DKIE CH31: Made a Fortune

Anger is the best catalyst for power.

There was only one sound on the field now; Alec had completely erupted.

Layers upon layers of Quenching Ice Spells stacked up, and the air suddenly thinned.

Ice crystals could be seen everywhere. Although there was a barrier created by a great magician around the dueling platform, many spectators still felt the chill invade them.

“So cold.” Even the chill-dispelling spells were having little effect.

No exaggeration, the sheer volume of Alec’s magic power was leagues ahead of his peers.

A transparent cage, like an ice cavern, descended to imprison him. Luka benefited from being prepared. Following the tutorial, he prepared to chant the most complex spell he had learned during this time, the moment he tunneled into the ground.

In truth, he still felt a bit apprehensive.

Before this, Luka had almost no combat experience. The two most formal battles he’d had were both against Alec.

Some spells had to be cast through voice as a medium to achieve resonance with the elements.

But with spells, the slightest inaccuracy could lead to a world of difference.

Seemingly sensing Luka’s intention to counterattack, Alec sneered and cast another spell first, “Frost Prison.”

Luka’s lips trembled, and he abandoned his first attempt at casting.

Cold.

Too cold.

This couldn’t go on.

On the other side, Alec pressed his advantage.

Luka kept retreating, but behind him was an invisible barrier.

Unfortunately, his affinity for the light element was average. Even if he mobilized it, he couldn’t contend with the overwhelming ice and water elements currently in the air.

On the spectator stands, Feather Quill’s gaze tightened slightly. Luka had completely missed the best window to cast his spell.

Cramming at the last minute and being able to fight to this extent was already quite good. His lips moved, preparing to send a telepathic message for the other to prepare to retreat.

Just as Feather Quill was about to remind Luka to withdraw to save his life, a golden light suddenly flashed on the stands. A hint of surprise crossed Feather Quill’s expression.

A light rose above the ice prison, and an arrow shot through the air for a backstab.

This arrow completely deviated from the exam template. It was not condensed from the ice element, but from the power of faith.

The cold was dispelled, and a hidden light flowed within the cage. The outermost layer of the cage began to melt silently.

Witnessing this scene, the audience gasped in amazement and were also slightly startled.

They clearly hadn’t sensed much of the light element. How did he turn the situation around?

Feather Quill leaned back in his seat again, a bit of appreciation now on his face.

Few people saw the trick at that moment, but the high-ranking dark elf was definitely one of them.

“What an uncomfortable aura,” he wasn’t referring to Luka himself, but the elemental power he was wielding.

It wasn’t the light element, yet it was far too bright.

A life-or-death situation is the easiest way to stimulate a person’s potential. Luka had tried to compress his vast faith into a single ‘point’ before, and had failed without exception.

He hadn’t expected his first success to be in actual combat. By breaking a surface with a single point, he successfully punched a hole in the sturdy ice prison.

Unfortunately, Alec reacted faster, pinpointing the arrow’s location and responding immediately.

“A little friendly wager.”

Knowing that this arrow could break the prison but would have difficulty injuring his opponent, Luka took a light breath and decided to take a gamble.

He was betting that Alec, once bitten by a snake, would be shy of a rope for ten years!

He gathered his elements again and shot them straight ahead.

A golden ball of light rushed forward.

The image of being bombed in the Holy City back then flashed through Alec’s mind. He reflexively diverted most of his power to form a protective shield in front of him.

Almost at the same time, the golden ball of light collided with the protective shield. No explosion occurred; instead, it instantly dissipated into thin air.

A trick!

The golden light was a smoke bomb.

However, it was too late.

Having diverted most of his power, he was at a disadvantage when dealing with the arrow. The sharp arrow pierced through his armor and embedded itself in his flesh, instantly creating a bloody wound.

Under normal circumstances, even if Alec had temporarily redirected most of his power, he would not have been injured.

But the fact was, his injury was not light, but not severe either.

Luka had played several tricks at once.

Besides the hidden arrow and the smoke bomb, Luka did not target the weak heart, but aimed for the arm.

After Alec’s arm was blown off, he had not yet found a suitable replacement and was relying on a temporary graft from the dwarves.

Naturally, the compatibility of this replaceable arm with his body was average. The arrow viciously lodged itself in the operating mechanical device, and the entire arm fell off on the spot!

But to outsiders, the scene was somewhat horrifying.

“Heavens, Iliad has disabled His Highness’s arm!”

The cries of alarm echoed in the stands, stimulating Alec’s eardrums. He kept his head down, completely immersed in a demonic aura.

“Good, truly good tactics.”

