"Hmph, so what if a succubus kidnaps you? Just beat her at her own game. You are a sex fiend, after all," Ava said, not bothering to look back.
"Ouch, now my heart hurts. My wife truly doesn't care about me. I can't find the will to live anymore..." Leyvi caught up to her and continued his exaggerated performance.
But this time, Ava simply ignored him.
"..."
Ugh... the classic silent treatment...
Leyvi sighed inwardly. It was difficult to entertain this girl. Did she truly have feelings for me, or was Anda just trolling me again? He honestly could not tell.
"Alright, alright," he relented, dropping the playful act. "To be honest, I also don't know the best way to gather all this information. I can see far away, but I can't hear them. I don't think we can get the full picture of the situation by just observing from a distance." He met her gaze more seriously. "Even though I was joking just now, it was not completely a joke either. I think we have no choice but to approach and ask people we come across."
"Hmph, finally taking this seriously," Ava said, finally turning around sharply to face him. The clover-shaped twin buns on her head jiggled with the sudden movement.
"Heheh..." Leyvi chuckled awkwardly under her intense stare.
"If we need to get information from someone, just leave it to me," Ava stated, a confident smile spreading across her face. "I am an expert at this. I may not be able to use illusions like Anda, but my method can extract information just the same."
Leyvi blinked, momentarily speechless. Right. Ava had a wealth of experience interrogating criminals with her uniquely barbaric techniques. Many of the most notorious criminals in Bara City had broken down and revealed everything the moment Ava stepped into the interrogation room.
He had forgotten how truly violent Ava could be. In the past, she had beaten anyone she disliked with little restraint. Compared to those days, a simple kick to the shin was nothing.
Her temper was still fiery, but she no longer randomly lashed out at people. This was actually a positive change. If he remembered correctly, all those violent outbursts had been side effects of her extremely painful cultivation method.
Since Barbara had helped modify and improve her cultivation method a few years prior, that likely eliminated the harmful side effects entirely.
Leyvi's gaze softened. His hand gently reached up and settled on top of her head.
"You must have endured a lot," he said quietly. "Good job." He gave her head a few soft, comforting pats.
WHAT?
Ava was completely stunned. A shock ran through her entire body at the sensation of his gentle hand on her head.
What is going on? Why is he looking at me like that? Is he crazy? Wait. Why is my heart beating so fast? Am I dying?
She usually hated being touched. But for some inexplicable reason, the gentle pats felt... nice. She found herself staring at the man before her. With her eyes fully adjusted to the dark and the soft glow from the surrounding plants, her mind unconsciously began to memorize the details of his face.
This is Leyvi... my husband...
"Alright," Leyvi continued, completely unaware of her internal turmoil as he withdrew his hand. "You can extract information from people using your interrogation method, but we only do it to bad people, okay?" He was certain it would not be difficult to find individuals who fit that description later.
Huh? What is wrong with this girl? Why is she looking so dazed? Leyvi finally noticed Ava's strange, fixed stare.
Seeing her dazed state, Leyvi could not resist the urge to stir up some mischief.
He quickly raised his finger in front of her unfocused face, channeled a spark of Qi, and produced a sudden, blinding flash of light.
The flash immediately jolted her back to reality. She reflexively threw her hands up to shield her eyes.
"SEX FIEND!! What are you doing? Are you picking a fight?" Ava scolded, her eyes blinking rapidly as her fiery temper reignited in full force.
"Shush, shush! Do not scream. Someone will hear you," Leyvi whispered urgently, making a calming gesture with his hands.
"I don't care!" Ava snapped, lashing out with another swift kick toward his shin. This time, however, he managed to dodge it.
"Ava, calm down. It was just a joke," Leyvi said, putting more distance between them.
"Hmph, then it is my turn to make a joke. Give me your leg!" Ava disappeared and reappeared in front of him in an instant, once again aiming for his poor shin.
Leyvi dodged and kept his distance, but after several more lightning-fast attempts, his luck ran out. He could not evade the final kick. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his leg in pain.
