I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

Still not fully awake, the girl sat on the bed, blinking, her thoughts hazy, and blurting them out. She rubbed her eyes, slowly raised her head, and the next moment, she suddenly jolted awake.

"Good morning... Lily!"

Lily didn't answer, but stared intently at her disheveled, tousled hair, lost in thought. After a moment, she braced herself on the bed and moved closer to her. Nimiao's eyes widened, she covered her mouth, took two steps back, stood by the door, and quietly closed the door, which was only slightly ajar, without making a sound.

Guinevere, who had just woken up, froze there, blinked a few more times, and for a moment even stopped breathing. She watched as Lily expressionlessly reached out and placed her hand on her sticking-out hair, gently pressed it down, and when she lifted it up again, the hair that was originally "unyielding" had obediently returned to its original state.

"Obviously, this kind of thing requires a certain amount of talent."

Lily said in a very serious tone.

Guinevere replied with the same serious expression, "You're right."

Their eyes met, but the girl sitting on the bed couldn't hold back her laughter first. Lily smiled too and sat up straight: "Breakfast is getting cold, go wash up quickly."

“Okay.” As she got out of bed, Guinevere picked up her coat hanging on the wall and glanced out the window. “It seems to be around noon…” She put on one sleeve and, seeing Lily nod, dressed even faster. “Wake me up sooner.”

“You practiced for so long yesterday, and didn’t go to sleep until midnight…” Lily smiled: “Let you sleep a little longer.”

"You don't do the same."

Just as he put on the other sleeve of his coat, Lily smiled again: "I'm used to it now."

Upon hearing this, Guinevere paused involuntarily, but instead of spoiling the mood by continuing to ask questions, she casually replied, "Then I'll try to get used to it as soon as possible." She straightened her collar, tied a few small bags around her waist, put on her boots, and hopped around a few times before revealing a big smile: "What a bright and sunny morning."

“Yes.” Lily looked out the window at the cloudless blue sky and nodded. After chatting for a few more minutes, the three of them went out the door. Lily walked in front, and although her steps seemed elegant, both the older and younger people who knew her well could see the eagerness and anticipation in the white-dressed girl’s heart.

"Daddy, Daddy—"

Nimiao, who was walking next to Lily, suddenly turned back, tugged at her clothes, and called out softly.

"what?"

"Aren't you going to 'do that' a little something?"

The little girl blinked, pointed to her lips, and asked expectantly.

Guinevere opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words, and finally could only laugh and chuckle as she flicked her forehead: "I really don't know what's going on in your little head..."

"Well!"

Even though the tap on the head wasn't hard, the girl still covered her forehead and squatted there angrily. But after a few seconds, seeing that her "dad" had no intention of comforting her, she rolled her eyes a few times and then hurriedly came over: "Daddy, Daddy, are you really not going to do that?"

Seemingly afraid that Guinevere would flick her again, Nemia tightly covered her forehead, adding, "But, but, I saw Lily brush her teeth by herself just now! We usually brush our teeth and wash our faces together!" The little girl skipped around, looking smug, and lowered her voice, "Lily must want 'that' but is too shy to say it!"

"Nonsense! When have you ever seen her embarrassed?" Guinevere retorted instinctively, but immediately realized she had missed the point. Her face flushed red, but the words were already out and couldn't be taken back. Seeing Nimiao's "Oh, I get it" expression, she couldn't help but tap her on the head, even though she didn't know what she understood. "You little devil."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks, clearly indignant: "Then tell me, why did Sister Lily brush her teeth behind our backs?"

"maybe……"

"maybe?"

“Maybe your sister Lily was just hungry at night and sneaked into the kitchen to eat something. She's only brushing her teeth because she didn't want to be caught.” Actually, Guinevere didn't think Lily would do something like sneaking a snack late at night; it was just a casual conversation with Ni Miao that led to this explanation. But seeing the little girl's knowing look, she suddenly felt a little annoyed: “Don't you trust your sister Lily? She might be a little greedy, but she wouldn't do something like this—”

The words have not yet fallen.

