Chapter 403
Chapter 34: Lan’s Return Home
Though it looked similar, the amount was simply too little. How could a dragon eat candy beans one by one?
“Um, it does resemble something I created. Most of the aura was sealed by the magic circle, but I can still sense some connection from it. Strange… aside from that incident at Abyss Demon Island, I don’t recall giving something like this to anyone else?”
Besides, back then, the items she entrusted to Sigrid and the others were of higher purity and compression; if judged by the grade of magic crystals, they were at least 6-7 ranks, worth much more than this. She had just glossed over that because it seemed troublesome to push around.
Vilyric shifted her gaze to the introduction label below the goods.
“Let’s see… Radiant Source Crystal, a super rare 5th-rank magic crystal mined from the Wasteland’s Radiant Forest, origin unknown. It contains a massive amount of light element energy, which can assist in the cultivation of light attribute faith and regular light magic, and can also be ground into powder to make potions or create magical equipment. Its uses are extremely broad.”
“Price… one zero, two zeros, three zeros… three, three million gold coins??!”
Startled by the exorbitant price marked below, the Priestess’s expression grew increasingly peculiar.
A standard 5th-rank magic crystal could indeed sell for a million gold coins in this world, but that was just talk. There are differences in efficacy and purity; a million gold coins was basically the upper limit, yet this thing was priced three times that?
What an outrageous ask! This price was approaching that of an exceptional purple magical weapon. Is it because of the black market…?
And Vilyric didn’t even recall any place called Radiant Forest in the Wasteland. Where did this Radiant Source Crystal even come from?
Pondering endlessly, she finally motioned for the waiting little maid from the Charmux tribe beside her, intending to ask a few questions.
…
Demon Town City Lord’s Mansion.
Demon Town is the base and stronghold of the Tuls Family in the United Kingdom. When the United Kingdom was founded eight hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Tuls Family were granted the hereditary title of Duke and charged with guarding the border hub connecting the Northern Demon Territory to human lands, diligently resisting foreign invaders and protecting humans.
Lan Tuls is currently the third generation carrying on the Tuls Family lineage, with her grandfather, the Kingdom’s Chancellor Griffiths Tuls, serving as the family head. Lan’s father, Tyler Tuls, received a Marquis title from the previous king, Anciro, for his merits in guarding the northern border—though non-hereditary, it was still quite impressive.
However, Lan, a child born with a silver spoon in her mouth, growing up under the myriad glories of her family, doesn’t hold her birthplace in high regard.
Lan isn’t some equality-loving enthusiast nor does she have the resolve to eliminate prejudice. She simply possesses a different sense of good and evil than her kin, looking down particularly on the extreme actions taken by her family to exclude outsiders.
Truth be told, her ability to rise above the mire and hold such alternative thoughts comes from that book she got her hands on when she was very young, “The True Explanation of Famous Swords.”
This book crashed into her life before the family had a chance to indoctrinate her, capturing the interest and attention of the young girl with its ups and downs of martial legend.
Although most of the stories in the book are utterly fabricated, the sense of righteous indignation and the chivalrous spirit of helping the weak against the strong deeply influenced Lan, gradually leading her down a path opposite her family’s.
Indeed, the source of all evil.
She voluntarily left the family residence to live on her own, and the work she took on was focused on capturing criminals within humanity. Lan believes that good and evil know no race; the malice towards magical beasts in this city has become twisted, to the point where even the concept of “justice” is warped.
Someone must undertake these neglected responsibilities, even if her contribution seems insignificant to the entire city.
So, upon vaguely sensing the intentions of Vilyric and the others, Lan decisively chose to cooperate with them. She felt that these girls, especially that leading black-haired girl, might be the opportunity for change that was soon to arrive.
Secondly, there was the reward proposed by Vilyric for honing her sword skills.
Sorting out the chaos, eliminating injustice, upholding righteousness.
That was the true work Lan wanted to undertake, with the sword being her vessel of emotion and hopes.
Holding tightly to her long sword sheath named “Qinglan,” the girl took a deep breath and strode boldly into the main entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion.
The arrangement and decor here were just as she remembered. Lan grew up here; what might be a maze for others was somewhere she could navigate with her eyes closed.
The guards and maids she encountered were naturally familiar with this runaway young lady; while surprised, they hurriedly bowed, but none dared to come forward to stop or question her intentions.
After all, Lan Tuls is famously known as the Ice Beauty of Demon Town—aloof and frigid, particularly strict towards humans. Anyone caught by her special third unit of the law was guaranteed not to see a good outcome, regardless of the reasons or justifications.
Many people, especially the mafia bosses, loathed this woman, but Lan herself possessed sky-level strength. Without some formidable expert, they couldn’t easily deal with her; furthermore, this girl was the daughter of the City Lord, a direct descendant of the Tuls Family. Even if they ground their teeth in resentment, they could only swallow it down.
Passing through the lobby and across the corridor, Lan gradually arrived at the more heavily guarded inner area.
This was where the family’s direct members lived and included important areas like the treasure vault and the library. Except for a few direct members of the Tuls Family, no one could freely enter or exit.
That said, to Lan, this place felt no different from the outside. As a child, she had played hide and seek here every day with adults and maids. That book which changed her life, “The True Explanation of Famous Swords,” was also discovered when it fortuitously fell from the bookshelf and hit her on the head during such play.
Ignoring the guards who wanted to speak but hesitated, Lan strode forward. Her destination was her father, Tyler Tuls’ study, the place where the City Lord often stayed.
The Tuls Family had always served in the civil domain, and naturally, everyone loved books. Even the rebellious Lan enjoyed reading, let alone the others.
As she approached the study, Lan suddenly stopped, furrowing her brows.
There were no guards; this place should have been heavily patrolled, yet a large area near the study was completely vacant—this was clearly inconsistent with her memory of the usual situation.
It couldn’t possibly be an external invasion; otherwise, the guards should be lying lifeless on the ground, not disappearing without a trace.
The only explanation was that the City Lord here, Tyler Tuls, her dear father, had taken the initiative to withdraw the guards.
“Humph…”
What shady business is he up to now?