MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again

"They... how did they just leave?" the girl was filled with confusion. Weren't all demon beasts supposed to be man-eaters?

"Perhaps they thought you were too cute to eat," Lu Hong said with a smile.

"Of course, I'm famously cute," the girl retorted with a proud, coquettish expression, her previously submissive demeanor completely gone.

"Well, now that there's nothing wrong, we should be going, huh?" Lu Hong waved his hand and prepared to leave with the old man, continuing their search for lower-level demon beasts.

"Hey! You can't just leave me behind!" The girl hastily called out to them as they were about to walk away.

"Is there something else?"

"You must take me with you," the girl demanded. "I am the sole daughter of the Cabinet Minister. If you can safely escort me out of the Frostleaf Forest, my family will reward you handsomely." She wasn't stupid; she knew that although she had the title of a level-six Priest, she hadn't learned any combat skills. Once these two left, she might not be so lucky to encounter non-man-eating demon beasts again.

"A substantial reward doesn't interest me. I still need to find low-level demon beasts; I don't have time to play with you." Lu Hong pondered for a moment and then added, "You can follow us, but as for when we leave, what you say doesn't matter."

"Why are you looking for low-level demon beasts? Don't you know that all the low-level demon beasts around the imperial city have been domesticated?" The girl looked disdainfully at Lu Hong and the old man, thinking them to be country bumpkins without a clue.

"Oh?" The old man was puzzled, as he hadn't heard about it, and thus he asked, "Domesticated? Where?"

"In the Engels Mountain Range, of course. Every demon beast below the second transition has been bought up. To look for low-level demon beasts in this Frostleaf Forest is just foolish!" the girl explained.

"Old man!" Lu Hong's expression darkened: "Are you trying to deceive me?" His first thought was that the old man might be deliberately sabotaging his efforts to level up by fighting monsters.

"Wronged, young master! Wronged!" The old man knew what Lu Hong was thinking and immediately cried out, trying to clear himself. "I, too, have been staying in the academy all these years and haven't come out. Shall we head to the Engels Mountain Range now?"

"Hmph! What a waste of my precious time!" Lu Hong, without good humor, hoisted his great sword and started walking back. The old man followed carefully at his side, waiting on him.

"Wait for me, slow down!" the girl quickly followed after them.

They made their way out of the Frostleaf Forest and brought the girl to the vicinity of the imperial city. Lu Hong then dumped her directly onto a carriage. Amidst the girl's cursing as she chased after the carriage, Lu Hong and the old man finally reached the Engels Mountain Range in the late evening.

"Old man, you've wasted most of my day," Lu Hong said, unable to help feeling sentimental as he watched the setting sun.

"Good things come to those who wait, to those who wait. No worries, we'll stay here in the Cain Mountains tonight. Look ahead, isn't there a tall building?" The old man offered with a forced smile.

"Alright, let's stay here for the night, then."

Before long, Lu Hong and the old man were kicked out of the inn they were trying to stay in.

"Stay with what, we didn't even bring enough money!" Lu Hong looked with disdain at the old man. The old man had swaggered in, confidently asking for two of the best rooms; however, when the staff quoted a price of one thousand gold coins, the old man was completely flustered and could only produce ten gold coins after searching all his pockets. The most infuriating part was when the old man gave his title and the staff didn't believe him, casually summoning seven or eight security men to respectfully escort them out.

"Please wait, young master. I'll try again!" The old man was livid; after all, he was a royal relative. Just because his clothes were a bit worse for wear, what of it? He was military-born, humble and what's wrong with that? No one believed the name of the Plo family?

"Forget it. Going back in there would only get us treated like lunatics," Lu Hong stopped the old man, who looked irate, and pointed at an open space nearby, "If all else fails, we can go back or make do in the wilderness for the night. After all, it's not that cold, and we can sleep."

"No! How could I let the Young Master sleep on the ground?" the old man said sternly, "So we might as well head back home and come again tomorrow."

...

Lu Hong almost wished he could strangle the old man. The Engels Mountain Range was much farther than the Frostleaf Forest; naturally, it was best not to go back if they could avoid it.

"Young Master, I really had no other choice, we can't just bully others because of our position, right?" the old man said with an apologetic smile.

"Alright alright, let's head back then," Lu Hong agreed, feeling the old man made sense, though he always felt that the old man didn't rely on his status to bully others. Although the security here were all Second Transition low-level professionals, it's true that one can hardly fight against overwhelming numbers, and the old man probably couldn't beat them. So... well, let's withdraw, what else can we do.

However, ultimately they did not go back. Just as Lu Hong and the old man were about to leave, several luxurious carriages, no, they should not be called carriages anymore. Because what was pulling them were not horses, but level three Demon Beasts called Landwalkers. Landwalkers were a type of Demon Beast known for their outstanding stamina and natural herbivore diet, but they were not easily trained, so carriages mounted with Landwalkers were definitely owned by the offspring of the privileged.

