[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-city-of-desire-kingdom-building":3,"chapter-city-of-desire-kingdom-building-city-of-desire-kingdom-building-chapter-629":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","City of Desire [Kingdom Building]",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1846749,2449,"Chapter 631: The Blood II","city-of-desire-kingdom-building-chapter-629",629,"\u003Cp>Proofread By Thomas F\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ralis Thorn, Inam\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Thorn,\" greeted the old man as he entered inside. \"Lord Vanis,\" I replied and asked him to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, my lord,\" he thanked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what do you want to talk about?\" I asked. He asked for the meeting yesterday. He doesn't usually do that, and that made me worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is the second most important person in the city after me. The emotion essence his legacy provides helps the city tremendously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the emperor died. I kicked away the guardian and took control of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, 75% of emotion essence comes directly to me, while the other 25% goes toward the imperials. They want more, but they always want more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They even eye the good amount of essence I get from Silver. Those greedy bastards have no limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what do you want to talk about?\" I asked. \"Waning, it is coming. Soon than I had expected,\" he replied sombrely, and it shook my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is the worst news I could hope to hear. I still hope Vanis's Tavern will leap and become a throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought we have three to four years,\" I said, but the old man shook his head. \"A year at most before it entered the waning,\" he replied with a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the legacy enters the waning, it is over; its essence output will lower, and in a few years, it will die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could see the pain in the older man's eyes. It is far greater than mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don't want it to happen. It will affect the city and me tremendously. There are only two ways out: one is to advance to the throne, and the second is to become a pawn of the legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both are massive challenges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have no control over advancement, but I requested the emperor to make it a pawn of one of the throne legacies we had in the empire, but he rejected the request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing is, Vanis Tavern is a common legacy. Its size is average, and it does not have any special skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, its emotion scale is small. Making emotion essence output average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I can't let it die. I have to do something, and there is only one thing I can do: find a throne to make it a pawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was trying before, but now I will try hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barb Utsa\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's time,\" I said as I looked at the clock, took a couple of sips of twilight amber, and closed my eyes for a minute, enjoying the buzz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I opened my eyes, I got up from the chair and walked out. Tara was waiting for me. I didn't invite Gloria and Rexy; they didn't need to be there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They are not aware of the actual mission. If there is a fallout, I want to save them as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'How confident are you?' asked Tara. 'A little,' I replied. I would have been able to say it with confidence if I had a clear idea of his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, I do not. The last public duel he had was decades ago when he was young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rarely duels. It is said the master practices a few times a month and duels with the prince whenever he comes to Legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information states that he is not above Lv. 30, but I don't know what level his Duellist Class is or whether it has merged with his primary class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His main class, that is, connected to the legacy, is powerful. It is at the level of the Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, if he is closer to Lv. 30 like me, I will be at a significant disadvantage. My main class might give me the advantages of powerful attributes, but it could not compared to his primary class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also don't know what level his Dueller Class is; I hope it is not over Lv. 20.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is another disadvantage. I will be fighting with handicaps; I will not be able to breathe fire. We didn't talk about it, but I will not be breathing fire unless he uses spells, which he could not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have one advantage that he didn't: battle experience. I fought with my life on the line, which refined my combat style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, even if I only held a sword for barely a year. My real battle experience would help against someone who only fought the safe duels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duels can be dangerous, but his were not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was his parents' only child, the heir to the legacy. He was protected from the moment he was born; he had royal guards as protection, and he still has them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, I reached the villa. It is small compared to a palatial manor in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards let us in and led us to the back, where there was beautiful sparring ground by the cliff overlooking the turquoise sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aardwyn and Rylan are there, as is his mother, a beautiful woman with long raven hair. Three other people and four guards, all of them above Lv. 30, are also present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Aardwyn,\" we greeted with a bow, and the man smiled, to my surprise. Unlike yesterday, he seemed excited for the spar when there was a reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Miss Utsa, Miss Tara,\" he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's a beautiful practice place you have, my lord,\" I praised, and the man smiled. \"It is,\" he replied, looking at the turquoise sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, he turned to me with his face serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shall we?