Chapter 102: The Duke Line

Naimi Xisi stood among the crowd, a stiff smile on his face, and beside him Keli Te sensed his unease and couldn't help lifting the corner of his mouth.

Prince Lei En spread his hand wide and announced the start of the ball, the crowd regaining a lively atmosphere, though many still stared curiously at Naimi Xisi, and even several nobles were willing to risk a "warm face on a cold butt" to approach the newcomer whom Prince Lei En regarded as extremely important.

Unfortunately, Prince Lei En did not give them that chance; he hurried down the stairs, enthusiastically grabbing Naimi Xisi and saying, "Lord Naimi Xisi, let us go to the second floor for a chat; the old duke wishes to meet you."

For Juan Ce Long, escaping the noisy crowd was a blessing; he fell in step with Prince Lei En, and along the way Keli Te continued to brief him on who the so‑called "old duke" was.

The Yinbu Tu Kingdom has three dukes in total: one is Prince Lei En of royal birth, another is the "Eagle of the Kingdom" old duke Jiawen Shidi Jia.

"What about the third?" Naimi Xisi asked curiously.

From not far away a hoarse voice said, "That one? He chooses to stay neutral, as always with his mouse nature."

Naimi Xisi looked over and saw the inscrutable man himself, Jiawen Shidi Jia.

Duke Jiawen smiled and greeted the youth, "I never expected, Lord Juan Ce Long, that you could fuse Arcane Power with Mana."

Naimi Xisi raised an eyebrow; sensing his own Mana, he realized the other was also a formidable Psychic Sorcerer, no wonder a Psychic Ability blocked his probing.

Beside them Prince Lei En sighed at Jiawen's taunt, "Lu Hansen knows that even if we have the advantage, the Throne has nothing to do with him, so he naturally avoids getting involved. His staying neutral and not allying with the Queen is already enough for us."

It turned out to be Prince Lu Hansen; Naimi Xisi suddenly realized Lu Hansen is also a member of the Yinbu Tu royal family, cousin of Sheng Delisi, reputed to be a debauched gambler living in luxury, yet possessing excellent business acumen, holding shares in most of Yinbu Tu Kingdom's famous enterprises.

But aspiring to be king, those alone are useless; in the Feren supernal society, to become a nation‑level leader the most basic requirement is personal strength, otherwise assassination by other supernal beings cannot be avoided even with close protection.

"Lord Naimi Xisi," Duke Jiawen said solemnly, "I know Lai Aorui Er has already approached you today; that old fox must have asked you to join their faction, right?"

Naimi Xisi nodded indifferently; there was no need to hide it, and it might even prompt the other side to raise their offer, since his internal balance now leaned toward Prince Lei En's camp, which includes a 17th‑level Melee Combatant and the unknown‑rank Psychic Sorcerer Duke Jiawen.

By contrast, the royal house that only has Lai Aorui Er is at a disadvantage; unless the old king appears, their high‑end combat power is unlikely to match Prince Lei En's.

As for the old king's appearance, that was a joke; now that he's shown up, who would dare rebel?

"I wonder how the Knowledge Church behind you is weighing this," Duke Jiawen asked casually.

Naimi Xisi curled his lip, "Here we go."

What capital does he have to lure the top Yinbu Tu nobles into a scramble? Strength? No, a young dragon alone isn't enough to earn such attention.

Wealth? Even less likely; the idea of making a fortune by slaying dragons is something a fool wouldn't even consider.

Merit? Not that Naimi Xisi is cynical, but he doubts the nobles would be genuinely kind; they merely wish to repay him for rescuing Degeng City.

Only the status of Divine Favored remains; to mortals, deities perched among the heavens are always their focus. A giant dragon isn't rare, but one blessed by the suspected gods Selennye and Ougema is extraordinary.

Even now Naimi Xisi doesn't know that after his fame spread, many powerful mages cast Divination spells to gather information on him, for a knowledgeable, blood‑strong Juan Ce Long is the experimental material most mages dream of.

But Ougema's protection has shattered countless mages' Divination crystal balls, leaving them pained and too afraid to continue probing.

As a mighty deity, Ougema's followers wield considerable power on the Feren Continent; not to mention, the Knowledge Sanctuary called "Candle Fortress" on the southwest coast has gathered the footprints of almost every powerful mage in the world.

