Chapter 731: Don't Provoke Him

The air was burning.

Scorching his heart and lungs.

"Little Lee... you... you're still... still alive..."

Senior Sister's dying voice was like a spring of clear water. Amid the boundless heat, it called Lee back from a hellish nightmare.

He still remembered that true nightmare.

He had walked at the end of the line, following his master and grandmaster, his senior brothers and senior sisters, as well as many master craftsmen of all kinds. They seemed to advance without hesitation, but in truth, uneasy and terrified, they walked into that terrifying yet magnificent giant anti-magic forge.

"The Black King of Morning has surrendered to the King Calamity. He betrayed Project Legend..."

"The monsters will find us sooner or later..."

"Sword Lake City failed... the furnace exploded... Sacred Sun, my daughter and son-in-law were both inside..."

"The camp below Sighing Mountain has lost contact. More than a hundred thousand troops have vanished without word. Furnace Six in Majestic City is probably gone too..."

Those traveling with them included the dwarf prince and forging master of Shackle City, ancient elven artisans and spellcasters from the Ancient Sacred Tree, aged masters and senior scholars from the Three Towers, and countless craftsmen with names and reputations. Some were silent and quiet, while others whispered to each other.

"Besides us, how many furnaces are left?"

"Probably not many..."

"If Project Legend cannot succeed..."

He remembered the densely packed runes and formations inside the anti-magic forge, hypnotic and strange.

He remembered how people arranged their formations, positions, and rotation order in perfect order, even as the atmosphere was mournful.

He remembered watching in terror as the mages who struggled to maintain the array, one after another, sweated, suffered heatstroke, fainted, collapsed, burned, and became dried corpses in his crimson field of vision.

He remembered his sect grandmaster, flames covering his whole body, still swinging the forging hammer with unwavering determination, every strike powerful, until the magic fire in the furnace overflowed as if it had life. His grandmaster's figure vanished in the flames, iron bones turned to charcoal, flesh and blood to ash.

He remembered that across from his grandmaster, an elven master artisan whose name he did not know seemed unaware of everything and continued hammering in total absorption, until the flames devoured him as well.

He remembered his master stepping forward in grief to take over, resolutely swinging the hammer amid roaring furnace flames that not even advanced temperature-control magic, fire-avoidance talismans, insulation materials, and fire-resistant armor could withstand.

Forging a weapon with their lives.

Of course, what he could never forget most was that amid the increasingly unbearable high temperature, he, the youngest disciple in Mingyang Sword Cottage, after witnessing his master turn to ash, was completely frightened out of his wits.

"No, it's too hot. Let me breathe, let me cool down, Senior Brother, cool down..."

He lost his reason. He threw the resolute vows he had made before departure to the back of his mind, and in the suffocating heat, he fled at the last moment.

He did.

He!

"Sorry, I'll come back in a moment. I swear, just let me breathe..."

The drilling pain of his burning skin drove him to throw himself against the locked door. He pounded it madly, begging every adult and every god he could beg.

"Let me out! Please! Let me out... out..."

Countless gazes in the anti-magic furnace turned toward him. Some were disappointed, some could not bear to watch, some were angry, and some were numb. But very quickly, amid rebukes, everyone returned to their places, chanting spells, blowing air, feeding materials, or swinging hammers.

Only his powerless pounding and hoarse wailing remained.

Until someone patted his shoulder.

"Little Lee..."

Fourth Senior Sister, wearing forging armor, her skin also roasted red and her hair curled backward from the heat, stood behind him while barely clinging to life. She forced a smile.

Facing his desperate, pleading eyes, she moved swiftly, twisting the complex three-layer mechanism lock again and again, opening the great door by a narrow crack.

And with one push, she shoved him, dazed in despair and shock, out through the door.

"Who opened the door?"

"Damn it, the billet is cooling! It is taking shape!"

"No. At this rate, it will only be an ordinary anti-magic armament!"

"Close the door!"

"Raise the temperature, quickly!"

Cool air rushed over his face. He staggered and fell outside the door, blankly looking back.

Amid the roomful of red light, she, the senior sister who usually took the best care of him, looked at him once through the crack of the door.

She left him one final smile.

Unlike what he had expected, that smile was both relieved and forgiving.

It held no blame.

The great door thundered shut.

