Han Shuo started the day by hanging around a dazzling array of stalls selling all sorts of odds and ends. Luck seemed to be on his side. In just a short stroll, he had come across two chunks of clay rock.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, more and more nobles appeared along the street. They wore luxurious clothes and travelled either on high horses or in chariots. They did not stop on the busy street, but headed straight for the auction site.
Thanks to the appearance of these figures, the originally congested street was cleared by a large number of knights specially dispatched by the Kasi Empire's city defence troops. On the Profound Continent, the nobility have always enjoyed certain privileges. Those who were able to gain access to the Auction House were definitely very wealthy and high-born. Naturally, the Kasi Empire would treat these people with special care.
Those commoners, humble swordsmen, struggling merchants, poverty-stricken mages, they could only stand on the two sides of the street. As they watched with envy those who, with heads held high and chests puffed out, made their way to the auction hall under the protection of the knights, they spontaneously stepped aside to clear a path so as not to be an obstacle and a rod for their own backs.
One after the other, sumptuous carriages passed by in the most pompous manner. There were even delicate drawings and coats of arms on these carriages, representing the identity of the passengers.
There were far too many pedestrians on the street. And now that they had to make way for these nobles, the pedestrians were standing shoulder to shoulder. The inevitable bumping into each other added to the already noisy din.
Standing in the middle of the crowd, Han Shuo couldn't help but furrow his brow. Stuck in the sardine can crowd, Han Shuo was unable to move an inch. In a place like this, as a foreigner, Han Shuo did not take to the air to move forward as he usually did, so as not to risk breaking taboos and offending the locals. It was also rude to push people aside with brute force. All Han Shuo could do was to blend in and wait it out.
But the good thing was that Han Shuo was tall, with broad shoulders. Standing in the crowd, he naturally appeared far above the ordinary, obviously superior. When Han Shuo knitted his eyebrows, this imposing demeanour was inadvertently revealed. If it weren't for the fact that they had no other ground to stand on, the people around Han Shuo would never get so close to him.
"Huh? Miss Sophie! It's Miss Sophie!" a cry of surprise suddenly rang out from the crowd.
""That can't be her. I met this beautiful lady here the day before yesterday. She bought a pendant from my stall and even haggled with me for half a day for two gold coins! How could it be Miss Sophie? Are you mistaken?" exclaimed a stallholder standing next to the first person in disbelief.
"Don't be silly, this lady rides a white pegasus and looks like a damned angel, who else could it be if not Miss Sophie? Hahaha, you must have mistaken her for someone else. A lady like that would never haggle half the day over two gold coins," replied the other with disdain.
The discussion about Sophie went on and on. Many of the remarks about Sophie fell upon Han Shuo's ears by chance. From the conversations of the people around him, Han Shuo could tell that Sophie had an enormous reputation in the Kasi Empire. And not just because her father was a Sacred Knight.
At such a young age, Sophie was already a sky rider, just one rank below her father Sulo, a sacred knight. In addition, Sophie was a summoner. Her power was mysterious and unpredictable, to say the least. Aside from her extraordinary talents, Sophie's most appealing qualities were her kind heart and her amiable, outgoing personality. There was no shortage of stories of her helping the poor and needy.
In the hearts of the people of the Kasi Empire, the pure and honest Sophie was simply the ideal woman. Especially in the hearts of many young people, Sophie was undoubtedly their goddess.
Standing in the middle of all the clamour, Han Shuo passively received countless positive messages about Sophie. Han Shuo, who already had a pretty good impression of Sophie to begin with, felt somewhat touched in his heart as he gazed from afar at Sophie slowly moving forward on her spotless white Pegasus.
Han Shuo had already seen Sophie yesterday on the busy road. Compared to her distant manner of today, Han Shuo much preferred her friendly manner of yesterday.
Riding on a Hercules, Sophie wore a faint smile on her face. However, when she remembered the person in the carriage next to her, she could not help but sigh. Even thoughts of her father somehow crossed her mind.
The curtain was lifted from the inside of the carriage moving alongside Sophie, revealing a handsome young face. As this young man looked foolishly at Sophie, it was hard to hide the fervent heat in his gaze. Although he said nothing, any fool could read the intense desire to possess in his eyes.
"Fifi, the reason I'm going to the auction this time is to look for a treasure to suit you," said the young man, smiling at Sophie as he leaned out of the carriage.
Sophie reluctantly put on a smile and replied, "No, no need. I'm not interested in that sort of thing!"
