Night.
Karsten Dukedom.
Duke's private study.
You Te · Balk sat quietly on the sofa, drinking tea, across from him sat the current head of the Karsten family—Crusch Karsten.
She inherited the family business at a young age and is the most powerful of the four Royal Selection Candidates for the 42nd King, who will determine the future fate of the nation.
She advocates severing the contract between the kingdom and the divine dragon, abandoning reliance on the divine dragon, and establishing a self-reliant and strong sovereign nation.
She is a duchess with great personal charisma.
You Te was also attracted by her temperament, and since their two families were old acquaintances, his first stop was Crusch's place.
"You Te, have you found The Bowel Hunter?" Crusch sat very upright, her expression meticulous.
She had long dark green hair, amber eyes, and a dignified demeanor, a beautiful woman dressed in men's clothing.
You Te put down his teacup and looked at Crusch a few more times.
Heroic and valiant.
Indeed, very pleasing to the eye.
"Thank you for the information you provided. I have already crossed paths with The Bowel Hunter. She is a very powerful assassin, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to completely eliminate her."
You Te concealed a lot. He had no grudge with The Bowel Hunter and hadn't thought of eliminating her for the people; he was simply trying to obtain death qi.
Crusch provided the information precisely to have him eliminate this unstable element in the kingdom.
Crusch nodded slightly, her expression like a firm rock on a tranquil lake, steady and unfazed.
The two were silent for a while.
You Te gently picked up his teacup, the delicate porcelain radiating a slight warmth at his fingertips.
He took a small sip of tea, the warmth of the tea spreading in his mouth.
With only the two of them in the study, it was very quiet.
"You Te, how have you considered that matter?"
After a long while, Crusch spoke first.
You Te finished the last sip of tea and did not reply.
Crusch said seriously: "You Te · Balk, the Balk Family has existed as long as the nation and is a cornerstone of the country, yet it has always remained secluded until your appearance."
"You Te, for the future of the kingdom, I hope to receive your assistance."
She got straight to the point.
No unnecessary talk.
You Te tapped the empty teacup, feigning deep thought, but in reality, he was wondering what he would eat for breakfast tomorrow.
Working for others is impossible; it's impossible in this lifetime.
Of course, except for a honey trap.
He, a small cadre, certainly couldn't withstand such a test.
But this upright Duchess would definitely not use a honey trap.
Everything she said was about the greater good of the nation.
Of course, that's truly what she thought in her heart.
Crusch's gaze rested calmly on You Te, without the slightest hint of urging.
She sat there quietly, her posture as straight as a pine, exuding a steady aura.
Time passed by minute by minute.
The tranquility in the study remained, with only faint breathing and the occasional sound of a gentle breeze rustling the window frame.
Crusch was like a silent guardian, patiently waiting for You Te to emerge from his thoughts, as if no matter how long she waited, she possessed enough composure and calm.
"Kuerxiu, I'm very sorry." You Te shook his head, a look of struggle on his face, and pointed to the longsword on the table, saying:
"This child did not choose you."
An old riddler.
Crusch raised an eyebrow, looked at the ordinary longsword, and asked curiously: "Is this the legendary Divine Sword?"
"Yes, that's right, it's the sword worn by the founding ancestor."
As soon as You Te finished speaking, the longsword suddenly flew up, circling above their heads.
The sword body glittered with dazzling light under the illumination of the lamp, each rotation bringing a slight fluctuation of airflow.
It was like a curious, playful child, dancing tirelessly, sometimes soaring high, sometimes sweeping low.
A hint of shock flashed in Crusch's eyes, her momentary expression like a small pebble dropped into a calm lake, causing faint ripples.
However, she quickly displayed extraordinary self-control, swiftly regaining her composure.
Her gaze returned to its usual steady and profound depth.
Crusch nodded gently: "I see, I understand."
What did you understand?
You Te's mouth twitched. He was just making up an excuse to refuse; compared to green hair, he preferred blue and white hair.
Indeed, smart people love to overthink.
"You don't need to rush anyway. The Royal Selection hasn't even started yet, isn't there still one last Royal Selection Candidate missing?"
"Yes."
"I am truly sorry for troubling you tonight, You Te." Saying this, Crusch stood up, placed one hand on her chest, and bowed slightly to You Te, exuding a noble and humble demeanor.
"It's nothing. Given the relationship between our two families, I should call you Kurxiu Meimei," You Te said with a smile, pressing his hand down:
"Don't worry, if you encounter any difficulties, Kurxiu Meimei, just come to me, and I will definitely help."
Upon hearing this, Crusch's eyes lit up, and she smiled.
"Then thank you very much, You Te."
She had already learned of You Te's strength from her family.
Providing the information about The Bowel Hunter for free was not just in the hope that You Te could defeat her, but also to take the opportunity to gauge his strength.
The Bowel Hunter was an existence comparable to The Sword Demon; neither could defeat the other.
