This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

"Huh? What's so big?" The young girl was puzzled by Leona's sudden exclamation. Her breasts were very well-developed, even larger than Flora's, which made Leona extremely jealous.

"Oh? Oh! I mean, your carriage is quite large, it's to my liking." Leona quickly averted her gaze from the young woman and said with an embarrassed smile, "Speaking of which, this journey has been really dangerous. Just now, the two dwarves next to us were robbed clean by bandits and were trying to walk home. Without you, we really wouldn't know what to do, haha..."

“We’re just ordinary merchants who travel between the Eastern and Western Empires, buying and selling potions to make a little money. These mercenaries are all hired by the Mercenary Guild.” The young woman smiled and extended her hand to Leona and Flora, shaking hands with them respectively. “My name is Veronica, and the man outside is my father, Santos. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. My name is Leona,” Leona replied.

"My name is Flora. Thank you, Miss Veronica, for taking us along." Flora seemed to have just shifted her gaze back to normal and nodded politely.

“We happen to be going the same way, and of course I can’t just stand by and watch two girls about to face vicious bandits—by the way, is that your younger brother in the middle? He looks handsome, but he seems sickly.” Veronica looked at Abis curiously. Abis did indeed look like a patient; he was pale and thin, and if it weren’t for his even breathing and the occasional twitch of his eyes beneath his eyelids, one might believe he was dead.

“Yes, yes, our little brother suffered some brain trauma when he was little, so he especially loves to sleep. Once he wakes up, he does a lot of crazy things.” Leona immediately laughed and pinched Abyss’s face. Her grip was really strong, pulling Abyss’s soft cheeks up quite a bit. “Don’t be fooled by how well-behaved he is now. Once he wakes up, he’ll say some weird things about intestines and stomach. It’s really annoying.”

"Are you taking him to the Eastern Empire for treatment?" Veronica scrutinized Abyss's face. "To find an alchemist there?"

“Yes, yes, the people from the Vatican can’t cure his illness at all.” Leona waved her hand, pretending to be an older sister. “We can only go to the Eastern Empire and find a powerful alchemist to cure his illness.”

“The alchemists of the Eastern Empire are indeed very skilled. We are going to the Eastern Empire this time to purchase some high-quality potions to sell back here,” Veronica said with a smile. “However, please forgive me for not being able to accompany you after entering the Eastern Empire. Our purchasing plan is quite complicated and it is not suitable for us to take you along. Of course, please feel free to eat and stay here during your journey these next few days. We only have some dry rations, and we will occasionally stop by nearby farms to buy some fresh meat.”

“The nearby farms… if we keep going, that’s where the Kingdom of Ossi used to be, right?” Leona thought for a moment. “I’ve heard that the people of Ossi really dislike us Western Empire people. Will they really sell us food?”

“Miss Leona, you don’t need to worry about that. We’re just ordinary merchants, and we pay fairly for the food we buy. The Ossi people won’t do anything to us,” Veronica said to Leona. “Although people in the Western Empire think the Ossi people are rather barbaric and lack manners, they aren’t unreasonable barbarians. They just like to be straightforward. If you can give them the respect they deserve, they will make you feel right at home…”

The middle-aged man outside the carriage coughed, and Veronica immediately stopped: "Oh, look at me, I'm starting to ramble on again."

The people of the Kingdom of Ossi did not have a good image in the eyes of the Western Empire. The Kingdom of Ossi was known for its fierce nature, low level of education, and long-standing dueling culture. While the Western Empire also valued martial prowess and had its own dueling culture, it was quite different from that of the Kingdom of Ossi. Western duels required both sides to wear their best clothing, use their finest or rented swords, and be conducted under the witness of a notary. In contrast, Ossi duels involved two people removing their upper garments and using fists, teeth, or sticks picked up from the roadside. Furthermore, the Western Empire's martial spirit did not hinder its cultural development; its literacy rate reached 85%, 3% higher than the second-ranked Eastern Empire.

Given that both cultures had a dueling culture, the difference in the level of civilization between the two duels was immediately apparent. In addition, the large number of illiterate people in the Kingdom of Ossi made many people from the Western Empire look down on the people of Ossi.

However, Leona didn't care about those things, because she stood at the pinnacle of combat power on the continent, and few people were stronger than her, so she didn't care much about where others were inferior to her.

"Veronica, could you come out for a moment?"

The middle-aged man outside the carriage called out to Veronica again, seemingly wanting to discuss something with her privately. Veronica smiled apologetically at Leona and Flora, and got off the carriage after the driver stopped.

