MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 450 - 204: The Little Girl

Chapter 450: Chapter 204: The Little Girl

"I need to go to Holy Light Path," Lu Hong said as he returned to his residence deep in the night and saw Xie’an still burning the midnight oil in the study. Therefore, he pushed the door open and entered.

"Oh," Xie’an first responded casually, then realized what was said, "What? Where did you say you wanted to go?"

"I said I need to go to Holy Light Path."

"Why would you go there? Are you trying to make a name for yourself? I can tell you very responsibly that you are already famous enough; you don’t need to establish your reputation through the Holy Light Path," Xie’an advised, "The Holy Light Path is a den of mixed fish and dragons. The Empire has very little influence there, and many fugitives hide within. As an imperial baron, if your identity is exposed, you’ll definitely be hunted down and killed by a mob."

"Hold on." Lu Hong pushed Xie’an back, "You need to understand, I just saw you hadn’t rested yet, so I came to inform you, not to seek your opinion."

"You...," Xie’an was left speechless by Lu Hong’s words, knowing they were at most equals, and he only had the right to make suggestions regarding the other’s decisions.

After a while, Xie’an finally said, "Really, don’t go. Duke Sato has taken root there, and my father informed me that the incident at Dragon’s Pond is very likely his doing behind the scenes. And since you were involved in the Dragon’s Pond incident, if you go to Holy Light Path now, this guy might vent his anger on you."

Faced with Xie’an’s earnest advice, Lu Hong spoke softly, "I need to fight."

"Why?" Xie’an didn’t understand.

"Because I need to become stronger. There are many things that I can achieve only after I become stronger. I have a strong desire to become powerful. I believe you can understand the bitter feeling when you lack the ability to solve problems."

Xie’an fell silent; yes, he devoted himself to the Empire wholeheartedly, yet faced with the Empire’s current predicament, he longed for enough strength to help the Empire escape peril but could only lament and chafe daily at his impotence. He believed that every patriot had a profound understanding of this sentiment.

"Is it because of Tower Master Danni?"

Lu Hong nodded, "Not just her, but also Nono. I swore to search for her in the Netherworld, and without enough strength, how can I fulfill this promise?"

Xie’an opened his mouth, aware of Queen Fina’s affairs and deeply respectful of Lu Hong’s previous heroic exploits. How could he blame such a loyal and righteous man?

"You’ve already done well enough," Xie’an said gravely, "Everything should be done in an orderly and gradual process. You are still so young."

"Time waits for no one. If I could be just a bit stronger, the Empire would stand a greater chance of victory against the Sea Tribe."

Xie’an understood that Lu Hong wasn’t merely boasting. Lu Hong had once single-handedly dominated the battle at Hanguguan Pass against a million snow tribe soldiers, and although it wasn’t clear where Lu Hong’s strength came from, one couldn’t doubt his ability to create miracles. If he said he could do something, then he certainly could!

"Holy Light Path is far from the constellation Serpentarius. I can’t help you, but you may seek assistance from Lord Star Sea. He should have a way to enter the Holy Light Path. Additionally, I must report this matter to His Majesty for a decision. However, whether you leave directly now or wait for His Majesty’s decree, the choice is yours." After finishing, Xie’an bowed his head and no longer engaged with him.

Lu Hong smiled faintly and turned to leave.

Only after Lu Hong’s footsteps had completely faded away did Xie’an put down the pen and paper in his hand, lean back in his seat, and murmur, "Just don’t die, alright!"

Holy Light Path was terrifying. Inside Holy Light Path, there were thirteen paths, each leading to one of thirteen temples. If someone could complete a path through Holy Light Path, it meant that they had succeeded in the trials given by the temples and could be admitted into the temple without the usual prerequisites.

Of course, that was how it started. Once, a strong individual successfully traversed the Holy Light Path but rejected becoming an apostle of the temple. While gaining fame, he also gave the temple a figurative slap in the face. This act became a signal for more and more people to follow suit, using the Holy Light Path to train themselves and quickly elevate their reputation because in the vast Star Sea, relying solely on one’s achievements in a particular realm was hard to become renowned across the Star Sea.

Naturally, this behavior annoyed the temples greatly, so they kept increasing the difficulty of the trials in Holy Light Path. In the recent decade, almost no one passed.

After a lot of soft and hard persuasion at Lord Star Sea, Lu Hong finally reached the gateway to Holy Light Path through a special portal.

The entrance to Holy Light Path was unique. Thirteen portals stood in a line, guarded by temple powerhouses within a ten-mile radius where lingering wasn’t allowed. Beyond the ten-mile radius, a city was established to cater to the needs of all those who came before the mountain gate.

Lu Hong’s arrival didn’t attract much attention. After all, every day, numerous fame-seekers would venture here in hopes of a slim chance.

After paying two Gold Coins as an entrance fee to the city, Lu Hong entered Nameless City. Suddenly, a little girl about fourteen years old burst out from the side and clung to his arm, "Big brother, big brother, do you need a guide?"

Looking at the little girl with dust on her cheeks and tattered clothes, Lu Hong asked tenderly, "How much?"

"Not expensive, just...," the girl sized up Lu Hong, noting his attire wasn’t particularly lavish, and said, "Just three Gold Coins. I can be your guide for three days, not withholding any knowledge, and I can run errands for you; I can do anything!"

