Boarding the carriage, Lucius' mind was not only filled with dissatisfaction towards the other party's lack of courtesy, but also with some confusion. Until the news arrived from the Eastern Continent before this martial arts competition, he had a close relationship with the leader of the Gai Academy, Vice Dean Moyu. Moyu was a master of magitech technology, which was similar to mechanical arts, and was also famous in the Eastern Continent. Under normal circumstances, there was no reason to switch.
But this time, something seemed off at the Gai Academy. With a sweep of his mental power, Lucius included the entire convoy in his consciousness. Along with the eleven carriages, four of them were filled with young experts, likely students from the Gai Academy.
However, the other carriages consisted of two cargo trucks and four large vehicles, each carrying several people. Judging from their strength alone, they were not as skilled as the Gai Academy students, but their temperament was completely different, revealing a dangerous aura beneath their eerie and cold demeanor.
If one were to make a comparison, Lucius had only felt a similar aura on the judges of the religious court or the death knights raised by the noble class in the past. They were dormant, but once they acted, it was certainly a fight to kill.
"Elite guards, huh? I've never seen them being so valued before..."
The students sent by the Gai Academy to participate in the competition were definitely elites, at least capable fighters. They were not ordinary people. Despite this, they still brought so many guards. What is happening at the Gai Academy?
Lucius wanted to observe more carefully, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice.
"You've probably seen enough, right? Mr. Lucius, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
With a slightly hoarse female voice, accompanied by an ethereal and surreal sound, the voice echoed in Lucius' mind, completely disregarding his proud mental barrier.
His heart skipped a beat as he redirected his attention to the front. He realized that within his almost all-encompassing mental detection covering the entire city of the academy, only the carriage in front of him was pitch black.
A cold sweat seemed to form on his forehead. Someone who could bypass his mental defenses must be a Holy Rank expert. What is the Gai Academy planning this time? And why, for the love of gods, does Xierla, that unreliable person, always disappear at such critical moments!
However, that voice just now seemed familiar. Continuing to ponder, Lucius felt a hint of familiarity with that voice.
When he walked into the dimly lit compartment and saw a woman in a black veil dress, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "No wonder I can see five carriages pulling together. It turns out to be Princess Xingjian."
Although she was not the familiar Moyu from previous years, this person in front of him was not completely unfamiliar either. At least from his memory, she should have some connection with Xierla. It was better to face a super expert that he knew something about than a completely unknown one.
In the Eastern Continent, there were religious organizations similar to the Temple Church, but they did not have a fixed title. Westerners generally referred to them as the "Witch's Church" or the "Star's Church." It was said that the practitioners in it used the stars as a source of power and believed in the concept of the "starry sky."
With a unified country, the religious organizations in the Eastern Continent did not have the influence of the Temple Church in the Western Continent. Instead, they served as tools to rally the people's hearts for the country. However, the leader of the Witch's Church still held a revered position.
Just like the "Princess Xingjian" in front of him, her status was similar to the Temple Church's saint, although she did not have a noble status. She could ride in carriages that only nobles were allowed to use in the ceremony and even meet the emperor without performing the customary etiquette.
However, under normal circumstances, Princess Xingjian could not leave the Star Tower located in the capital of the Eastern Continent at will. Moreover, as an important person in the state religion, it was too abnormal for her to travel without any leaks in information.
"Uh, long time no see. By the way, don't mind that kid earlier. She's always like that, cold and indifferent to everyone." Seeing that Lucius remained silent with his head lowered, Xingjian assumed that he was still upset about Zilan's attitude earlier and casually explained.
"I'm not one to bother with a child... I just didn't expect you to personally come." Lucius hesitated for a moment before helplessly smiling.
In that instant, he had considered several possibilities, but ultimately couldn't come up with a convincing conclusion.
"Just fulfilling a request and taking some time to come over." Xingjian lazily leaned against the compartment wall, resting his right hand on the nearby low table and gently supporting his cheek. He then observed Lucius with interest for a while. "Don't worry, even though your house's Xiera may sometimes be unreliable, I see that the person outside is quite capable."
"You know His Highness Tiran?"
"Rather than saying I know her, it's more accurate to say we've met once before. The main reason I came this time is to see her." Xingjian smiled warmly and said leisurely.
...
"What a pity! It's such a lively festival, but we can only stay in our room and wait like idiots! If I had known, I would have delayed it a bit longer..."
