Underneath the oval-shaped glass dome, dense green vines hung down, and the surrounding white stone pillars were also adorned with upward-climbing green tendrils.
Sunlight, fragmented by the vegetation in this training area, cast down in dappled columns.
It fell perfectly upon the golden-haired Knight Princess, who was performing her morning exercises with a knight's rapier.
With just a lake, it would perfectly recreate the scene of King Arthur training in Avalon.
It seemed this valiant Knight Princess was the current Lion Fang Knight of the Lucania Kingdom.
However... though she wasn't a queen, the trustworthy regal aura she exuded was even stronger than Hilulele's.
Hilulele really should learn from her best friend how to be a queen...
Upon seeing Su Lin, Veronika paused for a moment, surprised.
A human man appearing in the Elf Race's royal palace?
Had she seen some incredible secret?
Though startled, Veronika still paid her respects with high knightly etiquette, temporarily stopping her sword practice, placing a hand on her chest, and bowing slightly.
"Good day."
Her knightly spirit wouldn't allow her to pretend she hadn't seen him.
However, Veronika also didn't wish to converse further; the other party might be involved in the Elven Kingdom's secrets, and if her guess was correct... it probably concerned the incredibly absurd MC Dungeon Hilulele mentioned last night?
If so, it was even more imperative not to communicate casually; prying into another country's unrevealed secrets was certainly not a knightly act.
This sense of propriety made one very comfortable.
Su Lin replied with a smile, then quickly disappeared from her sight.
Veronika's curiosity lingered, but her sword-wielding movements remained unbroken.
Only after completing her morning exercises did she wash up and go to find Hilulele.
Although at her level, this amount of practice wouldn't cause her to sweat, it was the proper conduct for knightly etiquette.
"Veronika, you've finished your knightly exercises! Come eat."
As expected, when she saw Hilulele, she was already feasting heartily.
Veronika gave a wry smile and took her seat.
Hilulele never needed knightly training; as long as she lived each day happily, her strength would continuously grow.
Veronika didn't understand the world of such a genius; every bit of her strength was honed through desperate effort.
However, Veronika didn't feel the world was unfair.
To gain something, one must pay something; this had always been her unwavering knightly creed.
Sitting beside Hilulele, Veronika's every word and action, even her eating, displayed perfectly knightly posture.
For those on the path of a Crusader Knight, merely observing Veronika's daily life could continuously refine their knightly virtues.
This was the example Veronika wished to set.
She always believed that as long as she set a good example, the gradually complacent Lion Fang Knights would eventually rediscover the knightly spirit cherished by the Lucania Kingdom.
"Hilulele..."
After a satisfying meal, Veronika, accompanying Hilulele to the outdoor testing grounds, couldn't help but speak.
"This morning, I encountered a human gentleman in your royal palace."
She felt she had to mention it, in case Hilulele wasn't aware of the person's presence, which could lead to trouble.
"That would be Su Lin."
"I don't know; I only exchanged a normal greeting with him."
"He's the only human who can appear in the royal palace, so it must be him. I didn't expect you two to meet already."
Hearing this, Veronika roughly confirmed that the gentleman named Su Lin was definitely related to the MC Dungeon.
She even guessed his identity as a guide.
However, Veronika still met Hilulele's gaze and explained:
"Please rest assured, I only greeted him out of politeness and had no other communication besides that."
"That's perfectly fine!"
Hilulele waved her hand with a cheerful smile.
"You'll formally meet in a while, so don't overthink it."
It seemed her guess was correct... Su Lin was indeed related to the MC Dungeon, and he himself might even be the key to the Elven Kingdom's rapid rise.
But Veronika didn't let the conversation continue on that topic, instead resuming the unfinished discussion from last night with Hilulele.
Hilulele had already said they might formally meet again in a while, so there was no need to press the issue now.
Meluti, however, was a bit worried.
At a time like this, shouldn't the conversation be extended a bit, at least to learn the other person's preferences?
When would her Lord Commander be a little less respectful of knightly spirit!
— — —
"Wind Lion Style!"
Enveloped in a verdant current of wind, Veronika, wielding a purple-tinged iron sword, charged towards the Earth Dragon before her.
This Earth Dragon was quite strong, comparable to a high-level adventurer around Lv68. Logically, such a large creature should inhabit the slightly inner regions of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
She didn't know why it had escaped from the Magic Beast Mountain Range and was then captured by the Elves.
Anyway, Hilulele, having seen a Dragon, had completely lost interest in Earth Dragons, so it was perfect for an experiment.
Veronika had now compressed her strength to around Lv50, and she didn't even use magic to empower this enchanted iron sword.
Even so, when the iron sword sliced across the Earth Dragon's body, a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared with ease.
Tapping her toes lightly, she leaped onto the Earth Dragon's head.
This time, she didn't even use magic, relying solely on strength to hack the iron sword at the Earth Dragon's most indestructible horn.
"Boom!"
A heavy cracking sound echoed, the iron sword was unharmed, but a piece of the Earth Dragon's horn had shattered.
Unbelievable!
Veronika's eyes were filled with fervor. She continued to spar with the Earth Dragon for a long time until she had thoroughly explored the capabilities of this so-called "army-issue" enchanted iron sword.
Only then did she finish off the Earth Dragon with a single strike.
Standing beside the Earth Dragon's corpse, she meticulously examined the enchanted iron sword.
