A ray of light appeared in the dark world, then rapidly expanded, followed by the swift dissipation of the white mist, and a vibrant world once again reflected in the mirror.

Liens opened his eyes and slowly sat up from the soft bed.

"Do you want to eat?"

Lucrezia smiled and handed Liens a peeled fruit that looked somewhat like an apple.

"Thank you."

Liens took the peeled fruit, thanked Lucrezia, and then took a bite. The sweet taste directly hit his taste buds.

The sweet juice was like a refreshing rain, moisturizing Liens's somewhat dry lips. Soon, he finished the plump fruit in his hand and commented, "Hmm, it tastes very good."

"What kind of fruit is this? I haven't seen it before. It looks very similar to a hawthorn, but the taste is a bit different."

Liens looked at Lucrezia curiously.

"This is Valerie's latest alchemy achievement, created by extracting the Life factors from various plants to form a new fruit tree."

"What you just tasted was a fruit produced after being magically ripened."

"According to Valerie's report, this fruit tree produces large, plump, sweet, and delicious fruits, and yields abundantly."

"Most importantly, a fruit tree that normally takes several years to grow and bear fruit can now flower and bear fruit in its second year after planting, and enter its peak production period in the third year."

"It's currently being test-planted around Patridge City. If no problems arise, it should be widely promoted in the future."

Lucrezia didn't keep him in suspense and directly gave the answer.

As she spoke, she took another identical fruit from a fruit basket nearby and skillfully peeled it quickly with a small knife.

"No need. One is enough to taste."

Liens shook his head slightly, preparing to decline Lucrezia. His need for food wasn't great; one was enough. In fact, he had even analyzed the information of this fruit just now.

"Dream on… This is for myself. The fruit basket is right next to you; if you want to eat, just reach for it."

Lucrezia laughed, taking a bite of the fruit she had just peeled. The crisp, sweet sound echoed in the room, as if mocking Liens's self-absorbed behavior.

Liens watched Lucrezia's childish act of deliberately amplifying the sound with magic, feeling a bit speechless. He didn't bother to play along with her and changed the subject, beginning to inquire about serious matters.

"How long have I been unconscious? What was the final situation?"

Liens asked.

Although he didn't know what had happened after he lost consciousness, seeing Lucrezia so relaxed, the final outcome couldn't have been too bad.

When it came to serious matters, Lucrezia's expression became earnest, a few shades more serious than before.

"I'm sorry, I failed your expectations. We still couldn't eliminate the Sword Saint."

"At that time, the Sword Saint was already at the end of his rope, completely unable to resist our encirclement. It's a pity… just as victory was imminent, an unexpected event still occurred."

"Ralph, who was the Great Mage present at the time, sacrificed himself to merge with the earth veins, breaking through the earth vein blockade to send away the Sword Saint and that foreign Great Knight."

"Speaking of which, he was also my senior brother. We both received guidance from Mr. Holmes, the Kingdom's Chief Court Mage."

"It's a shame… If I could have still used 'Its' power at that time, I should have been able to stop him."

"That foreign Great Knight seems to be very good at evading others' searches. We immediately followed the traces of the earth veins and searched carefully after the incident, but still couldn't find them."

Lucrezia showed a regretful expression, as if regretting that she hadn't achieved the feat of slaying her master.

"Is that so? This is probably fate."

Hearing such a process, Liens's expression was calm.

He had just woken up and confirmed from the karma he bore that Alfred had not died, so he was not surprised by such a near-failure result.

"Perhaps."

Lucrezia was silent for a moment, then continued to tell Liens about the events that occurred during his unconsciousness.

"Counting today, you've been unconscious for a total of seven days."

"During this time, Isabelle examined you with divine magic and confirmed that you were likely injured and overly exhausted, causing your body to enter a self-protective state, which is why you remained unconscious and recuperating."

"Later, a new member joined us. After her examination, she said you would naturally wake up after a few days of good rest."

"New member?"

Hearing this, Liens was very curious about the so-called new member. He hadn't expected anyone to choose to join the Rebel Army at this stage, and to have also received permission from Balder and the others.

"Her situation is somewhat similar to Mr. Robert's. They both saw the Rebel Army's governance of the common people, thought it was good, and chose to join the Rebel Army to help us."

"However, her situation is a bit more special. You'll know when you meet her later. She's also very curious about you."

"You and she should have a lot to talk about."

Lucrezia smiled slightly, keeping Liens in suspense.

"It seems that new member is not simple."

Hearing Lucrezia say this, Liens didn't ask any further questions, choosing to temporarily bury his anticipation, waiting for a greater joy when the time came.

"Continue… In such an important period, seven days is already long enough. It shouldn't have been calm during this time."

Liens continued.

Although Alfred was not dead, he must have suffered a truly severe injury, and such an injury could not be healed easily.

And Alfred's presence was crucial for the stability of the current situation in the Hartwin Kingdom. Once the news of his severe injury spread, the Kingdom would inevitably experience turmoil.

Many ambitious individuals and even foreign powers would no longer hide, and would surely seize the opportunity to bite off a piece of the Hartwin Kingdom.

"Just as you predicted, these days have indeed not been calm."

Lucrezia nodded seriously and continued:

"We had already anticipated the chaotic situation after the Sword Saint's serious injury. When we realized we couldn't eliminate Liens, we immediately chose to attack Baker City and prepared to push all the way to the Royal Capital."

"However, we were once again blocked in Baker City."

"Do you remember Mr. Holmes, whom I just mentioned to you?"

"He personally came to Baker City to stop us. We were in a stalemate with him for several days, and finally, due to issues in the rear, we reluctantly chose to give up this opportunity."

Lucrezia paused for a moment, took a breath, and her expression became a few shades more serious, as if to convey that the upcoming information was very important.

"And the direct reason for our retreat was the third party force currently openly operating within the Kingdom – the Loose Alliance."

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