“Huh? Lian, why are you being so refined today?” Starlight casually tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Po Kong. Seeing Lian’s movements, he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
He clearly remembered that when they first met, she had unceremoniously devoured enough food for three people. Her appetite back then was no less than Little Gold’s current performance.
How had she suddenly become such a lady? The change was so drastic that Starlight felt a bit out of sorts.
“Um... because, well...” Hearing this, a blush suddenly crept onto Lian’s pretty face, and her voice became hesitant.
She kept her head down, completely avoiding Starlight’s eyes, while her hand restlessly toyed with the hem of her clothes, looking quite uneasy.
“Is there even a need to ask?” Po Kong chimed in while gnawing on the chicken leg. “She’s the leader of the Night Elves now. She has to maintain some kind of image, right? She can’t be all boisterous like she used to be~ Am I right, Little Lian?”
“That’s right... that’s right! That’s it!” Lian hurriedly nodded, seemingly having found a reasonable explanation, though her face only turned redder.
Starlight couldn't help but be amused by Lian’s behavior.
He didn't press further, instead offering a gentle smile. “In any case, as long as you like the food I make, I’m happy. Here, eat more, don’t be shy.”
Lian raised her head slightly and stole a glance at Starlight. Seeing him busy carving the food, a flicker of a different emotion flashed through her silver eyes.
She gave a soft “Mm” and lowered her head again, taking small bites of the food on her plate, though the blush on her face lingered for a long time.
Starlight, who had turned away, didn't notice that her shyness seemed to be dyed with a layer of warm gold by the light of the stove, making her look exceptionally moving.
Thanks to the magic grill provided by Yserazor, this small banquet went very smoothly.
Although Starlight couldn't yet fully integrate his own mana into the food like Branno and his disciple to grant it unique magical effects, the taste was certainly not lacking.
More than half of the hundreds of pounds of food he cooked ended up in Yserazor’s stomach. If Little Gold hadn't seen where things were going and immediately stopped him, there might not have been enough for everyone else.
“Hey, old man, that’s enough! If you keep eating, there won't be anything left for us!” Little Gold grumbled while chewing on a steak.
Hearing this, Yserazor reluctantly put down the piece of meat in his hand, licked the grease from the corner of his mouth, and muttered, “Fine, fine, I’ll leave some for you guys.”
He said this, but his eyes remained glued to the remaining food, as if he were calculating how to sneak another bite.
Fortunately, Yserazor cared quite a bit about Little Gold and didn't resort to bullying the young or snatching food. However, the look he gave Starlight had turned into blatant admiration, as if he wanted to keep him by his side as a personal chef.
That burning gaze made Starlight’s scalp tingle. He felt secretly relieved that he still had many goals to achieve; otherwise, he might have truly been “detained” by this Dragon King.
It was also thanks to Yserazor taking out all the ingredients stored in his storage space earlier that Starlight didn't have to start another fire to cook for him again.
At the same time, he silently decided that it would be best not to tell Yserazor about the large amount of food he still had hidden in his own space...
Just as they were finishing their meal, two figures rushed in from the cave entrance.
It was Xia Duo and Moen, who had gone out to scout. However, seeing the two of them in such a hurry, it seemed something unusual had happened outside.
Seeing the two women return, Po Kong immediately stood up and went to meet them, handing over the food he had set aside for them.
However, Xia Duo just took the plate casually and didn't start eating immediately. Instead, she turned to Yserazor and said, “Rift Dragon King, things outside don't seem right. Are you sure there are no problems around here?”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? What did you find?” Yserazor leaned back lazily, patting his round belly as he asked with curiosity.
Having just eaten his fill, his tone was a bit nonchalant, clearly not taking Xia Duo’s words too seriously.
At this time, Moen also took her plate from Po Kong, but she was equally slow to start eating. She looked at Yserazor with a serious expression.
“Lord Dragon King, did you set up some special repelling barrier around your cave? We searched for nearly an hour outside and didn't find a single living small animal.”
“Isn’t it normal for there to be no small animals? My Dragon Might is here; ordinary creatures can’t handle it...” Yserazor said dismissively, shaking his head as if it were common sense.
But before he could finish, Xia Duo interrupted him. “No, the barrier you set up at the entrance is actually very effective at suppressing your aura. Besides, even in the most terrifying places, it’s impossible for there to be no living things at all. But outside, there is nothing but plants. It’s too abnormal.”
“Is that so? I didn’t notice. Is there something strange about that?” Yserazor frowned slightly, still not quite understanding what the sisters meant.
As a dragon, he was naturally at the top of the food chain, so he never paid attention to tiny insects and creatures. Consequently, he had never noticed such details.
Seeing that he still didn't quite understand, Moen hurriedly explained, “My sister is right. The only living things outside are plants. I think... your cave might be being watched by something.”
Hearing this, Yserazor’s expression finally turned serious. He slowly sat up straight, his brow furrowed. “Watched by something? You mean some existence is secretly spying on this place?”
Xia Duo nodded, her tone worried. “Yes, and the opponent’s strength is likely not weak; otherwise, they couldn't have driven away or eliminated all the creatures in the area. We suspect this might be a conspiracy against you.”
Yserazor fell silent for a moment, then let out a cold sneer. “Heh, interesting. Someone actually dares to target me?”
Although his tone was still disdainful, his eyes had turned sharp. As a Dragon King, he was not someone to be trifled with. If someone dared to plot against him, they had better be prepared to pay the price.
Hearing this, Starlight also put down what he was doing and spoke with a serious expression. “Is it possible that the people from the Crimson City-State did this? From Lian’s account, we can now be certain that the House of Red seems to have made some kind of deal with Yuta. Could they have done something else?”
“Even though you say that, I still can’t understand why those House of Red extremists would team up with a pureblood elf like Yuta...” Po Kong scratched his head, looking perplexed.
“Po Kong, did you forget that giant hand that took Yuta away?” Starlight shook his head and said in a low voice.
None of them could naturally forget that giant death claw that had defeated Angela.
At the time, Yuta seemed to have mentioned the word “Master.”
If the other party could even subdue a high-level expert like Yuta, then bringing the House of Red under their command wouldn't be impossible...
Although Lian and Little Gold didn't speak, they both showed vigilant expressions. Clearly, everyone realized the gravity of the situation.
Yserazor listened to their description, and the expression on his face shifted from disdain to shock.
His round body suddenly stood up, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief. “Wait... you’re saying some kind of sub-dragon species attacked the World Tree a month ago!?? Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible! Because...”
He shouted excitedly, but stopped mid-sentence, as if he had realized something.
“Because of what?” Seeing Yserazor’s strange expression, everyone hurriedly pressed for an answer.
Yserazor fell silent for a moment, his expression becoming complex.
Only after a long while did he take a deep breath and speak slowly.
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