The Lyre's Echo in the Library

Pylos pulled his lecherous gaze from the maidservant, nodding gravely. "I’ve long found Peck an eyesore myself! However… I just noticed something peculiar—Frinda seems unaware of the Grand Matriarch of the Saint Dak family’s decree. Could this introduce a variable?"

Loki’s lips twitched faintly. "While the Grand Matriarch’s decree is indeed to first win Frinda’s heart, a noble’s marriage is rarely their own to decide, especially for a Divine Princess like Frinda. Her inclinations, though influential, are unlikely to be decisive. Besides, do you truly believe a Divine Princess would ever pursue a young man? This isn’t some fanciful novel! All we must do now is prove to the Saint Dak family, before Saan’s Light blooms on May 13th, that I am their most suitable son-in-law!"

The carriage slowly began to move, entering the city, but the discussion within did not cease.

"Senior Brother, that young Francis is indeed formidable. Moreover, he’s exceedingly close with Gode, the young prince of the Grand Delta Sea. He might become a formidable rival for us in the future!"

"There are no eternal enemies in this world, only fools who don’t know how to make friends… I am quite curious to see what Francis will become in seven years. By then, he should be precisely twenty-four years old, no?"

On the Battle God Arena, Du Chen had initially intended to offer Pylos a show of support, but his feet were too unsteady, leaving him no room for theatrics. Besides, the precious experience he had just gained needed to be digested as soon as possible!

After activating his Precious Lotus Scripture, Du Chen naturally didn’t hold the Six-Star Battle God Pylos in high regard. However, without the sacred artifact, Du Chen had almost exhausted eighty percent of his battle qi to secure the final victory. He had never before used so much battle qi in one go, leaving him slightly depleted. After meditating for a while, Du Chen scanned the students below, who were still reluctant to disperse.

Frinda, in particular. Although Du Chen had just implicitly hinted to those young talents that he wasn't their obstacle, and they could do as they pleased as it had nothing to do with him, reflecting carefully, some of his words had indeed been rather disrespectful to Frinda.

Now, the Divine Princess Frinda was genuinely three parts annoyed, but the other seven parts were pure shock—Francis could defeat a Six-Star Battle God by transcending ranks! Although the Six-Star Battle God earlier wasn't exceptionally strong, and she herself could barely handle him, as a Five-Star Battle-Warrior, even if she could eventually win, she would surely pay a hefty price… Damn it! Instructor Lily said she was absolutely no match for Francis right now, but that she could gain progress from him. She wasn’t wrong!

‘Francis, I acknowledge my defeat this time without you having to personally intervene. But give me another month, and I will certainly…’

‘Oh, and from Francis’s conversation with Pylos just now, it seems he understood what I was trying to say earlier and is willing to cooperate with me. Yes, this is good. It alleviates one of my worries!’

As Frinda was lost in thought, several noble young men suddenly surrounded her, showering her with solicitous greetings, but Frinda didn’t recognize a single one of them!

‘Something must have happened at home, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many pestering admirers harassing me!’ Frinda saw the crowd around her growing, becoming increasingly sickening. With Du Chen still not having descended from the stage, she declared loudly, "Francis, I accept your Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring! And it seems you’ve understood my meaning. Farewell, then. I shall remember the favor I owe you!"

‘Understood what!?’ Du Chen was utterly bewildered. After a moment’s thought, a vague idea began to form in his mind, but he wasn’t yet entirely certain.

Having completed his meditation, Du Chen stood up and bowed respectfully in all four directions, thanking the students for their cheers. This naturally garnered even more enthusiastic applause. Smiling, he stepped down from the arena, only to see Aunt Sherine watching him with a gratified expression from afar.

Du Chen hurried over. "Auntie, I hope I didn't embarrass you just now!"

"No, you did exceptionally well. How could I be embarrassed, dear?" Sherine genuinely praised Du Chen.

Du Chen chuckled. "Auntie usually doesn’t leave the library. Why are you out today? Did you come specifically for me?"

Sherine lightly pushed her short hair back, hesitating with a troubled expression for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I need your help with something. Do you remember the student I mentioned, the one who studies the lyre with me? She’s encountered some difficulties and has been unable to eat or sleep properly. I thought and thought, and realized I could only turn to you for help!"

Du Chen exclaimed, "Could it be that young lady who, last time, suppressed Sword Emperor Roland’s old injury with a single melody? Come to think of it, she indirectly saved Aliza and my lives! Auntie, please tell me, whatever her difficulty, I will do everything in my power to help her!"

