Chapter 62

"Mr. Clinton."

Marine coldly withdrew her hand.

"There's no such familiarity between us, I would appreciate it if you would be more polite."

"You're being unreasonable, Marine."

Despite being rejected to his face, the young man clearly had no intention of backing down.

"Our families are old acquaintances, aren't they? When we were children, our parents already..."

"That was a long time ago."

Marine coldly interrupted Billy's words.

"Ever since your family moved to the Land of Light, there has been no connection between our families. I would appreciate it if you would show some self-respect and stop chasing after people like a thug. That's very impolite."

"Marine, after a few years, why have you become so stubborn?"

Faced with Marine's words, Billy sighed helplessly. He spread his hands and revealed a graceful and smug smile.

"As the saying goes, people strive for higher places, and water flows to lower places. What the Clinton family did was entirely for a better life. Now, we live on free land, enjoying unprecedented peace and tranquility, without worrying about unexpected disasters. We can freely display our ideals and burdens. Don't you think this is a wonderful thing, Marine? Those old stubborn people are in the past; they cannot represent the present and the future. Don't you want to open your eyes and see the world, to understand the reality? You are still young, don't let lies blind your eyes. If you wish, I am willing to take you on a tour of the Land of Light. I believe you will change your mind."

"Traitor."

Marine looked at the man who was talking boastfully in front of her with disdain. At this moment, she no longer hid her disgust for him.

"I have no interest in a man who discards his dignity to become a watchdog. You can leave now, Mr. Clinton. I hope I never see you again."

"You're being unreasonable, Marine."

However, it was clear that Billy's skin was thicker than Marine imagined. Although many people present looked at him the same way, he completely ignored it and continued to smile, saying:

"How can this be called discarding dignity? Aren't we all living under the protection of the Light Dragon's soul? Don't we have a common enemy? Why are you so hostile to the Land of Light? We just did something ordinary, and we shouldn't be treated like this. It's unfair to us."

Although the young man spoke very emotionally, Marine was not moved at all. She just stared at him coldly, as if looking at a ridiculous clown.

"You are not welcome here, Mr. Clinton. If you don't know how to leave on your own..."

The girl picked up her staff and pointed it straight ahead.

"Then I will have to use a more direct way to send you away."

Faced with Marine's raised staff, Billy's face showed a hint of stiffness for the first time. He pulled the corners of his mouth helplessly but quickly resumed his smile.

"You have really changed, Marine. The old you wasn't like this... What changed you? Oh, I heard you came with a man? Where is he? Did he sneak away when he saw me?"

"You!!"

Hearing this, Marine's expression changed slightly. She clenched her teeth and was about to speak angrily. At that moment, a calm and cold voice sounded from the crowd.

"I've heard that people from the Land of Light are eloquent and talkative. Today, I see that reputation is not as good as meeting in person."

Rod pushed through the crowd and walked out, looking at Billy.

"Sir, you are mistaken."

In the face of Rod's sarcasm, Billy remained unperturbed.

"I am a native of Muun, but later moved to the Land of Light."

"I see."

Hearing this, Rod carefully examined the man in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems this gentleman is indeed patriotic. I was a bit impolite."

"Mr. Rod."

Hearing Rod say this, Marine was dissatisfied. She was about to say something, but Billy spoke first.

"It seems you are quite smart, able to understand my true intentions. Everything I did was to make the Principality of Muun better, but unfortunately..."

At this point, Billy looked at Marine with regret.

"Not everyone can understand this."

"I understand."

Rod nodded in agreement, which immediately made Billy feel a strong liking for him. In fact, when he learned that Marine had come to the banquet with a man, Billy was quite angry and even decided to teach him a lesson. Now, seeing this man so cooperative, he was not as angry as before. Since the other party was willing to yield, he could give him some face—however, Rod's next words immediately made Billy's face turn white.

"Survival of the fittest, taking the essence and discarding the dross. Mr. Clinton's willingness to leave for the better development of the Principality of Muun shows a rare and fearless spirit of sacrifice. I am truly very admiring."

"Ha!"

"Hehe..."

There were no fools among the nobles present. They all understood Rod's meaning and immediately began to laugh quietly. Many of them found this man quite unpleasant, but they dared not say much due to his status as a special envoy from the Land of Light. Now, seeing Rod's few words and sarcasm put him in his place, it was a great relief. Even Marine's originally stiff expression relaxed, and her eyes even showed a hint of a smile. Given her status, she had met many people of her age, but none were as smart, calm, and composed as Rod. He was also very handsome and skilled, almost a perfect person—except that he could smile a bit more.

