CH 30

Chapter 30: After Regrouping, They Proceed with the Next Step

After seeing each other again, the atmosphere became lively.

System Qian Qian crossed her arms and looked at the two people who were hugging. She snorted and did not speak. The three big men beside them watched the two. The one with a straw hat was leaning against a big tree. The one leaning against his giant sword closed his eyes. The last one stared at the two, shouting, “Hey, Zi Linglong. You could give me a hug as well.”

Zi Linglong lifted her gaze and glanced at him. She said to his face, “Unwed men and women who aren’t blood-related shouldn’t touch each other. You are such a big man yet you want to hug a little girl. You’re really shameless. Go home and hug a pillow instead.” 

“Yeah, right! Stingy!” The red-haired youth snorted disdainfully. “If you weren’t having a touching reunion, then I would have slandered you, peasant! Peasant!”

Leaning against the giant sword, the tall ox-horned man closed his eyes and said with his arms across his chest. “This God is the messenger of the Beast God. This God generally won’t intervene with the matters between you all and the human race. Only when the world is about to be destroyed will this God show up to save the world.”

The man with a straw hat leaned against a tree and did not speak, simply watching them.

Long Shiyan silently looked at a group of her rowdy teammates, then turned towards Zi Linglong, whispering comfortably. “What happened while I was gone? Did you encounter any danger?”

Zi Linglong burst out into tears and said, aggrieved. “When I slept, I was almost eaten by a giant python. When I was working with them, I was almost killed by an Earth Bear.”

“Did you get injured?”

“Yeah.” Zi Linglong nodded with tears. “But I have already recovered.”

Long Shiyan sighed and touched Zi Linglong’s cheek. She smiled. “That’s fine since you were able to come back safely. This will never happen again in the future. Elder Sister will protect you.”

The red-haired teenager couldn’t help but roll his eyes and ridicule, “Zi Linglong, you are twice the size of the person in front of you, not to mention much older. Yet, you still act like a spoiled child towards her. It looks really weird.”

System Qian Qian floated into the air. She nodded in agreement with him while crossing her arms across her chest.

Zi Linglong ignored the ridicule and began to check Long Shiyan’s body.

“Ever since this God came to the mundane world, I have felt that you humans are strange creatures. However, I will temporarily remain silent,” the ox-horned man muttered to himself.

Long Shiyan did not pay attention to Zi Linglong’s inquiry and turned her gaze towards System Qian Qian. She then moved her gaze to the straw hat boy who hadn’t spoken yet. She whispered, “Edgar, was the journey to here safe?”

Before Edgar could reply, the red-haired boy rushed to answer, “Old President, you might not know about this but stupid Edgar got attacked by the assassin and almost breathed his final breath. If it wasn’t for this handsome guy acting quickly by shooting out a fireball, then I don’t know what the outcome would have been.”

Edgar wanted to respond but immediately choked at those words.

The ox-horned man added, “At that time, this God also used his big sword to save this weak human. Alas, human beings are mere mortals, their bodies are too fragile. If it wasn’t for a certain female human, who captured a light attribute magical beast right away, I do not know if such a fragile human being could survive.”

“But even so, Edgar’s body and mind must have been greatly traumatized and now he’s acting sulky. I don’t think he will recognize Zi Linglong’s painstaking efforts. Perhaps we should replace him with someone else.” The red-haired teenager shrugged with a nonchalant appearance, “What do you say, Ox-head?” He turned his gaze towards the ox-horned man.

“But this God does not care about the unimportant matters of this group and human beings in general. However, it is indeed a wrong choice to choose a weak person to become vice-president. Therefore, this God also believes that the replacement of the vice-president can be considered.” The ox-horned man nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of the red-haired boy.

The straw hat boy Edgar’s face was as black as coal. His body flashed and the two plunged into the ground again. “Giggle all you want, you two small criminals. If you want to replace my position, try again later!”

“Edgar, bullying me, a mage, at such a close distance is unfair. What kind of righteous hero are you? The next time we head out to the battlefield together, see if I don’t burn you to ashes.” The red-haired teenager stood back up, glaring resentfully at the straw hat teenager.

The ox-horned man also climbed up and sat on the stone calmly. He said, “Humans like to use sneak attacks and petty means. There is no justice at all. But all things considered, we are still in the Magical Beast Forest. This God is still not on good terms with you small human beings.”

Long Shiyan ignored their bickering as she turned her eyes towards Zi Linglong and asked her instead.

Zi Linglong hurriedly explained to her, “Edgar saved a beautiful girl and the relationship between the two became very good. But who would have known that the girl turned out to be an assassin? She suddenly took out a knife and stabbed him. By the time I arrived, he was about to die. Fortunately, I captured a light magical beast nearby to save him.

