Chapter 1621: Solo Travel

Zhao Li Xin drove in silence, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the car as the cityscape blurred past the window. His expression remained calm, unreadable, his attention half on the road and half on the faint glow of the console screen embedded in the dashboard.

A news broadcast was heard on the dashboard screen.

"...and according to recent updates, the Saintess’ rest schedule has been extended indefinitely due to health concerns. Authorities have confirmed that she will not be making any public appearances or conducting healing sessions for the foreseeable future..."

The corner of his lips curled into a cold sneer. He already knew the reason: so many ceremonial sites used for sacrifices had been destroyed, and it had directly affected the Saintess’ ability to heal others.

Zhao Li Xin was quite curious how people would react to this. Lory and Alinna stood on opposite ends of what people called ’faith,’ but the difference between them was never just power; it was origin, foundation, and what remained when everything else was stripped away.

Lory’s strength had never been born from comfort alone. It was forged through struggle, trial, and survival long before anyone ever spoke her name with reverence.

Even before the Dark Age War, she had already earned merit through action, risking herself, making mistakes, learning, and rising again.

Though few people knew the full extent of her past, once it was spoken of to the masses, its impact became even more profound. She became a legend, a myth in continuation of Lucient’s story.

Alinna, however, was different. Her reputation rested primarily on one thing: her healing ability. To the public, she was not shaped by the hardship they had witnessed firsthand, but by the results they could see from afar, miracles performed in moments of desperation, lives restored, hope revived.

But that kind of admiration was conditional.

Unlike Lory, whose worth was tied to who she was as a person, Alinna’s value was tied to what she could do. If her power weakened or disappeared, the reverence surrounding her would not have anything else to hold onto. What remained would not be character or loyalty, but expectation collapsing into disappointment.

She would become nothing more than a useless chess piece, and Zhao Li Xin wondered what the S.A.I.N.T. organization would do with a piece that could no longer be played.

His hand remained steady on the steering wheel as the city lights drifted across the windshield in slow, indifferent streaks. Inside the cabin, the news anchor’s voice continued to murmur, miracles, politics, and manufactured hope blending seamlessly together, as though they were all just different denominations of the same currency.

Still... the Saintess had not yet fallen from grace. Not entirely.

Her power remained intact, though no longer unquestioned, and for now, she still held value. After all, she was the living symbol of purity and benevolence for the S.A.I.N.T. Organization, an image carefully preserved, polished, and presented to the world like an untouchable relic.

Alexander Behrenn. Theodore Navaro. Salvo de Rova. Alinna.Each name settled into his mind like a mark carved into stone, quiet and permanent.

Zhao Li Xin’s gaze darkened, the calm on his face deepening into something colder, sharper, just like ice forming slowly over a blade that had long been left waiting to be drawn.

It had been a very long time since he had felt such a feeling to kill someone. The kind of feeling he only allowed to surface for those he deemed worthy of him. As a matter of fact, they should take it as an honor, for such attention was not something he gave lightly to anyone.

His phone suddenly rang, the familiar poko-poko dance ringtone cutting through the silence. Someone must have changed it again, and he already knew exactly who it was.

Zhao Li Xin’s brows knitted for the briefest moment, a faint frown disturbing his otherwise composed features. But just as quickly, it faded. A soft smile replaced it, melting the murderous intensity in his eyes into something soft and tender.

He tapped the screen, and the call connected at once. A coquettish voice slipped through the speaker like a teasing breeze.

"Li Xin, where are you? Why haven’t you called me yet?"

"It’s only been an hour since I left, wife," Zhao Li Xin replied, his tone laced with helpless indulgence.

A soft "oh" slipped through the line, brief and almost dismissive, before Lory moved on as if it had never mattered. Curiosity surged back into her voice in full force.

"So where are you now?"

"In a highway. I’ll take the land route to Sweetville."

"Land route?" Her voice sharpened. "Isn’t that much longer? And aren’t beasts roaming everywhere because Bael has been stirring them up?"

A low chuckle escaped him, unbothered and faintly amused. "It’s fine. I’ve already located the ceremonial site. It’s in a remote, long-abandoned area. According to the map Fredhardt gave him, the land route is actually more convenient, and with my cultivation level now, I can move much faster."

He spoke at length, calm and unhurried, as though discussing nothing more than the weather rather than traversing perilous terrain. Then, almost offhandedly, he added, "Besides... I don’t have the patience to sneak past security."

"Really?" Lory’s voice carried a trace of confusion. "But you’re doing it with me?"

A faint smile tugged at Zhao Li Xin’s lips—subtle, almost imperceptible, yet softer than his usual indifference.

"Because being with you is fun, and I don’t mind traveling longer than I should," he replied evenly. "But without you, I’ll easily get bored. Besides... don’t you want me to come back sooner?"

Lory’s face flushed, then she giggled sheepishly. "Is that so? Okay, I understand. But still, you can’t let your guard down. Remember what I told you about the Wayfarer’s Bane charm, and who knows what else they’ve planted to secure that place."

"Don’t worry about me," Zhao Li Xin replied, his tone calm yet firm. "You’re the one who should be careful. You’re the one carrying three."

A faint pause followed before his voice softened just slightly. "By the way... how are the babies? Do you feel any discomfort?"

In truth, he was more concerned about Lory’s well-being than the children themselves.

Lory’s voice softened at once, warmth slipping into it like a quiet tide. "No, they’re not acting up too much this time. The doctor said after three semesters, my strength should stabilize... maybe," she added, a hint of uncertainty threading through her words.

Silence lingered for a brief moment, not heavy, but attentive.

"Then no matter what happens," Zhao Li Xin said at last, his voice lowered, steady as a vow, "I will protect you. No matter what."

