Chapter 143: Showing a Hand
"Duane, you’ve really created a problem for me!"
It took a long time for Natalia to escape the crowd that had surrounded her.
She wasn’t good at business; to be precise, she had never imagined she would one day be involved in such matters.
Duane smiled. "Are you really planning to make this dress?"
Natalia hesitated and shook her head. "I can’t say for sure. Maybe I’ll give it a try someday?"
She had just rejected the wealthy merchant’s request not because she actually wanted to make it, but out of a subconscious desire to prevent anyone else from producing the design.
’She carefully analyzed her feelings at that moment. It was probably similar to the feeling of not wanting something precious to be taken by others.’
"The Lolita Dress you designed is truly beautiful!"
Natalia couldn’t help but glance at the rolled-up drawing she held in her hand.
"This is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you!"
When she said thank you, her eyes curved into crescents, dispelling the coldness on her face and making her look incredibly cute.
"No need to be so polite."
Duane said with a smile, "If you ever do make the dress, you’ll have to wear it for me to see. I’m also curious to know what it would look like on you."
Natalia’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she still nodded. "If that day comes, I will."
The sight of the two of them chatting so congenially made Elwin, who was watching from a distance, increasingly annoyed.
And just then, a young man leaped onto the stage.
"Distinguished guests..."
The music came to an abrupt halt, and a resonant voice spread to every corner of the banquet, capturing everyone’s attention.
"Today is Young Master Elwin’s seventeenth birthday. I imagine many of you might not know this, but just a short while ago, Young Master Elwin became an Advanced Warrior!"
As soon as he said this, gasps arose from the crowd, followed by an unending stream of cheers and praise.
To become an Advanced Warrior at the age of sixteen was indeed a remarkable feat of talent.
The host’s tone on the stage was one of both admiration and sentiment.
"These days, Extraordinary Power is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. The number of Warriors and Mages is climbing year by year, and the future is sure to be even more exciting than the present!"
"Magic is mysterious and profound; the future for a Mage is full of infinite possibilities!"
His tone shifted. "As for a Warrior, only by relentlessly honing their combat skills can they realize their true worth!"
"Such a lively banquet, with music, singing, dancing, and even Baron Duane’s marvelous drawing—how could it be complete without a thrilling, no-holds-barred fight?"
The host raised his hand and pointed to the square outside the hall. "Next, I invite our interested guests to move to the courtyard, where archery targets and a Combat Arena have been set up!"
’So all that talk was just an introduction for the next part of the banquet.’
Still, it piqued the interest of many, and a good number of people began to head outside.
"Are you interested?" Natalia asked.
Duane shrugged. "Since we’re already here, we might as well take a look."
He also wanted to see the skill level of these children of the Nobility.
"Then let’s go see together."
The two left the banquet hall side by side.
Although night had fallen, the vast courtyard was illuminated as bright as day by several huge Magic Energy Lamps.
On the left side of the square was a Combat Arena built from large, flat stones, raised two or three meters off the ground. On the right was a temporarily constructed archery range.
By the time Duane and Natalia went out, there were already people squaring off on the Combat Arena.
However, neither was very strong. There was only the clash of fists, feet, and Longswords, without the brilliant glow of Combat Techniques. They weren’t Middle Level Warriors.
THUD!
One of them was kicked off the Combat Arena, defeated.
"Hahaha, you lost!" the person on the stage roared with laughter.
Although the defeated man who had been kicked off was resentful, he still pulled a Gold Coin from his pocket and tossed it over. The victor caught it steadily.
It was normal to have a little something at stake for a fight.
With the host’s encouragement, the Combat Arena grew more and more lively.
The fighters who came up ranged from Basic-level Warriors to Middle Level Warriors, and the clash of Combat Techniques began.
Although their fights were exciting, Duane didn’t spot anyone who truly stood out.
He couldn’t help but ask, "Among the young people of Silent Shore, who has the greatest strength or talent?"
Natalia tilted her head in thought for a moment, then pointed a finger at herself. "I think... me?"
"Er, I meant among the Warriors," Duane added.
’This girl is really honest, pointing at herself like that,’ he thought.
"Then it’s probably Elwin."
Although Natalia was reluctant to admit it, the fact that he became an Advanced Warrior at sixteen did show he possessed a certain degree of talent.
"Actually, in terms of talent, my older brother George is also excellent. It’s just a pity that the Power of Elements wasn’t as strong a few years ago, so now at twenty-four, he’s only a Peak Human Tier Warrior."
If someone with his aptitude had been born a few years later, he would be at least an Earth Tier Warrior by now.
"The Power of Elements has such a huge impact on cultivation!" Duane remarked with emotion.
"Yes, it does!"
Natalia nodded slightly. "It’s said that the most supreme geniuses on the Star Continent have already reached the Shooting Star Level by the age of twenty-four!"
’A Star Realm Warrior that young is truly terrifying.’
Duane sighed. "It’s a good thing the people from the Star Continent have no plans to conquer the Shadow Mist Continent. Otherwise, no one here would be able to resist them."
"They still have vast lands and many Great Secret Realms they haven’t conquered over there. Why would they have time to come to our barren land?"
"That’s true." ’If the Secret Realm Worlds didn’t exist, maybe people from those continents would come over.’
"Do you know much about the Star Continent?"
"A little, but not much..."
The two chatted quietly while watching the fights.
Suddenly, one of the fighters on the stage was kicked into the air, and his trajectory was aimed right where Duane was standing.
