Chapter 320: Hell’s Joke, Duel Night

The flickering candlelight illuminated the carpeted walls and the towering dome. The triumphal dinner continued in the magnificent hall.

June swirled the whiskey over ice, the amber liquid sparkling in the glass, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Thanks to the strong liquor, your place is not so cold... Where were we talking about just now?"

June's handsome face flushed, her short black hair curled slightly and hung down beside her ears. She said casually, "Oh, by the way, the duel between you and Thomas... He looked like he was well prepared!"

"In the face of absolute strength, no matter how well prepared you are, it will be useless." Ye Zhi said.

June looked at Yeats in surprise, and after hearing his hidden meaning, she asked, "So, you want to accept Thomas's challenge?"

Ye Zhi put away the parchment scroll, nodded slightly, and said:

"Compared to war, dueling is indeed simpler and more effective, and it won't cause more casualties... Thomas's idea is similar to mine!"

"You and him seem to have a mutual understanding." June pursed her lips and said, "I remember that you and he once fought against the Scarlet Society together?"

"Thomas was my friend then, but now he is my enemy." Yeats stroked his chin and said, "If he knows how to handle things, he may continue to be my friend in the future."

Yeats thought, but by then, Thomas will become my vassal and pay taxes to me!

"What about me?"

June's expression suddenly became serious and she looked into Yeats' eyes.

"Lannister, your friend or your enemy?"

The positions of the nobles kept changing; they might have been drinking and chatting happily yesterday, but might be drawing their swords against each other today.

In this world of fame and fortune, a true friend is rare and extremely precious.

Ye Zhi couldn't help but think of the time when he was fighting against the Blood Spider King. June joined his side on a personal basis despite his family's opposition and provided a lot of important information.

Looking at June's serious but nervous expression, Ye Zhi said seriously:

"Whatever you stand for, June, you are my friend, just like fire and wine."

June was slightly startled, her eyes flickered, she chuckled, and said half-jokingly: "I was actually moved...Okay, you are very loyal and still know how to treat me as a friend. I will definitely not treat you unfairly in the future!"

"And now?"

"Now, your friend is envious of your cooking skills and hopes that you can cook for her yourself and show her." June blinked expectantly.

Ye Zhi: “…”

What a loud abacus!

The banquet ended that evening.

Yeats wrote a reply letter accepting Thomas' challenge.

Through correspondence, the two sides quickly worked out the details and reached a consensus.

If Thomas wins, Yeats will voluntarily give up his claim to White Night City, and White Night City will be out of the legal scope of the Dukedom of the North.

If Yeats wins, Thomas will voluntarily withdraw from White Night City and promise not to harm the original residents and buildings in the city.

The duel was to be held at night at the site of an ancient castle between White Night City and Morning Frost Ridge. Many nobles from the northern provinces were invited to watch the duel, and William, the Royal Military Administrator, would serve as the notary.

"This is a good opportunity to establish your authority."

Ye Zhi thought to himself, "I can use the Blessing Moon River in front of all the nobles to crush Thomas' ambition in one fell swoop!"

*Yeats and Thomas were about to duel over the ownership of White Night City. With the intentional disclosure of both parties, the news quickly spread throughout the northern province.

For a time, the nobles of the entire northern province were eagerly looking forward to the duel between the two.

Ye Zhi had just won a great victory in the battle against the orcs, and he was in the limelight. If he could defeat Thomas again, there would be no force in the northern province that could compete with Ye Zhi! On the contrary, if Thomas won, he would still be able to control the White Night City and the Border Guard Great Wall, which was equivalent to curbing the throat of Morning Frost Ridge!

Earl Jay of High Castle, Earl Islay of Trout Island, Archbishop Tolbin of the Northern Diocese... lords and nobles of all powers, big and small, all decided to rush to the battlefield where Yeats and Thomas had agreed to meet, to witness this duel between heroes of the time.

December is coming to an end, and it is time for the annual Winter Solstice Festival.

The flying snow covered the ground with a layer of white. Outside the Castle of Winter Sword, next to an exquisite carriage, Theresa said goodbye to Yeats.

"Thank you for your hospitality these days, Your Excellency the Duke."

Theresa was wearing a snow-white princess dress and a diamond crown. She looked elegant and noble. She said softly, "During the days in Morning Frost Ridge and Curling Pass, I saw many things I had never seen before... And I will bring these precious memories back to my father and tell him about them one by one."

Ye Zhi nodded and said, "Give my regards to His Majesty."

