CHAPTER 504: Will You Take Me Away?

Han Shuo shook his head firmly, and as Kelly stared at him in astonishment, he said, "It's not time yet!"

"How so?" Kelly asked confused. Just looking at the master of the Hand of the Goddess should not be that difficult, so he could not understand why Han Shuo would give such a flat refusal.

"Just as Tiana needed time to fuse with the Water Origin Crystal, the Viridian Leaf Master is still slowly fusing with it and requires absolute tranquility. He must not be disturbed," Han Shuo explained.

But Han Shuo's explanation only made Kelly more curious and he stared at Han Shuo in confusion as he continued to ask, "Unless I misheard you, you said earlier that the master of the Hand of Goddess is a zombie warrior. Are you actually saying that a zombie warrior is capable of merging with the divine artefact of our Druid Order, the Hand of Goddess?"

"Correct indeed!" Han Shuo replied confidently.

Old Kelly, who had lived through countless seasons, became unnaturally pale and wan. His right hand unconsciously moved over his chest as if Han Shuo's explanation was too much for him to bear, then he said with a slightly trembling voice, "I have a feeling that he is not really the emissary of our Nature Goddess!

Ridiculous! How could a zombie warrior from the netherworld be the Goddess of Nature's emissary to the mortal realm?

"Of course not!" Han Shuo smiled faintly, eyeing the visibly disturbed trio with some interest. His gaze finally fell on the quietly mumbling Kelly and said, "He's not your emissary to the Goddess of Nature. Once he has fully mastered the Viride Leaf, I can let you meet him."

"Does that mean the Hand of the Goddess will be his weapon?" Kelly asked reluctantly with a deep sigh.

"Well, for lack of a better word, I can only say that this is indeed true," Han Shuo looked at Kelly apologetically and raised his hands in a shrug. Feeling a sudden surge of sympathy, he continued, "How about I pay you all some gold as compensation? I'm terribly sorry."

From Lilian's performance, Han Shuo could tell that the Druidic Order was not a religious organisation that was good at managing finances. Since Han Shuo had a rather favourable opinion of the Druidic Order, and with the intention of trapping Kelly, a demigod with truly astonishing strength, Han Shuo tried to make some material compensation by offering them gold coins.

"Forget it. This was a dereliction of duty on our part. We cannot let you bear the consequences of our failure," Kelly waved his hand lazily, refusing Han Shuo's offer of monetary compensation. Looking at Kelly, then at Caspian and Lilian, Han Shuo understood that there was nothing much to say if he stayed. With an awkward laugh, he said goodbye. "I still have a few things to take care of, so I'll be taking my leave. If you are still interested in the Master of the Hand of the Goddess, you can find me in Brettel City, where you will be most welcome."

The Viride Leaf should have been something that was distributed from within the Druidic Order. Although Han Shuo had used his own abilities to snatch it from Zofi's hands, that did not change the fact that he had taken something that belonged to them. Han Shuo understood the frustration of the three and knew that a friendly chat would be impossible if he stayed. Therefore, the best course of action was to leave as soon as possible and avoid the awkwardness.

"Very well, when I have the time, I will certainly make a trip to Brettel City. Hmm, despite everything, it was a great pleasure to meet you," Kelly did not ask him to stay, just showed a rather bitter smile as he said goodbye to Han Shuo.

"Likewise. Goodbye," Han Shuo replied politely, nodding to the great druid Caspian before turning and leaving the valley.

After leaving the valley, Han Shuo did not immediately return to Ciro City, but instead pondered over his next steps for taking care of the Ice Shrine.

In Han Shuo's eyes, the Ice Shrine had been greatly weakened by the death of Ice Celestial Corey. Snow Celestial Tiana alone could not pose a threat to Han Shuo.

Han Shuo had never forgotten the hatred that came from the betrayal he had suffered at the Sacred Mountain of the Church of Light. It was just that Tiana had suddenly disappeared, and Han Shuo had no idea where she had fled to. But he guessed that she was probably within the icy peaks of the Ice Shrine.

For the purpose of the sneak attack on Ice Celestial Corey earlier, Han Shuo had hidden his consciousness. And now that he had left the valley, Han Shuo immediately unfolded his consciousness again. He planned to continue to provoke the six-horned tribal king of the Soul Race, lead him to the Ice Shrine, and teach Tiana and her people a most painful lesson.

However, when Han Shuo regained consciousness, he found the Six-Horned Tribal King still and inactive, not continuing his long and arduous journey in pursuit of Han Shuo. This caused Han Shuo some confusion, as he had no idea why the Six-Horned Tribal King would suddenly stop.

Could it be that the old monster, Stratholme, had not yet merged his soul with the Crystal of Combat Aura, and had just happened to be hiding along the path of the Six-Horned Tribe King as he approached, and that the Six-Horned Tribe King had sensed his presence and dealt with him first?

