After releasing the green signal of mission completion with a magic device resembling fireworks, Zhang Cheng and Delong returned to the manor with their spoils, preparing to lock the prize away in the castle’s basement.
Please do not misunderstand—Delong, as a mentally sound and chivalrous member-in-training of the Royal Knights, harbored no dirty thoughts like “elves live forever, one will last eternally.” The only reason for this was that the most secure and sturdy place in the entire manor was the castle’s underground prison. The sole purpose was simply to prevent this elf from escaping.
However, this drow clearly resisted him fiercely. Even though she was tightly bound, she still used her limited movements to express her defiance. The reason for this likely involved a certain Mr. Zhang, who preferred to remain unnamed.
Because the drow’s resistance was so strong, Delong ultimately gave up carrying her with physical contact and instead chose a method less suitable for ladies: fastening her to the rear armor of his warhorse and bringing her back to the castle that way.
By then, night had fully fallen. The two joined up with the belated knights and returned to the castle.
When they arrived, the butler had already prepared a small celebratory feast in the dining hall. Delong instructed one of the two Grand Knights, Les, to take Laity down to the basement to guard her, then joined Zhang Cheng for the celebration.
Since preparation time was short, the feast was relatively simple. The appetizer was a richly spiced stew soup. Although it took a long time to prepare, it was an everyday dish for nobles, so no special additions were necessary.
The main course featured various roasted meats, sausages, pan-seared cod, white bread, and meat pies. The roasted meats came in many varieties: pork chops, whole chickens, and geese. Due to time constraints, there was no roasted whole pig as often seen at noble banquets, but the rich aroma of the meats alone made Zhang Cheng’s mouth water.
The Knight Kingdom’s climate was mild year-round, so cod—a fish with delicate flesh—had to be transported from northern countries after being cured, making it extremely expensive. Thus, only nobles could afford such a delicacy, while commoners ate herring, bass, eel, and catfish.
Cod’s flesh was delicious, and even after curing retained superb flavor, but Zhang Cheng found the table’s herring with butter less palatable.
Dessert was a platter of cheese, preserved fruits, and candies. Drinks included the usual mead, coconut wine, and grape wine.
Delong described this simple feast as very satisfying, leaving Zhang Cheng unable to imagine what a grand banquet would look like.
Seeing Delong in a good mood, Zhang Cheng took the opportunity to toast him and expressed curiosity about the ruins and demons mentioned earlier that afternoon, asking Delong to share stories and details from previous adventures—trying to draw him out.
But Zhang Cheng did not expect Delong to be so tight-lipped. The knight improvised an excuse on the spot, clumsily patching over holes in his story but refusing to mention Lu Qiuchen’s name at all.
Through these two days of interaction, Zhang Cheng had already come to see Delong as a noble knight who truly upheld the chivalric spirit. Yet now, seeing Delong lie to him with a red face, even against knightly principles, Zhang Cheng’s curiosity flared.
What exactly had Lu Qiuchen done in the goblin ruins that made such a knight keep silent about her?
Seeing no hope of getting clues from Delong, Zhang Cheng shifted tactics and proposed that he himself watch over Laity that night.
Delong was reluctant to let a guest take the watch, planning to guard her personally, but Zhang Cheng persuaded him, arguing that elf-speaking mages were rare in the Knight Kingdom and usually high-status, so Delong would need to personally receive guests tomorrow. Delong agreed to hand over the task.
After the celebration, Zhang Cheng, fully armed, accompanied by the butler and a male servant, went down to the dungeon. The servant placed a tray on the table then left with the butler, leaving Zhang Cheng alone in the basement.
This prison was meant for law-breaking serfs and lacked restraints for high-level professionals. Considering the drow’s strength, ordinary handcuffs, shackles, and ropes couldn’t hold her for long, so a capable person had to be assigned to guard her.
Zhang Cheng’s ultimate goal was to gain Laity’s trust and obtain the Eternal Fragment she carried. The unnecessary step was because after talking with Delong in the afternoon, he had hoped to probe for Lu Qiuchen’s hidden experiences but failed.
As for Delong’s commission fee, Zhang Cheng had already decided to forgo it. After deceiving such an honorable person, taking money too felt wrong.
Zhang Cheng secured the task of guarding Laity to carry out his plan—to release her and earn her trust.
He signaled the Grand Knight on duty to open the cell. Entering, he untied Laity’s ropes. The elf girl immediately crossed her arms and retreated into a corner, warily watching him.
