On the Ark.

Snapped.

As Lin Ye was thinking this, Lappland suddenly flipped over and fell off the seat, landing on Lin Ye's feet. Lin Ye's face immediately turned pale.

……

When it got dark, Horn Peak finally stopped the car.

"Let's rest here," Horn Peak said to everyone in the carriage. "We're about to enter the snow-capped mountains. The mountain roads are not easy to travel, and driving at night is too dangerous."

First Snow nodded slightly: "Thank you, Uncle Horn Peak."

Horn Peak smiled and said, "What are you saying, Miss?"

Cliffheart leaned closer, eagerly eyeing the steering wheel: "Uncle Horn Peak, since we're just killing time anyway, let me drive, okay? I've been wanting to drive for ages!"

"Impossible, Miss, you should just give up on that idea."

At this moment, Lappland finally woke up from her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the darkening sky outside the car window, tilted her head, and asked in confusion, "Why is it dark?"

Then she heard Lin Ye grit his teeth and say, "Why is it dark now?"

Lappland turned to look at Lin Ye, quite surprised: "Why do you look so injured? Did someone beat you up?"

Lin Ye didn't want to talk anymore.

Lappland even punches while sleepwalking, and Lin Ye, caught off guard, took a punch to the face. The Lupo race's physical abilities far surpass those of other races; even an unconscious punch in their sleep would leave a mark on Lin Ye's face. This made Lin Ye wonder if he could use his ability on Lappland while she was asleep—would she beat him up and pull him out of his dream state?

He thought it was possible, but to avoid it, he had tried to avoid Lappland while she was asleep, so as not to directly enter her dream. But the space in the car was limited, and Lappland moved around quite a bit while asleep, making physical contact easy. However, Lin Ye's several physical contacts with Lappland failed to trigger his ability, unlike with Nightingale. When Nightingale was asleep, he could be instantly "absorbed" into her dream by touching her.

However, after escaping Nightingale's dream for the last time, Lin Ye never used his ability on anyone else again. So he didn't know if it was because Lappland and Nightingale's situations were different, or if there was something wrong with his own ability. But regardless, he really didn't want to use his ability on anyone else anymore.

"Ahhh, finally I can get off!" Lappland was the first to jump off the bus, then stretched out her arms and wagged her tail vigorously. "I was about to go crazy from being suffocated."

Lin Ye, who got out of the car behind Lappland, twitched his lips slightly. He thought to himself, "Lappland, you slept in the car for a whole year without waking up, so how can you say you're going crazy?" Lin Ye himself, on the other hand, was almost driven crazy by Lappland.

They had been driving for a full day, and according to Cliffheart, they were already halfway there. The place they were currently in could already be called a snowy landscape. Just as Cliffheart had said, although they hadn't seen any snow yet, they could feel that the surrounding temperature was about ten degrees lower than on Rhodes Island. Lin Ye had to put on a coat; his breath seemed to condense into a white ribbon in the air as he spoke.

"Take a rest, Dr. Lin." Horn Peak also got out of the car and patted Lin Ye on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to stay up all night. We'll arrive in Shelag by this time tomorrow. The master will definitely treat you well then."

Lin Ye smiled but didn't say anything.

At this moment, Susulu came up again, holding an alcohol swab in her hand.

"We don't need to worry about the wound on your face," Lin Ye said.

Susulu shook her head and said seriously, "Yes."

With no other option, Lin Ye had to "reluctantly" accept Susuluo's application of the medicine, truly experiencing both pain and pleasure.

Then came dinner. After dinner, no one wanted to stay in the car, so Horn Peak found some firewood and lit a campfire. Everyone gathered around the fire, feeling a bit tired. Except for Lappland, who had slept all day, who was still full of energy.

"Quack doctor, let's practice our swordsmanship." To vent her pent-up energy, Lappland approached Lin Ye.

Lin Ye initially wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that he hadn't practiced his sword for two days. He hadn't even gone to Lappland after they took over the training grounds. And this trip to Sherag would likely take a long time, so if he didn't practice at all, he might become rusty when he returned.

After thinking for a long time, Lin Ye nodded: "Okay, let's give it a try, but don't take it too seriously, just practice a bit."

Lappland nodded readily: "Don't worry, I won't take it seriously."

However, Lappland's first attack directly forced Lin Ye to use his Leaping Wave Strike.

……

……

Author's BB: I'm so sleepy. I almost fell asleep while writing this chapter. Let me take a nap. I'll set an alarm to get up and write tonight.

Chapter 224 The New Sparring Partner (Part 2)

This was the first time Lin Ye had directly experienced Lappland's "temperament".

