The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 50: Lilia Levels Up, Winterfell

"Lilia, what’s your advancement quest?" Allen asked curiously.

It was late at night. He decided to help Lilia break through Stage 3 first, and head to Ironridge tomorrow.

"Same as before. Kill five Stage 3 monsters."

Lilia glanced at her advancement quest and said.

"Five again?"

Allen felt a bit unfairly treated. His own Stage 2 quest was to kill 20 Stage 3 or higher monsters. The difficulty had doubled compared to last time, but the reward was still an SSS-rank Class Awakened item.

"Let’s finish your quest first," Allen said. He continued wandering through the jungle, searching for monsters.

Soon, the two of them spotted a lone Stage 3 Azure Wolf.

"Let me handle this one, Allen," Lilia said, stopping him from acting. A long spear appeared in her hand. With a flash, she lunged toward the Azure Wolf.

Thud!

She swung the spear, sending the calf-sized Azure Wolf flying. Stage 3 monsters had no chance against Lilia.

Allen was a bit surprised. These past few days, he’d been the one hunting monsters. He didn’t realize this little girl had grown this strong.

"Awww!"

A piercing cry echoed as the Azure Wolf fell dead under Lilia’s spear.

She tilted her head back slightly, pushed the stray hairs off her forehead, and grinned proudly. "So? Am I awesome or what?"

"Okay, I guess," Allen said flatly.

"Tch. Is it really that hard to admit that I’m strong?" Lilia huffed. While her power wasn’t quite on Allen’s broken level, she wasn’t too far behind either. Plus, she had the big advantage of flight.

"Be careful," Allen warned. "That Azure Wolf screamed a distress signal before dying. A whole pack will be here soon."

He added a small dagger to his hand, walked over to the wolf’s corpse, and pulled out its crystal core. There were also its fangs and a fairly intact pelt.

All of these materials could be sold for gold.

"You don’t need to do anything, just watch me," Lilia said confidently. Clutching her spear, she scanned the surroundings warily and waited in silence.

Soon, rustling sounds filled the woods. A pack of over a dozen Azure Wolves burst out.

Allen didn’t rush to act. He hid aside and watched quietly.

"Awww!"

The lead Azure Wolf howled, and the rest immediately charged.

Lilia wasn’t the least bit afraid. Her spear whistled through the air as she clashed with the wolf pack.

Facing so many attacks at once, she felt the pressure, but she didn’t call for Allen’s help.

Voooom...

A surge of powerful energy swirled around Lilia, and her Devil Wings appeared.

She didn’t fly; instead, the massive wings wrapped around her body like a shield.

Clang! Clang!

The Azure Wolves’ massive claws hammered against the wings, making sharp, metallic clangs. Lilia remained untouched.

Allen was surprised.

The biggest improvement in Lilia wasn’t her base stats, but her Devil Wings.

Even if he used Heaven’s Punishment: Tempest Slash right now, he wouldn’t have much confidence in breaking through their defense.

With her wings blocking the wolves’ attacks, Lilia had no worries anymore.

Her counterattacks became even sharper and more ruthless.

The Azure Wolves howled in pain; they had no chance against her.

In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, all the wolves were dead. Lilia had completed her advancement quest and successfully leveled up to Stage 3.

"So, Allen, what do you think?" She retracted her wings, her appearance slightly messy, and looked at Allen with a proud grin.

"It’s passable."

Allen admitted. He had to concede that, at the same level, no monster could beat Lilia.

"Glad you admit it. There’s a small stream nearby. You guard the perimeter while I take a bath," Lilia ordered quickly after cleaning up the battlefield.

"Weren’t you just showering yesterday?" Allen said, speechless. This little girl had some serious hygiene issues.

"I just finished a fight; I’m covered in blood. By the way, don’t you dare peek."

Lilia walked to a small creek, warned him one last time, and turned behind a rock. She quickly stripped off her clothes and jumped into the water.

They had reached the edge of the forest. Beyond the mountains ahead lay the territory of Ironridge, where no powerful monsters would lurk, so Allen wasn’t worried.

...

The pair spent another night in the wilds.

But Allen wasn’t comfortable. Fighting during the day meant fighting at night, too.

He felt like Lilia was totally draining him. That woman was insane. Even with Art of Immortality helping out, he was struggling to keep up.

Now, Allen suspected that Art of Immortality wasn’t his sexual dual cultivation Cultivation Method, but actually Lilia’s.

"Allen, are you getting weak? Should I buy you some medicine?" Lilia teased, watching him closely.

Allen sighed, annoyed. "Isn’t this the exact moment when you were begging for mercy last night?"

Lilia’s cheeks flushed slightly. She muttered, "Is it really that hard to admit you’re not good enough?"

Allen ignored her and picked up the pace, crossing over the mountain.

Suddenly, the view opened up. Ahead lay a vast plain, with a towering city rising from the ground. The city gates were busy with travelers coming and going, bustling and lively.