The girl in the white dress, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the other girl's ears looked a little red. When they passed by, they saw that Lily's face was also bright red, like a delicious apple: "I only ate a little bit!"

"Forehead……"

"And I paid them this morning too!"

"..."

Guinevere looked at Lily, who was so shy she wanted to draw her sword and cut a hole in the floor to crawl into—she suspected that if this weren't the second floor, Lily really would be capable of such a thing—and it took her a long time to swallow back the words, "So this is the kind of Lily you are!"

As for Nimiao, who was standing on the sidelines with a gloating expression and even helped to provide the sound effects of "slap slap slap" in the face.

He was hit on the head with a powerful flick of the forehead, which brought tears to his eyes. He gave her the cold shoulder for an entire afternoon, and they didn't make up until the evening.

……

The three of them had been in Plymouth for almost a week.

Perhaps because the most important matter, the Trident of Poseidon, had ended, the past few days had been calm and uneventful, with almost no other unexpected events occurring.

Fisher left that very night after dealing with the Water-Seeking Beast. Although the Trident of Poseidon had been restored to its original state, the combat method, which was similar to "divine intervention," naturally came at a price. As a vessel for the descent of a god—even if it was only an incomplete descent—Fisher appeared to be fine on the surface, but according to Perinoa, his internal organs had begun to break down, and he needed a period of recuperation before he could use the Trident of Poseidon again.

The same was true of Pellegrini, the "Fisherman King" of yesteryear.

Perinoa spoke with absolute certainty about this, and Fisher himself could feel an inexplicable fatigue within him. For the safety of his sister and father, he certainly dared not take this matter lightly. In addition, the Scepter of the Sea God and the Illusionary Sea Pearl were temporarily unusable, and Elaine, his reliable right-hand woman, was no longer available. For a time, there were a mountain of matters to deal with and resolve, and he simply did not have the time to entertain Guinevere and her party.

He felt guilty, while Guinevere, the person involved, was happy to be off.

With Fisher's consent, she, Lily, and Nemia, the "family of three," decided to stay in Plymouth. After all, with Merlin's extraordinary abilities, he probably wouldn't need divination to know their whereabouts. So, rather than going to Fisher's castle and living an awkward life where every move was being watched by several eyes, staying in the small inn in Dream was much more comfortable.

As for the Perinoa father and son, seeing that the trouble of finding the water beast had been resolved, and knowing that they might not be able to help with opening the Tower of Radiance, they decided to leave with the caravan of the three Stout brothers. In the short few days they had spent together, Guinevere had already considered the caravan members and the father and son as friends. She was always reluctant to part with her friends, but knowing that these two would become famous Knights of the Round Table in the future, and that there was plenty of time in the future, she was not too reluctant to part this time.

What's more, there's Kai there too.

Artoria's true gender has never been a secret to her adoptive brother, with whom she has spent many years. However, whether it was to protect his adopted sister's "self-esteem" or simply out of a wicked sense of humor, Kai himself has not yet unveiled this self-deceptive veil. When he meets Artoria dressed as a woman, after his initial surprise, he pretends not to recognize her.

But before Lily could even breathe a sigh of relief, she discovered that this unreliable older brother... seemed to be trying to woo her.

Realizing this, Lily was extremely distressed. She didn't know whether to be happy that the other party hadn't recognized her or to be indignant about her adoptive brother's womanizing ways. Helpless, she could only try to dodge him. The more she dodged, the more Kai enjoyed it. He was always on the verge of being beaten up by Lily. Guinevere mostly watched the show, and occasionally she would join Lily in beating up Kai. But most of the time, the three of them were sparring and practicing.

Unlike Lily's upright swordsmanship style, Kai's practical combat skills were mastered to perfection. Although he complemented Lily perfectly, he also greatly improved Guinevere's combat skills.

But she couldn't understand how such a pure-blooded knight's descendant, the son personally trained by Hector, could distract himself with all sorts of incredibly skilled trash talk while fighting, and seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack without any psychological burden.

