Chapter 12: The Second Young Lady's Springtime

Bang! The door slammed shut. Exhausted and breathless, the young woman collapsed onto the floor, while the little boy, ever vigilant, surveyed their surroundings for a long while before finally relaxing.

“I have to say, you were born in the wrong era. If you were back in my hometown, Liu Xiang would have had to go sell sweet potatoes!” she exclaimed, gazing at the boy in admiration.

He remained remarkably calm. “That's nothing. Last time I went out, I was almost kidnapped, but I sprinted all the way home. Those magicians chasing me ran as slowly as gold-armored tortoises—I could hardly bear to watch.”

The so-called gold-armored tortoise was a peculiar creature, much like a snail, carrying a big shell on its back. Due to its slow metabolism, it moved lethargically and tired quickly, often managing only ten meters a day. Thinking about her own consistently failing scores in both long and short-distance runs, she gave a forced laugh. “A young master like you must have learned all sorts of magic from an early age to prevent kidnappings, right?”

“I’m not ‘little master,’ I have a name!” the boy huffed, cheeks puffed in indignation. “I’m Duke! And I don’t have the ability to learn magic.”

Not everyone in this world was born with the ability to learn magic. Some people were born with magical energy already within them, making the study of magic effortless. Others could cultivate magic through diligent practice, eventually acquiring the energy to learn. Yet a significant portion of people were magic-insulated—no matter how hard they tried, their bodies simply couldn’t gather magical energy and thus could never use magic.

Given how influential Duke’s family was, they’d surely employed people to instruct him in cultivation, but if he still couldn't learn, it meant he was one of those magic-insulated souls. She sighed. Living in a place where magicians were the norm, being part of the second-largest magical goods family and yet unable to use magic himself—Duke’s life could not be easy.

Determined to lift the mood, she clapped Duke on the shoulder. “So what if you can’t do magic? It’s no big deal! Take a page from your brother Suyi—train your body, build your muscles, deliver a punch that causes tons of damage! See someone you don’t like? Just punch them in the face! With a fist like that, the world is yours!”

Duke couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother Suyi is an assassin, not the brute you describe!”

She thought to herself, Child, you really are too innocent. Warriors are straightforward opponents, but assassins are the true nightmares. Imagine, you’re sitting in your room, eating hotpot and singing, when suddenly the assassin comes—you haven’t even tasted your food before your head is gone! Isn’t that tragic? And you wouldn’t even know who killed you—if you’re lucky enough to come back as a zombie or vengeful ghost, you’d have no idea who to haunt! But aloud, she only said, “Doesn’t matter. Just take the road less traveled and let those ordinary magic practitioners go hang.”

Duke was delighted. “Big sister, I was right to save you! Just stay here for a while—once the guards leave for the auction hall, I’ll sneak you out.”

“By the way, who’s trying to kill me? And where are we?” she asked.

“I overheard something outside my father’s room before the banquet started—something about handing the fake over, the Grant family, leaving none behind. I pieced it together myself. If you hadn’t scared my father into not marrying my sister off to that useless young master, I wouldn’t have helped you!” Duke said proudly. “We’re in my family’s storeroom. No one comes here before the auction, so it’s absolutely safe!”

What? What kind of deep grudge do the Lyon and Grant families have, to escalate things to this degree? Are they about to tear each other apart? She was thoroughly puzzled, but perhaps the minds of the wealthy are simply beyond the comprehension of the poor. Nothing better to do, she wandered around, inspecting the room.

The vast storeroom was filled with all manner of magical items. She looked at each one, realizing she didn’t recognize any of them, but her instincts told her these things must be expensive. Duke caught up, glanced at the shelves, and commented nonchalantly, “Nothing particularly valuable here. The front row goes for about a hundred thousand gold coins each, and the prices rise the further back you go. Except for the wand in the very back, which is priceless but not for sale, the most expensive item here is no more than five hundred thousand.”

She nearly choked. Curse this capitalist world! Remembering her destitute days before she joined the Grant family—scavenging to survive, never knowing when the next meal would come—she could only weep silently in the corner. Still, she figured she might as well enjoy the view, even if she couldn’t afford the merchandise. With that in mind, she made her way straight to the most valuable item in the storeroom.

With a dramatic flourish, Duke yanked the cloth off the prized treasure, revealing a perfectly ordinary-looking wooden wand resting quietly in a glass case, as if awaiting anyone to claim it.

