``` [Sudden Mission: (Visitor from Another Realm) A visitor from another realm has arrived in your territory, bringing some minor troubles. Resolve these troubles! (Mission Reward) Random Blue-Quality Power Enhancement Chest *]
Landen stared at the mission speechlessly. He always had the feeling that the Lord System wasn't here to help him, but to cause him trouble.
Under Hogg's guidance, the group circled Withered Wood Lake for a short while. They had barely stopped when Mikhail came over to report, "My lord, that's where I found the scale."
Landen looked at the small grove less than a meter from where he stood and helplessly shrugged. Whatever I don't want to happen always happens.
It wasn't that he was timid. However, even with Hogg, his subordinates still couldn't be considered powerful. That single scale had already indicated that whatever the creature was, it was definitely enormous—and huge creatures were usually quite strong as well.
Moreover, the mission had revealed even more information. Whether this visitor from another realm had come from the Surface World or another plane, it definitely possessed considerable strength. Landen knew very well a common saying: "A fierce dragon never crosses the river without a reason!"
However, not everyone knew as much information as he did, nor were they as cautious.
"No matter what you are, you'll become my mount in the end. Come out and face me!" Hogg stood by the lake with her hands on her hips, shouting at the water with an imposing Aura.
The line was a little childish, but it did carry the bearing of a lord. If only the one shouting it hadn't been a Beast-eared Cutie. As for now...
"Ah, can she be any cuter? I really want to hold her in my arms. I wonder if loyalty and favorability are linked. If I went over right now..." Ever since Hogg had appeared, their lord often found himself zoning out for no reason.
Then, while he was still distracted, he heard a splash.
Landen took a closer look and realized that someone was missing from the lakeside. The Beast-eared Cutie who had just been radiating Aura as she faced the lake had jumped straight into the water.
"Can a Riverclaw Jackalman swim?" Landen froze, then immediately realized that this probably wasn't the time to worry about that. He hurried to the lakeside and shouted, "Hogg, come back! Don't be so reckless! We'll find a way to bring that thing onto shore!"
The only reply was a short string of bubbles rising to the surface.
All Landen could do was watch helplessly as, beneath the surface, a slender yet athletic figure shot forward like a swordfish, disappearing into the depths in the blink of an eye.
"My lord, I went to take a look just now. If I'm not mistaken, it should be some kind of snake creature." The Minotaur Butler returned to Landen's side at that moment, but his report made Landen's heart tighten again.
Could a Beast-eared Cutie who called herself a Riverclaw Jackalman really contend with a giant snake underwater?
He didn't know the answer, and Hogg gave him no chance to find out.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted over the lake. At the same time, a column of water shot high into the air near the center of the lake!
A wave then appeared on the surface, racing toward Landen. A furry canine tail occasionally surfaced within it, revealing the identity of its creator.
Hogg had not gone far when another column of water exploded behind her. Then, following the wave Hogg was riding, the surface churned as if it were boiling. A series of exaggerated splashes formed an even larger wave that relentlessly pursued Hogg from behind. It looked as though ten thousand fish were thrashing beneath the water—or perhaps... some enormous creature!
"What the hell is this?" A bead of cold sweat appeared on Landen's forehead. With a wave of his hand, his subordinates immediately retreated to either side.
Splash!
When Hogg's wave was less than a meter from the shore, her body suddenly sprang lightly into the air, carrying her straight out of the water and toward Landen. He instinctively opened his arms.
The next moment, a soft, fragrant body filled his embrace.
Under normal circumstances, hugging such a cute yet fiery Beast-eared Cutie would have sent blood spurting from their lord's nose. But Landen had no time to savor it now. Borrowing the force of Hogg's impact, he hurriedly retreated. He had taken only a few steps when another deafening explosion erupted over the lake.
A huge spray of water surged onto the shore first. Behind it followed a massive figure nearly a meter tall. Unlike Hogg, it didn't charge forward. Instead, it stopped lightly and gracefully at the edge of the lake.
Then, a seductive voice that seemed capable of stealing anyone's heart rang out. "Little doggy, if you can't give me a satisfactory explanation, Big Sister here might just eat people~"
The spray had blocked Landen's view from the front, but the people on either side had seen everything clearly. Several Dark Elves—and even the Minotaur Butler, who had always believed that only maternal Minotaurs were beautiful—stared in a daze.
No one noticed Aila, huddled at the very edge with her entire body hidden beneath her hooded robe, viciously curl her lips, spit to the side, and mutter, "Shameless."
Then it was Landen's turn.
"Holy shit!" The lord gave the enemy before him a simple evaluation. He then felt heat in his nose, and a red liquid began dripping uncontrollably from his nostrils. Only after that did he finally notice the astonishing sensation coming from his arms. And so...
All right, it had to be said that their lord was still someone who put the bigger picture first. In this situation, he actually released the delicate body in his arms, then darkened his expression and looked seriously at the woman opposite him.
She had elegant brows, a refined nose, and cherry-red lips. Her slightly curled hair rested softly against her nearly perfect body. Under the faint reflections from the lake, her tender, pale skin seemed to glow with a hint of holiness, adding a touch of pure beauty to her already seductive face.
Beneath her long, graceful neck, reminiscent of a swan, were two breathtaking curves. And there was... nothing covering them at all. Only her hair lightly concealed them, leaving every beautiful detail faintly visible between the strands and teasing everyone's heart.
Her flat abdomen bore the legendary single-line abdominal muscles, adorned with a perfectly shaped, alluring navel that looked like a crystal grape. Farther down...
Landen's gaze fell there, and his brows drew tightly together. A snake tail at least a meter long was coiled in layers!
What a huge problem! Landen sighed inwardly in speechless despair. At that moment, Hogg's clear voice rang out.
"You shameless, big-breasted woman! Don't think that being bigger than me makes you stronger. If you've got the guts, put some clothes on and fight me again!"
Pfft!
The poor lord instantly sprayed...
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