Kasa's Invitation

Winter had arrived, and the evening's cold wind bit like a knife. Within the withered, yellowed Sunset Forest, William and five other special deacons of the Church of Light killed an adventurer with indifferent expressions.

"These vermin are certainly good at hiding." One special deacon chuckled, his expression so nonchalant it was as if he hadn't just killed a man, but merely crushed a mouse.

"Has any news come from outside?" William asked the other five special deacons.

"My lord, everything is normal outside. We have confirmed the identities of the few adventurers who escaped from Sunset Forest, and none of them are Xiao Yan." The five replied respectfully.

"Hmm." William nodded indifferently, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked toward the direction outside the Sunset Forest. "It seems Xiao Yan is likely not in the Sunset Forest. Is there any news from headquarters?"

"None received for the time being."

"Where exactly is he hiding?" As William pondered, a figure clad in standard knight's armor approached the six of them rapidly.

"My lord, a message from headquarters." The knight shouted from a distance, holding a letter in his hand.

"The Zhongyuan Empire has reacted and begun pressuring the Church. The Pope orders you all to retreat, and our people in the surrounding towns must also withdraw."

"Retreat!"

The sound of hooves was constant, leaving only a trail of dust on the main road. William and his group moved with great speed, disappearing from the Sunset Forest in the blink of an eye and passing through Panshi Town.

On the central thoroughfare of Panshi Town, William and the five special deacons took the lead, rushing through the town at high speed. On both sides of the road, pedestrians scrambled to get out of the way, terrified of being too slow.

As they left Panshi Town, William brushed past a one-armed youth.

"Just a small fry."

"Accompany you to a party?"

Lynn looked at Kasa, his expression somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected Kasa, who hadn't come to see him for a month, to show up today just to ask him to accompany him to a party.

"Hehe, Boss, this one is different from the ones we've attended before. I'll tell you in secret..." As he finished, Kasa lowered his voice and leaned toward Lynn, seemingly terrified of being overheard by others.

"This time... it's a gathering for the descendants of Saint-level experts!"

After Kasa finished speaking, he raised his head with a face full of pride. That smug little expression seemed to be saying to Lynn, "I'm even bringing you along for this, aren't I a good friend? Aren't you going to praise me?"

Looking at Kasa's little expression, Lynn found it amusing while a warmth welled up in his heart.

Kasa truly treated Lynn as a brother.

Lynn was different from Lin Lei. Lin Lei's three roommates at the Ernst Institute and Lynn's three roommates at the Imperial Capital Magic Academy were not even on the same level when it came to dealing with real trouble.

Lin Lei's were brothers in name and brothers in reality.

As for Lynn... aside from the simple-minded Taylor, Leiluo, and Gates, who were brothers in name, when real trouble struck and you relied on that "brotherhood," those noble scions would show you exactly what reality meant!

"A gathering of Saint-level descendants—is it appropriate for me to go?" After thinking it over carefully, Lynn ultimately shook his head in refusal.

Seeing this, Kasa's expression grew anxious. "Who would dare say anything if you're Kasa's boss?"

"Besides, with your talent, Boss, aren't you much better than those trash who only rely on their families!"

"Fine." Seeing Kasa's sincere expression and genuine invitation, Lynn didn't refuse further.

It's also a good chance to scout out the recent movements of the Church of Light and avoid any unnecessary danger, Lynn thought to himself.

In the evening, at Blue Sky Cloud, the largest entertainment venue in the capital of the Roland Empire.

Pushing open the doors to the high-end private room, Cuilou Yunyu Pavilion, Kasa and Lynn, both dressed in formal attire, walked inside.

"So big, so many people!" This was Lynn's first impression upon entering.

As the largest entertainment venue in the capital of the Roland Empire, Blue Sky Cloud was decorated with opulence and possessed an incredibly grand space.

As a high-end private room within Blue Sky Cloud, Cuilou Yunyu Pavilion spanned over a thousand square meters. Its interior decor was antique and refined; stone carvings could be seen everywhere, the skins of high-level magical beasts hung on the walls, and in the very center of the room, a seventh-rank magic core hung in the air, acting as a lightbulb and emitting a faint white glow.

If this magic core were placed outside the Sunset Forest, it would be enough to trigger a bloodbath, with hundreds of people losing their lives over it. Yet here... it is displayed so openly.

With his clone Xiao Yan, Lynn was not short on seventh or eighth-rank magic cores, but seeing this scene, he still felt a sense of astonishment in his heart.

Seeming to notice Lynn's surprise, Kasa whispered from the side: "Blue Sky Cloud is an industry of the Zorn family. The ancestor of the Zorn family is a Saint-level expert who has lived for thousands of years. With his immense strength, let alone a seventh-rank magic core, even if they displayed a ninth-rank magic core, no one would dare to rob it out of respect for the old man!"

As he spoke, Kasa lowered his voice. "And... the one hosting this gathering is Clive Zorn of the Zorn family. Since it's his own family's business, for him, choosing any level of private room is just a matter of a single word. It doesn't cost much, and he can still make the party look impressive!"

"That is quite impressive." Lynn sighed in his heart.

When all was said and done, the Coiling Dragon world was still one where strength was supreme. In the original story, Saint-level experts seemed unremarkable, but only after truly transmigrating did he realize that each of them was a terrifying existence capable of easily dominating the lives of tens of millions.

These Saint-level experts and those nobles might both appear to be powerful, but there was a world of difference between them.

The Blue Sky Cloud before him was the best example. If the power behind it wasn't the Zorn family but an ordinary high noble—even an Imperial Duke—if you dared to hang a seventh-rank magic core in a private room today, you wouldn't even need to wait until the next day; thieves would have it stolen that very night.

But for a Saint-level family, as Kasa said, let alone hanging a seventh-rank magic core, even a ninth-rank one would be safe from anyone daring to reach for it.

Fists being greater than authority was the essence of the Coiling Dragon world.

Individual might reigned supreme over everything; the strong were simply able to dominate the weak.

The arrival of Lynn and Kasa only attracted the attention of a small number of people.

A young man wearing golden robes with his hair combed meticulously walked over slowly. He first cupped his hands toward Kasa, then looked at Lynn with a puzzled expression.

"Kasa, long time no see. I wonder who this brother is?"

"My boss, Lynn!" Kasa said boisterously, then turned to introduce the young man to Lynn. "Boss, this is the Clive I mentioned to you!"

Hearing Kasa's introduction, Clive looked at Lynn with surprise.

Long ago, Clive had heard that Kasa, the genius of the Rivas family, had taken a commoner genius as his boss. He had assumed it was just hearsay, but seeing it today, it was actually true.

"So it is Brother Lynn, long admired, long admired." Clive raised his hand politely. On the surface, he was incredibly enthusiastic, but deep down, he didn't care much for Lynn at all. This Kasa... he really took a commoner kid as his boss. It really lowers the face of our Saint-level families. How foolish!