Getting Straight to the Point

When Amber Xiu saw Allen Watson, the once-spirited Paladin was sitting dejectedly on the ground.

His longsword lay beside him, its blade covered in cracks and chips. Clearly, he had been through an exceptionally brutal battle.

Allen's face was swollen and bruised, as though he had been viciously beaten. His handsome features were completely unrecognizable. But his mental wounds seemed many times worse than his physical ones. There was no light left in his eyes, and he looked as though he had aged more than a decade.

Headless Bro was standing nearby, leisurely filing his fingernails.

Amber Xiu asked in surprise, "What did you do to him?"

Headless Bro shook his head and said disdainfully, "I merely taught him a small lesson. Paladins these days are far worse than they were back then. Someone at this level actually dared to come out adventuring alone. The Lyne Empire has fallen, too."

Amber Xiu asked curiously, "Why does that sound like a personal grudge?"

Headless Bro said, "His father is the Supreme Adjudicator of the Lyne Empire. It was simply his bad luck."

"You have a grudge against James Watson too?"

Amber Xiu was somewhat surprised. Headless Bro didn't look like a scholar. Surely he had never been rejected by that racist old man?

"James Watson? Who's that? I was talking about Moody. He was the one who issued the warrant for my arrest back then."

Amber Xiu: ...

This Headless Knight really held a grudge. Moody had probably been Supreme Adjudicator several generations ago, yet he had taken it out on Allen. All Amber Xiu could say was that Allen had bad luck.

"Is bullying a child really that fun?" Amber Xiu asked.

Before Headless Bro could explain, Allen spoke first. "It wasn't. Mr. Gareth kept his strength and speed at the same level as mine, but I still couldn't fight back at all."

Amber Xiu consoled him, "That's normal. You have no idea how long this man has lived. It's hardly surprising that his martial skills surpass those of ordinary humans."

"Ordinary humans..." Allen could only smile bitterly.

He had been a Paladin of the Lyne Empire who had received rigorous training since childhood. His swordsmanship was among the best of his generation. Even the emperor had personally conferred his title and praised him as a future pillar of the empire.

Yet facing this slovenly-looking middle-aged man, Allen had suffered the worst defeat of his life.

It had been utterly devastating. The man hadn't even used a sword. He had merely extended one finger and defeated Allen with his fingernail.

The swordsmanship he had once been proud of was like a child's game before this man. The moment Allen made the slightest movement with his arm, his opponent's fingernail had already jabbed at his throat, eyes, heart, and other vital points. After more than a decade of painstaking practice, his swordsmanship still had so many flaws that he himself had never noticed.

His opponent had even deliberately toyed with him, making Allen land face-first every time. His nose had long since been broken, and his front teeth were a little loose. His injuries were not severe, but the mental blow had been enormous.

This had been a complete and utter defeat, with not a single excuse to hide behind.

Now, hearing Amber Xiu's evaluation, Allen felt even more humiliated.

So, in the eyes of true powerhouses, he was merely an ordinary human.

After confirming that Allen was not seriously injured, Amber Xiu could not be bothered with him anymore. He pulled Headless Bro out of the cell.

Amber Xiu shared the seven prophecy fragments he had obtained with Headless Bro, wanting to ask him about them.

Although Headless Bro was not a learned scholar, he had lived longer than Amber Xiu and had certainly seen more. Perhaps he could recognize something.

But the result greatly disappointed Amber Xiu. Headless Bro could not guess what exactly was inside the sewers either. Instead, he was very concerned about the ruined bar.

Headless Bro said urgently, "Diga, little brother, is this prophecy certain to come true? Can it be changed?"

"Worried about your Orc sister?" Amber Xiu asked with a smile.

"Aona is innocent," Headless Bro said with an intense sense of responsibility.

Amber Xiu fell silent for two seconds before saying, "If your wife hears that, she'll be even more furious."

However, seeing how anxious Headless Bro was, Amber Xiu still tried his best to offer some advice.

"Whether the prophecy can be changed, I can't say for certain. I'm also a coward who doesn't dare face fate. But you can choose another way to face the future. The prophecy only says that the bar will become ruins. It doesn't mention the Orc owner's corpse, so whether she can survive remains unknown.

"Alchemy City will definitely be mostly destroyed in the near future. You should persuade her to leave early. As long as she's alive, the bar can be rebuilt after it's destroyed, can't it?"

Headless Bro immediately brightened at that.

"Little brother, you really do have a solution. I'll go tell her right now and persuade her to leave Alchemy City."

Headless Bro was about to go find his Orc sister when Amber Xiu called him back.

"Wait. Give the owner a message for me. If she wants to sell the bar, I can take it off her hands—but she'll have to give me a discount."

Headless Bro said strangely, "Didn't you say this bar was destined to be destroyed? Why are you still buying it? Wouldn't you definitely lose money?"

Amber Xiu retorted, "What else can I do? Do you still have money on you? If not, how will that Orc girl live after giving up the bar? You think she doesn't need to eat and drink like undead do? If I take over the bar, she'll have money to start over somewhere else, won't she?"

Headless Bro was moved beyond words. He hugged Amber Xiu tightly and said, "Good brother, I'll never forget this favor. Don't worry. No matter who takes your head, I, Gareth, will be the first to avenge you!"

"Can't you protect me before my head gets taken?"

"You said yourself that everything seen in the prophecy will come true."

Amber Xiu: ...

Those words made Amber Xiu's Soul Fire tremble with anger. As expected, the most annoying thing in the world was prophecy—especially prophecies about misfortune.

After Headless Bro left, Amber Xiu began preparing to welcome the important figure from the Alchemist Council.

He did not have to wait long. A huge airship landed in front of Amber Xiu's castle.

A stern-faced middle-aged man stepped down from the airship. He wore a gold-and-red robe that looked to be the same style as the administrator's robe Amber Xiu had seen before, only with more ornate patterns.

Amber Xiu changed back to a human appearance and welcomed the man with a smile.

Amber Xiu greeted him warmly. "My dear Flynn, it's been a long time. The last time we met was more than a decade ago, wasn't it?"

Gustavo Flynn, the Alchemist Council's Sixth Seat, was an alchemist of the Legendary Tier. His published works, taken together, could fill Amber Xiu's entire library. He was a truly important figure.

Alchemy City had sent him here, which showed that it also placed great importance on Allen Watson.

When Gustavo Flynn saw Amber Xiu, his expression did not change in the slightest. He said in the most direct manner, "I know you very well, old friend. Name your price. This Paladin is very useful to us."

Amber Xiu said happily, "You're my favorite person on the council. I love how direct you are. Twenty million gold coins, and I'll hand him over to you."