Returning to the City Again

It went very smoothly.

Not only did he wipe out the Mind Flayer horde, but he also rediscovered another lost weapon and gained the ally of the Dark Elf. This journey through the Underdark was a resounding success for Li Lin.

However, there are always exceptions.

"Little guy, you're so cute! How did you manage to get your hands on me? Hmm? You don't seem human, what are you? A werewolf? Your teeth are so sharp..."

"Let go, you skinny bamboo! My name is Angela. Haven't I told you several times already? Stop pulling my face like that!"

"Haha, 'this humble servant,' what a strange way to address you! Want me to say it a few more times? Besides, I think the little one is quite cute, isn't he?"

"... Master, may I kill her?"

"Of course not."

However, the current situation was something Li Lin had never expected.

Unlike Nia, Kalin showed great interest in Angela, and the two engaged in conversations like the one described above throughout the return journey. Although Angela seemed genuinely angry, her venomous words had no effect on Kalin. While some of the language used would have made even Dark Elf blush, Kalin's skin seemed to be incredibly thick. No matter what Angela said, she acted as if she hadn't heard a word and continued to do as she pleased. This Weapon Spirit, who considered "fun" her ultimate life goal, seemed to have an unusual fondness for Angela.

Out of respect for Li Lin, Angela couldn't really make a move. Besides, even though Kalin looked like a slender woman who could be broken with the slightest force, she was one of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys created by Li Lin, possessing strength and speed that were incomparable to ordinary people. This could be seen from the fact that she could easily chase and escape from Angela, flipping and leaping about. Kalin's speed was in no way inferior to that of Vampire Species.

These two are such a headache.

Before returning to the city, the verbal sparring between the two women nearly gave Li Lin a headache. Although they would obediently cease hostilities temporarily whenever he spoke, they would soon resume their battle. And to a large extent, this was all caused by Kalin. This was understandable, since there were no Vampire Species in this world, so her curiosity was perfectly normal. In fact, Nia was initially curious as well, but she clearly wouldn't bother Angela, who was a different story...

"You can go and rest now."

Upon returning to the Dark Elf City, Li Lin issued the order to disband. The remaining ten Dark Elf immediately left as if granted a pardon. Clearly, even they couldn't stand the bickering of the two clowns. Of course, they might also have been afraid that Angela, in a fit of rage, would take it out on them—considering the little guy's personality, this was quite possible. Even the little thief slipped away immediately, probably the fastest he'd ever been as a thief.

"Oh, so this is the city the elves built. Not bad at all."

Looking at the Kasos City before her, Kalin let out a strange sigh. She stared at the ruins and incomplete buildings, not knowing what she was sighing about.

"Looks like those guys are doing pretty well here."

Although Karin had learned from Nia that the elves would later become Dark Elf, and that they were cursed by the Elf Goddess and turned into their current form, it was clear that Kalin didn't seem to care much about it.

"How boring."

Angela stared at her serene expression and gave a cold snort.

"I thought you would be in pain and regret. After all, it was you who sent them to the underworld, which is why these idiots have become like this, isn't it? Don't you feel even a little bit guilty?"

"What does this have to do with me? I'm not an elf."

Despite possessing the most perfect and flawless elven face, she uttered words that left everyone speechless.

"I only stay with them because it's more interesting to be with them. Elf Island is incredibly boring. Those guys do nothing but recite poetry and sing all day long. They'll be sad for ages over seeing a tree lose a leaf. It's not like they can't grow back. Why are they so upset like their parents died? They're such a nuisance. It's much better to travel around with these guys. It's tough... it is a bit tough, but at least there are a lot of interesting things. As for what their final fate is, I don't care at all. We're just companions anyway. Besides, judging from how these Dark Elf are doing now, they seem to be doing pretty well. What's wrong with that?"

"..."

Speechless.

"Nia, you should take them to rest."

Li Lin rubbed his forehead and reluctantly gave the final order. Angela seemed genuinely stunned. That was better than them arguing again. Although similar things had happened before, at least Suoxiate was there then... It seemed that choosing to find her was indeed the right decision. Thinking this, Li Lin secretly resolved to leave the Underdark immediately, find Suoxiate, and resolve the current troublesome situation.

After seeing off thousands of ducks, Li Lin didn't rest. His first stop was the tavern to check on the fat merchant—or perhaps he was already a corpse.

The current situation was also beyond Li Lin's expectations.

"Oh, sir, you're finally back."

Adorned head to toe with precious Dark Elf jewelry, and embracing a half-naked Dark Elf beauty, the fat merchant was living a much better life than Li Lin had imagined. Upon seeing Li Lin's arrival, he awkwardly pushed the woman aside and tried to straighten his clothes to appear more serious.

