Chapter 51: Woton
The imperial capital of the O'Brien Empire, "Blazing Flame," was a city that, in terms of sheer size across the entire Yulan continent, could only be rivaled by the capital of the Yulan Empire. As for the name "Blazing Flame," it was personally bestowed by the War God, O'Brien himself.
The imperial capital, Blazing Flame City, had a permanent population of several million. As a capital with a history of over five thousand years, Blazing Flame City was home to many ancient families with long histories. In a place like the imperial capital, even ninth-rank experts were not uncommon, and no one dared to act arrogantly here. This was because there were simply too many powerful families.
Of course, the number one power in the capital was undoubtedly the War God's Gate. The direct disciples of the War God's Gate rarely showed themselves, but even the weakest of its registered disciples were eighth-rank warriors, with most being ninth-rank warriors. The might of the War God's Gate was evident from this. Especially since the master of the War God's Gate was the "War God" himself.
It was important to note that within the O'Brien Empire, other religions were suppressed. Even the common people worshipped the "War God." They regarded the War God as their faith! From this, one could imagine the status of the War God in the hearts of the people.
The eastern district of the imperial capital, Blazing Flame City, was where high-ranking officials and nobles resided, and the imperial palace was also located within this eastern district. On Fushi Road in the eastern district, there were rows of standard mansions, all uniformly built by order of the imperial family. These were used to reward the empire's meritorious officials and nobles.
One of these mansions on Fushi Road was the residence of the capital's rising star, Count Woton. At the gate, two sturdy guards stood at attention. At that moment, in the living room of this mansion, only four people were present. All four were standing, and one of them was pacing back and forth, a hint of worry on his brow.
He appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old. He was dressed in simple warrior attire, and his sleeveless undershirt fully accentuated his bulging muscles. With a straight nose, thick black eyebrows, and a square face, he exuded an aura of fortitude and bravery. What was most striking, however, was his physique. He stood at an astonishing height of over two meters twenty, with broad shoulders, a relatively narrow waist, and two long, powerful legs.
"Woton's appearance is even more imposing than Linley's," Hillman thought to himself. Compared to Woton, Linley was more reserved.
"Woton, young master, are you still troubled by the matter with the Seventh Princess?" the butler, old man Hiri, who had a bulbous, red nose, asked with a chuckle. Woton turned back and said helplessly, "Grandpa Hiri, you know very well who else is pursuing Nina."
Another young man among the four in the hall laughed and said, "Young master Woton, you're usually so decisive. How come you're so hesitant when it comes to matters of the heart? Why not just go directly to His Majesty and ask for her hand in marriage?"
"Go directly?" Woton raised an eyebrow.
Hillman interjected, "Nader is right. You've already reached the eighth rank, and you're a member of the Dragonblood Warrior clan. His Majesty must know that a member of the Dragonblood Warrior clan who has reached the eighth rank is definitely capable of training in Dragonblood battle-qi and possesses the ability to transform."
In Hillman's view, it was impossible to reach the eighth rank by relying solely on the physical body without training in battle-qi. However, Hillman didn't know that the five brothers currently with Linley had reached the eighth rank solely by training their bodies.
"As a Dragonblood Warrior, you are a good match for the Seventh Princess. I believe His Majesty will agree," butler Hiri said with a smile. "But when it comes to proposing, I think you could ask the Seventh Princess to sound out His Majesty's intentions first. That way, you'll have a better chance."
Butler Hiri and Hillman exchanged a glance and both laughed. Over the past year or two, the matter between Woton and the empire's Seventh Princess had already spread throughout the entire capital. However, other noble youths in the capital hadn't given up either, and there were two particularly strong competitors among them.
"Enough, I won't think about it anymore," Woton said, shaking his head. He trusted the Seventh Princess. She had already told him that she would marry no one else. But Woton also knew that the marriages of imperial princes and princesses were not something they could decide for themselves. He didn't want the Seventh Princess to worry too much. Being able to marry her openly and honorably would be the best outcome.
"By the way, Grandpa Hiri, is there any news about big brother?" Woton inquired.
Butler Hiri nodded and said, "According to the information from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce, your big brother is still in seclusion, training hard somewhere. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened."
"Big brother is still so diligent," Woton said, full of admiration for Linley. Many of the Dragonblood Warrior clan's affairs, whether it was the heirloom treasure or the family's great revenge, were all shouldered by Linley alone. Meanwhile, he, Woton, could train quietly in the capital. Linley always shielded him from the wind and rain.
"Big brother..." Woton still remembered that time when he was a child, when two Saint-level experts fought outside Wushan Town. As countless shattered boulders rained down from the sky, his big brother had protected him without a second thought. Woton clearly remembered that at the most dangerous moment—
"Get down!" Linley had roared back then, throwing himself onto Woton without hesitation, using his own fragile, young body to shield him.
Since leaving home at the age of six, Woton was now twenty-two years old, with only one month left until his twenty-third birthday. Nearly seventeen years had passed. These two brothers hadn't seen each other for nearly seventeen years.
"Young master Woton, don't worry too much. When young master Linley feels he has trained enough, he will come to see you. After all, he knows your current address," butler Hiri comforted him.
Woton nodded, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I wonder if big brother would even recognize me if he saw me now."
"The little brat who was six years old has turned into this. Haha... your big brother might really not recognize you," Hillman laughed.
Nader, standing nearby, nodded and said, "Back then, when my father and I came from the Sacred Alliance, we couldn't recognize young master Woton at first either. It wasn't until we saw butler Grandpa Hiri that we finally realized this big guy, who was taller than me, was actually that little brat from back then."
"Nader, you bastard," Woton glared at him.
