Chapter 666: Heading to Jasper’s Tomb, However...

Watching Marcus handle Lydia, SoulfireBlade and SoulSync finally felt a little more at ease.

There he was, standing in the face of Lydia’s endless questions without the slightest trace of panic, completely unfazed by her charm and seductive manner. Whenever she tried to pry something useful out of him, he either rambled on with such ridiculous nonsense that she couldn’t make heads or tails of it, or played the fool so convincingly that even his stumbling, awkward answers revealed absolutely nothing.

The two guild leaders exchanged a look of genuine admiration. ’Stonehaven, you absolute madman.’

Neither of them could help glancing between the alluring Lydia and the bumbling idiot Marcus was pretending to be. The same thought crossed both their minds at almost exactly the same moment.

These two... really were a match made in hell.

After they had finished eating, the group prepared to leave. However, just as Marcus and the others rose from their seats, Lydia stood as well. She looked directly at Marcus and said, without the slightest hesitation, "I’m coming too."

’Her?’

A chill ran down Marcus’s spine.

He had barely managed to survive Lydia’s relentless interrogation by pretending to be an idiot, and he had been counting on the quest to finally give him an excuse to get away from this woman, who seemed capable of dropping an inconvenient question on him at any given moment.

Now she wanted to come along.

That meant the interrogation would continue, and once she actually saw him fight, a woman as clever and calculating as Lydia would undoubtedly have even more questions. She was craftier than any fox spirit, and Marcus had a very bad feeling that watching him in combat would only make her more curious about him.

A scene immediately played out in his mind.

Lydia would watch him fight with stars in her eyes, then clasp her hands together and ask in that sweet, honeyed voice of hers, "Oh, Stone! You’re so strong! Are you even better than the Hidden Knight who’s currently ranked first on the Level Leaderboard?"

And that would be it.

Once she started asking questions like that, there would be no end to it.

’Damn it.’

For the first time, Marcus felt genuine fear.

How had he managed to attract someone like this? She was drop-dead gorgeous, but that was the least dangerous thing about her. Her mind was sharp enough to outfox a fox spirit, and once she became interested in something, she clearly had no intention of letting it go.

Please don’t let her come.

Marcus silently prayed that SoulfireBlade and SoulSync would turn her down. The quest only allowed a ten-person party, and with the limited number of slots available, SoulfireBlade would obviously prioritize the strongest players above Level 50.

"Sure. Welcome aboard!"

To Marcus’s utter disbelief, SoulfireBlade didn’t refuse. He didn’t even hesitate.

Lydia was already in the party.

’No. Absolutely not.’

For the sake of his future peace of mind, this woman could not be allowed to come. It was painfully obvious that she was only joining because of him, and her intentions were far from innocent. She wanted to probe his strength and figure out what kind of secrets he was hiding.

Fine.

If that was how she wanted to play it, then he’d fight fire with fire.

Marcus immediately put on his most concerned expression and turned toward SoulfireBlade. "Blade, isn’t it a little dangerous to bring Lydia along?"

SoulfireBlade started to answer. "Stone, Lydia, she..."

"Ah!"

Before he could finish, Lydia interrupted him. She turned toward Marcus, but instead of showing the slightest bit of annoyance at his objection, she looked positively delighted. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him with that dangerously charming smile.

"See? Stone cares about me. How about this, Stone? I’ll stay with you. With you protecting me, there won’t be any problems."

Marcus was completely defeated.

He had deliberately objected to her coming, yet instead of getting angry or backing down, Lydia looked as though he had just given her the greatest compliment imaginable. What was he supposed to do with that? You couldn’t exactly argue with someone who was smiling at you as though you’d just said something wonderfully sweet, and Marcus found himself at a complete loss.

"I’ll protect..."

He tried once more, hoping to steer the conversation back on course, but Lydia smoothly cut him off.

"Exactly! You’re the expert SoulfireBlade and SoulSync hired, after all. Lydia will need your protection."

Before Marcus could even find another way to object, the fox-like woman continued, her smile becoming even more charming.

