Chapter 59: A Long-Awaited Smile

“Knight Princess, Hollywood Town is just ahead. It’s my first time here — it’s so beautiful.”

Catherine, the captain of Christina’s personal guard, couldn’t help but marvel at the scenery of Hollywood Town.

“It is indeed, Catherine. The culture and scenery here are completely different from Calonpolis. After all, it is the premier coastal town on the continent.”

Looking at the beauty of Hollywood Town, the icy indifference of the Knight Princess finally thawed slightly, and she revealed a long-awaited smile.

“Oh my, I finally get to see you smile! I don’t even remember the last time that happened,” Catherine said with a giggle, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Ahem, I am not that overly serious. Don’t misunderstand,” Christina immediately defended herself.

“Lady Christina, it really has been a long time since we’ve seen you smile so naturally. I hope you won’t always carry everything by yourself. We are all here to share your burdens.”

Catherine’s earnest words caused Christina’s once-cold heart to stir.

“All right. It’s good to have you all by my side.” After saying this, the Knight Princess’s expression became serious again. “Everyone, let’s head to the center of Hollywood Town first. The mayor here is an old acquaintance of the Parricio family.”

With that, the group headed toward the mayor’s mansion.

—

Mayor Philip of Hollywood Town was a middle-aged man who was extremely smooth in his dealings, similar in age to Marcus. He was always able to navigate political whirlpools with ease, habitually playing the fool or slacking off to avoid being targeted by political enemies. To outsiders, Mayor Philip seemed to spend his days drinking and wasting time, but in reality, he managed his territory with perfect order. As a major port city on the first continent, Hollywood Town often encountered foreign merchants from other continents.

Previously, Philip had been targeted by Campbell in various ways, but he didn’t care at all, allowing Campbell to encroach on various economic and trade sectors under his jurisdiction. This led the notorious high noble, Campbell, to believe that Philip was a complete idiot. However, Philip understood everything in his heart. He simply avoided the brunt of the conflict and chose to endure for the time being. When everyone thinks you are a madman or a fool, you are not far from seeing the truth.

Many people would try to argue their case before Lord Campbell, but without exception, they were all beaten bloody by his massive economic monopoly. Because these people clearly became threats to Campbell, and when your very existence is a threat, any explanation becomes powerless. In this way, Philip successfully preserved most of his property.

One could say Philip was an old fox, but when he learned that his long-time friend Marcus was still alive, he gave everything he had to fund the Pope’s Resistance. As Christina arrived at his mansion, Philip naturally took care of her, but he was also leading the Knight Princess into Marcus’s “trap.” After all, he and Marcus had already communicated and exchanged information.

“Hello, Lord Philip. Seeing how beautiful the city under your rule is, we cannot help but admire your skill and ability.” Christina, performing a knight’s salute with one hand over her chest, did not hesitate to praise him as her first words upon entering Philip’s office.

“Knight Princess, you’ve had a long journey. You’ve worked hard. There’s no need to be so formal. Given the long friendship between your father and me, it’s fine if you call me Uncle Philip.” Upon meeting, Philip immediately began talking about family matters to close the distance between them. “I am deeply saddened by what happened to your father. I often sigh in grief late at night. However, it is wonderful to see you again after a year. If your father could see you now, he would be incredibly proud.”

In fact, Philip had already started acting. He had just met Marcus a few days ago. Christina’s father passing away? That didn’t exist.

“Thank you for your concern, Uncle Philip. We would like to stay at your mansion for a while; we might be a bother. Of course, we still have important matters to attend to. You are also aware of the Pope’s temperament.”

The Pope’s temperament? Philip was certainly aware. Through the intelligence provided by Marcus, he already knew the Pope had become something neither human nor ghost. What he could do now was naturally help the Pope’s Resistance with all his might, assist Marcus, and rescue the God Race.

“Christina, feel free to ask for anything. If I can help you, I will certainly spare no effort!” Philip said, gesturing to the Knight Princess and her followers. “You and your attendants have worked hard today. Just choose any room in my mansion to rest. The baths will be open exclusively for you this evening. Treat this place as your own home.”

“Thank you, Uncle Philip. May Goddess Phebeilia bless you.”

—

Christina gladly accepted Philip’s proposal. After a sumptuous dinner in the evening, they took a short walk through Hollywood Town and returned to prepare for an early bath.

Large Roman-style baths seemed to be popular on this continent. The Resistance headquarters’ bath had been converted from a natural hot spring, while the bath at Philip’s mansion collected water flowing from Black Flame Mountain. In this early May weather at the start of summer, the stream water was not cold, and it was enough for Christina and her personal guards to relieve their stress.

The local specialty of Hollywood Town, sea salt shampoo, was very popular among the noble girls in the city, and Philip had naturally prepared it for this team of beautiful girls. Compared to ordinary shampoo, this specialty sea salt shampoo was refined using magical technology, with natural sea salt crystals or extracts as the core ingredients. It could provide a deeper clean, had a significant oil and dandruff control effect, and could also volumize the hair at the roots.

Christina washed her body and wrapped herself in a bath towel, but as she used the specialty shampoo, her mind was full of a thousand thoughts.

‘The Pope seems to be hiding something. The last meeting felt like he was treating me too much like an outsider. Why didn’t I even get a chance to observe his illness up close?’

‘Sela Temple is basically an abandoned temple, already in ruins. It’s not like the Pope hasn’t explored it before, and he still came up empty-handed…’

‘Should I just take things one step at a time, or blindly follow the Pope? I really don’t understand… Father… tell me what to do next…’

—

“Pfft — Lady Christina, look in the mirror quickly!” Catherine said, stifling a laugh. She really was about to lose it.

Christina, who had been rubbing her hair continuously, now had a head full of shampoo foam, looking as if a massive white afro wig were covering her head.

“Haha, watch this, Lady Christina! Don’t you dare dodge!” Putting her mischievous thoughts into action, Catherine picked up a large basin of water and splashed it at Christina in a wide arc.

The water washed away the towel on Christina’s body, revealing a large expanse of skin as white as frost or snow, her slender waist and jade-like body completely exposed. Her hair was finally washed clean, but her beautiful golden hair, which usually looked like golden silk, was now messily draped over her face and shoulders without any sense of beauty.

—

The dignity of the Knight Princess was completely gone. Forget it — Christina thought about just letting go for today.

“Catherine, right here, right now! I challenge you to a duel!”

With that, Christina also picked up a large basin of water and splashed it toward Catherine. Subsequently, the rest of the personal guard members joined in this “Water-Splashing Festival” battle. It seemed that Philip’s bathhouse would need a thorough cleaning tomorrow.

—

The Knight Princess once again revealed a wide-mouthed laugh that hadn’t been seen before. The entire bathhouse was filled with the sounds of girls playing and frolicking.