Within Candle Fortress are archived almost all books of the Feren Continent, continuously collecting foreign knowledge, and any Spell Model existing on the continent can be found in its original pages there.

Just this building alone houses a great number of powerful practitioners who worship Ougema, day and night seeking the path of knowledge in tranquility.

Although there is no Knowledge Church near Yinbu Tu or Sai Er, on the western coast Ougema's worship is thriving; Duke Jiawen now assumes that Juan Ce Long's actions are seeking collaborators for the Knowledge Church behind him.

The Queen, or Prince Lei En, the victor, must bring Ougema's faith into the Yinbu Tu Kingdom.

Having read the other's mind, Naimi Xisi does not intend to explain; the Knowledge Church's might is of no drawback to him, and he can even wield its banner to intimidate.

"Under the Crown of the Knowledge God, no deity will interfere with my actions; if needed, I trust that in my prayers the gods will have the Knowledge Church cooperate with me." Naimi Xisi said confidently, feeling a strange sensation, as if he were flaunting his favor. "Whatever, it's all Ougema's own doing, I'm not to blame."

Moreover, his actions also benefit Ougema; isn't the nearly million‑strong human faith in Yinbu Tu fragrant? Even if only one percent become devout, that's ten thousand people! Duke Jiawen was very pleased with Naimi Xisi's reply, and Prince Lei En also breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that the Juan Ce Long was merely bragging and both men thought they had secured the Knowledge Church as a backing.

Naimi Xisi enjoyed their misunderstanding, for soon Duke Jiawen and Prince Lei En requested cooperation, hoping to have him join them; the more capital, the greater the reward.

"The ducal title." Naimi Xisi extended a finger and pointed at Keli Te behind him.

"I want your promise to grant the Rosa family a ducal title."

Keli Te's eyes widened. "Duke? Master, you want me to jump from count straight to duke? That's absurd." Prince Lei En's expression also darkened at Naimi Xisi's demand; after all, the Yinbu Tu Kingdom has only one non‑royal duke, Jiawen Shidi Jia, and each additional non‑royal duke destabilizes the throne.

But there was no choice; they coveted Juan Ce Long's aid, and after a glance they both nodded.

After Prince Lei En agreed, he immediately issued a divine oath, but the greedy Naimi Xisi would not stop there; the ducal title is his groundwork for later controlling Yinbu Tu Kingdom. In this human‑dominated world, as a giant dragon he cannot force a kingdom's surrender by brute force—that would be suicide, inviting hordes of Dragon Slayers.

But Keli Te is different; she is a pure human, and using her to manipulate Yinbu Tu Kingdom is feasible.

This request is for the future, yet Naimi Xisi also made a wish concerning the present.

"You want my cultivation manual? Or a large supply of ability stones?" Duke Jiawen raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but soon agreed; after all, it's knowledge he already mastered, and gaining a powerful ally is well worth it.

"Very well, in that case, I accept." Naimi Xisi replied satisfactorily.

After the business was concluded, the four's atmosphere relaxed considerably, and they turned to other topics. Curious, Naimi Xisi asked Prince Lei En whether he knew about the vampiric offshoots in the small towns, but received a negative answer.

"What? Almost every village has those disgusting vampire things? Not those damned Sai Er mages again!" Prince Lei En's face twisted with disgust, then he waved his hand, promising to send people to investigate and deal with the vampires.

"Speaking of that, you haven't settled on an inn yet, Naimi Xisi; why not stay at my place for a few days? I'll have my servants procure the most spacious villa for you within two days."

Naimi Xisi gladly accepted; he didn't want to stay in those inns any longer. — Living in the prince's manor, Naimi Xisi was very comfortable, and Lai Aorui Er in the palace no longer sent him letters; clearly, the other side had deduced Naimi Xisi's stance from this move.

Naimi Xisi paid no mind, leisurely cataloguing his recent gains, first the Spellbook of Shi Naide, a 13th‑level Plastic Energy practitioner, which greatly expanded his Plastic Energy spell list.

He has already mastered all 1‑5 ring spells, and the 6‑7 ring spells he sorted together with the royal‑gifted sixth‑ring Spellbook for future study.

