Chapter 121: The Demoness Church’s Secret
“The Mage Guild President is your leader; who else is going to the Mage Guild?”
“The astrologer.”
“Oh, right! The astrologer… Who is the astrologer?”
Watson sat in the hall as he questioned Envy, who was kneeling in front of him.
It had been an afternoon since they left the hill where the Demoness Bandit Gang was located. Watson had already returned to Blackmoon Castle with a large group of men. At the same time, he sent the manor owners back to their respective residences to comfort them.
As soon as he returned to the castle, he ordered the guards to rest while he stayed in the hall to interrogate the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders he had just brought back.
He chose to separate the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders and interrogate them individually. That way, he could prevent them from colluding with each other. If there was anything that did not match during the interrogation, then someone must have lied.
After he returned, he took off the six-in-one Great Sin Mask and placed it in his spatial bag. The mask was as thin as a Cicada’s wing. Even if he had no direct contact with it and it was obstructed by space, it still affected his emotions—that was the power of platinum-tier equipment.
Even though the side effects were powerful, the results were not weak either. Overall, Watson was still delighted.
Envy was respectful when Watson questioned her. She lowered his head and said, “Young Master Watson, do you really not know the astrologer?”
The astrologer, Antonio, was also known as the Sage by the people in the kingdom. They said that he had existed since the establishment of the Holy Dragon Kingdom. He had helped the late King to conquer a large territory and witnessed the growth of the royal family’s descendants. Some people said that he had mastered the art of immortality. Many powerful mages in the kingdom were his disciples, and he had created hundreds of spells.
Antonio was also the idol of all the mages in the kingdom. Even if Envy was not a mage, she had heard of that person. She did not expect that Watson, a gold-tier mage and a master of some kind of powerful magic, did not know anything about Antonio. Perhaps the border count had not told him because he was an illegitimate son?
Envy was still confused when Watson asked, “Forget it, let’s not talk about that astrologer for now. Tell me—your leader is Pride, and she is also the Mage Guild President. What is going on?”
No matter how powerful the astrologer was, he was only a platinum-tier elite. Even if he had heard about Folson and wanted to take revenge for the Mage Guild, Watson was not afraid as he had the Great Sin Mask.
However, he still had his family and friends in Blackmoon Castle. He had to increase his strength quickly to protect himself, though that was not the most urgent matter at hand.
The most important issue at that moment was Pride.
The most urgent matter at the moment was still Pride. Watson did not expect that his extermination of the bandit gangs and the killing of Folson had actually amounted to the same thing. After he had killed Pride’s
subordinates two times over, so he knew that the Mage Guild President, Audrey, would not let him off that easily.
It gave him a headache.
He had thought that after he was a gold-tier elite, he would become the overlord at the border. As long as he did not provoke the border count, he would be able to do whatever he wanted. Then, he realized that the world was quite tiny. There were so many low-profile elites in a small place like the border.
“Young Master Watson, if you want to know about that, then we’d have to start with the origins of the Demoness Bandit Gang.”
Envy cleared her throat. “Young Master Watson, do you know that the Demoness Bandit Gang’s predecessor was the Demoness Church, which was once the kingdom’s official religion. Then, for some reason, the king ordered its destruction?”
“I know.”
“The reason the Demoness Church was exterminated was because of the former Queen—Lady Avril! Lady Avril was the border count’s sister. She had half-elf blood and was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom at that time. The King loved her dearly, and he swore that he would only marry one woman for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, some bad things happened later.”
Envy looked melancholic; she seemed a little angry when she said that.
“The ministers reported that Lady Avril studied evil magic. They said that she used humans for sacrifices, and they found many animal and human corpses in her room…”
Watson nodded. “Even though Avril was beautiful, she had a vicious heart, so the King endured the pain and killed her.”
His father, Edward, had told him some of those things during dinner, but he had not explained them in detail.
“Nonsense!” Envy shouted; she even frightened Watson.
When she realized that she had lost her composure, Envy quickly put on a straight face and took a deep breath to calm down. “I’m sorry, Young Master Watson, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to you! Lady Avril is truly a kind person. I can guarantee that she has never done all those things. Those who said that she was evil were either jealous of her or wanted to frame her on purpose.”
“You seemed very familiar with Queen Avril.”
“That’s right; my real name is Denise. I am Lady Avril’s personal maid, well, I used to be,” Envy said. The scales on her face that symbolized the fire elves glowed with excitement.
