Chapter 121: Fortune Favors the Brave

Kaviershil’s residence was located in the northwest of Osgiliath, far from the Imperial Palace. Osgiliath was a massive, majestic city; people dressed in fine silks and elaborate robes could be seen everywhere. Despite the recent snowfall, the wide, clean streets were meticulously swept, free of any grime. The passersby wore expressions of contentment and ease, giving the city an air of vibrant vitality.

Occasionally, a patrol of cavalry would weave through the streets. Their polished armor clinked with a faint metallic sound, and their halberds gleamed. The soldiers sat tall and proud on their horses, their faces set in expressions of stern reserve. The buildings on both sides of the avenues were of typical Byzantine style—domed with pointed pillars, towering and imposing. Even ordinary shops were at least two or three stories tall, with colorful signs and curtains fluttering in the breeze, creating a scene of bustling prosperity.

However, Xia Ya was preoccupied, and the spectacle of this grand continental capital made little impression on him. He rode with a somber expression, lost in thought. Beside him, Ruhl, though intending to offer comfort, didn't know how to begin, so he simply chatted about the customs and local conditions of Osgiliath.

"The east side of the city is the forbidden Imperial Palace area, where the church headquarters is also located. The north side is the district for noble families; recently, some wealthy merchants have also tried to squeeze in there, but land prices are getting higher and higher. Sigh, based on my military salary, I’m afraid even a year of fighting wouldn't be enough to buy a single room there now. Kaviershil lives in the northwest corner. Those who live there are mostly wealthy people with some background and assets—not quite the noble elite, but far better off than the commoners in the south. Oh, right, since it’s your first time in Osgiliath, you must visit the arena. The tournament is starting in a few days, and a lot of martial arts troupes from other regions have arrived, keeping the security forces busy."

Osgiliath was indeed vast. The two rode in front, with their retinue of guards following behind; Totoro and Soite had naturally joined Ruhl’s entourage. They wove through countless streets and intersections, passing through one bustling area after another. Finally, after two hours, the streets grew quieter. Once they crossed a certain junction, the road remained wide, but the bustling crowds vanished. Tall plane trees lined the path, adding a touch of green vitality to this ancient and majestic city even in the depths of winter. On both sides were grand estates; clearly, the residents here were wealthy. There were no street vendors, only the occasional passing carriage. Everything felt silent and peaceful.

"We're here." The fat man reined in his horse and pointed to the intersection ahead. "I’ll leave you here. Turn left at the intersection, and you’ll see Kaviershil’s place. Uh, I don’t particularly want to visit that fellow’s home, so I’ll just wait here for you."

Xia Ya clenched his fist and gave the fat man a disgruntled look.

The fat man smiled bitterly. "Kaviershil has a strange temper. He only said he wanted to see you; he didn’t mention me."

"Fine." Xia Ya sighed. "Turn left ahead? What does his gate look like? I don’t want to go to the wrong place."

"Don't worry. After you turn left at this intersection, there is only one house on that street, and only one gate. Years ago, His Majesty the Emperor granted him the entire street."

Xia Ya rode past the intersection alone. Turning left, it was exactly as the fat man had described. The street was lined with high walls made of blue-white masonry, neat and square. At the base of the walls, small shrubs were planted and trimmed with precision. The road was flat and clearly well-maintained. At the end of the long street stood a gate—not overly tall, but emanating a solemn and tranquil aura.

Standing before the portal of the imperial capital’s famous sage, Xia Ya observed the black gate, armored with a layer of black iron and studded with rows of rivets. Beyond that, there was no sign of luxury, yet it was unexpectedly neat and clean, as if not a speck of dust existed. Xia Ya dismounted and was about to knock when one half of the gate swung open. A young attendant in linen robes emerged, eyeing Xia Ya with a look of indifference.

Xia Ya opened his mouth to introduce himself, "I am—"

The young attendant cut him off, saying coolly, "Come in. Follow me, and don’t wander or talk unnecessarily."

Without waiting for a response, the attendant turned and walked inside. Xia Ya glared, his anger simmering. Suppressing his temper, he strode after him. At the doorway, the attendant stopped, glanced at the mud on Xia Ya’s boots, frowned, and pointed to a soft mat on the ground. "Clean your boots. The Master likes cleanliness."

Xia Ya gritted his teeth and wiped his boots on the mat. Only then did the attendant seem slightly satisfied. He didn't speak, just turned and walked deeper inside. Xia Ya huffed and followed.

The first courtyard was vast but quiet. There were no large trees, only a few potted plants placed in the corners, leaving the space feeling empty. The ground was indeed spotless; not only was there no dust, but not a single fallen leaf or petal could be found.

