Chapter 416 - Meeting

After several seconds of silence, Zalanda said, "Since the issue of the Nort family’s succession rights has been mentioned, I think there is something you should know, Rogan’s tomb has been dug up.""Brother Rogan has been turned into an undead? Do you know who did it?" Upon hearing this, Gaven actually let out a long sigh of relief.

Compared to Rogan returning as an undead for revenge, he was more worried about Zalanda not letting this matter go.

"Not sure," Zalanda shook his head, "definitely not an ordinary person, because I feared that something like this might happen, so I conducted Holy Purification ceremonies on both bodies, burnt them to ashes, and buried them deep without erecting gravestones."

After listening to the explanation, Gaven felt a stir of emotion, perhaps he had been too concerned before.

If he had chosen to ally with Zalanda, maybe he could have directly opposed Rogan and become the Nort patriarch himself.

But in this world, there are no maybes.

If that had been the case, he would not have been able to let everything go and flee to the Northern Lands.

Gaven smiled and said, "I think, I already have a guess who did it." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt

"At a time like this, you can still laugh?" Zalanda looked at Gaven with annoyance, "You have a powerful undead watching your back."

"Not one powerful undead, but a group of them," Gaven shrugged, "Didn’t I tell you before? The estate I took in the Three Rivers Region was taken from the hands of the Goddess of Undead Vengeance, and I’ve been labeled a Blasphemer. There are plenty of undead who want me dead; I suppose Brother Rogan is no exception, probably the doings of the followers of Chiaranlisha."

"It seems you not only gained something but also got a whole lot of trouble," Upon hearing this, Zalanda, instead of relaxing like Gaven, became even more tense, "I will arrange for Nola to follow you from now on, acting as your personal guard to ensure your safety."

"Having Nola serve as a guard? Wouldn’t that be a waste of talent?" Gaven shook his head, "Even at my place, she’s of General material, isn’t she, Nola?"

Turning around to look, Nola, who was two sizes larger than an average person, kept her gaze fixed on the hand Gaven was holding, full of shyness, like a bride.

This expression suddenly took Gaven by surprise.

As someone who had seen a lot, if he didn’t understand this little expression, it would all have been in vain.

But this possibility really hadn’t crossed his mind.

Nola’s stature always inadvertently made people overlook her gender.

It wasn’t that she was unattractive; on the contrary, she was very beautiful.

Just like demi-humans are smaller overall, she was larger overall—in proportion, that is.

If placed in front of a male of the same height, she would appear well-proportioned.

Of course, her muscle definition could put most men to shame; when Gaven had previously patted her on the arm, it felt like patting a piece of iron.

Now that he had realized it, Gaven didn’t immediately let go because doing so might very well hurt the heart of the big girl in front of him.

Having grown up together, Gaven knew that her heart was not as simple as it seemed, it was just a facade to mask the sensitive and delicate parts, especially when it came to feelings, to protect herself from being hurt.

"As for a guard, I already have one, and Nola is no outsider, so let’s go together," Gaven diverted the topic as they walked towards the exit with Zalanda and Nola. Seeing people approaching, he took the opportunity to unobtrusively let go of the hand.

Nola, seeming even more afraid of being seen by others, quickly covered her head with the helmet she was carrying, shielding her face from view.

Apart from in the City Lord Mansion, where she occasionally showed her true face, outside, especially in the military camps, she was never without her helmet.

This was despite the fact that most people were already aware of her real looks.

She always felt that this made her more commanding.

The guards from the City Lord Mansion, having heard the news, rushed over and knelt on one knee before Zalanda in unison, the Guard Commander leading them as they loudly said, "We have failed in our duties, please punish us, City Lord."

Zalanda waved his hand, "Get up, all of you. Setting aside the matter of his identity as a friend, his ability to infiltrate the City Lord Mansion is not due to your incompetence, but because his strength is formidable. Look, just this cloak alone is enough to bypass most of our defenses."

Zalanda shook the Shadow Cloak, and his figure gradually vanished into the shadows until he disappeared completely.

The next second, he reappeared slowly.

"Shadow Stealth!" The Guard Commander, knowing quality when he saw it, couldn’t help but change his expression.

Typically, those with such abilities are Transcendent Thieves.

He had not expected it to be the ability of a cloak.

And not just one, for the garment the other was wearing was clearly of the same make.

The Guard Commander thought for a moment and said, "Please consider installing a Holy Warrior in our guard unit, City Lord. At least a Transcendent Holy Warrior or Transcendent Priest, as they possess the ability to counteract such powers."

"I’ll consider it," Zalanda nodded, "You may stand down. I have something to take care of and must go out."

"I will arrange the guards immediately," the Guard Commander hastened to say.

"No need, having General Nola with me is enough," Zalanda refused, "Have someone guard the war room, and forbid anyone from entering before I return."

Inside were the unique traces of her special combat with Gaven, which hadn’t been entirely cleaned up in the rush, and she did not want outsiders to learn of it.

"As you command," the Guard Commander responded.

"Your guards are certainly loyal and vigilant," Gaven praised as they walked out, "I really had to exert some effort to sneak in."

"You still have the nerve to say that," Zalanda said with irritation. "Can’t you use a more normal method?"

