Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Woo-woo." The dove was carried away by the "breeze," and Lyle also received an alarm. His body was affected by a mixture of five plant toxins. Nia's tentacles covered Lyle's body, and the power of the Plaguebringer instantly absorbed the toxins, fusing them into part of the plague.

A soft voice appeared in Lyle's ear. Lyle felt another person behind him and heard the horses neighing, seemingly quite unwelcoming to the owner of the exotic fragrance.

An arm wearing a black feather glove wrapped around Lyle's shoulder and came into his line of sight.

Zhen placed a small glass bottle on Lyle's chest.

"The antidote... is no longer useful, so I'll give it to you as a gift."

Lyle took the scented bottle. "Thank you."

“Forget what the turtledove said; he was just a child who heard things from others.”

Sensing that the arms were about to leave, Lyle asked his question.

Who is Night Owl?

The strange fragrance hesitated for a moment.

"The reason for Levis's decline, our former captain."

"Kano Livisser".

"Princess Kayla's father."

"His Majesty Echer's son."

Chapter 339 Deria, the Kingdom of Knights

Deria killed the King of Levisser?! With such a grudge, how could Mr. Echer and Mr. Reid be friends?! Lyle completely understood the Night Owl Squad's thoughts, and at the same time felt...strange about Mr. Echer. Had death really changed him so much?

Echer still showed affection for his granddaughter, and it seemed… Lyle recalled some snippets of conversation he'd overheard: Mr. Echer seemed to harbor great resentment towards his child, the second king. What had happened to allow Echer and Reid to live together peacefully under the same roof?

As Lyle watched the ever-rising walls of Derya rise before him, his heart sank along with the dark walls.

The city of Dreya was brightly lit at night, and the Night Owl Squad entered the city walls first to begin reconnaissance.

Infiltrating Dreya was not difficult. Even at night, the city gates of Dreya were wide open, and there were no guards checking people at the gates, only soldiers standing on the city walls.

Of course, there weren't many people entering the city in this desolate place, and traveling merchants were even fewer.

Even the walls of Dreya are incomplete.

The city wall near the east side has completely collapsed, leaving a huge gap.

Lyle and his group slipped in from this side as well.

Back in his home, Reed was unusually cheerful. He pointed to the collapsed side.

"That was when I founded my country, and it was destroyed by enemy catapults. It wasn't just Leviser; Deria has many neighboring countries. The enemy swarmed in like insects, and I led my army through this breach to crush them."

“Dreya doesn’t need walls; Dreya’s army is our wall.”

The three walked along the roadside. Derija was much more lively than Livis, with fewer plants and instead, throngs of people. Even late at night, vendors and shops remained open.

Derya has virtually no defenses against the outside world, but the number of soldiers patrolling the streets is ridiculously high.

Derya preferred armor to fine clothes, and even a conspicuous armored figure like Reed blended in easily. It was Lyle, dressed in light clothing, who stood out.

Not long after a small patrol passed by, a group of cavalrymen wearing the same armor came along.

The Dreyyans showed an extremely strong enthusiasm for the soldiers, as if they had met idols. Even when they were beaten up for obstructing official business, they just smiled with bruises on their faces.

"You got beaten up, why are you so happy?" Lyle asked the guy who got up from the ground.

"They beat me so badly, they'll beat the enemy even harder. I'm not being beaten, I'm just testing the soldiers protecting my children! Long live Derya!"

"Long live Derya!"

"Long live Derya!"

Cheers erupted in the dead of night; the military and civilians were united—this was the society of Derya.

Lyle didn't dislike this custom; he could see the arrogance on the faces of the Derians, just as the calmness of the Leviese was.

It's a wonderful country, but the turtledove's words still left a shadow in Lyle's heart.

Echer had already concealed himself in the shadows, not revealing his ranger attire. He was also caught up in Draia's atmosphere, banging his hand on Reid's armor.

"Your country is great now, isn't it?"

I had expected Mr. Reed to display the pride of a monarch, but he did not; his voice was even somewhat low, unlike his previous enthusiasm.

"There are too many people not wearing armor..."

"Is there a problem with not wearing armor? Perhaps Dria is starting a new trend."

“The Dreyars don’t start new trends on their own, outsiders…” Reid looked at the jubilant crowd, where a little boy was taking off his wooden helmet and biting into a delicious fruit pie.

"Outsiders brought food, wine, and new trends."

Lyle looked at the sullen Reid, puzzled.

"Isn't the arrival of outsiders a good thing?"

"Dreya has poor relations with the surrounding countries. When I founded the country, I beat them all up. Dreya is not rich in resources, and we survive by plundering our neighbors."

Good heavens, the bandit state has reformed.

“Livisser can be self-sufficient, but we can’t.” Reed looked at the bustling street. “Especially after I announced my rejection of the Holy Light, Derya almost went into a period of isolation. No travelers, no merchants.”

Reed pointed to the monk in white robes, "There is no holy light."

