CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 1 A HARD-WON VICTORY

Gold Snake and Purple Sparrow Flower exchanged a glance before taking the lead, galloping down to the city.

The two had originally thought that this was merely a tactic used by Ireya to bolster her own prestige, at most involving some mark on the necklace, followed by a claim that she had received the ancestors’ recognition.

This move was quite clever. Once Ireya had suddenly appeared, the scales of victory had begun to tilt in her favor. Now, with the addition of this token, even if it was merely symbolic, a small one, it would accelerate the process.

The stage was now set; it only lacked performers.

Before departing, both had made up their minds that no matter what they saw, they’d insist it was the Ancient Spirit, firmly supporting Ireya, as their pledge of allegiance.

However, when Gold Snake and Purple Sparrow Flower approached the Electronic Pet Egg, they couldn’t hide the shock on their faces.

Could it be... The awakening of the Ancient Spirit was actually real?!

Although neither had actually seen the ancestor of the Arias family in the necklace before nor knew what they looked like, they recognized at a glance that the squirming little creature before them was a "living being," not a forgery.

By the gods above! Could the legend that had been passed down for thousands of years truly have come to pass in this young descendant of the Arias family?!

As Gold Snake and Purple Sparrow Flower looked back at Ireya on the city walls, their expressions changed to one of respect, and moments later, they both knelt on one knee.

Their actions caused a stir among the army. More and more people couldn’t help but step forward to see for themselves. Harvey, the military adviser, simply couldn’t restrain them, and despite his hoarse shouting, no one listened to him except for those he brought with him.

Soon, the crowd had densely packed in front of the gate, all craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the true face of the Ancient Spirit.

Even Harvey himself couldn’t resist taking a few more looks.

He had been the closest to Alfred at the beginning, so he had seen the creature inside the necklace early on. For a moment, he felt as if his heart had stopped beating, as if someone had struck his chest hard with a hammer, standing frozen in place, unable to move, a chill running up his spine and over his head!

The only thought left in Harvey’s head was whether Ireya was truly the chosen one by destiny, thus receiving the ancestors’ favor.

However, out of loyalty to Vanessa and Blanco, he didn’t bow down like Gold Snake and Purple Sparrow Flower did but wanted to resist a bit longer.

By then, however, he no longer held any hope of capturing Teacup Castle. Harvey knew the situation was beyond salvaging; he just wanted to secure some bargaining chips for himself and those behind him.

His gaze swept rapidly around until it fell on the family of the old knight who had been captured.

Harvey drew his sword from his waist and kicked his horse toward that direction, but when he saw the infant, he hesitated again.

The honor of a knight made him subconsciously feel a trace of shame for his actions, and it was this moment of hesitation that cost him his last chance.

The crowd, eager to witness the Ancient Spirit, surged forward, trapping Harvey and his horse so tightly that they couldn’t move. When they saw the miraculous little creature inside the necklace and recalled the rumors that had circulated in the army before, they too threw down their weapons and prostrated on the ground to show their submission.

A great battle dissipated before it even began.

Li Yu, seeing that the situation was settled, also retracted the unmanned drones that had been sustaining the scene in the sky, which now had less than 10% battery left, barely enough for further use without recharging.

But it had already excellently fulfilled its mission and was folded and put back into his pocket by Li Yu.

Miss Rabbit, still immersed in her excitement, looked down at the massive group of soldiers below the city, listening to them chant her name together, only then did she begin to feel a little like a lord.

Especially considering the difficult path she had taken to get here, with many ups and downs, and even a moment where her life hung by a thread, yet in the end, she had still achieved her wish of becoming the master of this land.

The hard-won victory seemed all the sweeter.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. Half-Face’s words shattered the beautiful scene, "Your stepmother seems to have run off with your brother."

"What?" Ireya was startled upon hearing this and moved her gaze from the crowd below up to the back, indeed spotting three riders escorting Vanessa and Blanco escaping toward the distant woods.

The girl instinctively shouted, "Chase them!"

However, the two people beside her did not react, Li Yu remained still as this was not within the scope of his duties, while Jude didn’t move because his contract had already expired.

"I have already escorted you into the castle, please pay me my previous reward first," Half-Face said while tucking his War Axe back under his cloak and rubbing Black Beauty’s head.

Miss Rabbit let out a soft sigh, she had actually just blurted out in a moment’s impulse.

Vanessa and Blanco had already made a significant escape, with loyal guards by their side, and now the city gates were so crowded that no one could get through.

Even if Half-Face was willing to give chase, it was highly likely they wouldn’t catch up.

Fortunately, this incident didn’t cause any major harm, and after this battle, no one in Green Field should question her legitimacy and legality as a Lord anymore.

If Vanessa was wise, she would take her son and flee to distant lands, running as far as they could. If she was unwise, well, hmph.

The girl brought her thoughts back and waved to Jude, "Let’s go, I’ll take you to get the money."

The three of them came down from the city wall and arrived outside the room where the steward, Fosto, was being held.

Fosto was also a Half-Beast, but he did not belong to the Arias family; his ears were grey-brown, small and short, but he had a long beard on his chin.

This year he was one hundred ninety-six years old and had served three generations of the Arias Family Heads.

Even to say he was an Arias wouldn’t be wrong; in fact, including Ireya, everyone in the castle considered him a member of the family.

But now, Fosto’s expression was very bad, looking even older than before, with his wife and son taking care of him by his side.

When Fosto saw Ireya, he still stood up to greet her, but his face was expressionless, making Miss Rabbit feel uneasy.

The old man asked, "Whose idea was it to ambush Teacup Castle with Alfred’s men?"

"I... I came up with it myself," the girl declared, puffing out her chest.

However, the steward of Teacup Castle shook his head, his gaze then shifting to Half-Face standing aside, as his fearsome appearance didn’t seem like that of a good person.

But before he could ask, Li Yu, on the other side, spoke first, "It was me."

Fosto frowned as he scrutinized Li Yu, "I have lived a long time and have never seen someone dressed like you before. Where are you from?"

"A very distant place."

"Why have you come to Bratis?"

"To bring faith to this place."

"But this place already has faith," the old man said, puzzled.

"Your gods can’t help you with your troubles, mine can," Li Yu stated calmly.

"How does it manage to do that?"

"Through me."

"I can testify to that," Half-Face chimed in from the side.