DKIE CH56.2: Return

The cabin became very quiet, with only his voice.

Cullen was always sharp. As he listened, his eyes sparkled, and he directly pointed out the core problem.

His considerations were similar to the Elf King’s, concerning how to handle the initial operations.

Luka: “Regarding the distribution of profits from sales, you can send someone to negotiate with the Elf King and first purchase a batch of improved terminals. Don’t do any extra promotion, just state in the shops of a few Holy Cities that this item is for sale. The selling price will be set at… nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine gold coins each.”

Cullen almost stood up in a loss of composure.

Lilian’s eyes also widened.

An item with no promotion, quietly appearing on the market, and at a sky-high price. Those rich nobles weren’t fools.

Luka was very calm. “No extra promotion, not no promotion at all. You can leave this part to me. A famous saying in the business world: if we fail, we’ll just pretend we never did it.”

“…”

Cullen opened his mouth, and finally gave him a thumbs-up adorned with a gem.

Such an important matter naturally required a personal trip to the elven lands to discuss. Before parting, they all gathered for a small hot pot meal.

The dipping sauce was personally mixed by Luka, and the food cooked was all high-grade magical plants. Lilian smacked her lips and used his favorite “cub literature” as a metaphor.

“You’re making money faster than lemmings have babies.”

Luka: “You flatter me.”

After the meal, Cullen looked for a docking point to switch to another dragon ship. Lilian continued with Luka towards the Holy City. On the way, Luka brought up the matter of the web novel platform.

Lilian was the one who most affirmed the value of the masses. “Good literature has always come from the folk.”

Luka nodded. “The corresponding magical system will need to be developed and constructed by a reliable magician.”

Lilian: “Leave it to me!”

Speaking of which, Luka couldn’t help but want to show off the magical framework he and the Quill Pen had produced. “By the way, let me show you my mas…”

Before he could finish, a slice of orange was stuffed directly into his mouth.

Luka’s cheeks moved. After swallowing, he gave a cold smile. “A father doesn’t find his child ugly.”

The Quill Pen said lightly, “Don’t air your dirty laundry in public.”

After they spoke, they both paused at the same time.

The two jokes, put together, had a sense of intimacy that crossed a boundary.

Lilian sat cross-legged opposite them, peeling an orange, looking at the two of them thoughtfully.

…

When the dragon ship arrived at the human port, it went through layers of strict inspection. With the city-states’ celebration day approaching, the atmosphere everywhere was festive, and security, both inside and out, was being strengthened.

This was just the port. There was another pile of re-inspections to actually enter the inner city.

Just as Lilian was about to say she would ask her father to pull some strings, a tall and straight figure approached from the front.

While a crowd was queuing to enter the city, the law enforcement captain walked directly up to Luka and transmitted his voice. “The Saint has instructed that upon seeing Your Excellency, I am to lead you directly to see him.”

Never thought there would be a day he would be addressed as ‘Your Excellency.’ Luka felt refreshed.

“Then my friends…”

“The Saint has given instructions. They may do as they please.”

With the law enforcement captain personally clearing the way, the rest of the journey was smooth.

The streets were decorated with lanterns and colorful flags. Many former residents of the Holy City who were far away were desperately rushing back. There was even a festive atmosphere like the New Year.

Bards sang praises of humanity in groups. There were more vendors selling their wares. Luka’s eyes were overwhelmed. “It’s so lively.”

A hint of a smile appeared in the law enforcement captain’s eyes as he introduced, “This time also happens to be a centenary. At the celebration, the Saint will personally give a speech. The Holy Court will also select some lucky citizens for a blessing to dispel all illnesses. The First Magic Academy will draw a lucky person to be an exchange student. The high-level officials will also make plans for the coming year on the celebration day, and the army will display advanced magical equipment…”

He spoke a lot in one breath, his tone filled with pride.

On that day, it would be truly lively.

As they approached the teleportation array, Luka turned his head and asked, “Are you going to see the Saint together?”

Lilian greatly admired the Saint and was about to nod, but the Quill Pen said, “No need. She’s taking me to see her dad.”

Luka and Lilian: Huh?

The Quill Pen glanced at Lilian. “To have her dad prepare some soul-replenishing liquid as a return gift.”

Since they were going to share the big pie of the web novel platform, there had to be some reciprocation.

Luka was stunned for a moment before reacting. The effect of the soul-replenishing liquid last time was indeed very good.

Having just finished absorbing the essence blood, the Quill Pen had a cold, murderous aura about him. This kind of aura naturally suppressed succubi. Lilian timidly pointed him in the right direction.

Since when did the Quill Pen seem to put him first in everything? Looking at the gradually receding back, Luka’s heart felt inexplicably warm for a moment.

It wasn’t until he was near the Holy Tower that this faint warmth dissipated.

In winter, the temperature nearby was much lower than in other places. With the Saint’s ability, it would have been easy to control the temperature, but he didn’t. The snow on the ground was a full three feet deep.

The law enforcement captain said with a look of reverence, “The Saint likes the changes of the four seasons and will not easily make changes.”

Luka: “Then you can wade through this snowy ground.”

The law enforcement captain fell silent.

After a bit of research, there was no high-altitude magic set up around. Luka shot up into the air with a “swoosh.”

“Alright, you can see me off. I’m launching.”

With that, he flew towards the Holy Tower like a rocket with super strong momentum. The bright red quill shaft was flanked by lighter-colored feathers, creating a very strong visual impact.

The law enforcement captain wanted to say that flying was actually prohibited here, but the person was already gone.