Ignoring the mix of resentment and suspicion in her eyes, Zhang Cheng turned to put the food tray into the cell’s meal slot, then locked the door again.
“I’ll be watching you here. Don’t even think about running away.”
But as he approached, he transmitted telepathically to Laity: “Trust me. What you’re experiencing is just part of the plan. Tonight, you will gain your freedom.”
After this, Zhang Cheng no longer paid attention to Laity. If Delong really brought a mage who could speak Elvish tomorrow, Zhang Cheng’s trickery would be exposed, so he had firmly decided to release Laity tonight.
Words were useless—he would earn Laity’s trust with actions.
Now the only headache was: where exactly had Lu Qiuchen gone, and when would she return?
‘The telepathic link between the two won’t activate until he becomes a Dragon Knight. Such a pain,’ Zhang Cheng thought as he drew his broad sword and began training, determined to make the most of every minute to hasten his promotion.
After the Grand Knight Les handed Zhang Cheng the cell keys and left, only the two remained.
The food Laity had snatched before was taken back by Delong. Since Delong had personally intervened the day before, Laity had gotten no food. Combined with the supplies from previous days being depleted, Laity had gone hungry for an entire day.
Hugging her stomach, which rumbled from the enticing aroma, Laity finally couldn’t resist the temptation. Cautiously, she crept out of the corner and reached toward the tray by the door.
Seeing the knight outside practicing swordplay paying no attention to her, Laity breathed a small sigh of relief, took the tray to the back of the cell, and eagerly lifted the lid.
Two pan-fried meat patties lay on a bed of large lettuce leaves. The main dish was a hollowed-out, hard bread filled with rich coconut milk, accompanied by crispy crackers spread with honey.
These foods suited the drow’s eating habits perfectly, surprising Laity.
What she didn’t know was that according to Delong’s original plan, the tray should have been filled with vegetables and fruits.
This arrangement was obviously Zhang Cheng’s suggestion. To win more favor from Laity, he had researched drow dietary habits on a forum.
Drow inherited the elves’ preference for light food but disliked spicy and heavily seasoned flavors. Light eating didn’t mean rejecting meat, especially when hungry.
As a species that prized elegance, elves had even more varied recipes than today’s human nobles. Many cooking techniques now popular in human kingdoms could be traced back to ancient high-elf cookbooks.
The belief that elves ate only fruits and vegetables came from their early retreat from the southern continent. With little contact and transmission errors, a misleading impression had formed.
Hearing movement in the cell, Zhang Cheng glanced over to see Laity already curled back into the corner, devouring the food. He telepathically said, “Eat slowly. Tonight we leave this place. You might never have such good food again. If you need, I can have someone bring you more.”
Laity paused, looked up at Zhang Cheng, and mumbled indistinctly, “Is it really you who’s coming to save me?”
Zhang Cheng didn’t expect choosing the right food to have such an effect. He smiled sincerely and replied, “Of course. Don’t worry, Laity, forgive my earlier offense…”
Afterward, Zhang Cheng straightforwardly told her a tale that he was commissioned by a certain silver dragon to fulfill Laity’s wish. He had braved countless hardships to find her but had to stay undercover near the evil castle lord to gather evidence of his crimes. Now he had the proof and would take her away under cover of night to fulfill the silver dragon’s commission—a story blending truth and fiction.
In this narrative, the silver dragon was portrayed as a noble figure who had to abandon Laity due to threats from evil forces but deeply worried about her, even risking exposure to reach out to Zhang Cheng for rescue.
Delong, of course, was cast as the henchman of this evil presence—disguised as a righteous ally but secretly conducting sinister black magic experiments.
Zhang Cheng was the righteous knight exposing Delong’s crimes and the silver dragon’s secret lover. However, because of their vast status difference and oppression from the dragon race, they could only meet in secret, deeply in love but unable to confess openly—a tragic romance full of youthful fantasy.
With Zhang Cheng’s vivid storytelling, the tragic tale won Laity over instantly. Her gaze shifted from resentment to suspicion, then finally to sympathy.
She put down her utensils, eyes sparkling, and declared she would help them unite!
Even Zhang Cheng hadn’t expected the persuasion to go so smoothly. He suddenly wondered if all the elaborate scheming was worth it.
Maybe there was no need for so many twists and turns. Just a few touching love stories applied to himself and Lu Qiuchen might have convinced Laity outright?