After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The chirping of insects in autumn sounds noisy, but it cannot mask the desolation of the endless falling leaves.

The forests in the south should be evergreen, with pines and cypresses remaining evergreen, but the soft, damp humus layer in the forest now makes a crunchy, rustling sound when you step on it.

Annie looked up at the sky. The bare trees cast down the sunlight, and the fallen leaves all around were so golden they were almost unbearable. Only a vine as thick as a calf remained, clinging to and strangling the tree trunk, its emerald green leaves unfurling in the wind.

Those new shoots, with their sharp barbs like curled tendrils, harbor an invisible killing intent, foreshadowing an even longer winter.

The vines have started to reproduce on their own, which is not a good thing.

"It is destroying the entire ecological environment. In the future, the Elf Kingdom will no longer have vast forests. If things go wrong, this place will become a wasteland."

Annie sighed. The four races were stuck with a goddess who loved to set traps, and the worst part was that the goddess didn't even like them and insisted on finding ways to kill them and then cultivate a new batch of races...

"Perhaps we need the help of witches and saints, I mean, saints like Janice."

"Are you listening to me, Lilith?"

Turning around, Annie found Lilith crouching on the ground, clutching her head, and quickly went over to check on her.

"What's wrong? Is your structure in the macroscopic world unstable?"

Lilith, clutching her throbbing head, gritted her teeth and said, "No, someone is trying to undo the dream I was in. The Northern Territory has discovered that we were protecting the elves through the Blood Pool!"

Annie opened her mouth wide, then blinked, and asked curiously, "Big sister, you wield the power of death, who can break through the dream you set up? Even I..."

As she spoke, Annie froze on the spot, and the thoughts that flashed through her mind made her expression instantly serious.

"You mean, Oswald is back?"

"Let's make this clear first, I'm from the Northern Territory. I'm only helping you investigate the curse to repay a favor, and also to prevent the elves from suffering. If the two sides start fighting, you absolutely cannot kill me."

Annie, who wanted to put her hands on her hips, could only brush her bangs aside with her fingers, hold her head high, and show her uprightness and integrity, but was restrained by the shackles.

"Keep dreaming. If he wants to kill you, it's just a matter of time."

Standing up and pinching Annie's mouth shut, Lilith's brows furrowed. Why had Duke Oswald returned? According to the information they had given her, Duke Oswald shouldn't be back at this time...

"Let's go! We can't wait passively any longer; the hero team must assemble immediately!"

Two days later, in a rugged canyon, the group, having received the intelligence, emerged from the forest one after another.

Sylvie was the first to arrive. She was squatting on the ground muttering to herself. Not far away was Thorne, leaning against an exposed rock, looking as if he had already burned out.

"Gala... That's not how harem adventure stories work. How can he, as the final villain, appear at the very first mission point?"

"You better follow the rules!"

Sylvie was furious. This reality was too harsh. What did she mean by encountering the final villain right after leaving the starting village?

"Ahem, what's wrong with that guy? He looks so sullen." Annie walked over and glanced at Thorne curiously.

Sylvie's expression turned slightly amused. "You mean Thorne? Never mind him. Our hero has simply encountered a younger and more courageous version of himself."

Ignoring En's mental state isn't so much about him suffering a psychological blow, but rather that he's come to terms with the world. New talents emerge in every generation; this hero can't compare to Paladin Commander Paul, and there's a whole group of young people constantly striving to catch up.

At twenty-five, seeing a five-year-old genius is gratifying; at twenty-five, seeing a twenty-year-old genius is devastating.

"Stop pretending to be depressed. Don't you realize your own kids are already running around everywhere? Look on the bright side, at least you can be considered a relic of the past, while most people are destined to be born with a medium cup."

After offering a half-hearted consolation, Sylvie and the others gathered and began today's special meeting.

The meeting's content was simple—to analyze how to defeat Oswald.

Silence, a long silence, even though they had always regarded Oswald as a joke, people were more aware of the enemy's strengths than of their friends.

The conversation stalled, or rather, it simply couldn't be developed. After a long while, Annie gazed at the thick, dark clouds overhead and murmured to herself amidst the lingering echoes of thunder.

"It was sunny just a moment ago..."

Boom!

Before the words were finished, a terrifying clap of thunder shattered the silence of the earth, startling the distant mountains into trembling.

Sylvie's expression gradually darkened. She stared unblinkingly at Annie's long, white hair. In the face of such a massive thundercloud, she couldn't feel even the slightest breeze.

Oops!

In an instant, Sylvie understood the crux of the problem, her eyes filled with regret. They shouldn't have chosen such a remote place to gather for safety!

That thunder...

"Release the Celestial Selection Realm, immediately!"

Two figures tore through the void and suddenly floated above their heads. Everyone was stunned and found that the Great Sage and the Great Magician were both in a posture as if facing a formidable enemy.

Upon receiving the order, Sylvie dared not delay. In her panic, she quickly regained her composure, and several natural engravings appeared on her fingertips. But the next second, the storm she had been longing for finally arrived.

"You've trespassed into our allied territory and entered without permission. Do you need us, the Northern Territory, to issue you a document?" Luna, carrying her elder brother's sword, stepped out of the spatial rift. The slender, insect-like sword accentuated her bewitching beauty.

She tilted her head, her white dress billowing and dancing in the raging storm, her smile full of longing for her prey.

"I almost forgot, Her Highness the Princess is with you..."

"Should I bow to you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind arose, and Luna, whose movements had been obliterated, swiftly drew her sword and slashed at Sylvie. The scorching, high-speed gale instantly destroyed all the surrounding material structures.

The air exploded, the trees withered, and even the soil collapsed instantly, reflecting a strange, sandy light.

In a flash, Sylvie, not wanting the ceremony to be interrupted, chose to trust her teammates.

Diana was the first to move. She instantly activated her domain, trying to manipulate the flow of time to force Luna to change her target. However, a second before the time change, the domain shattered, and Diana was knocked down by Annie and sent flying.

At the critical moment, Lilith reacted and directly clashed the power of death against Luna's storm. Even though Luna had the upper hand in terms of strength, the coercive influence of death on living beings forced her to abandon her attack.

"Luna!" Annie raised the shackles on her arms high. Luna hesitated for a moment before nodding and casually slashing the shackles with her sword, breaking the seal within Annie's body.

As snow danced in the air, Annie, holding an ice crystal longbow, leaped backward with agile movements and unleashed a sharp arrow carrying the chill of the storm at Diana.

She had been waiting for this day for a long time!