Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Do Those Gentry Truly Have Blue Blood?

Slap!

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the golden bank card loaded with 500 silver coins—enough to ensure a lifetime of comfort—was slapped to the ground by Charles.

Kevin's face darkened immediately, marred by humiliation. He had intended to show off in front of the mayor, but he hadn't anticipated Charles's stubbornness, publicly embarrassing the Draven family.

Ignoring Kevin and his son Thomas, Charles walked straight to Grace.

Now calm, he was not averse to accepting Grace's challenge; his concern lay in his mystical beast Mousie's dark attributes, which were absolutely forbidden in Genosha.

At the enrollment ceremony, with many high-level Beast Masters from the three major academies present, they would undoubtedly realize that his second mystical beast was merely a projection and might deduce Mousie's existence.

Should they discover it was a creature of dark attributes, complications would arise.

Grace had already bonded with two mystical beasts and inherited the family's mystical beast, Crystal Spring Sword. Relying solely on Max, Charles facing a 1v3 was certainly not feasible.

Only if he advanced to a fourth-tier Beast Master could he potentially offset the disparity in combat power due to the number of mystical beasts in a 3v4 scenario.

"Charles, though you managed to tie my score during the trials, I must say, you will never defeat me!

Resorting to such underhanded tactics is all you're capable of!" Taking a deep breath, Grace finally recovered from her initial fright and looked at Charles, speaking deliberately, "Let me also inform you that I have received a handwritten recommendation letter from the vice chancellor of Aredale Academy. I will become his closest disciple, and the gap between us will only widen!"

Facing the imposing young woman who, though only as tall as his chin, looked down on him with a condescending gaze, Charles chuckled coldly: "Ha, I have no interest in your so-called bet, or even in you. You can scorn my background and even call me 'lowborn,' and I couldn't care less to argue with a girl like you. But you should never have publicly insulted my parents.

Just because you're from a marquis' family doesn't mean you stand above everyone else. Have you ever heard the saying—"

"Do those gentry have blue blood certainly?"

Are nobles and high officials inherently superior? Are the lowborn doomed to remain so forever?

Looking at Grace, Charles's eyes could kill.

Lightning demon ape!

His words struck like thunder across the banquet hall. Though spoken softly, they rang clear and resounded in everyone's ears.

"Do those gentry have blue blood certainly..." Daniel, standing not far behind Charles, pondered the phrase. Although it was his first time hearing it, he instantly grasped its meaning.

Born into a noble family, he disliked the arrogant demeanor of his peers. His father, David, always taught him not to look down on anyone, which is why he had stood up for Charles when he was bullied.

He hadn't expected someone of his age, like Charles, to speak such bold words.

Seeing the steely gaze of Charles in front of him, Sly felt a chill. This young man's spirit was formidable; befriending him was one thing, but being his enemy was a terrifying prospect.

"We must eliminate him before he rises further!"

A vicious thought flickered through his mind as immense elemental energy swirled around him. Sly swiftly moved in front of Charles: "You impudent boy, daring to speak such madness, let me, on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor and the lord mayor, end you here!"

"Halt!" Matthew shouted, stopping Sly. He didn't want a promising youth from Lsengard to fall over a mere jest, which would also tarnish his reputation as mayor: "It's just the impulsive words of youth; Lord Earl, take no offense!"

Recalling the scene just moments ago, Matthew was filled with regret and self-reproach for not having disciplined Grace properly. From his brief encounter with Charles, he could tell that Charles's strength was exceptional among his peers at the event.

Yet, such an ideal son-in-law candidate had been alienated by his own daughter during their high school years. Now, not only had he potentially lost a son-in-law, but he had also gained a formidable potential adversary.

The more Matthew thought about it, the angrier he became. He pulled Grace in front of Charles and said sternly, "Grace, stop this nonsense! You started this mess, now apologize to Charles right away!"

"I will not!"

With a cold expression, Grace lifted her snow-white chin, her face carrying her innate nobility, "Am I not speaking the truth? I merely voiced what everyone knows but is too afraid to say! He, Charles, is just a nobody from a lowborn family, how dare he surpass me, Grace! Charles, you said 'Do those gentry have blue blood certainly,' then do you dare to make a bet with me?"

As she spoke, a red hexagram appeared under their feet.

"Is that...a Blood Pact?!"

People who recognized the red hexagram gasped in shock.

