The Yeti standing there is undoubtedly the Sword Saint, Ah Xion.

When she saw everyone returning, a hint of surprise flowed over her face. Naturally, she also noticed the less familiar girl in the crowd.

The girl named Rastina.

However, she didn't mind.

She just looked at Doro with eyes like a pitiable little puppy.

It was hard to imagine such an expression on the Sword Saint's face; she seemed like an abandoned stray dog, as if she would die in the cold wind if Doro and Mohe didn't take her in, which truly stirred sympathy.

Of course, Mohe would not turn away the Sword Saint. A magic array appeared in her hands, emitting a warm light that shone on Ah Xion, melting the snow off her and bringing her warmth.

"It's been a long time, Miss Xion. Don't just stand there, come inside with us, won't you?"

Rastina was stunned.

Xion—this name couldn't just be ignored.

The name of the Sword Saint Ah Xion—who among merchants hadn't heard of it? Who in the Human Central Empire would dare to use such a name?

She had a strong premonition that the woman in front of her was indeed the Sword Saint Ah Xion, even though she hadn't seen much of her.

If she had to give a reason... She had previously visited the petrified President of the Alchemist Association, Adeline, in Butuo City. It seemed she was planning something very excessive there—nowadays, the evaluation of Adeline is quite extreme. She recalled the day Adeline visited this mansion.

Did she just pass by on her way?

It seemed unlikely.

She actually already had a vague suspicion about the identities of Mohe and the others, but since Mohe didn't say, and Doro didn't say, she kept silent as well.

So, she pretended not to notice anything unusual, and followed the others back into the mansion.

Ah Xion quickly changed back into the maid costume that Mohe provided.

The first thing the girl did upon returning was start preparing fabric.

"I plan to go to the tailor later to make a maid outfit that suits my current figure. Now my legs are at least ten centimeters longer than before. That should be quite attractive, right? Do you like them, Mr. Doro? A girl's legs."

Doro glanced at Mohe with a somewhat complex expression and said, "If I said I don't like them, would you believe me?"

"Well, who knows, maybe Mr. Doro likes other places."

"..."

"Leaving that aside, let's have a big cleanup first! Spring is coming, and we need to prepare for the next year."

The thing is, you have an artificial sun in your mansion, so you don't need to worry about the seasons.

Just as Doro thought.

When the artificial sun rose, the snow in the mansion melted away. The whole mansion became warm.

Then everyone began a big cleanup inside the mansion.

It seemed very peaceful and like an ordinary day.

...

"Adeline..."

After Mohe and the others left Butuo City, the conflicts in the city truly erupted, with representatives from the church, the dwarves, and even other forces arriving—the main focus being the World Tree, which many saw during Mohe and Adeline's confrontation that day, a relic spoken of by the Demon King that existed even before the birth of humankind.

Taking root in the lava, sprouting golden red leaves. This thing is so legendary that everyone is very interested in it.

Naturally, this includes Adeline and her Adeline Metal.

The Alchemist Association revealed too much this time.

World Reflection and Abinu's Mirror.

The Sky Fortress has been shattered, but those two alchemy items are missing, likely only Adeline could retrieve them.

Overall, there are too many interests to vie for in Butuo City.

After numerous overt and covert conflicts, all parties finally sat down and reached a consensus.

To jointly lift the petrification on Adeline... Of course, that's what they said, but this kind of curse can only be lifted by the church, so it's essentially various parties giving the church certain resources to compensate for its losses in the process of lifting the petrification, followed by negotiations with Adeline herself. Naturally, it can be imagined that this time, Adeline won't be able to keep anything.

She must make great sacrifices to achieve a result that satisfies the various forces.

At this moment, standing in front of Adeline's stone statue are two women.

Adriana and Yin Nephilim.

"Charlette still hasn't come out," Adriana suddenly said, "If it were her, she should be able to lift this curse without paying a hefty price."

Yin Nephilim replied indifferently, "From a point of interest, she will never do it without a price; one must pay something to have a reason to demand recompense from others."

"Previously, he was also here."

Yin Nephilim withdrew her gaze from Adeline's statue and looked at the wise person in front of her, "What do you want to say?"

