FBPRN 11

Chapter 11: The Invitation

“Stop!” Murong Yue whipped around in shock. “Su Cheng, you can’t do this!”

Su Cheng folded her arms and stood off to the side. “This isn’t me doing it.”

“You can control it!” Murong Yue snapped. “Don’t think I don’t know how your power works. If you hadn’t activated that kind of…”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The junior girl let out a scream so shrill it sounded like her throat was tearing apart.

The flesh on her body began sloughing off in strips, pattering wetly onto the ground. In the blink of an eye, she was reduced to a grotesque blood-soaked figure. Pale white bone was already visible beneath her limbs.

“Compensation! I’ll compensate you!” she sobbed hysterically. “I’ll give you however much money you want!”

“Stop it!” Murong Yue barked. “I just hadn’t finished explaining…”

Su Cheng paused.

Now that her suspicions had been confirmed, there was no benefit in letting this person die. If anything, taking the money and letting her live was the better option.

And yet…

She tried.

Nothing stopped.

The junior collapsed into the pool of blood with a shriek.

Her entire body was crimson. Torn chunks of flesh littered the floor, ripped away by some invisible force. Her arms and legs had become horrifying skeletal frames wrapped in scraps of gore.

“You!” Murong Yue stared at Su Cheng in fury and disbelief. “Why would you do something like this?!”

Su Cheng frowned at him.

For the first time, she understood with perfect clarity why people feared God’s Favored.

“That’s enough,” she said softly. “When she tore up the ‘contract,’ what were you doing?”

Murong Yue drew in a deep breath. “The moment you took it out, I knew it wasn’t the contract.”

He had personally read and signed the real one. Of course he remembered what it looked like.

Su Cheng gave a cold laugh. “So because it wasn’t the contract, she could just snatch it and rip it apart? Your rank is higher than hers. Your reactions are faster than hers. If you’d stopped her for even a second, this wouldn’t have happened. Why don’t you reflect on yourself for once?”

“You knew I wasn’t someone to provoke. Why didn’t you warn her beforehand? The contract clearly stated the contents had to be fully disclosed. Why didn’t you say anything? Embarrassed? You care more about saving face than someone else’s life. You’re hopeless.”

Murong Yue’s expression darkened terribly. “I did tell her about the broken engagement. I also told them not to mock you anymore…”

“She didn’t know the contract even existed. She didn’t know about the compensation clause either. Don’t play word games with me.”

The students from Nanhe Academy stood there in stunned silence.

Some looked like they wanted to speak, but every glance toward the pile of blood and exposed bone on the floor made them swallow their words back down.

Most of them had been trying to curry favor with Murong Yue earlier. A few had even mocked Su Cheng alongside him.

Now they were profoundly grateful they hadn’t gone further.

This was no ordinary elemental mage’s power.

They had all seen death before. Some had killed with their own hands.

But this…

This was too bizarre. Too horrifying.

Su Cheng turned away.

Their corner of the guild hall was tense enough to choke on, but the rest of the place remained noisy and chaotic.

There were simply too many people. Most couldn’t see what had happened through the crowds, though the smell of blood had already begun spreading.

“…What happened?!”

“Did someone die?”

Mercenaries lived by the blade. Deaths caused by fights and grudges weren’t uncommon.

Still, most people restrained themselves inside guild territory.

On the second-floor balcony, a dense crowd of mercenaries leaned over the railings to watch the spectacle below.

They stared down at the mangled blood-covered corpse, whispering among themselves.

“Some kind of strange mage? Feels curse-related. They exchanged a few lines earlier. Maybe those were the trigger conditions?”

“Could be arcane magic too. Like space tearing apart…”

“Didn’t feel any magical fluctuations, though…”

As they spoke, their gazes kept drifting toward Su Cheng, each trying to guess what kind of power she had used.

Not a single one mentioned God’s Favored.

There were too few of them in the world. Ordinary people simply didn’t think in that direction.

And the guild hall was too loud. Very few had heard the exact words exchanged between her and the dead girl.

Su Cheng glanced toward the second-floor corridor.

Her eyes swept across the mercenaries before landing on a familiar figure.

The silver-haired young man leaned lazily against the railing with a glass of crimson drink in hand, smiling as he watched the show unfold below. When their eyes met, he even winked at her.

Tilting her head slightly, she spotted Camus nearby at the entrance of the corridor.

People constantly passed in front of him, partially obscuring the blond man’s tall figure. Beneath the shadow of his hat brim, his dark blue eyes gleamed coldly.

He met her gaze from afar for a brief moment before turning away and heading back inside.

It almost looked as though he had deliberately come out just to confirm whether she was still alive.

Su Cheng: “…”

During all this, two Nanhe Academy students had already carried away the unlucky girl, dead or alive nobody could tell, leaving behind only a massive pool of blood.

Then another commotion erupted behind them.

A group descended from the staircase on the opposite side, and the surrounding mercenaries immediately stepped aside.

Every member of the group wore military-style armor, elaborate and immaculate. The scent of blood clung heavily to them, and each carried the unmistakable air of battle-hardened veterans.

