Clap, clap.
"Alright, everyone. You can stop practicing now. We've arrived at the mine. There are people cultivating inside, so we shouldn't make too much noise. Come here," Anda said as she clapped her hands.
"Panda Goddess called!"
"Come, come. We line up!"
"Fast, fast!"
The seven pandas immediately rushed over and lined up neatly in front of Anda, standing at attention like model disciples.
"Eh? I didn't expect them to line up so properly. What an adorable bunch," Anda said, pleasantly surprised.
"Hahaha! Of course they listen. You're their panda goddess," Leyvi added, amused. He remembered how he used to make them line up himself, so it made sense they would continue doing it now that they saw it as the proper way to behave.
"Alright, everyone. Go into the spirit beast bag for now, okay? We'll play again another time," Anda said gently.
"Yes, Panda Goddess! We play inside!" they answered in unison.
She stroked each of their heads affectionately before sending them into the bag. It was the luxurious spirit beast bag Leyvi used. He had given it to Anda for the time being.
Once the pandas were tucked away, Leyvi turned his attention to the area around the mine's entrance. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the shattered stones and upturned earth.
"But why is the entrance in such a mess? Looks like a battle took place here," he said.
Anda giggled. "A certain lady went on a rampage a few times. She needed to let out some frustration now and then."
Leyvi immediately pictured a familiar scene in his mind and knew exactly who she meant.
"Haha. Well, now that I'm here, she doesn't have to destroy the landscape anymore. I'll spar with her instead," he said, smiling.
"You're too late. She did all that a while ago, before my group even arrived. Now she has Cempaka to spar with," Anda said.
"Cempaka? The girl you saved from the spiders? Is she strong?" Leyvi asked, clearly intrigued.
"Hmm... I'd say she's stronger than you. Ava couldn't win against her in a spar, not even once," Anda replied casually.
"Stronger than me?" Leyvi's eyes widened.
He had thought that, with all the advantages granted by the Talent Bead, he would be near invincible among those in the same realm. This revelation caught him off guard. But if Anda was the one saying it, then it had to be true.
"You know about the royal guards, right? Your friend is a crown prince, so he must have mentioned them before," Anda asked.
"Hmm... yes, I know," Leyvi nodded. "All this time, he was traveling with me while searching for any of his royal guards. Are you saying Cempaka is one of them?"
"No. Cempaka is a royal guard from the Humming Kingdom. That Dastan of yours is from the Howling Kingdom, right? Same as Tamina?"
Leyvi nodded again, slowly starting to piece things together.
"Exactly. Where they come from doesn't matter. All royal knights from the Protogaea Continent meet the same requirements. Which means every single one of them is extremely powerful, strong enough to take on a commander-level demonic beast alone," Anda explained.
"That strong? Amazing," Leyvi muttered.
Once again, he was reminded that the world was vast, and there were plenty of monsters in human skin out there. He might have thought the Talent Bead gave him a one-way ticket to supremacy, but that was just ignorance born from inexperience. He hadn't met the true elites yet.
Now, rather than discouraged, he felt excited.
He wanted to spar with a royal guard.
"Right, they should be that strong. But Cempaka said the squad captains are far stronger than her. They could even take down a commander-level demonic beast on their own," Anda added.
"Really? Hahaha! That sounds exciting!" Leyvi's eyes lit up with interest.
Anda pinched his ear sharply. "Listen here, Leyvi. Don't forget we're still inside the Mystic Realm. If possible, we should avoid running into them. There's a chance they'll eliminate any strangers they come across just to give their kingdom the upper hand. You can spar with Cempaka, fine. But stop daydreaming about finding more of them. We don't need extra trouble, understand?"
Leyvi gave a sheepish smile. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. I'm not that reckless. When have I ever caused trouble?"
Anda released his ear, placed her hands on her hips, widened her eyes, and retorted, "Not reckless? What about nearly dying to that jaguar, huh?"
In a blink, Leyvi moved behind her and started massaging her shoulders. "Calm down, calm down. That was me trying to find Brother Victor. I wasn't being reckless on purpose. I just thought that if I didn't look for him then, I might never get the chance again. It was bad luck that I ran into the jaguar, that's all. Heheh."
