They Come Knocking

After their "lunch," Angela could no longer bear palace life, and Li Lin also felt that staying in the palace was like being a prisoner, even though the king had hinted at their current situation. But given Li Lin's status and personality, it was impossible for him to complete such a task happily. So he took Angela out of the palace, leisurely strolling around the city before the little one's schemes took effect. Nia, however, clearly had no such interest. Whether through magic or charm, she had obtained permission to enter the Kudel Royal Library, and thus, her destination was already decided.

"Since it's going to be destroyed by war sooner or later anyway, it would be a waste not to collect it properly before then."

Since Nia had already said so, Li Lin could only shrug helplessly and let her be. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed Nia's obsession with books, and besides, the battle with the Five-Nation Alliance would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous. At that point, Li Lin probably wouldn't have the time to protect a library from damage. Since Nia had already considered such a long-term perspective, he could only let her be. Of course, Li Lin also hoped that Nia could find some useful clues in the library to better gather intelligence.

As expected, when the group was leaving the palace, two overconfident guards tried to stop them. Fortunately, Angela, who had just finished eating, was in a good mood, and Li Lin had no intention of killing anyone in broad daylight. So, the two Magic Missile Storm that were originally intended to blast them to pieces were transformed by Li Lin into Hold Person. The two unfortunate men could only stand obediently at the door, watching them walk out helplessly. They had no idea how lucky they were to have escaped being killed on the spot.

As the capital of Kudel, the largest nation in the south, Dragon Cry City was naturally exceptionally prosperous, boasting not only a pleasant climate but also a vibrant atmosphere. Li Lin, Angela, and their two servants strolled through the city, quickly captivated by its bustling and prosperous scene. Along the clean and tidy streets, all sorts of shops displayed a dazzling array of goods, their vendors' cries rising and falling. In the small squares beside the streets, street performers, bards, and dancers performed their best to win the hearts of the audience and their coins.

However, no matter how attractive the goods or how beautiful the songs, they all paled in comparison to Angela. In fact, whenever Angela and Li Lin walked near a place, it was as if all color and music were instantly suppressed, all vibrant hues concentrated on Angela in her opulent attire and Li Lin in his black robes. Even the singers chanting ballads would immediately fall silent, afraid of disturbing each other.

Undoubtedly, Li Lin and Angela's group caused quite a stir on the street, but surprisingly, they weren't surrounded by onlookers. This was, of course, related to the aura of unapproachability surrounding Li Lin and the unmistakably dangerous presence Angela exuded. Although everyone admired Angela's beauty, their subconscious human instincts had already made them aware that what stood before them was a predator far beyond their own capabilities and extremely threatening. Therefore, after Angela by, almost everyone inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously daring not to glance at the girl again.

To be honest, Angela thoroughly enjoyed this feeling. This wasn't because she had a particularly strong desire for self-expression, but rather because, for a Vampire Species, the clear class distinctions of the race were only natural. Apart from Li Lin, all humans were only entitled to be looked at with reverence, and this was only right to Angela. Any hint of dissatisfaction in their gaze was considered an insult to the Vampire Species.

This illogical worldview and logic are unique to Angela. While it's rife with absolute racism and absurdity, since she doesn't care, nothing anyone else can change her mind. Li Lin, at most, just frowned at the little girl, making no attempt to change her mind. After all, Li Lin wasn't on her "rejection list," and as a former Arcane Mage, Li Lin was considered to be of a certain social standing. His view of current mages was quite similar to Angela's view of humanity. In Li Lin's opinion, these people who couldn't even grasp the true essence of magic didn't deserve to be called mages. If, to use a more precise analogy, magic was likened to firearms, then a mage should not only be proficient in their use but also able to integrate them with... To understand the underlying principles and create, modify, and innovate oneself was a mandatory requirement for every mage entering the Magic Empire era. Only after modifying and gaining approval for at least any spell of any level could these mage apprentices be recognized as true mages. Those who merely knew how to recite incantations were at best soldiers. Within the Magic Empire, high-level mages almost all possessed their own unique spellcasting systems. For example, the infectious mental charm spell "For My Use Alone" and the "Shadow Mage Form" were both arcane creations made by high-level mages. Not to mention Li Lin's "Multiple Spell Framework" and "Temporary Mythal," spell systems that only Arcane Mage were qualified to use.

