Chapter 310 - Forging Identity

Chapter 310: Chapter 65: Forging IdentityLu Hong had plunged into the guest room at Count Bacon’s Mansion for two days, and Count Bacon didn’t mind at all; moreover, Lu Hong was a young man who could defeat Baldo, definitely first-class potential. Count Bacon was counting on Lu Hong to win some face for the Bacon family on the stage of the Eagle Alliance’s campaign, at least to make it into the second round of the preliminary matches.

Now, Count Bacon had only one concern about Lu Hong, which was his origin, his birth. This was very important—if Lu Hong turned out to be a fugitive from the Alliance, and the Bacon family hadn’t checked his identity thoroughly, it would be terribly embarrassing to be recognized during the competition.

"Weiwei," Count Bacon called his daughter over and asked her with a heavy voice, "has that Lu Hong ever talked to you about his origin?"

"No," Weiwei shook her head. "He’s stayed in his room without coming out for two days, just asking me for a history book about the Holy Court."

"Oh, I see," Count Bacon nodded. "Well then, that girl Qing Ling should be coming to exchange supplies today. You go out and receive her for me later and, by the way, procure more supplies for him. Now that my Bacon family has gained a great general, it’s time to celebrate."

"Alright, I understand," Weiwei nodded vigorously. She was about the same age as Qing Ling and considered her almost a sister. When they were younger, she secretly added supplies for Qing Ling and was severely scolded by Count Bacon for favoring outsiders over her own family. Now, with her father’s rare act of kindness, Weiwei was determined to empty the storage and support her sister at heart.

"You may leave now," Count Bacon waved his hand, dismissing Weiwei, and then summoned his assistant. "Follow the young lady and make sure she’s not too generous. After all, Qing Ling is a lord in her own right; it’s not good to strengthen her too much."

"Your subordinate obeys."

After arranging various family affairs, Count Bacon looked up at the sky outside. It was already past midday.

He pondered for a moment. If it was time for a nap, he should be up by now.

"Come with me to the backyard," Count Bacon called his assistant. "Prepare some Crystal Stones for cultivation, the kind used by Great War Masters."

"Lord Earl..." the assistant hesitated. "Our Eagle Alliance has never had the warrior profession. Even if such stones were dug up, we’d usually discard them. Where would you have me find them?"

"Didn’t you prepare in advance?" Count Bacon said with a faint smile. If there was one thing his assistant excelled in, it was planning ahead for his master.

"I did prepare," the assistant chuckled sheepishly. "It’s just... just that there aren’t many. I had people buy them in large quantities throughout the city and barely managed to gather a hundred or so. It’s just too few to be presented as a gift—it seems a bit undervalued."

"Then did you prepare other gifts?" Count Bacon continued to assess.

"I did. I asked the young lady, and she said he was very short on money, otherwise, he wouldn’t be desperately completing low-level tasks for the adventurer’s guild to earn Gold Coins. So, I went to the Flowing Commerce Association and got an unnamed Purple Gold Card, depositing three hundred thousand Gold into it. I’m not sure...," the assistant didn’t finish, but three hundred thousand was the most reasonable amount he had carefully considered that would meet Count Bacon’s expectations.

"Good," Count Bacon said nothing else, but his gaze towards the assistant softened slightly, almost imperceptibly. However, the assistant broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew that he’d figured out the Earl’s intentions too thoroughly and raised his guard.

"Let’s go see our contestant."

Count Bacon strode forwards, and the assistant, with a bitter face, quickly followed. After working so hard to get to this position, it seemed like it wouldn’t be long before he’d be sent to the borders, all his years of effort gone to waste.

Hearing someone knocking, Lu Hong placed the bronze greatsword beside his bed and rose to open the door: "Lu Hong pays his respects to Lord Earl."

"No need for formalities," Count Bacon chuckled. From the moment you won the duel, you’ve been one of us at the Bacon family—no need for formalities, make yourself at home.

As he spoke, Count Bacon glanced at the bronze greatsword and asked, "I heard about that sword from my men. Are you sure it’s alright for you, young friend Lu Hong?"

"Yes, this sword may not suit others well, but it fits me perfectly."

"That’s good to hear," Count Bacon nodded. Lu Hong made way for the Earl to enter the room, while the assistant skillfully picked up the teaware from the table and began boiling water to make tea.

Count Bacon settled into his seat, a look of concern on his face as he turned to Lu Hong and asked, "Are you accustomed to living here these past few days? Are you satisfied with the food the servants have brought? If there is anything unsuitable, please tell me at any time, and I will arrange it for you."

"Thank you for your concern, my lord. Everything is fine. May I know the reason for your visit today? I remember that there’s still some time before the start of the Eagle Alliance campaign, right?"

