Chapter 014: Worry in the Ancient Castle

Xue Lan woke up from a nightmare. Upon waking, she saw only a dilapidated house, yet the bed she lay on was extremely luxurious. A faint scent of musk came from beneath the pillow, giving her an extremely comfortable feeling.
But soon, she noticed the presence of someone else beside her.
She tried to sit up, but a pain in her chest made her groan, and she slowly collapsed back down.
“You’re injured—rest well. No one here can harm you,” came a calm and gentle voice, seemingly coming from the sky.
Xue Lan shuddered. She turned her head with difficulty and gazed at him with eyes filled with disbelief and admiration. All she could see was him.
His face was incredibly handsome, with black hair streaked with white gently floating in the air. His lips were slightly raised, forming a charming curve—surely enough to enchant countless women. Even his silver-white armor was magnificent.
What a perfectly flawless man!
He sat on a stool, sipping coffee slowly, his movements precise and graceful, just as any etiquette expert would demonstrate.
Yet there was a hint of sorrow in his gentle demeanor. If Xue Lan hadn’t been staring at him constantly, she would never have noticed it.
What caused him such sadness? she wondered.
But when she saw his bright eyes, she couldn’t help but groan, “O… Lord Aldas…”
Aldas slowly stood up. He stared at Xue Lan’s face and said softly, “Are you unharmed?”
Xue Lan felt as if burned by Aldas’s gaze. Her pale face instantly turned red. Remembering that she would soon be with him, joy flashed in her eyes. Even if she were seriously injured, she would probably recover instantly!
Finally, she managed to sit up and said, “I’m fine now.”
A flicker of surprise appeared in Aldas’s eyes. Though he was a genius of the imperial capital, he was emotionally naive like a child. Moreover, his heart belonged only to his Kris at that moment—how could he possibly notice the feelings of another woman?
He smiled, his smile as dazzling as the sun. If Du Fan saw such a smile, he might go crazy with jealousy, just as he had wondered before—was it him who had traveled through time, or was it this boy?

Ordas chuckled lightly and said, “It’s good that nothing’s wrong. I’ll instruct the apothecary to take care of your health. If everything goes well, you should recover in about half a month. By the way, if I’m not mistaken, your name is Xuelan, right?”
Xuelan’s heart surged with emotion. All she could think was, He knows my name! He knows it! He actually knows my name!
Ordas finally noticed Xuelan’s obsessive behavior and felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said, “Alright, Xuelan. You can tell me why you suddenly appeared outside the castle.”
Xuelan snapped out of her daze at Ordas’s cough. Her eyes flashed with determination as she struggled to get up and kneel on the ground. “Young Master Ordas, I’m incompetent. The mission has failed…”
Mid-sentence, she suddenly coughed violently, spitting blood. She staggered, nearly fainting.
Ordas quickly helped her up.
But Xuelan still knelt unsteadily and said, “I’m worthless. I deserve to die to take responsibility. But I beg Young Master Ordas to save my poor sisters!”
Ordas frowned and said, “Get up first, and then talk.”
Xuelan raised her head, her face filled with sorrow. She whispered, “Does Young Master Ordas refuse? Of course! Our sisters were trained to die from the start. They should die without regret. Yes… But now that they’re all dead, what’s the point of my living? We’ve grown up together as sisters, treating each other as our closest family. Yet I can only watch them die helplessly. What’s the point of my living? What’s the point at all?”
At this, Xuelan looked up at Ordas and smiled sadly. “That’s right. If I die too, won’t we be together again?”
With that, she pulled a dagger from her bosom and swung it at her own throat.
With a “ding,” Ordas gently flicked his fingers, shattering the dagger into pieces. Frowning, he sighed and said, “Xuelan, I promise you—I’ll find a way to save your sisters no matter what. But first, you need to tell me what really happened.”
Xuelan’s eyes lit up. “Really? Young Master Ordas, you promise!”
Ordas smiled faintly. “Yes!”

“I knew it! I knew it! I knew Master Aldas is omnipotent!” Xue Lan said. “Master Aldas, things are like this…”
In less than a few minutes, Xue Lan had explained everything clearly. Of course, perhaps out of self-interest, she concealed the fact that she had already given herself to Du Fan, claiming instead that she had seduced the prisoners to escape. Unfortunately, her subordinates were killed by pursuers during the escape. As for the identity of those pursuers, it was blamed on the defender of Paulsen City and Governor Brandon.
“I see…” Aldas sighed softly. “I will definitely find a way to rescue your sisters. If I didn’t know before, I do now. Our Belinger family won’t just sit by while Du Fan acts recklessly. Don’t worry. Just rest and recover, then come back to the capital with me. Don’t do such dangerous things again.”
With that, Aldas helped Xue Lan onto the bed, patted her shoulder gently, sighed, and left.
“Master Aldas…” Xue Lan suddenly called out.
“What is it?” Aldas turned back.
A hint of pain and determination flashed in Xue Lan’s eyes. “Nothing, Master Aldas… I just wanted to say that I want to thank you on behalf of those sisters…”
Aldas nodded slightly, then left the room. Only Xue Lan remained, leaning on the bed. Her heart was filled with sorrow, but she smiled and murmured, “Did I… do the right thing?”
After leaving the room, Aldas wandered around the castle a few more times.
This castle had once been the private property of the Belinger family long ago, but as their status grew, it was abandoned. If it weren’t for waiting for Du Fan, Aldas wouldn’t have come here either.
Finally, he arrived at a dilapidated bell tower and knocked gently on the door several times.
After a moment, a faint voice came through: “Is it Aldas? Come in.”
Aldas slowly pushed the door open and stepped in.
The bell tower was in terrible condition, covered in vines and decaying leaves, but a person stood among the vines, eyes closed in deep thought.
Aldas stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, “Teacher Bruce.”
This Bruce was Aldas’s mentor, a professor at Roland Academy and a powerful warrior at the peak of level nine.
Though he stood there casually, he exuded an astonishing presence, like divine authority.

Although Oldas was arrogant, he always showed respect toward this teacher. He remained silent, holding his posture unchanged. After a moment, Bruce slowly opened his eyes and said calmly, “Get up.” Oldas replied respectfully, “Yes!” Bruce walked a few steps with his hands behind his back before continuing, “Have you figured out what’s going on with that person you picked up by chance today?” Oldas said, “I have. Her name is Xuelan. She’s an undercover agent from our Belinger family in Mordor City. She was ordered to assassinate Du Fan but failed and was captured. Yet she’s extremely clever and managed to escape.” “Is that so?” Bruce nodded. “Then what does she want here?” After hesitating for a moment, Oldas said, “She wants me to rescue her sisters… because they’re all in Du Fan’s hands.” “Du Fan, huh?” A glint appeared in Bruce’s eyes. “Well, then, how reliable do you think Xuelan is?” Oldas thought for a while before saying, “I’m not sure, sir. But I believe that once the spies from Mordor City send back news and we compare it, we’ll know how reliable she is.” Bruce nodded in satisfaction. “Very good, Oldas. You’ve finally overcome your tendency to act emotionally… I’m pleased. This is news from Mordor City. Compare it.” With that, Bruce pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Oldas. Oldas took it and examined it for a while before saying, “Teacher Bruce, if the information on this is correct, then Xuelan is absolutely trustworthy. What she said matches exactly what’s written in this secret report, and even more so.” “What else?” “What else?” “I’m asking what else you’ve noticed,” Bruce said sternly. Oldas was slightly stunned and picked up the scroll again, studying it carefully.