Chapter 305 - Meeting with Bacon

Chapter 305: Chapter 60: Meeting with BaconThe hour was getting late, and it was considered very impolite to disturb others at dusk, so Lu Hong arranged to meet Weiwei in the guild hall the next morning, where she would then introduce him to Earl Bacon.

Exhausted from a day’s work, after completing all his guild tasks, Lu Hong arrived at his simple temporary residence and fell straight to sleep. Two hours later, he abruptly sat up, dispelled the sleepiness, and began to meditate in the lotus position.

Sleep is a human instinct that ought to be indulged, yet cultivation is the capital for survival in this foreign world and must not be taken lightly.

If he had known earlier that Earl Bacon was selecting candidates for the Eagle Expedition, he wouldn’t have bothered with those guild tasks. Even without Weiwei’s introduction, Lu Hong was confident that he could earn the Earl’s recognition and be chosen for the expedition.

Upon arriving at the entrance to Earl’s manor, Weiwei and her companion were already waiting at the door.

Seeing Lu Hong, Weiwei hastily approached to greet him, "Lord Lu Hong, you’ve arrived."

"Miss Weiwei, good morning," Lu Hong said, ending the awkward greeting. Weiwei then led him into the Earl’s manor, "My father is currently in the combat room. Some quite formidable experts have arrived today. How about you rest in the backyard first, and once the selection is over, I’ll introduce you to my father?"

"Formidable experts?" Lu Hong cracked a smile. The term ’experts’ was a respectful way to refer to those at the Second-Transformation Peak, but when prefaced with ’quite,’ it somehow sounded very awkward.

"Yes, I’ve heard there are no fewer than dozens of Second-Transformation Peak figures, all notorious characters from neighboring realms," explained Weiwei’s companion. "Seeing that you were only at the Second Transition’s fifth level yesterday, if Weiwei took you to the combat room now, it would definitely not end well."

Lu Hong understood the women’s intention; they didn’t want him to make a fool of himself. Even if they introduced him to Earl Bacon, it would just be a matter of taking money to leave, their concern for his feelings was utmost.

"It’s all right, let’s just have a look," Lu Hong smiled and said. "I too am curious to see how many formidable experts our Alliance has."

"Maybe not... let’s not," said Weiwei. "I have plenty of refreshments prepared here. You can come and rest with me for a while, rejuvenate, and if you want to compete, there is still time later."

"I appreciate your kindness, but being outskilled is not shameful to me; I will just need to practice harder when I return."

Since he had said so, Weiwei no longer insisted and led Lu Hong to the combat room within the Earl’s manor.

Although it was called a room, it was actually an open small-scale arena without a single door.

At that moment, the stage was ablaze with two competitors locked in intense battle, the outcome was still uncertain, and Earl Bacon watched with a serious expression.

Weiwei approached Earl Bacon and whispered, "Father, I’ve brought a rather impressive person here, I don’t know if he will catch your eye."

"Oh?" The previously stern Earl Bacon finally showed a hint of a smile, "It’s rare to see you take an interest in family affairs. Where is this person? Let me see who is worthy of my daughter’s recommendation."

Following Weiwei’s gaze, Earl Bacon immediately recognized the distinguished Lu Hong and furrowed his brows slightly, "Is this the man?"

"Yes, father, what do you think?"

"Not much," Earl Bacon withdrew his gaze and turned to Weiwei, "I’ve heard that an adventurer recently took on a frenzy of brass-level tasks, that must be him, right?"

"Two days ago you sneaked out to the Adventurer’s Guild with Xiaojia, registering as an adventurer," Earl Bacon said to himself. "You must have met this man while fighting over a task, no?"

Weiwei gave an awkward smile, "Really... nothing gets past you."

"Take him away, give him a hundred Gold Coins from the account," Earl Bacon waved his hand dismissively. "Although I haven’t fully investigated his identity, using you to get to know me, someone who plays this kind of tricks, I am not impressed."

"This...," Weiwei glanced at Lu Hong, who was not far off, and said in discomfort, "He’s already here, father, at least greet him."

"What greeting, a greeting?" Earl Bacon huffed heavily, "Hurry up and get him out of here, and you! Remember! Stop running around outside recklessly, what will you do if something happens!"

Although Lu Hong could not hear the conversation between father and daughter, their expressions suggested it was not very pleasant.

With that being the case, Lu Hong strode forward. Earl Bacon might not want to see him, but he must see the Earl, the Eagle Expedition was also a must!

Weiwei was still arguing with her father when Earl Bacon, seeing Lu Hong approach, let out a cold laugh, "Stop nagging, just like your mother, he’s come here on his own."

"What?" Weiwei turned around to look, and Lu Hong had just been stopped by the guards beside Earl Bacon.