"Indeed, there is still time. However, today this old man has an important matter to verify with young brother Lu Hong."

"Please feel free to speak, my lord," Lu Hong said, though his heart started to race. He knew that Count Bacon’s personal visit meant he was under scrutiny regarding his identity. No family in the Eagle Alliance would allow the participation of someone with an unclear identity.

Count Bacon nodded, "I would like to know which family young brother Lu Hong comes from, and yet at such a young age, you possess such remarkable strength."

Lu Hong smiled, "Would you believe me if I said I am just a country bumpkin, my lord?"

"Hahaha." Count Bacon laughed heartily, "Young brother Lu Hong certainly has a sense of humor." He then glanced at his assistant.

The assistant understood immediately and took out a bag of Crystal Stones and a golden card with purple edges, "Lord Lu Hong, this is a small token from the Bacon family, please accept it. In normal circumstances, all resources for cultivation should be provided to you, but Crystal Stones for the warrior occupation are extremely rare, and this is all we have for the moment. As compensation, here is a Purple Gold Card from the Flowing Water Trade Association with three hundred thousand Gold already deposited. You can use it directly in any city on any plane at any Flowing Water establishment, without the need to show any other documents or tokens."

The assistant placed the items on the table and pushed them towards Lu Hong. Without even a glance, Lu Hong dismissed them. Wealth was external to him, and as for the Crystal Stones, they were too few to even cover one night of his meditation. His body, after all, was refined and could accommodate Pure Steel Battle Energy many times that of his peers. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Seeing Lu Hong disregard the offer, the assistant could only laugh awkwardly, "I hope you will accept our gesture."

Lu Hong shook his head, "If my lord wishes to know my identity so badly, there’s no need for this. I am just a minor figure born in a remote corner, with nothing to hide."

"Then why do you wear a mask?" asked the assistant, voicing the question that was inconvenient for Count Bacon.

Lu Hong laughed heartily, "It’s just a mask. It was specially collected for me by my family, a memento of sorts, not an intentional disguise."

"I see, it seems I have overthought and misled my lord with slander. Please forgive me, Lord Lu Hong," the assistant quickly apologized, taking the blame for Count Bacon.

"It’s understandable, you’re looking out for the Bacon family," continued Lu Hong, "Speaking of my origins, you might find it hard to believe, my lord. I’m the only son of an ordinary family from Raoxue Plane. My parents passed away early, and in order to survive, I ventured into the wilderness alone. By chance, I received the warrior’s inheritance and have been rigorously training in Raoxue Plane all this while. This is the first time I’ve traveled this far, so I’m completely unaware of the many affairs within the Eagle Alliance."

"Raoxue Plane?" Count Bacon was momentarily stunned.

"Yes, Raoxue Plane," Lu Hong nodded, reconfirming.

"Then young brother Lu Hong, how did you manage to leave the plane?" Count Bacon pressed on, "It seems like Raoxue Plane doesn’t have enough Crystal Stones to support a teleportation."

"I was fortunate enough to be employed as the steward of Raoxue Castle a while ago. Thanks to the generous love of the Raoxue Queen, she used the family’s Twin Mirror to send me here to Kyria West."

"Haha, that’s perfect, for Qing Ling should still be with my daughter at this moment. Ah Fu, go and ask both the young miss and Raoxue Queen to come over for a reunion."

Count Bacon swore to himself, inviting Qing Ling over was not to verify Lu Hong’s story, as once the Twin Mirror was mentioned, he already believed it. The Twin Mirror was one of the core secrets of the Raoxue family, known to very few in the world. To speak of the Twin Mirror meant having a very close relationship with Qing Ling. So inviting Qing Ling was to further bridge a connection with Lu Hong, to have him serve the Bacon family.

"Ah?" Lu Hong was stunned. Qing Ling was here? Damn, that crazy girl?

"What’s the matter? Little brother doesn’t wish for a reunion?" Count Bacon hadn’t finished his sentence when a snowy figure dashed into the room and plunged into Lu Hong’s arms, "Brother Hong, I missed you so much!"

Following closely behind was a panting Weiwei and the assistant, Ah Fu, smiling wryly, "My lord, I had barely reached the door when I saw the young miss rushing back with the Raoxue Queen in tow, eager to meet Lord Lu Hong."

"Well, that’s good," Count Bacon smiled and nodded, feeling the heavy stone in his heart finally settle. With the identity confirmed, he now planned for Weiwei to take Lu Hong back to the Seven Floating Worlds quietly, as a hidden ace for the Bacon family. This would surely deliver a great surprise to the surrounding earldoms and bring about a substantial gain.