Avril was born in the beautiful elven kingdom—the Forest of Eternity. The Moon Elves, the most powerful race there, were the pearl of all elves. As the Fire Elves were born with stronger combat abilities, they had been the Moon Elves’ guardians for generations. Denise and Avril had been good friends since they were young.
“That’s why I’m different from the other Demoness Bandit Gang leaders. Rebuilding the Great Sin Mask and restoring the glory of the Primordial Demoness are just empty words to them! I think they’re only trying to get the mask to increase their strength. They’re grateful for the small benefits promised by the King, so they set up a bandit gang to help monitor the border. They’re the King’s lapdogs. I usually cover myself with a cloak; I can’t be bothered to talk to them.”
When she mentioned her companions, Envy was quite scornful.
“The King? Promise?”
Watson had so many questions.
He felt as if his brain was not big enough. Was the King not the one who ordered his men to destroy the Demoness’ Church? Why did Envy make it sound as if the King had saved them?
“Young Master Watson, you did not know about that either?”
Envy was also a little surprised. As the border count’s son, how did Watson not know anything? That was the basis of the hatred between the border count and the King. Perhaps Watson was too young, so the border count did not tell him.
Envy decided not to think about that. She said, “Hmm… You can’t trust a man’s words, especially someone with so much power. The King had said that he would only marry Lady Avril for the rest of his life. Now, he has another woman! He might think that he saved us from the Demoness Church to repay the debt he owed to Lady Avril. But how can he make up for it when she’s already dead?”
‘Oh my God!’
Watson did not expect that he would be involved in the enmity between the King and the border count because he had annihilated a bandit gang.
“Goodness! I thought I’d cling to the border count’s legs, but I think I need to reconsider that.’
Perhaps the King would observe his every move. If he were to take on the Holy Dragon Kingdom at that point, it would be no different than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
“Continue.” Watson scratched his head.
He still had many things that he did not understand. For example, how could Envy, as the Queen’s guard, only be at the silver tier? Why was Avril framed? Why was Envy so respectful to him?
“Then I’ll continue.”
Envy did not stand on ceremony. She thought that Watson was the border count’s illegitimate son; he would know about those things eventually. What else was there to hide?
Chapter 122: The Most Outstanding Child
“I can’t believe the Demoness Church had such a background. I wonder if Watson’s destruction of the Demoness Bandit Gang is a good thing or a bad thing?”
Zeke and Zenoah were leaning against the door outside the room as they eavesdropped on Watson and Envy’s conversation.
Zeke was the one who said that, and he looked worried. After he spoke, Zenoah immediately replied, “What’s done is done; there’s no point in worrying about it. Anyway, Watson provoked them because of us.”
If the bandits had not robbed them, Watson would not have wanted to kill all of them, and he would not have been involved in such a thing.
“You do admit that it’s because of you two?”
They heard a dignified voice. Zeke and Zenoah turned around and saw their eldest brother, Vincent, behind them. He stared at them with a serious expression.
“Eldest Brother, why are you here? Ouch, it hurts!”
Without giving them a chance to speak, Vincent grabbed and twisted their ears.
“Even though Watson is much smarter than his peers, he’s still a child. I don’t feel at ease letting him do the interrogation by himself, so I came to take a look! You two are no help at all. Since you have time to eavesdrop, why don’t you calculate the losses from the first battle? Although we had no casualties, the knights were still injured, and several hundred silver-tier two-winged ligers were also lost.”
“Eldest Brother, we know we’re to blame.”
Zeke and Zeke could only nod in agreement to Vincent’s words. They turned around and left helplessly.
After watching the two of them leave, Vincent looked around and found no one nearby. He leaned on the door and pressed his ear against it.
He had reprimanded his two younger brothers, but he also wanted to hear what Watson had to say to Envy. Those secrets were vital. Otherwise, Watson would not have interrogated her alone. The more he knew, the more dangerous it would be for him. However, no one could control their curiosity.
Faint sounds came from the room. Vincent only heard snippets of their conversation about how the King had supported the Demoness Bandit Gang, how they monitored the border, and how a member of the Demoness Bandit Gang was the Guild President. After he listened to that for a while, he stood up and tidied himself.
Cough, cough.
Then, he realized that his father was walking toward him as he coughed. He asked him calmly, “Did you drink too much water during lunch? Why did you suddenly want to go to the toilet? Vincent, why are you here? Also, what were you doing at the door just now?”
“That door is dirty. I’m just wiping it.”
