This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Dick was annoyed, while Rita narrowed her eyes, a murderous intent rising within her.

"Young master, it's really noisy here."

"Never mind them. There's no need to cause trouble before leaving the capital."

Young nobles are often arrogant and competitive. With elders watching over them, they might restrain themselves a bit, but the elite group is full of young people, making it the easiest place for things to get out of control.

Dick knew the tricks of these kinds of people. They would start by being sarcastic and trying to provoke you, then draw you into their rhythm, and finally lead to a duel. This was an old tradition in the young aristocratic circles.

It is worth mentioning that such provocative fights are usually committed by groups, rather than by individuals.

The spoiled brats all have their own little circles. Usually, they are a group of people who stick together. The one who is good with words is responsible for making sarcastic remarks and attracting hatred. Then, the one who is good at fighting will go up and duel.

After all, duels between nobles are allowed to be fought by substitutes, just like Pokémon battles!

If Dick intends to stay in the capital, he will definitely beat up every single person who provoked him today, and use his blazing fireballs to blow their asses open one by one!

But he'll be returning to Lagug in two or three days, so this duel would be pointless and a pure waste of precious magic.

Suddenly, Dick felt a huge surge of magical energy beneath his feet. The ground began to shake, and his body sank down before returning to normal.

"Oh, it's flying!"

The flying rose garden will rise about two hundred meters, becoming a true sky garden, and will emit a dazzling seven-colored light at night. As long as it is within the capital city, people on the ground can see it as soon as they look up.

Unfortunately, this large floating island can only move vertically up and down; otherwise, it could be used as a super airship.

It can only be said that there is some truth to the saying "spectacles lead to the downfall of a country".

Soon, the rose garden rose to its highest point and hovered steadily in mid-air.

The guests who had been chatting in small groups in the garden all gathered on the terrace. Then they saw the Third Prince, dressed in his finest attire, leading a retinue of attendants. Dick immediately spotted his older brother, Reinhardt, who was standing to the left of the Third Prince.

It was clear that the Third Prince was very excited about organizing the talent fair for the first time. Even though King Hessen VII had not yet issued an edict to appoint him as the new crown prince, the Third Prince's pomp and circumstance had already been raised to the level of a crown prince.

Anyone could see that the Third Prince was riding high, but to Dick, these reactions were undoubtedly a "minus point".

Dick had only heard of the Third Prince Bailey before, but had never actually met him, so he dared not make any rash judgments. He only knew that the man was known for his warm and generous nature and that he enjoyed making friends with all sorts of wise people.

But now it seems that while he is indeed very enthusiastic, he lacks depth of cunning.

Even if you are really eager and too eager to improve, the old crown prince has only been dead for a little over two months, and the emperor has not yet issued an official decree. He has only asked you to be in charge of organizing a talent gathering. It is somewhat inappropriate for you to be so impatient to show off.

Chapter 102: I'm doomed, I've been...

At this moment, the Third Prince was unaware that his rating had been steadily declining in someone's eyes. Instead, he was immersed in the atmosphere of being the center of attention and began to feel smug.

He stood on the podium and delivered a passionate speech, loudly proclaiming his political ideals and future vision after taking power to the young talents present. Finally, he raised his arms in a rather childish manner and shouted, "Make the empire great again!" which drew cheers from many of his supporters.

Dick clapped along with them while clenching his toes and gripping the soles of his shoes.

Brother, do you want to hear what you're saying? Make the empire great again? If this gets to the ears of Hesse VII, who is still on the throne, do you think that stubborn old man will think?

Of the empire's original three princes, one died of old age, one was too naive, and one was too simple-minded. This situation looked like it was doomed!

After the Third Prince finished his speech, several other people went up on stage to continue.

The original purpose of the "Talented Individuals" program was to provide a platform for the empire's truly talented young people to speak freely, and to allow the empire's future heirs to build relationships with these individuals early on.

