Chapter 336 - Night Exploration

Chapter 336: Chapter 91: Night ExplorationAfter roaming around the Grand Realm of Light and admiring some of its most iconic wonders, Lu Hong, urged by the Holy King, could only stay and return to Nong Hua’s place with Anna as the sunset descended.

"How was your day?" Nong Hua handed over two cups of tea, smiling.

"Not bad, the architectural style here is quite unique."

"Of course, it is said to be inspired by the dream travels of the original Holy King through the divine realms." Nong Hua appeared to have other matters to attend to and didn’t chat much longer with Lu Hong before preparing to leave, "I have arranged your lodgings, my disciple will take you there. I have also informed them that you have no restrictions within the Grand Light Palace, feel free to visit anywhere you wish without worry."

"Thank you for your kindness, Archbishop." Anna revered Nong Hua greatly, this being only her second meeting with him. The first had been during a crisis the night before, with no opportunity for proper introductions, and she was just about to bow deeply when Lu Hong held her back.

Anna, recalling what Piao Miao had previously suggested about Lu Hong’s identity, quickly understood and felt a warmth in her heart.

She was an imperial hero, the wife of Baron Yitian, whose rank was not high, yet his fame rivaled that of the country’s ruler. It was fitting to show respect to the Archbishop of the Holy Court, but profound obeisance would be excessive.

"Little maid, spare your formalities." Nong Hua chuckled, then pulled a jade pendant from his waist pouch, "This treasure, which I’ve kept with me since my earlier years, I now gift to you as a token of our meeting."

"This..." Anna hesitated to accept it, knowing well that the personal accessory of an Archbishop was stamped with his identity, and what Nong Hua was offering was not just a magical artifact, but his protection.

Lu Hong was very pleased and urged Anna to accept, "What are you waiting for?"

"Thank you for your generous gift, Archbishop." Anna quickly thanked him and accepted the gifted item. Lu Hong helped her fasten it to her waist and advised, "Make sure to keep it with you whenever you go out."

"Alright."

"Alright," Nong Hua patted his clothes, "Off I go."

In the middle of the night, Lu Hong was awakened by someone.

"Boss, wake up, wake up, tomorrow you’ll leave, and tonight is the best opportunity to acquire the divine object!"

"Don’t rush me." Lu Hong opened his eyes, kissed the sleeping Anna on the cheek, then quietly got up and left.

But the moment Lu Hong left, Anna’s eyes suddenly snapped open, filled with boundless bewilderment.

"Anna, Instructor, you are a pivotal teacher of our Holy Academy and part of our Alliance family. The man by your side is an imperial baron. You should know that the Empire and our Alliance are at loggerheads, and according to several dukes, Baron Yitian must be under orders from Emperor Konstantin to carry out dangerous sabotage in our Alliance."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The Duke hopes that Instructor Anna will prioritize the greater good, to surveil Baron Yitian and report any actions against the Alliance to prevent significant losses. You wouldn’t want our Alliance’s citizens to suffer, right?"

Anna remained silent.

The person continued, "I urge Instructor Anna to consider the broader picture. The Duke specifically mentioned that if you can uncover Baron Yitian’s mission and thwart the Empire’s scheme, the Alliance may spare his life, merely stripping him of his position and placing him under your supervision."

This was the message silently conveyed to Anna by a Duke’s agent while she was recovering at the Pool of Light, not to kill Lu Hong but to promise to keep him forever by her side; this deeply moved Anna. Raised in the Alliance, she did not wish it harm, yet she had irrevocably fallen in love with the man beside her. Torn between her country and her love, she truly struggled.

Regardless, Anna wished to ascertain Lu Hong’s real reason for infiltrating the Alliance. Activating her magical senses, Anna too arose and followed in Lu Hong’s footsteps.

"Boss, someone is tailing you," the Holy King instantly noticed, "And it seems to be your sister-in-law!"