Vincent endured the awkwardness and wiped his fingers on the door. Then, finally, he put it to his mouth and pretended to blow it. “I don’t know how the maids do things. That door is so dirty, and no one is cleaning it. It seems like we have to be more diligent in recruiting people in the future.”
“Master Vincent, Master Edward, is there a problem with the cleanliness?”
Capella, the omnipotent maid that Watson had fused, came out from some unknown place as if she had heard the call. She put both hands against her abdomen and said with an elegant expression, “Is there a problem? Please let me know, my lords.”
Vincent was at a loss. How would he know what the problem was? He only wanted to eavesdrop on Watson’s conversation, but his father had caught him in the act. He thought of a random excuse out of embarrassment.
“In short, that door is filthy.”
“I understand, Young Master Vincent! One of the maids cleaned it, but I’ll ask her to come over and punish her severely to help you vent your anger.”
Capella nodded in understanding and waved her hand. A maid came out from the corridor nearby with a basin of water in her hand. A towel was soaked in the water. The maid was dressed in a black and white uniform with a beautiful garland on her head. She did not have any makeup on her face; her slender beauty and exquisite facial features matched her perfectly. One look and one could tell that she was a beautiful woman.
After the maid reached them, her gaze lingered on Vincent’s face for a few seconds before she lowered her head with a conflicted expression.
“Head Housemaid Capella, how may I help you?”
“Did you clean that door?”
The maid answered honestly, “Yes, I did.”
“Young Master Vincent feels that that door is still filthy; why don’t you clean it again? No, do it ten more times! As a maid, it’s our job to serve our master. If our master is displeased, it means that we have failed at our duty. If you can’t satisfy Young Master Vincent after ten times, then you can leave Blackmoon Castle on your own accord.” Capella sounded firm.
She was the manor’s head housemaid; Watson gave her the right to reprimand or change her maids.
“Head Housemaid Capella, please give me another chance, I—” The maid knelt on the ground and begged bitterly. Then, a hand reached toward her and pulled her up gently. “Monica? You’re Miss Monica, right? Capella, I know her. Let’s forget what happened just now.”
Vincent looked at the maid in front of him with an indescribable expression; she was none other than Master Wilber’s daughter. Every since they seized Wilber Liszt Manor, the people from that manor had moved to Blackmoon Castle as subordinates, and Monica was one of them.
When she first became a maid, Monica complained about things like how she was from a noble family, and she should not serve anyone else, how someone should serve her, or how she would kill everyone. Capella had beaten her for two days before her tears stopped. After that, she became much more restrained.
At that moment, Monica suddenly thought of her father’s death. Anger surfaced in her eyes, followed by deep sorrow—it changed several times. She gritted her teeth and pushed Vincent’s hand away before she turned around and ran away.
“Young Master Vincent, how dare she be so disrespectful to you! I will bring her back now.” Capella’s gaze turned cold.
“No need. Let her go.”
Vincent smiled bitterly. He had wanted to marry Monica because of the benefits for his family. So even though he had no feelings for her, he could not say that he did not have any feelings at all. Plus, Monica’s father had died because of Blackmoon Castle. So he had some sympathy for her.
Furthermore, he felt that Monica had changed. She was not as unruly as she used to be. She gave him a different feeling then. Should he ask Watson for Monica to be his personal maid?
He could also tell his father about that.
With that thought in mind, Vincent turned around and suddenly felt a little lost. His father, who had said that he was going to the toilet, had disappeared without a trace.
..
At the stairs on the second floor of the mansion.
Edward patted his chest. “You scared me to death. I almost got caught eavesdropping on Watson’s conversation! Fortunately, Vincent only found Zeke and Zeke, and not me.”
“How old are you? Why are you still doing such a childish thing? If you are worried about Watson, why don’t you just go in there and listen?” Catherine wore a light muslin dress. She leaned against the corridor wall of the corridor; her posture showed her beautiful figure.
“Catherine, so you’re here too.”
Edward was stunned at first, then he scratched his cheek and revealed a shy expression. “I don’t want to give Watson any pressure. He brought the Demoness Bandit Gang home and deliberately sent the guards away because he knew that things were not that simple. If he were to tell us about it, it might cause us to panic! I’ve decided to be a father who watches from afar, so—”
“You mean you’re lazy? What excuse do you have?”
Catherine rolled her eyes as if she had thought of something. “Edward, that matter has something to do with you too! The reason you were expelled by the Saint Laurent family back then was that they had followed His Majesty’s order and asked you to—”
“Catherine!”
