Chapter 296 - Conspiracy

Chapter 296: Chapter 51 ConspiracyBefore long, the elderly butler strode in and bent forward to the Alchemist, "Mr. Dai, the young miss requests your presence in the study."

"Thank you." The Alchemist glanced meaningfully at Lu Hong, "Young brother, we shall meet again."

With that, he followed the butler into the study.

Upon the Alchemist’s entrance, the young lady stood up to perform a perfect noblewoman’s courtesy, "Mr. Dai, thank you for your concern and for personally visiting."

"Please sit down, Queen of Raoxue," the Alchemist quickly returned the courtesy, "I heard you’ve been injured; it’s best not to exert yourself."

Only after the butler had brewed the tea did the young lady speak again, "Dear uncle, you may leave us; I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Dai."

"Very well, miss." The butler bowed slightly, then turned and left, carefully closing the door behind him.

The study fell silent. The young lady did not continue to speak, and the Alchemist, seemingly intrigued, watched her with interest. The longer the silence, the more he felt that the young lady was no ordinary person.

After a considerable time, the Alchemist could no longer contain himself, setting down his teacup, which he had finished long ago, "I’ve heard that the Queen of Raoxue has defeated two tenth-degree Demon Beasts, which is indeed a cause for celebration. I have a Holy Spirit Pill here that is very effective in treating elemental damage. Please accept it, and refrain from refusing."

"Thank you." The young lady genuinely did not refuse. Indeed, she needed this Magic Potion. The tenth-degree brown bears were not weak, and as a Mage, the Magic Potion that Lu Hong had sourced only treated physical injuries. The earth-element erosion damage caused by the brown bears’ skills was still being suppressed by her own magic power. With this Magic Potion, her recovery speed would greatly increase. The exchange period for this month was soon approaching. If she could not recover quickly, she would be utterly incapable of leaving the Raoxue realm to trade and procure essential items on other planes.

The Alchemist smiled slightly, pushing the crystal vial towards the young lady.

After the young lady placed it into her bosom, he continued, "I had a casual chat with your Servant earlier."

"Oh?" The young lady’s eyebrows raised slightly, somewhat surprised that he would mention Lu Hong without context.

"I did a little probing and found that he has some improper thoughts. Please be cautious, Your Majesty."

Hearing the Alchemist’s words, the young lady’s thoughts stirred, "Thank you, I will be careful."

"Ha-ha, then I shall not disturb you any further," said the Alchemist, rising to leave.

But the young lady called out to him, "Mr. Dai, Kaila has a favor to ask."

The Alchemist turned, smiling, as that was exactly what he had been waiting for. The young lady was injured, and the heavy responsibility of protecting the Raoxue realm would inevitably fall. Of course, had she not asked for his help this time, he would have found another way to prompt her.

The Alchemist sat down again, "There is no need for formality, Queen of Raoxue. Please speak."

"Kaila has been injured, but Raoxue City still needs a strong guardian. You are an expert at the Second-Transformation Peak. If you would take on this duty, and guard a corner of Raoxue City for me, Kaila would be immensely grateful!" The young lady’s attitude was sincere, but she made no mention of any reward.

The Alchemist nodded, approvingly responding, "Queen Raoxue’s heart is with the people of the city. I admire that. I shall take on this responsibility. While the people remain, the city will too. During your recovery, I will ensure the city is safe from the threat of Demon Beasts."

"Thank you," she said, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to rest, signaling the end of their meeting.

"I shall not overstay my welcome; I hope the queen recovers swiftly." After saying this, the Alchemist bowed and left the study with long strides.

Not a moment too soon, the butler re-entered, bending over in front of the young lady with confusion, "Miss, why did you not assign the task of defending the city to me?"

The girl didn’t open her eyes, just shook her head slightly, "Whoever plants the cause must harvest the result. Having Dai Tianwei guard Raoxue isn’t a bad thing. The two Third-Transition brown bears being sealed by the Ice Seal at the city gates, I believe there will be more Demon Beasts attracted by their aura, seeking benefits. If you were to guard the city, you would surely face numerous fierce battles. If you exhaust too much strength, Raoxue City’s last line of defense would be taken advantage of by the enemy. This must not happen."

After listening to the girl’s words, the old butler was slightly surprised: "Miss, you see all that clearly?"

"Of course." The girl pouted, clearly displeased, "I’m not a little kid anymore. How could I not see it?"