Marine's expression did not escape Billy's notice. Thinking about how he had not been treated well since he arrived, and now this man had made his goddess smile with just a few words, Billy was even more furious.

"Fine, fine! Since that's the case!"

Billy said, suddenly raising his cane.

"I challenge you to a duel!"

"Duel?"

The word caused a stir among the crowd. Keller, who had been watching from the side, was also anxious. He did not want any trouble at his banquet. Just as he was about to step forward to dissuade them, Rod spoke calmly.

"Duel? There must be a reason, why?"

"For this lady."

Billy extended his hand and gestured toward Marine.

"If I win, I want you to leave her side immediately, and from then on, she will be mine. If you win, I will give up on this lady. How does that sound?"

"I see, I understand."

Hearing this, Rod nodded and then spoke straightforwardly.

"Then, I refuse."

"Very well, since you agreed, then... What, you refuse?"

Not only was Billy stunned, but the others were also taken aback by Rod's response. After all, a duel was a matter of honor for nobles. Could this young man lack the honor of a noble?

"Why refuse? Are you afraid of me?"

"Low intelligence is indeed a hard flaw."

In response to Billy's question, Rod sighed helplessly, looking at Billy as if a teacher was looking at a pitiful student who, no matter how hard he tried, could not score more than thirty points.

"I need to remind you that this lady is not an object. She does not belong to me, so even if you win, would she obediently follow you if I just said 'please'? I will say it again, she is not my possession, so I have no right to make decisions for her. If she really wants to go with you, why would I stop her?"

As he spoke, Rod turned to look at Marine. Marine had also recovered and proudly raised her head, walking to Rod's side. She raised her staff and pointed it at Billy.

"That's right, Mr. Clinton. I, Marine Senea, do not belong to anyone. No one can command me to stay or leave except myself. If you really want to take me, you can try, but I'm not that easy to take!"

At this point, Marine was clearly very angry. As she spoke, the expensive robe she wore began to glow with magical light, and even the top of the red gemstone gradually revealed a mysterious mark.

"You..."

Seeing Marine's true intent to kill, Billy's face changed for the first time. He could feel the surging magic power from Marine. If he really tried to take her by force, he had no doubt that she would destroy the house to prevent him from appearing in front of her again.

"Using force against a lady is not the act of a gentleman, Mr. Clinton."

Although Billy looked embarrassed, Rod clearly had no intention of letting him off. For Rod, anyone from the Land of Light deserved to be beaten to the ground. He hated the Land of Light, which was like a pig's council raising a bunch of pig-like subordinates and citizens—oh, and pig-like players.

Anyway, anyone associated with the Land of Light was definitely no good.

"If you really intend to fight, I don't mind accompanying you to the end."

"Me too, kid."

At this moment, Serek also stood up from the crowd.

"You need to understand, this is the Principality of Muun, Deepstone City, not the Land of Light's Barcelona. If you want to start a fight here, I hope you consider the consequences. Otherwise, even if you are a special envoy from the Land of Light, we don't mind teaching you how to behave."

"Serek..."

Seeing Serek also step forward, Billy gritted his teeth and finally realized that the situation was beyond his control. He was not stupid and knew that although the others had not made things too difficult for him due to his status as a special envoy from the Land of Light, it was because he had not done anything particularly outrageous. If he really angered these people, he could be beaten into a pig's head and sent back with no one to complain to. After all, there were so many special envoys from the Land of Light, and one less wouldn't matter...

"It seems I was impolite. Then, I will take my leave. See you later."

He said through gritted teeth and then turned and left.

Only after he left did Marine lower her staff and smile at Rod.

"Thank you, Mr. Rod. Thanks to you, that annoying guy is gone."

"Don't worry about it, I have no fondness for these idiots either."

Rod waved his hand, and Marine laughed lightly, then raised her wine glass.

"Then, to celebrate our shared victory, would you mind having a drink with me?"

"Of course not."

The banquet inside continued, while outside, Billy got into his carriage, his face red with anger and frustration.

"I am very sorry, my lord."

The man who had been arrogant at the banquet was now a meek watchdog, bowing his head.

"I failed to meet your requirements and let that man act."

"It's fine, Mr. Clinton."

On the other side of the carriage, a figure hidden in the darkness smiled lightly.

"We still have a chance, both you and I."

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the night sky with deep meaning.

"We will ultimately achieve our hopes."

!

(The story continues...)