https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-684-Lanchi-Holds-the-Reins-Today-Part-2-/12585077/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-686-Tata-the-Optimistic-Girl-Favored-by-Lanchi/12585082/
Chapter 685: Lanchi Heard About That Fairy Sister
Chapter 685: Lanchi Heard About That Fairy Sister
In the administrative area on the second floor of the St. Silvervine Arena, Lanchi placed his hand on the doorknob of the Executive Director's office and said to Talia beside him, "Let's go chat with Countess Rosalinda about the extraction of our paintings, and then we'll go find Nigel."
"No problem," replied Talia, holding the little black cat.
She felt quite satisfied with today's harvest and was unexpectedly delighted to become a Platinum-level card maker. From now on, her niece, Xiubao, could boast about her aunt being a successful and influential individual.
Opening the door, they entered a spacious hundred-square-meter office. The floor was crafted from century-old oak wood, intricately inlaid with a Bosun-style pattern. On the right was a striking two-meter-wide rosewood desk, on top of which rested an antique oil lamp crafted from pure brass. However, aside from a few parchment documents awaiting approval, the desk was unoccupied.
"Lanchi, Tata, you're here," Rosalinda greeted them from the sofa in the office's resting area, gesturing for them to take a seat. "I've prepared cheese coconut pastries!"
Next to a standing lamp with a shade crafted from multicolored glass, two strikingly different women sat on the sofa.
Rosalinda was dressed in her usual meticulously tailored burgundy work attire.
Seated next to her was a younger-looking woman with waist-length silver-white hair that cascaded smoothly by her side like a waterfall.
"And who is this?" Lanchi inquired as he and Tata approached to take a seat.
"My friend, Etio," Rosalinda introduced. "She came to observe the final round of the Platinum-level card maker exam today. As a former champion of the St. Silvervine Arena, she now holds several honorary positions here. For instance, I directly liaise with her for venue collaboration work."
"Miss Etio..." Talia immediately recalled who she was.
The Holy Grail Familiar Tournament was a popular event in the Kingdom of Bosun, and Duke Migaya had once participated as an employer and emerged as the champion. After his victory, he granted freedom to the champion familiar.
This woman, Etio, was the demon whom Duke Migaya had discovered and mentored, imparting knowledge and techniques that facilitated her rapid growth and transformation into an exceptionally powerful being. She had not only regained her freedom but had also become the lord of District 9 in the Demon World of Bosun.
Duke Migaya's reason for participating in the tournament was simply to bring joy to Ifatiya, who loved watching the competitions and occasionally enjoyed lounging and observing the lively proceedings.
Undoubtedly, both Rosalinda and Etio were likely well-acquainted with the Duke and Duchess Migaya.
"Lanchi, Tata, I apologize for the recent unrest in the Demon World of Bosun. Otherwise, I would have certainly hosted you," Etio addressed them.
Although her expression remained unchanged, her voice was gentle, and her eyes, a faint ice-blue, shimmered with a translucent clarity akin to crystal. She wore a pure white lace dress, its skirt cascading loosely by her side, delicate as butterfly wings. Her only accessory was a simple silver necklace, a stark contrast to her neck's snow-white complexion.
"Not at all. It's a pleasure to meet you," Lanchi replied with a shake of his head.
The Demon World of Bosun was presently divided among several demon lords, who effectively served as the highest decision-makers, interfacing directly with the Senate of the Kingdom of Bosun.
At tonight's banquet hosted by Lord Perlman, the lord of District 10, Etio, the lord of District 9, might also be in attendance. Lanchi had initially thought they would meet later in the evening but was surprised to encounter her here ahead of time.
However, during tonight's banquet, he would be assuming the identity of Rocky McCarthy, and Etio was unlikely to recognize him.
Both Etio, the lord of District 9, and Perlman, the lord of District 10, were among the strongest individuals in the Kingdom of Bosun.
