Talulah, I'm still a child.

"...Relax the pressure on the Nearl family. Let the Knights Association stop bothering the Nearl family for the time being. Arrange some worthy opponents for Maria Nearl. She has a personal relationship with Margaret Nearl, so maybe we can start from that angle."

Although the Linguang family still has influence, that Linguang Manna is a pragmatic person. He did not cause trouble or try to do anything to the Business Federation. He simply did not agree to be recruited and honestly worked as an office worker, bowing and scraping to his superiors, but never taking off the sword at his waist.

Even after ten years, the Business Federation wouldn't dare say that Marna Nearl has faded into obscurity. As long as he hasn't unlocked that sword, he will still be the "Lightless Knight" who once shocked the nobles on the borders of Letania and Kazimierz.

If Marna were truly as cowardly as outsiders believed, the Commercial Union would have already taken over the Nearl family through various means. There would have been no need for the Knights Association to take the official route and threaten to strip him of his title if he didn't have a Long Rider.

But in reality, the Business Federation was still afraid, afraid that Marna would draw his sword and kill someone. If he wanted to, no one in the current Grand Knight Commandery could stop him.

Therefore, relaxing the suppression of the Lin Guang family was not entirely to curry favor with Mei Xue, but rather to test Marna's attitude and see where his bottom line really lay.

However, this behavior seemed quite strange to Marna. How could he have been promoted after working for ten years? Although he was not an ordinary office worker, his position was not particularly high, and his salary was considered above average.

This naturally involved a power struggle between the Business Federation and the Supervisory Committee. The former wanted to suppress him, while the latter wanted to protect him, resulting in him being stuck in a limbo.

Now, inexplicably, she's become a sales manager, has more free time, and her salary has increased. How could Marna not realize there's a problem? It's mostly related to her niece who's on her way home, but not entirely. There are other factors that prompted the Business Federation to relax its pressure.

But no matter what, Marna didn't care. In fact, what he thought was completely opposite to what others guessed. He was never disappointed in his niece, but rather indifferent to the whole of Kazimierz.

Just like my old friend said, Kazimierz is not worthy of the loyal and heroic family of Nearl.

"Marna, there's not much work to do today, you can leave early."

"Ah."

After get off work, I'll go back and check on my troublesome little niece. If possible, I should also check on the person who delivered the letter for Margaret. The change in the Business Federation's attitude is undoubtedly closely related to the other party.

Mei Xue then felt like she was being watched again, and subconsciously used her tail to protect herself, while Zofia was somewhat puzzled.

"What's wrong, Meixue?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like I'm being watched again for no reason, and there's more than one person."

The little fox wagged its tail. This wasn't the first time it had felt this way, but it just didn't feel quite right. It wondered which older sister was secretly plotting to tie it up again.

"You're in Kazimir, and a guest of the Great Yan, so how could you be being targeted? It's probably just your imagination."

"That's true."

Mei Xue glanced at Lin Qingyan. The little fox had no doubt that she could protect herself. Although he had only seen Lin Qingyan fight once so far, his intuition told Mei Xue that she must be very good at fighting.

"But Mei Xue, don't you really think it's a bad thing for Maria to participate in the knightly competition?"

"I don't know."

The little fox spread his hands. His understanding of knightly competitions was limited to what Viviana and Nearl had told him, so he didn't really have a concept of it. However, this was something Maria wanted to do herself. He could persuade her, but he couldn't stop her. He couldn't stop her anyway.

"Since it's Maria's decision, it would be better to support her."

"That's true, but I'm always worried that she might encounter some danger."

Although they had only known each other for less than a day, Zofia wasn't too wary of Mei Xue because of her connection with Lin Guang. Instead, she treated him like family. After all, he was Margaret's boyfriend. Although it seemed a bit illegal, it didn't matter; it wasn't a problem in Kazimierz.

Just thinking that although she was still young, she would soon be a grandmother by seniority made Zofia feel sad. She hadn't even found a boyfriend yet, while Margaret had found such an adorable little boy. She was envious and jealous!

"Shall I help Maria?"

The little fox wagged its tail. Lin Qingyan smiled without saying anything at his decision. It was nothing. She wasn't worried that Kazimierz would use this as an opportunity to cause trouble. Su Xue'er was a brother-obsessed maniac, so how bad could Lin Qingyan be? Let alone Mei Xue helping Margaret, as long as the little fox didn't take out the Destruction Mushroom and blow up the city, everything else would be fine.