Before his wife could finish her sentence, Edward interrupted her with a solemn expression. “That matter has already passed. I hope you won’t bring it up again.”
“Don’t you intend to tell Watson about that?”
“There’s no need because—” Edward glanced down the stairs. The corners of his mouth rose, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction. “Even if I don’t say anything, that child will do everything well, to the extent that it is beyond my expectations! I have to admit that he is the most outstanding of all my children, and he is also my pride.”
Catherine, who stood at the side, revealed the same smile and corrected him. “No, he is our pride.”
Chapter 123: How To Stay In The Storeroom
Watson walked out of the hall with a headache. He looked at the sky outside and realized that it was already evening.
He had spent the entire afternoon interrogating the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders. Most of the time, he asked about the grudges between the King and the border count.
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders all gave similar accounts, and Watson managed to get the whole story as he stitched their stories together.
It seemed like some people who believed in the evil god—the Primordial Demoness—had founded the Demoness Church a few years ago. That was probably how the story started.
The Primordial Demoness believed that humans were born with a combination of desires. It was instinctive to indulge in desires, but indulgence would lead to destruction. Therefore, humans should balance their desires and achieve pleasure without getting lost.
That was the Demoness Church’s original creed, which many people accepted. The church also had the complete version of the platinum-tier Great Sin Mask, which could absorb emotions. For example, if a person was too obsessed with money, and if he wanted to reduce it, he could transfer his greed to a part of the Great Sin Mask, which led to the rise of the Demoness Church.
Unfortunately, as time passed, the Great Sin Mask could not bear the burden of absorbing too many negative emotions, and those emotions drifted out. The first person to be affected was the saintess who had kept the mask in the Demoness Church—Queen Avril.
Due to the mask’s influence, Avril had transformed from a beautiful and kind empress who loved her people to a dark-hearted woman who abused her subordinates and animals; some would even call her crazy. That was why the King had executed her discreetly.
Phew!
Watson sighed as he stretched his lazy waist. His tender body expanded outward. He also removed the spatial package that he always carried with him. He wanted to put it in a room; he did not want to get too close to the Great Sin Mask.
He knew what it was like when one could not control their emotions when they used the Great Sin Mask.
However, those were what the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders told him. He did not wholly believe them because he felt that there was something strange with the story.
For example, the King had already killed Queen Avril. Why did he let the Demoness Church members disguise themselves as members of a bandit gang? He even arranged for their leader to be the Mage Guild President and monitor the border count?
After all, Queen Avril had been influenced by the Great Sin Mask. She did not plan to become like that. Was the King really a person who only cared about profit? Was he cold-blooded and heartless?
There was another strange thing. Envy mentioned that she was Queen Avril’s guard; she was a gold-tier warrior, only one step away from being a platinum-tier elite. However, before Queen Avril’s accident, the King had ordered her to duel with a young and genius gold-tier warrior from the Saint Laurent family.
She had been severely injured, and her level was reduced by one rank. Her opponent had held back, and he had been severely punished for that. He eventually disappeared.
Why did the King have to find someone to duel with her before the Queen’s accident?
“By the way, was that young genius my father? I remember he used to be a member of the Saint Laurent family. When he was young, he was a gold-tier warrior too.”
Watson rubbed his chin as he thought about that. Then, he smiled and dispelled that thought.
How was that possible?
His father only knew how to make babies with his mother, Catherine. He was an idiot who did not know how to manage or farm; Watson found it difficult to associate him with the word genius.
“Young Master Watson, the interrogation has ended. Your most loyal and capable captain, Allen, has been waiting for you for a long time. He wants to what to do with the Demoness Bandit Gang members next?”
As Watson was deep in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a voice. He turned around and saw Allen standing nearby. He asked, “How are the men we brought back from the Misty Forest?”
“With your help, Young Master Watson, none of our knights have died. They were only slightly injured. I believe that they will recover in two or three days.”
“Very good. They have worked really hard. Reward each of them with three Rainbow Phoenix Chicken eggs daily to help them recover! Sven, the Shabby Bandit Gang leader, came back with us as well, and he wants to join Blackmoon Castle. I will let him continue to act as a bandit and observe for a period to see if he is sincere in joining us.”
Watson had already made plans for Sven. He wanted to form a bandit gang after the winter to learn more about the other bandit gangs from other sections of the border.
