Chapter 866: Chapter 659 This is Premeditated!
"That simple? Didn’t Long Yi even think about denying it at all? Are you just resigned to your fate?"
"What about the battle? The epic showdown between two ultimate players? How did it all end just like that? Rock-paper-scissors? Can things get any more childish? This is nonsense!"
None of the expected events occurred, and the two top players finished their duel in an almost childlike manner, after which Long Yi lost without any surprises.
Ai Lin walked in front with a triumphant air, while Long Yi followed behind, head hanging low in dejection. Ai Lin waved goodbye to the Emperor from afar, then took Long Yi back to her residence.
"Hahaha! This is just too funny! Look at their faces! All green! Hehehe! Hahaha!" Ai Lin couldn’t stop laughing while holding her stomach, and Long Yi held on to Ai Lin while laughing uncontrollably. Xiao Ze completed the meeting with Ai Lin’s maid avatar and exchanged information about the recent period. Afterward, those professional maids drove out all the outsiders from Ai Lin’s place and conducted a thorough check in every corner to ensure there were no surveillance spells.
Long Yi and Ai Lin hugged each other, recounting what had happened to them during the past time, taking turns speaking. When Long Yi mentioned that Little Zi had been waiting there for so many years, Ai Lin’s eyes immediately reddened. And when Long Yi talked about killing Jenna, Ai Lin immediately cheered loudly.
Compared to his, Ai Lin’s story was much simpler. Apart from a Red Demon Scorpion, Ai Lin’s status in The Divine Auffa Empire was extraordinary, and no one dared to bother her. The three princes did make frequent appearances, though with ill intentions, they didn’t dare overstep boundaries.
Then, Ai Lin gave Long Yi a detailed account of what she had seen in The Divine Auffa Empire, such as the high-energy but low-skill magic prevalent there, and that Plane Gate that wasn’t easily opened.
"In any case, it seems that the idea of kidnapping the Emperor to open the Plane Gate is not going to work."
Ai Lin said.
Long Yi nodded, understanding that kidnapping the Emperor was too risky. As it stood, they didn’t know if there was a second Teleportation Gate, and if they failed without a backup plan, the problem would be serious.
"That means, for now, it might be easier to make the Emperor believe I am indispensable," Long Yi said.
"That should be the simplest plan, at least until we figure out how to leave here for the mid-level Plane, we still need to show some respect to the Emperor," Ai Lin nodded in agreement.
"And what about those princes?" Long Yi asked.
"You mean, those three fools lurking at the door, unsure whether or not they should come in?" Ai Lin snorted with laughter.
"Yes, them," Long Yi said.
"It doesn’t matter, the Emperor has no pampering affection for his children. The Second Prince got his arm chopped off, and their Emperor father said nothing. Actually, I think, Brother Long, you don’t need to treat anyone specially, everyone knows what kind of person you are."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A Female Demon avatar flew over and opened it, and the three princes walked in one after another. When they saw that the door was opened by a Female Demon, they were clearly taken aback. The strength of these Female Demons had already been fully demonstrated in Long Yi’s battles, and now, these Female Demons were actually taking on the role of maids? Even though you are wearing maid uniforms, aren’t you supposed to be powerful fighters?
Little Zi flew over from afar and bowed slightly to the three princes.
"Greetings, Miss Ai Lin and Master Long Yi are in the reception room, please follow me,"
Little Zi walked ahead with a light step, with the three princes trailing behind and their eyes twitching.
Saint-level Female Demons! That Female Demon who had a magical duel with a Saint-level Mage in the Arena! She was actually a maid as well? This was terrifying!
Entering the reception room, Ai Lin and Long Yi sat side by side, with Long Yi peeling fruit for Ai Lin to eat.
The three princes got upset seeing Long Yi’s position. You’re just Ai Lin’s personal guard, Long Yi. Even if it’s a ’personal’ guard, why are you getting so close to her?
Yet, as if Ai Lin didn’t see them at all, she wore a smile on her face.
So, Ai Lin and Long Yi sat on one side, with the three princes sitting uncomfortably on the other side.
"Ahem, Miss Ailin, we’ve come to ask if you’re settling in well here? Do you have any special plans?" the First Prince inquired.
"It’s alright. Since my teacher hasn’t come for me, I don’t really have any plans," Ai Lin replied, opening her mouth as Long Yi immediately picked up a piece of cut fruit with a knife and handed it to her.
No way! Is this Long Yi? The king of the Stellar Realm’s Arena? The Long Yi who chased down old mages across the Plane? The one who consecutively killed two Saint-level Mages?
When Long Yi picked up the knife, the three princes simultaneously had a similar vision flash through their minds. Long Yi would launch a surprise attack on Ai Lin with the knife, only to be subdued by her in an instant.
But against all odds, Long Yi had no such intentions at all!
How could this be? Your personality seems quite different from before!
Long Yi completely ignored the princes’ stares and took his duty as a personal guard very seriously.
The First Prince was the first to look away: "Actually, our father, the Emperor of The Divine Auffa Empire, asked if Miss Ai Lin would like to join us on a hunting expedition to Thunder Flame Star. It’s the hunting season there right now!"
"Hunting? Is it fun?"
Ai Lin asked Long Yi.
"It should be fun. I’ve never been there either," Long Yi replied.
"Great, let’s go check it out!" Ai Lin decided cheerfully.
