"That's simple, I have a new method. Tie her up outdoors, pluck all her scales, expose the raw flesh underneath, smear her whole body with honey, and let the bees and mosquitoes feast on her. She definitely won't be able to endure it, her body will convulse violently. After three days of convulsions, her flesh will be firm and elastic. Such meat will surely be delicious enough to make you gnash your teeth."
"Roar!"
Others didn't know how they felt after hearing this, but Sun Er’dai was already drooling to his feet.
"My great master, I was just stretching my muscles earlier, preparing for our upcoming journey. Now I'm ready. Let's depart."
If one didn't look at Sun Sandai's expression, as if she had lost her father, one would think she was extremely loyal. She knew that returning to the surface meant facing ancient beings like Dracula. Such existences were like a single finger wasted on a young dragon like her, who had just reached adulthood at Level Six.
"If you slack off like this again, I guarantee I'll break every bone in your body."
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault. It won't happen again next time." At some point, Sun Sandai's eyes were once again moist. Returning to the surface this time might truly be the end. She cast a reluctant glance back at her volcano, unsure if she was saddened by leaving home or if her empty treasure vault had caused a myocardial infarction.
Li Xi and Avril sat on the back of the third-generation black dragon. With a gentle kick, Sun Sandai powerfully flapped her wings and flew towards the cave where Li Xi and the others had descended.
Along the way, they could still see traces of being chased by Nasser. In the eyes of Li Xi and the couple, the third generation's strength was only average. If she hadn't wanted to avoid trouble, why would she need Sun Sandai? However, to other magical beasts, the third generation was an adult dragon. They quietly retreated upon sensing the fierce dragon's might, fearing they might attract the attention of a top predator.
Thus, after a peaceful flight for half a day, they returned to the passage they had come from.
The passage, only large enough for a few people, could not accommodate Sun Sandai's size. She had to shrink to the size of a parrot and perch on Avril's shoulder, with Li Xi carrying Avril to fly up.
Even though they had traversed the narrow, dark passage before, Li Xi was still apprehensive as they went through it again. Fortunately, after nearly half an hour, they emerged without incident.
The sky was clear at this moment, and the midday sun bathed the earth, making everything feel warm. For many days, despite not feeling cold in the underground world, the perpetually dim environment had caused discomfort deep within their hearts. Now that they were back on the surface, their moods instantly brightened.
"Let's go and see the situation in Cardo City. If it's bad, we'll run away with Aisi and seek revenge on Dracula when our strength is fully developed."
Because Sun Sandai's size made her too conspicuous, they couldn't let her freely expand her form without causing a commotion. Thus, Li Xi still had to carry Avril as they hurried towards Cardo City.
"Husband, you don't need to worry too much. Becoming a god isn't that easy. Based on the divine power crystals you obtained in Cardo City, Dracula would need at least thirty times that amount to even have a chance of becoming a god. Furthermore, the fact that he didn't attack you back then suggests he's not in a good situation either. Perhaps when we return, we'll even hear news of Dracula being severely injured and on the verge of death," Avril said, trying to lighten Li Xi's heavy expression with a playful remark.
"Then I wish Dracula a sprained ankle, diarrhea from drinking cold water, his farts hitting his heels, and to be forever bathed in the sun."
Li Xi knew that his words were merely trying to find humor in a dire situation. Such powerful beings were miracles of time, and no amount of curses from him could bring about their demise.
............
Inside Cardo City, Aisi looked at her empty home, her heart aching more than ever. After Li Xi rescued them, due to the long distance they had to travel after being lured away, they didn't return to Cardo City until the early hours of the next morning, but it was all too late.
Cardo City had completely changed. A quarter of the population had been turned into dried husks by vampires, countless houses had collapsed, and the injured were innumerable. The city roads were destroyed, workshops had ceased operations, and grocery stores had no goods to sell.
The impact of the vampire riot extended far beyond this. The granaries had caught fire for unknown reasons, and everyone suspected the Assassin's Alliance was responsible.
Without enough food, coupled with the numerous assetless individuals who were already waiting for aid, and those who took advantage of the chaos, riots were inevitable. Looting, destruction, and arson occurred daily. With chaos came bloodshed, and amidst the constant mourning, the situation became even more dire.
Such a Cardo City caused the survivors to lose their footing and desperately flee the city. This exodus of people had nearly emptied Cardo City. All this chaos combined had plunged this city, which had once been spared from the abyss's attacks, into a year of great turmoil.
The previous attack by Lilith had resulted in five thousand deaths, meaning every household had lost someone. This time, it was even more devastating, with a quarter of the population directly lost.
The saying "nine out of ten homes are empty" was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was undeniable that one out of every four families had vanished.
The vampires, like a dark cloud hanging over Cardo City, and the Assassin's Alliance, whom the people of Cardo City hated to the bone, had transformed a healthy city into a critically ill elder in just one night.
Due to the betrayal of the Level Five Grand Archer Yalida, the collusion between the city lord and the Assassin's Alliance was a foregone conclusion. However, when Aisi reported the situation, by the time the major temples finished their own urgent matters, discussed, and realized they had no authority to handle it, and then reported the intelligence further up, and the orders were issued, the main figures of the city lord's mansion had all disappeared, except for an eight-year-old child.
