Chapter 102: One Master After Another

Princess Tanasha looked at the small purple bottle that had fallen on the grass beside the stone table in front of her. It seemed she hadn’t expected this to happen. She suddenly felt a little urge to laugh. This Little King was young, but he had quite a temper.

But in the next moment, the Princess’s face returned to calm.

For her, ever since her twelfth birthday, when she witnessed her longtime maid being brutally killed by her brother over a slip of the tongue—and she was powerless to stop it—any expression other than the cold calmness of eternal ice had become a luxury. After that, she always reminded herself to maintain a composed demeanor in front of her subordinates at all times.

Because only this expression made her appear incredibly powerful.

It made those who dared to challenge her tremble with fear.

Heaven had given her an extremely illustrious background and an incredibly sharp mind, but it also took away her right to live as a healthy person. Every night at midnight, when the stars were sparse, the never-ending, day-after-day illness tormented her almost to death… But even when the court physicians diagnosed her with less than half a year to live, she never showed even a hint of pain in front of anyone. Even when she was alone in the cold, deep palace, she never allowed herself to relax.

But today, something unexpected happened.

In that one moment, the Little King’s sleepy demeanor, his dazed look under the golden light, suddenly brushed away the dust covering the memories in her heart. Ripples crossed her mind, and that scene reminded her of an afternoon many years ago, also during late autumn… Then, without knowing why, she let down her guard for the first time and acted recklessly with this Little King like a child. In front of him and the hidden guards, she revealed too many expressions that should never have been hers.

Was this a moment of indulgence before the end of her life?

Princess Tanasha’s fingers lightly tapped on the stone table.

She lowered her gaze.

She saw the small purple bottle that Sun Fei had casually thrown on the ground. It lay quietly in the green grass, its glossy surface shimmering with a dazzling glow.

After hesitating for a few seconds, for some reason, the Princess felt an inexplicable impulse.

A habitual cold smile on her lips, she suddenly bent down, picked up the small bottle, shook it a few times, and then raised it to examine the mysterious purple liquid inside. She pulled out the stopper and gently sniffed. A faint, peculiar fragrance wafted out, and as she inhaled it, her body felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

Outwardly, Princess Tanasha calmly replaced the stopper, but in her heart, she couldn’t help but wonder: Could it really be effective?

“Why didn’t you kill that rude madman, Your Highness?”

A soft, clear voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

At the same time, a sudden burst of purple flame cut through the air. In the next moment, the flame receded, revealing a beautiful young girl in purple clothes who had appeared out of nowhere, standing next to Tanasha.

Her figure was curvaceous, with long, flawless legs. Her skin was as pure as a snow lotus, and her delicate features were enhanced by a pair of captivating phoenix eyes. She wore no armor, only a light purple cloth garment, clearly confident in her own abilities. Her purple hair was tied into a ponytail that cascaded like a waterfall down her back. In her hand, she held a peculiarly shaped, very thin green short sword without a sheath, its blade exposed to the air…

If Sun Fei were still there, he would have been greatly surprised. From her movement and aura alone, this purple-clad girl, who appeared to be no more than sixteen or seventeen, was undoubtedly a master of unfathomable skill.

“Keeping him is useful. You can’t fish without bait.”

The moment the purple-clad girl appeared, Princess Tanasha regained her usual calm demeanor. She closed her eyes slightly and began to tap the stone table with her fingers—a habit of hers. When she started thinking, her slender fingers would unconsciously tap, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Those fingers seemed to possess a mesmerizing magic. In St. Petersburg, all those who feared her had given this light rhythm a terrifying name behind her back—God of Death Fingers.

After a long while, Princess Tanasha opened her eyes and asked, “Purple Flame, tell me, what did you find this time?”

“Only a pile of useless garbage. None of those hounds showed up.”

The girl named Purple Flame replied indifferently.

Seeing that the Princess was unwilling to discuss the Little King further, she didn’t press the matter. After all, in her eyes, such a minor character was no different from a wisp of air. Whether they talked about him or not made no difference. Just as a divine phoenix in the heavens and the maggots underground could never intersect, Purple Flame didn’t believe this Little King had any real connection to the Princess.

“They didn’t come? Hah… That’s impossible.”

Her slender, pale fingers tapped the stone table in an odd, varying rhythm, like raindrops pattering on beech leaves on a summer night. Then, her ocean-blue eyes shone with disdain. “Knowing him, he would never pass up such an opportunity. That guy is practically going mad with his desire to see me dead… His obedient hounds must have already arrived and set up their traps.”

The purple-clad girl frowned slightly, thinking of something, and asked doubtfully, “Are you saying they used some method to evade my search? How is that possible? No Star-Rank Warrior could avoid the detection of the divine artifact Heavenly Sight, unless the ones who came this time were Moon-Level Experts. But the three Moon-Level Experts of the Zenit Empire are all currently in the Imperial Capital.”

“Nothing in this world is absolute. Perhaps he found a way to help his hounds avoid the Heavenly Sight’s detection. Perhaps he recruited new Moon-Level Experts. Perhaps he has some other special method to ensure my death… In any case, he will definitely make his move. There’s no doubt about that.”

“Then what should I do next?” Purple Flame tacitly accepted the Princess’s judgment. In truth, no one dared to doubt the judgments of the owner of this frail body, because she had never been wrong before.

“Wait.”

The God of Death Fingers tapped out an inexplicable rhythm again, and a strange light flickered in her blue eyes. “I will do exactly what he expects me to do. Both sides in this confrontation know the stakes; it all comes down to who has more hidden cards… However, I pity this Chambord Kingdom. I wonder how much of it will remain after this ordeal.”

