I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

700. Cheng Fei noticed the situation.

Meanwhile, in the upper city of Riften.

Cheng Fei carried Shen Xi and landed on a tall rooftop, coming to Ye Shuang's side.

"Master Ye, what's going on? Where's Leia?" The young man put Shen Xi down.

"They were taken away; there were too many of them for me to keep up with." Ye Shuang frowned slightly.

"Alright, let's go after them again. Which direction should we go?" The boy nodded to indicate that he understood.

"It seems like they went to the lower city area." The girl with pigtails thought for a moment.

Just as Cheng Fei was about to say something more, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out, causing the three of them to turn around in unison, their faces showing alarm.

A streak of blue-green particles rose from somewhere, shot into the sky, and then transformed into a cloud of shimmering particles. The explosion occurred a beat later.

The people on the street tilted their heads back and cheered and applauded.

Cheng Fei raised an eyebrow, realizing that the fireworks display of the Flowing Light Festival had begun.

One after another, particles shot into the sky, bursting forth with dazzling, multicolored light, illuminating the neat streets below.

Unlike gunpowder fireworks that explode violently and dissipate quickly, fireworks made of light magic crystals last much longer. You can clearly see the light magic particles being activated and then floating in place, sparkling, before turning into cloud-like specks of light that fall down and only extinguish completely when they are close to the ground.

The three stood on the roof, watching the fireworks of another world explode one after another overhead. The sound of the explosions blocked out the noise of the entire world, involuntarily drawing people's attention.

Shen Xi tilted her head back expressionlessly, gazing at the twinkling lights in the night sky, her pure blue eyes unblinking.

On the other side, Ye Shuang also looked up at this scene, standing still.

Cheng Fei stood in the middle, watching the fireworks with the two of them. He quietly took Shen Xi's small hand in his, and there was no resistance. The cool and soft touch was irresistible.

After thinking for a moment, he cautiously reached out to the other side, trying to hold Ye Shuang's small hand, but was slapped hard without any politeness. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the girl with pigtails glaring at him with her silver teeth, and even taking a step to the side to distance herself from him.

The boy shook his head and could only hold Shen Xi's small hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

In the midst of the noisy yet quiet atmosphere, a jarring beam of green light suddenly flashed across the night sky. The reason for the incongruity was simple: fireworks were flying vertically upwards and then slowly drifting down, while that beam of light was slanting towards the ground.

Cheng Fei subconsciously moved his gaze to find the source of the beam of light and discovered that it was in the direction of the edge of the continent, a place where it was impossible for anyone to be setting off fireworks. Dense, thin lines of light were flashing continuously.

The boy immediately shaded his eyes with his hand to observe.

Shen Xi noticed the burning sensation of the hand tightly gripping hers disappear. She immediately looked at the boy beside her and found him engrossed in something, completely unaware of her gaze. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she kicked him, coldly saying, "Trash, what are you looking at?"

"Teacher Shen, there's something going on over there." Cheng Fei turned around and pointed in a direction.

……

As dazzling fireworks illuminated the night sky above Riften, the elves' small sailboats found themselves amidst even more deadly fireworks.

Even though they desperately changed course to try to evade, as an ordinary sailboat that wasn't even equipped with a Light Magic engine, it was impossible for them to easily dodge the Light Magic cannon fire like a certain teardrop-shaped airship.

In the blink of an eye, the wooden deck of the sailboat was burned with several large, burning holes that ran all the way through the hull to the other end, turning the entire ship into a sieve.

The elves chanted incantations, raised their hands to create a semi-transparent magical barrier, and gritted their teeth to withstand the firepower aimed at the critical parts of the sailboat.

Eve gripped the helm tightly, staring straight ahead, maneuvering the sailboat swaying precariously toward the mainland.

Although they didn't know why the Imperials had appeared in large numbers in Riften, their immediate priority was to escape back to the skies above the mainland. Otherwise, if the Cloud Sea was sunk, they would be plunged into an endless abyss.

