Chapter 104: Let Him Go Forth to Forge Great Deeds (13)

Night.

The lord's master bedroom.

Although the lord's longhouse construction methods are far behind the times, the large‑scale use of tempered clay has led to many renovations, making the longhouse much more comfortable to live in than before.

In the brand‑new large canopy bed at the center of the bedroom, within the hidden space separated by heavy curtains, Selena once again lies face‑to‑face with her dear friend.

"Oh~~ I feel like I'm dreaming right now."

"Three months ago, I was full of hesitation, not knowing which direction the future would take."

"Three months later, my heart is more steady than ever, and everything is thriving."

Selena says softly, her tone a little hazy.

Anna, Lady Agneth watches the contented Selena, yet feels an inexplicable pang of bitterness inside.

Of course not out of jealousy, but because she recalled her own life.

This makes her let out a light sigh, a trace of loneliness appearing on her face.

Selena senses it, immediately realizing she's touched her friend's sore spot, and says, "Anna, I'm sorry, I was so happy I overlooked your feelings."

Anna shakes her head, "No need to apologize, that's my own problem."

After composing herself, she says softly, "Selena, has Luosen told you about his plans?"

"He's said a bit and often talks with me, but although the fief isn't large, the affairs are extremely complicated; I even feel there's more to handle here than in Dawn City."

"Moreover, countless new things and situations keep popping up; I often feel dizzy from hearing about them, so I simply grow lazy to deal with them."

"I'm not talking about that; I mean, did he tell you why he's doing all this?"

Selena freezes for a moment, thinks it over carefully, and a hint of uncertainty appears on her face.

"He… maybe—no, he probably wants to overthrow my brother."

"Although he never said it outright, it sounds absurd, but I of course know his intention, because I think the same way in my heart."

She pauses, and a look of anger flashes on Selena's face.

"I'm extremely disappointed in my brother; I think he only knows how to toy with people's hearts and wield power, but doesn't know how to use that power to change Weilan's destiny!"

"He has an indescribable flattery toward Aaron."

"He always says Aaron is powerful, that Weilan is too weak to resist. He always praises Aaron's beauty, calling him the capital of arcane wisdom, the source of civilization, the alliance leader, and thinks it's natural that Weilan is manipulated by Aaron."

"But everyone has one mind and two hands, and the magical energy drawn from the Four-ring is equally pure. On what grounds is Aaron's every fart fragrant, while Weilan's even speaking loudly is a sin?"

"Anyway, he doesn't deserve to be Weilan's lord!"

Anna understands, and wholeheartedly agrees.

She asks back, "Then do you intend to become Weilan's lord?"

Selena is taken aback by the question, but immediately shakes her head; a hint of dejection appears on her beautiful, delicate face: "Obviously, I'm not fit to be one either."

"The world has already changed, and it's changing extremely fast; I… I can't keep up."

"I once thought a Four-ring Master would possess a sufficiently powerful soul to handle such rapid change, but after I truly ascended to Four-ring, I discovered the Four-ring is still mortal."

"It's like an anthill; I grew from a tiny ant into a slightly larger ant, but I'm still an ant."

Anna nods slightly, "I feel the same way."

"Don't even mention confronting the great forces of nature, or the kingdom's power, or even the might of a powerful baron lord; arcane power is negligible."

She pauses, then says softly, "So, arcane practice is only personal cultivation; only by becoming a lord can one possess true great power."

Selena sighs lightly, "But being a lord isn't that easy to become."

"It's one thing to inherit the ancestral glory as a steward‑lord; even without ability, one can still be a lord by following one's parents' example."

"But in today's era, being a lord is far too difficult. Without enough ability, the outcome would be tragic; a family's bankruptcy would be the mildest case."

As she says this, Selena recalls Count Robert; if her husband hadn't happened to save him once, his days would surely be miserable now.

Anna listens quietly, then says, "So you actually know in your heart that if this continues, the one who will become Duke of Weilan will be him, not you."

"Of course, he could be your regent minister, but I'm afraid that won't truly satisfy him, because a regent minister has many nominal constraints and can't handle real major affairs."

Selena remains silent for a long time, then lightly nods, "Exactly, I'm mentally prepared."

Speaking of this, she gently places a hand over her lower abdomen, feeling the growing life force inside, a maternal glow appearing on her face.

"Since he likes it and has enough ability, let this father go forth to create great deeds for future generations to emulate."

"A wise thought."

Anna lifts her hand and gently strokes her close friend's cheek.

"You've grown a lot since before; you were once a modest maiden, now you're a mature woman."

Selena smiles, also lifts her hand to caress Anna's cheek, feeling the skin smoother and warmer than before.

"Anna, the power of an Arcane Master is ultimately useful; you look many years younger and even more beautiful now."

Anna gives a forlorn smile, "What's the use of beauty? No one appreciates it."

Selena suddenly feels a stir in her heart, a somewhat absurd idea emerging.

