Chapter 403: Are There Any Phoenix Eggs?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the third floor of Gray Manor’s eighth-floor courtyard.
Veronica stood in front of a huge mirror, using her hands to tie up her hair. She showed off her impressive figure in front of the mirror. Her fair skin and amazing breasts were so charming. In addition, she was wearing light makeup and looked lovely. Any man would go crazy when they saw her.
“I still look outstanding today.”
Her lips moved slightly and let out moist air. Veronica took a few strands of hair that fell to her mouth and put them in her mouth. Her expression became more and more attractive.
As she spoke, she opened her hands, and the two maids behind her put on a white dress on Veronica.. The dress was very simple, similar to what girls would wear. While putting on the dress, the two maids carefully avoided the ten rings on Veronica’s finger. However, when they inadvertently glanced at the ten rings, their eyes were full of envy.
After putting on the white dress, Veronica put a green hair clip on her hair and walked around the mirror like a beautiful butterfly.
“Very good. That dress makes me look ten years younger. Maybe the Black Emperor would like that style.”
Veronica’s careful dressing had only one purpose, which was to leave the courtyard and meet with Watson outside. It was just a one-sided meeting with Watson.
She had lived in the slums of the royal city since she was young. She knew that a woman’s best asset was not her ability but her beauty and youth. With those two weapons, she began to rely on the Severed Fingers Gang to climb the ranks of the higher-ups. Gradually, she climbed up to the position of leader of the Severed Fingers Gang. At that point, she no longer needed to rely on anyone, nor did she need to sell her body.
Of course, until Watson’s appearance.
Unlike before, Veronica only wanted to climb up the ranks, so she used the men obsessed with her beauty. However, at that time, she was really tempted. She was already a diamond-tier elite and the disciple of two famous people in the kingdom at such a young age. She was powerful, and she was wise. If it were not because she was too young, such a man would be the most perfect person in the world.
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“If I can make that Black Emperor fall in love with me or be interested in me, then I can obtain more resources within the Severed Fingers Gang and stand on top of a mountain that I could not see before.”
Even though she was tempted, Veronica’s nature had not changed. She used her beauty to seduce all the men who could be seduced. Because Watson was so outstanding, there was a high chance that he would not like a person like her, so there was no need for her to make Watson fall in love with her; she did not need to be Watson’s lover. As long as she was his lover, she should be able to do such a thing. Furthermore, the other party was a young boy who did not seem to have much experience in that area.
“According to the reports from my subordinates, the Black Emperor is currently shopping with someone. It’s time for me to go out.”
After making up her mind, Veronica left her residence in the sky courtyard. She had only walked out a few steps when she heard a familiar complaint.
“That is the first time I’ve worn that kind of clothing since I was born. It’s really awkward! But since it’s the Black Emperor’s request, I can only accept it.”
Looking up, Veronica found that the person complaining was Amon. At that moment, Amon was wearing a black and white uniform. The uniform’s chest was engraved with the emblem of the Holy Dragon Kingdom, and there were gold tassels hanging on the left and right sides of his shoulders. It seemed that that was the uniform of a certain academy.
Beside Amon, there was a burly man who was comforting him.
“Amon, you look excellent in that school uniform. Believe me, when you enter the Royal Academy with that appearance, you will be able to charm many noble girls! The Black Emperor wanted you to find outstanding talents. I think that you might as well trick a few noble ladies and get them. That way, the Black Emperor’s mission will be completed. If not for my appearance and my age, I would also like to enter the academy with you and spend every day with the Black Emperor.”
The one who consoled him was Basher. At that moment, he was scratching his head with an envious face. As he was speaking, he noticed Veronica, who was approaching him. “Veronica? Why are you dressed like that? You’re already in your twenties, and you’re dressed like a teenage girl. Also, who are you going to see dressed like that?”
“Basher, you idiot. It doesn’t matter to you who I go to see dressed like that. Be careful. If you say something like that again, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
“Veronica, you’re still the same. You swear the moment you open your mouth. Is there a teenager like you?” Basher curled his lips.
“Hey, guys, why do you have to quarrel every time you meet?” Amon raised his hands weakly. Basher and Veronica seemed to have had an indescribable relationship from the past. As for the specifics, he was not a nosy person, so he had not inquired about it.
“Ask that crazy woman. Why do you have to quarrel with me every time you see me? You look like you don’t like me. Back then, that crazy woman only became one of the leaders of the Severed Fingers because of my recommendation. Otherwise, she would still be an ordinary member now.”
“Bullsh*t! I was the one who traded my body for my current status. What does it have to do with you? You were only a new Severed Fingers Gang leader at the time. You did not have any say at all.”
“Veronica, why are you so angry? Or are you deliberately picking a fight?”
“Picking a fight? You don’t deserve it. I’m too lazy to talk to you. I’m going to meet the Black Emperor. Get out of my way. My time is very precious.”
“Veronica, so you’re dressed like that to meet Young Master Watson? You’re heading there too?”
