You are all my wings...

Iris was puzzled, and suddenly realized that she sometimes found it difficult to understand her own true thoughts.

[Character Iris's affection level +1, current affection level 79%]

“The Life Root of Fourth-Order Magic. I remember eating it can increase vitality. Iris, let’s each eat half and try it,” Leon said.

Iris had no objection; in fact, she was quite looking forward to seeing what it would taste like.

Leon took out a knife for dismantling, cut it in half, and handed one half to Iris.

The reddish rootstock felt no different from cooked potatoes, and it was quickly chopped.

Leon took a small bite, feeling the changes within his body.

The juice, with its faint milky aroma, flowed in his mouth and down his esophagus. Soon, Leon felt a great sense of fullness in his body.

Compared to magic power and physical strength, vitality is harder to increase.

Normally, prices only increase when you level up.

Lyon's current 30 points of vitality are partly due to his natural talent and partly due to his combined experience as a first-tier mage, a first-tier con artist, and a second-tier shadowwalker.

Among them, the Shadow Walker contributed the most, accounting for almost 70% of his current vitality.

Generally speaking, the increase in vitality for rare warrior classes is greater than that for regular warrior classes, which is greater than that for rare spellcasters, which is greater than that for ordinary spellcasters.

Then, different races also have different distinctions.

Dragons are generally the strongest, followed by pureblood elves, and then subspecies of dragons and elves.

Humans, beastmen, and halflings are the last three starter classes.

The ranking and attribute limits are basically consistent.

After eating the whole piece, Leon noticed that the panel attributes had been updated.

【主要屬性：生命力34/魔力量31/體力31/力量32/敏捷41】

After eating the whole piece, I suddenly gained four points of vitality.

He then looked at Iris's attribute information.

[Name: Elisabeth C. Foullen]

【主要屬性：生命力61/魔力量69/體力33/力量38/敏捷43】

Did Elizabeth rise by 6 points?

Sure enough, the pureblood elves' inherent nature meant that even when they ate the same food, the transformation effects were different.

However, looking at it from another perspective, even Elise only increased by 6 points, which shows that the conversion rate of this thing itself is limited.

Lyon is only two points less than Iris, which shows that it is the benefit of the three professions.

If there were only a single profession, the human race would probably see an even worse increase in this area.

If it weren't for the fact that humans can produce a few exceptionally gifted, high-growth talents through sheer numbers, and that they don't have divine protection, they probably wouldn't be able to compete with other intelligent races on the continent.

Lyon strode over to other locations to see if there were any other spoils of war.

……

The garden area at the rear of the castle.

Leon covered his nose and frowned slightly.

That was actually where the carnivorous plant excreted its bones.

All the remains of the monsters and intelligent races it devoured appeared to have been arranged in the garden area behind the castle.

Looking back from above, you can see the entire open space, which resembles a murky swamp. On the wet, sticky surface, various broken bones are faintly visible, clearly buried beneath the soil.

The most eye-catching part is the very center of the garden.

In that place filled with such a stench, a lotus flower was blooming, its bright red petals eerily frightening.

The lotus pod is large enough to accommodate one person sitting alone.

Inside the lotus pod, one after another, the first-level mosquitoes kept going in and out of the holes, as if they had built a nest inside the lotus pod.

At this moment, Iris followed.

"I think I can feel my father's presence."

Her eyes were vacant, and her head was turned slightly, as if she were sensing something.

Lyon's heart skipped a beat. Was this a bloodline connection between pureblood elves?

“Elise, are you saying that your father’s remains might be hidden in this swamp?”

"No, it shouldn't be here, but it's nearby... No, it should be half in the swamp and half in another location."

"Where is the other location?"

"It should be underground in this castle."

Leon nodded slightly. It seemed that the Elemental Ring should be located underground in this castle.

According to other players' strategy posts from previous lives, the Elemental Ring was found in the underground of the castle encountered in this side road area.

In other words, one reason why this man-eating flower can grow to the fourth level is that the previous six level powerhouses perished here.

“Let’s go, Iris. According to my deduction, my target should also be underground.”

Lyon turned and stepped onto the stairs leading to the lower level.

