Chapter 60 - 2.21

"Wait.. Captain, how can you be sure that she is the real deal? She could just be an imposter, right?" The guard who brought him here questioned.

It was hard to believe that the daughter of a Duke would come this far.

The Captain immediately sighed as he scolded the guard.

"You stupid kid! Can't you tell? Come and state it for me, what are the qualifications to become a First Order knight in a Duchy?"

"Y-you have to possess strength and exemplary aptitude for the role, and you have to have backing.. like being a noble or a descendant from a renowned family.. Right?" he answered.

"Wrong! You are wrong! That knight right there is named Zenith Ahgren! For mere civilians like us, he is an extreme anomaly. He is a knight from the First Order, serving the Maine Duchy! Indeed, what you said is not completely wrong. To be a high noble's knight, your backing needs to be good. But this man, he climbed up there using his dedication, he came without a status! He is someone who deserves our respect." The Captain stated.

The subordinate understood the story and began paying respects to them as well. He also knew Zenith's name, but had never seen how he looked like, so he didn't recognize him at first glance. He apologized for the disrespect, which Xu Jiaqi dispelled with a kind smile.

"You're being praised. How great of a day this is!" Xu Jiaqi chuckled, nudging her elbow at Zenith's arm.

Zenith was more embarrassed than anything. He did appreciate glory, but when someone boasted about him right in front of his face, it was a bit hard to handle. His face wasn't thick enough to accept the compliments without feeling humble, unlike Xu Jiaqi.

"It's a pleasant surprise that you know my knight. Alvarez, was it? Could you lead the two of us to somewhere we can discuss privately?" Xu Jiaqi asked.

"Of course, Lady Ariel. You all, disperse! I will handle this matter by myself!" Alvarez led the two and the carriage to a secluded area.

They entered a small wooden cabin, and sat down by a table.

"Lady Ariel, the coast is clear now." The Captain reported.

"En, well done. I want to entrust you with a task. It's a very pivotal quest. Will you be willing to take it? It won't burden you too much, and I will definitely remember your kindness." Xu Jiaqi spoke gracefully.

"May I please know.." The Captain was a bit hesitant since he didn't have the context needed, but was also intimidated by a high noble.

Xu Jiaqi quickly worked to disperse his worries.

"I want you to spread the news of my arrival here, and my story to other people outside of this town. The catch is that.. I want you to start this task after I leave this place. I will not stay here for long, perhaps only after tomorrow. However, I truly need my story to be spread out. The details, make sure they aren't skewed. Are you capable of doing this?"

"O-of course, Lady Ariel!" Alvarez was shocked that the quest was surprisingly very simple. He readily agreed.

Xu Jiaqi displayed a brilliant smile and then asked to be taken to a crowded place, to introduce her to townspeople.

She visited the town center, where there was a large fountain placed in the middle of a stone paved circle.

She sat down, and let Alvarez collect some people to form a hearing.

After there were enough people, Xu Jiaqi nodded in satisfaction as she coughed and began prepping up her stage.

"Greetings, everybody. You must not be familiar with me. This lady's name is Ariel Maine, and I have come to this town to seek temporary shelter. There was a great disaster that I went through before reaching this place with great efforts. Could you please care to hear my story for a short while?" Using a volume maximizer spell, Xu Jiaqi spoke loudly.

Murmurs started surfacing in the crowd, as they wondered what the girl had to say. Xu Jiaqi donned a sad expression, and with her beautiful visage, it increased her potent charm.

Xu Jiaqi took a deep breath before further polishing her act.

"Yes.. it was a very tragic incident." Xu Jiaqi began to furrow her brows, and started to choke up with tears. "I.. This lady was heading towards Palla to embrace a joyful fate, but who knew that there would be people with malicious intents that wanted the life of this one?"

Public speaking was her forte, and although she didn't like to draw pity incessantly, she was capable of doing so in a stellar manner.

"The two representatives.. Although we had only spent a couple hours with them, this lady could tell that they were kind spirits, they definitely did not deserve to die! We encountered these infidels.. these wretched mongrels that almost injured the both of us.. but fate was luckily on our side."

The crowd's voice soared with gasps, expecting the next part of the story to come quickly in order to satiate their thirst for the ending. Xu Jiaqi's storytelling capability was so exquisite that her words could draw in the attention of many and leave them desiring for more even though it was just a simple story.

"We encountered a strong warrior who had a... mask on, and wore a black robe. His figure was gallant, and his movements were swift! He obliterated the enemies for us, but before we were able to confront and thank him, he disappeared into the unknown.. It is such a shame. A talented warrior like him, he definitely deserves glory for his great deeds. It was only due to him that this lady's small life was preserved." Xu Jiaqi tearfully ended her speech, heaving as if telling the story made her exert a great effort to not break down this very instant.

Xu Jiaqi spun a heroic tale with the help of the System's dramatic and creative mind.

Xu Jiaqi: Fall, fall into my acting!