It was clear that
After settling Leilin down in the White River Beach Valley, Belinda left early and returned late every day, looking harried and rushed, as though she were preparing for something.
Seven days later, she brought a girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old before Leilin.
"This is my sister,
Belinda pulled Sophia directly in front of Leilin.
"Lord Nick! G-Good day!" The girl named Sophia nervously lifted the hem of her skirt and offered Leilin a slight curtsy.
"Sister Sophia!" Leilin smiled and looked Sophia over carefully.
She had features similar to Belinda's, long hair like white platinum, and a pair of eyes like red rubies. But right now, there was still a hint of awkwardness on her face, making her look very uneasy.
"You… what exactly do you mean?" Leilin looked at Belinda with an expression caught between laughter and tears.
"Nothing. I have something I need to do, and I hope you can look after Sophia for a while…" Belinda stroked Sophia's head, her eyes filled with tender affection.
"When Sophia was young, an experimental leak caused her harm — not only does her appearance remain frozen at fifteen, but her intellect is the same. I secretly brought her out of the family this time…"
"Sophia, while your sister is away, you must be obedient and listen to Brother Nick, understand?"
Belinda held Sophia's hand and instructed her carefully.
"Okay! Sister, and… Brother Nick!" Sophia blushed and lowered her head.
Watching them, Leilin was completely at a loss for words.
…
In the Inferno World, daylight lasted only about four hours each day. The sunlight was not only not scorching, but was actually all the more precious for its warmth.
Brilliant sunlight fell upon the lawn. Sophia, having already shed her earlier fear of arriving in a strange place, was happily watching a few luminescent butterflies flutter through the grass, her face lit up with a childlike smile.
Not far away, Belinda and Leilin stood side by side.
"Handing Sophia over to you puts my mind at ease!" Belinda said with palpable relief.
"I hope you'll treat her well in the future. With her bloodline, your offspring would certainly be very pure White Devil nobles…"
Belinda spoke calmly, and Leilin could only roll his eyes.
"You look like you're entrusting an orphan to my care — are you planning to go off and die?" Leilin asked bluntly.
"Die? No! I'm just settling a score!" A look of hatred crossed Belinda's face. "With all the preparations I've made over the years, it should be enough to make them…"
Realizing she had let something slip, Belinda quickly stopped. "Of course, I'm only asking you to look after Sophia for a while. Once I've finished my business here, I'll come straight to join you. Let's make the meeting point the
"So this was your plan from the very beginning!" Leilin said with certainty. "And your so-called preparations — that would be the petals of the Drunken Snake Flower, and this Stealth Magical Artifact you're wearing? Forgive my bluntness, but while the Drunken Snake Flower is remarkably effective against high-energy serpentine creatures, it's still somewhat lacking against a fifth-rank pure-blood Devil White Phosphorus Snake. As for this magical artifact on you — even if it has some ability to conceal your presence, I'm still not optimistic about your chances. After all, that's a fifth-rank clan…"
"How do you know?" Belinda's expression changed dramatically, and she instinctively took several steps back.
"I have some knowledge of potions, and I happened to pick up the scent of the Drunken Snake Flower on you," Leilin said with a smile, touching his nose. "This level of preparation — even if you have inside help or something similar, I'm afraid it won't be enough…"
"No! It will be enough! And you don't need to know the details. As long as I still have breath in my body, I will definitely go to the Holy City to meet you!"
Belinda shook her head stubbornly, seeming to revert to the cold, commanding leader she had once been.
It seemed she had further preparations waiting there.
"In that case, I'll go with you—" Leilin said thoughtfully. He was going to harvest the Devil White Phosphorus Snake's bloodline in the end anyway, so he might as well follow her and act directly.
"No! All you need to do is protect my sister. Everything else is none of your concern. And if anything happens to Sophia, I will not forgive you…"
Belinda glared fiercely at Leilin, turned, and walked straight into the shadows without even saying goodbye to Sophia.
"That sheer force of will!"
Leilin's eyes held a glimmer of amusement as he walked into the sunlight and approached Sophia.
"Brother Nick!" Sophia called sweetly.
"Mm! Sophia is such a good girl. Tell me, where is your home?" Leilin wore a smile as radiant as the sunshine.
