"Humph! What do you mean 'once'? I've always been at the forefront opposing Judge Yan's decision to elevate Ailinna!" Dao Lao huffed, brushing his pristine long beard.

"In this matter, Judge Yan knew that he was acting out of personal motives, so when he learned of the fierce opposition from the priests, he reluctantly abandoned the idea. Through this incident, Judge Yan also saw the irreplaceable status of Chaofan and Chaoyue in the hearts of the priests, which brought him some comfort. As a result, the plan to make Eliana a candidate for Ling City's future successor died in its early stages and was never mentioned again."

"However, Judge Yan did not lose his affection for Eliana. Given the strong negative reaction from society, he showed his care for her in a more discreet manner. Additionally, although Eliana accepted the benefits as if she were Judge Yan's adopted daughter, she always kept a distance from him. Gradually, Judge Yan kept his affection for Eliana in his heart, silently watching her grow, hoping that she would truly mature one day."

"For this reason, Eliana enjoyed certain privileges. She could choose her place of training at will. Whether working at the Soul Management Center or in other departments, she received special treatment. Eliana was somewhat aware of the priests' doubts about her status, but she didn't care. As long as she could improve herself through various work experiences, she ignored the opinions of others. Moreover, her outstanding work ability earned her acceptance in all departments of Ling City, which treated her as someone with special transfer privileges rather than rejecting her."

"And so, everyone worked together in harmony until the recent incident. Hmph! I knew Eliana was unreliable! Judge Yan was blinded by grief and refused to heed my warnings! Otherwise, how could Eliana have caused such a big mess?" Dao Lao couldn't help but complain about Judge Yan, stating that this incident had become Judge Yan's biggest black mark. He vowed to use it to mock Judge Yan if he ever dared to offend him.

Hao Yun listened to Dao Lao rant about Judge Yan's mistakes and boast about his own foresight. Seeing that Dao Lao's earlier sadness had lifted, he interjected, "Alright, alright. I know you're a discerning talent scout. Judge Yan is really lucky to have a friend like you! From your hatred of Eliana, it seems that even if this had nothing to do with Mold Spirit Energy, you would still personally arrest her to vent your anger."

Dao Lao shrugged, indicating that was indeed the case. He was willing to personally capture and punish Eliana for any trouble she caused, regardless of Mold Spirit Energy's involvement.

Hao Yun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, wondering if Dao Lao's actions counted as using public power for private revenge. It seemed that despite the priests' claims of upholding absolute justice, they weren't always impartial in practice.

"Hey! No matter what, we still have to meet Eliana tomorrow. You should calm down and avoid starting a fight as soon as you speak," Hao Yun advised.

Although Hao Yun hadn't noticed Dao Lao's intense dislike and rejection of Eliana during their previous meeting, now that Dao Lao had revealed his true feelings, Hao Yun thought it best to soothe him. He didn't want Dao Lao's rekindled negative emotions to cause any issues during their upcoming meeting, which could jeopardize their plans.

Dao Lao assured Hao Yun that he had enough self-control. Then, they continued drinking and analyzing the day's events before each choosing a room to rest in. The round bed made of vines and grass mats was extremely comfortable, and Hao Yun soon fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept when he finally woke up groggily. Stretching with a satisfying yawn, he got up and drank a large glass of water in the living room, feeling instantly refreshed. While Hao Yun knew his quick recovery was largely due to his enhanced physique, he couldn't deny that the elves' nature-close lifestyle greatly helped alleviate fatigue and restore his body and mind.

Since Dao Lao had eaten all the fruit left by Selwyn the previous night, Hao Yun grabbed a couple of Elves' crackers to stave off his hunger. After stretching and checking his mental power through his system, he found that the mental energy he had depleted by keeping the system on all day had been replenished.

The good news was that Hao Yun believed his mental energy was sufficient to keep the Mold Spirit Energy tracking system running all day. The bad news was that if he did so, his mental energy for extraordinary feats would be very limited in extreme situations. Especially in an overburdened state, he could hardly think about using his abilities.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Ah! It seemed that while his physical fitness was growing, it wasn't improving fast enough. Only with another qualitative leap in mental power could he keep the system on all day while ensuring the use of other special skills. With this thought, Hao Yun reluctantly switched his system to standby mode after confirming all functions were normal.

Looking out through the circular window made of some special gel, Hao Yun saw that it was still dark outside. He realized he had woken up too early, as Dao Lao was still asleep, judging by his loud snores. With nothing else to do, Hao Yun went up to the second-floor balcony and then climbed the spiral staircase to the rooftop tower.

