Chapter 9: The Engagement
“Lord Falling Leaf.” Gilmore, seeing Linley’s rudeness, quickly apologized to Falling Leaf. “Lord Falling Leaf, this Linley is only seventeen this year. I hope you can forgive his disrespect.”
Gilmore was well aware of Falling Leaf’s influence within the Radiant Church. This Lord Falling Leaf could be considered the spiritual leader of the ascetics. Even the Radiant Pope couldn’t forcefully order Falling Leaf to do anything.
Falling Leaf’s right hand, wrinkled like a chicken claw, gently stroked his messy beard. He watched Linley’s retreating figure with interest. “Disrespect? No, no, it can’t be called disrespect. It’s just that this young man acts very decisively.”
Gilmore was stunned.
He hadn’t expected that Lord Falling Leaf, who had initially formed a bad impression of Linley, now seemed to appreciate him.
“Gilmore.” Falling Leaf looked at Gilmore.
“Lord Falling Leaf, please give your orders.” Gilmore said respectfully.
Falling Leaf smiled and said, “This Linley has surging killing intent in his heart and is decisive in his actions. I think that no matter what he does or who he kills, he won’t hesitate. A person like this is most suitable to become a sharp blade for our Radiant Church.”
Gilmore understood Falling Leaf’s meaning.
Although the Radiant Church’s doctrine advocated goodness, the Church was equally ruthless towards heretics. This required ruthless individuals, which was the original reason for the formation of the Inquisition.
“Perhaps in the future, this young man named Linley will become the new Inquisitor General of the Inquisition,” Falling Leaf said softly.
Gilmore couldn’t help but look at Linley’s retreating figure.
Inquisitor General of the Inquisition?
Gilmore was very clear that the Inquisitor General could be considered the second most important figure in the Radiant Church. To some extent, it could even be said that the Inquisitor General’s status was equivalent to that of the Radiant Pope.
The Radiant Pope was the supreme leader of the Church in the open.
The Inquisitor General, on the other hand, was the leader of the highest armed force of the Radiant Church in the shadows!
“Lord Falling Leaf, are you willing to guide him?” Gilmore pressed further.
Falling Leaf still shook his head.
“Why?” Gilmore was confused. Since he appreciated him, why wasn’t he willing to guide him?
Falling Leaf shook his head and said, “My cultivation method isn’t suitable for him. The path I walk requires a pure heart and a longing for the light. As for him… the path he should walk is the path of slaughter.”
Gilmore nodded.
“Gilmore, you don’t need to choose a teacher for him. True experts rely on their own insights to forge their own path. What others teach is always someone else’s understanding.”
Falling Leaf looked at Gilmore. “I am now a rank 9 Grand Magus. Why have I never guided you? For this very reason. Even if I tell you my insights, my realizations, you still won’t succeed. Because only by experiencing events time and time again, allowing your soul to undergo repeated transformations, and perceiving the deepest mysteries, can you ultimately succeed.”
“Remember, rely on yourself.” Falling Leaf said with a smile.
Gilmore nodded.
He hadn’t stepped into the Saint Realm and couldn’t understand the difference between the Saint Realm and rank 9. Although he sometimes suspected that Falling Leaf was deliberately being secretive, at this moment, Falling Leaf’s sincere gaze and voice made him believe him.
“Perhaps… it really is about relying on oneself.”
Gilmore had been stuck at rank 9 Grand Magus for a long time. He also longed for a breakthrough.
After all, the gap between rank 9 and the Saint Realm was the difference between heaven and earth.
Linley’s residence, Spring Water Garden.
By the hot spring pool, Linley was sitting cross-legged, quietly meditating.
“Gurgle, gurgle~” Strange sounds kept coming from inside Linley’s body. His bones and muscles constantly writhed and trembled. Sweat beads slowly seeped out from every pore on his body.
Cultivating the “Dragonblood Codex” was more than ten times more effective than ordinary battle qi codices.
Given how demanding the cultivation requirements of the “Dragonblood Codex” were, such effects were only to be expected.
