https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-674-Cardinal-Lanchi-s-Cost-effectiveness-is-Too-High-Part-2-/12585048/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-675-Lanchi-s-Overwhelming-Strength-Part-2-/12585050/
Chapter 675: Lanchi's Overwhelming Strength (Part 1)
Chapter 675: Lanchi's Overwhelming Strength (Part 1)
On a summer night, it was said that the twinkling stars in the distant sky were the eyes of the gods, watching over the realm from their heavenly perch.
In the Pariah North Shore 6 District of Portsen's capital, Pariyah, lies the Holy Silvervine Arena, approximately 25 kilometers from the city center and easily accessible via public transportation.
As the designated venue for the Flower Capital Holy Grail Familiar Tournament and a multi-functional arena, the Holy Silvervine Arena bustles with excitement all year round. Even those who aren't employers or participants enjoy watching the matches as a leisure activity, and some even place bets, hoping to win a small fortune or restart their fortunes altogether.
Its convenient location not only serves the competitive and cultural needs of the Pariyah area but also attracts visitors from across the Kingdom of Portsen and beyond.
However, just a kilometer further north lies a desolate neighborhood, sparsely populated and avoided by most.
The reason for this stark contrast is simple—the Holy Silvervine Arena sits precariously close to the Portsen Demon World entrance.
Beyond a northern gate lies an ancient spatial boundary, a gateway to the Portsen Demon World.
And within Pariyah's northern districts, from 7 to 10, lies this treacherous realm.
Ordinary residents of the Flower Capital rarely venture beyond the vicinity of the arena, for in the Demon World, humans lose the protection of special legal clauses, and demons are no longer restricted from causing them harm.
Thus, the Holy Silvervine Arena stands as a symbolic landmark, a "Boundary" of sorts, between the two worlds.
At eight o'clock in the evening, multiple divisions within the arena buzzed with activity as over a dozen familiar tournaments unfolded simultaneously.
In one of the subdivisions, a magical screen displayed the information of the two contestants.
I can translate this for you.
[Roki, contracted servant of the Baptiste Count family, 9 wins, 0 losses]
[Borgonya, mercenary servant hired by the Stand Express Group, 173 wins, 21 losses]
On the screen, the blue-sided contestant, separated by a dividing line, was a man dressed as a butler with brown hair and green eyes, while the red-sided contestant was a towering, wild-eyed demon dragon warrior.
Many spectators filled the arena's stands, their eyes fixed on this particular match.
"Is that butler even human?"
"He was brought by the evil young lady of the Baptiste Count family, and he's already won nine consecutive matches."
"I thought Miss Christina was going to torture him, but it looks like she's here to show off the wealth of the Baptiste Count family instead."
The regulars of the Holy Silvervine Arena whispered amongst themselves, intrigued by the unusual pair.
While Miss Christina Baptiste didn't have much of a reputation in the familiar tournament circles, her brother was somewhat known within the community.
Typically, the Baptiste Count family sent young master Kyle and his demon servant to compete.
However, due to Kyle's lack of focus on servant training and strength, their track record wasn't particularly impressive.
It was only because of their servant's exceptionally high basic qualities that they managed to win on occasion.
Their strategy relied heavily on sheer financial might.
This was the first time they had witnessed young master Kyle's sister personally bringing a servant to participate.
And to everyone's surprise, the servant she had brought was a human butler.
"It's starting! It's starting!" an excited voice rang out, and the spectators in the stands turned their attention back to the screen hanging in the subdivision.
This was the butler's tenth match of the night.
The Baptiste family's reputation and his winning streak had quickly drawn a lot of attention.
And this time, his opponent was far superior to any he had faced before—a familiar who had fought in nearly 200 matches, with a win rate of 89.17%.
Currently, both contestants had entered the [Infinite Phantom Canyon], a randomly generated terrain within the artificial shadow world terminal, for a one-on-one battle.
The Holy Silvervine Arena boasted the highest-spec terminal, capable of supporting dozens of simultaneous tournaments, and this particular match was clearly attracting more and more attention from the current audience.
Many believed that despite the butler's apparent strength, it would be difficult for a newcomer to defeat such an experienced opponent.
"He's only facing Borgonya now because he won too quickly in his previous matches," someone commented.
"A pure-blooded demon of the sixth tier, and a demon dragon at that. Most sixth-tier demons wouldn't stand a chance against him," added another spectator.
Amidst the whispers, the screen displayed a rugged mountainous terrain.
Steep rocks and protruding mountains formed a natural arena, with cleaved ravines and unpredictable traps scattered throughout.
In the distance, the winding mountains cast long shadows under the moonlight.