\" he asked. I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up a practice dueling rapier from the weapons rack while I picked the sword and the shield. They are excellently made and are better than any practice weapon I have held in my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We went to the sparring circle. It is made of blue tiles, which are enchanted with force absorption and other enchantments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we took our places on either side, the bald guard appeared in the middle of us. He was incredibly fast; I have only seen a few people move as fast as him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is standard spar. It will last for half an hour or till one party gives up,\" stated the bald man. Both of us nodded at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Begin,\" he said, and immediately, Aardwyn came at me, and he was fast, and his speed skill was unlike anything I had seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved like he was gliding on water. His movements are smooth, flexible, and fast, which isn't surprising since they are a skill from its main class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each skill has a feeling, but it doesn't give the sense of the combat class. It also didn't give a feeling of Lv. 30 and above, which relieved me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to move at him but didn't. Instead, I activated the Stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He appeared in front of me and swung his sword forward. He is fast, with a clean strike enhanced by the skills he had activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was relieved when I felt his combat skills; his Duellist Class is below level 20. Same as me with my Warrior Class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it had the advantage of the powerful attributes. I could already tell that makes his skill stronger than mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It will be a challenge for me to get what I want from him, but I have to—the survival of my home and my family dependent on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reacted immediately to its attack and moved my shield forward to defend against it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to dodge the shield, but I moved it to the path of his rapier. He might be fast, but I had fought the faster monsters; I knew how to keep myself guarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword clashed against the shield, and I felt the blow, but I bore it and attacked with my sword, Heavy Strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dodged the attack back before appearing to my left and attacking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once more, I moved my shield forward and defended against the attack, but he appeared behind me, attacking once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned fast and defended, and once more, he moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to activate the Madam's Grace to defend against the attack when he stopped to my right and attacked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved fast, never staying in one place for more than a moment and not giving me a chance to attack him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is a duelist who fights like one—using speed and precise strikes to keep me on the defensive. I wanted to do more than just defend, to counter his attacks, but I couldn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madam's Grace does not give me as much speed as his skill gives him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is likely at the same level in his main class as I am, but there is a difference in power between us. August Madam is a powerful class but not as powerful as the Lord Class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can't be hasty. I need to think about my goal, which is different from his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have no interest in winning the spar. I won't care if I get beaten badly. I will be fine as long as I get the things I need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would have been a little easier if we had fought with the actual weapons, but I could barely convince him to spar. I didn't think he would have agreed to a duel with a whore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A minute passed and then another. I kept my defense against his relentless attacks, not letting one pass through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't want to defend or attack, but I controlled my emotions and kept defending against the attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, I could see my defense was irritating him. He was making riskier and riskier moves and wanted to finish me as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't think I would be this difficult to defeat. I am, after all, a whore while he is a lord and master of legacy, no less. Not to mention, I am sent here by the man who he will have to fight for the fate of his legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he wants to defeat me, and every minute, he can't. This irritates him more and more until irritation gives birth to sparks of anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hugo says emotions can be the greatest tool and most significant weakness in the battle. The key is to control them, not be controlled by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was getting angry and irritated while I kept myself calm despite every passing minute making me worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are good, Miss Utsa,\" he praised, bringing a smile to his face and a skill that made me feel comfortable in his presence. \"Thank you, my lord,\" I replied, activating the Madam's Smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't say anything, but I felt him activating the skill. It made me so comfortable all over that I wanted to lie down and rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling is compelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Since he used such skill, I might as well use mine,' I thought and drank all the liquor I had stored in the Stored Gulps all at once. Feeling the familiar burning heat in my stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I did, I activated Lasting Buzz and Intoxicating Fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to use it earlier but feared the guard might stop the battle. However, seeing that over ten minutes had passed and he had used the skill, I could now use this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intoxicating Fragrance is a double-edged sword, as I need to be drunk to be able to use it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, people are more resistant to it than the monsters, but I have become quite good at using it against the monsters, and in the weeks in the sea, I have solely focused on practicing this skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, I hope. I am as good at fighting drunk as I believe myself to be, or it will end pretty quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I begin to get drunk fast. This is because I am using the liquor I produced through the skill Gut Liquor; I should be resistant to it, but I am not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It affects me, and it will affect my opponent just as severely if I keep it focused on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you gotten drunk, Miss Utsa?