Finally, his gaze settled on a young couple not far away.
The wife was gently holding a little girl, their Child, her eyes full of maternal love, like a spring puddle.
The little girl nestled in her mother's arms, her innocent eyes curiously surveying everything around her.
"Time Stop."
Everything around them came to a standstill.
Karl slowly walked up to the young couple, extended his hand, and gently lifted the wife's chin.
Her face was delicate and pretty, with a special charm unique to a new mother.
Karl made no unnecessary movements; he reached out, picked her up, then sat on the ground, his arms around her slender waist, as if holding a doll.
"Smooth..."
Karl gave his assessment. A mother with a Child was indeed different. Although it was still a bit difficult at first, with a little effort, it became smooth.
It was completely different from the arduous effort of breaking ground with Saintess Chris.
Karl's movements were very gentle; he wasn't some Evil Dragon, he wouldn't causelessly injure someone.
He recalled some scenes from movies and then placed her hands on her husband's shoulders, allowing her husband to feel involved too.
Chapter 22: Advancement
The scene was bizarre; Adventurers were crowded around, all frozen in place, motionless, maintaining their respective postures.
In the crowd, the newlywed wife's hands rested on her husband's shoulders, the Child was placed to the side, and the wife's waist was encircled by the massive arm of a three-meter-tall monster.
Like a toy, two hands completely gripped her slender waist.
Her leather armor was unfastened, revealing the snowy white skin of a new wife.
Karl took a deep breath. He wasn't moving fast, also worried about injuring this young mother. He proceeded slowly, and about half an hour later...
"Hoo..."
Karl shivered, letting out a long breath, remaining still for a while. Only after completely emptying himself did he unhurriedly withdraw and re-arrange his clothes.
He even thoughtfully covered the young mother with her long skirt.
Time Stop ended.
"Ah?!" The young mother suddenly let out a scream, clutching the Child in her arms and squatting down.
This sudden cry immediately caused the surrounding Adventurers to turn their heads, casting curious glances.
"What's wrong, Ellie!" Her husband anxiously reached out to support Ellie.
After a brief moment of confusion, Ellie's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and panic.
She vigilantly looked around, her gaze quickly sweeping over Karl before darting away.
"Ellie!" Her husband's voice was filled with anxiety and inquiry.
Ellie lowered her head, her smile somewhat forced: "I... I'm fine. I... let's go home, I feel a bit unwell."
She tightened her legs, holding the Child, her expression panicked, and she cautiously hurried away with her husband.
Seeing no excitement, the surrounding Adventurers also withdrew their gazes and continued with their own business.
Karl clearly felt the change in his domain. The Time Stop domain, which was 130 meters, jumped to 150 meters. He had merely taken his wife in front of her husband.
This was an action that aligned with the power system, and the improvement was surprisingly significant.
He could clearly feel that when the domain range increased from 150 to 300, his power level could advance from Tier 1 to Tier 2.
In an instant, various ways of using Time Stop flashed through his mind.
"What a pity."
Karl sighed to himself. The City Lord's Mansion occupied a vast area, but now the entire city's Adventurers were crowded in, making it shoulder-to-shoulder.
His three-meter height was too conspicuous, and his identity as an Evil Dragon was no secret among the higher-ups.
If he were to truly go all the way, it would quickly draw attention.
Advancing his strength could happen at any time, but to collect the mother body of the formless daughter, with his current strength, he still needed to leverage the city's hostile stance against the Mixed-blood Species.
Having confirmed his conjecture, Karl no longer intended to stay here.
He turned and walked towards the Royal Knights captain who was patrolling nearby.
This was a Middle-aged Man, with a steady demeanor, who had been following Karl at a respectful distance ever since he left the command room.
Seeing Karl approach, he immediately straightened his body and saluted in a standard military fashion.
"Hello, Hero," the Middle-aged Captain's voice was filled with respect, "How may I be of service to you?"
Karl was slightly taken aback, finding the title "Hero" inexplicable.
The Middle-aged Captain noticed his confusion and quickly explained: "You and your team prevented those Mixed-blood Species bastards from attacking. Your heroic deeds have already spread throughout the city."
From their perspective, the city was almost breached by the Mixed-blood Species, and Karl's appearance caused the Mixed-blood Species to immediately retreat, effectively saving their lives.
Aisha's heroic face flashed through Karl's mind, and he understood.
This title of "Hero" must have been deliberately spread by Aisha.
Its purpose was to boost the morale of the defending Knights Templar and Adventurers.
"Can you take me to a place to rest?"
"Of course, please follow me." The Middle-aged Captain immediately replied, his tone respectful.
They passed through the outer defenses of the castle and walked towards an ancient stone building inside.
"Brave Sylvie and Saintess Chris are both resting inside," the Middle-aged Captain said, pointing to the stone building.
Karl nodded in thanks and pushed open the stone building's door.
The Middle-aged Captain naturally stood outside the stone building, along with several other Knights Templar members who were already stationed there, taking on guard duty.
Karl stepped into the hall, where thick carpets absorbed the sound of his footsteps.
He looked around. The hall was furnished with exquisite furniture, and paintings hung on the walls. This had clearly once been a noble residence.
He walked towards the second floor, the wooden stairs creaking softly under his feet.