"So that’s one coin a day, right?" Lu Hong casually flipped five Gold Coins to her, "You take these first, find me a place to rest."

"Sure thing!" The girl clutched the Gold Coins thrown by Lu Hong, bit one to check its authenticity, and quickly stuffed them into her bosom with a beaming smile, "Sure thing, follow me!"

The little girl led Lu Hong through the busy streets of the city until they arrived at a secluded teahouse, empty and desolate with not a soul in sight.

"Uncle! Stop snoozing! Come out and welcome your guests!" The little girl was obviously very familiar with the place, hurriedly dashing into the rear courtyard of the teahouse to drag out the shopkeeper.

"What are you saying, child, you think someone will come here for tea?" The groggy shopkeeper, startled by the sight of Lu Hong at the door, waved his hand dismissively, "I’m not up for it, you should go to another place."

"This little girl dragged me through half the city, risking my blame, just to bring some business your way, are you going to refuse this kindness?"

Hearing Lu Hong’s words, the shopkeeper heaved a sigh, patted the little girl on the head, "Don’t do this again. Give the money back to this guest."

With a pouting face, the little girl said nothing, but the tears welling up in her eyes spoke volumes of her grievance.

Lu Hong waved his hand, "No need to return the money, I have decided to hire her as my guide."

"This guest, you won’t be staying in Mountain Gate City for long, and you won’t want to get to know this city, there’s no need to hire a guide, wait until you enter Star Sea, face obstacles in the trial, and have to stay in a nearby city, then it’ll not be too late to recruit a guide." The shopkeeper began wiping the dusty chairs and tables, "Please have a seat, I’ll make you a pot of tea."

"Thank you."

Lu Hong took a seat, while the little girl took out five Gold Coins from her pocket and offered them to Lu Hong, "Brother, take your money back."

"No need, this is for you," replied Lu Hong, "I’m hiring you as my guide; I just wonder if you would be willing to enter Star Sea with me."

Before the little girl could speak, the shopkeeper rejected the idea loudly, "No way, she has never cultivated, she cannot enter Star Sea, she’ll die!"

Lu Hong looked up at the shopkeeper, "Her potential is excellent."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a fierce killing intent locked onto Lu Hong, the shopkeeper’s expression darkened, "How did you find out!"

"Shall we discuss this in front of her?" Lu Hong gestured to the little girl, causing the shopkeeper to pause, then he said, "Girl, go to the backyard and help me with the tea trees’ pest control."

The little girl was very sensible. Although she knew that the two men were discussing her, she didn’t make a fuss and left the hall as the shopkeeper instructed.

"She’s very obedient and sensible," said Lu Hong, feeling a sense of favor towards the girl, ’Don’t get any weird ideas!’

"How could you tell she has such potential?" The shopkeeper was still hung up on this matter.

Lu Hong just shrugged, "I’m very sensitive to Holy Light."

Lu Hong made up an excuse, for he couldn’t really shake the Holy King out of the ring to explain.

In fact, the moment the little girl had clung to Lu Hong, the Holy King had sensed the girl’s unlimited affinity for the power of the Holy Light, clamoring for Lu Hong to take her as a disciple and, for the first time, overpowering the presence of the Slaughter Demon Armor, pressing it back into the ring.

The shopkeeper could tell that Lu Hong was lying but was helpless, and so he threatened, "You’d better forget about this, don’t ruin your bright future."

"If you don’t tell me her origins, I will expose her profound affinity for Holy Light right now," Lu Hong threatened in return.

"You!" The shopkeeper itched with anger, thinking about how he could kill Lu Hong, yet he said, "I can tell you, but you must not disclose it."

"Agreed," Lu Hong raised his hand, "Please continue."

"She is a child I picked up in Star Sea," sighed the shopkeeper, "she was still swaddled at the time, her mother was holding her while being chased by a group of powerful beings. I was trying my luck at the trial then and was too weak to help. The next evening, after failing the challenge and on my way back, I was drawn to the child’s cries, found her in a ravine while her mother was long gone, so I took the girl in. But her natural affinity for Holy Light astonished me; I started to worry that she might be involved in the scandal that happened at the Golden Temple that year, so I did everything I could to veil her abilities to ensure that she wasn’t found by the Golden Temple people."

"A scandal?"

"Yes, nobody knows the specifics, but rumor has it that the master of the Golden Temple had relations with a servant of the Golden Holy Mother and fathered a child, who was then smuggled out of the Golden Temple, whereabouts unknown. For years, the Golden Holy Mother has been searching for this runaway baby, wanting to eradicate it."

"She is that baby?" Lu Hong understood, then asked, "Why didn’t you take her and flee Star Sea?"

"Where could we flee to? The more dangerous a place is, the safer it is. Mountain Gate City was searched by the Golden Temple once, we were lucky to escape undetected, so we decided to stay here. The Golden Temple would focus their attention outside Star Sea, so this is the safest place."

"Smart, but do you know you’ve buried her talent? If she cultivated Holy Light, by now she might have reached Second Transition, a fourteen-year-old Second Transition master, can you imagine?"

The shopkeeper shook his head, "Is there anything more important than staying alive?"