Chapter 148: Passionate Release

Lei En walked to the Violet House; on the way he saw the earthquake damage to the Silver Star District, which had basically already been repaired.

All the ruins were cleared, and the people's faces regained their former confidence.

If it weren't for many places still under reconstruction, it would be hard to believe that just a few weeks ago this place was a scene of apocalyptic disaster.

Lei En sighed inwardly, time truly is the best medicine for healing wounds.

Of course, behind this also cannot be separated from the contribution of the Silver Star Duke, who dispatched his Wizards to reshape the terrain, rescue the dying, and poured massive funds into rebuilding homes, so people could emerge from the disaster more quickly.

Lei En entered the Violet House and found Viola absent.

The shop's staff told him that Viola had recently been busy with matters of the Silver Star Record Company, and only in the mornings would she come to the Violet House to sit for two hours.

The Record Company was founded in the Los District, originally a Kai Nieji mechanical factory.

Lei En did not go to look for Viola, but returned to the Wei Ge Manor.

Not until after eight o'clock in the evening did Viola return home, hearing the female steward Abigail say that Lei En had already come back, and she hurried up to the third floor.

Lei En was reading a book; when he saw her enter, a smile appeared on his face.

Viola, dressed in a simple long dress, first showed surprise in her eyes, then, with a hint of complaint, said, "Lei En, when did you return, why didn't you send someone to inform me?"

Lei En smiled lightly, without answering.

He stood up, spread his arms, and Viola happily rushed forward, embracing him tightly.

Smelling the fragrance on the Half-elf's body and feeling her graceful figure, Lei En felt a calm within, enjoying this beautiful moment.

After a long while, the two separated.

Lei En could tell that Viola was in a good mood, not solely because he had returned, but also due to her successful business; she beamed, radiating confidence outward.

Sure enough, before he could ask, Viola exclaimed excitedly, "We succeeded!"

"The first batch of five hundred Phonographs sold out in half a day. Mr. Kai Nieji had the factory work at full capacity; the second batch of over a thousand Phonographs just hit the market and were also bought up entirely."

"I conducted market research today; now in Longshande, everyone knows about Phonographs, many groups are queuing to purchase, even willing to pay high prices just to get one earlier."

"Including the surrounding cities of Longshande, we can sell at least ten thousand Phonographs."

"According to your idea, we first sell Phonographs, then shift focus to selling records; at the current price, each Phonograph buyer purchases at least five records, and in just over ten days, many customers have asked us for more records."

"A few days ago, when I prayed to the Longhaired Lady, I even received a response; the Lady was very satisfied with the Phonograph's effect."

"Lei En, you truly are a genius!"

Hearing this, Lei En was not surprised; the Phonograph boom was entirely within his expectations, and this was only the beginning.

It is projected that within a year, the Phonograph's sound will spread across the Empire, even throughout most of Ai Lun E Si.

It now depends on whether the Silver Star Record Company's production capacity can keep up.

Lei En was about to speak, but saw Viola gazing affectionately at his face, lifting her head to give him a hot, lingering kiss.

The stunning beauty threw herself into his arms; of course he would not refuse.

The two soon spoke frankly with each other.

Although Lei En had seen Viola's beautiful body many times and had touched her countless times, each time she appeared before him, he would utter sincere praise.

It was more beautiful and moving than any scenery in the world.

Then came the surge of blood.

In the bedroom, the scenery was romantic; Lei En's passion was fully released, the Half-elf's eyes were also hazy, the two nestled at the head of the bed, later speaking their own words.

After a long period of ear‑to‑ear whispering, Viola suddenly remembered something.

"Do you know? Ga Luo Wei Na is dead."

Her tone was inexplicably relaxed, even a bit cheerful, her eyes fixed on Lei En as if trying to read something from his face.

Lei En pretended to be very surprised, "When? How did he die?"

"Just three days ago." Viola's eyes showed some doubt, "Someone broke into Ga Luo Wei Na's Berk Castle, killed him within five minutes, along with almost all the super‑humans in the castle, then fled."

"When the Secret Fire Guard's Wizards arrived, they saw no culprit; they tracked for over ten li along the riverbank and then lost the trail."

