After arriving in the City, Laura, the Lord of Falling-Flower City, issued a high-reward honor mission at the Warrior's Guild.
This mission, which involved transporting bodies and cleaning up the battlefield, was undertaken jointly by two capable mercenary groups.
Although the task wasn't difficult, there was uncertainty about whether Demon Abyss soldiers might appear in route, making it potentially dangerous.
Hence, the reward was set to be more than ten times higher than usual.
"If the battlefield cleanup is done well, I will add an extra one percent to the total reward!"
Eddie thought that even though the aerial pavilion was destroyed by fire, the remaining materials must be worth something.
Offering a reward would also increase these people's enthusiasm and efficiency.
"Yes, we will faithfully execute the command of the city lord!" the leaders of the two mercenary groups, upon seeing the newly promoted Bloody Queen by Eddie's side, immediately showed their respect.
The news of the Bloody Queen's promotion was known to all on the third floor, but no one dared to mess with her—a Gold King Beast! Even though she had just been promoted and was only level five, she could easily kill an ordinary mercenary.
Moreover, she was guarded by two lieutenants of bronze level six and seven. Ordinary mercenaries wouldn't even think of climbing the space pavilion to challenge the Bloody Queen.
Just approaching the mountain foot could lead to being mobbed to death by over a hundred bronze level three harpies.
Now, unbelievably, this Bloody Queen had been tamed and had successfully signed a contract.
How many could boast of forming a contract with a Gold King Beast?
Such a powerful figure surely deserved the utmost respect.
The mercenaries didn't recognize Eddie and were unaware of this mysterious thief's identity, but they all knew Laura.
As the city lord of the fourth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, she was a formidable figure beyond their reach.
So, when they heard about the additional reward from Eddie, they all thanked him profusely.
Laura wasn't worried about these people harboring ill intentions or being lackadaisical. While it was possible to embezzle funds during missions outside the Continent, such behavior was infeasible in the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
Once these people accepted the mission, even the slightest intent to defraud a single copper coin would result in negative honor.
Those with negative honor, whether deserters or deceivers, would be unable to use the teleportation array to leave.
Additionally, the Warrior's Guild or Mercenary Guild would assess the completion of the mission.
If they really defrauded on the mission, the glaring words of 'corruption and deception' in the assessment would lead to their immediate arrest by the guards and imprisonment.
Laura found it a bit sensational that Eddie was accompanied by the sexy, dangerously seductive Bloody Queen and quickly found her a new set of silver armor at a military outpost.
The Bloody Queen initially disliked wearing the silver armor, but Eddie insisted on it. After speaking at length in Demon Abyss language, she reluctantly donned the armor, probably protesting against Eddie's bullying, but he pretended not to hear.
Wearing the silver armor, the Bloody Queen looked different, radiating a sense of holiness and allure that surpassed her original sexiness.
At least she was no longer a naked enchantress, reducing the visual shock. Laura had no better solution for the time being and had to make do with this.
After all, no one dared to harbor ill intentions towards a Gold King Beast. Others could only drool over her, an inevitable occurrence.
Back on the first floor, they reached the honor hall of the Warrior's Guild, where Shane, the white robe brother, had just returned from the medical center.
Before Shane had a chance to rest, he suddenly saw Eddie charging at him like a furious demon. Without a word, Eddie began to beat him up mercilessly.
"What did I do this time?" Shane felt wronged, his teeth loosened from the beating, yet he had no idea why.
"Do you know what kind of people I hate the most? I hate those who can speak multiple languages. When I heard you can speak over a hundred, I couldn't contain my anger. Why is it that someone as handsome and smart as me can barely speak the common language of Dragon Teng Continent, while you, an unremarkable and foolish-looking guy, can speak more than a hundred languages? Tell me, who else should I beat up if not you?" Eddie irrationally kicked Shane's backside.
