Final Lord

Chapter 167 Hera's Advancement
In the cozy underground office, Wang Bufu lit the oil lamp he had bought from Night Mountain City. The pine resin burned slowly, and a pleasant fragrance wafted into Wang Bufu's nostrils.

[Gain buff: Refreshing and invigorating]

[Thinking speed increased by 15%]

This pine resin is a specialty of the Elven race; its scent can invigorate the mind and sharpen the intellect of anyone who smells it. Most importantly, it's inexpensive and plentiful. He bought some while shopping in Night Mountain City.

On this trip to Night Mountain City, Wang Bufu spent a total of 110,000 gold coins on a shopping spree, besides buying Thunderous Abominations. The only things he bought for himself were these pine oils, worth less than 2000 gold coins in total.

Night Mountain City has never lacked luxury goods for the nobility. No matter what kind of indulgence one desires, there is always something suitable; even toilets come in magical models that can automatically flush and add water.

But Wang Bufu had no intention of buying these things at all. Even when Mair bought some for him, he forcefully returned them.

Enjoyment? The territory hasn't even been relocated yet, so there's no enjoyment to be had.

Once you get your hands on the natural wonders of the desolate wetlands, you'll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy them.

"Boom boom boom!"

Hera knocked on Wang Bufu's door. Standing in the doorway, she asked curiously, "My lord, I've arrived. I heard you summoned me."

“That’s right, come here.” Wang Bufu beckoned to Hera, who flapped her wings and hopped over to him in two small steps.

Wang Bufu rummaged through the pocket on the ground and found a shiny golden apple, which he placed in front of Hera.

"This is the fruit of the Wind Dance Tree, produced by the Elf race, a Tier 1 Extraordinary food. Eating it will increase your Charm by 2 points."

You can eat it.

"Huh?" Hera's eyes widened in surprise, and she flapped her wings repeatedly in refusal: "My lord, I haven't accomplished anything lately, how can you bestow such a fine gift upon me?"

Wang Bufu grabbed Hera's swaying wings and forcefully stuffed the golden apple into Hera's hand.

"Just eat what I tell you to eat. I tested your dancing skills before. To be honest, you've already surpassed mine."

Logically speaking, you should have already advanced to the level of a Harpist. But you haven't succeeded in advancing yet.

I suspect it's a charm stat issue. Harpy is a class that relies heavily on charm.

"Hera, you are very beautiful, but you may still be a little short of the requirements for advancing to the next level of Harpie Dancer."

Hera folded her wings slightly and asked somewhat sadly, "My lord, do you mean I'm ugly?"

"That's not what I meant... Okay, that's what I meant." Wang Bufu couldn't find a good excuse, so he simply stopped pretending.

"Your charm level is too low right now."

Hera lowered her head, wilting like a frostbitten eggplant, tears welling up in her eyes.

Wang Bufu immediately said:
"But this is only temporary, so don't lose heart."

Your natural beauty grants you a charm bonus based on your rank. In other words, the stronger you are, the higher your charm score will be.

The charm points you gain from leveling up are several times higher than those gained by a normal harpy.

"Don't let Heska's looks fool you; once you rise in rank, you'll easily leave them behind."

"Yes!" Hera believed the king's words without question. She rallied herself and took a bite...

The golden apple transformed into liquid gold the moment Hera bit into it, flowing down her throat and throughout her body. Her feathers suddenly glowed with a pale golden sheen, each down feather shedding its grayish-brown impurities in a high-frequency vibration, giving birth to new, snow-white feathers that shimmered with the luster of mother-of-pearl.

Hera's slender waist was reshaped by the golden light, stretching out even longer with the soft cracking of her bones, and her originally somewhat messy tail feathers gathered into three shimmering tufts of feathers.

A spiraling golden vortex rose from beneath her feet, enveloping her in a cocoon of light. When the cocoon cracked open, Hera's originally blunt fingernails transformed into sharp, translucent blue crystal claws, and a silver crescent-shaped emblem appeared on her forehead.

The moment she broke free of her cocoon, a starlight trailed from the tip of her wing, weaving behind her into a semi-transparent neon trail.

At this moment, Hera was more beautiful than the king could have imagined. The fragments of the cocoon of light did not dissipate, but instead condensed into eight floating runes that danced around her.

Hera instinctively spread her wings and took the "Whispering Steps," each touch of her toes creating a ripple of pale gold.

She seemed completely unable to control her body and began to dance involuntarily.

As she completed her seventh spin, the runes suddenly embedded themselves into her wing bones, causing her wingspan to double in size, and the edges of her newly grown secondary flight feathers glowed with a bluish-green phosphorescence.

Beautiful songs flowed from Hera's mouth like a clear spring as she danced.

"Iron feathers tore through the rain clouds."

Thunder is the sound of the string at the tip of the claw.

The hurricane howled through the gaps in the feathers.
A swooping shadow slices through the shield wall.

The body fell into the mud and dust.

Claws struck the armor.

tattered battle flag and shroud
The fluttering downy feathers weave a triumphant veil.

Where the tail feathers swept—

The eyes of the timid crack open like frost!

Where the wing blades rotate—

Blood scabs burst from the backs of the fleeing soldiers!

……

"Soft wings split the sky,
The battle robe made of moonlight flutters lightly in the mist.

(Look!) They cross the fog bridge,
The trill of the feather harp is the horn of departure.

The down swirls into a nest, awaiting the return of the young owls.

There is no need to ask how many obstacles there are in the ghost jump.

If I see the setting sun dyeing my feathers into red gold,
That is the signpost for home."

Hera's war dance begins with the Battle Dance and ends with the Expeditionary Song.

The last time Wang Bufu saw this dance was when he had just subdued Ghost Jump Cliff, which was a month ago.

Compared to then, Hera now can be considered a master in terms of posture, expression, and dance steps.

Wang Bufu watched with rapt attention and couldn't help but clap his hands.

Hera hopped and hopped until she reached Wang Bufu's side. She used her wings to pull him up by his hands. Just as her cherry-like lips were about to touch Wang Bufu's lips, Hera gently pushed Wang Bufu's shoulder and floated away.

Once the astonishment on Wang Bufu's face disappeared, she moved closer again, the warm down feathers pressing tightly against Wang Bufu's body.

"This little brat, she's trying to provoke me during such an important advancement ceremony!" Wang Bufu was furious and slapped Hera's butt to shoo her away.

She then gave a soft hum and focused on her war dance.

Finally, a beam of light, seemingly from nowhere, pierced through the dome of the underground chamber and shone upon Hera. Hera let out a clear, long cry, her feathers unfurled, and solidified musical notes crystallized between her tail feathers.

Hera, now fully evolved, was enveloped in a hazy aura. Her once simple linen bodice transformed into a silver chain bodice inlaid with moonstones, leaving behind delicate stardust trails in the air as she moved, captivating all who looked at her.

(End of this chapter)