Just as Sif watched Roland leave with a sigh, Roland suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

"I bought a little gift at the shop, not sure if you like it..."

"I do."

Sif calmly said, "A true lady does not refuse a sincerely given gift."

She had half a sentence she hadn't said aloud.

Only from someone she likes.

Roland took a jewelry box out of his pocket, carefully opened it, and a beautiful jade necklace appeared in sight.

Jade can store the power of nature, making it the favorite gemstone of elves who revere nature.

Although Sif wasn't an elf, she chose the "Elf Princess" as her extraordinary profession, so gifting her jade was quite fitting.

Roland held the necklace and came to stand before Sif.

As he was about to hand the necklace to Sif, Sif raised her head and closed her eyes.

It was obvious that she meant for Roland to put it on her.

Roland, of course, would not be pretentious.

He set the small box down, deftly unclasped the necklace, and approached Sif.

Sif's light, youthful fragrance wafted over him.

There was not the slightest unpleasant smell, but rather a hint of refreshing herbs.

It seemed she had been bathing with herbs instead of roses recently.

Compared to the fragrance of roses, the herbal scent had its unique appeal.

He could almost hear the faint sound of a heartbeat, rapid as a drumbeat, even like a double beat.

So...she was nervous too.

Looking at Sif's trembling skin and flushed cheeks, Roland seemed to understand something in an instant.

He smiled as he placed the necklace around her neck, fastened the clasp, and stepped back half a pace.

"Truly beautiful, even a real Elf Empress couldn't surpass your beauty."

Sif slowly opened her eyes, reached out to caress the jade pendant beneath the necklace, a smile touching her lips.

"That might not be true; I've heard that elves are a race of beauty and wisdom. How wonderful it would be to have the chance to see them."

"Perhaps you will."

Roland smiled and said, "As the day of return approaches, those extinct races will also return to the material plane to greet the final day of return."

Sif's smile gradually faded, her expression becoming somewhat grave.

According to many texts and books of prophecy, the three goddesses would also return to their homeland on the final day of return, to their loyal Theia plane.

Would the goddess tolerate her and Roland?

But she quickly dismissed the worry.

Why think so far ahead, just deal with Sofia first.

After leaving the Governor's office and escorting Sif to the building entrance, Roland returned to the third-floor bedroom, was about to light a candle when he sensed someone in the room.

No hostility, and appearing at such a time could only mean it was Lisa.

Flames illuminated, the candle was lit.

Lit by Lisa.

"Sister, something on your mind?"

"I, I..."

Lisa knew she couldn't hide it from Roland, so she said softly, "Roland, I want to go to White Mountain. Right now, there shouldn't be too many people there, I can sneak there by myself."

Roland slowly shook his head.

Lisa became a little anxious, jumped to her feet, bit her lip, and spoke with a sorrowful tone.

"Roland, I know you worry about my safety. I'm timid by nature and hate taking risks, but I have to try! My talents are far inferior to Sif's. If I don't take risks, I'll only fall farther behind."

"I don't want to drag you down. Don't tell me cooking is a skill too. I can be a chef, but I don't want to be a chef forever!"

The flame danced in Lisa's palm, illuminating her face.

"I want to grow alongside you all."

"I'm not against you going to White Mountain, I'm against you going alone."

"You're willing to go with me?"

Lisa's eyes filled with delight but quickly composed herself.

This was a call she felt, unrelated to Roland, so it would be improper to risk his life.

She smiled and said, "I sense a calling, you don't, so it doesn't concern you. If you insist on going, you might even make things worse."

"Not just me, us."

Roland said calmly, "Including Sif, Christine, and Sura."

The iron triangle of an excellent expedition team is warrior, mage, priest.

Attacking warrior being Sif, defense warrior could be played by his secondary profession as knight.

Christine is, naturally, the priest.

Lisa is fire magic, Sura is also a mage, abilities unknown.

If you are going to a dungeon, you must be fully prepared, not going just to die.

After Roland's explanation, Lisa's impulsiveness gradually calmed, and she asked somewhat embarrassedly:

"Sif is the Empress, is it really suitable for her to accompany me on a reckless mission?"

"Why not, it's perfectly suitable!"

Roland said sternly, "Remember, when everyone goes on an adventure together, we are equals. There is no Empress, only a White Rose Knight."

Lisa smiled brightly.

She knew this was Roland's way of protecting her.

What was once a slight regret, had now dissipated entirely.

Roland patiently waited for three days, during which he received several news reports and an unexpected visitor.

The first piece of news was a polished article published under the name of the world's busiest anonymous writer.

The overseas edition of The Sun and several other media outlets reported on it.

The second piece of news was that Stanley, through other channels, cleverly spread the word that Jin Yuan, Wende, and other countries were preparing to emulate the Vladimir Empire in targeting Samaritan merchants. Although not explicitly stated, evidence suggested that the Sussex Empire had shown no inclination to exclude the Samaritans.

The third piece of news involved a summit held by the countries of the continent in Val City to discuss the handling of the White Mountain Magic Crystal Ore Vein, which was sure to be another intense debate.

The fourth piece of news came from the Divine Court of Light. The promised Temple Warriors and High Tier Sanctuaries were in place, all deployed in Val City.

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.