You are all my wings...

Iris was a bit confused and didn't quite understand what Leon meant, so he considered her a friend?

So that's how it is. Leon, you're quite shy too. Thinking this, her unhappy face brightened up instantly, without even realizing that she was unusually concerned about these things.

“And there’s another problem you’ve forgotten, which is how I can verify that the contents of this box have sealed this magical artifact born from the elemental prison,” Leon said.

Iris: "Yes, how did you confirm that?"

In fact, when Leon saw the secret book box, he immediately knew it was his target item, based on his experience in the game in his previous life.

Of course, this was a covert tactic, and I definitely couldn't tell Elizabeth about it.

Leon said with a smile:

"Elise, what do you think of my four-elemental magic skills?"

"Although I hate to admit it, you are indeed an unprecedented genius in four types of magic."

"So you think my talent is just because I stick to training?"

"Could it be that you are also very sensitive to the four elements, with an exceptionally strong talent, so that you can sense the aura of magical items even through the secret book box?"

Elizabeth seemed to be deep in thought.

"As expected of the incredibly intelligent Iris, you had the answer immediately as soon as I asked the question."

Lyon was full of praise, but he was actually not sensitive at all.

As I said before, he was standing on the shoulders of giants.

Elizabeth was delighted by Leon's praise, and a smile played on her lips.

"Humph!"

She turned her head away.

A textbook example of a soft hum.

Next, although Leon obtained the target item, he still needed the help of Bisge, the former priestess of the Cult of Astalia, to unlock the secret book box and obtain the elemental magic ring.

This time, Bisci did not go into the dungeon with them. Instead, she was sent by Leon to wander around the Prince's mansion in search of Hamra.

Fortunately, Lyon is not planning to hold the promotion and job change ceremony here.

Firstly, there is a lack of other auxiliary materials, which need to be purchased from outside.

Secondly, the dungeon is ultimately full of monsters, making it unsafe to advance there.

"Let's explore this area a bit more and see if we find anything else. If not, we should head back to the surface."

"Hmm, there should be something else across the street, I can sense it."

Sensing?

Lyon realized that these were the remains of Iris's father's other half.

Chapter Forty Return

After exploring, the two discovered a spirit skeleton cut in half in another room.

Upper body.

The magic contained within the bones has dissipated.

All the flesh, blood, and skin were gone.

All that remained was a dark-colored leather armor covering his body and a sheathed short sword at his waist.

I didn't see the magic wand that elves always have.

As far as Lyon knew, spellcasting-type extraordinary beings in the Elven Sanctuary would receive magic wands made from the trunk of the Elven Sacred Tree, which were extremely valuable.

The same goes for Elizabeth's.

Around the skeleton, an elven-style magic circle was drawn in blood.

The array is a common six-pointed star array, with a finger bone placed at each corner.

The upper body skeleton sat in the center of the formation.

On the ground, there was a trail of blood that had been dragged across the top of the mysterious characters on the magic circle.

Following the intuition hidden in her bloodline, Iris confirmed that the skeleton came from her father.

She silently and respectfully performed the traditional elven funeral rites for the skeleton.

From Lyon's perspective, you can see that Iris's eyes are already moist.

Although she had never seen this father in person, she imagined that the elven bloodline connection would allow Iris to sense something about him.

Leon offered no comfort, waiting for Iris to process her emotions on her own.

“Leon, this magic circle should be a disintegration circle.”

"Disintegration Array?"

"Generally, when an elf's lifespan is about to end, it returns the immense magical power and life force it contains to the sacred tree's magic circle through disintegration."

Eliza explained.

Speaking of this, Leon remembered that in the players' previous lives, this was called the "funeral procession for elves."

As Elise said, the elves established a sacred site centered around a towering World Tree, and then radiated sacred land from that sacred site.

The act of long-lived beings giving back to the sacred tree with their accumulated merits before their death has also contributed to the tree's continued expansion and has a similar effect to divine blessings, causing the average lifespan of each generation of elves to rise continuously.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, elves only lived for two or three hundred years.

It wasn't until six thousand years ago that pure-blooded elves, possessing a lifespan of a thousand years, gradually came into being.

However, problems have recently arisen within the Elven realm, with population growth and combat casualty ratios exceeding acceptable limits. This has led to the Elven Holy Land's requirement for pure-blooded elves to strengthen intermarriage with other intelligent races.

This will become the core underlying theme that runs through all four parts of the Sword, Sorcerer and Sacred Land series.

At the beginning of the fourth installment, the sacred tree will collapse, attracting the arrival of the God of the End.

