Awakening the Dust of a Thousand Years

Angela narrowed her eyes, curiously observing the girl before her. It had to be said, Suoxiate possessed a peculiar aura. Unlike Nia's gentleness and Kalin's indifference, she simply stood there quietly, displaying a very standardized smile. Angela couldn't tell whether this smile was genuine or merely a facade. From this perspective, Suoxiate was indeed a competent maid. However, the emotions she conveyed seemed somewhat different from others; for some reason, Angela always saw a confident smile on her face. This made her somewhat intimidated. For the first time, Angela felt a strange, inexplicable fear—a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time when facing the unknown.

You are as beautiful as ever.

Li Lin glanced at Suoxiate's face, lingered on her chest for a moment, and then quickly said casually.

It's no wonder Li Lin reacted this way, because Suoxiate was wearing an old-fashioned maid outfit, which naturally emphasized a woman's breasts at the chest. Maids are meant to serve others, so their attire, as a service garment, would naturally strive to be pleasing. However, unfortunately— Suoxiate's chest was almost flat, without any curves. According to Angela's estimation, it was probably not much larger than her own.

Washboard?

Angela a cold laugh and was about to say something when Li Lin suddenly tugged at her hand.

"Don't mention her breasts in front of Suoxiate, it's dangerous."

Faced with Li Lin's unexpected advice, Angela was taken aback for a moment, and the words she was about to say, "It seems you'll have an easier time doing laundry than others," were swallowed back down her throat.

"You're finally back, Master. I've been waiting for you... Judging from your appearance, you've already gathered several Ring Spirit Envoy."

"Nia and Kalin are with me."

In response to Suoxiate's question, Li Lin quickly answered. Suoxiate remained silent for a moment, then resumed her professional smile.

"I see. That's why you came to see me alone with your familiar?"

"Although they all respect you, when it comes to fighting, ten of you wouldn't be a match for them."

Li Lin shrugged, not denying Suoxiate's thoughts. Among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Nia was the nominal leader, but in reality, the one in control was the maid Seven Ring Spirit Envoys in front of him. Her understanding of the others was no less than his own. Therefore, Suoxiate could naturally guess that the reason Li Lin came alone was because he was afraid that Nia and Kalin would cause her trouble, and this was not unfounded.

"Then, as a servant, I shouldn't cause my master too much trouble."

Suoxiate answered with a calm and gentle smile, then walked to Li Lin's side.

"Then, Master, shouldn't we go back?"

"Certainly."

Li Lin reached out, about to grasp Suoxiate's outstretched hand, when he suddenly froze. Then he turned around and pushed Angela in front of Suoxiate.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce her to you. This is my familiar, Angela. She's a difficult little thing to deal with, so you'll have to be careful from now on."

"Rest assured, Master, your familiar is like half of you. I will treat this beautiful lady with the same respect I would show you."

As she spoke, Suoxiate gave Angela a slight smile and bowed again.

"Nice to meet you, beautiful familiar. My name is Suoxiate, and Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

"Ah... well, then I'll leave it to you."

Because Suoxiate's response was so perfect, even the usually picky Angela couldn't say anything. She surprisingly managed to reply with a relatively normal sentence, and then, as if realizing something, she lunged at Li Lin's ear and began to grit her teeth and say...

"Master, how did you create such maids? They are worlds apart from my two good-for-nothing daughters!"

"Perhaps you could ask her to teach those two sisters a lesson."

Li Lin always ignored Angela's complaints, so he quickly grasped Suoxiate's outstretched hand and activated the teleportation magic on his body.

The surrounding cold and darkness vanished instantly, replaced by a warm, humid sea breeze. Using the coordinates left by Nia, Li Lin easily returned to his ship.

Just as Li Lin opened his eyes, two voices rang out from either side of them, their chilling tone unmistakable.

"Don't move, Suoxiate."

Nia and Kalin stood on either side of Li Lin, their expressions solemn. Even Kalin, who was usually leisurely and carefree, had an indescribable seriousness on her face. Nia held a staff, while Kalin gripped her longbow tightly, aiming at their companion in front of them.