Engraved across their breastplates were a pair of spread silver wings.

The emblem of the Silverwing Mercenary Corps.

At the front walked a strikingly beautiful young man.

His silver curls were gathered into a long braid that hung loosely down his back, threaded with pale blue streaks like floating ice beneath glacier water.

His skin was porcelain white with a faint crystalline sheen. Long pointed ears peeked through his hair.

Half the guild hall fell silent.

The appearance of members from an S-rank mercenary corps drew attention almost instantly.

“…Xiao Lan!”

One of Murong Yue’s classmates gasped.

Clearly, this silver-haired youth was the person Nanhe Academy had been trying to recruit.

Xiao Lan walked over unhurriedly, the crowd parting around him like waves split by the tide.

Murong Yue forced himself to compose his expression. “Lord Xiao Lan…”

A low murmur spread nearby.

Everyone knew the title Lord was reserved for only a few kinds of people.

Nobles with officially granted titles.

Or sixth-rank and above mages and warriors, Great Mages and Great Warriors.

High-ranking clergy of the Church could also earn the title.

As for God’s Favored…

There were even fewer of those.

“No need to explain.”

Xiao Lan lifted a hand, cutting Murong Yue off.

His voice was warm and gentle, almost soothing to listen to.

“Bullying the weak is disgraceful enough already. The conduct of your academy’s students speaks for itself. I was the one who invited you here today, and for that I apologize. But there’s nothing left for us to discuss.”

Murong Yue’s eyes cooled. “Do you truly believe she’s weak?”

“She isn’t.” Xiao Lan shook his head lightly. “But your classmate believed she was weaker than herself, and so she tried to humiliate her.”

“Because the truth turned out otherwise, she suffered the consequences. But if Su Cheng had truly lacked strength, would she simply have been expected to endure it?”

He looked at them calmly.

“Your academy clearly selects students based only on talent, strength, and background, without caring about character. In that case, there’s really nothing left to say. I have no interest in becoming classmates with vulgar people like you. It would ruin the entire experience.”

Su Cheng tilted her head, studying him.

As Murong Yue’s supposed “close friend,” Xiao Lan had apparently also undergone the gender-bending treatment.

Her memories of this character from the original novel were vague, but now that she saw him in person…

He actually seemed pretty interesting.

The faces of the Nanhe Academy group had turned ugly.

Xiao Lan’s words were painfully blunt, yet none of them could think of a rebuttal.

The silver-haired boy ignored them and turned slightly toward Su Cheng instead.

“Good day, miss.”

“Good day, Lord Great Warrior.” Su Cheng nodded politely. “I must say, you made a wise decision.”

Xiao Lan regarded her thoughtfully. “And what about you? Which academy will you choose for your future studies?”

Su Cheng blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

They were probably around the same age, though Xiao Lan looked even younger than she did. He could’ve passed for a middle school student without much difficulty.

Still, he stood over half a head taller than her, his build already carrying the outline of an adult man.

Only his face retained traces of youth.

His features were delicate and refined. His blue eyes shimmered like sunlit seawater rippling beneath a summer sky. Layered silver-white lashes framed them like frost woven into crystal.

For a moment, Su Cheng felt her heartbeat skip.

She quickly looked away.

“Ahem. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I won’t attend any school at all.”

Something flickered through Murong Yue’s gaze nearby.

He actually believed her.

The gods of this era were broadly divided into two factions. Either allies and subordinates of the God of Light, or followers of the God of Darkness.

The God of Law and the God of Contracts both belonged to the former.

The Church loved recruiting Favored of allied gods, offering them exceptional treatment and resources.

As one of God’s Favored, Su Cheng would naturally receive the same privileges.

The Church gathered elites from across the world. Its academies cultivated promising young clergy and individuals with extraordinary talents.

“…I see.”

Xiao Lan nodded slowly.

His beautiful blue eyes flickered with understanding as his gaze briefly swept over her arm.

Realization dawned in his expression.

“If your intentions change,” he said earnestly, “please let me know. I believe your decision would carry considerable value as a reference.”

“I don’t know many humans,” he continued. “People my own age even less so. I thought speaking with them might be enlightening.”

He glanced toward Murong Yue’s group.

“…Apparently, I was mistaken.”

Su Cheng stared at him for a few seconds before finally understanding.

“So you still want to experience attending an academy?”

“Yes.” Xiao Lan nodded solemnly. “I’ve never experienced school life before. Some people insist it’s an essential part of life.”

Su Cheng got it immediately.

“If I really do decide to study somewhere, I’ll send someone to inform you. Silverwing always has people stationed here anyway, right?”

A top mercenary corps like Silverwing was often hired by the imperial family and government military alike.

Though medium-sized corps only had several hundred to several thousand official combat members, they also employed administrative staff responsible for recruitment, contracts, and logistical work.

In major strategic cities like Amber City, elite mercenary corps usually maintained permanent offices inside the guild.

“So,” Su Cheng said casually, “I can just stop by and leave a message when the time comes?”