When the sailboat finally approached the edge of the mainland, Eve pulled the control stick beside her.

The sailboat's altitude began to drop rapidly. Deep inside the hull, the Light Magic Core installed on the keel became red-hot. The cooling water soaking the Light Magic Core quickly churned and boiled, generating scalding steam that was discharged through the pipes.

At that moment, as if it had calculated the sailboat's trajectory, a green beam of light as thick as a washbasin suddenly struck. The terrifying energy shattered the barrier opened by the elf, easily melted the deck beneath its feet, grazed the keel of the sailboat, hit the cooling pool containing the core of the light magic, and then passed out from the other end, until it burned a large hole in the bottom of the ship before stopping.

A whirlpool immediately appeared in the cooling pool, and scalding cooling water flowed out along the holes at the bottom, was blown away by the wind, and turned into hot rain that fell on the continent.

"Captain, the cooling water is leaking!" the elf shouted, seeing this through a hole in the deck.

Eve's grim mood grew heavier, and she pushed the control lever to accelerate the descent, trying to bring the boat to a forced landing before the cooling water ran out.

The immense gravitational potential energy was rapidly converted into heat from the Light Demon Core. The cooling water in the vortex churned violently and hissed, as if it had been thrown into a heavy, red-hot iron.

The cooling water on the surface of the crystal vaporizes rapidly. Due to the limited escape speed of the water vapor, a layer of gas film is formed to envelop the crystal, blocking the rapid transfer of heat.

The red-hot Light Magic Crystal quickly reached its maximum tolerable temperature, and with a barely perceptible cracking sound, cracks began to grow from the inside.

Cooling water seeped into the crack, only to be immediately evaporated by the extremely high internal temperature. Water vapor sprayed out from the crack, emitting a shrill, piercing sound that sent chills down one's spine.

The moment Eve heard the sound, she realized what was happening and shouted to her companions, "The ship is sinking!"

The sailboat shuddered violently, as if it had lost some kind of support, and its descent speed suddenly increased, enveloping everyone on board with an unsettling feeling of weightlessness.

The tattered little sailboat plummeted toward the ground in a parabolic arc under the bombardment of naval guns.

The elves chanted spells on the deck, and a bright blue light enveloped everyone.

The sailboat crashed to the ground on the outskirts of Riften, its hull shattering into pieces upon impact. The burning hull ignited the sails, billowing thick smoke and leaving the scene in complete disarray.

Eve grabbed the broken railing and stood up, taking a deep breath and looking at the person beside her. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

“It’s alright…” Leia shook her head. Eve had removed the magic-suppressing spell from her earlier, which allowed her to safely weather the impact of the crash landing.

The other elves also struggled to their feet and, with each other's help, jumped off the boat.

Before the disheveled elves could catch their breath, the Imperial fleet slowly approached overhead, the massive hulls of the ships obscuring the moonlight and casting shadows over them.

Some of the warships continued forward, while others remained stationary.

Then, one after another, the heavily armored and half-elf demon-slaying knights descended from the sky, their heavy footsteps echoing from all directions around the crash-landing sailboat.

701. Wei Nuo thought about it and decided against it.

Centered on the small sailboat that had made a forced landing, the Imperial warship hovered in mid-air, launching dazzling flares to illuminate the dim land.

The elves stood back to back, their expressions extremely tense. In the distance, they could vaguely see the dazzling fireworks of the festival celebrations above Riften, but they had no time to appreciate them at all.

The demon-slaying knights who jumped off the airship surrounded them, each clad in heavy armor and wielding a sharp blade, their cautious steps resembling those of hunters hunting wild beasts.

"Your Highness." Eve and her companion drew their longswords together, then turned to look at Rhea.