Blackmoon Castle was in constant expansion and would one day occupy the entire border. He would use it as a foundation for the future. Furthermore, if he had a bandit gang, then he could do some of the things that were inconvenient in the past.
For example, he could rob the business alliances unwilling to join his organization or the owner manors who had objections against him. He could do that in the name of the bandit gang.
“Allen, have you calculated the gains and losses from that trip?”
“Young Master Watson, I’ve just calculated it with the help of the Young Masters Zeke and Zenoah! We’ve lost 400 silver-tier two-winged ligers and ten sets of silver-tier Gale Force armor,” Allen explained respectfully. The reason the Blackmoon Knights did not suffer from the petrification spell was the armor they wore; it had saved their lives.
“As for the gains, we have obtained the Demoness Bandit Gang’s assets, and that included a small number of bronze-tier equipment and a large number of iron-tier equipment. The total value of that is about hundreds of thousands of gold coins, and we have also captured nearly five hundred Demoness Bandit Gang members! Apart from that, we also have a herd of fused magical beasts, more than 1000 silver-tier magical beasts, and 4000 bronze-tier magic beasts left. I have brought them back. Overall, we have made a profit.”
“I understand, Allen. Take the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders to the Hall! From now on, they will be our slaves until our losses are completely compensated. They will work here.”
Allen nodded.
“Yes, Young Master Watson! The loss of hundreds of silver-tier magical beasts is worth at least 100,000 gold coins. Even if we give them ten gold coins a month, they will never be able to pay it off in their lifetime.”
..
“This is where you will live. Go in! Take a bath and rest. From tomorrow onward, I will teach you how to be a qualified maid. If you don’t do well, I will not be so polite about it.”
Capella led the six Demoness Bandit Gang leaders to a few spacious bedrooms. After she gave them a few instructions, she turned around and left.
“Are we really going to live here?” The youngest girl looked around the room and asked helplessly.
“This is all because of Envy. If she hadn’t betrayed us, we could’ve escaped even if we were no match for that brat.” She looked dissatisfied, and her thin lips pursed tightly.
Envy glanced at her, but she could not be bothered to say anything. She opened the door to a room and walked into it; the room had a gorgeous interior style.
“Alright, it’s too late to say that now. At least Watson is still quite nice to us.” Greed rubbed her fingers habitually and tried to smooth things over. She took the room next to Envy; it had the same space and design.
“He had arranged such good rooms for us. He did not say it, but he is treating us like distinguished guests! After all, we still have to find out how he fused the Great Sin Masks, and we need to get it back. I think we can stay here for the time being.”
Even the one who had been the angriest did not have anything to say when they saw the room.
The spacious room included a bedroom, a living room, and a place to bath, and the sofa was made of genuine leather. They had been bandits for so long, but they had never stayed in such a high-class room.
Suddenly, the door to the opposite room opened. Sven walked out of the room with a basket of colorful eggs in his hands. His left hand held a set of silver armor.
Sven was stunned when he saw the Demoness bandits. Then, he walked toward their room with a strange expression, “I did not expect to see you guys as soon as I opened the door. I’m sorry for laughing, but why are you standing in front of the storeroom?”
Storeroom?
Sven called the place where they lived a storeroom?
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders looked at each other. Their expressions changed as if a big question mark had appeared on their forehead.
Chapter 124: A Maid’s Examination
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Sven, even if we are adversaries and leaders of a bandit gang, you would not mock us the moment we meet, right?” Wrath snorted unhappily. Her thick eyebrows were raised.
She had a well-defined face, a high nose bridge, long and narrow eyes, and short black hair. Her overall appearance looked average.
“I’ve never seen a storeroom with such exquisite furniture and murals, or is something worth more than ten gold coins just trash in the eyes of its owner?” the golden-haired Greed said with a mocking tone.
She had taken care of the Demoness Bandit Gang’s finances, so she was quite proficient in business. It meant that she had an accurate judgment of how much those things had cost.
“You have misunderstood; I don’t mean to mock you. I’m telling the truth. The place you are living in now is the castle’s storage room.” Sven raised his chin and nodded behind him. “If you don’t believe me, you can take a look at my room. Then you will understand.”
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders looked at each other doubtfully when they realized that Sven had looked sincere.
Did he tell the truth?
“I’ll go take a look.” The young girl did not hesitate. She walked behind Sven and looked into the room. She was stunned after only one look. She opened her mouth to speak, but she could not find the words.
“Lust, why aren’t you talking? What did you see?”