Lory hummed softly, as if smiling through the line. "I know, husband. Okay then, take care, and remember, I love you." A playful kiss followed, light as a feather.

Zhao Li Xin let out a quiet chuckle, rare and unguarded, the kind that softened the edges of everything he was. "I love you too."

Zhao Li Xin ended the call reluctantly, the warmth of her voice still lingering faintly in the silence that followed.

He drove on for several hours after that. Gradually, the highway gave way to narrower roads, and the surroundings grew quieter, too quiet. The hum of civilization faded until only the wind brushing through the mountain slopes remained.

Eventually, he stopped the car.

The engine gave a low, final hum before falling silent.

Stepping out, Zhao Li Xin glanced once across the endless stretch of rugged mountains, his gaze calm and unreadable. With a slight flick of his hand, the vehicle vanished into his spatial ring as though it had never existed.

For a brief moment, he stood still.

Then his figure moved at near light-speed. Like a shadow torn free from stillness, he shot forward into the dense forest, vanishing between the trees in an instant.

His movements were swift and utterly silent. He leapt from branch to branch without hesitation, never disturbing a single leaf, his presence dissolving into the woods as though he had become part of the wind itself.

By the time he reached the far ridge, the terrain had already begun to shift. Jagged rock softened into a gradual slope, and the oppressive density of the forest thinned into open air, where wind moved freely without obstruction.

Beyond this hill lay the outer edge of Harland’s outskirts, and beyond that, an endless stretch of sea.

He halted.

Stillness settled around him as his gaze drifted forward. Below, a cargo ship cut slowly across the blue surface of the ocean, its hull carving a quiet path through the waves.

Zhao Li Xin glanced at the time on his wristwatch. His expression remained placid, as calm and untroubled as the sea itself. Then, without warning, he stepped off the ridge.

His body dropped like a falling star.

In the instant before impact, qi surged through him, coiling, compressing, then erupting outward. The descent transformed into motion, his figure launching forward like a cannonball released into the wind. Yet within that overwhelming force, there was precision, an almost effortless grace, as though even velocity bowed to his control.

He cut through the air like an albatross riding unseen currents, gliding across the vast distance in a single breath. Moments later, he landed soundlessly atop the ship’s mast. The vessel continued forward, unaware it now carried an uninvited passenger.

Zhao Li Xin stood quietly against the sway of the sea breeze, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze resting on the endless horizon. Not a single ripple of his presence disturbed the world around him, and just like that, the ship carried him onward across the vast ocean.

After a moment, he glanced at the watch on his wrist again.

His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened ever so slightly.

At this speed, it was too slow. He wouldn’t be able to fulfill his promise to his wife...or Fredhardt.

’This can’t do.’

A faint crease formed between his brows as he calculated the distance in silence. If he continued like this, even the sea itself would become an obstacle to his promise. Just as he was considering his options, a sharp, chaotic sound suddenly tore through the air above him.

Zhao Li Xin lifted his gaze. High above the ocean sky, a flock of Alcotrices appeared, a giant, bird-like beast with vibrant plumage and long, razor-edged beaks. They were harmless in nature, more nuisance than threat, their shrill cries cutting through the wind in restless waves.

Yet they had one peculiar trait. At fixed intervals, they migrated westward in enormous formations, crossing thousands of miles at terrifying speed.

Zhao Li Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a plan gradually formed in his head, then, without hesitation, he stepped down upon the mast and launched himself upward.

The wind howled as distance vanished beneath him in a single breath. His hand shot out, seizing the leg of one Alcotrix mid-flight. With a fluid motion, he pulled himself onto its back as though gravity meant little more than suggestion.

The creature shrieked and thrashed violently, its wings flaring as it tried desperately to cast him off. The air around them fractured under the force of its struggle, turbulent currents whipping across the sky in chaotic bursts.

But Zhao Li Xin did not move. Calm and unwavering, he raised his hand and pressed it against the beast’s head. A dense, searing energy gathered in his palm, silent yet oppressive, heavy with an unmistakable threat of death. In that instant, the creature froze.

Its violent struggle ceased as if severed mid-thought. The shrill cry died in its throat, replaced by a suffocating instinctive dread that crushed every impulse to resist.

The Alcotrice stiffened mid-flight. The beast’s instinct immediately screamed danger, facing its own survival, the beast’s resistance shattered and replaced by absolute submission.

Its wings became steadied, and its flight soon smoothed, and just like that, it obeyed. Without further resistance, it rejoined the formation, carrying Zhao Li Xin into the skies as though he had always been part of the migrating storm.

_________________________________

stared at her phone after calling Zhao Li Xin, her expression still tense and heavy. It hadn’t even been a day, yet she already missed him so much it annoyed her a little. She didn’t understand why she became this emotional and clingy.

She let out a long sigh.

Then, all of a sudden—

Knock. Knock.

Before she could even respond, the door opened.

Lory’s mouth twitched. Only a handful of people in the entire palace dared to enter first and ask questions later. Unfortunately, she already knew exactly which category this belonged to—and she had a very bad feeling about it.

As expected, Fredhardt walked in holding a tray like he was presenting a sacred relic. "Princess Lory, look what I’ve got for you!" he announced proudly, his voice sweet and suspiciously persuasive, just like a parent trying to coax a child into drinking something bitter "for their own good."

Lory immediately felt a sense of doom settle in her chest.

With theatrical precision, Fredhardt lifted the lid. "Ginger chicken soup~" he grinned. "Hm, yummy, rightt..."

The room temperature seemed to drop on instinct.

Lory’s expression darkened in an instant.

Then she snapped, "I WANT LAMB CHOP!"