Chapter 329 - 327: Preparation

Chapter 329: Chapter 327: Preparation

Assassinations weren’t typically something Duane handled personally.

However, Black Forest Island had risen to prominence only recently, and even though he had mastered the Blessing Technique, it was only effective on Warriors or Mages stuck at a bottleneck.

Not everyone who received the Blessing Technique would have a breakthrough in their power.

His strongest follower, Kaelon, was currently using Intoxicating Honey Wine to aid his training.

Although its effect on tempering his body was twice as effective as before, he would still need another year or two of honing to potentially reach the peak of the Earth Tier.

When that time came, if Duane baptized him with the Blessing Spell, Kaelon might just break through and become a Celestial Tier Warrior.

Duane’s Blessing Technique was similar to the Holy Radiance Court’s Great Blessing Technique and had similar limitations. Overuse would be like developing a resistance to a drug, greatly diminishing its effects.

Fortunately, it didn’t consume the recipient’s potential. As long as they used it once when they hit a bottleneck they found difficult to overcome, they could become a High-tier Warrior much earlier.

Of course, even if Kaelon became a Celestial Tier Warrior, Duane wouldn’t have sent him for this mission.

Because Torre Courtney was a Celestial Tier Warrior who had been famous for a long time, it would be far too difficult for Kaelon to sneak into the castle and kill him.

So, he had to do it himself.

Maintaining a state of Stealth, Duane left Sharp Stone Castle, found a secluded patch of woods, and took a tent from his Void Space to set up and rest.

An assassination required preparation.

In Duane’s view, he needed to find the right reason and opportunity so that it would be difficult for anyone to determine the true identity of the mastermind.

If he simply killed Torre for the sake of it, anyone paying attention would surely suspect that Selena was involved.

After all, Torre would be dead not long after Willard was born...

But right now, the general situation in the Starfall Islands was one of continuing hostility between Scorching Wind Territory and the Star Sea Clan.

Viscount Freddy was the Royal Family’s spy monitoring Duke Star Sea, and as Viscount Freddy’s vassal, Torre Courtney’s territory was located on the border between Scorching Wind Territory and the lands of the Star Sea Clan.

Under these circumstances, if someone from the Star Sea Clan—or say, the owners of those merchant ships—sent an assassin to kill Baron Torre in protest of Viscount Freddy’s refusal to pay his debts, that would be perfectly plausible, wouldn’t it?

’Now, I just need to figure out a way to connect my identity to Duke Star Sea in the south.’

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Duane packed up his tent, left Sharp Stone City, and headed south.

Meanwhile, Selena, holding her child, proactively stepped out of her courtyard.

"My lady!"

The guards greeted her with a salute, their attitude impeccable.

"Is the Baron in the castle today?" Selena asked nonchalantly.

The guard hesitated. "He should... be here."

They knew better than Selena that Baron Torre had been in the castle for several days and had been holed up in his bedroom with the maid, Phoebe, the entire time.

When it came to the business of making a baby, no one was more focused than Torre Courtney.

Selena nodded. While cooing at her child, she said coolly, "Good. Take me to him."

"But..."

The guard hesitated—if they went now, the Baron probably hadn’t gotten up yet.

Selena’s brow furrowed. "What, is there a problem?"

"No!"

The guard immediately sent one man ahead to announce her, while another followed behind her.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

The butler knocked on the door, and Baron Torre’s displeased voice came from within. "What is it?"

"My lord, the Baroness’s personal guard is here to report that the Baroness has brought the young master and wishes to see you."

In bed, having just finished his morning "battle," Baron Torre frowned and glanced at the maid beneath him.

He didn’t want to see Selena until he had confirmed the truth, but since she had brought Willard with her to demand a meeting, he couldn’t very well refuse.

’I’ll see what you want, then.’

Baron Torre got up reluctantly. "Have her wait in the drawing-room. I’ll be there shortly."

Then he ordered Phoebe, "Help me get dressed."

Phoebe was stark naked, her body covered in fingerprints and bruises.

But she didn’t dare to be slow in obeying the Baron’s order. She hastily threw on a thin robe and, enduring the aching bruises all over her body, helped him dress.

In the grand hall, Selena paced back and forth, holding her child.

