Liam was taken aback by Shen Yue's sudden emotional outburst. Her usual composure was absent, replaced by a vulnerability that he had rarely seen in her. He guided her to sit on a nearby rock, his expression softening as he prepared to listen.
"Talk to me, Yue. What's wrong?" His voice was gentle, encouraging her to open up about her distress.
Shen Yue took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to compose herself. "I… I made a mistake. I summoned a demon… a hell demon."
Liam's eyes widened. "A hell demon? What the hell is that?" At the same time, he also felt a little relieved. Looking at Shen Yue in tears his mind had instantly gone to many dark places but thankfully it was just about some demon.
Shen Yue nodded miserably, unable to meet his gaze. "I was trying to change my path and improve my skills and Tilia suggested that I try my hand at summoning. I also thought it was a good idea and that I would be able to control the demon I summoned using my enchantress skills."
"Sure. Once you form a contract then the demon can serve you permanently and you do not have to rely on your enchantress skills so much and can use your summons instead." Liam completed her words. "It does sound like a good idea."
"Except I made a big mistake. As soon as I summoned one, it ran away. I don't know what happened. Everything derailed too quickly. I thought I could control it, harness its power, but it was too strong, and now it's on the loose."
Luna who was silent until now interjected. "It's not on the loose, master. That demon bastard immediately ran away to the nether half of the world. I tried to chase after him but he is hiding in the innermost area where the nether is extremely concentrated. I was not able to get there. Only you or your undeads should be able to go there."
"I am sorry, Liam. Please don't be mad at me." Shen Yue continued, her eyes brimming with tears. "I know the burden you already carry on your shoulders and yet I made everything worse."
Liam sighed, his face softening as he watched the distress consuming her. "Yue, I'm not mad at you," he reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "These things happen when dealing with powerful skills. This is just a small hiccup. Don't worry too much about it. I am here now and I will take care of it for you in a second."
Shen Yue still looked miserable. "Liam, please don't underestimate him. I don't know why but I feel very uneasy whenever I try to probe the small connection I have with the demon." "He is doing something I think. As soon as I summoned him, he blinked for a moment and then he looked extremely ecstatic as if he had found exactly what he was looking for. Like some sort of a loophole or something. Then he escaped before I could establish any real control."
Liam furrowed his brows as he thought about it for a moment. Shen Yue's heart sped up. "Yes. That does sound bad. You have done something unforgivable. I need to punish you."
Luna cocked her head wondering what her master was talking about. The fox then instantly scowled in disgust as she watched Liam suddenly grab the woman in front of him and kiss her. "You will pay for your mistake." Liam laughed and teased her, making Shen Yue blush and smile through her tears. Luna, on the side, snarled in annoyance, made a face as if she was retching and then the fox disappeared. Liam laughed at the antics of the fox. "That little idiot is growing up, huh?" He laughed, pulling Shen Yue closer and giving her a big hug. "I missed you all."
"I missed you too," she murmured, allowing herself to relax fully for the first time since the incident. "I wanted to somehow become strong enough to stand next to you, and I only ended up-"
"Shhh. It's okay. I will deal with this demon thing today itself. But first, let's go back to the guild base. I want to see what my other troublemaker is up to."
Shen Yue blushed in embarrassment and again started to apologize when Liam abruptly grabbed her and started flying back to the guild base at top speed.
"Wait, I have these talismans." Shen Yue took out a wad of small paper sheets with some runes marked on it. "They are minor teleportation talismans and they can take us right back to the guild base."
"I see. This is very useful." Liam smiled as he examined it. It seemed that the system shop was coming along just fine even in their world. He tore one and activated it, immediately teleporting him and Shen Yue back to the guild base.
The two of them now stood in front of a huge building built in the style of an ancient palace, with soaring spires and intricate carvings depicting various mythical beasts. The guild base had evolved significantly.
"One of the sculptors of our guild was inspired by the… ahem… new pets and he upgraded his skills and built this."
"It looks good." Liam nodded.
Though the guild was now split apart, it still looked like the total population did not take too much of a hit. The streets were a flurry of activity with a lot of people going in and out of the main guild base. Many of these people were even at level 80 and higher and he could hear them discussing guild quests and strategizing about taking down beasts in and around the area. Their gear was also quite decent.
"That elf was not lying. He has done his best." Liam mused to himself. "Mei Mei should still be in the spirit temple." Shen Yue pointed to a building in the distance.