I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"Understood, thank you, then goodbye." Cheng Fei turned and left, carrying the box.

Shen Xi followed beside him expressionlessly, and Leia and Weinuo quickly followed as well.

After the group left the room, Haisen followed them to the door and said, "I almost forgot, Your Highness, there are a few elves waiting for you outside. If you don't want to see them, you'd better go through the side door to avoid them."

Leia hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

After watching them leave, Haisen shook his head, returned to his room, and closed the door.

The red-haired half-elf, who had been sitting silently to the side the whole time, now showed an impatient expression. "Why not just let her see the marshal directly?"

"Flame, don't you understand?" Haisen squatted down, rubbed his familiar's head, and smiled. "This saintess won't listen to reason, but as long as you say it here, she'll go sooner or later."

"What a hassle." Flame pouted, her expression becoming even more annoyed.

"These things can't be rushed. Let's go, we need to get back to our business." Haisen picked up his familiar in a princess carry and walked out of the room through another door.

……

On the other side, the four walked along the building's corridor.

"Who exactly is he?" Shen Xi frowned slightly.

"Teacher Shen, don't you understand even now?" Cheng Fei shook his head and spread his hands.

Leia volunteered to carry the heavy box in her arms.

"What do you mean?" Shen Xi narrowed her eyes.

"It's obvious he works for the Allied Forces, probably one of the awakened factions among the Imperial nobility." Cheng Fei rubbed his chin, recalling what Hysen had just said.

"Then why not ask him for help getting fuel?" Shen Xi asked, puzzled.

"You assume everyone has to help you? The Celestial Queen really thinks she's all that." Cheng Fei feigned surprise.

"Get to the point and stop with the nonsense." Shen Xi kicked him.

“Okay, actually I feel like there will be trouble. Teacher Shen, you think he’s the kind of person who won’t help for no reason. He’ll most likely make conditions and take advantage of us. Last time we were short of money, so be it, but now I have no interest in helping the Allied Forces fight.” The boy shook his head.

"A war?" Shen Xi narrowed her eyes.

"Can't you hear it? What he meant was that Rift Valley City will be involved in the war. He's always said that the Light Magic Crystals here are strategic resources, and since it's located at the intersection of the upper and lower airspace, it will be fought over by both sides sooner or later." The boy said with no small amount of pride.

"I understand, so we need to leave as soon as possible." Shen Xi pinched her chin.

Cheng Fei put his hands behind his head and turned to look at Wei Nuo, who had been following behind him the whole time. "By the way, what is the Flowing Light Festival?"

"The Radiant Festival is the most important festival of the year in Riften, just like the New Year in the capital, and there are fireworks to celebrate." The maid (not) girl thought for a moment, a look of longing on her doll-like face.

"Fireworks?" Cheng Fei asked in surprise.

"It's something made of crystal powder. When it's launched into the sky and explodes, it emits a dazzling light. I heard that the Empire has had it in recent years. Haven't you seen it?" Vino asked curiously.

“We’re from the countryside, we don’t know much,” Cheng Fei said casually. “How long until the Flowing Light Festival?”

"In seven days."

"That's less than two weeks on Earth..." the boy muttered.

"What is Earth?" Vino tilted her head and looked at him, her brows furrowing slightly.

"It's nothing, never mind." The boy shook his head decisively, turned to the other side, and became quite interested. "Teacher Shen, I didn't expect to have another chance to watch fireworks together."

"Trash, please focus on the important things. Besides, no one here will watch fireworks with you." Shen Xi glared at him, emphasizing the last part of her sentence, her face showing displeasure.

"Teacher Shen, are you still holding a grudge about what happened last time?" Cheng Fei observed her, clasped his hands together, "I promise that Nana won't bother us this time. How about we start over? I want to hold your hand and watch the fireworks."

"Stop daydreaming and get down to business," the girl said coldly, raising her chin.

"Why not take a break while doing business?"

"Shut up, get the fuel and leave. You know a war is going to break out here, do you want to get dragged into it?" The girl glared at him through gritted teeth.

"He said the war would only start after the festival, so we can celebrate the festival locally without any problems, don't worry."

"What if something unexpected happens? Don't do anything that could complicate things." The girl said without hesitation.

"Teacher Shen, can you please stop jinxing me?"

"What did you say?" The girl's face showed displeasure.

"What I mean is, since we might not be able to get fuel in the next few days anyway, if we don't have time to leave before the Light Festival, how about we come and watch the fireworks hand in hand?" Cheng Fei said seriously.

