You've found the Gusha-hime Knight, so put your hair up in a bun!

A distinct blush rose from her fair and dignified face. Serene felt a tightness in her throat, and her heart, which had never been erratic in a thousand years, suddenly pounded wildly like a fawn, almost knocking her soul out of her body.

Leave of absence notice (to be updated later)

Further update plans:

9.26 5k (2.5 chapters)

9.27 6k (3 chapters)

9.28 6k (3 chapters)

9.29 6k (3 chapters)

9.30 6k (3 chapters)

Chapter 102 The Elf Kingdom's Neck-Piercing Fangs (5k)

It's not that no one has ever praised Serene's beauty, but those praises were always delivered with respect and reverence, unlike Shiloh's, which was laced with...blasphemy.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that only Shiloh would dare to utter such frivolous words in front of a transcendent being at the [Altered Realm] level.

"So, does this reason reassure you?"

Suppressing a laugh, Xi Luo withdrew her hand and calmly asked.

Serene withdrew her hand as if electrocuted, clenching it tightly with her other hand, her beautiful eyes glaring at Shiloh with embarrassment and anger, without saying a word.

That brat...

Being teased for the first time in her life, especially by such an arrogant and handsome young man, Serene felt not only ashamed and angry, but also a strange sense of panic.

"Alright, alright, that's enough joking around."

Before Serene could mount any decent rebuttal, Shiloh raised his hand to stop her from speaking, then said seriously, "Let's not delay any longer, let's head to the military camp in Clorenza as soon as possible."

When the conversation turned to business, Serene, though she wanted to retaliate, could only suppress her emotions and silently nodded.

Inside the Clorenza City Guard Legion camp, well-trained soldiers patrolled in small teams of three, alerting them to any disturbance.

However, no matter how sharp these well-trained soldiers are, it would be difficult for them to notice any movement more than ten meters below the ground.

"Wow, he can actually avoid emitting even the slightest trace of extraordinary aura. As expected of the High Priest, his strength is truly extraordinary."

Looking at the shimmering, earth-yellow protective shield enveloping him and Serene, Shiloh remarked with some emotion.

He himself could use magic or prayers similar to earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic or magic that can be used to burrow underground), but they would definitely be detected by the instruments used in the military camp to detect unfamiliar supernatural energy, thus causing the operation to fail.

However, Serene's earth-burrowing prayer was able to effectively prevent the leakage of her extraordinary energy, allowing her to slowly advance deeper into the military camp without disturbing the instruments.

Serene did not react to Shiloh's praise.

She finally understood that the best way to deal with this brat was to try not to respond.

As expected, after realizing that Serene seemed too lazy to pay attention to him, Shiloh gradually stopped talking.

Sensing this, Serene's lips curled into a slight smile, and she thought to herself, "A brat is a brat, so easy to deal with."

However, the reality was somewhat different from what Serene had imagined. Shiloh wasn't making a fool of himself; instead, he was pondering what kind of evidence he might find next.

If evidence of collusion between the military camp and the dark magician were captured, it could certainly rescue the missing elves, but the benefits would be far too minimal.

Truman, the mastermind behind the illegal slave trade, and the demons...

If we alert them too quickly, it will be even more difficult to uncover their relationship later.

Shiloh stroked his chin, realizing that a crucial factor in determining the amount of information to gather was Freya.

If Truman really is colluding with the black magicians and demons, just as he has assumed, then the city lord's mansion would definitely not be able to remain calm when there is any unusual movement in the camp.

When they sent people to investigate, that's when Freya infiltrated to conduct her own investigation.

Although Shiloh's instructions to her were to lie in wait and keep watch, Freya was not one to let such a good opportunity slip by.

hum-

"arrive."

A gentle, mature voice interrupted Xi Luo's thoughts, causing him to subconsciously look up and see an armory filled with weapons in front of him.

Why did you come here?

Thanks to Serene's soundproofing magic, Shiloh didn't need to lower his voice and asked directly.

When asked for her reason, Serene turned her amber eyes and scanned the surrounding scenery, saying, "I feel there is an unusual atmosphere here."

Upon hearing this, Xi Luo nodded and then stepped forward to conduct a thorough examination.

For top-tier superhumans like Serene, sometimes their so-called "feelings" are clues to the truth.

