Chapter 278

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 278: The Unique Technique, No Plagiarism Allowed

"We won!"

"It was quite simple."

After stepping down from the stage, Michelle and Alena high-fived.

"Chi Xuan’s expression changed completely, and his facial expression when he fell was hilarious," Alena completely abandoned her ladylike pose, genuinely happy for her close friend.

Michelle had finally made a name for herself, and she couldn’t help but feel proud, just like how parents feel when their children succeed.

"You only used one move, and your Dragon Fang is incredibly fast and powerful compared to last time."

"That’s because I’ve improved and strengthened it. The previous version of the Golden Engraving was incomplete, but this one is the complete version."

"With this win, we have won four matches. Even if we lose the last one, it doesn’t matter." Alena exclaimed happily.

"No, it’s actually three and a half wins," Judy added suddenly, "My match ended in a draw."

"How can the referee make such a decision?"

"I have no complaints," Judy shook her head, "Even though we tied with the Blue Iris University, we have still improved compared to previous years. Friendly matches are just for fun; the real rankings are determined in the university league."

"Hmm." Michelle felt calm, happy but not overly excited. Instead, she felt a sense of regret in her heart.

She couldn’t share these feelings with anyone else, so she had to suppress them for now.

"There’s still a while before the final match. Take a rest and let the medical mage treat your wound," Alena said.

Michelle nodded and headed towards the infirmary. On her way, she encountered several students whose intense gazes made her uncomfortable.

It wasn’t her who was impressive, but the Golden Engraving. Any mage who possessed it could unleash the same power.

Others might think that the Golden Engraving was an exclusive technique she had developed. Suddenly, she felt an unexplained sense of guilt.

She entered the medical room, where her wound was quickly treated, and was told to rest.

As she sat in the quiet medical room, lost in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, fresh…" The doctor was about to say something, but suddenly froze, sat down, and fell asleep on the table.

A figure entered the medical room.

"Michelle Hope."

Upon hearing this voice, Michelle startled and looked up at the visitor, the Blood Noble, Sasha Capesh.

This wasn’t their first meeting, but Sasha looked so unfamiliar right now, just staring at her with her gaze, it felt like a dark shadow was cast over Michelle’s heart.

"Madam Blood Noble," Michelle cautiously asked, "Is there something you need?"

"It’s not something big," Sasha’s casual tone contrasted with her serious demeanor, "I just need to do some investigation."

"Oh?"

"Based on your answers, I will consider sending you to the Knight Order for the highest level of interrogation, or directly detain you on grounds of the Alliance’s security laws," Sasha said coldly.

And this isn’t considered a big deal?

Michelle(pale-faced woman) exclaimed, "Interrogation? Security law? But, the Blood Noble(lady), I don’t understand…"

"Your powers are quite mysterious," Sasha(calm woman) said. "I had Alena(researcher) investigate and monitor the source of your abilities. We needed to evaluate whether they come from ancient spirits or not, and also assess your mental threshold. However, it seems that she got caught up in friendship and forgot about the task I assigned to her."

"Dragonborn’s blood aura, first stage rage blood. These can be considered as part of your innate powers as a Dragonborn. Whether it’s natural talent or the revival of ancient techniques documented in ancient texts, I can understand that."

"But what just happened is different."

"What do you mean by ‘the Golden Engraving’?" Michelle asked cautiously.

Gold is a symbol of the royal family in the empire. When the empire fell, the gold disappeared. Even though there are mentions in the records, no mage or spell can recreate this mystery.

Sasha thought about the highest-grade aircraft carrier, Ewah, owned by the allied countries. Unfortunately, to activate it, you need the Golden Power. No one can pass this certification, so it remains dormant till now.

For five hundred years, there has been no gold.

Now it has reappeared, naturally making Sasha feel fearful and puzzled.

Why now, of all times? Why does it appear on this little girl?

Michelle realized the source of this power had alarmed the Blood Noble, but she wasn’t surprised by the connection between the Golden Engraving and the empire. It had been written in history books, and she had already suspected a strong connection between Mr. Devil and the royal family of the past. Living five hundred years later, she didn’t carry the weight of history and didn’t believe that relying solely on Mr. Devil could cause the collapse of the alliance and rebuild the empire. It seemed like a foolish dream.