Before the fight started, everyone assumed the two wouldn't go all out, or more accurately, they thought Lappland wouldn't go all out, since everyone was generally aware of Lin Ye's strength. There's a significant difference in strength between non-combat specialists and combat specialists; after all, Lin Ye isn't Shining, and he didn't become a medic operator because of his exceptional swordsmanship, but simply learned swordsmanship from Yato for self-defense. Therefore, the overall atmosphere was quite relaxed. Cliffheart, holding snacks, sat next to Frostleaf, both to make room for Lin Ye and Lappland and to find a good angle to watch the spectacle.

"Don't get serious."

Before the fight began, Lin Ye gave Lappland another few instructions. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't need to say it so many times, but he was really worried about Lappland, and he didn't know if agreeing to spar with her was the right thing to do.

"Don't worry," Lappland shook her head. "Why would I take you so seriously?"

Lin Ye nodded, then drew his sword, took a deep breath after assuming a fighting stance, and said, "Let's go then."

The moment he finished speaking, Lappland's sword was drawn. She moved swiftly; before the clear sound of the sword being drawn still echoed in Lin Ye's ears, she was already in front of him, like silvery moonlight, with that distinctive smile on her face.

Lin Ye was startled and immediately raised his sword to parry.

When the knife and sword clashed, Lin Ye felt an immense pressure rushing towards him, as if it would devour him in an instant.

Especially when his gaze met Lappland's, he felt a rampant madness in those pure silver eyes, a madness that seemed to stimulate every cell in his body, as if Lappland would cut off his head in the next second.

Thus, the Leap Strike was triggered instantly, and it was not just any ordinary Leap Strike.

Lin Ye felt as if he had returned to the grand theater in Longmen, facing seven or eight thugs who wanted to kill him. In that instant, his strength and speed reached their peak, and then he drew another black steel sword with his left hand.

Lappland let out a soft "Eh," clearly surprised by Lin Ye's sudden burst of power. But this surprise didn't last long, turning into excitement, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey, its energy stored up after a whole day's sleep exploding at this moment. She also drew her other knife and swung it at Lin Ye.

clang!

The black sword and the white knife clashed together, producing a piercing sound.

The onlookers all sensed something was amiss, especially Horn Peak. As a combat specialist, he could easily tell that the two were not sparring, but rather engaged in a life-or-death struggle. He immediately stood up and stared intently at the two.

Lin Ye didn't know if this could be considered a life-or-death struggle.

But he didn't think it counted, because judging from Lappland's expression, she clearly hadn't gone all out; she was just a little more serious. She was probably surprised by the power Lin Ye had displayed and wanted to see just how far Lin Ye could go. And Lin Ye, empowered by Leaping Wave Strike, did indeed withstand Lappland's attack, but that was his limit. He had to grit his teeth and use all his strength to withstand Lappland's twin blades, unable to even speak. Even so, his body continued to retreat step by step, his boots leaving two furrow-like marks on the not-so-hard ground.

"You quack doctor, you're actually pretty good at this." Lappland tilted her head. "Then I'll put in a little more effort."

Lin Ye was shocked and was about to say "No!", but Lappland had already moved. Lappland wasn't a pure strength-type Guardian; this was evident from her weapon. A pure strength-type Guardian would be like Skadi, wielding a greatsword and using various skills to maximize their strength. Lappland, however, was likely an agility-type, but even so, her strength was still far beyond what Lin Ye, enhanced by his Leaping Strike, could match. After Lappland said she needed to push herself harder, she stopped focusing on their arm-wrestling-like "sparring" and instead turned to actual combat.

Once it turns into "real combat," the outcome is already predetermined.

Lappland launched an attack on Lin Ye. Lin Ye had thought that, while the effects of his Leaping Wave Strike were still lingering, he could at least block a few of Lappland's attacks. However, he hadn't expected Lappland's blade to be so much faster, bypassing Lin Ye's sword and striking his wrist with the hilt, leaving a bloody mark and causing the black steel sword to slip from his hand. With only one sword left, and a left-handed one at that, Lin Ye was naturally no match for Lappland's dual blades. In less than two seconds, Lappland's blade was pressed against Lin Ye's neck.

"You lost." Lappland smiled at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye stared blankly at Lappland.

He knew he would lose, but he didn't expect to lose so decisively, because the power boost from Leap Strike hadn't dissipated yet. His strength and speed were at their peak, yet Lappland still defeated him in just two or three moves. Keep in mind that while using Leap Strike, he could maintain a temporary balance of power with Yato. Yato could only finish him off so easily once the power boost from Leap Strike had worn off.

In this comparison, how much stronger is Lappland than Yato?

Lappland sheathed her sword, stretching her body contentedly: "Ahhh, it feels so much better to be able to move around a bit, although I'm still a little unsatisfied. Shall we do it again?"

