Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 113 Twilight City in Sorrow (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)

P.S.: It's the beginning of the month!

I had been updating 10,000 words a day for several consecutive months, and I couldn't keep up. I was thinking of taking a break in August to relax and unwind.

The editor said that wouldn't work; you have to stand up for yourself at the beginning of the month, you have to ask for votes.

You were released in the latter half of last month, and only stayed on the new book monthly ticket chart for ten days before leaving the chart in August. You'll be out of the running for a long time now.

You have to hold on!

I don't know if I can handle it!
Thanks for the support!

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The majestic Dragon's Spine mountain range winds its way across the vast land, firmly blocking the biting cold winds from the polar regions and protecting the vast plains in the center of the continent.

It was precisely because of this place where it originated that the Qiyue Dynasty was able to expand its territory from a small local prefecture, going through countless dynasties and thousands of years, before finally growing into a great power with a vast territory and awe-inspiring influence.

More than three hundred years ago, in the midst of a war that swept across almost half the world, the Qiyue Dynasty, the Wuyue Divine Court, and the Elf Kingdom led by the Moon Elves joined forces to form an allied army in the name of the Moon Alliance.

After more than twenty fierce large-scale battles and countless small and medium-sized battles, they finally defeated the Sky Empire, which had dominated the continent for centuries, and completely ended Sky Empire's rule east of the Dragon Ridge Mountains.

From then on, generation after generation of Sky Knights could only sigh from across the high peaks.

In the history of the Qiyue Dynasty, this is a remarkable and moving chapter in history.

Every foreign student who enters Twilight City to study is repeatedly reminded during their general education courses to remember this magnificent epic of victory in which the moon resisted the tyranny of the heavens.

The dramatic and inspiring stories of heroes often stir the hearts of young people from small countries, filling them with longing and admiration.

But this definitely doesn't include frost.

Liu Shuang's mother was of mixed race, and her mixed race was rather messy.

One-half elven blood, one-quarter orc blood, and one-quarter human blood.

To put it simply, the offspring of a human and an orc, who then had a child with an elf, was named Liushuang.

Therefore, when it comes to Liu Shuang, she should have one-eighth orc bloodline and one-quarter elf bloodline.

Liu Shuang's mother would tell Liu Shuang stories about her maternal grandmother from a young age.

She was an elven woman with a tragic fate, once a member of the royal family of the high-ranking moon elves.

Elves are inherently long-lived, and high-ranking moon elves are nourished by the Fountain of Life from birth, which greatly slows down aging for them; lifespans of several hundred years are not uncommon.

Liu Shuang's maternal grandmother was an elf general who was over three hundred years old. In her youth, she followed the elf alliance to fight in the war against the Sky Empire.

However, after the Sky Empire was successfully driven out, the Qiyue Dynasty and the Mist Moon Divine Court suddenly turned against each other, stabbing their elven allies in the back.

Caught off guard, the elven army suffered a bloodbath. Not only did they fail to reclaim the homeland that had been invaded by the sky as agreed, but they also lost their last piece of plain territory and were driven into the humus-covered dark forest.

Liu Shuang's maternal grandmother was a prisoner of war of humanity during that despicable betrayal, beginning a centuries-long life of wandering and humiliation as a prisoner.

Ultimately, she fell into the hands of a nobleman in the Emerald Duchy and was given to a human-beast hybrid descendant like an object, thus becoming Liushuang's mother.

Because of her less-than-honorable origins, Liu Shuang's mother was just one of Count Liu Yun's many female concubines, so much so that her children had almost no status in the territory.

It wasn't until after the Treaty of the Five Races that the elf envoys, after much searching and hardship, finally tracked down the trail of Grandmother Frost, the Moon Elf royal general.

When they brought her remains back to the Dark Forest and returned them to Mother Nature's embrace, they also adopted Little Frost, who had already lost her mother, as their own child.

The elves gave Frostfall far more than humans ever did!

Therefore, in Liu Shuang's view, the glorious history of the Qiyue Dynasty was nothing more than a despicable conspiracy and a history of betrayal.

With this mindset, it's obvious that Liu Shuang wouldn't be very popular at the Royal Central Psionic Academy in Qiyue.

Because of this historical grudge, he even offended several noble children of Qiyue.