There was also an eight-stage human assassin general, but he was currently stationed at the southern border of the Aquitaine Domain, as the movements of the Kresin Empire to the south had become increasingly enigmatic, necessitating the presence of a powerful individual to guard against any potential aggression from a war god comparable to a bishop.
"It's a shame that Hiberlian didn't come with you. I guess I'll have to wait until I visit the Kingdom of Horton to see her again," Etio remarked, a hint of regret in her eyes.
Despite her unchanged expression, her slightly stirring gaze suggested she was reminiscing about a beloved person.
"Has Miss Etio met Hiberlian before?" Lanchi asked curiously.
When individuals with mutual acquaintances meet, they often find themselves instantly connecting and conversing as if they were old friends.
Meanwhile, Talia had already started silently indulging in the cheese coconut pastries that Countess Rosalinda had pushed toward her. Each pastry consisted of layers of flaky pastry and melting cheese, with a sweet coconut filling and a tangy mountain hawthorn cake.
"Yes, we've met a few times, and we got along quite well," Etio reminisced with Lanchi.
Upon hearing this, Talia's attention immediately shifted from the pastries to Etio, her eyes narrowing slightly. She rarely heard of Hiberlian willingly accepting care from other women.
Her unique status seemed to be challenged.
Lanchi glanced at Talia, signaling for her to remain calm.
"What do you think of Hiberlian?" Lanchi inquired of Etio.
Talia's heart skipped a beat, anticipating that Lanchi was about to ask the juicy question, "Would you like to be Hiberlian's stepmother?"
However, he managed to maintain decorum and phrased his question politely.
"I really want to give her some motherly love..." Etio confessed candidly.
Talia's expression turned complicated.
"Unfortunately, she only grew slightly close to me, and I can't quite figure out why," Etio continued. "I've always felt that she needed a mother's care, but she seems to have her reservations. I've tried to get closer to her, but she always maintains a distance. I wonder if it's because of my identity as a demon..."
"It's just that I have no such intentions towards Migaya and Ifatiya. They are purely my teachers and good friends. I just want to take care of their child," Etio added.
Upon hearing this, Talia and Lanchi were taken aback.
"Can you tell what the two of us are thinking?" Talia asked hesitantly after a moment's pause.
She could sense that Etio was speaking the truth; she truly held no special feelings towards the Migaya couple.
"Migaya and Ifatiya often communicated with their eyes like that. After watching them for a while, I could probably guess what they were thinking," Etio explained.
Her words struck Rosalinda like a blow, and she could only lift her wine glass, drinking the bitter wine as her heart ached.
Lanchi and Talia fell silent, feeling awkward that their private thoughts had been exposed and also because they had unintentionally hurt Rosalinda.
It seemed there was only one loser in love here.
That was the cruelest part.
"Are the two of you thinking something impolite?" Rosalinda asked, sensing that Lanchi and Talia's gazes were strangely synchronized at that moment.
Whenever these two exchanged secret glances or made subtle gestures, they treated everyone else like they were blind to what was happening!
"No, no," they both shook their heads.
How was it that their encrypted communication kept getting deciphered?
"By the way, do either of you know anything about Ifatiya? We've always wanted to help Hiberlian find her mother," Lanchi asked, suddenly remembering their original purpose.
Earlier, he had considered trying to contact people who were acquainted with Migaya and Ifatiya during his time in the Kingdom of Bosun, hoping to gain some clues that they might not have access to in Horton.
And since Etio and Rosalinda knew that he and Talia were close friends of Hiberlian, such a question wouldn't seem odd.
"..." Rosalinda pursed her lips and shook her head. Her interactions had mostly been with Migaya.
Every time she saw Ifatiya, Rosalinda could only hold back her tears and wanted to run away.
For her, seeing them kiss passionately was already a victory.
Her eyes became even redder.
"Er..." But Etio, upon hearing the question, parted her lips and sat up straighter.
It seemed like she had thought of something.
