Chapter 578, Section 577: Half a Step

At this moment, bestowing a title upon a new meritorious nobleman has special significance in boosting morale, and propaganda naturally follows.

Of course, the information released to the public is limited to the heroic deeds of Vera's team in stepping forward in the face of danger and successfully preventing the fog from engulfing Golden Valley City. The truth about his "virtue" is kept strictly confidential.

After all, even a fool would know that once Virtue's affair is exposed, the demons will inevitably try to kill him before he can grow up.

Despite suddenly receiving a title that others could only dream of, Vera and her two companions were not as overjoyed as the outside world might have imagined.

Vera herself always felt unworthy of it and was filled with unease.

Fei Ling and Fei Yin were more worried about him personally.

Philing even had a somewhat extreme suspicion that Duke Lorenzo might have ill intentions and was merely trying to shift the heavy responsibility onto Vera so that he could force him to use the ability of "sacrifice" at a crucial moment in the future!

From one perspective, Felix's suspicions were not entirely unfounded.

However, from Lorenzo's perspective, what he saw was the survival of the United Kingdom and the future of humanity.

It would be a real mistake and a waste to let a promising and virtuous person squander their talents on wilderness adventures.

Just as the three were filled with worries and anxieties, a former adventurer companion who had come to congratulate them brought news that was completely unexpected.

Cirion is still alive!

"It's absolutely true! I saw him with my own eyes at Puji's House in Mushroom Capital a few days ago! I was wondering why your team got separated, turns out you got separated after encountering the fog!"

Vera and his team did issue a request to find Sirion, but in an era where information still relied on notices and word of mouth, it was difficult for the message to reach most people unless national power was mobilized.

At least, this adventurer friend in front of him was clearly unaware of Vera's team's previous encounters and search.

The unexpected news brought immense joy to all three of them.

Needless to say, Fei Ling and Fei Yin remembered every detail of their adventures with Xi Rui'an, and Mi Wu was able to survive thanks to him.

Hearing that the other person is safe and sound, although I have many doubts, I am undoubtedly overjoyed.

Although Vera had lost her memories of elves, she had heard a lot about them from Feling and Feling over this period of time, and had a very good impression of this druid teammate mentioned by the twins.

Moreover, although the hope was slim, he still held onto a sliver of hope that seeing Sirius would help him remember something.

However, with the investiture ceremony imminent, the three of them couldn't leave Oath City to find Sirion at the moment. They could only ask someone they knew to pass on a message to Sirion if they encountered him, agreeing to meet again in Mushroom City.

Unbeknownst to them, Sirion was already on his way to Oath City.

After confronting Puji, Sirian gained a new navigation skill, making it very easy to find out Vera's location.

...

Somewhere in the wilderness between Mushroom City and Oath City.

After dismounting, Sirius patted the horse's neck and let it graze nearby, while he found an area with dense fungal carpet.

"Puji, come out quickly!"

The surface of the fungal carpet began to wriggle in response, and the dense mycelium quickly coalesced, soon producing a raspy, puckering sound.

However, before Lin Jun could speak, Xi Rui'an reacted quickly, stretching out his fingers to pinch the mouth of the tattered cloth, forcefully blocking the terrifying sound wave that was about to burst out.

If that sound were to be heard, not only would he himself find it unpleasant, but the nearby horse would likely be so frightened that it would run away from this eerie carpet of fungi without looking back.

Direct communication through thought.

Where are they now?

"We haven't moved from Oath City yet!" Puji Navigator honestly said, "But after our trip to that human Relics Association, the fact that we sacrificed ourselves has been exposed!"

The mere mention of this filled Lin Jun with a lingering sense of sullenness.

If it weren't for Shenmu insisting on infiltrating Vera's team, Lin Jun would have already included this trio with amazing potential in the Mushroom Garden as a hidden trump card. There would have been no need to let such important information as virtue be leaked to outsiders.

Lin Jun even came up with the script.

Lin Jun will provide them with good food and drink, and take good care of them happily.

If everything goes well for me, then everyone will have a bright future.

If one day they encounter an invincible enemy, they can throw the twins out into the enemy's clutches, and then let Vera thoroughly beat the enemy with virtue. Perfect.