So even though the event gradually changed over time, at least the process remained the same.

Dick hid in a corner of the crowd and listened for a while before shaking his head. He then simply ate with Rita in silence, quickly finishing a plate of his favorite beef.

Still wanting more, he was about to get some more when another plate was immediately handed to him. Dick assumed Rita had gotten it for him, so he took it and thanked her.

"You're welcome."

"Ok?"

Hearing a man's voice beside him, Dick turned around in surprise and found a strange young nobleman standing next to him.

The other person looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor. He had black hair, which was relatively rare, just like Dick, but his dark red pupils were vertical like those of a snake.

Upon seeing this, Dick immediately guessed the other party's identity.

"Your Highness Prince Heinz?"

"That is indeed me. May I ask your name?"

“Dick, Dick Best.”

"Hehe, I can tell from how engrossed you are in eating, Dick, that you're just like me, not really interested in the slapstick comedy on stage."

"You're joking. I'm just a bit slow-witted and can't understand, so I can only eat in silence."

Hearing Dick's explanation, Prince Heinz just smiled without saying a word. At this moment, Rita returned with a plate of food she had carefully selected for her young master, only to find that Dick already had a new plate in his hand, and a stranger was standing next to him. She immediately became alert.

Prince Heinz, on the other hand, looked at Rita with great interest, his smile becoming increasingly amused.

At this moment, Rita had disguised herself and changed her clothes, hiding her stunning face and hot figure. At first glance, she looked like an ordinary-looking girl with a flat chest and thick waist, which contrasted sharply with the beautiful maids around the other second-generation people present.

It's well known that most people have a competitive spirit, and young people especially see "showing off" as a necessity for survival, and this is even more true for these aristocratic young masters. Therefore, they not only compare family background, talent, and clothing, but even the maids they bring with them can be used for comparison.

Some, eager to advance, even harbored the intention of "offering gifts" from the very beginning, hoping that His Highness the Third Prince would develop sexual interest in the "maids" he brought.

But Prince Heinz's gaze toward Rita was not lewd; after only a couple of glances, he spoke to Dick with a slightly meaningful look.

“Young Master Dick’s maid is very capable.”

"She is really capable, and I can hardly live without her.

Dick chatted idly with Prince Heinz, who had appeared out of nowhere. Although he could tell that Prince Heinz was also trying to get close to him, he was at least easier to get along with than the overly familiar Third Prince.

On the other side, as soon as the Third Prince finished his speech and stepped off the stage, he was surrounded by a group of noble youths who fawned over him. Some of these youths who were praising the Third Prince were originally his supporters, while others had previously supported the First Prince but quickly switched sides after the First Prince's death, joining the Third Prince's faction, which seemed to have a better chance of winning.

The Third Prince Bailey enjoyed the praise from everyone, which greatly satisfied his vanity.

However, while secretly pleased with himself, the Third Prince's eyes were also searching around. He remembered that his uncle, who was even younger than him, had also come today.

When he finally found Prince Heinz, he discovered that he was chatting happily with Dick, the man he wanted to win over, which made the Third Prince feel a little displeased.

After the death of the eldest prince, the third prince sought to expand his faction's influence by recruiting talented young people. Dick was a "top-tier talent" carefully selected by his headhunting team.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have condescended to go to the Magicians' Association to "accidentally" meet the other party.

According to the intelligence gathered by his subordinates, this Dick first possessed considerable personal strength, with extremely high talent as a mage, but had been deliberately concealing his abilities. Secondly, he also had good skills in both military and domestic affairs, and after taking office in Lagug, he quickly assembled a capable team of military and political advisors, managing his territory in an orderly manner.

Talented individuals like this, with genuine abilities, are exactly what the Third Prince needs right now.

In comparison, the bloodline of a half-elf is not a major problem.

