Chapter 496 White Glove Challenge (3k)
Lovgar Gor, a second-tier city in western Bear Country, evolved from a small town. It has a long history, even dating back to the dynasty period.
It is said that Catherine the First repeatedly achieved great merit, repelled monsters that plagued human settlements, and upheld the majesty of the royal family. At that time, the royal family not only married her but also conferred the title of Duke and rewarded her with fiefdoms.
“Lov” was the name of the old Duke at that time.
At this moment, in a large manor on the west street of the city, Bai Xue had completely covered the roof, only wisps of smoke could be seen rising. The workers, bustling about, seemed to be celebrating something, putting up banners and hanging lanterns.
A ray of morning light shone through the casement windows into the relatively tidy large room, as if announcing the arrival of dawn.
Beneath the lilac canopy was a large white bed. The sunlight inadvertently brushed past the girl’s eyes, causing them to flutter slightly. After a long tremor, she groggily opened her eyes.
The girl was Su Jiu, who had fainted on the train.
Clicking her tongue, Su Jiu slowly got up, covering her heavy head. She first checked her physical condition, realizing she was only a step away from the Battle King level, which was within her expectations.
Her internal energy liquid was about seven-eighths full, which should be enough to use the “Three Stages Unrivaled” ability for a little over a minute, but that wasn’t the main point…
The main point was…
“Is this a dream?”
Su Jiu repeatedly checked her spiritual power, and her half-awake state completely vanished. She stared at her palm in disbelief, pinched her own cheek, and finally whispered with surprise and joy, “Oh my, my spiritual power is already comparable to a mid-stage War God?!”
With spiritual power at the War God level, she could make subtle moves. Reaching the mid-stage was incredibly powerful, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities. Moreover, spiritual power was most important in combat for concealing one’s traces, predicting the opponent’s attack trajectory, and seizing the initiative!
Su Jiu’s previous battle with [Yi] was due to her inferior spiritual power. Without two top-tier combat skills, the outcome would have been uncertain.
After assessing her condition, Su Jiu looked around, bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Where did they bring me?”
Just as she was about to summon Bairnis, she discovered her spiritual space had doubled in size. However, only E Huo was lying there in its original form, sleeping, while Bairnis was nowhere to be seen.
“Miss, are you awake? Here’s a basin of hot water, warm your feet.”
At this moment, a gentle voice sounded. Su Jiu turned to see Bairnis holding a porcelain basin, still in her black priest robe. Her hair was tied up in twin tails, making her look like a freshman about to enter university.
“Where is this place?”
After looking at Bairnis’s student-like attire for a long time, Su Jiu finally came back to her senses and asked, somewhat dazed. She remembered that after hearing a sentence from Bairnis, she had fallen asleep to a lullaby.
Bairnis smiled, placed the basin by the bed, then stood up and said with a smile, “At your friend’s house, Miss, and you’ve been asleep for more than half a day.”
“So, this should be Rancy’s house. I didn’t expect that I would be unconscious for so long with just a little faintness.”
After putting on the neatly arranged clothes by the bed, Su Jiu finally wrapped the beige scarf around herself. Then, like a caterpillar, she crawled to the edge of the bed and stretched out her two feet, which were as nimble as fish.
“Mmm… It’s really nice to soak my feet in winter. Little Sisi, you… are very good.”
Closing her eyes, she slowly dipped her feet into the water. The water was not scalding but pleasantly warm, as if arranged with great care. As her feet slid around, Su Jiu felt a dazed urge to sleep again.
Just then, a warm hand suddenly grasped her foot. Her body jolted, and she abruptly opened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape, “Little Sisi, what are you doing?”
“Adjusting the flow of energy for Miss.”
Bairnis was squatting, forming her fist into a drill shape, and gently poking the sole of her foot. As she pressed, faint butterfly apparitions emerged, seemingly some kind of healing skill.
“Is this okay?”
This was the first time she had her feet washed like this. Su Jiu was initially a little shy. Glancing at Bairnis, who had a serious expression, she felt she was being overly sensitive.
However, being cared for by such an omnipotent maid every day made her feel like she was drowning in a sea of tenderness.
“If Miss feels uncomfortable, I’ll stop.”
Hearing this, Bairnis ceased her movements, tilted her head, and her light blue eyes revealed a hint of sincerity, giving off the gentle feeling of a girl next door.
“Uh… actually…”
The invigorating sensation that spread through her body from the foot massage was gone, and Su Jiu felt a tingling sensation all over, her throat twitching slightly. She said, somewhat disingenuously, “I feel like my body has improved a lot after the massage, even my previous chronic illnesses are gone…”
“It’s good if it’s helpful, Miss. After washing your feet, Miss Rancy wants you to come over.”