"Macintosh's fire seed isn't enough!"

"Activate the backup fire seed!"

"No. The temperature controllable by magic has reached its limit. Adding more will cause origin-source mutual rejection!"

"We can delay the rejection. For example, extra anti-equilibrium measures. We need light-shadow incantations. Get the bookworms from Red Horn Tower..."

"Or like the Anomalous Descent ritual, briefly let the laws fall out of order. First, temporarily stop heat from flowing toward lower temperatures... Hey, War Tower! Try Elber's array interference!"

"No, it's not enough! Blood Thorn said that what the new anti-magic armament needs to do is neither delay equilibrium nor disorder the laws, but delve deep into the origin source. Otherwise, it cannot withstand and deconstruct Macintosh's mystic energy..."

"I don't understand! You damned mages, speak human words!"

Under the astonished gazes of the guards outside the door, only then did he react. He threw himself at the door again, tears surging.

It was not like this.

No.

He had not wanted to flee at the last moment. It had only been too hot, and he had wanted to breathe.

He had only been dizzy for a moment.

No.

"Master Riya can't hold on. Next person, take over!"

"We don't have enough people!"

"I'll go. Enough dwarves have died today..."

Outside the door, he cried until his voice tore apart. Very soon, he could no longer see anything before him clearly.

But he could still hear, behind the great door, the hammering inside the anti-magic furnace, again and again, solid and powerful.

"We shouldn't have used the fire seed left behind by that monster Macintosh. We should have listened to Obelisk Tower and used dragon flame!"

"Where are you going to bind a dragon for me at a time like this?"

"No time for regret! Get in there!"

"I... I can't feel... my hands... hurry, take over for me..."

"This forging hammer won't do either. Change it!"

"The backup fire seed is taking effect!"

"The temperature is rising much faster than expected. Update the talismans and rituals! We cannot burn to death this quickly!"

The arguments of masters and craftsmen rose and fell, as harsh and unpleasant as his crying.

Until the final hammer fell.

Clang!

The anti-magic forge exploded with a roar.

It poured thousands upon thousands of blazing flames into the air.

And wrapped him completely.

On Jade City's street, Lee broke free from the entanglement of Evil Whispers and abruptly opened his eyes.

He bathed in raging flames and walked step by step toward the trembling Lausanne the Second.

"A bloodkin reborn in fire..."

The little bastard of the Hollier family murmured his pitiful hearsay:

"...There is only this one."

Lee clenched his fist.

But none of them knew.

They did not know.

The flames on his body went out, revealing skin and muscle roasted red and cooked through. The bloodkin's self-healing mechanism immediately began to work, growing flesh, scabbing over, and pushing out dead skin.

They did not know. What he had broken free from was only the anomalous ability.

What he could not break free from was the nightmare.

"Little Lee... you... you're still... still alive... That's good..."

In the nightmare, he, badly burned, slowly woke. He crawled out of the ruins with difficulty, turned over corpse after corpse that no longer looked human, and finally, beside the furnace that was still scorching hot, touched Fourth Senior Sister's hand.

Her whole body had long since turned black, and she no longer looked human. Her words were disordered, and she was barely alive.

But Senior Sister's hands were still firm.

Still powerful.

"Take the billet... send, send it... send it to the Blade Marshal's tent..."

Those large hands, rough yet tempered again and again, had once held his hand and led him running up and down through the sword cottage.

"Still missing... missing the final step... the Twins of Fate... know what to do..."

And that weapon billet, brilliant as gold and cold as frost, which should have been a sword, yet because its edge had been forged crooked, looked more like a saber...

Hundreds of years later, in Jade City, Lee walked along the street. He lightly shook his head, and the terrifying burn scars on his head and face gradually peeled away, revealing newborn skin.

Before long, Lee's skin was smooth again, his features upright.

Only his clothes and armor, though made from special heat-resistant materials, were still burned black and charred.

"Execution officer... Red Wing..."

"Not an ordinary blacksmith..."

"The billet forger..."

Lee coldly looked at Lausanne the Second and Yannik before him and watched them express their dread of him.

But no one understood better than he did that it was not rebirth by bathing in fire at all.

And he...

He was not truly any billet forger either.

He had never been immune to fire. He would likewise be injured by high heat.

