Chapter 178: The Wine Glass Trick

Holy Light Eileen deliberately used magic, teleporting instantly between Phoenix Lady and the Redwood patriarch. For a great magus like her, instant teleportation was just a simple spatial magic, but since spatial transfer magic usually consumes a high amount of magical spiritual energy, she typically avoided using it. This time, however, she flaunted her magical prowess purely to overshadow Phoenix Lady.

As expected, the guests were initially stunned, then burst into thunderous applause. Many among them were witnessing real magic for the first time, including Rayan. He was immediately captivated by the nature of magic, wondering how he could combine magic, Assassin skills, and Battle Qi techniques into an invincible mix—

Unfortunately, no one in the world could achieve this.

Rayan did have the intention to study magic, but the magic academies were not only expensive but also did not admit male students, accepting only females. After all, the laws of the Auroria Continent decreed that only women could study magic; men who practiced it were deemed heretics to be burned.

"That's truly wonderful, Ms. Eileen."

At the main seat, Phoenix Lady also generously applauded Ms. Eileen. "Ms. Eileen is indeed a great magus, but it's just that Kiana has shallow experience, usually surrounded by big men like Lion King and heroes from the Lionheart Guild, never having seen such amusing, amusing—how should I say it?"

She feigned searching for the right words, then suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, exclaimed, "Trick!"

A flash of annoyance crossed Eileen's face, gone as quickly as lightning. She scoffed, "Phoenix Lady really is inexperienced, mistaking genuine Holy Light magic for a court jester's trick."

"Ah, so this is magic!"

Phoenix Lady expressed surprise. "Kiana thought magic was something that easily decapitates someone, hence never casually revealed!"

Eileen's expression darkened further—Phoenix Lady was clearly mocking her ostentation! That wretched woman!

"Since Phoenix Lady thinks it's just a trick, perhaps she would like to perform a trick as well?"

Phoenix Lady, with a deferring smile, replied, "Kiana knows no tricks, Ms. Eileen, please don't embarrass me."

Ms. Eileen pressed on, "But today is your birthday, Phoenix Lady, you can't just disappoint the guests like that."

"Ms. Eileen is right," added the Redwood patriarch, clearing his throat in a timely manner. "Today is Phoenix Lady's birthday; she should indeed give us waiting guests an explanation. If not a trick, perhaps a dance would suffice."

The other guests also started to chant along, urging Phoenix Lady to dance.

Faced with the chorus from the Redwood patriarch and Ms. Eileen, and the ignorant clamor of the guests, Phoenix Lady smiled nonchalantly, "Ah, Kiana has not danced in a long time, and I swore that in this lifetime I'd only dance for Lion King, so I must disappoint you all."

Hearing Phoenix Lady invoke the name of Lion King, everyone promptly shut their mouths.

"However, although I cannot dance, I'd like to perform a trick."

Saying this, Phoenix Lady picked up an ice crystal wine glass from the dinner table in front of her. The glass, made from the clearest ice crystals of Auroria Continent, even if filled with the hottest liquor, would instantly cool it as refreshing as a mountain spring in winter.

Disappointed nobles suddenly perked up, craning their necks towards Phoenix Lady's ice crystal glass.

Phoenix Lady twirled the glass on her delicate, pale fingertips, then suddenly released it, allowing the fragile ice crystal glass to plummet towards the floor—

Everyone stretched their necks, held their breath, and watched wide-eyed as the glass shattered into pieces.

"There, my trick is done."

"That's it?"

Eileen couldn't help but scoff, "What was that?"

Phoenix Lady, smiling, responded, "A trick, of course, though it pales in comparison to Ms. Eileen's trick."

Eileen huffed, "If dropping a glass counts as a trick, then Phoenix Lady's entire life must be one big trick."

"Isn't everyone's life?"

Phoenix Lady continued, "If Ms. Eileen is unsatisfied with my trick, then please allow me to explain a few things about my performance."

She pointed to the remains of the ice crystal on the floor, "When I was holding the glass, it was a pristine ice crystal cup, but when I'm not, it's just a pile of obstructive trash—do you see what I mean?"

The banquet hall fell silent.

If Phoenix Lady had been polite upon her arrival, now she was clearly exerting pressure. The noble guests then realized that they should not have joined the Redwood family in their jeering, lest they become the trash under Phoenix Lady's feet.

Redwood patriarch understood this, and so did Ms. Eileen, both sitting silently with darkened faces.