Edgar seemed to have suffered a huge blow from the incident as he acted sullen. Brands and Chris judged that the man shouldn’t be the vice president. Because of that, they wanted to take this opportunity to steal the position.

Later, we encountered an Earth Bear and ran all the way here to get away from it.”

The three big men glared at each other as they quarreled.

Long Shiyan nodded and looked at System Qian Qian. System Qian Qian answered her gaze, explaining the process of how she reunited with Zi Linglong.

Long Shiyan felt that it was about time to stop the argument and then turned her attention to the straw hat boy Edger. She said with a serious expression. “There aren’t many innocent people in the Magical Beast Forest. Everything must be done with care. There are many assassins who know how to disguise themselves to kill higher level swordsmen or magicians in order to benefit themselves.

Everyone should avoid being tricked by their fake disguises!”

Edgar forced himself to smile. “Of course, I understand the things that Head of the Group said. This is about how I can’t accept it. Merlin, she unexpectedly tried to kill me…”

Not waiting for Long Shiyan to comfort him, Ox-horned Chris said, “The love that human beings pursue was already abandoned by this God. This God pursues the road to becoming strong.”

“Exactly!” The red-haired teenager Brands came over and patted Edgar’s shoulder. “Little guy, don’t forget our goal. You only knew her for a few days, yet you already fell for her. If you really want to get into a relationship, then you should find the president! You’re so passionate, actually falling in love with an assassin,” he said indifferently.

“Elder Sister, don’t be contaminated by him!” Zi Linglong stood up and glared at him.

Edgar couldn’t help but roll his eyes and remain silent. He was their teammate, yet he was treated as an outcast.

“Why? Is it because the President’s body is too small for your preferences?” The red-haired teenager Brands pondered and half-heartedly said, “In this case, how about Zi Linglong? Although her personality is a bit strange, she is also a beauty!”

Zi Linglong stared at him coldly. She then ignored them and paid attention to Long Shiyan. She carefully searched Long Shiyan’s body for any injuries.

Edgar looked at him for a while, he couldn’t help but cover his stomach and vomit a few times before he felt any better.

Ox-horned Chris didn’t display many expressions. He only listened to him and said, “You, human, just had to fester. This God does not want to associate with you anymore.”

Long Shiyan was discussing with System Qian Qian. Zi Linglong suddenly realized that she neglected something about Long Shiyan’s appearance. Once she told her “Elder Sister, don’t move”, she messed with Long Shiyan’s body while the girl obediently stood absentmindedly from Zi Linglong’s actions. As she started to feel something was wrong, she began to revolt. “What are you doing? Qian Qian and I were planning where to go next!”

Knife, no, sword? Also not right; perhaps, a flying knife? Incorrect. Was it caused by a bow and arrow? That sounded right, it was caused by a bow and arrow!

She stared wide-eyed at Long Shiyan. She asked: “Elder sister is injured, right? An arrow should have penetrated your chest all the way through your back! Your cloak has a large hole! Although the wounds on the chest and back have healed. The new skin is evidence of what happened!”

At this moment, System Qian Qian suddenly floated out and said, “No wonder the host’s breathing was so weak at some point. Did the host get into a fight?”

“Elder Sister!”

Around this moment, the three large men also expressed their opinions. Straw hat boy Edgar frowned and said with a deep voice, “As a step-in leader, I was injured yet I still told my teammates. If an accident happened in the battle, you should clearly explain what happened to your teammates.”

Before Long Shiyan could open her mouth, the red-haired juvenile Brands commented with astonishment. “Which horrible opponent have you encountered? They must have been even more abnormal than you. Tell me who did it and I will avenge you.”

“The little human wants to show off his abilities.” Ox-headed Chris grabbed the shoulders of Brands and pulled him away. He stood there firmly and said, “The Beast God just told this God that protecting the head of the group is the duty of this God. If the protection is insufficient, then this God will be punished by the Beast God. Then the power of the Beast God will be awakened in my body. When that time comes, the Continent will be drenched in darkness and the devil will awaken. Humanity will become extinct…”

The corners of Long Shiyan’s lips twitched a few times. Her teammates were terrible. They were silly but amusing and she couldn’t do anything about their strange antics. They were indispensable to the Students’ Holy Spirit Association and were sometimes quite reliable.

Even if…

Forget it, she could somewhat understand their perspective of life and she was used to them.

“In fact, nothing truly bad happened. I only encountered a few assassins. After the battle, they all perished. This misfortunate incident was also a blessing in disguise since I obtained a lot of treasures from this battle.” She smiled like a flower. “Of course, my treasure is mine, and I won’t tell you all what I have obtained.”

