Chapter 56: The Quest For Fire?
Chapter 56: The Quest For Fire?
After a night of passionate lovemaking, I held Lana close. Safe in the quiet of the morning, we simply talked.
She spoke softly of her prophetic dreams, a gift inherited from her Elven Dream Seer bloodline. Long before the ambush ever happened, a vision had warned her. She had heard her own voice echoing in the dark, watching a vision of my soul crying out in desperate need of its missing spark.
When I confided in her that I was searching for my lost Primordial Fire, everything clicked for her. She understood that her dreams had shown our shared destiny. Her leap of faith, the sudden space-quakes, and even her amnesia regarding Sif—it was all fate guiding her into my arms.
A brief pang of jealousy tightened my chest when she mentioned how often Thorin had pressured her to marry him. I knew it was baseless envy, a petty grudge not unlike Owen’s lingering resentment toward Ayala and Baihu.
When Lana noticed my cultivator robes and asked about them, I didn't hold back. She was my lover now, and she deserved the truth. I joked about being the Holy Son of the Demonic Sect, casting myself as a true villain. She only smiled, clearly amused by my childish theatrics.
Her expression turned serious then. She promised me that she was willing to discard her royal title entirely just to be by my side. She refused to worry about Angelica’s political schemes any longer. Lana Balder was no one’s puppet—not after everything she had endured.
Just before we crawled out of the warm sleeping bag, she let slip a detail about Thorin and their mage, Jane, noting that they had been together a mere two hours after Thorin had knelt before her.
"Really now..." I murmured, pulling her soft body tightly against mine. I kissed the crown of her golden head, my hand naturally finding its way to her breast. "Your brother is quite the ladies' man, though demanding marriage only after a pregnancy... I honestly can't tell if he's being responsible or completely reckless."
I gave her E-cup breast a playful squeeze. "Actually, Thorin only made one critical mistake. I would have handled that situation entirely differently."
Feeling my hand pawing at her again, she firmly moved it down to her waist and glared at me with mock sternness. "What would you have done in your brother's shoes? And Loki, I am spent until tonight. Behave yourself."
She was incredibly endearing. She had tried her absolute best to keep pace with me last night, but my newly altered body possessed boundless energy, leaving her completely exhausted.
"He was in too much of a rush," I grinned, bypassing her defense to gently knead her soft curves once more. "I would have waited three hours instead of two to make Jane mine."
Distracted by her curiosity, she forgot to push my hand away this time. "Loki, how is that any different? Isn't that still acting like a womanizing scoundrel?"
I pressed a lingering kiss against her elongated ear, making her shoulder hitch from the ticklish sensation. "By waiting until it was later, you ensure everyone else is fast asleep. If he had been a little more patient, he would have remained alert for the ambush. He could have saved his Princess and truly won her heart. Jane simply wasn't worth ruining the bigger picture for Lana."
Blushing furiously, she pouted and shoved my hands off her mounds. "So you still would have sought out Jane if the attack hadn't happened?"
I shook my head and sat up, making her sigh in faint disappointment at the loss of warmth. Next time, I knew she wouldn't push my hands away.
"No," I said honestly. "Despite the number of lovers I have now, I wasn't always this way. Once, I only wanted a single wife. But a chaotic series of events brought me to this point, and now I am here with you—a woman I truly love."
I looked her in the eyes. "You might find it hard to believe, but due to my past life, I was destined to find and love five specific women. It isn't a history I boast about, but I refuse to turn away anyone who genuinely loves me, and that includes you. What I mean is... I don't hunt for other women just to satisfy a desire for conquest, collection, or fleeting lust. No woman with just a pretty face is worthy of standing alongside you, my wives, or my Summons."
Later, we bathed using a stored barrel of extra water to wash away the sweat of the night. As she slipped her disguise ring back onto her finger, she looked up. "So, did loving a half-elf feel any different? Was it more exotic or exciting?"
I shook my head, offering her a sincere smile. "Honestly, I didn't care if you were half-elf, full-elf, or entirely human. You were just Lana to me—an adorable woman I want to protect. Besides, I'm a quarter Amazon, and that doesn't make me an entirely different species, does it?"
She dressed quietly, her mind visibly working through a puzzle. "Just defeating Aunt Ayala wasn't enough," she mused. "The real reason she pursued you, and ultimately claimed you, was because she was drawn to your bloodline and your soul. Loki, I can perceive it clearly—your two souls are fundamentally connected, though I don't understand the mechanism behind it."
We quickly packed up our camp, leaving the lingering mystery of Ayala unresolved for now.
I changed back into my stark black Demonic Sect robes, gripping my Yggi's Heartbow tightly as we stepped out into the crisp morning air.
Lana opted for a matching aesthetic, donning a sleek black dress paired with thigh-high boots and elbow-length gloves. She pulled a heavy traveler’s cloak over her shoulders, drawing the hood low to fully obscure her striking features.
She drew a dagger, a look of concern crossing her face. "I'm worried about Blitz. Since you can't use your own Summons in this area, do you mind if I call him to us?"
