The banquet ended amidst cheers, their faces brimming with hope.
Wozworth had prepared a luxurious carriage for Qin Chu and selectively chose dozens of experts from the Imperial Palace Guard to escort him to the palace.
Angelica followed beside the carriage, seemingly wishing to depart with Qin Chu; she was now his personal maid, and Qin Chu was her master.
However, Augustus did not wish for Angelica to leave so easily.
"Angelica, wait a moment."
Angelica's body trembled slightly, her complexion still somewhat pale as she turned to look back at the Pope. As clever as Angelica was, she already knew what was about to happen.
"Mr. Brave, Angelica still has some personal belongings in the Church that she needs to collect, is that alright?" Augustus asked Qin Chu with a smile.
Although Qin Chu's strength was far too meager in comparison to theirs, both Augustus and Wozworth, Saint Monica, had shown Qin Chu absolute respect.
Because they all knew the true potential of a Hero, and appearing too arrogant now and leaving a bad impression in the heart of a Hero did them no good.
Qin Chu clearly understood what Augustus was trying to do, simply to brainwash Angelica, hoping she could replace Rose Vesper and manipulate him; he nodded easily, "Of course."
After all, he had already rebuffed that old man once. Doing it again would be unpleasant for everyone, and he still needed to "power-level."
Moreover, even if he could stop it this time, he couldn't be with Angelica every moment. Augustus would have numerous opportunities to see her, so in that case, better to give the old turtle some face.
Waving towards Angelica, Qin Chu headed towards the carriage. When he arrived beside the carriage, his gaze suddenly turned to a figure nearby.
It was a young man with a lean build, muscular, who seemed explosive even in armor, and despite his youthful features, he held a sharp long spear in his hand.
Though there was still a hint of immaturity, his face had already overlapped with someone in Qin Chu's memory.
"What's your name?"
"Reporting to Mr. Brave, my name is Nicholas, captain of the Imperial Palace Cavalry Squad, under the emperor's orders to protect Mr. Brave's safety. Please rest assured that no demon will dare to harass you," the young commander snapped to attention and saluted, speaking clearly.
This was a very talented young man who, even in the face of a Hero with two Super Order Powers, maintained his modesty and self-respect.
Although Qin Chu did not know the exact level of the young man, he could sense his strength was formidable, at least that of a Great Knight.
According to the ranks, a Knight would be Level 1-20, a Great Knight 21-40, a Mad Knight 41-60, and a King Knight 61-80!
Above Level 80 were the Titled Knights equivalent to the Great Sages in rank, with each Knight above Level 80 earning a unique title.
Based on the number of Powers, martial arts skills, and their quality, each Rank was further divided into one, two, or three stars.
Although a Great Knight is only second-tier, the strength is quite admirable, and characters of this level are considered the main combat force of this world.
Considering the young man's age, it was clear he was highly gifted; with diligent training, there was no reason he couldn't become a Mad Knight or even a King Knight one day.
"Are you skilled with the spear?" Qin Chu seemed to take a special interest in Nicholas, asking with a smile.
Nicholas wasn't sure what about him attracted Mr. Brave's attention, but he nodded earnestly in response to the inquiry.
Qin Chu's fingers glided along the shaft towards the top; the spearhead was sharp and cold. With a flick of his finger, his nail and the spear's tip collided with a crisp sound.
"Have you ever pierced through a human body with this spear, what does that feel like?" Qin Chu inquired curiously, tilting his head.
Nicholas was somewhat perplexed; he wasn't sure why Mr. Brave would ask such an odd question.
"I apologize, I'm not sure about that. The spear in my hand is dedicated to protecting the citizens within the Royal City. It has only pointed at demons, never at people."
"However, I have pierced through the bodies of demons multiple times with this spear; I suppose the feeling must be somewhat similar."
"Is that so."
Without further conversation, Qin Chu entered the carriage, while Nicholas remained puzzled by his behavior but didn't think much of it. Once Qin Chu boarded the carriage, he immediately had his men fall into formation on both sides to escort the Hero to the palace.
Inside the carriage, Qin Chu's eyes narrowed into slits, a cold gleam flickering within them.
Nicholas.
Although he currently appeared young, after seven years, it was this young knight, who only pointed his spear at demons, that would hoist a disabled girl on the tip of the spear, letting her wriggle, writhe and cry in unbearable pain, blood flowing like a river.
And he would stand by laughing heartily with his comrades, savoring the twisting body and anguished expression of the girl.
All because she had spoken a word in defense of the Hero about to be executed.
What could happen in seven years to cause such a profound change in this knight?
