Chapter 130
Chapter 130. Me? Go There?
"Do you know of the 'Sword Saint' of Opalia?"
The Sword Saint of Opalia?
Of course he knew!
That was a supremely powerful figure who would only appear as a friendly NPC in the far later stages of the original storyline.
Luo Nan had previously even been thinking about whether to go fawn over that Sword Saint!
"Naturally I know—after all, she's the Empire's 'Pillar of the Nation.' Any citizen of the Osoke Empire would certainly have heard of her." Luo Nan nodded.
Aeldelin said: "Good that you know. Your first task......is related to her."
Related to that Sword Saint?
Luo Nan instantly felt his hair stand on end.
Surely this Aeldelin wasn't going to send him to assassinate her?
One must know—that figure was a Demigod among Demigods, the mightiest of the mighty!
Even if Luo Nan activated the Fusion Form with the Infinite Tree, he had no confidence he could defeat her!
The reason his first reaction back in the Limestone Mine Shaft, when "Nature's" Projection descended, had been to flee—was precisely because of that figure's presence in Opalia.
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Luo Nan put on a composed front and asked: "Then what does Lady Aeldelin wish me to do?"
Hopefully it wasn't asking him to activate the Fusion Form and assassinate her......
The crimson beauty ran a hand along her own silk-wrapped jade leg, producing a soft swish of fabric against fabric, and said: "Relax~—I would naturally never make you do things that are completely beyond you."
"My Luo Nan, you didn't just now......think I was going to make you take out that Sword Saint, did you?"
You guessed correctly......
But Luo Nan's mouth would not admit it. He replied calmly: "That wasn't what I thought. Please speak."
Aeldelin gave him an indifferent glance. "Just a small matter—obtain one of her personal belongings and bring it to me."
"What?"
"Didn't catch that?" Aeldelin was unsurprised. She repeated: "You go and obtain one of her personal belongings. Steal it, snatch it, con it, or even ask her for it directly—any method goes, any item goes."
"So long as it's something she keeps close to her person."
Aeldelin emphasized "close to her person" once more.
Luo Nan fell silent for a moment, then confirmed: "This 'close to her person' you speak of—specifically which aspect do you mean?"
Please, not what he was imagining.
"Hmm......how to put it......any aspect will do—close-to-the-body accessories, personal keepsakes, any of these count." Aeldelin thought for a moment and gave Luo Nan a more detailed explanation.
"Of course......if you have the ability, something close to the body like clothing would be ideal, and her hair would also do~"
"......"
You are clearly making things difficult for me, Luo Nan!
"What's the matter—finding it difficult?"
Luo Nan nodded: "Naturally. That figure is known to never leave the palace, staying in seclusion all day—under normal circumstances I simply cannot get close to her."
"Who said she never leaves the palace?"
Aeldelin tapped her own knee: "She's not even in Opalia recently—does Luo Nan not know?"
What?
The Sword Saint hasn't been in Opalia lately?
No wonder Aeldelin had dared to make a move against him......
If that figure wasn't stationed in the capital, everything fell into place.
Luo Nan glossed over this topic and continued to negotiate: "Lady Aeldelin, I genuinely don't have the ability to do this. Although I am the eldest son of the Medillion family, even my father, let alone the current Emperor, cannot see that figure without a legitimate reason!"
Aeldelin crossed her arms over her chest: "I naturally know this problem, but I didn't say you had to complete this task immediately......the time limit is one year. You only need to obtain one of her personal belongings within one year."
"Within one year......if you truly put your mind to it, you should be able to find at least one opportunity to meet that figure, no?"
Aeldelin's beautiful eyes fixed steadily on Luo Nan. "If even after a full year you still can't manage it, am I not then entitled to conclude......that you are a two-faced scoundrel?"
"Two-faced scoundrels must be punished~" Aeldelin put on an expression of pitiable, abandoned helplessness. "Just like this—"
She extended a fair hand and made a grasping motion in the air.
"Snap—and Luo Nan would have to come back to the Demon Realm with me~"
"......"
"Haah!"
After a brief silence, Luo Nan heaved a long sigh, furrowed his brow, and revealed an expression of extreme difficulty.
