"But that's only what you think." Lisdel still couldn't believe it. She bit her lip hard. "That child is still injured... He did use a potion, but against a Divine Tier opponent, even someone at the Peak of Transcendent Rank wouldn't dare challenge them lightly at full strength."

"Your Highness, I understand your worries." Ende nodded in agreement. "But no matter what you say, I can't support going back. Still, after some time passes, after dawn, once we regroup with Zhu Ba—cough! With His Highness the Eighth Prince's forces, it wouldn't be impossible to investigate together."

"This..."

Resting her chin on her hand, Lisdel fell into deep thought over her loyal subordinate's words.

No matter how you looked at it, if they returned now with battered remnants, setting aside whether they could even find that boy, there was also the question of whether they themselves could make it back into the depths of the ruins.

It had already been said before. On the way back to the surface, there were many monsters. From a practical standpoint, the safest choice no matter what was to regroup with the other force first.

Thinking that, Lisdel looked toward the path she had escaped through.

"The thing we found in the ruins... is it still being protected properly?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, there is no problem at all."

The soldier guarding the item recovered from the depths of the ruins stepped forward and answered.

"I see..." Hearing that, Lisdel slowly closed and reopened her eyes. After a pause, she said, "Alright, I understand. We'll regroup with Zhu Ba and the others first, then tell them what happened inside the ruins."

"Your Highness is wise—"

"However, we'll only entrust the investigation to him. After that, we'll return directly to the Empire."

"Hm?! Your Highness, what do you mean by that...?"

Lisdel's move left Ende and the soldiers completely baffled.

She had been so fixated on that boy she had just met. By all logic, shouldn't she be the one charging after him no matter what?

Had Her Highness already given up on that boy?

"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I'm not worried about him. It's just... for the sake of my ideal, I must bring this item back to the Empire as soon as possible." Lisdel glanced at the object in the soldier's hands and explained, "And... if he, Cang Xiaoxi, really is the one destined for me, then he won't fall in a place like this. As the future husband of the Empress, there's no way he'd die that easily."

"Empress...? Your Highness, are you saying...?"

Hearing that, Ende and the soldiers stared at their master in shock.

At that moment, Lisdel gave a firm nod. Then she turned sharply, sleeves sweeping, and declared in a heroic voice,

"It's time to start preparing. We have to complete the summoning ritual for the Sage before Father does. We only have ten years. Before Father and the others begin, we must use the ritual to seize the Sage's power. Otherwise, in another ten years, the great war among the races will break out once again!"

The scene shifted once more to the depths of the ruins.

After spending some time investigating the place where Fenrir's power still lingered, Cang Xiaoxi discovered a room deeper in the area, one that looked like an altar.

Dozens of finely crafted stone pillars stood there, carved with patterns of unknown meaning. And in the very center was a statue that, no matter how you looked at it, resembled Fenrir.

"Could this be the place where Fenrir slept?"

After a simple investigation, he learned through the Dragon's Eye that Fenrir's lingering power was strongest here.

And beneath the statue, there was writing packed with symbols he couldn't understand.

No matter how Cang Xiaoxi looked at it, this place felt exactly like the kind of scene hiding some ancient secret.

"This already feels a little troublesome."

Staring at everything before him, Cang Xiaoxi frowned, thoroughly annoyed.

After all, the main reason he had come to this world was to enjoy life. He wasn't here to be like those protagonists in stories who accidentally uncover the world's secrets, then end up on a journey to save it.

So now, faced with something that clearly carried a huge secret, Cang Xiaoxi had only one thought in mind.

"I should get out of here fast."

Judging from Lisdel and the others' actions earlier, the route they had retreated through most likely led to the surface.

Now that he knew a way out, there was no need for Cang Xiaoxi to keep wandering around here.

So he started preparing to leave.

But...

"Oh my! Xi'er, what are you looking at? Do you need little Kuku to help you?"

"..."

Like a lingering ghost he just couldn't shake off, and with goodwill turned all the way up, she stayed glued tightly to the boy's side.

Even after her confession had failed, the Dragon Sovereign acted like nothing had happened. She kept pacing around Cang Xiaoxi, circling him from side to side.

It was honestly driving him up the wall.

"I'm not looking at anything, there's nothing wrong, and don't call me that!"

After firing off three refusals in one breath, Cang Xiaoxi shot a glance at Jikuhir, who was standing there with wide, watery eyes.

"My, my, let me see what Xi'er is looking at~"

Completely ignoring his warning, Jikuhir bent down on her own, leaned in extremely close right in front of him, and stared at the inscription beneath the statue with a playful grin.

That absurd refusal to listen instantly made Cang Xiaoxi unhappy. Veins bulged on his forehead.

