Chapter 108: Weight of a Name
This was news!
A large power like the Ashen Spire which had some say in the entire South, formed an alliance with the minor Redoak Vale. It was very ridiculous in itself.
If it wasn’t for Xander looking for the Tome of Nalu on behalf of Hathaway, and the fact that she mistook Xander’s identity as a Seer, this would have never been possible.
In the eyes of outsiders, this was a very strange matter.
The stranger the situation, the more interest it would draw. Thus, this simple alliance declaration attracted a lot of attention.
At the same time, Xander’s achievements came into view.
Adding on his previous rude and unreasonable display in the Triad Towers, it would be very difficult for people to not imagine things.
Most people thought Xander and Hathaway had a special relationship. It was no wonder that the purple-clothed wizard who admired Hathaway would display such hostile behaviour.
’A tall tree attracts the wind, indeed.’
Xander bitterly smiled.
Now he had some fame, but that fame wouldn’t necessarily be beneficial.
It had been many days. What he did in the Triad Towers might have already spread to River Shore City.
Anyone that paid attention should be able to speculate about the relationship between Baron Xander and Masked Twin Blades. If they were smart enough, they might wonder whether those two were one and the same!
His identity as Masked Twin Blades might come under suspicion.
But Xander wasn’t worried. This kind of thing wasn’t a big deal.
What’s more, there were plenty of people using two daggers in this world. Explaining that it was a coincidence wasn’t difficult.
He wrote a letter back then to have the two phantom assassins put on masks and deal with a few things in River Shore City.
Anyways, as long as he didn’t admit it, others would at most suspect him.
---
After the Rise to Fame, Xander could be considered famous in the south. This would be helpful for his following plans.
His Region Myth status had increased very quickly. There was one more at the end:
---
[Your name has been widely discussed. Region Myth +2]
[Region Myth (Young Dusk Walker) (Thousand Leaves Forest)]: You helped with the elves’ vengeance by killing two Outlaws of the Crimson Road. Your reputation among the Wood Elves quickly increased.
---
This was the Fame obtained by Xander’s third identity. It could be of use when needed.
---
"Regarding that Battle of the Holy Grail in three days, how confident are you?" Hathaway suddenly asked.
Xander stopped focusing on the log window and decisively said, "100%."
"Arrogant," Hathaway disdainfully said. "Don’t think Seers are unrivalled. You don’t even know your opponents and still dare to come to this conclusion?"
"Did you know that the Thunder Tower and the Craftsman Tower made many preparations for you?"
Xander shook his head and still said very confidently, "No one made enough preparations."
"I am clearly more prepared than they are."
"The snow mountain field is different from the forest field." Hathaway frowned. "I am very curious. Where did you get that kind of natural confidence? Wizard is the strongest class..."
Xander interrupted, "Only for now."
Hathaway threw him a hateful glance. "Ok, for now."
She also saw some part of the devastation after the destruction. Moreover, she had recently heard from the Legend Wizard Assembly that this Calamity was already unstoppable. Even Sir Anthony had already fallen.
Wizards might really decline after the Calamity.
"But regardless, you’ll be facing the strongest from the other two Academies. Their casting ability are a lot stronger than your brother’s. Even if I’m unwilling to admit, Magon Academy is really the worst out of the three Academies. It’s probably related to my lack of management due to the peaceful times."
Hathaway rubbed her temples for a moment. "Moreover, from what I know, the Thunder Academy changed their follower at the last moment."
Xander sneered, "Someone from the Unicorn clan?"
"Must be. They are aiming at you. They only have one purpose—vengeance!" Hathaway reminded him. "You killed White, and the Unicorn Clan would never leave it at that. And although the rules of the competition mention that the follower’s level cannot exceed the wizard himself by more than two levels, a 2nd-rank powerhouse is still troublesome to deal with."
"And the wizard from the other Academy, the Craftsman Tower, also switched his follower for a powerful Guardian. They will definitely switch to a full set of excellent quality equipment, highly restraining your daggers to the point that they wouldn’t have any effect."
Xander nodded.
This was within Xander’s expectations.
His performance in the forest terrain was outstanding and was definitely noticed by his opponents. Wizards able to participate in the Battle of the Holy Grail weren’t fools.
"Many thanks for your intelligence. I’ll remember it."
Xander simply thanked her.
He had gained so many things in this trip to the Thousand Leaves Forest. It was time to show his strength!
This Battle of the Holy Grail was bound to attract many people’s attention. Showing his strength would be beneficial to the development of Redoak Vale.
As for the Unicorn Clan, the day that the ancient red dragon would be awakened by a volcano was approaching.