Lin Jun herself suffered some hardship and bore the infamy of sacrificing others for her own benefit.

Unfortunately, Shenmu wouldn't let him get too involved.

Now, he could only watch helplessly as Vera was trapped by the short, stout duke with a viscount title.

Pshaw, what's a viscount?

He'd dealt with countless viscounts from the Empire. Did they really think this little bit of sweetness would bind them to sacrifice?

Lin Jun was furious.

Upon hearing that the sacrifice had been exposed, Sirion was not surprised, but he was somewhat saddened by Vera's almost predictable future.

He then switched the voice message back to the creep and continued on his way to Covenant City.

However, when Sirion finally arrived in Covenant City, weary from his journey, and met the Valar who had just completed her investiture ceremony,

The scene of their reunion seemed to be a little different from what he had imagined.

...

"Vera! I've finally found you!"

The clear, melodious voice of an elf came from in front of me.

Vera, who was subconsciously tugging at the collar of her brand-new aristocratic dress, lamenting that this outfit was far less comfortable than leather armor, looked up at the sound and froze on the spot.

It was a beauty he had never seen before, one that surpassed the limits of his imagination.

This elf, just by standing there, seemed to make the surrounding air seem a bit clearer.

However, Vera did not dwell on the shock for long.

Soon, fragments of dreams that were almost forgotten seemed to overlap with the reality before my eyes.

Sirius stepped forward with a smile, opened his arms, and wanted to give his long-lost teammate a warm hug.

Vera shuddered suddenly, his body reacting before his mind could process it—he took a half-step back.

The elf's outstretched arms froze in mid-air, her bright smile captivating, and she gave a questioning look.

The surrounding people's eyes were naturally drawn to the combination of the newly ennobled viscount and the beautiful elf, witnessing this strange scene and attracting even more curious and inquisitive glances.

I imagine that all sorts of gossip and speculation will be circulating in the taverns of Oath City tonight.

Number Five was originally trying to climb up Vera's cloak, hoping to take over the familiar top position.

Upon seeing Sirian, the mushroom instinctively trembled, as if a small animal had encountered its natural enemy. It darted back behind Vera, only daring to peek out half of its mushroom cap to observe secretly.

Pfft?!

Siriam had some guesses, and his smile became increasingly forced.

Fortunately, this suffocating embarrassment did not last long.

“Sirius! It really is you!” Fei Ling and Fei Yin rushed up from behind, one on each side, and hugged their companion, whom they thought had long since perished in the mist.

Fei Ling's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to hold them back. Fei Yin lost control of her emotions and buried her face in Xi Rui'an's shoulder, wiping her tears and snot on his clothes without any restraint.

Vera scratched the back of her head, trying to suppress the inexplicable chill surging within her, and tentatively called out the name with apology and uncertainty: "Syrian...?"

"What's wrong with him...?"

The twins then quickly explained the cause and effect of Vera's triggering of the virtue of "sacrifice," which led to her memory loss.

“So,” Cyril listened quietly, her gaze returning to Vera, her tone complex, “you just forgot about me?”

Vera nodded sheepishly, but he didn't mention the strange nightmare he had afterward.

It's really hard to talk about, so I'll just consider it a side effect of using sacrifice.

“I also noticed,” Cirion changed the subject, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping behind Vera, “that you have a little new companion by your side?”

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Fei Ling introduced Number Five, Xi Rui'an reached out and gently picked up the reluctant-looking Puji, who was trying to hide.

On the surface, it was a friendly introduction to the new team member.

In the process of communicating with each other through thoughts.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Eek—! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I don't know anything!" The sudden telepathic dialogue terrified Number Five, causing his entire mushroom body to tremble violently and curl up inward, instantly turning him into a shivering ball.

Sirius: "..."

It took him some effort to finally confirm that the guy in his palm who was so scared he was about to faint was not the guy who could kill someone with his words.

However, at the level of soul perception, the two are almost identical.

Sunstone?

He actually deliberately split his own soul...

madman!

...

On the other side, Lin Jun crossed out the record of Shenmu saying for the first time that her voice was unpleasant.

(End of this chapter)