Chapter Fifty-five: Kakun’s Arrival

In soldier-king novels, the protagonist is often surrounded by beautiful women, which tends to draw a lot of criticism. In reality, an ordinary person rarely encounters genuine beauties in their daily life, but in games, it’s just as rare to come across female characters who are unattractive. DNF isn’t too bad in this regard—the female characters don’t stand out much, after all, it’s only a 2D side-scrolling fighting game. But imagine being transported into Blade & Soul! My goodness. Greasy senior sisters in leather jackets and pants, their curvaceous figures accentuated—how could anyone possibly resist?

Savoring his drink, Xie Jing thoroughly enjoyed the time spent chatting among these lovely women. Even though Kaylee kept shooting him provocative glances, occasionally nudging him, and Seria quietly nursed her drink without a word, Kanina seemed quite fond of him, frequently chiming in. However, despite her mature attire, Kanina’s youthful face betrayed her tender age. She was a little girl with a love for money, and Xie Jing understood well what she wanted. At just fourteen, she had been running a general store on her own. Seeing how pitiable she was, people always felt compelled to help. Still, despite her youth, Kanina had a natural head for business. After Hedonmar was destroyed, her family moved to the Dark City, where she eventually became a wealthy merchant with a grand mansion.

Of course, Kanina’s wealth didn’t compare to Xie Jing’s. Earning billions of gold coins in just half an hour was a windfall, and this naturally drew money-loving Kanina close to him. Xie Jing chatted with her as if it were the most natural thing in the world, never looking down on her. A girl who, at just thirteen or fourteen, worked to support her younger siblings and managed to buy a grand house on her own—no matter her age, she deserved respect.

“All right, I’ll invest in your shop in the future. How about a hundred million as a first investment?”

“That’s wonderful!” Kanina nearly jumped up in excitement. People thought she’d struck it rich and bought her mansion outright, but in reality, though she’d made plenty of money, the recent influx of new players meant she’d begun acquiring more shops, leaving her cash reserves thin. Xie Jing’s hundred million gold was a lifeline for her, and the little money-lover clung tightly to his arm, rubbing her flat chest against him.

“Kanina, your business would be just fine even without outside investment,” Seria unexpectedly interjected, her words aimed directly at Xie Jing.

“Really?” Kanina looked at Seria. As an ordinary girl, she’d heard of Seria’s wisdom and omniscience. Having always run her business alone, she didn’t really want anyone else interfering—even if they were handsome.

Xie Jing knew Seria’s intentions were simple; she just didn’t want him getting too involved with others, having noticed something with her keen intuition. But with so many lovely ladies around, if Seria lost face here, how could he hope to increase her favorability? Was he going to lose his title as a straight-shooter?

Impossible!

Xie Jing took Kanina’s hand gently, “Don’t listen to her. Maybe nothing would go wrong, but if you work with me, you could buy not just mansions but even airships and run your business across every continent!”

“But…” Kanina hesitated, torn.

“Three hundred million!” Xie Jing held up three fingers.

Kanina began to drool.

“Nana, your life is already quite comfortable now…” Seria tried to interject.

“No, no, Seria!” Kanina wiped her mouth and replied quickly, “There’s still so much I want to buy, and I have many siblings depending on me for their future.”

“Nana…”

“Five hundred million!” Xie Jing spread his hand and waved it before Kanina’s eyes.

“Mr. Edward, I accept, I accept!” Kanina exclaimed breathlessly, nearly throwing herself at Xie Jing, as if afraid he’d change his mind.

Xie Jing, unconcerned by Kanina’s enthusiastic grip on his arm, smiled at Seria. She gazed back at him with a calm expression, but he could see a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

Hmph, so what if you’re rich!

Hmph, old woman!

Their eyes locked, sparks flying in the silent contest.

Ding ding ding…

The pub’s bell rang, and in stepped a dark elf with white hair, purple skin, and a green robe open at the chest. He hurriedly entered, scanning the tavern, and when his eyes landed on Seria, a knowing smile appeared on his face. Immediately after, his brow furrowed. From his perspective, Seria and an unfamiliar man were exchanging lingering glances, their eyes locked as if no one else existed. This sight vexed him deeply, for he had long nursed a secret affection for Seria. He strode over and planted himself between them.

Xie Jing and Seria had been locked in a contest of who would blink first when a figure suddenly blocked their view, ending the match inconclusively. Looking up, Xie Jing saw a white-haired dark elf glaring down at him, the name “Kakun” hovering above his head.

Oh, wasn’t this the edgy Kakun, who’d been repeatedly rejected after confessing to Seria?

“Hey, kid, why are you staring at Seria?” Kakun said, his tone thick with challenge. In the game, Kakun was known for his boorish, lecherous nature. If you passed by him, you’d hear lines like—

The thrill of blood spattering… it excites me…

He was hardly a good person, so it was no surprise he’d speak so rudely to someone he’d just met.

Xie Jing disliked being talked down to, so he stood up and met Kakun’s gaze.

“What business is it of yours who I look at?”

Kakun sneered, intentionally displaying the longsword at his waist.

“You can look at anyone you want—just not my Seria!”

“I am not yours!” Seria retorted, leaving Kakun momentarily awkward.

“I heard about you today—you held an event in the Dark City, didn’t you? Why did you come here? Was it for Seria?” Kakun jabbed a finger at Xie Jing, his face twisted in anger. The baseless accusation was a clumsy attempt to cover his embarrassment with aggression.

Xie Jing could have ignored him—after all, Kakun sounded like a sulking child. But he chose not to.

He walked slowly over to stand beside Seria, looked at Kakun, then reached out and pulled Seria into his arms.

“That’s right! I came here for Seria!”

“Let her go!” Kakun’s eyes blazed with fury as he drew his sword and pointed it straight at Xie Jing.

Seria was stunned, her face turning pink. She was just about to push Xie Jing’s hand away when he let go of his own accord.

The other patrons, sensing a spectacle, gathered around with their drinks in hand.

“Draw your weapon! Let’s duel!” Kakun demanded, pointing at Xie Jing with deadly seriousness.

“Duel! Duel!”

“Wonderful! It’s been ages since we’ve seen a bar duel!”

The crowd cheered, but Xie Jing made no move to draw his weapon.

“Very well, let’s.” Xie Jing smiled.