It seemed to be on the day of the Battle of the Holy Grail.
He just had to deal with the killers and kamikazes they would send for him.
He had killed a Half-Legend, so why should he be worried about a trifling 2nd-rank killer? Although the former was crippled by Ivan when Xander made a move, it greatly increased Xander’s confidence.
Xander chatted with Hathaway for a short moment. She wanted to exchange more information regarding Seer’s knowledge but unfortunately, Xander had never been a Seer. He could only say a few sentences to fool her before departing.
After this meeting, Hathaway would truly enter seclusion and not leave until she became a Legend.
Xander remembered that in the game, Hathaway managed to become a Legend roughly a week before the Calamity.
It should be quicker now that she received the Tome of Nalu.
A Legend Wizard as an ally was obviously a great thing.
---
He returned to Dorian’s dorm, but found that he wasn’t there. According to the old butler, he was discussing strategy with his teacher Hanzer.
"Young Master Xander, here is a letter from Redoak Vale."
"It was sent by Anna and arrived two days ago. Your personal seal is on it. Young Master Dorian and I haven’t looked at it."
The old butler took out a letter.
Xander nodded and opened the envelope, not suspicious, and read it on the spot.
The old butler was like Anna. Both were dedicated to Redoak Vale and were truly on their side. Even though he was too old and most of the time couldn’t handle much work even if he wanted to, there was no need to question his loyalty.
There was a lot written on Anna’s letter, roughly describing what happened in Redoak Vale during this time:
Gru had indeed followed his words and brought his Bramble Team to join Redoak Vale. This team of adventurers joining greatly increased Redoak Vale’s defenses.
Most of the territory’s inhabitants already settled down.
Autumn was very quickly approaching, and the food issue was becoming extremely serious. The gnolls had previously set a lot of fires and as a result, the grains left were only enough for a month.
There was still a lack of smiths and craftsmen in the castle town. They couldn’t really do anything about that, as Redoak Vale was a rural area after all. And there was nothing special about the craftsmen that were interested. Even if Xander posted notices of recruitment for a high price, very few people came.
The majority of craftsmen had a family to feed, so very few were willing to move. Most of those who moved were single people.
A rumor had appeared in the surroundings of Redoak Vale and River Shore City: [Redoak Vale’s Overlord, Sir Xander, is Masked Twin Blades.] Even though Anna denied this and forbade the rumor from spreading, there were still a lot of people secretly gossiping. Anna couldn’t do anything about this matter, as she was only a butler after all, not the Overlord himself.
Fortunately, Redoak Vale’s population was fine with it. They knew that Masked Twin Blades himself had lead people to recover the territory. They probably saw it like this: If the Overlord is truly Masked Twin Blades, that was good. This powerful Overlord would be able to protect this territory.
---
At the end of the letter, Anna mentioned several people:
That swindler named Lola had returned to Redoak Vale once again. This time she claimed to have reached an agreement with a chamber of commerce in Jewel Bay. They would sell at a price 30% lower than the market price on the premise that Xander agreed to some of the chamber of commerce’s conditions.
Because this thing had to be decided by Xander himself, Anna had let Lola stay for the time being, slowly dealing with this matter.
As for the little girl known as Isabelle that Xander mentioned before, she still hadn’t appeared.
And finally, a strange man calling himself "The Greatest Alchemist in all History" had come to Anna with the hope of settling in Redoak Vale. Anna let him stay outside the castle town for the time being.
---
There were too many matters pertaining to the territory, and Anna could only make a few decisions. Xander had left for quite some time, leading to some issues appearing.
He hesitated for a moment and then started writing an answer for Anna—plans for every matter.
As for Isabelle, he was somewhat worried. This young girl’s courage had left him with a deep impression. Her eyes also had a faint dark red color, apparently a bloodline from a mysterious race.
’Forget about it. I’ll take a look when I go back to River Shore City.’
Xander wrote, quickly replying to Anna.
In less than half an hour, he carefully arranged for all the matters, big and small.
Magon Academy had special carrier pigeons. Xander carefully sealed the letter with wax and let the old butler send it.
Before long, Dorian came back.
"Brother. Teacher gave me a few things. You might find it useful." Dorian saw Xander and immediately took out a few spell scrolls.
These were given to him by Hanzer, but he planned to give them to Xander.
Xander didn’t move. Instead, he looked at Dorian.
"You wanted to talk about something earlier?"
Dorian froze, and then began to hesitate.
His face was slightly flushed, apparently struggling to decide whether or not he should tell Xander about this.
Xander calmly waited.