It was then that Shane realized his linguistic talents had brought him trouble. However, this beating also brought a sense of pride. "You think you're so great, capable of killing six Demon Generals, making women scream for you, but you're an idiot who can't even speak the common language properly. I'm different. I can't kill six Demon Generals, but I can speak more than a hundred languages, including over a hundred types of Demon Abyss languages!"
If Eddie hadn't been kicking him, Shane would have stood up, fanned himself, and strutted around, reciting the most obscure passages from the Demon Abyss Blood Hell Chronicles of Ten Thousand Years.
At that moment, Laura entered and grabbed Eddie's hand, trying to calm him down. "Don't be angry, it's just a language exam. Just study a bit and you'll be fine!"
Eddie seemed even more enraged and drew his Moon Blade with a clank. "I'll kill this annoying guy first, then chop that damned tutor into eighteen pieces to feed to dogs. Let's see who dares mention language exams in front of me again!" He threatened to chop Shane, who was so frightened he nearly wet himself, trying to hide wherever he could. The thought of being sliced by Eddie and spending weeks in the medical center was too much bad luck to bear.
"There's no need for violence. Actually, I think you have a talent for languages; you just need a good teacher!" Laura hurriedly held back Eddie's hand.
"I, I can teach the young master for free. If he fails the exam, I'm willing to suffer the pain of being devoured by ants! You don't know, I once taught a mute girl to speak. Think about it. If I could teach her, how could the young master possibly fail a language exam? It's too easy!" Shane quickly got up, putting on his most scholarly and capable face, trying hard to open his swollen eyes from Eddie's beating, and looked straight at Eddie. "I understand your frustrations, young master, but please trust me, language is not that difficult. I guarantee you'll learn it in no time!"
"Get lost, who needs your teaching!" Eddie kicked Shane, nearly sending him flying out of the window from the third floor of the honor hall.
"Don't be angry, let's just forget about this troublesome matter. How about that?" Laura placated the enraged Eddie and pulled him away.
A while later, she returned and handed Shane, the white robe brother, ten gold coins for medical expenses.
"Shane, that's your name, right?"
...
Shane, both thankful and tearful, replied:
" I remember you. I apologize for what just happened. That young fellow has a bit of a temper, and he's been quite troubled lately because of a language exam. "
"He even thought about paying a high price for cheating, but in the end, he still failed."
"He could have paid me to help him instead. No, I mean, I feel very sorry for the young master's misfortune! As for the language issue, I'm quite confident in my skills. "
"If Lord Laura trusts me, then please let me teach the young master. Not just one language, I can teach him ten! "
"However, could you please talk to him about violence not being a solution? We can sit down and talk calmly. As long as the young master doesn't resort to violence, everything can be discussed!"
...
Laura gave Shane another ten gold coins, this time as a salary for being a language tutor. "I'll try my best to persuade him. Generally, he's a good kid, like when he was a baby, he was very quiet."
Shane nearly cried, "When he was a baby, who would he hit? Which baby doesn't sleep quietly?"
He wondered if Eddie had started hitting people as soon as he was past the baby stage—a born little tyrant?
Shane was unaware that Eddie and Laura's actions were a ruse.
If they had come to him respectfully with the Bloody Queen, he would have been too proud to cooperate.
Thus, Eddie adopted a method once used by the Empress Wu Zetian of China for taming horses, which proved to be very effective.
Now, Laura found Shane to be quite compliant, albeit a bit roughed up. She then conversed with Shane, mimicking some of the Bloody Queen's words and gauging his reaction.
Shane was very enthusiastic: "The content of the young master's exam is a story about a Demon Abyss treasure, I guess. But with only partial vocabulary, I can't be completely certain."
"Words related to treasure, like dragon's nest, divine stone, barrier, dragon-slaying dagger, and teleportation gate, have appeared in this Demon Abyss language. "
"I'm ninety percent sure it's a story about a treasure hunt in the Demon Abyss."