“Why is human cultivation so troublesome? Dividing into various battle qi codices and different physiques?” Bebe lay beside Linley, tilting his little head and looking at Linley, full of confusion.
As a magical beast, his cultivation was very simple. He just directly absorbed the dark elemental energy from the outside world, merging it into various parts of his body and into his magical crystal core.
There were no mysteries, just ordinary absorption.
Linley maintained this quiet life. He spent most of his time every day cultivating. The several cultivation methods complemented each other effectively, allowing his body to withstand the strain.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.
“Whoosh!”
Linley held the “Purple Blood” divine sword, repeatedly practicing various basic stances.
What angle was fastest for drawing the sword?
How to control the vibration of the Purple Blood to minimize air resistance as much as possible, making the sword’s speed even faster?
Boring sword draws, over and over again.
Every time Linley moved his hand, a flash of purple light streaked by.
The speed was breathtaking.
But Linley was still unsatisfied. He pushed his limits again and again, using his insights as a wind-style magician into wind elemental energy, striving to make the “Purple Blood” more ethereal and faster.
“Milord!” A servant’s voice came from outside Spring Water Garden.
Linley paused, then moved his hand, and the Purple Blood divine sword in his hand disappeared. No one would notice that Linley’s Purple Blood soft sword was already coiled around his waist.
To an ordinary observer, it would look like a purple belt.
“Speak.” Linley spoke only then.
A pretty maidservant quickly ran in, casting a look of admiration at Linley before immediately lowering her head respectfully. “Milord, the Debs family has sent an invitation.” She said, presenting the invitation.
Linley looked at the invitation.
The main color of the invitation was red, bordered with gold. The two characters for “Invitation” were on the cover.
“Invitation?”
Linley took it and opened it. The content was exactly as he had expected.
“June 18th, Kalan will hold an engagement ceremony with Lorine and Alice. Who is this Lorine?” Linley frowned as he looked at the content of the invitation.
“You may leave.” Linley said indifferently.
“Yes, Milord.” The maidservant said respectfully, then left Spring Water Garden.
“Boss, the Debs family. Is that Alice getting engaged?” Bebe jumped onto Linley’s shoulder and stretched his head to look at the invitation.
“Huh? Lorine? Who is Lorine?” Bebe looked at Linley, puzzled.
Delin Cowart also appeared beside him, glanced at the invitation, and a smile appeared on his face.
“Grandpa Delin.” Linley looked at Delin Cowart.
“You’re wondering who Lorine is?” Delin Cowart, as shrewd as an old fox, understood instantly. “It’s simple. Your sculpture ‘Awakening’ made many people familiar with Alice’s appearance. Although they don’t know Alice, once they see her at the engagement ceremony, they will recognize that Alice is the model for your sculpture. The emotions contained in your ‘Awakening’ are perceptible to anyone who studies sculpture. Because of this, the Debs family absolutely wouldn’t let Alice become Kalan’s primary wife. This Lorine is probably Kalan’s primary wife.”
Linley was stunned.
Alice wasn’t Kalan’s primary wife?
On the Yulan continent, the status of a primary wife was very high. The status of other wives was much lower.
“Because of me?” Linley’s emotions became complicated in an instant.
Because of his sculpture, Alice couldn’t become Kalan’s primary wife.
“Linley, are you still going to this engagement ceremony?” Delin Cowart asked.
“Go. Of course, I’ll go.” Linley’s gaze instantly became firm, and then he smiled. “Bernard has invited me several times. This time, he sent a special invitation. How could I not go?”
Linley then looked at the azure sky, where silk-like white clouds drifted.
A long time ago, he had also sat on the grass with Alice, looking at the azure sky.
June 18th.
According to the priests of the Radiant Church, this was a very auspicious day. The Debs family chose this day for the engagement ceremony.
On this day, the Debs family’s entrance was bustling with activity, a constant stream of carriages and people.
Nobles, wealthy merchants, beautiful noblewomen, pretty noble ladies, handsome noble youths. On this day, the Debs family was the place in Fenlai City with the highest concentration of nobles.
