176-184

Chapter 176 - Make Him Pay Too

"Erm… How much do I have to compensate, your Highness?" Porter asked nervously, not budging from his kneeling position.

His punishment should be lighter, right? Apart from being tricked by Vigo to join hands to seize and manage the prince's property, he had not done anything else that was untoward the prince.

"Ah…" Leon glanced Porter for a few breaths, asking, "How much do you think is appropriate for compensation?"

"This… Are you asking me, your Highness?" Porter asked with doubt and surprise. Was the prince really letting him decide the price?

Leon nodded.

Receiving the confirmation, Porter was immediately at a loss. It was a good thing, but he didn't know how he should answer. If he set a low price, the prince might become unhappy, but if he set too high, he would just be incurring additional losses.

Vigo's offense seemed quite heavy, but the prince only demanded 50% from Vigo then…

"How about… 20% of the Fischer Merchant Association's profits annually for ten years, your Highness?" Porter suggested carefully, testing the waters.

However, the prince's frown immediately caused him to panic. Was 20% too low!? Maybe it was! The kingdom imposes a 10% tax of all profits on foreign merchant-operated businesses, but since the event 17 years ago, they had not paid a single tax thereafter.

Its not that he didn't want to pay but the financial minister and the whole department were slaughtered by the Queen. There was no one to come collect the tax and no one to pay the tax to!

With no one managing the kingdom, it wasn't strange for the Capital experience an economic collapse.

If he included the tax debt in his repayment, the actual compensation amount to the prince wasn't actually much at all.

"Hahaha… I was joking, your Highness… I meant 30%... How does that sound?" Porter quickly added.

Leon frown deepened.

"40%! I won't go any higher than that, your Highness!" Porter stated firmly.

He almost sounded like a customer striking a bargain, except he wasn't buying anything but would still be losing money. A lot of money.

"Alright. Let's go with 40%. You have been kneeling for some time. You may rise now." Leon agreed with a peculiar smile after snapping out of his train of thoughts.

While Porter was thinking his initial prices were too little, Leon thought it was too much.

Leon already secured a 50% annual income from the Primrose. Althought it was a lot of money, the money doesn't flow into his coffers immediately. He was actually thinking an immediate payment of 200,000,000 Craws or so from Porter would suffice.

However, since Porter misunderstood his expression and offered such a high price, Leon would naturally not say no to extra money.

"Thank you, your Highness."

Porter heaved a sigh of relief after receiving the prince's agreement on the compensation amount. His stomach would have churned with regret if he knew the prince's true thoughts.

Moving on, it appeared that his sharpness had lost its edge in these past years of comfort in the Upper District; to make such a rookie mistake and be blinded by profit.

He should have noticed something was wrong when Oliver Lucretius rejected the cooperation. It was clear to him that Oliver Lucretius knew the prince prior and wanted their Primrose and Fischer merchant associations to ruin themselves.

"Your Highness, how will you deal with Sir Oliver Lucretius?" Porter raised his question. He couldn't stand Oliver's smug look on the side.

Oliver's expression froze. What was this person trying to do?

"Oh? Elaborate." Leon showed an intrigued expression.

"Despite knowing you were the owner of the prime location, he didn't stop us and allowed us to seize your property knowingly. Shouldn't he compensate your Highness in some way for his inaction?"

"You do have a point." Leon nodded, before asking, "What do you think, President Oliver?"

"Haiz… I admit, there was some selfish intentions in keeping my silence. Well... I wonder if your Highness will be satisfied with a single 200,000,000 Craws payment?" Oliver Lucretius sighed and cut straight to the point.

"En." Leon nodded.

Receiving Leon's answer, Oliver heaved another sigh. A single payment of 200,000,000 Craws was an insignificant compared to a recurring payment of 40% of the association's profits for ten years. Oliver considered it was a small price to pay for antagonizing his opponents.

"Hahaha, since that is the case. My Cromwell family isn't free from liability either, isn't that right, boy?" Dwight laughed, before shamelessly adding, "Gift the 7-Petal Frigid Agapanthus to the prince."

Watching the servants of the Cromwell family packing up the spirit herb for the prince, Vigo's face immediately went black. The spirit herb was still his. It will only belong to the Cromwell family if they accept his marriage proposal for his son.

At the same time, Vigo thought; others might not have known Leon's identity, but there was no way the Cromwell family didn't know either!

This was a premeditated scheme! The prince and the Cromwell family were in cahoots!

"Father, does this mean Lynne is my fiancée now?" Dade whispered.

"Shh! Don't be stupid. That shameless old thing didn't accept the marriage proposal, but still took our spirit herb. Even if he did, do you dare compete with the prince for his woman?" Vigo reprimanded in a hushed tone.

"Do you have something to say, Sir Vigo?" Dwight asked.

"No… I do not, Lord Dwight." Vigo said with a forced smile.

Right now, he just wants to get away from the prince and Cromwell family as soon as possible. These people were a pack of wolves.

