Qian Daoliu put away the Angelic Sacred Sword, rose from the bed, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The morning sunlight spilled in, shining on his face.
There were already quite a few pedestrians moving about on the street; vendors had begun to set up their stalls, and their cries rose and fell in succession.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his heart.
Confusion aside, the things that needed to be done still had to be done.
Qian Daoliu washed up briefly and went downstairs to have breakfast.
The hotel breakfast was very simple: a bowl of porridge, two steamed buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables.
He ate slowly, thinking about his upcoming plans while he ate.
Today, I will first go to the White Tiger Dukes Mansion to borrow some texts, figure out the history of this era, and then make further plans.
After finishing his meal, Qian Daoliu paid the room bill, walked out of the hotel, and headed toward the White Tiger Dukes Mansion.
The daytime in Tianming City was even more bustling than the night.
Shops lined both sides of the street, pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, and various hawking cries mingled together, making for an incredibly lively scene.
Qian Daoliu crossed a few streets and arrived in front of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion.
He sized up the mansion.
The gate was wide, and the vermilion paint on the doors gleamed in the sunlight.
The five large characters “White Tiger Dukes Mansion” on the plaque were written in a flourishing, dragon-like script.
There were no guards at the entrance.
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly; the owner of this mansion was certainly quite confident.
He walked forward and knocked gently on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
After waiting a moment, the door opened a crack, and a servant poked his head out to take a look at him.
“What is it?” the servant asked.
Qian Daoliu did not know who he should look for, so he said directly, “This old man has come specifically to visit the master of this place; please trouble yourself to announce me.”
The servant looked him up and down and asked, “Who are you?
The Duke does not easily see outside guests.”
Qian Daoliu thought for a moment and said, “This old man’s title is Angel.”
Upon hearing this, the servant’s face was filled with disbelief.
Titled Douluo?
The person in front of him looked like he was only in his twenties; could he really be a Titled Douluo?
The servant was somewhat skeptical.
But he did not dare to gamble on the authenticity of this matter.
If it really was a Titled Douluo, it was definitely not an existence he could afford to provoke.
“Wait a moment.”
After saying this, the servant closed the door.
Qian Daoliu stood where he was, waiting quietly.
After waiting a while, the door opened again.
A middle-aged man followed beside the servant.
The servant was very respectful and, pointing at Qian Daoliu, said, “Head Butler, this is the one who wishes to see the Duke.”
The middle-aged man addressed as Head Butler nodded slightly and looked at Qian Daoliu.
He had originally not taken Qian Daoliu to heart, assuming he was a liar full of empty words.
But in the next second, his pupils immediately constricted.
Because he felt an aura of spirit power as vast as the sea from the other person, even thicker than his cousin’s spirit power aura.
One had to know that his cousin was a level 92 Titled Douluo.
Could this person be even stronger than his cousin?
The middle-aged man hurriedly put away his casual expression and introduced himself very solemnly.
“I am Dai Tian, the Head Butler of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion.
I wonder how I should address you, brother?”
Qian Daoliu had also been sizing up the middle-aged man and knew the other party was a Spirit Saint, so he replied with his own name: “Qian Daoliu.”
Dai Tian felt a little puzzled.
He had never heard of a Titled Douluo surnamed Qian on the continent.
But he did not show it on his face.
“So it is Brother Qian, please, come in quickly.” Dai Tian stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
“The Duke is currently dining and is about to head to the military camp to handle official business, so time is limited.
But if it is a visit from Brother Qian, I believe the Duke will be very willing to postpone his schedule.”
Qian Daoliu gave a grunt of acknowledgment and stepped into the White Tiger Dukes Mansion.
He looked around at the environment casually.
The interior of the mansion was even more luxurious than it looked from the outside.
On both sides of the bluestone-paved paths were planted various rare flowers and trees.
Pavilions and towers were arranged in a staggered and orderly fashion, while rockeries and flowing water complemented each other.
Servants passed by on the road from time to time; upon seeing Dai Tian, they all bowed, and then looked at Qian Daoliu with curiosity.
Qian Daoliu made a quick estimate; just the servants he had seen along the way numbered twenty or thirty.
And this was only the tip of the iceberg.
Dai Tian led Qian Daoliu all the way to the dining room.
The dining room was very large, with a long dining table placed in the center, large enough to accommodate twenty people dining at the same time.
The table was filled with various exquisite dishes, but only two people were dining.
One was a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties, wearing a deep blue brocade robe, with a calm and composed temperament.
The other was a noblewoman of beautiful appearance, wearing a light purple long dress, with elegant manners.
Around the dining table, over a dozen maids were serving, pouring tea and water, serving dishes, and ladling soup.
Dai Hao had originally been discussing official business with Zhu Nuo, but suddenly seeing Dai Tian walk in, he frowned and was just about to say something.
Subsequently, he noticed Qian Daoliu.
He could see at a glance that Qian Daoliu’s strength was not below his own.
Dai Hao put down his chopsticks and asked Dai Tian, “Who is this?”
Dai Tian respectfully replied, “Duke, this is Qian Daoliu, Brother Qian, titled Angel Douluo, who says he has something to discuss with you.”
Dai Hao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
He did not understand why a Titled Douluo would be looking for him.
Crucially, he had never heard of the other party’s name, which was very abnormal.
There were only so many Titled Douluo on the continent; he dared not say he knew them all, but he had at least heard of them.
Yet this person before him, both in name and title, was completely unheard of to him.
As the Duke of White Tiger, Dai Hao had long held a high position and had excellent expression management; from beginning to end, he did not reveal any particular expression.
He only nodded slightly and asked with a smile, “Has Brother Qian eaten breakfast yet?”
Zhu Nuo was his wife; regardless of anything else, at least her surface manners were on point, so she revealed a proper smile and added, “If you don’t mind, please sit down and join us.”
Qian Daoliu shook his head, “This old man has already eaten.”
Although he said that, out of courtesy, he still walked to the dining table and sat down opposite Dai Hao.
Qian Daoliu got straight to the point, “This place is called the White Tiger Dukes Mansion; presumably, Your Excellency is the Duke of White Tiger?”
Dai Hao frowned slightly upon hearing this.
He felt he was relatively famous on the continent, but listening to Qian Daoliu’s words, it seemed as if he did not know him at all.
Dai Hao coughed twice, “That is correct, I am Dai Hao, the Duke of White Tiger of the Star Luo Empire.”
He paused and then introduced the noblewoman beside him, “This is my wife, Zhu Nuo.”
A doubt also flashed through Qian Daoliu’s heart.
He knew of the Star Luo Empire, and he also had a deep impression of the Dai family and the Zhu family.
But why would Dai Hao be a Duke?
Shouldn’t it be the royal family?
If a member of the royal family reached the level of Titled Douluo, normally speaking, even if they couldn’t inherit the throne, they would certainly be titled a King.
To think he was only a small Duke?
However, Qian Daoliu did not ask the doubt in his heart and went straight to the topic.
“This old man has a request; I wonder if it might be granted?”
Upon hearing him refer to himself as ‘this old man’, Dai Hao became even more convinced of his status as a Titled Douluo, and his mind became active.
He nodded and said, “Of course, no problem.
Brother Qian, please feel free to bring up whatever matter you have; as long as it is something I, Dai, can do, I will not refuse.”
Qian Daoliu said, “This old man wishes to borrow the Library of your esteemed residence.”