Chapter 278: 278

Blake sank into a long silence after listening to Christina talking to herself. After a brief pause, he asked tentatively, “So Watson is a platinum-tier elite?”

“That’s right.” Christina laughed self-deprecatingly. “What surprises me the most is not his strength, but the fact that he survived my strike without a single scratch. Yet, he purposely stated that I was showing him mercy as if he wanted me to help him conceal his real strength! He even wanted to assert that he was at the silver tier. It’s hard to imagine that someone would be so low-key after mastering powerful strength. Perhaps that is the difference between a true expert and me.”

A true master would always have the heart of an apprentice.

That was what Christina had discovered after speaking with Watson. She was not an arrogant person, but she occasionally desired to show off herself. For instance, she went to the City of Steel to form the world’s largest adventurer team and challenge her father’s record in the labyrinth. She even asked Claude to contact the Adventurers’ Association to raise their team’s level immediately after she advanced to the platinum tier.

“Blake, I hope you won’t tell anyone about what I just said,” Christina instructed Blake; she had changed her mind.

“I understand, Lady Swordmistress. You don’t want others to know about Watson’s strength so that it will be easier to rope him in, right?”

“No, I won’t do that. I can’t go back on my word. However, I didn’t say that I couldn’t meet him by chance. Send someone to monitor Watson’s whereabouts and activities daily. Inform me of everything.”

Christina’s lips curled into a proud smile. It had the playfulness of a young girl, transforming her cold face into a floral bloom. “I might bump into him accidentally while he was eating; we can discuss cultivation matters then. And I can even meet him in the labyrinth, and we can exchange pointers then. That should be fine, right?”

Blake was taken aback by Christina’s smile. He had been with her for a very long time, but it was the first time he saw her smile like that. He regained his composure and looked at her with a sour smile.

“Yes, Lady Swordmistress. I understand. I’ll send someone to monitor Watson later.”

“Oh, right! Don’t forget to send compensation to the Adventurers’ Association,” Christine said.

“Don’t worry, Lady Swordmistress. I won’t forget it.”

….

“Ah-choo! Ah-choo!”

Watson rubbed his nose and sneezed twice. “Why do I feel a sudden chill on my body? It’s strange. It’s not even cold.”

He had been gone for an hour since he left the Adventurers’ Association. He was walking down the main street in the City of Steel. There were walkways on both sides of the rock-paved road, and a barrier blocked rows of stores alongside the road. It was not quite as bustling as Mount Creation, but it was still fairly vibrant.

He was surrounded by hundreds of adventurers from various teams when he had left the Adventurers’ Association. Those individuals made urgent attempts to recruit him. Fortunately, he was smart enough to pretend to board the carriage and leaped out of it halfway through the journey. Additionally, he requested that Antonio cast a spell to impersonate him as Nightingale drove the carriage away.

“They will return shortly.”

Watson muttered in hushed tones. Denise and a couple of Blood Rose team members followed behind him. Denise remained silent, but the Blood Rose adventurer team was extremely busy.

Ever since he had obtained the gold-tier nameplate for the team, the other Blood Rose adventurer team members had also changed their nameplates. They held it in their hands; they could not even put it down. Annie would even kiss it from time to time. Then, she would put it away and look around to see if anyone had noticed her behavior.

She had to be cautious because word had spread like wildfire that Watson had fought the swordmistress and won.

Watson’s ears were constantly filled with news about him as he strolled down the road.

“Did you hear? A teenager named Watson was recently involved in a fight with the swordmistress at the Adventurer’s Association. She maintained her power at the silver tier, but the young man did not even dodge it.” A random passerby had discussed that with his friend.

“You must have heard different news. I heard that the young man was a gold-tier warrior who managed to block Lady Swordmistress’ gold-tier sword attack? He even managed to obtain a gold-tier nameplate for his team! Oh, right. I remember that the young man had joined the Blood Rose adventurer team. I’m really envious of them. They were only an ordinary bronze adventurer team before today, but now, they’ve made it to the top.”

The passerby’s companion spoke, revealing an expression of envy and loathing.

“I heard that quite a few adventurer teams are trying to get that young man to join their adventurer team. We can’t let the other teams get ahead of us! Please let us know immediately if you see any information about that young man and the Blood Rose adventurer team. Our adventurer team will reward you handsomely.”

More individuals were sifting through the crowd, looking for traces of Watson.

“Young Master Watson, it is because of you that the Blood Rose has grown as a renowned adventurer team in the city; my dream is to see our team reach the gold tier. Not only have I realized my dream, but I have surpassed it. Thank you so much.”

Hennie hid from the crowd and whispered to Watson.

Many people in the city only knew Watson’s name; they had never seen anyone from the Blood Rose adventurer team. Therefore, no one could recognize them on the streets for the time being.

“It’s all thanks to you, Young Master Watson.” Even a steady man like Clyde had reached into his arms and caressed the gold-tier nameplate. There was a wretched smile on his face.

Sigh.

“While an advancement to the gold tier team is a positive development, it is also a negative development. Even if they didn’t recognize me, I am certain they would focus their attention on me.” Alex sighed.

“Arthur, stop being so smug! If you’re not willing to enjoy that kind of treatment, then you can just quit the team, right?”

Annie snorted coldly, and Arthur was immediately displeased. “Who said I’m leaving the team, Annie? I’m just objectively evaluating the disadvantages of being famous. I did not say that only famous people have some disadvantages. Are you deliberately picking on me?”

“You’re the one who has gone too far. Young Master Watson was the reason you could advance to the gold tier. Even Young Master Watson did not say anything, so why do you need to know?”

Arthur and Annie’s argument became increasingly loud. It rapidly drew the attention of a few passing motorists. Clyde rushed to halt them.

“Both of you, lower your voices. What if someone hears you?”

Arthur and Annie looked at each other coldly; they knew that Clyde’s words made sense. Then, they separated. Annie came to Watson’s side and smiled sweetly. “Young Master Watson, let’s ignore that fool. What are we going to do next? It’s not easy for us to become a gold-tier adventurer team. Why don’t we go out and celebrate later? Didn’t you say that you wanted to go to the Golden Quill Pavilion?”

“That’s good too. I need to find a place to rest and talk to you about the plans for our team in the next few days.” Watson thought for a moment before he nodded. He was a little tired after rushing all the way to the City of Steel. It was also better to inform Nightingale to meet them at the Golden Quill Pavilion instead of looking for them on the street.

“That is also acceptable. I need to find a spot to rest and communicate with you about the adventurous team’s intentions for the following few days.” Watson paused for a moment before nodding. He was simply exhausted after rushing all the way to the City of Steel. It was preferable to inform Nightingale that they would meet them later at the golden feathered garment pavilion than seek them out on the street.

“What plan? Are you taking us down the maze? As long as we have you with us, Young Master Watson, we can definitely get down to the 40th or 50th floor,” Annie replied casually.

“No, I am not going to the 40th or 50th floor; I am going to the 100th floor.”

“The 100th floor? Well, with your strength, it’s not impossible…” Annie responded habitually. Suddenly, she realized that something was wrong and widened her eyes in disbelief. “Wait, Young Master Watson, how many floors did you say? 100th floor? Did I hear wrongly?”