Presumably hearing his footsteps, the door to the innermost room on the second floor suddenly opened, and Sylvie poked her head out.
She had already changed out of her form-fitting armor, wearing a light linen outfit, her long hair no longer tied in a ponytail, but naturally draped over her shoulders.
Now she no longer looked like a Brave, but rather a pretty and pleasant-looking farm girl.
When she saw Karl walking up the stairs, a flicker of wariness flashed in her eyes.
She quickly hid her emotions, pointing down the corridor: "Chris and I are staying in the innermost room. You can choose any of the other rooms."
Karl nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping down the corridor, stopping at the door of a room near the stairs.
He casually pushed open the door, and just as he was about to enter, Sylvie suddenly spoke: "Thank you."
Karl heard her, nodded, and didn't look back. His only goal now was to keep a low profile, waiting for the Mixed-blood Species to attack the city again.
Sylvie's thanks were not sincere; she just wanted to find a topic to talk to Karl about and test his attitude.
Seeing that Karl was indifferent to her words, she quickly ran out and tentatively asked, "Can I trust you?"
Karl stopped, turned around, and bared a row of neat, sharp teeth: "Longing for a savior, placing hope in others—that is the weakness of humanity."
Sylvie froze, her fists unconsciously clenching.
Karl looked at her reaction, a faint smile on his lips, and said indifferently: "I am an observer."
With that, he turned and entered the room.
He didn't want to play any games of entanglement or friendship with these Braves.
However, after Sylvie took off her armor, her figure was surprisingly well-endowed. The pleasant-looking farm sister had a unique charm.
Sylvie stood rooted to the spot, gazing with complex emotions at the closed door of the room.
"Bastard!"
She gritted her teeth, then felt mortified that she was actually hoping for help from this enemy.
Sylvie stood there for a long while before lowering her head and silently returning to her room.
Night had fallen.
Karl sat alone in his room, watching the scene outside the window. Most Adventurers couldn't find lodging and could only huddle in the narrow streets, sleeping wrapped in rough cloth.
Knights in full armor patrolled the city walls, preventing sneak attacks by the Mixed-blood Species.
Karl sighed inwardly. He currently only had Tier 1 abilities, and his Time Stop domain was only 150 meters. Otherwise, he could have had his way with all the women in the city tonight.
Suddenly, a soft knock on the door.
Then the door was gently pushed open a crack, and Chris, still wearing her pure nun's robe, cautiously squeezed through the half-open door.
Karl was startled, then a smile spread across his lips. He was just thinking of unlocking some new ways to play, and she came right to him.
Chapter 23: Deep Waters
"I didn't expect you to come to me voluntarily." Karl's lips curved playfully, his gaze shamelessly appraising her. He had to admit, Chris was the kind of stunning beauty that caught one's eye instantly.
Although her chest wasn't ample, her body proportions were truly golden ratio.
Especially those straight, long legs, accentuated by the pure nun's long dress, gave her an inviolable goddess-like aura.
Karl felt this was normal; how could the church choose a Saintess with a large chest?
Chris detested Karl's aggressive gaze, frowning slightly, but she tried hard to remain calm, doing her best not to let her emotions show.
She cautiously closed the door, then leaned against it, maintaining a certain distance from Karl: "I need your help with something."
"Oh?" Karl narrowed his eyes. He really hadn't expected Chris to actively seek his help.
His gaze fell on Chris's chest, a sacred place tightly enveloped by the nun's robe, though not large.
"You don't look like you're asking for help now. Or does the Saintess, in her heart, not even have the concept of asking for help from a god?"
Chris looked at him with cold eyes, seemingly unsurprised by his reaction.
She reached out and unfastened her nun's robe.
Karl was startled. He hadn't expected Chris to be so decisive. In an instant, the pure nun's robe had slid down her white skin and fallen to the floor.
She raised her arms to cover her chest as much as possible, turning her head away: "What do you want to do? Be quick, I don't want Sylvie to suspect anything."
Karl looked at her cold, disdainful face, his gaze tracing down her slender neck.
It followed her long, straight legs down to her snowy white feet.
Karl crooked a finger, pointing to the wooden cabinet beside him: "Sit on it."
A flicker of obvious disgust flashed in Chris's eyes. She glanced at Karl, then reluctantly parted her legs and sat on the table, turning her head away.
"Hurry up."
Karl, however, extended a hand, and as she frowned, he lifted one of her delicate feet, placing it on Karl's: "Let's play a game. If you can finish using only your feet, I can help you."
"Ah?!" The disgust in Chris's eyes instantly turned to astonishment.
She looked at Karl in disbelief, then down at her own feet, which were even more delicate than Karl's, which was thicker than her arm.
Chris was not a blank slate, a Saintess completely ignorant of matters between men and women.
She knew that feet had nothing to do with this.
Anger surged in her heart, and she fumed: "That's impossible!"
Karl was taken aback, looking at her angry expression. This world, apparently, didn't have this kind of play. So he casually spread his hands: "How do you know unless you try? Or you can give up and leave anytime."
Chris stared at him intently, clearly thinking that Karl was just finding an excuse to humiliate her.
This was simply impossible to achieve.
Chris's expression changed several times. She really wanted to slam the door and leave, but now that she was already sitting here, leaving now would render all her previous efforts useless.