She wasn’t angry that, despite being the Baroness, she couldn’t enter the Baron’s bedroom, nor was she jealous that he had slept with the maid, Phoebe.

Where there was never any expectation, there could be no disappointment.

Accompanied by heavy footsteps, Torre strode into the hall.

"What’s this? My wife has actually taken the initiative to come see me?"

Baron Torre approached Selena, and his imposing aura made her a little afraid. But the thought of a chance to survive forced her to muster her courage and resist it.

"You haven’t come to see Willard in many days."

Selena took two steps closer. "Have you forgotten? He’s about to turn one year old."

Doubt stirred in Baron Torre’s heart. This timid woman actually dared to approach him, and she didn’t seem the least bit guilty.

’Could it be that all these suspicions are false?’

If they were false, then Willard, in her arms, was truly his child. He’d finally had a son in his old age, only to completely ignore him...

"Haha, I’ve been a bit busy lately."

Torre chuckled and made up a casual excuse. "I’d forgotten all about it. It’s the day after tomorrow, right?"

Selena nodded, looking at Torre without a trace of fear. "Should we hold a banquet for Willard?"

"Of course!"

Torre glanced at Willard, then sat down in a chair. "As my son and the future heir to Sharp Stone Territory, his celebration should naturally be a grand affair. I’ll invite all the Knights and wealthy merchants from the town to celebrate him."

’And squeeze some gift money out of them while I’m at it,’ he added in his head.

A look of joy appeared on Selena’s face as she curtsied slightly. "Willard will surely be very happy to know you’ve done so much for him."

She said a few more words about the child, but seeing that Torre wasn’t very interested, she took her leave.

’Has she had a change of heart?’

Torre’s brows were tightly knitted as he watched Selena’s retreating back in astonishment.

’Could it be that having a child has made her want to get on my good side?’

Although he was surprised by her behavior today, it didn’t dispel his suspicions.

The experiment had to continue.

’It’s been over ten days, and there’s still no sign of anything from Phoebe’s belly.’

Torre’s eyes darkened. The thought that he might have been deceived soured his mood once again.

If he were to act according to his usual style, he would have already seized Selena and brutally tortured her.

But because his heir and his own reputation were involved, he had changed his previously volatile style.

’If there are still no results after another month, I’ll find a servant to try. If Phoebe gets pregnant from that, the truth will be self-evident!’

Meanwhile, Duane rode his warhorse south, entering the large border town of Sentry Town in the Star Sea Duke Territory.

Although Sentry Town was called a town, it was quite bustling because of the many merchant caravans that stopped here to rest.

Especially recently, with the worsening relations between Duke Star Sea and Viscount Freddy, the merchants who did business across the border were all stranded here, waiting for an opportunity. This made Sentry Town’s population even more of a mixed bag.

Disguised as an ordinary mercenary, Duane entered a tavern and struck up conversations with merchants, peddlers, and other mercenaries to gather information about the situation on both sides.

In these conversations, everyone sided with the Star Sea Clan, vehemently cursing Viscount Freddy for his untrustworthy words and deeds. ℯℯ𝘭.

However, they remained optimistic about the deteriorating relationship.

Viscount Freddy needed the goods and commodities from Star Sea Territory, so this confrontation would surely end with Scorching Wind Territory backing down.

Through this idle chatter, Duane obtained two pieces of information.

The Star Sea Clan possessed a Water Element Secret Realm known as the "Star River Secret Realm."

The Cold Iron Ore produced in the Secret Realm was an excellent material for forging weapons and setting up magic arrays.

It was said that a Star Frost Sword forged from Cold Iron Ore was not only sharp and resilient but also provided a significant boost to Water Attribute Shooting Star Warriors and members of the Star Sea Clan who possessed the Frost Bloodline Power.

Additionally, the Star Frost Longsword had another distinct feature—when infused with Fighting Qi, the blade would emit a faint, ethereal blue glow, which was especially noticeable at night.

Something with such a strong, identifying feature was exactly what Duane was looking for.

He immediately went to the largest weapons merchant guild in Sentry Town and spent 40 Gold Coins on a Star Frost Sword.

Of course, that wasn’t enough.

’I should probably get a more suitable outfit as well.’