The small courtyard, which had been peaceful for over a year, had been receiving increasingly frequent visits from guards lately — all part of Thomas's thinly veiled hostility.
"Perhaps… he'll confront me directly before long?"
Leilin sighed. "This kind of situation, especially at a critical juncture like this, is troublesome…"
With that, Leilin closed his eyes.
"At this point, no amount of feigned weakness or reassurances would convince Thomas anymore. I've already played that card too many times. Having
"Unless I directly manipulate his mind, but the requirements for that are far too demanding. Or… I could simply knock Sophia unconscious and send her to Thomas?
In the span of a single instant, Leilin had already run through every possible outcome and realized that, apart from fleeing, he had no other options.
But that was the least likely course of action!
In truth, ever since entering the
After all, everything that mattered — everything that was a matter of life and death — was right here. How could he possibly relocate?
Moreover, once he left this base that he had painstakingly cultivated over a long period, complete with all manner of concealment measures, he had no confidence that he could remain hidden within the Holy City.
"Feigned weakness won't work! It seems my only option is to put on a show of strength!" Leilin stroked his chin. Sometimes, a measured display of deterrence could still serve a purpose.
He would certainly face a backlash afterward, but for Leilin, with his plan on the verge of success, all he needed now was a little more time.
"I should be able to buy at least that much hesitation!" A glint of light flickered in Leilin's eyes.
"Cough, cough… Sophia, wait a moment!" Having made up his mind, Leilin immediately called out to Sophia.
"Brother Nick! Is there something else?" Sophia skipped over to Leilin with a bounce in her step. A faint girlish fragrance mingled with youthful vitality drifted to his nostrils.
Following close behind were the warning gazes of those guards.
"Oh! I need you to deliver something to your sister!"
Leilin paid no heed whatsoever to the guards' warning looks and said with a smile to Sophia.
"What is it? Something delicious? The roasted meat Brother Nick made last time was so good!" Sophia's eyes lit up.
"It's not food! You little glutton!" Leilin shook his head with an amused smile, never having expected his cooking skills from his previous life to actually have fans in another world. "It's an amulet! Take it to your sister for me! It might help her with this mission."
It didn't take much thought to figure it out. A mission that could yield a Holy Light Crystal was bound to be extraordinarily dangerous. Belinda alone, even as a fourth-tier powerhouse, with the support of both Agnes and the
And Leilin could use this opportunity perfectly to show his strength to the outside world and demonstrate his capabilities.
However, given his current situation, it was far from appropriate for him to go out personally, so he could only entrust Sophia. He believed that no matter how naive she might be, she would still hold firm when it came to her own sister's safety.
"Okay! Sophia will definitely deliver it!" Sophia clenched her small fist and nodded firmly.
"I'm counting on you!" Leilin gave a nod, then walked over to the flowerbed and plucked a leaf from the small emerald tree.
"This is it! Give it to your sister!"
The jade-green leaf was ringed with a hazy, luminous glow that even caused Sophia's eyes to go slightly vacant for a moment.
"I understand!" Sophia stored the leaf away with the utmost care. There even seemed to be a new spark of liveliness in her eyes.
It appeared that this brief moment of contact had already brought about some changes in her, which was rather unexpected for Leilin.
"Let's go! Do you want to get scolded by Brother Thomas again?"
Sophia glanced at the guards who were eyeing her like tigers, then walked out with an air of dignified composure, like a regal princess.
The guards exchanged helpless glances, then trudged after her with drooping heads, looking for all the world like an escort of honor guarding a princess.
"The effect is this strong? From just a brief contact!"
Leilin's pupils narrowed slightly as he gazed at the small green tree in the flowerbed.
"An offshoot of the Ancient Tree of Wisdom — in terms of awakening wisdom, it actually has such a powerful and incredible effect!"
"Wait! The reason Sophia kept coming to visit me so persistently — she may well have been influenced by it too, sensing that being here would bring her great benefit, enough to defy Belinda's orders!"
Gradually, Leilin suddenly realized the true reason behind Sophia's insistence on visiting him so frequently. It seemed her earlier fondness was only a small part of it. What truly drove her to break through her sister's prohibition was nothing less than a thirst for wisdom.
