The Master Thief Needs No Blade

"So you're a Divine Grant Earl!?" Betty's eyes lit up. She stepped forward, unbarred the cell, and pulled out Brockman. Licking her lips suggestively, she chuckled, "Why didn't you say you were a Divine Grant Earl sooner? Hah, what a shame you're a man; I require a golden-haired noble maiden!" She knocked Brockman unconscious, tossed him back into the cell, and let out a lewd chuckle. "We three sisters are particularly fond of those blessed with a Divine Grant noble title! Tonight, we shall all attend to you. Look forward to it…"

In another cell, Jamis nudged the old Bovin beside him. "Hey, did you hear that? One task for freedom! Old Charlatan, loudly proclaim your noble title… Hah, who else on the Three Continents boasts a higher noble title than yours?!"

The Old Charlatan, stroking his crystal ball, grumbled, "Has your head gone addled? Do I possess a noble title? Old Gambler, what game are you truly playing!?"

Jamis shrugged, scratching his head. "In this day and age, what isn't a game…?"

"A noble title, you say?" Porter gazed up at the cell's dim ceiling, lost in thought.

Jason, the plump student, was meticulously drawing lines on the ground with a wooden stick, muttering, "Declare a noble title, and there's a fifty percent chance you'll be performing some nefarious deed, leading to dire misfortune! Even if it's a 'good' deed, the probability of those three ugly women fulfilling their promise is less than forty percent… This entire transaction is a losing proposition! Absolutely cannot admit to anything…"

In the gloomy, confined cell, Annie sat huddled in a corner, her heart heavy with bitter regret. Why had she run away from home, choosing to attend school alone? If only her family's powerful experts were by her side… even just one or two… *Sigh*. Never mind. She decided to reveal her identity to those three women. Surely, with the esteemed reputations of her grandfather and father, they might release her.

With that thought, Annie stood and rapped on the cell door. "I am a high-ranking noble! I meet all your requirements. Release me; I have something to say!"

*Clang!* The cell door swung open, and Betty materialized before Annie. "I am—"

"I don't need to know who you are. Right now, I need you to attend to our good brother for the night! It's quite simple."

"What!?" Annie's face drained of color in shock. *Heavens, so this was their true purpose for wanting a golden-haired noble maiden!*

But before Annie could utter another word, Betty clapped a hand over her mouth, lifted her, and soared towards the main hall.

Linda quickly followed, opening the other cell doors. "Now, I also require several nobles to serve as retainers. The price? We won't harm you! Who among you fits the bill? Step forward; the higher your noble title, the better!"

In the grand hall, Du Chen and Jennifer were conversing idly. Jennifer said, "Sir, there's something I must clarify beforehand. Andy is, after all, of our Mount Miglio bloodline. Your taking him as a Divine Pet might incur the displeasure of some of my uncles and aunts… Oh, of course, we three sisters don't concern ourselves with such matters, but you know how elders can be quite traditional…"

"I understand that perfectly!" Du Chen patted Andy's head. "Initially, I subdued Andy by force. But, haha, this corpulent fellow wouldn't leave even if I chased him away now! I genuinely tried to send him off!"

"Oh? How could that be? I mean to say… why is that?"

"Let Andy answer that!" Du Chen tapped Andy's head.

The hefty wolf dared not meet Jennifer's gaze, yet his trembling, head-down posture, under the influence of his unique aura, somehow conveyed a fierce, arrogant disdain for any opponent. "I, Andy, favored son of the Moon Goddess, am a wolf with dreams. And my dream is to feast upon the most expensive and delectable foods across all Three Continents! Only my master can make this dream a reality!"

Jennifer was stunned. *Her cousin's dream was… eating!?* She didn't realize that not long ago, Andy's dream had simply been to fill his stomach. But Andy, the dreaming Andy, the Andy keeping pace with the times, had seen the hope of a grander future in Harry the Shieb, and thus revised his ambitions – though still about food, the caliber was now far higher!

The mention of food immediately reignited Andy's hunger. Fortunately, Deboning had spent these past few days hunting Aberrant Beasts, accumulating a vast store of food supplies, which were now conveniently tucked away in his travel bag.

With a swipe of his paw, Andy pulled out an Azure-Backed Bear Paw and gobbled it down in one bite.

