126: Chapter 126 Elena of the Mist Territory! A former retainer of the Farrell family!

Mist Territory, Mist Castle.

This castle, built from grayish-white stone, stood on the edge of the Mist Forest, southeast of Gino City.

Unlike the bustling Gino City or the magnificent Golden Flame Castle, this place was shrouded in hazy mist all year round.

The air was always damp and chilly. The light, passing through the mist that never dispersed, became pale and weak; even at noon, there was little warmth to be found.

Inside the master bedroom on the top floor of the castle's main tower, a fireplace was burning, dispelling the omnipresent damp cold.

Elena wore a simple, elegant long dress with a cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders, sitting alone in a soft chair by the window.

She held a thick tome on warlock studies, her long, pale golden hair draped softly over her shoulders.

Her exceptionally beautiful face was veiled in a lingering, faint melancholy.

She did not like this place.

It was too cold, too... isolated from the world.

Outside the window was an endless expanse of grayish-white mist, as if the entire world had been shut out.

Compared to the warmth and comfort of Gino City, the environment here was simply terrible.

But she had to come.

Rowan hoped she could take control of the Mist Territory as soon as possible and truly transform this territory into usable power and resources.

She did not want to disappoint him.

"Sigh..." A barely audible sigh escaped her beautiful lips.

She set down the book titled "Principles of Runic Construction and Elemental Resonance" and gazed somewhat distractedly at the roiling mist outside the window.

Ever since she was turned into a Vampire descendant by Rowan's Embrace, she could clearly feel the changes within her.

It wasn't just the increase in strength and speed, or the sharpening of her senses; more importantly, the bloodline power belonging to her as a Runic Warlock seemed to have become exceptionally active.

Bloodline power was the core strength of warlock-type transcendent professions, and Runic Warlocks were no exception.

The cultivation of a Runic Warlock essentially involved excavating and refining the extraordinary configurations possessed by high-level magical beasts, then solidifying and manifesting them through special runes to obtain innate abilities similar to those of the beasts.

The first core rune she successfully constructed, [Power of the Thunder Titan], granted her a certain ability to manipulate lightning.

Now, she could feel that her bloodline power was full, sufficient to support her in attempting to construct a second rune.

These days, she had been flipping through books, agonizing over choosing the direction.

"Thunder governs destruction and swiftness. Following the principle of complementarity and balance, choosing an earth element rune that leans towards defense, stability, or control might be a good choice..."

Elena's slender fingertips unconsciously traced a simple earth element rune on the page, her brows slightly furrowed:

"But most earth element runes lean towards retardation and protection; they seem somewhat lacking in offensive versatility..."

"The classic ice and fire elements each have their own merits in control and burst power..."

Her thoughts drifted away, remembering how Rowan, during their intimate moments, would sometimes display a researcher-like curiosity, asking her to lightly release her lightning power, then carefully feeling, or even guiding, the current as it coursed over his body...

He seemed exceptionally interested in her Runic Warlock abilities. In that light, ice and fire seemed better?

Thinking of those slightly shameful scenes, a faint blush involuntarily bloomed on Elena's snow-white cheeks.

She quickly shook her head, banishing those heart-racing images from her mind, and refocused her attention on the academic problem at hand.

Just then.

The door to the living room was lightly knocked.

Elena turned and looked towards it, saying, "Come in."

The door was pushed open.

Her personal maid, Emily, walked in.

Behind her followed a middle-aged woman dressed in a neat hunting outfit. She wore a sword at her waist, and her demeanor appeared capable and steady.

Elena watched them enter, her eyes flickering slightly as she realized something might have happened.

Emily was a maid who had served her for many years.

The middle-aged woman was Ms. Lexi, a female knight whose strength had reached the level of a Senior Knight.

Both were old retainers from the Farrell Family era.

When the Scarlet Heresy Case broke out, Ms. Lexi and another Official Knight, Ms. Iris, happened to have been sent away by her father to execute other tasks, so they did not participate in any of the Scarlet Ritual events and were thus spared.