The Royal Central Psionic Academy, as the most prestigious professional academy in Twilight City, the capital of the Moonlit Kingdom, gathers almost all the most illustrious nobles and elites of the dynasty, as well as princes, princesses, and heirs of dukes from numerous vassal states.

In contrast, Liu Shuang, a little girl from a border earldom of the Emerald Duchy, ranked outside the top twenties in the line of succession, and who still seemed somewhat naive, was undoubtedly at the very bottom of the academy's food chain.

Normally, a child like this should go unnoticed.

But that's often how things are; if something has the potential to go wrong, it tends to go down that path quickly.

At first, it was just some second-generation nobles of the Moonlit Kingdom who, while showing off their ancestors' achievements in front of a group of girls, described the elves as "cowardly cowards!"

According to him, the victories of the Qiyue Dynasty on the main battlefield could not save the elves from their repeated defeats, which is why the Qiyue expanded its territory while the elves lost their troops and land.

How could Liu Shuang tolerate this? "Your noble family's emblem was stained with the blood of backstabbing elves, wasn't it? You despicable descendants of traitors, pretending to be human here, you're not even as good as goblins!"

Yes, in the little princess's words, goblin is the most vicious insult.

But where is this place? This is Twilight City, the capital of the Qiyue Dynasty. Soon, these people found out everything about Liushuang.

Vassal states, small territories, low-ranking status, mixed-race individuals... it truly encompasses most of the elements of the hierarchy of contempt.

Although Frostfall has a stronger elven bloodline, this cannot be said; it's a matter of political correctness!
However, the orcs are still enemies of the Qiyue Dynasty.

The next day, another member of the Qiyue clan, a second-generation member, shouted at Liushuang after class, "You beastman bastard, get out!"

His response was a sudden, powerful punch from Liu Shuang, which landed squarely on the guy's head.

The boy's face was barely saved, but most of his teeth were lost.

This incident caused a huge uproar within the college.

First of all, Liu Shuang's behavior was undoubtedly a violation of the rules. There are academy rules that prohibit private fights, and this time it was not even a private fight, but a one-sided beating!

In addition, Liu Shuang's unorthodox remarks and attacks on the ancestors of Qi Yue led some noble children in the royal city to secretly band together and begin to put pressure on the academy in an organized manner.

At first, the matter was limited to acting without permission and violating the rules of the college, which should be warned and punished. However, soon, due to the widespread dissemination of some deliberately distorted information, a strange trend began to emerge in the college.

"A wild, mixed-race girl from out of town is beating up the heir to a noble family in Qiyue's capital. Does she think Qiyue has no one to rely on?"

"Yes, the era when orcs wantonly humiliated humans is long gone. Does the dynasty only favor these foreigners?"

"Preferential treatment for international students, is that it? Is the blood of local aristocrats less red than that of aristocrats from other places?"

"The perpetrator must pay the price: tenfold compensation and expulsion from school!"

To be fair, the college does have a tradition of giving preferential treatment to international students from wealthy families in other places to a certain extent.

From the perspective of the Qiyue Dynasty's strategic environment, the presence of even one more nobleman close to Qiyue in each of its vassal states and neighboring countries could determine the success or failure of a local war.

In recent years, in particular, the external situation of the dynasty has become increasingly severe, with hostile forces eyeing it covetously. However, due to the clear hostile stance of the Misty Moon Divine Court, the Qiyue Dynasty is often unable to directly send troops to intervene in the wars between its various vassal states.

This involves an extremely complex political game.

Under the influence of these external factors, the dynasty, on the one hand, strengthened the embellishment of the history and culture of Qiyue for the children of nobles from other countries, and on the other hand, further elevated their treatment to enhance their sense of closeness to the dynasty.

This inevitably provoked strong discontent among radicals within the dynasty.

The undercurrents of the two political forces continued to collide, and finally found a breakthrough in the incident of Liu Shuang "beating up a nobleman of the dynasty".

The swordsman division where Liushuang was located could not withstand the pressure and reported a set of punishments including warnings, compensation, and suspension from school.

At this critical moment of public outrage and indignation, Archmage Hody, the Vice-President of the Royal Central Psionic Academy, summoned the instructors and trainers of the Swordsman Division, as well as high-ranking nobles and opinion leaders among the students, for a heartfelt conversation.

