Close Combat Mage
chapter-140

“What!” She cried out in shock at Suo Jia’s words. She shook her head incredulously, “No…that won’t do, Young Master, that’s too much of a waste. No matter what status this lowly maid has, I will always serve Young Master. There’s no need to waste such a good opportunity on me.”

Shaking his head with a smile, Suo Jia said indifferently, “No need, I’ve already decided. I am a person that has always thought that one should be rewarded for achievements, and punished for violations. You’ve already contributed too much to the White Villa. Without you, the White Villa wouldn’t exist today. That’s why I will not change my decision no matter what!”

“Young Master!” Hearing Suo Jia’s words, Eldest Sister’s large eyes couldn’t help but blur with tears. She choked with emotion, and was unable to say anything. She knew that there was absolutely no need for the Young Master to do this. The only reason he did so was because her relationship with the Young Master had already reached a point where they were inseparable.

Smiling, Suo Jia shook his head and said, “It’s fine. In the end, it’s still better if you don’t take care of this matter.”

“Ah!” Eldest Sister couldn’t help but be shocked by this. From what she could see, Young Master had simply been teasing her. The hope that he had just given her was suddenly taken back; how cruel.

As she was currently lamenting over the disappointment, Suo Jia laughed, “It’s better if I do it myself. You just stay here and wait, I’ll be back shortly. Soon…..you can become a sixth ranked lord!” With this, the Suo Jia that had just entered the room immediately turned around to walk back out.

As she looked at Suo Jia’s leaving figure, large tears finally began to cascade down as she looked at his back that was not at all imposing, and could even be said to be young and immature. However, the image was still carved deeply into her heart, that was it…..if Young Master treated her this way, she’d forever risk her life for him!

That night, Suo Jia happily rushed back to the White Villa and found Eldest Sister waiting there, full of anticipation. Smiling, he passed over the title to become a sixth ranked lord to her.

As he looked at the trembling Eldest Sister, Suo Jia laughed and said, “Sorry, if I want to award a noble title, I need to give the person’s full name. That’s why I did what I thought was appropriate and gave you a new name — Lan Ruo Simierre!”

Eldest Sister’s body shook as she stared at Suo Jia in shock. Simierre was indeed her last name, but she no longer remembered her first name anymore, so she had given herself one — Lan Ruo. She hadn’t imagined that Young Master would’ve known this, and combined her real last name and her own christened name. This depth of understanding and honor were things that would make anyone touched.

Just as she was thinking this, Suo Jia smiled and continued, “Alright, Eldest Sister. From now on, according to the Empire’s laws, I can only call you Lord Lan Ruo now….hehe. You’d better remember this; don’t make me call your name all day because you don’t recognize your own name.”

Faced with Suo Jia’s teasing, Lan Ruo’s emotions were in a complicated disarray. After a long while….Lan Ruo respectfully knelt down and said sincerely, “Thank you, Young Master, for the freedom, honor, and power that you have granted to Lan Ruo…..no matter what happens, Lan Ruo will always be Young Master’s closest maid. This will never ever change.”

“Hahaha….” Hearing Lan Ruo’s words, Suo Jia laughed out loud. He gratefully looked at Eldest Sister and said, “The friendship we have isn’t something that anything could possibly change. I can feel that. The reason you’re willing to help me is not because of my identity, but from sincerity. Our friendship is pure; no matter what, I, Suo Jia, will always recognize you as my friend!”

With glowing eyes, Lan Ruo smiled and nodded, “That’s right. There are many things that cannot be expressed in words. ‘Distance tests a horse’s stamina, time reveals a man’s heart’. I’m sure my Lord understands Lan Ruo’s thoughts.”

Suo Jia patted Lan Ruo’s shoulder. Without saying another word, he turned around and left the room. As she looked at Suo Jia’s retreating back, Lan Ruo’s good-looking face showed a pained expression.

From a young age, she had been raised as the Duke’s dedicated servant. Even though she had no military force to speak of, she had been trained to be the Duke’s greatest spy. The reason she had come here was actually a dark flag that Wen Ya had set up to control Suo Jia’s existence. In reality, Eldest Sister had always been loyal to Duke Wen Sha, loyal to Wen Ya. Otherwise, how would they have given away someone so outstanding that easily?

However, although Suo Jia was just a child, and had only been 8 years old when they had first met, they had been together for a long time now. Now she could feel his unique charm.

As a result of his young age, Suo Jia wasn’t exactly handsome, nor could one say he was dashing. However, he was not lacking in sincerity in any way, especially with the amount of love and respect he gave to the six sisters. This made them feel an emotion they had never experienced before.

Suo Jia’s decision to grant Eldest Sister freedom by raising her noble rank was especially bewildering to her. Duke Wen Sha was her life savior, and she would be forever in his debt. But Suo Jia’s love and respect to her was also hard to betray. That’s why Lan Ruo had decided that if at a critical moment, Lan Ruo would do nothing but die. Only that way would she be able to face both the Duke and Suo Jia.