As Su Jiu’s contracted beast, Bairnis naturally knew her true thoughts but deliberately didn’t expose them. Smiling, she reached into the hot water, grabbed the other foot, and began to massage it.
As time ticked by, Bairnis also stopped her actions and, under Su Jiu’s reluctant gaze, took away the foot-washing basin.
After putting on her thick-bottomed trousers again and tidying herself up, she was led by the returned Bairnis towards the main hall where Rancy was located.
The two figures passed through several wooden eaves, winding through several areas, and finally stopped about a hundred meters before a rather large council hall. Bairnis said softly:
“Miss Rancy is inside, seemingly discussing matters with those who arrived this morning.”
On the snow-covered corridor, Su Jiu’s gaze swept over the specially crafted alchemical carriages parked outside, lined up in rows, each bearing the noble crests of different families. These were likely the minor nobles mentioned on the train earlier.
The two did not rush forward but stopped a worker responsible for hanging lanterns and decorations to inquire about the situation. It turned out that the challenge that the small families had agreed upon with the Heber family for the white gloves had come due, and these people had come to force their hand.
Knowing this, Su Jiu pondered for a moment and then led Bairnis towards the side of the hall, wanting to hear the specifics of the situation.
Upon entering, she saw an extremely familiar face sitting in the main seat. It was the old musician from before, now dressed in Bear Country noble attire, seated in the center of the living room.
However, his usually cheerful face was now tinged with a hint of gloom, and he was holding a piece of parchment, within which content was marked with red crosses and circles.
…
At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was like boiling water, tense and fierce. Nobles in different attire looked at the people from the Heber family with cold expressions.
A man as tall as a bear leaned indifferently against a pillar. Before him, an old man in yellow silk robes stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching the Old Master Heber on the main stage, a hint of impatience on his brow. He said faintly:
“Old Master Heber, may I ask if you are satisfied with the land I have allocated? This way, those refugees will have a place to live, and all you need to exchange is the place where we are currently living.”
“Satisfied? Viscount Akas, don’t you find this ridiculous? You allocated land for planting beetroot to those refugees. Not to mention whether that muddy land can even accommodate people…” Old Master Heber looked down at the parchment map, then tore it to shreds with a “shred” sound in front of everyone, and roared,
“Your lands were originally mine, belonging to the Heber family, so why should we trade?”
Upon hearing the former’s angry reprimand, the old man in yellow silk robes, Viscount Akas, laughed indifferently and said,
“The Duke himself also favors the nobles more. Taking in refugees is merely your Heber family’s wishful thinking. Even if the Duke returns, he will not allow you to easily drive us away.”
After speaking, he slowly took off the white glove he was wearing, placed it flat in his palm, and said softly:
“Moreover, the Heber family, as a baronial family for over a hundred years, has been in gradual decline and is no longer capable of leading us minor nobles. If not for the Duke’s constant obstruction, I would have replaced you as the new baronial family long ago.”
Despite hearing these almost insulting words, Old Master Heber had no retort and could only look increasingly displeased. His brother’s obsession with politics made the royalist Duke quite dissatisfied, and his son, like himself, had extremely poor cultivation talent, which only added to the blow.
Fortunately, his granddaughter Rancy was very promising, breaking through to the Initial Stage Battle King level at this age. The celebratory decorations outside were also preparations for her and Ling Meng.
He heard that she had also brought a friend, but due to too many trivial matters, he had not visited her late at night.
He then let out a cold snort and replied equally coldly, “Since you wish to replace the Heber family, you can leave. You are not welcome here. As for the land, I will explain it to the Duke myself when he returns.”
“This is your own doing.”
Upon hearing this, Viscount Akas’s expression turned slightly cold. He pulled the tall man beside him, placed the glove in his hand with a “bang!”, and said faintly, “My son, challenge the Heber family for the glory of Akalas?”
“Whether you invite someone or have Sister Rancy come up, if you lose, you must accept the land division on the map.”
The tall man chuckled, took the glove, and threw it heavily towards Old Master Heber before making a thumbs-down gesture. The aura of a High-Rank Battle King emanated from him, instantly suppressing the entire venue.
“Bang!”
As the glove landed on the ground, the gazes of the Heber family members fell upon the white glove, their faces all looking grim. Especially Old Master Heber, who looked even more somber, knowing that their opponent was doing this to build momentum.
If no one stepped forward today, the majesty of the Heber family would be thoroughly trampled, and their goal of raising their rank would be halfway achieved.