She even thought that if it weren't for the fact that throwing quicklime wasn't very common in this era, Kai would most likely have been able to carry a bag of quicklime in his pocket and use it to earn the glorious nickname of "Lime Knight".

I really don't know how this guy has survived until now without being beaten to death by his own father...

Guinevere found this utterly unbelievable.

……

Several days passed before the group finally saw the female magician arrive, albeit late.

……

Arriving with Merlin was a familiar face to Guinevere—a burly, white-horse prince.

P.S.: I had a bit of a writer's block today, but I still managed to write 4,000 words. Let's break it up and consider it a double update!

This transitional chapter has laid enough groundwork; the climax of this part of the story should follow soon.

Chapter 111 A Letter of SOS...?

Perhaps it was because she had dreamt something unpleasant—although she couldn't remember the specifics of the dream after waking up, the unpleasant feeling still lingered. This directly caused Guinevere to get up later than usual. By the time she finished washing up and sat down at the dining table on the first floor, it was already midday, the time when most people were starting their lunch.

Perhaps because of the existence of potatoes, the diet of people in this era seemed to be more diverse than that of the medieval era she knew in her previous life. Apart from the poor who suffered from oppressive government and natural disasters and struggled at the bottom of society, most people could at least achieve basic food and clothing. Of course, there were also many who got sick or even died from eating sprouted potatoes. The poor mostly ate boiled potatoes, not caring about the taste, just to fill their stomachs. On holidays, they would add a few slices of dried meat, which was a rare delicacy.

While the food served in taverns like Dreem mainly consisted of various potato dishes, the cooking methods were naturally not so monotonous. They included frying, baking, steaming, and many other methods. Moreover, as a secret agent planted by the Fisher siblings, he could purchase ingredients at lower prices than other shops, resulting in exceptionally low prices that were very popular with customers who were short of money.

After rinsing her mouth, Guinevere quickly tidied herself up in front of the mirror hanging at the bottom of the stairs. Descending to the first floor, she saw a bustling crowd. People dressed in shabby clothes were packed shoulder to shoulder, making the left side of the tavern completely crowded, while those dressed more respectably sat in twos and threes on the slightly more spacious right side. Looking around, she spotted a large and a small couple in the crowd. Approaching them, Nemia, who had been waving vigorously, finally calmed down, placing her small fists on her knees and sitting upright. Seeing Guinevere approaching, she quietly moved to the side.

"Sister Lily—"

"Ok?"

"Drooling, drooling."

As he spoke, he pointed to the corner of his mouth.

Lily blushed and instinctively picked up the handkerchief beside her to wipe her face, but then she saw the little girl looking smug and giggling while covering her mouth. She glared at the girl, a little embarrassed and annoyed, wanting to tap her forehead like Guinevere had, but then thought that doing so might be a bit too intimate and might upset the little girl... Slightly troubled, perhaps sensing her thoughts, Nimiao pouted, closed her eyes, and offered her face.

Lily smiled and tapped the skin lightly with her knuckles. She didn't use any force, not even making a sound, but the little girl suddenly made an incredibly exaggerated expression, even blinking hard to force out a few tears. She pitifully looked up at Guinevere, who had come to her side, and said in a spoiled tone, "Daddy, Sister Lily bullied me—"

"Oh."

The latter nodded perfunctorily and casually smacked her forehead again. The girl immediately let out a "Wah—" and collapsed onto the table, her small figure looking even more aggrieved. Guinevere chuckled and patted the girl's head. With the power of the Wind Mark, she could hear almost every sound coming from the tavern, including their brief conversation. She pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the food on the table.

In front of Nimue was a large glass of hot milk and a small dish of fried potato wedges, which looked freshly made and steaming hot. This was originally a kind of snack to accompany drinks, and it was served in taverns everywhere. However, children generally prefer fragrant food. She had seen it once two days ago and had been pestering Dreem ever since, saying she wanted to eat it. It seems that she finally succeeded.