As soon as Hao Yun reached the top floor, he saw the guards on duty. After explaining his purpose, the guards did not obstruct him, allowing him to enjoy the night view of Misty Town from the tower. Given that the buildings in Misty Town were generally not tall, standing on a tower only about five stories high, Hao Yun could have taken in the entire town if not for the obstructive white mist.

Even with the limited visibility due to the fog, Hao Yun could clearly see the night view within his line of sight, aided by the streetlights and illumination under the eaves of the buildings. On the streets, besides the ubiquitous patrol guards, many residents were already out of their quarters, busily preparing breakfast for the town's garrison.

At this moment, Hao Yun suddenly noticed a squad of soldiers in distinctive silver armor marching in unison toward his location. He also saw Selwyn at the end of the squad, carrying an exaggeratedly large basket. Realizing this, Hao Yun hurried downstairs to wake the sleeping Dao Lao and inform him that Selwyn was coming with a group of soldiers. Shortly after, Selwyn lightly knocked on the door and entered, carrying the large basket.

"Hey! Why are you two up so early? Did you sleep well last night?" Selwyn asked, somewhat surprised to see Hao Yun and Dao Lao already seated in the living room.

"Good morning, Selwyn. Thanks to your hospitality, we slept very well," Hao Yun replied politely.

Then, Hao Yun directly asked, "Selwyn, has something happened? Why did you bring a fully armed squad of soldiers with you?"

"Oh? You saw them? They are the personal guards of Lady Eliana, here to escort you," Selwyn answered without any pretense.

"Escort us? To see Eliana?" Dao Lao asked, yawning.

"Yes, sir. Lady Eliana has prepared breakfast and is waiting for you both to join her," Selwyn replied respectfully.

Hao Yun glanced at Dao Lao, who patted his belly and laughed, "Oh? Breakfast right after waking up? Eliana really is considerate! And to be honest, I'm quite hungry. That was one hell of a comfortable sleep! Hahaha!"

Seeing this, Hao Yun added, "Yes, I'm a bit hungry too. So, Selwyn, please lead the way!"

"Not at all, not at all!" Selwyn responded respectfully with a slight bow.

"Um, however, since you are here, could I trouble you both to change into local attire before meeting Lady Eliana?" Selwyn said, taking out two sets of clothes from the large basket.

Hao Yun and Dao Lao understood Selwyn's request. After all, they were about to have breakfast with a deity, so dressing appropriately was a basic form of respect. Besides, they were still wearing modern outfits purchased on Earth, which looked out of place here. Their luminous running shoes alone would make them conspicuous in the night.

(The author comments, "Hongxing Erke, yyds! No problem with that!")

Since they were all men—well, Selwyn seemed to be male, or whatever gender-specific terms applied here—Hao Yun and Dao Lao had no qualms about changing clothes on the spot.

The clothes provided by Selwyn were soft and well-fitted. Hao Yun moved around a bit and found the clothes to be very flexible and breathable. In fact, they were more like soft armor, with protective plates embedded in the fabric. Curious, Hao Yun tapped the plates, producing a crisp sound. The plates seemed quite sturdy based on the slight pressure he applied.

Once they were dressed, Selwyn took out some additional silver armor pieces from the basket and skillfully attached them to various parts of their bodies. Instantly, they looked like they were donning holy armor, shining brilliantly.

Selwyn looked at Hao Yun and Dao Lao with satisfaction and said, "Hmm! Not bad, the size is just right. It seems my ability to measure sizes by eye has improved! Hahaha!"

Hao Yun and Dao Lao, equally pleased with their new outfits, complimented the elves' aesthetic sense.

After they had familiarized themselves with the armor, Selwyn respectfully opened the door, indicating that they should follow him.

("Why do you always say 'indicate' when you could just say 'invite them to step out together'?" Hao Yun couldn't help but complain. "You just want us to hit the road, don't you?")

("Bah! Do you think I like using the word 'indicate'? I have no choice!" the author retorted.

As for why he had no choice, the author refused to answer.

So, Hao Yun immediately thought of the phrase 'at a loss for words.')

When Hao Yun and Dao Lao stepped outside, they saw eight soldiers standing neatly in two rows. These soldiers, like the heavily armored ones they had seen before on giant eagles, wore full-face silver helmets. The smooth, mirror-like masks allowed Hao Yun to clearly see his own reflection.