As these words fell, the arm that had fallen to the ground directly melted in the blood. The corrosive curse seeped in everywhere. The protective shield in front of Luka was also rapidly corroded by the strange elemental power.

Luka’s heart tightened. It seemed to be some kind of forbidden spell.

In this world, there were two types of people he hated fighting the most: first, those who, after you beat the young one, the old one comes, and second, those who, once at a disadvantage, start resorting to mutually assured destruction.

A Swiftness Spell floated into mid-air. Luka announced loudly, “Alec, you are indeed very powerful. Today, with my strength, I can injure you but cannot kill you. This battle shall be considered a draw.”

The stands were suddenly filled with surprise.

Alec, who was about to unleash his ultimate move, which was 99% charged: “…”

He didn’t dare to curse the Demon King, but he almost blurted out, “To your Holy Mother’s hell with your draw!”

Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was the inferior one.

A draw just because he said so? Where in the world could you find such a good deal?

Alec swung his magic sword, oQuilled his mouth, and the spell had just begun to float out.

But Luka glanced around and reminded him with a cold smile, “There are quite a few spies from the other Highnesses on the stands today. If you and I are both seriously injured, wouldn’t we just be letting others take advantage?”

He stood proudly in the air, his ponytail fluttering in the wind. “Besides, you should know that I am also holding back.”

Once he launched “Truth,” both sides would suffer heavy losses. The other princes would not let this opportunity pass and would then use all their power to assassinate them.

And their target for assassination would undoubtedly be Alec.

Understanding the subtext, but feeling stuck in an awkward position, Alec almost spat out a mouthful of demonic blood.

If he knew it would be like this, why did he even issue the challenge? What was the point of this duel?

Luka’s tongue was as glib as a lotus. He sent a telepathic message:

“Getting to understand my strength in advance and letting the other Highnesses know about me as a hidden threat, thereby sharing some of the pressure on you—you’re not at a loss.”

Frankly, if it really came down to a life-or-death fight, the one to die might not be him.

At worst, he would unleash his ultimate move and then use a space scroll. A normal space scroll couldn’t break through the dueling arena’s spatial seal, but the one given by the Saint definitely could.

But it was a life-saving trump card. It was best not to use it if he didn’t have to.

His 100% charged dark transformation was interrupted. Alec felt that something was being overlooked, but in his silent contemplation, Luka nodded slightly to the referee.

Seeing that both sides, who were about to fight to the death, had simultaneously stopped, the referee, thinking Alec had tacitly agreed to stop, flashed to the center of the stage, raised a small flag, and announced the result: “A draw!”

To prevent being accidentally injured, referees throughout history were strongest in speed: speed of speech, running speed, and flag-raising speed were all outstanding.

The announcement of a draw made Alec’s eyes snap oQuill.

On the other side, Luka had already returned to the ground and performed a noble’s bow. “I concede.”

“You…”

“The Dark City is still yours.”

Luka interrupted, clearly indicating that Alec had lost nothing.

“According to our agreement, only my works can be circulated.” He turned to face the audience in the stands. “Thank you to all the audience members who came to the scene today.”

In the stands, Feather Quill frowned. Luka had prepared his lines, but this was one he really didn’t want to say.

After a pause, for the sake of his student, he closed his eyes and said it anyway—

“Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years the river flows west. The weak defeats the strong, Iliad!”

The reporters sent by Lilian, as well as the spies from other princes who had long wished to step on Alec to get ahead, immediately followed suit and shouted, “Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years the river flows west. The weak defeats the strong, Iliad!”

“Iliad!”

The rest of the audience didn’t know what was going on, but the atmosphere was right, so they just shouted along.

Where was the weak defeating the strong?

Where was the victory!

The thread of Alec’s sanity completely snapped amidst the shouts. The demonic power he had just restrained erupted to its extreme, rushing forward in a frenzy.

The sudden, terrifying attack was easily neutralized in the next moment.

Berlanie had appeared in the center of the field at some point. “The duel is over. A sneak attack after the match is not good.”

Alec gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, “Your Excellency, can you not see his dirty tricks?”

Forcibly setting the pace, dramatizing the strength difference and the outcome, and finally, substituting the concept to confuse others’ judgment.

Every step was utterly dirty.

Berlanie blocked the surrounding eavesdropping and said meaningfully, “He is weak.”

Alec’s expression changed slightly.

Of course, he knew of Iliad’s ‘weakness’. That’s why he had easily sent his demonic servants, unscrupulously eavesdropped, and attempted to expose his true identity at the Grand Assembly.

Even after failing, he could still send troops to block him outside the Holy City.