Every time his anomalous ability awakened, the burns and scorching pain he endured at the center of the fire pierced bone and gouged marrow. Not a single moment of it ever ceased.

The only thing he was good at was endurance.

Enduring heat, enduring flame, enduring burning, enduring every minute and every second as they ravaged his body.

And most importantly, enduring the nightmare.

In the nightmare of that year, he fled the anti-magic furnace and avoided being tormented to death by its raging flames.

Therefore, as the price...

In reality, through a life whose end could not be seen, he had to endure the eternal punishment of fire, again and again.

That was all.

"At the Hill of Pain... when you executed me... you didn't reveal this hand."

Lausanne the Second, heavily wounded, spoke weakly.

"Because there was no need."

Yannik stared warily at Lee.

"He wished you would resist more fiercely when you were 'executed,' kill fewer political enemies from the other six families, stabilize the Bloodsea Throne's rule, and then return to the Kingdom of Stars to use your remaining heat. For example, now."

Why would he be willing to kill you?

Lee did not speak.

"So," Lausanne the Second said, his face ashen, "I was the stupid one being played?"

Just like before.

Nothing had changed.

Yannik shrugged.

"No need to be discouraged. Lee was always the blade the Nightwing King used to remove dissidents. He knows the arts of internal struggle, coercion and use, releasing in order to capture, all these things he has used for centuries..."

Lee suddenly turned his head and looked at Yannik.

"Oh, Count Lee."

Yannik immediately shut his mouth. He glanced at the black scorch marks on the ground and very naturally took a step back.

"He is yours. I am convinced and have nothing more to say."

But his eyes narrowed.

"Congratulations. The key to Jade City's dispute has now fallen into your hands."

He recovered the bearing of an elegant young noble.

"I imagine you can fight for more interests for the Nation of Night and for your queen..."

Yannik's tone shifted.

"And not merely run errands in the Kingdom of Stars' internal strife?"

Lee first frowned, then his expression changed. He snorted disdainfully.

"Put away your disgusting tricks, junior."

"I did not use my anomalous ability."

Yannik raised both hands, looking innocent.

"I merely spoke the truth."

At this point, Yannik smiled faintly.

"But you hesitated just now, didn't you?"

Lee did not answer.

Thump!

A deliberately heavy footstep sounded, interrupting Yannik.

Lee and Yannik both stiffened and turned their heads together.

Heavy footsteps slowly approached. It was a swordsman in armor.

"So, this is the vampire killer who made the whole city panic?"

Lee and Yannik glanced at each other.

"He doesn't seem as terrifying as they said."

The knight walked step by step toward Lausanne the Second, ignoring the charred Lee and the two blood-soaked bloodkin.

Lee did not react. Yannik, however, brightened and put on a pleasantly surprised expression.

"Ah, so it is Captain Cecil of the Jade Legion!"

Cecil gave a light hum in answer, then focused his gaze on the killer lying on the ground.

For this sort of thing, they had mobilized so many people and issued countless warnings from top to bottom, telling them to be careful of anomalous abilities? Prince Thales was far too cautious.

"I thought you were guarding the honored guests in Emerald Palace," Yannik said, his eyes turning. "I wonder whose orders you are following..."

"You are under arrest, vampire."

Yannik instantly choked.

Cecil deliberately glanced at the two of them before giving a soft snort and looking at the barely living Lausanne the Second on the ground.

"Of course, I mean him. Killer, in the name of His Highness Thales."

Hearing the other's malicious double meaning, Yannik frowned slightly. Lee remained unmoved.

Lausanne the Second listened to their conversation, expressionless and filled with sorrow.

Even with such swordsmanship, such an immortal body...

In the end, he had still failed to kill his way up to that lofty watchtower.

And the people atop the tower, whether that prince or all the others, remained as they had always been. Merely by moving their fingers, they easily drowned him with the blood and lives of countless people.

And his sword as well.

Lausanne the Second closed his eyes and lightly curled the corner of his mouth.

"Then I will take the criminal away now."

Cecil spoke softly.

"You two guests who enjoy walking at night may do as you please."

Yannik raised an eyebrow and leisurely glanced at the expressionless Lee.

Lee did not move. Only his gaze flickered slightly.

Cecil was not anxious either. He merely quietly waited for the two bloodkin's reaction, his right hand intentionally or unintentionally brushing past his sword hilt.