Theresa smiled and said, "I will."

She got into the carriage, leaned out of the window, and looked back at Yeats.

Immediately, a hint of deep reluctance appeared in her eyes.

It seemed that Theresa was nostalgic for the life in the snow and ice, and she waved gently to Yeats.

Yeats also waved.

Looking at the carriage that was gradually moving away in the snow, Diamond stood on Ye Zhi's shoulder and asked jokingly, "How do you think she compares to Gray? How does she compare to Hilde?"

Ye Zhi: “…”

You feel uncomfortable if you don't add fuel to the fire for a day!

Grey was originally sent by Yeats to guard the southern front and guard against the movements of White Night City.

However, before Thomas had time to mobilize the troops, the threat from the orc army had been eliminated by Yeats, and then the two of them agreed to duel.

Gray also returned to Yeats and played with the Thunder Hammer that Yeats gave her, unable to let it go.

"Like the Spinning Axe, the Thunder Hammer also has a spinning function."

Ye Zhi said: "You can use it for now, and I will give you the whole Leviathan Axe and Nir-Mjolnir Hammer in the future!"

The tactic of making big promises is quite effective for the inexperienced Grey.

The delighted dragon girl put her arms around Ye Zhi's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Gray's cheeks flushed belatedly, and she ran away in a hurry, shouting that she wanted to go practice fighting skills.

Ye Zhi stood there in a daze, touching his cheek with his fingers.

At this time, the door was pushed open, and Hildreth walked in with the wind and snow, saying that today was the Late Winter Festival, and she invited Yeats to go up the mountain to worship the Black Knight.

"Hilde, you didn't see it just now!" Zuanya stood on Ye Zhi's shoulder and said, "Gray kissed Ye Zhi's cheek, and Ye Zhi blushed."

Yeats: "Nonsense, there is no blushing at all!"

Hildreth hesitated for a moment, bit her lower lip, and whispered, "Did Gray kiss her... on the left or right cheek?"

Ye Zhi was stunned and was about to ask why you asked this, but saw Xilude shook his head.

"never mind."

Hildreth walked forward, gently moved Yezhi's chin with her fingers, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Ye Zhi's eyes widened, and he felt the blood rushing up all over his body.

Hildre's cheeks were also red as if bleeding. He breathed softly, still with a tough attitude on his face, and said: "In this way, I win...right?"

Ye Zhi: “…”

Can this be rolled up?

Well, let the benefits come more vigorously! * In the afternoon.

Yeats, Gray, and Hilde went up the mountain together, and took advantage of the Winter Dusk Festival to worship the Black Knight.

Yeats was already familiar with the Black Knight's sacrificial process, and he saw the familiar figure again at the Black Knight chessboard on the top of the mountain.

With the help of the divinity active at the festival, the Black Knight manifests her avatar.

The knight, wearing dark plate armor and with long black braids, had eyes as bright as gemstones, forcing everyone to look at her with awe and awe.

"Everyone, long time no see."

The Black Knight laughed hoarsely and praised:

"Ye Zhi, I have been following your recent battle...it was quite impressive!"

As a deity under the God of War, the Black Knight favors commanders who are good at strategy.

The surprise attack tactics adopted by Yeats in this battle followed the strategic approach, which the Black Knight saw and was particularly satisfied with.

"You flatter me." Yeats said modestly, "In fact, I have prepared a joke specially for you."

"Oh?" The Black Knight's eyes sparkled slightly, and he asked expectantly, "Tell me about it?"

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

Yeats hesitated and said, “This joke… might have some hell…”

"No problem." The Black Knight laughed heartily, "I just love jokes from Hell!"

There is a god above us, but since the Black Knight said so.

Yeats relaxed and cleared his throat.

"What is the difference between the Son and the Portrait of the Son?"

The Black Knight shook his head in confusion and curiosity: "What is it?"

Yeats said: "The portrait of the Son of God only needs one nail to hang up."

The Black Knight was stunned for a moment, then realized the meaning. The corners of his mouth curled up. He wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, and let out a muffled cough.

"That's a good joke. It makes me want to do it." The Black Knight said, covering his palm.

Ye Zhi: “…”

The Black Knight knows the jokes of Hell, and he can draw inferences from one instance! In the midst of the heavy snow, a bonfire was lit. The three people and the incarnation of the Black Knight sat on the chessboard, drinking and enjoying barbecue.

