The wind howled, and snow flew all around.

A tall, silver-haired woman with pointed ears walked amidst the wind and snow. Her attire looked rather simple, making one doubt if it could resist the cold.

The white breath from her mouth and nose revealed her long breath, allowing one to sense her strength.

With each step creating a deep pit, she walked through the snow that reached past her knees, yet she did not seem embarrassed; instead, her steps were firm and resolute.

Her footprints were swiftly covered by the wind and snow, making it difficult to find traces of her next steps.

In this icy landscape, the woman halted her steps.

A point of light appeared before her.

"Magic Fairy... Adriana, is there something you need?"

From the point of light came Adriana's voice: "Don't worry, Elf. The new batch of supplies for the Snow Elves has been placed in the usual location. You can send someone to collect it at any time."

"Thank you... Is there anything else?"

Adriana hesitated for a moment: "Gedora has made a move again. He almost killed Charlette, who has locked herself in the tower."

For a moment, the Snow Elf in front of her trembled slightly, but it was only for a moment, like an illusion.

"Ah... is that so?"

"Besides that, Adeline plans to establish an Alchemist's Country... War is inevitable. Your Snow Elves should also be prepared—by the way, what about the Forest Elves?"

The Snow Elf shook her head ever so slightly: "If you don't know, then I certainly don't know either."

The relationship between the Forest Elves and the Mage Union is much better than the theoretical kinship with the Snow Elves.

"You know, they... there's no need for them to go to war."

Indeed, compared to the Snow Elves in the cold regions, the living environment of the Forest Elves is much more favorable. For those elves, a peaceful and serene life, exploring magic with their long lives, is their interest.

In contrast, the Snow Elves living in the ice and snow are much more combative. The history of how this branch of elves was born is widely debated, but Adriana is more inclined to believe the Snow Elves.

This branch of elves is much more prone to conflict.

"The world has barely achieved peace, and yet you still want to struggle?"

Hearing the Snow Elf's words, Adriana laughed: "Barely achieved peace? It's reasonable for others to say this, but Elf, when you say it, it makes one want to laugh. Since when did you learn self-deprecation from the humans?"

"From you."

Adriana paused, and in the small point of light, her laughter began to emerge.

"Ha ha~ hahaha~ hahahahahahahahaha~"

It spread through the ice and snow.

...

Wanted to see A·Gedora.

Finding A·Gedora was not easy; at least, the Alchemists lacked the means. When Gedora left, Adeline did not manage to leave behind enough clues, so she also lacked materials to trace back.

But she could find the Demon King Mohe.

The emblem of the Alchemist Association was the best tool. Using the World Reflection, she could lock onto the emblem's position. Gedora should be in the same location as the Demon King Mohe.

Theoretically, if it were for humanity, she should now directly use the Sky Fortress, Abinu's Mirror, and the World Reflection, three powerful alchemy items, to lock onto the emblem's position, then fully power the attack to finish off both the Demon King and the Hero.

Whether Adeline herself would actually do this or not is uncertain; she personally felt it was mostly meaningless.

If she couldn't kill him in one blow, it probably wouldn't even take a day before the Alchemist Association, which had just moved to Nalune, would be destroyed.

But the closer she got, the more timid she felt.

Her shoes were powerful alchemy items that allowed a person to fly in the sky, while also enabling certain attacks. Her clothing was the same, providing strong enough protection to block various forms of attack.

Although there were limits, she had already made thorough preparations.

She even carried the World Reflection with her, that already hidden halo-like alchemy item guarding her.

At this moment, she had the qualification to fight against anyone; she was no longer the little girl hiding behind teammates, cheering them on from the back.

She was capable of taking on the responsibilities she was entrusted with.

She should be able to stand in front of that person.

But why?

Standing outside of Baixi Town, lingering for a long time, she still couldn't take a step forward.

She knew Mohe was very close, in such an ordinary town, in such a place... Perhaps they had already sensed her presence?

Or perhaps they hadn't ceased their search?

When she told the others she was coming, she thought she had a lot to say, she wanted to explain things from the past, she also wanted to ask about Doro's current position, she wanted to ask for his advice, she wanted to see what he looked like now...

