Page 228

Sure enough, the girl in front of me looked as if she had been slashed with a knife. Her face suddenly turned a deep red, then quickly became pale, her large, tear-filled eyes brimming with tears. Her lips trembled and turned a bluish hue. Tsk tsk, poor girl. She had probably never been spoken to so harshly before. Overwhelmed, she couldn’t even manage a retort, her finger trembling as she pointed at me.

"Sigh, not only are you so ugly, but you also have epilepsy. Your family is being so irresponsible to let you out like this. Go home quickly; the outside world is too harsh for you." I sighed dramatically, turning away to avoid laughing.

"Stop right there," just as I was about to leave, another person stepped forward to defend the girl. "You think you can insult someone and just walk away? Is your courage only used for bullying girls?"

I turned back to see a handsome blonde youth standing next to the Snow Wolf girl, glaring at me with righteous anger. Though he had no beast markings, his face bore a striking resemblance to Samantha, the Orc King, and the overwhelming aura around him was clearly that of the Emperor Martial Overlord Art. If I couldn’t guess his identity after all that, I might as well be an idiot. It was said that Samantha had three sons. The eldest, Doss, lacked talent and ability, and the youngest was not yet ten. Only the second son, Beria, showed great promise, having mastered the Emperor Martial Overlord Art. Though he hadn’t progressed as astonishingly as his father, Samantha, after Katherine defected from her family, Beria was considered the future hope of the Lion Tribe.

The youth before me was only sixteen or seventeen, consistent with the rumors about Beria. His clothing, though not as extravagant as his brother Doss’s, was still extremely refined. However, judging by my perception, this kid’s Emperor Martial Overlord Art hadn’t broken through to the Sword Master level yet; he was still stuck in the Star Qi stage, unable to unleash the moon attribute’s combat multiplier. All this talk about another genius from the Lion Tribe—could it just be the Lion Clan boasting about themselves?

As soon as the Snow Wolf girl saw Beria, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears. Could it be that the "love of my life" she mentioned earlier referred to Beria? Oh, this is getting interesting. The Snow Wolf Chieftain’s marriage alliance scheme might work on me as a new noble of the same tribe, but if it involved Beria, the Lion Prince, a marriage could mean the Snow Wolf Tribe becoming a vassal of the Lion Clan. However, unlike the parents of the Great Song Dynasty, beastfolk parents didn’t have absolute control over their children’s marriages. If the young couple was already in love, directly interfering would only cause trouble.

It seems that the Snow Wolf Chieftain’s marriage plan was partly for his daughter’s sake. By diverting the trouble to my Fontainebleau, they figured that since I had already snatched away one daughter-in-law from Samantha, taking another would just add more enmity. Instead, it could draw away the hatred aimed at their Frostmoon family. If that was the case, it explained why they hadn’t approached me lately. They probably didn’t dare act rashly after their marriage plan leaked, fearing they would offend the Orc King's family. They likely decided to wait until I returned to Fontainebleau.

This pair of young lovers sure had their share of complications.

However, this whole situation also revealed my lack of information channels within the upper echelons of the beastfolk. If I wanted to make a name for myself in the alliance, I would need to change that. Unfortunately, ever since Katherine left the War Fang Clan, she and her followers had been increasingly marginalized by Samantha, and now they were drifting away from the core of the alliance. Otherwise, my information wouldn’t be so lacking.

My thoughts raced, and within moments, I had sorted through countless clues. As for the young man trying to play the hero in front of me, I had no intention of wasting words. I abruptly released my aura, a powerful mental pressure similar to dragon might, combined with the Soul Transfer Method, and directed it at him. Beria, only at the Sword Hero level, couldn’t resist my mental assault. His body jolted, his face turning pale as he staggered back two steps. When he looked up at me again, the defiant look was gone, replaced by sheer panic.

I didn’t say another word and turned to leave leisurely, a cold smile in my heart. Although my mental attack had been sudden, its intensity was far from the level of the tests Leimen had put me through. For a practitioner of the Emperor Martial Overlord Art, which demands strict mental fortitude, Beria should not have lost his composure so easily, even with his current level of cultivation. Moreover, as the son of Samantha, he was often exposed to the deep and surging aura of the Orc King; how could he be so weak? The only explanation was that the boy was deliberately feigning weakness to lower my guard.

"Hmph, the kid still has some of Samantha's blood in him. The leak of the Snow Wolf Tribe’s marriage plan and the girl causing trouble for me today—it’s likely that he was involved in both. His methods may still be immature and his ambitions small, but he’s already much wiser than his brother Doss. It seems there are ambitious youngsters in this alliance beyond just my family."

The issue of the Snow Wolf Tribe’s marriage was resolved in such a bizarre manner. I wouldn’t be troubled or harassed by it anymore. The chieftain’s daughter and the Orc King's son had gotten what they wanted. Perhaps Samantha would even have the chance to extend his influence over the Snow Wolf Tribe. The only one left with a headache would be Chief Aihain himself. Whether to compromise with the Orc King or ally with me would be the biggest decision he would have to make in the next six months.

Back at the base, I briefed everyone on today’s events. As for the Ghost Wolf Summoning Art, Katherine, the Holy Maiden of War, was naturally familiar with it. After carefully examining the residual "Companion Contract" on my hand, she agreed that the Pope's speculation was mostly accurate. As for the Snow Wolf Tribe issue, though Katherine’s network couldn’t uncover any secrets, they could still gather general information. The Snow Wolf Chieftain Aihain's daughter was named Ereka Frostmoon Walford, fifteen years old. Since Aihain had been leading his army in the Northern Country for years, he hadn’t brought his underage daughter with him to the harsh lands but had sent her to live in the Holy City. As for her relationship with Beria, nothing had been heard of it before. However, Ereka had been studying at the Celestial Martial Palace and was close to many noble children, including Beria. It wasn’t strange to say they were lovers, though it was also possible that Beria had deliberately approached the daughter of the Snow Wolf Chieftain.