"Claude?" Lina fluttered around Alice haphazardly, like a bee that had found nectar and was summoning its distant companions.

"Yes." Alice nodded.

"Claude Modena?" Lina confirmed again.

"Yes." Alice nodded again.

"Twilight Bishop?!" Lina screamed.

"That's right."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Lina shouted in disbelief, and even started spewing fire erratically.

The surrounding fire elements became restless due to their Empress's agitation.

"Do you not believe in Claude's resurrection?" Alice asked.

"No. I don't believe that the War God could injure the master so severely." Lina stated firmly, "Just from this alone, it's a fake Claude...."

Lina was about to say more when she noticed Andori's barely noticeable gesture.

As Andori's arch-enemy, Lina immediately realized it was a hint from Andori.

And the meaning of this hint is....

Trust her?!

Trust this girl?

How is that possible?!

Lina stood in a daze on the spot, even forgetting to flap her wings.

Alice curiously watched Lina floating in the air.

So the Elemental Empress's flight doesn't necessarily require wing flapping?

Then why have wings at all?

And while Lina was baffled by the matter of Claude's resurrection, Shen Sui faced a very troubling issue.

Because when the world's consciousness came running for help, he had set the Time Regulator to 1:1 to prevent sudden events from taking him by surprise.

But this also resulted in real-world time passing equally as Shen Sui progressed through the plot.

Thus, an embarrassing situation arose: the finals of the Modu Duel Tournament were about to start.

The finals of the Modu Duel Tournament are broadcast nationwide, and to maximize live broadcast revenue, all matches are scheduled for the evening to accommodate the majority of working people.

Though Shen Sui was a newly promoted Fifth-tier Life Card Master, due to constant comparisons with Xinyuan Yingxue together with the hype around Xinyuan Yingxue as a super genius, Shen Sui's fame also rose simultaneously, making him a considerable focal point for the organizers.

As a result, Shen Sui's match was scheduled around mealtime.

Shen Sui glanced at the time, and at this point, he absolutely had to get going.

"I'm here to pick you up!" Xinyuan Tanchun appeared punctually at the door of Shen Sui's dormitory.

It was something she had arranged with Shen Sui earlier.

Although both of them were participating in the same competition, at least nominally, Xinyuan Tanchun was still Shen Sui's coach. Considering that Shen Sui was participating in a professional tournament's finals for the first time, she decided to seize the opportunity to talk with Shen Sui about the matters concerning professional matches.

Shen Sui didn't reject Xinyuan Tanchun's invitation either.

He also wanted to learn more about Isabella's current status through Xinyuan Tanchun.

This shy vampire obviously hadn't yet mastered the critical technique to invade the real world without harming Xinyuan Tanchun.

"Your face doesn't look so good." Xinyuan Tanchun noticed Shen Sui's face and immediately asked, "Are you nervous because you're about to compete?"

Shen Sui shook his head and said, "Something happened in the Soul Card World."

"What? What happened?!" Xinyuan Tanchun immediately asked out of concern, because her Soul Card World was also Dawn Continent, and if something happened to Dawn Continent, she couldn't remain aloof.

Shen Sui glanced at Xinyuan Tanchun, thought for a moment, and shook his head saying, "Nothing, just a minor issue."

A minor issue of the world possibly being destroyed.

"Let's resolve it on the way. We need to hurry to the venue." Seeing Shen Sui so composed, Xinyuan Tanchun didn't dwell on it further.

Shen Sui nodded in agreement, planning to first check out the situation at the arena.

"Huh? Is your room this clean?" Xinyuan Tanchun glimpsed Shen Sui's room out of the corner of her eye, curiously remarked, "It doesn't seem like a boy's room."

"Don't hold prejudices against boys." Shen Sui replied, though he actually fit into that stereotype of men.

Xinyuan Tanchun suspiciously remarked, "I say....could it be you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, I do." Shen Sui crossed his arms, tilting his head up proudly, "And quite a few of them as well."

Xinyuan Tanchun instantly showed a look of disdain, "You really fantasize, claiming to have several girlfriends. Life Card Masters are notoriously hard to find partners, as widely recognized in the industry. Forget several, I'm afraid you couldn't even get one."

This wasn't Xinyuan Tanchun trying to mock Shen Sui by making things up, because professional Life Card Masters always travel nationwide to compete, often leaving them unable to care for family.

However, it's a bit extreme to say they're hard to find partners, given Life Card Masters are quite wealthy.

"Since it's all fantasy, why stick to reality, stick to monogamy." Shen Sui took out his deck, "A duelist's all should be dedicated to the cards! My ultimate dream is to have a deck full of..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Xinyuan Tanchun quickly interrupted Shen Sui's feverish talk, "Let's hurry to the venue, your match is quite early."

Shen Sui pouted, reluctantly retracting his playboy statement.

After getting into Xinyuan Tanchun's car, Shen Sui looked down at the Dueling Device, continuing to watch the ongoing plot.

After getting Andori's confirmation, Lina finally believed that Claude had indeed returned to Dawn Continent.

At least his consciousness was back.

[Following Andori's suggestion, Aina first took Alice to the Spring of Eternal Life, while Anna and Andori went together to support the frontline at the Natural Holy Tree.]

[Anna glanced at Alice with some concern, unwilling to let Alice out of her sight, which made her feel unsafe—even though she was actually far stronger than Alice.]

[Alice gave Anna an assuring look.]

[Thus, the group split into two paths.

[Lina watched Alice walk away, then turned to glare at Andori: "So why can only Freymia heal the master? Did you betray the mistress, Andori?"]

[The Empress of Fire and Wood instantly got into a scuffle.]

Shen Sui's mouth twitched.

Is this some kind of shipping war?

Good thing I'm not someone who makes money off shipping something, or I'd eventually have to deal with extreme shippers getting agitated.

The Spring of Eternal Life wasn't far away.

[Aina cradled Alice, speeding through the forest.]

If Anna saw this scene, she would probably regret it bitterly.

Shen Sui internally remarked.

[The elements around them grew increasingly lively, a vibrant aura of life gradually enveloping them.]

[Alice felt her body being fortified; this was the power of the Spring of Eternal Life.]

["We're here." As Aina's words fell, a beam of light appeared before Alice's eyes.]

[Between the canopy, she vaguely saw a stretch of azure in the distance.]

[When Aina burst out of the forest, the azure became more transparent and beautiful.]

[It was a small lake formed by a hot spring.]

[The Spring of Eternal Life.]

[A graceful figure stood like a sculpture in the center of the Spring of Eternal Life, silently.]

[She was the eternal Elf Empress.]

[Freymia Kettikarudti Iglesia.]

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