Prince Geller truly lived up to his reputation as an old fox. From the moment he began recounting the story of the illegitimate son, he had been weaving twists and turns to lure and mislead Ye Chui and the others, making Debbie, Green, and Lesa believe that the old emperor’s illegitimate son must be either Ye Chui or Jacob. Yet the final revelation caught everyone off guard: the illegitimate son turned out to be Riken, that childhood companion who had grown up alongside Ye Chui and Lesa, but who ultimately, after being deceived by Rosia, had stood in opposition to Ye Chui and met a tragic end!
“The old emperor’s illegitimate son is already dead?” Debbie suddenly realised something. She furrowed her brows, her small face showing a hint of anger as she looked at Prince Geller. “Little Seven, if the illegitimate son is already dead, then naturally you do not need to worry about him being harmed again. Why not just announce this matter publicly?”
“The truth about the illegitimate son is known only to those in this room right now. Everyone else still believes that Ye Chui is that illegitimate son.” Prince Geller looked at Debbie. His gaze flickered for a moment due to some unspeakable secret. As the second most powerful figure in the empire after the emperor, Prince Geller had lived to this age without fearing anyone. He never felt any guilt over his actions. Yet with Debbie, he could not be so straightforward.
Debbie was his friend from his youth, the one he had run around with as a boy. Even now, Debbie remained that same boyish Debbie from back then. In her presence, he felt as though he had returned to his own youthful days.
Hearing Debbie’s words, Ye Chui merely paused for a moment before grasping the implication. At the same time, his eyes turned icy as he looked at Prince Geller and said, “You were setting us up!”
Prince Geller knew about Riken, which meant he must have thoroughly investigated Ye Chui’s affairs as well. If he had sent someone to Stan Town, it would have been easy for him to obtain all the information about Ye Chui and Debbie: her physical description, the heroic spirit she summoned. All of that was enough to confirm Debbie’s identity. In other words, before Ye Chui and Debbie had been surrounded by the Black Armoured Guards in the slum district, Prince Geller had already known that his “Big Sister Debbie” had returned.
But at the time, Prince Geller had still pretended to be utterly delighted, even having the fourth prince call Debbie “grandma”. No matter how one looked at it, that behaviour seemed excessively affectionate. He did indeed hold a genuine respect and affection for Debbie in his heart. However, his actions back then had been far too exaggerated.
It had all been deliberate.
He had intentionally acted so warmly towards Ye Chui precisely to make people misunderstand that Ye Chui was the illegitimate son he had been searching for all along!
Prince Geller had deliberately laid a trap for Ye Chui to fall into.
“What exactly was the purpose of doing this?” Debbie asked Prince Geller in annoyance. Right now, members of the imperial family were plotting to assassinate Ye Chui and viewed him as a thorn in their side. This was no joking matter.
“I admit that this was indeed something I did on purpose.” Prince Geller made no attempt to conceal it. He walked back to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a scroll from inside. Ye Chui recognised it immediately: it was the contract scroll used by the Mercenary Guild for hiring contracts!
Prince Geller walked up to Ye Chui and Debbie, his voice solemn as he said,
“To the president and vice-president of the Whatever Magic Guild, I have a seven-star mission that I hope you will accept. The mission content is this: for the next half month, assume the identity of the imperial illegitimate son to divert the attention of the imperial family. Endure their assassinations, attacks, and assaults. During this period, in the name of the empire’s emperor, I grant amnesty for all your actions. You may do anything you wish, even commit the most heinous crimes, and you will receive pardon from the imperial family!”
Ye Chui and Debbie exchanged a glance, their eyes widening simultaneously. Bloody hell, this old fox did not play by the rules at all! He had set up Ye Chui on purpose, and it turned out to be a mercenary mission, a seven-star one at that!?
One had to know that the mission Ye Chui had previously accepted from Cass, “Help Cass snatch Windsor away from Windrock City”, had been a six-star mission. Now, the mission Prince Geller was handing them was an even more difficult seven-star one. This meant they would have to withstand the strikes from the imperial princes and interest groups!
Green and Lesa’s expressions also turned somewhat astonished. They had just completed a six-star mission, and in the Mercenary Guild, their guild might directly advance a star level to become a four-star magic guild. If they completed this seven-star mission as well, the guild’s star level might climb even higher!
A five-star magic guild: that was a powerful force capable of controlling a major city!
However… the content of this mission was truly perilous. Would the president and vice-president accept this commission? They looked towards Ye Chui and Debbie.
Hearing the mission details, Ye Chui and Debbie did not respond immediately. Their eyes remained fixed on Prince Geller.
Prince Geller lowered his head slightly, as if he dared not meet Big Sister Debbie’s gaze. He continued, “This was a decision I made after discussing it with Fourth Brother. We need to divert the attention of those princes preparing to vie for the throne and those interest groups. Fourth Brother and I have a plan we want to execute… Just give us half a month. I beg you!”
“So that’s it. You lot are up to something.” Ye Chui said to Prince Geller, his tone carrying a subtle nuance.
Prince Geller’s expression grew serious, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes. “Fourth Brother and I have always wanted to break free from the Church’s control over the Starfall Empire. Now is the best opportunity. If our plan succeeds, we can expel the Church’s influence from the Starfall Empire in one fell swoop!” The matter he was plotting was highly confidential, and he did not wish to reveal it here. He looked at Ye Chui. “According to my investigation, that divine messenger Jamir who went to Stan Town to deliver the message suddenly vanished on his return journey. It was you who killed him, right? And as for Bishop Talbot, although the fourth prince does not know the exact details, he has deduced that the bishop also died at your hands, yes? The Church’s influence is vast, yet I am certain that the magic guild or mercenary group bold enough to go against the Church like this… you are the first!”