On the second floor of a certain hotel in the Academy City, Johannes was leaning on the windowsill facing the street, looking at the lively street scene and bustling crowd below. He couldn't help but groan in pain, clutching his head.
It didn't take long for him to check all the places in the Academy City that could hide a large group of people, as requested by Vira. He even finished before the preparations for the Martial Arts Festival were completed.
Originally, he had planned to enjoy some leisure time during the free time, but that judge's order to "stay in the room" shattered Johannes' fantasies.
"Hmph, how can you handle the future of the church if you can't even withstand this loneliness?"
As Karina wiped her sword while speaking, Johannes replied, "I've gotten used to her mockery after being in the same room with her for so many days. I don't pay attention to it anymore."
But it's still such a shame. I heard there's a special fan art trading exhibition for the Martial Arts Festival over here...
"Damn it, I don't care anymore. Tonight, I must go and see it, no matter what!"
Just as Johannes had made up his mind, the temporary communication spell set up in the room suddenly made a sound:
"Johannes... that's your name, right? And Karina, get ready. Tonight, we're going to meet some 'friends'."
"Friends?"
"Yes, didn't I mention it before? The 'reinforcements'." Vira's voice in the spell transmission carried a hint of cunning.
...
Tiran wasn't sure how to express her current emotions.
After all, Aya could only perceive chaotic noise through the bond of master and servant, a situation that seemed to occur only when the emotions of the contractor were extremely turbulent.
Of course, Tiran could understand the sudden emotional fluctuation. After all, the last person to cause this kind of situation was this person in front of her. As for the specific reasons, only Tiran herself knew.
The mysterious astrologer who had a chance encounter with her at the eve festival of the capital city sat before her, with a calm and content smile on her cheek, which annoyed Princess Tiran.
"I was still wondering how to find you, but I didn't expect you to come knocking on my door yourself."
Tiran clenched her teeth, trying her best to maintain a composed expression, but in reality, she had the urge to immediately grab her collar and demand answers.
Lucius had a strange look on his face when he approached Tiran and said someone wanted to meet her. She had a feeling that something was off, but she never expected such a big surprise. After all, the astrologer in front of her was the only person in this world who had any knowledge of her origin since Tiran arrived almost twenty years ago.
- Although the possibility of him trying to deceive her couldn't be completely ruled out, it was very unlikely.
To be honest, Tiran remembered that during the early days of her arrival in this world, her emotions were in complete turmoil. She couldn't remember the specific reason for her transmigration, but suddenly leaving everything familiar behind was something no normal person could immediately accept. Even though she later forced herself to adapt and gradually get used to this completely different life, she only buried those complicated thoughts deep inside her heart.
"So, you have no intention of explaining to me why I am here? " Tiran spoke directly in Chinese, or rather, the Eastern Continent language, without any intention of letting Aya and Xiao Feizi know.
"It's not the right time yet. When the time is ripe, I will reveal everything. Until then, I have a favor to ask." It didn't come as a surprise to Tiran that the proficient Eastern Continent language of hers was understood by Lucius, who still maintained his enigmatic smile and responded in the same language.
Go f*** yourself.
This time, Tiran fell into a dreadful silence that lasted for a whole minute. Although she didn't understand what the two were saying, Aya clearly sensed that the princess's aura suddenly surged like a raging tide, filled with madness and unrest, seemingly just one step away from exploding.
"Hey, hey, Miss, don't act impulsively! Didn't Lucius say this is a Holy Rank?" In order to prevent the princess from going berserk by accident, Aya quickly reminded her through their contract. Even though there was a little Angel by her side, facing a Holy Rank was still a challenge. However, if unexpected situations could be avoided, it would be better.
But Tiran seemed completely oblivious to Aya's attempts to speak. Just when Aya was about to say something, the contract was abruptly terminated.
Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself in the end. Tiran took a deep breath, and her eyes regained their clarity.
"Can I understand this as a trade? I fulfill your request, and in return, you tell me the answers I seek?"
"If it's something that the princess can accept, then yes, you can understand it that way."
"Good, I accept."
"You're being so decisive. Don't you want to consider it more? What if I make some very difficult demands?"
"You'd better not do that." Tiran's voice remained calm. "I don't get angry easily, but when it comes to crucial moments, I won't hesitate to unleash my fury. The last Holy Rank who angered me is already dead now."
"Oh, is that so? Seems like I really should take this seriously." Despite saying this, it was clear from his expression that Lucius didn't take Tiran's words to heart.
"No time to waste. Let's get straight to the point."