Around the serious criminal lying on the ground, the atmosphere between the three men grew tense.

At that moment, the three present all stiffened and turned to look in another direction.

Another figure carrying a sword on his back appeared at the far end of the alley and slowly walked toward them.

"That is..." Yannik said in puzzlement.

"Cassian?"

Cecil saw the newcomer clearly and frowned.

"You came too? Then who is guarding the two people in Emerald Palace?"

Cassian smiled.

"Do not forget, Cecil. Prince Thales had us remain in the palace and 'watch over' the two Young Masters Covendier."

Knight Cassian looked at the bloodkin killer who had lost his right arm and whose whole body was charred, his gaze complicated.

"Wasn't it precisely to guard against this person before us?"

Everyone in the field was stunned.

Several seconds later.

"So that's it. Two supreme-class knights appear here because His Highness planned everything from afar and laid an inescapable net in advance!"

Yannik suddenly became upright and righteous, coldly facing Lee.

"All to prevent certain people from fishing in troubled waters and obstructing the matter!"

Lee had no words with which to answer.

Cecil gave a light snort.

Cassian paid no attention to the subtle confrontation between them. He only slowly walked toward Lausanne the Second on the ground.

"You definitely do not know me, knight."

He sighed.

"But I remember you."

The two bloodkin guests were both interested by these words and looked over together.

Cecil had always acted decisively and originally wanted to finish the work as soon as possible. But for some reason, at this moment, he acted uncharacteristically and felt curiosity rise.

"You? You know this bastard killer?"

Cassian smiled faintly and said nothing.

Covered in wounds, Lausanne the Second opened his eyes with difficulty.

Who was this?

"At the general selection tournament that year, a mysterious knight who hid his face passed trial after trial amid the astonished cries of the crowd, winning all the way to the finals. Before His Highness Horace, he lost by one move."

Cassian spoke softly.

The two bloodkin glanced at each other.

No.

Lausanne the Second trembled slightly, his gaze flickering.

That had not been a narrow loss.

Nor had it been one move.

"At that time, I was still a playboy youth, mixed into the bustling crowd. For the first time, I witnessed the grace of knightly combat."

Cassian lowered his head and looked at his palm, full of emotion.

"After that, I became a knight."

A knight?

Lausanne the Second smiled mockingly.

"A mistaken decision."

"Yes, so in the end, he still came back to inherit the family business," Cecil snorted.

Cassian shook his head, ignoring his old friend's sarcasm.

"So, many years later, when another mysterious knight appeared at the general selection tournament, I remembered."

"It was you, knight."

"I am not a knight."

Lausanne the Second sneered and denied it without thinking.

He had, however, killed quite a few knights.

Yannik suddenly spoke:

"According to you, if he won all the way to the end at the general selection tournament, he should have gained both fame and fortune, with a bright future ahead of him. How did he end up in this..."

"Enough."

Cecil impatiently interrupted him.

"Enough nonsense."

"Oh, apologies, old friend."

Cassian came back to himself and smiled apologetically.

"I don't know why. Today I am somewhat sentimental."

He looked at the ashen-faced Lausanne the Second, feeling a surge of emotion:

Perhaps because he had witnessed the complete collapse of a childhood idol, or because he had seen the final fall of an honorable knight?

Only Lee suddenly turned his head and glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at Yannik, who stood to the side with an innocent face, craning his neck to watch the scene.

Cecil snorted disdainfully. He drew his longsword and pointed its tip toward Lausanne the Second, who had lost the ability to resist.

"Very good. Let me first cut off this monster's limbs. Oh, only three limbs remain. For safety..."

"I am very sorry," Cassian sighed.

"...Then, according to the prince, we will escort him back to Emerald Palace from front and back. There is a specially prepared cage there. We must be careful of his anomalous ability..."

"You cannot take him away."

"And guard against others making trouble along the way..."

Cecil reacted, immediately shut his mouth, and looked at his old friend in puzzlement.

"What?"

Full of apology, Cassian smiled gently and naturally stepped in front of Lausanne the Second.

"I am very sorry, Cecil, but he cannot return to Emerald Palace with you."

Cecil took several seconds to understand this sentence. Once he reacted, his expression changed slightly.

"Are you... serious?"