Contrary to how others thought, Leon had not been unhappy that the Primrose Merchant Association had been keeping the spirit herb. That was an incorrect outlook.

He had scoured Extreme Misty Forest for seven days and knew the difficulty of finding one.

Unexpectedly, he went searching afar, only to find it within arm's reach. It should be said that Vigo had done him a great favor by finding it.

Thus, he was quite lenient and didn't directly expel the Primrose family from the kingdom.

"Well then, I will thank you for the gift and take my leave first. I wish to refine this spirit herb as soon as possible. Happy Birthday, Old man."

While he thought he was lenient, if other caughts news of it, they would have thought otherwise. 50% of a giant merchant association's profits was not a small amount of money.

"Hahaha… it's fine. Go."

Dwight didn't mind that Leon didn't stay for long and sent him off with a simple gesture.

Leon headed straight back to his courtyard for pill refining. The sooner his father awakens, the sooner he might find some answers and leave the kingdom affairs to his father.

…

Meanwhile, in the Wildlands, there was a situation taking place.

In the closest tribe to the Great Wall, the Skysilver Tribe, the beasts have begun growing restless and infighting has been growing.

"My king, the low-rank beasts have begun fighting among themselves in the tribe again." A beastkin with bear traits, reported in a subservient position.

Skysilver laid on his hill, unaffected by the news. He occupied the highest hill and overlooked the entire tribe. Fights were frequent among their race and throughout the tribe. Thus, he doesn't pay too much attention to the beast fighting.

As long as the beast don't kill each other in his tribe, they can fight as much as they want. Fights and competition on fellow beasts were what makes them stronger.

"Hm? You know such things are common among our beast race. There's no need to report such things to me." Skysilver replied lazily.

"Yes, I feel this one is worth paying attention to, my king. It was a fight between a fire-tailed tiger and a snow rabbit."

"What's there to pay attention to a fire-tailed tiger bullying a snow rabbit?" Skysilver had a trace of annoyance in his tone.

"My king, it wasn't the fire-tailed tiger bullying the snow rabbit. It was the snow rabbit bullying the fire-tailed tiger. Not only that, the snow rabbit displayed strength beyond the norm and proceeded to attack all other beasts in a frenzied manner without differentiating between friend and foe."

"Oh?" Skysilver finally frowned at the explanation of the bearkin. "Among the myriad beast races, the snow rabbits are one of the most timid and docile beasts. What could have caused it to become berserk? Go investigate the cause."

"Yes, my king." The bearkin obliged.

…

Great Wall.

Bam!

A sudden loud bang alarmed the garrisons.

"What was that?"

"I think we are being attacked!"

Bam!

The loud bang sounded again. The garrisons tried peering into the darkness of the night but could not see anything. A fire torch was tossed down the wall, illuminating a single bull-type beast ramming into the walls.

"It's a beast attack! Sound the alarms!"

"Dammit, I knew we couldn't trust the beasts!"

"Wait!" Another soldier stopped the others. "There's something strange about this beast. There's only one."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, it's true."

Moooo! The bull-type beast bellowed and kicked up a dust for another charge.

Bam!

The repeated rams broke its horns and cracked its skull with blood beginning to gush out. However, the bull-type beasts seemed possessed and hell-bent on ramming into the wall as if it was trying to take down the wall, even at the cost of its life.

The soldiers on the wall were all confused by the behavior of the beast.

"What the hell is wrong with it? It is killing itself."

Bam! The frenzied beast continues to ram into the wall for a while, before…

Flop!

The bull-type beast dropped dead at the bottom of the wall.

"It's dead…"

"What should we do? This matter is so bizarre…"

The strangeness of the event left the soldiers perplexed. They weren't sure if the beast was crazy or it was a sacrificial move to ambush them when their head down to investigate.

"Inform the general.. He will know what to do."

Chapter 177 - You're Not A Gentleman

"What are your orders, General?"

The soldiers stood erected on the wall with stern expressions as if a war was about to happen.

Hendrick stood at the hem and peered into the distance lands, obscured by a veil of darkness.

Vision was limited, but the general marquis did not seem bothered. It was time to test a new ability, he named [Whispers of the Wind]. With this ability, he could detect the presence of all life within a certain radius by listening to the wind, hence the name.

Eyes closed, the atmosphere began to stir as the wind direction changed and gathered towards the general marquis subtlely. All sound within a mile radius were picked up by the wind and delivered to him.

He could hear everything, from the soldiers breathing to the swaying grass, the rustling of leaves and even the movements of the clouds.

Just when he was about to confirm the zero presence of other beasts, he picked up the sound of a pair of beasts battling at the edges of his range.

Hendrick brows knitted at the beasts' abnormal behavior of tearing at each other's flesh in a frenzied manner.

Shortly after, the presence of both beasts disappeared. They had both died.

"There's no need to be alarmed. There is no ambush lying in waiting." Hendrick stated.

The soldiers sighed with relief.

"Your orders to head down and collect the bull-type beast carcass, General." A soldier saluted.

"No need." Hendrick shook his head.

