"What?"
"Old York, you're not joking, are you?"
"You're really drunk. That kind of thing could never happen..."
The crowd in the tavern gasped in astonishment. Despite having witnessed many strange and unusual things as mercenaries, they still couldn't believe what the burly man had said. Who was the Golden Sun Knight, one of the Ten Great Judgment Knight? A man of Zongheng talent and unparalleled brilliance, renowned throughout the empire. Countless challengers had perished under his golden spear. Rumor had it that the Golden Knight possessed strength nearly equivalent to a six- Star-Rank Warrior at a young age, hailed as the strongest of the younger generation. How could he be defeated by a King of a vassal state?
This is simply unbelievable.
The tall, burly man took another sip of fine wine, craned his neck, and retorted, "Why is it impossible? This matter is no secret; it's already spread throughout the capital. Some people even witnessed the unconscious Golden Knight being carried into the Knights' Hall by his knights' retinue. It's said that the Grand Knight Commander of the Knights' Hall, Akinfeev, is furious. Now, all the major powers in the capital with any strength have begun secretly preparing to win over this incomparably powerful vassal King..."
"How so?"
"Could it be true?"
Seeing how convincingly he spoke, the crowd began to have doubts.
"Ah, I know! It must be [ One Sword ]! Only [ One Sword ] has the strength to defeat the Golden Knight..." Someone suddenly realized, thinking he had found the 'correct answer', and shouted triumphantly. The other mercenaries echoed his words, also agreeing with the answer. If there was anyone within the Empire who could defeat the Sun Golden Knight, it would definitely be [ One Sword ].
"Hahaha, wrong, completely wrong. Jim, are you out of your mind? I already said it was the King of the vassal state who defeated the Golden Knight. [ One Sword ] hasn't even ascended the throne yet, he's just a Prince... Hehe, forget it, forget it, stop guessing. You'll never guess who this mysterious expert is, because the person who defeated the Golden Knight was just a previously inconspicuous king of a sixth-rank vassal state." The tall, burly man revealed the truth.
" King of a sixth-class vassal state?"
"Old York, did a bear knock your brain out?"
The burly man grew agitated, his neck stiffening as he shouted, "Your brain was blown out of shape by the bear! Your whole family was blown out of shape by the bear! This is absolutely true, there's no mistake about it..."
But the mercenaries just laughed; seeing how outrageous his words were, no one believed him.
Sun Fei, sitting to the side, became increasingly alarmed as he listened. He stroked his chin, astonished: only four days had passed since his battle with the Golden Knight Twin Tower Peaks, how could the news have spread so quickly, and how could it have originated in the capital, Saint Petersburg, and then spread back to Hot Springs Pass? This was truly strange.
Angela and the blonde Loli Jima, both covered their mouths and laughed. These two girls naturally knew the details of the battle at Twin Tower Peaks best. Seeing that the people in the tavern didn't believe them, the blonde Loli Jima, immediately raised her eyebrows and was about to stand up to prove it, but Angela grabbed her and gently shook her head. The Loli could only grit her teeth and sit down, glaring angrily at the people around her, as if those who didn't believe Sun Fei had defeated the Golden Knight were her enemies.
"Brother, where did you hear all this news? It's not just rumors, is it?" Sun Fei deliberately provoked the honest man indirectly.
"How could it be a rumor? Young man, this was officially announced by the Soros Chamber of Commerce's branch in St. Saint Petersburg, the capital..." The tall, burly man York, was so anxious that his face turned red. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting, "You bunch of guys, you don't believe what I say, but the news released by the Soros Chamber of Commerce can't be false, right? If you don't believe me, just wait a few more days, and this news will definitely reach Hot Springs Pass. Moreover, the information released by the Soros Chamber of Commerce is very detailed. The mysterious expert who defeated the Sun Golden Knight was Alexander, the King of Chambord City, a sixth-class vassal state."
"It was actually the Soros Chamber of Commerce that announced it?"
"He spoke with such conviction, it seemed almost true..."
"If it was announced by the Soros Chamber of Commerce, then it might be true. I never expected that such a hero would emerge from a mere sixth-class vassal state."
Hearing York mention the name of the Soros Chamber of Commerce, the people in the tavern gradually began to believe it. A behemoth like the Soros Chamber of Commerce would never make up such nonsense. After all, merchants value their reputation above all else. If rumors were to spread, the Chamber's reputation would be ruined. In the hundred years since the Soros Chamber of Commerce was founded, such a thing had never happened.
At this moment, Sun Fei finally understood the key to it.
Redknapp, the black-robed director of the Soros Chamber of Commerce, and his entourage had been following the Chambord Expeditionary Army and had witnessed the Battle of Twin Tower Peaks firsthand. The fact that the news could reach the capital and then Hot Springs in such detail could only mean that Redknapp had deliberately passed on the information through some special channels exclusive to the Soros Chamber of Commerce. There was no other possibility.