"Miss Etio, do you know something?" Talia asked, her eyes fixed on Etio with even more interest than Lanchi.
"Ifatiya once told me that she wanted to go to the ruins of the Kresin Empire to find an ancient potential elixir," Etio murmured. "Legend has it that this elixir can shorten one's lifespan to unlock potential, and the reduction in lifespan is proportional to the amount consumed. If a demon takes the right amount, their lifespan would become similar to that of a human. I guess she wanted to grow old with Migaya and couldn't accept the idea of watching him age and die alone..."
"Then why didn't she go when she told you about it?" Lanchi asked, puzzled.
"Because Ifatiya has a habit of procrastinating. Even if she has an idea, she might not act on it immediately," Etio replied.
Or perhaps Migaya's care for Ifatiya had completely paralyzed her ability to take action.
It was only after a fight with Migaya that Ifatiya suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Now that Etio thought about it, she felt that given Ifatiya's personality, it was possible that she had left Migaya to pursue this goal.
"..." Lanchi slowly turned his head to glance at Talia.
You demons are all so eccentric.
It seemed likely that Ifatiya's departure over a decade ago was a case of running away from home.
Pure-blooded demons were indeed not suitable to be wives.
Marry a demon, live a single life.
Hearing Lanchi's inner monologue, Talia let out a cold laugh.
Where would you even find someone to marry?
Aside from the occasional moments of gentleness towards Lanchi, Xiubao always indulged him. What other woman could put up with this guy?
He's never getting married.
"But a human's lifespan is already so short compared to a demon's. Is it really worth it for her to spend over a decade searching for this elixir?" Lanchi asked, turning back to Etio.
Those years were an irreplaceable stretch of time, both for Migaya and for Hiberlian.
While he could understand Ifatiya's thoughts, he wasn't a long-lived species like her, nor was he Ifatiya herself. He couldn't truly know what she had been feeling at the time.
"It's hard to say," Etio could only evaluate it as such.
If Ifatiya had truly fallen deeply in love with Migaya, perhaps she would spend a decade or two searching for a potion that would allow her to spend a true married life with this human. It would be an acceptable and necessary price to pay.
"Wouldn't such a potion be poisonous to demons?"
Talia couldn't understand why her sister would go to such great lengths to find a potion that would accelerate her own death.
If it were her, even if such a potion were given to her, she wouldn't choose to drink it.
"I don't understand either, but I believe that Ifatiya thought it through," Etio shook her head.
"... "
Lanchi also didn't know if the outcome was a good or bad thing.
If Ifatiya couldn't find such a potion, Hiberlian could only have a complete family at the beginning of her life, but not at the end.
And whether or not they found it, she had grown up without a mother by her side.
However, he and Tata had indeed gained a useful piece of information.
Ifatiya was most likely in the Kresin Empire.
On their journey to find Migaya, they might be able to find Ifatiya first.
The people in the office chatted away.
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and through that huge floor-to-ceiling window, a different kind of sunset could be vaguely seen.
Dark gray clouds shrouded the entire city, completely obscuring the sky.
It was like a hazy gray veil covering the glowing sunset, with strands of deep red silk wandering gracefully within, occasionally piercing through the clouds and carving a fissure in the gloomy sky.
"By the way, Countess Rosalinda, do we have any means of mailing or shipping our paintings?"
Lanchi glanced at the sky, estimating the time to meet up with Nigel, and asked Rosalinda.
For the artworks completed during the exam, the ownership belonged to the examinee after paying the material fees.
"Regarding the painting, there's currently no good way to send it back to the Kingdom of Horton, and with the impending war, the risks are much higher than before. International shipping companies are no longer willing to sign high-value insurance policies, so you'll have to take it back personally."
Rosalinda informed them.
"Can we trouble Countess Rosalinda to help us keep it safe for a while?"
Lanchi saw that Tata was concentrating on eating the pastries, so he made a decision for the both of them.
