The Provocative Lewis!

"Super Gourmet System?" 

Lin Qi blurted. He was completely appalled.

Those who transmigrated typically awakened incredible systems such as the Overlord System, the Immortal Sword System, or the Automatic Hack System. Out of all the systems, Lin Qi ended up awakening a culinary system?

He had to use gourmet food to defeat his adversaries? That was ridiculous!

[ The system produces a wide array of scrumptious delicacies. Host, please work hard and let the system's delicious food spread to every corner of the continent! During the process, you will gain many unexpected rewards! ]

[ Ding! You have been rewarded with a Newbie Gift Bag! ]

[ Newbie Gift Bag: Sweet Dream Pig Food, Growth Potion, Seed Gift Bag, Delicious Steak (x100), Wagyu Beef (100 pounds), Delicious Seasoning... ]

The items from the Newbie Gift Bag were stored in the system's storage space. Lin Qi could not be bothered to inspect it. He did not even want to think about it!

'Delicious my *ss!'

He was going to face the Black Wind Castle's trial soon. He needed strength to guarantee his survival, not a pile of useless ingredients!

Mary and Dinah watched as Lin Qi's expression switched from shock to anger. Their faces turned pale. Surely the Young Master did not think that the Master intentionally provoked him out of malice, did he?

The maid's pretty face was flustered, and she hurriedly explained, "Young Master, don't be upset. It's not that the Master doesn't like you, but this is something unavoidable that even the Master himself underwent."

Lin Qi was stunned.

In New Moon City, was there anything that his father, the head of the prestigious Lin family could not refuse? In fact, from what he remembered, his father had never forced him to do anything before today.

Mary then added, "The Young Master isn't the only one—the heirs of the other prominent families in New Moon City who had just come of age were also sent to the Black Wind Castle."

"It is said that... The winner will be elected as the Lord of New Moon City!"

Lin Qi immediately understood the situation.

It was a known fact that in New Moon City, mages had a noble status. They had the richest land and an abundance of supplies, but they were not involved in politics. Therefore, participation in the Black Wind Castle's trial gave mages the chance to fight for the position of New Moon City's Lord. 

"But... Young Master, your magic and martial art skills are probably the worst out of all the contestants. The chance of your survival is very slim."

Dinah said sadly, tears glistening down her face.

"..." Lin Qi gaped at her statement.

That immediately ruined his mood. He glared at her fiercely. "How dare you look down on me? I'll devour both of you!"

Instantly, the two maids became as white as a sheet. They were so scared that they quickly ran off like rabbits.

Watching the two beautiful figures scurry in panic, Lin Qi could not help but laugh. His thoughts then drifted back to the Black Wind Castle and he could not help but mutter, "It seems to be a tradition that even father had to follow."

In that case, he had no choice but to go.

Fortunately, with the system aiding him... Everything should be fine!

...

...

The next day, in Hope Valley.

Various families came to send their heirs off. Red flags fluttered in the wind, and there was a sea of people. The atmosphere was comparable to that of a bustling market. Here, those noble families did not seem like high and mighty mages. Instead, they were more like peddlers, chattering non-stop.

Among them were the three most dazzling individuals, who were the heirs of the three most prominent families. 

Firstly, Lewis, who became a grand swordmaster as soon as he came of age.

Being a swordsman was advantageous for low-level mages because they did not possess adequate magic. In addition, the strength of a swordsman increases with the growth of the mage's magical prowess. Therefore, the swordsmanship of powerful mages could constantly be amplified as their magic progresses.

However, Lewis had already advanced from a regular swordsman to a grand swordmaster at such a young age. That was more than enough to prove his talent.

His esteemed status was certainly undisputed!

Lewis also had blond hair and blue eyes. He was handsome and charming, causing all the girls to flock to him.

Next, another prominent young heir was the water mage, Yu Meng. His face was obscured by a black veil, and his entire person was shrouded in a dark, mysterious aura. On top of that, people avoided looking directly at him due to his icy cold gaze.

It was as if he had some kind of terrifying power!

The third heir was Lin Qi, the son of the strongest person in New Moon City. Unlike his father, Lin Qi had no talent in magic, and he did not practice swordsmanship. In fact, no one ever really noticed him.

Lin Qi was embarrassed at first, but he soon became indifferent towards his incompetence.

In any case, participating in the Black Wind Castle's trial was just a formality to Lin Qi. Surviving and inheriting his father's title was his real goal!

"Good luck!" Lin Shixiong patted Lin Qi's shoulder heavily, making him grimace. "Daddy can't help you here either. You don't need to obtain any achievements. Just come back alive!"

That was all Lin Shixiong expected from him.

Lin Qi nodded and followed the group of young heirs into Hope Valley.

"Haha, how ridiculous! Isn't there anyone else that could have represented the Lin family? They actually sent trash like you here!"

Just as the heirs were moving forward, the sound of mockery filled the air. "If I were the head of the Lin family, I would have sent anyone other than trash like you!"

Lewis was openly sneering at him with a look of undisguised contempt in his eyes.

Lin Qi was stunned before he quickly snapped out of it.

'I neither offended nor provoked you. Why are you mocking me?'

'He isn't even that handsome! So what if he has blond hair and blue eyes?'

Lin Qi then noticed something akin to jealousy in Lewis's eyes and instantly understood the reason behind his words.

Lewis was jealous of his family's power!

Information about Lewis flashed in his mind, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Lewis's family was small in number which meant that he was his family's only hope. How could Lewis, whose family was less than one-tenth of the Lin family, have the audacity to act arrogantly toward him?

"Lewis, right? How can an heir from a family consisting of only a handful of members be worthy of talking to me? For your information, our family has three times more maids than all your family's maids combined!"

A direct blow to his pride!

Lewis's grin vanished. His once handsome face was warped with hatred, and his blood was boiling. He hissed in a harsh tone, "You have a sharp tongue. You won't be as arrogant when we reach the Black Wind Castle! When that time comes..."

"Stop arguing and look ahead!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a silvery voice interrupted him. Yu Meng inspected his surroundings cautiously. The magic staff in his hand flickered with magnificent blue light.

He was ready to release his water-type magic at any moment.

Everyone held their breaths. Lin Qi was on high alert. Although they had not arrived at the Black Wind Castle, there were still demonic beasts on the prowl. The trial had already started, and no one dared to joke around while their lives were at stake.

There was movement in the grass. It was rustling as if some creature was within it.

"There are definitely demonic beasts in there. Everyone, stay alert!"

Whoosh!

All the guards drew their longswords. 

They could not risk letting their guard down in Hope Valley either. If the demonic beasts they came across were strong, there would be no hope for any of them.