Look, the leading man dressed so opulently, one glance and you knew he was a noble, no idea how many levels above the old man in terms of grandeur.

"Uncle Xius?!" When the leading man saw the old man, he quickly bowed and greeted, "I had no idea Uncle Xius was here, Laputon offers you the highest respect!"

"Prince Laputon, you need not show such respect to me, I cannot bear it," the old man replied, still immersed in the shock from before, his tone not very kind.

As a Prince, Laputon's eyes were exceptionally discerning; he immediately noticed the old man's displeasure and quickly asked, "Is there anything I can do on your behalf?"

"If you truly want to help, then arrange for us to have two superior rooms, so my Young Master and I can stay here," the old man pointed at the Haoen Inn behind him and said.

"It must be their oversight, please wait while I have them personally come to apologize to you!" Laputon's expression grew serious, and with a glance to his attendants, they understood and entered the inn. Shortly after, the inn's staff and the security guards who had driven them out were pulled out in a sorry state, kneeling and begging for forgiveness in front of the old man and Lu Hong.

"Alright alright, it's not your fault. Just arrange two rooms for us, and I'll have someone send the money tomorrow. I do not wish to be indebted to you," the old man said irritably, though Laputon's actions did make him quite comfortable.

"How can we possibly let Uncle pay? It is an honor for the Haoen Inn to have the great Uncle Xius, one of the elders of the Prolo Family, stay here," Laputon interjected and then his attention returned to Lu Hong. If he had not misheard, just now Xius had called him Young Master. Young Master, dammit! He, a Prince, did not even have the right to be called Young Master by Xius, only a son of a Clan Leader from two generations up in the Prolo Family might have that privilege. Could such a young Young Master be the son of a Clan Leader who died hundreds of years ago? A posthumous child? But even a posthumous child cannot linger for a hundred and eighty years, right? Numerous fantasies appeared in Laputon's mind, eventually forming a question, "Uncle Xius, who is this gentleman by your side?"

"Oh, my Young Master," the old man replied very calmly.

Really the Young Master? Is this some kind of mistake? This lineage is even higher than that of the current Great Emperor Konstantin! Even though Laputon's mind was in turmoil, his expression remained unchanged, "This is my first time meeting the Young Master," he moved his gaze to Lu Hong and, bowing, said, "Hello, my name is Laputon, Second Prince of the Sacred Empire. This is the first time we meet; please take care of me."

"Hello, Your Highness, my name is Tugulu, I'm just a commoner, you don't need to be so polite to me," Lu Hong replied, not showing much reverence for Imperial Authority, after all, back in the day, he had completed many quests in Skyrim, killing countless royal nobles.

A commoner? Not a member of the Prolo Family? How could he call himself a commoner? Laputon's puzzlement deepened with Lu Hong's self-introduction.

The old man seemed to understand something and then said, "Laputon, don't overthink it, Tugulu is just my own Young Master and has nothing to do with the Prolo Family."

...

Why didn't you say so earlier? Laputon felt a bit aggrieved, but then he hid his feelings. Even if this Tugulu had no relation to the Prolo Family, being addressed as Young Master by Xius meant he had exceptional qualities, and befriending him was surely the right move.

"Even if he is not a member of the Prolo Family, since Uncle Xius regards him highly, I, Laputon, must treat him with due respect."

"Ah, among this generation, only you are the most sensible," Xius said, feeling moved by Laputon's words.

These few words from the old man nearly made Laputon overjoyed. In the Holy Divine Empire, it was believed that empires perished after three generations. Each term, a successor to the empire was chosen from the two major royal families, the Prolo and Shaher. One family would select an Emperor to reign for three generations, and the other would choose a Queen to reign for three generations. The Emperor and Queen jointly controlled the country. After three generations, the family that had chosen the Emperor would select a Queen, and the family that had chosen the Queen would then select an Emperor; it continued in rotation. Great Emperor Konstantin was the second Emperor chosen by the Prolo Family, and as the Second Prince, Laputon naturally coveted the position of the next Emperor. The favor of the elders in the Prolo Family was like chips on a scale, so the old man's recent words made Laputon very happy.

"Alright, that's enough. My Young Master and I need to rest early to hunt monsters tomorrow," the old man said, waving his hand with a smile, then followed the inn's staff inside.

"This visit has really been great, truly great," Laputon said with a smiling face to the young nobles standing behind him. He had originally come to play and relax with the few people behind him, but he had never expected such a gain, "Someone follow Uncle Xius, help with any problems that arise. Remember, you must satisfy Uncle Xius, understand?"