What should one do when faced with the relentless bullying of an unreasonable beautiful girl?
If you ask Lin Nuo, then of course, as a man, he must take the lead in standing tall with the backbone a man should have, and with a young, vibrant body, challenge the invincible Princess of Shilang Bay!
Chapter One: Don’t Bully a Young Man Just Because He’s Poor!
Chapter Two: Fight in the Suburbs
Chapter Three: Fight in the Suburbs
Chapter Four: Lin Nuo, oh Lin Nuo, how could you fall so far?
Chapter Five: Fight in the Suburbs!
“Chirp chirp…”
The two bird calls drew Lin Nuo, who was waiting on the balcony for XÄ« to come out, to turn and glance toward Fatty Bird.
He saw a young girl wearing a dress with black and dark purple as its main colors, standing on tiptoe to try and reach an umbrella on top of the wardrobe, but her gloved fingertips always fell just short.
Fatty Bird, on the other hand, easily flew up, but it couldn’t push or grab the umbrella, so it chirped with a sighing look, as if saying, “Hurry and help this birdie.”
“Here.”
Lin Nuo walked over, easily took down the parasol XÄ« couldn’t reach, and handed it to her small hand adorned with purple lace gloves.
It was only then, at such close distance, that he truly appreciated how XÄ« seemed to take today’s outing seriously, dressing up elaborately, looking as exquisite as a little figurine.
With a slightly gothic dark purple puff dress, XÄ«’s skirt naturally flared as she twisted, a lively beauty washing over him.
The cinched waist belt highlighted her perfect figure in full.
Her already fair skin, set off by the purple hues, appeared even more translucent and lustrous, like a wild rose that was delicate and charming yet untouched by any dust.
The mesh butterfly bow and amethyst decorations highlighted her sweet features, while the overall look added a touch of grandeur.
Priestesses in churches usually dressed simply and plainly.
But ordinary Priestesses lose out in “modeling”; no matter how they try to dress themselves up, they can’t compare to XÄ«, who with just a bit of adornment becomes breathtakingly beautiful.
“Young Master, your collar is a bit…”
As Lin Nuo touched his nose and turned, a hand grabbed him.
The girl smoothly took a small step, arriving right in front of him, standing on tiptoe.
Her jade-like hand, carrying a hint of her own fragrance, reached for Lin Nuo’s collar and meticulously tidied it for him.
“No need to be so detailed…” Lin Nuo felt like retreating.
“There is.” With a hint of playful reproach, she glanced at Lin Nuo and stepped even closer.
Looking down, he could see that pair of soft puddings almost pressing against him, her ample chest wide enough to cover both of their toes.
When she finished, XÄ«’s clear, crescent-moon eyes looked at him as if filled with spring water.
“It’s good to have a man at home, isn’t it?”
XÄ« caught the descending Fatty Bird, raised the parasol Lin Nuo had fetched for her.
“Chirp chirp…”
She placed the nodding Fatty Bird on her shoulder.
Not thinking it a big deal to help fetch an umbrella, Lin Nuo suddenly realized XÄ« had already dragged him outside the church.
His rather good mood along the way made Lin Nuo belatedly notice that his own Priestess’s praise had quietly burrowed into his heart, giving him a relaxed feeling and a curious sense of accomplishment.
He had originally planned to clarify that accompanying her out today wasn’t a date—at best, just a stroll, and he should keep some distance.
But after being pulled along hand-in-hand for a whole lap, he finally came back to his senses.
Noticing XÄ«’s hold had unconsciously tightened, Lin Nuo, too, found himself wishing he could smack his own head, so easily bewitched by her sweet words.
‘XÄ«… she’s really too skilled!’
Walking along a cobbled path, heading outwards.
Though his face was hidden under the parasol Lin Nuo held, anyone could tell from her elegant figure and gorgeous attire that this girl must be stunning, drawing glances from all the servants.
They whispered among themselves, discussing how, aside from the Princess, another such beautiful young lady had come to the manor, and how close she was walking with Young Master Lin Nuo…
“If anyone saw it was me, walking so closely with the Young Master like this would count as overstepping my station, a serious offense. I feel a bit embarrassed…”
“No need to be embarrassed,” said Lin Nuo, “Even if they saw you kissing me by force, they’d definitely think I was the one coercing you.”
“Mhm, that’s true.”
She really wanted to use the parasol to cover her face.
Lin Nuo, who was about to remind her to keep some distance, hesitated again and again, but in the end, didn’t manage to say anything at all.
XÄ« took the chance to entwine her hand with his.
She’d deliberately chosen a small umbrella just to fulfill this little plan… just like she’d purposely put it on the wardrobe, waiting for the Young Master to fetch it for her, and then praise him.