As she spoke, she looked at Lin Ye with expectant eyes.

At this moment, Lin Ye was already in a weakened state due to the dissipation of the Leaping Wave Strike, so of course he couldn't agree to Lappland's request and quickly shook his head: "No, it's bad for my health."

"Huh? How could this hurt your body?"

Lin Ye looked at Lappland. He had been worried that Lappland wouldn't be able to control her sword in the end, but it seemed he had worried too much. Lappland seemed a bit crazy, but her control over her swordsmanship was still very good, so he hesitated for a moment and said, "How about I spar with you again tomorrow night?"

Perfect timing, during Yato's absence, he should find a new sparring partner.

……

……

Author's note: My head hurts so much, I'm not feeling well, so I'll stop here for today. I'll add more tomorrow if I don't have a fever.

Chapter 225 The Lost Gray Eagle? (First Update)

On the evening of the second day, after a nearly full day of bumpy travel on mountain roads, the group finally arrived at their destination – Shelag.

Through the car window, Lin Ye saw this snow-covered city for the first time at dusk. The setting sun painted the snow-covered Shelag a pale gold, and the distinctively dressed Shelag people curiously observed their foreign vehicle. Whether due to altitude sickness or the sun, their faces also bore the colors of the sunset, giving them an unusual beauty.

After sleeping all day, Lappland couldn't wait to roll down the car window and shout at the snowy streets, "Wow! The air here is so nice!"

People on the street turned to look at her, and she cheerfully leaned against the car window to greet them, wagging her tail happily. Lin Ye, watching this, couldn't help but shrink back, wanting to distance himself from this embarrassing creature.

But at the same time, he was also observing the reactions of the Sherag people on the street.

According to Ansel, Kjerag was a very xenophobic country. Therefore, the selection of the delegation members had to be very careful, so as not to arouse the hatred of the Kjerag people. Thus, Lappland, whose ancestors also lived in the snowy land, was chosen. Later, Lin Ye noticed that when Lappland greeted the Kjerag people on the street, although the Kjerag people did not respond, they did not show much disgust on their faces. Instead, they were curious and exchanged glances with each other, probably because there were no Lupo people in Kjerag.

At this moment, Lin Ye was thinking that if he went out and howled like Lappland, he wondered what the Sherag people would think of him.

...Well, it's better to just think about it in your mind; it would be too embarrassing to actually do it.

“Actually, I don’t quite understand what Amiya and the others told you.” At this moment, Horn Peak, who was driving, slowly spoke up, “Shelag used to be a closed country, and the people of Shelag were very hostile to outsiders. However, after the lord established the Karan Trade and returned here, the people of Shelag would occasionally see outsiders. Gradually, they got used to it. Although they weren’t exactly welcoming, they weren’t as averse to it as before.”

Lin Ye nodded: "I see."

He became increasingly curious about the president of Kalan Trading, who was also the older brother of Chuxue and Yaxin.

However, he also noticed that after entering Kjerag territory, Chuxue's expression became noticeably more complex. She kept looking out the car window at the streets of Kjerag, her eyes seemingly filled with a mix of emotions—joy, disappointment, and disgust. Yaxin, on the other hand, watched her sister cautiously, remaining silent. This atmosphere slightly dampened Lin Ye's excitement; he vaguely sensed that this mission to Kjerag would likely not be as easy as Amiya and Ansel had described.

This was quickly confirmed.

Horn Peak drove to a luxurious mansion halfway up a mountain. After passing the gatekeeper's verification, he drove the car into the mansion.

Susuluo looked up at the courtyard outside the window and murmured, "What a big courtyard."

Lin Ye couldn't help but nod.

Those rich people are so wicked, I'm so envious.

“This is the old house of the Shivaesh family,” Horn Peak said as he parked the car. “It was lost for a while, but the master bought it back after he came back.”

What the heck is this about the house being lost...?

"Alright, get out of the car, Miss, Second Miss."

Everyone got out of the car, and then they saw a hunched old man walk out of the villa in the courtyard and run straight toward them.

"Young Miss, Second Young Miss, you've finally decided to come home!" The old man ran over and bowed to Chu Xue and Ya Xin, looking very excited. "Master will be so happy to hear this."

Chu Xue nodded slightly without speaking, while Ya Xin smiled with relief and said to the old man, "Long time no see, Uncle Green, where's my brother?"

“The master has gone out to receive the goods,” Green said. “He just left yesterday and won’t be back until tomorrow.”

Horn Peak's brows furrowed immediately: "Receiving goods? Why would you go out to receive goods?"

Green was taken aback by Horn Peak's question: "This... is the master's job."

"Isn't the master sick?" Horn Peak said. "Why would he go out to work when he's sick?"