Chapter: A Fatal Mistake
The senior generals of the Northern Fortress looked at each other in bewilderment.
This fat guy must be tired of living. He was actually telling them to kneel down.
Among them were generals, princes, fifth-tier mages, and fifth-tier warriors. They had both status and combat power.
General Barney, the supreme commander of the Northern Fortress, stood up and shouted coldly, "Who are you? How dare you break into our private banquet?"
Extremely arrogant, Dewitt relied on his large numbers. He walked right up to General Barney and raised his hand, delivering a hard slap.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as palm met cheek.
General Barney was caught off guard and slapped by Dewitt.
"I'm not afraid to tell you—I'm Dewitt, head of the Harold family in Snow City. How dare you talk back to me, old man?"
General Barney was confused. He'd guarded the northern border of the Black Sun Empire for decades. Even the king of the Black Sun Empire had to show him respect. This civilian had just walked up and acted like a complete thug. It was utterly lawless.
Cheng Yu walked out of the kitchen and happened to witness Dewitt slap General Barney. He grinned. "Oh, isn't this the wealthy merchant who competed with me for the elf slave last time? Congratulations on winning the Nine Generations Extermination Prize Package."
Earlier, Cheng Yu had heard these people call Maxi the third prince—clearly a prominent status.
Though he didn't know who Dewitt had hit, the man's rank was certainly high.
When Dewitt saw Cheng Yu emerge, he immediately flew into a rage. "Boy, hand over that elf slave!"
"I bought the elf slave with my own money. Why should I give her to you?"
"Because of the over three hundred Harold family guards surrounding the manor."
His meaning was crystal clear: I'm robbing you openly today.
"Open robbery violates the laws of the Black Sun Empire. Aren't you afraid of legal sanctions?"
Dewitt is dead today.
Cheng Yu remained patient, reasoning calmly with Dewitt.
"Haha! The law is for lower-class civilians, not for rich people like me."
Relying on his three hundred family guards, Dewitt was fearless. He flaunted his power.
Just like the song said: It's so thrilling, feels like life has reached its peak, feels like life has reached its climax.
From his seat, a fifth-tier mage took action.
The old man wearing a black magic hat extended a withered finger. He gathered magic power on his fingertip, using his finger as a magic staff. A small magic array appeared at the tip.
Third-tier magic: Binding!
Magic power spread outward. Dewitt and his several guards were instantly immobilized.
"What... what's happening?!" Dewitt was shocked.
Aside from his mouth and eyes, the rest of his body couldn't move.
Cheng Yu walked up to Dewitt with a smile. "Do you know who you just hit?"
"Who?"
This time it was Dewitt's turn to be confused.
He didn't know any of these people.
"Ask him yourself."
Cheng Yu didn't know who the middle-aged man who'd been beaten was either. But he was definitely not a small figure.
Dewitt looked at the man he'd just slapped. "Who are you?"
There was a red handprint on his face. General Barney's eyes burned with fury, his tone grim. "Oggus Barney."
Hearing that name, Dewitt broke out in a cold sweat. His breathing stopped for a few seconds.
"You... you're General Barney who guards the northern border?!"
General Barney's face was dark. "That's me."
Cheng Yu watched the spectacle and laughed. "How about it? You're sweating bullets now, huh, brother?"
"Have mercy! I didn't mean to slap you!"
Dewitt wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but his body was locked by the binding magic. He couldn't move.
Dewitt's heart turned to ice. He'd just slapped the most powerful general of the Black Sun Empire.
"The Harold family, right? No one escapes."
Murderous intent flashed in General Barney's eyes.
The fifth-tier mage walked outside the manor and directly released large-scale binding magic, immobilizing all hundreds of Harold family guards at once.
The next day, news came from Snow City.
A large number of troops had surrounded the Harold family mansion. All members of the Harold family were arrested. The men were sent to the northern border front as cannon fodder. The women became slaves.
Just because of Dewitt's slap, the Harold family—one of the largest families in Snow City—vanished overnight.
In the afternoon, Cheng Yu sat under the shade of a tree, counting the gold coins he'd earned over the past few days. Over forty gold coins.
At this rate of making money, he'd rake in wealth in the future. Buy more beautiful girls, buy more land. It's really fucking exciting.
Ivennie had been learning magic with Austin these past few days. Her magical skills improved daily.
Austin buried a pea seed in the soil. "Ivennie, come try to make the pea seed germinate."
Ivennie held her magic staff and released plant growth magic on the pea seed.
A tender green pea sprout broke through the soil and grew rapidly. In just a few seconds, it became a half-meter-high pea plant.
"You've only studied for a few days, yet you've already reached the level of growing seeds into plants. Your future achievements are limitless."
Austin marveled at Ivennie's magical talent. Such talent would be considered top-tier genius even at the Imperial Magic Academy, which was full of prodigies.
In comparison, Maxi was much more mediocre. After studying magic for over a year, he'd only learned a little.
If Maxi weren't the third prince of the Black Sun Empire—and if the royal family hadn't paid Austin handsomely—such a mediocre person with average qualifications wouldn't be taught even by a dog.
"Thank you, Teacher Austin." Ivennie smiled, two dimples appearing on her face.
"Are you interested in going to the capital with me? I can recommend you to study at the Imperial Magic Academy."
Austin cherished talent. He didn't want a genius like Ivennie buried in a border town like Bailu.
Ivennie looked at Cheng Yu under the shade of a tree not far away and shook her head. "This is my home. I'll follow Master Cheng Yu. I won't go anywhere."
"If you don't want to, then forget it."
Austin couldn't force Ivennie to study at the Imperial Magic Academy.
Ivennie ran over to Cheng Yu excitedly. "Master Cheng Yu! My plant growth magic can make seeds germinate now!"
"Really? Let's try it."
Cheng Yu consumed 50 positive emotion points and exchanged a bag of cumin seeds from the system shop.
There was no such plant as cumin on the Celsis Continent. It cost 100 positive emotion points to exchange a small bottle of cumin powder from the system shop. If he grew it himself, he wouldn't need to exchange it—much cheaper.
He grabbed a handful of cumin seeds and scattered them into the soil.
Ivennie held her magic staff. A circular magic array condensed at the tip, releasing plant growth magic on the cumin seeds in the soil.
The cumin seeds began taking root and sprouting, growing into plants with many small white flowers at the top.
Once the small flowers bore seeds, he could harvest cumin, then grind it into powder—cumin powder.
"My current magic level can only reach this stage."
Ivennie felt a bit apologetic that she couldn't make the cumin grow to the seed-bearing stage.
"It doesn't matter. This is already great."
Cheng Yu hugged Ivennie and kissed her smooth forehead.
Ivennie blushed and buried her head in Cheng Yu's arms.
[Host has gained +5 Favorability from Ivennie]
Cheng Yu and Ivennie's total favorability reached 90 points—almost 100.
He'd obtained the Silver Wolf Clan's innate skill [Silver Moon Shockwave] from Mina. He wondered what innate ability he could get from Ivennie.