‘Oh no.’
‘He must have fallen because he didn’t hold on tight! That seems like the only possibility.’
Zhu Qiu couldn’t worry about anything else and turned around to fly back.
On the other side, Dinksway and the others had already tied Sodlan up securely to ensure he would have no mobility once he woke up.
“Move out!”
At the King’s command, the group began their return journey along the same path.
“Your Majesty, the house you wanted us to demolish is gone now. Can we settle our wages?”
The King barked a sharp rebuke.
As for why he was so angry, it was because he had suffered a loss in front of Dinksway and wanted to save some face before the workers.
“But King, you promised us that as long as the house disappeared, it would be enough. You didn’t specify the method, nor did you require that we be the ones to make it vanish. We shouldn’t be penalized because of someone else!” the lead worker in white spoke up boldly.
The King turned and glared at him fiercely, furrowing his brow as he said solemnly, “You didn’t even do any work, and you still want money? In your dreams!”
“King, you gave us your word. We can’t come all this way for nothing. Your goal was achieved, wasn’t it? Even if I don’t mention the full wages, there should at least be a fee for our trouble, right?” The lead worker looked back at the brothers behind him.
“What do you all say?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, what? I said no, so the answer is no! Are you trying to rebel against me?”
The King couldn’t stand the chattering of these commoners and immediately ordered his Royal Legion to seize the leader of the Demolition Team.
“You can’t do this!”
The King dismissed him with a sneer and announced solemnly, “If you want to end up like him, keep shouting and causing a scene. I have never seen commoners who want wages without doing any work.”
This sentence seemed to trigger the King’s anger, and he marched away.
“But you promised us…”
“Does anyone else have something to say?”
With the example set by those two, the rest of the Demolition Team didn’t dare to speak another word.
“Keep moving!”
“Yes, Sir!”
***
Before long, Zhu Qiu followed the path and quietly approached the group.
The King walked in the middle, with Dinksway behind him, and the Royal Legion on both sides.
To the right of the legion was the Demolition Team in white.
As for Zhu Qiu’s father, he was tied up and carried on the shoulder of a subordinate to the King’s left.
‘Hiss… there are so many of them. How am I going to steal Father back…?’
Since the enemy was numerous, she could only follow the group quietly from a distance, making sure they didn’t leave her sight while she looked for a chance to rescue her father.
While marching, Dinksway suddenly felt a trace of Dragon Aura and smiled slightly.
‘I knew it. The Sword Saint really followed us. This is a perfect opportunity to threaten her.’
Dinksway elbowed the King.
“Are you sick? Can’t you just walk normally?”
“The Sword Saint is following us. I need you to help me.”
“Help you? How?”
“Like this…”
Dinksway leaned in and whispered into the King’s ear.
“Do you understand?”
“I see.”
Following behind, Zhu Qiu was puzzled.
‘What are those two muttering about?’
After walking for a while longer, the King suddenly shouted a command as if he wanted to make sure Zhu Qiu heard it.
“Everyone, rest here!”
Sodlan was tossed carelessly beside a tree.
‘Isn’t this just giving me an opportunity? Heaven is helping me!’
“SHADOW INTEGRATION!”
‘This time, I’ll hold on to you. I don’t believe you’ll fall again.’
Zhu Qiu found a moment when no one was paying attention to Sodlan and suddenly manifested, intending to grab the rope on him and carry him away.
However, to her surprise, the rope wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she pulled.
‘That’s strange. When did Father get so heavy?’
“Sword Saint, you’ve come again. How many times has this been? You never greet me; you have no manners at all,” Dinksway said as he walked over.
He had known all along that the Sword Saint would follow, but she wouldn’t act rashly.
Therefore, he had specifically plotted with the King to have everyone pretend to relax while tying the rope on Sodlan to the nearby tree trunk.
That way, if the Sword Saint tried to take him, he would definitely be discovered.
Zhu Qiu’s body trembled as her mind raced, unsure whether she should run or stay.
If she ran, she would certainly be safe, but her father might not be.
If she didn’t run, both she and her father could be in trouble.
For her father’s sake, Zhu Qiu decided to take a gamble.
“I come and go as I please! What’s it to you?”
“I’ll capture your father whenever I want! What’s it to you?”
Dinksway replied using her own words before feigning a look of realization.
“Sword Saint, have you finally come to your senses? Are you ready to exchange the Dragon you’re harboring for your father?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Zhu Qiu nodded rapidly with a wide smile because she had already thought of a good way to rescue her father and escape together.
“Oh? So cooperative? It would have been better if you were like this from the start. But let’s get this straight: give me the Dragon first, then I’ll release your father. Don’t even think about playing tricks.”
“Sure, sure. No problem at all.”
Zhu Qiu crossed her hands behind her back, maintaining the smile on her face.
“Then give me the Dragon quickly. As an Archmage, I am very busy.”
“Alright, alright.”
Zhu Qiu nodded and extended her closed fists toward him.
Dinksway was getting a little angry.
“Stop wasting my time. Open them!”
“You got it!”
Dinksway widened his eyes and stared closely at Zhu Qiu’s fists.
When the fists opened, his expression changed instantly.
“Why is there nothing there?”
“What do you mean there’s nothing? This is air from the Dragon Race. It also belongs to the Dragon Race, so it should be exactly what you wanted.”
“…”
“Hey! You dare to trick me?”
Dinksway finally realized what was happening.
“I’m tricking you, you goblin!”
Zhu Qiu quickly waved her hands in front of Dinksway.
A cloud of black mist suddenly appeared, automatically tracking the nearby eyes and covering them.
“Bye-bye!”
She used the Holy Sword to quickly slash the rope and sped away with Sodlan, vanishing in an instant.
“Stop right there! You fools, didn’t you know to stop the Sword Saint?” the blinded Dinksway roared in helpless rage.
The King mocked him coldly, “You were the one acting tough, and now you want us to…”