However, based on his current understanding of mages and the mages he has encountered, these mages, regardless of their abilities, are merely rote memorizations of spells. Admittedly, they can chant a spell with remarkable precision, even down to the smallest detail. But even if it's exactly the same, it's still someone else's work, not their own. Therefore, to Li Lin, the mages of a thousand years later are nothing more than soldiers skilled in using firearms. Even the Grand Mage of this kingdom is just an old soldier who has mastered a few more tricks than a new recruit. Judging by the standards of the Magic Empire, Li Lin would not hesitate to revoke all of their mage titles, and at most, demote them back to mage apprentices. In his view, everything these so-called mages do is an insult to arcane art, not to mention that they use this mysterious and great power to flatter and protect their former enemies, which is utterly intolerable.

Although Li Lin had encountered some arguments about freedom, democracy, and equality on Earth, he never took them to heart; these were merely idealistic notions. In fact, even on Earth, which was relatively peaceful compared to the Morning Wind Continent, it was still a world where class ruled everything. So-called democracy and natural human rights were nothing more than the result of differences in the relationship between the ruling institutions and the ruled. Admittedly, dictatorship has certain flaws, but watching the politicians fighting on television, the various plans and documents shelved as a result, the frequent changes of government, the low efficiency, and the constantly shifting policies, Li Lin didn't think that the so-called democratic system was any superior.

Because of similar beliefs and similar circumstances, Li Lin was able to accept and tolerate Angela's absolutely extreme arguments and worldview. Fortunately, the little one basically did more than talked, so those who provoked her were simply out of luck, and those who didn't provoked her didn't hear anything they shouldn't have that would ignite hostility.

Aside from their extreme and biased subjective worldviews and ideologies, the group managed to pass quite a bit of time shopping. They admired the prosperity of the southern capital and showed great interest in some of the goods. However, Angela didn't seem to have the common female flaw of buying a large number of clothes while shopping.

This is perhaps one of the few admirable aspects of the little girl. Of course, it's also possible that she simply looks down on these so-called "disgusting strips of cloth, poorly made, utterly tasteless, and only fit for prostitutes and peasant women."

Aimless strolling around is hard to sustain, so Li Lin quickly decided to check on the fat merchant. After all, following the banquet, the king had welcomed the merchant and his caravan into the city, including the fully armed Dark Elf. Li Lin planned to observe their situation before making a decision. In Li Lin's plan, this fat merchant was a crucial element, though he himself was completely unaware of it.

Because the fat merchant had told Li Lin the exact location before leaving, Li Lin easily learned the destination thanks to Angela's charm. It seemed the king valued the fat merchant quite a bit—they were given a prime location on a bustling street and granted the right to use it at a low price. The Merchants' Association, seemingly under pressure, also withdrew its series of warnings against the fat merchant. Therefore, when Li Lin and Angela entered the shop, the fat merchant was beaming with delight, and the shop was packed with people. The special gemstones of the Underdark easily attracted the luxury-loving nobles, who spared no expense in buying diamonds the size of cup rims and other dazzling products, naturally allowing the fat merchant to make a hefty profit.

As before, the noisy atmosphere fell silent the moment the two entered the store. Both the staff and customers were stunned by Angela's beauty and couldn't utter a word. The fat businessman was the first to react. He hurriedly left the customer he was serving and ran to Li Lin.

"Welcome, esteemed Master."

He smiled warmly while looking at Angela with curiosity and doubt. Intuitively, the businessman felt that the beautiful, seemingly human woman beside Li Lin was very familiar, but as the saying goes, a girl changes a lot as she grows up, and Angela, who had grown from a "girl" to a "young woman," was naturally not so easy to recognize.

"Looks like your business is doing well."

Li Lin looked around and then said calmly.

"Yes, Master."

The portly businessman was clearly very satisfied with the current situation.

"After all, these goods are extremely rare; even in southern cities, they are hard to find... We've come at the perfect time. It's storm season, which has temporarily halted pearl harvesting in the outer seas, and these beautiful gems can perfectly fill the needs of these nobles... This, what do you think..."

"It's up to you now, do your best."

Li Lin didn't say much. He didn't know much about business, but since the fat businessman was so confident, he didn't say anything more.

"By the way, what about the Dark Elf?"

"Ah, Miss Kalin just took them out... Master, what exactly happened...?"

"It's alright, let her be. Nothing serious is likely to happen."

Sometimes, you just don't want things to happen, and that's exactly what happens.

Li Lin and the fat merchant's conversation was quickly interrupted by a rough knock on the door. Just as they turned around in surprise to look at the doorway, they saw a paladin dressed in mithril armor walk in, and behind him, there seemed to be a large group of people.

"We've received a tip that a large number of Dark Elf are hiding here. Hand them over immediately for trial!"