218: Chapter 219 The Skill Book is About to Be Obtained

Watching Lilia, Seraphina, and the others excitedly selecting and trying to tame their new toys—those majestic giant dragons—a faint smile could not help but curl at the corners of Lin Muyang's mouth. These young ladies were certainly not holding back.

However, play is play, but business cannot be forgotten.

Lin Muyang shifted his gaze away from the frolicking young ladies and back to Hansa Bami, who stood quietly to the side with a complex and inscrutable expression. This former legendary Giant Dragon Summoner had now restrained all his sharpness and arrogance, waiting quietly for orders—a completely different person from the spirited top-tier expert who, just minutes ago, had descended with seven dragons, intending to besiege Lin Muyang.

The power of the soul contract, along with his worries about the future of his family, were like two invisible mountains, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe, and they had completely smoothed away his rough edges.

"That said," Lin Muyang's voice rang out calmly, breaking the silence, "you should go back for a trip."

Upon hearing this, Hansa Bami's body trembled slightly. He raised his head to look at Lin Muyang, his eyes revealing inquiry, as well as a trace of imperceptible anticipation and anxiety.

Lin Muyang looked at him and continued, "Since you have signed the contract and followed me, your family members at the American Empire manor are no longer safe if they stay there. In the American Empire, your enemies will not let them go. Go back as soon as possible, take everyone who needs to be taken, and bring them to the Xia Kingdom for settlement. From now on, you and your family will operate in the Xia Kingdom."

Lin Muyang's words were blunt, but they struck at the deepest hidden worry in Hansa Bami's heart. The reason he ultimately chose to sign that extremely harsh, almost indentured, soul contract—besides the fear of death—was more importantly because he could not let go of his family. He had operated in the American Empire for many years and had many enemies; once he died or lost contact for a long time, his wives, concubines, children, and the clansmen dependent on him would inevitably face total annihilation. He absolutely could not let such a thing happen.

Following Lin Muyang, although he lost his freedom and former status, at least his life was safe, his family could be preserved, and they might even gain new protection because of the big tree that was Lin Muyang. This was the only path to survival he had found for himself and his family in this desperate situation.

Hearing Lin Muyang voluntarily bring up and arrange this matter, the biggest stone in Hansa Bami's heart finally fell, and at the same time, an unspeakably complex emotion welled up. There was humiliation, helplessness, and confusion about the future, but also a trace of gratitude? At least, this new master was not completely unfeeling and had even considered the safety of his clansmen.

"Yes, Master. This subordinate understands." Hansa Bami took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and bowed respectfully, his attitude even more humble than before. He no longer dared to have the slightest bit of contempt for the Xia Kingdom youth before him, who was excessively young but possessed unfathomable strength. The means by which he had wiped out eleven experts in just a few minutes and forced him to sign a soul contract had completely shattered all his pride and wishful thinking.

He did not say more, straightened up, and raised his hand to take out a precious fixed-point long-distance space teleportation scroll from his storage space. The moment the scroll was torn open, silver spatial energy wrapped around him and the remaining few giant dragons beside him that had not been assigned and still obeyed him. With a flash of light, the figures of Hansa Bami and the few giant dragons disappeared from above Crocodile Shark Island, leaving only a circle of slowly dissipating spatial ripples.

Only at this moment, witnessing Hansa Bami respectfully accept the order and leave in a hurry using a precious spatial teleportation scroll, did the others present—whether it was the three Xia Kingdom experts, Xu Ruohan, Time Utterance, and Heartstring, or the nine attackers from the American Empire and its allies opposite, who had not yet recovered from the series of blows—seem to be awakened by a basin of ice water, truly digesting this absurd yet incomparably real scene before them.

It was not Lin Muyang who had been subdued.

It was Hansa Bami, this globally renowned Giant Dragon Summoner, a Nation-Guarding Level Expert of the American Empire, who, after just a few minutes of confrontation, not only failed to take down Lin Muyang but instead became Lin Muyang's subordinate?

Looking at his respectful, obedient, almost humble posture, and hearing that "Master" from his mouth... where was this equal cooperation or forced compromise? This was clearly a complete master-servant relationship!

And what about the other eleven people? Could it really be as Lin Muyang had said so lightly... they were all dead?

This thought was like a venomous snake, biting at the hearts of Marianne and the others again, making them feel chilled to the bone, and their gazes toward Lin Muyang were filled with fear and terror.

However, before they could sort out their thoughts from this huge shock and fear, and even before they had time to think about whether to fight or flee, a new turn of events had already arrived.

