Chapter 187: Arena

“I do not lack money, nor do I lack status, but spending my time alone in a large mansion all day truly does not bring me joy!” Diana poured wine into Yang Ling’s glass, and then into her own. She looked at him with such melancholy, Yang Ling wondered if she was testing him.

Yang Ling could smell the faint fragrance of Diana’s perfume. Observing her veiled form and fair skin, so close to his own, he knew that no matter how empty or lonely she felt, this mistress of the emperor would never confide her troubles to someone she had just met. The only explanation for this exchange was that she had an ulterior motive.

Could this all be a ploy?

Yang Ling could tell that something was wrong, but couldn’t quite determine her motives just yet. He remained expressionless, but wondered about her intentions in silence.

Harribell strode abruptly into the room. “I did not expect you two to be so familiar with each other so quickly!” she said, a sour note in her voice. Yang Ling wondered what that was about. Her face was smiling, but her demeanor was not.

“That’s right, Harribell, you have a good eye!” Harribell sat down. Diana smiled and walked toward her, and sat down opposite her, whispering, “This lad is a decent man, you must not miss this opportunity!”

Harribell had been busy settling affairs for Yang Ling ever since she returned from Wissen Town, and had frequently talked about the interactions she had with Yang Ling. Harribell had not sensed the changes in herself, but Diana, her good friend, had noticed her feelings shift.

Merchants value profit, and Harribell, as the master of the Boulade Merchant Association, was no exception. Otherwise, there was no way that she could improve on her family’s business. Even though the Magical Beast Territory that was growing beside the Terras Forest was expected to bring about great development, it was not worth all her time and energy.

In Diana’s eyes, the reason for Harribell helping Yang Ling at all costs was not as simple as a crystal mine or some resources. Diana had her own exceptional abilities, able as she was to transform from an ordinary small-time noble to the emporor’s preferred lover. She did not have to think too deeply to know that her good friend had fallen in love.

In order to test Yang Ling’s personality and see if he was as exceptional as her good friend Harribell had made him out to be, she had taken the opportunity to get close to him to see if he would be overcome by lust, as many other men would. In the end, he was much better than she had expected.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Harribell went straight to business, explaining the latest developments to Yang Ling in detail.

Harribell started out believing that the Banto Empire would have no choice but to recognize the sovereignty of the Magical Beast Territory, based on the various factors involved. She believed that the Banto Empire army’s defeat at Yang Ling’s hand further cemented it as fact. That win should have established Yang Ling as an independent leader. But she realized how wrong her assumptions were upon her return to Monston.

Even though the Waize family had been working hard to reason with the people, and where they couldn’t reason, asking for favors, the voices in the Banto Empire that called for an attack on the Magical Beast Territory rang loud and clear, and they were getting louder.

Through her multiple information sources, she finally understood what exactly was going on.

As it turned out, in order to assist Steve, who had fallen into some difficulty, the Banto Empire had sent out ten thousand Black Armor Guards. The company was made up of warriors loyal to the Waize family, as well as elites borrowed directly from the military.

The resource-rich Terras Forest was a treasure trove. The Waize family had had a head start, but Alfred, who was a high-ranking minister in the military, would not miss the opportunity to gain a share of the pie, and had sent his grandson to lead a team of their soldiers into battle. Nobody expected such a spectacular failure: not only did Alfred’s grandson fail to claim any part of the resources, he had died at the hand of Casey, who was guarding the Aila Mountain Pass.

Alfred was furious when he learned that his grandson had died at the Aila Mountain Pass, and he used all of his power to persuade the emperor of the Banto Empire to mobilize the army in an attempt to take revenge.

Having caught wind of all this, the Livenza Alliance made a delicate transition. The nobles that had supported Yang Ling decided perhaps it was better for them to remain neutral. The Terras Forest was indeed rich in resources, but not so rich to make it worth getting on the bad side of the powerful Banto Empire.

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Yang Ling understood then why there had been no good news from the Waize family all that long while. It seemed the matter was truly out of their hands, and not that they had decided Steve wasn’t worth their trouble. “Harribell, are there any reactions from the Rossi Empire?” The shift in theLivenza Alliance’s stance was understandable, but the stance of the Rossi Empire should not have changed, given that they were mortal enemies of the Banto Empire.

Harribell smiled a small, tight smile. “As soon as the Rossi Empire understood the situation, they didn’t hesitate to lend their support. They assembled an army at the border, and they kept their word, reserving the largest crystal mine for us.”

That might have been the only good news in a sea of bad. Even if the likelihood of the Rossi Empire getting into a major conflict with the Banto Empire for the fate of the Magical Beast Territory was low, at least the crystal mine that they had spent so much effort on was finally theirs.