This was Ironridge. Unlike the border town of Blackspire, this was a Level 2 city. It was vast, filled with many powerful experts, ranking just below the Level 1 cities.

Above the Level 1 cities sat the Imperial Capital, the center of the kingdom and the most prosperous and powerful region of all.

"Allen, are we really going into the city? That old man will find us much easier," Lilia worried.

Allen and Theron’s bet was that if Theron found Allen three times, Allen would have to become his disciple. Theron had already found him twice. One more time, and Allen was doomed.

"It doesn’t matter. That old guy is too weird; we can’t hide from him forever," Allen said.

He had already given up on trying to escape.

Last time, to avoid Theron, he and Lilia had flown through the deep forest all day, then hunted monsters deep inside the woods. They almost got lost, yet they still couldn’t shake Theron off.

The only way to truly escape that guy would be for Lilia to fly non-stop, but even then, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t find them eventually.

"So, how are we supposed to find that woman?" Lilia asked curiously.

Winterfell was bustling and vast. Without a single clue, searching for one person there was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Allen thought for a moment before speaking. "Let’s go to the Assassins’ Guild in Winterfell."

Black Widow was a Killer. She would surely go there to pick up quests or submit completed ones. It was highly probable they would run into her.

Even if they couldn’t find her, they could still take on some quests to earn gold and raise their Killer rank.

Lilia nodded and said no more.

The two of them arrived at the city gate, only to be stopped by the guards.

"Newcomers?" The guard eyed them up and down indifferently. "Entry fee: one gold coin per person."

"What?" Lilia frowned deeply, her anger flaring. "This is ridiculous! They charge an entry fee here, and it’s so expensive?"

As the daughter of the City Lord, she knew that charging entry fees was illegal.

Besides, Blackspire went out of its way to welcome outside adventurers to boost its development, often offering discounts.

"Hmph, where do you think you are? If you don’t have money, get out of here!" The soldier waved his hand impatiently, ready to chase them away.

Allen held back an angry Lilia and forced a smile. "Bro, we’re from a border town and don’t know the rules. Here, take the money."

He pulled two gold coins from his pocket and quickly handed them over.

"Good choice," the soldier said, pleased as he tucked the coins into his pouch. His attitude shifted immediately. "Go on in. Just remember to follow the city rules. Fighting is strictly forbidden. If you get caught, you’ll face a fine at the very least, or worse, go to jail."

"Yes, thank you for the warning," Allen replied, nodding politely. But instead of leaving, he pulled out two more gold coins. "Sir, I also wanted to ask something. Could you tell me where the Assassins’ Guild is located?"

The Assassins’ Guild existed in almost every city across the continent, but they were always hidden so well that ordinary people could never find them.

"What are you looking for there?" The guard asked suspiciously, though he quickly snatched the gold coins and tucked them away.

"To be honest, we’re Killers too. We’re here to pick up some quests," Allen explained quietly.

"You two are Killers?" The guard looked them over, his mockery impossible to hide.

Lilia gritted her teeth, the sound audible. If Allen hadn’t held her back, she would have taught this guy a lesson right there.

The guard glanced around suspiciously before lowering his voice. "The Assassins’ Guild is very secretive. Very few people know where it is. Luckily, I happen to know... but, well..."

The soldier rubbed his fingers together and winked at Allen.

"So greedy!" Allen thought, annoyed, but he painfully pulled five gold coins from his pocket and said, "Please, sir, tell us the way."

The soldier beamed with joy. "Walk straight down the main street from the gate. Take a right at the second alley. There will be signs pointing the way. Follow them, and someone will greet you."

"Thank you."

Allen thanked him and quickly pulled a seething Lilia away before she lost her temper completely.

"I thought all cities were like Blackspire. I didn’t expect them to be this corrupt. Charging a gold coin just to enter a city!" Lilia fumed. She was suddenly missing Blackspire.

"What did you expect? If it weren’t for your father ruling, Blackspire would probably be just like this," Allen replied.

Although he was traveling far from home for the first time, Allen knew that toll fees were a common rule in other cities.

"I wonder how Dad is doing. Did he leave Blackspire?" Lilia asked, her mood sinking as she thought of Lucas.

Allen was curious too. He always felt that Lucas had a mysterious background.

"Come on, let’s get rid of these monster materials and eat something first, then head to the Assassins’ Guild."

Allen changed the subject, looking for shops that bought monster parts.

Winterfell was strict about rules, and many shady deals went on behind the scenes, but the city was undeniably bustling.

Travelers flowed constantly down the streets. Small vendors sold all sorts of equipment and materials everywhere.

Allen even spotted someone selling Stage 5 Crystal Cores and Rare-tier weapons right on the sidewalk.

In any other place, that would have caused adventurers to fight over them or resort to secret violence.

But in Winterfell, those items weren’t even considered rare.

Soon, the pair found a fairly large materials buyer. They sold all their monster Crystal Cores and other materials, making over 700,000 gold coins.