The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Vena turned to Lisette, who was about to ask about their plans, and said, "Lisette, could you please take Felix back to the inn?"

“We can wait for you outside,” Lisette replied. “We’re not in a hurry anyway.”

“But I hope you will go back and wait for me. As for the reason, I will tell you in detail when I get back, okay?” Viner kept it a secret.

"Alright, come back soon too."

Despite her curiosity, Lisette obediently nodded and then called Felix to leave together.

After witnessing Vener's forging techniques, all the apprentices seemed to fall into a kind of sage mode, and even Felix passing by them did not move them in the slightest.

This was the perfect time for Lisette and the others to leave.

"Master, this way please."

Having already rearranged his apprentices, Sargozi invited Viña to his private forging workshop.

"I wonder what you wish to ask your disciple, Master?" Sagozi asked respectfully.

"I see that your apprentices are all unfamiliar faces. What about those who were learning from you before?" Vena voiced his doubts.

When he returned to the village last time, he specifically instructed the village chief to arrange for some interested children to learn forging from Sargozi.

Kovina had been observing for a long time but still hadn't seen any of the original villagers from Lumiel Village.

“If you’re asking about the first batch of apprentices arranged by the village chief, they’ve already graduated,” Sagozi replied.

"...Are you kidding me?" Viner's expression was clearly unpleasant.

Under normal circumstances, a blacksmith apprentice, as long as he is diligent and eager to learn, and has a good teacher to guide him, can master the craft in six months and graduate in three years.

That's already considered fast.

If you encounter some dim-witted individuals, this time will probably double.

Even if the Sagoci followers were skilled enough to halve the time, it would still take at least a year and a half for Vina to reach the level of a fully qualified master.

But how long has he been gone?

It had been three and a half months since he last returned to Lumiel Village.

A group of apprentices with no prior experience completed the entire process from beginner to master in just this short time; they must all possess the charisma of Tauroño.

“What the students said is true.” After Viña’s mention, Sargozi’s eyes also became somewhat confused. “It is indeed a bit fast, but they have all passed the graduation test.”

"Where are they now?"

"He worked as a blacksmith in several workshops under the Valentin Chamber of Commerce."

Chapter 467 The Mental Image Barrier Covering Lumiel Village

"Bang, bang." Two crisp knocks sounded on the door.

Lisette quickly opened the door.

Vina, who made no attempt to conceal her presence, was detected the moment she stepped into the hotel.

Then Lisette waited at the door.

But when the door opened, she still deliberately pretended to be indifferent.

"Coming?"

Lisette said it casually, as if she had no expectations at all.

"Hmm," Viner responded. Just as he was about to enter the house, Lisette leaned against the door, blocking his way.

"You promised to be back early, why did it take so long? Did you get delayed somewhere along the way?"

There was a hint of resentment in his words.

Viner's smile remained unchanged as she countered, "Then may I ask, Miss Lisette, exactly how late have I been?"

Lisette glanced at the clock on the wall in the hallway and said in a low voice, "A full two hours."

In front of outsiders, Lisette would give Vina plenty of face, but once he returned, he would have to explain where he had been for so long.

This feeling of not being able to sense Venus's presence, this endless waiting, is unbearable even if it lasts for two hours.

It would remind her of the days in the House of Time.

Even if this guy had made it clear beforehand that he wouldn't be back for two hours, what if he had?

Upon hearing this, Wiener did not respond immediately, but instead explained everything through his actions.

He scooped up Listy in his arms, hooked his foot to close the door, and forcefully carried her to the bed and laid her down.

"What—what do you want to do?!"

Lisette was clearly surprised. After Vina let go, she sat on the bed in a duck-like position.

Vena then clasped her hands together and moved in front of Lisette.

"This is what I wanted to tell you." Viner's face lacked its usual smile, instead displaying a rare seriousness.

"Why are you suddenly so serious..." Lisette's cheeks flushed slightly.

The fact that she needed to prepare in private, and then the formality of the event, combined with the other two, clearly caused some misunderstandings for her.

If that's the case, then this short wait isn't unacceptable.

Wiener opened his palm.

"I agree... huh?"

When Lisette saw that what lay in Venus's palm was just an open pocket watch, and not the ring she had expected, she was clearly stunned.

"Why did you suddenly agree to this before I even said anything?" Viner was also a little confused.

"None of your business!" Lisette turned her head away, and after a long while, she recovered and asked, "What do you want me to see?"

"Of course it's time! Didn't you notice the time the hands on this screen are showing?"

What else can time possibly offer...?

Having regained some composure, Lisette glanced at the pocket watch and immediately realized something was wrong.

The time on the pocket watch didn't match the time on the wall clock she had seen earlier.

It's unlikely that Wiener would deliberately adjust the time for a prank, so there's only one possibility left for this time difference.

"How long did you stay in the workshop?" Lisette asked hurriedly.

“Fifteen minutes,” Wiener replied.

He started adjusting his watch the moment Lisette left, and didn't close the watch case even once, almost staring at the hands as they moved.