"But I wanted to surprise you!" Gaven said, and while speaking, he took out another Ghost Cloak from the Howard Convenient Bag and tossed it to Nola, "This one is for you."

The Ghost Cloak was obviously an extra-large size, and it was clearly made to order.

"For me?" Even the helmet couldn’t hide Nola’s surprise.

"Mhm, it’s made especially for you," Gaven couldn’t help but tease. "The same cloak, yet it took three times more fabric for you."

"Thank you, Young Master Gaven." Nola, who couldn’t put down the Ghost Cloak after receiving it, was indifferent to Gaven’s playful joke.

But Zalanda caught the key point in Gaven’s words and asked, "Are these magic cloaks your own creation? No, that’s not right, with your Professional Level, you’re not capable of making such high-level Magic Items."

"Who says Magic Items must be made by Mages?" Gaven said with barely concealed pride, "If the fabric naturally possesses Magic Power, there’s no need for Spells. Wait a second, the gift I’m going to show you is related to this."

"Fabric that naturally possesses Magic Power?" Zalanda inhaled sharply, finding the idea almost unimaginable.

"Alright, stop messing around. We’re about to leave the City Lord’s gate, and you wouldn’t want a crowd following us," Gaven said to Nola, who was busily examining and fondling the Ghost Cloak.

Let alone Zalanda, just Nola by herself would be easily recognized walking on the streets of Darama with her size.

"Oh oh..." Nola covered herself with the Ghost Cloak while curiously asking, "If we all go invisible, can we still see each other... Ah, I see, how amazing!"

When enveloped by the Shadow Cloak and in the state of invisibility, everything within sight turned black and white, including Gaven and Zalanda, who were also invisible.

"Silence from now on, otherwise we’ll startle the passersby. Just follow me," Gaven instructed, then fell silent.

With Zalanda and Nola in tow, they moved stealthily along the shadows in the street, even as they brushed past pedestrians without contact, passing directly through them as if they had truly become a group of shadows.

Gaven tried to avoid this situation as much as possible.

Because doing so, even average people would notice something, at the very least feeling a chill at the spot they passed and being unable to resist stopping to look around.

If it were one or two people, it wouldn’t be an issue, but if a group did this, it would inevitably cause panic.

They didn’t travel through the shadows for long, passing just two alleys before arriving in front of a house. Gaven did not go straight through the door; after becoming visible again, he knocked several times in a pattern that was clearly a code.

A few seconds later, the door of the house creaked open. The middle-aged man inside, upon seeing it was Gaven, breathed a sigh of relief, stepping aside to open the door while asking, "City Lord, was your meeting with the old friend smooth?"

Zalanda, while deactivating her invisibility, couldn’t help but comment, "Do you need to be this careful? You’re acting like you’re fleeing wanted criminals. Even if you walk down the streets of Darama, there aren’t many who would recognize you."

"Indeed, not many know me, but he might not be the same," Gaven said, pointing to the middle-aged man. "Let me introduce you. This is Lord Zalanda of Darama, and this man here is Kopofiel..."

"The last Watcher!" Zalanda exclaimed softly. "The Kopofiel?"

"The very same Kopofiel! Genuine and real!" Gaven confirmed cheerfully from the side.

Zalanda respectfully said, "I never thought that in my lifetime I would meet General Kopofiel. It is my greatest honor."

On Kopofiel’s handsome square-jawed face, there was a hint of embarrassment: "I’m just a failure, not worthy of such praise."

"You’re wrong, General. You’ve never been a failure, because your story has lit a beacon for all the Tesser people, setting an example for countless aspiring youth, telling them that there is still faith, there is still justice in this world, that Tesser can still be saved," Zalanda spoke passionately. "I am one of them. I hope that from now on, we can march forward together to contribute our strength to Tesser."

"Good, good, good," Kopofiel said repeatedly. "Since entering Darama, I knew there was still hope for Tesser. City Lord Zalanda, you are more outstanding than I imagined, which is fortunate for Tesser."

At the height of excitement, the man’s eyes were noticeably moist.

Hearing is one thing; seeing is believing.

Regardless of the reputation of Zalanda that spread outside, nothing compared to witnessing the city she managed firsthand.

Although Darama was overcrowded, with even the areas outside the city filled with temporary inhabitants,

everything was in order, and among most people, especially the lower class, there were no complaints to be heard, only endless praise.

This gave Kopofiel, who had seen enough exploitation and complaints in other Tesser cities, a feeling of refreshment.

Gaven looked at Zalanda warily, "Hey, just to be clear, I’m not planning to take your generals, and you better not think about poaching from me. General Kopofiel is going to be the commander of my future fleet."

"We’re all family here, no need to talk like we’re strangers," Zalanda joked, a rare occurrence for her.

After all, the last Watcher, Kopofiel, had been her idol since childhood.

"You didn’t talk like this before."

"Before, I didn’t know General Kopofiel was with you."

"Since when did you learn to be so shameless, Big Sister Zalanda?"

"I just learned it from you."

Wisely, Gaven chose not to bicker with Zalanda. Once a woman breaks through that layer, they often become persistent and unreasonable.

And even the fair Zalanda was no exception.