Chapter 261: Chapter 36 Performance

However, despite their unremarkable strength, Alisa’s grandfather, the previous Viscount Alk, was able to perceive the dire situation the family faced.

The rise of Marquis Alk was so rapid that he advanced from an ordinary Third Rank Professional to Ninth Rank in less than six hundred years.

Everyone speculated whether he had left behind some treasure related to his rapid advancement within his family.

To avoid being targeted by covetous attackers, Alisa’s grandfather, during the final phase of protection, voluntarily handed over the treasures and the majority of the family’s assets to the Royal Family, seeking more protection.

As a result, a Ninth Rank representative from the Royal Family made a grand and justified visit to their estate.

This had two hidden implications: first, the Royal Family decided to protect the Alk Family; second, there was nothing of interest left for a Ninth Rank to pay attention to.

Although the Alk Family was spared from outright destruction by external enemies, the loss of their assets and savings led to their decline.

By the time of Alisa’s father, the situation had become even more difficult.

In the course of the rise of Marquis Alk, the interests of some were inevitably infringed upon.

After his family’s decline, some smaller families, under the guidance of certain individuals, started to ostracize them deliberately or inadvertently, eroding their remaining assets and making their days even harder.

But for Alisa, the situation seemed to have changed somewhat.

Anvis could tell that the young knight possessed a very rare and powerful bloodline, at least at the Level of Ninth Rank, if not of legendary status.

And according to the intelligence he had, Alisa’s family had always been ordinary humans, with no bloodline inheritance, which could only be explained by the mysterious encounters Alisa herself had.

Of course, whether it was a genuine encounter or a ‘mysterious encounter’ left hidden within the family by Marquis Alk and only now unearthed, was up to one’s own judgment.

Due to the girl’s special origins, her life at the academy was not very good. Although those from hostile families refrained from laying hands on her due to the academy’s environment, they targeted her deliberately or inadvertently.

However, now that she has the talent to join the True Knowledge Society, all the difficulties of the past will say goodbye to her.

As a member of the True Knowledge Society, Anvis did not mind lending her a hand before she made a name for herself.

The pressures faced by Alisa and her family seemed trivial in the eyes of Anvis.

.….….

Traveling along King’s Avenue in the center of Silver Wind City, two individuals, dressed like ordinary travelers and hiding their conspicuous hair and eye colors, were approaching the Star Silver Flower District on the east side of Silver Wind City.

That area was the affluent district of Silver Wind City, with rows of multi-storey detached buildings each boasting its own private courtyard.

Along the way, the surrounding environment noticeably improved, with more elegant and refined architecture, verdant ivy climbing on the ivory-white brick walls, and streets lined with lush trees, even the streetlights were adorned with ornate decorations.

Anvis’s destination was villa number twenty-six.

That was the location of the Eyes Within the Pupil secret meeting. Although it looked unremarkable on the outside, it was filled with layers of magic traps inside.

Even a Seventh Rank who blundered into this place would be forever trapped.

However, what the Mage who set traps for the house did not anticipate was the bizarre existence of players in this world.

Because of its high Challenge Level, this inaccessible house became a famous secret realm among players.

All other villas were accessible, but villa number twenty-six remained unexplored, as all players who attempted the challenge died inside.

However, according to players who went the deepest, the surface level of the villa was nothing alarmingly dangerous; it was the mysterious basement deep inside the villa that was the real deadly ground.

Thus, as players’ levels became increasingly higher over time, the rumors on the forums grew more and more outrageous, with claims that a villa contained the only Epic Item and even the private treasury of a High Rank NPC.

Not until the first-tier players reached levels fifty or sixty did the top-ranked player, a Thief from Silver Blue Esports—Green Promise, declare his intention to challenge the basement of villa number twenty-six, with the entire process live-streamed.

At that time, over a hundred thousand people watched his infiltration, simultaneously betting in the live stream chat on how long it would take for him to mess up.

After deceiving the Magic Trap at the entrance of the basement, Green Promise successfully entered the mysterious basement.

But in fact, that basement was the temporary meeting place for the Eye of the Pupil. Furthermore, some members of the Eye of the Pupil just happened to be holding a gathering there at the time…

The stealthily infiltrating Thief was caught red-handed, and facing numerous High Rank red-name NPCs, Green Promise attempted to escape using Shadow Jump, only to be dragged out and killed on the spot.

But before his death, many witnessed the curious patterns on those strange NPCs’ cloaks.

Silver-grey eyes that were half open, and within the pupils, a blood-colored nine-pointed star.

Afterwards, a strange blood-red fire broke out here. The entire house and courtyard were burned clean, leaving behind an extremely deep hollow underneath, yet without any damage to the buildings outside the courtyard.

.….….

Walking along, Anvis and his companion quickly caught sight of the Black Iron fence around villa number twenty-six.

Without showing any sign of awareness, Anvis—like any other passerby—casually observed the white villa, as if it was just like any other villa he looked at.

In the courtyard were planted large chestnut and silver maple trees, and large daisies bloomed profusely in the flower beds, with nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

But as they passed by the Black Iron gate, Anvis noticed an interesting detail: in the carriage shed to one side of the villa, there stood two luxurious Black Gold carriages hitched with black horses.

There were no crests on the surface of the carriage, but the extravagant design clearly suggested it belonged to Nobles.

Noting this detail, Anvis continued on without pausing. In a moment, they left the villa behind and gradually made their way towards the other end of the affluent district.

Alisa, who walked alongside Anvis, was unclear about his intentions, but she was somewhat curious about the young man himself.

As a Magic Knight, the young girl couldn’t comprehend Anvis’s operation of modifying the cross-world Teleportation Array in the blink of an eye, and the high level of magical prowess it required.

But the fact that Anvis awoke before everyone else and quickly led them through the maze, saving everyone from disaster, was undeniable.

Quietly gazing at Anvis’s profile, the young Knight herself didn’t understand why she had made the spontaneous choice to stay by his side when he asked.

‘Anvis saved me, and he is also a Mage. A Knight is always needed to protect a Mage’s side.’

After much thought, the girl with golden-red eyes convinced herself with this reasoning.

After crossing the Star Silver Flower District, the two followed the road into the connected Unicorn District.

This was Silver Wind City’s most prosperous commercial district, and the Olivendi Chamber of Commerce’s branch in Silver Wind City was located on this street.

Bringing Alisa with him, Anvis entered the Chamber of Commerce, and upon showing his Frost Crystal Bird Nameplate, was immediately welcomed by the person in charge to the top-floor VIP room.

In front of the person in charge, Anvis activated a Crystal Ball.

Then, the fixed Teleportation Array in the Chamber of Commerce suddenly lit up, and one by one, figures in grey cloaks, from whom no aura could be sensed, emerged in succession from the Array.

Glancing at the bewildered Alisa, Anvis offered a slight smile.

“Miss Alisa, would you like to watch a performance?”