Chapter 259 - 257: They Offered Too Much

Chapter 259: Chapter 257: They Offered Too Much

The confession Duane had been imagining before the match never came. Instead, Natalia brought him some unexpected information.

He glanced toward Count Kais in the viewing stands, who met his gaze and nodded.

Then, he looked to Marquis Sean.

The hook-nosed Marquis with a cold, pale face gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment.

It was a courtesy an ordinary baron would never receive—an unprompted nod from the leader of the Kingdom’s Iron Blood Faction.

Duane looked away and asked in a low voice, "What’s the deal?"

"The Marquis wants you to severely injure Tara in the upcoming match. It would be best if she’s unable to compete in the one after."

Realization dawned on Duane.

If Tara couldn’t continue fighting, the Marquis’s son, Keldert, would automatically take third place in the tournament.

If Sean truly was the mastermind behind Blood Anchor, the fact that he was now proactively seeking cooperation made one thing clear: the Marquis was a man who cared only for his own interests.

"What did he offer?" Duane asked.

He was going to defeat Tara regardless; it was just a question of whether he should injure her lightly or severely.

If Marquis Sean’s offer was good enough, he wouldn’t mind taking the deal.

"Three thousand Gold Coins, thirty thousand catties of Black Iron Ore, five thousand Slaves under the age of forty, and five hundred Basic Water Soul Crystal Stones!"

"What?"

Duane’s eyes went wide, thinking he must have misheard.

"Yes, Duane. He’s offering so much!"

Natalia completely understood how Duane was feeling.

She had been just as shocked when her father relayed the terms to her.

He wasn’t sure about the price of Slaves, but he knew the value of the other items.

Black Iron Ore sold for at least five Silver Coins a catty on the open market;

Basic Water Soul Crystal Stones sold for around one Gold Coin each.

In other words, excluding the Slaves, Marquis Sean’s offer was worth five thousand Gold Coins!

With the Slaves included, the total value would be close to ten thousand Gold Coins, if not more.

Duane’s heart raced.

Ten thousand Gold Coins was a massive sum, and the offer included the very labor force Black Forest Island desperately needed.

He had no reason to refuse.

"Did the Count have any advice?"

Natalia nodded. "My father said the choice is yours, and he won’t interfere. But he wanted to remind you of one thing: whether you beat Tara today or not, your relationship with Count Kudro will not improve. At best, the King’s intervention will prevent an open conflict."

"Also, my father said not to worry about the Marquis backing out of the deal. The Marquis asked him to act as the middleman."

Duane nodded.

If Marquis Sean had sent a stranger to negotiate, it would have been less credible.

But by going through Count Kais, with whom Duane had a good relationship, the deal was much more secure.

"So, Duane, will you do it?"

Natalia asked, "If you really make it so Tara can’t fight, you’ll be making a mortal enemy of Count Kudro."

"I’ll do it!"

Duane’s reply was decisive. It was something he’d be doing anyway; only a fool would refuse.

"Don’t worry, Count Kudro can’t touch me!"

He patted Natalia’s arm and said with a smile, "Go on!"

Natalia’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she nodded and said encouragingly, "Be careful, then. I hope you win the championship!"

With that, she hurried away toward the viewing stands.

Duane returned to the rest area and sat down.

Orisien said with a smile, "You seem to have a good relationship with Count Kais’s daughter?"

Duane nodded. ’For Count Kais to have his daughter deliver a message to me in such a public setting is already a sign of his approval,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, he could have just sent Sharp or Derek instead.’

But this clearly wasn’t something to share with an outsider.

"Natalia and I are good friends. She came over to cheer me on!"

Orisien chuckled. "I have a feeling we’ll end up fighting."

"I do too."

Tara overheard their conversation and snorted inwardly.

’After all,’ she fumed, ’I was the one who had my father, Count Kudro, petition His Majesty to arrange this very match. My only goal is to get even with Duane for his provocation that night.’

’And now, not only is Duane looking down on me, but even the man who stands to benefit from this arrangement seems to be underestimating me.’

「Soon, the break was over.」

Baron Basil leaped onto the tournament platform. "The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here!"

His voice roused the resting spectators, and the crowd erupted once more into cheers and applause.

Today’s Founding Day Celebration was proving to be incredibly exciting.

"Let’s have Orisien and Keldert take the stage!"

At Basil’s call, Orisien picked up his chosen longsword and was the first to ascend the tournament platform, with Keldert following close behind.

The former was calm and composed; the latter appeared slightly stiff, yet held an air of confidence.

Basil announced in a booming voice, "Begin!"

The two bowed to each other.

As was his custom, Orisien waited for his opponent to attack first.

The moment Keldert pushed off the ground, his Fighting Qi erupted, and he charged forward at incredible speed.

WHOOSH!

His longsword swept out, the Fighting Qi cleaving through the air with a piercing roar.

He put his full strength into this attack.

Orisien remained motionless until the very last second, then suddenly raised his sword to block as a golden light exploded from his body.

BANG!

The collision of the two bursts of Fighting Qi created a violent storm that swept out in all directions. The surrounding spectators instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves, their eyes still glued to the tournament platform.