The castle is small, but its internal structure is very clear, and the paths are easy to see.

Iris quickly followed, her expression somewhat complicated.

"Leon, is the item you're targeting my father's belongings?"

"Based on the current situation, it is highly likely."

Lyon frankly stated that the worst thing to do at this time is to deny the possibility.

"Okay, I thought you were going to say it's completely unrelated."

"Elise, we've only known each other for about ten days, and we've been through life and death together. How can you not trust my character?"

Lyon feigned anger.

As expected, Iris fell for it and was taken aback by Leon's questioning. This was the first time she had ever seen Leon angry.

She quickly explained:

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that the upgrade item you’re looking for should be something that naturally grows here and has nothing to do with my father.”

She did explain.

But Lyon sensed a hint of insincerity in his words.

He turned to look at Iris and found her expression more complex than ever before.

There was fear, worry, tension, and even more subtle and indescribable emotions.

This was an expression he had never seen on Iris's face before.

Yes, although Iris is biologically 36 years old, from the perspective of the elves, she is not much different from an ordinary human girl in her teens in terms of both mentality and appearance.

Although he was entrusted with an important task and became a diplomat.

But in essence, he is still a simple person with a pure heart.

When faced with difficult choices, one may struggle, hesitate, and even hate oneself.

"Elise, you're worried about me, aren't you?"

Iris looked up in surprise and met Leon's gaze.

Leon reached out and gently stroked Iris's smooth face. She was startled for a moment, but did not pull away.

"I have a quirk: I don't believe in tests, and I don't like forcing my friends to make choices. Because no matter who you are, when faced with a choice, you'll weigh things and think about unnecessary things. But the truth is, many things are immeasurable; once you choose, you lose everything. What do you think?"

These words were somewhat ambiguous, but Iris immediately understood what Leon meant.

"I understand, but what should I do?"

"You're just worried that if the item I'm going to use for the upgrade is either your father's last possession or your mother's last possession, you'll have a hard time making a choice, right?"

Lyon pointed out Iris's concerns.

She nodded slowly.

“There’s a saying in my hometown: when you can’t make a decision, let someone you can trust make it for you. Iris, can you trust me now?”

Lyon gazed at Iris and slowly uttered those words.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: My Wish and Myself

Do they trust you enough?

Elizabeth was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"With your divination skills, you should have been able to deduce the connection between this place and my father a long time ago. The fact that you chose to tell me before means that you already had the correct answer in your heart, right?"

Lyon smiled slightly. It seemed that Iris was quite perceptive when necessary.

"The fact that you could think of this means you're not completely stupid."

Elizabeth smiled:

"I am a cultivation genius from the Holy Land of Elves! There are many things I don't understand simply because I haven't put in the effort to think about them."

"Okay, you're not stupid."

Lyon could tell that Iris had come to terms with it.

So, what's your answer?

Iris punched Leon with her little fist: "Do you even need to ask? Of course I trust you! I've entrusted my wishes and myself to you, Captain."

This was the first time she had called Lyon "Commander".

Her voice was surprisingly sweet.

They didn't ask Leon a single question about what he would do then.

Leon withdrew his hand from Iris's face and said seriously:

"Then you can come with me without worry."

"Ah."

It seemed that only then did Iris realize how unusually close their bodies were, with their eyes so close that they were barely a blink away.

She blushed and quickly looked away, pretending to look into the distance.

The sound of a heartbeat instantly drowned out the crisp sound of the wind inside the castle.

[Character Iris's affection level +4%, current affection level 83%]

She thought to herself, "I just acknowledged Lyon as a reliable teammate, but I definitely didn't mean anything by what I just said!"

Absolutely not!

……

On the narrow steps leading down to the castle's underground level.

Click, click, click.

The two moved down one after the other.

"I never imagined this tunnel would be so narrow and cramped."

The passageway was too low for two people to stand upright.

Lyon held a silver sword in his hand, crouching low and keeping watch.

Iris, carrying a torch, sat half-sitting and half-bending behind Leon.

The two were very close to each other.

If a small monster attacks in such a place, the danger is greater than encountering a third or fourth-tier monster.