Rise to power, starting with bluffing Ya Fei

"Identity details?"

Seeing a details option beside his identity, Chu Zhou tapped it.

[Your name is Chu Zhou. Until recently, you lived in a small village near Qingshan Town. A fourth-order magical beast went on a rampage and destroyed the entire village, leaving you severely injured and unconscious. A passing caravan from the Mittel Auction House discovered you and brought you to the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City.]

[After a month of recuperation, you have fully recovered. Thanks to your good looks and physique, Ya Fei, the Auction House's manager, approved of you and recruited you as a new attendant.]

[Next, you will undergo one month of basic training. Pass the assessment and you may stay; fail and you will be expelled from the Auction House.]

[Special reminder: having an identity helps you integrate into the Dou Qi Continent.]

[Special reminder: you may reveal your identity as a Chosen One, but doing so may provoke hostility from natives who learn of it.]

"This identity is pretty straightforward."

"The village was destroyed, all the villagers were killed, and the Mittel Auction House rescued me. No need to worry about my cover being blown."

"Having an identity helps me fit into the Dou Qi Continent, so I just need to play my role well."

"What a coincidence. Acting happens to be my specialty, too."

Chu Zhou rubbed his cheeks. When he lowered his hands, his expression had taken on a hint of reserve.

He wore the attendant's uniform issued by the Mittel Merchant Guild, which accentuated his long legs and upright figure.

Leaving the small side room in the rear courtyard where he had been housed, he stepped into a courtyard. After looking around, he spotted the tall auction house building to the south and immediately headed toward it.

Upon entering the central courtyard, he saw quite a few people dressed as maids, attendants, and guards. Chu Zhou's gaze soon settled on a woman.

She was well dressed and resting on a stone stool. Her healthy complexion also suggested she was no ordinary maid.

"Hello, little sister. Could you tell me where to find the Auction House's manager?" Chu Zhou approached her.

"Little sister?" The maid looked up and studied Chu Zhou. Seeing his handsome face and shy smile, she grew a little interested. "What's your name, and how old are you?"

"My name is Chu Zhou. I'm eighteen," he said somewhat bashfully.

"Eighteen?" A smile curled the maid's lips. "You should call me big sister. I'm older than you."

"Big sister?" Surprise appeared in Chu Zhou's eyes. He looked up at her, then hastily lowered his head, his ears reddening. "Sorry, big sister. You look so much younger than the girls in our village that I got it wrong."

The maid immediately broke into a soft laugh.

Chu Zhou's "honesty" pleased her.

"What do you want to see Miss Ya Fei for?" the maid asked.

"Miss Ya Fei?" Chu Zhou looked puzzled. "Is she the manager of this Auction House?"

"That's right." The maid lifted her chin slightly. "Miss Ya Fei belongs to the Mittel Family. You've heard of the Mittel Family, haven't you?"

"Yes, yes. They're one of the empire's three great Dou Wang families." Chu Zhou nodded a little awkwardly, then said, "The caravan saved me, and I heard the guild's manager arranged food, lodging, and work for me. I wanted to thank Miss Ya Fei in person."

"If you want to thank her, just work hard from now on. There's no need to see Miss Ya Fei." The maid smiled and shook her head. "She manages the Auction House. She's usually very busy."

Although she thought Chu Zhou had a good "eye," the maid still looked down on him. He was a boy from a tiny village, after all.

Did he think he could meet the manager of the Mittel Auction House just because he asked?

Were a few empty words of thanks worth her taking the time to see him?

Chu Zhou's entire face flushed red. He lowered his head and scratched his neck. "I—I wasn't going to waste Miss Ya Fei's time just to thank her with words. I have some information about an esteemed alchemist to give her. That's how I wanted to thank her."

About an Alchemist?

The maid's expression immediately turned serious.

There was no one on the Dou Qi Continent who did not want to become an Alchemist. Everyone understood the weight that title carried.

It was no exaggeration to say that even a first-tier alchemist could become an honored guest of Wutan City's three great families.

At that thought, the maid asked solemnly, "Is that true?"

"Big sister, I wouldn't dare lie to you, much less to Miss Ya Fei," Chu Zhou answered at once.

The maid thought that made sense. Even with the courage of a magical beast, Chu Zhou would not dare deceive them.

"Come with me," she said, rising without asking what information he intended to reveal.

As one of Ya Fei's personal maids, she knew very well what she should and should not hear.

If Chu Zhou's information was important, listening to it would only invite trouble for herself.

And if Chu Zhou was lying, she would not be the one to pay the price.

A gleam flashed in Chu Zhou's eyes as he followed the maid, keeping a respectful distance.

A few minutes later, Chu Zhou followed her to a room inside the Mittel Auction House.

"Wait here. I'll go in and report," the maid said, opening the door and entering.

After another few minutes, the maid opened the door again. "Miss Ya Fei says you may come in."

"Yes!"

Chu Zhou followed the maid into the room, passing through the front parlor and into the rear hall before entering a study.

In the room piled with all kinds of books stood a desk. Seated behind it was a woman wearing a luxurious, tight-fitting red brocade robe that perfectly outlined her lovely curves. Her fair feet peeked in and out of view, and a faint, seductive smile graced her exquisitely featured face.

A silver sash cinched her slender waist, further emphasizing her full bust and rounded hips.

Chu Zhou lowered his head after a single glance, inwardly muttering, What a temptress.

None of the women he had ever met could compare to such a stunning beauty. Both her figure and her looks were exceptional.

"Qin'er says you have information about an Alchemist for me. Go ahead."

Once the maid withdrew, Ya Fei rested an elbow on the desk, propped her chin on her hand, and spoke.

Her lively, foxlike eyes flickered as her assessing gaze swept over Chu Zhou.

"Miss Ya Fei," Chu Zhou said, bowing with his hands clasped. "The information I brought is that I nearly became an esteemed Alchemist's disciple. He said I had considerable talent for alchemy. Unfortunately, he passed away."

"Hmm?" Ya Fei's pupils contracted.

She had considered many possibilities, but had never expected Chu Zhou to bring her news like this.

This young man, whom she had thought had nothing going for him beyond a handsome face, actually possessed the talent to become an Alchemist—and an Alchemist had acknowledged it?

Without saying whether she believed him, Ya Fei asked directly, "If an Alchemist thought highly of you, how did you end up gravely injured and unconscious, only to be brought back by a caravan from my Mittel Auction House?"

At her question, Chu Zhou immediately began telling the story he had prepared.

"I'm from Deercry Village near Qingshan Town. I earned my living teaching people to read and write."

"A month ago, an elderly man came to Deercry Village to rest. Since my home was comfortable, he chose to stay there for a while."

"While he was in my home, the old man raised his hand and summoned flames to refine pills. Curious, I asked him a few questions."

"He said I had a good aptitude for understanding things, so he examined my constitution. After checking me over, he said I had the talent to become an Alchemist. Unfortunately, I was already a little too old; otherwise, I could have made something of myself."