Chapter 50: A Rare Opportunity

He grabbed another book.

*I Became the Strongest Villainess.*

’???’

He couldn’t understand the situation. How in the world did she have such modern books?

"Hey, don’t touch that!" Aura approached and snatched the books from his hands. They turned into streaks of light before disappearing into her necklace. The necklace seemed to be something similar to a storage ring.

"How in the world do you have these books?" he asked. He couldn’t make any sense of it.

"What? Am I not allowed to read modern stuff? I only wake up for a short time every few years. I have the right to keep up with what’s happening in the outside world. I just asked that grumpy old guy to get me some books."

"The Sage?" He felt as though his entire worldview had been turned upside down.

"Wait... You clearly know about modern stuff. Then your behavior when I first entered here was all just an act? Were you just trying to appear cool by acting ancient!?" A thought suddenly struck him.

"!!!"

She blushed slightly but still maintained a straight face. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"...Yeah, right. Hurry up and pack your things. Let’s leave already." Shaking his head, he walked towards the door, deciding not to press her any further.

A few minutes later, she was finished.

"All done? Can you open the door now?"

She nodded before waving her hand. The door creaked as it slowly began to open.

"Take this." She suddenly threw something at him.

"What’s this?" Catching it, he noticed that it looked like a pouch.

"That’s a beast pouch. It can store beasts. We’ll use it so you can smuggle me outside."

He raised an eyebrow. "Smuggle?"

"There’s no way that grumpy old guy would let me leave so easily. I’ll switch to my fox form and enter the beast pouch to hide until you exit Ael’Zoria."

"You want me to lie to them? I’m sorry, but I’m an honorable man. I would never lie to people like that." He shook his head.

Noticing the playful smile on his face, she sighed. "Okay, spit it out. What do you want?"

"I’m glad you understand. I happen to like this beast pouch quite a lot. There wouldn’t be a problem with letting me keep it, would there?" He asked with a smile.

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "Fine. Keep it, but I’ll still use it sometimes."

"Can it store more than one beast inside?"

"It can store up to three beasts."

"Excellent. Then there won’t be a problem."

Chris felt extremely happy at that moment. He had never heard of anything like this pouch that could store beasts inside, but he wasn’t about to ask any questions.

What mattered to him now was that he had finally found a way to keep Azreon with him at all times. It would be extremely convenient to store Azreon in the pouch in the future if he ever needed to enter a city or a place where Azreon couldn’t fit.

Aura waved her hand, enveloping herself in blue light before her appearance changed again. Now she looked like the same fox as before, but she was a lot smaller. She looked like a cute little fox.

"You can change your size too?"

"Naturally, I can." She proudly nodded. "Now, listen carefully. I’ll be able to see and hear everything you say from inside that pouch. I’m warning you, if you say anything about what happened inside, our agreement is off."

Chris chuckled. "Isn’t this agreement more favorable to you than to me anyway? But it doesn’t matter. I won’t say anything."

She nodded and turned into a streak of light that disappeared into the pouch in Chris’s hand.

He put the pouch in his pocket and exited the cave.

...

"Grandpa Sage, why has he been inside for so long? Could something have happened?" Aelia asked the Sage with a worried expression.

"There’s nothing to worry about. The Guardian wouldn’t hurt him. But little Aelia, I still have to ask. Are you sure you won’t regret your decision? You know that we can wake up the Guardian and ask for a favor only once every few years. You won’t be able to seek guidance from the Guardian again for the next few years." The Sage asked.

"I’m sure." Aelia nodded without even thinking.

The Sage nodded without saying anything.

At that moment, the door creaked and opened slightly.

Aelia quickly looked towards it in anticipation, but when nothing happened for a few minutes, she became worried again.

Just as she was about to approach the door to take a look, Chris stepped outside with wide strides.

"Chris! It’s good that you’re fine. I was worried." Aelia approached him while checking him over.

"I’m fine. What could have happened?" He shook his head before looking around. "Why are you still waiting here? Do you need something from me?"

Aelia waiting there was understandable, and Aelonen was also present, but he had probably just accompanied his sister. However, the Sage’s presence felt a little unusual.

The Sage nodded. "Quite perceptive, young man. May I ask you for a few minutes of your time? I have a proposition."

"Sure." He nodded. He wasn’t in a hurry anyway, so he might as well hear the old man out.

...

Shortly after, Chris, Aelia, Aelonen, and the Sage arrived at the Sage’s house and sat down. A young elven girl served them tea before excusing herself.

Chris took a sip of the tea and instantly fell in love with its taste.

"What a good tea! I’ve never tasted anything as good as this before." He praised it.

"I’m glad you like it. That tea is made in Ael’Zoria using an old tradition. Once upon a time, it was famous throughout the world. It’s called the Tea of Eight Seasons, as it takes two years to make a single batch." The Sage explained.

"Indeed, an excellent tea." Chris nodded in satisfaction.

"If you like it, I’ll pack some for you later." Aelia added from the side.

"You will? Thank you." Chris thanked her sincerely, making her smile.

