to seem almost ordinary.

Li Li brought them into the small room behind the warehouse, had Aer block the players who wanted to follow, and held a preliminary discussion with them.

The leading blonde Magical Girl's face was flushed, and she was too excited to speak at all.

Helpless, the oldest middle-aged knight among them had to speak on her behalf and explain their village's situation.

They were descendants of the Salvation Army.

As one of the Salvation Army's guides, Despair Saintess - Aperia had been corrupted. She could only seal herself within the crystalline Heart of Blazing Flames, using constant burning pain to slow the spread of the corruption.

Their ancestors had voluntarily remained at the saintess's side, guarding Aperia, who was sealed within the crystal, generation after generation.

The natives of this world were not like players, who could obtain a map of the entire world with a few clicks of a mouse.

To them, the wilderness was an abyss of silence and death.

An inconspicuous patch of dense forest might be the hunting ground of a Legendary Rank monster, while a tiny snake no larger than a palm might possess venom strong enough to kill someone at Gold Rank.

Every step they took into the outside world involved enormous risks, yet rarely brought any visible reward.

After finding a stable place to settle, most people no longer wished to explore beyond it. These knights, who had guarded Aperia generation after generation, had thus lived in Crystal Seal Village for centuries.

After recounting their experiences, the leading middle-aged knight knelt on one knee and, unsurprisingly, asked Li Li to save Aperia.

Li Li did not respond immediately.

He first used the map he had obtained from the players to confirm the distance between this place and Crystal Seal Village, and immediately gained a newfound respect for Lost a Leg.

The straight-line distance was nearly six hundred kilometers. The route crossed difficult terrain such as dense forests, lakes, and cliffs, while also requiring them to avoid the threat zones of various monsters...

Although players' bodies did not need food, a level-one character had reached the outskirts of Crystal Seal Village in only three days. That guy's abilities were clearly not to be underestimated.

He decided that later, under the pretext of completing a "hidden quest," he would reward the guy with a large amount of Experience Points and first raise this rare talent to level thirty.

After considering it for a while, Li Li pondered before speaking to Aperria:

"I already understand your situation. As long as Aperia has not been completely corrupted, I am confident that I can save her from the corruption. But the prerequisite is that you can bring her to me in Iron Wall City."

"So, you have two things to do next. First, determine how long Aperia can endure after leaving the Heart of Blazing Flames. Second, determine how long it will take to travel from Crystal Seal Village to here while carrying Aperia."

"Supreme Lord, your radiance shines upon me, and your wisdom guides me." Aperria ignored everything else, knelt on the ground, and pressed her head to Li Li's toes as she said devoutly, "Your most humble servant swears here that your will shall be carried out. I will fulfill your divine decree with my life."

Li Li: "..."

Back when Li Li was human, if such a beautiful blonde girl in knight's armor had knelt at his feet, he would definitely have felt secretly pleased.

But now, he only found it troublesome.

Li Li realized that he seemed to have lost some of the desires that belonged to humans.

Take Aer, for instance. He had lived with this beautiful girl who obeyed his every word for so long. Logically speaking, Li Li felt there was no reason for him not to do something with Aer.

He was no saint.

Yet he had truly done nothing.

For all these days, whenever he was hungry, he boiled a kettle of water and ate instant noodles. Whenever he was tired, he slept on the folding bed in the small room behind the warehouse. Though he had earned more than a hundred thousand Alliance Coins by helping players upgrade their skills, he had not used any of it to improve his life. Instead, he had spent it all on construction materials for the camp.

Li Li did not consider himself a disciplined person before transmigrating. He had simply lost his sexual desire and material desires.

"I hope that when you speak with me in the future, you won't be so servile. Praise me less as well, and be as... efficient as possible."

Li Li helped the female knight prostrating herself on the ground to her feet, then closed his eyes and checked the locations of the players who were still online.

It was now late at night on Blue Star. The only players still "online" were Level 8 Great Gale and the other three, who had been stopped by soldiers at the city gate and were wracking their brains over how to get inside.

"You and Aer should go to the gate checkpoint. There are four Otherworlders there. Find one of them to serve as your guide back to the village... Forget it. Set out tomorrow night instead. I'll arrange other guides for you then."

Li Li opened his eyes and granted his authority to Unsealing Saintess Aperia, allowing this female knight, who was only at Gold Rank, to gain the ability to level up and advance players.

He had developed a strong interest in Despair Saintess - Aperia, who was at the demigod rank, as well as the crystalline Heart of Blazing Flames that could isolate corruption.

Li Li planned to have the players determine the fastest route, then have Aer carry the crystal sealing Aperia and bring back both things that interested him.

Before that, however, he still had to keep Aer by his side until tomorrow's meeting was over.

After offering the knights a few more reassuring words, Li Li ended tonight's discussion.

Though his warehouse was quite empty, he could hardly make the knights, who had traveled such a long way, sleep on the stone brick floor covered with delivery boxes.

Li Li found the two treants rooted at the warehouse entrance and asked the Gaudeliv Gang to arrange accommodations for everyone.

There was still some time before dawn. Li Li took out a mirror and posted an official event announcement on his forum.

Qualifications Galore! Post an action-packed combat video from "Despair Expedition OL" for a chance to win a closed beta qualification for "Glory Expedition OL"!

Event Rules: Possessing strength is reason enough to join the expedition! Post your combat video in the "Speak Freely" section for a chance to win one of fifty slots in the third round of open beta. Everyone, join in!