Chapter 219: Three Letters
After leaving the Secret Realm, Duane had no intention of returning anytime soon.
After all, his movements would be monitored as soon as he got close, and that pack of Demon Beasts would likely set another ambush.
Rather than waste time on that, he might as well focus on increasing his various Skill Levels to gain enough attribute points and break through to become a Level 4 Mage sooner.
Once he mastered Stealth Magic, it wouldn’t be too late to enter the Secret Realm again.
Time flew by. After training in Thorn Valley for twenty days, Duane returned to Forest Castle.
At his current level of strength, aside from the Black Bear in the Secret Realm and the Giant Lynx on Heavenly Mountain Peak, there were no other Demon Beasts that could pose a threat to him.
During these twenty days, he had achieved Combat Skill Perfection with Combat Techniques like Gale Slash, Shield of Defense, and Bursting Impact.
Furthermore, he had also raised Holy Shield Barrier to Mastery and Celestial Python Breathing Skill to the Skilled level, which enhanced the abilities of Celestial Python’s Eye, Scale Transformation, and Snake Fang Assault.
After that, he stopped using Combat Techniques and switched to fighting Demon Beasts with Magic instead.
This led to a massive increase in his Skill Levels for various types of Magic.
The eighteen spells he had mastered across the five schools of Magic—Arcane, Thunder, Wind, Fire, and Water—had all been raised to the Skilled Level.
From Magic alone, he had gained 4.2 attribute points!
Adding the attribute points from the aforementioned Combat Techniques, by the time Duane returned to the castle, his Spiritual Power had reached 30.0, allowing him to become a Level 4 Mage in one fell swoop.
He had returned to his Territory partly because he had been away for too long and didn’t want his subordinates to worry.
On the other hand, he also needed a few days of rest. He also planned to master his Level 4 Magic, especially Arcane Shaping and Stealth Magic, before preparing to enter the Secret Realm for a third time.
As soon as he returned to the castle, Fur Ball started yelping with joy.
Although it had accepted being cared for by Jasmine all these days, it hadn’t forgotten Duane’s scent.
"Let me see."
Duane picked Fur Ball up. The little guy already weighed around twenty or thirty pounds.
It had only been two months, yet Fur Ball’s weight was already comparable to that of a four or five-month-old Golden Retriever.
"Is your hand injured?"
Duane’s brow furrowed as he looked at Jasmine’s wrist.
The maid flinched, but she couldn’t escape Duane’s gaze.
"When Fur Ball was eating, I moved its bowl... It was so fast, I couldn’t dodge in time!"
Jasmine said with a bitter smile. "But it let go after one bite. It’s not too serious."
Duane pulled her wrist over to take a look. The wound had already scabbed over and indeed didn’t look very serious.
However, biting people was absolutely not allowed.
Duane held Fur Ball next to the wound and began to discipline it, hitting it until it cried out.
This kind of "after-the-fact" punishment had limited effect; it was most effective to discipline the pet right when it bit.
But Jasmine only saw Fur Ball as the Baron’s beloved pet, so even after being bitten, she didn’t dare to punish it.
’Looks like I should find someone braver to look after it next time I leave,’ Duane thought.
Fur Ball’s howls attracted Owington, who greeted Duane with delight upon seeing him.
"My Lord, you’ve finally returned!"
Duane detected a hint of anxiety in the man’s tone. "Did something happen in the Territory?"
He had been gone for over twenty days, and the spring planting in the Territory was already finished. Logically, there shouldn’t be any major issues right now.
"Three letters arrived from Sea Cliff Castle!"
"Three?"
Duane was a little surprised.
’I only wrote to Natalia. If she wrote back, there should only be one letter, right?’
Owington explained, "One is from Miss Natalia, another is from Count Kais, and the last one, which arrived three days ago, is an invitation from the Kingdom."
Duane’s eyes lit up when he heard the word "invitation."
It was clearly an invitation to the Pruck Kingdom’s founding celebration, which meant there was a high probability His Majesty Eric would be hosting a martial arts tournament.
