Chapter 278 Chapter 276
Although Jima was very unhappy, she knew George’s temper was as stubborn as a bull. It’s no wonder his true form was that of a minotaur, complete with horns.
Jima, although not one to nag like a bearded dwarf all day to express her dissatisfaction, directly told a story:
“In a distant eastern land, there was a kingdom called Celis, a centralized state where political struggles were brutally fierce, and there were several classic stories of political strife.”
“A great lord invited another great lord to a banquet at a place called Hongmen. As soon as the guest arrived, the host smashed his cup with great force, and from what seemed like empty sides, three hundred guards suddenly surged forth and chopped the guest into minced meat. The host even cooked the minced meat into soup for his father to drink.”
“This event is quite famous, historically known as the Hongmen Banquet. After that, countless heroes and brave souls perished at the Hongmen Banquet. At the time, I wondered why so many fools went to their deaths when it was so notorious, even five-year-old children in Celis knew about it.”
After saying this, Jima tilted her head to glance at George and said:
“Now I understand, the reason scams are so cliché is that they work. As long as a person has a desire for something, even the most hackneyed and obvious scam can deceive them. A scam is not an intellectual guessing game; as long as it can evoke the other party’s desires, it has succeeded.”
George said, “Did you make up this story?”
“Yes,” Jima replied, “but the Hongmen Banquet is a real event.”
Having been fooled by Jima’s mix of truth and lies too many times, George asked, “Since the Hongmen Banquet is real, what was the original situation like?”
Jima had no choice but to recount the tale of the Hongmen Banquet: “A great lord named Xiang Yu invited a lord named Liu Bang. Xiang Yu’s subordinates saw that Liu Bang would eventually ruin Xiang Yu’s grand cause, so…”
“So, in the end, Liu Bang became the emperor?”
Jima reluctantly said, “Hmm.”
George nodded and bent down to search for clothing in his dimensional bag, as he was completely naked.
The knights nearby were watching, while groups of knights in the distance were chasing and herding the beasts. Even further away, dragon boats crashed into the black arks, with two massive creatures entangled together, silver and dark purple colliding, bursting apart into tiny blood sprays. In the sky, dragons danced with phoenixes, and now and then, a few dark spots fell.
It was truly a brutal war, the blood god in ecstasy. Yet one of the key figures to reverse this battle was now standing completely naked, needing to dress in public.
Jima thought to herself.
George looked up, his eyes flickering, and said, “Do you have any clothes?”
Not even clothes to wear.
Jima noticed the flicker in his gaze; the seemingly calm George was actually feeling a significant blow to his pride.
She pretended to be calm, as if it were just a mundane occurrence. She joked, as usual, asking if he wanted to wear women’s clothing.
But joking now might just rub salt into George’s wounds.
She said, “Of course there are.”
With that, Jima reached in and rummaged through her chaotic bag. Her dimensional space was a jumbled mess. Besides placing some important items at hand before battle, she had never organized her dimensional bag.
Jima helplessly said, “Help me look for it.”
The nearby knights stayed silent, watching the two warily.
So, the dragon-slaying George now stood naked before everyone, rummaging through his dimensional bag with his fiancée, with items scattered on the ground as they searched for something to cover himself.
It resembled a homeless person digging through a trash pile.
Jima felt a pang in her heart.
Beside them lay torn stockings and cloaks scattered on the ground; Jima realized she had perhaps bought too many clothes.
In the end, they barely found a piece of men’s clothing, a white long-sleeved shirt made of linen. When George put it on, it was somewhat tight, accentuating his muscular contours. As for his legs? Without pants, he had to remain bare.
Jima looked around and saw that no one was acknowledging the situation. She suppressed her dissatisfaction and continued in a lighthearted tone:
“Many people died at the ‘Hongmen Banquet.'”
“Based on my rich experience in deception, you likely have desires in your heart and are currently in a stage of self-deceit, focusing on meaningless details to convince yourself.”
George said, “Jima, you’re overthinking it.”
With that, he said to the envoy of the Lionheart King, “Lead the way.”
The envoy said, “This way, please.”
Without a horse, George had to walk barefoot through the battlefield littered with corpses. The others rode horses; riding was a noble honor, and only the demon Jima walked alongside him.
The two remained silent throughout the journey.
Jima looked around, checking for ambushes, and occasionally asked the envoy to ensure George’s life was indeed secure.
“Demon,” the envoy said, annoyed by Jima, “how could the Lionheart King violate the honor of chivalry and resort to treachery? Do you think everyone is like you?”
“I personally saw him escape on a shaggy horse from the Mother of Beasts, leaving behind a few injured Pegasus knights.”
“The situation was different; remaining stationary then would have been an unnecessary sacrifice. He didn’t flee; he was looking for opportunities; otherwise, you wouldn’t have waited for the knight army.”
Jima lifted her face and said to the mounted envoy, “The chivalry of your Barto country is quite adaptable.”
When Jima spoke, she showed no concern for the feelings of the other knights, speaking particularly loudly. Though the other knights felt exasperated, none dared to challenge Jima to defend their honor.
The pair finally arrived at the camp, where most of it had been burnt down and was still smoldering. Finding a standing tent was no easy task. After a bit of wandering, they entered a tent.
Once inside the tent, Jima tossed in a gold coin for divination, then opened the “Tranquil Hidden Barrier” and said:
“Let’s go directly to my palace.”
“Okay.”
“But I have a condition,” Jima said. “Can you moo like a cow?”
George’s tone remained calm: “Why?”
“Look at your feet; they’re black and dirty, covered in filth,” Jima said. “As a victor, you should ride a noble steed and trample the corpses on the battlefield. But now, it seems a group of cowards and weaklings ride horses, watching you. No one respects you; you remain silent, like a cow.”
“I trust the Lionheart King,” George said. “He just didn’t think of it.”
Jima countered, “Didn’t think of it?”
“As a battle commander, the situation is very complex, and he is busy; he can’t think of every detail,” George said. “So, I’m not that angry.”
“That’s his problem; your empathy is really strong,” Jima shrugged. “Never mind, you don’t need to moo like a cow; just lie down and get ready to go to my palace for a proper wash.”
