Chapter 130: Hera Seeks to Cultivate Immortality

In Florence, the Hall of the Guardians was unusually quiet.

That evening, Hera walked in and discovered that the Royal Mages, who usually worked there, had vanished—only a few Night Elf mages remained, playing cards.

"What is going on?" Hera asked. For some time, the Night Elves had been studying the use of the Guardians alongside the Royal Mages. It wasn't time to clock out yet; why was everyone gone?

"Grand Astrologer," a Night Elf mage looked up at her, "have you recovered from your injuries?"

They hadn't seen Hera for several days. She had been recuperating after being punished by the Queen, but now she appeared fully restored.

"Where are those Wood Elves?" Hera asked.

"His Majesty sent over a new cultivation technique, and they rushed off to practice it!"

The Night Elf mage’s tone was filled with envy. Once the Royal Mages received the "Sun-Bright and Wind-Clear Technique," they had immediately retreated to their quarters and had not emerged since.

"A new technique?" Hera’s eyes lit up. "What kind of technique is it?"

"They say it's internal energy."

"Internal energy!"

Hera grew increasingly curious. She urged the mages to explain, and when she learned that the Sun-Bright and Wind-Clear Technique could accelerate the conversion of mana, she grew incredibly excited.

"I have to go see this!"

She sprinted toward the quarters of the Royal Mages. The mages resided in a corner of the palace, and before she even reached the area, she heard sounds echoing from within.

"Three, two, three, four; four, two, three, four..."

The incantation of this technique was so rhythmic, Hera thought. When she walked over and looked inside, she saw the Royal Mages gathered together, jumping up and down, leaping left and right.

The casting movements were so dynamic!

Hera was captivated by the rhythmic motions. Suddenly, one of the Royal Mages stopped, and a surge of powerful internal energy erupted from his body.

The other mages stopped as well, staring at him. "You leveled up?"

"Hahahaha!" The newly promoted mage laughed toward the sky. "I’ve finally reached level 3! If you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave you all in the dust!"

The other mages dismissed him with a scoff and continued their jumping.

"What’s so special about that? Three people have already leveled up today!"

"I’m almost at level 4!"

"Jump faster, keep jumping!"

The mages continued their training. Hearing their conversation, Hera was stunned. Three mages had already leveled up.

She knew that these mages had only reached level 2 or 3 after three years of practice, yet in just a single afternoon, they were already reaching level 4. How could they advance so quickly?

"This technique is incredible!"

Hera’s throat felt dry, and she began to grow anxious. The Wood Elves' cultivation speed had increased, but the Night Elves had yet to find a way to cultivate. If this continued, they would forever lag behind the Wood Elves.

"No, this cannot go on!"

Hera was unwilling to accept this; she had to cultivate. She could not lose to these mages. She turned and ran back toward the Hall of the Guardians. The Night Elf research was on the verge of success, with only a few key issues remaining, and Hera needed help.

"Guardian, contact His Majesty for me!"

Back in the hall, Hera said to the Guardian, "I need to ask him to help us complete our cultivation."

The person in this world who understood cultivation best was Lin Lei; no one was better suited to assist them.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Guardian’s light shimmered. "You recently angered him. Going to beg him now is not a good idea."

Hera could no longer restrain herself.

"It doesn't matter. Contact His Majesty for me. I will agree to whatever he wants."

Late that night, a dark cloud obscured the sky, and the inn was shrouded in shadows. The long hallway was silent as Eve crept stealthily toward Lin Lei’s room. She was worried about gossip spreading and did not want to be discovered by the other elves.

"...Ouch..."

A groan suddenly drifted from a nearby room. Eve immediately stopped, slowing her breathing. These were the rooms of the Royal Mages, and they were highly alert.

"Ouch... ouch..."

Fortunately, the mages did not notice Eve; they were groaning one after another, their focus entirely off the outside world.

"What is wrong with them?"

Eve pricked up her ears. The inn had limited space, and the mages shared rooms, but every room was filled with groans. What on earth was happening?

She suppressed her curiosity. After ten minutes, when the mages' groans gradually subsided, she continued her way, moving on tiptoe.

She reached Lin Lei’s door, only to encounter a group of fools.

"Why are you all still here!"

Eve looked ahead in exasperation. These human Paladins were glowing with light, kneeling on one knee at the doorway. They had been kneeling there all day.

"Do not disturb us; we are contemplating the truth."

The Paladin glanced back at Eve, then closed his eyes to resume his meditation. They weren't worshiping Lin Lei, but rather sensing the residual Holy Light energy in the air.

During the day, the Holy Light in Lin Lei’s room had deeply shaken the Paladins, and they were desperate to uncover the secrets contained within that light.

When searching for truth, Paladins would use a pious kneeling posture to sense the Holy Light. Maintaining this pose was no easy task, and even with their remarkable resilience, many of them had developed arthritis.

Eve didn't know whether she should still go in to visit Lin Lei, but gritting her teeth, she bypassed the Paladins and knocked on Lin Lei’s door.

"Come in." Lin Lei was not asleep.

Eve walked in and saw the table covered in dense, tadpole-like script.

"Little Prince, what are you doing?" Eve asked in surprise. Working so late—was he being too hard on himself?

"I am helping the Night Elves resolve some cultivation issues." Lin Lei turned back to look at her. "Why have you come?"

"I want to go to the library."

Eve walked over. Through Lin Lei’s earring, she heard Hera’s voice—it turned out Lin Lei was in a remote conversation with Florence.

"Is this the Night Elf cultivation program?"

Eve looked at Lin Lei’s work, but she truly could not understand it, so she soon stopped looking. "Little Prince, you haven't slept for two days. Why not leave the work for tomorrow?"

Lin Lei looked earnest. "If work can be finished tonight, I want to complete it sooner."

Eve knew his illness had not yet passed, and Hera, on the other side of the earring, was already moved to tears.

"Eve, His Majesty has suddenly become so enthusiastic. What is going on with him?"

It was fine; he was just being hoodwinked by the Holy Light. Eve looked at Lin Lei’s face; his eyes, shimmering under the lamplight, appeared especially gentle and focused. His passion for work had also increased significantly.

Yet, the more this happened, the more Eve felt something was wrong. She found herself missing the little demon.

"Little Prince, let me in!"

Eve did not want to continue seeing Lin Lei like this. She handed him a dagger—a fragment of the Scythe of the Moon Goddess.

Eve had brought the fragment with her. She hoped to continue her studies, but she lacked the authority to enter that library.

Lin Lei took the dagger. "Lie down first."

"Alright."

Eve scanned the room and aimed for the bed. Every time she entered the library, she would wake up with a stiff neck, and the reason was that the bed was always occupied by Lin Lei.

But since he was seriously ill now, she would be an idiot not to take advantage of it.

Eve climbed onto the bed.

Lin Lei used the dagger to lead Eve into the dream realm, then emerged to continue discussing matters with Hera.

Before dawn broke, the Night Elves' cultivation technique was complete.