Moreover, according to noble protocols, this eight-year-old son of the city lord, Gadro Monton, was the sole heir to the city lord. It was his father who had committed the crime, not him.
As long as it wasn't treason, hereditary nobles did not suffer collective punishment for crimes. Therefore, it could only be the eight-year-old Gadro Monton who inherited the viscount's title and took on the heavy responsibility of city lord during this time of crisis.
What could an eight-year-old child do? For a child who had just been kidnapped, Cardo City at this moment was a hellish beginning. Without divine intervention, there was almost no way to save this city, which had been labeled as a ruined desert. Such a situation was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the current Cardo City.
As for the vampires, there was no need to mention them. Without any top-tier experts present, the people of Cardo City could only hide; there was no way they could pursue them. Thus, Cardo City could only choose to bury its hatred deep in their hearts.
As for the members of the Assassin's Alliance, it went without saying that those who could escape had already fled with the city lord's mansion. It was the usual practice of the Assassin's Alliance that if they weren't caught red-handed, there was little hope afterward. Playing cat and mouse with professional hide-and-seek players would only lead to self-humiliation. After all, the only recorded capture of a member of the Assassin's Alliance was achieved by Li Xi.
If the desolate state of Cardo City, now reduced to a post-apocalyptic ruin, made Aisi's heart ache, then Li Xi, whose whereabouts were completely unknown, caused Aisi to weep every day. This man, who had saved her from danger countless times, had his whereabouts unknown. Many people had offered her condolences indirectly, urging her to accept her fate.
On the day of the vampire riots, let alone Li Xi, who could reach the rank of B-class mercenary, even the priests and knights of the major temples died like wheat stalks, falling one after another. Aisi was fortunate not to have stayed in the city, otherwise, her survival would have been uncertain.
Aisi's stubborn refusal to give up until all hope was lost countered anyone who claimed Li Xi was dead. No one knew Li Xi's exact strength. As his lover, Aisi only felt that he possessed a mysterious aura. Even with constant deep understanding, she couldn't fathom his depths. This feeling attracted her like a flower attracting a bee.
For the many days Li Xi had been missing, Aisi firmly believed that without seeing a body, she would never admit it. Even if she saw a body, she still wouldn't admit it.
"Didn't you say you would protect me forever and support me without me having to work? Where are you now?" Aisi sat on the empty bed, her tormented heart unable to ignore the pessimism of others, but unable to hide her true emotions.
"Who made my beloved woman sad and cry? Tell me, and I will seek justice for you."
The voice she had been dreaming of sounded from behind her. Aisi's taut nerves finally gave way, and tears poured out like a bursting dam.
Aisi turned and threw herself into the embrace of this young man, her strength such that she seemed to want to merge into Li Xi's body, and cried out heartbrokenly, "Where have you been all these days?"
Li Xi gently stroked Aisi, soothing her agitated emotions, "I was tracking down the Assassin's Alliance. I didn't have time to send back any messages these past few days, which must have worried you."
"Wuwuwuwu"
In reality, Aisi didn't care where Li Xi had gone or what he had done. As long as she knew he was safe, it was enough.
A brief separation makes the heart grow fonder. Half a day later, Li Xi lay in bed. Aisi, who had been physically and mentally exhausted for many days, coupled with the strenuous activity just now, had fallen into a deep sleep. At this point, even if Li Xi did something mischievous, he might not be able to wake her.
Li Xi couldn't help but recall what he had said to Avril when they returned to Cardo City earlier.
Avril said, "Our current relationship isn't something Aisi can know about yet. It's not too late to talk about it after everything is settled."
Li Xi felt a bit apologetic, after all, he was the one cheating. "Aren't you being wronged?"
Avril flashed a mischievous smile. "Don't you think this kind of sneaking around is more exciting?"
Li Xi was left speechless by her question, but he felt Avril had a point. It was indeed quite exciting. His heart felt like a kitten scratching at his liver, and he really wanted to try it.
Li Xi saw the tragic state of Cardo City with his own eyes. It was beyond his expectations that Cardo City hadn't completely devolved into a ghost town after this turmoil.
He had expected to see an empty city upon his return. Now that he saw the major temples were still functioning normally, Cardo City would not fall. These people, who had endured so many wars in this other world, bore bottomless suffering with their tenacious spirit, completely refreshing Li Xi's worldview. The light of life, no matter the circumstances, could always bloom brilliantly.
Afterward, Li Xi and Avril parted like thieves with guilty consciences. Li Xi hurried to comfort Aisi, and the result was both of them ending up in bed.
In fact, the moment Li Xi first saw that there were still people alive in Cardo City, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Dracula hadn't committed any unforgivable act of slaughtering the city after losing the divine power crystals.
When Aisi recovered and woke up, the two inevitably discussed the aftermath of the vampire's blood sacrifice.
Soon, Aisi's words proved how correct Avril had been. "Dracula performed blood sacrifices simultaneously in twelve cities, deploying four royal vampire bloodlines, plus twelve dukes, and countless high- and low-ranking vampires. In the end, he refined ten divine power crystals, but only obtained four. He paid the price of being severely injured and fleeing into the abyss to survive."