Chapter 151 Chapter 152 Entering the Finals
“Let us warmly welcome Miss Xiya!”
Enleck’s appearance ignited the enthusiasm of the audience, with their fervor burning as brightly as the blazing sun in the sky.
The residents of Marin City are the most open-minded citizens of the Empire; they threw their hats into the air, cheering for Enleck’s beauty.
As the staff came down from the stage holding a jar to collect the shards of pottery, the audience scrambled to shove the shards into the jar, causing two jars to be knocked to the ground, scattering shards everywhere.
The staff finally gave up on collecting the shards since there were simply too many jars, and there was no doubt who the first place winner would be.
The commentators on stage were whispering to each other.
“Is she a local? I haven’t seen her before.”
The only female commentator present said, “I’ve seen her, at the banquet three days ago. The mysterious Miss Xiya; no one knows where she comes from. How much do you plan to score? I think she could definitely become this year’s…”
“Her features are impeccable; Tisnali now only looks reasonably attractive in comparison.”
“She exudes an irresistible charm from the inside out,” another male commentator said, “unlike some women who flaunt their cleavage and try to create deep ravines to showcase their shallow charm.”
“This is true charm; her birth is a miracle in this world. I’m giving her full marks; you all can score as you wish.”
“I’m also giving full marks; Miss Xiya reminds me of last year’s Miss Jenna,” one male judge said with a look of yearning, “that gentle and serene demeanor, her pure and unblemished beauty is something I will never forget.”
The only judge known for his harshness, Judge Swan, remained silent, coldly surveying Enleck with a critical gaze that revealed his fastidiousness and harshness.
The more lively the crowd got, the stricter he became. Loosening his standards even slightly would make him feel his tastes were slipping toward the mediocre.
This was intolerable.
“I give her one point,” the strict judge pushed his glasses with his middle finger, “she’s fine when standing still. But when walking, her steps are unsteady and lack beauty, like a big man suddenly learning how to walk like a woman, walking awkwardly. This shows she hasn’t been trained since childhood.”
“The outfit’s color pairing is off; yellow and white, and her hair is also yellow, resembling a lump of cooked sweet potato.”
Surrounding judges looked at him with surprise; someone said, “You’re nitpicking…”
“Don’t let her beauty captivate you; she might have taken some drugs.”
“You slander!”
The strict Judge Swan ignored him, writing the number one in large letters on his scorecard. The more others denied her, the angrier he became, which made him feel his tastes were excelling.
Elegant people are always attacked by the ignorant masses, aren’t they?
“Everything else is fine, but a flaw doesn’t vanish amidst beauty.”
At that moment, the last jar filled with pottery shards was placed on the stage.
The host, excited like someone in the late stages of hyperthyroidism, shouted, “Twenty-seven jars, twenty-seven jars, undoubtedly the first place! Let’s see how the judges score.”
“Five points! Four points! Four points! Five points! What? As expected of the strict Judge Swan, he only gave one point!”
The audience responded with a chorus of boos.
Strict Judge Swan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms and enjoying the audience’s angry gazes.
“First place, congratulations to Miss Xiya for achieving first place in the second round!” The host announced, “The next round of the finals will be Miss Tisnali versus Miss Xiya. See you then!”
The red-haired noble girl stood stunned, watching Enleck smile and salute the audience on stage.
How did this dark horse suddenly appear? Who is she? How come I’ve never seen her before? Is she serious about the finals? I… how could I possibly compare to her?
At this moment, a rare feeling of inferiority arose within her.
She looked down at her red shoes, her hand brushing against her earrings. For the first time, she felt how dim and cheap they were, as if they were something worn by the poor on the streets.
Enleck walked towards her, wearing a sincere smile, coming to her and saying, “Tisnali, you’re beautiful.”
Suddenly, the red-haired noble girl’s face turned red with anger.
To her ears, those words were unbearably harsh mockery. As expected, the other party was a shallow, arrogant woman with nothing but external beauty.
She lifted her chin, took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t think we know each other. If you think you’ve won, let’s see.”
Saying that, she turned to leave, planning to find Enleck to comfort herself. As for the finals, whoever wants to go can go.
If he is sincere enough, she would generously smile at him.
“Wait.” Enleck hurriedly called out, “I’m sincere, Miss Tisnali, can I please take another look at your face?”
“That’s enough.” The red-haired noble girl turned her head and said, “You aren’t that beautiful; is your nose stuck up in the air? Showing off your looks in front of me, ha.”
“No, I’m sincere.” Enleck’s earlier confidence now seemed gone, his expression revealing familiar vulnerability as he said, “I… I just—”
“Just what?” The red-haired noble girl took this as a sign of weakness, “You’re a hypocritical and annoying woman.”
Enleck was eager to prove himself: “I am Enleck, Miss Tisnali.”