"Nia, Kalin... it's so good to see you."

Facing the two dangerous individuals before her, Suoxiate spoke as if she were completely unconcerned, her expression unchanged, as if even if she were killed, her professional smile would remain the same.

"Yes, we are also very happy to see you, Suoxiate... because we have waited a thousand years, and finally we can get an explanation."

Kalin stared at Suoxiate's smiling face and couldn't help but snort coldly.

"Suoxiate, we need an explanation."

Although Nia did not show the same anger as Kalin, her tone also revealed considerable dissatisfaction.

"You haven't forgotten your responsibilities, have you? So, what explanation do you have for this incident?"

"Owner...?"

Angela wanted to say something, but Li Lin pulled her aside and shook his head slightly at her. Just then, that calm voice rang out again.

"It seems that Nia is the one who's willing to give me a chance."

At this point, Suoxiate paused slightly, then turned to Kalin and Nia and reported in a calm tone.

"As you two have seen, I did not exercise my authority to summon you while my master was fighting the enemy."

"What's the reason?"

Kalin asked, staring intently at Suoxiate like a ferocious beast, but Suoxiate remained calm and composed.

"Because it is the master's order."

Then, she gave an answer that surprised everyone.

"Li Lin?!"

"Your Mightiness?!"

Nia and Kalin turned around in surprise and looked at Li Lin standing behind them. They couldn't believe that the one who refused their help was their master.

"That's right, it was my order."

Faced with their incredulous gazes, Li Lin paused for a moment before giving his answer.

"Why!!"

Surprisingly, the most excited person was Nia, who even took two steps forward and rushed directly to Li Lin.

"Why! Li Lin, tell me the reason! I..."

"Okay, Nia, calm down."

At this moment, Kalin appeared very calm. She first pressed Nia's shoulder before looking at Li Lin.

"I imagine you must have some reason for choosing to abandon us."

Despite saying that, Kalin's tone also revealed her dissatisfaction.

"Don't put it so harshly... okay."

Faced with the two expressing different but equally dissatisfaction, Li Lin had no choice but to gesture for them to calm down before speaking.

"The reason I didn't let you come back is because I discovered something truly terrifying. That's why I chose this method; even if you're left to wander, it's better than falling into the hands of others."

"?"

Nia and Kalin exchanged a curious glance, and then Nia quickly asked a question.

"But, Li Lin, we all know that as Weapon Spirit, we all possess your soul imprint. We cannot be used by anyone other than you. Isn't that right?"

"That's certainly true in theory."

Li Lin nodded, clearly understanding Nia's thoughts.

"However, those people were not ordinary people; they were extremely rare Magic Controller. To be honest, before fighting them, I never imagined that Magic Controller actually existed in this world."

"The Magic Controller..."

Upon hearing this, Nia's expression changed slightly.

"I think you should know what Magic Controller is."

Li Lin was quite familiar with Nia's reaction. Faced with his question, Nia hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and answering.

"Yes, according to legend, they possess absolute control over magic, making them the nemesis and natural enemy of spellcasters."

"Then, what if they get magical weapons?"

"... will immediately become a weapon that only they can use..."

Nia practically spat those words out through gritted teeth.

"In fact, it's not just that."

Just then, Suoxiate spoke up.

"In fact, they even possess the ability to forcibly seize control of magical weapons. I attacked my master because I was controlled by them. Fortunately, I was not originally an offensive weapon, so thankfully I didn't harm my master."

This is probably why, in the illusion, Li Lin used ice spikes to pin his loyal weapon to the ground.

"Fortunately, because Suoxiate is not good at fighting, they did not discover her abilities."

Li Lin continued, and at that moment, Nia and Kalin's expressions changed from shock to panic. They naturally understood that they were not human; this was their greatest strength, and also their weakness. No matter what they thought, they could not disobey their master's commands. What if, at that time, those enemies, using Suoxiate's power, summoned them all back? Wouldn't they become pawns of their most hated enemies, forced to kill their master with their own hands?

