"Plans have changed? What's the news?"

Li Ang told Lanslow about the Imperial envoy and other news he had heard.

"There's another one of those? Well, if there weren't enough, the other members wouldn't have lost contact with me."

Lanslow pondered, "Is there another one over by the air route? That means if we want to escape, we'll have to head towards the interior of the Ignis Sky Realm."

"No," Li Ang shook his head, "We can't go inward; we must move towards the Flos Sky Realm. The Empire's bold moves at least indicate a significant portion of the islands are in a state similar to Spark Port."

"We don't know which islands have sided with the Empire, or if there are Annihilation Knights on them."

Lanslow scratched his head, "I want to go back and support them, but indeed, this Empire is shrouded in mystery. In my memory, there's never been such a troublesome local power causing chaos outside the Demon Disaster Realm."

Li Ang knew, as an antagonist blocking the main character's path in the world, the Empire must have something up its sleeve. However, the current Empire isn't formidable enough. He felt most members of the Flame Corps were like Lanslow, not likely to be defeated by the Empire, just temporarily restrained.

In times without crisis, the elite of the Flame Corps were dispersed. This way, the Empire restricts the elite from assembling, blocks the air routes, and seizes the opportunity to achieve its true goals.

"Breaking through the air route and bringing in external aid is the way to break the stalemate," Li Ang said.

Lanslow agreed, "In that case, we need to take out that Black Armored Niu Nan on the island first. Otherwise, when we escape to the air route entrance, he'll catch up, and we'll be attacked from both sides. In our condition, that would be difficult to handle.

"Your support curse art is strong; with it, I should be able to take him down."

He added, "But then what? After the enhancement ends, I'll be weak for a while. If there's another fight at the air route entrance, can you apply that curse art again? If not, I probably won't be able to handle the second one."

"Applying it a second time will consume your spirituality."

"This, this, well, if we can't win, just burn it all; more life means more work anyway."

"You talk as if you're not retiring."

Li Ang patted his shoulder, "We shouldn't need to go that far. Where did you put Wendes' set of equipment?"

"Oh, you're after that equipment? You can indeed put it on temporarily, which would secure our position."

Earlier, while eavesdropping on Feinat's father and Elton discussing plans, Li Ang heard they intended to describe the Annihilation Knight as an outsider Sky Knight to others, shifting the blame for sabotaging the Order Flame Corps members onto this 'unknown Sky Knight.'

According to general thinking, they would certainly seek the Empire's reinforcement to unlock the Order Corps' Sealing Demon Net and retrieve the equipment for Wendes.

"Let me see, the plan now is to find that equipment, sail from the Noble Port, take down a Black Armored Knight, then sail to the air route entrance and fight our way out, right?"

Lanslow listed the tasks one by one.

He looked at Dorothy, "Then this lady will sail, I'll go locate the Black Armored Knight, and Li Ang, you go find the equipment, and we meet up afterward?"

"The part about taking down the Annihilation Knight adds too much; the previous plan needs to be scrapped," Li Ang said.

Considering the Count's commitment to siding with the Empire, the probability of ships being available at the outer port is low; the most reliable option is Dorothy's ship, but there might be guards searching for her there.

The position of the Annihilation Knight is something we cannot confirm. Stirring up chaos could lure him out, but he is capable of destroying ordinary ships. The confrontation must not happen at the port or on a ship; he must be dealt with before boarding.

This requires, firstly, not startling him prematurely, and secondly, the actions must be executed in one fluid motion.

"There is a place where the greatest commotion can be triggered, and it's close to the Noble Port. You might even achieve your original purpose for coming to Spark Island," Dorothy said.

...

Dorothy emerged from the secret passage late at night.

Although she thought Huo Fu wouldn't have someone guard his room indefinitely, she returned to the street through a nearby exit just in case and started walking home.

Halfway through, she was spotted by patrolling guards and escorted back to the mansion entrance.

"Miss, this is outrageous."

The butler's tone didn't convey concern; the negative emotion stemmed mainly from the potential impact on the family. He was merely a deputy for her father's will and didn't care about Dorothy herself.

She had long accepted this fact and wouldn't feel dejected now.

She smiled perfectly, responding to Huo Fu's facade of courtesy, which was actually a warning.

Because Dorothy was so calm and didn't resist as she previously would, in the end, Huo Fu even felt she was merely having a pre-marriage outburst of typical youthful emotions.

Back in the room, waiting for her at the door was an anxious Leona.