"Based on the castle's situation, the culprit is highly likely a legendary great swordsman."

"Legendary great swordsman?" Lei En smiled inwardly; when he stormed into Berk Castle, he intentionally used no spells nor a war hammer, deliberately misleading investigators.

The only clue lay on Inok's corpse; he had been briefly paralyzed by thorny electric armor, possibly leaving an extremely subtle trace.

Now it seems the Secret Fire Guard did not notice, and his misdirection was very successful.

He showed a surprised expression on his face: "How could Ga Luo Wei Na offend a legendary great swordsman?"

"I don't know; the Secret Fire Guard still has no conclusion." Viola shook her head, pressed her face against Lei En's chest, and whispered, "No matter who did it, I thank them; with Ga Luo Wei Na dead, no one can compete with me for the Winter Count anymore, and I won't let anyone harm me again."

Lei En hugged her tightly, recalling the conversation he heard outside Berk Castle.

Ga Luo Wei Na is indeed dead, but what about Feilis!

That woman bears a deep hatred toward Viola, possessing both strength and background, not as easy to eliminate as Ga Luo Wei Na.

He must find an opportunity to remind Viola to be careful.

However, Viola is now a Divine Chosen, a seventh‑rank Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard; this is not ParrasFloatingCity, so Feilis would find it very difficult to strike.

He thought for a moment and asked, "What is the Duke's reaction to this matter?"

"His Grace the Duke is very angry, but cannot find the culprit nor a solution," Viola replied, "After Ga Luo Wei Na's death, the assets he managed for the family will soon be redistributed. I have already proposed to the Duke that we take over that River Transport Company, restructure it, and use it as a sales channel for the Record Company, pushing Phonographs throughout the Empire."

Lei En couldn't help but glance at her; her reasoning was solid, actually also testing the Silver Star Duke.

If the Silver Star Duke agrees, it would effectively mean that Viola will be appointed as the Winter Count. Now that Phonographs are so popular with limitless prospects, the Silver Star Duke will obviously not refuse.

"Then I must congratulate you in advance, Count." Lei En teased.

Viola beamed, modestly nodded, "Thank you, Baron Lei En."

"Ha ha…" Lei En laughed, almost forgetting that in a few more days he would also be appointed as a Baron on Divine Birth Festival.

Viola reminded, "You also need to be ready; the investiture ceremony will be handled by City Hall, and an etiquette officer will come to find you."

"By the way, have you decided on the family surname yet?"

Lei En was slightly startled, shook his head and said, "Not yet."

He wasn't particularly concerned about it; it was only a nominal baron title, and he didn't value it much. Yet for his family, having an official surname was extremely important.

Countless generations of commoners had to struggle for many years before they could affix a surname to their name; it was almost a lifelong pursuit for the common folk.

Lei En considered for a moment and made a decision.

The two lingered together for a long time, only embracing each other to sleep deep into the night. The next morning, Lei En meditated as usual, while Viola ate breakfast and then left.

After finishing his cultivation, Lei En finally rode his bicycle out.

For the next few days, Viola left early and returned late, extremely busy. Lei En also went out during the day to attend to his affairs; the two only met at night, indulging in passion.

At the entrance of the Kleidon Supernatural Academy, a carriage stopped.

"Sir, we have arrived," the coachman said respectfully, deftly opening the carriage door.

Dressed in formal attire, Lei En stepped out, gazing at the academy before him and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Though his memory held abundant details about the academy, today was his first visit.

As one of Longshande's three academies, Kleidon Academy was the weakest in strength, yet it had the largest enrollment, with most students coming from commoner backgrounds.

Lei En spent three unremarkable years here.

It was noon break time; many students came and went at the gate, casting curious glances at Lei En and the carriage.

"Stay here for a moment," Lei En instructed the coachman.

"Very well, sir."

Lei En nodded, entered the academy, and as he walked through the familiar grounds, fragments of memory rose to his mind, along with countless faces of former teachers and classmates.

On the way, he saw a few familiar silhouettes and recalled their names.

However, no one recognized him.

Lei En knew his transformation was so great that the old Lei En and the new one were practically two different people.