After all, at their level, their intuition and inspiration are already at their peak.

Shiloh looked around but couldn't find anything unusual in the neatly arranged forest of weapons. Serene, on the other side, suddenly uttered a puzzled "Hmm?" and then squatted down.

Hearing her questioning voice, Shiloh subconsciously looked over, and then saw a scene that made one's blood boil.

The loose brown robe should be able to conceal the figure and hide the curves of the body.

However, the robe was not noticeable when Serene was standing, but once she squatted down, the wide hem of the robe stretched taut against her skin, perfectly showcasing the elven beauty's wasp waist and full figure.

Xi Luo was stunned for a moment, blinked, and gasped.

The highest value is 1000 – older in age, but still in the prime of physical life;

She has never had any contact with the opposite sex, and her temperament is elegant and dignified—pure and respectful of etiquette, but this also means a long period of extreme repression.

Pumpkin shape, large white moon, wasp waist, tall and slender figure—a top-notch gun mount;

It can only be said that the fuel consumption of some large vehicles can be glimpsed from a single fleeting glance.

However, that's what makes it more challenging.

Shiloh licked his dry lips and chuckled softly. What was originally a joke he'd made to Serene was now starting to sound a little more appealing.

Hearing Shiloh's deep laughter, Serene shuddered inexplicably, as if she were being watched by some big bad wolf. She then turned around warily and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Hmm? There's nothing there~"

Shiloh's behavior further convinced Serene that he was definitely up to no good, but before she could press him further, Shiloh quickly stepped forward, interrupting her and asking, "What did you discover?"

Serene opened her mouth, then gritted her teeth and let out a muffled groan like a wronged child. She then said irritably, "I've discovered some traces of dark magic... You're the heir of the Wells family, can't you see for yourself?"

"Tsk, what a terrible attitude..."

Following Serene's example, Shiloh squatted down beside her, then took out the magic detection device, pointed it at the direction of her finger, and scanned it.

Beep beep beep—

With a few beeps, the analysis results appeared on the instrument.

[Test Result: Dark Magic - Mind Control Type]

The following are possible outcomes: ...

As he reviewed the matching results from the instruments behind him, Xi Luo recalled the marks engraved on the stones that he had seen in the original story, trying his best to match them with the magic circles in the results.

After comparing for a while, Shiloh couldn't find a picture of a magic circle that perfectly matched his memory, so he guessed that the magic circle used by those dark magicians must be a brand new magic circle they had developed.

In addition to controlling minds, these kinds of magic circles should also have the effects of strengthening the controlled person and arousing their bestial instincts.

Shiloh frowned slightly. Once this information was combined with the various missing demi-human groups, a very important data change could be discovered.

According to the data provided by [Blackthorn Flower], among the demi-humans who have been confirmed missing in the Great Forest, the male-to-female ratio is approximately 2:3, with their numbers being very close.

Strangely, when Shiloh was investigating the situation of alien slaves in the black market while disguised as a slave trader, he found that most of them were female demi-humans, and there were not many male demi-humans.

Furthermore, from an applicability standpoint, the idea of ​​abducting male demi-humans is inherently quite strange.

Aside from a few audacious, powerful, and somewhat peculiar noblewomen who want to collect male concubines, there is basically no other place where male demi-humans are needed.

Furthermore, Clorenza has recently imposed strict restrictions on the number of slaves sold abroad. If male demi-humans were sold through these slave traders, then the number of demi-humans in their shops would definitely be predominantly male—because they simply couldn't sell them.

However, the reality is that there are far more female Ajin than male Ajin.

Therefore, two inferences can be made: first, when demi-humans were captured, only a small number of male demi-humans were bought by slave traders, and there was almost no room for them to be sold; second, most of the male demi-humans were most likely hidden away by the organization that captured them.

Male demi-humans, without discussing extraordinary talents, possess physical attributes almost equivalent to large wild beasts. They have also contributed significantly to the battles against the demon race, achieving remarkable feats.

Since they weren't being sold, the only use Shiloh could think of for them was war.

"I suspect that they, those dark mages, probably want to use this mind-controlling magic circle to completely brainwash and control the captured demi-humans, turning them into a loyal demi-human army that they can command at will!"