"The content of the exams at the academy is also monotonous, either about treasure hunts, trials, or the occasional love story between a prince and a princess, and very rarely an epic. "
"If you give me time, I'm confident I can teach the young master this language in a month."
"No, I can teach him the three common Demon Abyss languages. With comparison across these three, understanding this specific Demon Abyss language will definitely not be difficult!"
Shane didn't suspect anything, but Laura's heart skipped a beat. Connecting dragon's nest, divine stone, barrier, dragon-slaying dagger, and teleportation gate, she could already guess much without further translation.
The Bloody Queen held a great secret, perhaps intending to use it in a trade with the young thief.
Previously, Laura couldn't understand how the Bloody Queen's mother, the Empress, evolved so remarkably, surpassing all other Gold King Beasts and even ascending from the third to the fourth floor.
It seemed that the Empress had gained enormous benefits from this secret treasure, which allowed her to advance so quickly. Now, as a contracted battle beast, the Bloody Queen had to leave the aerial pavilion and give up her queenship. She planned to reveal this secret to her master in exchange for a power boost. This way, she could also elevate her own level and gain more dignity from her master.
After leaving the Warrior's Guild, Laura went to the Warrior's Inn to meet Eddie and shared her concerns: "If it's really a treasure guarded by a dragon, then it's definitely not simple. "
"Moreover, we shouldn't rush into this and shouldn't let Shane know everything. You know how he is; he can't keep secrets. Letting him know the whole truth is not a good idea. "
"Maybe you should learn the Demon Abyss language from him and then communicate slowly with the Bloody Queen. As for the treasure, if you want me to join the adventure, then flowers, herbs, and seeds must be prioritized for me. "
"I want at least the right to distribute them. As for crystals and money, I'm not too interested. You're the man, you make the final decision."
"Alright, let's do that!" Eddie agreed with a nod.
Laura playfully lifted Eddie's chin, their eyes locked and faces close, her breath like orchids:
"Then let's part ways for now. I'll go back to gardening, and you work on enhancing the Bloody Queen's strength."
" I see she's dropped to Gold level three after the contract. Bring her up to Gold level four or even five, and then we can hunt for treasure together. "
"As for the mercenary task I published, I'll have them deliver it to the first floor for you to handle. Leave me a message at the Warrior's Guild if there's anything, or write me a letter if your handwriting isn't as bad as a dog's scribble. Let's set a three-month deadline. "
"With the Enchantress Charm Flower, my beasts should be able to level up too. Then we'll be more confident in treasure hunting. Little thief, thank you for saving me. "
"You're an unpredictable little fellow. Work hard, you're a man; you can't be like me, spending days tending to plants. You should aspire to conquer the Demon Abyss and the heavenly realms!"
...
Just as Eddie thought she was about to kiss him, she suddenly let go, laughing heartily and leaving with a swirl of fragrance and her distinctive, hearty laughter.
Eddie was puzzled by Laura's behavior—was she interested in him, or was it just a tease?
After pondering for a moment, he thought, "Well, if it's meant to happen, it'll happen. For now, flirting is fine."
Recalling the delightful sensation of carrying her on his back, he felt a shameful hardness. "Laura is surprisingly voluptuous under those clothes," he thought.
As for Shane, Eddie had no intention of wasting time learning the Demon Abyss language from him.
He planned to send others like Yehken and Oliver to learn it instead. Once they mastered it and drained Shane of all his knowledge, they could then teach Eddie.
His current focus was to help Sophia and Inan complete the "Heart of the Oak" mission and then take Sophia home.
With the new year approaching, when his aunt returned to the Yew family castle, he intended to avenge her.
He wanted the entire Yew family to beg for her return, feeling shame and regret for previously driving her out.
Eddie wondered how Inan would react upon seeing the sexy and seductive Bloody Queen.
Would she be jealous, envious, or remain unfazed? He eagerly anticipated Inan's reaction, expecting it to be quite entertaining.