As soon as Veronica left, Leona pressed Abyss's head down, nestled against his back, and looked at Flora mischievously: "Flora, how about it? Did this Miss Veronica's breasts make you feel threatened for the first time? Do you think if that big pervert Abyss woke up in the carriage and saw such magnificent breasts, would he fall in love instantly?"

"Huh? Her breasts?" Flora blushed. "No... I didn't mean that. How big your breasts are isn't something you can control..."

"Oh my, are you blushing? Come on, let me see how long it will take for your breasts to develop before they catch up with other girls?"

"Stop it...stop it..." Flora futilely defended against Leona's groping hand, protesting, "I wasn't staring at her chest, I was looking at the pendant around her neck!"

Leona had just finished squeezing Flora's two bouncy white rabbits, and withdrew her hand with satisfaction. Then she asked, somewhat puzzled, "Hmm? The pendant? What's wrong? You've got your eye on her decoration? Do you want me to get it for you? Although she might not agree."

Flora shook her head and said, "No, it's not that I'm attracted to her pendant. It's just that I noticed the pendant she was wearing looks a lot like one I used to wear when I was alive... and when the Abyss brought me out of the grave, it certainly didn't have that pendant with it..."

"Huh? You mean Veronica might be a grave robber?" Leona's eyes widened. "Who in their right mind would rob a Holy See tomb?"

“I don’t know… I only regained consciousness after the Abyss brought me out of the tomb. I don’t know what happened to my pendant, I don’t even know if I was buried wearing it.” Flora placed her hand on her chest in frustration. “That thing isn’t important, it was just an ornament the Church gave me. I just hope the grave robbers… if there really were any… didn’t touch my body… I don’t want anyone other than the Abyss to touch my body…”

Chapter 87 Suspicious Caravan

After speaking with her father Santos for a few minutes, Veronica returned to the carriage. She hadn't heard Flora and Leona's conversation, nor did she know that Flora recognized the pendant around her neck. This pendant was none other than the jewelry Flora had once worn, the Spring of Sweet Dew. It was originally just an ordinary moonstone ornament, used to match the light-colored dresses often worn by saintesses, possessing no special properties. But the person wearing it was Flora.

People on the mainland today might think Flora's story is exaggerated and fabricated, but if you ask Flora herself, she will tell you that it is all true.

Flora, a girl favored and pampered by the gods, can not only use all kinds of divine magic without consuming any resources and amplify the effects of divine magic, but also has natural divine blessings.

If you are a woman suffering from chronic rhinitis and happen to have a close relationship with Flora, then perhaps Flora will allow you to smell her hair once a week for a month, which will cure your rhinitis. Of course, if you are a man and also want to smell the saint's body fragrance, the Vatican might send a paladin to break your nose, in which case your rhinitis will never be cured.

If you have an eye condition, such as trachoma or conjunctivitis, and it just so happens that the Holy Maiden is going to give a speech in your city, then all you have to do is keep staring at her, go home and get a good night's sleep, and your eye condition will be completely cured.

The saint's song can dispel nightmares and lull the insomniac to sleep; the saint's gaze can ward off fear and inspire cowardly warriors to forge ahead. Although it sounds like a brainless hymn written by a naive young boy to a girl, it is all true, without the slightest falsehood.

If simply seeing, hearing, and smelling can bring benefits no less than divine magic, then it is not surprising that the personal items worn by the saintess could be imbued with some of her divine miracles.

Similar to a mage enchanting an item, things Flora wears will naturally have some random magical effects solidified on them. This Spring of Sweet Water has been solidified with calming and healing effects. If you wear it, it's like having a sorcerer following behind you and praying for you. Your injuries will heal several times faster than normal, and you will be less likely to fall into negative emotions such as panic and anger.

Now, Flora was still wondering why her ornament was on another girl. Her intuition told her that this Miss Veronica didn't seem like a bad person. People who frequently steal or rob inevitably develop a sinister aura, which most people might not notice, but Flora was very sensitive to.

Did she just buy this jewelry from a tomb raider, or was it a gift from someone? Flora thought to herself, feeling a little uneasy.

She was genuinely worried that her body had been defiled by grave robbers. In her heart, no man other than the Abyss was qualified to touch her body, because only the Abyss had rescued her from fear, only the Abyss was willing to trust her wholeheartedly... and only the Abyss could have such clear eyes and thoughts free of any evil.

She couldn't help but glance at Abyss, who was sleeping with his head on her lap. Abyss seemed to like the lap pillow very much, with a slight smile on his face.