The attendant led Xia Ya through a side door into a garden. A circular flowerbed was filled with blooming flowers—the varieties were far beyond the comprehension of a country bumpkin like Xia Ya. He felt a sense of wonder: in the dead of winter, where could these flowers be coming from? A path of blue stone wound through the garden, and the air was thick with fragrance. At the far end of the garden lay a small, man-made lake. The water was barely a hundred paces across, ripples shimmering; one could faintly see fish swimming within. Occasionally, a fish would leap, revealing a strange red tail.

Xia Ya, a man of base tastes, naturally didn't know how to appreciate such things. Looking at the fish, he couldn't help but wonder how they would taste roasted.

The buildings he passed all breathed an air of peace and cleanliness. Occasionally, he saw young, delicate attendants—some holding water jars, others wiping down railings with silk cloths. As Xia Ya passed, they seemed not to notice him, never sparing him a single glance. The buildings were not tall, all square and neat. Finally, they reached the end, where a round, two-story building stood. It occupied a large area, its walls covered in green vines. The courtyard was clean, save for one corner where a straight, tall tree stood, its drooping branches covered in pale yellow leaves, looking like a giant golden umbrella from afar.

The attendant stopped at a small door at the base of the round building. "Wait here."

A moment later, several attendants in linen robes arrived, each holding a silver basin with a snow-white silk cloth draped over it. Xia Ya paused, then understood the attendant's gaze. He stepped forward and washed his hands and face with the water in the basin.

After he had dried himself, another attendant brought up a basin, and Xia Ya washed his face again without complaint. By the time the fourth attendant approached, Xia Ya had had enough. He pointed to his face and said, "Is there dust on my face? Dammit, even if I had dung on my face, it would be clean by now!"

The attendant didn't respond, but instead picked up a silk cloth and began to scrub the soft armor on Xia Ya’s body. In a short while, the armor was gleaming, and his boots were wiped clean as well. Another person came over with a soft brush to clean every detail of his armor. By the time they were finished, Xia Ya looked brand new.

"Go in," the attendant said coldly. "Don't wander around, and don't touch anything."

*(Dammit,)* Xia Ya cursed inwardly. He walked through the small door, head held high. Once inside, the bumpkin was stunned.

From the outside, the building looked like two stories, but once inside, he realized he was wrong. It was only one floor, but the ceiling was extraordinarily high—at least seven or eight meters. The domed ceiling featured intricate, raised reliefs with patterns like floating clouds, adorned with a dozen strange gemstones that emitted a faint, eerie light. The floor beneath his feet was made of silver-white marble, smooth as a mirror and without a single flaw. Every step Xia Ya took caused ripples to appear on the stone surface, just like water!

In his mind, Xia Ya suddenly heard Dora’s voice: "This is a magic array... Hmph, what an extravagant household, to waste a permanent illumination spell in a place like this."

Although Xia Ya was a bumpkin, his time spent with the knowledgeable Dora had broadened his horizons. He knew that magic arrays were extremely rare. Setting one up required expensive magic crystals and jade, which cost a fortune, and the power source needed to drive a permanent array was even harder to come by, requiring vast amounts of mana crystals and deep magical knowledge. Even an intermediate mage could never afford the cost of a permanent magic array. Yet here, one was used simply for lighting?!

What surprised Xia Ya even more was that the massive room contained no luxurious decorations. As far as his eyes could see... it was all... books!

The circular room seemed to be lined with bookshelves, row upon row, layer upon layer. These shelves were five or six meters high, arranged along the curved walls. Every shelf was packed with various books, and there were rolling ladders with wheels at the base. A rough glance suggested there were tens of thousands of books in this room! Even Dora seemed surprised, letting out a sigh.

Xia Ya stood in the center of the room and waited for a while, but there was no sign of anyone. Growing impatient, he coughed loudly. "Is anyone there? I am Xia Ya. I’m here. Who wants to see me?" He called out several times, but there was no response. It was as if he were the only person in this vast library.

Xia Ya turned around and paced, lingering by the bookshelves. The vast sea of books filled the bumpkin with a sense of awe. Though he didn't read much, he felt a new sense of respect for the owner, the mysterious Kaviershil. Regardless of everything else, if Kaviershil had truly read all these books, his knowledge must be profound indeed. Every bookshelf was immaculate; there wasn't a speck of dust on the shelves or the books, clearly the result of meticulous care.

Xia Ya circled the room several times, but no one appeared. Finally, unable to hold back, he walked to the center and sat down on the floor.

*Since I’m already here, I’ll just wait.*

He waited for the time it takes to eat a meal, but still, no one came to attend to the bumpkin. Just as he jumped up, about to shout, his heart skipped a beat. A strange, subtle sense of alertness rose within him—the same feeling he used to get while hunting in the mountains, being watched by a beast from the shadows. Xia Ya was instantly alert, scanning his surroundings, but found nothing. Yet, the feeling of being watched grew even more intense!