Among them, the 1‑7 ring Plastic Energy spells are: 1st‑ring 【Thunder Wave】; 2nd‑ring 【Flame Orb】 【Hydrostatic Orb】; 3rd‑ring 【Summon Lightning】 【Flash Blast】 【Daylight】 【Missile Storm】; 4th‑ring 【Ice Storm】 【Wall of Fire】 【Roar】 【Radiant Splendor】 【Stone Sphere】 【Thunder Spear】; 5th‑ring 【Message】; 6th‑ring 【Chain Lightning】 【Trigger】 【Ice‑Fire Storm】 【Solar Flare Ray】; 7th‑ring 【Delayed Explosive Fireball】 【Bigby's Grasp】 【Rainbow Eye】 【Rainbow Jet】 【Mage's Sword】 【Burning Stone Mist】.

As for the remaining sixth‑ring spells, excluding those overlapping with the Plastic Energy, Conjuration, and Divination systems and those essentially the same as Shi Naide's Spellbook, the following spells remain.

Abjuration: 【Anti‑Magic Field】 【Advanced Dispel Magic】 【Spell‑Nullifying Barrier】 【Copper Wall Iron Barrier】 【Advanced Teleportation Precognition】.

Enchantment: 【Ice‑Seal Gaze】.

Illusion: 【Eternal Phantasm】 【Dreamforge】.

Necromancy: 【Soul‑Capture Gaze】 【Sand Covenant Death Pact】 【Bone‑Shatter】.

Transmutation: 【Lesser Dragon Form】 【Boiling Mud】.

These two Spellbooks greatly enriched Naimi Xisi's spell repository, but also consumed much time; by the time he finished cataloguing the knowledge, nearly half a month had passed.

As for the cultivation manuals of Psychic Ability, he hasn't even had time to start reading them; training Mana progresses slower than spells, and Duke Jiawen's power also astonished him—a 14th‑level Psychic Sorcerer!

His manual is filled with abstract mad ramblings; Naimi Xisi estimates he'll need at least a year to fully comprehend all the Psychic Ability within this dense guide, and he even senses that merely understanding it could raise his Psychic Sorcerer rank by one.

He looked forward to it, not forgetting his one‑year pact with Miss Shana of the Anmu Empire; greater power is needed to let him earn more wealth on the new continent surrounded by wolves.

He put away the Spellbook, Naimi Xisi stretched lazily, and as usual took out thirty gems from his spatial bag, tossed them into his mouth like chewing candy beans, crunch—crunch as he crushed and swallowed them, feeling his stomach heat up like a furnace; after absorbing the gems' magic, he was satisfied and stepped out the door.

Today is the day arranged with Prince Lei En; a few days earlier, the prince eagerly sent a letter to the Knowledge Church on the West Coast, declaring that Ougema‑protected Juan Ce Long had joined them, and also stating the conditions that, after cooperation, they would introduce the Knowledge Church's faith.

Naimi Xisi was baffled, not knowing how the Knowledge Church would respond; the Grand Archbishop of the Knowledge Church was equally baffled. After receiving the letter, he felt inexplicably that a Divine‑favored Juan Ce Long had privately struck a deal with the Prince of Yinbu Tu, with the condition of introducing the Knowledge Church.

He inexplicably felt as if he were being used.

But the Divine Decree later issued by Ougema left him even more stunned; the master who had long hidden himself from believers, granting only Divine Spell, personally gave the order for the Knowledge Church to cooperate with the proselytizing mission of the Juan Ce Long named Naimi Xisi.

Uh. The Grand Archbishop had vaguely heard rumors that the boss above him was an incurable Juan Ce Long fanatic, but he had always scoffed at such absurd gossip.

Please! How could the noble God of Knowledge possibly be obsessed with a great dragon?

But Ougema's actions now made him see more clearly: beneath the solemn exterior that seeks knowledge lies an incurable Juan Ce Long fanatic.

Otherwise, how could such a bewildering Divine Decree be issued? The Yinbu Tu Kingdom is separated from the Knowledge Church's headquarters on the West Coast by an entire vast desert, and, as a foreign deity, the worship of the God of Knowledge is heavily rejected by the native gods gathered in north‑central Frelen; the difficulty of proselytizing is, indeed, a case of double the effort for half the result.

Nevertheless, helplessly, no matter how many drawbacks, the boss has spoken; what can the Grand Archbishop do?

He could only issue an order overnight, sending an honored bishop immediately to Yinbu Tu to discuss proselytizing matters.

Sorry, these two are attending a wedding, too busy to update, only four thousand characters left (end of chapter).