If it were at night, with her thoughts in a tangle, recalling how perfectly this plan had played out, XÄ« would probably squeeze her pillow between her two fair legs and smile sweetly in satisfaction…
“Young Master, your healing skill seems to have improved your body a bit. Haven’t you noticed?”
Seeing Lin Nuo’s confused look, XÄ« leaned to his ear and whispered: “I heard from other maids that normal men, the first time they do that sort of thing, can’t manage as many times as you did…”
“?”
“And they all said, my skin looks better lately.”
XÄ« tapped her own cheek, “I feel my skin’s become smoother, too. My routine and diet haven’t changed, so the only thing that’s different is that night I got bullied by you…”
“Young Master~ You’ve nourished me so well I’ve become even softer and more delicate. Every time I see my own face, I think of that night you, the bad man, defiled me…”
“???”
‘Who defiled who between us! And… it wasn’t just two! You… did you even let me rest that night, seriously!’
So Lin Nuo refused to admit it: “That can’t be it, right?”
“I don’t really know,” XÄ« shrugged, “You’re my first man, how would I know about what they say…”
As they chatted, they arrived at the stables, looking at all the winged pegasi, still snorting.
Xī picked a pure white one, and stood beside the rather narrow yet ornate carriage hitched to it—just the right size for her and the Young Master to be squished together—tilting her head at him.
Lin Nuo knew—she wanted him to take her somewhere farther away to have fun.
“Fresh sea bass, cheap!”
“May the Sea God calm his wrath, let the waves be gentle, and let tonight’s nets come back full…”
“Just play with the small fish, don’t touch the big ones…”
The pegasus spread its wings and flew above.
Near the sea, besides the unique salty scent, Lin Nuo’s enhanced senses from magic and mana let him hear, from afar, Fishermen, hauling nets and playing with their children by the shore, praying for the Sea God’s blessing.
The sound of waves gently lapping echoed in his ears.
Wearing such an outfit would be out of place watching the sea with the fishermen on the beach, but XÄ« just pulled Lin Nuo along to a secluded spot with only the two of them, making it feel far more romantic.
“I’ve never asked you—what kind of place is Shilang Bay?”
“Hmph? Young Master finally wants to learn about my family?”
“….?”
“Shilang Bay is hidden in the Magic Whale’s mist. Even the books in the Sacred Relic Hall barely mention it; to outsiders, it’s a mysterious place.”
Walking along the coconut grove’s shadows, she pointed at the beach ahead and continued, “Besides fishermen, there are merfolk recording songs with seashells, children painting and writing poems on stone tablets, water spirits glowing under coral reefs… so many beautiful things. I can confidently say it’s quieter than anywhere else you’ve seen.”
XÄ« glanced at Lin Nuo, who nodded, showing he was listening earnestly.
“And you’ve actually seen it before.”
‘Huh?’
Lin Nuo was just about to press for details about these things he didn’t know yet but XÄ«, as if spotting something fun, brushed her hair behind her ear and bent down.
Following her raised hand, Lin Nuo saw a round, chubby crab picked up by her.
“This is a Man Tou Crab. Females are much larger than males. The female usually carries the male sideways. When in danger, the female never abandons her mate—such an interesting creature.”
“But if a Man Tou Crab picks the wrong mate, you might see two females fighting over a husband, both trying to carry him… Of course, if the husband doesn’t want to go with his wife, she’ll eat him!”
Just as he was about to marvel at the aquatic creatures’ marital bonds, XÄ«’s last sentence left Lin Nuo speechless.
‘Why does it feel like she… is hinting at something?’
“Young Master, if I mention the word ‘wedding’, what do you think of?”
“Are you asking about… Amidina?” He said, hesitating.
When XÄ«’s eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, Lin Nuo’s grip on her hand instinctively tightened.
“So, Young Master really can’t forget about Her Highness the Princess. Well, that makes sense… When it comes to the wedding, apart from that nominal fiancée, how could you think of anyone else? All those other girls you heartlessly bullied…”
Only then did Lin Nuo remember!
When XÄ« hypnotized him, before he said “I want to cough-cough her,” he’d apparently mentioned something about the wedding…
But, if you directly mention “wedding,” how could anyone guess you meant that thing about you!
“What’s Young Master thinking about?”
“I was thinking, you said your room’s a bit small—should I give you a bigger one when we get back?”
“A big room, huh? Young Master’s thinking of a spacious Marriage Chamber again, right? Mention the Marriage Chamber, and naturally you’ll think of your betrothed, and then that certain elf princess…”
“That’s not it!”
Why does the air suddenly feel a bit sour, a bit dangerous!
Lin Nuo quickly changed the subject: “Let’s talk about food instead…”
“That reminds me—she cooked those dishes for you, didn’t you say her skills were pretty good…” XÄ« dragged out the words, as if giving him plenty of time to think, then asked: “So, whose desserts taste better? Hers or mine?”
“….”
