Chapter 158: Action

Although they had said they were going shopping, now was certainly not a good time. Sophia knew that there was a real reason for this outing.

Everything else would have to wait until after this.

After pulling her hand away from thumping Nina, Sophia slowly unclenched her fist.

She looked at Enya and spoke softly.

“Senior, shall we go?” “Mm.”

Seeing that Sophia had vented her feelings, Enya nodded lightly.

She turned her gaze toward the entrance of the alley.

There wasn’t a single pedestrian on the street, only a few scattered patrolling soldiers. White Stone City was still under lockdown, with its gates shut and doors closed.

However, this actually worked in Enya’s favor. If there was no lockdown, with crowds and prying eyes, she wouldn’t be able to walk the city in her current appearance.

Enya restrained her aura and, with a gentle flap of her wings, soared up to the rooftop.

The iron boots she wore made no sound as they landed on the roof tiles, a testament to the lightness of her figure.

Sophia also summoned her staff. Gripping the wooden-brown staff, she chanted in ancient Elvish in a low voice, “Third Tier Magic: Wind Control.”

A gentle breeze rose around her.

The wind coiled about her like a soft hand, lifting her slender maiden’s form lightly and carrying her up to the rooftop as well.

Nina, on the other hand, didn’t use magic.

She bent her body slightly, then with a jump and a kick off the wall, she vaulted up to the roof of the two-story building, six or seven meters high.

Once they reached the rooftop, their view instantly widened, and they could clearly see the Castle standing at the very center of the city.

From their position, it was about five or six kilometers away.

In the large northern cities, urban development typically centered around the original lord’s Castle, and White Stone City was no exception.

Sophia looked at the Castle and murmured,

“That’s the place?”

“Mother Dragon, do you dare race Nina to see who gets there first!”

Nina turned her head and shouted to Enya.

Sophia, hearing this, turned and glared at Nina. We’re supposed to be sneaking around! How can you be so loud, Nina?

But seeing Nina pretending not to notice, Sophia could only feel helpless. This younger sister was truly becoming more unruly—she used to be so obedient.

Sophia lifted her head to the sun, which had only just risen that morning, feeling a bit uneasy.

In the stories she had read, people always chose nighttime for such things. Why had Senior brought them out at dawn?

Enya glanced first at the energetic Nina, then at Sophia.

She understood why Sophia seemed so uninterested.

But time waits for no one.

They hadn’t acted last night because they needed to recover. Now that they had, Enya had immediately dragged Sophia and Nina out with her.

Enya didn’t believe that after Sophia and Nina disappeared, Wendy could keep her identity hidden forever, but so what if she was discovered?

With a powerful figure lurking behind the scenes, that was enough to make the locals of White Stone City wary of making any rash moves.

So Enya wasn’t worried about Wendy being in danger.

Enya shifted her gaze back to Nina, who had already scooted up close.

Nina’s blue, jewel-like eyes were filled with pride and competitive spirit as she stared at Enya.

Seeing her so eager to win, Enya agreed.

“Alright, let’s see who gets there first. But we need to add a condition: no being spotted. What do you say, Nina?”

“Deal! But if Mother Dragon loses, you have to come back to Nina’s ‘elephant’ with Nina!”

With Enya agreeing, Nina’s delicate and adorable face lit up with a cheeky grin as she quickly proposed her own request.

Upon hearing this, Sophia’s spirits lifted at once, her blue eyes shining beneath her veil, as if to say—

Nina, well done!

Sophia gripped her staff and said to Enya,

“Senior, I want to join too!”

Enya looked at Sophia’s excited expression, let out a small sigh, then nodded in agreement to this wager.

The moment she nodded, Nina’s magic flared up in a burst, and afterimages streaked across the rooftop as her speed reached a level too fast for the eye to follow.

She jumped the start!

“Hey?!”

Sophia was surprised to see Nina take off first, then immediately took to the air with Wind Control, giving chase at full speed.

Enya watched the two racing ahead, not hurrying after them. Instead, she first sensed the surrounding area.

The auras of the stronger individuals had greatly diminished—they had all left the area.

“Just as I thought…”

Under her armored mask, the corners of Enya’s mouth curled up slightly. Everything was proceeding as she expected. The sudden, high-profile appearance of “Ms. Enya,” this unexpected player, had thrown everyone into a frenzy.

