Chapter 438 Can't I stay here for a while longer?
Bia stopped in front of one of the bookshelves, filled with an array of books. In the center of the room, there was a large, ornate wooden desk surrounded by several armchairs. The dimly lit room exuded an air of sophistication and calmness as she glanced around.
-'Hmm, a study?'
The phoenix got startled when Nine almost caught her by suddenly turning his head towards her. But before he could spot her, she quickly hid behind one of the bookshelves.
-'Phew, that was a close one! But why do I feel like I am doing something wrong by following behind them? Ugh, just what the heck are they up to?'
Regardless, it's a good thing that neither Nine nor Elli could sense Bia because the elven woman was a lot weaker than her, and Nine had the same strength as her.
Bia found a hidden spot between some books and settled in to observe Nine and Elli. But even after a few minutes, the duo didn't do anything special.
Nine simply took out two blue beads from his storage ring and gave one to Elli. Then the duo quickly found a hidden spot in the study and concealed their presence.
-'What am I even doing? Don't tell me they are going to do something crazy... Ugh, whatever, I'm outta here!'
But at that exact moment, the air inside the room turned troubled for some reason, and there was a faint rustling sound.
But at that exact moment, the air inside the room turned troubled for some reason, and there was a faint rustling sound.
-'Huh?'
Bia stopped and looked back. The phoenix narrowed her eyes as a crack appeared in mid-air, a little distance away from the wooden table.
The crack silently grew wider and wilder, and after a few seconds, someone stepped out from it without making a sound. It was a middle-aged elven woman with short purple hair.
She was wearing a cloak that gracefully flowed down her body, hiding everything except her face.
The woman glanced around with a pair of bronze-colored eyes, and then she took a step forward with a cold and emotionless expression before quietly sitting on one of the armchairs around the wooden table.
Bia stared at the woman whose presence alone made her a little overwhelmed. After the woman appeared, the phoenix tried her best to secretly sense her strength, but she wasn't even able to hear the sound of her footsteps.
-'She is stronger than me!'
If Bia hadn't seen her with her own eyes, she would have never known that someone else had arrived in the room.
The phoenix held her breath and tried to be as silent as possible, so the woman wouldn't sense her presence.
Then she finally noticed the insignia engraved on the woman's dark cloak that was overlooked before because of the dim lighting in the room. It featured a graceful tree with intricate branches and leaves. The tree was also adorned with many delicate symbols.
Bia watched as the woman glanced at everything inside the room. It seemed like her gaze lingered for a moment on the spot where Nine and Elli were hiding, and then she turned her attention to the area where the phoenix was hiding.
Bia shut her eyes and scooted back further into the spot between the books. She had a bad feeling about all this and knew that the woman had already sensed her presence.
-'Kyle! I don't know what you are doing! There's something very, very wrong going on here! So, please come here now-!'
She jolted in mid-sentence because the door of the room swung open with a loud sound. In the next second, another person stepped in and let out a faint squeal, which sounded too loud due to the quietness in the room.
-'Damn it, my tiny heart almost leaped out!'
Bia calmed herself and quickly glanced toward the voice, and her eyes widened because it was Yue.
The elf had her face hidden behind her hands as she stood beside the door. Her neck and pointy ears were flushed red. The color contrasted with her fair complexion, so it was visible even in the dimly lit room.
Yue took a deep breath and lowered her hands to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress. She had a smile on her face, but it froze when a soft and bored voice echoed in the room.
"Did something happened?"
The woman sitting on the armchair placed her palm beneath her chin and glanced at Yue from head to toe.
"Probably something good."
Yue froze in place upon seeing her. She took a step back with trembling eyes. Her previous smile faded, replaced by a hard expression as she clenched her fists and stared at the woman.
"Why... are you here?"
The bracelets around her wrists started shining as the woman glanced at them and let out a hum.
"Why are you asking questions when I've already given you so much time? It's time for me to leave, and you know you have to come with me."
She stood up and approached Yue with silent steps.
"This planet is indeed filled with treasures, but after looking around for a while, I found out they are not really useful to me. So, I got bored."
Yue took a step back, and a panicked expression appeared on her face as she glanced around. She wanted to run away, but she knew she couldn't because the person in front of her was way too strong.
"Can't I... stay here for a while longer? It's so sudden, and I'm not ready. I have so many responsibilities. How can I leave? Please... At least let me say goodbye to my friends and family. They don't even know about all this because I couldn't speak due to the bracelets!"
The woman's face remained devoid of emotions even after she heard Yue's desperate voice.
"It's surprising that you have reached the pseudo-divine rank on your own, even though less than a year ago, you begged me to increase your talent so you could save your people."
"But it's a pity that as someone who has entered the realm of divine, you still can't let go of mortal emotions."
All of a sudden, the woman snapped her eyes toward the phoenix that had been screaming Kyle's name in her head.
"Shut up and stop screaming. It's starting to get on my nerves. You are in my domain ever since I arrived here."
"So, all your connections to the outside world have been cut off. Simply put, the person you're calling for can't hear you."