The Third Prince even thought that if others looked down on Dick because of this, but he still chose to give him an important position despite the intangible cultural heritage, it would surely move Dick to the point of prostration and make him even more loyal to him.

Thinking of this, the Third Prince couldn't help but praise himself as a "genius," feeling that he had completely seen through people's hearts and could manipulate others at will.

Then he saw the young imperial uncle cheating on him right in front of him.

So he led the moving crowd and marched in a grand procession toward Prince Heinz.

"Uncle Heinz, what are you doing here? I was looking everywhere for you. Oh! Isn't this Brother Dick? It's good to see you here too. Come, come, let me introduce you to everyone..."

Without further ado, the Third Prince Bailey, whose persona is "enthusiastic and generous," directly pulled Dick to his side and introduced him to the group of familiar young men around him.

He showered Dick with compliments like "the youngest son of the Duke," "a magical genius who advanced to a high level at nineteen," and "the iron-fisted governor of Lagug," making even Dick himself feel a little awkward.

Outside the crowd, Rita watched as her "petite and adorable" young master was being fought over by a group of grown men, and a sense of unease crept over her.

It's said that the empire's upper nobility are quite adept at socializing, and gender is no longer a barrier. Although the young master is inherently lustful and fond of large breasts, one can't be too careful—just in case!

No! We have to find a way to get the young master out of there and let him fully appreciate the goodness of women. We absolutely cannot let him be led astray by these spoiled brats.

In fact, Dick really wanted to run away right now; he had only one thought in his mind.

Oh no! I'm surrounded by gay guys!

He had always felt that something was off about the Third Prince, and now he suddenly realized that the guy was probably not "upright" in some ways.

His fear of Nantong made him wish he could conjure a fireball and blow the guy away.

If the Third Prince could hear Dick's inner thoughts at this moment, he would surely cry out that he was wronged.

He might look a little like that in some of his behaviors, but he's really not!

However, while the Third Prince wasn't one, that didn't mean he wasn't. Therefore, some people were displeased when they saw His Highness entangled with a handsome young man with a foxy (?) appearance. Dick, without even realizing it, inexplicably attracted a wave of hatred.

Fortunately, someone finally came to the rescue. A palace attendant came up behind the third prince and whispered a few words in his ear. Bailey's face immediately lit up with a smug smile.

"Gentlemen, those present here are the best of the younger generation in the Empire. It's a rare occasion for us all to gather together. In previous years, our entertainment consisted mainly of banquets and dancing, which I'm sure you've all grown tired of over the years. We should do something more interesting, don't you think?"

"Your Highness is right!"

"That's right, I'm tired of dancing."

Hearing that someone was supporting him, the Third Prince's smile widened, and he pointed to a huge bronze plate that a group of magicians were carrying over using their telekinetic powers not far away.

"I think everyone is familiar with summoning magic. The Empire's current prosperity is inseparable from those Earthlings. So I discussed it with the Magic Academy. Why don't we take all of this year's Earth talent recruitment quotas and let us young talents draw them for them? What do you all think?"

Chapter 103: Freebies

The Third Prince's words caused a stir among the young nobles present. Those who could be here were basically the very top of the second-generation aristocracy in the capital.

The birth and status bestowed upon them by their families made these second-generation heirs feel that they were noble upper-class people, completely different from those lowly lower-class people. Therefore, in order to show off their self-righteous nobility, they all valued pomp and circumstance, and the higher the rank, the more they pursued extravagance and indulgence in pleasure.

The people in our capital city are truly powerful; all they do all day long is eat, drink, and have fun!

Using summoning magic for entertainment is clearly in line with their aristocratic lifestyle.

After all, the resource consumption for a single summon is considerable, easily amounting to tens of thousands of gold coins. Furthermore, high-level magic stones are rare resources that are restricted from being bought and sold on the market, something that money can't always guarantee you can buy.

As a result, the Third Prince used one sentence to give everyone the Empire's summoning quota for this year to play with.