If it were any other opponent, Alec would have temporarily stopped after one failed attempt.

The reason he dared to do this was none other than the fact that the other party had no backing, relying solely on a ridiculous work to maintain a bond with the dragon clan.

“Survival of the fittest,” he said through gritted teeth.

The life and death of the weak should be at the whim of the strong, not ‘whoever is weaker is right’!

To prevent Alec from completely breaking down, Luka thoughtfully refrained from setting the pace any further. A rainbow light shot out, and a huge promotional board, posters, and loudspeakers appeared on the dueling field.

With one hand on the edge of the promotional board, Luka held a loudspeaker in the other. It was a pity he didn’t have three heads and six arms, otherwise he would have also carried a sound system for his own BGM.

“Do you want to know the secret to increasing your strength? Then you must watch this movie.”

“Do you want your child to be a late bloomer? Then you must watch this movie.”

The reporters in the stands wrote furiously:

[…After the draw, Alec was resentful. After the duel ended, he even launched a sneak attack on Iliad while he was unprepared, but was stopped by the dragon clan! Iliad was not affected by the sneak attack and, at the scene…]

The reporter looked uncertainly at the stage and continued to write:

[…promoted his new work at the scene…]

Luka cast another levitation spell, displaying the concept poster in mid-air. The cast list at the top was particularly eye-catching:

Starring: Danton, Leo, Isha (Dragon Clan), Donna (Holy City)…

The previous battle was just for show. Now, even some representatives of major forces who came to watch couldn’t help but sit up straight.

The surrounding audience was buzzing with discussion: “There’s actually a dragon in the cast!”

“Not just that, the supporting roles are from the Holy City, and the music is all from the dark elf clan.”

Although the currently popular operas were all boring love stories.

But with this lineup, even if it were shi*, they would still have a taste!

The reporter, observing all directions and recording truthfully, noticed Alec’s ugly expression and suddenly realized that the Dark City was still the First Prince’s territory. He began to doubt himself: “Can this newspaper even be published?”

“The other princes will uphold the justice of the press to dare to speak the truth.”

The light words fell into his ears. The reporter thought it made sense and looked towards the source of the voice. It was a youth with neat, short silver hair.

The latter tilted his head and said, “Even if it’s blocked in the city, it will sell like crazy elsewhere.”

Even more sense!

Those competitors of Alec would secretly promote its distribution.

Just as the reporter wanted to chat a bit more with the short-haired youth, in the blink of an eye, the other person was gone.

At this moment, where the spies were gathered, no one noticed an extra figure.

After appearing, Feather Quill’s gaze was fixed on the stage, silently casting a spell.

On the dueling field, the blood Alec had previously shed continuously atomized and spread towards the stands.

Someone was stealing blood!

Experts from all sides had long confirmed that it was impossible to directly cast a curse through blood, but seeing someone stealing blood, Alec still reflexively tried to stop it.

In the silent tug-of-war, the blood began to move back towards Alec. Who knew that the person pulling the strings in the dark would suddenly let go, directly turning the pulling force into a pushing force. The blood mist condensed into a heavy fist and slammed into Alec’s abdomen.

Alec retreated several steps and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Why is everyone today dirtier than the last?

Alec snapped his head up, his demonic sense covering the surrounding area, and found the gathering place of the spies.

“The third or the fourth?”

Alec suppressed his shock and anger. Only they would sQuilld enormous resources to raise powerful demonic servants, whose strength could match or even surpass that of a demon general.

As Alec spat blood, Berlanie glanced at the audience seats and only saw a fleeting glimpse of silver-white.

Coincidentally, Alec’s mouthful of blood landed on the same spot where Luka had spat blood earlier. Luka, who had been getting beaten down at the beginning, saw this and resisted the urge to mock him, merely curving the corner of his lips.

Berlanie reminded him, “It’s time to go.”

Luka was searching everywhere for a trace of Feather Quill.

From the audience stands, a large number of spectators were already pouring down, some almost reaching the dueling field.

Was the rumor that he couldn’t sense elemental power true? Without anyone teaching him, how did he progress so rapidly? Was there help from the dragon clan behind him?

A series of questions lingered in these people’s minds, wanting answers. Among them were also those who wanted to fish in troubled waters and do something.

“I’m going.”

If he didn’t leave now, he really wouldn’t be able to.

Luka quickly moved towards Berlanie, preparing to leave through the special entrance channel.

Before leaving, he deliberately put on a regretful expression. “If it weren’t for the other competitors, using the ultimate method you taught me, I might have been able to gain the right of dominion.”

