They all call me Great Master

Surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes, yet the text before him continued—

[Judgment: Possesses 'Swift Bird Swordsmanship. Pseudo Lv3'. Would you like to expend 100XP to merge with 'Swift Bird Breathing Technique', 'Swift Bird Meditation Technique'?]

...

Seeing the fusion prompt appear, Arthur was not surprised.

What truly surprised him was the small box in Todd Gili's hands that contained the 'Swift Bird Breathing Technique' and 'Swift Bird Meditation Technique'.

Clearly, that Little Lisop had conducted a rather thorough investigation on him, even knowing about the "Swift Bird Swordsmanship. Pseudo" that he had used only a handful of times.

Hence, he had specifically brought out the 'Swift Bird Breathing Technique' and 'Swift Bird Meditation Technique'!

'You really went all out to set me up, kid!'

Arthur thought to himself, his face alight with ecstatic joy.

Seeing Arthur's expression, the owner of the Swordsmanship Club felt a burst of joy in his heart.

"As per our agreement, they are now yours!"

So said the owner of the Swordsmanship Club.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me.

I will always remember it!"

Arthur appeared grateful.

"An agreement! Yes, an agreement!"

The club owner murmured, but his heart was filled with disdainful sneers.

'Hah, that's all a 'Spirit Medium' amounts to?'

With a sense of contempt, having completed his task, the Swordsmanship Club owner had no further desire to stay at No. 2 Cork Street. He couldn't wait to report back to that noble person.

Thus, he promptly took his leave.

Arthur, meanwhile, with a smile, saw him out the door.

After watching the man board the carriage and noticing Edwin stealthily following from a dark corner, Arthur then turned and walked back into No. 2 Cork Street.

In the Spirit Medium Parlor, Marinda and Julie, who had just emerged from a secret chamber, were looking at the two scrolls of secret techniques inside the small box.

Emotion was evident on their faces.

However, their feelings were headed in different directions.

Like Arthur, Marinda was astonished by Little Lisop's bold move.

But Swordsmanship Master Julie was nostalgic—

"Ah, 'Swift Bird Swordsmanship'!

Back when the Grand Duke introduced this swordsmanship during the 'Seven Years' War' to train soldiers and swordsmen, it incited the opposition of the entire South County nobility.

Even the Old Earl was a firm detractor.

And now it seems...

That Grand Duke was truly remarkable!

He used this swordsmanship to gain unparalleled fame among commoners, and it made many nobles so preoccupied with their power struggles that they completely neglected the ever-changing battlefield.

Even though this was not 'Lion Swordsmanship', it was the same."

With that, the Swordsmanship Chief let out a deep sigh.

Arthur, following that sigh, reflected on the information he had consciously been gathering lately—

The Duke of the Inner Bay was known as the Lion, not only for his unique bloodline ability 'Lion Group'.

'Lion Swordsmanship' was also indispensable.

It was a swordsmanship that perfectly integrated with 'Lion Group'.

It allowed the user to exert their charisma to the utmost degree.

Or to put it another way...

'Monarch's Presence'!

Legend has it that a young Old Lion was able to turn a two-thousand-strong elite musketeer squad to defect on the spot, because he had mastered 'Lion Swordsmanship' to a high degree, complemented by his bloodline's 'Lion Group' ability.

Of course, there was another version of the story as well.

To build up the young Old Lion's reputation, the Golden Lion Family had 'burned' all the gold coins it had saved over a hundred years, creating that astonishing scene—marveling at the Old Lion's 'talent gap' that he needed so many gold coins to achieve that effect.

With someone of 'normal talent', the effect would have been tenfold.

Arthur was skeptical about this piece of news.
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Although he believed that there was no such thing as an unfounded rumor, and that everything must have a certain cause, the 'Golden Lion Family' originally didn't have just one heir, the Old Lion.

If the Old Lion were really that bad, how could he possibly have received such strong support from his family?

Besides this piece of news, there were many other rumors that were difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood—

For example: in the spring, the Old Lion needed the company of 30 ladies per day, but each time it only lasted 10 seconds, and once a lady was so dissatisfied with the short duration that she grabbed him by the collar and beat him up.

For example: the Old Lion's favorite thing was to stroll in Inner Bay at dusk, as if surveying his territory, but he always got lost, to the point that the night patrol mistook him for a suspicious person and took him to the police station, where he was locked up with a bunch of hooligans. The following day, the entire Lion Palace was in an uproar when the palace steward fetched him back, still eagerly chatting with the scoundrels, seemingly reluctant to end the conversation.

For example: the Old Lion could consume 40kg of meat in a meal, particularly fond of barbecues. Each time he faced the court doctor's advice to eat more vegetables, he would hide the unwanted vegetables under the table and feed them to rabbits, waiting until the rabbits were plump enough to roast and eat them in the middle of the night. Once, he failed to control the fire, burning half of the backyard.

For example: the Old Lion actually had no whiskers and was bald; his lush hair and beard were all fake. Once, during a meeting, he put his whiskers and hair on backward, and when someone pointed this out to him, he immediately adjusted them nonchalantly and continued to engage with his guests in cheerful conversation.

…

In summary, if you compiled these true and false stories about the Old Lion into a book, it would definitely be a bestseller.

The people of Inner Bay would definitely adore their lord's various 'interesting lives'.

Because they were truly amusing.

Even if one stripped away the aura of the Old Lion as the 'Grand Duke' and the 'Pioneer,' he was still funny enough to make people burst into laughter.

Just like Arthur, who took it as a 'joke book.'

Without truly encountering the Old Lion, Arthur would definitely not jump to conclusions.

In the face of such an adversary, any deviation would prove fatal.

What about the Earl of South Los?

The same applies.

"Lady Julie, please keep this box and the secret technique safe—I think I may need you to clear my name in tomorrow's competition," Arthur remarked with a sigh.

"That's exactly what I'm here for!" the Swordsmanship Chief laughed in response.

At the same time, the Swordsmanship Chief promptly produced a contract, detailing every event that had just occurred.

Instantly, Arthur gained an immediate impression of the reliability of the Swordsmanship Chief.

No verbal agreement was as powerful as a contract.

"Consider this my personal compensation!"

After handing over the contract to Arthur, the Swordsmanship Chief picked up the barrel of honey fruit wine that had just been opened and took one sip, waved off Marinda's offer to see her out, and headed straight outside.

"Julie is a good person, right?

I hope she won't get caught up in the upcoming chaos and fall into the abyss," Marinda murmured while clenching her pipe, her voice somewhat muffled.

Because this lady was all too aware that it was impossible.

The other party's established identity meant she would inevitably be in the midst of the whirlwind.

As for falling into the abyss?

Who knows.

She herself didn't even know if she would remain safe and sound.

And Arthur…

He probably didn't know either, right?

Subconsciously, Marinda turned to look at her partner.

In the heavy rain, the young 'Spirit Medium' stretched out his hand to catch the icy autumn rain, his face calm yet filled with undeniable certainty—

"Chaos is never the abyss!

Chaos has always been…

the ladder leading up!"

With that, Arthur turned to Marinda with a radiant smile.

Marinda was momentarily stunned in place.

Watching the man in front of her, the flicker of the flame in her pipe quickened.

And then…

She was doused with a faceful of rainwater.