Serene Spring City, the City Lord’s mansion.

In the past, the City Lord’s mansion was a glorious building built specifically to satisfy Jessica’s request for pleasure.

However, the mansion had been taken over by the nobles guarding the city. It had become the administrative center for them to handle various matters!

Melissa, who had received the recognition of all the residents, had taken over the City Lord’s assembly hall under the public’s expectations. She was in charge of all matters in the city.

Melissa was sitting on the high seat of the City Lord. She was sizing up Sophia who was kneeling in the middle of the hall calmly. She asked in a deep voice, “Actually, you didn’t have to say anything just now! If Darren was still alive, he might still have a chance to save you. Why did you suddenly say something to make everyone believe in Vincent?”

Sophia looked up at Melissa, smiled, and said, “Why? Can’t I leave the dark side to join the light?”

Melissa frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “You have to know that what you did before is absolutely unforgivable!”

Sophia did not flirt or speak in a charming tone when facing Melissa, which was rare. She just said calmly, “You make me sound as if I can’t be forgiven but what did I do that made you feel uncomfortable? Jessica and Darren were the ones who harmed the residents of Serene Spring City. I only offered my body to them. Is that unforgivable? You should know that before the Carter family was destroyed, they were also nobles who worked for Jessica! How different are your actions from mine?”

After hearing Sophia quibbling away, Melissa slammed the table in front of her heavily. She said coldly, “You don’t deserve to talk about my family! You claimed that you were not in cahoots with Jessica and Darren, but don’t forget that the soldiers who stayed behind to massacre the city was following your orders! Those residents were all killed by you!”

Sophia frowned slightly when she heard that. She quickly said, “But I had no choice at that time! That was what Jessica and Darren ordered me to do. If I didn’t do it, I would end up like your grandfather. Besides, I don’t have a noble family behind me, and I’m a beautiful woman. You can imagine what would happen to me if I disobeyed them! So, I had to follow their instructions to protect myself. What’s wrong with that?”

Melissa nodded without changing her expression. She replied, “Everything that you did was to protect yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that! No one can stand on a moral level and accuse you that you should die. However, the residents of Serene Spring City who lost their families because of you have the right to demand that you pay with your life. This is the price you paid for making the choice in the first place. You should bear it!”

Sophia looked at Melissa, who was determined to kill her. Her tone became more and more urgent as she said, “Why do you have to kill me? I’ve done enough, and I’ve already helped you just now. You currently have the right to speak out and command Serene Spring City. It’s only a matter of words if you want to let me go. Why can’t you give me a way out?”

Melissa shook her head, stood up, and said, “I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m only representing the Carter family to work together with the other nobles to maintain the operation of Serene Spring City. I don’t have any power to act arbitrarily. After Vincent finishes off Darren, Serene Spring City will naturally elect a new City Lord, and when that time comes, you will also receive the punishment of the new City Lord!”

Sophia could not help but ask with a sneer, “So, do you think Vincent said those words on the street just now because he was really angry? In fact, any smart individual could see that Vincent was helping you build momentum. He wanted to push you to the position of City Lord in Serene Spring City, and he had already succeeded in clearing the biggest obstacle for you! Cameron is now locked up in prison by you. The other nobles are afraid of him, so they can only rely on you, who was born into the Carter family. Haven’t you realized that you are already the best candidate for City Lord of Serene Spring City?”

Melissa was startled after hearing that. She then remembered that Vincent’s attitude earlier was indeed a little abnormal. Moreover, her status and prestige had indeed risen. No one could be compared to her.

Moreover, according to Sophia, Vincent was doing this on purpose. He must have his purpose!

Melissa could not help but sigh in her heart, “What does he want? Must I become the City Lord of Serene Spring City to satisfy his purpose?”

Sophia noticed that Melissa was deep in thought. She could not help but say, “Actually, Vincent is right. I am very important to the current Serene Spring City because Jessica and Darren had hidden treasures. They plundered all those treasures from Serene Spring City for many years. Only I know where they hid the treasures outside the city!

Sophia continued, “And without these treasures, the lives of everyone in Serene Spring City would be difficult to maintain. Whoever obtains the whereabouts of the treasures from me would be able to save Serene Spring City in the future. That individual would also become the City Lord without a doubt! So, you should know why Vincent handed me over to you, right?”

Melissa looked at Sophia in shock. Things had happened so suddenly earlier that she did not think about the stakes. She suddenly realized that Vincent was indeed deliberately nurturing her!