The old man preemptively retorted, "Is bullying the weak a tradition of the dynasty?" "You relentlessly pursue the matter of someone physically assaulting another, and then publicly humiliating their bloodline—is that the noble demeanor you're so proud of?"

"The Jade Kingdom has just fought a fierce battle with two major enemy nations in the south, suffering heavy casualties, and barely managed to stop the Mist Moon forces from advancing north. Is this how you treat the children of Jade's meritorious service?"

"Do you want His Majesty to be branded as harsh towards vassal states and bullying the weak?"

"If you insist on expelling this girl, fine! However, for the sake of fairness, if you're going to punish her severely, then punish her severely too!"

"All those involved in the verbal abuse have been dismissed. Compile a list and report it to me so I can report back to His Majesty!"

Ultimately, thanks to Old Man Hody's strong support, Frostfall only received an internal warning from the Swordsman Division and a minor penalty of medical expense reimbursement.

After the turmoil, Liu Shuang was further isolated in the academy. Only a few children from small territories who shared her plight and were also looked down upon by the local faction surrounded her, forming a fragile little group.

Then, when the other party made a slight attempt to recruit them, these poor kids quickly switched sides.

They were all country bumpkins studying in Qiyue, outsiders. Who could not see the situation clearly?
However, Liushuang didn't care.

Having experienced the upheaval of losing everyone close to her, Liu Shuang was forced to grow from an innocent little girl into a warrior who had to take care of herself.

She came here to practice swordsmanship; nothing else mattered.

Because of her elven relatives, Earl Liuyun had to treat this child differently. So, although her line of succession was low, the earldom still allocated enough financial support to the young princess.

Even after receiving a large sum of compensation, Liu Shuang doesn't need to worry about tuition and living expenses for the next period.

Of course, she still had to constantly face glares and snorts, and deal with those in front of her deliberately delaying in line or muttering under her breath, "That bastard!"

Liu Shuang's response was to practice, practice, and practice again, day after day.

The corner of the training ground became her fortress, and the sound of her sword cutting through the air was her background noise.

She isolated herself in a transparent cocoon, where all the noise and malice of the outside world were irrelevant to her. Those once clear eyes now held only quiet focus and a tenacity deeply ingrained in her bones.

This continued until the first phase assessment.

Despite the little girl's hard work, her foundation was too weak and her learning time too short. Compared to the aristocratic children who grew up in the Qiyue elite education system and had abundant resources, the gap was still huge.

In the first match of the assessment, she lost decisively and was utterly humiliated.

Her opponent was a female swordsman named Lucia.

The opponent used the standard Qiyue Gale Sword Technique, the sword light like a continuous silver rainstorm, with a chilling sound of wind breaking, completely suppressing Liushuang.

Liu Shuang used Professor Pei Wen's Sky Standard Military Swordsmanship. Although it's hard to say which of the two swordsmanships is superior, the difference in skill level left Liu Shuang struggling to keep up.

Like a small boat in a storm, it can only try to block and dodge in vain.

Throughout the match, she was hit by at least thirty sword strikes.

Because of the mask and vital protection, Liu Shuang did not suffer any particularly obvious damage. However, her opponent seemed to have planned how to humiliate the little girl. During the battle, he precisely cut Liu Shuang's hair tie and then slashed it away with his sword, leaving the little princess's once proud long hair with patches missing here and there.

At the same time, Lucia also used close-range sword pressure and elbow strikes to leave several deep-seated, excruciating wounds on Liushuang.

When Liu Shuang finally collapsed to the ground, powerless, the girl sheathed her sword, bowed according to the proper etiquette for ending the ceremony, then reached out to help Liu Shuang up and whispered a few words in the little princess's ear.

“My name is Lucia. The little guy you hit is my younger brother, my biological brother born to the same mother!”

"His mouth may be foul, but it's not your place as an outsider to teach him a lesson!"

"It's a pity I can't knock your teeth out in front of everyone, so... I can only pluck a few more hairs from you."

"Tsk, look at your eyes, so fierce, like a little wolf cub. You really are a beastman bastard!"

See you next time.

Soon, it was time for the assessment of mounted combat.

As professionals belonging to kingdoms and duchies, there is a high probability that they will go to the battlefield in the future. Therefore, even swordsmen and assassins must learn mounted combat at certain stages, or at least be able to charge forward on horseback like Pavin.