Han Shuo was shocked at the thought. He focused his attention and carefully sensed for a while, approximating that the six-horned tribal king was somewhere within the borders of the Angel Empire.

Shaking his head in frustration, Han Shuo was concerned for Stratholme. However, he was not about to rush into the Angel Empire to find out exactly what was going on. And surely, if things had really gone that far, the old monster Stratholme would have been killed long before Han Shuo ever set foot in Angel Empire.

Two days had passed. Han Shuo discovered that the Six-Horned Tribal King was still within the borders of the Angel Empire. No matter how Han Shuo taunted him, he would not budge.

With that, Han Shuo was almost certain that the Six-Horned Tribal King had not stopped for the old monster, Stratholme. After all, Stratholme's strength was nowhere near enough to hold him back for two full days.

Although Han Shuo had no idea what was going on in the Angel Empire, it was obvious to him that the Six-Horned Tribal King had lingered there without a clue as to when he would leave the Angel Empire. Although Han Shuo was very curious as to what the six-horned Tribal King of the Soul Race was doing in Angel Empire, he made the wise decision not to go there and see for himself.

Without the Six-Horned Tribe King of the Soul Race, even if Han Shuo met Snow Celestial Tiana, he would not be completely certain that he would be able to kill her. So, after a moment's thought, Han Shuo decided to give up the hunt for Tiana for the time being. He would wait until the little skeleton's fusion with the Origin Crystal of Death was complete, and the Water and Earth Elite Zombies had progressed to the point of being able to form the Penta-Elemental Undead Formation, before dealing with her properly.

Having lost one of its two core pillars, the Ice Shrine's strength had been greatly diminished. Han Shuo believed that the Druidic Order would take advantage of this opportunity one way or another, a thought that gave him a sense of schadenfreude.

In a mansion in the northern district of Ciro City...

It was noon, and the blazing sun hung high in the sky. Han Shuo slipped in quietly, intending to check on Sophie's condition and bid her farewell before leaving the Kasi Empire.

After all, Sophie had entertained him for several days and had been a gracious host. Besides, Han Shuo had grown quite fond of Sophie and was afraid that she might be ruined by that good-for-nothing Braque, so he decided to pay her a visit before he left.

When Han Shuo arrived at the mansion, he unfolded his consciousness to search for Sophie's presence, and in no time he had found her.

However, his brow furrowed deeply when he arrived at her location. Three intricate, sturdy magical boundaries were set up within a vast room. One could tell that the person who had set them up was quite skilled. Without altering the space or the objects in the room, they managed to trap Sophie inside.

Even though they were separated by three magical boundaries, Han Shuo could still clearly see the expression on Sophie's face. Under house arrest, she wore a face of misery and looked much more tired than she had two days ago. It was clear that she had not been feeling well.

Frowning as he looked at Sophie behind the three magical boundaries, Han Shuo gradually released his consciousness and slowly realised where her father, Sacred Knight Sulo, was. At that moment, Sacred Knight Sulo was hard at work in his training room. It seemed that it wasn't a coincidence that he was able to become a Sacred Knight.

After some hesitation, Han Shuo placed a hand on the three magical boundaries and demonic light radiated from his palm. There was a cracking sound and the boundaries shattered like broken mirrors.

"Who's there?" Sophie cried out in shock and horror.

"It's me!" Han Shuo replied quietly and walked towards her. Looking at the rather pleasantly surprised Sophie, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing much. My father doesn't want me running around and plans to marry me to Braque in a few days," Sophie's smile was bitter and resigned.

For some reason, Han Shuo actually felt a slight discomfort in his heart when he heard that Sulo was going to force Sophie to marry Braque. A hint of anger flashed across his eyes as he said, "Your father has gone senile, how can he be so overbearing!"

Sigh... Sophie shook her head and replied rather lethargically, "He is not senile. He's doing it because he's too smart. Otherwise, it won't just be him and me, but my entire family clan will have no place in the Kasi Empire."

Han Shuo's face fell before he exhaled heavily as he realised that Sophie was indeed right.

The power of a nation was not something that could be countered by a single person. Unless, of course, that person was someone like Han Shuo, who possessed such tremendous strength that it allowed him to be above the rules of the world. Otherwise, there was certainly no way to take on an entire nation.

In the Kasi Empire, the sacred knight Sulo had made a name for himself. Still, he could hardly stand up to the House of Pillon. Not to mention the existence of the Ice Shrine in the Kasi Empire. Sulo could barely save his own skin, let alone his entire family.

Just as Han Shuo's thoughts were still in a state of confusion, Sophie looked deep into his eyes and asked with a mixed expression on her face: "Bryan, will you take me away?

Report Chapter Comments