Lee, who was watching from the side, looked toward Yannik again. The latter spread his hands and shrugged innocently.

Whoosh.

In response, Cassian also drew his longsword, his smile weary.

Cecil's expression turned completely cold.

"Listen. Prince Thales said..."

He looked at his old friend before him and lightly turned his wrist.

"Bring Federico's dog chain back to Emerald Palace, and Lord Zayen's innocence can be proven. Jade City's crisis will resolve itself, and everything will return to normal."

Normal?

Lausanne the Second, lying on the ground, laughed coldly.

Look around you. Then look at North Gate Bridge. You call this normal?

"And you believe those words?" Cassian replied.

"Of course I do not."

Cecil's eyes changed, and the sword edge in his hand lightly trembled.

"That is why I am here. To prevent someone, whether that prince, Young Master Federico, or some other ambitious person who wants to see Jade City suffer, from playing tricks while the criminal is being captured and obstructing Jade City's return to order."

"So that's how it is," Cassian murmured with a nod.

No wonder people say you understand officialdom better than I do.

"But I did not expect it to be you," Cecil said coldly. "Is it because you watched this vampire compete years ago and still remember old feelings? Or did you privately go see Young Master Federico after the prince and I left, and were persuaded by him?"

"Neither. I merely have no choice but..."

Before he could finish, Cecil's longsword shot out like a spirit snake striking with its tongue.

At the critical instant, Cassian spun aside, and at the same time, the blade in his hand wheeled to meet his opponent.

Clang!

The two touched and split apart.

"The Rose lineage of Eradication Tower against the style of Eastland grassland Snake School mercenaries."

Lausanne the Second spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed coldly.

"Is there a more boring clash of styles in the world?"

But Cassian only sighed. Without a word, he continued blocking Lausanne the Second.

Cecil, on the other hand, lowered his head and frowned at his longsword.

He had missed.

In the past, that strike should at least have forced his opponent away from the target.

"Whoa, gentlemen, words can solve this."

Yannik looked deeply worried.

"Why must people of the same house turn their blades against one another?"

For who knew how many times, Lee looked thoughtfully toward Yannik.

"Enough. Stop!"

Everyone turned back at the same time.

Prince Thales appeared on the street, approaching them surrounded by the others.

Everyone present frowned.

"Very good."

Lausanne the Second smiled weakly.

"The great personage has finally come down from the tower."

What greeted him was a merciless strike from Cassian's sword hilt.

With an honored person arriving, the two bloodkin, perhaps out of the habit of avoiding the world, gave way to either side. Cecil turned back with an unhappy expression and saluted, and even Cassian, who stood before Lausanne the Second, nodded in greeting.

"This is the result of the careful encirclement by all of you?"

Thales could not understand the situation before him. He suppressed his anger and questioned them.

"Captain Cecil, what is going on?"

Cecil's expression paused, and he turned around.

"I am also quite puzzled."

He asked in a deep voice:

"Why, Cassian?"

Cassian smiled but did not get to speak, because another voice answered before him.

"Because of me."

Everyone changed expression again.

Because with that female voice, another figure stepped out from the darkness behind Cassian and came before everyone.

In that instant, Thales's eyes widened, and he cried out despite himself:

"Hilley?"

Miss Hilley Covendier, wearing a capable traveling outfit, stepped onto the soil of the new suburb and coldly watched everyone.

Mallos, Wya, Komuto...

The guards behind Thales stirred.

Cecil could not help speaking either.

"Miss Hilley?"

Lee remained silent. Yannik, on the other hand, looked very interested.

"Ah, this I truly did not expect."

Facing everyone's gazes, Hilley sneered and stared straight at Thales.

"Did you really think that if you set a trap here to hunt the killer, I would not hear a single whisper of it, Thales?"

Thales looked at Hilley, then at Cassian beside her. Understanding dawned, and his expression changed several times.

"Very good."

Thales took a deep breath. His smile was somewhat forced.

"Then let us capture him together, Hilley."

Hilley narrowed her eyes, her tone rising.

"Oh, us?"

Thales sighed.

"Listen. This killer has a hunting list on him... In short, he is Federico's chess piece to influence Jade City, and also the fuse that caused Zayen to be trapped in prison. As long as he is captured, the case will become clear. We can break the deadlock of Zayen and Federico threatening and confronting each other..."