This artifact, rumored to be from the dwarven kingdoms, was used to control slaves. Once the pact terms were met, it could bind a person as a mystical beast with a loyalty rating of 100%.

Grace sliced her fingertip with a dagger, and the hexagram touching her blood immediately turned crimson. She looked up at Charles, "Two years. If you defeat me within that time, I, Grace, will serve you for the rest of my life! But if you fail, you will forever become my servant. Do you dare to enter this Blood Pact?"

...

As soon as Grace made this declaration, the sound of male students swallowing nervously rippled through the venue.

Many eyes roamed from her smooth legs up to her slender waist and then to her soft, shapely chest.

Grace's figure was considered exemplary, and many Lsengard youths went to sleep at night gazing at her photos. To them, not just a lifetime of servitude, but even risking their lives for a single night with her seemed a worthy trade—if only Grace would agree, there would be a line of volunteers ready to meet their fate.

"You scoundrel!"

Watching Grace's blood-drenched palm, Matthew felt both hatred and anger surge within him. He regretted spoiling her so much; how had he allowed her to develop such a haughty and willful personality!

If she truly entered into a Blood Pact and became someone's servant for life, wouldn't the Garcia family lose all its dignity? What face would he, Matthew, have left to continue as the mayor of Lsengard?

Seeing Matthew about to intervene, Grace pressed the blade against her neck: "Dad, if you try to stop me, you won't have a daughter anymore!"

Facing the resolute young woman, Charles's face twitched. He had not expected Grace to be so stubborn.

Damn it! He wished he had been more low-key during the citywide joint exams and not surpassed her by over fifty points.

Regret filled Charles to the core, but things had escalated to this point, and if he backed down now, he feared he would be the laughingstock of the town.

Clang—

A flash of cold light, and Charles made a cut on his fingertip. A few drops of blood emerged from the wound, and instantly, a system alert popped up.

[Warning! You are entering into a human contract. If you fail the challenge in two years, you will become an accessory, akin to a puppet, and the system will be unable to dissolve this pact!]

Charles hesitated, although he had not yet subdued a third mystical beast, his abilities were already at a third-tier Beast Master level. His Beast Mastery talent was no weaker than Grace's!

And with the system's optimal growth path planned out, each of Charles's mystical beasts could evolve and grow at the fastest possible rate.

Moreover, he possessed a powerful soul force that no one else in this world had, giving him the potential to become a multi-elemental Beast Master!

Assessing his advantages, Charles felt confident that he could defeat Grace in two years.

His blood dripped onto the other half of the hexagram, turning it crimson, and a clock appeared above the hexagram.

The red light faded, and a dark red imprint appeared on the palms of both participants, displaying a countdown: [1 year 364 days 23 hours].

At that moment, everyone in the hall looked at the fading red hexagram with either astonishment or mockery, mostly scoffing at Charles.

"Ha ha, he can't seriously believe he can beat Grace, can he?"

"It's possible he resorted to some unsavory tactics during his trial in the Ferocious Beast Mountains, and that fluke allowed him to catch up to Grace, giving him some unrealistic fantasies."

"If he really has to spend the rest of his life as someone else's servant, that would be a total disgrace to his entire family, ha ha ha!"

"With Grace's monstrous leveling speed, Charles can't beat her now, and the gap will only widen in two years!"

Amid the surrounding laughter, Charles took a deep breath and no longer paid attention to Grace. He lightly leaped onto the stage.

Using [Mind Communication], Charles instructed his mystical beast Mousie to take the form of a giant freshwater crocodile and then summoned his two mystical beasts.

[Name:] Charles

[Trial Points:] 26752

[Rank:] Tied for 1st

At this moment, all eyes in the venue were focused on the projection screen and on Charles.

Rumors about Charles cheating had been rampant on Lsengard's online forums these past few days, and all the students at the venue were curious about his true abilities.

The noble families seated at the front were also holding their breath, wondering about Charles's strength and who would win between him and Grace in two years.

The event host, seeing Charles approaching, also looked nervous. He pressed a button, and a laser scanned Charles and his two mystical beasts.

Moments later, several beams of light flickered on the projection screen.

When the results appeared, the previously noisy venue fell eerily silent, the air itself seeming to freeze.

[Nine-tailed demon wolf, Platinum quality, Level 19 (Advancing)!]

[Giant freshwater crocodile, Gold quality, Level 19 (Advancing)!]

Third-tier Beast Master!

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