‘Come on! Can you be normal for once!’
‘Why is it that whatever I say, you can always turn it into something like this! Too difficult—women’s hearts are impossible to guess!’
“Young Master, can you tell me—” Her next question was even more overwhelming: “Which is prettier? That cheating Princess, or me?”
“…..”
‘Uh… No way?’
“Ring ring…”
Before Lin Nuo could say anything, a strand of crystal slid from XÄ«’s fingers, showing faint rainbow colors in the sunlight—the very gift from Amidina.
“Look at the gift she gave you, and think of that absurd night we spent—how many times did we do it behind her back?”
“Young Master, you’re mine now. I suddenly want to claim you right in front of your fiancée’s little trinket… Or maybe, let you take the initiative…”
XÄ« yanked Lin Nuo in front of her, lifted the Rainbow Crystal, and pressed her fragrant, soft cheek to his lips.
“Kiss me.”
“…..”
‘You… You’re doing this again!’
‘It’s just a bracelet! Why does it always turn into some… dramatic scene like this!’
“If you don’t dare kiss me?” XÄ«’s crescent eyes narrowed as she leaned in, staring at him.
“Then I’m sorry, Young Master, I just can’t help wanting to control you again…”
“…Huh?”
***
Western Lands, Falling Tide Port.
In the tent guarded by two burly Sea Guardians, the black canvas meant to block out the sea’s damp wind snapped and fluttered in the breeze.
The tent’s four walls were hung with compasses, sextants, telescopes, and Sea God statues.
The nautical log was filled with notes, representing this middle-aged man with water-blue mid-length hair and his years of deep research into magic ballistae, Sea Monster Bone Harpoon Cannons, cables, boarding ladders, and other weapons for magical warfare at sea.
Yet, so many years had gone by.
On the log, there was a sketch of a magical artifact shaped like a tilted scale, and every time Dax Migludia saw it, his brows furrowed unconsciously.
Ankalamu Balance.
A magical artifact belonging to the Archsinner of Pride, a minion of the evil god.
It had no offensive power, but possessed a power dreaded by all magicians: the “anti-magic field.”
That is, a large area that seals off all mana, both of the user and their enemies.
Just like its shape, this uneven scale, in a past monster tide, had turned all the magicians—who, in theory, should have easily defended the city—into ordinary people utterly powerless to resist.
It led to an infamous massacre, recorded in the Magic Academy’s textbooks, that made all who read it shudder—the one-sided slaughter and bloody trampling of magicians by the monster tide…
In magical warfare, if the enemy summoned tens of thousands of monsters and combined it with this artifact to besiege a city, it would be a nightmare for any mage…
Dax knew, as a harbor guard, he’d rarely encounter such a monster raid.
But lately, he’d heard that, to ensure no interference in the Magic Whale taming, the Angekesai House had used a fragment of the Ankalamu Balance seized from the Archsinner of Pride, and created a small anti-magic field over Silver Tears Lake…
This made Dax suddenly recall that bloody massacre recorded in history.
A vague sense of dread made him pull out all his notes on this magical artifact and think through them carefully…
Clearly, he still believed that, should he face this artifact in combination with a sudden onslaught of monsters, neither he nor his several thousand mage-knights would have any countermeasures…
At this moment, a string of scouts rushed into the main tent to report in haste: “Report!”
“Count, the Skeleton Church seems to be plotting something massive! Polluted Beastkin, Blood Sacrifice Serfs, Aberrant Undead, and all kinds of monsters are converging from the Elemental Forest and various city-states toward the border near Luke…”
“Report!”
“A huge surge of magic was just detected along the Shiguang Sea coast!”
“We dared not approach, but using remote detection magic, we could hear the flapping of at least several hundred banners in the sea wind…”
“Report!”
“Cultists’ ships are exploring deeper into the mists of Shiguang Sea, apparently making some preparations…”
In the past, Dax had received similar rapid reports about the secret actions of the evil god’s cult, but their motives were never predictable; even if one knew they were up to something, one could only take precautions.
But this time, the scouts pinpointed the location of the magical surge with such accuracy, increasing Dax’s sense of foreboding.
Everything seemed to indicate a long-brewing crisis was about to erupt.
“Report!”
The last scout was visibly more panicked, his voice hoarse, “Count! That Pride Archsinner’s magical artifact, the scale lost for so many years, has been activated twenty nautical miles off Falling Tide Port!”
In an instant, the entire command tent fell utterly silent…
“Toot—” The assembly horn suddenly blared.
A red assembly flag was hoisted quickly in the tent.
Whether sentries on the watchtower or sailors guarding the gallows, everyone grew solemn and began gathering in the tent…
Not long after, a Paper Crane, which Dax had kept in a wooden box for years, took off high from the main tent of Falling Tide Port, carrying an urgent message written just moments before, soaring into the distance…
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