He kept the conversation with Sagoci to a minimum, and didn't stop for a moment on the way back.

Whenever Felix wanted to stop and watch the excitement along the way, Viña had a chance to catch up with them before they reached the inn.

But the truth is, Lisette said she stayed in the hotel for two hours.

“It’s not just Arios’s little hut; the entire flow of time in Lumiel Village is malfunctioning,” Venere asserted.

“This shouldn’t be… Manipulating time is the highest level of magic, let alone a time spell that covers the entire village of Lumiel. Even Teacher Tissa can’t do that.”

Because she had studied the theory of time magic with Tilisa, Listy understood even more how incredible it was to be able to do such a thing.

Neither the House of Time nor the cabin in the woods can affect the flow of time within a very small scope.

"Moreover, we don't know when this situation started."

Lisette bit her lip, seemingly somewhat unwilling.

The reason for the many previous feelings of disharmony has finally been found.

Because the flow of time in most areas does not change abruptly like it does in the cabin in the woods, she needed Wiener's reminder before she could even react.

“It started at least three months ago,” Viner shared the information she had received. “Remember when I went back to Lumiel village once before?”

“I asked the village chief to arrange for some villagers to learn forging with Sargochi. But Sargochi told me that the first batch of trainees had already graduated, which was obviously unreasonable.”

“And this watch,” Venere held up the pocket watch to Lisette, “remember the time on it.”

Lisette nodded slightly; she roughly guessed what Venere wanted to do.

Close it, then reopen it.

The hands of the pocket watch were now aligned with the wall clock in the hallway.

"It's actually been corrected." Lisette gasped. "It's not just a change in the flow of time, but also a cognitive impairment. No wonder no one noticed for so long."

"That's why I suspected earlier that it was the demons who did it."

Vina poured magic into the pocket watch, but as before, there was no reaction.

“Try taking out the Staff of Tyrhunth,” Venerer suggested.

"it is good."

Lisette rose from the bed and reached out to summon the Staff of Tyr's Hunt from the void.

At the same time, Venere also used the illusion of a mirror to completely envelop the two of them.

Even if there are other people around, they will only see the young couple being affectionate.

His main purpose in doing so was to conceal the aura emanating from the Staff of Tyr's Hunt.

Vena gave Lisette a look that signaled that things could begin. Lisette nodded slightly, then slammed her cane onto the bed with both hands, causing an invisible ripple to spread out.

"How can it be..."

Listy's eyes gleamed with disbelief, for the feedback from Tyr's Staff was simply too astonishing.

"How is it?" Wiener asked anxiously.

“I didn’t sense any specific target, but… the entire village of Lumiel is shrouded in a demonic aura, something I’ve never encountered before.” Listi took a deep breath and offered her speculation, “It’s most likely a mental barrier.”

"Are you sure?" Wiener asked again to confirm.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Lisette, but the matter was of great importance and he had to be cautious.

The ability to create a mental image barrier with a diameter covering a range of ten kilometers is something even a demon at the Apostle level would find difficult to achieve.

Although it might seem a bit opportunistic to only remember her now, Viner did miss Jessica a little.

If she were here, she wouldn't care about any barriers or anything like that; she'd blow them all away.

“It should be…no, I’m sure this is the effect of the mental image barrier,” Lisette affirmed.

She was unaware that the man in front of her, Venus, was thinking about other women.

Chapter 468 Weiner: Treason, treason!

After all, Lumiel Village is the hometown of the hero Arios, so it's understandable that it was targeted by the demons.

“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t lured the Valentin Merchant Guild here, they might not have discovered the existence of Lumiel Village,” Viner said with some self-reproach. “I knew they wouldn’t let go of any information related to Arios.”

After her initial surprise, Lisette quickly calmed down and assessed the situation.

"Do you remember what the village chief said? Recently, monsters have been rampant, and several villages have merged into Lumiel Village in order to protect themselves. Even without the Valentine Merchant Guild, the location of Lumiel Village would still be exposed."

"In fact, without the protection of the Valentin merchants, Lumiel Village might have been forced to relocate like those other villages."

Listy hugged Vena from behind, comforting her, "There's no evidence yet that they're after the Hero. There should still be time to do something before things get completely out of hand."

“This is an opponent at the Apostle level.” Vena said with a serious expression.

He had only two thoughts on his mind: how to evacuate the villagers of Lumiel Village, and how to abandon Lumiel Village and immediately take Listy and the others away.

“But you’ve already beaten them twice, so what’s wrong with winning again? Do you think Felix and I will hold you back?” Listy retorted.

“You wouldn’t dare say that,” Viner quickly shook his head. “Our team isn’t afraid of even demons.”

Although it was just a clone of the demon.

"Good to know~" Lisette let go of her hand and sat down next to Venus, swinging her legs. "This enemy feels a bit strange to me."

"To be able to erect such a large barrier, one should be a very formidable opponent, but the aura emanating from them is not particularly strong."