Chapter 499 - 327: Arrogance and Arrogance (Part 2)

If this were truly recorded and passed down through the ages, they would probably be resented by the people of Talisi for centuries.

"Whatever. If the worst happens, I’ll just flee to High Cliff Castle. I hear Lord Levi treats painters exceptionally well. A famous painter named Rivinci is already working for him."

One painter, gritting his teeth, brandished his pigments. A masterpiece titled "The Lord of High Cliff Castle Savagely Whips the Bishop of Talisi" sprang to life on the canvas.

...

The third and fourth matches were both against the Fasting Demonic Puppets from the Holy Sith Kingdom. According to the original schedule, the fourth match should have been against Archbishop Rillo.

But the Lord had specifically requested to deal with the Holy Sith Kingdom’s side first. After all, you save the strongest for last if you want to rake in the most money.

And so, the Lord, who had been engaged in a "hard-fought battle," finally agreed to a thirty-minute break.

"Brother-in-law, we’re making a killing!"

As soon as he stepped out of the arena, Mier, changed back into his normal attire, found the Lord, grinning so wide he couldn’t close his mouth.

From these four matches alone, they had netted a profit of over seventy thousand Gold Coins. It was faster than outright robbery.

Although they had brought back hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins from their southern campaign, at least they had to fight a real battle for that. These seventy thousand Gold Coins, on the other hand, had come flooding in just from flapping their gums.

"The only thing is, in the last match, almost everyone bet that you’d win within ten heartbeats, so we took a loss on that one. Otherwise, we could’ve earned even more."

"It’s fine. Let them win for now," the Lord said with a mysterious smile. "The real money-maker is the final match."

Why had he fought four consecutive matches before taking a break? It was all to cultivate an image of overwhelming strength in the minds of the gamblers. In all four matches, he had intentionally defeated his opponents within about ten heartbeats. He didn’t even drag it out during the last match, despite most people having already bet on him to win within that timeframe.

"Use this half hour to hype it up. Try to get everyone in the entire Gladiatorial Arena to place a bet."

Levi discussed a few more details with Mier and then left.

His real reason for taking a break was to give the Leidens time to collect the money.

Back in the lounge, the moment the Lord sat down, he was immediately inundated by a wave of flattery.

No one there was a fool. They all knew this Lord Li had already become a new towering tree in Debei.

His domain might still be small, but his personal power was undeniably at the apex. A man like that was not someone to be trifled with.

They had no desire to see him take a leisurely flight on his Giant Dragon over their own castles one day.

Not to mention, his four consecutive victories had put Debei on the verge of a major triumph in the duel between the Three Kingdoms, winning them vast territory, the wager, and a great deal of face.

His reputation, needless to say, would skyrocket. After this duel, his name was bound to echo through every tavern and street in Debei. He would even become famous in Talisi and the Holy Sith Kingdom. His rise could only be described as dazzling.

A duel like this, involving bets from Three Kingdoms and stakes that included territory, a Mermaid, and a Giant Dragon, was the stuff of legends—a tale worthy of being told and retold for ages.

Thus, even high-ranking nobles, whose status wasn’t officially much lower than his, had no qualms about humbling themselves to massage the Lord’s stiff muscles and serve him tea.

"Levi, although Rillo is also a Magic Master, he’s nothing like that previous Bishop from Talisi. The difference between them is like an ant and an elephant. You must take this seriously."

Old Gray, his face flushed with excitement, was explaining to the Lord about this Archbishop from Talisi, the heir apparent to the papacy.

Winning four matches in a row was more than the Duke of the West had expected. The sole condition for victory in this duel was simple: whichever side still had someone standing in the Gladiatorial Arena at the end would win.

Therefore, even if the Lion Hunter Knight were to lose, as long as he could inflict some damage on his opponent and create an opening for Mandela, Debei’s chances of winning were still very high.

"Whether he’s an ant or an elephant, what’s the difference to a Giant Dragon?" the Lord asked, propping his legs on the table and taking a bite of an apple, his arrogance on full display.