Recalling the clues she noticed, the girl spoke somberly, "The offspring of the brown bears have been causing trouble outside the city for many years, and if it weren’t for the brown bear couple, I would have dealt with it long ago. I also repeatedly warned the citizens not to disturb their young. This time, Kaila suddenly went against my orders from years ago, there must be a reason. Moreover, given his abilities, he’s still lacking to break through the defense of the brown bear offspring easily. When I left the city, I saw the battle knife in Kaila’s hand. The quality seemed quite high; that weapon must have come from Dai Tianwei."

The old butler nodded in agreement: "Miss, you’re absolutely right. So, the killing of the brown bear offspring must be Dai Tianwei’s instigation on Kaila, aiming to weaken your strength to achieve some unspeakable goal."

"Unspeakable?" The girl scoffed coldly, "Isn’t it all for the exquisite jade my family has passed down. His master couldn’t bring himself to ask me for it, so he sent his own disciple to snatch it boldly. To have him defend the city against the upcoming small beast tide is indeed reaping what he has sown."

"Then, Miss, you must also be wary of the measures Dai Tianwei may resort to later." The old butler looked concerned, the opponent was harboring ill-intentions, and we are in the open while the enemy hides in the shadow, difficult to deal with!

"Right." The girl suddenly remembered the Alchemist’s odd mention of Lu Hong and asked the old butler, "What do you think of Lu Hong?"

The old butler was silent for a moment, seemingly deliberative. After a while, he finally said, "Inscrutable. He was harmed by the Seven Deadly Sins, but I also reviewed the bounty posted by the alliance last month and it seems there’s no one who matches him. As for the mask, I’ve tried many times to remove it while he was asleep, without success."

Saying this, the old butler paused before continuing, "But it seems to me that he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards Raoxue Castle, and he seems intent on leaving."

"Mhm." The girl nodded, "He was hurt by the Seven Deadly Sins, his strength completely reset to zero. Even if he harbored any bad intentions, he couldn’t stir up any trouble. You still need to train him well; he might take over your duties in the future."

At the mention of this, the old butler seemed displeased, "Why would you pick him to take over my job? This lad does not seem to know how to serve, and with his magic power dissolved by the Seven Deadly Sins, he’s no different from a commoner. How could he take up the position of butler of Raoxue Castle?"

"I don’t know." Qing Ling shrugged, "Actually, I don’t want to either, but you know, my second faith is in the Goddess of Fate. When I saw him, there was a voice in the depths telling me to bring him back. After thinking it over, I feel it must be the Goddess of Fate leading me."

"I understand." The old butler poured another cup of tea for the girl, then tidied up the items on the table and left the study.

Fate, who can say for sure? The old butler disliked the girl’s belief in this Heavenly God, but the girl who’d lost her parents from young was alone and had not only to take care of herself but also to bear the responsibility of defending Raoxue. Under such pressure, she gradually turned to the faith in the Goddess of Fate. People always need some spiritual support. Although the old butler did not believe in such ethereal matters, and had advised the girl several times, she still insisted on it. As a servant, he could not say much more.

Arriving in the hall, Lu Hong was cleaning the dust in the corners.

To clarify, Lu Hong was initially reluctant to do such things, but knowing that if he didn’t do it now, the old man would make him do it later, he figured it was better to be proactive.

As expected, Lu Hong’s initiative pleased the old butler. He walked up behind him and patted his shoulder, "You’re quite active today. I’ll give you extra food tonight, meat."

"Meat..." Lu Hong smacked his lips; it really wasn’t easy. He had been in the castle for over a week, and except for the night they entertained the Alchemist, he had never smelled the aroma of meat.

"Is Miss recovered?" Lu Hong asked curiously. If it weren’t for some joyous event, the old man wouldn’t be so extravagant.

"Still early," the old butler sighed. "The brown bear’s magic power is profound. Taking a combined attack from two Demon Beasts isn’t something you suppress easily. Fortunately, Mr. Dai brought a Magic Potion for healing, otherwise, it would take several months for the Miss to recover."

"Your honor..." Lu Hong hesitated slightly before saying, "There’s something I’m unsure whether or not I should mention..."

"Speak."

"I always feel that Alchemist has some ulterior motives." After some thought, Lu Hong decided to speak out. Although it was their affair, if Raoxue Castle were to collapse suddenly, it wouldn’t be a good thing for him either, since he had yet to recover his strength and lacked the means to survive in the Eagle Alliance.

"Heh," the old butler chuckled: "You’re considerate. Just manage your own affairs well." After patting Lu Hong’s shoulder once more, the old butler walked away.