...
Inside the Crystal Ball, the sunlight from the ceiling was bright and warm, casting a gentle glow like a spring afternoon. A few gray-spotted, blue-tailed sparrows chirped as they took flight from a leafy oak tree in the courtyard, landing lightly on the railing of the spacious, open-air balcony on the castle’s second floor.
They cocked their small heads, their bright, bean-like eyes curiously observing the scene on the balcony as they let out crisp calls.
A few of the bolder ones even hopped onto the small, white round table in the center of the balcony, which was covered with a pristine lace tablecloth. They bounced around next to the bone china saucers holding delicate tea snacks, as if begging for food from the master of the house.
Olivia was sitting in a comfortable wicker armchair on the balcony, still dressed in that simple yet iridescent silver-scaled long dress. The sunlight spilled over her, reflecting a soft, silvery brilliance like rippling water, making her look like a fairy from a dream—so beautiful it was almost unreal.
In one hand, she held a ceramic teacup painted with a golden vine pattern. In the other, she held an ancient Magic Forbidden Record bound in some kind of silver metal and leather.
She seemed completely undisturbed by the mischievous little birds, her gaze still calmly immersed in the complex and profound Runes and annotations on the pages in her hands. Only occasionally would she take a gentle sip of the steaming, amber-colored tea in her cup.
And beside her, Silver Sparrow stood silently like a loyal maid, her face devoid of expression.
Her figure only flickered slightly when she noticed the gray-spotted, blue-tailed sparrows that had jumped onto the table, seemingly very interested in the tea snacks.
She slowly picked up a silver ceramic jar from the white table, opened it, and evenly scattered some crushed hazelnut kernels onto the clean wooden floor of the balcony.
The gray-spotted, blue-tailed sparrows were immediately drawn by the aroma. They flew down from the table happily and began to peck at the delicious hazelnut fragments, making satisfied "CHIRP CHIRP" sounds.
The Dragon and the Elf spent their time together in silence.
The sun was warm, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the faint scent of flowers and the sound of running water drifted from the distant garden.
They both seemed long accustomed to this pleasant afternoon silence, each immersed in her own world. They did not disturb one another, yet together they formed a harmonious and serene picture.
Silver Sparrow would occasionally float to the stone pillar railing and silently watch the busy, bouncing Slimes in the courtyard below.
She watched them push little carts to transport boxes of Gray Gravel Crystal Ore, occasionally making soft "SPLAT" sounds. They looked both hardworking and a little clumsy.
She just watched quietly, her face expressionless. It was impossible to know what she was thinking.
For her, however, this quiet observation was a good way to conserve energy.
If someone could have peeked into her thoughts at that moment, they would have seen a simple progress bar slowly climbing in her mind—3.23%... 3.231%... 3.232%...
This progress bar reflected the usable energy the castle had extracted, converted, and stored from the Gray Gravel Crystals.
Every box of Gray Gravel Crystal Ore transported to the core furnace room in the castle’s basement and refined by a complex Magic Array would make that number tick up a tiny bit.
She was like a meticulous housekeeper, mindful of her master’s instructions, working hard to stockpile energy while conserving every bit of unnecessary expenditure—such as maintaining overly realistic expressions, complex movements, or unneeded magical light and shadow effects.
In her eyes, the numbers ticked up steadily. The castle’s operations were smooth and orderly.
Time passed. After an unknown amount of time, a key monitoring node in the castle’s operational system suddenly reported an unusual feedback, different from the norm.
This caused her form, which was composed of magical light and shadow, to flicker.
Drawing on the familiarity and understanding she had built up from her long time with Silver Sparrow, Olivia sensed something was wrong without even looking up.
Her gaze lifted from the book in her hands. She raised her head and asked, "What happened?"
Silver Sparrow responded calmly, "Abnormal energy infiltration detected. Logical conclusion: intruder present."
The moment she finished speaking, the previously transparent and luminous walls of the Crystal Ball suddenly lit up with a piercing, dark red glow. Countless Magic Patterns flashed to life, and various dormant Magic Arrays began to operate.
"Moo?"