The camera panned to a man dressed in a butler's uniform, his brown hair and green eyes calm and composed, as if he were about to attend a casual tea party instead of a battle of life and death.
Standing in opposition was a massive demon dragon warrior, his body language exuding a desire to kill.
The one-minute preparation time passed, and with the sound of a battle horn, the primitive power within the demon dragon warrior was unleashed. His body began to contort and transform, his muscles swelling and skin turning into scales. He became a colossal black dragon, spreading his wings and taking to the sky.
At the very start of the battle, the demon dragon warrior had unleashed the dragon transformation magic unique to his clan.
A hush fell over the audience as all eyes glued to the screen, their heartbeats synchronizing in anticipation.
The black dragon soared gracefully, its body agile as it whipped up gusts of wind. Its claws gleamed with deadly intent, and its open maw released an ear-piercing roar. With a single flap of its wings, it created an undertow, moving with lightning speed as it dove towards the seemingly defenseless butler.
The spectators held their breath, certain that the outcome of the battle would be decided in the next moment.
However...
Just as the dragon's shadow was about to engulf the butler...
The butler lifted his hand slightly.
An invisible force, indiscernible to the eye, seized the ferocious dragon, as if an invisible giant hand had taken hold of it, immobilizing it.
The once rampant black dragon, which had been soaring freely, crashed heavily to the ground, no longer in control of its own body.
The stands fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The dragon struggled for a moment, its massive body seemingly bound by invisible chains, the weight of a million locks. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn't break free from the unseen spiritual force.
Its wild eyes dimmed, and with a final, feeble attempt, it slumped onto the rugged terrain, sending up a cloud of dust. The dragon's head slowly lowered, and it passed out, its mighty form now motionless on the mountain.
A few seconds later, the dust settled, and the mighty dragon lay powerless on the ground, gradually turning into specks of light as it was sent out of the artificial shadow world.
The spectators outside the screen erupted into deafening exclamations, their expressions shifting from shock to feverish excitement as they directed admiring glances at the unassuming butler.
"What a spectacular match today!"
"Who's up for challenging him next?"
It was one thing to face weaker opponents, but to effortlessly defeat such a formidable adversary was truly remarkable.
No one had expected this poetic gentleman to possess such astonishing prowess.
As the dust settled from the battle, the butler emerged from the rugged mountain arena with an extremely leisurely gait, stepping out of the void portal created by the artificial shadow world terminal machinery.
He strolled towards the rest area.
"Well, now you know just how powerful I am."
Talia's voice echoed in Lanchi's mind.
"Indeed, you are the most useful right now."
Lanchi replied mentally.
"Why did you add 'now'?"
Talia's voice cooled slightly.
"Because 'now' is what matters most!"
Lanchi quickly responded through their mental link.
He certainly wasn't an old yin-yang master who would go around detecting yin-yang imbalances all the time.
"..."
Talia fell silent, sinking into a hibernation-like quietness as she dropped the subject.
Lanchi breathed a sigh of relief.
Even without being summoned, Talia could possess him like the Great Poet, controlling a portion of his physical movements and releasing spells.
Although her output was greatly limited in this state, the concept of Talia's possession was entirely different from that of the Great Poet.
Talia also suggested that she wanted to eat directly through Lanchi's body.
This way, she could enjoy delicious food, and Lanchi could avoid expending magical energy to summon her.
However, Lanchi refused.
He was concerned that Talia might ruin his stomach, as he lacked her digestive capabilities.
As he thought about this, he entered the rest area, his figure catching the gaze of the golden-haired young lady who had been waiting.
To him, everything that had transpired in the arena felt like just a small interlude in his daily life.
"Well, miss, my working hours are down to sixteen minutes, no, thirteen seconds less now."
The butler glanced at his pocket watch before putting it away and addressing the young lady.
"How...how did you do that?"
Christina's voice trembled with a mix of awe and unmistakable fear.
"You asked me to win, so I won."
The butler with brown hair and green eyes explained, his voice carrying an air of nonchalance as if his overwhelming victory was merely a routine matter.
Christina was still dazed, as she had thought she had a fairly good estimate of the butler's combat capabilities.
Evidently, his strength far exceeded her imagination.
The magical fluctuations emanating from his body were weak, and he lacked the aura of a martial artist.
Yet, time and again, he effortlessly overpowered his opponents.
"I...I never imagined that you could handle it so easily, even defeating Borgonya Peri, the demon dragon warrior that my brother's familiar struggles against... "
She shook her head, at a loss for what to do next.
Initially, Christina had only intended for Roki, the butler, to suffer a little and then back down, so he would no longer continue working for their family.
