Goliya Reappears

Kevin neither confirmed nor denied it.

Bai Xiaowen continued his analysis:

"When we were in the lord's hall, I noticed it. When I took out the Soul Stone, your breathing rate slowed by fifty percent—obviously, you were agitated at the time. You took two deep breaths to steady your heartbeat."

"So when you appraised the Soul Stone, I guarded against you swapping it out and insisted on keeping it in my own hands. I only handed it over for unsealing after you publicly announced whether it was genuine."

"Later, after unsealing the Soul Stone, you even kindly instructed me on how to charge it. At first, I thought you were sending me to the Frozen Ancient Tomb because you had some task for me, but you said you didn't. That gave me over a ninety percent certainty that you were after my Soul Stone. You deliberately sent me away from Spiked Helm City to such a desolate, remote place so you could rob me more easily!"

There was another point as well. Bai Xiaowen's class advancement quest was S- Tier; how could it possibly be so easy? Kevin's Greed was surely one of the obstacles in the advancement quest. Naturally, that was "outside information," so Bai Xiaowen would not mention it.

Kevin took a breath, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Excellent analysis. Your powers of observation are keen too. I underestimated your intelligence, Dio Skalboom. But I'm curious—if you knew this was a trap, why did you still charge right into it?"

Bai Xiaowen curled his lips subtly.

"Master Kevin, you were able to pinpoint my exact location because you tampered with the Soul Stone, correct?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

Kevin nodded slightly. "An Arcane Beacon. A very simple little spell."

"Since you can locate the Soul Stone, did it ever occur to you that someone else can do the same?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

Kevin frowned. "You mean... North County Monastery?"

Bai Xiaowen nodded.

In truth, Bai Xiaowen had guessed long ago that North County Monastery could locate the Soul Stone.

As the former chief royal alchemist, Farga's disguise skills certainly could not have been poor. So why had he been hunted into hiding everywhere, constantly relocating? Why, even after reaching Earth, had Royal Knight Golia still been able to cross worlds in pursuit and accurately locate the Plague Rat Burrow despite being unfamiliar with the place?

Luck clearly could not explain that.

Bai Xiaowen had deliberately lingered in Spiked Helm City for three days. Only after the battle nuns were in position had he set out for the Frozen Ancient Tomb, all to lure them over.

Of course, his purpose in luring them here was not to kill the nuns, but to create more witnesses.

As long as those nuns were witnesses, Kevin would not dare lay a hand on Bai Xiaowen. As members of an opposing faction, the nuns obviously would not help Kevin cover it up. On the contrary, they would be delighted to see this powerful chief mage held accountable by the Resistance Army and ultimately driven from its ranks in disgrace.

"Master Kevin, the coming battle may be dangerous," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "You'll certainly be fine against those nuns, but with this frail body of mine, I'm afraid I couldn't even take one of their attacks. If I die, you'll lose the ability to cast spells..."

"I don't need you to remind me." Kevin's expression was grim.

"I'm only making a suggestion," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "Look, the Soul Stone is fully charged too. Shouldn't you return it to me? If I absorb the Soul Stone's power, my strength will increase considerably. At the very least, I'll have a better chance of staying alive."

"So that was your real purpose." Kevin snorted. He finally understood why Bai Xiaowen had lured monsters around everywhere and deliberately headed deeper into the cemetery. He had been forcing Kevin to act, slaughtering high-level undead monsters to replenish the Soul Stone with high-quality soul energy!

At that thought, Kevin was startled. If all of this had been planned in advance, Bai Xiaowen was far too calculating.

But after the shock came anger.

Kevin said coldly, "Put away your suggestion. I have a better method... kill every last person in the way! Do those bitches from North County Monastery think they can obstruct my plans? Dio Skalboom, you're too naive!"

The nuns of North County Monastery advanced quickly. Blazing holy light and booming explosions gradually drew nearer.

Kevin and Bai Xiaowen climbed atop a towering mausoleum and hid behind a huge gravestone. From that angle, they could already see five cloaked figures.

Hiding behind Kevin, Bai Xiaowen whispered, "Master Kevin, one last question—how does your strength compare to that of the commander of the Empire Glory Knights?"

"What?" Kevin's heart jolted.

The foremost of the five cloaked figures slowly pulled back her hood, revealing luxurious dark-blue armor and a golden cape. The deliberately restrained glow of her equipment radiated outward, while a powerful aura surged with every breath.

The commander of the Lionheart Empire Glory Knights, Royal Knight Golia!

"We're very close. I can sense the Blur coordinates of the Evil Soulstone!" Goliya said. "Keep advancing!"

"Those damn rebels have no reverence for the light. They must have come here to charge that evil Soul Stone!" one nun snapped. "The light shall purify the fallen!"

Hidden behind the gravestone, Kevin had clearly recognized Goliya. His expression darkened further as he gritted his teeth. "Damn it, how did you know Goliya was hiding among those bitches?"

Bai Xiaowen whispered, "Master Kevin, have you forgotten? You told me yourself that Farga had already been escorted back to his homeland. Goliya was responsible for the Soul Stone mission. Once she heard news of the Soul Stone, she would definitely come."

Bai Xiaowen had originally been ninety percent certain, but after activating Insight, he had directly detected Goliya's name.

If he had only been facing a few battle nuns, Kevin was confident he could kill them all. But with Goliya added to the equation, everything changed.

Goliya was the formidable figure who had forced Farga into hiding everywhere, even driving him to flee to Earth! Even after Farga absorbed the Soul Stone's energy and greatly increased his strength, he had merely lasted a few more exchanges against Goliya.

Fortunately, Bai Xiaowen's appearance had changed completely. He was no longer Bai Xiaowen, the student from Earth, but Dio Skalboom, a handsome Northern European man. Goliya certainly would not recognize him.

Kevin felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Did he really have to return the Soul Stone?

Thick unwillingness filled the air. Kevin snorted. "I'm in the shadows, while they're in the open. How will we know unless we try?"