"A... A female courtier? Not a slave? You're not deceiving me, are you?" She was too shocked to believe it: "But, but I am a slave, and you are a noble noblewoman. Directly making me a female courtier, others will ridicule you."

Su Li had already been ridiculed openly and secretly by countless knights for making Naphilis a female courtier, let alone a female slave at present.

It's important to know that the status and baseness of a slave are even lower than that of a prostitute. Imagine a noble marrying a prostitute and taking her home, what would be the outcome? He would inevitably become the laughingstock of the entire territory.

When a nobleman has relations with a prostitute, the child born is not acknowledged and is considered illegitimate.

And if a nobleman has relations with a female slave, the situation is a hundred times more serious. At least a prostitute is a free person, albeit in a lowly profession. But slaves are considered to have impure blood! No noble would allow a slave to be brought home as a female courtier in their family.

The longer one stays in this world, the more deeply one can feel this traditional social value concept, which is why Selanweir was so shocked.

Su Li was somewhat dizzy from the fair body under her towel, his heart pounding rapidly, his entire chest feeling like it was on fire.

He leaned over to pick up a light blue dress embroidered with silver patterns from a table nearby and draped it over Selanweir, then calmly said, "You didn't hear wrong, and I mean it seriously. Put on your clothes. After we go outside, I will announce your identity. We have things to do during the day, and tonight, get ready to serve me along with Chief Steward Hilude."

Selanweir felt completely dizzy, her mind seemed blank, as if her thoughts were muddled, and the world felt a bit unreal.

Not knowing what she was really thinking, she could only follow Su Li's orders and wear the light blue dress.

The light blue silk dress perfectly hugged her graceful body curves, the high waistline design tapering below the ribcage, accentuating a slender waist and a natural bust-to-hip ratio. The skirt draped down to the ankles, with high slits revealing her luminous legs, which, along with the silver-embroidered glacier patterns on the skirt, glimmered with enchanting luster. A milky white pearl necklace, perfectly fitting the collarbone's arc, had its largest pearl suspended right in the center of her chest. The cool pearlescent sheen blended with her alabaster skin, yet the redness left from the moisture on her neck added a touch of life to the cool tones.

This woman truly relied solely on her natural charm, comparable to a green dragon transformed into human form.

However, beauty alone is quite cheap; one must have matching talent and strength for it to truly matter.

Su Li put on clean clothes, pushed open the bathroom door, and took her outside. This trip was to enhance her and quickly cultivate her into a legendary-level Valkyrie.

Glancing at the time, Su Li noted it was 11:23 in the morning—still enough time.

After introducing Selanweir to everyone, he directly led the entourage to the Griffin's Heart Arena of the Mithril Hand Commerce Association, as it was his quickest means of acquiring wealth—a little gambling is good for the soul. Following the Empire's customs and sentiments, how could one not experience the grand gambling of such a bustling place as Marle Castle?

The journey was swift, but only Green Tea Silvana was mentally overwhelmed, making sly remarks, filled with resentment, and nobody wanted to provoke this scowling young lady.

Her fury was understandable; anyone would be upset if they had worked so hard, only for a naive woman to swoop in and easily take the female courtier position she had long pursued.

Silvana suspected whether her own charm was lacking.

Su Li secretly chuckled, deliberately ignoring this green tea girl, especially since she had been keeping him hanging for the past few days.

Nevertheless, he didn't dwell on this subject, as there were many serious matters to attend to today.

Upon entering the Griffin's Heart Arena, he briefly checked the betting odds and immediately wagered 4,000 Golden Crowns, betting that Piercer Elias O'Connor would win this rigged contest!

The populous Marle Castle attracted elite knights from all over the world, and the most thrilling events were battles between elite knights.

Since many participants were newcomers, nobody knew each other's backgrounds, making surprises more likely.

Elias O'Connor was one of those fresh faces, with few betting on him, resulting in odds of 1:8.7, making it perfect for the commerce association's behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

Intelligence suggested that as long as Su Li's bet didn't exceed 5,000 Golden Crowns, the outcome wouldn't change.

Playing it safe, Su Li wagered only 4,000 Golden Crowns, with the remaining 1,000 Golden Crowns not out of excessive caution but to share with the ministers and attendants accompanying him.

Every time they accompanied Su Li, this was their favorite part—mindlessly betting, assured of a win.

If Su Li had wagered the full 5,000 Golden Crowns, their subsequent betting would affect the result.

Thus, Su Li ordered that the betting proceeds be split 8:2 between the Lord and them, a more favorable rate than the Nineteen Taxes, while capping their betting amounts at 1,000.

Hilude collected their gold coins and placed a collective bet, with Hilude himself taking 400 Golden Crowns, two Flying Horse Knights taking 100 Golden Crowns each, other ministers splitting 300 Golden Crowns, and the remaining shares divided among everyone else.

Notably, Hilude even lent Selanweir 10 Golden Crowns, allowing her to participate in the sharing.

This pleased Su Li greatly; his high-level attendant chief always considered everything thoroughly and delicately, helping to maintain harmony between courtiers and attendants.

5,000 Golden Crowns is no small sum, and even in a metropolis like Marle Castle, placing such bets would certainly stir waves.

Elias O'Connor's odds were almost immediately affected, knocked down by Su Li, falling to 1:4.8 by the closing of bets, nearly a 50% drop. This arena, like most in this world, employs floating odds, a system more widely used on Earth in horse racing, rugby, presidential elections, and cryptocurrency betting, where the odds at closing determine payout.

This drew the attention of the Mithril Hand Commerce Association's steward, who came knocking to inquire whether there was an internal staff leak, or if an insider was trying to profit.

Yet upon seeing the formidable Flying Horse Knights guarding the door, and the nobles inside unwilling to engage, the steward wisely withdrew, merely sending in a few more plates of fruit and pastries upon hearing food had been ordered.

Su Li and the knights were disinterested in food, ate lightly, and continued focusing on the ongoing battle. Only Selanweir sat quietly at the table's edge, nibbling on seedless honeyed olives and soft cheese, even swallowing cautiously. Amidst the outside clamor, she appeared particularly quiet and inconspicuous, fearful of attracting attention.

As the afternoon peaked with Chief Steward Hilude and Silvana re-entering with bloodied rat people's heads, the tournament's atmosphere reached its zenith. Countless last-ditch gamblers cried out in joy, looking to the sky, while many others turned ashen with shock, yelling or hysterically lamenting.

The varied aspects of life—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—played out vividly here, perhaps explaining the Empire's gambling culture—a tournament that brings dormant people an array of exhilaration and intense emotions.

This served as a stern reminder for Su Li to always gamble moderately; even with intelligence support, one mustn't be addicted, for one mistake or excessive influence altering the outcome could send him plummeting into an abyss. He generally disliked gambling. Compared to such high-risk endeavors, he much preferred stable farming and management, feeling more secure earning wealth through his abilities.

Of course, thanks to the intelligence support, even this tiny gamble yielded significant rewards, totaling 19,200 Golden Crowns—exceeding what he had earned from selling two chests of treasures!