Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 455 - 417 Difficulties Arising

Perhaps she really had a trump card up her sleeve, Lyle thought as he looked at that beaming smile.

It was a face similar to Alianna’s, yet it revealed a mischievously untamed and spirited smile, starkly different from the cold Liches.

Nia’s flesh tentacles formed a deep black "cocoon" around Lyle’s surface, its thin shell merely for insulation. The sensation of his feet stepping on solid ground relaxed Lyle a little. He looked down at the City of Wandering, the night view rapidly receding beneath him, with the faint lights resembling fish swimming through water, towards the unknown. This unforeseen sight eased Lyle’s taut nerves somewhat.

Magic Auras hovered motionless in the air, composing the trajectory of the flying competition. As they moved away from the Light and Shadow Zone, the distance between two rings widened, offering Lyle more opportunities to gaze at the dark night view.

At the moment, the two were flying through a pitch-black area, the Light and Shadow Zone.

"We set off from the central district, circle around the City of Wandering’s twenty-four districts, and finally head back to snatch the Heart of Condensation," he said.

In the dark race track, the only beacons were the Auras. Apart from the sound of the wind from their flight, Lyle heard no other noises, no other people.

As they passed through another Aura, Lyle could see through its light, the relaxed expression on Beatrice’s face, as well as the gemstone embedded in her flesh at her chest.

That vampire artifact, the Blood Right Blood Oath, had been lodged in Beatrice’s chest since they left Hamlet, becoming the most beautiful part of the Blood Clan’s gory rose. Gifted as it was, Beatrice always wore a low-cut dress, though she herself didn’t mind.

Because Beatrice substituted alcohol for blood, the vampire artifact was currently the color of brandy, which would probably infuriate the Blood Clan. It wasn’t noticeable during the daytime, but in the darkness, the gem emitted a glow; from afar, the flying vampire resembled a beautiful meteor.

But this wasn’t the reason Lyle was truly concerned. It was because the gemstone absorbed mana and flickered when passing through a Mana Aura.

Let’s just say, having a vampire niece with a chest indicator light that blinked like Ultraman, Lyle found it hard to look away.

Perhaps misunderstanding Lyle’s fixed gaze, Beatrice’s contempt in her eyes intensified a notch, yet the corners of her mouth, hidden in darkness, curled up slightly.

"Beatrice, we must be far behind by now. The other contestants might have already reached the next district."

"Don’t worry, the flying competition is an obstacle race."

Obstacle race?

"Do you think those races would just watch us fly over their heads without trying to stop us and express their enthusiasm?" Beatrice said as her pupils turned slit-like, staring at the huge crystal clusters nearby, "The real competition starts now."

Dark Zone Ten, the wasteland of the Crystalline Protozoa’s crystal trash. These crystals, excreted by insects, grew rampantly like light pink plants in the City of Wandering, forming grand flowers of crystal. The spectacular view was impressive, although Lyle was more concerned about their sharp edges, which seemed as lethal as the spires of the Andrei district.

Upon entering Dark Zone Ten, Lyle finally saw other contestants. Oddly enough, they weren’t progressing; instead, they buzzed about aimlessly, eventually floating in midair, directionless.

Before Lyle could ponder the reason, Beatrice, with considerable initial speed, made a sharp turn in "empty" air.

As if performing aerial acrobatics, Beatrice suddenly dove and soared, adding difficulty to her own race.

It wasn’t until the flickering light from the Blood Right Bloodstone reflected a double image in midair that Lyle noticed something unusual.

"Transparent... crystals?"

Unlike the vividly colored Crystal Corridor below them, there were traces of Crystalline Worms above Dark Zone Ten, forming an invisible maze, or rather, a "net" of transparent crystal. Perhaps these worms shared some ancestral ties with spiders; they would weave an invisible crystal web in the air to intercept and pierce through their prey.

This was the obstacle race of Dark Zone Ten.

You had to find your way through this invisible maze, or else you’d have to pray that the Insect Breeders hadn’t knocked off for the night. Crystalline Protozoa could digest everything, except for the crystals they excreted.

But all these difficulties seemed non-existent for Beatrice, her flight path was smooth and silky, even with the natural grace and elegance of a dance; however, Lyle, tagging along behind her, was like a pitiful passenger who had blundered onto an acrobat’s airplane.

He threw up, but those creatures must not have minded the rain of partially digested food from above.

"Beatrice, how do you find your way? Echolocation?"

Lyle quickly thought of the creatures most like vampires, bats. Their ability to fly at night was mainly due to their capability to emit and receive ultrasonic waves. Perhaps vampires had similar abilities. Moreover, Beatrice’s sister, Alianna, was quite the singer.

A cold palm slid across his skin, making Lyle shiver, and the image of Beatrice’s petulant face appeared in his mind.

"Are you thinking something rude?"

"No... Not at all!!! Uh, Beatrice, do you have any special abilities?"

Beatrice, while flying, was quite chatty, perhaps that was the joy of flying.

"My nose is very sensitive. It’s a vampire’s gift, as well as a skill developed from running my bar. I’ve memorized the scents of the competitors, and they’ve already passed through the Crystal Corridor. Now, all I need to do is follow their trail."

Lyle had a sudden realization.

"So you deliberately set off last, on purpose! You’re using them to clear the way for you. This way, you don’t have to put much effort into getting through these areas."

"Using them, that sounds so unpleasant. I won last time’s flying competition fair and square. For the rest of the race track, there aren’t many shortcuts like this. So, is it really that hard to just praise my wit and strategy, brother-in-law~"

Speaking in an adorable manner, Beatrice smiled and began to twist Lyle’s ear. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Lyle quickly surrendered, and the previously concocted flattery for the vampire bar owner found its place.

The two continued with the race, surpassing some competitors along the way.

The miasma of Dark Zone Nine’s Witch-gu Mire had to be acknowledged, especially when the Flying Toads reached the size of a person, truly astounding.

The falling rocks in Dark Eighth District’s Stone Monster Cave, startled Stone Monsters waking up in a foul mood caused a chain reaction, the reviving group of Stone Monsters even created a minor earthquake.

"We’re at your homeland now." Looking at the "forest" of spires unfolding before them, Beatrice stated lightly.

Andrei district, Lich District, the den of Terrorists.

Looking at those razor-sharp, reflective spires, Lyle withdrew his previous statement.

The sharp crystals of the Crystal Corridor were nothing compared to the spires in front of him, these pointed cones seemed to want to turn the sky into a sieve.

The dense cluster of buildings created an extremely narrow race track, particularly the gothic architecture built by those mad Liches, with their protruding gables and slanting roofs sharp enough to split hairs and slice through iron.

Lyle couldn’t help but exclaim.

You guys, when you built these houses, did you also consider their potential as weapons?