Shay, Thomas, and the other four exchanged glances.
'Whoosh!'
Three Crimson Longsword suddenly materialized and were simultaneously pressed against Dane's neck.
Dane:...
His mind, clouded by love, instantly regained its composure.
Sersi stood frozen in place, her hands enveloped in golden Cosmic Energy.
"You... you all..."
Her delicate body trembled, her face filled with disbelief.
Shay chuckled wickedly, "Ms. Sersi, our Red Order has a rule: we never accept threats."
"If you don't want your lovely boyfriend to lose his head, then surrender and come with us obediently."
Sersi looked at her boyfriend's trembling body, glared fiercely at Shay, and immediately dispelled the Cosmic Energy in her hands.
"OK! You win!"
She raised her hands, unwilling to give up, and said, "I'll go with you!"
Shay nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it!"
He dispelled the Crimson Longsword and sidestepped to draw it away.
"Ms. Sersi, please."
Sersi took a deep breath and walked towards the Spatial Portal in the center of the living room.
Shay followed her into the room.
Thomas and his three companions escorted Dane at the back of the procession.
Chicago United States.
A middle-class community.
The burly Phastos, carrying a large platter of dinner, turned and shouted upstairs, "Ben, Jack, dinner's ready!"
A little boy's voice rang out from upstairs. "Coming! Coming!"
'Ta-da!'
A sound of running footsteps rang out, and a six- or seven-year-old Black child came running down the stairs.
The adult white male followed closely behind him, repeatedly warning, "Hey, slow down, Jack! Watch out for a fall!"
The little boy, Jack, ran all the way to the dining table.
He nimbly climbed onto the stool and picked up the knife and fork from the plate.
But when his gaze fell on the dinner on the table, his happy little face immediately fell.
"Oh no! Phastos! It's beef stew with carrots again!"
Phastos untied his apron and casually draped it over the back of the chair.
He pulled out a chair, sat down, clapped his hands, and laughed, "Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body, effectively protecting eyesight and preventing night blindness."
As he spoke, he pushed up his glasses and said, "You don't want to wear these to school and be laughed at by your classmates for being a 'four-eyes,' do you?"
"Emmm~" Little Jack hesitated.
Seeing that his attitude was beginning to relax, Phastos picked up a spoon and scooped a full spoonful of beef stew with carrots onto his plate.
"Eating more carrots also has another benefit: it can boost immunity and reduce the frequency of colds."
" Jack, you had to have IV fluids for a whole week last month because of a cold."
"You don't want to catch another cold and have to go to the community hospital for a week of IV drips, do you?"
"Aunt Susan from the community hospital mentioned that a new batch of intern nurses just arrived this month!"
Little Jack remembered how the pretty intern nurse at the hospital where he was interning last month had to try three times to successfully insert the needle, and his face turned deathly pale.
At this moment, Ben also pulled out a chair and sat down.
He exchanged a glance with Phastos, then turned to Little Jack and smiled, "Carrots are rich in vitamin A, as well as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin C, which can promote your bone and teeth development."
" Jack, didn't you complain when you came home from kindergarten this afternoon that your friends were making fun of you because you lost two front teeth?"
"Okay! Maybe you're right~" Little Jack gave in.
He forked a piece of carrot, pinched his nose, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Amm~ Amm~ Chew~ Chew~"
After chewing a couple of times, his eyes suddenly widened.
Wow! These carrots are really delicious!
Phastos reached out and ruffled Little Jack's curly hair, laughing, "Of course, this time, I referenced some Chinese Cuisine cooking methods for the carrot and beef stew, making it softer and more tender than usual, and also more flavorful."
Little Jack gulped it down, then eagerly forked up a second piece of carrot and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Amm~ Amm~ Chew~ Chew~"
'Gulp~'
"Tasty!"
And so, the family of three happily finished their dinner.
After finishing a whole plate of stewed beef with carrots, Little Jack leaned back in his chair contentedly, rubbing his round belly.
Ah~ I'm so full!
Phastos pulled out a napkin and wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth.
He got up to clear the table.
Suddenly, a crimson Spatial Portal opened not far from the dining table.
Little Jack was captivated by this magical scene, and his eyes widened in astonishment.
"A door... a door... there's a door!"
"My God! Is this Magic?!"
Phastos's expression changed, and she turned to instruct her husband, Ben.
"Ben, take Jack upstairs!"
"Don't come downstairs unless I call you!"
'Squeak!'
Ben hurriedly pushed back his chair and stood up. He quickly went around to Little Jack Little Jack and picked him up in his arms.
"Honey..."
Phastos, his face cold and stern, barked, "Upstairs! Go!"
At that moment, Kenneth led the way, walking out through the swirling Portal.
"Don't bother struggling, Mr. Phastos."
Four more people filed out from behind him.
Phastos turned and gave Ben a look.
[Go upstairs!]
Ben nodded slightly, picked up Little Jack, and ran towards the stairwell.
Dmitri, standing behind Kenneth, swayed and transformed into a red shadow, blocking the stairwell.
He grinned and said, "Sorry, passage is temporarily prohibited here."
Ben abruptly stopped and looked at Dmitri warily.
Just then, Little Jack in his arms suddenly asked curiously, "Are you Mage?"
Ben was startled and quickly hugged Little Jack tightly, scolding, " Jack, you can't talk like that!"
Dmitri, however, was not angry. He raised an eyebrow at the Little Jack who was looking him over, opened his palm, and condensed a ball of Crimson Mana.
In the blink of an eye, the Mana transformed into a Crimson Energy sparrow.
The scarlet sparrow, perched in Dmitri's palm, flapped its wings twice and took flight.
"Chirp chirp~"
It cried out joyfully, circled Dmitri once, and then exploded in mid-air into a dazzling burst of Crimson Energy sparks.
Little Jack's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Wow! You're amazing!
At this point, Ben realized that Dmitri didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards Little Jack, and he finally relaxed a little.
However, Phastos doesn't think so.
Like Sersi, he also recognized the Portal Magic.
"Are you Kamar-Taj Sorcerer?"
Kenneth performed a Sorcerer's salute and smiled, "What you say isn't entirely wrong; I did indeed practice at Kamar-Taj for a period of time."
Phastos clasped his hands together and pulled sharply.
'Buzz~'
A miniature golden Cosmic Energy array appeared in his palm.
What do you want here?