Chapter Forty-Four: You Won’t Find It So Easy to Get Married

Inside the castle, Lin Lei hummed a tune as he packed his luggage.

He had accepted Lady White’s appointment. How could Lin Lei possibly refuse something so entertaining?

“You agreed? You actually agreed? How could you agree to this!” Winnie paced anxiously around the room. “Don’t you know how dangerous the battlefield is?”

Lin Lei tossed his luggage into his earring.

“Father has already given his consent. Mother, I can protect myself.” Lin Lei turned to look at Winnie. Now that he had the strength to set out, he added, “I heard you developed other mechs.”

“Yes.” Winnie had indeed spent the past three years developing new mechs, but she was still dissatisfied. “They’re far inferior to those in your stories.”

“It doesn’t matter. Quick, give me the key—I want to drive a mech to the battlefield.” Lin Lei’s eyes sparkled. “That would be insanely cool!”

“No way!” Winnie refused outright.

“I won’t damage it.”

“That’s not the problem. Do you think mechs run without fuel? They’re incredibly expensive to operate.” Winnie used a simple analogy to dash Lin Lei’s hopes. “Driving a mech from here to the front lines would be like scattering gold coins along the way. Just the fuel cost alone would exceed ten thousand gold coins.”

Damn, that expensive!

Lin Lei decisively gave up on the idea.

But even without a mech, he still had his Great Shift. Three years had passed, and his teleportation ability should be much more stable now.

“Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, wake up. Let’s go have some fun on the battlefield,” Lin Lei called, waking the sleeping leopard.

But when the leopard awoke, it had no interest in his plans. “Young master, I’ve gotten some strange things from you. I think I’m about to learn how to transform into a dragon. I’ll be the first leopard in history to turn into a dragon… I’d better get some more sleep.”

Lin Lei was dumbfounded. Transform into a dragon? Had it slept itself silly? How could a leopard turn into a dragon?

“No way, you’re sleeping too much. Get up and have some fun!”

He pulled the leopard up and dragged it out of the bedroom—outside, two young girls stood waiting.

“When will the young prince head to the front lines?” Eve asked.

“After breakfast,” Lin Lei replied as he headed toward the dining hall. “I have the Great Shift. I can teleport there in an instant.”

Eve followed, puzzled. She’d never heard of the Great Shift, but she suspected it was a teleportation spell. “Impossible. The Dark Forest is two thousand kilometers from here. Among all teleportation spells, none can surpass a hundred kilometers.”

“Is that so?” Lin Lei turned to Winnie, who nodded in agreement.

“But didn’t I teleport over a thousand kilometers three years ago?”

“Who knows what your Great Shift actually is!” Winnie sighed. Only teleportation arrays could reach distances over a thousand kilometers. Lin Lei might be the first person in history to cast a spell and teleport so far.

Lin Wen pondered for a moment. “Well, it doesn’t matter. As long as I can get there.”

Eve was half-convinced, half-doubtful. Was his Great Shift really that powerful?

“Young prince, can you take me with you?” Eve tried to sound casual. She needed to return to the front lines soon, and if Lin Lei’s teleportation really worked, she could arrive much earlier.

Lin Lei, dragging the leopard along, drew the attention of many mages. “No problem, I can bring you.”

“Your Highness, I want to go with you too!” The future princess clung tightly to his side.

“No, I’m already taking Xiao Bai and her. With you, I’ll be overloaded. You’d better stay in Snow City…” Lin Lei waved her off.

The princess hurried in front of him. “Does Your Highness dislike me?”

Lin Lei looked at her determined expression. Normally, this girl was rather timid—where had she found this courage today?

In truth, the future princess had been waiting for three years, terrified that Lin Lei would leave her again.

“No, I don’t dislike you.”

Lin Lei replied honestly. He didn’t particularly like her, but he didn’t dislike her either.

“Then…” The princess nervously twisted her clothes, finally voicing the question that had long weighed on her heart. “Does Your Highness think I can become a worthy princess?”

She was always uneasy. Though the other elves regarded her as the future princess, that was only because the king had decreed it. She knew the young prince well enough to know he wouldn’t obediently follow the king’s orders. In truth, she might only be a princess in name, someone he’d never taken seriously.

“Hmm.”

Lin Lei found it difficult to answer. If he said “yes,” it would be as good as admitting she was the future princess—an enormous encouragement for her.

He didn’t like her that much, yet her question was so direct.

A balance appeared in Lin Lei’s mind. On one side were the monogamous principles he’d adhered to in his previous life; his conscience and morals told him he should reject her without hesitation. He didn't care about others’ opinions—even if the girl burst into tears, it wouldn’t bother him.

But the other side was more practical. First, the girl was great at making money. Second, she liked him a lot.

“You can be an excellent princess!” Lin Lei gave her a thumbs-up. To hell with conscience and morals—he’d be honest with himself.

“Your Highness!” The girl’s worries evaporated, her eyes shining as she gazed at Lin Lei.

“I like women who can make money. You should keep developing your skills!” Lin Lei encouraged her. By the way, what was her name again?

“Yes!”

The girl was so happy she was on the verge of tears. To avoid losing her composure in front of Lin Lei, she quickly found an excuse to run away.

“…Young master.”

The leopard had already guessed Lin Lei would answer like that, but its voice was still tinged with envy. “Will you accept anyone who comes?”

“I’m not that casual,” Lin Lei muttered. He wasn’t interested in just any woman, but that girl had liked him for years. As a child, she’d followed him everywhere, and no matter how many times he teased her, she never ran away. Where could he find such an amusing girl?

“It’s alright—even being a bit casual is fine.” Winnie suddenly ran over, clapping his shoulder. “As long as you like them, your mother won’t object to you having several princesses.”

Looking at her beaming face, Lin Lei felt something was off. “Mother, are you plotting something?”

“How could I be plotting anything? Hahaha!” Winnie laughed heartily. She truly wasn’t plotting. But she knew Lin Lei was in for trouble. How could he make promises to women so lightly? The more promises he made, the harder things would be for him later. Building a harem was far from simple—women were even more terrifying than demons.

“Come, come—today I’ll cook personally and make you something delicious,” Winnie said happily as she dragged Lin Lei toward the dining room.

The more Lin Lei thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. When Winnie left for the kitchen, he quietly asked Eve, “Hey, you’re clever, aren’t you? Do you know what my mother is up to?”

“No…” Eve shook her head. “But I suspect that in the future, getting married won’t be so easy for you…”