Why is the Soros Chamber of Commerce publicizing this so extensively? Do these profit-driven businessmen see some benefit in it?
Sun Fei keenly sensed something strange about it.
Meanwhile, the discussion in the tavern was still intense, with everyone's interest shifting to the mysterious master, King of Chambord. The two girls sat next to Sun Fei, secretly covering their mouths and giggling. Listening to the exclamations and praises from the crowd, and seeing Sun Fei sitting calmly at the table with a smile, they felt both proud and honored. They couldn't wait to tell everyone that they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, defeated that mysterious master, and were now sitting right in front of them.
Seeing that everyone finally believed him, the tall, burly man York smiled smugly, downed more than half a glass of beer in one gulp, wiped the beer stains off his beard, and suddenly slammed his fist on the table to attract everyone's attention before loudly proclaiming, "Actually, the defeat of the Golden Knight isn't the most sensational news that's happened in Beijing recently. Something else happened in the capital that will definitely shock you."
"Is there even more shocking news? Tell us quickly, stop keeping us in suspense!" someone urged impatiently.
Tall and sturdy York was extremely pleased with himself. He looked around, having piqued everyone's interest, before his smile faded, and he said unhurriedly, "Just ten days ago, the Guardian Martial Saint of the Spartak Empire actually issued a Martial Saint to Lord Krasic..."
"What? A challenge to the Martial Saint?"
"No way? What are those damned Spartak bastards up to? Are they trying to start a war?"
"Tell me quickly, old York, what was Martial Saint Krasic's reply?"
"Gods help us, this has happened! Is war really about to break out?"
York, the tall and strong man, uttered a startling remark, like salt being sprinkled into a boiling oil pan. The already noisy and bustling pub instantly exploded like a powder keg, and even many people who had been whispering and laughing with their heads down couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at him.
This news is truly astonishing.
The appearance of the [ Martial Saint Challenge ] was an absolutely earth-shattering event for the empire. It not only signified a life-or-death battle between two super-powerful beings, but also represented a direct clash between the Zenit and Spartak empires on a new level. According to the ancient traditions of the Azeroth Continent, the outcome of a duel between two Guardian Martial Saint could very well determine the fate of an empire. The significance of the [ Martial Saint Challenge ] was simply extraordinary—like a divine fart. As members of the Zenit Empire, how could anyone not care about such a matter? Compared to that, the defeat of the Golden Knight seemed utterly insignificant.
" The Spartak Empire is truly going too far! Lord Krasic will surely be able to slay that reckless challenger..."
Krasich, the Guardian Martial Saint of the Zenit Empire, has been a Moon-level expert for ten years. He is the undisputed strongest person in the empire, the empire's guardian deity, and the absolute idol in the hearts of countless warriors of the empire. He sits atop the Imperial Martial Saint Mountain, his power shaking all nations, and no one dares to challenge him. Now, he has finally been challenged by other empires.
"Two months from now, atop Martial Saint Mountain in Saint Petersburg, under the blazing moon, the two saints will face off to the death!" The tall, burly man York, downed his drink and slammed his fist on the wooden table. He declared loudly, "This matter has already spread throughout the vicinity of the capital. I believe that any martial artist with any sense of honor will come to watch and cheer for the Imperial Martial Saint."
"I'll definitely go then." Some people couldn't wait.
"I'll go too..."
"Holy crap..."
"Anyone who doesn't go to something like this is a goblin's son..."
Looking at the excited atmosphere in the wine, Sun Fei suddenly felt a sense of longing for the duel between the two saints at Martial Saint Mountain two months later. This was a life-or-death battle between Moon Class experts, and it would definitely be an opportunity to understand the strength level of the experts on the continent. He wondered what kind of earth-shattering scene would appear then, which was something to look forward to.
After listening to everyone chat for a while, Sun Fei saw that it was almost time, got up to ask the owner to settle the bill, and prepared to leave.
"Young man, thank you for letting me sit here earlier, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to drink today... I'd like to invite you and these two beautiful young ladies to have a good drink." The tall, burly man York, said, standing up and beckoning the bartender to bring over four iron glasses of rye pure beer. He placed three glasses in front of Sun Fei and his two companions, and pushed the fourth glass towards the dark-skinned boy who had been sitting there silently. The tall, burly man nudged him. " Philip, don't just sit there like an idiot, stand up and have a drink like a man."
The little boy, a bit flustered, gave a shy smile and stood up, clutching the metal cup.
Just then, a loud, piercing sound rang out.
The tavern's wooden door was pushed open violently, and several arrogant figures barged in.
The leader, as if searching for something, glanced around. Upon seeing Sun Fei and his companions, his eyes lit up. He turned and whispered something to a richly dressed young man behind him. The young man smiled, swaggered over to the table, sniffed in disgust, glared at the burly man York and the shyly smiling boy, and sneered, "Get lost! Two lowly mercenaries, what are you? Do you think you're worthy to sit at the same table as such a beautiful lady?"
Second update.