Clearly, Reid's beloved granddaughter no longer upheld the rules of their ancestors. But Lyle seemed unperturbed; the Dreyars were obviously living well, no longer the plunderers they once were.

Lyle even wanted to give a thumbs up to the enlightened Queen Lina, whom he had never met.

“My rejection of the Holy Light was not an act of impulse,” Reed clenched his fist. “As a conqueror, I easily saw through their facade of tolerance and their true nature of conquest and domination. Even if Derya starves to death, she doesn’t need a master.”

Lyle was torn. As a member of the Twilight Memories, he should obviously stand on Reid's side, but rationally he preferred Deria to be the way she was now.

Reed pointed to the solitary spire in the center of the city. "Echel, let's go take a look. Let's see what my Lina looks like now."

Echel raised her eyebrows and grinned. That sullen brat, now she's taking the initiative, isn't she?

"The Night Owl Squad is gathering intelligence in this city. Don't get excited, Reed. They don't have access to your military secrets. You know, the Drea Knights' combat instincts can detect our disguises."

"Lyle, let's go see the current king of Deria now, and catch a glimpse of Lina, whom Reid has been longing for."

In the city, fifty meters from the Dereya Tower, Reid was abandoned.

There was no other way; Echer couldn't continue his disguise with Reid, who weighed as much as a person, and his armor weighing over 200 pounds, and he couldn't get through the densely packed Derian knights below to enter the Derian royal restricted area.

Nia and Lyle were suspended outside the stone wall of the tower, while still within Echel's natural camouflage range.

"Don't go near those royal guards standing on the windowsill, Lyle. Those knights are as strong as the elite rangers of Leviser, and the rangers would never be able to beat these iron turtles in a head-on fight."

"As users of the Sword Dance Mandala, these knights also possess a combat instinct, something Reed calls a war instinct. They can detect the ranger's disguise, and the closer they get, the stronger they become."

"If they're discovered, their arms can smash this wall and grab you. Don't be surprised, their attack power against stone structures like city walls is devastating."

Oh, is it some kind of conceptual special attack that enhances the destructive power against certain things? For example, double the damage when breaking down a wall, but only average damage against other things.

Echer found Lyle's bizarre concept amusing.

"If others can break stones, why can't they tear you apart? Are you harder than a stone?"

"But weren't they targeting the 'wall'?"

"So, if you treat people as a wall of flesh, why don't you still launch special attacks?"

Lyle understood; he could gain a special attack by treating anything as a wall.

The Drea Knights are simply fierce.

Chapter 340 The Unwilling Reality and the Turning Point

The gleaming armor reflected the flickering flames from the torch, like the beating heart within the armor.

The wall was covered with shelves displaying all kinds of weapons, while the opposite wall contained only two huge portrait paintings.

The woman in the room had a somewhat youthful appearance, but her cold eyes were as sharp as metal. A pale blue dress outlined her slightly curvaceous young body, her dignified posture like a newly ripened forbidden fruit. The sound of skin rubbing against silk stirred up humanity's most primal desires.

The girl smiled brightly as she looked at the man in the center of the room who was examining a portrait.

"How is my cousin Glenda doing? I am very concerned about his condition. I hope that the barbaric atmosphere of Deria will not affect his health."

Upon hearing the girl's sweet voice, the man in the magnificent robe smiled and returned the greeting.

"The master is doing well, Your Majesty Lina. He is very satisfied with everything about Deria. It's just... he misses Your Majesty Lina a little, and the agreed wedding date. I hope you have made preparations for the wedding. Devenleya is far away from Deria, so the betrothal gifts the master brought probably won't last long. The trade agreement between the two countries is also in a hurry."

Lina squinted and smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you for your concern, cousin. Recently, bandits have been rampant near Deria, and I'm simply overwhelmed..."

The man walked over, smiling, and stood before Queen Dreya.

“Your Majesty, the master’s patience is limited. If the master is displeased, Deria’s ‘bandits’ will become even more rampant.” Without waiting for Lina’s reply, the man turned and left the room.

The smile vanished, replaced by a murderous intent that made the torchlight flicker. Lina stretched out her hand, cracking her knuckles, which popped in the air.

An old knight walked in.

"His Majesty."

"Devenleya's dog is getting impatient."

The old knight's upright figure was only bowed down by his head.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to care about those scoundrels."

“If I don’t care, what about the food? Supplies, money, everything that runs Derya depends on others for charity.”

“We can plunder and conquer; that’s what we’ve done before.”

"Dreya once conquered five thousand knights and had countless elite knights. But now? Face reality, Epron. Warring nations can no longer afford to fight."

The old knight sighed helplessly, "Then you shouldn't have gambled away your future."

Lina moved her body nonchalantly, tearing her paper-thin dress to shreds and putting her armor back on. "I'll get married sooner or later. As long as Deria survives, it doesn't matter who my husband is. Don't worry, Epron. What Devenleyra values ​​is Deria's independence and sovereignty. Deria won't perish; it will simply lie dormant in someone else's body."