"Hmph, how do you like my joke?" Ava asked, a hint of triumph in her voice.
"Ugh... not bad..." he managed through gritted teeth. "This joke uniquely suits you. It feels... violent."
Ava allowed a small, smug smile. "I like that answer. I will use this style of joke more often. Please exchange more jokes with me later."
Leyvi could only offer a wry smile in return. This barbaric girl... Just you wait until I get tougher. I will exchange a lot of 'jokes' with you then.
Meanwhile, back at the cave mansion, a certain panda lady still felt she had made a terrible decision pairing the two together.
---
Colossal tree's shade, west region.
A man in a crisp Royal Guard uniform entered a grand mansion and strode toward a specific room. He knocked firmly on the door.
"Come in," a voice called from inside.
The man opened the door and entered without hesitation. Inside, he found a young man lying on the floor, balancing five long poles, one each on his thumbs and big toes, and the fifth precariously balanced on the tip of his nose.
The sight was not unfamiliar to Franze. He had witnessed his prince devise countless strange and elaborate ways to entertain himself during their time here.
"What is it, Franze? What news are you bringing me? Ah... don't fall, don't fall!"
"Your Highness Charles," Franze reported, ignoring the spectacle. "Captain Shino has left his territory. What should we do?"
Clang clang clang!
All the poles immediately clattered to the floor.
"Oh? That was unexpected. I thought he would fight back," Prince Charles remarked, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. "Sigh... I can't beat my previous record now." He stored the poles away in his space ring and fluidly rose to his feet.
"I guess he will not be waiting for his prince any longer," Charles mused, brushing off his clothes. "So, how many people leave with him?"
"Around a thousand people left with him. There are eight hundred people who stayed behind," Franze reported. "Your Highness, if we absorb them all into our faction, we will immediately become the largest faction, surpassing even Princess Waniwani."
"A thousand leave with him, huh," Prince Charles mused, calculating quickly. "We currently have three thousand eight hundred people, and Princess Waniwani has four thousand three hundred. Ah... yes, yes, yes. If we absorb eight hundred more, we will have four thousand six hundred people! With fewer and fewer new arrivals, I doubt any other faction can surpass our numbers after this! Yay! Yay!" He jumped around the room in a celebratory little dance.
"If that is the case, I will bring our people to take over the southwest region and absorb them into our faction right away," Franze said, bowing before turning to leave and accomplishing the mission.
"Ah! Wait, Franze, wait!" the prince called out, stopping him.
"What is it, Your Highness?" Franze turned back, his expression patient.
"Hehehe. I have a better idea," Prince Charles said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Take over the territory, but chase all eight hundred of those who stayed away. Send them all scattering to the other territories."
"What?" Franze was visibly shocked and confused. "Send them away? But... why, Your Highness? Eight hundred is a significant amount of manpower."
Franze could not understand his lord's sudden shift. From the beginning, Prince Charles had been the most enthusiastic about expanding their numbers, constantly competing with Princess Waniwani. But now, with such a perfect opportunity to become the dominant force, he was ordering the exact opposite.
Sending them to other territories? Why?
"Hehehe... Do not worry about it, Franze. Just do as I say, okay?" Prince Charles hopped happily, circling his bewildered subordinate.
Franze could only sigh inwardly and bow in acceptance. "Your humble subject will do as Your Highness has ordered."
Truth be told, Franze did not know much about Prince Charles. It was not long before the Mystic Realm expedition began that he and the other Royal Guards had been assigned to him. Very little was known about the prince within the palace itself, aside from his notably childish demeanor.
Before their departure, the King had privately ordered the Royal Guards accompanying Prince Charles to obey his every command without question or exception. Therefore, no matter how bizarre the orders seemed, Franze was bound to carry them out to the best of his ability.
"Oh, right, Franze. Make sure to do it as fast as possible. Go, go! Time is ticking!" the childish prince added, shooing him toward the door.
Franze nodded, offered one final bow, and left the mansion to carry out the perplexing order.