With the knowledge that someone had managed to claim the Chaos Lord's inheritance and was possibly walking around with the Perfected Chaotic Scripture, maybe even practicing it, I grabbed my face and roughly rubbed it, doing so to ease the growing frustration.
"Do you at least have a clue as to who it could be? Any signs? Remnant Qi left behind? Something?" Asked Elif softly as he leaned back in his seat and looked at Lucifer, who promptly shook his head.
"No, I got there too late. Any traces the person may have left behind have all been erased. The area where the Chaos Lord's hidden Abode was looked just like any other place in the world; you would've never thought it used to be such an important area." Replied Lucifer lightly as he lowered his head while sighing, causing Elif to groan in annoyance while closing his eyes.
'Maybe if Elaine were with me, she could find some clue within the void? No, probably not; whatever clue or trace was left behind would've been long gone; the void is simply too unpredictable and behaves with no order.' Thought Elif with a click of his tongue as he slowly stroked his hair with a thoughtful expression, only to shake his head while sighing.
"What about corpses? No bodies in the surroundings?" Asked Elif as he eyed Lucifer, who raised an eyebrow in confusion before suddenly widening his eyes and shaking his head.
"Haa, I don't know, I didn't think about it then; I was too focused on the hidden abode and the Chaotic Scripture." Said Lucifer softly with a faint blush as he averted his gaze while Elif's expression twitched in disbelief.
"You mean to tell me you didn't think that perhaps the person would instantly test their new cultivation technique when given the opportunity?" "W-When you put it like that, I sound rather foolish." Remarked Elif and Lucifer, respectively, as the former grabbed his hair in irritation while the latter blushed in shame and lowered his head, causing Qualen to cover her face.
"I finally understand what you mean, Illumia. An Incompetent ally is far scarier than a competent enemy." Said Elif softly as he looked at Lucifer before glancing at Illumia, who nodded in understanding.
"Hmm, did you say something, Elif?" Asked Lucifer with furrowed brows as he suddenly raised his head and looked at Elif, while Qualen snorted at his words, though she remained quiet.
"It's probably too late now to bother with, but since I've nothing to do, I might as well visit the location. Where was the Chaos Lord's hidden abode?" Asked Elif blandly as he rubbed his eyes before looking at Lucifer, who raised an eyebrow before nodding.
Pressing his finger against his temple, Lucifer removed a memory shard from his soul before outstretching his hand toward me, prompting me to wave my hand, manifesting a thin, see-through sphere of Qi surrounding the memory shard as it floated to me.
"For someone with an amount of Qi that puts even Fire Demons to shame, you've got incredible control." Said Qualen lightly as she looked at Elif, who seemed unamused.
"I'll never refuse praise, but if you consider that incredible, then even with an excessive amount of Qi reserves, it's no wonder you Fire Demons are practically extinct." Stated Elif calmly as he flashed a narcissistic smirk before blandly eyeing Qualen, whose expression twitched at his words.
Once the memory shard entered my brain and then my soul, I closed my eyes and quickly scanned the memory, taking only a few seconds to find the exact location, though I couldn't help but click my tongue as it would take some time to get there. However, what was most annoying was that since Elaine had taken the royal carriage, including Zulo and Zala, I was essentially all alone; well, I had Illumia, but she and Zulo and Zala couldn't even be spoken in the same breath in regards to speed.
'Tsk, well, better than nothing, I suppose.' Mused Elif lightly as he tapped his head before standing up and stretching, prompting Lucifer and Qualen to stand as well.
"I would express my gratitude, but after speaking with you, I'm not entirely convinced you deserve my words of appreciation." "Well, I suppose it's good I didn't ask for them. No?" Remarked Elif and Lucifer, respectively, as the former gave him a bland, almost unamused expression while the latter faintly smirked in annoyance.
Rolling my eyes, I summoned a crystal ball from my dimension and tossed it to Lucifer, who caught it while I turned around and exited the residence.