"You don't need to look for me. Go and enjoy yourself with your vixen. She'll even kiss you under the fireworks. It'll be perfect." Shen Xi sneered and quickened her pace.

"Teacher Shen, please don't do this. Think it over carefully," Cheng Fei followed in the same tone.

"The conclusion after consideration is that it's impossible, so shut up!"

"Teacher Shen, please don't do this."

The two, who kept talking, walked faster and faster. Leia and Vino, who were left behind, looked at each other and sighed in unison.

"These two have such a great relationship," Vino muttered to herself.

"Yes, I agree." The elven saintess nodded earnestly.

670. Cheng Fei didn't believe there were such upright and honest people in the world.

Having concluded their visit to the Merchant's Corner, the four concluded their mission for the day and returned to the dock via the same route.

Not long after leaving the Chamber of Commerce, the sound of wind whistling through the air grew louder as we approached.

As Cheng Fei sensed the anomaly, figures as fast as lightning appeared one after another in front of the four, and the invisible pressure made the passersby nearby keep their distance.

"Teacher Shen, look! It's an elf!" Cheng Fei whispered.

"I'm not blind." Shen Xi glanced at him irritably.

Appearing before the four was a group of striking women with pointed ears, dressed in uniform attire somewhere between a uniform and armor. They held their chins high and remained expressionless, completely out of place in the chaotic atmosphere of the lower city.

“Teacher Shen, elves seem to be generally aloof, just like you.” Cheng Fei said calmly.

"Shut up," the girl said bluntly.

The suddenly appearing elf glanced at the two people whispering together and ignored them, then quickly walked up to Leia and knelt down on one knee to pay her respects.

"Your Highness, we've finally found you. Please come back to the tree with us." The lead elf breathed a sigh of relief. She looked to be about the same age as Leia, and her silver hair was also tied in a ponytail.

“Eve? Who sent you? I’m not going back.” Leia frowned and took a half step back.

“This is the Grand Elder’s order. The world beneath the tree is in turmoil, and you should not be active here.” The elf named Eve lowered her head.

“Tell her I’m not going back. I’m going to Roots.” Leia clenched her fist.

Cheng Fei watched nonchalantly, "I understand. It seems they don't trust her family who ran away. It shouldn't be any of our business."

"Hands." Shen Xi's eyes narrowed.

"Teacher Shen, is it really necessary to be so strict?" The boy took his arm off the girl's shoulder.

"Cheng Feiyu, stop talking nonsense."

"I'd like to ask, does Leia have some special identity?" Vino leaned closer to the two of them, looking in that direction and whispering while covering her mouth.

"You, Light Magic Craftsman who looks like a maid, are quite perceptive. It's okay to tell you, but actually Leia is an elven saintess." Cheng Fei covered his mouth like she was doing, like two gossiping servants.

"I told you I'm not a maid!" Vino immediately raised her voice and glared at him, stomping her foot hard.

"Did I say you were a maid?" The boy looked at her, his expression full of doubt.

The girl with the cute, doll-faced features and bangs lowered her head, took a deep breath, and revealed a restrained expression that seemed to say, "I really want to kill someone, but I'll swallow my anger for now."

"Cheng Fei, keep flirting with her in front of me, and then you can die." Shen Xi stared ahead expressionlessly, emanating a faint chill from her body.

"Teacher Shen, I was wrong." The boy lowered his head in a second.

While the three were having a meaningless conversation, Rhea and Eve, who had suddenly appeared, were also continuing their conversation.

"Your Highness, you must return with us today; this is an order."

Leia dodged the hand that was trying to grab her. "I won't go back. No one has the right to order me around."

“Precisely because of your extraordinary status, you should not be so willful. Being left unprotected under the tree will not only put you in danger, but may also disrupt the balance of the entire Elconis.” Eve’s face showed a mixture of concern and worry.

“I don’t need protection. Tell the Grand Elder that if I don’t return within a year, it means I died on the way. The chaos in Elconis was caused by me. I must go to the Roots.” Rhea’s eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly became firm again.

Cheng Fei covered his mouth and said, "Teacher Shen, I feel like she has a lot of mental burden. As the Queen of the Protoss, how come you don't have the awareness and responsibility to maintain world peace? You're always hiding at home and school, either being cute here or cute there."

"This endless nonsense... I want to ask who is the one who lacks awareness and responsibility, living like a rat in the sewers all day long?" Shen Xi gritted her teeth and kicked him, her little face annoyed.

