To put it plainly, Saelphies and Xiao Xun’s relationship was sacred. Saelphini was given to Xiao Xun as a gift, merely as entertainment among nobles. No one took it to heart, making it a perfectly normal occurrence in this world. However, it left the Xiao Xun from another world uneasy for a long time.
Xiao Xun asked Delvana, "You came to find me for something?"
Delvana’s expression soured. "Nonsense, of course, I have something."
Xiao Xun unhurriedly began changing his clothes in front of Delvana, as if it were the most natural thing. Delvana made no move to avert her gaze, simply watching.
"Go on! What is it?"
Delvana finally came back to her senses. "The undead army of the Scourge has erected necromancer altars on our perimeter, and tens of thousands of ghouls are converging on our position."
At this moment, on another continent adjacent to the continent of Atlantis: the Continent of Kosti.
A solemn and sacred magical aura permeated the grand hall. Stained glass of colorful flowers were pieced together to form vibrant, fantastical hues. Sunlight pierced through them, casting countless rainbow-like rays that bathed every corner of the hall.
Thirty sculptures of various appearances stood on either side of the hall. Each was ten meters tall, carved from the finest stone by the best craftsmen, exuding an aura of boundless magical power.
Especially under the rainbow-like glow, they were filled with fantastical, sacred magic. The solemnity was such that it made one want to kneel before the sculptures in reverence and adoration. Involuntarily, that oppressive, solemn pressure transformed the hall into a solemn place.
At this moment, within this hall, over twenty individuals stood on either side of a path paved with a large red carpet.
The ten people on the left exuded incomparably powerful auras. There were knights clad in golden armor and mages shrouded in mysterious robes.
The ten on the right, while not as powerful as those on the left, each carried an air of vicissitude, time, and the crystallization of wisdom.
This group of people, standing so solemnly, imbued the hall with a powerful presence and a solemn atmosphere.
These twenty individuals, every one of them, looked with respect and adoration at the seventy-year-old elder seated on the throne at the far end of the hall.
The strongest on the Continent of Kosti, the current King of the Frost Kingdom, known as the foremost figure beneath the God of Magic himself – Teldal.
This man was a legend, the symbol of the Frost Kingdom's invincibility, the undefeated myth of the Continent of Kosti.
It was also the country most frequently engaged in intense conflict with the Holy Roman Empire and the beast tribes.
Whenever anyone heard his name, they would personally attest that as long as he lived, no one could defeat him.
As long as he existed, the world was destined to be held in his grasp.
The strongest man in the history of the Continent of Kosti!
His territory spanned two continents, but he had now contracted his holdings on the Continent of Atlantis, consolidating his defense on his other continental territories.
Meanwhile, the main forces of the Soul Reaver, commander of the Scourge Legion, and the Grand Marshal, commander of the Demon Legion, quickly occupied the territories vacated by the Frost Kingdom. They then confronted the Frost Kingdom’s army at the defensive line, the Steel Fortress. Neither side initiated hostilities.
At this moment, this legend sat majestically upon his throne, one hand comfortably resting on the armrest of the throne, the other lightly clenched and resting on his chin.
Beneath a diamond-like shining crown, was a head of thick white hair and beard. His face, bearing the marks of countless ages, and his eyes, filled with wisdom and as deep as the starry sky, were majestically narrowed.
This was because he held a report – a report detailing how Swain, not only escaped a heavy encirclement but also delivered a 'slap' to the King of Pride.
Following the dramatic turn of events at the end of the report, the most legendary figure on the Continent of Kosti, the immensely powerful Teldal, curved his lips into a slight smile.
This smile gradually widened, and soon, Teldal erupted into boisterous laughter.
In the profoundly silent hall, his laughter echoed for a long time.
Teldal, who had been laughing for nearly a minute, showed no signs of stopping.
This caused everyone below to wear expressions of utter confusion. After some thought, the youngest among them, a middle-aged man around forty years old, walked up to Teldal.
He was Teldal's most esteemed son, and also a legendary figure on the continent.
At the mere age of forty, he was recognized by the continent as the second strongest, having once injured Vincent of the Holy Roman Empire's Fearless Vanguard.
Curious as to why his father was laughing so heartily, he glanced at the report in his father’s hand and could not help but burst into laughter himself.
However, unlike Teldal, Lester’s laughter revealed a hint of information.
"Hahaha, interesting, so very interesting. Only this kid could pull off something like this. He truly lives up to his title of Peerless Strategist. I didn't believe it at first, but now, we should be grateful they spared our four armies back then."
From the prince's words, the others gathered that they were laughing at Swain, but what exactly had he done to make two normally stoic rulers so joyous?
In their confusion, the people below could no longer hold back their curiosity.
A man with a full head of red hair, exuding a formidable and majestic presence, pressed down on his scarlet greatsword. This was General Agamemnon.
He stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what is it that makes you so happy?"
"Heh heh, nothing much, I merely witnessed something very interesting. As you all know, Swain, who repelled our four armies, managed to break through the encirclement of the Scourge Legion, the Demon Legion, the Undead Army, the Crimson Leaf Army, the main forces of the Shangyun Kingdom, and the Boulder Army. He even almost captured the King of Pride alive."
Everyone in the hall, with the exception of Teldal and his son, was dumbfounded.
Especially Agamemnon, who had just inquired, was so shocked that he slammed his sword onto the ground with a clang. After a long pause, he managed to utter, "What? What kind of power did he possess to break through such a trap? Is he an ancient war god?"
Everyone present knew that any single one of the units mentioned earlier, even if not their main force, would have presented a fierce battle with a very slim chance of victory. Not to mention, even half the strength of the Scourge and Demon Legions alone would have been overwhelming.
Almost the entire hall, apart from Teldal and his son, displayed expressions of disbelief, greatly diminishing their confidence in the report’s veracity.
Only Lester, Teldal's son, smiled slightly and said, "It's not entirely impossible. Don't you recall the intelligence we received a few days ago? The Holy Roman Empire has developed something called an 'airplane.' It drops an iron cylinder from the sky, and upon landing, it explodes. Its power is no less than a Archmage's firebolt, and its speed is incredibly fast, catching the enemy off guard. They've also created a weapon that can launch arcane energy. With this, they possess countless arcane mages, not only possessing great power but also the ability for sustained output."
Although Lester’s explanation was quite reasonable, everyone still found it hard to accept. Even with superior equipment and greater power, how could an army of a hundred thousand face an army of several hundred thousand? The entire situation seemed utterly preposterous.
Silence fell upon the hall once more. No one had ever questioned Teldal’s words.
Saelphini handed Xiao Xun a cup of water. Xiao Xun took it and sniffed it slightly.
Seeing this, she immediately panicked. "Your Highness, this water is not poisoned."
Xiao Xun smiled and looked at her. "You misunderstand. I didn't say this water was poisoned. I wanted to ask why it is so fragrant?"
Upon hearing the words "not poisoned," Saelphini breathed a sigh of relief. If she were to harm a Duke, it would be a capital offense. No matter how beautiful she was, her death would be gruesome.
She lowered her head and shyly said, "This… this is just purified water."
"Nay, nay!"
Xiao Xun shook his head with a solemn expression. "The water is ordinary water, but having been held by a beauty, the pure water has absorbed the beauty's fragrance and naturally become aromatic."
A sweet smile appeared on Saelphini’s face, as if being praised by Xiao Xun brought her immense joy. Her every glance and smile bloomed like a delicate flower, making her seem like a completely different person from the confident actress on stage.