Standing on the back of the white thunder dragon, with nine fluffy snow-white fox tails gently swaying behind her, Su Daji suddenly bloomed with a charming smile that could turn the world upside down on her stunningly beautiful face. She did not make any exaggerated movements, just slightly curved her soul-stealing fox eyes. As her gaze flowed, a formless and intangible charm power, yet one that seemed capable of penetrating the deepest parts of the soul, spread silently like mercury pouring onto the ground, or like the most lingering warm breeze in spring, instantly covering the entire sky above Crocodile Shark Island!

Innate skill—【Innate Charm】!

This was not an offensive mental impact, nor was it a forced control, but a deeper, more irresistible attraction and bewitchment. It did not target the body, nor did it target energy; it pointed directly at the most primitive desires and emotions deep within the heart.

In an instant, with Su Daji as the center, the power of charm swept out like a tide.

The Elf Archer, who had been on high alert, saw their sharp eyes instantly become unfocused. The emerald longbow in their hand sagged slightly, as if they had seen some beautiful illusion, and a look of infatuation unconsciously curled at the corners of their mouth.

The old mage, who had been chanting spells and condensing ice, suddenly froze. Su Daji's stunning figure was reflected in their cloudy old eyes, as if they had seen the magical truth they had pursued all their life, or perhaps a long-lost youthful love, and they stood there dazed, even forgetting to maintain the magic they were channeling.

The two burly, murderous melee warriors quickly had their fierce expressions melt away, turning into a strange look mixed with simple-mindedness and infatuation. The greatswords and warhammers in their hands seemed to weigh a thousand jun, and they slowly lowered them.

The assassin, who had been hiding in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity, stumbled out of the shadows. With a mask on, their expression could not be seen, but their violently heaving chest and instantly chaotic breathing revealed what kind of intense shock they were experiencing internally.

Even Marianne, the "bewitching siren" who was good at mental defense and held the 【Seven-Colored Protection Prayer Beads】, could only have the seven-colored mental shield that automatically appeared around her persist for less than half a second in the face of this huge and pure charm power, before it shattered silently like a soap bubble under the sun. Her delicate body trembled violently, and a complex look of struggle, confusion, and intoxication appeared on her charming face. Those eyes that usually stole souls and captured spirits had now lost their focus, as if she had fallen into some beautiful dream, completely losing control over herself and the surrounding environment.

In just a split second, except for the three people with Xu Ruohan and the young ladies beside Lin Muyang, all the powerful hostile units above Crocodile Shark Island, regardless of their level, regardless of whether they were good at ranged, melee, or mental control, were all caught under Su Daji's 【Innate Charm】, falling into a state of brief distraction and confusion, their combat power instantly dropping to zero, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

The whole scene finally became completely quiet. Only the sound of the sea breeze blowing the waves remained, along with the occasional low breathing sounds from the few giant dragons.

Xu Ruohan, Time Utterance, and Heartstring looked at this scene as if the pause button had been pressed, and they were once again deeply shocked and speechless. What kind of ability was this? Group forced control? Even that mental master Marianne had been hit? And looking at the expressions of the other young ladies beside Lin Muyang, who were unfazed and even a bit bored, it was obvious that this was a common operation for them...

Lin Muyang then leisurely turned his head to look at Xu Ruohan, who was still a bit stunned not far away, reached out his hand, and waved it in front of her.

"Senior Xu, come back to your senses." Lin Muyang's tone carried a hint of teasing.

Xu Ruohan shuddered, waking up from the successive shocks, her stunning face still retaining the undissipated astonishment. She looked at the enemies around her who were motionless like sculptures, then looked at the relaxed Lin Muyang, and the young ladies who were curiously looking around on the backs of the giant dragons, feeling that her brain was not enough.

"Lin Muyang, this... what exactly is going on? Hansa Bami... really..." Xu Ruohan found her voice a bit dry.

"Oh, him." Lin Muyang waved his hand casually, as if talking about an insignificant trifle, "Signed a soul contract, now he's one of us. As for the other eleven..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the enemies controlled by the charm, his tone flat to the point of being hair-raising, "They're all resolved. I can give you the list later, you can update your database, no need to pay attention to them in the future."

Resolved... all resolved...

Xu Ruohan, Time Utterance, and Heartstring, even having seen it with their own eyes and heard it with their own ears, felt a strong sense of unreality at this moment upon hearing Lin Muyang confirm it personally, their hearts as if gripped by an invisible hand.

