"Really!"

Valentine exclaimed loudly upon hearing the news from Chang Long over the phone, startling everyone who had gathered early that morning. They all turned to look at her simultaneously.

"Keep it down, Mi. You almost burst my eardrums,"

Chang Long grumbled from the other end of the line.

"Sorry, I was just so surprised. I can't believe the reason you disappeared yesterday was because you were following the magical map reader,"

Valentine laughed.

"For the details, you can ask him yourself. I'm too lazy to explain. He said to look for him at Mary's Restaurant. His name is Leevalas. He wears a long white cloak that reaches his ankles, and he's a blind man who can see everything better than we can,"

Chang Long briefly described the magical map reader to her friend.

"Got it. I'll take everyone there right away,"

Valentine nodded determinedly.

"Uh-huh, talk to you later. Sieg and I are going to start searching for the temple now, and we'll send you the coordinates once we find it,"

Chang Long said goodbye and hung up.

"Everyone, I know where we can find the magical map reader,"

Valentine announced with a smile after hanging up. Everyone got up and followed her to Mary's Restaurant, which was not far away, eager to meet the magical map reader before they missed him.

Meanwhile, Chang Long and Siegfried had just left Leevalas's cabin, which disappeared from sight as soon as they stepped away. They decided to use the area around Leevalas's cabin as their starting point. It was not too far from the north gate of the city.

Siegfried took out a map and they agreed to search for the temple to the north first, as it seemed the closest. Siegfried was happy about this unexpected opportunity. It had been a long time since he had spent time alone with Chang Long, not counting their pets. Although they encountered a few beasts along the way, they did not need to intervene as Lycan and Kitsune handled them effortlessly and seemed to enjoy the fights.

They had explored almost the entire northern forest without finding anything resembling the temple Leevalas had described. They decided to take a break in a clearing filled with scattered stones of various sizes.

"This place feels strange,"

Chang Long remarked, looking around. The scattered stones were unusual, upon closer inspection, there were intricate carvings on them.

"Maybe this is the temple we've been searching for!"

Siegfried suggested, looking around again.

"A shattered temple?"

Chang Long frowned, beginning to explore the area more thoroughly. She realized that the scattered stones were just fragments of the temple, but she could not find the main structure anywhere.

"Did you find anything, Chang Long?"

Siegfried asked as he joined her.

"Nothing,"

Chang Long replied, unaware that the ground beneath her was slowly sinking.

"Me neither,"

Siegfried said, stepping into the same area. The ground suddenly gave way, causing both of them to fall over four meters onto the floor below.

"Ouccch!"

Chang Long exclaimed softly, trying to stand up.

"Are you okay, Chang Long? Are you hurt?"

Siegfried's faint voice made Chang Long freeze before looking down.

"Siegfried! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!"

Chang Long's eyes widened in shock, realizing that she was on top of Siegfried, who appeared to have hit his head. She quickly got off him and helped him sit up, then began tending to the wound on his head with an embarrassed expression.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Thanks."

Siegfried smiled warmly at her. Chang Long felt like he was oddly willing to act as her cushion.

Soon after, Kitsune and Lycanth joined them, ready to explore the pit they had just fallen into.

Kimhant felt more dejected than anyone else after hearing Leevalas, the magical map reader, explain the mission details. Although they would enter the temple together, the system would separate them, especially when facing the magic crystal shard guardian. He could hardly see a way to win, if he had to fight alone.

"You can forfeit if you want. It's not like you can't follow your friends to the island shrouded in magic later. As long as someone in your group can read the map, they can lead you there."

Leevalas shrugged and explained.

"I want to try. I want to give it my all before giving up."

Kimhant replied firmly.

"Well said, Kimhant."

Draco complimented.

"Since I've known you, this is the first time I've heard you speak sensibly!"

Peach Blossom tilted her head, looking at Kimhant out of the corner of her eye.

"I just don't want to be useless forever!"

Kimhant's face reddened slightly with embarrassment.

"What's our next move? Chang Long and Siegfried are searching for the temple to the north. We should split up to find the other temples. It'll speed up the mission."

Duncan suggested, and everyone agreed.

"Yeah, this way we'll find each temple quickly and keep the mission smooth without wasting time searching the temple one by one."

Oliang concurred.

"Then let's split up to explore the remaining three directions. Whoever finds a temple can send the coordinates to the group chat, okay?"

Lidded Wet Trash Can proposed.

"Great idea. We have 10 people, so we'll split into 3-3-4."

Valentine counted the members and started forming groups to find the temple in three other directions.

The group split up based on their preferences to search for the three temples. Group one for the east had Oliang, Wet Trash Can and Draco, group two for the south had Valentine, Aden, and Peach Blossom, and group three for the west had Hero, Jane, Kimhant, and Duncan.

"Is this a good split? Aden's group has two girls. Should we swap someone from our group?"

Jane asked worriedly, noting that the second group had Valentine and Peach Blossom, both girls, with only Aden as the sole guy.

"No need. Even though we have two girls, we're top-notch quality. Unlike your group, having 4 is like having 3."

Peach Blossom glanced at Kimhant.

"What did you say!"

Kimhant protested, realizing Peach Blossom's jab.

"Come on, let's split up. It's getting late."

Hero pushed Kimhant back to his spot. He approached Leevalas, who was waiting for the food he ordered while constantly glancing at the beautiful owner, Mary.