"Let him come here." Earl Bacon dismissed his guards to the side and looked up at Lu Hong, "I have a very negative impression of you."

"Perhaps," Lu Hong wasn’t clear on how he may have offended Earl Bacon.

"You shouldn’t have approached me through Weiwei. This displeases me greatly. If you leave now, I won’t hold you accountable. No matter who you are, I’ll let you leave Cheliaxi safely, how about that?"

"No good," Lu Hong said with a smile, "I only learned about Earl Bacon recruiting talents through Miss Hui. It wasn’t my intention to deliberately approach your daughter. Please see that clearly."

Earl Bacon sneered, "Isn’t it too late to explain now?"

"Not late," Lu Hong pointed to the two Second-Transition experts still fighting in the ring and said, "There are obviously so many peak experts here to participate in the selection, but it seems to me that Earl Bacon is not happy."

"Oh?" Earl Bacon suddenly became interested, "Let’s hear it."

"I suppose none of these people satisfy you," Lu Hong took a deep breath before analyzing, "From what I understand, your influence borders that of Duke Songfu; all of these Second-Transition experts must be those rejected by Duke Songfu and, in order to gain exposure in the Eagle Alliance campaign, they turned to fight in Celi Asia, right?"

"Correct," Earl Bacon nodded, "You’re absolutely right. Even if they are selected by me, the fate of the Bacon family is sealed. We can only be secondary, which annoys me very much."

"In that case, you need me even more," Lu Hong smiled, "I’m different from them; I do not come from Duke Songfu’s realm."

"Prove it to me?" Earl Bacon didn’t beat around the bush—if this man truly had skills, he would be much better than any of these competitors in the ring.

"No problem," Lu Hong strode toward the ring, "Could the two of you stop for a moment?"

"Who are you!" The man who was interrupted was, of course, very displeased, glaring fiercely.

"Me? I’m here to prove myself."

"Prove yourself?" One of the Second-Transition experts stepped towards Lu Hong, staring him down, "Are you worthy?"

"Don’t know, but dealing with flawed goods like you is very easy," Lu Hong retorted.

"What did you say!" The other, a hot-tempered man, threw a punch fiercely at Lu Hong.

Lu Hong was already prepared and instantly exerted his strength. Upon the clash, an explosive surge of force burst forth in the arena.

A scream was heard as the man flew out of the combat room and slammed heavily onto the ground, knocked unconscious.

Earl Bacon looked up in surprise at the Second-Transition expert who was on the ground, his arm smacked by Lu Hong shattered into fragments.

"Bring him down for treatment, don’t let him suffer any disabilities," Earl Bacon quickly ordered someone to rescue the man, then the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled up in a light smile.

"You—you—you!" On the ring, the other Second-Transformation Peak expert’s legs trembled at this moment; defeating an enemy with one punch—this strength was definitely beyond his ability to provoke.

"Aren’t you going to leave?" Lu Hong glanced at the man before him. Since he had to gain attention from Earl Bacon, it wouldn’t hurt to show some strength while also crafting an image of a recluse just entering the worldly stage.

Hearing Lu Hong’s pardon, the man hurriedly fled from the ring, not daring to talk tough anymore.

Lu Hong turned towards Earl Bacon and said, "Earl, are you satisfied now?"

Earl Bacon laughed heartily, "Little brother, your strength is formidable indeed. I really misjudged you. However, the Eagle Alliance has countless strong fighters. I admit you are amazing, but I don’t know if the others would agree."

Looking around, Lu Hong understood Earl Bacon’s intention— he was challenging Lu Hong to defeat everyone to prove his strength.

The punch just now shattered the confidence of ninety percent of the experts present, but from their eyes, Lu Hong still perceived some reluctance and disdain.

You dare to look down on me?

Lu Hong pointed at a bald man and sneered, "It seems like you are somewhat unconvinced?"

"Me?" The bald man stepped forward, "Young man, I advise you not to be too arrogant. There are some people you cannot afford to offend."

"There are many people I can’t afford to offend, but that doesn’t seem to include you," Lu Hong continued, "Just now, Earl Bacon mentioned that I need everyone present to corroborate my strength—are you acknowledging this?"

"I acknowledge a fart!" The bald man jumped onto the ring and stretched his muscles, "I thought there was no one worth my time today. It’s your own fault for not recognizing what’s good for you, hope you don’t end up crying and calling for your mother later."

As the bald man entered the fray, Earl Bacon’s interest grew even stronger.

A little friend whispered to Weiwei, "Hey, hey, that bald guy seems to be Baldo from the Tize realm."

"Probably," Weiwei responded indifferently, her gaze wholly focused on Lu Hong’s silhouette—that silhouette...how familiar it felt!