Without a word, Lu Hong continued towards the back courtyard. After all, Nong Hua had said he could go anywhere in the Grand Light Palace without interference, and surely that included the courtyard.

Following the path from the morning, the moment he stepped into the backyard, the vegetation in the garden seemed to awaken, emitting a dark luster akin to the eyes of demons under the night sky, staring fixedly at Lu Hong.

"In the daytime, it looked so holy. Why does it transform like this at night?" Lu Hong was very surprised. It seemed that the Hall of Great Light surely hid many secrets, and behind these secrets lay a price that could cost one’s life.

"Boss, be careful. These plants have mutated and are highly aggressive." As he spoke, the Holy King pooled the power of Holy Light to protect Lu Hong.

"Is there a way to deal with these mutated things?"

"I can protect you as we walk through. There should be no danger ..." The Holy King suddenly raised the issue of Anna following behind Lu Hong, his concerns evident that she might inadvertently get hurt.

"There is a way, but it will cost a lot. I need a large amount of your life force to intoxicate all these bizarre plants." The Holy King explained, "These plants attack invading creatures simply to absorb their life force. You just need to saturate them, and they’ll naturally lose their desire to attack."

Lu Hong immediately understood the Holy King’s intention. "Okay." As he said this, Lu Hong placed his right hand on the ground, and with a surge of powerful life force, directed it into the soil under his control and reached the roots of these strange plants.

The plants, sensing the vitality of the life force, trembled oddly and sucked frantically. As time passed, the surfaces of these plants blushed red, exactly as the Holy King had described, looking as if they were intoxicated—flowers and leaves all drooping, sated to the brim.

"Phew~" The garden did not look very big, but these plants were voracious. Lu Hong’s vast life force was heavily depleted. This amount could match the total magic power of three Third Transition warriors combined. If Anna had wandered into this, it would have been strange if she weren’t drained dry.

"It’s not a big deal. Could you just go back and tell your wife your purpose, why go through all this trouble?" The Holy King asked puzzled.

"I ..." Lu Hong fell silent, adjusted his state, and continued deeper into the garden.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her; he just didn’t know how to tell Anna. Should he say that he came to the alliance to die? Since death was intended, why provoke this affections?

Sensing the long-stalled Lu Hong moving forward, Anna also emerged from a corner, witnessing the garden flushed in a blood-red color, her heart trembling. What kind of monsters were these? Then, she cautiously made her way deeper.

But just as she stepped in, Nong Hua appeared behind her unexpectedly and patted Anna’s shoulder: "Young lady, this isn’t a place just anyone can enter."

Startled, Anna’s magic burst forth, but Nong Hua’s arm pressed her down tightly, suppressing her magic from emerging.

"Alright, go back and rest." Without further word, Nong Hua flung Anna out a hundred meters away.

Anna had no choice but to leave, biting her lip. Exploring the Hall of Great Light at night was her mistake, but hadn’t Nong Hua said they could roam freely here before? Why block her now? Moreover, why only her, not Lu Hong?

Suddenly, Anna realized; Nong Hua’s words weren’t meant for her, but rather to encourage Lu Hong to enter on his own initiative.

"What exactly is your purpose?!" Anna asked through gritted teeth.

"Don’t worry, it won’t harm him; my master just wants to see him." Nong Hua said, "He’ll return on his own in less than two hours."

Anna was helpless and shouted loudly, but Nong Hua, prepared, set off a ripple of magic power, trapping Anna’s voice within.

"Ah, it seems the wife didn’t follow." The Holy King told Lu Hong, "She’s probably studying those eerie plants."

"Could there be any danger?" Lu Hong asked anxiously, then immediately wanted to turn back.

"No worries at all, those plants are full and will definitely not attack anymore. You can rest assured," hurriedly, the Holy King stopped Lu Hong.

"If she has even a slight injury, I’ll stuff you in the toilet to soak for the next lifetime!" Lu Hong snorted coldly and continued towards the residence of the Holy King.