At first even she was startled, but quickly she thought the idea wasn't that absurd after all.

After all, this is just a private matter between them; just keep outsiders from knowing.

So she leans close to Anna's ear, gently whispers her idea, but halfway through, she already gives Anna a huge fright.

"Selena, how could you have such a thought?"

"No, no, no, absolutely not, this won't do!"

Anna keeps shaking her head.

Selena, however, knows her close friend very well, especially since she herself has already gone through all of life's major events; subtly looking at Anna, she feels a slightly superior, overlooking sense.

This is the complete opposite of the past. At the same time, the Arcane Master's magical cultivation also grants her enough sensitivity.

So she faintly feels that this best friend isn't actually as opposed as she verbally claims.

Her refusal was mainly due to the constraints of secular morality, not a deep-seated disgust from within.

Then she giggled: "Anna, you'd better think it through—this is the most generous I'll ever be. If you refuse now, you won't be allowed to regret it later."

Anna's cheeks flushed 'peng' and her heart went 'thump-thump', but the darkness did a good job hiding her secret change.

"Selena, I don't know what to say. I."

For a moment, she was somewhat at a loss for words.

Selena understood, gave a light smile: "Wait here, I'll go call him quietly."

"Don't!"

Anna hastily reached out and grabbed Selena's hand.

"Huh?"

Selena turned her head and gave her close friend a teasing look.

Even with the darkness covering them, she still felt the other's warm body, so she leaned in again to the ear and chuckled: "Back at the Blue Whale Mansion, you taught me. Now it's my turn to repay you, Anna."

Saying that, she gently pried open Anna's fingers, and the latter offered no resistance, letting her fingers be moved aside one by one.

At some point, Selena left.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps came from outside the curtains, and Selena slipped back in, but she did not see Luosen's tall figure.

Just as Anna felt a bit disappointed, Luosen's voice came from outside the curtains: "Anna, if you agree, I'll come in."

He didn't call out "instructor", but used her name.

Anna said nothing, just lay still, but did not object.

Selena lay down again beside her close friend, reached a hand under the friend's nightgown and gave a feel, eliciting a soft gasp from the latter.

She giggled: "Luosen, come in—Anna's already ready."

Anna felt her friend had completely changed; she used to be far more reserved.

Selena sensed this and smiled: "Anna, I'm about to become a mother—I can't stay as reserved as a young girl."

As she spoke, the curtains were drawn back and a tall, sturdy figure strode in, but he did not act rudely; instead, he lay gently beside Anna.

She murmured softly: "Fate really is strange—come to think of it, the three of us seem to have gathered together many times before."

Upon hearing that, both women blinked slightly, then realized it was indeed true.

Before, we were apprentice, instructor, and princess, and gradually we became what we are now.

Anna relaxed considerably, suddenly recalling some past events, and then she noticed a clue.

"Selena, I just realized you've actually had your eye on Luosen all along, right?"

"Otherwise, how could it be that whenever Luosen runs into trouble, you just happen to show up as a guest at the Azure Green Manor?"

Selena giggled: "You've found me out."

"I not only paid attention to him, I also fantasized about marrying him, and thus I carefully looked into his fief's situation—but, for well‑known reasons, I naturally dare not speak of it."

"It's the Dange matter that made me finally resolve."

Luosen also realized: "No wonder."

No wonder he often felt the princess was a bit overly familiar with him, and no wonder she, though she could refuse marriage anytime, insisted on waiting until his ennoblement to quarrel with the duke.

Selena added: "All right, we'll have plenty of chances to chat later; let's get down to business first."

"Anyway, I can't enjoy myself now, but watching you have fun from the side is rather amusing."

While speaking, she deliberately lit a zero‑ring Shushu Deng.

"Luosen, I know Anna's days haven't been good—she constantly receives criticism and is often harassed by lovesick idiots."

"Since she's already borne the bad reputation, why bother clinging to meaningless purity?"

"Right, Anna?"

Anna's mindset also loosened up; she blushed and laughed: "Selena, you've turned bad."

Having said that, she took a deep breath, turned to Luosen, and said: "Since Selena doesn't care, neither do I."

Luosen cared even less.

He flicked his whip and galloped his horse wildly across the fertile fields.

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, Luosen rose early, went to the underground Magic Method Laboratory, and focused on researching the two newly acquired Six‑Rings spells.

This research nearly made him forget sleep and food, yet it yielded outstanding results.

On the fifth day, news came from the Sturgeon Dock.

"Knight Maxim's ship has arrived—with a whole batch of vessels, a full fifteen eagle‑beaked cargo ships!"

Luosen startled: "This scale is a bit big!"

He worried the money wouldn't be enough.

But then he thought, Knight Maxim is very understanding and also knows his own financial capacity.

Since he's already brought the refugees over, he must have worked out a payment method for himself.

So he just needs to wait patiently.

He might as well rest a bit.

These past few days, studying spells by day and reclaiming wasteland by night have worn him out.

(End of chapter)