"Excellent! This effect gives me even more confidence in my plan!"
Leilin quietly clenched his fist.
……
Meanwhile, on a street not far from here, Thomas wore a grim expression.
"That bitch!" When he saw Sophia emerge from Leilin's courtyard with a radiant smile on her face, Thomas's expression had already turned dark enough to drip.
"And that Nick — how dare he ignore my warning and continue associating with Sophia!"
Crack! Thomas's nails carved long scratches into the hard wall beside him, sending a shower of dust and powder cascading down.
"Get everything ready! I'm going to teach that Nick a lesson! It seems I've been far too lenient with him over this past year or so..."
"Yes, young master!" The other two men, who appeared to be guard captains, knelt down respectfully.
"Also, investigate his background and his strength — everything!" Thomas added.
As the heir of a great family, though he was somewhat infatuated with Sophia, he was not so besotted that he would lose his head over her. After all, when it came to power, he understood restraint all too well.
Therefore, even when preparing to turn hostile, he would first conduct a thorough investigation.
However, with his power as the Steward family's heir, as long as Leilin was not descended from that small handful of equally elite families, he was nothing more than an ant in Thomas's eyes — easily crushed between his fingers.
The prior investigation was merely a precaution.
"A mere bloodline of the White Devil! Even if you're the purest White Devil noble in the rumors, I'll send you straight to hell!"
Thomas stared at Leilin's garden, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
……
"Sister! Sister!"
Sophia threw herself into Belinda's arms and began acting cute, but Belinda's face was as cold as ice. "You went to Nick's place again? How many times have I told you to stop doing this? You're going to bring him serious trouble! Why won't you listen?"
On this matter, Belinda was unusually harsh in her words.
"But... I just want to go!" Sophia twisted her fingers with a grievance. "At Brother Nick's place, I feel so comfortable and happy!"
"Hmm? What did he do to you?" Belinda's expression instantly turned alert, even her knuckles cracking audibly.
"Not that! It's that little tree — just smelling it makes you feel so comfortable!" Sophia's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Nick's precious tree?" Belinda shook her head, realizing she'd jumped to conclusions.
Why Nick treasured that plant so much had long puzzled Belinda. She'd even looked up numerous references on the subject, nearly convincing herself the Seed of Wisdom was some kind of soul-bewitching dark artifact.
She also harbored considerable resentment toward
"Mm! Also, Brother Nick asked me to give you this, saying it would be very useful for your mission this time!"
Sophia looked reluctant, but still handed the leaf over to Belinda.
"What is it? A mind-protection charm?" Taking the leaf in her hand, Belinda didn't feel anything particularly striking — only a cool sensation seeping down from the leaf that calmed her considerably.
"Some kind of calming charm? Doesn't seem all that useful! Why would he have me deliver it to me?"
A puzzled look filled Belinda's eyes.
"No! Sophia can feel that this thing is really important for you, big sister — you have to bring it this time!" Sophia spoke with a serious expression.
"Fine, fine! I really can't handle the two of you…"
A warm smile spread across Belinda's face. She tucked the leaf away and ruffled Sophia's hair, then suddenly froze. "Wait, something's not right."
She looked Sophia up and down, as if trying to read something on her face. "Sophia, why do I feel like you've gotten smarter…"
Due to a childhood accident, Sophia's mind had remained childlike, yet today her speech was remarkably articulate and well-reasoned — enough to genuinely astonish Belinda.
"Really? I've always been smart! Big sister must be seeing things!"
Sophia smiled sweetly, though at the bottom of her eyes a hint of cunning seemed to flash by.
"Could it be? Maybe the stress of tomorrow's mission is making me lose my mind?" Belinda pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Belinda!!!"
At that moment, another figure burst in unannounced, their face blazing with undisguised anger.
"Why did you accept that mission? Don't you know Crescent Lake has already become a danger zone for
Agnes demanded, her armor still not changed and even stained with blood. As the supervisor in charge of this area, Agnes was active almost every day on the battlefield against the Gluttony Beasts.
"I'll step out first!" Seeing the situation, Sophia stuck out her tongue and swiftly slipped out the door.