Chapter 52 Castile (Part 3) The Past
The interrogator nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. If this commoner Alpha could pass the test, he would tell the Duke the truth. After all, it wouldn't hurt to recruit and cultivate someone with exceptional abilities early on for the future development of the family.
Especially now that the Zerg are becoming increasingly arrogant.
It was already the afternoon of the next day when Xu Lingzhao came out of the Duke's castle. She had missed the second knight selection competition, but she didn't care because Viv's maid was waiting for her outside with a smile on her face. How could a duke's daughter's personal maid treat a commoner Alpha like this? There was only one possibility.
A maid stepped forward with a perfectly timed smile. "My lord, Miss Viv is injured and should not go out. She specifically asked me to escort you home. Please." She lowered her head slightly and gestured for him to enter. Xu Lingzhao glanced at the carriage behind her; it was simple, elegant, and inconspicuous.
Xu Lingzhao did not refuse and got into the carriage. Sure enough, not long after they set off, the maid sitting opposite her spoke up, "My name is Beth. Miss said she was very sorry that you missed the knight selection competition because of her. So, to express her apology, she applied to Duke Gene to transfer you to the Rose Knights in three days. You should know about the Rose Knights, right?"
“I know. They are a third-level knight order. Some time ago, the city gates were attacked by the insectoids. It was the Rose Knights who were the first to discover the anomaly and fight back, so there were no large-scale casualties or losses. As a result, they were commended by the Queen. They are a knight order with good prospects. Please convey my thanks to Miss Viv on my behalf, Beth.”
“Definitely. You look very young, and…” she lowered her voice, “The interrogator told me about your situation. I believe you will become the most powerful knight in the future. Without you, Miss Viv would probably… Let’s not talk about that. Miss Viv likes you very much and wants to be your friend. We will definitely meet more often in the future.”
Beth talked on and on, her face becoming increasingly animated. Xu Lingzhao listened to her, occasionally offering a few words of response. The two, mistress and servant, were quite alike, especially in terms of personality. Only when the carriage stopped after passing through the bustling street did Beth reluctantly bid farewell to Xu Lingzhao.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Grandma Martha, who lived next door, led her granddaughter Lucy to Xu Lingzhao. Grandma Martha's cloudy eyes watched the carriage drive away, then looked at Xu Lingzhao with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Oh my god, it's a nobleman's carriage! My dear Miss Xu, I didn't see you at the knight selection competition. Did something happen to you?"
Xu Lingzhao's expression softened, and she shook her head with a smile, "I'm fine, Grandma Martha. There was a small problem, but nothing serious happened. However, I might need to rest for a while now."
Grandma Martha nodded and watched Xu Lingzhao walk into the room. She shook her head and led Lucy back to the door to wrap the bouquets, muttering, "Oh my god, those nobles are so wicked. Miss Xu is only 16 years old. I hope these devils will stop their behavior immediately. Her face is so pale. Maybe I should cook her a bowl of steamed egg custard?"
Lucy, who was standing to the side, couldn't understand what Martha was saying. She just imitated her and focused on wrapping the flowers. Her childish voice rang out, "Sister Xu, can't you become a knight anymore?"
"Probably, but Sister Xu is still young, she can participate in the knight selection competition a year from now." Grandma Martha was focused on her work and didn't expect that her words would reach Xu Lingzhao's ears, who was boiling water to take a bath. She was speechless. So that's how Grandma Martha saw her tired appearance.
Well, it's understandable that she misunderstood. Indeed, getting off a carriage with a broken and exhausted look can easily lead to speculation, but it's undeniable that some people will use being a knight as a stepping stone to climb into nobility.
After taking a shower, Xu Lingzhao stood in front of a not-so-clear mirror, carefully examining her appearance. Long golden hair, fair skin, golden pupils, and perfectly proportioned features. "Sigh!" she sighed. Being a good-looking Alpha is not necessarily a good thing.
Lying on the hard bed, Xu Lingzhao's mind was filled with thoughts of the Rose Knights. She had entered the knights through the Duke's connections, which inevitably led to her being ostracized. However, once she became a knight, she would no longer be a commoner and would receive corresponding stipends. Most importantly, she had completed the first step of her plan.
Xu Lingzhao took out a small box from under her pillow. Inside was a plain silver necklace. Although it wasn't anything valuable, it was her father's keepsake. She stared at it intently, her thoughts drifting back to the past.
Her father was an Omega, a frail and sickly Omega. His once beautiful appearance was gradually tarnished by the daily torment of illness, and he lost his memory. The father and daughter depended on each other for survival. To support her, her father worked as a kitchen servant in a noble family, and in his spare time, he would wash clothes for others to earn a meager wage.
Although life was poor, it was happy. Xu Lingzhao remembered that her favorite thing was to hold her father's hand and walk along the stream. At this time, her father would always produce sugar figurines as if by magic.
Little rabbit, little tiger, little cat...
It's very sweet.