"Help her?"

"That's right, um... let Maria have some good luck."

Although her own combat ability is not great, Mei Xue's skill in buffing others is top-notch. Although the duration of each buff is limited, once a day is definitely enough.

Putting everything else aside, first give Maria an evasion buff to ensure she won't be hurt by ranged spells or arrows even if she stands still. Then give her opponent a bad luck buff, such as tripping on flat ground while running, old injuries flaring up, or heart attacks. If they still can't win after all that, then there's no justice in the world.

"You can actually do something like that?"

Zofia looked doubtful. It wasn't that she thought Mei Xue was deceiving her, but the little fox's words were a bit unbelievable. Could a human do such a thing?

Luck is an elusive concept. Although everyone says that luck can be good or bad and everyone hopes for good luck, who would really allow their life to be controlled by something unseen and intangible?

"Sure, that's what I'm in charge of in the Great Yan."

Mei Xue put her hands on her hips and showed a very proud expression, which meant one thing: praise me for being amazing!

Zofia was genuinely confused by these words. What did it mean that this was the only thing that mattered in the Great Yan? And this little fox was even in charge of people's luck? He didn't seem that powerful.

However, Lin Qingyan was generous with his praise, reaching out to rub Mei Xue's head as encouragement. Everyone on Rhodes Island knew Mei Xue's abilities, but the little fox had never had a chance to show them off. Now that she finally had the chance to use her abilities, she was naturally overjoyed.

"Alright, alright, I know you're amazing, but don't say things like that."

"I know my sister won't tell anyone."

While they were chatting and laughing, Maria Nearl outside was also constantly swinging her sword, but the more she swung it, the more she would think of Mei Xue's move from earlier.

That feeling of helplessness, like standing on a dry riverbed watching a raging flood come and being unable to escape, how can you fight the flood by just swinging a sword?

Until Maria remembered a story, a story that had been passed down in Kazimierz, about the last knight.

Legend has it that the last knight returned to Iberia, settled on the coast, and one day took up his lance, mounted his beloved warhorse, and launched a final charge against the towering waves.

If you find the waves noisy, go and calm the sea.

A sudden realization flashed through Maria's mind, and images of her father, uncle, and sister from her childhood flashed through her mind. Their every move was so clear in her memory that she subconsciously began to imitate them. Although she didn't quite capture their essence, it was undoubtedly much better than before.

She seemed to see the torrent of fate sweeping towards her again, but she did not back down. She drew her sword and charged forward.

And so... the wall of Lin Guang's house collapsed.

Chapter 300 Plum Blossom's Weather Manipulation

"Ouch, that hurts, Auntie!"

Maria complained bitterly, and Zofia slapped her on the back, making her scream.

"Shut up! Who told you to bang your head against the wall?! Repairing it won't cost anything!"

"I don't understand why I kept banging my head against the wall, sob sob, I just felt like I suddenly became so powerful, and then..."

It was an indescribable feeling. Maria could still vaguely grasp a trace of it, but it was nowhere near as clear as before, which made her feel a little regretful.

"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think I don't know your background? Just train properly, and I'll be your opponent later."

"Oh……"

Maria was somewhat disappointed, but the cunning in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest. She looked at Mei Xue, and if it weren't for her still aching head, she would definitely have gone to express her gratitude. Those thoughts that had just flashed through her mind must have all come from Mei Xue.

However, the little fox was unaware of her actions, while Lin Qingyan could see something. It was probably Mei Xue's move that allowed her to see the past and different futures, resonating with her own version on a certain timeline. Lin Qingyan could see her shadow and vaguely recognize another version of herself.

(Different futures, hmm, but the difference is too big, he's actually a conquering knight)

Lin Qingyan vaguely saw Maria from that different world. Although she didn't have the same power as Su Xue'er, Mei Xue was by her side after all, and she could at least peek into the future through the little fox.

"Ouch, it's getting cold..."

The floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby were open, and a sudden gust of wind made Maria shiver. Although Kazimierz wasn't as cold as Ursus, it was already late autumn, so it was normal for Maria to feel cold.

She couldn't help but look at Mei Xue, her eyes filled with envy. Although the little fox was wearing very little, it had a lot of tails, so it didn't have to worry about being cold. But wouldn't it be very hot in the summer?

Such worries are completely unnecessary. The little fox didn't wear much clothing when he was on the Ursus snowfield before, and temperature changes generally have no effect on him.