Sherine spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "Her family has run into some trouble and needs a substantial sum of money…"

Sherine spoke seriously, and Du Chen dared not take it lightly. "Just how much money is needed? Uh, I’m a bit tight on funds lately; I don’t have much cash on hand…"

Du Chen wasn’t lying, nor was he trying to evade. Although he was worth millions of Gold Coins, there were still three hundred thousand commoners waiting for him to rebuild their homes after the great disaster. Not to mention, just buying materials for reconstruction and development, he had spent hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins. And the Newin River territory currently had almost no tax revenue; Du Chen was entirely pouring money into it, with no immediate returns!

Now, aside from some fixed assets, Du Chen indeed only had a few tens of thousands of Gold Coins in cash.

So Du Chen didn’t dare to overstate his capabilities, adding, "If it’s fifty or sixty thousand Gold Coins, I can still manage. And if that’s truly not enough, Beibei has a lot of jewelry and ornaments that she plays with, which could be sold for quite a bit of Gold Coins… Oh, and I can also try to borrow some from Prince Gode! The young prince’s family is very wealthy!"

Sherine was stunned by Du Chen’s words. "This… I had forgotten, for you, that child’s family difficulties should be solvable with a small sum of money… Is five thousand Gold Coins convenient?"

"Five thousand Gold Coins?" Du Chen was also momentarily taken aback, then chuckled. "Since that young lady’s family is in difficulty, even after solving their problem with five thousand Gold Coins, their lives will still be strained. How about this, I’ll send you ten thousand Gold Coins in a moment!"

Du Chen said, utterly generous.

Sherine pondered for a moment, as if calculating something, then smiled. "Alright, then, ten thousand it is. Also, as I mentioned last time, that young lady finds it truly inconvenient to meet you. I will thank you on her behalf. In three years at the earliest, five years at the latest, this money will be fully repaid to you. I will personally vouch for her!"

Du Chen gave a wry smile. To be honest, he had no intention of ever asking for the money back. Not only had the girl indirectly saved his and Aliza’s lives, but Sherine was also kind-hearted and exceptionally wise. Any student she chose to help surely couldn't be a bad person. Using this money to help a good young lady overcome her difficulties was a great act of benevolence. Why only ten thousand? Why not ask for more, perhaps a hundred thousand? He could sell more of his useless jewelry and ornaments to better express his goodwill! He was still too stingy! He needed to remember this next time!

What was money for? Of course, for doing good deeds!

As for the young lady’s reluctance to show herself, Du Chen was perfectly fine with that. He hoped never to see her, saving him the trouble of her having to repay him if they met. How bothersome!

Du Chen had always been particularly enthusiastic about performing good deeds. True to his word, he immediately went with Sherine to the 'Red Sand' bank on the island, opened a draft, and then, at Sherine’s insistence, went to the library, where he received an IOU personally written by the young lady.

"I wasn't even planning to collect the debt, why do I need an IOU?" Du Chen walked out of the library alone, pouting, then unfolded the IOU to look… What beautiful handwriting!

The calligraphy reflected the person. Although there were only a few lines on the IOU, the handwriting was elegant and refined, with a subtle, ethereal quality. To write the Aethelgard Continent’s common language alphabet so remarkably, that young lady must have put in a great deal of effort!

Skipping the date, his gaze fell upon the signature at the bottom of the IOU: "Hillmerya… what a strange name!" With a light flick of his wrist, the IOU turned into ice shards and disintegrated.

Du Chen also vanished from before the library entrance. But at that moment, a series of melodious lyre notes rang out, then quickened, the clear, enchanting sounds incessant. Following this, a swirling qi-gale appeared out of thin air, carrying the fragments of the IOU Du Chen had destroyed, spiraling into the sky and burrowing into the library’s highest observatory.

"Lya, it seems Francis never intended for you to repay him!" Sherine sighed, a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Another pleasant, soft laugh. "Once those children are safe, I will find a way to raise the money to repay Francis…"

"But he even destroyed the IOU… Ah, you child!" Sherine fell silent, her place taken by a cascade of lyre notes. "Let’s continue our lesson. The third movement of the ‘Song of the Underworld God’ is called ‘Underworld Queen’s Lullaby,’ composed by my Grand Ancestor to counter Charlemagne’s ‘Star Tears’… What are you thinking?"

"I’m thinking, Francis lent me such a large sum to help save those children, yet I can’t thank him in person. Is this… too rude?"

"It is a little impolite, but Francis didn’t mind… You don’t need to dwell on it."

"Sigh, it would still be best to thank him in person…"

The lyre notes drifted, faint and ethereal. The sounds from the Battle God Isle library were always the most enchanting.

Early the next evening, Du Chen, returning after a busy day, was silently pondering matters as he walked through the main gate, head lowered. Hmm? He suddenly felt that something was amiss. The leg he had stepped through the gate with was pulled back, and he looked around. "Heh, do they really think this place is a charity house?"