"Don’t worry. Lydia knows you’ll be working hard out there. How about this? When we get back, I’ll personally cook a few of my signature dishes for you as a reward."

She glanced toward the banquet table, then looked back at Marcus, her tone becoming just a little more intimate.

"Stone, you’ve already tasted my cooking. I’m sure it didn’t disappoint, did it? There are plenty of people who would love a chance like this."

Marcus was speechless. One thought echoed helplessly through his mind.

’Cunning fox.’

This was a sugar-coated bombardment, and he had absolutely no way to fight back.

Meanwhile, SoulfireBlade and SoulSync were even more resigned than before. At this point, it was impossible to misunderstand the situation. Lydia, the Goddess of Willow Garden, had clearly decided to stick to Marcus’s side.

The two guild leaders could only give him a look filled with profound sympathy.

’Stone, you’re on your own.’

"Let’s get moving. The quest isn’t going to wait for us. Everyone, let’s go."

Lydia completely ignored the three men’s collective exasperation. Now that it was time to get down to business, she became all efficiency, urging everyone forward as she led the way out of the private room.

Marcus was speechless.

All he could do was follow, wearing an expression of quiet resignation. Yet just as they stepped outside the private room, Lydia’s voice suddenly rang out through the party system.

"Stone, why did you turn off your level display? I can’t see your level or your class."

Marcus nearly coughed up blood.

He decided that the safest course of action was to pretend he hadn’t heard her at all. He immediately struck up a conversation with SoulfireBlade and SoulSync as they left the Willow Garden Gourmet House and made their way toward the teleportation array, which would take them to Soulfire’s territory.

Several of Soulfire’s top players were already waiting at the teleport point. Among them was SoulfireLeopard, the archer Marcus had met the last time. SoulfireBlade quickly added everyone to the party. Besides SoulfireLeopard, the group consisted of two attack mages, two tank knights, and two clerics.

"Move out!"

At SoulfireBlade’s command, the group headed toward the guild gates. As they walked, SoulfireBlade turned to Marcus.

"Stone, Leopard rented ten flying mounts from the newly opened Dragon’s Roar Town. They’re called Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasants. We’ll each take one. At this speed, it should take roughly four or five hours to reach the quest location."

Once they passed through the guild gates, everyone summoned their Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasants.

The elegant creatures immediately became the center of attention. Their beautiful feathers and distinctive three-tailed appearance made the entire entrance seem brighter, and the players passing through Soulfire’s territory couldn’t help slowing down to stare at the impressive mounts with undisguised envy.

SoulfireBlade handed a Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasant to both Marcus and Lydia.

Marcus merely smiled.

"I have a flying mount of my own."

With a thought, he summoned it.

A black Royal Pegasus appeared beneath him, its broad wings spreading majestically before beating gently against the air. It lifted Marcus effortlessly from the ground, allowing him to glide smoothly alongside the Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasants.

"A Pegasus!"

The entire group looked at him with curiosity, but SoulfireBlade and the two knights were especially interested.

To a knight, a mount was more than a means of transportation. A good mount was practically a second life.

"Stone, that’s the Royal Pegasus! It’s ranked eighth on the Mount Leaderboard!"

SoulSync couldn’t help blurting out the observation. There were only two Pegasi on the Pet Leaderboard, and the Cloud-Mist Gale Steed had already been revealed to the public. That one was white.

"Yeah."

Marcus nodded calmly, allowing himself a small, unmistakable smile of pride.

The Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasants were certainly beautiful, and he had to admit they looked impressive in flight. Still, there was something undeniably satisfying about riding a Pegasus. For a knight, there was hardly a more fitting sight than taking to the battlefield on horseback.

Even Lydia couldn’t help looking at him with renewed interest.

"Stone, I have to admit, you really do have the aura of an expert."

SoulfireBlade laughed.

"Stone, looks like we really did pick the right person. With you here, we’re definitely clearing this quest."

"Let’s go!"

With a shout, SoulfireBlade urged his mount forward and led the group toward their destination.

Jasper’s Tomb.