Faced with unforeseen changes, they couldn’t retreat, so they were forced to act early!

Golden-red dragon eyes flashed with light, and in the next instant, Enya’s figure vanished from the spot, disappearing entirely from sight for a thousand meters around.

Ahead,

Nina’s brows suddenly knitted together, because she realized the only aura behind her belonged to Sophia—Enya’s presence had vanished ten seconds after Nina took off.

Where did she go? She wouldn’t cheat, would she?

“Hmph! How could Nina possibly lose when it comes to speed?”

Nina narrowed her eyes.

She had lost to Enya in many things, but when it came to speed, she was still confident and wouldn’t underestimate her opponent this time.

Behind her, golden magic condensed into two pairs of wings.

She pulled back her hood, letting her golden hair flow free, the radiant sunlight making it gleam with gold.

As her transparent wings appeared, Nina shot into the sky, her entire body turning into a streak of golden light flying swiftly over White Stone City.

Riding her staff, Sophia, watching this scene, let out a sigh—Nina was already using her bloodline power.

To go so far for this kind of competition?

“She really is serious…” Sophia murmured.

Seeing Nina unleash the power of her Gold Elf bloodline, Sophia didn’t try to accelerate further, instead slowing down a bit.

She used air currents to sense and probe her surroundings, and in doing so, noticed something odd.

This so-called lockdown was strange.

White Stone City was vast, yet there weren’t enough human soldiers, nor did they have the strength to detect the auras of the powerful.

Even the patrolling soldiers within the inner city were only of the first or second tier, all looking listless as if just going through the motions.

So what was the point of this lockdown?

Sophia thought it over for a moment and immediately grasped the real reason behind it.

To make moving around easier!

Enya stood atop the Castle’s walls—there was no one guarding the area, and she could look directly into the garden within.

From the moment the city was sealed, Enya had keenly sensed that this was Sharon paving the way, buying time for her people to gather.

It was also a delaying tactic against Enya.

Whether it was Sharon’s promise of action three days later, or this lockdown, or even the opulent lifestyle in that manor she had yet to show Enya—all of it was meant to stall this unexpected visitor.

Every sincere-sounding offer of cooperation was just a smokescreen, though not entirely false; Sharon truly did intend to backstab her and was interested in dividing up that partner with Enya.

But all of this was contingent on Sharon first getting what she wanted.

It was because she sensed these things that Enya brought Sophia and Nina out early to enter this ancient Castle.

A shadow dropped down.

Enya tilted her head to look beside her.

Nina landed on the crenel of the wall, her wide, lively eyes staring intently at Enya.

“Mother Dragon, you cheated!” “I did not.”

Enya spread her hands helplessly, but didn’t explain how she had managed to cover such a long distance so quickly.

Nina immediately looked deeply aggrieved.

Just then, as Enya took a step forward, turning her back to Nina, Nina leapt from the wall and clung to Enya’s back.

Her body, clad in black tight-fitting clothes, pressed against the steel armor, her soft arms hooked around Enya’s neck, her legs wrapped around Enya’s waist, and her flat chest pressing against Enya’s wings.

Enya felt a weight on her back, looked at the arms around her neck and the legs tightly holding her waist, and sighed helplessly.

Sophia’s graceful figure floated down like a falling leaf.

She looked at Nina hanging onto Enya’s back and tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“Nina, get down from there!” “No…”

Nina pouted, pressing her head right against Enya’s shoulder.

This infuriated Sophia.

Enya waved a hand and said, “I’ll just carry her. It’s not a bother.” After all, she was the one who provoked her.

Enya just treated it as carrying a bag—a small matter.

“Senior…”

Sophia was speechless. Aren’t you spoiling her a bit too much?

And Nina, you’re a grown elf—how can you still have Senior carry you?

But Nina just wouldn’t let go.

She hugged Enya even tighter, no matter how Sophia tried to pull her off.

In the end, Sophia gave up. After all, this was her own little sister.

Sophia pinched Nina’s ear in annoyance, and after calming down a bit, she looked up at the human world’s Noble Castle.

With the Empire’s push for urbanization, such structures were now rare.

The Castle before them had been newly renovated with the finest materials.

Beneath their feet were large, gray-white bricks, each a meter square, their surfaces smoothed and their joints nearly invisible, making the entire wall look seamless.