Leona wanted to ask Veronica where she got the pendant around her neck, but Flora disagreed. She didn't want to reveal her identity and cause trouble for the Abyss. Even though the entire Holy See might not last a minute under the Abyss's rule, Leona and Flora had both come to understand how much the Abyss hated chaos these past few days.

The carriage had been traveling for most of the day, and it was just getting light. Veronica had not only hosted Leona and Flora for a meal and camped out yesterday, but she had also chatted with them quite a bit. Veronica was a very talkative person; she spoke quite logically and had very interesting insights into many things. Under her strong charisma, Leona even wanted to befriend her—of course, only after learning her true identity.

"Veronica, why haven't you encountered any bandits during your journey?" Leona asked tentatively.

“I’ve hired over thirty mercenaries this time, and everyone in the caravan is on horseback. Ordinary bandits won’t bother with us,” Veronica replied immediately. “You don’t need to worry about that. Our mercenaries aren’t weak either; they can hold off even if bandits come.”

"Your mercenaries seem to be quite different from ordinary mercenaries... They seem to be very disciplined. If they were ordinary mercenaries, wouldn't they be riding their horses and drinking and playing drinking games in the back by now?"

Veronica gave Leona a strange look, wondering why she was suddenly asking these questions, but she remained calm and said, "Oh, that's true. These mercenaries belong to the same mercenary group. We hired them because they were well-disciplined and well-trained."

Veronica's answer was impeccable, which left Leona somewhat frustrated, unsure whether her words were not skillful enough or if Veronica had been prepared all along.

As the carriage continued its journey, the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains gradually dimmed. It wasn't that it had gotten dark again, but rather that the caravan had entered a valley. On either side of the road were two high grounds, their dense vegetation blocking out most of the sunlight.

Leona leaned out of the car window, carefully observed the terrain outside, then sat back down and chuckled, "Hehe."

"Leona, what are you laughing at?" Flora asked curiously.

“I laugh at these highway robbers for not knowing how to use the terrain to their advantage,” Leona said smugly. “The terrain here is too special. If I were the bandit leader, I would ambush them from the front, block the road, and set up archers on both sides. Even if a caravan had wings, it would be impossible for them to escape.”

“I heard those Ossi bandits don’t kill people randomly, so we don’t need to worry,” Veronica said from the side.

The carriage continued for a while, then suddenly stopped.

The mercenary who had been leading the way, whom Leona had met earlier, rode back on horseback and reported to Santos and Veronica: "Report, the road ahead is blocked by a large rock that rolled down from the mountain. We need to clear the rocks before we can continue."

“Alright, take a few strong mercenaries and give it a try. Take this potion; if it’s too difficult, use it to blast the rocks apart,” Santos said to the mercenaries.

"Yes, sir..."

rustling!

Just then, Leona's keen ears caught a strange sound—the sound of an arrow slicing through the air.

"Oh no! Get down! There's an ambush!"

Chapter Eighty-Eight: Ambush

Knock knock knock!

Several clear sounds of metal being driven into wood rang out overhead, and a sharp arrowhead protruded halfway through the roof of the carriage, but did not go straight through.

"It's a crossbow!"

Leona, who has a good understanding of all kinds of weapons, immediately recognized the arrow as a crossbow bolt just from the sound of the arrow and the shape of the arrowhead.

"Didn't go through the ceiling?" Veronica, who had just been pressed down by Leona's shoulders, looked up in surprise at the arrows above her head.

What kind of enemy would use such a weak crossbow to shoot at a wooden-roofed carriage? They should know perfectly well that it wouldn't work...

Flora shielded Abyss, who was sleeping on her lap, with her body. Her mind raced, and she quickly came to a conclusion, shouting, "These are crossbow bolts enchanted with magic marks! Get out of the carriage!"

Before Veronica could react, Leona had already picked her up and jumped out of the carriage, with Flora following closely behind, carrying Abyss.

Boom!

The moment the four had left the carriage, it was engulfed by a towering pillar of fire. Scalding flames suddenly erupted from the ground, and the coachman, who hadn't had time to jump out, had his legs vaporized below the knees by the magical flames, rolling on the ground screaming in agony.

The accompanying mercenaries brandished their weapons, and those with shields removed them from their backs. The mercenary in charge shouted in the language of the Kingdom of Ossi, directing a group of people to surround Veronica and Santos, while the other group stood guard outside.

They really were from the Kingdom of Ossi! But Leona couldn't care less about that now. She shouted urgently, "Don't get too close! The enemy has elemental mages!"