But she was afraid.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but would he answer her? Would he want to see her? He could even harm Charlette, so what about herself?

What did he think of her back then? And how did he view the Alchemist Association?

Has the Demon King bewitched his mind?

Will he utter cruel words?

Standing at the entrance of Baixi Town, she immediately felt a white mist before her, obscuring any direction forward.

"You are... Miss Adeline!"

The sudden voice jarred Adeline awake, and she looked in its direction.

She saw a blonde girl she recognized, the daughter of the Gold-Seeking Commerce Association, who had collaborated a lot with the Alchemist Association, and she had known this girl for a long time, so...

"Rastina! What are you doing here?"

Rastina stuck out her tongue: "My father's insisting on marrying me off to someone, so I ran away from the wedding. I'm hiding here now... Miss Adeline, please don't tell anyone!"

Adeline thought to herself that she knew a bit about this... But to run away from a wedding... that's quite a bold move.

Still, it's somewhat irresponsible.

But in this town...

Demon King?

At that moment, Adeline vaguely realized that behind Rastina was standing a man.

Gray hair, a weathered face.

He bore no resemblance to the dashing figure from her memories, but Adeline still recognized him.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call out his name, but found she couldn't speak.

Rastina saw this scene and quickly said, "This is Mr. Doro, a good man who helped me when I was being forced to marry. Mr. Doro, this is Miss Adeline. Her name is the same as that of the President of the Alchemist Association, but they are not the same person."

Adeline froze for a moment, looking at Rastina in confusion and seeing Rastina's pleading eyes.

She... didn't recognize Gedora?

Then again, when she first met them, she was just a little kid—a kid smaller than herself.

Now she is so tall and graceful; it's normal not to recognize Gedora.

In other words, neither the Demon King nor Gedora revealed their identities to Rastina?

"Nice to meet you, Miss Adeline. I'm Doro, the guardian of Mohe Manor here. Miss Rastina is currently staying at the mansion. Since you are her friend... I believe I can extend an invitation on behalf of Miss Mohe. We are hosting a banquet at the mansion tonight and hope you'll attend."

His tone was humble and respectful, truly like a guardian of some mansion. Not a trace of the Hero was visible.

This unfolding left Adeline bewildered, unlike any meeting she had imagined.

However, it wasn't particularly bad—at least he was still willing to speak with her.

"Then I'll humbly accept the invitation."

Adeline agreed.

"Well then, Miss Rastina, is there anywhere else you'd like to visit?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Doro. This has been truly troublesome for you, but I will explain everything to Miss Mohe when we return. I won't cause you any trouble."

"That would indeed be a great help."

Adeline followed behind the two, her gaze sweeping over the streets of Baixi Town. She wanted to see where Gedora was living now.

When they returned to the mansion.

They saw three girls standing at the entrance, dressed in maid uniforms that were somewhat unconventional and quite revealing, the one in the middle the cutest and shortest.

But Adeline knew who this was.

Mohe, the Demon King.

She was actually wearing a maid outfit standing here?

What on earth was the meaning of this?

"I had a feeling guests would arrive earlier, and it turns out my intuition was correct. My premonitions are indeed accurate... aren't they, Mr. Doro?"

Doro gave Mohe a deep look: "Ah... your intuitions are indeed precise."

"So, miss, how should I address you?"

Rastina immediately said: "Miss Mohe, this is my friend, Miss Adeline. Her name is the same as that of the President of the Alchemist Association, but she's not the same person."

Mohe covered her mouth and giggled: "If it were the same person, it would scare me to death. How could such an important figure come to such a small town?"

"Well then, there's no time to lose. Please come inside the mansion; today we are precisely holding a welcome party for Miss Rastina. Miss Adeline, you arrived just in time. We sincerely hope you'll attend the banquet to add more sparkle to the event."

She casually introduced the two people standing by her side: "This is Lisidorwei the butler, and this is Rose the maid. If you have any doubts or difficulties, you can rely on them both to resolve them."

Adeline, of course, knew Lisidorwei due to their previous associations, but this Rose... seemed somewhat familiar, although she definitely didn't know her...

It shouldn't be, her memory shouldn't fail her.

Why would someone give her such a feeling?

Has some magic been used to conceal her true identity?

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