Chapter 143: Chu Yun's Plan

"How bold! How dare you show disrespect to His Highness!" A guard beside the First Prince stepped forward to protect his master upon hearing Chu Yun's provocative words.

After his disappointment, the First Prince turned furious. "Hmph, the Holy Spear cannot be wrong. You have never absorbed a divine spark fragment at all! To dare deceive this prince—seize him!"

"Wait!" Nelson hurriedly stopped the other party's unreasonable behavior.

"Chu Yun is a member of our Mage Association. Noble as the First Prince may be, he has no right to make arbitrary arrests. May I ask which kingdom law Chu Yun has broken?" Nelson's stance was crystal clear. Compared to a losing prince on the verge of being eliminated by the Second Prince, he was far more willing to stand with Chu Yun.

Standing in opposition to the First Prince also signaled support for the Second Prince; once the Second Prince ascended the throne, the Blackrock City Mage Association might secure even more resources.

Although the other mages did not voice their support for Chu Yun, they immediately moved closer to him to make their stance clear.

Putting aside the truth of Chu Yun's words, if the First Prince were the king, one could perhaps charge him with the crime of deceiving the monarch. However, he was merely a prince, and the laws of the Kingdom of Elno, being relatively lenient toward the common people, would not incur such a charge.

Of course, this was mainly because Chu Yun was a mage, and a Third-Tier mage at that. If an ordinary peasant had dared to collide with a prince in such a manner, they likely would have been ground to dust by the tyrannical First Prince.

For a moment, the First Prince found himself in an awkward position from which it was hard to step down. Leoties sighed and stepped forward to mediate. "It is a misunderstanding. The First Prince is simply eager for talent and wishes to recruit Chu Yun. It was merely a joke just now, please do not take it to heart, everyone."

"Heh," Chu Yun chuckled and said, "I hardly qualify to be his subordinate."

The sarcasm in these words was thick, and everyone present understood the true meaning: the other party was utterly unqualified to recruit him.

"Alright, Chu Yun, say no more. Aren't you in a rush to have lunch? Off you go," Nelson urged anxiously, fearing that a few more words from Chu Yun would spark a brawl.

Chu Yun did not fly off immediately. He beckoned, and Paimon, who had been ordered to wait at a distance, trotted over. Only then did he leisurely mount Paimon and depart from the trial grounds.

In his heart, the First Prince had already sentenced Chu Yun to death, but now was not the time. With a cold snort, he led his entourage away from the trial grounds as well.

"Just wait, all of you just wait. Once I find the divine spark fragment, I will execute you!" The First Prince had become somewhat obsessed; the divine spark fragment had turned into a demon in his mind, as if possessing it would make anything possible.

However, First Prince Mulla had no idea that he had provoked the most powerful thief and assassin in the world—Chu Yun had already set his sights on him. Yet, killing him in Blackrock City would stir up too much trouble. By comparison, wouldn't stripping away his Holy Spear be far more interesting?

Chu Yun was in no particular hurry. The assessment process had consumed a considerable amount of his mental energy, so instead of returning to his apartment, he headed to the Star Tree House for a meal. The Star Tree House was no ordinary café; it offered various miraculous magical dishes, some of which could even accelerate the recovery of mental energy.

It was precisely for this reason that the Star Tree House was immensely popular among the mages. The establishment even prepared private rooms where patrons could meditate, read, and study.

After settling Paimon comfortably, Chu Yun ordered some high-end dishes to reward himself. Not long after, Anna also approached the table.

"Do you mind if I join you for a meal?" Anna asked with a smile.

"Help yourself, I won't be able to finish all this anyway."

Anna sat down opposite Chu Yun. "Chu Yun, you were far too bold earlier. You really gave me a fright. That's the First Prince; offending him is no light matter."

Anna was clearly unacquainted with the domestic political struggles, and she could hardly be blamed. In fact, even on the information-flooded Earth, many people remained entirely ignorant of or indifferent to politics—let alone on the relatively information-lagging Edras Continent, specifically in Blackrock City, a border town far removed from the political center.

For the residents of Blackrock City, their primary concerns were the impact of monster tides and the troop movements of neighboring kingdoms—matters closely tied to their daily lives.

"Let's not talk about him, what an inexplicable fellow. How is your teaching work coming along lately?" Chu Yun wished to drop the subject and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Everyone is studying very hard. Although preparing all the materials is quite exhausting, I find it very fulfilling and happy~" Anna was a simple, cheerful mage who was easily satisfied.

School life felt tailor-made for her; not only could she earn money, but she could also help many students eager to learn magic.

"Lately, though, I've had much less time to study and research magic. I wonder when we'll be able to recruit more full-time instructors," Anna said with a trace of distress. Though the salary was high, the current shortage of teachers left her with virtually no personal time.

Chu Yun could not help but remind her, "That's because everyone knows that personal strength is what matters most. Your potential is actually quite good, so don't let this delay you too much."

The two continued chatting idly until their food arrived. The waiter, who already recognized Chu Yun as a regular customer, specially handed him a newspaper.

"Lord Chu Yun, this is the latest issue. Feel free to take a look if you're interested."

Anna pouted as she looked at the waiter and asked, "I'm a regular customer too, how come I've never received this kind of treatment?"

The waiter smiled and replied, "This is per the boss's instructions. Lord Chu Yun is an esteemed guest of our house, and everything must be handled according to her specifications."

"If Miss Anna wishes, I can prepare one for you right away."

"Hehe, it's fine, it's fine. I was just casually asking out of curiosity." Anna was not one to bicker; her curiosity was purely innocent.

Chu Yun took the newspaper and began browsing the news.

The waiter had actually handed over two newspapers. One was the *Blackrock City Daily*, which primarily reported on the First Prince's arrival yesterday and the banquet he hosted last night for the city's nobles and powerhouses.

Due to the First Prince's special status, the reporting in the *Blackrock City Daily* was extremely conservative, with official phrasing that proved quite dull.

Chu Yun handed the *Blackrock City Daily* to Anna and picked up the second paper for himself.

This publication belonged to the *Earthwalker Weekly* press group, a continent-spanning chain newspaper. Their coverage was far less deferential and considerably more professional.

Chu Yun quickly located the content that interested him; details regarding that Holy Spear were written out in full in the paper.

Well-known divine spark artifacts across the continent held no secrets. The more frequently they appeared and the more witnesses there were, the more comprehensive their documentation became.

"What a formidable 'God-Devouring Spear' capable of plundered the divine sparks and divine spark fragments of others. Why didn't the gods simply take such a weapon for themselves in the past?" Chu Yun muttered in confusion as he flipped through the detailed data concerning the Holy Spear.

Since he intended to seize the Holy Spear, it was only natural to learn as much about it as possible.