The morning breeze rustled my vibrant red hair. I gave her a firm nod. "We've put enough distance between ourselves and Thorin's party. Summoning Blitz now will signal to them that you're alive and well. By the time Thorin realizes I outsmarted him, we'll have a two-day head start."
I adjusted my stance. "Make that three days if he's smart enough to focus on achieving a breakthrough. Having Blitz around gives us a vital trump card if we encounter threats I can't handle alone, and he can handle the night watch. Call him, but have him rest inside his Summoning Space to recover his strength first."
Lana still carried a tinge of guilt over the rift between my brother and me. My winning her heart meant Thorin would have to return to face her father and Angelica's severe disappointment. Shaking off the heavy thoughts, she focused entirely on our immediate future.
"I'm sorry to have kept you worried, my friend," Lana murmured, raising her hand. "Call Summons!"
A brilliant, twenty-foot-wide yellow magic circle erupted across the ground, and the towering form of Blitz, the Storm Giant, materialized before us.
After a brief moment of silent, empathetic communication with Lana, Blitz turned his massive head toward us. "Master, after failing to find any trace of you, Sir Thorin deduced his brother's involvement and ordered us to turn back in pursuit. Yet, it appears you accompanied him willingly?"
Lana stepped into my arms, nodding decisively at the giant. "Loki is my man and my lover. Please treat him well. I intend to become his wife, which makes him family. Do you understand, Blitz?"
Blitz's primary directive was his princess's safety. Seeing her unharmed, he nodded respectfully. Lana then unsummoned him, sending him back into his pocket realm to eat, sleep, and rest until needed.
She looked at the empty space, then back to me. "It seems you brothers know each other entirely too well. We need to stay ahead of them, right?"
"Exactly," I replied, knowing we couldn't afford to slacken our pace. A man who believes his own brother has robbed him of both his career and his love is incapable of rational thought. I remembered how he acted in his own quarters.
The only difference this time was that I wouldn't let him hit me. Lana had chosen me of her own free will.
"Let's move, Lana. Our very first adventure together: the quest for fire."
Lana smiled radiantly, stepping into stride beside me. "Our first adventure as a couple, Loki."
With me leading the way, we ventured forward into the unknown.
Back with Thorin’s vanguard, a sudden chime echoed through the clearing. Buzz!
A vibrant yellow magic circle expanded, enveloping Blitz in its warm, stabilizing glow. The tight knot of anxiety in Thorin’s chest unraveled, only for a hollow weight to drop straight into his stomach.
Mary, the black-haired healer whose striking green eyes usually held a sharp edge, clapped her hands together in genuine relief. "Sir Thorin, look! The Call Summons spell holds. This means the safety of our Princess is assured, phew! Now we won’t be punished too harshly by Queen Angelica and King Balder."
Standing nearby, Jane observed the shift with a quiet, knowing smile. She was well aware of Thorin’s silent pining. Her joy wasn’t strictly about the princess being safe—though that was a welcome relief—but rather the golden opportunity it presented. In her eyes, the sheer terror Thorin had just displayed at the thought of losing Lana would only solidify her standing. She would surely be favored as the woman who had mended the legendary knight's broken heart.
"Well, if Count Loki has her, he wouldn’t actually harm her, right?" Jane murmured, her voice dripping with calculated sweetness. "He is Sir Thorin’s own brother. He couldn't possibly do something as shameless as touch Princess Lana... Plus, Her Highness isn't some fickle woman who would just betray Sir Thorin’s heartfelt intentions. Mary, you remember how good Sir Thorin has always been to us, right?"
While Jane busied herself spinning a narrative to box out Mary as a potential love rival, Thorin felt a cold sweat break out across his neck. To him, Jane wasn't offering comfort. Every word out of her mouth felt like she was pointing directly at a bright green hat of betrayal sitting squarely on his head. He knew his brother. He knew Loki’s complete lack of morals. Loki would damn well sleep with her.
Rustle, rustle!
Lana and I parted a thicket of towering, razor-edged grass, stepping right into a tense standoff. It was our very first encounter with the Easterners, and they were already locked in a bitter verbal confrontation.
There were two distinct groups. Based on their elaborate attire and the sudden, rhythmic vibration of the Sect Token at my hip, this was a textbook clash between the Demonic Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect.
On the Demonic Sect’s side stood a woman draped in flowing black robes. She was undeniably striking, with cascading brown hair and sharp green eyes that marked her as a Beastmaster. A massive, 4th Circle Demonic Beast Tiger crouched at her side, its low growl vibrating through the dirt. Her partner was a mountain of a man—a Strong Body Cultivator. He held a massive greatsword planted in the earth, his dark hair and icy blue eyes perfectly capturing the classic, brooding 'bad-guy' aesthetic. Like me, both wore black robes embroidered with an Azure Dragon coiled in a circular pose on the back, and identical white jade tokens dangled from their waists.
Facing them were the Purple Cloud cultivators. They were uniformly dressed in pristine white robes adorned with a massive, stylized purple cloud across the back. Smaller, intricate cloud patterns decorated their cuffs and hems, varying slightly based on personal preference.
