Chapter 176: Crossbow Shows Initial Results

Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Crossbow Shows Initial Results

Jiuying walked out of the room, carefully carrying the linen cloth, and bumped right into Sophie, who had come looking for Zerev.

"Jiuying, what are you off to do?"

"The Young Master’s clothes are getting old. I’m going to make him some new ones," Jiuying answered flawlessly.

Sophie glanced at the linen on his tray and frowned.

Pinching the fabric with her slender fingers, she inspected it. "How could Zerev wear such inferior linen?

"I have some blue linen at my place. Come fetch it later to make his clothes."

With that, Sophie balled up the linen from the tray and tossed it onto the ground.

Seeing the cloth tainted by the dust, Jiuying’s expression darkened. He subconsciously checked the room. Seeing the door still closed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He squatted down to pick up the linen but was stopped by Sophie.

"Why are you picking it up?"

"This is the Young Master’s order. I can’t mess it up."

Seeing that a piece of inferior linen was more important than her, Sophie grew angry. She raised her foot, stomped on the linen, and ground her heel into it. The already loosely woven linen was torn open by her rough treatment.

Jiuying broke into a cold sweat in sheer panic.

The room’s door opened, and a tall figure walked out. Hearing the noise, Sophie turned her head and saw it was Zerev.

A bright smile spread across her lips. "Zerev, you’re finally willing to see me."

Zerev kept a dark face as he brushed past Sophie. His silver eyes fixed on the torn linen on the ground, his expression turning as black as ink.

"Who did this?"

Seeing how much Zerev valued this piece of linen, Sophie stomped her foot and huffed indignantly, "I did.

"Zerev, in your heart, am I not even worth as much as a piece of torn linen?"

Zerev squatted down and scooped the linen off the ground, his rough fingers caressing the tear in the fabric. Seeing the look on his face, Sophie keenly sensed something was wrong.

"Just who made this linen for you that you’d cherish it so much?"

Zerev pursed his lips in silence and carried the linen back toward his room.

"Say something, Zerev! Have you forgotten that I’m your future mate?" Sophie tightly grabbed Zerev’s arm, her clear nails digging into his skin.

Zerev lowered his eyes and forcefully threw off her hand. He said coldly, "Get out."

Sophie’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you say, Zerev? You actually told me to get out?"

"That’s right. From now on, you are not allowed to step half a foot into my home."

Listening from the sidelines, Jiuying sweated profusely. He knew that if it weren’t for Sophie’s noble status, she would likely be dead by now.

"Zerev, I hate you! I’m never talking to you again!" Biting her lip, Sophie ran off with red eyes.

After returning home, she buried herself in her bed and softly sobbed. This scene happened to be seen by Brada, who had come to check on her.

He anxiously stepped forward. "What’s wrong, Sophie? Who bullied you?"

Sophie sat up and threw herself into Brada’s arms. "It’s Zerev.

"In his heart, I can’t even compare to a piece of torn linen." Choking back tears, she recounted everything that had happened today.

Brada’s eyes darkened slightly. "Leave this to me, Sophie. I won’t let you suffer this grievance for nothing."

Brada comforted Sophie for a while longer before going to his study and summoning Beast Servant Kaka.

"Young Master, what are your orders?" Kaka asked.

Brada tapped his fingertips against the desk, letting out a rhythmic KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. "Go and investigate who has been sending things to Zerev recently."

"Yes, sir."

It only took two days for Kaka to figure out the whole story.

"You’re saying that linen was sent from Ten Thousand Beasts City?" Brada furrowed his brows, wondering why he couldn’t recall anyone in Ten Thousand Beasts City who knew how to weave cloth.

"Yes. A while ago, Zerev even sent a male weaver and a loom to Ten Thousand Beasts City."

"Just who exactly is in Ten Thousand Beasts City that would make him send such a precious loom over?" Brada keenly caught onto a clue. He looked up at the heavily clouded sky outside the window. It seemed he really needed to make a trip to Ten Thousand Beasts City.

"What else did you find out?"

Kaka shook his head. "Only this. There are too many low-level tribes surrounding Ten Thousand Beasts City; our people haven’t detected any other useful information."

Brada waved his hand. "You may leave."

Meanwhile, at Zerev’s residence.

"Young Master, the members of the Fire Phoenix Clan are investigating matters related to the Master?"

The "Master" he referred to was Ophelia.

"Why are they investigating her?" Zerev’s expression changed drastically. Lately, to prevent anyone from finding flaws in his act, he had refrained from sending anyone to gather information about Ophelia. But why, when he had guarded her secret so strictly, had the Fire Phoenix Clan still discovered something?

"It should be because of that linen..."

At the mention of the linen, Zerev’s face turned several degrees colder. Over the past two days, no matter how skilled of a weaver he found, none could restore the fabric. Everyone said it needed to be completely unraveled and rewoven to be flawlessly restored. But if it were unraveled, it would no longer be the cloth Ophelia had made for him.

"Young Master, should we do something?" Jiuying asked.

Zerev pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don’t make a move yet, lest we expose her.

"Take some men and keep a close eye on the Fire Phoenix Clan’s situation over the next few days. Report to me the moment there is any movement."

"Yes, sir."

The brewing storm in the Holy Capital had not yet blown over to Ten Thousand Beasts City, nor had it affected the Fuzu Tribe. Under the very same sky, while the Holy Capital was covered in dense clouds, Bloze enjoyed clear, boundless skies.

To test the newly crafted cold weapons, Ophelia had specifically carved out a section in the Fuzu Tribe to serve as a shooting range. The perimeter of the range was draped with animal hide, and all unauthorized personnel were strictly forbidden from approaching.

In the center of the range, Lantai held a Crossbow. Narrowing his eyes, he aimed and fired at the wooden disc ahead.

SWISH SWISH SWISH.

The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out, followed by three short bolts securely embedding themselves into the disc.

"It worked. It actually worked!" Tyler was utterly shocked.

Klein, on the other hand, was remarkably calm. Looking at Ophelia’s back, he found himself once again astonished by the novel inventions she conjured up in her mind. If every male were equipped with such a formidable weapon, they would be invincible.

"Lantai, step back another fifty paces." Fifty paces roughly equated to fifty meters.

Lantai obediently retreated fifty paces before loading the bolts and firing once more. The arrows still hit the target, but the penetration was not as deep as before.

Understanding what Ophelia was getting at, Lantai scratched his head. "Clan Leader, should I try again?"

"No need."

The result was already quite clear. The effective range of this Crossbow was within a hundred meters. Beyond a hundred meters, its power would be significantly reduced and its speed would slow down, making it easy for any somewhat capable male to deflect.

Seeing Ophelia’s serious expression, Lantai grew a bit anxious. "Clan Leader, did I do something wrong?"

"No, you’ve already done an amazing job getting it to this level."

Ophelia knew that crafting a Crossbow like this with the current tools available in the Beast World was already an impressive feat; she couldn’t demand too much.

Klein picked up the Crossbow and fired at the target. "As the distance increases, the Crossbow’s attack power diminishes.

"You need to focus on researching how to extend its range."

Klein keenly grasped the crux of the issue. Ophelia cast a glance at Klein, once again amazed by his intelligence.

Klein gave Ophelia a faint smile. Watching from the side, Tyler’s gaze landed on the Mate Beast Mark on Klein’s shoulder.