Upon hearing Shiloh's conjecture, Serene suddenly stood up, frowning as she said, "However, every demi-human has an unerased bestiality and wildness within them. Ordinary mind control is only moderately effective against a single individual, let alone such a large number of demi-humans."

“That’s right, it is indeed very difficult to do this with ‘ordinary’ mind control.”

Silo propped himself up on his knees, straightened up, and then asked, "I remember that you elves are born with very pure elemental power within you, right?"

"Um……"

"This elemental power, besides allowing you to sense elements very quickly, also has another effect—catalysis."

Shiloh raised a finger, his expression chillingly indifferent: "Pure elemental power means great adaptability, a physique favored by many with ill intentions. For example, vampires enjoy tasting your blood, consuming a whole elf, and it can even enhance their own extraordinary talents."

"And throughout history, there have been many dark magicians who tricked elves into becoming sacrificial offerings for magic circles."

Hearing Shiloh's words, Serene immediately thought of that terrifying possibility. Her amber eyes narrowed, and she exclaimed in shock and anger, "Those people want to sacrifice my compatriots to enhance the effect of the dark magic circle?!"

Xiluo nodded solemnly, confirming this.

"Furthermore, I strongly suspect that they have already placed some kind of device that releases demonic energy throughout the great forest. Once it detonates, I'm afraid..."

The increasingly terrifying speculation overwhelmed Serene's reason, causing her delicate hands beneath her brown sleeves to clench until they turned white. Her face was grim as she said, "No, I have to go back now—"

"Wait a moment!"

Shiloh grabbed Serene's arm and interrupted her in a deep voice.

"Calm down. There should be people in the Elf Kingdom you completely trust, right? Let her handle the Great Forest matter. We should first thoroughly search the military camp."

Seeing the composure in Shiloh's eyes, Serene took two deep breaths to calm herself down, then nodded and said, "Understood."

About an hour later, Shiloh and Serene thoroughly searched the military camp but found nothing amiss. They then left Clorenza and went to the outskirts of the city.

"The evidence we currently have is completely insufficient to identify the mastermind behind this."

Xi Luo rested his chin on his hand, pondering with some difficulty.

The presence of a dark sorcerer in the military camp could at most be attributed to Truman's mismanagement, and would not meet the standard for conviction.

Serene had also thought of this, but at the moment she was busy reporting the relevant information to her friend and colleague, Her Majesty the Queen, asking her to investigate the Great Forest as soon as possible.

As Shiloh leaned against the tree trunk, he rhythmically tapped the back of his arm with his fingers. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he grasped an idea in his mind.

Something's not right with the soldiers in the barracks!

His hands stopped moving, and Xi Luo straightened up, his dark eyes narrowing as he stared into the distance, images of soldiers in the military camp flashing through his mind.

Yes, that sense of unease has been there ever since the entrance to the military camp!

At this moment, the images from his memories filled his mind. When they arrived at the camp not far ahead, several soldiers who looked like scouts returned to the camp and then handed over their duties to the soldiers stationed there.

This was a perfectly normal scene, but there was one detail that stood out in Shiloh's eyes like a firefly in the dark.

The scouts had some small, greenish-red leaves stuck to their bodies. These unique leaves only exist in the area near the center of the great forest.

Moreover, the coded gestures they used when handing over to the stationed soldiers were military coded language with distinctive northern characteristics.

Shiloh had learned these kinds of codes, and although he couldn't translate them completely, he knew the context in which the other party was expressing their meaning—that they would only be used during wartime or before the start of war!

"Coincidentally," the Elf Kingdom is located in the central region of the Great Forest.

Upon realizing this, a chill ran through Shiloh, who thought to himself, "No way..."

Serene, I have a question for you.

Serene, who had just finished sending the message, looked at Shiloh with a puzzled expression. She saw that the cunning and composed young man, who was as cunning and composed as a fox, had an unprecedentedly solemn expression on his face.

Are there any weak points in the Elf Kingdom's defenses?

"Eh?"

Serene was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"If you're referring to defensive structures like tall, sturdy city walls... I'm afraid most areas of the Elf Kingdom are poorly defended."

The elves revered nature and romance, and were unwilling to build tall, heavy walls, believing them to be obstacles that prevented them from merging with the greatness of nature.

Therefore, the cities in the Elf Kingdom have a very unique "city wall" - that is, the giant trees surrounding the major cities.