After she inherited the Mist Territory, these old family retainers voluntarily regrouped, swore allegiance to her, and became the first team to help her govern this strange territory.

"My Lady." Ms. Lexi stepped forward, placing her right hand on her chest in a salute.

Her voice carried the crispness typical of a knight, but her brows were slightly furrowed at the moment, revealing a hint of gravity.

"Lexi, Emily, is something the matter?" Elena sat up straight, reining in the slight distraction on her face, and returned to the posture befitting a liege, asking softly.

With these old family retainers here, most daily affairs did not require her personal intervention. If Knight Lexi had come to report in person, it likely wasn't a small matter.

"My Lady, in the south, at the logging camp on the edge of the Mist Forest, something has happened again." Ms. Lexi said in a deep voice, her tone carrying suppressed anger and worry.

"This morning, a team of loggers who had ventured deeper into the forest area encountered a magical beast attack, and on the spot... three died."

Something happened again?

Hearing this, Elena's heart sank slightly.

She knew about this problem.

The Mist Forest had not been very peaceful recently, and incidents of magical beasts harassing the edge areas occurred from time to time.

The eldest son of the old Viscount Gladstone, who was the brother of her nominal husband Carlos, was rumored to have met with an accident and died during a previous hunting trip deep into the forest.

And the old Viscount Gladstone, after returning from dealing with this matter in the Mist Forest, was ambushed and killed inside the castle by the retainer Knight Daniel...

"I remember giving strict orders before, didn't I? Recently, no one is to venture deep into dangerous areas of the forest; only work in the safe zones at the edge."

Elena's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure entered her voice.

"The order was conveyed," Ms. Lexi gave a bitter smile, "but according to the workers who escaped, they didn't go too deep. It's just that those magical beasts... their activity range seems to have expanded outwards again."

"The attack occurred in an area previously considered relatively safe. My Lady, if we keep retreating like this, the logging team will have to withdraw from the Mist Forest entirely."

"This forest is an important source of timber and some medicinal herbs for the territory. Abandoning it for a long time will have a great impact on the territory and the livelihood of the people."

Hearing this, Elena fell silent.

This was indeed a dilemma.

If left unchecked, the safety and livelihood of the people could not be guaranteed, and resources would also shrink.

And forceful clearing... the situation deep in the forest was unknown, and the risks were hard to predict.

But thinking of the expectation in Rowan's eyes when he sent her to the territory, she took a deep breath.

"Let's go take a look." She stood up, tightened her cashmere shawl, and said softly.

"My Lady! That is too dangerous!" Ms. Lexi's expression changed, and she hurriedly tried to dissuade her:

"The situation at the scene is unknown, and there might still be magical beasts lurking. How can you personally venture into danger?"

"My subordinates and I can go investigate!"

Elena shook her head, a glimmer flashing in her eyes.

She raised her right hand, her slender fingers tracing an arcane, pale blue rune in the air with extreme swiftness.

The next moment, a wisp of blue electric snake, leaping with blinding arcs of light, crackled into existence above her palm, emitting an energy fluctuation that made one's heart palpitate, illuminating her quiet and beautiful profile.

"It's fine, Ms. Lexi," Elena looked at the leaping electric light in her palm, her voice calm with a hint of confidence in controlling her power:

"I also... have the ability to protect myself. Besides, some situations might require personal inspection to understand."

Ms. Lexi looked at the pure and dangerous lightning power in her palm, her pupils constricting slightly, and an expression of shock appeared on her face.

She had long known that her Lady was a Runic Warlock, but she hadn't expected her control over power to be so skilled!

After the shock, Ms. Lexi weighed the situation for a moment and finally compromised, but her attitude became more serious:

"Then... very well. But please, My Lady, promise me that once we arrive at the scene, you must not stray too far from me!"

"Iris is currently organizing the guard, and a team of elite guards will be deployed to accompany us immediately."

"Mm, I will leave it to your arrangements." Elena dispersed the electric light in her palm and nodded.