166 The Admonition Part 1 (1/2)

”Great mage, please don’t say that…” The boss stopped halfway through his sentence, not having the courage to continue rebuking Saleen.

Lex was growing impatient. She flashed a square emblem and said straight to the youth’s face, ”Since your father is a duke, you must recognize this.”

The flighty expression on the youth’s face grew stiff. He certainly recognized that emblem. That was the symbol of the imperial Grukos family. Even though Pompeii City was a great distance from the imperial capital, the youth also knew what had happened in the capital. There were not many dukes in the Qin Empire. Additionally, Duke Dominic had deployed some men to Holy Rock City to gather intelligence, and he was also in close contact with the upper house.

”You are… Your Highness, Lex?”

Lex was fuming as she had not wanted to bring trouble to herself. Yet, she had revealed her identity in order to settle her problem with this youth. Otherwise, this youth would have continued doing things his own way, and she could not possibly have killed the son of a duke.

”That’s me. You can leave now.” Lex’s expression was as lifeless as a poorly made sculpture.

”Your Highness, please pardon my rudeness. Since you are here in Pompeii, you must meet my father no matter what, don’t you think?” The youth became very polite all of a sudden.

Lex had learned many new things by interacting with Saleen. From the words of the youth, Lex could tell that the youth was smug. It was very obvious that the nobles in Pompeii were well aware of the current situation of the imperial capital, and this youth also knew about the awkward circumstances that Lex was currently trapped in.

The youth’s words were equivalent to an invitation by Duke Dominic. If Lex rejected it, it would mean that she had refused the friendship of a duke, and that would not be a very wise move given the dire situation Lex was currently in.

Then, Lex put away the emblem, and told the youth who was clad in a colored robe, ”I am only staying for one day. It would not be convenient for me to meet with the duke.”

”Your Highness, Bogan is one of us. He won’t go around spouting nonsense. As for her…” The youth took one look at Gessica , then simply said, ”I will make that girl become one of us.”

As he spoke, he blocked the stairway and looked at Lex.

Lex already had her own county, and with her status as a direct descendant of the Grukos family, she could roam freely within the entirety of the Qin Empire, not even needing to give a notice to Holy Rock City. However, she was also a county queen at the same time. Thus, if Lex met with the duke, it would be deemed inappropriate if the meeting was publicized.

Lex sighed in her heart. There were many things which could not be resolved using magic. If she rejected this invitation, Duke Dominic would be displeased. But if Lex accepted the invitation and this was circulated to Holy Rock City, the lower house would definitely use that as an excuse to criticize her.

Whether or not the meeting would be publicized did not depend on the boss of this shop. It would be dependent on Dominic. Pompeii City had a seven story magic tower, so Lex would not be able cause much trouble here either.

The feeling of being beneath someone else’s thumb caused Lex to feel extremely distressed. So, she changed her expression into an extremely formal one, and replied to Dominic’s son, ”Baron, I still have to purchase a batch of materials. I really don’t have the time. Please convey my apologies to Duke Dominic.”

In the Qin Empire, the process for nobles inheriting titles was draconian and full of rules. As long as Dominic was still alive, his son would never be a duke unless he was exemplary on the battlefield. Lex addressing the youth as a baron had only been a formality. It did not truly mean that the duke’s son had an official title. Lex had used that to remind the youth that he did not have the right to extend an invitation to her.

”Your Highness, even though this is an informal invitation, it is still imperative to Bitter Water County, isn’t it?” A flighty expression appeared on the youth’s face once more. He seemed to be extremely confident that Lex would not end on bad terms with him.

Lex regretted coming onto shore. Things would have been just fine had she remained on the boat. If Lex’s father had still been alive, this youth would not have been so atrocious by now. A feeling of resentment welled up in Lex’s heart. It was the first time in her life that she had felt so helpless.

Saleen felt very uneasy as well. He did not dare offend this seemingly dumb youth. It was obvious that his stupidity was just an act.

Pompeii was an enormous city. There were grand swordmasters, mages, and perhaps even a sizeable navy. The current situation was akin to a person causing trouble in the Bitter Water Prefecture. Unless that person was a master of their profession, they would not be able to escape at all.

”I can’t accept such an invitation.” A layer of flowing air had appeared on Lex’s body out of the blue. The flowing air engulfed Lex, and she slowly flew into the air. Lex then said to Saleen, ”Let’s go.”

The youth clad in a robe had not expected Lex to fly. He was at a loss for what to do, and became greatly frustrated. The youth had long ago heard that the daughter of Emperor Chanake was not to be trifled with. He thought that he had definitely trapped Lex, but it turned out that his intelligence was already outdated. Lex could fly about freely. That meant that she was no longer a Grade 5 mage, so she must have already advanced to Grade 6.

Since Lex was a Grade 6 mage, it was possible that the youth would not be able to defeat her.

The youth clad in a robe was so stunned by Lex’s actions that he did not step forward to stop her. He simply shouted after Lex, ”Your Highness, do you want me to tell my father about what happened today?”

”Hmpf!” Lex could no longer hold back her fury. She threw open the door of the shop and rushed out.

Saleen quickly went after Lex. Before he left, he suddenly turned around and said, ”We are going to Alchemy City. If you are brave enough, you can follow us. Grand swordmaster? Hehe…”

Seeing that Lex had rejected the youth’s invitation, Saleen did not bother to maintain his courtesy. Even if a person was a true grand swordmaster, they would not gain much respect in Alchemy City anyways. That city was the territory of mages. Saleen was reminding the youth that Lex was a mage master, and she could not be manipulated by anyone.

When Saleen and Lex had gone a distance away, the plump boss asked the youth anxiously, ”Master, it isn’t too good to treat a mage like that. Will the duke…”