Eleven people! Those were eleven experts standing at the top of Blue Star! Not eleven chickens! Just like that... "resolved"? And "I can give you the list, update the database"? This tone was as relaxed as if he had casually cleaned up a few insignificant bugs!

"You... you..." Xu Ruohan opened her red lips. She, who was always eloquent, was now at a loss for words. She looked at Lin Muyang's young, calm, and even slightly lazy face, and only two words remained in her mind—monster! No, monster was not enough to describe him! This was simply a walking natural disaster!

She had originally come with the idea of sparing no cost to protect this hope for the future of the Xia Kingdom, but it turned out that not only did he not need protection, but right under their noses, using methods they could not understand at all, he had almost completely wiped out the invading enemies and had even casually subdued the strongest one among them? This huge contrast made her, the proud daughter of heaven and top-tier Summoner of the Xia Kingdom, feel a deep sense of helplessness and... frustration? No, it was more of an unspeakable shock and awe.

Heartstring pushed up his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses incomparably complex. He finally understood why the higher-ups valued Lin Muyang so much, and even went to the extent of sending the three of them to meet him. Where was this a genius that needed protection? This was clearly a prehistoric ferocious beast wearing human skin! No, fiercer than a ferocious beast! He had been worried about Lin Muyang's safety before, but now it seemed that the ones who should be worried about their safety were those who were blind enough to provoke him!

Time Utterance took a deep breath, and her wrinkled face showed unprecedented solemnity, but deep in her eyes, a trace of uncontrollable excitement and relief was hidden. The Xia Kingdom... was finally about to welcome an expert truly capable of suppressing an era?

Just as the three of Xu Ruohan were having turbulent hearts, trying to digest this shocking news, Lin Muyang's gaze had turned to the group of enemies controlled by the charm, and finally, it fixed on the blonde woman—Marianne.

He examined this "bewitching siren" with great interest. Through the telepathic connection passed on by Su Daji, he knew that this woman's willpower was quite astonishing, and her mental power was also exceptionally strong. In the short two or three seconds that 【Innate Charm】 took effect, she had actually already shown signs of breaking free, just forcibly suppressing it, disguising herself as still being controlled, attempting to muddle through, and looking for an opportunity to counterattack or escape.

Unfortunately, in front of Su Daji's charm talent, which had already reached the Demigod Level level and had its power surge, her little thoughts and resistance were like candle flames in the dark, clearly visible. If it weren't for Su Daji's talent evolving again, it would probably be really difficult to completely charm her so easily.

"Since you are already awake, stop pretending." Lin Muyang's voice was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of Marianne, who was struggling to maintain her Disguise and was inwardly anxious.

Marianne's delicate body trembled, the disguised confused expression on her face instantly froze, then receded like a tide, replaced by a deathly pallor and undisguisable horror. She slowly opened her eyes, and in those eyes that had once been charming and affectionate, only deep fear and a trace of despair remained. She did not expect that the mental resistance and Disguise she was so proud of would be so vulnerable in the eyes of the other party.

Lin Muyang looked at her, his tone still flat, but with an unquestionable majesty: "Your mental ability is not bad, unfortunately, it is useless in front of me. If you want to live, answer me one question."

Marianne's throat felt dry, and she asked in a hoarse voice: "Wha... what question?" Her voice trembled slightly due to fear, and there was no longer any of the previous laziness and charm.

"Where is that mythical grade skill book now?" Lin Muyang asked directly, his gaze fixed on her calmly.

Marianne's heart tightened. It really was for that skill book! This was the bait for this operation and also one of the core targets. That guy Hansa Bami probably only knew the skill book was bait, but did not know the specific details and final whereabouts. The ones truly responsible for this matter were her and several other high-level executives.

She weighed the options quickly in her mind. Handing over the skill book might buy a glimmer of life, but the consequences of betraying the organization... if she didn't hand it over, this terrifying young man in front of her would definitely make her life worse than death. Even an expert like Hansa Bami had surrendered; what could she use to resist?

Hesitating for less than a second, under the gaze of Lin Muyang, which was calm but seemed to be able to see through everything, Marianne's last bit of wishful thinking vanished into thin air. She smiled bitterly, a smile uglier than crying, and said resignedly: "The skill book... is in my storage necklace. If... if I give you the skill book... can you let me go?"

She raised her head, her eyes filled with final hope, and also with deep helplessness and panic. She knew that she had completely lost, lost thoroughly. Now, being able to save her life was already an extravagant hope.