“What treasures?” Brands couldn’t help but blink his eyes and come closer, but he was quickly picked up by the ox-horned Chris and pulled back.

“I already told you, I won’t talk about the treasures with you.” Long Shiyan crossed her arms in front of her chest; her expression could not be read.

“The smaller the person is, the stingier that person is. The president is the very epitome of stingy. A stingy president shouldn’t be the president. The president will be replaced by the vice-president one day.” Brands had a look of helplessness as he hung his head down. 

He felt a psychological itch. If she wasn’t his most respected President, he would have already usurped her.

“Sigh,” Edgar touched the straw hat on his head. “Brands, you shouldn’t talk too much. Although I am also very strong, I’m still far away from the head of the group. Moreover, I still haven’t gained acknowledgment of the dean and the students of the school. Therefore, I’m still incompetent.”

Chris glared at him and said with a sad face: “Edgar is mentally retarded! Although this God does not want to get involved with human beings and the mundane world, the power of the Beast God in my body is really uncontrollable. Not to say that everything that the red hair’s stinky mouth said is correct, but when it comes to you, he is correct. Furthermore, you are too stupid to stay in school, not to mention face Tiffany.”

Edgar: “…”

“Hahaha, that’s right!” Brands laughed beside him.

The topic changed very fast as even Long Shiyan had to sigh at the stubbornness of these people. Tiffany, who was mentioned, was the most powerful opponent Long Shiyan had faced in school. The top three students of the Student Holy Spirit Group were far from ordinary.

How to put it, while she was a very gentle beauty, she had always claimed to be Long Shiyan’s sister.

The Student Holy Spirit Group, in Long Shiyan’s understanding, was a super-large student union. The organization was similar to the real Holy Spirit Group, and its purpose was the same.

However, the Student Holy Spirit Group also included the Student Union. This was why the three men had addressed her with different titles. But strictly speaking, her official title was the “Head of the Group.” Of course, calling her “President” was also fine.

The Student Holy Spirit Group set up an organizational structure with the head of the group, two deputy heads, and around three guardians. The team consisted of six people, representing the most powerful students in the entire Holy Spirit Magic School. Not only was their popularity number one in the school but they also had a lot of authority in the school.

Furthermore, they could be the chiefs of different groups who represented the strongest factions within the school. For example, while Edgar was the secondary head of the group or vice-president, he was also the chief of the Assassination Department. While he was not acting as a deputy head, he would be in his other position.

The major departments were divided into the Martial Arts Department and the General Knowledge Department. The General Department was the department that taught common knowledge as this organization had the most students. However, there were not many students in the Martial Arts Departments. These departments included the Alchemy Research Society, the Sword Research Society, etc. These were the true core combat forces of the school and were led by the head of each respective society.

It could be said that if this someone removed their status as students, they could almost all go to the battlefield within minutes. They could be regarded as the preparatory combat members of the Holy Spirit Magic School.

The reason why the Holy Spirit Magic School hadn’t fallen in the past millennia was not only because of the success of education but also due to how they produced many powerful students who became the pillars of the school.

The “Holy Spirit Group” was the largest and strongest combat organization of the Holy Spirit Magic School. Even the Radiant Church and the hidden Dark Church couldn’t easily provoke them.

It was an independent and powerful force!

Several purposes of why Long Shiyan became the head of the group were very simple. One reason was that she was afraid of the Radiant Church, and the second was to avoid the Dark Church. Third, sooner or later, Long Aotian’s Flying Heavens Mercenary Group would sweep through the whole continent. Maybe one day, she might bump into Long Aotian. She had tampered with so many different plots in this school, so she didn’t know what would happen later on.

Will Long Aotian be appearing soon or will he continue to apply his influence to others behind her back while she could do nothing but resign to fate?

This was Long Shiyan’s most pressing issue, so she had to find an escape route and establish her power and forces behind the scenes.

“In fact, there were no treasures, instead there was a bunch of magic cores. The market value is around 300,000 gold coins,” Long Shiyan replied with a smile.

“Three, three hundred thousand?” Edgar was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth. This was enough for the three big men to sustain themselves for several years. How many magic cores were there to add up to 300,000 in value?

“Clang!” Ox-headed Chris’s giant sword fell, but he quickly picked it up and said with an indifferent expression. “Three, it’s only three hundred thousand, nothing more. This God considers money the same as dirt, but this God’s sword seems to have a few nicks, affecting its combat power. There is no other reason…”

“Boohoo!” Brands rushed over, but he was caught by Chris. He made several hollow chuckles. “President, our group’s funds seem to have been empty for a long time. If you can, you ought to provide a few funds!”

“In your dreams! This my personal property that I desperately acquired. All of it belongs to me, so you don’t have a share.” Long Shiyan looked for a big stone to sit down as she answered slowly.