Wrath came up behind Lust, and when she saw the room, she was also speechless.
It was a luxurious room that was three times bigger than their room. It had three smaller rooms and two halls; there were bookshelves and wine storage cabinets in one of the halls. It had many expensive books and drinks; there was even a large French window and a balcony that overlooked a small courtyard with flowers and a pool.
The pool sparkled under the sunlight. It was winter, so a thin layer of ice had formed on the pool. If it were summer, it would be great to swim in it. The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders saw two maids who were tidying Sven’s room.
“Why do you have such a big room?” The young girl was the first to snap back to her senses; she sounded so envious.
They were not bothered about the luxury, but they did not like the inequality.
If she had not seen Sven’s room, she would have been satisfied with their assigned room. So, she felt terrible about it. Sven’s room had a pool; no woman could resist a private pool.
“Now, do you think I’m lying?”
Sven chuckled and continued to say, “My room is actually pretty common in Blackmoon Castle. The Blackmoon Knights have better rooms.”
“Your room is already a few hundred square meters—that’s huge! Are you sure there are bigger rooms in the castle? Greed frowned; she was baffled.
Blackmoon Castle was massive—it covered a few kilometers in radius. However, the actual building was a four-story structure. If every room were that big, then there would not be that many rooms.
“Don’t misunderstand. There are not many rooms in Blackmoon Castle that are bigger than this. But who said that the Blackmoon Knights live here?”
Sven revealed a profound expression.
“As the guards of the castle, if they do not live here, where would they live?” Sloth, who had not spoken at all, asked. Her snow-white eyelashes fluttered slightly.
“You should have seen those manors outside of Blackmoon Castle on your way to the castle. The guards live in those manors.”
Other than Blackmoon Castle, there were also more than ten manors in Blackmoon Town. When Sven first came, he thought those manors belonged to other manor owners. Later, he found out that the knights were in the castle grounds during the day for training, and they would leave to their home in one of those manors at night.
He had also asked the knights’ captain, Allen.
According to Allen, the three best manors were the ones Watson gave to him, Liszt, and William after their battle with the manor owners’ allied forces. The other guards had to buy those manors with their own money if they wanted to live there.
The Blackmoon Knights had a fixed monthly salary of at least ten gold coins. They would also get three Rainbow Phoenix Chicken eggs every day, and each of those eggs can be sold for ten gold coins. Altogether, they could earn a few hundred gold coins in a month. It meant that a few of them could share a manor. Some guards even pay for maid services from Blackmoon Castle.
Sven was shocked when he found out about that. The guards were also servants in a castle. Everyone would think of them as lowly and without any right to complain. He had never heard of guards with servants of their own.
Was that for real?
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders’ lips twitched as they fell into shock.
That sounded too good! It was no wonder that Sven said that they lived in a storeroom. It seemed like their living conditions were quite terrible when compared to the guards in their own manors.
“Oh, right! Besides the rooms, each of them also gets a Rainbow Phoenix Chicken egg daily, a monthly salary, and a set of silver-tier armor. Do you get any of that?”
Sven thought for a moment and said, “Also, I just remembered that those who join Blackmoon Castle could also get a silver-tier mount. Well, I’m on my way to look for Young Master Watson to get my mount. As for you—”
“Stop talking.”
Wrath was furious; she gritted her teeth.
She finally understood that Sven was there to show off to them.
The Rainbow Phoenix Chicken was a legendary gold-tier magical beast. She had only heard of it; she had never seen it before. As for the silver-tier armor, only the Demoness Bandit Gang leader had the right to use the silver-tier equipment—the broken Great Sin Mask.
As one of the three great bandit gangs at the border, the Demoness Bandit Gang had many assets in addition to their heritage in the past. However, other than the magical array used to summon the Primordial Demoness, they were nothing compared to Blackmoon Castle.
“I’ll take my leave. Have a good rest in the utility room.” Sven laughed and turned around to leave.
It had been a long time since he felt so comfortable; his former rivals had been defeated in front of him. Initially, he had wanted to join Blackmoon Castle because he had no choice. However, he decided that he really did want to join them, even if he only served as a small guard. He had more resources in his hands than in the past.
After they watched Sven leave, Wrath looked at their assigned room; she did not feel good about it. “They have underestimated us.”
“It seems like before we could explore Watson’s secret in fusing the Great Sin Mask, we must first raise our status here. At the very least, we must get a Rainbow Phoenix Chicken egg to taste,” the young girl wiped her mouth with desire.