With one sentence, he successfully blurred the main point.

At least within Alec’s ten parts of hatred for him, there was now one part of relief.

Not losing the Dark City was the most important thing.

Alec turned and walked towards the stands. He still held considerable prestige in the Dark City, and no one dared to laugh at him to his face. Only from a distance did they begin to discuss in low voices.

…

A single duel caused traffic congestion in the Dark City.

The entire city was divided into one hundred and forty-nine districts, with countless black markets of all sizes, a paradise for lawless fanatics.

The inn where Luka was temporarily staying was called ‘Demon Above Demons’. It belonged to one of the few safe zones where fighting was prohibited.

The daily rent was exorbitant, with no base price. As long as a guest could offer a higher price, the previous lower bidder would be immediately kicked out.

“The evil capitalists.”

In these few days, he had contributed at least a hundred gold coins to the Dark City’s GDP. The thought that a portion of the money would eventually flow into Alec’s pocket was really unpleasant.

Just as he was thinking, Luka pushed oQuill the door to his room, and a dazzling golden light rushed to meet him.

The light was so bright he thought it was an enemy attack.

Feather Quill sat calmly on a mountain of gold and said, “Won from the bet.”

The Dark City had its own set of betting rules. For the battle between Luka and Alec, all the major black markets had set up betting stalls.

“I guess I was the only one who bet on a draw.”

Luka was dumbfounded.

No wonder he taught him so diligently. Besides the audience’s resentment after the movie’s release, he could also make a fortune.

“You were the main subject of the duel,” Feather Quill maintained his arrogance and dignity. “You get half the profits.”

He had never tried to share anything with anyone before, and his tone of voice was not very natural.

Even Feather Quill himself didn’t realize that he had been influenced by Luka in many intangible ways. For example, the other party had also distributed the profits from writing in the same way back then.

“The Holy City forbids gambling.” Berlanie suddenly squinted at Feather Quill. “You don’t seem like someone from the Holy City.”

Feather Quill glanced at Luka. “Does His Excellency think he looks like he was born of the Holy Maiden?”

He certainly didn’t.

Berlanie was well-read. “It was my stereotype.”

Luka: “…”

Having just gone through an intense battle and returned to a relatively safe environment, Luka felt completely drained and sat down in the small pile of gold.

Through the reflection, he vaguely saw his current appearance.

His ponytail was soaked with sweat, hanging down in strands. There was still blood at the corner of his mouth. It was not a very dignified look.

“I really took advantage of this duel.”

The dueling arena had many restrictions, such as not being able to use magic talismans, and at most using one enchanted weapon. Otherwise, Alec would not have been short on treasures.

The other party had also been injured in the explosion a while ago, and his demonic energy was in turmoil.

Yet, for the sake of face, the demon in question did his best to cover it up. In the end, it would have been better to announce from the beginning that the explosion had caused his injury.

Berlanie said, “No need to be modest. There are no victories by chance.”

The explosion incident was also planned by Luka.

Luka had long thought of a whole bunch of explanations for his sudden ability to cultivate, but he didn’t get to use them on Leo, and he didn’t get to use them on Berlanie either.

The other party just congratulated him on his victory and then said, “Leo has sent a message that the soundtrack is complete. The memory stone will be sent over soon. You can contact the opera house.”

“So fast!” Luka was a little incredulous at this speed.

Berlanie: “It is said that the dark elf who composed your music is still cursing his ancestors.”

Luka: “Is he cursing mine?”

“Of course.”

“That’s good.”

Luka breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his cheeks. “I’ve finally waited for this day.”

All this effort was to ensure that the film could be successfully released in the Dark City and to lay some groundwork for the Return Hunt election in advance.

With the right to screen publicly acknowledged and the help of the dragon clan, negotiating with the opera house would be easy.

Berlanie reminded him to be careful of Alec’s secret sabotage.

“He won’t have time,” Luka said.

For the next two days, Alec would be busy using public opinion to attribute his failure to the dragon clan, to mitigate the impact of his defeat in the duel.

“Unfortunately for him, a new storm of public opinion is about to rise.”

One wave is higher than the next; it’s all about speed.

Crematorium movie, let’s get you released!

Luka revealed a standard little devil’s smile. Under the shimmering light of the gold coins, his whole person seemed to be glowing.

Also sitting in the pile of gold, Feather Quill looked at him, and his heart suddenly skipped half a beat.

__

Author’s Note:
Excerpt from Luka’s diary:
I will definitely become a big star.
Alex left a high-profile comment: Heh, I did that thousands of years ago.
Luka: Oh, so you’re washed up.
Alex: …