Work Prophet
Chapter 490 - 108 To Be Concluded

Chapter 490: Chapter 108 To Be Concluded

"Is the Earth Bear really that formidable?"

"He was already famous when he was still in the Royal Capital five years ago, and it’s said that since he turned twenty, no one has been able to defeat him," Claudio said.

"The Hercules that you defeated outside the Second Knight Corps’ camp the day before yesterday was very strong indeed, but he still falls far short compared with the Earth Bear.

"The leader of the First Knight Order’s sixth division, Steve, whose martial arts skills have always been powerful, a master even within the whole Royal Knight Order, lasted less than twenty moves against the Earth Bear before he was defeated.

"And that was the Earth Bear’s strength before he encountered the Priest of Cornelia. After drinking the Awakening Potion, he’s become even stronger, so much so that he’s transcended the understanding of ordinary people, and he has the support of the Life Goddess behind him.

"Now, the major betting houses in the city have odds for the champion’s favorites, and the Earth Bear is consistently at the top."

"Who is second?" Miss Rabbit asked curiously, "Me?"

"No, it’s the Silver Knight, the instructor of the Royal Knight Order. He’s the idol of many young knights. As for you, Sir Ireya, you’re currently in seventh place—and that’s only after your recent victory over the three Herculeses."

"Then why don’t you go find the Silver Knight?"

"Everyone knows that the Silver Knight has a noble character. He never harms his opponents’ lives, whether in martial contests or duels."

"Well... Alright, are you implying something?"

"No," Claudio shook his head, "In fact, I don’t quite agree with the Silver Knight’s methods. In my opinion, being so-called merciful and sparing the lives of real scoundrels only allows them to continue their evil deeds. Of course, I also respect the Silver Knight’s choices and admire him from the bottom of my heart.

"Anyone who can follow through with their beliefs is a true hero."

"But even if the Silver Knight won’t do, aren’t there four other candidates ahead of me?" Ireya asked again.

"Like I said, none of them would be a match for the Earth Bear. In fact, the betting odds are much more skewed than the rankings suggest. You will understand why I say this after watching the Earth Bear’s match tomorrow."

Seeing that the Lady was about to say something, Claudio simply waved his hand, interrupting her, "You don’t need to rush your answer. We still have some time. The Earth Bear has lost his Noble status and must first get through the melee. If he dies before he faces you, that would be all the better.

"But if you do end up facing each other, I hope you will consider my earlier proposal. In return, I am willing to offer you ten thousand Gold Lions, in addition to my friendship," the Second Prince said.

"And this friendship is without limit; you will always be my friend. Whenever you are in trouble, whether in the Westerlands or the Royal Capital, you can come to me for help."

"You are truly generous. Few would be willing to spend ten thousand gold coins to avenge a friend," the Lady remarked.

The Second Prince’s gaze returned to the Purple Jasmine in his hand, his expression complicated. After a long while, he simply said, "You may leave. We will meet again tomorrow."

"Then, I shall take my leave."

Miss Rabbit stepped out of the flower shop, rubbed her nose, and asked Orwell standing beside her, "Why are there so many people in the Royal Capital who like flowers? I could somewhat understand the Empress growing flowers in remembrance of her homeland, but why does Prince Claudio collect so many flowers? Do they make a lot of money?"

"I don’t know," Orwell said, "But these big shots are all like that, more or less having some strange little hobbies. Flower keeping is already one of the better ones. I once met a Duke who liked pigs, and one night, when I couldn’t sleep, I saw him in the pigpen, disheveled... it’s hard to describe what the scene was like at that time.

"I’m just lucky he didn’t notice me, otherwise I might never be able to leave his castle again. By the way, how did it go with your matter? Did His Highness agree to help you withdraw from the fighting tournament?"

"Don’t even mention it," the Lady sighed, "I didn’t even bring it up, because he actually wants me to help him assassinate someone during the tournament."

"Who?"

"The Earth Bear."

Orwell gasped, "You didn’t agree to it, did you?"

"What, you’ve heard that name?"

"There are a few people in the Royal Capital that absolutely should not be provoked, and the Earth Bear is one of them. That guy is not human; he’s a beast, a humanoid giant dragon. I don’t know if it was luck or misfortune, but I once witnessed him in action.

"An assassin attempted to attack the Priest of Cornelia. The Earth Bear didn’t even draw a weapon. With just one hand, he lifted the poor soul from the ground by the head, and then directly crushed the guy’s skull. Brain matter and blood were sprayed everywhere."

"To this day, I still think back on it and have nightmares."

"That is quite terrifying." Miss Rabbit agreed, and as the Lady thought about the likely encounter with such a fearsome opponent, she started to become restless once again.

Luckily, it had been two days since their last separation so, barring any unforeseen events, she would see Li Yu again tonight.

The Lady could only hope to rely on the Prophet from the Double Rest Sect once more.

"Tell me more about the other contestants," the girl said to the Wandering Knight. "I still know nothing about those opponents."

She had not at all expected to enter the competition before and therefore had not done her homework in this area, but now she was cramming anxiously at the last minute.

After hearing Orwell’s introduction, she only felt more desperate.

Let’s not even talk about the Earth Bear, who was the biggest favorite for the tournament. Besides him, the other five ranked ahead of the Lady were also exceptional martial artists, each a renowned top-class expert.

Those ranked behind the Lady were no pushovers either. Although national-level fighting tournaments had been canceled for over four hundred years, many regional tournaments continued.

Many of the contestants had been champions of a town or a region, each skilled and experienced. After looking through them all, the Lady realized she couldn’t find a single easy target.

What did that tell her? It told her that she was the softest persimmon hanging from the tree.

Miss Rabbit even began to envy the agility of the assassin from the previous night. As a woman herself, she wondered why others could move so effortlessly along the rooftops while she even struggled to climb a pillar.

Claudio had too high an opinion of her, entertaining the far-fetched idea of asking her to take on the Earth Bear. The Lady felt almost delirious, as if she could see herself being lifted by the ear into the air by the Earth Bear.

In her agitation, she was close to crying, calling out for Merlin several times. When she opened her eyes again, she indeed saw Li Yu.