Reaching the portal back to Larta City didn’t take long at all.

Rex was about to enter the building, but his steps suddenly stopped as he glanced over his shoulder.

Even though he had gotten what he came to the Cavity for, he didn’t lower his guard at all. The System constantly scanned the surroundings at a fixed interval, detecting any kind of threat that might not be visible to the eyes, but real nevertheless.

But this time, this glance wasn’t because the System scanned something.

It was his gut feeling.

"Hmm..." Rex swept his eyes around, eyeing the passersby, and then shrugged.

He entered the building and returned to Larta City through the portal.

Other than finishing what he had come to do, he wanted to return quickly to check on Lilliana.

Considering that he had left her after she endured her first rampage—and got the Predator Mind passive skill, he was afraid that she had gotten worse. Davina was there, but she might need his presence by her side—the presence of the Alpha.

Naturally, he quickly returned to the penthouse.

...

Meanwhile, inside a peculiar café in Larta City, a middle-aged man in a proper suit sat on the corner, smelling the aroma of the hot coffee that he had ordered. He took great pleasure in smelling the aroma for a few seconds before finally sipping it.

His lips curled as the coffee was exactly how he liked.

Bitter and hot, the kind that woke up the mind as it was only early in the morning.

He then looked out the window, enjoying the morning life before glancing up at an apartment building.

One that he had been watching for the last couple of days already.

If Rex were here and saw the man’s face, he would instantly recognize the man as Liebert.

"Still no sign of him," Liebert muttered and then turned when he heard the bell on the door ring.

A pair of men stepped inside, their eyes scanning the café before landing on the opposite corner near the glass wall. There, facing the street, sat the person they were looking for. Both crossed the floor and slid into the seats across from Liebert.

"Something wrong?" Liebert asked nonchalantly, like he was fine if something went wrong.

"No, it’s the opposite," One of them crossed his arms on the table—and leaned forward. "Just like you asked, we camped in the Southern Cavity. I thought you were reaching, as there’s no chance that a mere Demigod from the Spirit Realm could leave your eyes. But you were right. He was there."

"Is that so...?" Liebert smiled a little and glanced at the apartment building again. "Then the traces he left behind are decoys." He nodded and looked at the man again. "And? What did he do in the Southern Cavity? Meeting someone?"

"Pale Defender Zev. He met with Pale Defender Zev. It might really be him who was behind the missing Pale Defenders."

"In that case, shouldn’t we arrest him right now? Killing Pale Defenders is punishable by execution."

Liebert waved his hand, stopping them from talking nonsense.

That wasn’t the reason why he sent them to camp in the Southern Cavity, just in case.

"Do you know what he talked about with Pale Defender Zev?"

"No, we can’t get too close. He’s too sharp."

"And where is he now?"

"He must already be back in his penthouse. We left the moment he exited the Southern Cavity."

"Pale Defender Zev, huh..." Liebert stood up and buttoned his suit, reluctantly leaving his delicious morning coffee as work had called. "Don’t confront him or do anything stupid. He’s chosen as the one who would be representing the High Lord, so he has immunity to these things."

From the very start, High Lord Rashal knew that it was Rex who was responsible.

It’s too much of a coincidence for him to enter the Primordial Meadow through the Southern Cavity, and in the next moment, multiple Pale Defenders went missing. High Lord Rashal does not have proof, but he already knew it was Rex.

No need to punish him for things that were already pardoned.

This... This is not for that.

Before the two could answer, Liebert walked out of the café.

...

Days passed in a blur.

Rex has no other choice but to wait for High Lord Rashal to tell him what he was going to do.

And during these days, he hadn’t only waited inside the penthouse loitering around.

He had been continuing his training on the new mastery path with his lightning element. Now that he wasn’t within the Hall Anvil of Ages, outside of the help of a Transcendent-rank treasure, breaking down his lightning had become far more difficult.

Exactly the challenge he needed to keep his mind occupied while waiting.

It’s hard to stay calm when he didn’t know anything that was going on within the Mortal Realm.

Did Adhara survive?

Did giving her a skill and sending Amanir and Devo enough to fare against Kaiser?

How is the empire doing?

A lot of questions were crowding his mind the moment he stopped thinking or moving.

For him, this might even be worse than being drowned by anger.

At least that way, he could vent out his excess emotions through fighting. As for this, he wouldn’t be calmer—even if he vented out his emotions through physical exertion. He would only calm down if he knew the situation in the Mortal Realm.

An answer that he wouldn’t attain unless he returned there himself.

Evelyn was there, and she could help calm him down as the Luna.

But she was cultivating the Realm Fertilizer.

He didn’t want to bother her.

So, having this problem with his new elemental master is a great help for him.

Until he could break down the three layers of his lightning, he wouldn’t stop.

At least, not until High Lord Rashal finally informed him.

Beyond his training, Rex had also been looking after Lilliana, who remained weak and frail even days after the incident. She spent most of her time in bed or on the sofa, her strength slow to return. He had already checked her stats window but found nothing out of place.

