Lin Nuo did not see it.
When he spoke of the last possibility—”not letting the Magic Whale touch the surface of the lake”—Bella’s eyes, veiled in golden stone dust, were completely moist.
Even without seeing her gaze, one could feel her despair.
“That won’t work, Master! Trying to stop that huge fish from reaching the surface when it wakes and swims upstream…”
Bella immediately halted the dangerous thought and said, “Princess Amidina has already considered this method! The magic array of Silver Tears Lake is fused with a magical artifact of the Archsinner of Pride, one of the evil god’s minions. Inside the magic array, except for the three of them, anyone who steps in will lose their magic… Trying to dive beneath the surface means we can’t use magic to lure the Magic Whale, and we’d be torn apart by that madman…”
“Tampering with the silver itself to alert the monster is completely unrealistic! The silver ingots are escorted by us—enslaved elves under control. Even if there were faint explosion spells on the silver, we couldn’t conceal them and would be forced to report everything truthfully to Parkes! They won’t give us any chance to send signals to that great fish! We can’t even get close!”
There was no way.
No way…
No way.
These four words seemed to have been branded onto her heart by seven years of helpless reality, an unchangeable imprint.
Bella’s despair deepened, layered with guilt.
But Lin Nuo’s hand suddenly began to tremble violently and inexplicably.
It was as if a great stone weighing on his heart had crashed to the ground, and all the mental blockades instantly cleared under an overwhelming surge.
His limbs relaxed, yet his breathing quickened—natural physiological responses born of tension and excitement.
Before him, one fog after another, one layer after another, were swept away by a penetrating gale, revealing clear skies.
He…
He found the one and only opportunity: the silver!!!
“We can’t use magic, but we don’t have to. If going underwater means death, then don’t go underwater…”
He had a plan…
He had thought of a way!
From the darkness came the rustling sound of Lin Nuo searching for something.
Then, the sharp “clang” of his pick striking the Jin Shi Statues on Bella’s hand, and the warmth from the nearby furnace instantly spread to her now free-moving palm.
“Master Lin Nuo, please don’t do that!” Bella said.
“If you knock off all these Jin Shi bindings that restrict my movement, once I’m under magical control again, I will involuntarily seek the silver and head to Silver Tears Lake… and report everything you and I have said, uncontrollably, to Parkes. As elf slaves, we have no secrets in front of him!”
“I… can’t even hope to help you!”
Lin Nuo said nothing.
He seemed completely unaware of Bella’s discouragement.
Instead, it was as if he heard even more useful information, for the rhythm of his pick striking the Jin Shi Statues grew faster.
Until he shattered all the Jin Shi on one of her arms.
“Here, Bella, hold this mirror in your hand. Don’t be afraid. Could you describe roughly the shape of Silver Tears Lake for me?”
“It really is oval like this mirror, right? According to the plan, you’ll follow the Pegasus carrying the silver, come to the edges of Silver Tears Lake, and unload more than twenty fully loaded carriages of silver, throwing them into the lake.”
After a long, long silence—long enough for Bella to think at least half an incense stick had burned—the voice returned.
“All right, I understand.” To Bella’s surprise, Lin Nuo’s tone was suddenly relaxed.
Her eyes, still clouded by Jin Shi, seemed to flicker with new life.
“Master, do you think the Clemence Family will send Mages to assist Princess Amidina?”
“No. I don’t think my father can even send a single soldier.”
Lin Nuo lifted the furnace slightly and placed Bella’s only free, cold little hand where the fire’s warmth could reach it:
“And no matter if there are a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand versions of me, none could change the fact that Amidina will die.”
Before Bella could fall completely into despair from this unbearable truth, Lin Nuo said, turning the situation around:
“But you don’t have to be afraid. This matter doesn’t require a thousand or ten thousand of me. In reality, one of me and twenty-three of you will be enough—if you’re willing…”
Lin Nuo patted her shoulder and said, “You will be my greatest reliance in this high-stakes gamble.”
“Chirp chirp!”
“Dun dun dun…”
After a string of footsteps, the Sacred Relic Hall fell silent again, save for the crackling of the burning fire.
‘Master Lin Nuo had already left.’
Bella, still savoring his last words, felt a strange mixture of emotions.
The other twenty-two elves, whose hands, feet, and sight were bound by Jin Shi and who had overheard the conversation between Bella and Lin Nuo, were equally baffled.
‘Why did Master Lin Nuo think they were his greatest reliance?’
Had he not heard Bella say that as enslaved elves robbed of their Sacred Relics from childhood, they report every detail to Lin Nuo’s enemies… the best they could do was not to be a burden…
“As the lowest and most despicable slaves, what help could we possibly give him and Sister?”
That was reality, but… Bella’s one free hand clenched into a fist, recalling the warmth that had just rested on it.
And it made her inexplicably want to believe.
No one knew how much time passed before Bella quietly spoke what was in the hearts of herself and the twenty-two statues:
“Princess Amidina, you really… didn’t choose the wrong person!”