Duke Gray had long known how stubborn the man could be; trying to persuade him was harder than convincing a nun to become a prostitute. He could only offer a helpless, bitter smile. "Levi, you’re too young and reckless."

"If we’re not reckless, can we still be called young?" Levi shot back with a haughty, infinitely carefree smile.

"This is bad! Something’s happened!" Just then, Filo burst through the luxurious mahogany doors and rushed into the room, panting heavily. "Lord Levi, the situation has turned against us! I just found out that guy Rillo... he’s advanced to Legendary!"

Everyone in the room was stunned. Levi’s brow furrowed. "Is it that easy to reach the Legendary tier?"

He himself was still stuck at the Epic tier, and advancing to Legendary required passing some kind of trial that seemed a distant prospect.

’To think his opponent just advanced whenever he pleased.’ Honestly, the Lord felt a bit aggrieved.

"A Mage’s advancement to the Legendary tier doesn’t require trials. They only need to transcend the limits of traditional Spellbooks and grasp the underlying mysteries of Magic, like comprehending Primordial Magic or condensing a Core of Mystery."

To his surprise, Fatir had come in with Filo. She knew exactly what the Lord was thinking and explained.

"But don’t think it’s easy for a Mage to reach the Legendary tier. In truth, countless Mages go their whole lives without ever taking that step."

"For the last century, Rillo has been hailed as the ’foremost Mage below the Legendary tier’ in the Seven Kingdoms. He became a Magic Master at twenty-five and was stuck there for fifty years until this sudden breakthrough."

"If he hadn’t achieved enlightenment this time, he probably would have never gotten another chance in his lifetime."

"Whereas the Holy Word Treasure Manual only requires one to pass a trial to become Legendary."

"So, to put it simply, only geniuses can advance as Mages, but with the Holy Word Treasure Manual, even an idiot can advance as long as they pass the trial?" The Lord was speechless but had to admit he really wasn’t cut out for practicing Magic.

"You could put it that way." Internally, Fatir felt a strange urge to laugh, but her expression remained perfectly neutral.

Old Gray sighed and patted Levi’s shoulder. "Levi, don’t feel burdened. You’ve already done more than enough. We can only blame the gods for not being on our side. Who could have imagined he would suddenly advance to the Legendary tier at such a critical moment?"

He had harbored a sliver of hope that Levi might be able to handle the "foremost Mage below the Legendary tier," but upon learning of Rillo’s advancement, that hope was extinguished like a leaf on the Storm Sea, instantly sucked into the Bottomless Abyss.

Even if his opponent had just reached the Legendary tier, Legendary was Legendary. They were completely different beings from those at the Epic tier.

"Yeah, Levi, if you lose, you lose. You’ll reach the Legendary tier sooner or later anyway. You can get your revenge then," Filo added, trying to comfort him. He seemed more concerned with Levi’s safety than the Lord was himself.

"Don’t worry, Levi. Her Holiness the Pope is here. As long as you aren’t killed on the spot, she can bring you back."

A small smile played on Fatir’s lips. Even she was cracking a joke.

"Shit," the Lord cursed, furious. "A pissant Lord like him? I could take on three of them with one hand."

At a time like this, of course, no one dared to argue. They all nodded in unison, their primary role now to provide maximum emotional support by acting as if their Lord was invincible. In their hearts, however, none of them held out any real hope.

The Lord of High Cliff Castle’s track record was indeed dazzling, but his opponent’s was nothing to scoff at. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have held the title of "foremost Mage below the Legendary tier," especially now that he had actually reached it.

Their Lion Hunter Knight was still, quite clearly, at the Epic tier. While he was far stronger than a typical Epic, everyone felt that until one advanced to Legendary, they were ultimately still within the realm of mortals.

In a situation like this, it was obvious at a glance who was gold and who was dirt.

"Filo, go! Have the Leidens spread the word that our opponent has advanced to the Legendary tier!" the Lord suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?" Filo clapped his hands in sudden realization. "Everyone will bet on you to lose now! We can open a new bet on how long you can hold out..."

"You clown! Are you hoping your Lord loses?!" Levi shot out a kick, sending the still-talking Filo sprawling face-first into the dirt.