He stepped forward and did his best to speak sincerely.

"Trust me. This is also helping Zayen escape trouble sooner..."

"Or helping you," Hilley said coldly.

Thales froze at these words.

"What?"

Hilley looked back at the dying killer, then turned back, her gaze becoming incomparably sharp.

"Since no one can interfere from outside the field anymore, then whether Federico is judged a traitor or Zayen is judged an unlawful usurper will be decided by your single word, correct?"

These words made Thales freeze, and made Cecil and the others fall into thought.

"Hilley, what I am doing..."

Thales found it unbelievable.

"I see through it now. You think you are considering everyone, but in the end..."

Hilley sneered.

"The person you want to help has always only been yourself, or the ideals you call your own."

Thales felt his heart shake.

He wanted to refute her, but he had no words.

"No. None of us wants to see Jade City run with rivers of blood."

He worked hard to organize his words amid the shock.

"On this matter, we should be allies."

"Then in the council hall, why did you refuse to let me become city lord?"

Thales was momentarily speechless.

"We stopped being allies long ago."

Hilley rejected him without courtesy.

"From the day you rejected my proposal to cooperate. You cannot cooperate with someone whose mouth is full of lies, who deceives by habit, who intends to control you, mislead you, and will sooner or later betray you, let alone ally with them. Remember?"

Thales felt empty inside.

Behind him, Wya sighed.

If he had known, he should have insisted to the end that day and forced His Highness to apologize to her.

Yannik shook his head from the side.

Ah, youth.

"I know, Hilley. I know that after so many things, I cannot win your trust. But at least..."

Thales forced himself to calm down, recover his reason, and keep up with her thoughts.

"At least we cannot let this fellow continue killing."

"He will not."

Hilley answered very simply.

"I will watch him."

"You?" Thales said in surprise.

Lausanne the Second on the ground likewise laughed mockingly.

"Truly, little girl? You?"

Cassian, who was guarding him, frowned and was about to add another beating, but Hilley sneered and slowly turned around.

"Oh, so you do not remember me."

She smiled faintly and tilted her head as she looked at Lausanne the Second.

"Attendant?"

Attendant?

Hilley's address puzzled Lausanne the Second.

Should I remember her?

Why does this little girl...

In the next moment, the light in Hilley's eyes flashed strangely.

"Me!"

In that second, Lausanne the Second swayed slightly, and his expression changed violently.

In his ears, the deliberately drawn-out final sound from the girl changed strangely, turning into a sound that no human force could make. It shook his soul and deafened his ears.

It was like fingernails scraping over wood.

It held an indescribable horror.

"It is you!"

He instinctively shrank backward, his eyes full of shock.

"You!"

Under the puzzled gazes of those around them, Hilley no longer paid him any attention and turned to look at Thales.

"Cassian, take him away," Miss Covendier said coldly.

Cassian accepted the order with a nod.

But Thales was not prepared to yield.

"Knight Cecil, Count Lee, and Councilor Hollier!"

The prince shouted his command.

"That killer is the key to finding the truth of the old case and breaking Jade City's deadlock. Seize him back, and I will surely reward you!"

Everyone stiffened, while Hilley frowned tightly.

"If necessary, my Star Lake Guard can also assist..."

"No need!" Hilley sharply interrupted him.

Under everyone's eyes, Hilley stepped forward and faced the prince directly.

"Thales."

She spoke softly, but her words grew more severe as she continued.

"I hear you are called the North Star. Whether in Dragon Clouds City or Eternal Star City, you are quite imposing and forceful, so much that even His Majesty fears you somewhat?"

These words were strange and mocking. Thales's eyelid jumped, and he could not help clenching his fist.

"I admire you greatly."

Hilley's smile did not lessen, and she pretended to clap.

"So I have decided to learn from you."

When Hilley finished speaking, everyone was puzzled.

But they did not have to remain puzzled for long.

In the next second, under everyone's shocked gazes, she smiled and very naturally drew a dagger, pressing it against her own throat.

Thales's eyes abruptly widened.

What?

"In the name of Jade City's female heir, Cecilia Covendier..."

Hilley's smile was like a flower, but the words she spoke made one's blood run cold.

"Whoever blocks me tonight shall bear a blood debt to the family and forever be a mortal enemy of Iris Flower."

