After taking an exclusive Teleportation Gate that would instantly send him to the Capital City of the Dwarven Kingdom, Nikola headed to the Headquarters of the Order of the Griffin under the cover of darkness.
"Wuwuwu."
"Don't cry, little one. Just wait a little bit longer."
Eiko's tears had already covered Lux's face as she kept on nudging the Half-Elf's forehead with her own. The baby Slime was heartbroken due to Lux's sudden death, and she couldn't stop herself from crying.
Nikola sighed as he looked at the baby Slime, who influenced him to also feel depressed. He never thought that he would be affected by a Monster crying for its Master, just like the baby Blue Slime did for Lux.
After entering a mansion at the outskirts of the capital, Nikola used his right foot to open the secret passage that led underground.
Several minutes passed as he walked down the secret path that led directly to their Headquarters.
The moment he opened the door, four Dwarves turned their heads to look at him.
"So you're finally here," Nevreal said as he glanced at the dead Half-Elf in Nikola's arms. "Lay him down on the table."
Nikola nodded and gently laid Lux's body on the table that the others had prepared for him.
"Charles, do the honors," Nevreal made a gesture for one of his comrades whom he had forced to become one of their collaborators in the Whitebridge City's operation.
Charles nodded and took out a metal syringe from his storage ring. Inside it was a purplish liquid that he had created a year ago.
"All this trouble for a rookie," Charles grumbled. "I just hope he doesn't disappoint us."
As soon as the serum was completely injected inside Lux's body, the Half-Elf's body jolted as if it was given an electric shock.
A moment later, the Half-Elf inhaled deeply as if taking his first breath in the world.
"Still, I can't believe that someone was able to gain an immunity against the Jade World Dragon's Poison," Charles muttered as he placed his fingers over the Half-Elf's wrist to check his condition. "I'm very tempted to open him up and study what makes him tick."
"Don't do that," Nikola said. "That Baby Slime had been crying non-stop since he died. It is best to limit yourself to the prisoners we captured from Twilight Rain."
Charles snorted. "Fine."
Eiko, who had been crying earlier, suddenly stopped crying when she felt her Papa's heart start beating again. To make sure that she wasn't hearing things, she crawled towards Lux's chest and closed her eyes in order to feel, and hear, his heartbeat.
When she confirmed that Lux's heart had indeed started beating again, the Baby Slime was overjoyed and hastily crawled back to Lux's forehead. After that, she spat a blob of water on the Half-Elf's face, which made the latter open his eyes in shock.
"E-Eiko?"
"Wuwuwu!"
The Half-Elf struggled to raise his hand to lightly pat the crying baby Elime on his forehead. He had already told Eiko about the plan, and even made sure that she understood that Scarlet would assassinate him in front of everyone, so the news of his death would reach the ears of Twilight Rain as soon as possible.
What he didn't know was that Eiko thought that he was just joking.
When he died in front of her, the Baby Slime had completely forgotten what Lux had told her a day ago and felt heartbroken by his death.
In truth, Lux didn't die from the Poison of the Jade World Dragon. He "died" from a different kind of poison, which would temporarily stop his heartbeat and make him appear to be dead. As long as he was given the antidote within the next 24 hours, he would wake up instantly.
If not, then he would remain dead forever.
This was a poison that Charles had invented just in case some of the members of the Order of the Griffin needed to play dead for a short period of time.
The funny thing about this poison was that when a diagnostic spell was used, it would appear as if the victim had been poisoned by the blood of the Empyrean Dragon, whose blood could fetch a price into the tens of millions.
"I hate to interrupt your reunion. But, now that you are dead, what do you plan to do next?" Nevreal said as he walked beside Lux who was coaxing the baby slime to stop spitting water on his head.
Eiko was relieved but also very angry at Lux for doing something so reckless, so she kept on spitting water on him as payback for making her cry.
Lux held the baby slime with both of his hands and placed her on his chest, so that he could talk to the middle-aged Dwarf who had set this whole plan into motion.
"I will return to my hometown and will stay there for two to three months," Lux replied. "That way, Twilight Rain will not doubt that I am dead."
Nevreal nodded his head in understanding. "What about your friends? Those kids are sure to be feeling depressed right now."
Lux sighed as he thought of Colette and her friends, who were sure to be devastated because of his death. Even so, he made sure that Aina would handle the rest and tell them that he was safe and sound.
"Truth be told, I'm a little scared to meet them right now," Lux said before a blob of water landed on his face, making him wince.
After shaking his head side to side like a dog, Eiko giggled in his hands, which allowed Lux to continue the things he wanted to say to Nevreal.
"If Eiko is already reacting like this, I'm sure they will want to have a piece of me when I appear in front of them," Lux stated. "It will be best if I lie low for a bit."
