Torres' Request

"The Witch, Lilith?"

It was obvious that the name Lilith was unfamiliar to both Kaiaolen and Irena.

Seeing the blank looks on their faces, Ye Chuan pondered for a moment.

*So much for being the World-Ending Witch. Nobody even knows who you are, you bratty little loli.*

"Forget it, I'll look for the information myself." Ye Chuan waved his hand dismissively. "Where's the library?"

"Torres, take Lord Xi Xi there," Irena called out to her guard, Torres.

"It's fine, I'll have a maid show him the way," Kaiaolen interjected.

"This way, please, Lord Xi Xi." A maid led Ye Chuan toward the library.

The library was located within the manor itself. As they walked, the maid introduced it.

"The Lord enjoys collecting books, so they are all kept here in the manor's library. You can find every book available in Mirar right here."

They stopped in front of a building, and the maid respectfully opened the library doors.

A cool breeze rushed out, carrying the scent of ancient ink, magical incense, and aged parchment.

The library featured a high vaulted ceiling. The dome wasn't made of brick or stone, but was carved from a single massive piece of crystal. Magic flowed within the crystal, refracting the light from outside.

Obsidian bookshelves reached all the way to the dome on all four walls. They were inlaid with glowing magic crystals that emitted a soft, warm light, illuminating the rows upon rows of books.

"Whether it is magic, racial secrets, or the history of the Hill Empire and other empires, we have it all. The Lord said you may browse as you please," the maid said.

"Got it."

After the maid retreated, Ye Chuan looked at the massive bookshelves and released his divine consciousness to scan them directly. However, he discovered he didn't recognize the script in some of the books.

"Hmm..."

"Not here."

"*The Foreign Wife and the Local Dragon*? Why do they even have stuff like this?"

"As for the magic books, they're too low-level."

Ye Chuan searched the entire place but didn't find what he was looking for—neither intelligence on Lilith nor any valuable magic tomes.

*As expected, all the good stuff is with Lilith.*

Even so, Ye Chuan picked up a few books that seemed somewhat interesting and began to read, at least gathering some history regarding the Hill Empire.

Time passed unconsciously. By the time Ye Chuan came back to his senses, night had fallen outside the library.

At that moment, the sound of light footsteps approached.

Ye Chuan glanced over and saw a man in armor walking towards him.

"Who is it?"

"Lord Xi Xi, it is I, Torres."

Torres was Princess Irena's guard. He was also fleeing to Count Kan Gong's territory with the princess after discovering the incident with the human-skin monsters.

"What do you want with me?" Ye Chuan asked.

Torres scratched his head in embarrassment. He looked around before finally speaking. "Lord Xi Xi, could I learn some moves from you?"

"I feel that my current strength isn't enough to protect Her Highness."

He clenched his fist. "Even if I only improve a little bit, I want to contribute more to the Princess."

"Teach you some moves?" Ye Chuan tilted his head.

"Yes!"

"No." Ye Chuan waved his hand, signaling for Torres to leave. "I have no interest in teaching people. Besides, how much stronger can you get in such a short time?"

"It's not like you're a genius like me."

Torres didn't seem surprised by Ye Chuan's refusal. He immediately said, "I can pay you gold coins!"

"I still have a sum of money left with my family!"

"You're quite self-aware, aren't you?" Ye Chuan looked at Torres. "But do I look like the kind of person who loves money as much as life itself? Do you think spending money is enough to make me teach you?"

Torres stared blankly at Ye Chuan. After a few seconds, he squeezed out a few words.

"Lord Xi Xi, aren't you?"

"Fair enough." Ye Chuan extended his hand.

"What?" Seeing this, Torres was stunned for a moment.

"The money."

Torres immediately handed over all his remaining money to Ye Chuan, including the portion Kaiaolen had given him. He held nothing back.

"It's acceptable." Ye Chuan weighed the gold coins in his hand. The quantity wasn't large, but Torres had mentioned he had another sum with his family.

*If I want to buy the Succubus Hall, the money I have on hand right now probably isn't enough.*

"Then I suppose I'll teach you a thing or two."

Ye Chuan led Torres out of the library and eventually returned to the garden area.

"Where is the Princess?" Ye Chuan asked casually.

"After finishing dinner, she is still discussing matters regarding the Royal Capital with the Count," Torres explained.

After all, attacking the Royal Capital required careful consideration of every aspect.

"Alright." After asking, Ye Chuan glanced at the equipment Torres was wearing. "You're a Paladin, right?"

"Yes!"

"What do you think a Paladin should do?" Ye Chuan asked.

"Use the power of the Holy Light to protect those you need to protect, and utilize the Light to heal others," Torres answered.

"Wrong."

"Wrong?" Torres paused. Was there a problem with his answer?

Where was he wrong?

"When you say protecting others, you don't mean just tanking damage for them, do you?" Ye Chuan glanced at him.

"That is correct... I cannot let Her Highness the Princess come to harm."

"Wrong!"

"Uh... Huh?!"

Ye Chuan spoke calmly, "Has it ever occurred to you that simply slaughtering the enemy is the greatest form of protection?"

"As the saying goes, offense is the best defense."

"As long as you kill all the enemies, how could the Princess possibly get hurt?" Ye Chuan looked at Torres. If he remembered correctly, just on the journey from Yisu Town to Count Kan Gong's territory, this Torres had entered a near-death state several times.

Of course, thanks to Ye Chuan's healing, the guy hadn't died.

But to put it another way, this guy's health bar was quite thick. To be precise, he was extremely durable.

"Uh... A Paladin is supposed to kill all the enemies? But that's clearly the job of a Retribution Knight..." Hearing Ye Chuan say this, Torres began to feel a bit lost.

Was everything he had persisted in all this time wrong?

"What? You doubt my words?" Ye Chuan asked.

"No, that's not it. But if that is the case, Lord Xi Xi, what should I do?" Torres asked.

"Get stronger."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Huh?" Torres was dumbfounded. Everyone knew that you had to be strong to protect others, but the question was *how* to get stronger?

Torres could feel the perfunctory attitude coming from Ye Chuan.

"It's simple. If you want to get stronger, just go hone yourself, right?" Ye Chuan said with a beaming smile. "Do you know if there are any large dungeons nearby?"

Torres: "I do... but..."

He had a sudden ominous premonition.