Chapter 136 - 112: Mary Frank’s Heaven-Defying Traits

Chapter 136: Chapter 112: Mary Frank’s Heaven-Defying Traits

By all rights, Catherine and Lian should have greeted Mary, the Southern Dominator, first.

But Lian wasn’t one for tradition, and besides, he didn’t even know this particular custom existed.

Catherine, for her part, viewed Mary as a bitter enemy and would never be the first to offer a greeting.

So, the three of them simply stood there, none offering a greeting, until Lorne Jackson finally broke the awkward silence.

"Catherine."

"Lorne."

Catherine offered Lorne Jackson a familial greeting. "Welcome back to Blue Moon Territory."

"Catherine, it’s only right that you welcome me back to Blue Moon Territory. After all, this land belongs to me more than it does to you."

Lorne Jackson said haughtily, "And another thing. When you see Lady Mary, you should at least show some basic courtesy. Don’t disgrace the Jackson Family."

"Welcome, Lord of Rose Territory, and you as well, Mr. Lorne."

Catherine said, her tone distant.

’She knew this was Lorne’s intention. Only by making their relationship seem sufficiently poor could he fare better under Mary’s watch.’

"This is Lian, the Lord of Green Shade Territory," Catherine introduced.

Lorne Jackson gave Lian a slight nod.

Mary, on the other hand, was sizing Lian up with keen interest, as if he could be her next prey.

Green Shade Territory had been buried in debt before and was still struggling, but it lay on the only route from Rose Territory to the Imperial Capital Yalong City. If she could acquire Green Shade Territory by repeating her previous methods, Mary wouldn’t mind taking another husband.

’If it’s just a debt of 300 million gold, I can easily help Lian pay it off all at once,’ Mary thought confidently.

’Of course, I could also choose not to pay it back at all.’

’No one would dare try to collect a debt from the Southern Dominator.’

Lian looked at the numerous titles floating above Mary’s head.

[Lord of Rose Territory] [Royal Bloodline] [Southern Dominator] [Sequence Five Holder] [Throne Claimant] [Schemer] [Stateswoman] [Military Strategist] [Family Eater] [Seven-star Order Knight] [Superior] [Chosen One] [Bloodthirsty] [Charming] [Ambitious]

Of these fifteen titles, the one that gave Lian the biggest headache was [Seven-star Order Knight].

’To think that Mary also follows the Knight’s Path, and is a genius in the field, no less.’

Until now, the knight with the highest Knight Realm Lian had ever met was Land John, the old knight of Green Shade Territory. He was a Six-star Glory Knight, a rank that had taken him forty years to achieve, and he was already considered one of the exceptionally talented ones.

According to Teacher Bill, Land John’s talent was the stuff of legends, and he was considered one of the best knights in the Empire.

A knight with poor talent like Bill would be stuck at the rank of Three-star Glory Knight for his entire life.

By comparison, Five-star Radiant Knight Kage Mori’s talent was a little better than Bill’s; it took him over fifty years to reach the Five-star level.

Hickman, the Knight Commander of the Polestar Knight Order, also had exceptional talent, having reached the rank of Five-star Knight by the age of forty-two.

But they all paled in comparison to Mary.

Mary couldn’t be older than thirty, yet she was already a Seven-star Order Knight!

There was a saying in the Knight Realm: surpassing the Three-star level meant crossing the threshold from mortal to superhuman, and surpassing the Six-star level meant crossing the threshold from superhuman to Demigod.

After reaching the Seven-star level, a Knight would begin to acquire Divinity.

Both the Knight’s Path and the path of a Priest were ways to follow the True God Tiger; they were just two completely different routes.

Acquiring Divinity marked a fundamental transformation, not just in degree but in kind.

Legend had it that a Nine-star legendary knight possessed power to rival a Witch, and could even approach the level of a Subordinate God.

Of course, only one such knight had ever appeared in the history of the Holy Empire: Saint Roland Knight. He later vanished while exploring the Forbidden Sea, never to be seen again.

For Mary to have reached the level of a Seven-star Knight at such a young age... it was no wonder the old King had taken her on his military campaigns, rather than her younger brother, Augustus.

’With that kind of talent, Augustus must have been terrified of her, right?’

Mary could very well be the first person of this era to become a Legendary Knight on talent alone—excluding Lian, of course, who was basically using a cheat code, and assuming she doesn’t squander her potential on political machinations.

