Chapter 787: 541. Recover Bailuo, withdraw from assessment

Lin Da smiled and said, “This ring is the compensation from your teacher.”

He crouched mid-air and gently grasped the petite hand of the young girl.

He spread her fingers and slipped the ring onto her middle finger.

This symbolizes the official oath ceremony, as adventurers pledging to protect one another forever.

The silver ring shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, and the knight’s creed engraved upon it seemed to silently express an unspoken vow.

The girl stared at the ring in a daze, her eyes welling up with tears.

The greatest hope of Bailuo was simply to stay by Lin Da’s side, to watch him even from afar–that was enough for her.

She had never imagined she could become Lin Da’s oath-bound companion.

This sudden happiness left her utterly overwhelmed.

“Stupid teacher, I hate you the most!” Bailuo wiped her tears and lightly pounded Lin Da’s chest with her fists.

“It’s my fault, for leaving you all and disappearing on my own. But from now on, that won’t happen again.” Lin Da embraced Bailuo and gently stroked her soft silver hair.

Holding Bailuo’s hand, he returned to the magical dragon’s back.

Both the magical dragon and Anna shot him knowing glances.

But Lin Da, being who he was, had long since abandoned shame when his team had turned his magic wand into a plaything.

Meanwhile, Lia glared fiercely at Bailuo and grabbed Lin Da’s empty left hand.

“Captain, I want one too!” Anna let out a startled “Eh?” and dove straight into Lin Da’s arms.

“This… I’m out of hands now.”

“Anna can just hug Captain herself!”

Bailuo watched the two of them warily.

Teacher’s oath-bound companions seem to be increasing…

“They can all hug Big Brother, but I can’t. That’s so unfair.” The magical dragon interjected.

Lin Da couldn’t help laughing and crying, “They’re my oath-bound companions; you’re not one of them. Stop causing trouble.”

“Big Brother is so biased! You have other girls now and ignore your little sister!” The magical dragon swayed back and forth, trying to shake Lin Da off.

After a few minutes, the commotion finally died down.

Sitting atop the dragon’s back, Lin Da had Lia pressed to his left, Anna snug on his right, and Bailuo curled up on his lap like a snowy white ball of yarn.

His seat even encroached upon the magical dragon’s back.

They had divvied him up quite handily.

Thinking about the days ahead, Lin Da felt his head throb.

Four people were already tricky to manage–when all of the Primordial team members returned, he couldn’t very well divide himself into pieces.

While immersed in thought, a cluster of small black dots appeared in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, it was Kafni waving to them.

Monica, Tasya, Taige, Mingli… everyone had arrived.

“It’s time to focus on serious matters.”

Once all the team members had gathered, Lin Da announced his next plan: “Return to Cyan City and proceed to the Royal Capital!”

“Huh? So soon?” Kafni questioned. “The Ice Abyss mission hasn’t concluded yet.”

Lin Da quickly recounted what had transpired at Dragon Fall Mountain Peak.

Defeating Delgon, taming a magical dragon, and Cyan City potentially undergoing major changes…

The team finally realized just how much danger had unfolded in merely an hour.

Tasya pondered aloud, “I see… The purpose of Dragon’s Rest Tomb is tied to Cyan City, and Coldmoon Duke Evelyn might be the one behind it all.”

Taige exclaimed, “What do we do? We’re definitely no match for someone of Legendary Rank.”

Bailuo added, “Personally, I don’t believe the Coldmoon Duke is a traitor. The relationships among the three other Grand Dukes and Coldmoon Duke are quite strained–especially Bloodflame Duke, who has a feud with Coldmoon Duke; the tension between them is palpable.

If Coldmoon Duke truly were a traitor, the three Grand Dukes would have joined forces and taken action long ago.

Could Coldmoon Duke really side with the Demons under the watchful eyes of the Royal Capital without being exposed?”

Tasya continued, “So what’s the leader’s plan…?”