“Exactly. Thank you.” Xiao Lan smiled politely. “I noticed you recently registered as a mercenary?”

Su Cheng still held her little mercenary booklet in hand. “Yeah?”

The silver-haired boy looked at her quietly.

“Then… have you considered joining a mercenary corps?”

Su Cheng blinked. “If I said no, would you recruit me?”

He laughed softly, then echoed her tone back at her.

“If I said yes, would you agree?”

Several Silverwing mercenaries stood behind him.

Not one of them objected.

None even looked surprised.

The surrounding crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

Countless gazes filled with envy turned toward Su Cheng.

Almost instinctively, she turned her head.

The captain of Black Flame still stood by the wall near the invitation board.

He was simply too tall, too broad-shouldered. Even surrounded by burly mercenaries, he remained impossible to miss.

Across the shifting sea of people, her eyes met Kai’s.

The captain looked perfectly calm.

He even gave her a warm, approving look, as though he were genuinely happy for her.

The Nanhe Academy group was even more stunned than before.

“At her age, she’d need to be at least an intermediate mage or warlord before she could even apply as one of your combat members,” someone protested bitterly. “And even then, approval isn’t guaranteed!”

“Yes,” Xiao Lan said lightly. “But rules always have exceptions.”

“And besides, some rules only exist to filter out useless people.”

The speaker’s face instantly flushed red.

Murong Yue sighed inwardly.

Whatever those “exceptions” included, God’s Favored would certainly qualify.

Especially someone chosen by two chief gods simultaneously.

Xiao Lan had probably already guessed.

“…I’ll pass,” Su Cheng said clearly. “Organizations like yours have too many rules. Members have to regularly accept assignments from above, right? I already promised someone else I’d help with other matters.”

Xiao Lan froze.

Even the Silverwing members behind him looked startled, clearly not expecting rejection.

The Nanhe Academy students were utterly dumbfounded.

To them, this was like being handed treasure from the heavens. Even with their own abilities, joining Silverwing wasn’t guaranteed.

Then they remembered Su Cheng had just killed their classmate.

Clearly, her capabilities were far beyond what they’d imagined.

“If that’s the case, then forget it.” Xiao Lan smiled faintly. “I look forward to meeting you again.”

The silver-haired youth bowed politely.

Su Cheng hurried to return the gesture.

Without another glance at Murong Yue’s group, Xiao Lan turned and left.

Su Cheng likewise treated them as nonexistent. She slipped through the crowd and found the silent onlooker who had watched everything from beginning to end.

The surrounding mercenaries all stared at her. Several looked eager to approach and strike up conversation, only to stop short when they saw her grab the black-haired man.

Su Cheng tipped her head back to look at him.

“Let’s go.”

Her hand wasn’t big enough to fully wrap around the captain’s wrist. She could only manage half a grip.

Her fingertips brushed against the leather bracer around his arm, tracing the fine texture and the cold metal studs lining its edge.

Kai didn’t pull away.

He simply allowed the girl to lead him forward.

The two of them left through the guild’s side entrance and continued all the way onto the street outside.

Only then did Su Cheng let go.

“I really didn’t expect all this ridiculous chaos to happen,” she said apologetically. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” The captain lowered his gaze toward her. “You seem troubled.”

Su Cheng sighed.

This had proven one thing beyond doubt:

The power of the gods could never be fully controlled.

Once activated, there was no guarantee what would happen afterward.

But that wasn’t the only thing weighing on her mind.

“I was thinking about the odds of winning a lawsuit against him,” she muttered. “He obviously didn’t fully disclose the contract terms. He didn’t even mention the existence of the contract itself. But he definitely mentioned the broken engagement and probably warned them not to mock me or something. With his personality, they’d probably just interpret that as arrogance and never imagine compensation was involved.”

“And given the Murong family’s status, even in court, there might not be many judges who’d dare use truth magic on him. That girl’s probably dead too, so there’s no testimony anymore. And I made a mistake. I didn’t put a disclosure deadline in the contract. When the time comes, he could just claim he was about to explain the remaining contents before she interrupted him…”

She grabbed her head dramatically.

“AAAAH, I’m so bad at this!”

Mid-rant, Su Cheng abruptly stopped.

She suddenly realized she probably sounded deranged to anyone listening.

Or like some greedy monster obsessed with money.

But beside her, the man remained calm.

As though none of what she’d said sounded strange at all.

As though he had no intention of mocking or doubting her.

She paused for several seconds.

Kai looked down at her.

“I haven’t read the contract myself,” he said thoughtfully, “but if he selectively disclosed only part of it, and truth magic can’t be used on him… would every single one of his friends also be considered untouchable by judicial officials?”

Su Cheng: “…”

He’d actually listened seriously.

And understood exactly what she meant.

“And if you need it,” he added after a moment, “I can testify in court. When that Mr. Murong entered earlier, he wasn’t speaking to anyone around him at all.”

Su Cheng: “???”

Quite suddenly, she felt the sharp ache of meeting someone too late.

For one reckless second, she almost wanted to swear brotherhood with him on the spot.