Chapter 532: The Competition for National Master (3k)
Anna’s words implied that the Snow Brown Bear’s behavior logic originated from the Grand Prince, but Su Jiu knew very well that this was just one side of the story.
She dismissed the evaluation with prejudice.
“Perhaps.”
Su Jiu merely smiled and didn’t bring up the matter again. Instead, she turned to Aisha, her gaze sweeping over the somewhat classical noble menswear the latter was wearing. Raising an eyebrow, she asked softly, “Do you know where this is? I want to go to the center of the Snow Kingdom’s imperial capital.”
“What a coincidence.”
Aisha was stunned for a moment, then, while picking up those alchemy accessories, she pointed at the door with a hint of amusement and said softly, “Going out this way leads to the outer areas of the Snow Kingdom’s imperial capital. Didn’t I mention it before? This is the small pavilion Anna’s father prepared for her to avoid harassment from other clansmen.”
“Harassment? Did the geniuses of other clans take a liking to this little girl?”
Su Jiu asked, puzzled, and her gaze fell on Anna again. She noticed that the girl, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen, was already a budding beauty.
“What are you talking about! Auntie, why is this person talking nonsense?” Anna’s face immediately showed a flicker of speechlessness. She looked at Aisha, hoping for an explanation.
“It’s not that kind of childish nonsense. Let’s talk about the specifics after we go out. However, if you want to get involved, it’s not impossible.”
Meeting Su Jiu’s gaze, Aisha chuckled and shook her head. After collecting all the alchemic jewelry, she led the way towards the door.
Meeting Su Jiu here was a pleasant surprise. This mysterious Eastern girl might be able to help her niece overcome this tribulation.
Hearing this, Su Jiu touched her nose and followed them, seeking the light source. She secretly thought that those wish-fulfillment novels were quite misleading; she had expected some strange drama.
The group moved quickly, and it wasn’t long before they saw the end of the passage. Su Jiu watched as the other two leaped up, and she also stomped her foot, following them.
“Snap!”
Her leather shoes landed on the paving stones. Su Jiu felt her vision brighten, and the surroundings transformed into a building full of European style. It seemed to be a young girl’s boudoir, with a puffy bed, a dressing table, and various clothes hanging in the cupboard.
Compared to the guest room in the Herb Family, it was similar but a few square meters larger.
“This matter was actually proposed by those alien races, mainly to divide my eldest brother’s power.”
A voice came from the other side. Aisha had put on her male noble vest again and was then dressing up. Her hair was tied up, giving a masculine and feminine impression.
After putting on the noble breastplate on her chest, she looked directly at Su Jiu again. Her sapphire-blue eyes held a hint of helplessness, and she said softly:
“They want to find a teacher for the young Anna. If it were just about finding a teacher, it would be fine, but they deliberately made my eldest brother establish the sole imperial heir—Anna—as the successor. So, finding a teacher for Anna is equivalent to becoming the National Master of this country.”
“National Master? The National Master’s actual power shouldn’t be very high, right?”
Hearing her words, Su Jiu instinctively thought of the Popes during the Central European era. Their actual power was not very high; more often than not, they monopolized divine authority, making the ignorant believe in the existence of gods.
But this was a fantasy world!
“The National Master’s power is not great? That’s in the human world…” Aisha rolled her eyes and glanced at Su Jiu’s ears before saying, somewhat speechlessly,
“You, a Blood Clan member, don’t know the meaning of National Master? In our Snow Demon Clan, the National Master is not only the teacher of the imperial heir in the eyes of humans, but also the connection between the God of Wind and Snow and its people, and is responsible for managing nearly half of the general livelihood and political affairs.”
“I can’t do that.”
Hearing her words, Su Jiu shook her hands with a helpless expression. She wasn’t a standard demon but a half-baked practitioner who had only recently joined. She wasn’t even an original inhabitant of this world.
But soon, Su Jiu remembered that Aisha had said she could also participate. She asked curiously, “What did you mean just now when you said I could participate? Is the position of National Master that casual?”
“It’s casual because of the interference from those other high-level demon races. If it were before, it wouldn’t be casual at all.”
Aisha also put away the noble sword she represented and then took a yellow newspaper from somewhere, handing it to Su Jiu. “Here, it lists the requirements to become the National Master.”
Anna watched her aunt’s actions, her big eyes rolling around, thinking about something. She didn’t understand why her aunt had such inexplicable trust in Su Jiu.
“What is this? It looks like a shamanistic ritual…”
Su Jiu took the yellowing newspaper and scanned the requirements. She first saw various phrases about performing blessings and worshipping gods, and a look of confusion washed over her. Wasn’t this utter nonsense?
She had no idea how to do these things. She could use ice control to perform some shamanistic rituals, but the Snow Demons probably didn’t need to pray for rain…
She looked up at Aisha and found the latter encouraging her to continue. Frowning, she read on. The first requirement was to be proficient in some kind of unique skill. She could do some of that; alchemy should count.