The woman leading them had stark white hair and piercing red eyes—likely an Immortal Physician or a high-tier Cultivator. She was currently flanked by four male disciples holding elegant Jian swords, hovering around her like a pack of fiercely loyal simps.
Although the Demonic Sect couple didn't recognize my face, they definitely felt their tokens resonate with mine. When their eyes drifted to my robes and then to the prestigious status pulsing from my jade token, their jaws visibly slackened.
The simps surrounding their goddess instantly went on high alert at our arrival, their eyes narrowing as they locked onto me—a Westerner sporting high-ranking Demonic Sect attire. Thankfully, Lana had spent enough time studying to read and speak the Eastern Common language fluently, so the unfolding cultural display wasn't entirely lost on her.
Stepping forward with the rigid, calculated grace typical of Eastern etiquette, the white-haired woman introduced herself first, though her tone held a frosty edge. "My name is Bai Feng, an inner sect disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect. Who are you, Westerner?"
I scanned the two groups with my green eyes, a slow smirk spreading across my face. I decided to play right into their customs, even though I knew with absolute certainty that this conversation was going to end in a bloodbath anyway. Besides, my internal ledger was already running red—these
Purple Cloud bastards were the ones who had slaughtered my Shehuang’s family and relentlessly hunted Yin Meng, the mother of my child.
I cleared my throat and spoke, my Eastern Common flawless and completely devoid of an accent. "Nice to meet all of you. I am the Holy Son of the Demonic Sect... Direct disciple of Sect Master Long Aotian, and proud husband to Baihu, the Holy Maiden... Hehe."
Oh, man, this is the good stuff!
In that exact moment, I finally understood why every single Wuxia and Xianxia novel protagonist loved to brag. The sheer, unadulterated shock coloring their faces was priceless. They looked exactly like a bunch of background extras waiting for the proverbial Face Slap scene to hit them. I, Loki, am the undisputed grand-master of pretentiousness, and my punchable face was radiant with smug satisfaction.
"You... You really are our Holy Son?!" the Beastmaster woman stammered, her confusion palpable. But the spiritual signature of her token didn't lie.
I gave her a knowing nod and a wink. "That’s right. My foxy mama, Baihu, personally confirmed it when I made her mine, hehe. In fact, I even learned our sect's glorious new motto. It goes a little something like this: 'Holy Maiden Yin Lang has successfully sheathed every single sword in the Purple Cloud Sect.' ...Um, 'swords' means dicks, by the way. Just in case the metaphor was too subtle for you guys."
Behind me, Lana violently clamped both hands over her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she fought to suppress a laugh. She knew exactly what kind of chaotic idiot she was traveling with.
Across the clearing, the male Body Cultivator gave me a slow, deeply respectful nod of masculine solidarity. His partner, however, looked thoroughly mortified that her sect's newly arrived Holy Son was a complete degenerate. She openly stared at me, wondering if a legendary figure like Baihu had actually let a clown like me into her bed.
The four simps instantly erupted in outrage at the blatant slander. Mostly because they hadn't gotten a turn to 'sheathe their swords' yet, and they desperately wanted to know where the back of the line was.
But the real target of my instigation, the white-haired witch herself, completely bypassed the vulgarity. She pointed a trembling, elegant finger at me and hissed to her lackeys, "He has insulted my Senior Sister, Yin Lang! Take his head! Whoever brings me his corpse will earn my eternal favor!"
Her talent for simp-motivation was honestly impressive. The four disciples practically foamed at the mouth, their spiritual energy flaring. However, I had already read their vitals. These guys had barely scraped into the 4th Circle, and Bai Feng hadn't even mastered her 4th Circle offensive magic yet.
This was going to be an incredibly fun warm-up.
As the horny brigade charged forward, their swords raised, my magic manifested a full second faster.
"Cherry blossoms of my Kyuubi, come," I whispered, flicking my wrist. "Sakura Wall!"
A massive, towering barrier of compressed wind and luminous white petals erupted from the earth, slicing through the air with a pleasant, sweet aroma. To the untrained eye, the wall looked fragile—like a harmless flurry of spring flowers. In reality, it was a lethal, dual-element spell I had custom-altered, fusing the crushing gale of a Wind Wall with the piercing, hidden briars of Thorn Wall.
The barrier stretched forty feet long, a foot thick, and rose ten feet into the sky, completely severing the battlefield. Inside the swirling vortex, visibility dropped to near zero. Thousands of razor-sharp white petals spun at terminal velocity, creating a beautiful, localized meat grinder.
The simp army screeched to a halt, their momentum shattered. Realizing a direct charge through the churning petals would slice them to ribbons, they split up, running around the outer edges of the forty-foot barrier.
The division was exactly what I wanted. I smoothly drew the string of my bow, a glowing mana arrow forming against the wood, and glanced back at my companion.
"Sif, dear," I said, using her cover name with a sharp grin. "Blitz their caster. I leave the beating of women to you."
Lana’s expression hardened. She knew she couldn't remain a sheltered princess forever; she had to grow up and survive the brutal realities of this world. Nodding firmly, she gripped her weapon, her aura flaring to life.
Our first true clash between West and East had officially begun.
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