* **Aureole Town, Layna’s Ho.**
“I’ve never made a Berserk Drug before,” Layna said.
When Yae-hi suddenly returned, Layna hadn’t even finished expressing her joy before Yae-hi brought up a new request.
“That’s fine. Just give it a try, this concoction should be easy for soone like you.” Yae-hi smiled as she laid out a pile of ingredients on the worktable.
For a Rank 9 Apothecary1, brewing a Berserk Drug was practically effortless.
“Alright, leave it to ,” Layna nodded. “By the way, are you hungry? Want to whip up so noodles for a midnight snack?”
Yaeger hesitated briefly, then nodded lightly. Since there was nothing pressing to do at the mont, taking a break sounded just fine.
“I’ll get started right away!” Layna said cheerfully.
Fifteen minutes later, the two sat together enjoying a steaming bowl of shrimp noodles. The taste was quite good.
“What did the church in Aoma Village say?” Layna asked after sipping the savory broth.
“There’s no way to solve the bottle issue for now. But tomorrow, a few people from the church will show up to display a so-called *miracle.*” Yae-hi spoke with a wry smile.
“Hehe, a miracle, huh?” Layna chuckled softly. Of course she knew the so-called holy water had been created by the impossibly beautiful Princess sitting across from her.
‘Still, calling it a miracle isn’t wrong either. After all, a plague is one of the deadliest natural disasters known.’
Looking at Yae-hi, Layna’s heartbeat began to quicken. Before this girl who could dispel a plague like it was nothing, she felt both admiration… and a deepening affection.
“As long as the problem gets solved, the thod doesn’t matter much,” Yae-hi said lazily, having finished her shrimp.
“Mhm. I think so too.” Layna nodded.
After that, neither of them spoke again. They quietly polished off their bowls. Once they were done, Layna cleaned up and began preparing the Berserk Drug.
“I’ll need to research the formula first. I’ll probably finish brewing it by morning.”
“No need to rush. We won’t need it until then anyway,” Yae-hi replied.
“It’s fine. I’ve been staying up late recently anyway.” Layna smiled faintly.
That smile tugged at Yae-hi’s heart just a little. She reached out and injected Layna with a dose of life energy, instantly restoring her physical state.
“Mmh! Warm all over… it feels sooo good~” Layna blushed faintly, her body quivering as her legs went weak.
Seeing her in that state, Yae-hi’s eyes twitched.
‘Please don’t say things that are so easy to misinterpret! And that expression, what even is that supposed to be?! What do you think I did to you?!’
After a short while, Layna finally recovered and cheerfully went to begin her work. Yae-hi, anwhile, went to lie down in the guest room. She remained there until her in-ga prison tir ran out.
“Ti to log out,” she murmured, tapping the logout button and vanishing in a flash of white light.
* **In the Real World. Cathay, Jinxi Province, Mt. Dragonbane.**
Dominus stared at the latest intelligence gathered by his subordinates. A smirk of disdain curled across his lips.
“An eighteen-year-old Grandmaster. Talented, sure, but still far too green.”
Even that decrepit old Ronald, half a foot in the grave already, had easily beaten her. One could imagine how shallow this so-called young Grandmaster’s strength really was.
“Now… Lucky’s strength has already stabilized at the Interdiate2 Grandmaster level. He truly deserves the title of a once-in-a-generation master.”
Leaning back in a chair carved from premium golden cedar wood, Dominus’ expression grew a touch more serious.
Lucky was now on equal footing with him in strength. And with his younger age and greater vitality, Lucky could be a dangerous opponent in a real fight.
“Thankfully, it seems more likely we’ll end up as allies.” He picked up a finely crafted invitation card and chuckled. “Hah. I suppose I’ll do you a favor and attend the match on Baiding Island tomorrow.”
Looking at the embossed invitation in his hand, Dominus’ lips curled into a aningful smile.
In his mind, tomorrow night’s Grandmaster duel had no suspense whatsoever. A crushing victory for Lucky was all but guaranteed.
* **Korea, a certain dojo.**
A middle-aged man dressed in a white training robe with a black belt tied at his waist also received an invitation.
Just like the one Dominus received, it had been sent by Lucky.
“Very well. I’ll definitely be there tomorrow.” His tone was flat, neither warm nor cold. But then, a dangerous gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes. “Let witness how that b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ who killed my disciple gets crushed and dies on the spot!”
As he finished, a thunderous roar erupted from his mouth.
***
At the sa ti, grandmasters and S-rank Transcendents from nations like India, Japan, Britain, Europe, France, and the United States all received invitations from Lucky.
However, as Little Blue had already predicted, not many would actually show up on Baiding Island. Most simply sent disciples or subordinates in their stead, treating it as a gesture of goodwill toward Lucky.
In the underground world, activity spiked. Countless fiery gazes now turned toward Baiding Island. To most of them, this so-called duel between grandmasters was nothing more than a stage for Lucky to flaunt his dominance.
As for Princess? rely a pitiful offering.
***
At that mont, atop the City of Chaos.
Yae-hi arrived at the great hall and was greeted by the sight of her four little assistants diligently at work, a sight that filled her with satisfaction.
“Master, Master!” Little Blue dropped her work and dove into her arms, clinging to her neck affectionately.
“Anything unusual?” Yae-hi asked, gently pinching her chubby, rosy cheeks.
“All quiet as usual,” Little Blue replied.
“And Baiding Island?”
“The plaza and the dock are nearly finished,” she said, releasing her grip and tapping the air.
Instantly, a livestream appeared before them, construction was still ongoing with blazing intensity. From the looks of it, they had clearly entered the final phase. By early tomorrow morning, the work would likely be complete.
“That’s impressive. Which country’s crew is this?” Yae-hi asked, curious.
“Cathay.”
At that answer, Yae-hi blinked, her mouth twitching slightly. “Figures. Infrastructure maniacs, the lot of them. Even on contested territory… Wait, if Cathay’s engineering teams are already on Baiding Island, that must an negotiations are nearly done. That’s great!”
When she thought about her country finally being able to reclaim land and begin developnt again, she felt genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.
“Master, everyone out there thinks you’re dood now,” Little Blue said with a mischievous grin.
“Heh, that’s fine. By the way, are the odds still rising?” Yae-hi asked with a smile.
“Nope. After it reached seven to one, it fluctuated a little, then returned to normal,” Little Blue replied, shaking her head.
“Seven to one, not bad,” Yae-hi remarked. Then she let out a soft sigh. “Sigh, it’s a sha I don’t have more money to bet.”
Hearing that, Little Blue said, “Master, don’t you have a few very wealthy friends?”
“You’re right. I nearly forgot about them,” Yae-hi’s eyes lit up as she suddenly rembered the three wealthy girls in the guild. “Let’s have them place a few bets too. Free money, might as well grab as much as we can.”
Little Blue nodded. “Besides, everyone already knows how close they are to you. Them betting on you wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.”
“Mm. I’ll ssage them right now.”
Yae-hi quickly pulled out her phone and sent a ssage to Pixie3 and the others. After waiting five minutes, a reply ca in from their side.
Looking at the new ssage, Yae-hi couldn’t help but chuckle in silence.
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