Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Louis, I Will Never Approve of You
In this continent, profession levels are distinctly defined.
LV1-10 is also known as the hero tier.
At this stage, professionals gradually progress from ordinary people towards the strength of heroes and strong men depicted in stories.
LV11-20 is the exemplar tier, surpassing heroes.
This is the exemplar of the profession, a powerful existence admired by all, the peak strength of the protagonists in most storybooks.
Especially at level 20, it is virtually the theoretical pinnacle of profession levels.
As to why it’s theoretical, that’s a topic for later.
Even in the Imperial Capital of Ense, this politically and economically intense center, a newcomer in the Adventurer Guild is merely LV3.
At the LV3 level, with teamwork, they are already capable of handling most of the lower monsters.
But now, just 10,000 level 1 slimes are enough to create a level 11 challenge monster.
Especially since this monster can even be controlled by a level 2 warrior, which is really...
The old mage cast a glance at the three who arrived, first nodding to Beatrice as a sign of respect, then looking past the dumbfounded little swan to Louis whose eyes seemed unfocused.
"Huh?"
"The fluctuation on this prince is..."
...
At the same time.
Changes occurred in Louis’s body at the edge of the experimental zone.
With Limuru’s successful evolution, Louis felt a stream of refined energy spread through the power of the contract onto his body.
It was the excess energy that Limuru fed back to him after its promotion.
Compared to the exemplar tier, this energy was somewhat excessive.
But for a level 2 warrior like Louis, it was just right!
The spreading energy felt like little bugs crawling under his skin, causing pain and discomfort to gradually spread through him.
Following that, the blood in his body began to boil.
He felt as if his unexpanded muscles and bones were bound by elastic bands, and as his blood boiled, the sense of breaking free became more pronounced.
Along with it came the pain of further physical development.
Louis’s mouth twitched slightly.
A bit painful...
But it doesn’t matter, I have a way!
The tip of his tail grew stiff, opened up, and a cold light glinted on the popped out fangs of the tail.
Spell-like · Venom Synthesis · Paralysis Venom!
His tail bit into his own body, and the pain from the purification and catalytic growth after Limuru’s promotion gradually dissipated with the infiltration of the paralysis venom.
The magical aura emitted by the giant slime shone on him, stretching his shadow long and reflecting his expressionless and almost cold face.
Hmm... his face was paralyzed too.
"Goddess of Magic above!" The old mage with a goatee was so shocked he broke off a few strands of his beard.
Beatrice’s fiancé is definitely a ruthless person.
The old mage silently made a decision in his heart, to honestly call him "His Highness Louis" in the future.
Beatrice was also somewhat surprised.
Though she had heard that deep contract summoners occasionally experience level hikes driven by the sudden surge in their summoned beasts’ strength, yet...
The difference between a warrior’s pet and a summoned beast is still quite significant.
This was the first time she had seen someone level up a warrior just because the pet’s strength had improved.
"Is it because of the uniqueness of the great sin of greed?"
As for our little swan, her teeth were almost breaking with how hard she was biting.
It was me; I was first, it was me who came first... Whether staying by sister’s side or finding the solution to the slimes.
Why did it become like this?
... You treacherous country, are you a dog?!
Why is it you who provides the solution, you who levels up, but it’s me who’s paying?!
The little swan was about to break into tears.
"Sister Wang!"
Olivia lay slumped like a burned-out candle, wearing a resentful expression, and said:
"So, my purpose today was just to see him level up?"
Beatrice lightly coughed and rubbed her obedient sister’s head, smiling sweetly, said:
"Mainly to tell you about the whereabouts of your assets (referring to the slime group), remember to reimburse me tomorrow."
Doesn’t she already know how much liquid cash her little swan has?
Olivia is not yet an adult, so her monthly liquid cash is still quite limited.
If she doesn’t get reimbursement, she really would stay sulking in bed for a whole day.
Even if there was no merit, Beatrice would cover the cost with her personal treasury, let alone with merit. It’s "allocated funds."
Poor Beatrice had no idea her little swan was almost fainting from anger.
Just thinking that Louis’s slime evolved by consuming her slime, a sense of brain drain-induced beauty flooded her mind.
Seeing the treacherous country arm itself with her little funds to win Sister Wang’s favor was harder to bear than death.
Even though the cost of buying the slimes was reimbursed and the crisis of Tino’s big explosion was averted, why... why?!
"Sister Wang, I’m feeling a bit unwell, I want to return to the Imperial Palace to rest."
Beatrice looked at her with some concern: "Alright, let Lumi take you back, have a good rest, and don’t stay up late reading knight novels."
The little swan reluctantly nodded, nearly fleeing the scene of sadness.
...
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Olivia threw herself onto the soft bed in her bedroom with a wail.
After helping Olivia change into a fluffy nightgown, Lumi lifted her onto the bed and tucked her in, saying helplessly:
"My little princess, it’s time to sleep early."
Lumi couldn’t understand why the little swan was having a tantrum, but on second thought, the frequency of their princess’s tantrums was not exactly rare.
With a broad heart comforting her well, until her emotions stabilized, she left the room.
Once Lumi left, Olivia’s little nose which had been twitching quickly calmed down, and the tantrum-like emotions vanished like a phantom.
She pondered over today’s events.
"Why did it become like this?!"
Olivia curled up into a ball on the bed.
This first trial of the prince’s examination could be said to have shown them off spectacularly.
But from Olivia’s perspective, this strategy could be considered a big failure.
The affair of the National Waste Disposal Plant was coming to a close.
The wicked Snow was soon to be on the chopping block.
A group of aristocrats caught up in popular luxury, eating from the Imperial ration at the processing plant, were also implicated.
The most problematic were cut off faster by their aristocratic in-laws than anyone else.
Others were punished according to severity, penalized monetarily or dismissed.
The ones with the lightest cases, on the contrary, were kept by Beatrice.
If all were gone, restarting the processing plant would be more of a hassle.
Those without major issues were retained, and with a criminal record, recurrence would mean facing serious consequences.
Reutilizing slightly flawed ministers surprisingly helped the royal family win hearts and strengthen control.
Successors could transition into power more smoothly.
She knew all this.
But as long as she thought of Louis, her face flushed with anger.
After drinking a glass of water, she, still feeling parched, finally calmed down, sitting on the bedside, swinging her delicate, jade-like feet.
"Seems like the plan that should have been delayed a bit longer can’t wait any longer."
The little swan pursed her lips.
"Treacherous country, you always relied on force, but never turned your sword against strong foes...
I know, you are not considered strong."
Mumbling and mumbling, Olivia gradually succumbed to sleepiness.
Drifting into slumber, she seemed to have a nightmare, her brows furrowed tightly, the moonlight from the window illuminating her almost tearful face, rendering it a heart-wrenching sight.
At some unknown time, the bedroom door quietly opened, and a figure came to her side, a pale hand with some callus fell on the golden hair as that of the figure’s.
The little swan’s nose twitched as she slowly turned over, the mumbling dream talk faintly audible:
"Louis can’t protect... Sister Wang, I’ll never... acknowledge you."
The pair of hands suddenly froze for a moment.
After a long while, a sigh echoed in the room.
"Silly little sister..."