The Half Dragon Maiden threw herself into her arms, "Senior! I'm so relieved. I was worried you'd been kidnapped, especially since tomorrow is such an important day."

"Yes, tomorrow is important." Dorothy closed her eyes and hugged her back.

"Leona, I've always wanted to ask, what is it that you like about me?"

"Eh? Like? No, it's not, wait a moment..."

This question threw the Half Dragon Maiden into a fluster, a blush rising to her bright face, unsure of how to respond.

She shook her head, as if to shake off certain thoughts, and then adjusted her breathing: "When I was bullied, it was you, senior, who stood up for me. Since then, I've always thought about senior. I'm really lucky to truly become friends with you."

She had said this many times. Dorothy recalled that it was a long time ago.

She attended the Mistrem Junior Academy, and after graduation, didn't choose to continue her cultivation. Leona continued her studies afterward and is now at the advanced academy.

From the perspective of their age difference, Leona was truly a genius to have intersected with Dorothy before her graduation. Considering her age and her unique appearance, it was not unusual for her to have been bullied at the time.

Back then, Dorothy had a certain prestige among her classmates due to her experience returning from adventures, and she was very confident. She couldn't actually remember helping Leona, she guessed she might have just said a few words in passing.

Yet the Half Dragon Maiden always remembered this, gathered the courage to contact her, starting as pen pals and then meeting in person.

In the past, Dorothy had always thought it was no big deal and didn't understand why Leona cared so much about her, but her experiences of the day illuminated things for her in an instant.

Yes, truly so, it's all about trying to grasp a fleeting light in life.

But it's all one-sided.

"Senior is also so kind-hearted, always helping the flowers and plants on the roadside and aiding the poor, so poised in grand occasions. I can't do any of these, you have such great temperament, there's no one as beautiful as you, really like a goddess..."

Dorothy felt so fortunate to have a second chance, but Leona... Dorothy probably knew that her "friendship" with her was not quite right, yet she couldn't reciprocate.

Dorothy let go of her embrace, placing a hand on Leona's shoulder.

"Leona, you need to find your own path."

The Half Dragon Maiden tilted her head, not understanding, but seemed to sense something strange, an uneasy expression on her face.

Dorothy didn't engage much deeper, persuading the nervous and reluctant Half Dragon Maiden to leave.

Gathering the important things, she began dealing with things that might cause her social death, even if she went to become a Sky Knight and never returned, she didn't want others to know, just let that one person know in the future.

Dorothy removed her brown colored contact lenses and shaved off her ginger dyed hair.

The next morning, in front of the Wotam Church at Spark Port, with a grand band playing, the crowd watched as the couple about to betroth walked towards each other.

This wasn't the wedding day, so the woman wasn't wearing a wedding dress, but a simple white dress.

Her appearance surprised many; they knew Lady Campbell, who didn't usually participate in social events, was a stunning beauty, but it was the first time seeing her fully adorned.

The warm sun highlighted her mane of pale golden hair like a silky waterfall, the elegance of the Elf set as the tone.

The dress accentuated her extreme curves and charming features, the unadorned back adding a touch of allure to the grace.

The strands of hair with fuchsia highlights, the eyes with floating gradients of strange colors, gave her a sense of transcendence, as if a legendary forest fairy had stepped out of a painting into the goddess-blessed garden.

Even those who never paid attention to this lady felt a sense of envy for the person about to be engaged to her today.

In his suit, Wendes whispered to his brother beside him, "I suddenly think this marriage might be worth it."

His elder brothers discreetly nudged him, pushing him forward.

The two walked side by side into the church, followed by the crowd.

Eight hundred years ago, many of the Empire's territories came to believe in the Wotam Sect, and at the end of the church, under the stained glass, the statue of the Goddess looked upon humanity with compassion.

The priest held the Holy Scripture, waiting for both parties to be in position, reciting questions from the classic.

"...Lady Dorothy Campbell, under the witness of the Goddess, and with the blessings of your kin, do you agree to enter into a holy betrothal with this gentleman?"

Dorothy raised her head, and under the gazes of the crowd, a pair of wings full of small white flowers slowly unfurled behind her.

With a shake of the wings, countless tiny flower clusters were scattered, covering the floor, making it seem like a sea of flowers had bloomed inside the church.

The crowd gasped in awe, thinking an angel had descended to the mortal world.

Dorothy's exquisite face broke into a smile.

"Under the witness of the Goddess, I refuse."

Each white flower twisted and grew, transforming into plant Demons with five-petal white flowers at their tips.

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