No wounds. No afflictions. Yet something was clearly wrong for her to remain weak.

It was odd, but he didn’t mind for the time being.

Rex also checked in on Gistella and Evelyn, wanting to see the progress with his own two eyes.

Nothing much had happened to the realm, but the minor divine strand concentration was increasing.

A good sign that the Realm Fertilizer was working.

Inside the shower, Davina hummed a soft tune as she brushed through her hair. One of the things she truly appreciated about this new environment was how accessible everything was. Back in the Spirit Realm, a proper bath required preparation or a trek to a natural spring.

Normally, she would clean herself using life energy.

But there are times when she wants to do it manually. To savour the moment.

Here, in Larta City, she could do it at any time without needing to go out.

Once finished, Davina wrapped herself in a towel and dried her hair using a portable hairdryer. It was her first time using one, and a delighted little hum escaped her as the warm air tousled her hair. She was still humming, still enjoying the relaxing morning, but stopped when she reached the living room.

On the side, Lilliana paused right in front of the guest bedroom door.

She had been staying on the bed for days, clinging to Rex like a koala, saying that she needed him to stay close because of what happened. Something about feeling nauseous whenever he was too far away. Even needing to be carried like a princess to the sofa whenever Rex wanted to continue his training.

Lilliana couldn’t walk, or at least that’s what she claimed.

Now, right before Davina’s eyes, she was standing fine.

Not to mention, her mouth was stuffed with food, bloating her cheeks like a chipmunk.

Davina was at a loss for words. Her gaze turned to the table by the sofa, and she saw an empty plate there, and it was also a mess. As though someone had ordered food and been eating there before deciding to suddenly flee in a rush.

Simultaneously, the pieces snapped together in an instant, "Lilliana, you venomous little snake!"

Before she could move, Lilliana ran to her room and locked the door behind her.

It was all an act. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Lilliana hadn’t been weak all this time; she was only putting on an act so that Rex would pay attention to her more. Heck, she might already have recovered fully since the night she almost went berserk. Everything after was nothing but soft manipulation.

And the angering part was that Davina couldn’t believe she fell for it.

Perhaps it was simply because she was her big sister that she lowered her guard.

But regardless, she fell for the act.

Davina hammered the door hard repeatedly, almost like she was trying to tear it down the door.

"Open the door right now and face me!"

"Don’t misunderstand, I had only recovered today!"

"Nonsense!" Davina looked around the penthouse, searching for any sign of Rex—but there was none. It seemed he had gone away, which was why Lilliana dropped the act since she was hungry. "It’s quite the coincidence for you to suddenly recover when Rex is not around, sister!"

"Coincidence is quite unbelievable sometimes. Besides, I’m feeling dizzy again right now. I think best for me to rest again, so go away!"

"In that case, let me in. I’ll give you my best treatment."

"No, thanks. I don’t want to burden you."

For days, Davina had stepped aside and let Lilliana monopolize Rex, believing she was still weak and fragile. Now she knew the truth—it had all been a performance. And she couldn’t stomach the thought of those lost days.

Not when it was rare for this kind of moment to appear again.

The last couple of days had been a miracle as Rex was forced to wait patiently for High Lord Rashal.

Frankly, Davina didn’t know such a perfect time to bond would come again.

Davina reached for the top of the doorframe, recalling how Rex had retrieved a key from there, and smiled when her fingers brushed metal. A spare key. She pushed it into the lock and turned. The door creaked open slowly, and Lilliana’s face drained of color.

Like a final defensive line in war, crumbling before her eyes.

She saw Davina peeking through the gap with a restrained smile on her face.

"Don’t forget, big sister. I’m stronger than you."

"H-Hold on a minute!"

Giving no chance for Lilliana to say anything more, Davina pounced.

Both of them rolled on the bed and floor like two wolves fighting after a small disagreement.

It was lucky for them that their neighbours didn’t rush to complain about the noise.

Just then, the sound of the main door being opened and closed rang—stopping their quarrels almost in an instant. Rex stepped inside with a small smile on his face, as he had succeeded in doing something, and then paused in the living room.

He saw that Davina and Lilliana were standing awkwardly in front of the guest bedroom.

One is only wearing a towel, fresh out of the shower. And the other had food stains smeared on her lips.

And strangely enough, their hair was messy.

"Am I interrupting something?" Rex asked, not knowing what to think right now. "Should I come back later?"

"Huh?" Davina exchanged a look with Lilliana and then looked back at Rex again. Then it clicked. She immediately recoiled away, "What? It wasn’t like that. What are you even thinking? We’re blood-related sisters. I was only checking on her."

"I don’t know your mind was that dirty, Rex." Lilliana covered her mouth with her hand and laughed humorously. "I’m surprised."

Rex was about to defend himself as he didn’t mean that, but the doorbell rang.

He went to see through the peephole and saw Liebert standing outside.