Chapter 43

[Adventure Quest Triggered!]

[Adventure Quest: Rescue the King

Details: The king of the Goblin Kingdom is in danger. His soul has been ripped from his body, and a dark mage's soul now occupies it. Please help the king's soul return to his body and save the Goblin Kingdom.

Reward: Clothing Pack Zone]

Rao Ke was sitting at home when a quest descended from the heavens, leaving her utterly bewildered.

"Sesame Paste!" Whenever she didn't understand something, she asked Sesame Paste, so she called out directly.

A fluffy black ball and a furry little wolf cub scampered over. "What's up?"

"What's this adventure quest that just popped up?" Rao Ke showed the panel to Sesame Paste.

Sesame Paste glanced at it. "It might have been triggered by accident. Since you sent Chrisley and Aodisite to the Goblin Kingdom, they're probably the ones who triggered it."

"In cases like this, it usually means the matter is serious enough to threaten the mission to fend off the calamity," Sesame Paste explained.

"Alright, I'll make a call in a bit," Rao Ke said. She didn't have time to rush to the Goblin Kingdom herself, so the task could only be left to Chrisley and Aodisite.

No sooner said than done—Rao Ke immediately initiated a call with Chrisley.

Chrisley picked up quickly.

"What's wrong?" Chrisley's puzzled voice came through the phone.

After Rao Ke explained the situation, she continued, "So, Teacher, is this going to be a big hassle?"

Chrisley reassured her. "Don't worry. Leave it to me. It should be settled in two or three days."

"Great, when you two get back, we'll have an employee gathering!" Rao Ke said with a smile.

Chrisley naturally agreed with a laugh.

"Oh, right, Teacher, your friend has arrived. I've arranged for her and her companion to stay in the guest rooms," Rao Ke added, letting Chrisley know about Afra's arrival.

Chrisley rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. "Okay, I'll be back once we're done here."

To be honest, Chrisley really didn't want to deal with Afra. Every time they met, they ended up in a fight, which was pure torment for someone like Chrisley who preferred peace and quiet.

"What's wrong? Is that little fire dragon here again?" Aodisite, holding a storybook, guessed Chrisley's predicament from her troubled expression.

"Forget it. If she wants a fight, I'll fight. This time, I did go to her for help after all," Chrisley said, taking a sip of jasmine tea to calm her nerves.

"By the way, this mission has to succeed," Chrisley said to Aodisite, who was giggling at her book on the side.

Aodisite shot Chrisley a glance. "You know my abilities. As long as they get me in there, I'll definitely get it done."

...

In the dead of night, Mengdeli, battered and tattered, escaped from Duke Yabusi's estate.

Not long after Mengdeli left, Duke Yabusi appeared with a group of black-robed mages, a cold sneer on his face. "Chase him! If you don't catch him, don't bother coming back!"

At the duke's command, the dark figures behind him darted forward.

Duke Yabusi then said coldly to Ford beside him, "Let's go. Don't let those two women find out!"

But all of this was watched by an owl perched in a tree. The owl flapped its wings and flew into the pitch-black night sky.

Duke Yabusi, who had turned to leave, paused mid-step, watching the owl's direction, and a grin spread across his face.

"Let's go."

In the dim palace, the dark mage was alone. It was then that the owl flew in.

As soon as it entered, the owl transformed into a stream of images that flew into the dark mage's mind.

Absorbing the images, a smile crept onto the dark mage's face.

In truth, the dark mage had disliked Duke Yabusi for a long time—both for the duke's private power-building and his blatant lack of respect. But back then, the dark mage couldn't control this body, and those around the king had let it slide, thinking the king simply doted on his brother.

But now, that had changed. The dark mage clenched his fist.

"Someone!"

At the call, the steward hurried in.

"Take a squad of the royal guard and go to the duke's estate to pick up a man named Mengdeli. He'll lead you," the dark mage ordered, waving a hand to conjure a butterfly in the palace.

The dark mage's face instantly paled. "Hurry!"

"Yes, sire!" The steward acknowledged and hurried out to organize the royal guard.

Mengdeli ran through the alleyways, his face deathly pale, the duke's pursuit hot on his heels.

He carefully hid in a corner as the duke's guards rushed past.

Just as he let out a breath of relief, he heard footsteps approaching.

Mengdeli tensed, gripping his staff tightly.

"Hello, you must be City Lord Mengdeli. I'm the steward sent by His Majesty to escort you," the steward said, stepping into view surrounded by the royal guard.

Mengdeli remained cautious. "What proof do you have?"