Unexpectedly, he kept winning, earning their family quite a few points.
She, as the employer of this rising star, was also gaining some fame.
Christina gazed at her account balance, feeling a bit dazed.
She had been betting on Roki, the butler, to win each of his matches, and now her savings from these past years had multiplied several times over.
Unfortunately, there was a 1,000-pound limit on bets per match.
Additionally, large sums of money could be subject to investigation or freezing.
As an employer, she could only bet on her own familiar to win.
Moreover, to prevent match-fixing, both familiars in the artificial shadow world had to agree to an anti-cheating clause, accepting real-time battle intent detection. Any indication of match-fixing intentions would lead to an investigation and potentially hefty fines.
Initially, when Christina heard that the butler had bet 1,000 pounds on himself, she felt incredibly heartbroken, as if she were about to lose her years of savings for her wedding.
But then he won that first bet at high odds.
In the subsequent matches against increasingly powerful enemies, Roki had mostly controlled his opponents with a single move, making them realize the gap in strength and surrender.
This didn't feel like a sixth-tier versus sixth-tier battle at all.
It was more like an eighth-tier overpowering a sixth-tier! Some even suspected that the Baptiste family had secretly brought in a hidden powerhouse to stir up trouble at the Holy Silvervine Arena.
Generally speaking,
Setting aside the question of whether an eighth-tier powerhouse who held the power to protect a nation could even be persuaded to participate.
The cost of hiring one for an underground fight would be astronomical.
To be frank, it would be truly embarrassing for an eighth-tier powerhouse to conceal their strength and participate in this type of competition to bully sixth-tiers, and then feel proud about it.
"So, it seems that no one will be willing to take on an points match with me at this hour."
Lanchi estimated the time and felt that it was about to send Miss Christina home.
There were no commissions for points matches.
Since they were not related to commercial disputes, these matches only served to build the reputation of the competitors and their employers.
The only way to make money from these matches was through betting.
If Christina wanted to earn a substantial commission in one go, she would have to lend Lanchi out for a critical match involving a commercial dispute.
"Indeed... Aside from the high odds and substantial earnings from the first match, the payouts have been decreasing as people recognize your strength. The bets became one-sided towards the end, so there's not much profit to be made."
Christina gazed at her account balance, which now stood at nearly 20,000 pounds, feeling as if she were dreaming.
The butler was even more amenable than she had imagined.
Although he had only allocated two extra hours of work for her, he hadn't been nitpicky about the time spent on travel and competitor registration.
"Sending her home was simply part of my duty as a butler."
In a way, she felt that this butler was actually a good person.
Moreover...
If the butler had put up a bit of a show at the start and concealed his strength, perhaps they could have earned more money.
"That definitely wouldn't do. If I held back, it would be detected as match-fixing intent, and delaying the match would also incur a fine."
Lanchi seemed to see through Christina's naive and somewhat amusing thoughts.
There were times when one could win but chose to torment their opponent. While it wasn't considered match-fixing, it was still considered unsportsmanlike conduct and would result in hefty fines for "not meeting competitive standards" or "delaying the match."
Winning decisively and efficiently, like Lanchi had done, was the standard and orthodox way to fight.
"......Uh."
Christina was at a loss for words.
Despite this, she had never imagined that making money could be so easy.
This butler was truly an unimaginable gold mine.
If she wanted to profit from him...
Just this one night had brought her financial freedom, and leaving the Count's family, she could still live a life of luxury.
"What now? Are you reconsidering firing me?"
Lanchi curiously probed with a smile.
"No, as soon as I save up the breach of contract fee, I will fire you immediately!"
Christina hesitated for a moment, then fixed her gaze on him and replied.
"Although receiving your brother's £50,000 and another £50,000 from you soon after, without having to work, is indeed a wonderful thing, have you really thought this through? Your family will be out £100,000."
Lanchi spread his hands helplessly and continued to prod her.
"I've thought it through, and I won't take your money!"
Christina said firmly.
The more she felt that this butler was like a wish-granting machine, the more she felt the weight of the money, and if she asked for more, her family might never be able to free themselves from him.
"It seems I've underestimated you..."
Lanchi was a little taken aback by her answer and took a moment to size her up before breaking into a smile again.
"What do you mean?"
Christina asked cautiously.
"Your integrity is truly admirable, shining like gold. If you were my employer, I would be more than happy to work for you."
Lanchi said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"What are you talking about?"
Christina was confused.
The sudden recognition left Christina unsure of what he was thinking.
She felt she didn't quite understand what he meant.