Under the immense force of the impact, the sword was torn from Keldert’s grasp and sent flying off the platform. He himself was blasted back by the shockwave, landing in a wide arc at the very edge of the stage.

Keldert struggled to his feet, but his body suddenly swayed. He missed his footing and tumbled perfectly off the platform.

The audience let out a collective gasp, which was quickly followed by a thunderous roar.

As expected of their guest from the Sunset Continent! To defeat Keldert so easily in a single blow!

So strong!

"Winner of the first semi-final match: Orisien!"

Baron Basil announced loudly, "Now for the second match! Let’s welcome Baron Duane and Miss Tara to the stage!"

Tara leaped impatiently onto the tournament platform. "Come on, Duane! Let’s see how tough you really are!"

Her provocation immediately ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm.

This was exactly the kind of grudge match they had been hoping to see.

After all, news of the conflict between Duane and Count Kudro a few days prior had already spread through every street and alley in Pruck City.

Those in the audience who followed political affairs were, of course, well aware of the situation.

Tara was clearly coming on stage to teach Duane a lesson, which made the grudge match all the more thrilling.

Tara, a genuine Celestial Tier Warrior.

Duane, though his true strength was unknown, also appeared to be a Celestial Tier Warrior based on his recent performance.

A clash between two Celestial Tiers—this was the highest-level bout of the tournament so far.

King Eric asked with a smile, "Sigmund, who do you think will win this fight?"

The Crown Prince mulled it over before answering, "Tara has a ferocious fighting style and excels at life-and-death combat. Duane’s previous opponents weren’t strong, so it’s hard to gauge his true depth, but he doesn’t look weak, either."

His gaze shifted between Tara and Duane before he finally shook his head. "It’s hard to say."

Eric nodded slightly and said with a wry smile, "I wonder if Kudro made the right call in doing this."

"You favor Duane?" Sigmund asked, surprised.

Eric grunted in agreement; his intuition told him Duane was hiding a great deal of his strength.

Duane walked slowly onto the stage, saying as he went, "The insecure are always the loudest—it’s called posturing. When you lose in a moment, don’t go crying that I’ve shamed your Hassa Clan again!"

The audience froze, stunned by Duane’s arrogance.

The eyes of some noble ladies in the crowd lit up, completely captivated by the scene.

In the stands, Marquis Sean showed a nearly imperceptible smile and shot a smug glance at Kudro, who was not far off.

"Count Hassa, perhaps you should advise your daughter. With a temper like that, how will she ever find a husband?"

Kudro’s face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink. He snarled through gritted teeth, "Even if my daughter never marries, she’d never give your two useless sons the time of day!"

"Heh, useless as they may be, at least they’ve produced heirs for my Smith Clan. As for you..."

CRACK!

Kudro slammed his hand down, and the table beside him shattered into pieces.

"Calm yourself!"

The white-haired Duke Kelvin tapped his scepter, and Count Kudro’s rage was instantly extinguished.

The old Duke said faintly, "Don’t make a spectacle of yourself. Just watch."

Though brief, the scene still drew the attention of the crowd.

They simply assumed Duane’s provocation had angered Count Kudro, and some began to worry for him.

Tara sensed her father’s anger. She pointed her longsword at Duane and demanded, "Do you dare sign a life-and-death waiver for a duel to the death?"

Just as Duane was about to answer, Baron Basil intervened.

"You two, today is the Founding Day Celebration. His Majesty organized this tournament for the enjoyment of the people and does not wish to see anyone die on this platform."

Duane swallowed the words he had been about to say.

"Fine," Duane said. "You should be grateful. His Majesty’s benevolence just saved your life."

Basil’s mouth twitched. ’Neither of them will back down an inch,’ he thought. ’Even now, they’re still provoking each other.’

Duane’s words were especially jarring.

’Even without a waiver, things can get out of control in a match. If someone actually dies, there’s nothing to be done about it.’

Not wanting to get any more involved, he simply announced, "Then, the second semi-final match... begin!"

Before Basil could even leave the platform, Tara attacked.

She became a phantom, her longsword radiating a sharp killing intent as it shot straight for Duane’s throat.

The attack was as fast as lightning, clearly intended to end the match in a single blow.

Yet Duane stood his ground, not moving a muscle, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

The instant the tip of Tara’s sword was about to touch his skin, Duane’s figure suddenly blurred.

THUD!

With a dull thud, Duane dodged her attack and landed a kick squarely on her abdomen.

Tara’s body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, landing heavily at the edge of the tournament platform.

The entire arena fell silent.

It was a scene the crowd had just witnessed: a mirror image of how Orisien had defeated Keldert.

But Keldert was an Earth Tier Warrior, while Tara was a Celestial Tier!

"This... is impossible!"

Tara wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and shot to her feet.

She was injured, but not severely. She was still perfectly able to fight.

"Hah!"

A blood-red Fighting Qi erupted from her body—the Bloodline Power of the Hassa Clan.

A murderous aura spread through the air, making the commoners in the crowd feel powerless, as if they were suffocating.

Duane’s brow furrowed slightly.

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’this woman is quite strong.’

’Too bad she picked the wrong opponent.’