Faintly, he could sense a gaze cast from some unknown location, carefully scrutinizing him. What made Xia Ya even more sensitive was that he could feel a strange mental fluctuation scanning back and forth over him!

The bumpkin’s mental power was already quite impressive, especially after learning a few simple dragon incantations from Dora; he had mastered the most basic techniques of mental probing! He was far more sensitive to being watched than before. Feeling uneasy, he immediately spread his own mental power to search the area, but he was no mage, and his mental strength was still too weak to detect anything.

"Hey! I know you’re watching me! Come out! Didn’t you want to see me?! I’m right here! Why don’t you show yourself? Are you just playing with me?"

As soon as Xia Ya finished shouting, the feeling of being watched suddenly vanished, as if the person spying on him had withdrawn their gaze and departed.

Growing impatient, Xia Ya finally couldn't help himself. He stood up and walked toward a bookshelf, intending to grab a book. Just as his hand reached out, a voice came from the direction of the door.

"Don't touch it." A crisp, delicate voice echoed.

Xia Ya turned his head to see a young girl who had entered the room unnoticed. She wore a white robe and had long, chestnut-colored hair. Her face was plain, with a few light freckles on her cheeks. She looked to be about the same age as Xia Ya, but her expression was entirely indifferent. Xia Ya felt a bit annoyed—why was everyone here so lifeless?

"Please do not touch anything here," the freckled girl said, walking toward him. She held a wooden box in her hand and frowned. "You will leave fingerprints on the books. They are very troublesome to clean."

"Fingerprints? Troublesome?" Xia Ya looked at his hands. Honestly, they were cleaner than they had been in his eighteen years of life.

"Yes. Many of these books are precious, rare copies, and others are important lost documents. They are fragile and might be damaged by a mere touch."

The girl handed the wooden box to Xia Ya. "Take this."

"Uh." Xia Ya took the box with both hands. It was heavy. "What is this?"

"My teacher told me to give it to you. My teacher is Lord Kaviershil," the girl said flatly.

"For me?" The bumpkin rubbed his nose, casually holding the box and weighing it. It was heavy, and he had no idea what was inside. Given Xia Ya's strength, the fact that he felt the weight meant it was quite heavy indeed.

"I don't know. Nobody asks about things the teacher doesn't mention." The girl glanced coldly at Xia Ya. "The teacher said you may go."

Xia Ya finally lost his temper. A feeling of being toyed with surged within him. "Go? Are you kidding me? Didn't Kaviershil say he wanted to see me? Now that I’ve come all this way, he tells me to leave after just one sentence? Is he playing with me?" The bumpkin was furious; if it weren't for the fact that she was a girl, he would have punched her.

A flash of anger sparked in the girl's eyes. She said coldly, "Please watch your language! I don't know who you are, but please show some respect and call my teacher 'Lord' when you mention his name."

Xia Ya: "..."

The bumpkin stared blankly at the girl, then asked impatiently, "I’m not here to argue! Didn't he say he wanted to see me? Where is he? He calls me here and tells me to leave—what is the meaning of this?"

The girl shook her head and pointed toward the door. "The teacher did want to see you. He has already seen you."

"Seen me?" Xia Ya was bewildered.

"Yes. The teacher wanted to see you, but he never said he would let you see him."

The girl’s words finally made Xia Ya understand.

*He wanted to see me, but didn't say I could see him. It means: let me come over so he could watch me from the shadows, and that’s it?!*

Xia Ya instinctively wanted to explode, but remembering Ruhl’s warnings about how terrifying Kaviershil was, he suppressed his anger. He walked toward the door in a huff, ignoring the girl. Outside, he saw the young attendant who had brought him in waiting there.

"Please follow me."

Xia Ya didn't say a word, his face stern as he followed the man out the way they came. The bumpkin was angry—he was fuming.

...

In a quiet, secret room on the upper floor of the giant library, Kaviershil stood by a window. It was a strange window; from inside, it looked like a balcony, but from the outside, it appeared to be a circular, translucent, blue-marble wall.

Kaviershil wore a simple, ancient-style robe. His hand rested lightly on the windowsill as he watched Xia Ya striding angrily away into the distance.

Kaviershil seemed to smile slightly.

"So, this is the boy? Hmph, this is the successor you chose? My old friend, you’ve certainly given me a difficult problem."

***

Xia Ya exited Kaviershil’s residence, mounted his horse, and shouted, galloping down the street. After turning a corner, he ran straight into Ruhl and the others.