He had been about to say something to this little loli and tell her not to test his limits.

But right then, Jikuhir's expression changed.

"Hm?! This is..."

She crawled up to the inscription with a serious face, one that clashed completely with her appearance, and muttered in horror.

Could there really be some secret spanning ages hidden in this?

Cang Xiaoxi's interest was hooked.

Curiosity was human nature. Even if he had no intention of meddling in this world's business, there were still things he couldn't help caring about.

"What's... written on it?" Cang Xiaoxi asked, swallowing.

"This says..."

Hearing him, Jikuhir raised her head. Her frightened little face looked at Cang Xiaoxi.

As if she had seen something truly terrifying.

That only made Cang Xiaoxi even more uneasy.

Could this really be heading in that classic route?

"Sorry, I have no idea what it says at all."

"Huh?!"

At that moment, Jikuhir looked like a mischievous little brat. She tilted her head, puffed her lips, struck a cute pose, and tapped her own head with her little hand.

She was ridiculously adorable. The kind of adorable that made you want to go up and pinch her cheeks.

But on the other side, Cang Xiaoxi naturally went from stunned, to speechless, to twitching at the corners of his mouth as anger surged up.

"I see. So you understood nothing... Heh, I should've known."

A deadpan little loli.

No brains, no weaponry to speak of—well, technically there was a little—and no common sense.

Now that he more or less understood Jikuhir's traits, Cang Xiaoxi really should've realized earlier that there was no way this little loli could stay serious for long.

He was angry.

Angry that for a brief moment, he had actually trusted Jikuhir. Even though she was someone he'd only known for a day, and someone who had casually proposed to him. Trusting a person like that... it seemed the boy had really been thrown off by her unusual behavior.

"Sigh. I'd better just leave already."

Ignoring Jikuhir now, Cang Xiaoxi turned and walked away.

"Oh, we're leaving?! Xi'er, wait for me, I'm coming too."

Before the boy had even taken two full steps, Jikuhir followed right behind with a bright grin, hovering at both sides of him.

She kept throwing all kinds of random questions at him without stopping.

Even though the boy's face had long since turned dark, she kept going all the same.

That kind of fearless behavior, the kind that was basically asking for death, finally brought down the boy's punishment.

"Hey!"

"What is it, Xi'er? Is there—mmph..."

He hesitated a little, but in the end, the boy still pressed his hand down on Jikuhir's head.

Naturally, Jikuhir wanted to protest that this would stop her from growing taller. But after noticing the impatient, narrowed look in Cang Xiaoxi's eyes, she obediently shut her mouth.

"I'm asking, Dragon Sovereign, what exactly are you trying to pull here? If you're trying to get information out of me, didn't I already tell you everything? I'm an otherworlder who crossed over here from another world. As for why I have your race's power, the one who brought me here gave it to me. After that, I have no other information that would mean anything to you. So hurry up and go back where you came from!"

He said a whole lot in one breath.

In truth, a few minutes earlier, because he couldn't stand Jikuhir's pestering anymore and also wanted to repay the favor quickly, Cang Xiaoxi had already laid out all his information.

"Got it?" Cang Xiaoxi said at last. "While I'm still not angry, hurry up and leave. My patience has limits!"

"No! I'm not leaving!" Jikuhir shouted back without backing down. "Until you agree to become mine, I absolutely won't go! No, more than that, once you agree to become mine, I'll stay by your side forever. Forever!!!"

"I swear, you really are—"

Cang Xiaoxi had truly reached his limit. Just as he was about to blow up at Jikuhir, she shouted again without holding anything back.

"The reason you won't agree is because you're afraid I'll betray you, right?! Just like your mother and those two called Yuan Huixue did!"

"You—" His eyes widened in disbelief. The boy stared at the girl as if she had seen through everything inside him. His lips twitched as he said, "How... how do you know about those two?"

He let go of Jikuhir. The anger on Cang Xiaoxi's face vanished, replaced by a trace of self-mockery.

To have someone he'd only known for a day see through his weakness so completely dealt a heavy blow to the boy.

"Ow, ow... that hurt. You really don't hold back at all." Rubbing the head Cang Xiaoxi had grabbed, Jikuhir gave a small complaint first. Then she looked at the horrified Cang Xiaoxi and said, "Before I answer how I know, there's something I want you to understand first. That is... I will never betray you. I swear it on my dignity as the Dragon Sovereign, and on my love for you!"

"..."

Hearing the girl's heartfelt words, the boy said nothing.

He lifted his head and looked around in silence for a while... Then, in the end, he walked to a corner and sat down. He patted the space beside him with his hand.

"Forget everything else for now. Let's just sit down and talk properly, Dragon Sovereign... no, Jikuhir."