"Looks like you're doing really well."

"Of course it's good."

The fat businessman's smile was like the excited expression of someone who had randomly picked up a lottery ticket on the street and discovered it could win a million-dollar prize.

"Thanks to you, I honestly never expected to earn so much..."

Through the fat merchant's account, Li Lin quickly learned what had happened there.

After Li Lin left, the fat merchant had no choice but to do business as he had suggested. Since he was just sitting around anyway, he might as well go back to his old trade and maybe even make some money. Of course, he couldn't ask Angela for help, so the fat merchant set his sights on Nia. He carefully selected several precious books from the caravan and gave them to Nia, hoping she could help him. Of course, it was just to put on a show; after all, the fat merchant didn't have the guts to act as the famous Golden Leaf Mage's assistant.

It must be said, he made a good bet; Nia quickly agreed.

However, the fat businessman also fell into crisis as a result.

At first, the Dark Elf were not friendly to him. Although these Dark Elf were not capable of harming powerful mages like Li Lin, they had plenty of schemes and tricks to torment a merchant who was unfamiliar with the place. As a result, the fat merchant soon discovered that his little tricks were not enough to satisfy the Dark Elf. In just a few days, he went from a wealthy merchant to a penniless pauper on the verge of bankruptcy.

In this situation, the fat merchant had no choice but to ask Nia for help. However, as the saying goes, good intentions can backfire. Nia, who was engrossed in reading, didn't listen to what the messenger sent by the fat merchant had to say and simply used magic to "invite" him out of the room... The reason for this was that the collection of books given by the fat merchant was too precious, and Nia basically ignored everything else when she was reading.

Fortunately, Nia, being similar in personality to Li Lin, naturally wouldn't leave such a loophole. She had already entrusted Maya to handle this matter for her. Therefore, the Dark Elf priestess quickly stepped forward, recovered the fat merchant's losses on his behalf, and severely punished the Dark Elf who had secretly sabotaged the deal. At the same time, she issued a statement demanding that the Dark Elf conduct transactions with merchants under strict control.

With the priestess's assurance, the fat merchant's business naturally became much easier. Although the Dark Elf didn't particularly like him initially, the fat merchant was, after all, a businessman by trade, and always greeted people with a smile. The Dark Elf, having abandoned the Spider Queen's teachings, no longer thought about things the same way as before. Thus, the fat merchant quickly established a foothold in the Kasos City. Initially, the fat merchant relied on his experience, selling large quantities of precious items like gems. However, when he discovered that the Dark Elf, who lived underground and already had so many gems they could fill a pit, had no interest in such things, he changed his tune and displayed the wooden artifacts he had originally intended to buy as favors. Unexpectedly, these items were very popular with the Dark Elf. Because there were no trees underground, although the Dark Elf had abandoned their elven god, they didn't harbor much hatred towards trees. Therefore, in the Underdark, wooden artifacts became even more valuable than gems.

Business is quite good.

If his men hadn't stopped him, the fat merchant might have even planned to cut up the carriage and sell it.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten Li Lin's favors. After all, these things would have been impossible to obtain without Li Lin, so the fat merchant had no intention of keeping them for himself—he would have had to be bold enough to do so.

"Since you're making good money, then we should get ready to set off."

Hearing Li Lin say this, the fat businessman nodded, though somewhat reluctant. However, Li Lin's next words made him roll his eyes.

"Also, the Dark Elf have a unique craftsmanship; their jewelry will become unusable if exposed to sunlight. You'd better be careful."

The Dark Elf truly live up to their reputation for cunning.

Interlude: The Beginning of the Fall

"All of you, step back! Step back!!"

The girl pushed open the door, her face ashen, and dismissed the maids beside her. The maids had never seen their mistress so angry before; they exchanged bewildered glances before quickly retreating. Only after the door was closed again did the girl collapse onto the bed and burst into tears.

Lika only received Grand Duke Moore's notification after returning to the royal city that her brother was getting married at the end of the year, and the bride was none other than her good friend Weijia.

Why, why did it turn out like this?

Lika couldn't understand. Weijia clearly had a fiancé, and although they weren't engaged, their parents had already reached an agreement. Weijia had also told her about it, so her father naturally knew as well. Why, knowing all this, would he still make such a decision? Lika didn't know what to do, or what to do. In fact, when she learned the news, Lika completely lost her ability to think; her mind was blank, and she couldn't think of anything at all.

"What should I do... what should I do..."