Ruhl was nervous. Seeing Xia Ya emerge, he asked, "Oh? You’re out? How was it? What did Kaviershil want with you?"

"Pah! How would I know what that bastard is up to?" Xia Ya jumped off his horse, cursing and spitting. The fat man was horrified, quickly stepping forward to cover the bumpkin’s mouth and glancing left and right. "Shut up! Are you crazy? He isn't someone you can insult casually! Even those in the capital who hate him to the bone wouldn't dare badmouth him behind his back. You’re just a small fry—if that gets to his ears, you’re dead!"

"I..." Although Xia Ya was a bumpkin, he wasn't without sense. He held back his temper and said, "Fine, I’ll tell you. I never even saw him. I was taken inside, stood in a library for a while, and then sent away. That guy said: he wanted to see me, but he didn't say he would let me see him. So..."

The fat man was stunned, then laughed. "As expected, that is very much Kaviershil’s style. He always does strange things... Well, you don’t need to be angry. At least no trouble came of it."

Xia Ya grunted twice, then suddenly remembered the wooden box. He opened it and stared, stunned. "This... what is this?"

Inside the box was a mold made of soft iron, and embedded in the mold was a piece of dull, iron-gray stone. The stone had a strange shape, like a broken gear with irregular, jagged edges. It was about the size of two eggs. Xia Ya took it out and felt its weight. The object was clearly much heavier than its size suggested.

It looked completely lusterless, as if... no, it didn't just look like a rotten stone; it *was* a rotten stone! Except ordinary stones weren't this heavy. Xia Ya weighed it in his hand, and a thought struck him.

*This thing... its texture is very similar to the pendant on my chest!*

After looking at it repeatedly, he felt another spark of recognition. The size and the irregular shape were vaguely familiar. As the thoughts turned in his mind, he suddenly remembered something. He took a breath, suppressed his curiosity, put the stone away, and looked at Ruhl. "Let’s go! Let’s find a place to stay first."

Although Ruhl was curious, his fear of Kaviershil was much stronger. He didn't dare ask any questions and immediately mounted his horse, retracting his gaze. "I’ve arranged a place for you. It’s near the south of the city; I have a house there. You can borrow it for now. It’s not big, but it’s enough to settle you in. Stay there, and tomorrow morning, I’ll send someone to take you to the Ministry of War to report. Remember to dress neatly; tomorrow, the Emperor might send someone to bring you to the palace for an audience."

Watching Xia Ya mount his horse with a nonchalant expression, Ruhl hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "And... one more thing. It might be a bit of trouble! I’ll tell you now so you can be prepared."

"Trouble? What trouble?"

The fat man scratched his head and said bitterly, "Well, the matter of you wounding Hastings... it has already spread through the capital. Someone leaked your information, too—your appearance, rank, and other details. You know, people fear fame just as pigs fear being fat..."

Xia Ya’s eyes widened.

"I mean, wounding Hastings has made you famous, and now you’ve become a target for many. There are quite a few martial arts masters in the capital who are unhappy with a newcomer like you. Even though you wounded Hastings, people probably think you just got lucky. With the tournament starting soon, many ambitious warriors from all over the country are gathered here. They’re all looking for an opportunity to challenge you. If they can defeat you, wouldn't that be a great way to make a name for themselves?"

Xia Ya paused, then laughed. "So what? Let them come! I’ll beat one if one comes, and I’ll beat a pair if a pair comes!"

The fat man sighed. "You’re still young and don't know how sinister human hearts can be! If it were just a fair challenge, that would be one thing. But people are malicious; there are always those who harbor evil intentions! I’m not afraid of open challenges, I’m afraid of poison, traps, and conspiracies."

As he spoke, the fat man looked at Xia Ya with sympathy. "Kid, you’d better pray for your own luck!"

Xia Ya stood still for a moment, but he still wasn't afraid. He laughed proudly, "Ha! I’m not afraid of dirty tricks either!"

Ruhl shook his head. "I’ve warned you. Take care of yourself."

***

The fat man was indeed a loyal friend. The place he lent to Xia Ya was quite nice. Although the south of the city was a commoner area, the house Xia Ya stayed in was a large courtyard with a stable, kitchen, and bedrooms—all fully equipped and clean.

After Xia Ya settled in, he had Soite prepare dinner. Just as he was about to lie on the bed to rest, he saw Totoro run in, looking nervous. "Master, it’s not good! A lot of people have arrived on the street outside. They’re all wearing armor and carrying weapons, and they look like they’re up to no good."

"Hmm." Xia Ya paused.

Just then, *bang!* The courtyard gate was kicked open, and a shout came from outside.

"Is the guy who defeated Hastings living here? Come out! I want to challenge you!"