That meant You Te possessed strength on par with or even surpassing The Sword Demon.
Thus, in the future battle against the White Whale, You Te would definitely play a decisive role.
"What You Te? Shouldn't Kurxiu Meimei call me You Te Gege?" You Te blinked.
"Then thank you, You Te Gege." Crusch said it openly and without any shyness, not feeling awkward about the intimate address.
Her demeanor was like a blooming peony, graceful and noble yet grand.
What a girl, so oblivious to feelings.
But quite cute.
You Te nodded, tapped the empty teacup, and said with a smile: "The tea was excellent. I won't disturb you any further."
Then he stood up and said goodbye.
"I'll see you out."
Crusch walked with steady steps, accompanying You Te all the way to the guest room.
The corridor along the way was quiet and long, and her figure looked exceptionally beautiful in the soft light.
She was very respectful, showing no perfunctoriness or neglect.
You Te was currently residing at the Karsten Dukedom, living and eating for free.
Freeloading for a while is good, freeloading forever is always good.
After Crusch left, You Te entered the bathroom, letting the warm water wash over his somewhat tired body.
After bathing, he changed into clean clothes, held the longsword in his hand, and slowly walked to the balcony.
Moonlight poured down like mercury, draping the entire world in a mysterious silver veil.
You Te stood quietly on the balcony, the longsword in his hand glinting faintly in the moonlight.
"Hey, are you full today?"
The longsword vibrated slightly, emitting a faint hum, like a burp.
"Good if you're full. Now hurry up and upgrade my Blessing. Then I'm going to chop that Reinhardt kid flying with one sword strike."
Upon hearing this, the longsword suddenly flew up, like an agile silver streak in the moonlight.
The hilt bent downwards twice, as if nodding in agreement.
"So you're also unwilling to be beaten by that Reinhardt kid," You Te murmured, stroking the longsword.
"Then let's work hard together."
The night grew darker.
Time quietly reached midnight.
You Te immediately flipped out of the balcony and glided out of the Dukedom into the night, his movements light and swift, the cold wind whistling past his ears.
The Divine Sword's Restraint refreshed.
He could obtain death qi again.
High-end death qi experience packages like Elsa were rare and hard to come by.
The reason You Te left so elegant after defeating Elsa was that he had already left a sword mark inside her body.
Being able to sense the opponent's whereabouts was a special ability of the divine sword.
A daily refresh.
Clock in, clock in.
A dark and windy night for murder.
This kind of thing is best done at night.
Hope Elsa has recovered well.
You Te, like a ghost in the night, swiftly swept through the streets and alleys of the capital, the buildings on both sides of the street rapidly receding in his peripheral vision.
Half an hour later, he stopped in front of a very secluded inn.
You Te chose not to use the main entrance but, like a nimble gecko, quickly climbed up the pipes.
Under the cover of night, his figure was almost one with the darkness.
In a short while, he climbed to the third floor.
He gently opened a window of a certain room, the slight sound almost imperceptible in the quiet night.
Then, he flipped over and lightly leaped into the room.
"Missing me already?"
Elsa's voice echoed in the dim room, carrying a hint of playfulness and teasing.
She wasn't sleeping but was sitting at a table, focused on sharpening her knife.
The silver blade gleamed with a cold light. Elsa held the knife handle steadily with both hands, sliding it back and forth on the whetstone, producing a soft, rhythmic scraping sound.
Indeed, a pervert. Not sleeping in the middle of the night, doing such strange things.
You Te, who was climbing through someone's window in the dead of night, inwardly cursed Elsa for being a pervert.
"How's your recovery?"
"Are you concerned about me?" Elsa put down her curved knife and looked at You Te.
"Sort of...."
Elsa tilted her head slightly, her long, flowing hair swaying gently with the movement.
She raised a hand and gently stroked her cheek, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"Slaughter without killing intent, interesting, truly too interesting."
"Then please, go ahead."
Saying this, she stood up, did not take her curved knife, but walked directly in front of You Te.
Ready to die generously.
"No... you... I..." You Te's mouth twitched, his forehead filled with question marks again.
How can I strike a fatal blow when you're like this?
"Uh... thank you..."
After a long silence, You Te uttered these two words.
Very polite, after all, he suffered the disadvantage of having gone to university.
"You're welcome." Elsa chuckled.
"By the way, how many times can you resurrect each day?"
"If the injury isn't particularly severe, no more than ten times."
After obtaining enough death qi, You Te, with a peculiar expression, climbed out of the window.
He returned to the Dukedom.
After avoiding the night patrol guards, he returned to his guest room.
He poured a cup of tea and drank it in one gulp.
He certainly wasn't lacking death qi now.
But how to put it...
He seemed to have formed some strange contract with that half-vampire.
If he continued to clock in like this every day, his Blessing would indeed upgrade in a short time.