Anda's lips curled into a mischievous smile as she mused, "Hmm...Maybe I should just exterminate all jaguars..."
"Aaaaa...Calm down, calm down. Anda, you already promised not to do that. Pandas are peaceful creatures, remember? You have to set a good example. A Panda Goddess must be a role model to her followers," Leyvi said, letting his massaging hands drift from her shoulders to the soft mounds below, doing his best to pacify her.
"Emm... This feels much better. Alright, I'll spare the jaguars," Anda murmured, clearly enjoying her favorite hands.
Leyvi let out a sigh and said, "Phew, let's go meet Cempaka," but his hands continued their gentle massage, kneading Anda's curves with a lingering touch.
Anda rolled her eyes and said, "Husband, we're here to see the spiritual vein, not to find you a sparring partner."
Leyvi blinked, a sheepish grin spreading across his face as he realized his mistake, and he said, "Oh, right, that's why we're here." His mind had somehow shifted their objective, a detour driven by his battle-hungry brain, which always seemed to itch for a challenge.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the mine's entrance and spotted them, her eyes widening in shock.
"Ahhh!" the lady screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Leyvi. "You, you, you! What are you doing to Alchemist Anda? Let her go! Stop molesting her!"
She clutched her head, muttering frantically, "Oh no, what should I do? A molester has infiltrated our island, and now we're not safe. I need to call everyone to save Alchemist Anda! Good thing I sensed unfamiliar energy and came to check, or there'd be more victims."
Turning back to the mine, she shouted, "Alchemist Anda, hold on! Resist that molester until I return with reinforcements! We'll beat him up together!" With that, she vanished into the cavern.
Leyvi and Anda, still frozen in their compromising position, with Leyvi's hands on her heavenly mounds, exchanged a glance.
"Uh… who was that?" Leyvi asked, finally releasing Anda and scratching his head awkwardly.
Anda clutched her chest dramatically and wailed, "Ah, thank goodness, the molester finally released me, but it's too late, I've been defiled, and I no longer have the will to live in this cruel world, sob, sob." Her voice trembled with mock despair, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Leyvi rolled his eyes, recognizing her theatrics, and thought, There she goes, role-playing again.
Anda caught his expression and giggled, dropping the act. "That was Barbara, the lady who was with Ava before I arrived. She seems naive, but don't let that fool you, because she has an incredible energy-sensing technique, not to mention her sharp intellect and research skills."
Leyvi squinted, eyeing Anda suspiciously as his senses tingled with doubt. "You… didn't try to pandawash her, right?"
"Nope, not at all," Anda replied quickly, her eyes darting away from his gaze.
Leyvi sighed, seeing through her obvious dodge. Suddenly, his spiritual sense picked up a fast-approaching presence, and he braced himself, volcanic rocks forming around his body to create a sturdy armor.
A figure shot out from the mine, appearing beside Leyvi in a blur, and delivered a whip-like kick to his abdomen, sending him crashing a hundred meters away.
"Madam, are you alright? Barbara warned me about a molester, so I rushed here as fast as I could," the figure said, standing protectively near Anda.
Anda chuckled, unfazed. "Ava, you'd better take a closer look at who you just kicked."
"Huh?" Ava paused, a flicker of realization crossing her face as she sensed something amiss.
Leyvi groaned from the rubble, clutching his side, and shouted, "Oi, Ava! Ouch, that hurt! Why'd you kick me? Your husband traveled across a continent to see you, and this is my welcome?"
Ava froze, instantly recognizing his voice. "What? Sex Fiend?" She turned to Anda, her face a mix of shock and confusion, and asked, "Madam, when did he get here?"
Anda flashed a mischievous smile and replied, "Three days ago."
Ava blinked, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She immediately regretted asking, as vivid, awkward images flooded her mind. Of course, a "sex fiend" like Leyvi would have spent those days tangled up with Anda.
Anda looked at Ava amusingly. She noticed that there had been some considerable improvements in Ava's expression. With a bit more pandawash, Ava might consider presenting herself to Leyvi.
Hehehe.