In an instant, the red-haired noble girl’s eyes widened again, unable to hear anything.
After a moment, she came back to her senses, looking at Enleck’s sincere yet stunning face, her hands clenched tightly, trembling all over, cold sweat pouring down her despite the hot weather.
“You… you… you…” she stammered three times, her face flushed with anger, unable to accept that she had lost to a man, “I never want to see you again.”
With that, she turned and left.
“Wait…” Enleck said, “I can give you the victory as a gift.”
The red-haired noble girl felt provoked, gritting her teeth in anger, her voice trembling: “The championship originally belongs to me!”
Enleck reached out to the figure of the red-haired noble girl: “Miss Tisnali, Miss Tisnali!”
A hand landed on his shoulder, and Jima cheerfully turned off her personal information system; a line of text had just popped up, congratulating her for making further progress in her mastery over witches.
Great, a few more Enleck and she could level up.
“Miss Jima.” Enleck, with tears in his eyes, said charmingly: “Am I that annoying?”
Jima pointed to the audience in the distance; they had already moved to backstage, nosily trying to catch a glimpse of Enleck’s “peerless” beauty. The audience, reluctant to leave, climbed onto the high stands, peering behind the stage.
“I dare say that as long as you walk off the stage and take off your top, people absolutely won’t suggest doing anything morally degrading in public.”
Enleck forced a smile: “You’re really funny.”
“Come on, you have low emotional intelligence.” Jima sighed, “Your beauty hasn’t reached a crushing level over hers; it’s only half a notch better. People are most easily jealous of their neighbors, because their neighbor is just a little better than them…”
Jima rambled on about her hindsight; she actually felt that Enleck giving away the finals victory would be a good idea.
“And your crush, who originally should have been guaranteed the first place but got outshined by you, is already in a bad mood. She feels jealousy and hatred towards you. If you come to give gifts now, it will naturally seem like you’re slapping her in the face.”
As Enleck walked with his head down, the feathers on his hat almost fell off his golden hair.
Nearby staff watched him with pity, and someone mustered the courage to approach, hoping to comfort this painfully beautiful boy. What if they succeeded?
The braided maid was afraid her master was down, and hurried to stop him.
The way was especially hard, people crowded in front of Enleck. Jima had to “collectively counterflirt” with the lusts of the men, extinguishing the purple clouds of desire symbolizing lust hanging over the crowd. In the coming five days, many wives would be unhappy, and the demand for green hats would significantly rise.
Once the three got into the carriage, they finally had an environment to continue talking.
The braided maid eagerly said, “Master, you saw it too, right? Even if you are more beautiful than her, that woman won’t accept your kindness.”
Enleck replied, “She isn’t just any woman; she’s Miss Tisnali.”
“Then it’s not a crushing defeat; she’s not in despair yet.” Jima said, “Besides, even if you, Enleck, give up, will she be more accepting of you than before? In fact, she will hate you even more because she’s jealous of you, and she can’t accept that a man is more beautiful than herself.”
Enleck’s gaze regained its firmness, saying, “Call me Xiya.”
Jima smiled sweetly, “Okay, beautiful Miss Xiya.”
With that, she leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of progress.
The days before she discovered the upgrade requirements felt like stagnant water, leaving one in despair.
Nothing is more delightful than leveling up, apart from sex.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jima looked through her thick black lashes at Enleck, asking, “How do you feel?”
“Feel?”
“I mean the medicine.” Jima, eager to obtain firsthand human trial data, lied: “Everyone’s constitution is different; the reactions to some medicines vary. If you feel any side effects, let me know quickly.”
Enleck closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head: “I don’t feel anything special; it’s just like drinking plain water.”
“That’s good.”
“How much?”
Jima multiplied the cost price by fifteen, saying, “Three hundred gold coins.”
Enleck handed Jima a five hundred gold coin voucher, telling her that with just this, she could withdraw five hundred gold coins.
“I won’t be polite.” Jima laid the voucher flat beneath the straw in the basket, resting her eyes.
She felt pleased, sensing that everything was under her control. Having a big spender give her money to level up was truly delightful.
It brought back a hint of the thrill of her past life as a demon lord.
Being a transcender is great; it’s fantastic.
The carriage stopped, and the driver’s voice sounded:
“We’ve arrived at the tailor’s.”
Jima shivered, remembering that she had promised to help Lady Black Mary change at least ten outfits today.
The door was knocked on, and the braided maid opened it to see Lady Black Mary dressed head to toe in black, with a veil covering her face. Her eyes sparkled, and even the veil couldn’t hide that. She extended her hand to Jima, saying:
“My darling! Come into Auntie’s embrace.”
Jima couldn’t help but think of the ugly Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings.” She sighed, telling herself it was all worth it. In the grateful and pitying gaze of Enleck, she stepped forward toward Lady Black Mary.
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Additional chapter progress 2/10