"Good! We will report back to our father immediately,"
After saying that, the First Prince quickly pulled the Second and Third Princes away.
"Big brother! What are you doing? Why the rush to pull me away?"
Outside, the Second Prince, Saint Julio, roared,
"Haven’t you figured it out yet? This Long Yi obviously planned this!"
First Prince Saint Cassio said,
"Planned? What planned?"
"Losing to Ai Lin," Saint Cassio said in a low voice.
"What?" Saint Julio looked at Saint Cassio in shock.
"That’s right, I think so too," Third Prince Saint Antonio nodded as he spoke.
"Planned? What planned?" Saint Julio still didn’t understand.
"Losing to Ai Lin is Long Yi’s plan!" Saint Cassio and Saint Antonio said almost in unison.
"Could it be?"
"Exactly!"
"Long Yi is a very powerful warrior, with almost no flaws, capable of handling any kind of enemy with ease. If you were like him, you’d probably be rich enough to rival countries and surrounded by beauties, right?" said Prince Saint Cassio.
Saint Julio nodded, indeed, he liked beauties, and he liked to be surrounded by them even more; that was his style.
"But look at Long Yi, with such strength, he climbed from the very bottom of a small arena all the way to the peak; and the process of seeking revenge on the old Mage suddenly turned into demanding blood money from the Mages, what does that mean?"
"What?"
"It means that Long Yi didn’t have that much money before this! I have investigated Long Yi’s background; he was captured by a group of slave traders from the Mountain Giant’s planet. That planet is very remote, without a Teleportation Gate and without any business dealings. The people there have two characteristics in common: ’primitive and poor.’ Long Yi was no exception; he had no money, and he had never seen a beauty. Therefore, he was desperate to amass wealth. And I suspect, Ai Lin might very well be the first beauty Long Yi has ever seen! Look at his behavior in the imperial arena, his eyes when he looked at Ai Lin were all wrong! Just listen to what he said, those are not the words a warrior should speak!"
"Because of this, I suspect Long Yi lost to Ai Lin on purpose!"
"That bastard!"
Saint Julio cursed and turned to rush back in.
"What are you doing!"
Saint Cassio grabbed Saint Julio.
"I’m going to..."
Saint Julio froze. Yes, what was he going to do? Confront Long Yi? Long Yi would certainly not admit it; to beat up Long Yi? Dream on! With Long Yi’s strength, how many in the entire Divine Auffa Empire could be his match?
"Then! What do we do? Are we just going to watch Miss Ailin walk into the tiger’s den?"
Saint Julio was getting anxious; he had hardly dared to speak to Ai Lin lately but still harbored illicit hopes. After all, there was plenty of time, perhaps one day Ai Lin would see his worth!
Even if not, there were his two brothers, and Ai Lin might eventually become his sister-in-law or sister-in-law-in-law.
But now, out of the blue, along came Long Yi, and things were suddenly different. Long Yi was an outsider! If Long Yi succeeded, wouldn’t he suffer a great loss?
"Stop talking nonsense! Just look at Miss Ailin’s image and temperament, she’s definitely from a noble house. She just finds Long Yi amusing and interesting. Would you expect her to fall for Long Yi? No way!"
Third Prince Saint Antonio said with an ashen face.
At this moment, none of the three of them knew that inside the room, Long Yi and Ai Lin had been listening to their conversation all along and were now completely laughing their heads off.
Thunder Flame Star.
This place is one of the few famous hunting grounds in the entire Plane. At this time of year, warriors from across the land would embark on hunts on Thunder Flame Star. It was home to many powerful beasts, but the most famous was the Thunder Flame Beast.
The Thunder Flame Beast is a quadruped, resembling a considerably enlarged horse. Its hooves strike fire, and its horn can emit lightning. Both its handsome appearance and powerful strength are reasons why people hold it in high esteem.
Hunting the Thunder Flame Beast not only yields the precious horn of the beast but also, with some luck, a Thunder Flame Beast cub. It must be known that an adult Thunder Flame Beast possesses combat power comparable to that of a Sanctuary-level Mage, and they always carefully protect their cubs. In the famous black markets of the Plane, people are always willing to pay a high price for a Thunder Flame Beast. For a warrior or Mage to ride a Thunder Flame Beast into battle, it would be akin to having an additional servant of Sanctuary caliber!
However, despite the high demand and steep prices, such a prize is rarely for sale. The few daring poachers who have attempted to steal Thunder Flame Beast cubs have met with tragic ends.
Only at this time of year, when the hunting season agreed upon by the great nations begins, do some adventurers venture into the fray, hoping to snag a bargain, enough to cover the cost of their journey there.
Crowned as the most powerful in the Plane, the Divine Auffa Empire’s preparations for the hunt were colossal. With a deployment of eighty warships and an army of a hundred-thousand warriors, it was all to ensure the Emperor’s utmost enjoyment.
At this moment, within the flagship, Ai Lin was leaning against the window, gazing out at the stars. She always liked looking at these; whenever she saw the stars, she would wonder, which one could be the Human Realm?
Of course, actually none of them were, because the Human Realm was not within this Plane. The Human Realm was a separate Plane created exclusively for Humans by the Giants, existing independently outside the multiverse created by the gods!
Long Yi stood behind Ai Lin, understanding the feelings of this young girl. He knew that Ai Lin was actually feeling homesick.
Was this the moment to embrace her? (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