Hearing Veronica’s words, Basher was a little surprised at first, but then he showed a strange expression. Veronica keenly sensed the meaning in Basher’s words and frowned. “What do you mean me too? Basher, don’t tell me you’re going to see the Black Emperor?”
“Of course. Amon just passed the Royal Academy’s assessment according to the Black Emperor’s instructions and even bought the school uniform. We’re on our way to tell him that news. On the other hand, you don’t seem to have anything to report to the Black Emperor. You’re not dressed like that to seduce the Black Emperor, are you?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Even though Veronica was very thick-skinned, she could not help but blush. That made Basher’s expression even more strange. “Veronica, I’d advise you to save your breath. The Black Emperor doesn’t like you. As far as I know, the Black Emperor brought a beautiful woman with him when he went out today, and it’s said that he has a good relationship with Lady Swordmistress.”
“How do you know if you don’t try? Anyway, I have decided to see the Black Emperor later. Don’t hinder me. If you want to see the Black Emperor, wait for me to finish. In return, I can pay you ten million gold coins.”
“You want us to back down with just ten million gold coins? You are underestimating us. We won’t agree to 100 million gold coins, let alone 10 million gold coins.”
While Veronica and Basher were bickering, another man’s voice suddenly echoed not far away from them.
“I did not expect the both of you to be here and even plan on meeting the Black Emperor. Why don’t you join us later? ”
Veronica and Amon turned their heads together and saw Klein walking over with his cane. He took off the black tophat on his head and bowed to them. It seemed like he deliberately wore a different suit, making him appear very rich. His hair had been carefully groomed, and every strand of hair stuck to his scalp obediently.
“Klein, why are you here?”
After Klein, another person walked forward. It was Count Gray, who was also wearing a suit that was different from his usual clothes, and there was a bright red ribbon pinned to his chest.
Klein smiled and said, “It looks like everyone is here. I thought that I was the only one who wanted to meet the Black Emperor. I did not expect everyone to have the same thoughts as me.”
With a chuckle, Marcus walked out from the shadows of the forest. He was in a starlight-tier feather armor that shimmered with divine light, reflecting a magnificent color under the sunlight.
“I’m different from you people with ulterior motives. I want to meet the Black Emperor to ask about how to raise that angelic unicorn.”
Then, they heard Elven. She descended from the sky on the angelic unicorn and quickly landed on the ground.
After her, another one of their fellow higher-ups appeared. In a short period, ten Severed FingersGang leaders had gathered there. They looked at each other with a slightly awkward expression. They had the same goal. They did not expect to bump into each other there. It was indeed a bit of a coincidence.
“Why are you guys looking for the Black Emperor for no reason at all?” Veronica was the first to speak. As soon as she finished speaking, Elven glanced at her. “Us? Aren’t you going to see the Black Emperor as well?”
Their purpose for going to see Watson was very simple. They wanted to curry favor with their boss, especially after Marcus received the reward from the temporary assessment—he had gotten a starlight-tier item for that. If they made Watson happy, he might give them a few starlight-tier weapons. Even if they did not get any weapons, they were willing to raise their strength to diamond-tier.
Klein said, “Everyone, let’s not quarrel. Since everyone is going to see the Black Emperor, it’s obviously not feasible to go one by one. Why don’t we all go together? I have a suggestion. Will you listen to it?”
Klein interrupted Elven and Veronica, who were still arguing.
“I wonder what your suggestion is?”
“My suggestion is like that—”
Waving his hand, he gestured for all his fellow higher-ups to gather in front of him. Klein lowered his voice and recounted the idea he had. As soon as his voice fell, everyone nodded, and a glint appeared in their eyes.
“That’s right, Klein. We’ll do as you say! Your plan is very fair. In the end, it will depend on our abilities to win the Black Emperor’s favor.”
After the higher-ups decided to meet Watson, Watson was on the other end.
“This is the Red Dragon area of the Holy Dragon Tavern. It’s indeed more upscale than other places! I’ve only been here a few times with my mother since I was young.” As Lily sat in a private room in the Red Dragon area, she sighed when she looked at the exquisite agate jewelry hanging from the tables and chairs and the gorgeous murals hanging on the walls.
As an archduke’s family child, Lily was not qualified to enter the red dragon area for a meal. Even her brother, Augustus, could not be invited there alone. The last time he was able to enter the Red Dragon Area, Augustus had used Casey and the other noble family members to do that. Coupled with his tough attitude, the people of the Holy Dragon Tavern had no choice but to let him pass.
They were with Watson that day, so everyone went directly to the Red Dragon area.
“I am not qualified to enter the red dragon area either. Young Master Casey is obviously not qualified too. It seems like we have all been blessed by Watson,” Charlotte said. After entering the Red Dragon area, Charlotte automatically put away the parasol on her head. She placed it beside the chair and looked at Watson with a strange look in her eyes.
