Chapter 229: I'm Taking My Cheats into the Dungeon

With those 3 base points of Kingship Value as a foundation, it meant that from this moment onward, as long as an item's Resistance Threshold was less than or equal to 3,

Lance could forcibly seize its usage rights with one hundred percent success simply by physically touching it during combat.

Beyond this permanent base value, the Blessing also provided a consumption mechanism.

When facing equipment with high Resistance Thresholds, Lance could burn accumulated Generalized Concept Reputation Points to temporarily increase his judgment value.

At present, the conversion rate was approximately:

1000 Reputation Points for 1 temporary point of Kingship Value.

As for Generalized Concept Reputation Points, their growth method was simple and brutal.

Everything depended on the impact of Lance's actions, whether in Astral Realm trial instances or the real Material Realm.

As long as his deeds were widely discussed and spread among the public—

even if they were infamous acts condemned by everyone—

the value would naturally increase alongside the spread of his fame.

This meant that as long as he could make his name spread throughout the continent and generate enough discussion, he could continuously harvest massive amounts of Reputation Points as reserves.

At that point, provided he possessed enough accumulated Reputation, even if someone held a Divine Artifact in their hands, he could simply burn hundreds of thousands or even millions of Reputation Points and forcibly steal it through sheer numerical superiority!

Thinking of this,

Lance instantly became highly motivated regarding the upcoming Summer Crown event in Graystone Town.

If he managed to win the championship within the dungeon that gathered countless Adventurers, not only would he obtain substantial rewards, he might also gain Material Realm Legend Points and a huge influx of Reputation from the widespread attention it generated.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

He immediately reopened the panel and carefully reread every line describing Royal Armory.

His gaze stopped on one particular word.

Item.

“It doesn't seem to specifically state that the target must be equipment forged by humans...”

Lance stroked his chin.

His heartbeat began accelerating.

He remembered Uncle Reyn mentioning something before.

There existed a special category of items within dungeons.

Those things were called Chaos Items.

They possessed immense power but were highly exclusionary, making them unusable by any creature not native to the dungeon.

Which raised an important question.

If the confiscation effect of Royal Armory could also work on Chaos Items...

Then during the upcoming Summer Crown trial, whenever he encountered powerful monsters carrying special dungeon items, he could simply walk over and disarm them.

Wouldn't that basically be cheating inside the dungeon?!

As the distribution of Blessing rewards finally concluded, the light throughout the Stardust Corridor rapidly dimmed.

The laws of the Astral Realm began taking effect.

A gentle repulsive force enveloped Lance's body.

The scenery before him gradually blurred as his consciousness was pulled back toward the Material Realm.

......

Meanwhile, in the Iris Royal Capital, the highly anticipated Royal Heroic Spirit Baptism finally reached its conclusion.

As the massive ritual formation at the center of the Royal Prayer Hall ceased operating, the Astral Realm pillar of light above the altar receded like a retreating tide.

The entire audience focused their attention on the center of the ritual formation.

When the light fully disappeared, all the nobles invited to witness the ceremony finally saw the Princess returning from the baptism.

Regardless of faction, everyone present collectively inhaled sharply.

They had witnessed countless Heroic Spirit Baptisms within this hall.

Yet none had ever seen a trial participant return in such a tragic state.

The silver-and-blue battle dress specially crafted for the ceremony was now covered in blackened holes and savage tears.

Most notably, the metal armor protecting the girl's left shoulder had completely shattered.

Although the Astral Realm's protection had instantly healed all fatal wounds and internal injuries suffered during the duel, large patches of dried black blood still stained the ruined clothing.

They silently testified to just how dangerous that Astral Realm trial had been.

The old Sword Saint Reinhardt stood atop the steps.

His eyes remained fixed on the damaged area around Elvira's left shoulder.

After all, he had clearly sensed the struggle over the Noble Phantasm that had occurred within the Astral Realm.

What sort of monster could push Her Highness into such a desperate state after she activated her Crimson Crown Dragon Form?

Had she actually lost the final duel?

Yet in the very next moment, the old Sword Saint's furrowed brows relaxed.

Because he saw Elvira slowly raise her head.

Calmly, the girl extended her right hand and lifted it high into the air.

Every high-ranking professional present clearly sensed a vast surge of royal authority.

