Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 289: Trouble at Ironspire City (Part-7)

That storage pouch held far more than just money. Losing it meant losing treasures, resources, and countless valuables. The damage was immeasurable.

"Are you sure? Look again. Maybe you dropped it while fighting," someone suggested.

Caius shook his head fiercely. "No way. I took money out of it just now at the inn. I was holding it in my hands!"

His heart sank deeper with every word. His storage pouch was well protected. Even veteran thieves would struggle to steal it. Yet now, it had vanished without a trace.

Drusilla had no patience left for Caius’s panic. All she wanted was to get inside and rest, so she reached for her own storage pouch out of habit.

Her fingers touched nothing but air.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"What... what’s going on?" she shrieked, her voice shooting up several octaves. "My storage pouch is gone too! It must have been stolen by those bastards of the south!"

Ophelia’s face also changed. Worry flickered across her eyes as she instinctively reached for her own belongings. "Then we should go find them and demand an explanation," she said, her voice tense. "If we don’t get this back now, when will we?"

Drusilla clenched her fists, fury burning through her. "It has to be them! There’s no way our storage pouches would just disappear for no reason!"

Ignar Dragovic, however, did not even look at them. He calmly handed over the money for the rooms and said flatly, "You have no proof. Even if you go looking for them, all you will get is humiliation."

With that, he turned his back on them and walked straight upstairs, clearly unwilling to waste another second on this mess.

Drusilla’s face twisted in anger as she watched him leave. "Did you see that? He just ignored us!" she snapped, stamping her foot in frustration.

Ophelia sighed softly, a weary helplessness in her eyes. "Sis, we can only endure it for now. Without Ignar Dragovic’s support, we have no leverage."

If Ignar Dragovic were willing to step in, there might still be hope. But with his attitude so clear, charging after Zora and the others would only invite further humiliation.

Drusilla understood this as well, yet the bitterness in her chest refused to fade. Being bullied like this was something she simply could not accept.

"I swear I’ll kill them one day!" she hissed. "Otherwise, I’ll never get over this!"

Caius’s expression was even darker. He had suffered a loss far greater than Drusilla’s. His storage pouch had been packed with valuables. This trip to the Leon Empire was supposed to be a chance to buy rare cultivation resources and treasures from the capital. Now, before he had even reached the city gates, everything was gone.

The thought alone made his blood boil.

Those Imperial Academy people... he would never forget this.

*

Not far away, in a much calmer setting, Sebastian and Miel stood facing two middle-aged men. The air between them felt stiff, like a drawn bowstring.

"I really didn’t expect that after all these years, Imperial Academy would still be this backward," sneered the man in a silver robe, Wystan. "Even their students resort to such disgraceful tricks like tearing a woman’s clothes. Truly shameless."

Sebastian’s eyes remained calm as he replied evenly, "Wystan, your students lost and now you want to complain? You might as well save your breath."

In the world of Spirit Warriors, only victory and defeat mattered. Everything else was just noise.

"We may have lost in some exchanges," Jorvan said coldly, "but at least we don’t stoop to those despicable methods."

Miel let out a sharp laugh, his gaze filled with mockery. "Jorvan, after all these years as a Lunar Academy mentor, you still haven’t changed at all. Our students fought face-to-face. That’s called competition. Unlike some people, whose disciples only know how to bully ordinary civilians."

He paused, then added with a faint sneer, "Haven’t you heard? On that street just now, even the common folk thought our students were far more decent than yours."

Miel’s words landed like a slap. Jorvan and Wystan both stiffened, their faces turning dark with barely restrained fury.

They had never expected the two groups of students to run into each other here. In fact, they had been watching the entire confrontation from nearby, deliberately holding back from intervening. They wanted to see for themselves which side’s disciples were truly stronger.

In their minds, the result should have been obvious. Lunar Academy had always been proud of its special enrollment students.

Yet reality had cruelly overturned their confidence.

Even though Reesa’s methods were cheeky and far from elegant, Zora had defeated Ophelia fair and square. That single exchange had already tilted the balance. No matter how much they disliked it, they could not deny what they had seen.

Sebastian caught Miel’s glance and chuckled. Miel usually spoke little, but when he did, his words were sharp enough to draw blood.

"Today was just a small skirmish," Jorvan said coldly, forcing a sneer. "When we reach Thunderclap Academy, let’s see who still has the face to be proud."

With that, he turned and left together with Wystan, clearly unwilling to waste another moment here. They were going to deal with their own students, and judging by their expressions, someone was about to get scolded badly.

Sebastian and Miel exchanged a look, both of them breaking into quiet smiles.

"These kids really gave us a good show today," Sebastian said, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Jorvan must be fuming by now," Miel added with a grin. "He’s probably already tearing into his disciples."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Should we go see our little troublemakers?"

Miel shook his head after a moment of thought. "No need. Let them enjoy their victory. We should go meet the vice principal instead. He’s probably been waiting."

Sebastian nodded in agreement, and the two of them headed off together.

*

Night slowly draped itself over Ironspire City like a velvet curtain. From the window, Zora looked out at the brightly lit streets below, a faint, contented smile on her lips.

Time had passed, dynasties had changed, yet scenes like this, bustling with people and lanterns, remained strangely familiar.

"Master, are we going now?" Black and White popped out eagerly, their eyes shining. They had been waiting all evening for their promised feast.

Zora laughed softly. "Alright, let’s go."

She slipped out of the inn alone, leaving Reesa and the others to rest. After such a long and exhausting journey, they deserved a peaceful night.

The streets were even livelier than during the day. Lanterns glowed like floating stars, vendors called out their wares, and the scent of food drifted through the air, making the night feel warm and full of life.

Under the excited urging of Black and White, Zora bought them all kinds of treats. Even Shihtzu could not resist joining in, chewing contentedly as if it had not a care in the world.

With her arms full and her two little companions happily munching away, Zora finally made her way toward the trading market of Ironspire City.

Even before stepping inside, the noise of bargaining and chatter rolled out like a tide. Her eyes gleamed slightly.

It seemed this place might hold more than just food.

The trading market was always the loudest heartbeat of any city. Here, voices collided like waves, and most of what changed hands had something to do with cultivation.

Nine times out of ten, the stalls only carried ordinary goods, but every Spirit Warrior still came with hope in their eyes. Finding a true treasure in a place like this felt like winning a small miracle.

The moment Zora stepped inside, countless gazes quietly turned toward her.

It was not that beautiful women were rare, but a beauty like hers was something else entirely. She looked as if she did not belong to the dust and noise of the market, as though she had stepped out of a painting and wandered into a crowd.

Feeling all those eyes on her, Zora frowned slightly. She had only come out on a whim. If she had known it would be like this, she would have worn a black cloak. Less trouble always made for a happier night.

"Such a stunning girl, I’ve never seen one like her in my life," someone muttered.

Another voice answered quietly, "She’s a student of one of those three academies. Don’t even think about stirring trouble, unless you want to die early."

A few people nearby had been present during the afternoon’s chaos, and word traveled fast in a place like Ironspire City.

"She’s really from those top academies?" the first man asked, startled.

"Who else would have that kind of aura at such a young age?" the other scoffed, already turning back to his stall.