145: Chapter 145: Reflecting on Standards! Six S-Class Girls Appear! Beyond Expectations!

Golden Flame Castle.

The scenic terrace outside the master bedroom.

The winter night wind carried fine snowflakes, striking against the stone railing.

Rowan, however, seemed oblivious, standing by the railing in only a thin, dark casual outfit.

He overlooked Gino City, ablaze with lights below.

Tomorrow, the immensely costly beauty pageant would be held in the castle hall.

He was also pondering how to select the maidens tomorrow.

Currently, Golden Flame Castle was still very spacious.

Through the expansions of several generations of Count Golden Flame, this colossal castle could theoretically comfortably accommodate over six hundred people.

Yet, his entire retinue brought from White Cliff Territory—butlers, servants, even the children and female dependents like Elise—totaled no more than a hundred.

This made the castle seem somewhat empty.

Many rooms were unoccupied and unattended.

As for the maidens participating in the beauty pageant, he had a preliminary quality estimate.

These maidens were mostly not of noble birth, but came from commoner families.

Therefore, there shouldn't be too many maidens scoring above eighty points.

However, those who reached eighty points would be candidates for female official training, worthy of investment, and would assist him in managing the territory in the future.

The difficulty lay in how to set the retention standard for maidens below eighty points.

Without special talents, most maidens below eighty points would only be trained as maids.

Originally, based on his previous experience, women with excessively low scores provided relatively limited quality emotional energy, making them less cost-effective for him.

However, the situation was now somewhat different—

After the Drain skill successfully advanced to Lv3, the efficiency of absorbing emotional energy had significantly improved.

This meant that even women with slightly lower scores could provide a steady stream of emotional energy.

Accumulating small amounts, this would also be a considerable gain for his current, snail-paced Breathing Technique cultivation progress.

Thinking of his Breathing Technique progress, a rare hint of helplessness arose within him.

After advancing to Low-tier Great Knight, with the furnace operating on its own, one point of Breathing Technique proficiency per day was simply as slow as a snail.

However, considering Count Farrell, who commanded the resources of a county for decades and was still stuck at Low-tier Great Knight without progress.

It was clear that every step after the high-tier required astonishing accumulation.

He wasn't overly surprised by this.

His current progress of one point per day was probably already a decent rate of improvement.

But for him, it was far from enough.

"A base... I need a larger base, and more stable output."

Rowan's gaze swept over the inns below the castle, illuminated by the merchant guild's lights.

Hundreds of maidens gathered there, awaiting his inspection tomorrow.

Perhaps high-quality flowers were essential.

But a large number of ordinary flowers were equally indispensable.

Finally, he made a decision.

Lower the score threshold appropriately, and expand the scale moderately.

While ensuring the quality of the core female official team, retain as many maidens with breakthrough potential as possible to fill the maid corps.

There were enough empty rooms in the castle.

The future garden also needed different levels of flowers to enrich its ecosystem...

...

The next day, early morning.

Golden Flame Castle, Flameglow Hall.

This hall, located on the first floor of the main castle, had been meticulously arranged as the sole venue for the beauty pageant.

The hall was extremely spacious, with huge arched glass windows on both sides.

Now, the heavy curtains were fully drawn, allowing the daylight to pour in unrestrainedly, illuminating every corner of the hall with perfect clarity.

At the far end of the hall, on a raised platform, stood a wide, imposing high-backed chair.

The seat faced the hall, overlooking the entire space.

There were no other furnishings in the hall; the polished black marble floor was reflective.

The air was filled with a faint scent of fir incense, mixing with the cold air entering from outside, creating an atmosphere that was both solemn and aloof.

Rowan sat on the high main seat, with Lady Lillian standing beside him.

He nodded.

Lady Lillian understood and signaled to the merchant guild steward at the door.

The large doors were opened.

First to be led into the hall were the star contestants of this beauty pageant.

Six S-Rank maidens!

Led by the merchant guild's female steward, they filed into the hall, then lined up in front of Rowan.

Even from a distance, Rowan could clearly feel the fresh and vibrant maidenly aura from these six figures.

They had clearly been instructed, wearing elegant and appropriate dresses, with refined but not overly alluring makeup, and displaying both grace and apprehension in their demeanor.

But the brilliance, refined from tens of thousands of eligible women, could not be hidden.

After they stood still, they all instinctively looked at The Count, who was seated high in the main seat of the hall.

Upon seeing Rowan's handsome face, their eyes widened slightly, and a blush appeared on their cheeks.

They hadn't expected The Count to be so young and handsome!

Rowan looked at the six maidens, his thoughts stirring.

The system panel silently unfolded in his mind, as he cross-referenced it with the roster in his hand.

The first was Cecilia, a noble orphan from Ascalon City.