Even Nia's expression turned somewhat grim at the thought of this terrible, nightmarish ending.

"That's why I didn't summon you back to fight the enemy."

Li Lin's voice was tinged with sorrow, but he continued speaking.

"At that time, I already understood that the Magic Empire was beyond saving. Even if I summoned you, I could not save the country. On the contrary, I might lose you. Therefore, I would rather let you fall into slumber, awaiting my return in eternity, than let you become weapons of my enemies, serving them."

As he spoke, Li Lin raised his head and looked directly at the three of them.

"This is my personal desire. I will not abandon you. History may be destroyed, but it can be rebuilt. The lost country and its people will not return, nor will the people we love. But this will not stop our revenge..."

"But what if those people's descendants also have..."

Nia was clearly still somewhat panicked. As the epitome of "erudition," she naturally understood how terrifying Magic Controller were to magic users. Even if Li Lin had regained his power, how could he guarantee they wouldn't encounter Magic Controller again? Moreover, Li Lin was far weaker than Luoxia had been. Although those five heroes were also powerful, if they hadn't been Magic Controller, Li Lin wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

"I certainly have a way to handle that."

Li Lin said softly, "Although spellcasters are definitely suppressed when facing Magic Controller, after the final battle, Li Lin also realized that Magic Controller are not completely invincible. Throughout his years on Earth, he has constantly pondered how to defeat Magic Controller and prevent this from happening again. He has found a way to ensure that he and his Weapon Spirit are not suppressed by Magic Controller. Of course, these methods have not yet been tested, but the theoretical proof has yielded results; the next step is simply practice."

"Moreover, although a thousand years have turned everything we once existed into ashes, it seems their bloodline of Magic Controller has not been passed down. At least in Kudel and Lalia, I haven't seen any signs that their descendants also possess the bloodline of Magic Controller."

While the situation in the other three countries is uncertain, it's still much better than encountering five Magic Controllers.

"But..."

Nia was clearly still not entirely reassured, or rather, she had some doubts.

"Li Lin, don't you find it strange? Magic Controller, such terrifying beings, we've only ever seen them in legends. With the power of the Magic Empire, how could they not have detected their existence? Moreover, there are five Magic Controllers from five different countries? Don't you think that's a bit odd?"

"That's right."

Li Lin nodded, agreeing with Nia's idea. After all, Magic Controller were said to be one in ten thousand, even rare in the multiverse. And now, five Magic Controllers had suddenly appeared in the Prime Material Plane, and until they fought Li Lin, not a single person knew their background—or rather, knew their origins and origins, but didn't know that they were the greatest natural enemy of mages.

No matter how you look at it, this is just too bizarre.

Therefore, this only proves one thing.

Behind these five individuals lies something far more complex than Five-Nation Alliance.

Having figured this out, Nia and Kalin were no longer as angry as before. After all, they couldn't imagine what would happen if they fell into those people's hands. They were not only weapons but also female elves; this combination naturally made them feel no goodwill about being forced to relinquish their power. At this moment, their expressions as they looked at Suoxiate softened considerably.

Where are we now?

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Li Lin asked. Nia glanced at the sky, pondered for a moment, and then answered.

"We have already followed Captain Vincent's fleet to the Sea-Encircled Country, and it should take us at most two more days to reach our destination."

"Very good."

Li Lin nodded, then patted Angela's little head.

"Take your luggage with you. We'll rest for a bit and then leave immediately."

"Master? Where are you going?"

Angela asked with some curiosity.

What will happen to these ships?

"I'll leave it to that businessman for now; I believe he can handle it well."

As he spoke, Li Lin looked at Suoxiate.

"Now that Suoxiate and Nia are both here, I'd like to activate that thing."

"Li Lin, you mean...?"

"That's right."

Faced with Nia's wide-eyed, surprised question, Li Lin nodded firmly.

"I am going to activate the Ringwraith City."