Chapter 161: The Return

"Then tell me, what should we do next?" Claire asked.

"It's very simple," Lorell said, looking at the corpse of the gray-robed man. "I just need to report that the gray-robed man was killed by a hungry Demon God Seed maternal body. His current state matches that scenario quite well, and such incidents have happened before. After feeding, that Demon God Seed will retreat into the void and won't reappear for a year or two. In other words, the Dark Cult won't be able to verify the situation for at least a year."

"It's that simple?!" Lando asked in astonishment.

Lorell looked at Lando and nodded silently.

Does this make me look completely clueless to you?! Besides, being a Demon God Seed handler really is a high-risk occupation!

"Since that's the case, it's settled," Claire said. He then pulled a small fragment of flesh from the Soul-Hunting Undead and tossed it at Lorell. The latter felt a jolt of panic in his heart—he had witnessed the entire process of the gray-robed man being devoured by that Soul-Hunting Undead. Fortunately, after the fragment entered his body, there was no adverse reaction.

"This is a small trick I developed based on the Soul-Hunting Undead. If I wish, it will begin to consume the host's soul. The process is quite painful, but since you seem like a smart person, I'll spare you from experiencing it firsthand."

Lorell's mouth twitched slightly, and he hurriedly shook his head.

As the three of them walked back, Lorell briefly explained the relevant details of this secret realm to the two of them.

This region was a secret realm belonging to the world of Astrea, possessing a vast expanse of space. The concentration of deathly energy was very suitable for mid- and low-level undead creatures, though it was difficult for high-level undead to be born here.

The maternal body of the Demon God Seed was kept and raised on the periphery of this secret realm. It survived by consuming the spiritual fluctuations emitted by the undead creatures in the realm, though this method generally only sustained its existence and could never truly satisfy its hunger.

Therefore, whenever members of the Dark Cult came to feed it, they would bring along some mid- and low-level members. These members would kill undead outside, allowing the Demon God Seed's maternal body to have some appetizers first, preventing it from being in a starved state and directly attacking the feeders upon meeting them. Naturally, this was also the reason why Lorell was confident he could cover up the truth of the gray-robed man's death.

The three of them briefly harmonized their stories—primarily Lando and Lorell, while Claire simply pretended to know nothing, as he had no role in this part to begin with.

Upon returning to the secret chamber, Claire used his own abilities to depart directly, and Lando returned to his original post. When only Lorell was left in the chamber, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

After sitting blankly for a long time, Lorell gave a bitter smile and began sending out the summoning signals as agreed.

Shortly after, the four people who had been outside killing minor monsters returned one by one, with Lando mixed among them.

Seeing Lorell's abnormal state and noting that he was alone, the other three couldn't help but look surprised.

"Lorell, why are you the only one here? Where is Lord Gray-Robe?"

Although Lorell was a candidate for "Controller," he was still only a candidate, effectively holding the same rank as the other three. Therefore, when the three of them asked, they used their normal tone without showing any particular reverence.

Instead of answering their questions directly, Lorell said, "The mission has been completed, but some unexpected incidents occurred along the way. We will return to the academy immediately, and I will explain everything to the superiors then."

The three frowned slightly, but since Lorell claimed he would handle the explanation (and take responsibility), they pressed the matter no further.

Lorell took out the black gemstone from the gray-robed man's remains. His own strength was still insufficient to directly activate the aura within the black gemstone, so he had to take it out every time it was used.

With a flash of light from the teleportation array, the five of them returned once again to the residential dwelling housing the array. The old man sat on the bed watching them. Seeing that only five had returned and the gray-robed man was nowhere to be found, his eyes contracted sharply before slowly returning to normal, accompanied only by a silent sigh.

Lorell bowed respectfully to the old man and hurriedly left with the four others.

Returning to the academy before dawn, Lorell dismissed the group directly. Before leaving, he nodded to Lando with an attitude no different from before.

Lando bid farewell to the other three with a beaming smile, completely ignoring their heavy-hearted expressions, and headed straight away as well.

Back in his dormitory, Lando had no intention of going back to sleep. He was waiting—waiting for the arrival of the agreed-upon person.

A moment later, a subtle spatial ripple appeared in Lando's dormitory, and Claire stepped directly out from the void.

Lando took out the tea he had procured beforehand from the magic tower to entertain his guest.

The small gray bone dragon had now shrunk back to the size of a palm, crawling back and forth on Claire's shoulder while curiously sizing up Lando.

Lando locked eyes with the little gray bone dragon for a moment, only for the little creature to proudly and coldly turn its head away first. Finding it rather amusing, Lando took out another cup and poured some nectar of the Fressen flower into it for the little fellow. The creature's eyes suddenly lit up, and it immediately pounced, plunging its head into the cup and emitting occasional sounds of utter satisfaction.

Lando had always been quite interested in such fierce yet adorable pets and couldn't help casting his gaze toward his own left hand. While it looked smooth and clean on the surface, a little fellow of his own was actually brewing right there. He wondered what kind of creature this crystal lifeform would be once born—would it resemble others of its kind, or would it be an entirely new form of life?

Seeing that Lando was entirely preoccupied with playing with Little Gray—who moreover seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it—Claire felt a tinge of jealousy and broke the silence, saying, "Stop playing and let's talk business!"

Cute creatures are so much fun to play with.

Reluctantly, Lando reined in his attention.

"That Lorell is as good as his word. After we all left the secret chamber, he didn't pull any unnecessary stunts. Just now, he woke up the sleeping Prince Zige and reported on the matters of the secret realm, sticking strictly to our agreed story without uttering any superfluous words. As for whether there are any hidden codes between them, it's not apparent for now."

Taking advantage of the convenience offered by the Soul-Hunting Undead's split consciousness, Claire was able to monitor Lorell in real time—which was precisely why Lando was waiting for Claire in his dorm.

If Lorell had chosen mutual destruction and exposed the two of them, they would have had to pack up and flee immediately. After all, this was the core of the Imperial Court; whether they could win a fight was one thing, but whether it was worth the trouble was quite another.

Fortunately, seeing Claire's relaxed expression, Lando had roughly guessed that Lorell hadn't exposed them, which was why he had been so at ease playing with the little gray bone dragon.

"Since we don't have to run away, I'll be leaving first. We can discuss the next steps of the operation tomorrow."

With that, he scooped up the little gray bone dragon and made to leave.

Lando tried to persuade him to stay: "What's the rush? Play with it a little longer!"

Claire's face darkened, and with a flash, his figure vanished entirely.

Such a stingy person! (。?`w′?)