That was spot on. Ye Chui and Debbie nodded. Their Whatever Magic Guild simply could not stand the Church!
“Most importantly…” Prince Geller suddenly turned his gaze to Lesa, who stood in the corner at the back. “If I am not mistaken, Miss Lesa’s holy scripture has already been destroyed, has it not? Yet your power of faith remains, and it is exceptionally pure and abundant, completely different from the power of faith used by the church’s believer nuns. I trust my instincts: Miss Lesa, the holy scripture you now possess is the sacred scripture that the Church regards as a heretical taboo, is it not?”
Lesa’s body trembled slightly. Possessing such a taboo item as the sacred scripture would indeed invite frenzied attacks from the Church. She nodded, tacitly confirming it. Prince Geller nodded in turn, as if summarising, and continued to Ye Chui and Debbie, “So, your magic guild, whether in terms of stance or courage, is the best candidate to complete this mission!”
After a pause, he looked at Ye Chui and added, “And to be honest, when I first learned of your existence, Ye Chui, I too once believed you were Fourth Brother’s illegitimate son. Fourth Brother mentioned that when he left Windrock City, he did indeed leave a powerful inheritance spellbook for his bloodline. I always thought your power came from that inheritance spellbook left by Fourth Brother. That was the most reasonable explanation. Having you impersonate the illegitimate son is the optimal choice!”
Now, everyone who knew Ye Chui, including Debbie, believed that Ye Chui’s spellbook was a powerful inheritance spellbook. However, the origins of this spellbook were highly suspicious. Ye Chui himself never spoke of it, and others found it hard to pry, as it was a personal secret. Now, seeing the suspicion in Geller’s eyes, the others suddenly realised: could it be that young Ye Chui had obtained the inheritance spellbook that had belonged to Riken?
However… Ye Chui himself knew full well that his spellbook had absolutely no connection to Riken’s inheritance spellbook!
Moreover, Riken did not seem like someone who would possess another spellbook. In fact, no one in the entire Stan Town used an inheritance spellbook.
This was rather odd. Perhaps…
Ye Chui suddenly turned his head to glance at Jacob, who stood beside him.
“This mission can only be completed by you. Of course, I also know how dangerous it is…” Prince Geller’s expression grew hesitant once more. As if reluctant, he said, “I understand if you do not wish to accept it. In that case, I will directly announce the fact that the illegitimate son is dead…”
Debbie waved her hand, interrupting Prince Geller. “Little Seven, you’ve said so much, but you still haven’t gotten to the key point!”
“The key point?” Prince Geller was taken aback.
“The remuneration!” Ye Chui wore an annoyed expression. “Who would take a mercenary commission without mentioning the pay? Do not think you can fob us off with nonsense about imperial glory or the like. Let me tell you, if the reward is not generous, we absolutely will not accept it!”
Prince Geller was caught off guard and quickly said, “The reward is one hundred thousand gold coins, plus a grand mansion in the capital. Your magic guild will also enjoy royal patronage and stipends…” As he spoke, Prince Geller came back to his senses. “Wait, are you not? After causing such a huge stir recently, would you even care about these things?”
“How could we not? Do you think we do not need to eat? We are short on money too!”
Ye Chui’s eyes lit up. He exchanged a glance with Debbie. This reward was quite substantial, and there was the star level increase from the Mercenary Guild side as well. Although the mission’s risks were high, the compensation was excellent. As for the danger… how could an adventurer fear danger? Ye Chui was currently in dire need of more battles and points to unlock more magical attributes and spells! He immediately nodded. “In the name of the president of Whatever Magic Guild, I accept this mission!”
With that, Debbie had already snatched the mission scroll from Prince Geller’s hand, unfurling it to inspect. Her small face nodded occasionally as she confirmed with Ye Chui, “The reward is clearly stated.”
“Then it’s a deal.” Ye Chui looked at Prince Geller with evident pleasure. “Serving the empire is the duty of Whatever Magic Guild. We will do our utmost to create a big commotion and divert their attention. You can go ahead with your plans without worry.”
“…” That sounds so insincere…
And so, the matter was settled. Ye Chui’s Whatever Magic Guild accepted this arduous seven-star mission, effective immediately. However, as Ye Chui left the room, he cast a somewhat puzzled look back at Prince Geller. “This mission involves your plans. Do you truly trust us not to betray you? You know, if I secretly contact the fourth prince or the church, I might get an even greater and more lavish reward. You trust my character that much?”
“How could that be?” Prince Geller smiled slyly, his eyes turning to Debbie. “I simply trust Big Sister Debbie, that’s all.”
“Fair enough…”
Back in his own room, Ye Chui found it hard to sleep for a while. To be honest, being pitted like this by Prince Geller left him quite furious inside. However, considering the decent remuneration and Debbie’s sake, he decided not to hold it against them. As for the pursuits he would soon face… he actually felt a bit excited. He needed more battles and points right now to unlock more magical attributes and incantations!
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Ye Chui awoke from his slumber, yawning as he sat up in bed. At that moment, he suddenly sensed something amiss. With puzzled eyes, he looked to his side, lifting the thick fur blanket. There, unmistakably, was Gunny’s petite and slender figure on his bed. Moreover, the girl was clad only in undergarments that barely covered her body…
“Bloody hell, Gunny, why are you sleeping in my bed!?”