A cross-shaped sword emblem composed of intricate golden magical lines gradually appeared on the back of her hand.

As the emblem shone, a radiant, illusory Sword of Kingship materialized in her grasp!

“That's... the Blessing of the Holy Sword!”

Someone shouted in astonishment.

Immediately afterward, waves of admiration erupted throughout the viewing gallery.

Regardless of whatever schemes the old nobles might secretly harbor, they all had to rise to their feet.

Thunderous applause echoed through the hall.

Every gaze focused upon the girl who had successfully gained the recognition of the kingdom's founding monarch.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the crowd, only Cecilia stood with both hands clasped tightly before her chest, looking at her close friend with concern.

Although the Princess's injuries appeared completely healed, years of friendship allowed Cecilia to instantly notice the emptiness hidden deep within Elvira's eyes.

It was the look of a child who had lost her way.

Cecilia could feel that Elvira's soul itself seemed wounded and curled inward, silently crying.

Precisely because of this, when the celebratory banquet was held after the ceremony, the Princess—the unquestionable centerpiece of the event—declined to attend, citing physical exhaustion.

Cecilia had no interest in the festivities either.

She hurried through the long palace corridors and entered the depths of the White Velvet Swan Palace.

Pushing open a heavy oak door, she stepped into the Princess's luxurious bedchamber.

The sight before her caused the half-elf girl's heart to tighten painfully.

In all the years she had known Elvira, this was the first time she had ever seen her display such vulnerability and helplessness.

The girl had changed into moon-white royal sleepwear woven from Ice Silkworm Silk.

Intricate handmade lace decorated the collar and cuffs, making her fair skin appear even more delicate.

Yet now, the young woman who had just obtained the kingdom's highest honor was curled up in the corner of an enormous velvet bed like a discarded doll.

Her arms wrapped around her legs.

Her small chin rested on her knees.

Her unfocused green eyes stared blankly at the intricate magical patterns etched into the floor.

“What happened?”

Cecilia approached quietly and sat beside the bed.

Carefully, she reached out and held Elvira's slightly cold fingers.

Hearing her friend's voice,

Elvira's body trembled faintly.

Slowly turning her head, she resembled a child who had finally found a place to rely upon after being wronged outside.

She gently rested her chin on Cecilia's slender shoulder.

Instinctively, Cecilia wrapped her arms around her.

“Cecilia...”

Elvira's voice carried deep exhaustion.

“I met another trial participant during the trial.”

“I was defeated by him...”

Upon hearing those words,

Cecilia was utterly shocked.

Her crimson eyes widened in disbelief.

As far as she knew, throughout her entire life, Elvira had always been the brightest and most invincible figure among her peers in the Royal Capital.

With the Red Dragon bloodline and the rigorous instruction of a legendary Sword Saint, Elvira's combat ability had already reached an astonishing level.

Even some of the older geniuses within the Knight Order could not last more than a few exchanges against her.

She simply could not believe it.

Within a Heroic Spirit Baptism trial, where everyone fought on equal footing within the same Class Rank,

someone had actually defeated the Crimson Crown Dragon raised by the combined resources of the Royal Family and a legendary Sword Saint.

It was utterly unbelievable.

But what shocked Cecilia even more

was Elvira's next sentence.

Leaning against her shoulder,

Elvira remained silent for a long time before finally forcing out the words.

“I fell in love with him.”

A trace of sobbing entered her voice.

“But he... is a Red Dragon too.”

The amount of information contained within that statement was so overwhelming that Cecilia could not process it immediately.

At last, Elvira could no longer suppress her emotions.

She buried her face into Cecilia's shoulder.

Warm tears poured forth like a breached dam.

During that final life-and-death battle within the Astral Realm canyon, that man had cast aside every disguise.

Amidst the endless mist, he had revealed a Dragon Form so perfect that it seemed unreal.

The dark-red scales covering his body.

Those dark-gold slit pupils.

Every detail proclaimed the same truth.

Pure Red Dragon blood flowed through his veins just as it did through hers.

Elvira cried out in anguish within her heart.

Why was fate so cruel?

Why had they been destined to meet through such a confrontation?

And why—

why did the man who had conquered her heart completely, the man who had made her fall so deeply, have to possess the same bloodline as her?