"An Azure-Backed Bear Paw!?"

"Indeed, my appetizer!" Andy smacked his lips, then glanced at Du Chen's displeased expression. He sheepishly grinned, realizing what he'd forgotten—how could a noble consume food in such an uncouth manner? He promptly pulled a napkin from his bag and tied it around his neck.

"You're using Ice Silkworm Silk as a napkin?" Jennifer seemed to grasp why Andy followed Du Chen—the threat of powerful martial might was likely secondary…

After Andy poured an entire ten-jin jar of Macedonian Royal Jelly—a substance whose annual production across all Three Continents wouldn't even exceed a ton—into his mouth, he contentedly wiped his muzzle on the Ice Silkworm Silk napkin. Casually tossing the napkin aside with a paw, he grinned in satisfaction. "Alright, appetizers are done! When do we have the main course!?"

Jennifer was dumbfounded for a long moment, then suddenly asked, "My dear little cousin, your master must be exceedingly wealthy, wouldn't you agree?"

Andy didn't reply, instead turning his gaze towards Beibei, who was currently using a string of Snow Diamonds as a toy. This instantly made Jennifer realize how foolish her question had been!

On the Three Continents, few could subdue her cousin, and even fewer could afford to keep him. But to both defeat such a "mighty" Dragon-Wolf *and* sustain him? Jennifer scratched her head, an irrepressible thought bubbling up from her heart—*Handsome, powerful, wealthy! Heavens, I truly wish to marry him!*

At that moment, Betty led a struggling Annie into the grand hall. "The chosen one for the night's attendance is ready! She will undoubtedly offer some resistance, but rest assured, we Dragonkin are quite experienced in handling such situations! Now, does this meet your approval?"

Suddenly, Betty noticed that Annie, whom she held captive, was no longer struggling. Instead, she meekly and shyly lowered her head. "Very well, I agree to your demands. But please guarantee you will uphold your promise and grant us freedom afterward! Let me go with this esteemed gentleman!"

Betty froze. Following Annie's submissive gaze, which was filled with tender affection, she saw Du Chen's face. A surge of jealousy pierced her heart. *Damn it, no wonder this woman changed her tune! Which woman wouldn't want to accompany such a handsome man!? Why don't I have golden hair? I'm getting it dyed tomorrow!*

Du Chen, however, inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. *Alright, the act begins!*

"Eh!? Annie, my classmate, is that really you!?" Du Chen exclaimed in feigned shock, dropping the drink in his hand. He stood, staring at Annie for a moment, then abruptly turned, glaring angrily at Jennifer. "Miss Jennifer, what is the meaning of this!? She is the friend I've been searching for!"

As Du Chen spoke, Deboning abruptly stood. Andy, too, leisurely raised his head.

The atmosphere immediately tensed to an extreme degree!

*Heavens, could the captive be the very person he's seeking!?* *Damn it!* Jennifer exchanged a look with her sisters, thinking, *Things have become difficult. Prepare for battle! The situation is far too disadvantageous. Could today be the day…*

Yet, immediately after, Du Chen hesitated, saying, "Oh, my three esteemed sisters, what should be done? To insult my friend is tantamount to insulting me, a disgrace that can only be cleansed with blood! However… your father is a close friend of my teacher, and you are also Andy's cousins…"

*Phew*, there was still room for de-escalation. Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief and hastily chuckled, "Oh dear, we are truly sorry! This is all just a misunderstanding. Right, it's all that Jamis's doing; he maddened us to confusion! We're all one family, after all; is there anything we can't discuss calmly, sitting down?"

"Jamis? Oh, if it's him, then I can certainly understand. That eccentric teacher is always stirring up trouble. I can even imagine, did he perhaps default on gambling debts and then deceive you?"

"Precisely! That's exactly how it was! That Jamis even claimed he had a sworn brother, Francis, who would redeem them with ample Gold Coins!"

"Ah, well, *I* am Francis!" Du Chen, seeing the situation sufficiently defused, waved his hand, signaling Deboning and Andy to sit. He then feigned helplessness, saying, "Since that's the case, we can't blame my three esteemed sisters. The entire ordeal was the fault of that accursed Professor Jemison! *Sigh*, never mind. Though my three sisters inadvertently damaged my prestige this time, there were extenuating circumstances, and since we are all our own kind, I've decided to let it go…"

"Yes, yes, we are our own kind!" Though Du Chen's words were somewhat overbearing, Jennifer and her sisters were in such an absolute disadvantageous position at this moment that they had no time to quibble over such details.