Nevreal nodded. "We will assign an Initiate to serve as a bodyguard to the Guild Master of Eternal. I don't know if they will send Reapers to end her life, just as they did for you, but it is in the Kingdom's interest that she remains alive to serve as Whitebridge City's Protector."
"That is for the best. Thank you, Sir Nevreal."
"You owe us a lot from this, boy. I hope you return this favor in the future."
The fourth Dwarf inside the room turned around and left without another word. It was too soon for him to talk to Lux, and he only stayed because he wanted to make sure that he was fine.
Nikola then approached Lux and gave him the Beast Core of the Lesser Demogorgon which instantly caught Eiko's eye.
However, to his surprise, Eiko only crawled towards the Beast Core in Lux's hand before reluctantly giving it a lick.
As if having tasted something extremely bitter, the Baby Slime's started to spit water on the floor as if trying to cleanse her mouth from something very foul.
Nikola chuckled after seeing this scene before glancing at Lux.
"Beast Cores extracted from Abyssal Monsters are usually not liked by other Monsters," Nikola stated. "However, they contain very potent skills that are exclusive to Abyss Type Monsters. I hope that you get lucky and get a decent Skill from it. Who knows? It might come in handy in the future."
Lux gazed at the black Beast Core in his hand before giving the middle-aged dwarf a grateful look. "Thank you, Sir Nikola. I will not forget this favor."
"No." Nikola shook his head. "That Beast Core didn't come from me, but from our Leader. When you get stronger, you will have the opportunity to meet him in the future. You can thank him then."
Lux smiled as he once again looked at the black Beast Core in his hand. He would never forget his encounter with the Lesser Demogorgon.
'That monster was stronger than Keoza,' Lux mused as he gazed at the Beast Core in his hand. 'If that silver-haired Dwarf hadn't come to our rescue, we might have all died in Whitebridge City.'
While Lux was deep in thought, Nikola, and Charles left the room, leaving only Nevreal behind.
"There is something important that I need to take care of in the next couple of months," Nevreal stated. "It might be possible that you will not be able to contact me, or any member of the Order of the Griffin at that time. Just in case that happens, do not do anything remotely dangerous like you did today. You only have one life. Make sure that you treasure it."
Lux nodded and thanked Nevreal.
After giving him a few more reminders, Nevreal left the room and proceeded to return to the Royal Palace.
Since Lux could return to Solais with the power of the Arondight Ring in his hand, he didn't need to leave their Headquarters to go to the Teleportation Gate in the Capital City.
Several agents of Twilight Rain were stationed in the city and it would be very easy for them to identify Lux since he was the only Half-Elf in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Great lengths had been taken in order to orchestrate his death, and he was not stupid enough to put all of those efforts to waste.
"Aina, I hope that you explain it properly to Colette and the others," Lux muttered as he placed the still pouting Eiko on top of his head. "I will apologize to them the next time we see each other. Although it pains me to part in this manner, it is the only way that I can protect them as well."
Lux took a deep breath as he stood in the center of the room.
"Sid, Scarlet, come," Lux ordered as he summoned the Coffin that housed his two loyal subordinates.
"Welcome back, Master," Sid bowed respectfully.
"Since you are alive, it means that we have succeeded," Scarlet commented from the side.
Lux smiled as he looked at the two assassins that were now serving under him. Although they tried to hide it, he was able to trace the anxiety in their voice.
As long as Lux was alive, they could live.
If Lux died, they would be sealed in the coffin for eternity.
"Sid, I will be away for a few months," Lux said as he looked at the Dhampir who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face. "You can stay with your sisters in Leaf Village for a month. Emma is going to stay in Whitebridge City and work with Aina in order to become stronger.
"Until I return, you are free to do whatever you want so you won't feel left behind by Scarlet, who is now going to become a Slayer Candidate."
Sid nodded his head in understanding. "As you command, Master."
Lux then shifted his attention to Scarlet, who was looking at him with anticipation.
"Return to Twilight Rain," Lux ordered. "Do not make contact with me and just focus on becoming a Ranker. I don't care how long it takes, but the moment you become a Ranker, you will come to find me. That is an order."
"Very well," Scarlet replied. "I will do my end of the bargain."
"Both of you may go. I hope that next time we meet, both of you will become stronger than ever before."
"Yes! Master!"
"That's a given."
Lux waved his hand and sent the two Assassins on the Save Point he had created using the Blackfire Coffin in Oakwood Town. This was to ensure that the location of their Headquarters would remain a secret.
Even though he trusted his two subordinates, it was still better to keep the location a secret to ensure the safety of the other members of the order.
"Are you ready to go, Eiko?"
"Pa!"
Lux then placed his right hand over his chest. He had already done everything he needed to do in Elysium, and it was now time to go back home and focus on the tournament that was about to take place.
"Open! Heaven's Gate!"