The final boss of the first part, who also launched a war of annihilation to obtain the lost treasure of the Sacred Tree in the Holy Land.

During the war of national annihilation, the intervention of various forces and powerful individuals could trigger a crisis that could lead to the collapse of the continent at any time.

The battle began four years later, in the winter.

The period is two and a half years.

This is a war that we must intervene in.

He didn't intend to go to war, but he had to make preparations in advance.

When the tide of history comes, it's not something you can easily escape unscathed from.

However, Lyon is not yet certain which major force he will intervene in.

It's better to find a reliable backer, such as a veteran legend or a powerful epic.

In this regard, Lyon plans to raise funds for the Zhonghuan project later.

"It seems your father was cut in two by some sharp weapon and fled here. Perhaps to avoid being taken by the enemy, he set up a magic circle to disintegrate his body, which inadvertently nourished this elemental prison, making this side road area much better than other places."

Lyon shared his speculation.

Iris did not respond.

For her, knowing the general situation was not enough; the most important thing was who her enemy was.

Unfortunately, there was no clue.

But judging from the current situation, Lyon's prediction is probably pretty close to the truth.

There are still half a skeleton in the mud above; we can go back and check to confirm whether the conclusion is correct.

“Elise, those are your father’s personal belongings. You can take them with you.”

"Thank you, leader."

At this point, Iris used the title "Commander".

She understood the situation clearly, distinguishing between public and private matters. She knew that Leon was giving her these relics, which could be considered spoils of war, in his capacity as the captain.

"By the way, this hidden book box might hold the reason for your father's death. I'll ask someone I know to help me unlock it. If I find anything, I'll tell you."

"Ok."

After tidying up a bit, Iris collected the remains and sorted through the personal belongings of the sixth-level expert.

These are all good things.

Especially the dark-colored leather armor, which is the most valuable, originally at least a fourth-tier, or even a fifth-tier, item.

Even if it's broken in half, loses a lot of durability, and goes without maintenance for decades, it should still be comparable to a Tier 3 item.

However, for Leon, the greatest use of these things is actually in the Fallen Dark Elf quest that he needs to solve later.

At present, it is most appropriate to hand it over to Elizabeth, her descendant.

Afterwards, Leon searched the basement one more time to make sure no items were left behind, and then left the stinking basement.

They embarked on their return journey.

Lyon couldn't wait to advance.

Chapter 42 Meditation

Three days later.

Having already familiarized themselves with the route, the two successfully returned to the surface and exchanged most of their spoils at the Adventurers' Guild. Only a few powerful monster items and Enchanting Fairy items remained unexchanged. After some haggling, they exchanged everything else for a total of 267 gold coins.

Then, outside the Adventurers' Guild, Leon took out the 32 gold coins that had been allocated in advance.

Pack it in a bag and hand it to Elizabeth.

Iris took it with a puzzled look, and when she opened it, the golden light made her pupils shine.

She quickly understood Leon's intention.

"Does this mean I not only paid off my debts, but also made a profit?"

She looked refreshed and radiant, her fair and rosy cheeks beaming with a smile.

"That's right, this is the power of our cooperation. Other teams can only pick on ordinary monsters to fight, and can only run away when faced with powerful monsters, but we can harvest them. In the future, we will earn even more!"

Lyon continues to make empty promises.

"Then I can't wait for the next exploration!"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled.

“Originally, there were other items I wanted to share with you, but considering that the white unicorn's horn is useful to me, and you've already obtained your father's legacy, how about we cancel out these two big debts together?”

Without a doubt, the white unicorn's horn is the most profitable item this time; even without considering the ice slowing magic, it can still sell for over 300 gold coins.

Even if a sixth-level master's relics are severely damaged, they are still quite valuable, roughly equivalent to the value of a white unicorn horn.

As for the secret book box, it was his initial target item and the cause of this exploration, so there was naturally no need to split the profits.

“I… it’s fine, I can’t use ice magic anyway. Besides, I’m very grateful to you, Captain, for giving me these relics.”

"That's good. Now, everyone should go back and get some rest and catch up on the sleep you've lost. If the secret book box is opened, or if there's any news about your mother, I'll send a familiar to let you know. Remember to keep an eye out."

Next, Lyon should prepare for his promotion.

After leveling up, invite Iris to buy new equipment. At least you'll get some money by riding on Iris's heroine persona.

……

The second floor of a Western-style building at No. 312 Colt Street, Wangdu South District.

Click.

Lyon, carrying a much smaller package, pushed open the door and went inside.

"Wow, Leon, Leon, you're finally back! I missed you so much, my darling."