She did not crave the Rainbow Phoenix Chicken egg; she had a reason for that. It looked like she was not even comparable to a guard. Her status was too low; she would not be able to get any information about anything.
“What did that woman, Capella, say just now? She wants us to be maids here. Let us perform well so that they will see how outstanding we are.”
At that moment, the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders clenched their fists and made up their minds.
They were silver-tier elites; it would be easy for them to be maids or clean rooms.
Chapter 125: Go And Get Young Master Watson
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The day passed quickly.
The next morning, the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders woke up early and stood outside the mansion; they were ready to welcome Capella’s test.
“Let me introduce you. That young lady is Wendy. She is the second most outstanding maid in the mansion after me. She is also the other head housemaid in the castle. If you have any questions, you can ask her.”
Capella pointed at a pretty girl with emerald green hair beside her.
Wendy curled her lips in displeasure and corrected her. “Sister Capella, why am I the second most outstanding maid? Is that what Young Master Watson said?”
She and Capella were both head housemaids. Each of them was responsible for leading a group of maids. There was a monthly competition—whomever’s employee performed better would receive additional rewards. Wendy did not care about the rewards. She just wanted Watson to think highly of her.
She had been the only head housemaid in the castle. When Watson decided to let Capella be the head housemaid, she had asked Watson if he was dissatisfied with her or if she had done something wrong. Watson told her that she had done well, but every position needed some competition.
Competitiveness was the source of human progress. Just like the Captain and Vice-captain of the guards in Blackmoon Castle—if the Vice-captain wanted to become the Captain, then he had to become more outstanding. If the Captain did not want to be replaced, then he had to work twice as hard.
Even though Wendy did not quite understand what Watson meant, she still felt that the young man was very powerful. She did not know how Watson, who was about the same age as her, knew so much.
“Hello, Miss Wendy.”
After Capella finished her introduction, the five Demoness Bandit Gang leaders nodded at her. Greed asked, “Chief Capella, may I ask what we are going to do now?”
Her face was full of fighting spirit. She held an ancient gold coin in her right hand and rubbed it gently.
She could not wait to show off her ability so that the people of Blackmoon Castle could see her competence.
“I’ll assign you a task! You, you, and you—go and clean the branches and weeds in the courtyard. Remember, the courtyard is the front of a nobleman, which reflects the taste of the noble master. If he can’t even manage his courtyard, then the guests won’t be in the mood to enter the manor.”
Capella tapped on Greed, Envy, and Lust and told them to take charge of the courtyard. As for Wrath and Sloth, she said, “You two can stay behind and clean the rooms. A qualified noble must have not only a luxurious and elegant courtyard but also a spotless room, even if those rooms are not occupied.”
“We understand.”
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders looked at each other. Then, they spread the combat aura wings on their backs and went straight to the place that Capella had directed.
In a flowerbed in the courtyard.
“This the place we need to trim?”
The young girl looked around her and realized that the flowerbed stretched for several kilometers and surrounded the entire castle. Even though it was called a flowerbed, it was planted with many valuable medicinal herbs. There was also a spacious wheat field outside the flowerbed—crystal-like wheat swayed in the wind in that field. It was almost ready for harvest.
People dressed like farmers could be seen combing the wheat field. A few maids were also there; they held huge scissors as they tended to the medicinal herbs on the flowerbed.
The air was filled with the unique fragrance of plants—its scent made people feel as if their combat aura was circulating at a faster speed. Cultivation in that courtyard was at least three times faster than cultivation in the outside world.
“Look at the variety of that wheat—it seems to be bronze-tier. I’ve heard that that color of wheat can only be found in the north. It’s very rare in the kingdom. I did not expect they would have so many here! There are also those medicinal herbs in the garden. Bronze-tier medicinal herbs such as the sunflower can increase one’s strength and fire-elemental combat aura’s power, the silver-tier Moonlight Demonic Grass, and look over there; I think that’s a gold-tier Seven Treasures Glazed Ginseng. Blackmoon Castle is really rich!”
Lust sighed.
If she had not experienced Sven’s ridicule yesterday, her mental endurance would have been much stronger. Otherwise, she would have cried out in surprise and treated the room that she thought was gorgeous as a storeroom. It did not seem like it was difficult to understand why they cultivated the precious medicinal herbs.