"It's possible, but I suggest keeping it in a Pariah official institution instead of the Asturias County Palace. It would be much safer."
Rosalinda hesitated and nodded,
"When are you planning to return to Horton?"
She asked.
"Maybe two or three days, maybe a week?"
Lanchi replied uncertainly.
Regarding their collaboration with Talia in refining the [Shadow Weaving Record of Caliella], Rosalinda and the Badisdi family had almost finished acquiring the rare materials they needed, including a few pink sacred-grade items.
However, their card crafting was still a hit-or-miss affair, always stumbling at a certain hurdle. They had originally planned to rent a card crafting workshop in Pariah to complete the process, but now it seemed they would have to return to the Kingdom of Horton first and reconsider their options.
In the Temple of Pariah, there was a statue of the Epic-level God of Will and Love. By offering prayers, one could receive a temporary spiritual blessing, which also had a small probability of providing a success rate boost for crafting spiritual magic cards.
So their initial plan was to complete the card crafting by the end of August.
Now, it seemed impossible.
It was already a blessing if the two of them didn't argue during the crafting process.
"In that case, I suggest that during your stay in Bosen, you display the painting at the Platinum Forest Palace for a limited time. You'll also earn a certain amount of fees, and I can help you arrange everything with the Platinum Forest Palace."
Rosalinda proposed.
The Platinum Forest Palace was the best place for storing precious artworks, much safer than the count's palace.
There was a saying in the Flower City of Pariah that even if the Senate was conquered, the Platinum Forest Palace would remain impregnable.
Of course, no one in their right mind would dare to attack the Senate.
"No problem."
Lanchi replied decisively.
It would be more trouble to keep the painting at Countess Rosalinda's place, so why not take advantage of the Platinum Forest Palace's security for free and even earn exhibition fees instead of paying storage fees?
"By the way, is there anything else you can tell us about Ifatiya?"
Talia picked up another cheese coconut pastry and asked.
She and Lanchi could sit there and chat a little longer.
On the one hand, she wanted to gather information, and on the other hand, she missed her sister terribly, and just hearing about her sister's daily life during those years satisfied her immensely.
"If there's anything perfect in this world, it has to be Ifatiya."
Etio leaned forward as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"?"
Talia was taken aback by Etio's sudden enthusiasm.
The usually somewhat aloof-looking Etio now had eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Setting aside how beautiful Ifatiya is, her Sleeping Beauty-like appearance exudes a dreamlike gentleness, coupled with an enchanting blend of intelligence and cuteness. It's unimaginable that an eighth-stage Great Demon could be like her. She seemed so ethereal, yet there she was, right in front of me, accompanying me. Her lazy demeanor was so natural, as if reminding the world that true beauty need not be ostentatious. Her latent talent always effortlessly solved all problems, and she had a playful, adorable side as well. She truly is a princess!"
Etio rarely got so worked up, and her fists clenched as she spoke.
However, she soon realized that she might have overdone it, and coughed lightly twice.
"..."
Lanchi saw the heartbroken expression on Countess Rosalinda's face as she drank her wine, and felt that it was too cruel for her.
Earlier, Rosalinda would have complained hysterically to them, but now she could only cry silently.
It turned out that Etio was a little fan of Ifatiya.
This was understandable, as Ifatiya was already a rare high-ranking demon in the Kingdom of Bosen, and it was normal for Etio to admire her.
"But Ifatiya mentioned that she had an older sister, who was her ideal princess. She was very attached to her sister when they were young, but she knew she could never become a demon princess like her."
Etio suddenly remembered and shared with the two of them,
"I can't even imagine what Talia, the perfect princess in Ifatiya's words, is like."
"..."
Lanchi and Talia looked at each other again upon hearing this.
The sister that Ifatiya spoke of was none other than Talia.
"Can you tell us more about her?"
Lanchi asked curiously.
Talia was also curious about how Ifatiya had described her back then.