The opponent in mounted combat is still Lucia.

Later, Liu Shuang learned that Lucia had spent a lot of money to buy all the qualifications to fight Liu Shuang in the subsequent assessments.

The mounts used in mounted combat must be trained by the noble children themselves. Otherwise, unfamiliar mounts may greatly limit the rider's performance, and if any accidents happen, the academy may be criticized by the nobles.

For example, conspiracy theories such as deliberately using inferior horses to deceive people.

Liushuang's warhorse was a Anning Grassland horse carefully selected by Earl Liuyun. It was obedient, had great endurance, and although its explosive power was slightly lacking, it was still sufficient.

This four-year-old mare has been Liushuang's playmate since she was a cub, and has always been raised within the territory. This time, she was sent out by the Earl on this long journey, and has accompanied Liushuang through mountains and rivers. She has long become the little princess's silent and loyal companion in foreign lands, carrying her few moments of warmth.

However, in the first mounted battle, Lucia's lance, in the midst of the fierce exchange, "missed" at a tricky angle and struck the mare's foreleg precisely!
Once a warhorse is seriously injured, it is almost impossible to treat it with conventional methods, because it will struggle incessantly, aggravating the injury and eventually dying in agony.

In the Starry Continent, powerful healers certainly have the ability to save such severely injured horses. But where can Liu Shuang, a "bastard" despised by everyone, find a healer willing to treat her horse?
Watching her beloved pony struggle in vain and in pain, Liu Shuang, on the advice of the mentor on site, finally drew her sword and, with resolute compassion, ended the pony's suffering.

She personally saw off yet another companion, a companion who had accompanied her on this lonely journey of pursuing her studies.

After that, every assessment was a beating, or rather, a public execution in full view of everyone.

Each time, it was accompanied by constant sarcasm and ridicule from the opponent.

"I really don't understand why you want to learn the military swordsmanship of the Sky Empire? Those defeated enemies of my Qiyue have had their bones rotten for hundreds of years! What, do you want to salvage some of their pitiful dignity?"

"Tsk, what a pity, your hair looks like it's been chewed by a stray dog ​​again. Why don't you find a sturdier hairband? Are you broke? Want me to give you one?"

"By the way, I can also introduce you to a few generous old men. They might be very generous to a cute young girl like you."

"I heard you're 'not feeling well' today? Tell me, if I beat you until you bleed, won't people think you just wet your pants?"

"Another piece of trash horse? Fine, I won't even feel bad if this beast dies."

Lucia probably thought that after round after round of physical and mental torture, this little girl who looked like a porcelain doll would eventually break down or give in.

However, the resilience shown by Liu Shuang far exceeded her expectations, and even made her feel a bit angry about the "ineffective victory".

Since her opponent liked to shave his own hair, Liu Shuang simply shaved off his long hair himself, leaving only short hair less than an inch long.

Since my opponents like to attack my mounts, I simply buy the worst draft horses. Each horse costs two gold coins, and with my savings, I can keep fighting my opponents for more than a year.

Unable to win in a direct confrontation, she began to imitate the fearless, wound-for-wounds fighting style of Uncle Peiwen from her memories.

If you manage to land one hit on your opponent, you've already made a profit; if you land two hits, you've made a huge profit; and even if you miss one hit, you'll lose much faster.

To avoid being continuously humiliated by the opponent.

In her spare time, Liu Shuang also diligently practices several basic sword techniques of Qi Yue, striving to make her fighting style more varied.

And so, Lucia, this malicious "sparring partner," inadvertently became the whetstone for Liushuang's rapid growth.

As the saying goes, onlookers see things more clearly. Some astute noblemen privately reminded Lucia, "Hey, if this continues, you won't be able to control her in another six months!"

Lucia's face was so dark it could drip water. She snorted coldly, forcing an arrogant air: "Hmph, let's see if she can survive in this godforsaken place for another six months!"

However, it seems it won't take that long.

In late March, a weary team, carrying the distinctive salty and fishy smell of the Vast Ocean Territory, arrived in Twilight City and knocked on the heavy doors of the Royal High Knight Academy.

They brought Princess Liushuang greetings from afar, as well as a set of mysterious and anticipated little gifts from a certain lord surnamed Chen.

(End of this chapter)