Lily ordered a serving of mashed potatoes with ham. The generous portion of mashed potatoes was topped with square slices of meat. The presentation wasn't exactly exquisite, but it was certainly very appetizing. However, Guinevere stared at the mashed potatoes but couldn't muster any appetite whatsoever. Noticing her gaze, the girl in the white dress looked over as well: "Fina, if you want some, I can share half with you."

“No need,” Guinevere shook her head.

"Doesn't Daddy like mashed potatoes?"

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just…” Recalling some painful memories, the girl’s expression was rather strange: “I just have a bit of psychological trauma.” Lily had often heard Guinevere complain about her best friend, whose greatest hobby was making mashed potatoes, but who hadn’t learned how to cut and peel them in over twenty years. Suddenly, she understood. Nimiao blinked, about to ask more questions, when someone else walked over.

Good morning, what would you like to eat?

It's a derem.

After what happened a few days ago, Guinevere and the others had gained some understanding of this subordinate of Fisher. In a sense, he was also their point of contact with Fisher. They greeted him with smiles, and Guinevere then looked at Dreem's bandaged left hand: "By the way, shopkeeper, is your injury still not healed? I have some ointment from the druids here..."

"no need."

Dreem shook his head. Almost his entire arm was wrapped in bandages, not a sliver of skin was exposed, and there were large and small wounds all over his body. It was said that these were injuries he had sustained in the last battle. After Elaine and Fisher nodded in agreement, Guinevere also went to see Kai, hoping that he could take charge of dealing with any possible backup plans of the King of the Low.

She had great confidence in Kai's abilities, and Drem's exceptional insight was just what Kai needed to uncover the spies Vortigern had secretly planted.

As expected, taking advantage of the momentum of the Poseidon's Trident being restored, the two successfully found the four-person team that had previously infiltrated. However, according to Dreem, after parting ways with Kay, he also encountered enemies. Fortunately, he was not in mortal danger, but he inevitably suffered some injuries. As for the enemies, seeing that they could not kill him quickly, they fled shortly afterward. Fisher sent people to investigate for many days, but for the time being, there was still no progress.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Guinevere ordered the same meal as usual. The owner went back to the kitchen to prepare it, while she watched Lily and Nemia eat, occasionally wiping the sauce and crumbs from their mouths. Nemia was quite generous, but Lily felt embarrassed and would try to dodge the food for a while each time, but in the end, she always gave in.

This was a scene of interaction no different from any other day. After Guinevere finished her meal, the three decided to go for a walk in the town. According to their plan, they would practice swordsmanship with Lily until evening, and this was also a warm-up to digest their food. In addition, Nemia was very interested in the scenery of the town and kept pestering the two to take her out to play. Guinevere thought that even if they didn't agree, the little girl might sneak out on her own. So every now and then, she and Lily would take her out for a stroll. Although Kay was also there, they decided not to let Kay be alone with the girl for fear of Nemia being negatively influenced.

After tidying up, the three of them went outside, only to find that the wind was a bit strong. Guinevere then went upstairs to get their cloaks. When she returned, she saw Kai holding something in his hand, talking to Lily, his face showing a rare look of inner conflict. Nemia stood between the two, occasionally jumping up to try and see what Kai was holding, but because of her height, she couldn't see it at all, and was sulking to herself.

"What's wrong?" She walked over, casually patted Nemia's head, and then poked the little girl's puffed-up cheek with her index finger, which earned her a fierce glare and a threatening grin as she tried to bite her finger. Guinevere smiled and withdrew her hand, glancing at the other two. As her gaze shifted, her expression gradually turned serious. Kay raised the object she was holding.

It was a piece of white fabric torn from a garment.

Written in a flamboyant, light brown substance resembling tree sap, the words read: "Come quickly to the grove outside town to save me, I'm about to die—la—la—la—la—la—"

Finally, there is a signature:

“Your beloved Merlin.”

Guinevere looked away and exchanged a complicated look with Kay and Lily.

