195: The upgraded secret realm

As the plot progressed, she saw green-skinned monsters in the forest that were identical to the ones Hughes had created, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity. She had never truly believed that Hughes was dead, and seeing these familiar monsters made her even more certain that he was still alive.

Looking at the young girl surrounded by monsters, Catherine's eyes instantly turned red as she thought, "It's a loathsome Elf!"

Catherine gave a cold snort and had no intention of going to the rescue.

Watching those green-skinned monsters surround Celia, Catherine even felt a slight thrill of vengeful pleasure.

But after waiting for a long while, she was surprised to find that although the Elf girl kept calling for help, looking as if she would be killed by the green-skinned monsters if not rescued soon, as time passed, the green-skinned monsters just wandered around and did not attack her.

This made Catherine instantly alert, thinking to herself, "Hmph, what a ridiculous trap. This must be a ploy by that Elf to lure passersby into saving her, when in reality, these monsters are in league with her!"

Catherine, hiding in the bushes, was so annoyed by the woman's cries for help that she finally couldn't take it anymore.

She suddenly burst out from the bushes.

Seeing someone arrive, the Elf girl immediately cried out to her for help, looking pitiful.

Catherine familiarized herself with the firearms in her hands and fired directly.

However, the muzzle was not pointed at the green-skinned monsters, but at the Elf girl!

The bullets whistled as they struck the girl, but she didn't move an inch, still looking at her pitifully.

On the contrary, the green-skinned monsters actually charged straight at her.

"Hmph, I knew you were in league with each other!" Catherine didn't have time to wonder why attacking the girl had no effect and immediately started shooting at the green-skinned monsters.

After a burst of gunfire, the green-skinned monsters all turned into white light and disappeared.

The girl walked over warmly and said her name was Celia.

Catherine raised her muzzle to Celia's forehead and fired several shots, but seeing that the Elf was still unharmed, she couldn't help but feel the urge to retreat.

But just then, the Elf told her she would take her back to town, and then her vision blurred, and she found herself inside a treehouse.

Catherine scanned the simple treehouse and heard the Elf telling her to visit the blacksmith.

Only then did Catherine realize she was in a Secret Realm and that she needed to follow the guidance to proceed.

After she found the blacksmith named Linus and eliminated some monsters in the forest as instructed, Linus told her the direction to the town.

Catherine knew there must be an inescapable net waiting for her outside the Secret Realm, so she might as well experience this Secret Realm properly. She hoped that over time, the enemy would let down their guard, giving her a chance to escape back to the Western Territory.

She had chosen the Female Gunner character, who initially wore a short dress. This made her feel a bit awkward at first since she had never worn a skirt, but after entering Heatonmar and seeing her reflection on a smooth wall, she couldn't help but laugh, "Actually, this outfit looks quite nice."

Catherine struck a few poses in front of the wall and laughed.

She wasn't in a hurry and strolled through Heatonmar, looking at the novel city within this Secret Realm.

As she walked in front of a grand Cathedral, she suddenly saw someone carrying a huge Cross kneeling before the Cathedral with their head bowed, seemingly in confession. A woman was sitting nearby on a fallen Cross.

She approached curiously to take a look, feeling that the person's profile looked somewhat familiar.

When the person finished their confession and stood up, they first said something to the woman and then turned to leave.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Catherine was struck as if by lightning and called out tremulously, "Is that you, Hughes?"

Hughes, who was about to leave, hesitated upon hearing someone call his name and glanced back.

He saw a tall woman in a dress staring at him.

"Sister Catherine?!" Hughes couldn't believe his eyes.

Hughes thought to himself, "How did Sister Catherine get here? Shouldn't she be in the Western Territory? Did the god of light hear the wish I made to him and help me fulfill it?"

Catherine looked at the Hughes before her with some confusion. The oppressive feeling he used to have was gone; instead, he had become much more cheerful, giving off a reassuring feeling like a spring breeze.

Catherine stepped closer and smiled, "Hughes, you really didn't die!"

Hughes asked in confusion, "Sister Catherine, how did you get here?"

After the two of them shared their experiences with each other, Hughes smiled and said, "So, the Dark Council thinks I'm dead?"

Catherine nodded and said, "That's right."

Hughes smiled and said, "Thanks to the god of light. Although I once betrayed him, he still forgave me and resurrected me. I am a sinner now and often confess to him."

Catherine asked, "Hughes, does that mean you don't plan on going back?"

Hughes laughed and said, "Why would I go back? Sister Catherine, you must know that those people never truly accepted us; they only coveted our abilities. I created monsters, and you have an affinity for darkness that can help them Cultivate quickly, using darkness to contain the evil resentment within them."

Catherine said, "I know, but I was willing. Regardless of whether they truly accepted me, at least I had a place to stay."

Hughes knew Catherine's past and said, "I don't know why the elves did that, but I think there's a misunderstanding."

Catherine said stubbornly, "What misunderstanding could there be? Elves and Dark Elves are naturally incompatible and cannot coexist peacefully."

Hughes laughed upon hearing this and said, "You're wrong about that. At least here, in this Secret Realm, Dark Elves and elves can get along. On the contrary, many admirable people have come from the Dark Elves."

Catherine was a bit surprised and asked, "Really?"

Hughes said, "Your Rank isn't high yet, right? Come on, I'll take you to level up. When we get to the West Coast, I'll introduce you to a great Dark Elf; she's the president of the Magic Guild."

Catherine was quite intrigued and decided to go level up with Hughes first.

Hughes also joked, "In the forest we're going to, there are also elves you can kill to vent your anger."

Catherine's interest grew instantly, and she urged Hughes to hurry up!

Looking at Catherine running ahead eagerly, Hughes' eyes grew slightly moist with tears as he said, "Sister Catherine, you look beautiful in a dress without that black robe!"

Catherine was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "I also think this outfit is very pretty!"

At this time, Lin Chuan on Jin Jian Peak finally heard the System's prompt.

[Ding! The Secret Realm's non-stop server upgrade is complete. New character added: Nightbringer.]

[Host permissions upgraded: You can now freely set the price and launch time of Advanced Gift Packs.]

[The second phase of the National Level-up Event can be started at any time.]

Lin Chuan listened to the System's prompt and waited for a long time. Seeing that the System didn't say anything more, he asked in surprise, "That's it?"

[All upgrade contents have been announced.]

Lin Chuan shouted, "Damn it, what about the promised permission to lock participants? Are you kidding me?"