"What now? My Luo Nan? Still can't manage it? Then why not come back to the Demon Realm with me right now......and His Highness and I will keep you together~"
"Since Lady Aeldelin is so generous with her deadline, then I......" Luo Nan abruptly rose to his feet, his gaze resolute and his confidence unwavering. "...will certainly not disappoint your expectations!"
"However......"
"However what?" Aeldelin laughed and asked.
"May I be told—why do you need that figure's personal belongings?"
Luo Nan still needed to verify this. After all, at her level, unless a deity personally fixed their gaze upon her, any conventional curse would be ineffective against her.
He did not believe Aeldelin wanted that figure's personal belongings in order to place a curse on her.
And besides......there was no such scene in the original storyline at all!
"Hmm......as for what it's for......keep it confidential for now~" Aeldelin thought for a moment, and as if unable to come up with a good reason, took to speaking in riddles.
He just knew it......
"But you need not worry—before you formally belong to me, I will not make things difficult for you as a human." Aeldelin added.
"Very well." Luo Nan nodded, officially accepting the first task from Aeldelin.
"By the way, Lady Aeldelin," something else occurred to Luo Nan, and he pressed further: "Regarding the Undying Azure Flame......"
"No rush~" the red-haired beauty waved a hand, speaking with complete nonchalance.
"Alright then, Luo Nan—although I'd still like to linger here with you a while longer," she reached out and rested a hand on her own full, perky form, her words murmuring and deeply enticing, "but......I still have other matters to attend to."
"Besides......it seems a few young ladies have been searching for you like mad."
Aeldelin wore a half-smiling expression, rose to her feet, walked over to stand before Luo Nan, and extended a hand to press against Luo Nan's still-bare chest.
"My Luo Nan, I'll come find you to play from time to time~......As for right now, those young ladies will be here any moment."
Saying this, Aeldelin lightly tossed something black and delicate to him.
Luo Nan caught it on reflex. Upon realizing what the object in his hand was, he immediately called out: "Wait—why are you giving me this?"
"A keepsake for you~"
"Also, in exchange, leaving your shirt with me—you don't mind, do you?"
Luo Nan wanted to say he minded very much.
But Aeldelin gave him no chance to refuse.
She reached over and pulled away Luo Nan's white undershirt, gave him a light smile, then walked away at an unhurried pace until she gradually stepped beyond Luo Nan's awareness.
Aeldelin once again became "nonexistent."
"She just......left?"
Luo Nan clutched the black stocking that had been torn during their fight, feeling as though none of this was real.
He had, right in the middle of Serela's Covenant Ceremony, done that with another woman?
And had nearly been turned into that woman's Star-Fury Fuel on top of it......
"I......haah!"
Luo Nan shook his head, feeling thoroughly helpless about his current situation.
Setting aside the time bomb planted inside him—he now had to obtain one of that Sword Saint's personal belongings within one year.
He had agreed to it just now, but he genuinely had no confidence he could pull it off.
"Oh well—after all, there's still a whole year. I'll take it one step at a time!"
'Besides, within one year, I might well find a way to deal with the time bomb inside my body.'
With that thought, Luo Nan readjusted his state of mind.
"I need to get dressed......"
Just at that moment, Luo Nan heard a chorus of women's voices of varying tones drift in from outside the Moonlight Greenhouse.
"Miss Qili, we have......gone back and forth through Xino Palace seven times over tonight. Seven full times!"
That sounded like Anya's voice.
"If you're tired, you may rest."
Another lovely voice like that of a night lily rang out in response.
This voice was......strangely familiar.
Wait!
Luo Nan suddenly realized—Anya had just now seemed to mention......Qili?!
That Qili?
That Qili von Medillion?
Luo Nan instantly became one hundred and twenty thousand percent alert; the somewhat sluggish movements of his hands immediately sped up.
"Alright alright, let's search the Moonlight Greenhouse one more time......"Anya had no choice but to agree.
"Thank you, Miss Anya."
Thud thud—
"What's going on? The door was locked from the inside?" that lovely voice asked in puzzlement.
BANG—!!!
And then—the door was forced open with brute force!
Luo Nan saw a pair of radiant, silver-bright eyes, beautiful as the moon, sweep toward him.