“Marquis Linley has arrived!”
The Debs family servant’s voice grew even louder. Linley, dressed in a black gentleman’s suit, stepped into the hall of the Debs family mansion.
Almost all the nobles in the hall stopped talking and turned to look at Linley.
Linley glanced around the hall, a faint smile on his face. His demeanor perfectly matched the elegant bearing of a noble.
“Lord Linley, welcome.”
Bernard, who had been chatting with guests, immediately walked towards Linley. Beside Bernard was the lavishly dressed Kalan. Kalan was the protagonist of the day!
“Mr. Bernard.” Linley smiled slightly. “Congratulations on your son’s engagement. And to two beautiful ladies at once.”
“Haha, haha.” Bernard said warmly.
Kalan also said respectfully, “Lord Linley, welcome. I hope you have a pleasant time today.”
Linley glanced at Kalan, nodded slightly without saying much, and then looked back at Bernard. “Mr. Bernard, you should attend to your other guests. I’ll just find a spot over there.”
The Debs family hall was truly enormous. Hundreds of nobles and wealthy merchants gathered here without feeling the slightest bit crowded. Noblewomen and ladies, dressed in beautiful, fashionable attire, flitted through the crowd like proud peacocks.
Especially after Linley arrived, many noble ladies couldn’t help but try to get close to him.
“Lord Linley, you’re truly amazing. I’ve been learning sculpture for three years, but I can’t even carve the basic shape properly.” A noble girl with beautiful brown hair was talking enthusiastically with Linley. “Lord Linley, you’re so incredible. You’re only a little older than me, yet you’re already approaching the level of masters like Prux and Hopkinson. Could you give me some guidance?”
The noble girl looked at Linley with her big, beautiful eyes, full of expectation.
“Carving sculptures requires sufficient wrist strength. For a delicate and beautiful girl like you, learning oil painting would be more suitable.” Linley said with a faint smile.
As he spoke, Linley felt helpless inside.
Probably many noble ladies knew that Linley wasn’t married and was alone, so many of them pestered him.
The parents of these noble ladies, on the other hand, were happy to see this happen.
Because almost all the nobles in the Fenlai Kingdom understood that if anyone could make Linley their family’s son-in-law, that family would surely soar!
Who was Linley?
He was now the Royal Court’s First Magician. Almost all nobles knew that Linley was only nominally serving the Fenlai Kingdom. In the future, he would definitely become a major figure in the Radiant Church. His future status might even surpass that of the Fenlai King!
“Linley.” A hearty voice rang out.
Linley turned his head to look. “Your Majesty.”
The noble ladies around immediately bowed respectfully, not daring to pester him any longer. Linley breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked towards Clay. Being with the king at least kept the noble ladies from bothering him.
“Linley, see anyone you like?” Clay leaned close to Linley’s ear and whispered teasingly.
Linley couldn’t help but give Clay a helpless look. “Your Majesty, please don’t tease me.”
“Haha…” Clay couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
Suddenly—
The entire hall fell silent. Clay also turned to look towards the main entrance, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, looks like the leading lady is coming out.”
Linley also looked over.
He saw Kalan holding the hand of a beautiful woman in each of his hands. Both women were wearing gorgeous dresses, with sparkling ornaments in their golden hair.
One was Lorine. The other was Alice.
“Alice.”
Linley’s gaze lingered on Alice. This was the most beautifully dressed Alice had ever been, but the hand holding hers belonged to Kalan.
“Oh, my goddess! Isn’t this the ‘goddess’ from Master Linley’s ‘Awakening’ sculpture?” Suddenly, a noble’s exclamation rang out.
The entire hall erupted in noisy discussion.
Except for the very few who knew Alice’s appearance, the vast majority of nobles present didn’t know what she looked like. But they had seen the sculpture “Awakening.” Many had even regarded the woman in the sculpture as their dream goddess.
And now, their “dream goddess” had appeared at this engagement ceremony.