The elven saintess, her face ashen, bent down and grabbed the hinge from the shards of the sailboat. She chanted a spell in a low voice, and the cast iron turned red-hot at a visible speed, flowing and melting like a living thing into a ferocious heavy sword.

The elves chanted in unison, and bright blue runes appeared one after another out of thin air. The swords inscribed with runes in their hands burst forth with a dazzling, eerie blue light, spreading out like tangible blue light blades, widening and lengthening the swords into giant swords. An invisible aura emanated from them, and their hair danced in the wind.

After a brief standoff, the elves exchanged glances and launched a counter-encirclement attack.

As the ground beneath their feet cracked under the force, the elves gripped their weapons and leaped up to smash their enemies, like jumping spiders pouncing on beetles.

The demon knight, targeted, gritted his teeth and raised his shield. The familiar floating behind him chanted softly, raised its small palm, and blue runes appeared, guiding a light membrane to envelop the shield.

The deafening clang of swords clashing against shields was deafening as the elves unleashed a storm of attacks on their enemies, wielding their heavy weapons.

Under the impact of the light blade, the enchanted shield of the Demon Knight teetered on the brink of collapse, and the half-elf behind him hurriedly accelerated his chanting, providing his knight with a continuous stream of assistance.

Just as the elves were suppressing their own targets, more demon-slaying knights surrounded them, shielding their companions from the elves' terrifying attacks. Then, they adjusted their formation and launched a pincer attack from multiple directions...

As the massive Imperial fleet sped along under the cover of night, in the Lord's Mansion of Riften, a messenger listened intently to the beeping sounds emanating from the Light Magic device before him, diligently taking notes.

The staff officer took the intelligence and quickly went to Bantu, who was standing by the window in the hall, and reported loudly, "Report! A suspicious Elven ship has been spotted outside the city. The fleet has temporarily dispatched part of its forces to pursue it, and the rest are on their way as planned."

"Elven ships?" Bantu looked suspicious, glancing at Edward beside him. "Never mind, let's proceed according to plan."

Edward exchanged a glance with him, then looked at his subordinates behind him and gave a serious order, "Pass down the order: each team shall begin operations according to plan, first seizing key positions in the lower city and gathering intelligence on the enemy."

"Yes, sir! Begin the operation!"

"Begin the operation!"

"set off!"

The order was immediately relayed to the Imperial elites waiting in the Lord's manor. The Demon Knights put on their helmets and let their familiars float behind them, while the ordinary soldiers picked up their Light Magic Particle Rifles and marched out of the Lord's manor in groups. Under the cover of night, they avoided the noisy crowds of the festival celebration and surged into the lower city.

"Jasmine, let's go." Edward picked up his sword and walked over to the silver-haired familiar who was resting in a chair.

The half-elf lowered his eyes and nodded, chanting a spell in a low voice. His small, slender body floated up, wrapped his arms around Edward's neck, and rested on his shoulder.

Bantu also joined forces with his black-haired half-elf, who was dressed in a dark purple dress. Holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, he looked at the Lord of Riften at the head of the table and respectfully placed his hand on his chest. "Your Excellency, in order to avoid unnecessary casualties, please also send soldiers to control the civilians at the celebration."

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything." The richly dressed, pale-faced young man nodded excitedly.

"Thank you, then we'll be on our way." Bantu smiled and turned to leave the hall quickly with Edward...

Light & Magic Technology Association.

A cute, baby-faced girl with bangs sat alone by the window in the hall, casually resting her chin on her hands and gazing out the window.

From her angle, most of the sky was blocked by the eaves, and she could only vaguely see the dazzling fireworks blooming in the distant night sky.

Although she wasn't particularly interested in going to see it, as a local who grew up in Riften and a Lightcrafter, such things meant nothing to her.

The thought of having to squeeze into crowds at a celebration to get a good spot made her even less interested in going alone. It would be more appropriate if she had friends with her, but unfortunately, having started working as a receptionist for a local association at a young age, she has never had any friends.