“That madman king was so disrespectful earlier. Even if this small city were destroyed, it would be letting him off lightly.” Purple Flame was as cold as ice, indifferent to matters of life and death. Countless people had already died by her hand. In these chaotic times, human life was as cheap as grass, and no one was worth pitying.

“Enough about that. You’ve worked hard during this time. Go and rest. Starting today, there’s no need to activate the divine artifact Heavenly Sight for searches anymore. Prepare yourself, and in three days, everything will become clear.”

“But…”

Purple Flame wanted to say more, but the Princess closed her eyes and waved her hand, so she stopped. Bowing her head, a burst of purple flame erupted in the air, emitting no heat. By the time it vanished, the girl had disappeared as well.

Princess Tanasha stood up and walked toward her room.

No one noticed that she had pocketed the small bottle of purple potion.

…

At the same time.

In a relatively secluded stone courtyard at the Shampoo City Post House.

“Your Highness, after those women entered the Back Mountain of Shampoo City, they never came out again. I discovered that Shampoo City had set up many hidden sentries near the old prison on the Back Mountain. The security is very tight, and it would be difficult to sneak in without being detected. I was worried that rashly entering might alert them and ruin your plans, so I stationed a few soldiers to keep watch on the perimeter and came to report to you myself.”

In front of the blond Prince Obina of the Thrace Kingdom, the guard who had been assigned to tail Ileena and Sister Acarra earlier in the day was kneeling on the ground, reporting the movements of the Rogues.

“As for the identity of the bald fat man, we also found out. He is Prison Warden Oleg of Shampoo City, currently one of the favored subordinates of King Alexander of Shampoo City. He has the strength of a One-Star Warrior and is a minor character… However, there’s something strange: the origins of these women are very mysterious. It seems no one in Shampoo City knows where they came from, and they haven’t appeared in the city before,” the guard said.

“So they went to the Back Mountain… How strange!” Obina’s hooked nose twitched slightly. He asked again, “Did all of them disappear into the Back Mountain? None of them left during that time, right?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, not a single one of them left from start to finish.”

“Good. Send more soldiers and keep a close watch on all paths leading to the Back Mountain. If they show up again, report to me immediately.”

Obina thought it over. These women probably didn’t have any significant background. Although they were quite skilled, their clothing was slightly worn, and their armor was mostly made of tanned animal hides. Aside from the gorgeous red-haired beauty’s four-star longbow, there was nothing else remarkable about them. Perhaps they were members of a mercenary group from afar, hired by the young King of Shampoo City to maintain order during the coronation ceremony. For people like this, Obina had no qualms about seizing the longbow. Besides, these women were all quite attractive. If he could find a way to capture them alive, whether he kept them for himself or gave them as gifts to the Nobles of St. Petersburg, it would be a good opportunity.

He decided that the next time these women appeared, he would act immediately. Before dealing with the main task, he would first get his hands on that four-star golden longbow. With such a powerful weapon, he would have a better chance of success in the events three days later.

The guard acknowledged the order and quickly left the stone courtyard.

At that moment, the guard named Okocha, whom he had sent to investigate the mysterious master who had leaped over Shampoo City earlier, happened to enter. He hurried to Obina’s side, knelt, and reported, “Your Highness, after the mysterious master entered the Royal Palace of Shampoo City, there was no further movement. No one else came out either. I watched for half a day and didn’t notice any unusual activity. However, Susan, the female Warrior from Crown Princess’s delegation, entered the palace and brought the young King Alexander to the delegation’s residence… I suspect that the mysterious master might very well be King Alexander of Shampoo City.”

“Alexander? That’s impossible.” Obina was startled but quickly shook his head. “Three-Star Strength is the peak for that fool. Although I don’t know how he went from being an idiot to a Three-Star Warrior, it’s absolutely impossible for him to advance to four stars in just three or four days. Even the continent’s Martial Saint Maradona didn’t improve at such a speed.”

After a pause, Obina motioned for the guard Okocha to leave.

He frowned thoughtfully and murmured to himself, “It seems this mysterious master must be someone Princess Tanasha, the Ice Asura, placed in the palace. She must have known something all along… But what does she mean by revealing this now?”

Obina didn’t dare to be careless in the slightest.

He knew very well the methods of that Princess.

Although Obina always thought highly of himself, often considering himself a wise man with some cleverness and tricks, he also clearly understood that his skills were only enough to fool ordinary people. Compared to Her Highness, the Crown Princess Tanasha—known throughout the empire as the Ice Asura and the Female Literary Sage—he wasn’t even qualified to be her opponent, let alone make her frown. He had no doubt that if the Princess wished, she could make him die countless times with just a thought.

“Fortunately, there are others dealing with her this time. I’m just here to run errands.”

Putting aside thoughts about the Ice Asura, Obina turned his attention back to the young King of Shampoo City. Although he didn’t agree with Guard Okocha’s assessment about the mysterious master, his habitual caution kept him alert. After a moment’s thought, he said to a tall, burly guard beside him who was as huge as a Giant, “Find an opportunity to test Alexander’s strength. Don’t get caught up in the fight. Force him to reveal his true ability, then return. We need him alive; he still has his uses.”

The tall guard acknowledged the order. A yellow flame flickered at his feet, and his massive figure slowly sank into the ground, as if diving into water, until he completely disappeared beneath the stone floor, leaving no trace behind.

Yet another master.