However, it seemed that Lady Bellini did not refuse?
She said she wasn't yet mentally prepared.
Once ready, could the treatment begin?
A flicker of surprise passed over Lin Da's face,
he had thought that Bellini would sternly refuse, preserving her dignity as a lady.
It can only be said that Bellini really had her daughter's best interests at heart.
Otherwise, her downfall was sure to strike Lia hard.
"Um, if we proceed with the treatment, wouldn't it trouble you?" Lady Bellini frowned, and said, "Your two girlfriends, would they get angry?"
"Are you referring to Kafni and Monica?" Lin Da waved his hand: "They aren't in a romantic relationship with me."
"And you, personally, it doesn't matter to you?" Bellini, holding back her shame, summoned the courage to look at this tall young man.
Lin Da said seriously, "Of course it doesn't. As a single, old Healing Mage, if I could receive your guidance on my first attempt, it would be an honor."
"Ah, it's your first time?"
Bellini was stunned.
"Yes, but I believe even for my first time, I'm still stronger than most," Lin Da said confidently.
"I... understand. Please allow me to think it over, after all, this isn't a decision I can make immediately."
Bellini was still scared of the Bloody Baron.
"Understood." Lin Da nodded, took a pen and paper from his pouch, scribbled down an address, and handed it to Bellini.
"Once you've decided, you can contact me here."
"Okay," Bellini said timidly as she took it.
As if this piece of paper were an invitation from a demon, leading to a fall into the abyss.
Lin Da joked, "Remember to keep it from the Bloody Baron."
"Of course," Bellini rolled her eyes, inadvertently oozing the charm of a mature woman.
"If you can successfully cure me…" Bellini thought carefully for a while, then said earnestly, "I'll secretly take you to the master's core treasury!"
"It's a deal," Lin Da smiled and nodded.
...
The door to the outer treasury was finally opened.
Kafni had been waiting impatiently and complained, "What were you doing inside, picking equipment is so troublesome."
Upon seeing Lin Da, Monica immediately clung to him like a tail, timidly grabbing the hem of his clothes.
Ruffling Monica's paper box, Lin Da, with a piercing gaze, said, "We should take our leave, back to White Dove City."
This trip to Red Heart City had been very rewarding for him.
A new member of the team, a bottle of Metal Destroyer Potion, and Lia's level 20 Magical Equipment, the Blazing Bracelet.
Both manpower and resources were ample.
It was time to conquer the World Tree Secret Realm.
Having been away from White Dove City for three days, he wondered how Lulu was doing.
Had she gone looking for him?
If she found him gone, would she think he had fled with her secret?
Thinking of that beast-eared girl, Lin Da felt exceptionally troubled.
Being high level was all well and good, but not as obedient as Monica!
...
As they emerged from underground, Lin Da heard the sound of fierce fighting.
The group looked ahead in surprise to see two figures in the courtyard, one red and one golden.
They intermingled, their Battle Qi fiercely colliding, each strike like thunder, causing painful ringing in the ears!
"Dawen and Lia, why are they fighting?"
Lin Da wondered.
The red figure, like an enraged leopardess, aggressively attacked. Although Lia was of a lower rank than the latter, she was on the offensive.
Between each punch and kick, she produced trails of afterimages, her movements fluid without a hint of stiffness, her fiery red hair swirling behind her like a cape, forcing Dawen to retreat.
But this was only on the surface.
Lin Da's expression gradually turned serious.
At a glance, it seemed Lia had the upper hand, but Dawen, using Thunder Fighting Spirit, remained cold and unflustered, obviously testing Lia's strength.
"Don't underestimate me, my Snow Goose will someday surpass the Crimson Adventure Group!" Lia roared, her right fist enveloped in exploding fiery Battle Qi, smashing towards Dawen's head.
This punch was extremely fast and Lia had secretly added the Skill "Energy Charging." Stay updated through m-v l|-NovelFire.net
Dawen's expression changed, his previously effortless state finally breaking. Even he, a Star-ranked adventurer, hadn't seen when Lia had charged up. Those punches and kicks were merely a smokescreen.
The fist grazed Dawen's cheek, like a swift blade, slicing a small cut in the Battle Qi shield on his body, spraying blood everywhere. Sёarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
-1000!
In Lin Da's vision, a red number popped above Dawen's head.
However, since the opponent was high-level, his health points were frighteningly high.
Even after losing 1000 hit points, it was still just a minor injury.
But this strike enraged Dawen, Thunder Fighting Spirit circulated through his body, his muscles swelling explosively as he counter-grabbed Lia's attacking right arm, and threw her over his shoulder!
With a loud thud, the white flagstones in the yard shattered, a small crater formed by the impact.
"Lia!" As a mother, Bellini rushed forward anxiously to intervene.
"Don't go over there, be careful not to get caught in it."
Lin Da grabbed Bellini and squinted towards the center of the battle engulfed in dust, where he could vaguely see the number -500 popping up above Lia's head.
If that over-the-shoulder throw had landed properly, she would have lost about 2000 Hit Points.
"She's fine," Lin Da said calmly.
As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's no injury.
