Chapter 159: Lilien Aspires to Become a Lady Baroness

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Lilien Aspires to Become a Lady Baroness

Seeing this, Vili fiercely whipped his steed and charged forward, coming up right behind the girl.

Just as the girl was about to hit the ground, Vili caught her and swept her up onto the back of his horse.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Vili drew his bow and arrow and shot at the fleeing deer in the distance.

SWISH! The arrow pierced straight through the back of the deer’s head. It twitched a few times on the ground before falling completely still.

"L-Lord Baron..."

The girl seemed stunned by Vili’s seamless sequence of actions.

Vili glanced back at the girl.

The girl was quite beautiful, with sky-blue eyes as bright as gemstones. She was gazing at him with reverence.

"Thank you..."

Vili’s glance seemed to make the girl a little shy.

"The danger’s passed. You can get down now."

Vili gave a slight nod, indicating it was no trouble.

The girl hadn’t expected Vili to be so blunt and seemed a little flustered.

However, seeing the expectant look on his face, she had no choice but to awkwardly slide off his horse.

"Thank you, Lord Baron. My name is..."

The girl lowered her head, looking shy.

But just as she began her introduction, Vili cut her off.

"Just be careful next time."

Vili gave her a meaningful smile before riding off.

The girl watched Vili’s retreating figure, her expression freezing instantly. The disappointment was written all over her face.

A dozen seconds after Vili left, a young man on horseback emerged from the woods.

It was Sandoor, the Town Mayor of White Bear Town.

"Looks like you failed, Lilien."

Sandoor looked at his dazed sister and suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

He had warned her that the Lord Baron would surely see through her clumsy act, yet she had insisted on trying anyway.

"Brother..."

Lilien sighed helplessly and glanced up at the sky. ℴℴ𝘮

’The Lord Baron is like a cloud on the horizon, distant and untouchable. My attempt to get close to him today also ended in failure.’

"It’s an ambitious goal to become the Lady Baroness, but you must remember that some things can’t be achieved through effort alone." Sandoor felt he had to take this opportunity to remind his sister. "The Lord Baron is no ordinary minor noble. I’ve been by his side since his rise to power. His mind and his astonishing talent are beyond what any normal person could compare to."

"White Bear Town is just his starting point. This place won’t hold him for long."

Sandoor sighed with emotion as he said this.

Lilien pouted. "That’s exactly why I have to become the Lady Baroness!"

Lilien vaulted onto her horse, showing none of the clumsiness she had faked earlier. She turned to Sandoor. "There’s plenty of time. I’ll get my chance."

As Lilien rode off, Sandoor was left feeling rather helpless.

He knew full well that Lilien’s crush on Vili had begun long ago, at a banquet in Diamond Town.

It was just that Vili hadn’t paid her any mind back then. It was all one-sided on Lilien’s part.

It would be too cruel to just crush her fantasy.

’I hope you’ll realize it’s hopeless and give up...’

Although Sandoor also wished for his sister to become the Lady Baroness, the chances were just too slim.

...

The day’s hunt didn’t end until evening.

When the officials from the Noble Group who had participated emerged from White Bear Forest, their faces were filled with a mixture of exhaustion and delight.

Though they could eat wild game anytime, there was a unique satisfaction in holding prey caught with their own hands.

After the hunt, Baron Vili held a celebratory bonfire banquet.

The banquet was held outdoors, and the food consisted mainly of roasted meat from the day’s hunt.

While not as refined as a typical banquet, the combination of fine wine and the lively atmosphere gave it a unique charm.

At the banquet, Vili and Sandoor clinked glasses. By unspoken agreement, neither of them brought up what had happened earlier in the day.

It was best to let the girl sort out her feelings on her own.

The hunt continued for another two days, but Vili didn’t participate again. Instead, he had Sandoor preside over the event.

Vili had already experienced the joy of the hunt; there was no need to spend the next two days wearing out the novelty.

However, the midsummer hunt did have some negative consequences.

Having partied a bit too hard, many officials seemed listless when they returned to work.

Sopps, Sandoor, and Dane used this as an opportunity to discipline the officials of White Bear Town about their work ethic, asserting their authority in the process.

...

「Another half a month passed.」

As for his Knight training, Vili could clearly sense that he was just one step away from advancing to Senior Knight.

Yet that single step felt impossibly far, giving him the illusion that he would never reach it.

It was a paper-thin barrier; if he could just break through, his Fighting Spirit would achieve resonance with the outside world.

But right now, Vili just couldn’t do it.

However, he adjusted his mindset. He was certain he could achieve the promotion within half a year at the latest.

To that end, Vili directly adjusted his Intelligence Value to 12.

Vili’s Title Attribute Panel was once again updated.

[Vili Ferren—Constitution: 12; Intelligence: 12; Attribute Points: 0]

His remaining attribute points were now at zero, with both his Constitution and Intelligence adjusted to 12.

With his current Attribute Values, Vili’s aptitude could be called that of a genius among geniuses. Even in the entire Dawei Province, it was unlikely that even ten people possessed a higher aptitude than him.

As for the increase in his Constitution Value, it directly strengthened Vili’s Power of Justice.

Other than being unable to use the seal of the Two-Engraving Hanged Man, Vili could now match a Two-Engraving Hanged Man purely by relying on his Power of Justice.

Just as Vili was preparing to devote himself to secluded cultivation, the Conch Fishing Team sent him an invitation, via Sandoor, to join them on a voyage.

At first, Vili was quite puzzled. A fishing fleet inviting a noble Baron to go fishing with them sounded a bit absurd.

But after hearing Sandoor’s explanation, Vili understood that it was a local custom.

Back in the days of Blue Whale Town, starting with Baron Enton’s grandfather, the lords had always placed great importance on deep-sea fishing.

To encourage the fishermen to venture far out to sea, the Baron himself would personally join the town’s largest fishing fleet on a voyage every July.

This served two purposes. It publicly demonstrated that the Baron valued his people, and it also served as a way to lead by example, showing everyone that ocean fishing was the most important path to the town’s prosperity. It was an encouragement to all fishermen.

It sent the message that as long as everyone worked hard at fishing and grew their operations, they would eventually earn the Baron’s favor.

Understanding the reason behind it, Vili chose to continue the tradition from the Blue Whale Town era. He postponed his secluded cultivation and set out on a long voyage with the Conch Fishing Team.