"Does this mission have a time limit?"

Hero asked to confirm.

"Yes, 1 week. If you fail, you won't be able to retake this mission for 1 month."

Leevalas answered without even looking at Hero.

"Well, we're off now."

Hero said goodbye.

"Yeah, go on. A week can pass quickly, you know,"

Leevalas waved them off, and everyone quickly dispersed in their agreed directions.

Siegfried gazed at Chang Long's face as she gently wiped the blood from his forehead. She applied some healing salve without saying much, but he did not feel awkward at all. Just being together, even without words, made him happy. Chang Long carefully placed a plaster from Siegfried on his forehead, then turned to face him and asked,

"How do you feel?"

"I'm fine now. Thank you,"

he replied with a smile, wondering why his wound felt strangely heavy.

"I should be the one apologizing. I fell on you, and now you're hurt because of it,"

Chang Long said, looking slightly regretful.

"No, it's okay, Chang Long. This is just a minor injury. It's actually good that you fell on me. If it were the other way around, you might have been hurt worse!"

He spoke earnestly, showing his genuine concern for her.

Chang Long smiled at his words. She did not quite understand how much she felt for him yet. Maybe it was because he was always nearby, or perhaps she had not fully realized her own feelings. But she did feel comfortable having him close by.

"You're polite to everyone, aren't you?"

Chang Long asked, standing up and looking around, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Yes? I'm not polite to anyone. Politeness has levels of familiarity, don't you think?"

Siegfried's answer made Chang Long look at him curiously.

"Levels of familiarity?"

"Yes, every relationship has its level of closeness. With close friends like Draco and Rafael, whom I had known since high school we talk one way. With people I don't know well, it's more formal. And with someone I like, I'm polite to show respect and make her feel comfortable…"

Siegfried looked into Chang Long's eyes as he answered, making her blush and feel flustered for a moment.

"T... That's nice for her, then!"

Chang Long said, avoiding his eyes and pretending to be interested in her surroundings.

Siegfried watched her explore the pit they had fallen into with a smile. Even if he was not sure how she felt about him, he knew he could make her blush and she did not mind having him close by.

"I found the entrance, Siegfried!"

Chang Long called out when she found what looked like the temple door, intricately carved with beautiful patterns. Siegfried walked over to take a closer look.

"If we go in, we'll have to be apart for a while, right?"

He said softly as he approached her.

"Yeah... Good luck,"

Chang Long nodded and smiled at him. He noticed her cheeks turn slightly pink, which made him feel flustered and unsure of what to do too.

"O... Okay,"

Siegfried replied, blushing. Chang Long giggled at his expression, then she and Kitsune walked through the door, disappearing from his sight.

"Now it's our turn. Let's go, Lycan."

Siegfried smiled happily and followed Lycan through the door as well.

The room Chang Long stepped into was entirely different from the entrance. Inside, it was bright, luxurious, and spacious. In the center, a high stone pedestal held a small, glowing rainbow-colored crystal, floating above a large glass tray. Around the room were intricately carved statues of warriors with various animal heads. Each wielded different weapons—spears, swords, axes, and even bare hands.

"Hit the jackpot, huh? First temple and I already have to fight,"

Chang Long muttered to herself. She was at quite a distance from the central pedestal so the warrior statues had not yet started moving.

'Look on the bright side, master. The other 3 temples might be easier,'

Kitsune tried to comfort her.

"True. There are 6 of them, and only 2 of us. Oh, and there's Hulu! Release, Hulu!"

Chang Long remembered she had another pet and quickly unsealed Hulu to help.

As soon as Hulu was released, it rushed towards the central pedestal, ignoring everyone else, aiming to consume the magical crystal shard. The guardian warrior statues sprang to life, attacking everyone in the room with high speed, catching them off guard.

"Argh! Hulu, you stupid kirin, what are you doing!"

Chang Long yelled, drawing her sword to face three guardian warriors at once. The remaining two attacked Kitsune, and one blocked Hulu.

"They're so strong and fast,"

Chang Long complained while fending off simultaneous attacks from three directions. She did not have time to call Davy-chan or Hisa-chan for help.

Kitsune also struggled against the continuous and coordinated attacks of the guardian warriors. Each blow was heavy and powerful, dealing with those attacks was wearing down his strength.

Hulu, frustrated by what stood between it and the crystal shard, glared at its opponent and charged at high speed. The angry kirin lowered its head so its sharp horn was level with the ground, aiming to impale the guardian.

Boommm!

Chang Long, hit by the guardians, was flung against the wall in a loud crash. She fell, coughing up blood, but had no time to cry out as the three guardians followed up without mercy.

"Davy-chan, Spirit Possession!"

Chang Long urgently called for Davy-chan to possess her. The guardians hesitated as an icy aura emanated from Chang Long's body, giving her a chance to turn the tide.

Thuddd!

The weapons and the arms wielding them were severed easily from a guardian under Chang Long's fierce attack. This was due to Davy-chan's level as he was in possession, combined with the power of the 3 levels advancement of the Sovereign Sword, which now had doubled its sharpness and strength.

Chang Long did not give the guardian a chance to recover. She struck its legs, cutting them off effortlessly. Its heavy body crashed to the ground and shattered, but the undamaged parts could still move.

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