Phoenix Lady intentionally paused, allowing the oppressive silence to linger a bit longer in the hall.

When the atmosphere became somewhat tense, Phoenix Lady finally sighed wistfully, her face filled with envy, "I actually really wish I could be a female magus, but sadly my spiritual energy talent is not enough—oh, Mr. Redwood, I recall you have an elder daughter in the Holy Light Sisterhood, right?"

Ms. Eileen and the Redwood patriarch immediately tensed up, realizing in unison that the real storm was just beginning.

Redwood patriarch coughed a few times to hide his nervousness, wiping the drool from his beard and smiling at Phoenix Lady, "Madam has a good memory indeed, yes, my elder daughter is indeed in the Holy Light Sisterhood."

Having said that, he couldn't deny it.

"Is that so?"

Phoenix Lady maintained her envious smile, "Then you should talk more with Ms. Eileen, as a great magus of the Holy Light Sisterhood, she surely knows your daughter."

Redwood patriarch quickly responded, "My daughter is of average ability, and with so many magicians in the Holy Light Sisterhood, a great magus might not know her."

Ms. Eileen nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, I am always sent to various places to supervise the construction of magic schools and to convey messages for His Excellency the throne, so it's impossible for me to know every magician in the Holy Light Sisterhood."

"I see."

Phoenix Lady's face showed slight disappointment, "That's a pity, Mr. Redwood, if your daughter knew Ms. Eileen, perhaps she would treat the disrespect of losing the Holy Light artifact more leniently."

With these words, Redwood patriarch and Ms. Eileen both turned ashen, completely unaware until that moment that Phoenix Lady would link them together with the Holy Light artifact—only then did they realize that Phoenix Lady had seated them together for a reason.

"What?"

Phoenix Lady looked puzzled at Ms. Eileen, "Holy Light envoy Your Excellency, you didn't know about Mr. Redwood losing the Holy Light artifact?"

Ms. Eileen's thin lips trembled slightly, and she spoke solemnly, "If Phoenix Lady had not mentioned it, I indeed would not have known."

"Ah, please Ms. Eileen, don't call me Phoenix Lady, just Kiana is much more intimate. But then, losing the Holy Light artifact isn't such a big deal, after all, the incident of suppressing the demon race followers' riot happened over a decade ago, and the Holy Light artifact is now just a symbolic item. Losing it doesn't really matter."

Phoenix Lady sighed deeply, "But I just applied to Lion King His Majesty to use the palace's Holy Light artifact as the highest honor in the upcoming tournament to demonstrate the widespread illumination of Holy Light, while Mr. Redwood lost his piece of the Holy Light artifact when the Holy Light envoy was visiting Stonerock City, which is somewhat hard to justify, and surely must be severely punished by the Holy Light envoy, right?"

Ms. Eileen's face darkened, and her body trembled with extreme anger. One thing Phoenix Lady was right about: losing the Holy Light artifact under the eyes of the Holy Light envoy was indeed a grave sin. However, the Holy Light artifact was not something of significant consequence, merely a ceremonial item used in prayers, and often not reused after a single event, thus losing the artifact could be a major or minor issue depending on whether it was publicly mentioned.

But Phoenix Lady was exploiting this issue to force a stance from her, the envoy. Ms. Eileen couldn't help but suspect that her true identity had been discovered by Phoenix Lady. This thought sent a flicker of panic through her heart.

Meanwhile, Redwood patriarch also frowned deeply, his seemingly composed face growing increasingly rigid.

In this undercurrent-filled game of chess, only Rayan understood that not only had Redwood patriarch lost the Holy Light artifact, but the Black Armor Commander Trevor's and Phoenix Lady Kiana's Holy Light artifacts were also gone. If the Holy Light envoy really wanted to "administer a light punishment," neither Trevor nor Kiana would escape.

Yet Phoenix Lady dared to use this asymmetric information advantage to single-handedly confront both Redwood patriarch and the Holy Light envoy.

"Kiana hereby requests, for the sake of my birthday, that the Holy Light envoy Your Excellency not be too harsh, just a light punishment will do."

Ms. Eileen's teeth gritted noisily, and she desperately wanted to stand up and throw a "Palm Thunder" at Phoenix Lady's ever-youthful face. But doing so would not only enrage the Lion King but likely also make her unwelcome in the Holy Light Sisterhood—on the chessboard of power, even with abilities rivaling a Senior Hero, she was still merely a pawn to be played.

She smiled bitterly, thinking: Perhaps, this is the real trick of that bitch...