"However, my three esteemed sisters, you have, after all, captured my friends. If you still expect me to redeem them with Gold Coins… that hardly seems appropriate, does it?" The unspoken meaning was clear: *I could obliterate you all. Releasing the captives is your duty. Money? Are you truly testing my patience!?*

Jennifer's heart instantly leapt into her throat. There was no recourse; who could fault Du Chen for possessing the power to easily dispatch their three sisters—at least on the surface! "Hehe, how could we possibly demand a ransom? We are like siblings, after all; your friends are our friends! We three sisters have treated our friends poorly and should be the ones offering Gold Coins to make amends! Third Sister, what are you gaping at? Release Francis's friends immediately!"

Annie watched it all with astonishment. Du Chen walked towards her, offering a warm smile. "Annie, it's alright now; you are all safe!"

"I knew it, I knew you wouldn't abandon me!" Annie murmured shyly, her words laced with suggestive undertones. She felt utterly blissful; this was like a fairytale come true—a beautiful maiden falling into the clutches of wicked dragons, only for a handsome youth to slay his way into the dragon's lair and rescue his beloved… *Wait a moment*, a thought flickered. *Francis doesn't seem to possess the strength to intimidate these three ugly women, does he!?*

She raised her head in confusion when she suddenly heard Deboning's telepathic message: "The Young Master is currently feigning a grand display of power; please cooperate with him!"

*Heavens! Francis managed to deceive those three ugly women with sheer intellect alone! He's absolutely…* Annie's admiration for Du Chen ascended yet another level.

Du Chen had no time to ponder Annie's thoughts. He instructed, "Brook, go with Betty and check on my friends. See if they are…"

"Rest assured, sir, they have suffered no harm whatsoever and are doing quite well!" Jennifer hastily interjected.

"Brook, you should still go and see for yourself! Take some fresh clothes with you; we wouldn't want them looking too disheveled when we meet." Du Chen wasn't worried about his classmates being harmed; he feared they might inadvertently reveal too much, not knowing the full context. Hence, he wanted Deboning to go ahead and manage the situation.

Jennifer's eyes sparkled like stars. "Now *that* is true noble demeanor! So this is what a genuine noble should be like!"

And so, when Jamis and the others, having been looked after by Deboning, arrived in the grand hall, Du Chen had successfully rescued all his classmates completely unharmed—all without offending Mount Miglio, without engaging the three sisters in direct combat, saving face for both sides, and even gaining three powerful "sisters." Truly, "The Master Thief Needs No Blade"—a complete victory!

Even if the three sisters were to discover later that Du Chen's true power was merely that of a Three-Star Fighter, had Du Chen uttered a single falsehood or deceived them even once throughout the entire process? Young Master Du's every word was true; how many layers of misunderstanding arose from their own misinterpretations was not his fault. In such a scenario, would the face-conscious Dragonkin sisters admit their own foolishness and make things difficult for Du Chen, who was, after all, a dual disciple of Roland and Zigurd?

The only regret was that Du Chen hadn't anticipated the sisters' sudden act of kinship recognition… *Damn it*, if they believed Andy possessed the Mount Miglio bloodline, he would surely face trouble in the future!

*Hmm, this point must be resolved!*

Throughout the entire banquet, Du Chen's mind was consumed by this very matter. Even after the feast concluded and the three sisters arranged for Jamis and the others to rest, as he sat drinking tea and conversing with them in a private parlor, his thoughts still lingered on these issues.

Jennifer said, "Little brother, now that the misunderstanding is cleared, and you're our guest on our territory, this being our first meeting, it would be unacceptable for us sisters not to present you with a gift!"

She gestured towards the ancient castle's vista outside the private parlor window. "Don't laugh, but this place originally belonged to a damned giant dragon who disgraced our Dragonkin by becoming some 'Number Five' experimental subject! Damn it, we slaughtered everyone here, but they did leave behind some trinkets, barely satisfactory, I suppose. So, consider these a small token of goodwill from your sisters…"