Although she had always known that her brother could never stay by her side, that he would one day marry someone, and that it would never be her, she never imagined that day would come in such a cruel way, and that the bride would be her best friend...

"I need to go find my father..."

When Lika finally regained consciousness, it was already late, but she had no appetite for dinner. Instead, she left her room and headed towards her father's room. However, just as Lika arrived at the door of the Grand Duke's room, she was stopped by the guards.

Is Father not home?

Upon hearing this answer, Lika was extremely surprised. She knew that Grand Duke Moore used to work diligently in his room every night; abandoning his work and leaving like this was something Lika couldn't imagine. The perceptive young woman noticed something unusual about her father since their trip to the border city. Kind-hearted Lika didn't speculate, but now, even she seemed to sense something was amiss. So, unusually, Lika began to question the guards about her father's whereabouts. The Lika, however, looked troubled in response.

"... These past few days, my lord has been going to the northern tower. Although there's nothing dangerous inside the castle, he won't let us go with him, saying he needs to think things over. But my lord is, after all, a duke of a nation; if this continues..."

"Okay, I'll remind Father for you."

Lika nodded, then quickly ran towards the North Tower. In her memory, it used to be a warehouse, a place to store supplies. Lika was very familiar with it because when she was little, she, her brother, and Weijia had played there. She even remembered being scolded by her father for playing hide-and-seek once; these memories were deeply etched in her mind, so Lika naturally knew the place very well. Although she was now grown up and no longer played those childhood games, her memories of that place remained vivid.

Sure enough, there wasn't a single guard in the North Tower; it seemed they had all been persuaded to leave. Reaching the North Tower's entrance, looking at the heavy wooden door, Lika felt a mix of worry and nervousness, but ultimately she gritted her teeth and pushed it open.

"Father?"

"Lika?"

Unexpectedly, standing inside the North Tower was not Grand Duke Moore, but rather Lika's friend and also her brother's "current" fiancée— Weijia. She was dressed in luxurious attire, standing in the somewhat dilapidated and simple tower. Looking at Lika, Weijia was clearly very surprised.

"Weijia?"

Lika was equally surprised; she couldn't understand why her best friend would be here at this time.

What are you doing here?

"That's what I wanted to ask you... Honestly, how did you end up here?"

"I came to see my father, but the guard said..."

Before Lika could finish speaking, heavy footsteps came from the other side of the corridor. She could easily recognize them as her father's footsteps.

"Father?"

"Idiot, shut up!"

Suddenly, at that moment, Weijia grabbed Lika's hand and pulled her forcefully into the tower. Then she closed the door, looked around frantically, and pointed to the cabinet next to her.

"Quick, get inside!"

"Weijia?"

Lika stared blankly at her friend, unsure what to say. Her mind was filled with confusion. She had something to tell her father... but was now a bad time?

"You idiot."

Weijia sighed, then opened the cabinet door.

"Hurry inside, or we'll all be in trouble if the Grand Duke finds out."

"Ah, oh..."

Perhaps because of the seriousness in Weijia's voice, Lika even forgot that Vega was currently her "love rival" and hid in the closet. In a daze, she seemed to return to her childhood, and the memory of hiding to avoid her father's scolding was clearly displayed in Lika's mind. But she had no idea what she was about to experience.

The door opened, then slammed shut with the book.

"Weijia, you've arrived."

"Yes... Your Highness."

Why? Why is Weijia's voice trembling? Did she do something to anger her father?

Before Lika could react, the Grand Duke's next words completely stunned her.

Take off your clothes.

"...!"

Outside, the sound of clothes being ripped off quickly followed. Lika covered her mouth in surprise, unsure of what to do or what to do. She vaguely guessed what was happening outside, but her emotions refused to allow her to consider that possibility. Weijia wasn't a child, and neither was Lika; they naturally understood what such a request meant.

You don't seem to want to say much today.

The Grand Duke's voice rang out again, revealing a chilling quality that Lika had never heard before.

"I am already your son's fiancée, Grand Duke and [illegible]."

Weijia's voice was tinged with helplessness and a hint of weakness. Was this really her hot-tempered friend?

"You shouldn't have done that..."

You should understand who I'm doing this for.

The Grand Duke impatiently interrupted Weijia, his voice gradually lowering until it became a panting breath.

"Waaah..."

"Youth is definitely the best..."

As Weijia groaned, the Grand Duke's voice, tinged with envy, rang out once more.

"Youth, vitality—these are things I've lost, but fortunately, it seems I still have a chance to take them back. Kneel down; you know what to do, just like before."