"I… Sophia doesn't know… There are so many strange uncles and older uncles in there, and they all look so scary… When sister brought me out, I got even more lost…"
Sophia bit her finger, her eyes filled with obvious confusion.
"A situation like this… an innate intellectual disability? Or a later seal?" A flicker of blue light passed through Leilin's eyes as he stroked his chin.
His true spirit power surged, confirming that Belinda had indeed left without a word.
"What a stubborn girl… What a pity…" A smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's lips. With his level of power, whether he used the Star Dust Bugs or planted a true spirit mark, tracking down Belinda would be absurdly easy — even if she had concealment measures in place.
After all, the methods he employed were from the
The enormous gap between the two meant all her meticulous preparations would go to waste.
"Well then… Sophia! Shall Brother Nick take you home?" Leilin felt that at this moment, he looked very much like a big bad wolf.
"I… don't want to go back!" Sophia's face turned deathly pale. She grabbed Leilin's hand tightly, as though she had recalled something terrifying, her body even trembling slightly.
"But… your sister Belinda is still there. Shall we go bring her back? How about that?"
Leilin applied a slight pressure to her hand, as if giving Sophia strength and comfort.
"Sister Belinda!" Sophia looked around blankly, and when she realized Belinda was nowhere to be seen, obvious anxiety crossed her face.
"Sister! Sister!" She trotted forward, calling out, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Sister can't go back — Father will never forgive her!" Two lines of tears streamed down Sophia's face, her expression one of open panic.
"Is that so? Then let's go! We'll bring her back!"
When it came to family feuds and grudges like these, Leilin had no desire to get too involved. He only knew one thing — he needed the Devil White Phosphorus Snake's bloodline, and in Belinda's family back in the White River Beach Valley, there were plenty of pure-blood Devil White Phosphorus Snakes. That was enough!
"Okay! Let's go get sister!" Sophia bit her lip, having clearly made a firm decision.
"Mm! Let's go!" Leilin moved his fingers, restraining the urge to pinch her delicate cheek. A storm of black energy instantly materialized, enveloping him and Sophia within it.
…
Beyond the White River lay an alluvial plain, dotted here and there with towns and tribes. The territory was vast, and locating a particular family's stronghold was no simple matter.
However, thanks to Leilin's earlier arrangements, the Star Dust Bugs were already tracking Belinda, so there was no issue.
To let this little performance play out smoothly, Leilin deliberately hung back a few steps, giving Belinda enough time, while he followed behind Sophia at an unhurried pace — even finding the opportunity to quietly take care of other things.
"I didn't expect that outside the White River Beach Valley, there'd be a small town belonging to another race serving as cover…"
Through the Star Dust Bugs, once Leilin confirmed Belinda had set off, he led Sophia into a small town that was steeped in a distinctly foreign architectural style.
Most of the buildings in this town were constructed from stacked black stone blocks, their exteriors painted with attractive colors. The rooftops were very pointed, like inverted cones, and even the roads had been noticeably leveled to appear relatively flat.
Once they arrived, Sophia clutched Leilin's hand tightly, clearly recalling something.
At this hour it was still obviously the early hours of the morning. The entire town lay in silence, with only the faint sound of wind rising from time to time, echoing across the vast, empty streets.
Creak! A wooden door swung open, and a villager whose face still carried the fog of sleep stepped outside, carrying a water jug.
This villager bore a strong resemblance to a human, but triangular scales adorned her forehead, arranged in the shape of an exotic flower petal.
When she spotted Leilin, a flash of surprise appeared in her eyes. But when she saw Sophia beside him — especially the girl's platinum-white hair and scarlet pupils — the woman's water jug crashed to the ground with a dull clang.
"White… White Devil! The White Devils are here…" The woman collapsed to the ground, her shrill scream piercing the dark sky.
"What?"
"What's going on?"
Amid the commotion, a farmer carrying an iron pitchfork was the first to rush out of his house. But the moment he saw Leilin and Sophia, he crumpled to the ground. "Noble White Devil lords! We… we've already paid this year's 'Blood Tax'…"
"Blood Tax? Sounds like some kind of forced blood tribute."
Leilin shook his head, then looked around at the town, which was regaining its composure at an even faster pace — doors and windows were slamming shut left and right. A wave of panic was sweeping through the town, lingering in the air.