The young women turned their gazes toward Lin Da.

“What Bailuo said makes sense. If Coldmoon Duke’s betrayal is false, revealing my identity could make her the greatest ally to Phoenix Tail Flower.

But…

The risks are too high.”

Lin Da said begrudgingly, “It might backfire, and I could be executed by the supposed ‘traitor’ Coldmoon Duke on the spot. Therefore, my decision is to adopt a middle-ground approach.

If Coldmoon Duke hasn’t betrayed us, she will suppress the Demons herself.

We’ll head to the Royal Capital first and observe the developments quietly.”

Using the Sound Transmission Stone, Lin Da contacted Isa and Abner.

After a brief discussion, all three decided to withdraw from the Ice Abyss mission.

With the uncertainty surrounding Coldmoon Duke, Cyan City had become far too dangerous.

Half an hour later.

The group reunited, retrieved the Teleportation Stone, and returned to Cyan City.

If this operation were made public, Evelyn would undoubtedly catch wind of it, so they could only leave secretly.

Worst-case scenario, Cyan City’s millions of civilians could perish.

Lin Da was powerless in this situation. Against a Legendary Evelyn, no amount of strategy would suffice.

Their only hope lay in reaching the Royal Capital to request reinforcements.

A flash of blue light from the teleportation stone.

The group appeared beneath the Azure Tree in Cyan City.

A Mage from the White Dove Adventure Group activated the Invisibility Technique, helping the team avoid the crowds as they flew northward.

The city’s gray walls resembled towering giants, with Magic Cannons installed at regular intervals along the ramparts.

Flying past the walls, another month of northern travel awaited them before reaching the Royal Capital.

“Once we hit the wilderness, you can all ride me–I’m super fast.”

Lin Da’s pocket stirred as a small black “Little Lizard” poked its head out.

“Hmm, with your help, we can cut our travel time in half.”

As they spoke, they reached the top of the city walls.

Bam!

Flying at the forefront, Lin Da suddenly collided head-on, leaving him dazed.

He stared ahead in shock.

Stretching his hand forward, he felt a solid, invisible wall in the air!

“Boss, what’s going on?”

Taige too crashed, holding his aching head where a lump was forming.

Abner, Isa, Bailuo… Everyone paused before the air wall, their expressions darkening.

Touching the surface, they encountered an oval-shaped barrier.

Like an overturned bowl, it encompassed Cyan City entirely.

Bailuo furrowed her brows and knocked against the wall with the back of her hand.

The air rippled with waves.

Seeing this, unease settled into everyone’s hearts.

The “air wall” blocking them turned out to be an enormous barrier.

Who had set this barrier?

Why go to such lengths?

The colossal barrier enveloped Cyan City.

Those inside couldn’t leave.

Those outside couldn’t enter.

“Bailuo, give it a try–see if you can break through.”

“Alright!”

Bailuo responded promptly and drew her azure twin blades.

As the sole Heaven Rank warrior present, if even she couldn’t breach the barrier, the situation would be dire.

Instantly, the magic circuit activated, and abundant Water-based Fighting Spirit surged into her swords.

Ultimate Skill: Vortex Charge!

A spiral-shaped water attack hurtled toward the invisible barrier, resembling a massive drill.

Bam!

Under the team’s expectant gaze, the barrier trembled slightly, revealing honeycomb-like blue crystalline blocks.

It seemed Bailuo’s ultimate skill had stripped away the barrier’s “surface,” exposing its true nature underneath.

However, the hardness of the blue crystalline blocks doubled, scattering the water attack instantly with a resounding explosion.

“So tough.”

Bailuo’s expression darkened, “Even if I unleash my super ultimate skill, Water Dance, I fear it still wouldn’t…”

“Let’s try hitting it together as a team.”

Lin Da gripped his Wind Shadow Sword and counted down, three, two, one.

Without holding back, the group unleashed their ultimate skills.