“Cough! Cough!” The ox-headed man made a low cough and nudged Edgar, who was next to him. He then turned his face away and acted as if nothing had happened. The red-haired teenager, Brands, also nudged him and then nonchalantly whistled, acting the same way as Chris did.

Zi Linglong did not care about the money as she stood behind Long Shiyan, carefully combing her hair. She remained calm, awaiting Long Shiyan’s next instructions.

Long Shiyan was also thinking about her next actions. Laying on Zi Linglong’s head, the bored System Qian Qian kicked up and down with her legs as she stared attentively at the people beside her.

Edgar drooped his head as he sighed, stroking the rows of daggers at his waist. He sighed again. “It’s a pity that even with such a sharp dagger, I don’t have the best stealth technique to accompany it. If I had a better stealth technique, then my combat effectiveness would greatly enhance, and the team’s combat effectiveness would be strengthened as well. Then, we will never be known as the weakest group in history.”

Long Shiyan blinked.

The red-haired boy also took out his staff and said with a sad face. “When I was fighting the Earth Bear, my magic was released too slowly, which caused the beautiful Linglong to almost become harmed. If only my staff was stronger, then the battle would have been different.”

Chris also touched his big sword and said in a deep voice, “A powerful warrior needs a powerful weapon. Even if this God is a violent beastman, he still requires a powerful weapon to subdue and sweep through armies.”

Long Shiyan giggled as her lips curled. The three big men seemed unperturbed. Obviously, their shameless faces were so thick that they were beyond redemption. Long Shiyan turned her head towards Zi Linglong’s body and asked: “Ling’er, are there any weapons that you want?”

Zi Linglong fixed Long Shiyan’s hair, then she crouched down and kissed her on her temple. She began to answer, “Weapons aren’t important, so Elder Sister doesn’t need to worry about me.” She held Long Shiyan’s little body, lazily leaning on her shoulder and no longer speaking.

“Only the strong can protect those that they wish to protect. This Zi Linglong has big boobs but no brain. She’s foolish and clumsy, so she needs to learn from the wise and brilliant President.” Brands assumed a serious and upright expression as he made his argument.

Zi Linglong ignored him, she was used to his sarcastic remarks and habits anyway.

Long Shiyan nodded in agreement and smiled. “Brands’s reasons are sound. If you are too weak because your abilities are too low, it will only cause trouble for others. You must become stronger in order to break away from the status quo and be able to protect your most important people.”

Zi Linglong closed her eyes and listened. She did not need Long Shiyan’s reminder since she already knew this truth from an early age and had been working hard to get stronger for a long time.

“There are numerous powerful figures out there.” Long Shiyan continued, “We are students of the Holy Spirit Magic School. Along with that, we are warriors, and as a warrior, there are many kinds of strengths. Weapons are only a small part of our ability to improve.”

A few people nodded, saying nothing. Over the past years, they had already fallen in love with listening to Long Shiyan’s words. They always felt like every sentence she said was very meaningful. Although she had never grown up, she was worthy of their respect within their hearts.

This was one of the important factors in regards to why she could become the head of the group.

“Fine!” Long Shiyan paused and promised them. “Everyone can choose a weapon or skill book with a price no higher than 80,000 gold coins. Consider it my apology for putting you all through so many hardships. But I expect everyone to work hard in the future. Yes, we might be the poorest group in the history of the Student Holy Spirit Group, but we certainly don’t even have to support ourselves. At school, Elder Sister Tiffany has been waiting for us to return with good news.”

After she expressed her opinions, the two men clapped their hands and cheered around her. Zi Linglong puffed her cheeks. After a while, she smiled and thought about what kind of gift she wanted. Only Ox-headed Chris held his weapon as his mouth kept whispering, “This God, this God will finally obtain a good weapon. This time, this God must defeat Edgar…”

Long Shiyan looked up at the sky and smiled lightly. System Qian Qian lingered on Zi Linglong’s head, observing her as she didn’t speak.

Long Aotian will soon leave seclusion and begin moving. If she didn’t make any miscalculations, then he should enter the Holy Spirit Magic School in a few months. At that time, he will probably stir up many incidents.

Although the activities of the school were troublesome, she was now a somewhat capable person at the Holy Spirit Magic School. She now had the abilities she needed. Currently, she was only preoccupied with the promotion of the next head of the group, and her three team members were like three extra leaders.

The future of the storyline was completely unpredictable for Long Shiyan, but she will continue to adopt appropriate measures depending on the situation, keep her own ideas, and move on.

“Okay, our resting period is over.” Long Shiyan stood up. “Everyone, eat a few steamed buns and move on. Let’s proceed to the designated mission location. We must complete our job properly.”