The steward produced a token from his chest and showed it to Mengdeli—the king's imperial pass, which couldn't be forged.

Mengdeli's face lit up with relief. "My apologies."

"No worries. Follow us," the steward said with a reserved smile.

And so, with a grand procession, they headed to the palace.

The dark mage looked down at Mengdeli, who was staring up at him with intense excitement, and curved his lips into a faint smile. "You may leave. Only Mengdeli stays."

"Yes!" The others obeyed instantly and exited the palace.

The once-bustling hall fell silent.

"Your Majesty, I am Mengdeli, city lord of a border town in the Goblin Kingdom," Mengdeli said, bowing respectfully.

"Ah, yes, I know," the dark mage replied, though in truth he knew nothing—without absorbing the king's soul, he had no access to his memories.

The dark mage didn't want any chitchat and cut straight to the point. "So, why is Yabusi after you?"

At that, Mengdeli's face contorted with anger.

"That famous shop, to expand its reach, sent representatives here to establish relations with our kingdom and seek an audience with you, Your Majesty," Mengdeli began slowly.

The dark mage grew interested. Even though he couldn't leave during his possession, the steward had reported important news, and the shop had come up repeatedly—it was said to have set up teleportation arrays with the Human Empire, the Beastman Kingdom, and the Elf Forest, and that the owner was a witch with all sorts of unprecedented goods.

"So I hurried with them to the capital to see you, but Duke Yabusi blocked us at the city gates and forcibly took us away," Mengdeli said with a resentful tone.

The dark mage couldn't care less. He pressed on, "Where are those guests from the shop now?"

"They're still at Duke Yabusi's estate. I only barely managed to escape myself," Mengdeli said, his voice dropping.

The dark mage shot him an impatient look. "Go get some rest. Leave the rest to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please rescue them!" Mengdeli said, then dutifully withdrew.

The dark mage was, of course, eager to cooperate with the shop and get his hands on its goods. After a moment's thought—

"Someone! Go to Duke Yabusi's estate and summon those guests from the shop, along with Duke Yabusi, to the palace!"

"Duke Yabusi, this is His Majesty's order. Bring those guests from the shop and come to the palace with me," the steward said with a smile.

Yabusi let out a cold snort. "Ford, go fetch Miss Chrisley and Miss Aodisite."

By the time the two women strolled over, the carriages were ready, and soon the whole procession was heading to the palace.

Yabusi, Chrisley, and Aodisite were led into the throne room, where the dark mage sat upon the throne.

Seeing the crow on Yabusi's hand, the dark mage's eyes lit up, and he barked, "Yabusi, do you realize your crime? Are you plotting rebellion?"

Yabusi, cradling the crow nonchalantly, sat down to the side. The dark mage was about to flare up when Chrisley spoke up.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. We're representatives from this shop. We came to the Goblin Kingdom to discuss establishing a teleportation array with you."

The dark mage suppressed his irritation, forcing a smile. "Of course we're willing. It's an honor to cooperate with you."

Chrisley wore a faint smile and produced an agreement.

Then, Yabusi stood up abruptly and snatched the agreement. "You're an impostor!"

The dark mage's face darkened. "Yabusi, what do you think you're doing?!"

Yabusi fixed his gaze on the dark mage and said, word by word, "Do you dare let this witch beside me verify you?"

The dark mage didn't dare. His fists clenched beneath his sleeves, and after sizing up everyone in the room, he knew he was no match for the witch. So he started preparing a backup plan.

He began casting a spell to separate his soul—life was more important than a throne, after all.

With a hidden gesture, the dark mage peeled his soul away from the body, leaving behind a sliver of magic to puppeteer the shell while he tried to make a break for it.

But before he could escape, Aodisite caught him. Gazing at the black orb in her hand, she said, "I was just about to use soul separation myself. Looks like you saved me the trouble."

The king's body crumpled to the floor, and the hall erupted into chaos.

Aodisite used her magic to extract the king's soul from the crow and return it to his body.

"Alright, your brother should be fine—he'll sleep for a while, and his body will need a few months to recover," Aodisite told Yabusi.

"By the way, what do you want me to do with this one?" Aodisite produced a glass bottle, where a dark wisp of light bounced around inside futilely.

Yabusi shook his head. "Just annihilate him. He's got the blood of plenty of goblins on his hands."

Aodisite put the bottle away. "Sure, I'll handle it later."

"Alright, once my brother wakes, I'll let you know. Please, rest for a while," Yabusi said respectfully to the two.

The two nodded and left the palace.