Her golden hair was tied in a high ponytail, her posture as straight as a white poplar, her face possessing the softness of a maiden and the vigilance of the wilderness.

She kept her eyes slightly downcast, her posture respectful.

But Rowan still perceived the inner vitality and vigor within her.

Rowan instantly captured her score.

[91 points]!

Seeing this score, Rowan's eyebrows involuntarily rose.

It was a good start!

Excellent, excellent!

This completely exceeded his expectations.

Could such an unpolished gem exist?

To have the same score as Aria, who was already a Great Knight when she first arrived in Gino City, even before embarking on the path of the extraordinary?

Simply terrifying!

He truly had stumbled upon a treasure!

He couldn't help but beam with joy.

Lady Lillian, standing by, keenly sensed Rowan's delight.

Although she was somewhat puzzled, she also felt happy inside.

It seemed The Count was very satisfied!

She also let out a slight sigh of relief.

After all, this beauty pageant would cost a total of over a million gold coins. If The Count were ultimately dissatisfied, the consequences...

At this moment, after his initial joy, Rowan's gaze moved on to the next maiden without stopping.

The second was Helena from Frostwind City.

Black hair and black eyes, her exquisitely beautiful face seemed carved by divine craftsmanship, appearing serene and introverted.

However, a faint, lingering sorrow seemed to cloud her brows.

But it only added a touch of charm that invited pity.

Her small hands unconsciously clutched the hem of her skirt, betraying her inner nervousness, yet her back was straight, displaying a kind of desperate resilience.

[90 points]!

Another 90 points!

This was truly going to take off!

Rowan felt very excited.

He immediately felt that the money spent was truly worth it!

Then, he eagerly looked at the next one.

...

The third, according to the records, was Isabella Godfrey, descendant of a fallen bureaucratic family.

Golden hair and blue eyes, with an elegant temperament and impeccable manners, like a noble lady stepped out of a painting.

[84 points]!

Excellent, but not top-tier.

This score indicated that her inherent extraordinary qualities were ordinary.

Her value might lie more in her talents.

However, it also met expectations.

This calmed his agitated mood somewhat after the consecutive good starts.

It seemed things were returning to normal.

...

The fourth was the mixed-blood maiden, Sophia.

Her rare purple hair shimmered with a faint glow under the daylight, and her violet eyes were as clear as a highland lake, ethereal and transcendent.

She seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Rowan's scrutiny, tilting her head slightly, her fingertips lightly pinching the hem of her skirt, also appearing unaccustomed to such attire.

[88 points]!

An extremely high score!

As high as Mira!

But the difference was, Mira was already an Official Knight when she scored eighty-eight points, while Sophia clearly had not yet mastered extraordinary power.

Extremely promising!

...

The fifth was Melissa, a genius from a free commoner family in Weixino City.

The records indicated she possessed outstanding intelligence and computational talent.

Her appearance could only be described as delicate and pretty, not breathtakingly beautiful.

But she had exceptionally bright and lively eyes, revealing focus and meticulousness.

She seemed more interested in the hall's structure and the angles of light, observing with an evaluative and calculating gaze.

Originally, based on her appearance, she should have been A-rank, not S-rank.

However, Rowan had increased the weight given to intelligence when setting the standards.

Melissa had completed two bachelor's degrees at a high-standard university in Weixino City in just one year, meeting the promotion standard.

[85 points]!

Very good, she would definitely be one of the key candidates for female official training.

The sixth was Catherine, the illegitimate daughter of a viscount.

Her appearance was gentle, her physique light, with an artist-like sensitive temperament and slender fingers.

She bit her lower lip slightly, appearing somewhat uneasy.

[82 points]

She was an extremely beautiful woman.

One could even say that, purely based on appearance and physique, she was the most captivating among the six S-ranks.

But her score was the lowest among the S-ranks.

It seemed she made it into S-rank entirely on her looks and temperament.

Her extraordinary qualities were lackluster.

...

In just a moment, Rowan had finished observing the six S-rank maidens.

Among the six, two actually scored over 90 points.

Additionally, one scored 88 points, and the lowest was 82 points.

The quality far exceeded expectations!

They were indeed the essence he had painstakingly selected, mobilizing the entire Northern Territory Merchant Guild network at great expense.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He suddenly felt that these six alone were worth the price.

Having witnessed the rarity and preciousness of ninety points, what were a mere million gold coins spent?

He chuckled and whispered a few words to Lady Lillian, who stood by.

Upon hearing this, Lady Lillian also showed a joyful expression, instructing the scribe to quickly record it on the roster.

All six maidens were to be kept!

Then, the six S-rank maidens were respectfully led out by the female steward.

Next to enter—

Were fifteen A-rank maidens.