"I mean, I originally wanted to meet him, but I couldn't truly arrive."

"Meet him, and then what? Fight with him, or fight with the Demon King?"

Yin Nephilim evidently found Adriana's words laughable, "What significance does saying this have? Rather, why not mention the purpose of your arrival now, you want the so-called World Tree, right?"

"I've heard that thing is the origin of alchemy; however, I personally think it also has a great relationship with magic. If we say it's named after the world—haven't you also come?"

The curse master neither affirmed nor denied.

She merely reached out to gently touch Adeline, turning into a statue, her actions rather gentle, "The Demon King seems to have manipulated her badly. I've roughly retraced the course of events, and it seems every move she made was calculated by the Demon King. This is very troublesome. Wise person, you should worry about the Demon King's Horns there. Her steps won't stop."

"Worry? On this matter, I don't seem to have anything to worry about."

Yin Nephilim didn't quite know where the other party's confidence came from; she looked around, "Leaving aside the negotiations the other day, you must be supporting the Elves, right? Are you cooperating with the Demon King's ideas?"

"Cooperating with the Demon King's ideas?" Adriana shook her head, "The Demon King has already been defeated. No matter how unfathomable, wise, and farsighted she seems, something defeated, someone defeated, no longer needs to rise again and appear before others. Her failure has already said it all. I don't think a loser can pose any threat to the world. As for what you said about the Snow Elves... Do not speak carelessly, Yin Nephilim. This is not conducive to world peace."

She seemed to have great confidence in herself.

Yin Nephilim did not quite understand where Adriana's confidence came from.

Reflecting back, was the mastermind behind that matter the two of them, her and Charlette? As the two "wisest" people on the team... Did the two of them truly get what they wanted, and will they regret the decisions made then?

One cannot easily see through their innermost thoughts.

"Regardless, you should be aware of the significance of the Elves attacking the Human Kingdom; the chaos has already arrived."

Adriana heard Yin Nephilim's words and showed a hint of doubt on her face, "You are very strange, Nephilim, that doesn't sound like something you would say."

"What?"

"For a curse master, the more chaotic the world is, the higher the status of curse masters, right? After all, curses, unlike magic and alchemy, have no aspect of creation; they only bring pain and destruction, existing as instruments of war having immense value, right? The Curse Master Alliance will be sought after during wartime, but after the war, who will truly value curse masters? But rather——these years, you should know, the world's resistance against curse masters."

Yin Nephilim opened her mouth, but she couldn't refute this fact.

Because what Adriana said was true, during times of war, curse masters were very welcome. Many forces eagerly anticipated the active performance of curse masters; even without relying on curse masters' strength, they would send something to maintain good relations with them, at least not letting curse masters act against them.

Simply put, if two countries are at war, curse masters don't need to assist either side, and collecting protection fees from both would yield substantial gains.

But correspondingly, during times of peace, those who rely on the strength of curse masters are merely a few individuals. What these individuals tend to do usually would not be decent—this often brings substantial trouble, making various country organizations exhibit a rather resentful attitude toward curse masters. It's safe to say, in the past decade of peace, curse masters' lives have not been easy.

From the perspective of interests, curse masters should be the ones most eager for war.

But...

Nobody longs for a peaceful and stable life more than curse masters.

Yin Nephilim originally intended to say this. But she knew such words would not be recognized by Adriana. Because the other party was not a curse master, and the power of curses itself originated from the Demon King. Mages generally disdained curse masters; in the eyes of the noble mages, even alchemy could barely challenge the status of magic, but curses were things that couldn't make it to the stage.

"The World Tree means nothing to you, if you support me obtaining the World Tree, I can give Adeline to you—you need Adeline's strength and wisdom now, don't you? Those two alchemy items don't matter, and the so-called Adeline Metal is even more ludicrous... It can be given to the church and other forces, the war has already started, you with such weight, unless Charlette comes personally, otherwise, the two of us together, we can decide such an outcome."

Adriana was never a weak woman, only appearing slightly weak before Charlette, but nobody should underestimate this symbol of "nobility." The meaning represented by someone born "noble," and the power she holds behind her.

"Then let it be so."

Yin Nephilim and Adriana reached a deal.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.