Chapter 263: The Beauty Rankings

The Demon Clan truly lived up to its reputation.

With figures like the Four Demon Sovereigns and the Three-Headed Black Dragon Knight, all operating on a level that bordered on the absurd, it was no surprise they stood above the other races. Whether it was the Half-Beasts, the Ghosts, or the Arcane-Beasts, none of them could rival that kind of overwhelming power. There was a reason the Dragon Dynasty treated them as their greatest threat.

Marcus quietly filed the thought away. If he ever found himself entangled with the Demon Clan again, caution wouldn’t be optional.

“Master,” Alana said after a moment, her voice pulling him from his thoughts. She shifted slightly in his arms, her brow faintly furrowed. “The Three-Headed Black Dragon Knight is known for his bloodlust. He thrives on battle and slaughter. Why would someone like that remain in the Mist Veil Palace, standing guard of all things? It doesn’t seem like his nature at all. There must be something there… something incredibly valuable.”

Marcus gave a slow nod. The thought had crossed his mind as well. The palace wasn’t just some forgotten ruin, that much was certain. Something was hidden within it, something important enough to keep a creature like that in place.

What exactly it was, though, remained frustratingly out of reach.

His attention drifted back to Alana. Even after everything, he found himself drawn to her in quiet, unexpected ways. It wasn’t just her beauty, though that alone would have been enough to turn heads anywhere. There was a clarity in her gaze, a quiet intelligence in the way she spoke and observed things. She wasn’t simply elegant, she understood the world around her.

Marcus reached out, gently lifting her chin so he could look at her more closely. Her features were soft and finely shaped, her skin smooth like porcelain, almost unreal in its perfection. Every detail felt deliberate, carefully crafted. Dominion really was becoming something else entirely.

His thoughts circled back to something she had mentioned earlier.

The Beauty Rankings of the Dreamland Continent.

Glacia, the Northern Sovereign, had held the top position for nearly a thousand years, yet now there was talk of Princess Celeste rising high enough to challenge her. That alone made the rankings feel less like a static legend and more like something alive, something that could still change.

What struck him as odd, though, was how little players seemed to know about it.

The system had never made any formal announcement. If Alana hadn’t told him, he would have remained completely unaware. That meant the rankings likely existed within the world itself, an internal structure among NPCs, hidden from players until the right moment. Maybe it would surface during some major event, perhaps tied to the shift Alana had hinted at.

It made sense, in a way. Ranking players based on appearance would have been messy at best, controversial at worst. But a list built entirely around NPCs? That was something else entirely. Something people could talk about, speculate on, even chase.

Marcus smirked slightly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“So,” he said, his tone light, “where does my Alana fall on this list? Top five, at least?”

Alana smiled, though there was a hint of apology in it. “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, Master. I’m not on the rankings at all.”

Marcus blinked, genuinely taken aback. If someone like Alana didn’t even make the list, then the standard had to be absurdly high.

Catching his reaction, Alana let out a soft laugh. She leaned into him, her petite frame pressing comfortably against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Are you teasing me again?” Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he caught the playful spark in her expression.

She didn’t even try to hide it this time. “Master, the rankings are managed by the Dragon Dynasty. They’re only updated every fifty years, and they only include women who are already well-known or have been recognized by the imperial court. I lived quietly with my grandfather in a remote village. No one outside even knew I existed. So even with the rankings being refreshed next year, my name won’t appear.”

That cleared things up.

It wasn’t just about beauty. Fame mattered just as much.

“However,” Alana continued, lifting her hand as she began to count them off, “your companion Camillo, the Vixen Queen, is currently ranked third. And Lyanna, the Wyvern Saint Knight, was once on the list as well, about a thousand years ago. She disappeared after the Demon Clan’s ambush, and since she hasn’t been seen since, her name was eventually removed.”

She leaned back slightly, reciting the current Top Ten with calm familiarity.

“First is Glacia, the Frost-Veiled Maiden, one of the Four Demon Sovereigns.

Second is Princess Phoenix of the Dragon Dynasty, wielder of the Immortal Phoenix flame.

Third is Camillo, the Vixen Queen of the Phantom Peach Grove.

Fourth is the Snow Queen, the reclusive ruler of Frostheart Palace in the City of Ice.

Fifth is Serena the Wraith, from the Ghost Race’s Shadow-Wind Keep.

Sixth is Ruthless, the Soul-Snatching Goddess of the Arcane-Beast Race’s Divine Peak.

Seventh are the Floral Twins, Orchid and Butterfly, spirits born from a ten-thousand-year-old orchid and butterfly in the Valley of a Hundred Flowers.

Eighth is Seraphina, the Flawless, another of the Four Demon Sovereigns.

Ninth is Princess Ryuu, the foremost beauty of the Water Tribe from the Cloud-Mist Palace.

And tenth is Violet, princess of the Triple Realms’ Underworld.”

She let out a small breath after listing them all, then added, “The rankings are refreshed every fifty years, but the top positions rarely change. Most of them are held by beings who don’t age, or who can preserve their youth indefinitely. The only real movement happens among those who don’t have that advantage.”

Marcus absorbed the list in silence.

Every single name she mentioned carried weight. These weren’t just beautiful women, they were figures of immense power, influence, or legend. Camillo being ranked third suddenly felt even more significant.

And Lyanna… she had once stood among them as well.

A slow grin tugged at his lips.

’Maybe I’m the overpowered one here.’

Having both the third-ranked beauty and a legendary knight from a thousand years ago at his side wasn’t exactly normal.

Alana looked up at him then, her expression softening. There was something deeper in her gaze now, something steady and sincere.

“Master,” she said quietly, “even with the Body of a Hundred Flowers, I might only be able to compete with someone like Princess Violet for the tenth position. Maybe I could reach the top fifteen at best. But none of that matters to me. I don’t care about rankings or recognition. I just want to stay with you, listen to you, and help you with your potions.”

Marcus’s expression softened in return. He pulled her a little closer without thinking.

“I know.”

She really was… something else.

Still, the rankings lingered in his mind. If Camillo was third and Alana could potentially reach the top ten, then what did the others look like? The thought alone sparked his curiosity. If the opportunity ever came, he wanted to see these so-called legends with his own eyes.

But one detail stood out above the rest.

“Alana,” Marcus said after a moment, “if Princess Celeste is expected to compete for the top spot… does she have some kind of special ability? Like Princess Phoenix?”

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