But this peaceful and beautiful life came to an abrupt end when she was ten years old. A group of people appeared in front of their house. Her father, with shifty eyes, pushed her into the room. She could hear voices outside the door, but she couldn't hear them. When her father opened the door again, his face was pale. He touched the top of her head and said, "We should go now, my dear."
Where to?
“I don’t know either,” the father said with a wry smile. “But we must stay away from Prague.”
From then on, they lived a life of wandering, always leaving a city after living there for a while. The father fell ill and lay in bed all day, weeping. His gaze was always fixed on the direction of Prague. At that time, Xu Lingzhao did not understand. She held her father's hand and said in her childish voice, "Father, if you miss Prague, we can go back."
The father didn't speak, but just shook his head silently. Because the father had fallen ill, the family had no source of income, so 12-year-old Xu Lingzhao had to go out to find work. But almost no one hired child laborers. One morning, Xu Lingzhao turned his attention to the forest. He could obtain their crystal cores by hunting insectoids. A low-quality crystal core was worth 100 euros.
Xu Lingzhao thought of her seriously ill father, who would leave her if he didn't receive treatment soon. Overwhelmed by panic, she didn't even have a decent weapon. She could only take the somewhat worn-out axe from home and a small backpack and venture alone into the insectoid hideout.
It wasn't until the next morning that Xu Lingzhao emerged from the forest. Her backpack was bulging. She glanced back at the depths of the forest before leaving without looking back. Compared to other places, the crystal core exchange area was rather deserted, because usually, to obtain crystal cores, one had to form a small team. When Xu Lingzhao appeared in the team, everyone's eyes fell on her.
However, most of the people around her were puzzled. The person standing in front of Xu Lingzhao even turned around to remind her, "Little girl, this isn't a place to sell candy." His words drew laughter from those around her, but she didn't care at all.
She should have died from the Zerg attack, but at the moment of her death, Xu Lingzhao felt a warmth between her brows. The terrifying Zerg appearance disappeared, replaced by a warm golden light. But this feeling only lasted for a few seconds before she felt her body change.
The insectoid creatures that attacked her were now reduced to pieces, leaving only glittering crystal cores. However, in order to verify her conjecture, Xu Lingzhao picked up the crystal cores and still chose to walk deeper into the forest.
"Your turn, child." The voice of the staff member at the crystal core department pulled Xu Lingzhao back to reality. She placed a heavy bag of crystal cores on the table, and the light emanating from the pile of crystal cores immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Rely on yourself?" the other person asked casually.
"Hmm." She responded, and a stack of coins was pushed in front of Xu Lingzhao. She picked them up, counted them to make sure there were no problems, and then walked out of the not-so-large exchange. She could feel some malicious eyes scanning her back and forth, so Xu Lingzhao gripped the axe in her hand tighter.
Violence is the best solution to the current situation. Just as she felt the footsteps of several people getting closer, a woman's voice rang out behind her, "She's just a child, her father is dying." Hearing this, Xu Lingzhao paused and turned to look at her.
It was the Alpha sister who lived across the street from her. The muscles on her arms were very noticeable. When she noticed Xu Lingzhao turning around to look at her, she walked over to her. Although her expression was indifferent, her words were unexpectedly warm: "I'll take you home so that some people won't have designs on you."
"Thank you, sister." Xu Lingzhao thanked her. Instead of going straight home, she went to the clinic to see a doctor. She had seen the doctor several times, but couldn't get the medicine because she didn't have the money. This time was different. She not only got enough medicine for her father for a month, but also invited the doctor back to her home. On the way, she also bought a lot of food and supplies, and the Alpha sister helped her carry a lot of them.
Before she even reached her doorstep, Xu Lingzhao saw her seemingly frail father peering out from the doorway, and she happily ran towards him.
The father looked at her large and small bags with surprise, but before he could ask any questions, Xu Lingzhao pushed him into the room so that the doctor could treat him. Xu Lingzhao looked at the people who had escorted her to the door and was very grateful. Just as she was about to give her some money, she pressed her shoulder down and said, "Keep it for yourself. I'm an adult, I don't need to take money from a child like you."
After saying that, she left gracefully. Xu Lingzhao watched her departing figure, pursed his lips, and thought, "There are bad people in this world, but there are also many people like Alpha Sister."
Xu Lingzhao sat at the door waiting for the doctor's treatment results. The warm sun shone on her, and she squinted comfortably. She now had the ability to hunt insectoids, and her life would definitely get better and better from now on!
Just as she was filled with beautiful hopes for the future, the doctor pushed open the door and walked towards her. Xu Lingzhao quickly got up, but the doctor's serious expression made her excited heart plummet to the bottom.
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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] I really didn't expect to go to VIP so quickly, because my initial thought was that finishing it as a VIP story would be great. Here, I want to thank all the readers who have supported me. At first, I was incredibly excited when I only had one click, and now I have over 3000 clicks. Initially, I only had two favorites, but I gritted my teeth and kept updating to live up to your expectations. I'm truly, truly grateful for your support. Finally, I wish all my dear readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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