Chapter 81: Chapter 79: Investiture
Li Yue’s golden beast eyes still showed no emotion, only absolute obedience to Trish’s command.
In the sunlight, the leopard woman’s slender figure exuded a unique blend of wildness and submission, beautiful yet deadly, but sadly lost itself.
.........
By the time Ron returned to the dormitory area, the sky had gradually darkened.
The nights in the Black Mist Jungle always came particularly fast, as if darkness was the true nature of this land.
Ron walked down the corridor leading to his room, the faint glow of the Magic Crystal Lamp scattered in, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
From a distance, he saw a familiar figure standing at his door, and that person looked up as soon as he saw him.
"Andre?" Ron was somewhat surprised and quickened his pace: "Is there something urgent?"
The blond boy’s face appeared particularly pale under the moonlight, and anxiety and helplessness flickered in his eyes.
He held a torn-open letter in his hand, the fire seal mark on the parchment remaining clear under the dim light.
"Ron." Andre spoke with difficulty: "I’m in trouble, it’s from the royal side."
"What trouble?" Ron quickly took out the key to the room, ushering Andre inside and casually closed the door.
As soon as the owner returned, the magic crystal lamp in the room automatically lit up, the yellowish light reflecting the haggard face of the blond boy, making him look even more tired than usual.
Ron glanced at Andre, the strengthened spiritual power tendrils could easily capture the intense blood aura on Andre’s body that had not yet completely settled after his breakthrough.
"Judging by your aura, seems like you’ve just had a breakthrough?"
While pouring a glass of water and handing it to him, he asked.
Andre took the cup and drank it in one gulp, barely managing a smile, though the smile could not hide the deep anxiety in his eyes.
"That’s right." He replied softly, with a hint of pride in his voice: "Thanks to your Qi Blood Potion, I finally broke through to the third stage of the Breathing Technique Body Refining."
"That’s good news, so why are you so listless?" Ron patted his shoulder, sincerely feeling happy for his friend.
The so-called third stage, should correspond to the "Skilled" level displayed on his skills list for Breathing Body Refining; after completing the Bloodline Activation Ceremony, he’d have the opportunity to advance to an Official Knight.
"Yeah, I should have come to celebrate with you."
Andre forced a bitter smile and took out the crumpled letter from his pocket: "But the royal news has made it impossible for me to be happy."
Ron took the letter and quickly skimmed through it.
Though the words in the letter seemed polite, between the lines, it exuded an unmistakable command.
"They want you to see Cynthia?" Ron frowned, recalling the proud female apprentice he saw in the plaza today, and Norris’ description of her.
"Isn’t she the mad woman you mentioned before? The royal family can’t wait to send you over?"
"Yes, that’s her." Andre sat on a chair, his voice unable to hide the fear and disgust:
"Around this time each year Cynthia replenishes her male servants, and of course, the royal family wants to seize the chance to please her..."
Ron pondered for a moment: "Who delivered this letter? Does your father know about this?"
Andre laughed self-deprecatingly:
"What can he do even if he knows? My father is in a tough situation right now. It’s probably the handiwork of my siblings; they’re eager for me to stay in the Black Mist Jungle forever."
He paused for a moment, his eyes darkened:
"They’re probably afraid that once I become an Official Knight, returning to the kingdom might affect the succession of the throne. So they arranged for me to come here, hoping I’d never be able to go back."
The blond boy stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night outside:
"Actually, I’ve already replied to them, using the excuse that after this breakthrough, I need a month of meditation to prepare for the ’Bloodline Awakening Ceremony’ to advance to Official Knight status, temporarily stalling for a while. But this is just a strategic delay; after a month..."
Ron thought for a moment and suddenly interrupted: "A month should be more than enough."
Upon hearing this, Andre quickly turned towards Ron, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes: "Do you have a plan?"
"I’m preparing for the Alchemist certification exam," Ron said confidently:
"If the exam goes well, you’ll not only gain an independent workshop and residence, but your status within the school will significantly improve. By then, I’ll gather the materials to assist you in becoming an Official Knight, and our situation in Black Mist Jungle will be very different."
"Professional Alchemist! Your level of expertise in Magic Potion Making has reached this level!" Andre was both surprised and delighted, his anxiety slightly relieved:
"If you truly become a Professional Alchemist, then even the royal family would certainly not dare to easily offend you, as the value of a Professional Alchemist, at times, far exceeds that of a mere Advanced Apprentice."
"So, the most important thing for you now is to remain calm and focus on your cultivation."
Ron’s voice was firm: "Once I pass the exam, things will be very different. You also need to seize this month’s time to prepare for the final ’Bloodline Awakening Ceremony’."
Andre exhaled with relief: "You’re right, each of us should focus on enhancing our strengths."
He suddenly remembered something and took out a delicate brocade box from his pocket: "Almost forgot about business, the Messenger told me to bring this to you."
Ron took the brocade box, opened it, and saw inside a gold badge inlaid with Farouk’s Crown, exquisitely crafted, clearly not a common item.
"This is..."
"It’s a title badge commissioned by the Farouk royal family." Andre explained, casually placing the brocade box in his hand:
"My father has already reserved an inheritable title for you, complete with your own territory and castle. Whenever you wish to return, you can become one of the kingdom’s core nobility, though I presume you’re not interested right now..."
Ron carefully examined the badge without saying much, for although he couldn’t use it, sending it back to the family could fetch more titles and land estates as well.
"Then I’ll keep it for now." He carefully put the badge away: "But the immediate concern is to solve the current problem."
Andre nodded and seemed to remember something: "By the way, you mentioned seeing Cynthia and Trish at the market earlier?"
Ron nodded, detailing everything that had happened in the plaza today.
"...Trish’s leopard woman launched a surprise attack from behind the half-beastman, ultimately defeating it. Cynthia seemed furious, who would have thought she’d lose to a newly promoted Intermediate Apprentice."
Andre listened enthralled, showing obvious surprise:Thɪs updatᴇd by NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
"Has Trish reached this level already? To cultivate a competent combat slave requires a considerable amount of resources, or is Cynthia perhaps not deserving of her reputation?"
"Cynthia’s half-beastman’s strength is quite remarkable, and steady tactics might have a greater chance of winning, yet she was too impatient and prematurely used the banned Frenzy Crystal Stone."
Ron shook his head, expressing his judgment:
"Moreover, Trish’s leopard woman used the magic potion I previously formulated for her, with the recipe improved multiple times, its effect far surpassing ordinary potions; when the battle slightly stalemated the victory leans towards Trish."