“But what kind of benefits can he get?”

While Melissa was deep in thought, she suddenly thought of Dave, the Dark Elf who had always wanted to show off and claimed to be the City Lord of Devil Flame City. His relationship with Vincent seemed to be that of a teacher and a friend. The reason why he could become the City Lord of Devil Flame City must be because of Vincent’s support in the dark.

After thinking about her own experience, Melissa soon came up with a guess. She muttered to herself, “Could it be that he wants to find a reason for us to believe in his words so that we can make up our mind to fight against Gajero and become the City Lords of the main cities? That way, he can unite the elves to fight against Gajero and the demons!”

Melissa soon stopped thinking and looked at Sophia coldly. She replied, “I don’t care what Vincent is planning to do. Before he tells me, I can simply pretend that I don’t know. So, I can still kill you right now!”

Sophia frowned slightly and sighed softly, “What, you don’t want the treasure anymore?”

Melissa said frankly, “Who doesn’t want the treasure? But if you want to use the location of the treasure to exchange for a chance to live, I can’t agree to it! I’d rather kill you first and then lead the residents of the city to dig three inches into the surrounding land. I don’t believe that I can’t find the treasure that you’re talking about!”

Sophia did not expect Melissa to be so stubborn. She immediately stood up from the ground and pointed at Melissa. She said in a low voice, “You idiot! Don’t be so shameless. Kill me if you can. After all, Jessica’s treasure is located somewhere that you’ll never find. And without my guidance, you won’t get anything! This is because Jessica has set up an extremely powerful array for her treasure. Even if she’s dead, the array can still be maintained. Once an outsider enters the array, it will be destroyed immediately, along with all the treasures!”

Melissa walked to Sophia. She looked down at her eyes and was silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “Okay, I can let you live, but from now on, you are not allowed to leave my sight. I want to watch you personally! If I find out that you are deceiving me, I will kill you without hesitation!”

After hearing that, Sophia nodded repeatedly and said, “Don’t worry! I will never give you a reason to attack me, and I am confident that you will not be willing to kill me in the future!”

Melissa turned around and walked back to her desk. She said in a deep voice, “The death penalty can be temporarily waived, but you just scolded me, so I will not let you off so easily! I will take you to the streets now to help the Dark Elves in the city rebuild their homes. This is also the first step for you to start atoning for your sins!”

Sophia’s eyes widened. She did not expect Melissa to punish her by making her do hard work in front of everyone in Serene Spring City. This was not only a great humiliation for her, but it was also a very dangerous thing!

She had a bad temper at this time. The residents in the city might directly tear her into pieces!

Melissa looked at Sophia’s shocked face and could not help but smile proudly. She said, “Don’t just stand there. You still have a lot of work to do today!”

…

Outside Serene Spring City.

Vincent and Dave ran out of the south gate. They soon arrived in a wilderness.

While the elves pursued their faith, they also maintained the habit of living in harmony with nature. Therefore, the surrounding environment of each city was not developed on a large scale. Instead, it remained barren and primitive.

The wilderness in front of the two of them was overgrown with weeds and was blocking their vision. There was no way to determine the exact location of the cold pond mentioned by Cameron.

Dave said helplessly, “Vincent, this grassland is so big. When are we going to find it?”

Vincent closed his eyes and sense the surroundings carefully. He said, “Let’s continue moving forward first! I feel a trace of cold-water vapor in the air. I think it must be the cold air from the pond. It must have drifted here with the wind. We will go against the wind to find the cold pond!”

Dave nodded without saying anything else. He pulled out his long knife from his waist and cut the wild grass in front of him as he hurried forward.

Half of the land of Serene Spring City had already dried up. If Darren did not stop in time, everyone in Serene Spring City would have to move to Devil Flame City. The Elf World would also have another city reduced to ruins. They would then be one step closer to the final destruction!

After walking for a short while, Dave discovered that the land beneath his feet was leading downward. The surrounding plants had also turned from weeds to trees. As the sunlight in the sky was gradually obscured, Vincent and Dave arrived at a place beneath the ground.

Dave tilted his ear and said with a face full of joy, “Vincent, I hear the sound of water flowing. The cold pond that symbolizes Serene Spring City must be right ahead!”

Vincent nodded. He quickened his pace and rushed forward.

However, just as the sound of the current became louder and louder, Vincent suddenly felt a sense of danger. He immediately frowned and shouted, “Be careful!”

At the same time, rows of arrows made of steel pierced through the forest and drowned Vincent and Dave.