"What's this?" Asked Lucifer curiously as he glanced at Elif while injecting his Qi into the crystal ball, only for a projection of his and Qualen's love-making to be shown.
"Y-You recorded us, Elif!?" Exclaimed Lucifer through gnashed teeth as he darted toward the entrance and opened the door, glaring at Elif, who casually walked down the grassy hill.
Now, I could've responded to Lucifer, but you see, I didn't feel like it, so I remained silent while exiting the room, stepping back into the dimension of the Inn with Illumia behind me.
As we walked down the staircase, we arrived back in the lobby, where the receptionist resided, only to see her and another older woman speaking harshly to her.
"NO! I don't want to listen to your excuses! You let someone take the key from you! You're fired! Leave now!" Stated the older woman harshly as she flared her Qi while glaring at the receptionist, who tried to explain herself, though to no avail.
"Fufu, thank you for your assistance; here is the key as promised." Said Elif softly as he placed the golden crystal on the desk while trailing his hand across the receptionist's cheek, causing her to blush deeply while blood leaked from her nose.
Walking out from behind the desk, I grabbed the older woman's hand before pulling her into my embrace as I gently brushed aside her white hair.
"What beautiful eyes you have." Said Elif seductively as he leaned close to the older woman, causing her to blush furiously while breathing heavily.
Releasing the older woman, I gestured to Illumia as we exited the Inn, stepping back into the Bubble City as we headed to our temporary residence.
"P-Prince Elif was the one who stole–b-borrowed the key, Mam." Said the receptionist softly as she looked at the older woman while wiping her bleeding nose.
"I-I see… D-Don't make that m-mistake again, okay? I-If Prince Elif ever returns, p-please inform me quickly. I-I'll ~Ahh~ h-handle him." Said the older woman with a nod as she glanced at the receptionist before looking at the entrance while reaching her hand to her crotch, causing her to moan.
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Once Illumia and I returned home, I had her prepare for our absence; most of the Royal guards were with Elaine, and only two had remained behind to guard our residence, though since it would just be Illumia and me, they would stay behind.
While Illumia did her duties, I headed toward Sarah's room, checking up on her since it's been a little over two months since she'd left her room. When I arrived, I concealed my presence and stealthily entered, only to see Sarah floating above her bed, cultivating in deep meditation, causing me to nod proudly, especially when I more accurately sensed her current status.
'Ho, she's close to becoming a middle Divine. Hmm, I would like to stay behind and wait for her, but it'll probably take several days at least, and I don't feel like waiting that long, honestly.' Thought Elif lightly as he watched Sarah cultivate for a few minutes before eventually leaving, ensuring she didn't possibly sense him.
Feeling more at ease, I returned to my room and had a quick bath, though since no one was there to help me, I enjoyed the serenity before leaving after thirty minutes, which was when Illumia finished preparing.
"Everything is prepared, Your Highness." Said Illumia softly as she respectfully bowed to Elif while he exited the bath, wearing nothing but his earring, which he seldom removes.
Nodding at Illumia's words, I stood still, letting her dress me as she donned a different outfit; I was wearing a white dress with a purple accent lining the seams and edges of the dress; tiny black jewels were embedded on the cuffs, and to top it all, she added a black hairpin into my loose bun.
"Hmm, tell me, do I look fabulous, fabulous, or fabulous?" Asked Elif with a narcissistic smirk as he flicked his streak of purple hair while fluttering his eyes at Illumia, who nodded with a faint glint.
"I want to rip you out of those clothes and force myself onto you." Said Illumia softly as she looked at Elif with a hungry glint, causing him to faintly chuckle behind his Quạt tay.
"Ho, so honest, though I appreciate that. Your thoughts are the same for every woman and most men who see me." Remarked Elif with a faint smirk as he eyed Illumia before closing his Quạt tay and blowing her a kiss.
"Come. Let us leave now; it will take us a few days to reach our destination." Added Elif with a faint smirk as he looked at Illumia, who nodded while holding the door open for him.