Seeing this scene, a commotion rose among those present. Those among the Star Lake Guard who knew some of the truth felt even more complicated.

Thales felt dizzy and had to take a deep breath.

"Cassian!"

Seeing matters slip out of control, Cecil could not help shouting angrily.

"This concerns your master's life. As a subordinate, are you going to do nothing?"

Cassian looked at his mistress and wanted to say something, but in the end, he sighed.

Hilley, however, urged him coldly:

"Cassian."

Knight Cassian hesitated for a moment, then turned, seized Lausanne the Second by the back of his collar, and dragged him away.

The killer, who already had no way to reverse the situation, did not resist. He only stared blankly at Hilley, his face full of disbelief.

The Star Lake guards instinctively wanted to step forward and stop them, however...

"Who dares move?"

Hilley shouted sharply. The dagger was still against her neck, and she stood before Cassian, staring fixedly at every person opposite her.

Thales gritted his teeth and spoke:

"Hilley!"

Hilley turned to him and smiled maliciously, showing unmistakable contempt.

This scene made Thales's eyes open wide with anger. His fists clenched hard.

He turned slightly and lowered his voice.

"Count Lee. Yan. Your race is famous for agile movement and swift action. I wonder..."

Lee's expression was blank, and he gave no answer.

"One might as well try."

Yannik agreed very readily, but he looked at the resolute Hilley and changed course.

"Only, if an accident happens, who will bear responsibility? Who counts as Iris Flower's enemy? The one who acts? The one who incites? Or everyone present?"

Everyone else frowned together.

Thales's fist clenched even tighter.

Before long, Cassian and Lausanne the Second disappeared into the fog.

Wait. Fog?

Many people reacted and looked around, all shocked.

After a night of bitter battle at North Gate Bridge, when had so much fog risen?

It blocked vision and hindered pursuit.

Strange to the extreme.

In the faint mist, Hilley's smile grew even brighter.

"Good. Very obedient," she said softly. "It would be best not to let anyone follow. I have a way to know."

Thales took a deep breath and swallowed every irrational feeling back down.

"All right, Hilley," the prince said in a deep voice. "What exactly do you want?"

Hearing this, Hilley did not loosen the dagger in her hand. She looked deeply at him.

"You know what I want, Thales. You have always known."

Miss Covendier's gaze was complicated.

"So now, it is your turn to choose."

Her expression turned severe, and her voice changed.

"Bad, or worse?"

Thales instantly choked with anger.

"You..."

"No hurry."

Hilley interrupted him, confident and composed, her smile strange.

"I have all the time in the world."

She turned and swept her gaze over everyone.

"Just remember: right now, you have Jade City, sick beyond cure..."

Hilley said coldly:

"And I have the medicine that can save Jade City."

Thales's expression changed.

After saying this, Hilley still did not release her hand. She simply turned and left, stepping onto the street of the new suburb.

"Cecilia!"

Thales could not help calling out.

But Hilley's steps were resolute. She did not turn back, and she did not respond.

She simply walked step by step toward the thick fog in the distance.

Looking at Miss Covendier's back, the tense Wya swallowed and walked behind Thales.

"Your Highness, should we..."

Beside him, Mallos slapped him hard, choking Wya's words back into his mouth.

Everyone looked toward Thales.

But the prince's expression was tangled, his mood chaotic. He only stared blankly at Hilley's departing back and did not answer.

Seeing this, everyone reacted differently.

But without the prince's order, no one dared act rashly.

Until Hilley vanished completely into the fog before dawn.

Leaving behind only everyone's astonished gazes.

And the Duke of Star Lake's faintly trembling fist.

After a deeply unsettling silence, Thales slowly exhaled and turned around.

"Clean up the aftermath. Return to the palace. Report."

He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

"Every damned one of you."

Everyone woke as if from a dream and obeyed.

Many people walked past the Duke of Star Lake, who was forcefully suppressing his anger and lowering his head without a word. They were nervous and cautious, not daring to speak too much.

Even Wya did not dare ask the prince, "What about the extra meal promised tonight?"

"A piece of advice, Count Lee."

Yannik carefully drifted past Lee's side and spoke softly, as faint as a mosquito.

"After losing this round, he will definitely look elsewhere to regain face..."

"For the next few days, don't provoke him."