4:30 in the afternoon.

Blue Whale Mansion.

Selena slowly opened her eyes, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

In the past, if she stayed up late, she would still feel very tired even if she made up for the sleep the next day. But today was completely different. She felt full of energy and comfortable all over.

"Hmm~ Maybe I was sleeping soundly."

"Ding~ding~ding~"

A deep bell sound came from outside the window, which rang 17 times in a row. It was the temple's alarm clock.

Selena still remembered the chess championship in the evening, so she immediately got up, put on her clothes in no time, and then removed the defensive barrier on the door.

"Rosen~Ro.Helic, are you there?"

"exist."

Rosen's voice came from outside the door, as gentle as ever, which made Selena's heart, which had just risen to her throat, return to her stomach.

He patted his chest gently and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, Aaron Night Guard didn't come to my house."

Aaron's Night Guards are secretive and cruel. If they really come knocking on their door, the two of them may not be their match.

She might be able to save her life, but Rosen would definitely be finished, and now everything is safe and sound, which is naturally the best.

After getting dressed, she opened the bedroom door and immediately smelled a strong aroma of food.

Turning around, I saw that the small dining table in the living room was filled with exquisite delicacies, and next to the delicacies were two glasses of fine wine.

Rosen stood beside the dining table with a smile on his face and extended his hand to invite: "Madam, please have your meal."

Selena's mood became happier: "My dear, it seems that you rested well too."

"It's really nice. This is the first time in my life that I live in such a nice place."

After sitting down at both sides of the dining table and eating half full, Rosen held the wine glass and swung it gently: "Madam, I have to report a piece of news to you."

Somehow, Selena found that Rosen's movements seemed a little strange, but when she looked closely, she couldn't tell what was strange, so she didn't think much about it.

"Maybe it's because I just woke up."

He picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then asked with a relaxed look, "Good news or bad news?"

"Neither good nor bad for now."

"Tell me about it."

"It's like this. The Chess King Contest also set up a handicap to predict who will be the Chess King of the day. Then, I placed a maximum bet of 1,000 Ogg on myself."

Selena thought Rosen was being a little reckless.

"You have to discuss this with me. After all, we earn the money together."

But then again, she didn't take it too seriously, firstly because she was used to big money, and secondly because the money came so easily.

Rosen looked apologetic. “I thought so, but the betting ended at four o’clock and you were still sleeping. There was a defensive barrier on the wall, so I really couldn’t inform you.”

This was true. Since the investment had already been made, there was no way to withdraw it, so Selena was a little concerned.

"Okay, so what are the odds now?"

"1 to 19. I'm placing the bet in your name. You can collect the money when the time comes. It's a lot of money."

Serena wanted to laugh when she heard that: "You sound like you are the chess champion today."

Rosen spread his hands: "What if it's true?"

"I'll wait and see."

Selena just said this and didn't take it to heart. Most of her attention was on the food in front of her.

Especially the stewed lamprey in sauce, which is very delicious and is her favorite.

After the meal, the two of them once again disguised themselves as Sir Helic and Lady Anwena of the Kingdom of Levender, and walked arm in arm towards the chess room on the first floor.

The chess championship held in Blue Whale Mansion is very famous, and quite a number of people live in the mansion just for this event.

As the championship was about to begin, the residents all went out to the chess room, and the staircase corridor was much busier than at other times.

With more people, there are naturally more topics to talk about.

If it were usual, most people would be talking about the victory chess at this moment, but today the situation is special, and most of the topics are still about the runaway princess.

Rosen and Selena walked along, listening attentively all the way.

"Hey man, was that unfortunate bird shit baron caught?"

"Probably not."

"How do you know there isn't one? In my opinion, it might have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

"Hey, then you don't understand the style of the Aaron people."

“If they really catch someone, they will never deal with it quietly. Instead, they will hang the body in the busiest Glory Square for everyone to see.”

"Yes, that's the truth."

"Could this bird shit baron have already left Dawn City?"

"Probably not. I heard that the Night Guards have been looking for someone in the Harbor District. I guess the person is hiding in the Harbor District."

"Isn't our place the only one in the harbor area?"

Amid the chaotic discussions, Selena began to worry again and whispered to Rosen: "How about we take the boat tonight?"

Rosen did not refute, but smiled and nodded: "No problem, I will leave after the chess game is over."

At this time, another message came from the side.

"Have you heard? Someone saw the wandering master Levin on the street."

"How do the two words 'wandering' and 'master' come together?" Some people didn't understand.

Someone immediately explained it to him.

"Levin, born in a commoner family, was promoted to a master of magic three years ago. He refused all offers from nobles and wandered around Veran like a lone wolf."

"Ha, this master's brain must have been kicked by a donkey. He is no longer a nobleman, but a beggar."

"Be careful with your words. This wandering master has a strange temper and is particularly good at fighting. It is said that even Master Shahram may not be able to do it. Anyway, it is best not to provoke him."

Listening to these discussions, Selena whispered to Rosen in an envious tone.

"Oh, it would be great if I could become a master of magic, but unfortunately I can't do that."

Rosen smiled and said, "Madam, if you can't do it yourself, you can always find a master husband."

Selena immediately shook her head: "No way. The masters are all old men with gray hair."

"Yes, ma'am."

At this time, another conversation was heard.

"Is today a good day? The area around the mansion seems to be very busy, with people everywhere."

"That's looking for a cat."

"Looking for a cat?"

