Chapter 244 - 152: Succubus Collar! The Great Responsibility of Breeding Succubi Is All Yours

Chapter 244: Chapter 152: Succubus Collar! The Great Responsibility of Breeding Succubi Is All Yours

’A Succubus Breeding Plan?’ Su Xuan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the special commission quest that had popped up before him, stunned. He carefully read the quest description again to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.

[Special Commission Quest: Succubus Breeding Plan!]

[Quest Giver: Mary]

[Recommended Level: 50]

[Quest Description: The Succubus Race is facing an unprecedented crisis of annihilation. Countless Succubi have perished at "her" hands. Now, a Succubus named Mary has stepped forward. Harboring the hope of reviving her race, she is determined to restart the Succubus Breeding Plan. But to implement this plan, the all-important Succubus Collar must be retrieved from the Castle of the Demon King of Lust Abyss.]

[Quest Objective: Reclaim the Succubus Collar!]

[Quest Rewards: Promotion to D+ Level Player Evaluation, Blue Recruitment Scroll x1!]

Su Xuan read the quest description and let out a long sigh of relief. ’Phew, thank goodness. For a second there, I thought they wanted me to single-handedly contribute to the repopulation of the Succubus Race.’

Although the Power of his Holy Light had increased significantly with Ivsha’s help, expecting him to help the entire Succubus Race procreate was giving him a bit too much credit.

’Speaking of which, the "her" in the quest description... It couldn’t be referring to Edith, could it?’ Su Xuan muttered to himself.

But for now, the most important thing was to meet with the Succubus named Mary and get more information about the quest.

There was also something else about the quest that he found deeply confusing: why was the item for helping the Succubi procreate called a "Succubus Collar"? He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what role the collar played.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Su Xuan’s gaze swept over the members in the Guild.

Fuli and Flora were receiving a blessing from the Elf Mother Tree, so they hadn’t come to the Guild. As for Ivsha... since she looked so much like Edith, he figured it was best to keep her from interacting with other Succubi.

After some thought, Su Xuan decided to ask Lucia to accompany him to the Black Rose Ancient City.

It would also be a good opportunity to have a proper talk with Lucia, as there had been no progress on her character quest.

According to the quest description, a letter regarding Lucia’s mysterious origins was hidden somewhere in the Black Rose Ancient City. Beyond that vague clue, he had nothing else to go on.

Su Xuan walked over to Lucia. "Lucia," he said, "I need you to come with me."

Lucia glanced at him, a barely perceptible hint of delight in her cool tone. "Where are we going?"

Su Xuan replied, "The Black Rose Ancient City."

Lucia said nothing more, simply rising to her feet and walking toward the Teleportation Array.

Su Xuan followed close behind, and the two of them walked side-by-side into the shimmering Teleportation Array.

In a dazzling flash of white light, they were instantly transported to the Black Rose Ancient City.

The familiar sight unfolded before them once more. Su Xuan couldn’t help but stop to admire the proudly blooming Black Rose. As one of the seven Valkyrie’s Flowers, the Black Rose showed no signs of withering like the White Rose had. ’It seems Edith has already found a way to stop the flowers from withering,’ Su Xuan mused.

"Let’s go," Su Xuan said, leading Lucia toward the designated meeting point.

Along the way, Su Xuan took the opportunity to ask Lucia, "Lucia, have you ever been to the Black Rose Ancient City before?"

"I have," Lucia answered concisely.

"Oh? When?"

"With you."

Su Xuan was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he asked, "And before that?"

"No." Lucia shook her head lightly. "Is something wrong?"

Su Xuan nodded, his expression growing serious. "I have a quest related to you. According to the description, there’s a letter hidden somewhere in this ancient city..."

Before he could finish, he noticed Lucia’s body give a slight shudder. Her golden-red eyes, hidden beneath a white veil, suddenly grew profound as they fixed on his face.

Immediately after, a golden light flashed, enveloping them both and creating a space cut off from the outside world.

"Are you certain there’s a letter about me here in the Black Rose Ancient City?" Lucia asked, her expression suddenly becoming exceptionally grave as she stared at him.

Su Xuan nodded. "I’m sure."

Lucia fell silent. For a long moment, the look in her eyes shifted constantly, as if she were undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

Finally, she slowly raised her head and met Su Xuan’s gaze again, her golden-red eyes filled with complex emotions.

She said softly, "Promise me one thing."

"Go on."

"Don’t read the contents of the letter."

"Alright," Su Xuan readily agreed.