“This is it?” she said, puzzled by the utterly unremarkable wand.

A magic wand, at its core, was simply a tool to amplify one’s magical energy, the effectiveness depending on the materials used. In ancient times, the best wands were made of wood, when humans had only begun to form small tribes and were not yet in open conflict with magical beasts. The ancient trees absorbed the abundant magical elements in the air, growing sturdy and strong—some even became spirits. Having been bathed in magic for ages, wood was an ideal material for wands.

But after several cataclysmic events and wars between humans and magical beasts, the environment was ruined. Now, anyone seeking wand-worthy wood had to venture deep into untouched forests. As a result, new wand materials were found—highly aggressive magical beast bones, water-silver for water magicians, fire ore for fire magicians, and so on. Only the poorest, lowest-ranked magicians used wands made of nearly magic-less wood these days.

Duke came over, looking smug. “Don’t you think this wooden wand looks familiar?”

She scrutinized it closely. “Hmm… Big head, slender body… Wait, this thing hasn’t even been cleaned—there’s dust on it!”

Duke looked at her as if she were hopelessly clueless. “Look carefully!”

Startled by his raised voice, she pressed her face to the glass for a better view. “Oh! There’s a wormhole on the lower left!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Duke pulled her away from the case. “Are you really from Whiteborder City? This is the city’s guardian wand!”

This unremarkable thing was the model for the grand magical wand statue in the city center? “That can’t be! The one outside looks so majestic, so imposing, set with a huge gemstone!”

Duke sighed. “Of course the statue has to look better than the original—how else would people admire it? The gemstone was part of the real wand once, but after all these years, no one knows where it’s gone.”

“So it’s been through some cosmetic work, no wonder I didn’t recognize it.” She looked at the wand with disdain. “Besides, if it’s really an ancient wand, why does it have this smell… Could it be…?” A sudden flash of insight crossed her mind. She muttered, “No way…”

Meanwhile, the Lyon family banquet was still in full swing.

In a secluded corner, Jun Yan stood in the shadows, eating a piece of cake. He didn’t actually like sweets, but after all the social drinking he’d had to do, he needed something to keep from getting drunk.

“Sweets are the most filling food, but also the most fattening. You can’t have both good food and good looks!” The words of a red-haired girl floated through his mind, lecturing him with utter seriousness. The memory made him smile—it was so endearingly foolish.

“Honored guests, please take your seats in the auction hall. The auction is about to begin!” The respectful voice of a servant interrupted his reverie. He straightened up, adjusted his clothes. Already, he had met everyone he needed to for his plans tonight and made a good impression. Only one task remained—purchasing the ancient wand for the woman impersonating Ida, as promised.

The auction hall was situated deep within the Lyon estate, used perhaps once a year but lavishly decorated. It was built from premium Staryan stone, which made the walls almost entirely transparent from inside, offering a view of the outside world, while from the outside in, one saw only a vague blur. The stone was fireproof, waterproof, soundproof, and impervious to ordinary magic attacks—a perfect venue for family gatherings, business, or more nefarious deeds.

Jun Yan took a seat in the front row, waiting for the auction to begin. Out of nowhere, Ida appeared again, wine in her left hand, cake in her right, settling beside him with a sweet, flushed smile.

“It’ll all be over soon,” she said, cheeks rosy, looking as satisfied as a cat with cream. “Finally free of the power-hungry eldest miss and the coquettish second miss. Tsk tsk, Young Master Jun Yan, how does it feel to hold the reins?”

Jun Yan replied calmly, “Not yet. The master is still doing business abroad, isn’t he?”

Ida drained her glass, unconcerned. “What’s there to fear? If you’re going to do something, do it well. You’ve endured patiently all these years for this moment, haven’t you?”

Jun Yan replied, “You’re one to talk. You’ve been hiding your true self for so long, and now you’re about to claim your reward.”

She beamed. “Young Master Jun Yan, powerful, first in everything—anyone who disagrees, come forward!”

“Right back at you,” Jun Yan’s eyes sparkled with laughter as he looked at her. “Congratulations to the soon-to-be-liberated ‘Second Miss.’ At last, you won’t have to play the fool anymore.”

Stardust Tales 012_012 The Second Miss’ Spring Has Arrived—Update Complete!