chsdbacks Page 369
Page 369
The man on the dragon horse paled, but the two hooded garments in front of him really annoyed him. He snorted heavily and said coldly:
"I am Xin Nuri, the second son of the Nuri family, the forty-seventh family of the Floating Island. Today, the decision for the Nuri family to take over this place is a collective decision of the Floating Island. Even the Queen... cannot interfere with the collective decision of the Floating Island!"
After he finished speaking, the servants surrounding him pulled out various magical items and pointed them at Latis with threatening intent, instantly creating a tense standoff.
"Floating islands?" Latis ignored the servants and asked, "Is it for searching for the legendary ruins? What's the progress so far?"
"You lowly people are not worthy to know." Xin arrogantly crossed his arms and raised his chin.
Latis stared speechlessly at the arrogant young man who looked down on everyone; just from his expression, it was clear he knew nothing.
As the second son, being assigned to patrol duties suggests your father probably has other sons outside.
"Heh, don't waste my patience." Xin's expression gradually turned fierce, his magical equipment poised to unleash its power. He coldly stared at Latis and said:
"If you are not willing to turn back now, then we will have no choice but to let you experience the power of the Floating Island family."
"Oh? So confident?"
Latis frowned slightly. He naturally did not believe that the floating islands would make such a so-called joint decision, otherwise the news agency president, Drecia, would definitely have told him about it.
Judging from the blustering but cowardly demeanor of this second son of the Nuri family, the so-called joint decision is probably just the result of compromises among the lower levels of the floating island.
No one knows what happened that made the lower-level families, who were constantly waging war, choose to cooperate.
Although the group of people were arrogantly displaying their weapons and seemed to have intimidated him, Latis did not intend to provoke them at the moment. In his opinion, the second son of a small family was too low-ranking and was probably just a tool who knew nothing. However, he was perfect for using them as bait.
He stroked his chin, looked at the man on the dragon horse, thought for a moment, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and deliberately asked in a comical tone:
"Sin Nuri, speaking of which, your name doesn't sound very good, does it? Why don't you call your parents over, and I'll try to persuade them to change the family name?"
"What the hell do you mean?!"
Xin frowned instantly, feeling mocked and immediately flew into a rage. He stared intently at Latis, but Latis's suggestion to call his parents alerted him.
This man is so confident... who is he?
Xin and the guard beside him exchanged a glance, forcefully suppressing their aristocratic temper.
The two hooded men seemed completely unconcerned about their situation, as calm as old dogs, which made Xin feel uneasy.
After the painful lesson of being stripped naked by the villagers in Lonely Village, Dragon Horn Territory, Xin had developed a psychological aversion to hooded people. Especially since these two people in front of him seemed to be wearing the same hooded coat as the guy who caused his accident, which is why he didn't immediately use magic on them like he would on other passersby, fearing another accident under that hood.
Actually, he's not so afraid of that hooded man anymore. This hybrid dragon horse isn't some inferior steed; it won't be easily startled and fall over! Last time, he was just caught in the crossfire by that steed!
However, just to be on the safe side, let's call someone first.
He pulled on the reins, gave the guards a wink, and then secretly sent a message to the high-ranking mage in the family's entourage.
……
"This little brat is still sending messages in front of me. Fine, I'll see what kind of people he can summon. It'll be good to get some more information."
Latis sighed with some regret, wondering what kind of equipment this person was wearing that could withstand the warrior's taunt ability.
He glanced around at the servants and shook his head. In truth, if he had just released a wisp of the dragon's power, the dragon horses beneath them would probably have knelt down immediately. Judging from the smug looks on the servants' faces, they probably thought they posed a great threat to him.
He sighed, turned around, and complained:
"Ate, why would anyone give themselves the surname Nuri? Isn't it a bit too strange?"
"Huh?" Artemis didn't react for a moment.
"That's right, Nuri."
Latis squeezed Ateliers's small, bewildered hand, chuckled, and whispered, then deliberately winked.
Ateliers was taken aback, then realized that Latis was referring to a pun. She glared at Latis helplessly and whispered:
"Brother, generally speaking, family surnames cannot be changed..."
"But it seems like it can be fused, right?" Latis asked curiously, racking his brains to recall the noble knowledge he had learned from his simulated memories.
"Have you ever heard of those ever-growing lists of surnames, Arte?"
“I have heard of it,” Artemis replied after a moment’s hesitation and a light cough.
"This kind of thing usually happens... well, for example, after I marry my older brother, your surname will become part of me, and my full name will become Ateliers Titania Herod..."
She squeezed Latis's hand shyly, then continued:
"However, such things usually only happen during marriage. Legend has it that there was once a countess in the Kingdom of Norard who married more than a dozen noble sons in a row, successfully extending her surname to several hundred characters..."
"...That would be a very glamorous life."
Latis shook his head, looking somewhat strained.
"That's a pity. It seems he'll have to live with the name of Star Fury for the rest of his life."
He glanced regretfully at Xin not far away, when suddenly a high-level magical fluctuation appeared on his magic radar. He immediately put the inherent tragedy of the Nuri family out of his mind, stroked his chin, and thought:
"A high-level mage should know more..."
……
Xin gradually became smug.