A relieved smile touched Lucia’s lips at Su Xuan’s response. "I think I know where the letter is," she said softly. "But now isn’t the time to retrieve it. Let’s get it on our way back, after we’ve finished our business here."

"Sounds good," Su Xuan agreed with a slight nod.

Soon, they arrived at the rendezvous point—a tavern.

The tavern was nearly empty, giving it a tranquil atmosphere. Su Xuan and Lucia chose a secluded corner, ordered two glasses of juice, and quietly waited for Succubus Mary to appear.

As they waited, however, Lucia seemed distracted, unable to focus.

A few minutes later, a voice suddenly spoke right beside Su Xuan’s ear. "Are you the Adventurers I hired?"

Startled, Su Xuan instinctively glanced around but saw no sign of who had spoken.

He frowned, a flicker of confusion in his mind.

"Down here! Look down!" the mysterious voice chirped by his ear again. He immediately looked down as instructed.

A dark purple bat was perched under his table, its wings fluttering lightly. The voice was coming from this tiny creature.

"You’re Mary?" Su Xuan asked, confused.

The bat nodded. "That’s right, it’s me. For certain reasons, I can’t meet you in my true form, so I can only communicate through my Familiar."

Su Xuan didn’t mind. His gaze happened to land on the bat’s back, where a conspicuous red Rose was imprinted.

’That Rose...’ Su Xuan’s pupils contracted. He remembered this was Edith’s symbol.

’Does that mean she works for Edith?’

Just then, Mary suddenly recognized Su Xuan as well. She cried out in surprise, "Wait? You’re the one who killed Sana!"

’Sana?’ Su Xuan’s mind raced. He remembered the Succubus from a previous quest; her name had indeed been Sana.

"Forget it. It’s in the past. That idiot Sana... even if you hadn’t killed her, *she* would have. The outcome would’ve been the same." Mary then looked at Su Xuan seriously. "I need you to do something for me. Help me retrieve the Succubus Collar that Lan Kai stole. It’s being kept in the Demon King’s Castle in the Abyss of Lust."

Su Xuan asked, "How do I get to the Abyss?"

Mary explained, "I have almost no Magic Power left, but I can probably manage to send you directly to the Abyss. You’ll only get one chance, so you have to make it count."

She paused, then added, "Lan Kai is currently leading his Demon King’s Army to forge a passage between the Abyss and the Magic Continent. It’s the perfect opportunity."

Hearing this, Su Xuan nodded thoughtfully.

He knew that the Demon Cave was the passage connecting the Abyss to the Magic Continent. ’That means Lan Kai is probably the final boss of that extremely difficult Demon Cave,’ he thought.

"Does Edith know about this?" Su Xuan suddenly asked Mary.

When Mary heard Su Xuan mention Edith’s name, she panicked. "You! You know Edith?!"

She was doing all of this behind Edith’s back. If Edith were to find out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just then, a cool voice shattered the tavern’s tranquility. "Of course, I know~"

Su Xuan and Mary turned simultaneously to see Edith slowly approaching them, walking on a carpet of falling Rose petals.

Her very presence seemed to drain all the color from the tavern.

’I’m screwed!’ Mary wailed internally. She frantically flapped her wings, trying to escape. But the Rose mark on her back began to glow with red light, an invisible force seemingly holding her fast.

"Aah!" Mary shrieked in despair, her trembling body plummeting into Su Xuan’s arms.

Edith gracefully approached. A wisp of rose-red Magic Power curled from her fingertip, pulling the small bat to her.

She scrutinized the trembling bat, her voice laced with ice. "Mary, do you have an explanation for me this time?"

"I was wrong! Lady Edith! I truly know I was wrong! Please, forgive me just this once!" Mary pleaded desperately.

Edith shot her a cold glance, her red lips parting. "I’ll deal with you properly when I get back."

With a flick of her finger, Mary dissolved into a puff of red mist and vanished.

After dealing with Mary, Edith’s gaze turned to Su Xuan and Lucia.

She sat down elegantly across from them, crossing her long legs. Her crimson dress swayed with the movement, outlining her perfect figure. Looking at Su Xuan, her lips curled into a knowing smile. "You can continue the commission. However, you have a new client now."

Su Xuan looked at Edith and asked, "You want to retrieve the Succubus Collar too?"

"I suppose so. After all, this artifact is a treasure of the Succubus Race. Whoever possesses it can control our entire people." Edith gracefully picked up the glass of juice in front of Su Xuan and took a delicate sip before continuing, "But more importantly, I refuse to see something that belongs to the Succubi remain hidden in some thief’s lair."