"If I were a rat, you'd be the same. Besides, I'm not the Celestial Queen, so what sense of awareness or responsibility do I have?" Cheng Fei said, pursing his lips.

"Hopeless trash!"

Vino stood to the side listening, sighed helplessly, and decided to ignore the two of them and turn her attention back to Leia.

“Your Highness, if you won’t cooperate, we’ll have to be rude.” Eve sighed after a brief silence, exchanged a glance with her companion behind her, and nodded slightly, as if making a decision.

"I said I'm not going back! What are you going to do?" Leia's pupils contracted, and her expression became uneasy.

"Your Highness, please forgive me."

As soon as the words were spoken, the elves chanted incantations in unison and surrounded Leia. Bright blue runes appeared one after another out of thin air, giving them a tangible aura that made people feel uneasy even before they drew their weapons.

"Teacher Shen, it looks like a fight is about to break out." The boy watching from the sidelines said with great interest.

Shen Xi stared at this scene expressionlessly.

With nowhere to run, Leia gritted her teeth, turned her head and cast a pleading look at the two of them, "Cheng Fei, Shen Xi, help me."

"Huh? They're looking for us?" The boy, who was about to watch the drama unfold, was stunned.

"Cheng Fei, hurry up and think of a solution." The aloof girl kicked him.

"Teacher Shen, do we have to meddle in the elves' household chores too?" Cheng Fei asked, puzzled.

"How are we supposed to get into the Holy Land if she's taken back?" Shen Xi glared at him.

"That's right." Cheng Fei barely managed to hold back his question, "If you're so smart, why don't you think of a solution?" He knew he'd get scolded without even guessing.

After being glared at by Shen Xi again, the boy stepped forward, placed his hand on his chest, and said in a serious tone to the elf named Eve, "Hello, I..."

"Are you an Imperial?" Eve stared at his movements, her eyes narrowing. She suddenly drew her longsword from her waist and pointed it at him. If her ruthlessness just now was due to loyalty to her duty, then the hostility that welled up in her eyes now was obvious.

“I’m not.” Cheng Fei shook his head without hesitation, while taking a half step back.

“You are performing imperial etiquette.” Eve narrowed her eyes.

"Really?" The boy was startled, looking down at his hands placed on his chest in disbelief.

"Who are you? What is your purpose in following His Highness? I will only ask you this once, so tell me the truth!" The elf's voice was stern, and the runes engraved on the longsword in his hand and the blade emitted a rich blue light.

Cheng Fei realized that this was a genuine magical weapon, capable of bearing the power of elves, and was on a completely different level from the ones that Leia reforged from scrap metal each time.

The boy's eyelids twitched, and he coughed lightly, softening his tone. "Don't get agitated. Let me explain. Actually, I'm her hired guard, specifically responsible for escorting her to the roots of the World Tree. So you don't need to worry about her safety. As for her affecting the balance of Elkonis, I think that's nonsense. She's just traveling and won't have any contact with the Empire or the Allied Forces. You can talk things out. We're all on the same side, so there's no need to resort to violence, right?"

“Guards…” Eve stared intently at Cheng Fei, glancing at Leia who stood silently beside her. The hostility in her eyes suddenly intensified. She brandished her longsword and shouted, “Cunning Imperials, since you claim to be His Highness’s guards, then let me see your strength!”

"Isn't that unnecessary? Actually, I..."

The boy had barely begun to speak when the elf opposite him swung his sword at him with terrifying speed, tearing through the air with a shrill cry.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably be split in two on the spot.

Cheng Fei activated Time Zero, using his black longsword to block the attack, and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn! Are all you elves short-tempered?"

“You…” Eve was stunned for a moment after missing her target, then narrowed her eyes, becoming even more furious, and launched another attack while shouting, “Humans can’t possibly have this speed! Who are you?”

"We've already said we're guards, let's stop for a moment and talk this over!" Cheng Fei blocked again.

"Enough with the nonsense, let me see what you're capable of being His Highness's guard!" Eve completely ignored the boy's words and launched a storm of attacks on him.

"Again? Don't blame me for being impolite!"

Without warning, the two were plunged into a terrifying hand-to-hand combat. Their weapons clashed dozens of times in the blink of an eye, the clanging of metal sending chills down one's spine. The violent shockwaves they generated blew away all the debris around them, and passersby screamed and fled in terror.

Shen Xi and Lei Ya watched this scene unfold; the former remained indifferent, while the latter's clenched fists were sweating profusely.

Vino clutched her apron, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

The other elves also showed solemn expressions, but for the time being, they did not intend to rush forward.