Charlotte’s situation in the Saint Laurent family was similar to Lily’s. Even though she was the child of the leading family, there was a genius above her who was even more outstanding than them. The genius of the Campbell family was Augustus, and the genius of the Saint Laurent family was Nia. Nia was even more terrifying due to her lack of feelings than the proud and domineering Augustus.
She did not know who was stronger—Watson or Nia?
Charlotte compared them in her heart. She felt that perhaps Nia was stronger. Watson, who was the Sword Saint’s and Antonio’s disciple, had mastered combat aura and magic simultaneously. He had a more varied way of fighting and had the magical ability to repair bracelets. However, those were nothing in front of Nia. As a member of the Saint Laurent family, she knew that Nia had a huge secret.
“Don’t be so reserved. What do you want to eat? Let me treat everyone to a meal!” Lily said as she took the menu.
“Since I don’t come to such places often, I’ll just order some of the usual food—prawns in butter and a roast beef salad. I’ll order those two for now.”
Lana’s long white eyelashes moved as she spoke. Even though she was still holding an umbrella in the room, everyone had more or less heard about her illness, so no one paid attention to that.
“Those two dishes are the signature dishes here. Miss Lana, you are being too modest by saying that you don’t come here often.” Lily laughed and looked at the others. “What about you guys? What would you like to eat?”
For noblemen, ordering food at the dining hall was an important matter. There was a particular order that they had to follow. If it were not done correctly, it would be regarded as uneducated, and people would sneer at them.
“I’ll have a sour plum pudding and a pot of lemon black tea.” The second one to speak was Charlotte. Lana had just ordered the dishes, so she ordered two desserts and a drink.
“I’ll have the Kingdom’s Special Soup as the main dish.” After Charlotte, Lily spoke, followed by Cathy. Even Casey, who did not have a proper job, was not inferior to others in terms of eating. He said, “Grilled Dragon Liver.”
Soon, it was Watson’s turn. Watson spread his hands and said, “I don’t know much about food. I feel that the dishes you ordered are very delicious. Why don’t you ask Nightingale?”
Nightingale was not qualified to speak on such occasions as she was a maid, but since Watson had said so, the others could only look at Nightingale expectantly.
Nightingale had been working in the border count’s mansion all year round or carrying out orders. She had never participated in a formal aristocratic social dinner. Furthermore, that meal included too many people with high status. Under such circumstances, she had no idea how to order a dish that matched her status.
Nightingale had no choice but to search through the seemingly high-tier dishes she had eaten in her mind. Soon, she had an answer.
“I’ll just order a plate of Phoenix eggs.”
The best food she had ever eaten must have been the Pentacolor Fragrant Chicken eggs that Watson had given her. After that, the Phoenix eggs upgraded her taste buds as well.
“Phoenix eggs, Miss Nightingale, are you serious?”
Everyone, except for Watson, had an incredulous look on their faces. First of all, the Phoenix was a legendary mythical beast. A magical beast of that level was at least platinum-tier or even diamond-tier. Even though the Phoenix was powerful, it was still very rare in the world. Who could cook with a Phoenix egg? Perhaps even King Landhar III did not have such good taste.
They felt that Nightingale must not know much about the high-class dishes in the Holy Dragon Tavern, so she had ordered such a ridiculous dish.
As she sensed the gazes of the people around her, Nightingale also felt that the dish she mentioned might not be suitable. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “It’s true that creatures like the Phoenixes are very rare. Perhaps there aren’t any Phoenix eggs here. Let’s change that to a piece of platinum-tier magical beast meat.”
Platinum-tier magical beast meat?
Even though Casey could not bear to hear it, he said, “Miss Nightingale, even though I don’t know what you usually eat, the Holy Dragon Tavern is not that high-tier. There’s no platinum-tier magical beast meat here. At most, there’s only gold-tier magical beast meat. Even if it’s a gold-tier magical beast, a piece of that meat will be costly.”
That maid did not seem to know anything at all, only ordering randomly. It was hard to imagine why Watson would let her order. People said that Watson was a nobleman from the border. Perhaps the people at the border were not so strict in their education of noblemen etiquette.
Charlotte saw the contempt in Nightingale’s eyes. Even if she admired Watson in terms of strength, he was far inferior to someone like her, who came from an archduke’s family, in terms of etiquette and style as a nobleman.
“Why is there no platinum-tier magical beast meat here? What about the sun fruit and the moon fruit? Do they have those?” Nightingale frowned. Those were common ingredients on Mount Creation, and the royal city was the most prosperous place in the kingdom. If they did not have those in high-class taverns, what right did they have to be called high-class?
“Miss Nightingale, perhaps I’ll order the next dish for you.” Lily sighed. She had never heard of the sun and moon Gems. Even though the dishes Nightingale mentioned were ridiculous, at least they existed. The sun and moon gems were probably made-up names.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a person walked in with red wine in his hands.
“Miss, you have good taste! Even though the Holy Dragon Tavern doesn’t have the sun and moon gems, we have wine made from those two fruits!”