"Bring me the letters," Duane said.
Owington returned to the study and quickly retrieved the letters.
Duane looked at the writing on the envelopes, recognizing the handwriting of Natalia, Count Kais, and Lloyd.
He opened Natalia’s letter first.
The elegant script first offered greetings to Duane and congratulations on the successful establishment of the Messenger Passage, then transitioned into some complaints and reminiscences.
She complained that Duane hadn’t personally attended the negotiations between the two kingdoms, saying she had prepared many things to show him, all of which had gone to waste.
Duane couldn’t help but smile. The girl’s feelings in the letter were very obvious.
Thinking of this beautiful girl stirred something in Duane’s heart.
He hadn’t paid much attention to Kaelon, Ralph, and the others urging him to marry, but now he realized his Territory truly needed a lady of the castle.
He spent much of his time busy with other matters, often leaving the Territory for extended periods.
With a lady present, crucial decisions could be made without the fear of taking responsibility that Kaelon and the others had.
Duane put those thoughts aside and continued reading the letter.
Natalia brought some disappointing news—
According to intelligence from the Kennedy Clan’s Mage Association, she had found no information regarding Rune Coils or Magic Net Energy Field Reaction Runes.
Duane frowned.
’If even a power like the Kennedy Clan doesn’t know about them, then these two things probably don’t exist yet, or they exist but haven’t been made public.’
’How am I supposed to start manufacturing the Power System, then?’
He couldn’t begin until this problem was solved.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Duane impatiently flipped to the last page of the letter.
Around mid-June, the first batch of clothing from the Kennedy Time Closet would be produced, and Natalia was inviting Duane to Sea Cliff Castle to discuss sales strategies with their three partners: Derek, Zelina, and Sharp.
Although the Lolita Dresses had already made a splash at the Calvin Clan’s banquet, most of the Nobility and wealthy merchants hadn’t seen them in person.
To build a reputation, they needed a good sales strategy.
Duane pondered for a moment, and an idea sprang to mind—he would hold a fashion show.
This world had some exhibitions for attire, but they weren’t grand affairs and were quite monotonous.
Duane’s designs consisted mainly of dresses, but also included a few men’s sailor suits, formal wear, and so on.
With the substantial funding from Natalia and the others, they were fully capable of hosting an Otherworldly fashion show.
A runway, models, guests—they could have it all.
They could even leverage the upcoming founding celebration and hold the exhibition in the Royal Capital. The effect would be absolutely unprecedented!
As Duane thought of this, he could hardly stop himself from applauding his own idea.
’The person who came up with this brilliant idea is a true genius!’
After finishing Natalia’s letter, Duane opened the one from Count Kais.
The familiar sight of Natalia’s handwriting met his eyes, only this time, it was written in cipher.
Duane went to his study and quickly deciphered the message.
The content of the letter was concise—His Majesty had agreed to hold the martial arts tournament, but there were some changes.
First, the upper age limit was raised from twenty to twenty-five.
This meant that more powerful contenders would be joining.
Count Kais was worried that Duane wouldn’t be a match for them.
Second, Crown Prince Sigmund had returned from his studies on the Sunset Continent. At thirty years old, he was said to be a Celestial Tier Peak Warrior who could break through at any moment.
Duane’s brow furrowed. ’I knew the Crown Prince was training abroad, but I never expected he went to the Sunset Continent!’
He couldn’t help but think of another organization that had come from the Sunset Continent—the Holy Radiance Court.
It was obvious that Grand Mage Clement hadn’t approached King Eric for no reason. The Crown Prince must have been the one to introduce them.
’Although the Crown Prince is a Celestial Tier Peak Warrior, he’s already thirty years old, so he doesn’t meet the requirements to compete.’
’Besides, the dignified Crown Prince surely wouldn’t stoop to competing for a mere fief.’
Finally, there was the piece of information that concerned Duane the most—
His Highness Sigmund had brought a friend back from the Sunset Continent. This friend’s strength was unknown, but it was certain that he would participate in the upcoming martial arts tournament.