Indeed, just as Hilulele said, the iron sword's durability had decreased, but it didn't affect its ability to maintain perfect power output in the slightest!
It could almost be called high-level magic equipment; the entire Lucania Kingdom had few magical items that could compare.
Yet this iron sword... was merely a common weapon to be popularized among the Elven Kingdom's soldiers!
"Incredible!"
Veronika stroked the iron sword with a look of affection.
"If this enchanted sword could be popularized throughout the army, the army's strength would increase by far more than double!"
Hilulele walked up with a cheerful smile.
"To be honest... with Sharpness IV, Mending I, and Knockback II enchantments, even if enchanted weapons become widespread, these would only be for a select few elite soldiers."
"Most soldiers would be very well off with a low-level enchanted iron sword."
Even with the Villager Trading Center, high-level enchanted equipment would certainly still be prioritized for the MC Dungeon's elite exploration teams.
Veronika shook her head earnestly.
"But this is already very good. Many adventurers don't even have a single piece of magical equipment. This kind of enchanted equipment is still priceless."
"Hilulele, regarding future trade between the Elven Kingdom and the Lucania Kingdom, I hope to include this type of weapon in our procurement list."
"Of course, we don't need them to be this strong, and you can also restrict the weapons you export. We can sign a magic contract, and I guarantee these weapons will not leave the Lucania Kingdom!"
"As for the price, you can set it yourselves; as long as we can afford it, I will never haggle!"
Such commercial trade terms seemed quite unfair.
But Veronika felt it was reasonable.
After all, this kind of magical equipment had always been the exclusive patent of the Dwarf Empire and the Magic Dynasty, and they simply wouldn't circulate it on a large scale in military trade.
It was purely a seller's monopoly market; any price, no matter how high, was reasonable.
Ultimately, it was the Lucania Kingdom seeking help from the Elven Kingdom now.
Hilulele was quite helpless about this.
"Actually, you don't need to get hung up on these things. If you could join the MC Dungeon, making things like this would be no difficulty at all."
Veronika shook her head.
How could she not want to join the MC Dungeon?
But these were all uncertain matters; one must always prepare for the worst.
Didn't Hilulele also say that whether they could join the MC Dungeon wasn't up to the Elven Kingdom?
Veronika didn't want to make things difficult for others.
Moreover, as the party seeking assistance, they should rightfully adopt a subordinate posture.
Veronika never held much hope for joining the MC Dungeon.
But as long as they could maintain trade with the Elven Kingdom, and these items trickled through to them, many of the Lucania Kingdom's difficulties could be resolved.
"Fine, I can't argue with you."
Hilulele sighed and handed Veronika a pile of alchemy potions.
"Try these things too. These are also the magic potions we're about to popularize throughout the army. This time, suppress your strength to Lv20, wear armor, take the potion, and use your weapon to fight the Gargoyle."
As she spoke, another Gargoyle of around Lv60 was thrown into the arena.
Veronika paused, then hesitantly said:
"Hilulele, you haven't brought out all your pets for experiments, have you?"
"No, I don't keep these weaklings anymore."
Hilulele pouted.
Her pet garden now had less than one-tenth of its original inhabitants, and these big creatures no longer caught Hilulele's eye at all.
If there was a reason, there was only one—
She had seen a Dragon!
"These are all high-level Magic Beasts that have recently emerged from the Magic Beast Mountain Range. I don't know what's wrong with the Magic Beast Mountain Range; even creatures that live in the inner regions are fleeing outwards..."
Veronika frowned slightly, and after some thought, reminded her:
"South of the Magic Beast Mountain Range is the Demon Lord Army's base. Perhaps the Demon Lord Army has made a move..."
"I know. I've already sent Elders to monitor the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Any movement will be reported immediately."
Hilulele also felt a headache.
No one dared to enter the core area to investigate the situation in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, but if the Demon Lord Army, which had been inactive for ten years, was truly becoming active again, it was certainly not good news.
Doragon was easier to deal with, but the Demon Lord Army... that was not a force that would fear the Elven Kingdom's heritage.
Ten years of peace had not made the world forget that the Demon Lord Army was a world-ending calamity that would draw attention from the Heavens.
The Elven Kingdom still needed to quietly develop in the MC Dungeon for some time. Hilulele sincerely hoped the Demon Lord Army could remain peaceful for a few more years.
"Alright, let's not talk about these things. You just go and experience the wondrous resources of the MC Dungeon!"
Leaving the supplies, Hilulele watched Veronika fight the Gargoyle with an expectant look.
She really enjoyed seeing Veronika's shocked, worldview-shattering expression.
Perhaps Su Lin had felt the same way when he first saw them...
— — —
MC Dungeon Fourth Floor.
Lawrence, leading a team to search for more underground Dragon nests, was currently hiding in a tree in the swamp area with a large group of Elf elites.
From a distance, they watched the ferocious giant snake with three heads in its nest.
"Elder Lawrence, according to the Beast Compendium, this is one of the top bosses on the Fourth Floor, the Hydra. The difficulty of conquering it is extremely high..."
Pausing, a soldier beside him cautiously added:
"Perhaps we should retreat for now? Report to Mr. Su Lin and see what he says?"
Lawrence remained silent, opening the Beast Compendium and looking at the description of the infinitely wondrous Hydra Heart.
After a long moment, he snorted.
"It's just a Hydra! After learning MC combat procedures with Mr. Su Lin for so long, you want me to shy away from its might?"
"Bring me my Nether Alloy Sword!"