Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these three days, Xia De lived a very leisurely life, neither studying magic nor taking on any quests.
On the night of the final day, a silvery glow bathed the earth, casting a hazy veil over the quiet land.
Xia De stood before a grave, quietly looking at the name on the tombstone with a gentle gaze.
“Don't worry, Grandpa Novas. No one can threaten me anymore. I'm going to take a good look at this world.
“But after I've seen everything, I'll have to return to my own world.
“Still, to preserve the wonderful experiences I've had here, I'm writing an adventure log of my own.
“Although I currently only plan to show it to three people—my mom and dad from my original world, and a friend I met on this journey.
“A beautiful, strong, and charming friend.
“If you met her, I'm sure you would approve of her. She can be a bit clumsy at times, but she's also incredibly smart and sharp.
“Haha, but don't get the wrong idea.
“It's not that I like her like that. It's just that when I first arrived and knew absolutely nothing, she really helped me out a lot. She told me so many stories about this world, giving me a clear understanding of it.
“At the absolute most, I just have a tiny bit of a crush on her right now!”
As Xia De spoke, time slipped away, and a sliver of morning light began to brighten the horizon.
Xia De finished his monologue and smiled sheepishly.
“I guess I talked a bit too much, haha.”
Then, keeping his eyes on the tombstone, he seemed to catch a glimpse of the old man's kind and relieved gaze in his mind's eye. Xia De's gaze grew resolute.
“I'm going to enjoy my life and see this world.”
With a flash of his figure, he arrived in front of Count Toka's estate and murmured softly,
“Now, it's time to head to the Royal Capital.”
At this moment, a large crowd was already waiting in front of Count Toka's estate.
Since Xia De had only said "in three days," Count Toka didn't know the exact time.
To avoid annoying Xia De, he simply set the departure for early morning and had everyone in the Count's estate start preparing at the crack of dawn.
He wanted to make sure everything was fully prepared before Xia De arrived, so as not to waste a single second of his time.
Based on his investigations over the past two days, he had discovered that Xia De was someone who detested wasting time.
For this reason, he had strictly ordered even his usually pampered daughter to wake up early, not allowing her to sleep in for even a moment!
No one should think he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
When dealing with a Cataclysm, even if all the Tier Eight powerhouses in Toka City banded together, they wouldn't survive a single slap. He had to be extremely cautious.
At the same time, Count Toka was secretly rejoicing in his heart. With a Cataclysm-class powerhouse taking on this quest, everything was completely secure.
Although he didn't understand why a Cataclysm-class figure would still work as an adventurer taking on commissions,
he figured it was probably just a quirk of the powerful. He didn't dare expose Xia De's secret.
All he could do was ensure everything else was perfectly prepared. Even though his daughter was very well-behaved, he had still warned her strictly and repeatedly not to act like a spoiled young lady. She had to follow Xia De's arrangements in everything and must not displease him in the slightest.
“Oh? You're already prepared this early?”
Xia De walked up to the Count's estate. Seeing so many people gathered at the main gates, he spoke in mild surprise.
At this moment, dawn had barely broken, and the cool night air still lingered. Xia De had assumed that the people at the Count's estate would have only just started their day at this hour.
On his way here, Xia De had even wondered if the Count's estate was just starting to stir, would the situation turn out like a classic trope?
He would request an audience with Count Toka at the gates, only to be stopped and made fun of by the guards. Then, he would deliver a satisfying face-slap. Once a big scene was made, Count Toka or his old butler would come out to handle the situation, recognize him, freeze in shock, and hurriedly invite him inside with absolute deference while harshly punishing the guards who had crossed him.
Though, of course, that was absolutely impossible.
Xia De told himself with certainty.
From his visit a few days ago, Xia De could tell that the staff of Count Toka's estate possessed rigorous professional standards and discipline. It was highly unlikely anyone would look down on others so foolishly.
Furthermore, his own attire was normal and decent, his behavior was neither overly arrogant nor subservient, and his speech was very polite.
Finally, he had an S-rank adventurer badge resting in his bag, which was a clear testament to his strength.
But if all of the above proved useless and they still chose to make things difficult for him...
Well, their entire family wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
Seeing Xia De appear, Count Toka secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling incredibly fortunate.
Thank goodness he had started preparations at the crack of dawn.
He quickly stepped forward, a polite smile on his face just like last time, though his tone held a bit more deference as he said to Xia De,
“Not at all. Ensuring all preparations are completed ahead of time is the bare minimum to show our sincerity and respect to you, Mr. Xia De.
“We must absolutely not waste any of your time, Mr. Xia De.”
Xia De keenly picked up on the shift in Count Toka's attitude, but he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
After he had teleported away right in front of them last time, they had likely investigated him, looking into when he first appeared and any traces of his activities.
He had never hidden anything from them, nor had he ever needed to.
Once the results of their investigation came to light, they would be the only ones left feeling terrified.
Of course, Xia De was not the type to act arrogant just because he was powerful and others treated him with respect. Even if he didn't truly hold them in high regard, he would never neglect basic courtesy.
Thus, upon hearing Count Toka's respectful tone, he nodded calmly and said,
“I appreciate the thought.”
Overjoyed, Count Toka quickly pulled his daughter out from behind him and said, “This is my daughter, Lilith. Mr. Xia De, I leave her in your hands for the journey ahead.”
Lilith was a very petite girl with amber eyes just like Count Toka's. Her brown hair was tied into short twin tails with pink ribbons on either side, and her fair skin gave her the charming aura of a girl-next-door.
Although she didn't understand why her father was so respectful toward a youth around her own age, she still followed Count Toka's example and said respectfully to Xia De,
“Greetings, Mr. Xia De. I will be in your care.”
A few people nearby, clearly dressed as adventurers, also stepped forward and said, “Greetings, Mr. Xia De!”
These were members of an A-rank squad from the Adventurer's Guild. The strongest among them was at Tier Six, Rank Five, while the weakest was at Tier Five, Rank Three. In any remote region, they would be considered powerful figures.
Yet, compared to the youth before them, they were completely insignificant. He was the youngest S-rank adventurer, and his name resounded like thunder throughout the Adventurer's Guild.
He was practically an idol to every adventurer!
Therefore, even though they had to wake up before dawn to wait for him, they didn't have the slightest complaint. Instead, they felt incredibly excited.
This was a rare opportunity to interact with their idol up close!
Xia De smiled and nodded gently to them, causing the excitement in their eyes to deepen.
Xia De then looked at Count Toka. “Do you need to say a proper farewell to your daughter?”
Count Toka shook his head. “There's no need, Mr. Xia De. I have already given Lilith all the necessary instructions over the past three days.”
“Alright, then let's set off!”
Hearing Count Toka's response, Xia De didn't waste any more words and directly ordered the departure.
Before they left, Count Toka handed Xia De a package. Xia De opened it and saw that it was actually several boxes of pastries.
It was exactly the pastries he had mentioned before.
Xia De burst into laughter, his opinion of the Count's estate rising. He said to him, “Don't worry, your daughter won't face a single danger along the way!”
Count Toka quickly expressed his gratitude.
Afterward, everyone got ready. Facing the rising morning sun, Xia De announced in a clear voice, “We're setting off for the Royal Capital!”
...
Meanwhile, in a room within the Royal Capital, a middle-aged man with a gloomy gaze looked at a secret letter on his desk. The contents of the letter read:
“Respected Duke Chiurte, everything is prepared. Not a single person in the party of that fellow Toka's daughter will make it to the Royal Capital alive!”
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