Lia, who was thrown over the shoulder, landed steadily on her feet and suddenly released flames from her hands, forcing Dawen to step back.
Dawen wiped the wound on his cheek with his thumb, and seeing the streak of crimson, he smiled, "Three years no see, and you've upgraded from trash to deadwood level, not bad."
Lia's gaze fixed dead on Dawen, her body's Fire Battle Qi burning like fierce flames, "Energy Charging!"
"Stop fighting, you two!"
"As siblings, you should get along!"
Bellini stood angrily between them, "If you keep this up, I'll have to tell the old man!"
At the mention of 'old man,' Dawen frowned, dispersed his Battle Qi, and looked toward Lia not far away, snorting coldly, "You're lucky this time. If I run into you next time you come back, I'll continue to teach you a lesson."
"Who's afraid of whom, I'll trample you underfoot sooner or later!" Lia scoffed.
"Enough!" Bellini grabbed her daughter's hand and bowed apologetically to Lin Da, "I'm really sorry, I need to discipline my daughter a bit more, so I won't see you off."
"Madam, you're weakened, please go back and rest," Lin Da said understandingly, nodding.
"So you haven't left yet," Lia glared at him fiercely, and then was pushed by Bellini into the mansion.
In the manor, only Lin Da, his group, and Dawen were left.
Dawen spoke first.
Compared to the cold demeanor when they first met, Dawen's attitude was inexplicably friendlier. The second young master of the Mandala Family seemed to be in a much better mood after Lia drew blood with a punch:
"That fool is not fit for exploring the Mystic Realm; I hope you can wake her up and make her roll back here."
Lin Da was curious, "But I'm just a level 8 adventurer; how could I possibly do that?"
"You can't, but I think your team can," Dawen said, appreciation showing in his eyes. "Lia left home at level 7, and you've helped her adventure team reach the eighth layer in three years. Such ability is top-notch even in Red Heart City."
Lin Da shook his head, "But I'm not interested in meddling in your family affairs; managing my own team is already enough work."
"No need for modesty, if I say you can do it, then you can," Dawen said proudly. "You've looked after Lia for three years in Snow Goose; consider it a favor the Mandala Family owes you. If you face difficulties in Red Heart City, feel free to use my name."
"Thanks for that."
Lin Da was naturally happy to accept the benefits.
He performed a courteous adventurer's bow, commonly used, and prepared to leave.
"Oh, right."
Dawen slapped his head as if remembering something and cautioned, "Be careful around the Breeze River Beach area when you head back to White Dove City. Our adventure team's scouts have found that the magical creatures there are not normal; there might be mutated high-level Magical Beasts appearing."
"Those creatures are not something your team can handle. Maybe you'll see our Crimson Adventure Group in action... heh, speaking of which, it's been a long time since we've clashed with your city's White Dove Adventure Group."
White Dove Adventure Group?
Lin Da paused in his steps.
He had almost gotten calluses on his ears from hearing these five words so often.
Everyone in White Dove City was familiar with this adventure group.
The strongest Iron Level Adventure Group in the city, a benchmark for all.
"Right, you just mentioned Breeze River Beach?" he asked seriously.
Dawen hummed an affirmation, "Recently, Murderous Crabs have migrated there; it's estimated a mutated leader exists. When you go back to White Dove City, remember to avoid it."
"Thanks for the heads up." This time, Lin Da genuinely performed an adventurer's salute.
The mention of Murderous Crabs and Breeze River Beach triggered a memory:
It was a small event, 'Murderous Crab Tide' about to start.
By his calculations, it would start in about ten days.
This was a major summer event, 'Hero's Stone Descendance,' a warm-up event.
Intended to help adventurers quickly level up and increase the chance of obtaining Hero's Stones.
Breeze River Beach would be the epicenter of the Murderous Crab Tide.
Players eliminating Murderous Crabs during the event period would receive an Experience Points boost.
In real life, such reward schemes would definitely vary, which Lin Da needed to watch out for.
...
The trio bid farewell to Dawen, went to the Adventurer's Guild, and hired a carriage specifically for long off-road journeys, heading back to White Dove City.
In the carriage, Kafni excitedly held a red-and-blue handheld console she had pilfered from someone's bag, controlling the magic puppet inside to farm monsters, occasionally exclaiming how exhilarating it was, looking like someone who had never seen the world.
Meanwhile, Monica slept on Lin Da's lap, her breathing calm and steady.
Lin Da quietly picked up the girl's paper box to ventilate it, his fingers stroking her rosy cheeks, somewhat lost in thought.
If handled well, the Murderous Crab Tide event could fatten up his team in one go.
These creatures were weak to Weak Earth Series Magic and Striking Series damage.
Once the tide erupted, two types of equipment were sure to rise in price:
Earth Series Magic Wands, Magic Scrolls.
Striking Series hammers, axes.
Prices would rise by at least 20%.
Lin Da massaged his chin, pondering: Stock up on goods now, and he could make a killing.
He needed to secure more Gold Coins before everyone realized the Murderous Crab Tide was about to start.
With his foresight, the more he hoarded, the more he would earn.