Chapter 194: Magic Continent – Xiang City 4

City Lord’s Mansion

Xiang Zui stared blankly at the rose-patterned invitation in his rough hands. “You’re saying there’s a man and a woman outside the city who claim they want to see me?”

The attendant, clad in golden armor, stood as straight as a rod and replied, “Yes, City Lord.”

Xiang Zui waved his hand. “Bring them in!”

“Yes, sir.”

After the attendant left, Xiang Zui looked down at the invitation, still dazed. He didn’t know who these people were or why they wanted to see him. But even if only a tenth of what was written on the invitation was true, he had to meet them.

Sang Chu and Xue You followed the attendant into the grand hall.

Seated at the highest seat was a man dressed in a dark-colored mage’s robe.

Xiang Zui said, “I don’t know what business the distinguished guests have with me.”

Sang Chu hadn’t expected to be greeted so coldly right from the start. For a moment, she felt uncomfortable, but she quickly composed herself and smiled at Xiang Zui.

“Greetings, City Lord. I was just passing through Xiang City and originally didn’t want to get involved in anything. But I heard the city is short on supplies and funds, so I thought I’d do a little business with you. I didn’t expect to be so unwelcome.”

Xiang Zui’s sharp gaze locked onto Sang Chu, but she showed no sign of fear, as if this high-ranking mage meant nothing to her.

Standing behind Sang Chu, Xue You lazily looked at Xiang Zui. With a flick of his wide sleeve, the air in the hall instantly condensed into icy blades, the sharp tips hovering just a millimeter from Xiang Zui’s face.

“If you don’t want your eyes, I can help you take care of them.”

Xue You looked down on him with arrogant disdain. All the ice blades in the room were aimed at Xiang Zui, and his body was completely restrained, unable to use even a sliver of magic.

Xiang Zui forced a smile. “We have a saying: isn’t this a bit much for a business negotiation?”

Xue You glanced at him, then looked to Sang Chu. “Sit?”

“Mm.”

Sang Chu responded softly, walked over to a chair, and sat down. Xue You leaned lazily against the back of her chair, saying nothing, but making Sang Chu’s position seem even more elevated.

Sang Chu took out a box from her ring, filled with fresh roses preserved in ice and snow. “Would the City Lord be interested in these?”

Xiang Zui’s eyes widened in surprise—he hadn’t expected her to actually have fresh roses in her possession!

And they were Xiang City roses at that. “If the envoy is willing to sell, I’ll take them all!”

Sang Chu raised a finger. She’d originally intended to sell just one or two, but she felt the City Lord could accept a higher price.

But Xiang Zui asked, “A hundred flowers?”

After a long silence, he added, “A hundred magic crystals is difficult for me to gather at once, but if you give me three days, I can get them for you!”

Sang Chu glanced at Xue You and instantly understood why the City Lord was willing to offer such a high price. He must have realized that Xue You’s power far surpassed his own—he’d been subdued in a single move.

“Three days is too long. I need to return to Rose City soon and can’t stay here. How many crystals can you give me right now?”

Xiang Zui looked at Sang Chu, a bit hesitant, but the icy blades in the air pressed even closer.

He hurriedly said, “Fifty! I can give you fifty magic crystals right now.”

Sang Chu handed him her card. “Then transfer them to me.”

When Xiang Zui saw that she was using a Rose City magic crystal card, he no longer doubted her identity. As for her ignorance of certain customs, he simply chalked it up to her being a sheltered royal.

After a quick transaction, Sang Chu’s card now held over fifty crystals—a huge sum for someone like Xiang Zui.

“Fifty crystals for half the flowers. I’ll leave the rest with you for now. This is my communication stone—if you manage to gather the rest of the crystals by tonight, let me know and I’ll give you the rest. I’ll be on my way.”

Xue You nodded, and a magic portal appeared in the air. Sang Chu stepped through first, with Xue You following. As soon as they entered the portal, the ice and snow in the hall vanished without a trace.

Xiang Zui stared in the direction they’d left, still shaken. “A teleportation spell? Could she be a princess raised by the Rose royal family?”

“Go summon the heads of the three major families for me!”

“Yes, City Lord.”

Xiang Zui had already spent a fortune just to buy these flowers. As for what happened after Sang Chu left, she didn’t know. The portal deposited them at the same place they’d arrived earlier.

Sang Chu asked, “With your abilities, why can’t you just send me directly to Rose City?”

“I can only teleport to places I’ve been before. I can’t enter Rose City, so I can’t send you there either.”

Sang Chu looked at him speechlessly. “Then haven’t you ever been to the outskirts of Rose City? If you’d just sent me to the outskirts, I could enter the city myself. Wouldn’t that save a lot of time?”

Xue You was stunned. He really hadn’t thought of that. At night, his cold aura could instantly cover the entire magic continent, and with the help of teleportation, he could cross from one city to another in a single step.

But the higher the city’s rank, the stronger its defenses. The cold aura’s attack would be blocked, just like in Xiang City. Although the nights were a bit colder here, it wasn’t as extreme as in Rose City.

Xue You said, “Fine. So, are you going to stay here for now?”

Sang Chu replied, “Let’s see if the City Lord can gather the rest of the crystals by tonight.”

“He definitely will. Just wait.”

Sang Chu nodded. She was starting to understand why the magic continent was so obsessed with roses.

There was a strange look in Sang Chu’s eyes. Xue You lay lazily on the sofa and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering why the magic continent needs roses so much.”

Xue You replied, “Maybe it’s because roses contain a special power. They can help a city resist demonic invasions.”

Sang Chu turned to look at him. “Then do you think the magical plants in my jade pendant’s space could also resist demonic energy?”

“Probably. They contain even more magic power and would be even more effective.”

Sang Chu smiled. “But why is it specifically roses? And why can’t anyone on the magic continent cultivate them?”

Xue You was stunned, staring at Sang Chu. “Why?”

“There are no normal plants on the magic continent. Everything here has already developed some form of intelligence. So I suspect these flowers are hard to grow because the magic energy here is too domineering and aggressive, causing ordinary plants to die instantly.”

Xue You said, “According to your logic, roses are just a way to enhance magic power. Then why don’t demons attack cities with roses?”

Sang Chu replied, “Maybe there’s some kind of contract. Because of this contract, the magic continent needs roses. It doesn’t matter what kind of flower, but over time, people discovered that only this particular kind of rose could survive here and provide magic power.”

Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why, in a place where even rocks can become sentient, only this kind of rose can exist, and even then, it’s so hard for them to survive."