"Before, I asked you to find King Solomon's seal ring. Have you got any news?" said the Black Knight.

Ye Zhi said: "To my shame, I haven't even found the real Avalon, let alone the treasure hidden in Avalon."

The Black Knight nodded slowly and said, "Don't worry about it. King Solomon's seal ring is a legendary item. It is impossible for it to be easily revealed... Eh? Why do you have the aura of a legendary item?"

The Black Knight's voice sounded somewhat surprised.

Due to its characteristics, even the Black Knight was unaware of the existence of the Silver Oak Sword, and the legendary aura she mentioned was obviously the Lyre.

Ye Zhi took out the lyre and said truthfully, "I got it from the inheritance of the God of Light. However, this lyre is only epic at present and has not yet been restored to legendary quality."

The surprise in the Black Knight's eyes became more and more obvious, and he nodded immediately:

"As expected of you, the chosen one of the goddess of youth... this lyre is a perfect match for you!"

Even if one has weaker divine power, one may not necessarily possess a legendary item. Ye Zhi has not yet reached the Holy Land, but he already has the holy relic of the God of Light, which is very valuable in the eyes of the Black Knight.

They drank some wine in the snow.

As the sun set, Yeats stood up and prepared to say goodbye.

"Since you have come here to offer sacrifices, I cannot let you return empty-handed."

The Black Knight pondered and said, "I have recently been fighting with the Lord of Plunder in the divine realm. We have both won and lost. I am lacking in divinity, so I cannot bless you for the time being... However, I can give you a prophecy."

Ye Zhi asked, "What prophecy?"

The Black Knight looked serious and said:

"There are traces of deep-sea demon activity in the southern part of the Golden Lion Kingdom, and the number of people who believe in this demon has already reached a considerable size."

"For some reason, this demon seems to have angered the powerful goddess of darkness. It is very likely that the goddess of darkness will punish her."

"Given the character of the Dark Night Goddess, if she performs a miracle, the entire southern province may suffer."

"With your current strength, you should develop steadily and aim for the Holy Land." The Black Knight advised, "It's best to stay away from those troubled places."

Ye Zhi had a vague impression of this plot. The deep-sea demon mentioned by the Black Knight seemed to be closely related to the merfolk.

And this matter also involves the Goddess of Dark Night, which is not something Ye Zhi can get involved in at the moment.

but.

Ye Zhi had a bad feeling in his heart.

The battle between the Goddess of Darkness and the Goddess of the Moon has always been a favorite show for Daisy.

"The specific contents of my Five-ring Trickster Promotion Ceremony are still unclear..."

Yeats had mixed feelings.

"Daisy, you won't let me mess with the Goddess of Darkness, right?"

*Two days later.

The night of the duel arrived as promised.

The moonlight was bright, illuminating the ruins of an ancient castle. Far away from the ruins, a large number of spectators gathered spontaneously.

High in the sky, Ye Zhi was wearing wing boots and floating among the sea of ​​clouds. Seeing the large number of spectators, he complained:

"If I had known earlier that I could have cooperated with Thomas again and collected tickets for this duel, I would have made some money..."

At this moment, a suppressed exclamation was heard from the crowd.

Thomas was bathed in dark golden flames, flying above the ruins of the ancient castle. The will of the Five-ring Hero enveloped the entire place, and his majestic gaze constantly patrolled the surroundings.

The discussion was noisy and echoing.

"Thomas was promoted to the fifth ring not long ago, and now his will is even more concentrated!"

"Thomas is famous for his forbearance and cunningness. The Duke of Honeysuckle has little chance of winning against him."

"The Duke of Honeysuckle just won a great victory and was in high spirits. Thomas took this opportunity to challenge him. He was really wrong!"

Another streak of light streaked across the sky and headed straight for the castle!

Everyone looked up with surprise. Ye Zhi had arrived above the sea of ​​clouds silently.

At this moment, Ye Zhi came through the sea of ​​clouds. It was obvious that his flying skills were even better than Thomas's! Ye Zhi stopped right in front of Thomas and confronted him in the air. He looked at him fiercely and smiled:

"I have been waiting for this duel for a long time, Sir Thomas."

Thomas smiled and said:

"After all, you are much younger than me... If you can defeat me in a duel, I will accept the defeat without any complaints. But if, by chance, I win, you should also fulfill your promise!"

Ye Zhi nodded slightly, looked at the bright moon, and the moonlight divinity in his body surged violently.

It's time to use the ultimate move!

(End of this chapter)