As Eldest Sister was silently thinking this to herself, Suo Jia had entered the secret room with an overcast expression. One could never underestimate a child’s intelligence. Although he didn’t have any clear evidence, Suo Jia was certain that Lan Ruo and her sisters were definitely spies. The only reason he had made such an arrangement today was because Suo Jia was hoping to move Lan Ruo. Even though it couldn’t possibly cause her to rebel, Suo Jia still hoped that she would let him go if they were ever at a critical point.

Some people might wonder, how could a brat like Suo Jia be so sly? Actually, he wasn’t being that cunning. Rather people underestimated him too much. Wen Ya was precisely one of these people!

In Wen Ya’s eyes, Suo Jia was only a child. Although he was a bit intelligent, in the eyes of an adult, he was extremely easy to see through. That’s why in front of Suo Jia, she didn’t conceal as much. She especially never bothered to hold back her words whenever she was in a happy mood.

Suo Jia discovered through his chats with Wen Ya that she would often talk about his minor habits, actions, and shortcomings. But Suo Jia only showed those when he was in front of his mother. How could Wen Ya possibly know these things?

In addition, Wen Ya would often unconsciously inquire Suo Jia about some of the White Villa’s secrets. There were many matters that even his mother didn’t know about, things that only he and Lan Ruo knew. Suo Jia was certain that he had never said these things to a third person. Moreover, he had also warned Lan Ruo repeatedly for her to keep the matters a secret. Yet how did Wen Ya know of them?

In short, these signs indicated that Suo Jia’s judgment was definitely correct. Lan Ruo had been secretly telling Wen Ya information, letting Wen Ya know everything regarding the White Villa. This was definitely not a false accusation.

However, when faced with such circumstances, Suo Jia was still powerless. Duke Wen Sha was the city’s Lord, not someone that the current Suo Jia could fight against. Even if Suo Jia did find out about everything, he could only endure it silently without bursting out.

It was for the sake of protecting this secret that Suo Jia had ripped up all of that four page paper after memorizing it. He hadn’t even told Eldest Sister about it. All of the content recorded on those four pages had been about the four major auxiliary magics, as well as the secret know-how on the four magical alchemies. Now, all of it had been burned. Even if Suo Jia’s head was split open, no one would be able to extract the information.

Suo Jia had already made his move, but Lan Ruo still hadn’t realized. Like Wen Ya, although she thought she understood Suo Jia very well, she had really underestimated a child’s intelligence.

Suo Jia knew that under the current situation, he had absolutely no power to resist. If he revealed even the slightest sign of rebelling, he’d probably suffer from disaster. What Suo Jia needed to do now was to quickly improve his strength and power. There would eventually come a day where Suo Jia’s might would reach a point where Duke Wen Sha wouldn’t dare to touch him, and Suo Jia would naturally be able to break away from being under control.

Suo Jia knew very clearly that the fire wind warriors’ secret couldn’t be protected any longer. However….Suo Jia could still hide their strength. After all…the might of the Angelic Six Winged Phoenix Armor was something that even Lan Ruo didn’t know about. The only people that knew these things were Suo Jia and the 36 Angelic Six Winged Phoenixes. As for the dwarves, they definitely had professional morals, and even gods wouldn’t be able to pry out business information from their mouths.

Blankly looking at the roof, Suo Jia couldn’t help but be at a loss. Sometimes, he would suddenly wish he were a bit dumber, and never grow older. The more he aged, the more he gradually discovered that not everything in this world was illuminated by the sun. There were more places that hid in the cruel darkness. The older he grew, the clearer he could see these dark corners, and discover filthy matters. This was really a cruel fact. But if he wanted to mature, then he had to open up and probe through these darknesses. There was no alternative.

With great effort, Suo Jia tore away from these thoughts as he shook his head to lighten up. He lifted his right hand, and with a flash of blue light, the Mysterious Ice Arrow accurately struck out. With his spirit power locked on to it, he pushed the arrow faster. With the help of the explosive boost of the four great auxiliary magics, the arrow instantly pierced through the magic target, disappearing into the wall behind it.

“Practice, practice, and more practice!” This was the only thing that Suo Jia could do now. In a few more months, the Angelic Six Winged Phoenixes would return. When that time came, Suo Jia could leave this place and create a major, dominating business that was truly represented by him alone! Before this though, Suo Jia had to accumulate enough means to protect his life.

Suo Jia lost track of time as he cultivated without tiring. Aside from Lan Ruo coming to report the revenue situations, Suo Jia spent the rest of his time cultivating alone. Suo Jia firmly believed in the phrase, “No pain, no gain”. If he wanted to become an expert, then he had to isolate himself. All experts were lonely people!