I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 747 Extremely timid and used to accepting whatever comes his way! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
She was a beautiful half-elf woman who looked to be no more than thirty years old. She sat sideways on an old chair by the window, wearing only a thin, dark green silk slip dress that reached just to her thighs, outlining her voluptuous and graceful curves.

She casually draped a transparent gauze over her clothes, which, instead of providing any concealment, added a touch of alluring mystery.

She had delicate features similar to Sylph's, but with a more mature charm. Her brows were shrouded in an unyielding sorrow and weariness. She stared blankly at a blurry bronze mirror, seemingly reminiscing about something, or perhaps sighing at her current situation.

Sylph noticed that Li Chen's gaze lingered on the window. She bit her lip, a hint of struggle flashing across her face.

But the will to survive and a certain instinct to appease this powerful being compelled her to lower her voice and say to Li Chen, "Sir, that's my mother. She's very timid, extremely afraid of trouble, and used to being submissive. If you were to do anything to her, she...she would absolutely not dare to make a sound."

Her voice trailed off, filled with unspeakable shame, yet also revealing a resolute determination born of a need to protect herself.

Upon hearing this, even the well-informed Li Chen was momentarily stunned.

He had seen many people betray their masters for personal gain or their friends for survival.

But this was the first time he had ever seen someone so willing to use their own mother as a "bargaining chip" and "shield" just to survive.

This young girl's "pragmatism" and "decisiveness" are simply astonishing.

Li Chen couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking to himself: "He is indeed a promising young man."

This ruthlessness and resourcefulness in the face of any means to survive, if properly guided, could indeed be cultivated into a formidable weapon.

Of course, the premise is that the knife must be firmly in one's own hands.

Although Li Chen was indeed a man who appreciated the charm of beautiful women, he was currently in a foreign country, unfamiliar with the place and people, and at a crucial moment in his infiltration investigation, so he wouldn't act so recklessly without considering the consequences.

He turned his gaze away from the window and calmly said to the nervous and uneasy Sylph beside him, "Take me to your room."

Sylph felt Li Chen's unfathomable gaze, her body trembled slightly, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. In the end, she nodded resignedly and said in a low voice, "Yes, sir, please come with me."

She pushed open the creaking wooden door and led Li Chen into her "boudoir," which was practically bare.

The room was extremely basic and cramped, containing only a hard bed, a wooden table with a chipped corner, and a crooked chair.

The walls were mottled, and in the corner were some clean but patched old clothes.

However, despite the poverty, the room was kept exceptionally clean and tidy.

Although the bed was old, the sheets were washed until they were white and were laid out neatly.
The tabletop was spotless, with a simple water bottle filled with wildflowers on it, adding a touch of life and color to this humble room;

In the corner of the wall, pebbles were even arranged to form a simple yet neat little pattern.

All these details subtly reveal the resident's good upbringing and a resilience that strives to maintain dignity and hope even in adversity. It's clear she's a good child at heart, only forced by circumstances. Sylph stood in the center of the room, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her heart pounding like a drum.

She was terrified as she watched Li Chen survey the room, thinking that this powerful "Cleric" had changed his mind and was going to do something to her here.
She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and thought to herself: If this can save my life, I'm willing...
She even began to subconsciously think about how to cooperate in a way that would satisfy the other party.

Just as she was lost in thought and her cheeks were flushed, Li Chen simply pulled over the old chair and sat down. His gaze, hidden beneath his hood, seemed to fall on her, and he asked:
"Regarding the Pope's disappearance, besides the forbidden area in the back mountain mentioned earlier, what else do you know? Besides coming here, where else did he go and who did he meet during his time in Silvershine City?"

"Huh?" Sylph was stunned for a moment, then realized that the other party did not mean that. She felt a mix of emotions, including relief at escaping a disaster and a strange sense of loss.

She quickly composed herself, thought carefully, and then said with a hint of apology and urgency, "My lord, I really don't know much about this matter. What I just told you is all that I overheard. His Holiness the Pope's whereabouts are very secretive, but!"

She changed the subject, straightened her thin back, and her eyes became firm. "If you need it, I can try to find out for you!"

Although I hold a low position in this family, precisely because no one pays attention to me, I can overhear rumors and access places they're not on guard against! I'm very familiar with Silvershine City and the Windwhisperer family; I guarantee I can help you find clues about the Pope's whereabouts!

She knew very well that although the news of the Pope's disappearance had not yet been made public, it was by no means a secret in the upper echelons of the Eternal Day Empire, especially within powerful groups like the Wind Whisperer family, which were involved in the incident and had been investigated by the Vatican.

They must know more inside information.

Sylph was trying her best to demonstrate her value and usefulness, fearing that she would be abandoned once she lost her usefulness.

Li Chen neither agreed nor disagreed with her statement, but simply stood up and said, "Let's go, take me to see the area near the forbidden area in the back mountain."

Sylph didn't dare to be negligent and immediately led Li Chen, once again using her familiarity with the castle's terrain to avoid all patrol routes and arrive at the outer edge of the area in the back mountain that was designated as a forbidden zone.

From afar, several imposing family guards stood watch at the entrance to the forbidden area, and a powerful barrier, visible to the naked eye and flowing with wind blades, enveloped the entrance, making the defense extremely tight.

However, Li Chen did not force his way through from the front. Instead, he led Sylph around to the bottom of a cliff, which seemed like a dead end, with the rock face as smooth as a mirror.

Li Chen stretched out his finger and seemingly casually drew a few lines on the rock wall. Complex spatial runes flashed by, and the hard rock wall rippled like water, revealing a deep cave entrance that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The inner walls of the passage were smooth, clearly indicating that it was man-made, but it was not a passage known to the Wind Whisperers family.

"Keep up close." Li Chen stepped in first, and Sylph suppressed her shock and quickly followed.

After a brief period of darkness, the view suddenly opened up. Within the forbidden area lay a hidden paradise!

This place is not the gloomy and terrifying prison or graveyard one might imagine; rather, it is like a secluded and vibrant little world that has been carved out on its own.

The most striking feature is a colossal tree in the center of the secret realm, radiating a soft, life-giving glow.

(End of this chapter)