\" the man asked, surprised. So much so that he stopped attacking; the other looked just as surprised as him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's just a skill, my lord,\" I replied, and I could hear people muttering 'drunk whore,' 'whore will be a whore' under their breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the man didn't look pleased either, and when he attacked again, it was powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds passed, and I kept defending when his sword finally moved around the shield and came at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was fast. If it hits me, it will be game over for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am Drunk and could feel the effects of it, but that's nothing new, and so is the attack. That is why I instantly activated Madam's Grace and moved stumblingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To their surprise, I dodged the attack by less than an inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, he attacked again, and I moved my shield forward, but he was able to move his rapier around it and came at me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rip!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the blade touched, but not me. It touched the sleeve of my right hand as, once more, I dodged drunkenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attacks came, and I dodged each one drunkenly. People watched, shocked and stupefied, while the man got angrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that, I laughed. I hadn't meant to, but it slipped out. It only made him angrier—like I was mocking him. And, in a way, I was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the first big battle against the monsters, I completely embraced fighting drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is dangerous and foolish, but I am good at it. I practiced it for hours, both in Nakar and on the ship, and I gained more and more control over it despite it not seeming like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how unconventional, every combat style—even something as foolish as drunken fighting—requires practice to be perfected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A minute passed and then another. I dodged his attack while getting more drunk. At the same time, I kept Intoxicating Fragrance locked on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which is hard in this state, but I am managing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been a monster, they would have been affected now, but this man is resisting. It isn't a surprise; he has a class as powerful as Lord Class. Also, the skill I am using is Lv. 23, while his main class is higher level and powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would have been a great surprise if it had affected him, though it had started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don't need him as drunk as me. I need him enough to act on his emotions further; the liquor is very good at making that happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another minute passed, and I smiled to myself drunkenly. The man is fortunate; I had drank every bit of liquor I had stored in me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there had been some, I don't know whether I would be able to stop myself from breathing out at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this had been a life-and-death battle, I would have killed him within seconds with my fire. The man is blessed with powerful attributes but couldn't use them well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had, I would have ended the battle within a minute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes passed, and slight drunkenness covered his eyes. He is now attacking me wildly, using risky moves, while I dodged drunkenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even stopped putting my shield forward to defend, which seemed to make him even more angry, like I was showing off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another minute passed, and he attacked once more. He is getting closer than he should to attack me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An attack came like tens of them before it, and I moved to dodge, but this time, I dodged differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I moved to my left, with Madam's Grace, before shooting forward drunkenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was surprised, but despite that reacted fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't move back, instead putting a rapier forward to defend against my sword coming at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapons clashed, and I could feel slight relief in his eyes, but a moment later, his slightly drunk eyes widened when he saw the shield coming toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to dodge, but it was fast with the momentum of the speed skill and my newest skill of Warrior Class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BAM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud bam rang out as my shield crashed against his face hard with the power of Shield Bash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard the crunching of bones, and he stumbled back while I moved forward and put my sword on his neck before laughing drunkenly despite not wanting to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage burns in the man's eyes, and he raises his sword forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Miss Utsa, win,\" the guard declared, and the man stopped. Drunk as I am, I knew it was time to sober up and activate Hair of the Dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling that terrible headache that came with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, I wiped the blood from my shield with my sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief silence hung between us before Aardwyn turned to me. He had sobered somewhat—a skill in itself—but it did nothing to quell his anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're a damn good mercenary for a whore, Miss Utsa,\" he sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw Rylan's eyes widen, along with the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Aardwyn's adviser, a royal agent who acts as an unofficial guardian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for the praise, my lord,\" I replied with a smile and bow. Making the man even angrier, he opened his mouth but closed it as his adviser appeared before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe the spar has tired out both my lord and you, Miss Utsa. Why not take a warm bath in the bathhouse? It will wash away all your tiredness and make you feel rejuvenated,\" suggested the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are right, Adviser Flavius,\" I replied and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely got out of the circle when the spell's power covered me and wiped away all the sweat and grime, including the blood on my sleeve and shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the hidden alarm in Tara's eyes, but I smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I got the blood. It had touched the beautiful gemmed bracelet I am wearing. I felt the warmness from it, which meant I succeeded in the mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I got the blood of the master of Tranquill Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>August Madam Lv. 29\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warrior Lv. 18\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skill Gained: Feather's Grace]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap on Patreon below to read over 20 Advanced Chapters.Become aFree Memberand enjoy theCharacter Art, Maps, and other interesting things.\u003C\u002Fp>",3049,"2026-06-09T06:55:03.455Z",1,"novelbin.me","5caf4ec977b453894c2d55982a424f1b49304882feb2406a187282152d07dffa","city-of-desire-kingdom-building-chapter-630","city-of-desire-kingdom-building-chapter-628",917,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcity-of-desire-kingdom-building-cover.jpg"]