Work Prophet
Chapter 517 - 135 The Crow Gets Its Wish

Chapter 517: Chapter 135 The Crow Gets Its Wish

After four days of the martial arts tournament, many had already been eliminated, including skilled fighters like Ferdinand.

Thus, the remaining contenders generally possessed greater strength and the discussions about who would ultimately be the champion became increasingly intense, with people arguing heatedly about it in every street and alley.

The happiest were undoubtedly the city’s gambling houses, both large and small, as the number of bettors grew, and the houses were crowded daily, with servants from large noble families coming and going.

The amounts wagered by their masters would have made the average person’s jaw drop, and as the contest progressed, there were those who rejoiced and those who were dismayed, with odds constantly changing.

Continuing to lead the pack was the Earth Bear, who maintained his near-overwhelming dominance.

But moving into second place was Ireya.

This lesser-known noble from the western frontiers had become known for her feat of slaying a giant dragon, and her performance at the tournament was a resounding slap in the face to those who doubted her.

When Miss Rabbit had first arrived at the Royal Capital, the voices of skepticism had reached their peak.

Because people noticed that she didn’t have the burly, strong physique of someone from the dramas, her small frame seemingly incapable of withstanding a few punches, let alone the claws of a dragon, clearly unworthy of the name Meat Mountain.

Even after she had knocked down three young squire knights from the Royal Knight Order, the doubting voices diminished somewhat, but most still did not favor her to go far in the tournament.

Yet afterwards, she won four matches in a row, and except for the match against the Golden Fly which was slightly prolonged, she won the remaining three bouts quite decisively.

Her last opponent, the Dawn Sword from the Grafson family, got injured in their match and later went to seek treatment from the Life Church. A subordinate of the Priest of Cornelia was sent and stopped the bleeding on the spot.

However, according to people close to the Dawn Sword, his abdomen still hurt terribly, and not long after he returned to his residence, he passed away.

This incident did cause some commotion, and previous opponents who had faced Ireya reported difficulty recovering, citing bone injuries.

It was then that people realized that the seemingly harmless Lady was actually quite ruthless in her attacks, not far behind the Earth Bear in ferocity.

This caused those who were to face her next to shudder, as her pipe which emitted fire and loud noises was trouble enough, let alone the sudden white smoke.

Fairly speaking, the Dawn Sword had been well-prepared, but still lost his life, and others struggled to come up with any clever tricks that might defeat the Lady.

But to admit defeat without even fighting was also somewhat unacceptable.

Apart from mercenaries like the Golden Fly who cared little for honor, the competing nobles did have some face to preserve, as they had to consider not only themselves but also the reputation of their families.

Show of cowardice before battle was a highly shameful act for a noble.

This left some in a difficult dilemma: to fight could mean death or crippling injuries, yet not to fight was also not an option.

The Crow was now very anxious.

He had gone with his friends to trouble the Lady, only to be ambushed by an unscrupulous old comrade, resulting in a beating.

Then, after the assassin incident, Ireya simply ignored them, and Crow, unable to save his face, left with a threat in his words.

He said he hoped to experience the Lady’s martial arts again at the tournament.

"Is this it? My wish is about to come true?" Crow nearly cried when he learned he would be Meat Mountain’s next opponent.

Unfortunately, those weren’t tears of excitement.

He was still young, and didn’t want to die so soon or sustain injuries that might never heal, as that would mean he could only leave the Royal Knight Order.

Although it was a bit difficult for him to become a full-fledged knight now, Edward II couldn’t possibly neglect to knight anyone forever, right?

The Emperor had his eye on that guy named Ferdinand, wanting him to become a branch leader. After all this commotion, it was bound to be his turn, and even if Edward II intended to keep playing forgetful, other Noble Families would surely remind him.

Anyway, Crow felt that his future was still quite bright, as long as he could survive the current predicament.

And just as he was worrying about the upcoming bout, Skinny Monkey found him and offered a suggestion.

"What, you’re saying I should go beg Meat Mountain?" Crow’s face looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Not beg, negotiate with her. Ask her to go easy and not strike too harshly, or you’ll end up dead or disabled," advised Skinny Monkey. "You could use your family’s name to intimidate her a bit."

"Would that work?"

Crow was skeptical. If Ireya had been afraid of his family like everyone else, she wouldn’t have been so rude to them that night.

"Then offer some money. I’ve heard Meat Mountain is quite fond of money. You pay her off, pretend to fight a fierce battle, and then ’accidentally’ get defeated by her. It doesn’t affect the final outcome, and she’s bound to agree," the plan was suggested.

Crow found himself tempted, "Then... how much money do you think it will take?"

"Meat Mountain is just a minor noble from the western territories, so she shouldn’t be too greedy. But since she’s succeeded in slaying a dragon before and received some rewards, she’s got some funds. I reckon she’ll want at least seven or eight hundred golden lions, but to be safe you could just give her a thousand."

"A thousand golden lions is not a small sum," remarked Crow. Although he came from a great family, he wasn’t the eldest son, and his access to funds was limited. Plus, he had many social obligations and spent money fast, leaving him with little to spare.

He couldn’t come up with that much money on short notice.

Seeing his predicament, Skinny Monkey slapped his chest and said, "Don’t worry about the money. If it’s not enough, the brothers will chip in. We’ve been friends for so long; we can’t just stand by and watch you march to your death."

Instead of being touched, Crow’s expression darkened as he asked, "Who sent you to me?"

The smile on Skinny Monkey’s face stiffened, "No, nobody. We’re just concerned about you."

"Heh."

Having been raised in the Royal Capital and coming from a major Noble Family, Crow was no stranger to the insidious tactics employed by nobles. From the moment Skinny Monkey opened his mouth, he smelled a whiff of conspiracy.

Piecing together the previous suggestions from Mad Dog and Blue Rose about causing trouble for Ireya to uphold the honor of the Royal Knight Order, it was clear that an invisible hand was at work behind the scenes, subtly driving events.

Seeing that Crow remained silent, Skinny Monkey urged again, "The competition is about to start. If you don’t find Meat Mountain soon, it’ll be too late."

"Bring the money then," Crow finally made up his mind, "A thousand golden lions, all provided by you."