She felt a bit scared deep inside because of the overwhelming presence of the Blood Noble, but she clenched her teeth and refused to admit defeat.

"The Golden Engraving is a technique I created myself!"

"I don’t know how it’s related to the imperial family!"

Michelle looked at Sasha, speaking slowly with nervousness, "Even if you were to interrogate me, you wouldn’t find anything. I’ve mostly stayed at the academy and haven’t had any possibility of contact with anyone else."

Sasha said coldly, "It’s difficult to perceive the existence of spirits in the material world. If there is an ancient ghost of the imperial era attached to you, it can naturally share its knowledge with you."

Michelle blurted out, "What’s wrong with that?"

"Of course, it’s not okay. When spirits inhabit the same body, it not only damages the original soul but also leads to the worst outcome of possession or, at best, soul merging. However, both outcomes would definitely cause a shift in the personality model. An old ghost from the imperial era is a huge threat to the current alliance, especially considering that it comes from the imperial royal family. Even if it’s just an apostle blessed with gold, it is a time bomb threatening national security."

Sasha said icyly, "You better confess now, while you still have the chance."

Michelle refused to betray Mr. Devil, even though Sasha exaggerated and tried to scare her. Despite having heard different versions of such stories since she was little, Michelle firmly believed that she was not a gullible victim of deception.

The evidence was that she had never felt any change in her personality, and Mr. Devil was always elusive, appearing and disappearing at will. Any soul hoping to possess her would have to be lazy, only making efforts sporadically.

Facing the intimidating presence of the Blood Noble, Michelle calmly repeated, "The Golden Engraving is my unique technique."

Sasha sneered, "Are you so naive that you won’t shed a tear until you see your own coffin?"

Michelle calmly explained, "The Golden Engraving’s unique technique has never been seen in history. I am not a heroic spirit, nor do I have any signs of being blessed by gold. If there were any connections with the empire, there would definitely be traces left behind. This is a type of magical imprint, and with thorough studying, anyone can use it. It has a distinct difference from the historical blessings of gold."

Mr. Devil wasn’t entirely surprised by this situation. However, this magical imprint was developed from scratch, and there is no relevant documentation or information found within the empire. Besides, the previous royal family of the empire never willingly handed over the mystery of gold for people to study so openly.

Her confidence began to grow, even if only a little, but she was able to lie without changing her expression.

Sasha took a deep breath and changed her tone: "Michelle Hope, you’re a hardworking and practical girl. You’re not focused on vanity and you don’t have a strong desire for fame. I hope you think carefully and weigh the pros and cons."

"The Blood Noble, does that mean gold is always bad?" Michelle asked in response. "Can’t there be someone who is good?"

"The empire’s royal family was overthrown by the people of the allied countries, but that doesn’t determine if they were good or bad."

"Now the allied countries are prosperous and strong, so why should we fear the golden engraving that will only appear in five hundred years?"

"That’s a different matter. Whether we fear it or not, it’s my duty to extinguish the danger from the beginning," Sasha said, not easily swayed by Michelle’s words. "It’s up to me to judge if the golden engraving is safe or not."

Michelle fell silent for a moment and continued, "The Golden Engraving is my unique technique…"

She had made up her mind to continue repeating, not revealing any clues.

The little girl’s stubbornness made Sasha laugh, there were very few honest people who were willing to cooperate with the manipulated mage.

Either way, Sasha would not be able to leave without prying out the secret she was hiding, the level of danger needed further definition.

Michelle sighed inwardly, thinking she had hidden it well, but in reality, there were many loopholes.

There was no way to hide it indeed, the time was too short, and this world didn’t have the convenient concept of a virtual reality.

Just as they were at a stalemate, the door to the infirmary suddenly swung open.

"Michelle Hope!" a figure entered and exclaimed loudly, "The higher-ups have decided that you will fight in the eighth match!"

Michelle suddenly realized that this was a great opportunity to escape and promptly responded, "Okay… yay!"