"Ifatiya said that Talia was very powerful, much stronger than her. After a hundred years, she is probably even stronger and more unimaginable. She wouldn't be as lazy and stagnant as Ifatiya."
Etio said.
"Pfft..."
Lanchi couldn't hold it in anymore, and before he could say anything, he coughed twice as if he was stopped, and then he didn't continue.
Etio looked at Lanchi and Tata, who were sitting across from her with confused expressions, unsure what was going on.
"No, don't mind us."
Lanchi took a deep breath and said.
"And I heard that Talia is very disciplined. She gave up eating sweets, and when she had the rare opportunity to enjoy desserts, she only allowed herself to eat the finest ones. She wouldn't indulge like a fallen demon. With such strong willpower, she must also be determined to fulfill the wish of the demon tribe and would not easily forget their aspiration."
Etio nodded and continued to tell them about Talia.
Talia, who was holding a pastry in her right hand, stopped in her tracks.
She now felt conflicted and tortured, unsure whether to finish eating or put it down.
Meanwhile, Lanchi beside her was already shaking his shoulders uncontrollably, trying to hold back his laughter.
It seemed like he was suffering from trying to suppress his laughter.
Talia became angrier the more she thought about it.
If she was holding the coconut pastry, she couldn't hit Lanchi.
If she put down the pastry, she couldn't forgive Lanchi.
Finally, Talia couldn't take it anymore. She chose to finish the pastry and then pinched Lanchi, her face slightly reddened, perhaps from Lanchi's laughter.
"Ifatiya also said that Talia is like a queen who never relies on any other demon. As a princess, she is dignified and reserved, and only allows the demon she likes the most to get close to her, like Ifatiya."
Talia immediately withdrew her hand from Lanchi's waist as she listened to Etio's words, feeling uncomfortable.
She now felt that she must not reveal her identity in front of Etio, or she would be so embarrassed.
"Lanchi, I heard that you've been to the Northern Continent. Have you heard of Talia?"
Etio asked Lanchi after sharing what she knew about Princess Talia. She had heard from Rosalinda that Lanchi had once traveled to the Northern Continent for a research project at the Ikelite Academy.
Perhaps there was more information about Talia on the Northern Continent, as Etio could only find mentions of Talia, Ifatiya's older sister, in history books from the Northern Continent.
"I have indeed heard of that fairy sister."
Lanchi did his best to maintain his expression.
His ears were already red from holding back his laughter earlier.
"What did you hear about her?"
Etio asked Lanchi with great interest.
As soon as Lanchi opened his mouth, he felt a gaze upon him.
It seemed like Talia was warning him not to say anything inappropriate.
Lanchi felt stuck.
He couldn't tell the truth, nor could he lie.
"She is glamorous, rational, and captivating. She is the epitome of evil and madness among the demon tribe, posing a greater threat to the world than her talents warrant. Yet, she is able to control her desires and inner demons. Instead of relying solely on brute force, she excels at infiltrating her enemies' minds, inflicting the cruelest curses and torments upon them!"
Lanchi recited the words of his former student, Zestila.
When he first went to the Northern Continent, he encountered a little demon dragon student who was Talia's number one fan, even before he started working as a private tutor.
"No wonder she's Ifatiya's older sister."
Etio clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with respect.
"?!
Talia felt like she was going crazy.
How could even the students from the Northern Continent think this way?
Because it was the truth.
It indicated that there were indeed people in the Northern Continent who held such opinions!
Moreover, Talia was unsure if Lanchi had tarnished her reputation in the Northern Continent!
After all, Antanas had almost mistaken Lanchi for her husband.
"It's getting late. We should take our leave now. Thank you both for your hospitality!"
Talia grabbed Lanchi by the back of his collar and stood up, bringing him up with her as she bid farewell to Rosalinda and Etio sitting across from them on the sofa.
She knew that Etio was a white demon, but Lanchi was a gray demon. If they continued chatting, Etio might be influenced by Lanchi and become a super black demon!
(End of Chapter)
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