Lika covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more of the sounds outside. She dared not look, dared not listen, and dared not imagine. Why would her father have such a relationship with her friend? And her mother? Didn't her mother notice anything at all? Should she tell her?

So many unimaginable things happened in just one day that the young girl was breathless. She didn't even know how she got out of the closet and stood in front of her friend again.

"... Now, you've seen it all."

Although Weijia had put her clothes back on, her appearance, expression, and disheveled attire made it easy for Lika, who was also a woman, to notice what had happened to her.

"Weijia, what exactly is going on? I clearly heard it from Father..."

"I've become your brother's fiancée, haven't I?"

Weijia gave a bitter, weak smile.

"This is only in name."

"But how could you be with Father...?"

"On the day we returned to the city, I was summoned by His Highness the Grand Duke."

Weijia did not answer Lika's question, but continued talking to herself.

"At first, I didn't know what had happened, but I never expected that His Highness the Grand Duke would actually do this to me..."

"This, this is impossible!!"

Lika felt all the strength drain from her body. How could her father, that gentle, kind, and compassionate father, do such a thing?

"Why, why don't you...?"

Who can I tell?

Weijia shook her head again.

"The other party is a Grand Duke, wielding national power. Even if I tell my parents, what can they do? Would they really cause trouble for His Highness over something like this? Lika, we're not young anymore. You understand who we are; we are nobles, we are daughters of nobles, and that's our value. If I marry your brother, at most I'll only become a concubine. And you, in the future, will marry another man. This is our fate. Our parents raised us so that we could reap the rewards on this day."

"I... but... this... no, you and Father..."

Lika was rendered speechless by Weijia's words and had no idea how to express herself.

"I know that although I married your brother, it was merely a pretext for His Highness to keep me by his side. While His Highness has the right to marry a concubine, I am, after all, your friend, and doing so would inevitably leave room for criticism. Therefore, His Highness is doing this to conceal this relationship..."

Realizing that her friend was clearly unable to accept the truth, Weijia stopped and looked at Lika's pale face.

"I'm so sorry to you. I know you really like your brother..."

At this point, Weijia hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice.

"Are you planning to fight with your brother...?"

"Why?"

Upon hearing this, Lika was stunned for a moment, but she quickly realized what was happening and shook her head frantically.

"Impossible, impossible! We're siblings! The gods will never forgive us for something like this!"

"But are you willing to let your brother be taken away by me like this? Besides, even if we get married, I will still have to serve His Highness the Grand Duke in the end, and there is no way I can be with your brother..."

"But, but..."

Lika clutched her skirt tightly, her face pale.

"My brother couldn't possibly..."

"I have a way."

As she spoke, Weijia grasped Lika's hand, and Lika could feel her slip a small bottle into her hand.

"Weijia?"

"This medicine can help you... fulfill your wish, Lika."

At this moment, Weijia's voice was tinged with sadness, but also with sincere hope.

"You are a woman, and I am a woman. We both understand that the greatest happiness for a woman is to be held in the arms of the man she loves. But I have lost that right now, though you can still do it... Lika, find your own happiness. Don't worry about the punishments from the gods. If you will live in pain from now on, what's the point of the gods punishing you?"

"..."

Lika didn't speak; she gripped the vial of medicine in her hand, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Don't tell anyone what happened today. It won't do you any good, and it won't do me any good either. Besides, you wouldn't want anyone to know that your brother is about to marry a woman who was played with by your father, would you?"

"Weijia, you're not that kind of person..."

"I am now."

Weijia gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"At least, I hope my friend can find happiness. Alright, hurry back, it's getting late, I should go home too... Just don't let your father find out."

"Um."

Lika gripped the medicine bottle tightly, nodded, then turned and ran out of the tower gate.

She didn't look back even once more.

Weijia's face darkened, her eyes filled with hatred and disgust. Just then, a sweet, lovely voice suddenly came from the void.

"How does it feel to be the woman behind the creation of history?"

"Very comfortable, Angela."

Weijia greedily licked her lips.

"That little bitch actually accepted it. Humph, I knew it. That slut pretends to be so pure and innocent all day, but in the end, she's just a piece of trash that gets exposed by men. I can't wait to see what that bitch looks like when she's in her brother's bed."

"I have high expectations for you, don't you? Don't disappoint me and my master, otherwise, the power I bestowed upon you will be wasted on a useless person. You should know why my master and I gave you this power. If you don't make good use of it, then prepare to suffer our wrath."

"No, Angela, please don't worry."

Weijia stared at the dark corridor, her eyes resolute and cold.

"I can definitely do it."

She muttered to herself, then walked out of the empty room.