Nader was Hillman's son, but Nader's talent as a warrior was truly mediocre. Now nearly twenty-five years old, Nader was only a fourth-rank warrior. However, Nader was a very meticulous person. The security of the entire count's mansion was managed jointly by him and his father, Hillman.
"Ah, it's getting late." Woton took a pocket watch out of his pocket and glanced at it. "Grandpa Hiri, Uncle Hillman, I'm going out for a bit."
"He's definitely going to meet the Seventh Princess," Nader said with a deliberate pout.
Woton gave Nader a confident smile. "Of course. Jealous?" With that, Woton laughed and strode out of the mansion.
Butler Hiri watched Woton leave, his emotions churning. "Young master Woton was just a child back then. Now he's grown into a man. I've finally fulfilled Lord Hogg's entrustment." Thinking of Hogg, Hiri sighed deeply.
"The Baruch clan has been dormant for so many years, but now it's finally beginning to awaken. In another ten years, the name 'Dragonblood Warrior' will be circulating throughout the entire Yulan continent once again," Hillman said confidently.
...
Carrying his warblade, "Slaughter," Woton rode a saber-toothed tiger down the street. As an eighth-rank magical beast, the saber-toothed tiger's aura intimidated other ordinary magical beasts. Coupled with Woton's own towering stature, the combination was enough to strike fear into the hearts of onlookers. Other pedestrians on the street almost had to make way for him.
"That's Woton, the genius student from the O'Brien Academy! Look, even his mount is an eighth-rank magical beast."
"A saber-toothed tiger! That's so fierce. I wish I had a magical beast like that..."
Many people on the street were discussing him. Just as a young Linley had once dreamed of having a majestic magical beast like a Velocidragon after seeing one, many youths now looked up to Woton as their goal.
The saber-toothed tiger moved quickly, weaving through the streets with great agility.
"We're here." Woton spotted the luxurious hotel from afar. This was where he and the Seventh Princess usually met. The hotel's doorman recognized Woton and immediately opened the door to let him in.
Woton entered the hotel with his saber-toothed tiger. He scanned the room and saw the person he was looking for. He immediately called out happily, "Nina!" But then, Woton's brow furrowed. He saw that annoying person again.
"Woton."
Nina had a head of dazzling golden hair, and her fair face was incredibly moving. Her sparkling, bright eyes seemed to contain no impurities at all. Nina ran over to Woton in surprise, and Woton immediately stepped forward to take her small hand.
"That guy is pestering me again," Nina muttered beside Woton.
Woton glanced at the man in the distance and said in a low voice, "Nina, ignore him." At that moment, the handsome and heroic young man also walked over and said with a faint smile, "Woton, what a surprise to see you here. It seems that wherever Nina is, you always show up."
"Shut up, Lammo." Woton frowned. "Remember, Nina is not for you to call by name. And... I should be the one asking you that question. Wherever Nina is, why do you always pop up?"
Lammo glanced at Woton with a half-smile. Although he appeared indifferent on the surface, deep down, he really hated this Woton. It was Woton who had taken Nina away from him.
"Oh, a saber-toothed tiger." Lammo looked at Woton's mount and laughed. "Woton, how about letting my Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff have a match with your saber-toothed tiger? I bet my Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff will win."
The Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff and the saber-toothed tiger were both eighth-rank magical beasts. However, even among eighth-rank magical beasts, there were differences in strength. Beasts like the Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff and the Golden-eyed Lion Mastiff were at the very top of the eighth-rank category. In particular, the Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff had a natural advantage against tiger-type magical beasts.
"No interest." Woton ignored him completely, giving Lammo a cold glance. "Lammo, if you really want a contest, I don't mind sparring with you personally. But using magical beasts to fight? Hmph."
"A personal spar?"
Lammo smiled but didn't say much. He, Lammo, was a registered disciple of the War God's Gate and a ninth-rank warrior. He certainly had reason to be proud. However, almost all the ancient families in the capital now knew that Woton was from the Baruch clan, and the Baruch clan was the Dragonblood Warrior clan. Woton himself could use battle-qi. Members of the Dragonblood Warrior clan who could use battle-qi were all capable of Dragonblood Warrior transformation.
Lammo knew that although the Woton in front of him was only an eighth-rank warrior, his special warblade attacks could even allow him to fight on par with an ordinary ninth-rank warrior. Once Woton transformed, he, Lammo, would be no match for him.
"Let's go." Lammo stroked his Azure-eyed Tiger Mastiff and said lightly. Then, he and his magical beast left just like that.
Nina and Woton went directly to a private room on the second floor of the hotel, while Nina's maidservant waited outside.
"Big guy, that Lammo is really troublesome. What should we do?" Nina nestled in Woton's arms and asked softly.
"Big guy" was what Nina had called Woton when they first met. When they were alone together, she always called him that.
"Who can help it if my Nina is so charming?" Woton laughed and pinched Nina's nose. "Actually, I don't care much about this Lammo. What worries me most is Kaelan."
"Brother Kaelan?" Nina said helplessly, "I only think of him as a brother. It's just that he... sigh."
Kaelan was now twenty-three years old and had already become a seventh-rank magician. There were many twenty-three-year-old seventh-rank warriors, but very few twenty-three-year-old seventh-rank magicians. Moreover, Kaelan had reached the seventh rank when he was only twenty-one. If Linley hadn't carved "Awakening from the Dream," he probably would have needed to be around twenty to reach the seventh rank as well.
In the capital, Kaelan was considered a genius magician. He had grown up with Nina as childhood sweethearts. Most importantly, Kaelan's father was the powerful Left Premier of the entire empire. Furthermore, Kaelan was an extremely good person, almost perfect.