In the castle courtyard and corridors, the Slimes that had been hopping about, carrying boxes of Gray Gravel Crystals, stopped in confusion. Their round, jiggly bodies bumped into each other due to inertia, and they tumbled to the ground in a heap.
"Yaaah!!"
Before they could get up, round holes just large enough to fit a Slime suddenly appeared in the castle’s marble floor. The dizzy little creatures were instantly sucked inside and secured for their protection.
Silver Sparrow’s emotionless voice sounded again.
"According to Castle Defense Protocol, Article Seven: If an intrusion is detected and there are no direct orders from the master, Silver Sparrow is to make an independent judgment, cease all non-essential activities, and immediately execute the ’Eliminate Intruder’ directive."
As she spoke, sixteen different detection Magic Arrays within the castle, each with a different focus, activated simultaneously. Invisible magical ripples, spiritual scrying, spatial awareness, life-force detection... they swept over every inch of the castle again and again.
Each scan captured and magnified the slightest disturbance. Finally, as if guided by an unseen hand, all the detection Magic Arrays quickly locked onto the stone-paved path in the castle’s front garden.
The intruder, it seemed, had not expected to be discovered so soon after infiltrating the castle, before he could even carry out any substantial reconnaissance or sabotage.
After a brief silence, the figure of a Demon, clad in flowing, shadow-like armor, finally revealed itself.
Olivia put down her book, rose, and walked to the edge of the balcony. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Silver Sparrow, meeting the gaze of the Demon’s figure in the garden below.
A flicker of interest passed through her pale, mercury-like pupils.
"A visitor from the Abyss? But His Little Majesty never mentioned inviting a Demon here as a guest. Hmm... that familiar scent of sulfur and shadow. A rare Shadow Demon, no less."
"It seems you haven’t come with good intentions."
Her tone was calm and unhurried, as if stating the most obvious of facts.
"Heh, a human." Abaddon let out a low, hoarse sneer, gripping a pitch-black blade coalesced from shadow, its edges constantly writhing.
He took a step forward, his foot leaving a small, scorched mark on the stone pavement.
"You see me, Abaddon, and you don’t flee? You even draw closer?" His voice was filled with condescending arrogance, as if pitying her ignorance and foolishness.
"Conserve your energy, Silver Sparrow." Olivia didn’t respond to Abaddon directly. Instead, she turned her head and gave a soft command to Silver Sparrow, her tone like someone telling a butler to turn off an unneeded light.
Only then did she turn her gaze back to Abaddon, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint smile. She asked with feigned surprise, "So, you’re saying you’re quite famous in the Abyss?"
Obvious disappointment appeared on Abaddon’s face. He shook his head. "I thought you might be a worthy opponent, but you haven’t even heard of me, Abaddon, the ’Silent Reaper’."
This wasn’t just arrogance on his part.
The name "Silent Reaper" was not only widely known in the Abyss, but even the intelligence agencies of many Human Kingdoms and the elder councils of the Elf City-States had, to some extent, recorded this name that represented fatal shadows and silent death.
In the hidden circles of Extraordinary Professionals and major powers, the "Silent Reaper" was known to all.
The fact that this human didn’t know him could only mean one thing: she was far too weak.
He lost all interest in continuing the conversation. He gave the shadow blade a flourish in his hand.
"Human, to die by this Blade of Death’s Whisper puts you in the same league as Grom of the Forge, the Dwarf King of the Zhushan Kingdom... though he was much stronger than you and gave me a bit of trouble."
Before his words had faded, his figure vanished from its spot. Without any warning, he reappeared less than half a meter behind Olivia.
The pitch-black blade, which seemed capable of devouring souls, thrust silently toward Olivia’s back, aimed at her heart.
"You can die gratefully now," Abaddon’s icy voice whispered beside Olivia’s ear.
But just as the dagger was about to strike, time seemed to stand still. He thought he heard the woman’s voice drifting leisurely by his ear.
"That’s a real shame. Still, many years ago, I did meet a fellow who called himself the ’Hidden Demon’..."
’The Hidden Demon?!’
The name exploded deep within Abaddon’s soul, and his blood ran cold.
’This human met my ancestor?’