The two hooded figures in front of him were disobeying his orders, and he dared not take the initiative to attack. It didn't matter; as long as the high-level mage accompanying him arrived, everything would be fine.
Ever since his mishap in Lonely Village, his father assigned him a high-level mage as his bodyguard. Even in the entire lower floating island, only a few family members have received such treatment.
Actually, Nig Nuri was just afraid that his good-for-nothing second son would be stripped naked again and disgrace the floating island family, so he sent a mage to supervise him.
Of course, Xin was unaware of this. He only knew that his mage bodyguard, Spike, had once overpowered all the other lower-level families at a brawl party on a lower-level floating island, successfully intimidating everyone present.
The thought that his bodyguards could completely overwhelm other lower-class families made Xin feel like he was already the Nuri family's chosen successor.
Unfortunately, a high-level mage cannot bridge the gap in strength between families, so even though he took over his father's business, he could only manage a family ranked forty-seventh.
However, all of this is only temporary!
Looking down at the two hooded men who, in his view, were ready to beg for mercy, Xin felt that perhaps his hood phobia could be cured today.
These two hooded men are just the beginning; no one can stop him from taking over this area!
Because... as long as he can find the legendary Herod ruins, he, Xin Nuri, can definitely lead the Nuri family to turn their fortunes around!
……
Spike activated his flight technique and sighed helplessly.
The young master of the Nuri family is truly an idiot.
The patriarch ordered him to guard the boundary of the search area and simply use the name of the floating island to drive everyone else away. He always used intimidation and threats, so even the most good-tempered passersby who were just curious would end up fighting with him.
What was originally a harmless and easy job has now turned into Spike having to clean up his messes every day.
If it weren't for the important mission the Nuri family had to fulfill, Spike would have already gone to work for another family.
"I hope they don't cause me any more trouble, or I'm not doing this mission to infiltrate the floating island anymore!"
Spike cursed viciously, glanced at the Nuri family's cavalry that had appeared not far away, flapped his magical wings, and flew down.
……
"Master Spike, you've finally arrived! Look, it's them, daring to challenge the dignity of the Nuri family! They must be ripped off their hoods of cowardice and hung up to be whipped a hundred times!"
"The Nuri family's rules are really a bit twisted..."
Xin's imperious words made Spike frown for a while. He ignored the good-for-nothing young master and looked directly at the two hooded men, one big and one small, surrounded by servants.
Spike's high-level mage senses swept over the two hooded men quickly. He was taken aback and looked at Shin with surprise.
He couldn't sense any magical fluctuations from these two people at all! Even the increased magical activity caused by the mage's magical affinity wasn't shown in the slightest!
In other words, these two people are just ordinary people who don't know magic at all!
A suppressed rage flashed across Spike's face. Was this young master really that stupid? To call a high-level mage like himself over for the sake of two ordinary people?
In this era, any normal mage connected to the magic network cannot avoid communicating with external magic elements!
Unless they are legendary mages with the legendary "Mage Domain," which can temporarily influence the magic element around them—but is that even possible? Could two random passersby on the street be legendary mages?
Just kidding, you might as well tell him that one is a legendary cyber police officer and the other is an extinct elf!
is it possible?
Spike smirked and clenched his fist.
Think of Spike, he was once a high-ranking mage who made a name for himself at the social gatherings on the lower floating islands!
With the help of the "Limited Rebound" spell he created himself, he easily suppressed the fighting power of all other families, and his future was limitless, and he was in unparalleled glory!
Even the Glee family, a mid-level family on the floating island ranked 30th, whose young lord Fan Yunkun of Dragon Horn Territory would have wanted to join even if it meant marrying into the family, couldn't help but marvel at Spike's amazing magical talent when they met him. Even the family mages of mid-level families would have to expend considerable effort to break through his "limited rebound".
After all, this is a normal-state enhancement spell that can withstand a blow comparable to a legendary strike! Its value can only be described as awesome.
"Alright, alright, Young Master Xin, once you've dealt with this, you can head back to the camp. The task of patrolling the border can be left to the servants."
Spike shook his head impatiently, walked past Ryoma's encirclement, and said to Shin as he walked toward the two hooded men:
"Someone like this who doesn't even know magic could be easily dealt with with a simple apprentice's trick, wouldn't it? Why would I need to..."
boom!
A tremendous force suddenly struck Spike's abdomen. With a shattering sound as the "limited rebound" shattered, Spike flew backwards, spitting blood.
what's the situation……
He stared blankly as the clouds in the sky moved rapidly in his vision, and in a daze, he heard a sound that he found somewhat puzzling, which gradually faded away from his ears.
"The Mage's Hand!"
The Mage's Hand...? Isn't this just an apprentice's trick...?
What about my... "limited rebound"?
Spike's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
……
When Spike woke up again, he felt like his whole body was falling apart, and even his sphincter muscles were too weak to contract.
He barely opened his eyes, struggled to sit up, and was horrified to find that the servants of the Nuri family were all tied up like dumplings and piled up in a sorry state.
As for that young master Xin, he seemed to have had his ribs broken by the startled dragon horse, and was lying next to Spike, staring blankly at the sky.
"W-what's going on..."