""How will that do? My house of Pillon is of royal blood. Your father has already agreed to our marriage. As the wife of I, Braque, you shall be the most beautiful, the most graceful, and the most splendid woman. You must be adorned with treasures!" said Braque resolutely.
These words of Braque's gave Sophie a great headache. Braque was the son of Prince Bradley Pillon and the nephew of His Majesty the King, Brady Pillon. The Pillon royal family were the defacto rulers of the Kasi Empire. Sophie's father, Sulo, formally agreed to the marriage without asking for her consent. This left Sophie at her wit's end.
Braque, son of Prince Bradley Pillon, could still be considered a clean character in the nobility of the Kasi Empire. There hadn't been too many negative rumours about him in recent years. The eloquent Braque was a rising star in the political arena of the Kasi Empire. Through his royal family of the Pillon and their influence, he rose higher and higher in his career. He was truly on a roll in the Kasi Empire.
Sulo agreed to marry him. It did not matter if Sophie was ready or not. In this world where men made the rules, Sophie was already considered Braque's fiancée. Having been indoctrinated with etiquette from a young age, Sophie could not bring herself to behave in a way that would be considered rude in a formal setting. Even this time, unable to defy her father's instructions, she reluctantly agreed to appear in public with Braque.
As she listened to Braque ramble on and on about his unbridled imagination of their future, Sophie's heart sank deeper and deeper. As a sky rider with extraordinary strength, Sophie did not even have a mildly favourable impression of Braque, an aristocrat who was no good at magic and did not practise martial arts, but who had a growing hunger for political power.
If the Pillon royal family hadn't been so powerful, if her father hadn't forced her to go, Sophie would still be happily shopping in the stalls on the busy street instead of being Braque's prop, accompanying him to the auction house where the elite gathered.
In her heart, Sophie was incredibly desperate. She simply closed her ears to the chatter of Braque beside her. Riding her Pegasus, she wore a peaceful, faint smile. Her eyes swept aimlessly over the crowd, trying to soothe the disgusting chatter in her ears by focusing on other things around her.
Suddenly, a tall, erect silhouette came into Sophie's line of sight. Standing at around 1.7 metres in height, Han Shuo's 1.9 metre tall, magnificent physique was like a crane in a flock of chickens in the crowd, and it also seemed rather spacious in the crowded stream of people around him, further drawing the attention of the onlookers.
At first, Sophie just took a random glance. From her point of view, she could only see Han Shuo's side. However, the distinct outline of Han Shuo's half face gave Sophie a familiar feeling. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her as she began to observe Han Shuo carefully, and the sense of familiarity only grew from there.
As she slowly moved forward on her Pegasus, Sophie's view of Han Shuo gradually changed. When she could clearly see Han Shuo's face, Sophie could only cover her mouth and cry out in surprise. Her eyes overflowed with a look of affection. At that moment, Han Shuo, who had been looking in all directions and using his mind to search for goods, suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him. Han Shuo furrowed his brow and instinctively turned to look at the source. He immediately saw Sophie's pleasantly surprised eyes and her beautiful appearance.
He was shocked and came to his senses. He remembered that his height made him look rather unusual in such a crowd. Not wanting to cause any trouble for Sophie, Han Shuo gave up on searching this area for materials to refine Gilbert, hurriedly turned around, pushed others aside and left.
With a shove of his shoulders, all the strangers leaning close to him were knocked off balance one by one. For a moment, curses filled the air. But when they saw the imposing silhouette, their mouths fell immediately.
Sophie, who had been staring intently from a distance, immediately let out a scream when she saw Han Shuo leave in a hurry. Her slender, lily-white hand gently patted the white Pegasus she was sitting on before pointing in the direction Han Shuo was walking.
The pure white Pegasus, which had been flying deliberately low as it sensed its master's eagerness, immediately spread its wings and soared in accordance with the command it had received, searching for Han Shuo from above.
"Huh? Miss Sophie, what's going on?" a middle-aged knight asked in front of Braque.
Braque, who had been staring at Sophie, suddenly realised that his target was getting further and further away from him. He too spontaneously raised his head in Sophie's direction and shouted, "Where are you going? What's wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry, Braque. I just ran into a friend I haven't seen in years!" Riding a Pegasus in the air, Sophie smiled apologetically at Braque before reaching out again to pat her Pegasus on the shoulder.
Whoosh! At Sophie's command, the Pegasus had figured out the direction and was chasing after Han Shuo some distance away.<
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