He shook his head. “Forget it.” The Saint seemed to be quite tolerant of Iliad.

Outside the top floor of the Holy Tower, Luka hovered in mid-air, the tip of his wing lightly tapping on the window.

The Saint opened the window, and a dark, furry head poked in.

“…”

Luka: “Good day. May I ask you a question?”

The Saint: “A historical figure. Come in and talk.”

Not expecting that the dark joke about the annals of history hadn’t been put to rest, Luka managed to force a smile.

“The window frame is too small, and my wings are too big. If I don’t retract them, I can’t get in. If I retract them, I’ll fall.”

The window was short and narrow with a curved top. He could squeeze in by grabbing the lower window frame, but it would look a bit shabby.

He didn’t want to crawl in like a caterpillar.

In the end, it was the Saint who tore open space to bring him in.

One person and one ferret sat on cushions, both holding cups of hot tea, letting out a puff of white air.

Luka was very efficient. As soon as he arrived, he first put down a terminal. “You can try this first. There will be a new model in two days.”

The Saint had already seen a terminal, so it was easy for him to get started. After operating it for a bit, he let out a soft sigh. “The right time, the right place, and the right people.”

Luka’s idea, the Astrologer’s prophecy, and the Tree of Wisdom, which was suspected to be entering a period of decline—if any one of these was missing, it couldn’t have happened.

After several eras of chaotic warfare, this was now the most peaceful period for all races.

“I am aware of the Saintess’s trip to the elven lands. I remember that before you left that day, you had also asked me about the Tree of Life.”

Luka avoided his gaze and lowered his head to drink his tea.

The Holy Court was one of the pillars of the human race. Unless there was substantial evidence, this doubt should definitely not be raised by him.

Now that they had shot themselves in the foot, it was a good time to kick them while they were down.

The warm tea soothed his throat. Luka asked, “Do you know the origin of the Tree of Life?”

The Saint: “The Tree of Life was brought to the Holy City by the Human Ancestor.”

A few thoughts flashed through Luka’s mind.

But the Saint seemed to have seen what he was thinking, his tone serious. “Regardless of whether there is a problem with the Tree of Life, the Human Ancestor is beyond question.”

“Among all races, only the Human Ancestor did not leave behind any offspring. Even after his death, he did not let his personal will become a rule of the starry sky. The Human Ancestor believed that all of these would affect later generations from surpassing him. In that era, clan worship reached its peak, and the Human Ancestor had to forcefully erase many historical traces.”

The Saint’s achievements today were also influenced by this.

“Even the Demon Ancestor praised that, in terms of character, the Human Ancestor would have no successors.”

Hearing the last sentence, Luka was filled with reverence.

A reputation certified by an enemy was a reputation with no fluff.

The Saint almost laughed in exasperation upon seeing this.

“It will take time to investigate the matter of the Tree of Life.”

In the Holy Court, the lineage of the Saintess was the core. Apart from some boys who were trained as priests from a young age, no one else could come into contact with the Tree of Life itself.

Speaking of which, the Saint also couldn’t help but feel a headache.

The Holy Court had existed since the time of the Human Ancestor. The related forces were intricate and complex. In the past, he had at most thought it was institutional corruption. If there really was a problem with the Life Elixir, then could there also be a problem with the Tree of Life? The Holy Court might be hiding an unknown secret.

Old-brand forces all had their trump cards. Once a conflict broke out, the human race would be severely wounded.

“I’ll sneak in and investigate later.”

Luka hadn’t expected it to be so simple and crude. “What if you get discovered?”

The Saint waved his hand nonchalantly. “Just turn around and leave.”

There was only one chance to stir up trouble. It had to be at the most appropriate time. Afterward, just deny everything.

Luka: “…”

After speaking, the Saint picked up the ferret and smoothed its fur, then glanced at the terminal. “Let’s get to the important matters.”

The window wasn’t closed. Wind blew snowflakes into the room. Luka sat up a little straighter. “This is the plan I made for the launch.”

After a glance at the cover, the Saint approved it in a second. “Execute it.”

“…Oh.”

Thinking about the imminent launch, Luka prayed in his heart for everything to go smoothly and prepared to take his leave.

Before leaving, he thought of something and asked, “How about we follow each other’s accounts?”

So we can private message each other anytime if something comes up.

The Saint did not refuse. He opened the community, preparing to register an account first.

Luka first pointed to the upper right corner. “Each account has a separate ID. You can search for other people here.”

The relevant operation guides had not yet been perfected. He planned to talk about it when updating the version later. He didn’t dare to mess with the currently deformed underlying framework.

A nickname popped up.

DragonThingYuLuJiaElf.

The Saint: “…”

The ferret, which was often used as collateral, jumped onto the table and fluently entered a string of numbers, indicating that he should not forget to follow it as well.

“Squeak!” This is me.

The Saint almost crushed a corner of the chessboard. Yazhai Guanren (The Stronghold’s Captive Official).

What the hell are these names?

Luka’s Diary Guide:
Luka’s naming technique: In the nickname, stuff it full of backers, for example, DragonThingYuLuJiaElf.
Cullen’s naming technique: In the nickname, state your identity, for example, XX Wholesale Magic Ore, XX Airship Sales.
The ferret’s naming technique: Reflect reality, evoke empathy, for details, refer to The Stronghold’s Captive Official.
The Saint: Read me some holy scriptures! Yazhai doesn’t mean being collateral!
Lilian: The name is not important, the profile picture is important. It must be a sexy, charming, and cute personal photo~
The Quill Pen: Deep in thought, trying to come up with a couple’s name with Luka.
…

Support me on Ko-fi