It's like a group of people gathering to draw cards; whoever gets the best card first is considered a jerk!

When Dick heard this, he was initially intrigued, thinking it was a free opportunity that had been handed to him, and that he would be a fool not to take advantage of it. However, he quickly regained his composure and realized that publicly "drawing cards" would expose his cheat ability, so he felt it wasn't worth it.

So Dick retreated to the back of the crowd, deciding not to participate in this tempting activity.

Soon, the staff from the Magic Academy set up the summoning circle on site and brought over several boxes of high-grade magic stones. The main body of the circle was an alchemical copper plate, and the runes for the summoning magic were pre-engraved, so the plate could be reused. Only the magic stones at the core of the circle needed to be replaced.

The Empire's annual quota for summoning is three hundred people, hoping that among these summoned individuals will be a few technical talents needed by the Empire, but the "success rate" is actually quite disappointing.

Because summoning magic prioritizes those with unstable mental states and a strong desire to escape, their mental fluctuations are like fireflies in the night, making them easier for summoning magic to capture. Therefore, it often summons fugitives, stowaways, and chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferers who want to go to another world.

The top scholars and scientists that the empire truly desired were completely absorbed in their research and had no other strange ideas. Their minds were as still as water, making them difficult to capture.

Ultimately, it all comes down to luck. Getting one SSR out of 300 pulls is already a good result.

After the magic circle was set up, the person in charge of the Magic Academy stood up to explain that, in general, although they were giving this year's summoning quotas to the young masters as a form of entertainment for the Third Prince, they would first select all the Earthlings summoned. If any of them met their requirements, they would have to hand them over to the Magic Academy.

All they want are technical talents; they don't want anything else.

After hearing this, the hundred or so "noble elites" present were already quite impatient. Given their family backgrounds, they were no strangers to summoning magic and might even have servants from Earth at home. But to be able to unleash three hundred summons at once, only the imperial family had such immense wealth.

Since everyone is gathering to draw cards, which has a gambling element, then we should compare our scores like rolling dice to determine the winner.

So the Third Prince set a judging standard on the spot: the highest level of technical talent needed by the Magic Academy was the best. The person drawn would be handed over to the Magic Academy, and the Third Prince would give him an extra high-level dancer. Of course, if he had no interest in women, then cute male concubines could also be arranged.

The Third Prince's words immediately drew laughter from the crowd, and some even turned to look at Dick with ill intent, their expressions clearly smug.

Dick's inner monologue: Look at you, you bastard!

Below the first tier, the second tier naturally consists of beautiful women that most men prefer.

The third category is those with talents, who can sing, dance, or rap.

Those who are not good-looking and have no skills are relegated to the lowest tier, and their summoners will also be labeled as "unlucky guys," becoming the object of ridicule at tonight's talent show.

The first person to go up and make the summons was the Third Prince's personal guard. He came from a noble family in the palace and his position did not seem high, but he could accompany the prince closely. Once the master he followed rose to power, such a trusted confidant who had grown up with him could immediately rise to prominence.

The fact that the third prince gave him the first position was also a way of showing his favor.

The young guard stepped forward and, with the help of the magician, completed the ritual. A figure quickly emerged from the light emanating from the center of the magic circle. When everyone saw the appearance and clothing of the summoned person, many people showed surprise.

"That looks like a soldier from Earth!"

"Yes, look, he's holding a gun. I know that one, I think it's called a Desert Eagle."

Hearing someone nearby pretending to be an "Earth expert" pointing at the AK-series rifle in the bewildered Earth soldier's hand and calling it a "Desert Eagle," Dick barely managed to suppress a laugh.

As soon as the disheveled white soldier came over, Dick was able to identify his nationality from the blue and yellow armband on his arm.

The man came over panting, as if he had been summoned while running. He looked around, then suddenly threw the rifle in his hand to the ground, knelt down with a thud, and raised his hands high.