Reading to the end, her expression became a bit strange. She pointed at the [Top Ten in the Arena Competition] and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Of course! If the National Master is too weak, they won’t be able to command respect. Moreover, this rule was designed by my eldest brother to protect Anna. He has other arrangements in private.”
Knowing that Su Jiu had finished reading the newspaper, Aisha nodded seriously, her face filled with a determined expression, almost saying it was truer than pearls.
“Since the Grand Prince has other arrangements, those competing for National Master must at least be at the War God Level. I, an Initial Stage Battle King, won’t join the fun.”
Su Jiu sat on a nearby chair, her palm emitting blood-gold green leaves. She was still injured and didn’t want to get involved in such troublesome matters.
Besides, this was near the imperial capital. It would be better to find the “Big Ben Number Two” as soon as possible, then find the Wandering Soul and understand their situation.
“Miss Su, don’t refuse so quickly. In reality, none of those participating in the competition for National Master are at the War God Level, not even Demigod Level.” Aisha smiled and looked at Anna.
“The remaining qualified participants must be screened by Anna. If it weren’t for the requirement that alliances must choose someone, this girl could have selected all Initial Stage Battle Kings.”
“Isn’t that your eldest brother’s arrangement?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu immediately realized this was likely the Grand Prince’s brilliant plan: “My daughter’s teacher must be chosen by her. You can’t force us, can you?”
“Mm.”
Aisha looked at Su Jiu with some surprise. Her quick understanding saved her the trouble of explaining. She then asked with a smile, “What do you say? Participate in the competition for National Master. If you win, as long as you don’t abuse your power, my eldest brother will not only reward you but also gain the support of the Snow Demon Kingdom’s residents.”
“I’ll consider it later. Doesn’t it say in a couple of days over there? I need to go to the ancient clock tower in the imperial capital to find something.”
Although the offer sounded good, and it would give her some leverage to achieve a ceasefire, Su Jiu still planned to complete the soul mission first. She didn’t even know what kind of person the Grand Prince was. If she were to actually become the National Master, it would be equivalent to picking a side.
Aligning with the Grand Prince would be the opposite of what Bai Ming’s backing, the Third Princess, represented. This was a choice that went against the novel’s protagonist, and Su Jiu wanted to be extra cautious.
“The ancient clock tower?”
Aisha fell into thought, then opened the window and pointed at the tallest building in the distance. Turning to Su Jiu, she said,
“See? It’s right there. It was converted into a library by my father more than ten years ago, housing many human books. However, because most of them are non-skill-related books, it has gradually fallen into disrepair.”
Su Jiu followed Aisha’s pointing finger and indeed saw a huge pendulum there. The material looked crystal clear, somewhat different from the Big Ben she had seen in her previous life.
“Is Big Sister going inside? I can take you. There are many fun places inside.”
Anna, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. Although her voice was still hoarse, her words carried a hint of girlish anticipation.
“Oh, right. Anna is a regular visitor to this library. it’s quite confusing inside. If no one guides you, you might not find your way.” Aisha chimed in with a smile.
“That’s fine, as long as you’re not afraid of me, a stranger, kidnapping her.”
Facing Anna’s expectant expression, Su Jiu nodded. Although she didn’t know why Anna wanted her to go inside, she thought that since the girl was young, her desire to play was normal.
“She won’t be kidnapped. She has a special alchemic communicator and top-tier defensive talismans.”
Aisha looked at Su Jiu with a smile, as if she were finally relieved of the burden of looking after a child, which was cause for celebration.
“Then let’s set off now.”
Su Jiu glanced at the little loli, who was slightly shorter than her, then walked to the door and waved to Anna.
Anna waved goodbye to Aisha and trotted after Su Jiu, her face not showing much excitement.
Soon, the two arrived downstairs. Contrary to Su Jiu’s expectations, the environment here was not icy and snowy. Instead, it resembled the old town’s buildings in Fog City, as if it were a faithful imitation.
Furthermore, it seemed that due to some formation, although the air was cold, there was no sign of snow. The bodies of the young and old walker on the street leading to the inner city, both remained silent.
“Hey! You’re just an Initial Stage Battle King, don’t get involved in the fun. Auntie was here before, and I didn’t want her to lose face, but I hope you have some self-awareness.”
Suddenly, the smaller figure stopped and turned around. Her childish face was filled with sincerity, giving an impression of premature wisdom.
“What do you mean?”
Su Jiu was confused by Anna’s words. Did this girl look down on her? She hadn’t even said she wanted to compete yet. If she really intended to compete, it wasn’t 100% certain, but at least an 80-90% chance of winning was hers.
Anna shook her head, her baby-fat face still carrying a serious expression. She lowered her hoarse voice and said, “It doesn’t mean anything. I just don’t want to see random people interfering in this dispute.”
“But…”
Just as Su Jiu was about to say something, a rough laugh suddenly rang out, accompanied by a tall figure blocking their path. The figure was accompanied by drifting snowflakes, and his skin was slightly dark.
“Little Anna, His Majesty has arranged for me to be your teacher. What do you think?”
