Chapter 134: A Desperate Flight and a Lost Heir

Bai Yu’s pristine white wings cut through the sky, leaving a shimmering silver streak in their wake. She meticulously controlled her speed, all the while scrutinizing the situation on the ocean below. Yet, the dense, overlapping cloud cover completely obscured her vision, making it impossible to discern anything beneath. She dared not halt, nor even lower her altitude, for who knew the full extent of the sea monster’s vortex’s influence on the surrounding area?

“Captain Li, is the arcanist teleportation still unusable?”

Bai Yu’s question to Li Hua was abrupt, almost out of the blue. She had been flying for quite some time, and with no clear understanding of their current predicament, she sought information from Captain Li. After all, the only arcanist teleportation spell she possessed had been set by her mother, and Bai Yu herself hadn’t the faintest idea how to activate it. Thus, Bai Yu surmised they would still need to rely on Stella’s wondrous item to escape together.

“Not yet. Is your spiritual energy running low?!”

Li Hua asked, her voice laced with both worry and urgency. She had been certain Bai Yu’s spiritual energy would be insufficient!

“No, I was just asking…”

Bai Yu’s face flushed with embarrassment. She had instinctively reached to scratch her cheek, but with both arms occupied by carrying people, she found herself unable to.

“Really? If your spiritual energy is indeed low, you must tell me!”

Li Hua pressed, her tone still anxious and tinged with suspicion. She remained convinced that Bai Yu was merely putting on a brave face. Bai Yu, however, paid no mind to Li Hua’s doubts. She knew her own condition best; the spiritual energy she had expended thus far was negligible compared to her vast reserves.

Bai Yu took a deep breath. The air high in the sky had grown considerably colder, but her robust physical constitution merely registered it as a refreshing coolness.

****

Far over the distant sea, Ellie Roth Charlotte was cradled in the arms of her personal Secretary, soaring through the heavens. Unlike Bai Yu, the Secretary possessed no innate arcanist spell for flight. Her only means of aerial movement came from the natural flight ability granted to those who reached Tier 7 and beyond. Consequently, her energy expenditure was immense. Moreover, driven by the urgency to escape the sea monster’s influence, she had pushed herself to nearly her maximum speed. Even an eight-tiered Arcanist like herself could not avoid such a drain.

She gasped, drawing in great gulps of the atmospheric air, greedily absorbing its spiritual energy. Yet, her rate of absorption was no match for the rapid depletion. Throughout their flight, her spiritual energy continued to diminish at an alarming pace. Her eyes narrowed, sweat trickling down her face to fall into the vast sea below. Gazing at Ellie Roth Charlotte in her arms, she swore that even if she perished here, Ellie Roth Charlotte, the next head of the Charlotte Family, must remain unharmed. Thus, she persisted, even beginning to consume her own life force, transforming it into spiritual energy to sustain their flight.

After an indeterminate period of flight, the Secretary suddenly felt the sensation of being confined vanish. Arcanist teleportation was usable once more! A thrill surged through her heart. It was just as she had hoped: escaping the vortex’s sphere of influence meant they could finally use arcanist teleportation to leave. The Secretary hastily produced a compass, a wondrous item engraved with a high-tier arcanist teleportation spell. It could transport them directly to the Charlotte Family’s stronghold.

Overwhelmed with excitement, she began to channel her remaining energy to activate the wondrous item. However, it was not as straightforward as she had imagined. Activating the wondrous item proved incredibly difficult. It felt like a jammed gear, exceptionally stubborn. Yet, she refused to give up, intensifying her spiritual energy output and pouring her last reserves into it. To her relief, as she increased the infusion of spiritual energy, the compass began to spin wildly. The space around her started to distort—a clear sign that the arcanist spell was activating. Success! A mix of shock and joy flooded the Secretary’s heart. They had finally escaped! No matter the losses incurred this time, as long as Ellie Roth Charlotte was safely brought out, there would always be a chance to recover.

The Secretary let out a sigh of relief. As her surroundings blurred and twisted, she too drifted into a hazy, disoriented state. She knew this was a normal side effect of teleportation activation. As the sensation of solid ground gradually returned beneath her feet, the Secretary closed her eyes, finally having reached a safe place. The environment around her began to sharpen from its blur, revealing a familiar location. It was the Charlotte Family’s main stronghold.

Just as she believed everything was over, she made a terrifying discovery. During the teleportation, lost in that hazy disorientation, she hadn’t noticed the weight in her arms lighten. Only when her surroundings became clear did she realize that Ellie Roth Charlotte was no longer with her. How could this be! The Secretary’s eyes widened in horror. She had seen Ellie Roth Charlotte enter the arcanist spell with her own eyes; how could she not have returned?

The Secretary scanned her surroundings. Members of the Charlotte Family had spotted her immediately. The Charlotte Family had sensed something was amiss the moment the incident occurred, having completely lost contact with their fleet. Ellie Roth Charlotte’s father, the head of the Charlotte Family, was especially frantic. He rushed directly towards the Secretary.

“Where is Ellie Roth Charlotte?”

Ellie Roth Charlotte’s father gazed at the Secretary, his eyes brimming with anxiety. He couldn’t comprehend why only the Secretary had been teleported back.

“This…”

The Secretary stared blankly at the ground, utterly speechless.

****

Above the clouds, Bai Yu continued her tedious flight. She had lost track of how long she had been flying, feeling utterly fatigued by the monotony. It was the first time she found flying to be such a dull endeavor. After all, she used to suffer from a slight fear of heights, never daring to look down from an airplane. Now, however, that phobia had been completely cured.

“It’s usable! Arcanist teleportation is usable!”

Li Hua exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement. She gazed at the ring on her finger, which was now flashing with a green light—finally, they could teleport. She had never imagined Bai Yu could truly accomplish this, flying for such an extended period. Was this the caliber of genius found in Dragon Summer Nation? Li Hua was utterly stunned. No wonder the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau held Bai Yu in such high regard; such terrifying spiritual energy reserves alone warranted her protection as a national treasure.

Stella, too, checked her wondrous item, finding it to be fully functional.

“Let’s use mine,”

Stella suggested. “After all, my wondrous item is set to teleport us directly to Bai Yu’s home, and it can accommodate up to three people. Not even bringing Li Hua along would be a waste.” After Stella explained the situation, Li Hua readily agreed. She, too, needed to account for things to Bai Yu’s Mother. Given the circumstances, returning to a single location would also make it easier to regroup and prepare for their next move.

Bai Yu nodded. She absolutely needed a good night’s sleep when they returned. She figured her enrollment at the academy would be delayed again, which left Bai Yu feeling a little downcast. A resolve hardened within her: she would grow stronger and tear that monster limb from limb.

As Bai Yu pondered, Stella activated the teleportation conch. With a resonant sound from the shell, the three individuals instantly vanished from their spot.