The mercenaries who had formed a circle seemed to have a significant portion of their incomprehension of Leona's Common Tongue. They hesitated for a moment before remaining still. Then, Veronica, whom Leona had rescued, pulled out a dagger from somewhere and translated Leona's words into Ossi. Only then did the mercenaries quickly disperse slightly, with Veronica as the center.

Just as the mercenaries dispersed, strange cries came from the hillsides on both sides. A group of short, stocky figures rushed out from the dense forest on both sides. They were a group of dwarves wearing various kinds of heavy armor. They carried steel battle axes that were almost as tall as themselves on their backs and held crossbows in their hands. Without saying a word, they pulled the triggers on the mercenaries.

Click click click!

The sound of crossbow bolts being fired rang out, like the call of death pressing down on the mercenaries from all directions. More than a dozen crossbow bolts with steel arrowheads tore through the air and shot towards the mercenaries.

The mercenaries roared, their bodies blazing with dazzling, multicolored battle aura. They swung their weapons to meet the incoming crossbow bolts, the clanging and clashing of the arrows filling the air. Two mercenaries were struck by powerful crossbow bolts, thrown from their horses by the force of the arrows, and crashed to the ground, clearly dead. Mercenaries with bows and arrows retaliated, their arrows striking the attackers accurately, but only piercing the dwarves' heavy armor, lodging themselves in their solid muscles.

After the dwarves finished firing a round, they immediately withdrew. Their height gave them a significant advantage in the dense forest, making it impossible for them to catch up.

At the same time, the ground began to tremble, and a figure taller than two people emerged from the earth. It was an earth elemental, with the size of an ogre, its body made of stone and mud, covered in brown magical runes. The earth elemental angrily slammed its fist into the ground and charged at the mercenaries. The mercenaries immediately dismounted, their bodies ablaze with battle aura, to meet the earth elemental head-on and prevent it from getting close to Veronica.

The mercenaries' weapons relentlessly pounded the earth elemental's body, causing it to crumble and become increasingly mutilated. However, the earth elemental would occasionally knock a mercenary away with a single punch. Some could get up and continue fighting, while others were killed instantly.

“Dwarven mercenaries, and a mage? A fire pillar and an earth elemental… at least seventh rank.” Leona casually tossed aside the two crossbow bolts she had just grabbed, then turned and said, “Flora, keep an eye on Abyss and Veronica. I’m going to find where that mage is hiding!”

“Leave it to me!” Flora nodded emphatically.

Leona charged straight out, her small figure trailing an orange flame, transforming into a shooting star that shattered the earth elemental. Without stopping for a moment, she rushed up the nearby hillside at an incredible speed.

Veronica, who was being protected by Flora, stared wide-eyed. She had originally thought that Leona was just a noble lady who had practiced aura for a few days and then came out to show off, but now it seemed that she was wrong.

But how could we encounter a Qi user of this level in this desolate wilderness? And so young at that? Leona looks to be only ten years old. Could she not be human?

……

Leona sprinted at high speed, the distance between her two steps being more than ten meters. Each step she took created a small, explosive crater in the ground beneath her feet. She plunged into the dense forest, casually smashing the shoulder blade of an unfortunate dwarf blocking her way, and charged toward the suspicious direction where magical energy was emanating.

We can't let that annoying mage use magic anymore. Of the five major schools of magic, the elemental school is the most destructive. If we let him continue...

It will be very noisy.

Leona didn't take the enemy seriously at all. Her keen senses, combined with her novice level of magic, quickly pointed out the enemy's possible direction. She then increased her speed again, like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for her target!

"Found you!" Leona's eyes lit up. A figure in a brown mage's robe stood atop the hill, leaning on an iron staff and wearing a large cloak, only his mouth visible. It seemed the mage was still chanting a spell.

This was certainly not a bandit attack. First of all, bandits wouldn't hire well-coordinated, battle-hardened dwarven mercenaries. These short, thuggish thugs would take on any dangerous job and are very good at surprise attacks, but because they are well-equipped, they are also expensive. No bandit group would be so foolish as to spend so much money to hire them. As for this mage, who is at least a seventh-tier mage—with that kind of skill, any powerful organization would be willing to pay him handsomely. Why would he do something as strenuous and dangerous as highway robbery?

But Leona was too lazy to think about it anymore. She'd just beat him up first, and then make him confess once he was behaving himself!

"Ora!" Leona punched the figure standing on the hilltop hard!

puff!