"This is……"

“I haven’t been exercising much these past few days. I was planning to go outside town to hunt something today.” Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression strange. “But before I could find any prey, I saw a wolf carrying this piece of clothing in its mouth run up to me, and then it just kicked its legs and died.”

……

P.S.: This chapter is less than 3,000 words, so please bear with it. I'll update more when I'm more comfortable with the writing~ As for the reason, Planet Qingbai has finally ushered in the long May, so Qingbai, who has contracted May sickness, has become less diligent than usual - whether you believe it or not, I believe it!

Chapter 112 The Magician and the Knight

despair.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, the sunlight warm and gentle, and the crisp sound of tapping echoed among the green hills and clear waters outside the town. In the dappled shade of the trees, a woman in a snow-white robe set down what she was holding—a smooth white stone, which, in the instant she released it, transformed into a crown that shone with brilliant light.

The crown was placed on a wooden chessboard.

She looked up and smiled slightly at the man across the chessboard: "Sir Gawain, it's your turn."

The person opposite him was not old, only in his early twenties, with light golden hair and a silver-white armor that gleamed in the sunlight. He also wore a large blue cloak. He was holding a black pebble in his hand, staring down at the chessboard in front of him. Several times he wanted to put the pebble down, but hesitated at the last moment.

Merlin wore a hood, and only the slight upturn of her lips could be seen in the shadows. She rested her chin on her finger, her gaze shifting between the man and the chessboard, a smile that she couldn't hide. The sunlight and shadows mingled, the trees swayed, and a few barks of dogs seemed to drift from afar, followed by rough, hoarse shouts, before everything quickly fell silent again.

Gao Wen finally let out a breath, scratched his hair, and threw the pebble in his hand: "Okay, I lost again!" His tone was extremely calm, without any resentment.

“No, you didn’t lose.” Merlin said with a smile, his fingertips lightly stroking his chin. “In fact, today’s match ended in a draw. According to our agreement—”

"I'll give you one more day."

After Gao Wen finished speaking, he shook his head and said, "A loss is a loss, there's no point in denying it. Deliberately pursuing a draw is more difficult than winning or losing. I just don't understand, what exactly is your purpose?"

"Hey, don't be impatient. Didn't we agree that if you could beat me in chess once, I would not only return the Holy Sword to you, but also obediently go back with you to be punished? And if you lose to me once, I will answer any three questions you ask. But if it's a draw, you will have to obey my orders for the next day—provided that you don't violate your principles or endanger the lives of you or your loved ones."

"If I had known you were this capable, I definitely wouldn't have accepted this offer."

Gao Wen sighed.

"Actually, I'm not that great," Merlin replied humbly, then paused and added, "I'm just a little bit better than you." As he spoke, he raised his other hand, his thumb and forefinger spread out in an exaggerated distance: "About this little bit."

Gao Wen silently pinched the bridge of his nose without replying.

Because of the education and upbringing he received from a young age, he was always tolerant towards women—especially those younger than himself. As long as they didn't cross his bottom line, he would basically give them whatever they wanted, and he wouldn't easily get angry even if they made excessive demands.

But the female magician in front of us is clearly an exception.

He had long known Merlin's name, the great magician who assisted King Uther. She was said to be highly skilled, resourceful, and proficient in divination and prophecy. There was nothing in the world she did not know. In the past, she had cooperated with Uther to do several great things that benefited Britain. Her reputation even spread across the sea. The old emperor of the Roman Empire extended an olive branch to her, wanting to hire Merlin as the tutor of the young prince Lucius. However, because the messengers he sent were mysteriously caught in storms three times in a row and perished at sea, their bodies never to be found, the old emperor vaguely felt that this might be a warning from the gods, so he gave up.

Following the far-reaching upheaval ten years prior, King Uther disappeared and was suspected of death, while Merlin vanished without a trace. He only reappeared ten years later, publicly holding a ceremony to elect a new king, making the previously unknown name of King Arthur known throughout Britain overnight.