Chapter 199: What’s Going On?

The moment Bai Chen’s eyes landed on Nova’s face, his expression completely changed.

["Junior Brother Nova... you’re alive!!"]

Nova gave a small smile. "Yes. I’m alive and well. I want to meet you. Where are you right now?"

Bai Chen was clearly shocked.

He had truly believed Nova was dead. Seeing him alive and well through the projection made a visible wave of relief and happiness cross his face.

Nova, on the other hand, noticed that Bai Chen looked somewhat exhausted. He didn’t know what Bai chen had been doing, but before he could ask, Bai Chen spoke first.

[This old one is truly glad that you’re safe, Junior Brother. Unfortunately, this old one is quite busy at the moment. I will meet you in a few ho—]

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence.A sharp voice suddenly shouted from the background.

[You... you shorty over there! Stop wasting time and finish your work already!]

Bai Chen’s face instantly stiffened.

[This old one will meet you in four hours... in front of the Frosthall Hunters Guild.]

With that, he cut off the communication.

Nova was left slightly puzzled. Where exactly was Bai Chen, and what kind of work was exhausting him to this extent? More importantly... who was the person shouting at him like that?

In the end, he decided not to overthink it for now. He would simply ask when they met in four hours. For the time being, he would take a look around the capital.

Turning back, he informed his wives that they were ready to leave.

Rieka, Asia, and Nyxara put on their veils. Velena, however, did not. She was still wearing her maid outfit, and she felt it would look strange for a maid to cover her face with a veil.

Instead, she simply suppressed her natural allure as much as possible. Even so, her beauty remained striking.

With that, the group began walking toward the market area.

They were currently in the residential area reserved for high-ranking nobles, so the streets around them were quiet and elegant as they made their way forward.

With the tournament drawing closer, even the usually quieter districts of the capital were now filled with people. Visitors from various kingdoms had poured into Vaunis, scrambling to book rooms at inns.

Many of the better establishments were already fully occupied, and some people had even begun offering higher bids just to secure a place to stay.

Naturally, the streets had grown far more crowded than usual.

As Nova and his group walked along the road, he cut a striking figure. Tall, with long dark hair and smooth, refined features, he wore a well-tailored black adventurer’s coat paired with matching black trousers.

The outfit gave him the air of a handsome young noble with a touch of the wandering adventurer — polished, yet carrying a quiet sharpness.

Behind him walked four breathtaking women.

Even though three of them wore veils, their figures alone were enough to draw the eye. Among them, the one with red-and-purple hair stood out especially.

All of them possessed mature, alluring figures that could easily be described as seductive, and the presence of a clear beauty with purple hair in the maid outfit only made the group more eye-catching. At a glance, they looked like members of a powerful family.

The residents of Vaunis did not recognize them, which was only natural. With the tournament approaching, many influential families from other kingdoms had already arrived, and it was not uncommon to see veiled beauties walking the streets in an attempt to avoid unnecessary attention.

Still, this particular group carried a different kind of presence — one that made people keep looking even after they had passed.

Nova and the women had already expected this level of attention. It was nothing new to them. Nova himself had long grown used to the gazes of young women, older women, and even married ones who looked at him with clear interest.

Before long, they reached the market district.

The crowd here was even denser. This particular area had been specially designated for nobles, situated in the central part of the capital.

Commoners had their own separate market zones, so the people walking these streets were mostly of higher status.

As they walked, many young nobles turned to look at them. What surprised Nova was the presence of a few elves and beast-folk among the crowd. Judging by their attire and bearing, they clearly belonged to higher-status families from their respective races.

"Even the other races have already started arriving," Asia remarked, her eyes bright with clear excitement.

Being the youngest in the group alongside Nova, she was especially happy to be in the capital. Compared to Frost City, where she had spent most of her life, Vaunis felt far more vibrant and grand.

"Yeah, look — even the elves are here," Rieka said, glancing toward a few elegant elven women stepping out of a nearby café.

Nova followed her gaze with mild interest. Noticing this, Nyxara tilted her head slightly and asked,

"What? Have you never seen an elf before?"

Nova shook his head. Velena then spoke in a casual tone.

"Then you’ll be even more surprised when you see Lady Aurora, the Spirit Queen, during the tournament. Or perhaps she’s already here... hiding among the crowd and enjoying a normal stroll like anyone else."

Nova chuckled. He was genuinely curious to see the woman everyone kept talking about. Asia and Rieka both nodded in agreement.

"We want to see her too. The maids have been talking about her nonstop."

From the side, Nyxara muttered under her breath,

"Seriously... what’s so special about her anyway? She’s just a haughty woman full of pride and a terrible attitude."

Nova turned to look at her. "Do you have some kind of grudge against her?"

Before Nyxara could answer, Velena spoke up without hesitation.

"The princess once challenged her out of anger after being compared to her all the time. She was defeated quite badly."

"Hey!!" Nyxara immediately turned toward Velena with a sharp glare.

Velena quickly hid behind Nova. Asia and Rieka both let out soft chuckles at the scene.

Nova simply shook his head and gently caressed Nyxara’s cheek. Her face flushed red at the public display of affection — especially with so many people around — but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she seemed to quietly enjoy it.

"Calm down," Nova said evenly. "Everyone has their limits. I heard she’s the sister of the Elf Emperor."

"That alone means she’s many times older than you. It’s only natural that she’s stronger. Still... how strong is she exactly?"

Nyxara’s irritation faded almost instantly under his touch.

From the side, Velena, Asia, and Rieka exchanged subtle glances. The way Nova so casually touched her — and the way Nyxara accepted it without resistance — made their earlier suspicions much clearer.

Especially Velena. She knew her princess better than anyone else. Something had clearly happened between the two of them last night.

Nyxara answered flatly.

"She’s comparable to the Beast-Folk Emperor... and equal to the second strongest Demon Lord in terms of pure strength."

Nova was genuinely shocked by the answer.

Before he could ask anything further, the sound of heavy, orderly footsteps suddenly approached. Looking ahead, they saw a group of Holy Knights in polished, shining armor marching toward them.

There were at least ten to twenty of them, all at the initial King Realm. Accompanying them were two elderly-looking male priests and several sisters of the order. It was clear at a glance that they belonged to the Light Temple Order.

Nearby, a few people began muttering under their breath.

"Fuck, they’re here again..."

"Is it really necessary to do this every single day? They’re disturbing guests from other kingdoms and continents."

"I heard it’s His Majesty’s direct order. They don’t want to take any chances."

Nova and his group looked slightly puzzled by the sudden disturbance. Nova called out to a young man standing nearby and asked,

"Hey, can you tell me what’s going on?"

**

[A/N]

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