If she were to focus wholeheartedly on the Knight’s Path, she could undoubtedly become a great knight whose name would go down in history.

But she wasn’t content to be anyone’s Knight. She was ambitious. She coveted the throne. She wanted to rise from being the Southern Dominator to become the dominator of the entire Empire—to become its Emperor.

Two other titles also gave Lian a headache.

[Sequence Five Holder]: You are the true wielder of the Ripper. The Ripper has replaced your right hand and become a part of your body. You can call upon its power at any time. With this title, you are unable to suppress your inner craving for blood. When you become enraged, only life and blood can soothe the raging turmoil within you.

[Chosen One]: You are one blessed with fortune by the God of Tiger. Destined for greatness from birth, you will leave your own mark on history.

The first represented Power, the second, fortune.

’A Seven-star Order Knight is already a massive headache. Add the Sequence Five Ripper and her innate good fortune to the mix... Don’t tell me she’s the future Empress personally chosen by the God of Tiger?’

Lian rubbed his brow. He’d just met the real final boss.

A Seven-star Order Knight, as the name suggested, also possessed powers related to Order.

She could establish laws within a certain area, forcing everyone inside it to obey them. This was part of the Divinity she had acquired.

Lian finally understood why Lorne Jackson, who was clearly no fool, would knowingly walk into a trap and choose to marry Mary.

’For all I know, with a single word, Mary could make me her fiancé.’

’What if she said something like, "The most handsome man here will become my fourth husband"?’

’Wouldn’t that trap me instantly?’

Her beauty was top-tier, perhaps even more refined than Catherine’s, but she was definitely not his type. She was a true femme fatale.

’If she decides to make a move at this banquet, I don’t know if Dora can even stop her.’

’If fighting isn’t an option, then a sacrifice is the only way.’

’I should do it now, while she’s only acquired a sliver of Divinity. Sacrifice her to Jari’s [Eye of Misfortune].’

’Wait... she seems to be favored by the God of Tiger. If I do this, will I incur the wrath of a True God?’

Lian’s thoughts raced as he stared blankly at Mary for a long moment.

He only snapped out of it when Catherine gripped his hand, squeezing it tightly.

Mary was quite pleased with Lian’s seemingly mesmerized gaze.

She took it as a testament to her Charm.

By now, both Lorne Jackson and Catherine were frowning.

"My apologies. I was just reminded of a story and lost my composure," Lian said.

"Oh? And what story might that be?" Mary asked, her interest piqued.

"Catherine, would you like to hear it?" Lian asked, turning to his fiancée beside him.

Catherine’s expression smoothed over as she gave a slight nod.

"Then let’s not just stand here. Why don’t we move to those seats over there, enjoy the fine wine and food, and I shall tell you all the story of a legendary woman."

Hearing that the story was about a legendary woman, both Mary and Catherine grew interested.

Lorne was merely an accessory, following Mary to their seats in the banquet hall.

As the few powerful figures sat together, the other nobles dared not approach. They had lost all interest in continuing the ball, yet none dared to leave at such a moment.

"First, I should make it clear that this is a fictional story. The protagonist is named Catherine I, Alekseyevna. She was the sixth Tsar of Russia’s Romanov Dynasty and Empress of the Russian Empire."

"Where is Russia?" Catherine asked curiously.

"That’s a fabricated name as well," Lian explained, then slowly began to tell Catherine and Mary the story of Empress Catherine the Great—specifically, the version starring Marina Alexandrova.

The story’s dramatic twists and turns, combined with its focus on a powerful female protagonist, immediately captivated the two women, both of whom were destined to make their mark on the political stage.

Lian instantly became the center of attention.

Even the nobles who had been dancing couldn’t help but pause to listen in.

When Lian claimed to have forgotten what happened next in the plot, a collective sigh of disappointment went through the crowd.

"Who wrote this story?" Mary asked.

’She decided she would find this storyteller, invite him to Rose Territory, lock him in a dark room, and have him create stories only for her from now on.’

’She would have him write her own story into a magnificent epic: The Chronicle of Empress Mary.’

Catherine was also intrigued. ’She wanted to invite the storyteller to Blue Moon Territory, bestow upon him a position of honor, and allow him to focus on creating more outstanding works.’

This era was sorely lacking in inspirational works that championed women.