Speaking of people, Vino inexplicably thought of the group of people in the dock below. Their identities were extremely suspicious and even dangerous. They seemed to be wanted criminals from the Empire who had escaped here. If it weren't for the letter from that old man Robertstein, she would have kicked them out long ago.

It seems that those people went to the celebration tonight as well, without asking her to lead the way. But it's none of her business anyway; she's fine staying at the association by herself.

She had heard from her own ears on several occasions that this group's goal seemed to be to reach the roots of the World Tree. She checked relevant ancient books in the library and discovered that the roots of the World Tree seemed to conceal a sacred realm from elven legends, a huge and mysterious ancient ruin.

As a light and magic craftsman, she was quite interested, but considering the long and dangerous journey, and the fact that she wasn't a crew member, plus the association needed her to keep an eye on things, she decided to just think about traveling instead.

These people will probably leave after the festival. It's good that they leave soon, so she won't have to go to the dock every day to check things out and worry about these dangerous elements blowing things up.

The baby-faced girl rested her chin on her hand, thinking about these things. Suddenly, she felt a little sleepy, covered her mouth, yawned, and got up to leave.

Just then, a series of urgent and muffled knocks sounded on the door.

Vino looked at the tightly closed association door, hesitated for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and opened the small window in the door to check the situation outside. "Who is it?"

Standing outside the door were two armored soldiers, holding up a piece of parchment, their voices urgent: "By order of the lord, we are to search the shipyard here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the baby-faced girl froze, not even blinking.

"Did you hear me? Open the door!" The soldier pounded on the door without any politeness.

"Can we search again tomorrow? Today is the Celebration of Lights, and it's too late now..." Vino's expression hardened.

"This is the lord's order! Don't try to bargain, open the door now, brat!" the soldier raised his voice and glared at her.

Vino kept her hands clasped in front of her and blinked blankly.

The soldier peered through the small window at her, frowning. "I told you to open the door! What's going on?"

"Okay, open it right away." Vino swallowed hard, slowly lifted the heavy latch, and opened the door for the two of them.

702. Wei Nuo accidentally

The soldier strode in, looked around, then waved the parchment with the document written on it in front of her, and snorted, "Take us to the dock!"

"Yes." Vino lowered her head and gestured for them to proceed, obediently leading the two towards the path leading to the dock...

Meanwhile, in the quiet dock.

On the Miriam, the only person left behind was leaning against the deck railing, scratching at the surface of the wooden railing with his fingernails.

"Sigh, everyone's gone to play, I'm all alone now." Miriam sighed listlessly, muttering to herself. She paused, then clenched her fist, trying to perk herself up a bit. "But this is a task Miss Nagasaki gave me, I have to complete it properly...!"

Although, according to information in the news magazine, Nagasaki Asuna is already with Ye Shuang.

"My favorite Nagasaki-san is actually with my favorite Yeshuang-san. Why am I so unlucky..." Miriam grabbed her hair, feeling utterly hopeless.

She finally found two girls she liked best in Sakura, and she finally became good friends with them (at least in her opinion). It should have been two happy things coming together, so why did it turn out like this?

“But I still have a chance. As long as Miss Nagasaki and Miss Yeshuang realize my true feelings… maybe it’s not impossible for the three of us to be together?!” Miriam suddenly clasped her hands together and her eyes lit up. Just thinking about this wonderful possibility made her feel so happy that she almost fainted. Being alone on the ship didn’t seem so boring anymore.

The dock was completely isolated from the outside world, and not a sound could be heard. As time passed, Miriam covered her mouth and yawned.

At that moment, faint footsteps suddenly sounded from one of the two entrances to the dock, and it sounded like more than one person.

Miriam looked up abruptly, her face filled with anticipation, and promptly disembarked and jogged over, "Miss Nagasaki, junior, you're finally back—!"

The girl's words came to an abrupt halt.