Through the window, Qin Chu gazed out at the world, illuminated by two full moons in the sky, their light magnified, casting a frostlike layer of silver-white moonlight upon the ground.
The chilly night wind rustled the leaves.
Luxurious carriages passed by; they belonged to nobles returning to their estates after attending the banquet, the Magic Lamps every ten meters casting a soft glow.
Even late at night, there was no sense of darkness within the inner district of the Imperial City.
Those Magic Crystal Stones, quite valuable as alchemy materials for making excellent Magic Weapons, each valued around one thousand mana, exceed the annual expenses of a commoner's family of three, yet here they were merely used for illumination. They say it's to prevent the nobles from stumbling while walking at night.
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The Sky Dome Continent had clearly suffered from demon attacks, but inside the Imperial City, one wouldn't feel a hint of that chaos. Here, it was practically heaven.
In the inner city, the leftovers from banquets were piled high by the staff and then disposed of in mass incinerations.
In the outer city, ragged orphans fought each other viciously over an unfinished chicken leg.
One city wall was the dividing line between heaven and hell.
This wretched world might as well end sooner rather than later.
Of course, Qin Chu didn't have much pity for the common people. During the first week, Qin Chu felt sorry for the commoners, but when he was executed, among the spectators below, they were the ones who shouted the loudest.
Qin Chu couldn't forget the sight of those people, their faces contorted with excitement, hurling rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at him.
This world was rotten from top to bottom, to the root.
Perhaps there were still individuals maintaining their kindness, but how much warmth can a single matchstick provide in the midst of a raging blizzard?
Shaking his head, Qin Chu decided not to think about those things anymore and opened his panel.
Level: 13
Class: Hero
Strength: 19
Physical Strength: 19
Agility: 19
Spiritual Power: 62
Defense: 19
Charm: 6
Martial Arts:
None!
Magic:
Illusion Creation: Intermediate Magic—you have the ability to create illusions.
Power:
Greed: Super Order Power—you have a greedy desire to possess everything; Power Special Ability: Devourer—you can plunder the strength and power of others for your own use.
Fury: Super Order Power—you are very angry, and your anger will become your strength; Power Special Ability: Anger Burst—when your rage blooms, you will obtain strength far beyond your limits.
Compulsory Calmness: High Order Power—you will maintain a calm state at all times, and not lose your sanity; it automatically activates but can be manually turned off.
Strong Desire: Special Authority, Super Order Power—this power cannot be made public, Desire Touch—your hands can ignite the deepest hidden flames within the opposite sex.
Transformation: Intermediate Power—you can freely change your appearance.
With each level increase, strength, physical strength, agility, spiritual power, and defensive power all increase by one attribute point. Charm is fixed from the moment of birth and can only be increased by certain special ways, which are extremely difficult.
The Illusion Demon disguised as Earl Donald must be at least Level 60. Clearly, when the Devourer consumes its target, there is a significant loss in the transformation process. The Level 60 Illusion Demon only raised my level to 13, and the abundant magic power only transformed into forty-three points of spiritual power.
Of course, according to the cultivation speed of cultivators in this world, reaching Level 13, even if one meditates and trains every day, and fights demons daily, it would take at least several months, while it took me less than a minute. Indeed, plundering the strength of others for one's own use is the fastest way to enhance one's power.
If we go by the standard of magicians, a total of sixty-two points of spiritual power should be close to the standard of a Great Mage.
It's just a pity that the only magic I currently possess, Illusion Creation, has also been seized from the Illusion Demon. Back then, the Illusion Demon was captured by me without even having a chance to use this magic.
In passing, I also snatched the Illusion Demon's Power Transformation.
All things considered, I'm very satisfied with the Illusion Demon, this big experience pack.
About an hour had passed when the carriage finally stopped in front of a house. To say it was a house is an understatement—it was more like a palace. It was said to be Wozworth's summer palace for escaping the heat and resting, and now it had been temporarily assigned for the Hero's use. One could tell that Wozworth truly valued Qin Chu a great deal.
The entire palace spanned thousands of square meters. Towering walls surrounded the area, with hundreds of City Guards patrolling night-long, not allowing any danger to approach.
The carriage went straight into the courtyard, where servants arranged by Wozworth were already waiting to lead Qin Chu to his resting room.
Dozens of Nicholas's elite followed closely behind, as they had to protect the Hero closely—until they stopped at the bedroom door.
"Nicholas..."
"At your service, Mr. Brave. Do you have any orders?"
Yawning and stretching lazily, Qin Chu looked very tired, "I'm very tired today and need a good rest; no matter what happens, do not wake me up, understand?"
The revenge would unfold tonight.
He didn't want these people to disrupt his plan!
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