"I mean, I don't bear any ill will. If it weren't for the Count's family reputation, I wouldn't have earned this large sum so easily. Compared to a demonic transaction partner, I'm more like a mutually beneficial collaborator, don't you think?"
Lanchi patiently explained.
He was trying to convince her once again to view the money and his work as a butler from a different perspective.
"But I still won't take this money because I didn't put in any effort. It came too easily, and the more you tempt me, the more I feel that I would be paying an unseen price for it."
Christina thought carefully for a moment before shaking her head again.
"......"
This time, Lanchi fell silent.
He had never been refused so many times.
There were indeed people in the world with unwavering inner strength, whose minds couldn't be swayed by words.
As Lanchi was at a loss for words...
"Hehe, Lanchi, you've been rejected."
Talia's voice echoed in his mind.
"So adorable."
She added.
She had been listening to Lanchi's inner thoughts.
And couldn't help but tease him at the first opportunity.
"Well, only someone like my master would never refuse me."
Lanchi certainly wasn't one to back down.
Fighting the heavens was boring, fighting the earth was boring, but bantering with Talia was endlessly entertaining.
"......"
Talia's mental voice fell silent.
She thought back carefully.
Every time, she had wanted to refuse Lanchi, but in the end, she had agreed.
From the first time feeding the cat, to acting as his bodyguard, teacher, and helping him make cards, among other things.
Why couldn't she just firmly refuse him like this Christina girl?
"Master, you're just someone who's easy for me to handle."
Lanchi countered with a provocative tone, his voice filled with the triumph of a victor.
"......"
"Do you want to think about it some more?"
Talia's invisible hand gently touched Lanchi's heart.
If she wanted to, she could easily grasp his heart.
"No, no, no! It's you who's easy to handle!"
Lanchi quickly begged for mercy.
Fighting ten matches in a row had already drained a lot of his magic.
Aside from maintaining the most basic safety magic, he felt he could only manage one more match today.
The two, connected through their minds, gradually calmed down.
"Are you really going to continue working for the Baptiste family?"
Talia asked Lanchi.
Based on her observations over the past two days, this family wasn't bad, just a bit foolish and prone to offending others.
Setting aside Lanchi's unusual influence, Talia felt that this family had been truly kind to Lanchi.
Baptiste Count had treated Lanchi, a symbiont species, with sincerity.
"Well, if I take their £100,000, I should at least do some work for them, right? If I just took the money and ran, I'd be a fraud."
Lanchi countered.
Even if they were willing, he still felt it wouldn't be right.
"......You have quite a strong work ethic."
Talia didn't know how to evaluate this wish-granting machine that was Lanchi.
Whether he belonged to the side of evil or good, order or chaos, she couldn't tell.
Perhaps she hadn't understood him well enough before.
Ever since their souls had become linked, and she had been observing his daily life, she felt she was gradually getting to know him better.
His contract, which seemed dangerous and demonic on the surface, was actually quite angelic.
Even that student, Bachelor, from the Inferno Corridor Academy, hadn't been harmed by Lanchi. Instead, Lanchi had treated him like a ray of pure light.
The rest area was quiet as Lanchi stood before Christina, silent for a long moment.
"Anyway, you and I are from different worlds. If you truly want to give me a choice, then I will pay the breach of contract fee and ask that you step down from your position as our family butler and regain your freedom."
Christina bowed politely, her expressionless face conveying a sense of solemnity.
It was as if she were sincerely pleading with a deity to leave.
Although keeping Roki McCarthy as their butler for even one more month might bring them a substantial profit.
But once she saved up 50,000 pounds, she would immediately pay him in full.
"..."
Those around them, who had overheard the conversation between Miss Christina and her butler, thought that the young lady had lost her mind.
Currently, she was only participating in the rapid-fire competition mode under the notorious and highly antagonized name of the Baptiste family.
If she were to enter a commercial dispute-type commissioned battle and lend Roki out as a competitor, she would also earn a substantial commission.
"Rest assured, if you pay me 50,000 pounds, I will no longer work for you."
Lanchi smiled helplessly at Christina's request.
What saddened him was that although Miss Christina was sincere, it wasn't easy to befriend her, and she still maintained a certain wariness towards him.
The two chatted casually as they made their way towards the exit of the brightly lit arena, under the moonlit night sky.
Moonlight streamed through the open circular opening at the top of the Holy Silvervine Arena, illuminating the myriad of magical machinery terminals connected to it, while the towering spectator stands of the various subdivisions resembled mountain ranges scattered about.
The golden hours of eight to nine in the evening were prime time for the arena's competitions, attracting fighters and magical beasts from all over to battle for honor, gold, and their beliefs.
(End of Chapter)
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