His soul had changed, and his body, fused with demonic soul, underwent a cataclysmic transformation.

Following the route from his memory, Lei En found the academy's dormitory district and casually stopped a few people beneath the apartment building to ask questions.

Those who saw him responded with a hint of awe, answering honestly.

Lei En obtained the information he sought, entered a training ground beside the dormitory area, and at a glance spotted a youth in the arena.

He was only sixteen or seventeen, his appearance somewhat resembled Lei En's, with handsome features and a pair of lively eyes.

The youth wielded a long sword, sparring with someone.

Lei En did not disturb them, patiently watching from a distance. The youth was practicing a set of "North Wind Sword Technique"; clearly a newcomer, yet he had already grasped the essence, executing it with form. Though his own strength was mediocre compared to his opponent, he suppressed the other with faster moves and secured victory.

He changed opponents several times in succession, and the youth won far more than he lost.

The sole loss was not due to poor swordsmanship, but because the physical disparity was so great that technique could not compensate.

If the two had comparable physical condition, the outcome would inevitably reverse.

Lei En watched the sweat‑drenched youth, nodded inwardly, and thought it no wonder his father Ba De had abandoned him and instead let Buli Saite join the academy.

Obviously, Buli Saite's talent surpassed his by a notch.

At least it was far higher than the former Lei En's; even the swordsmanship that his previous self excelled at was far inferior to Buli Saite's. After three years of training, his level was roughly comparable to Buli Saite's after only half a year.

Not to mention, Buli Saite also worked harder.

Through the eye of the soul, he saw that this sixteen‑year‑old youth's soul was considerably stronger than his peers', a clear manifestation of outstanding talent.

Such talent, within the entire Kleidon Supernatural Academy, might not belong to the very top tier, but could be considered first‑rate.

Yet it already far exceeds that of the overwhelming majority; with sufficient resources for cultivation, the chance of becoming a Transcendent is very high.

Certainly, the odds are greater than they were for the former Lei En.

Thinking this, Lei En walked over and called, "Buli Saite."

The youth heard someone call his name, turned to see Lei En, and froze for a moment, his eyes full of confusion. He scratched his head, then his complexion shifted, and, sounding incredulous, shouted, "Lei En?"

Lei En smiled and nodded.

"It's really you!" Buli Saite's eyes widened; he hurried forward a few steps, yet seemed hesitant to acknowledge.

The Lei En before him differed vastly from the big brother he remembered—physique, attire, demeanor, even his features had changed considerably.

Yet based on his appearance, one could still vaguely discern Lei En's original look.

Buli Saite had heard from Daixi Ya that his big brother Lei En had become a Transcendent, now serving as a Sheriff, and had sent him ten Gold Shields.

Daixi Ya said Lei En was different from before; he hadn't believed it earlier, but now that he sees Lei En, he knows Daixi Ya wasn't lying.

Lei En stepped forward, patted his younger brother's shoulder, and said, "Freshen up and come with me for a walk."

"Alright!"

Buli Saite's excitement surged; he handed his long sword to a classmate, sprinted back to the dormitory to wash up and change clothes.

When he went downstairs and saw Lei En waiting there, he still found it somewhat unbelievable and asked eagerly, "Where are we going?"

"You'll know once we arrive."

Lei En led him out of the academy, asking as they walked, "Are father and mother doing well at home?"

"All are fine," Buli Saite replied quickly. "I've already written to home, telling them you've become a Transcendent; they're very happy. However, father seems a bit skeptical. The letter asked me to go to the Public Security Bureau to check on your situation, but I thought I shouldn't disturb you, so I didn't go. If he could see how you look now, he certainly wouldn't doubt it."

"Lei En, how did you become a Transcendent?" Buli Saite asked, very curious and yearning.

Lei En smiled, "I met a very powerful friend; she helped me."

"Her?" Buli Saite immediately sensed important information.

"Hmm, you'll meet her later," Lei En said without elaborating. The two left the academy and boarded the carriage. On the carriage, Buli Saite grew even more excited; he realized his big brother's current status was high, not just an ordinary Transcendent.

The carriage rode for over ten minutes before finally entering a villa located in the Silver Star District.

(End of Chapter)