84: Chapter 84 Choosing a Direction! Considering the Situation! Her Highness the Princess Has Arrived!

When the characteristics of the final "Dawn Breathing Technique" were completely refined and absorbed...

Rowan clearly felt the Myriad Manifestations Furnace deep within his body shudder violently, letting out a satisfied, low hum.

Inside the furnace, the core of the phantom-purple [Ice Flame] combat qi didn't grow significantly in volume, but its rotation speed was faster, and its color was deeper and more restrained.

Nine glows of different colors, like nine satellites, rotated in an orderly fashion around the life seed, their auras connecting to form a complete, circular system.

Ice-blue Frost, silver-gray Insight, dark-red Blood Rage, ethereal-purple Shape-shifting, pale-green Wind Breath, crimson Blazing, dark-gold Shadow Escape, dark-brown Bulwark, and moon-white Vitality.

The Level 2 Myriad Manifestations Furnace was finally completely filled!

There was no longer the slightest hint of sluggishness; it had reached the theoretically perfect state for his current realm.

Simultaneously, the immense progress brought by refining the three Breathing Techniques transformed into a massive amount of proficiency, pushing the Breathing Technique's experience bar to rise frantically!

With a slight thought, he summoned the system panel.

[born succubus more children more blessings system]

...

[Drain lv2 (3212/4000)]

[Remaining Free Attribute Points: 1006]

...

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique lv2 (9032/10000) (Peak Knight)]

Current Characteristics: [Frost (Blue)], [Insight (Blue)], [Blood Rage (Blue)], [Shape-shifting (Blue)], [Wind Breath (Blue)], [Blazing (Blue)], [Shadow Escape (Blue)], [Bulwark (Blue)], [Vitality (Blue)]

...

The proficiency of the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique had already reached 9032!

Only 968 points remained before reaching Level 3 Great Knight!

And his free attribute points, after draining Elena's raw yet layered emotional energy, had reached 1006 points.

Now, two paths lay before him for upgrading directly through attribute points:

First, raise the [Drain] skill to Level 3.

This would significantly increase his efficiency in obtaining emotional energy, especially when facing high-quality targets, yielding even higher returns.

If he could take down Priestess Aliyah after that, he could use Level 3 [Drain] to absorb the massive emotional energy released during her peak moments, gaining enough free attribute points to push his Breathing Technique to Level 3 as well, achieving a double win.

Second, directly dump points into the [Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique] to reach Level 3, stepping into the rank of Great Knight in one go!

His next goal was to plot for the Golden Flame Territory, and the strength of a Great Knight was an indispensable, hard requirement.

Without the strength of a Great Knight, he wouldn't even have the qualification to look at it, let alone plot for it.

Therefore, the key to choosing a direction was—

Could he take down Priestess Aliyah in the near future?

Rowan closed his eyes, rapidly deducing all known information in his mind.

The conclusion was clear and cold:

Difficult!

Extremely difficult!

Aliyah was far stronger than he had imagined.

During the battle at Mist Whisper Town, he had seen it clearly—

The iceberg suppressing that fiery lake of her heart was the Primal Fire inherited through the Windsor Family bloodline!

This power granted her mental strength far beyond ordinary people, allowing her to maintain divine clarity and the coldness of judgment even under the most extreme emotional fluctuations.

It was both the source of her power and the strongest barrier protecting her heart from being stained by the dust of the world.

Level 2 Charm was not enough to make her completely fall.

If he wanted to take her down...

Unless he could force her into a state where her Primal Fire was exhausted, only then would he have a chance...

Thinking of this.

Rowan lowered his eyes and carefully considered the current situation.

Aliyah was currently in the eye of the storm; she appeared calm, but in reality, she bore unimaginable pressure and scrutiny.

All her actions were inevitably centered around the interests of the Church and the purification of the North; her personal feelings and preferences had long been compressed to almost nothing.

From the increasingly strange and unpredictable atmosphere in Gino City, he had already sensed a deeper storm brewing in the shadows.

Aliyah was unwilling to end the Scarlet Heresy Case just like this.

The conflict between the Church and the local nobility was beginning to surface.

Duke Witton's attitude was starting to become unpredictable.

People from the Royal Family and The Senate had also publicly announced they would arrive in Gino City in one day...

All of this indicated that the upcoming game would be even more dangerous and complex.

Count Farrell was dead...

Why was Priestess Aliyah still refusing to let go?

What was she still investigating?

What was she suspicious of?

What exactly was her goal?

There must be a reason he didn't know that led to the current anomalies.

Unfortunately, his status was low—he was just a mere country baron with no intelligence network of his own, relying on the well-connected Lady Lillian for information.

Standing in the mist, it was hard to see the whole picture.

But one thing he knew perfectly well—

No matter how deep the water was, strength would always be the most fundamental chip for survival and the game.

The realm of a Peak Knight was far from enough in the upcoming game.

Just the disposal plan for the Golden Flame Territory alone affected the hearts of countless people.

Not to mention the looming undercurrents behind the scenes.

Only a Great Knight would have the initial qualification to choose.

And cultivation after becoming a Peak Knight became increasingly difficult.