Seeing Yang Ling crease his brows, Harribell naturally understood his worry. She looked to Diana. “Even though it is a little shaky, the official stance of the Livenza Alliance is not yet finalized. The crux lies in the choice that our emperor makes. If there are no setbacks, the emperor will only make his decision after his birthday banquet. There are still chances for us to ask for favors!”

Yang Ling could tell that Harribell had run herself haggard, exhausting her energy on his matters. He knew that if she had been able, she would have long since settled all of Yang Ling’s matters. The only course of action they had now was to rely on the help of the emperor’s lover, Diana.

The trio spoke some time longer, discussing opinions and details. Then, refusing Harribell’s invitation to stay, he rose and left, taking long strides. Though the situation was unfavorable to him at the moment, he was prepared, having made plans for the worst case scenario before even leaving for Monston.

Now that he had sufficient manpower and expert craftsmen, the speed at which the fortress was built at the Aila Mountain Pass would increase drastically. As long as he could defend the Aila Mountain Pass, the Banto Empire would be unable to attack his territory no matter how many soldiers they sent. The longer the situation dragged out, the more favorable it would be to him. If he could drag the situation out until he could harvest a crop of Black Pulp Melonst, the Aila Mountain Pass would become a truly impenetrable fortress!

When he returned to the small inn, Yang Ling decided to take Yuna and Orlando out with him for a walk, seeing as to how they had been cooped up in the room all day. There was no need for them to worry all day long even though it was a turbulent time in Montson. With their three abilities combined, they would be able to defend themselves.

Sitana City was magnificent, but it was a ramshackle village compared to Montson. The streets were lined with lavishly decorated shops. There were people going in and out of them, despite the ridiculous price tags on each and every item.

Some spent thousands of Purple Crystal Coins on the Essence Crystals of a Wind Wolf. Some spent tens of thousands of Purple Crystal Coins on an unremarkable magic staff… They were spending money like it was water!

Walking past a shop selling crystal ores, inspiration struck Yang Ling when he saw a small Diamond-like crystal ore displayed in the window. He walked in quickly and asked for its price.

“I’m sorry, this is a second-grade Crystal Diamond, and its price cannot be measured using Crystal Coins. It is the only item in our shop that is not for sale!” cried the attendant when Yang Ling asked. Seeing that Yang Ling and his group did not seem to be great nobles, the attendant turned his attention elsewhere.

A second-grade Crystal Diamond was a premium crystal ore just one tier below a Crystal Diamond, and had unimaginable benefits to a Spellcaster’s training. Its value was far greater than anyone could imagine. One might not be able to find very many second-grade Crystal Diamonds even in Montson, and only this rich crystal ore shop could use a second-grade Crystal Diamond to advertise themselves.

Yang Ling fell silent and stared at the incandescent, second-grade Crystal Diamond nestled in a box made from Purple Sandalwood. He then made his way around the shop once, and then left. He wanted to gain an understanding of the market as preparation for the large-scale crystal ore sales in the future. If a second-grade Crystal Diamond was this precious, then the value of the Crystal Diamond in his Space Ring would be far greater than that.

Just as he was walking past a massive weapons shop and was prepared to look inside, Yuna said in excitement, “Brother Yang! I felt the aura of my clansmen straight ahead. Let’s go, quick!”

Could there really be Heavenly Foxes on the Tailun Continent?

Yang Ling and Orlando followed the excited Yuna closely, both feeling doubtful. Even though the legends said that all of the Heavenly Foxes on the continent had migrated to a faraway, mysterious continent abroad, the Tailun Continent was immensely vast, and no one could guarantee that a small tribe of Heavenly Foxes did not stay on.

Compared to ordinary Beastmen, the Heavenly Foxes possessed powerful battle capabilities. They would acquire exceptional abilities unique to their race when evolved to a certain extent. They could quickly grasp various terrifying magic, rapidly increase the power of their Magical Illusory Spell Formatons… Subduing a tribe of Heavenly Foxes is definitely more profitable than taming a team of Magical Beasts for his Magical Beast army!

Yuna frequently stopped in her tracks, trying to capture the aura left behind by her clansmen. After some slow going, the three of them stumbled upon a magnificent building. Waves of exclamation and shouting came from within from time to time.

“Welcome to the Black Dragon Arena! This way please!” cried a middle aged man in a dark robe. He approached them quickly. Yang Ling wondered if their garb had tipped the man off, being different from the local stuff. But as luck would have it, the man had seen Yang Ling’s space ring, and so knew they were three respectable guests.