Natalia was in the middle of speaking and didn’t notice. By the time she saw it, it was too late to cast any Magic.
However, just as the person was about to crash into her, Duane took a step forward and caught the man who had been sent flying.
"I’m sorry!"
Seeing that he had almost hit Natalia, the man immediately apologized, looking very unsettled.
"It’s fine."
Natalia waved her hand, signaling for him to leave, her face showing no sign of fear.
The man on stage also apologized to Natalia, but then he looked at Duane, his eyes shining.
"Baron, your reaction just now was fast and powerful. It’s clear at a glance that you’re no ordinary person. Why don’t you come up and we can have a little spar? What do you say?"
The sudden shift in the man’s speech was jarring, and many people were stunned for a moment.
Immediately after, as if they were eager to stir up trouble, they all started clapping, their faces filled with anticipation. Some people even started chanting Duane’s name.
Inviting a Baron to a duel, especially the Baron who had just been in the spotlight, was a rare event.
Duane frowned slightly. ’There’s nothing to be gained by going up there to fight.’
"Sorry, I’m not very interested in dueling."
"Ah..."
The man seemed disappointed. "I heard Lord Carter was a brave and skilled warrior. Although he made a mistake, he single-handedly killed a Level 6 Demon Beast. As his son, are you telling me you don’t even dare to step onto the Combat Arena?"
Duane’s brow furrowed. ’He was so polite just a moment ago. How did he become so provocative in the blink of an eye?’
’Does he have a grudge against me?’
He searched his memories but found that he didn’t recognize the person on the stage.
Just then, a voice came from below the stage. "I say, Charlie, don’t you know the Baron has been frail since childhood and cannot cultivate?"
"You’re a Middle Level Warrior. Have you no shame, challenging an ordinary person?"
But Charlie, on the stage, feigned a look of sudden realization. "My apologies. I didn’t expect a Celestial Tier Warrior to have a son who can’t cultivate."
As he spoke, he scanned the crowd below. "In that case, Zachary, you come on up."
He looked at Duane and said with a grin, "Zachary is also an ordinary person, Baron. Surely you won’t refuse this time, will you?"
Duane’s brow twitched. He was certain now that someone was deliberately trying to cause trouble for him.
"Who is this Charlie?" Duane asked in a low voice.
Natalia racked her brain but couldn’t find any information. "If I knew his surname, I might be able to guess, but as it is..."
She sounded helpless. "But, he’s probably the child of some Knight under Viscount Ugo?"
If he wasn’t the child of nobility, he normally wouldn’t dare speak to a Baron like that.
’So, does this have something to do with Elwin?’
Duane scanned the area but couldn’t find any sign of him.
"Are you still too afraid?"
Charlie pressed on aggressively, "Baron, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, even if you are just an ordinary person, you shouldn’t lack even the courage to step onto the stage."
He added more fuel to the fire: "The title and Territory that Lord Carter won with his life will likely be ruined in your hands!"
Such a simple and direct provocation made everyone hold their breath, waiting for Duane’s response.
"Duane, why don’t we just leave," Natalia suggested.
She knew Duane’s strength. Since he didn’t want to go up, she assumed he really wasn’t interested in fighting.
Duane sighed.
’They’ve already taken it this far, and the crowd has been worked into a frenzy. If I leave now, I’ll probably earn the nickname "Baron Coward" by the end of the night.’
’In any case, I was bound to cause some kind of stir by coming out this time. I also want to use this chance to establish my own image, so going up on stage doesn’t seem like a big deal now.’
"I was originally thinking of letting you save some face, but all I got in return was your repeated provocations."
Duane looked disappointed, as if scolding an underachiever, as he slowly walked onto the stage.
"Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to come up and show you a little something."
Charlie burst out laughing. "Zachary, the Baron is already on stage! What are you dawdling for down there? Are you going to make the honorable Baron wait for you?"
"Yes, Young Master Charlie, I’m coming!"
But Duane raised a finger and waved it dismissively. "Since you were the one who provoked me, why are you making someone else come up?"
Charlie was stunned, then asked in disbelief, "No way, you want to fight me?"
"Who else?"
Duane placed his left hand behind his back. "Like I said, I’ll only show you one hand."
The crowd below immediately burst into laughter. So "showing one hand" literally meant he was only going to use one hand.
In an instant, even more people started jeering.
At the entrance to the hall, Elwin narrowed his eyes. ’This Duane is really arrogant.’
A cruel smile touched his lips. ’The more arrogant he is now, the more miserable he’ll be later.’
Charlie felt he had been belittled and provoked. Even the feigned respect on his face vanished.
’Anyway, I’m acting on Young Master Elwin’s orders. As someone loyal to the Calvin Clan, I just need to complete my mission. It doesn’t matter who I offend.’
"Since you’re so confident, you’d better not use that other hand!"
He roared, pushed off the ground with both feet, and lunged toward Duane at an incredible speed.
As he got close, Charlie threw a quick punch straight at Duane’s face, wanting to smash that handsome face to a pulp and see how he could steal the show at the banquet then.
WHOOSH!
Just as Charlie was imagining Duane’s miserable fate, he saw the figure before him blur, and then he stumbled forward.
"You’re full of openings, kid. Go home and have your parents teach you how to practice properly!"
Duane sidestepped, raised his hand to grab his opponent’s wrist, pulled sharply, then lifted his right leg and drove his knee hard into the man’s abdomen.
With a THUD, like a fist hitting a sandbag.
Charlie, who had just been lunging forward, was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, landing directly outside the Combat Arena.