To rely on daily hard cultivation to accumulate proficiency and break through to Great Knight, even with the help of the lionheart dawn secret potion, would take about half a year of slow grinding.

He couldn't wait that long.

The situation wouldn't give him that much time.

He had already made his decision—

At the official banquet tomorrow night to welcome Princess Alice and The Senate delegation, he would observe Aliyah's state one last time.

If she remained as impregnable as an ice fortress, her Primal Fire Blazing and stable, then he would no longer hesitate and would directly use his free attribute points to charge into the Great Knight realm!

The initiative brought by an increase in strength was far more important than waiting for an ethereal opportunity.

...

The next day, evening.

Gino City, Calyx Manor.

The manor was brilliantly decorated inside and out, guarded by a mix of Temple Knights and the Royal Guard, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Rowan, holding an invitation, attended in full dress.

Today, he wore a well-tailored velvet suit with simple patterns embroidered in silver thread along the edges.

And the female companion holding his arm was—

Mira Mesa.

After a period of recuperation at White Cliff Castle, her serious injuries had basically healed.

Her flame-like, waist-length curly hair had been meticulously styled, cascading behind her like a burning waterfall, with only a simple red maple leaf-shaped hairpin pinned at her temple.

She wore a deep-red off-the-shoulder evening gown as brilliant as the sunset, the hem trailing on the ground, outlining her tall, athletic, and stunningly curved figure.

The gown's design wasn't complex, yet it perfectly complemented her bright, elegant features and those reddish-gold eyes.

Having experienced the upheaval of her family and a life-and-death escape, her brow showed a kind of resilience and wild beauty born of hardship.

With every glance, she carried a vibrant radiance.

Standing with Rowan, one gentle and one fiery, they were quite eye-catching.

“Nervous?”

Rowan tilted his head slightly and asked in a low voice.

He could feel Mira's hand on his arm tightening slightly.

“A little.”

“You know, I used to be just a mercenary.”

Mira took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the nobles with their various expressions. She hesitated for a moment and whispered, “I heard... Count Farrell, was your...”

Rowan gave a noncommittal smile and merely patted her hand on his arm:

“That's in the past; it was just a coincidence.”

Mira understood and nodded, her body unconsciously leaning closer to Rowan.

The two talked in low voices, their intimate posture naturally leading to more speculation from those around them.

After all—

Mira was now the last heir of the Mesa Family.

For hundreds of years, the Mesa Family had always stood at the peak of the Gino County Upper House nobility; its rise and fall had always been the focus of everyone's attention.

Only before this, almost everyone thought—

That the two young heirs had long since died quietly in some unknown corner.

...

Guests arrived one after another, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.

But everyone seemed to be waiting for something.

Until the waiter at the entrance of the banquet hall announced loudly:

“Church of Dawn, Bishop Cardinal Cole Randall, Chief Priestess Aliyah Windsor, and Temple Knight Commander Calvin Grant have arrived—!”

The entire room instantly quieted down, and all eyes turned toward the entrance.

Bishop Cole was still in his deep-red bishop's robes, his face kind but his eyes sharp.

Commander Calvin's tower-like body was encased in a crisp silver ceremonial armor, looking strong and powerful.

And Aria Windsor, walking slightly ahead between the two, instantly drew the gaze of most people.

The style of her priestess ceremonial robe was slightly more ornate than her daily robes, with faint golden dawn patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs, but it remained conservative and solemn.

After entering, her expression was calm, her gaze sweeping over the room without a ripple.

Rowan also looked over.

He keenly noticed that compared to Mist Whisper Town, the holy aura around her seemed more restrained, yet also deeper.

It was as if after that head-on collision with the power of an evil god, her will had undergone some kind of tempering or sublimation.

He thought for a moment and moved his mind.

The system panel appeared in his mind:

[92 points]

The moment he saw this number.

Rowan's pupils shrank slightly, almost imperceptibly.

As expected!

It had gone up by one point!

Clearly, slaying the Scarlet God-Descent body in Mist Whisper Town had allowed her to make a breakthrough in certain aspects, and her score increased accordingly.

This certainly confirmed her strength and potential.

But for Rowan.

This was by no means good news!

The higher the score, the higher the natural resistance to the [Charm] skill.

There was already that troublesome Primal Fire, which had caused the opportunity at Snow Velvet Manor to fail at the last step!

And now her score had gone up!

How was he supposed to succeed!

The difficulty of conquering her had soared again!

“It seems the decision to use points to break through to Great Knight immediately after the banquet was the right one.”

The last trace of hesitation in Rowan's heart completely dissipated.

Facing an Aliyah whose score was still rising and whose strength was unfathomable, any clever schemes seemed laughable.

Only by raising his own strength could he be qualified to stand on a higher level and think about how to approach her.

After the Church group entered, they didn't stay long.

After Aliyah's gaze paused slightly on Rowan, she followed the Church party toward the reserved main seating area at the front of the banquet hall.

At this time, the announcement at the entrance rang out even louder:

“The Seventh Princess of the Empire, Her Highness Alice Tudor, has arrived—!”

“The Imperial Senate Observation Team: Sir Theodore Witton, Sir Lucius Winter, Sir Eli Holmes, Ms. Vanessa Bryce, and Sir Kevin Brennan have arrived—!”

...