"A noble lady lost her beloved pet cat and went to the Mercenary Guild to place a bounty of 3,000 Oggs on it."

"Tsk, 3,000 Oggs, the noble ladies in Dawn City are really rich."

"Who says it's not?"

Selena looked surprised when she heard this.

"What kind of cat is worth so much money? Is it the blood of Ortlin?"

Rosen smiled inwardly: "Kruber's idea is quite good."

The 3,000 Ogers had a huge appeal, and more than 10,000 cat seekers who dreamed of getting rich overnight gathered near the mansion.

On the surface, he smiled and responded: "I don't remember Queen Zoya's cat being bred, so it's highly unlikely."

Ortlin is the name of a famous pet cat. The cat's owner is Queen Zoya, the supreme ruler of the Glorious Empire of the Wit Continent.

Selena then commented: "If I could see this lady, I would definitely give her some advice and tell her to save some money."

As they were talking, the two followed the crowd to the lobby on the first floor of the mansion.

What was different from the morning was that there were many more guys wearing grey leather armor and looking very tough on the first floor of the mansion.

These guys acted in groups of three, consisting of a battle mage and two warriors, guarding each entrance to the hall.

Everyone has a dark red three-headed bird tattooed on their chest, which is the Shahram family's "Prophet Bird" emblem.

Obviously, this is Shahram's family guard.

There were two groups guarding the door of the chess room, one on each side. The explanation given was that they wanted to confirm the identities of the contestants and ensure the safety of the mansion.

For every guest who enters the chess room, the battle mage in the team will take out the dark blue crystal of truth, carefully check the spell effects on the body, and confiscate the weapons carried by the user.

Several guests were caught by the battle mage because they used Transfiguration to fake their identities, but their real identities were wanted criminals.

Selena's heart tightened when she saw this: "Rosen, the situation is not good."

Rosen gently squeezed her palm and said, "Don't worry, Madam. The crystals of truth used by those battle mages are of average effect and can't see through the Transfiguration on us."

After that, he added: "I forgot to mention that I have always used a unique transformation technique that ordinary crystals of truth cannot see through."

"real?"

"Fidelity."

"Was the chess championship so strict in the past?"

"No, it's so strict today. It may be related to our matter. Master Shahram is worried that Aaron's Night Guards will cause trouble."

"It is said that even Master Shahram came in person to prevent any accidents."

Rosen knew that Shahram was really in the mansion, and in a corner not far from them.

The reason why no one noticed was because the old man used Transfiguration to disguise his identity.

During the secret communication, the two had already arrived at the door of the chess room.

The two battle mages at the door came over, one on the left and one on the right, holding the crystal of true knowledge to check their identities.

The dark blue crystal circled around the two people without showing any abnormal light, which meant that no trace of transfiguration was sensed.

The battle mage looked at the magic sword on Rosen's waist again: "Please hand over your weapon, Sir Helic."

Rosen cooperated and took off the magic sword, but before handing it over, he raised his hand and lightly touched the scabbard, and suddenly a large number of light golden runes wrapped the sword body tightly.

"Please allow me to use the Noble Seal, as I do not like others touching my belongings."

"I understand how you feel. We will take the utmost care in keeping your sword."

On the other side, Selena saw this and immediately followed suit, doing the same operation on her Sleeping Beauty wand.

Then the two of them entered the chess room of the mansion.

This is a fairly spacious hall, circular in shape, with audience seats around it and a playing field in the middle.

There are more than 40 chess tables on the field, and more than 30 of them are equipped with independent victory chess referees.

At this time, the chess table was already full of people, a total of sixty-four contestants, most of whom were well-known Victory chess masters.

Half came from all over Veran, and the other half came from other member states of the Natural Alliance.

Of course, there are also a few new faces, such as Sir Helic played by Rosen.

But whether they are familiar faces or unfamiliar faces, they are all successful people in society, including successful businessmen, aristocrats, and celebrities in certain fields.

In short, they are all upper-class people who have money, free time and financial freedom. What they earn from participating in chess competitions is mainly face rather than gold coins.

Most of the auditorium was already full, with about seven or eight hundred people.

Only a small number of the audience were patrons of the palace, and the vast majority were ordinary people who bought tickets specifically to watch the chess game.

The tickets for the audience are not cheap. It is said that one ticket costs five oggs. Half of the proceeds go to the mansion, and the other half goes to the chess king of the day.

That is to say, if Rosen wins the chess championship, he will receive a chess championship bonus of about 2,000 Ogg.

Finally, although Selena was not participating in the competition, she was allowed to sit in the accompanying seat at the chess table because she was a family member of the chess player.

Of course, you can only accompany them and cannot interfere with the contestants in any way, including whispering in your mind.

After Rosen took his seat, Selena looked around at the contestants on the chess field and found many familiar faces, several of whom were famous Victory chess players.

She immediately chuckled with gloating, "Dear Rosen, I saw three truly victorious chess masters. If you can defeat them and become the chess king today, I will dance for you."

Rosen raised his eyebrows: "Dancing? Can I choose the dance style?"

"In the Natural Alliance, I can dance the popular waltz, rumba, swan dance, tango, or Weilan's swift."

Rosen smiled slightly: "Then I have to work hard."

Just as the game was about to start, Aaron's Night Guards gradually turned their attention to this luxurious palace-like hotel.

The reason was simple. Other areas of the harbor had been turned upside down by them, and even the seabed of Storm Bay had been searched thoroughly.

Only the Blue Whale Mansion is left.

(End of this chapter)