"Now, back to the reason I called you." The Sage placed his cup on the table before continuing. "I have a proposition."

"I’m all ears." Chris nodded, placing his own cup down as well.

"Aelonen is about to leave for the Kingdom of Narta tomorrow. I’d like to ask you to accompany him there."

Chris raised an eyebrow. He naturally knew about the Kingdom of Narta. It was a large country that bordered his own.

"The Kingdom of Narta? Weren’t you all trying to hide from civilization? How come you’re sending your people there?" He became interested.

"We are indeed living a hidden life, and the location of Ael’Zoria is unknown to everyone. However, we still maintain some ties with the royal family of Narta. The members of Ael’Zoria are deeply skeptical of the human race and don’t trust them at all. Some even treat humans as enemies, but the royal family of Narta is an exception."

The Sage explained slowly. "We have a long-standing relationship with that family, and they are the only ones who know about our existence today. Even they don’t know the location of Ael’Zoria. Aelonen here is good friends with the prince of Narta, and he was invited to visit."

Chris nodded. While the information intrigued him, he wasn’t going to ask any questions. He already knew that the elves in this place didn’t like humans, but he wasn’t about to pry into someone else’s business as an outsider.

"I understand the situation, but I don’t see why you would need me to accompany him."

"The road there is very dangerous, and the place he is about to visit with the prince is even more dangerous. I would feel a lot more comfortable if you were with him."

"Hoh? You trust me that much? But still, you have Aelia. She’s just as strong as I am."

"I trust your character, based on what I’ve seen so far." The Sage nodded. "And Aelia is unable to go. She has to stay in Ael’Zoria. Now that she’s back, she needs to complete her training as soon as possible so she can take part in the ceremony to become the ruler of Ael’Zoria. By doing so, her strength will increase by leaps and bounds in a short time. I hope you don’t fall too far behind." He teased.

"Oh?" Chris looked at Aelia beside him. "That’s great news. I’m happy for you." He said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you." She smiled back.

"But what’s in it for me?" He looked back at the Sage. "You wouldn’t be thinking I’d do this without a reward, right?"

The Sage nodded. "Indeed. But the reward will be waiting for you in Narta. A Royal Dungeon has appeared there, and Aelonen was invited to enter it with the prince of Narta. By accompanying him, you’ll also be allowed to enter. That will be your reward."

Chris’s eyes widened after hearing that. He had naturally heard of Royal Dungeons before.

A Royal Dungeon was a special type of dungeon that appeared very rarely in random locations. These dungeons were countless times larger than normal dungeons and, unlike ordinary dungeons, contained beasts of all possible levels.

There wasn’t just one species of beast inside. There were many different species, all at different levels. The dungeon had its own territories and was more like a separate world than a dungeon.

Once discovered, the government and royal family of a country would claim the dungeon and restrict access to it. Only members of the royal family and those granted permission by them would be allowed to enter. That’s why they were called Royal Dungeons.

Chris would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested. Royal Dungeons were known to produce heroes. They were far more dangerous to enter than normal dungeons, but the rewards were simply too great to ignore.

"I’m in." Chris agreed without missing a beat.

"I knew you would agree. This opportunity couldn’t be missed." The Sage nodded with satisfaction.

Chris then turned towards Aelonen, who had been sitting silently to the side throughout their conversation.

Patting him on the shoulder, Chris chuckled. "I know you don’t like me much, but you’ll have to bear with me. And just so you know, you’ll have to listen to everything I say on the road. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up."

Aelonen shuddered. "N-no! I don’t dislike you anymore. I’ll listen to you, brother-in-law." He nodded earnestly.

Chris was stunned. Brother-in-law? Since when had he become his brother-in-law?

"Aelonen! What are you—" Aelia was just about to reprimand him, but he cut her off.

"Don’t say anything else, big sister. I’m not so stupid that I can’t realize the relationship between you two, and I approve of it. Ever since brother-in-law saved you and showed me his strength, I’ve started to respect hi—AGH! WHY DID YOU HIT ME?"

Aelia cracked her knuckles. "If you continue talking about this, I’ll break both your arms!"

Aelonen shuddered again and didn’t dare say anything else. He didn’t have a clue why his sister was reacting like that.

Chris shook his head from the side. It seemed this guy was completely clueless.

"Well then. Be ready tomorrow at dawn." He patted Aelonen on the shoulder and stood up to leave. He needed to get some sleep, as he was exhausted from all the purification he had done with Aura.

...

The next morning, in front of the Sacred Tree of Ael’Zoria.

"Here, take this. I’ve packed some of our tea for you. I also packed some food, drinks, and potions. Make sure to eat properly and don’t put yourself in too much danger."

Aelia handed Chris a backpack filled with various things, continuing to remind him to eat well and not risk his life unnecessarily.

Aelonen, standing to the side, was stunned. What about him?

"Ehm... Big sister? What about me?"

Aelia looked at him blankly. "What about you?"

Aelonen widened his eyes but couldn’t say anything. He was clearly being neglected here!