“The flowerbeds in Blackmoon Castle are divided into twelve regions. Each region cultivates different quality medicinal herbs. The quality of the medicinal herbs in region one is the worst! You are now in region one. Even if you cut and destroy the medicinal herbs here, we won’t lose much money.”
Capella’s voice echoed from afar.
So many precious medicinal herbs, but it was the worst grade?
The Demoness Bandit Gang leaders fell into silence; they were a little surprised again.
“How could a silver-tier elite do such a stupid thing like destroying the medicinal herbs? Not only will I not destroy it, but I will also let them grow better.”
Greed walked to the flowerbed closest to her and threw the coin in her hand onto it. She let the coin disappear and turned into a golden light that covered the crops; it made the medicinal herbs that were already growing strong grow even bigger.
She was great at buffing her teammates, so it was not difficult for her to speed up the ripening process of the crops.
Meanwhile, in the direction of Sloth and Wrath.
Wendy was responsible for keeping an eye on them from the outside. Capella had already brought them to the castle hall.
As she pointed at the hall that occupied hundreds of meters in front of them, Capella looked at the sky outside and said, “You guys are in charge of that area. I’ll only give you half an hour. I’ll come and check on you in half an hour.”
“It won’t take half an hour. It’ll be done in a few minutes.” Anger snorted as her body suddenly grew from a meter to a three-meter tall giant. She pressed her palm against the floor and waved it forward—the dust on the ground was swept away by the strong wind and floated out of the window.
Sloth also followed her movements and hovered in mid-air. Invisible combat aura arms stretched out from her back, and her palms turned into the shape of a broom and a mop. She swept the walls and the ceiling and began to clean up.
Most of their abilities came from the Great Sin Mask, but that did not mean they were useless without the mask. In fact, the Demoness Bandit Gang had a complete set of cultivation methods, which were copied from the Great Sin Mask. However, only the Demoness Bandit Gang leaders were qualified to cultivate it, and they could still use it even without the mask.
..
Half an hour later, the people on both sides of the tasks finished the test and returned to Capella; their faces brimmed with confidence.
They felt that they had done very well. The work that usually took a few hours for the maids to complete was completed in a few minutes, and they did it even better.
“Wendy, how do you think those people are doing?”
Capella’s expression was calm. She did not announce the test results but turned around to ask Wendy, who had followed her into the room.
“I think—” Wendy hesitated and shook her head. “They can’t do it.”
As soon as her voice fell, the expressions of those Demoness Bandit Gang leaders changed. They were about to ask why she said that when they heard Capella’s cold snort.
“You guys are really the worst batch of maids that I’ve ever taught! Your name is Lust, right? I told you to trim the branches, but I did not tell you to seduce the servants in the manor. And you Greed. Why did you go and ripen the medicinal herbs? The Young Master had carefully cultivated those herbs. The growth period for those herbs has already been calculated. If you ripen them recklessly, it will mess up Young Master’s plans.”
“Yes, your name may be Wrath. I told you to clean the room, but I did not tell you to ruin it. You left several big handprints on the expensive furniture in the room. If the floor were not hard enough, I think it would have collapsed under your feet! Finally, you, Sloth. Most people are like their names, and you’re the same. You’re really lazy. You’ve only been working for a while, and you’re already sleeping on the floor. I’m a bit jealous that your performance is not that bad. In short, all of you are not qualified to be a maid. Before you learn what I taught you, no one is allowed to eat.”
“What? Why do you blame me for my charm?”
The young girl refuted righteously and passionately. “There are many servants here who take advantage of my working hours to strike up a conversation with me. What can I do?”
“You really can’t see a good deed.” Greed said, “It’s very tiring for me to help with the ripening of the medicinal herbs. The quality of those medicinal herbs had been increasing by at least one or two levels. For the same medicinal herb that has gone from ordinary bronze-tier to fine bronze-tier, its value may be twice as high. Do you understand that?”
“Our cleaning speed is a hundred times faster than the maids here. Why are you still not satisfied? Even if I were to break the furniture accidentally, you can’t blame me for that. You can only blame the quality of the furniture in Blackmoon Castle—they’re too inferior.”
Besides Envy, who had stayed silent, the other Demoness Bandit Gang leaders presented their arguments loudly.
They had worked very hard, so why could they not eat? Did Capella deliberately make things difficult for them because they were bandits?
They could not tolerate that.
“Sister Capella, what do we do now?” Wendy looked a little afraid when she saw how arrogant those women had looked.
Capella was livid. She waved her hand and said, “Go and get Young Master Watson here!”