With the competition approaching, Maria's training couldn't be neglected. Although she had suffered a minor injury, it wasn't a big problem. After confirming that she was alright, Zofia became her sparring partner, since improvement is faster in actual combat.

Although the family had fallen on hard times, the Lin Guang family mansion was still quite large. Zofia and Maria faced each other with their swords drawn, while Mei Xue and Lin Qingyan watched from the side.

Perhaps it was a sudden urge, but Mei Xue was still holding that red oil-paper umbrella, the umbrella surface reflecting the red of his hair, giving people an inexplicable sense of strangeness, as if Mei Xue holding the umbrella had become a different person, but the smile on his face that made people feel relaxed from the bottom of their hearts was not fake.

He was still a little nervous facing his aunt Maria, even though his left hand was still injured. Zofia was a tough guy who had made it into the top 16 of the Knights Tournament. The title of Whipblade Knight was not just for show.

Of course, being nervous doesn't mean being afraid. Maria is actually quite eager to try it out. She desperately needs to test her current strength, and Zofia is a very suitable sparring partner.

(Why does Maria seem a little different?)

"Aunt, I'm here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Maria stepped forward with her sword, neither fast nor slow, but she blocked most of Zofia's retreat. It was a move that a novice could not possibly use.

However, Zofia was no pushover either. She reacted quickly, parried the sword, and then retaliated.

Although it was just training, the moves were quite entertaining. Mei Xue held up an umbrella with one hand, took out two buckets of popcorn from her tail, placed them beside her, and ate and watched with Lin Qingyan.

Maria's progress exceeded expectations. Zofia discovered that she, using her right hand, could only fight Maria to a standstill. When did this girl acquire such skills?

No, Zofia quickly realized something was wrong. Maria hesitated when using her sword; it was more like she was sparring with Zofia, watching her moves and then searching her memory for a way to counter her.

Although each sword strike was difficult to parry, it was also obvious that it was a forced imitation, and Maria herself felt uncoordinated when using these sword techniques.

"After all, it's not my own body, so my body lacks exercise and my reaction speed can't keep up."

Lin Qingyan saw it clearly: Mei Xue was still eating popcorn, sitting by the pavilion with an umbrella, exhaling a warm breath, and only then did she realize that it was cold.

(It's getting cold; I wish it would snow like this.)

Mei Xue felt nostalgic for the snowy plains of Ursus, or more precisely, for the days she spent with Talulah and the others, sitting on the big rock at the camp entrance every day, holding this umbrella, waiting for everyone to return.

Cooking with Alina, riding on Patriot's shoulders for a high-angle view, playing hide-and-seek with Inossa, playing mahjong, planting flowers with Frostnova, and chatting and sleeping with Talulah.

To be a carefree fox, to be with the one you love most, and to think of nothing else—that is the greatest happiness.

"Oh, it's snowing?"

A snowflake fell and landed squarely on Maria's nose. It was cool, and she was defeated by Zofia because of this lapse in concentration. However, it was still impressive that she had lasted for ten minutes.

Lin Qingyan frowned slightly as she looked at Mei Xue. Snow in Kazimierz wouldn't come this early. The little fox was holding a red umbrella; this snow was most likely for him.

As the snow intensified, Maria and Zofia were unable to continue training, so they went to the pavilion together and ate something.

The snow came suddenly. Mei Xue put the last popcorn in her mouth, opened her umbrella, and walked into the snow, becoming the only splash of red in the eyes of the three.

"Plum blossoms falling in the snow..."

Lin Qingyan spoke with emotion, recalling how Su Xueer and Mei Xue, the siblings, had witnessed countless changes over the years. Mountains rose from the plains, and rivers flowed from streams. Su Xueer found him in such a heavy snow. She originally wanted to devour this brother she had never met to complete herself, but she still couldn't bring herself to do it.

There was no particular reason; she simply realized that she was not alone. She had a family member who could truly accompany her for life. The bond of kinship stopped His plan. Neither Mei Xue nor Su Xue'er wanted to devour each other, and they spent a long time together.

"Isn't Mei Xue cold?"

Maria's words made the atmosphere quite awkward, and Lin Qingyan shook his head.

"Mei Xue is more extraordinary than you think."

"I can tell..."

Zofia nodded. Even though Mei Xue was standing right in front of her, she couldn't sense any presence from the little fox.