He pointed at the beast carcass at the foot of the Great Wall and flicked upwards.

"Up!"

Along with his command, a spiral column of wind lifted the beast carcass and shot up into the air, before landing on the wall.

"Deliver it to the research team to study."

"Yes, General!"

Afterwards, Hendrick linked hands behind his back and began leaving with a pondering look.

Something strange was happening in the Wildlands. What kind of enmity would cause two beasts to fight each other to the death in such a savage and brutal manner?

He didn't know what it was, but it was an ill omen.

"I hope the Human Domain won't be affected by whatever is happening out there…"

…

Within the courtyard of the prince, Leon was seen in the middle of a session of pill refining.

In one corner of courtyard, his personal guards were seen quietly playing cards with a depressive mood.

There was once a time, when they felt proud to be palace guards, to be 9th step Awakeners, but not anymore. Their impression of the prince had gradually transitioned from respect to awe, then from awe to self-ashamed.

They were already in their mid-30s, but they were still stuck at the peak 9th step of Awakener Realm.

They had lived their life in vain. How does the prince cultivate? At such a young age, the prince had already reached the level of one star. This was just his cultivation level and not even his battle power.

Back when the prince was in the 8th step, he already possessed the battle power to surmount a level and fight with 9th step Awakeners.

After numerous spars, they were no longer a match for the prince.

Now that the prince was at the one-star level, his battle power must be even greater. As the prince's personal guards, they felt useless and no longer needed.

If there was an enemy that even the prince couldn't handle, then it was even more so for the personal guards!

They were simply not capable of protecting the prince from stronger opponents, while they weren't needed at all against weaker foes.

"Ahh…" Howard issued a sigh as he thought about this.

"It's your turn, Howard. Just say pass if you can't beat it." Jeffrey impatiently reminded.

"Hm? Oh right. Sorry." Howard shoved the depressing thoughts behind him and focused on the card game.

Jeffrey had just played a pair of aces. He glanced at his own hand. There were only three cards left; a pair of twos and a three of clubs.

With a smirk, Howard said, "Looks like drinks won't be on me this round. Double two."

Howard played the pair of twos and proceeded to play his last card as the chances of others beating a pair of twos were small in this particular set of card game.

"Hold it!"

Unfortunately for Howard, someone just happened to hold that small probability in their hand.

"Chop!" Cain immediately slammed down a double combo capable of beating a pair of twos.

Howard froze with wide eyes. What were the chances!?

Stuck with the lowest card in the deck in his hand, he painfully watched on as the other three finished their hands.

"Aish… cursed my bad luck! Alright, drinks are on me!" Howard grumbled.

…

Leon completely ignored the palace guards' activities and focused wholeheartedly on his pill refining. He had permitted their activity out of kindness. In his opinion, standing guard all day against the zero possibility of threats would make a person bored senseless.

"It's done!"

Leon's eyes suddenly snapped open as the cauldron lid removed itself to revealed nine pearly-white pills inside the pill cauldron. These were the Tier-1 Soul Mending Pills.

"With this, my father can finally awaken from his 17-year long coma!"

Taking a whiff of the pills, Leon smiled.

"High-rank pills!"

There was some disappointment in Leon's eyes as he did not see any Supreme-rank pills among the batch, but considering it was his first-time refining Soul Mending Pills. Achieving high-rank quality was already very good for his first try.

He should lower his expectations. Setting unrealistically high expectations would only result in disappointments. Heck, one might as well set no expectation, so they would never be disappointment…

Leon immediately shook his head. That was a dangerous thought. If one had no expectation, they would have no drive and ambition to strive to meet that expectation.

His path was bound to be an arduous one. Every Divine Kings had to put in their fair share of blood, sweat and hard work to set themselves from the mass and stand at the peak of the Divine Realm. The Divine King Realm wasn't a level, just anyone could reach. If he doesn't strive his best and work harder than everyone else, how could he expect to surpass the Divine Kings and avenge his father!?

Leon's eyes shined with determination. Once the kingdom was on track, he would be able to focus on his own cultivation with a peace of mind.

Leon placed the pills into his empty pill bottle, before stowing everything away in his Worldspace.

"I'm leaving."

Leon informed the palace guards, but in return, all he received was a few grunts and snorts.

"It's seems they hold a small grudge against me." Leon scratched his cheek with a wry smile. "No surprise there. They have been tasked to protect me, but they always lose sight of me and end up stressing where I was."

Shaking his head, Leon proceeded towards the courtyard's entrance. At the same time, a palace maid entered and flashed him a disgusted expression, before it quickly reverted.

The face of the maid changed quicker than the flip of a page, but fortunately, Leon still noticed it. He had always had this feeling that the palace maids did not like him, but never understood why. Maybe this time, he can find some answers.

"Why do you show such a disgusted expression when you see me?"

Leon directed his question, before the maid could open her mouth.

The maid's body unnoticeably shook in panic for a moment, before she quickly recovered and answered calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about, your Highness... You must have been imagining things."

"Oh?" Leon frowned. "Are you saying I was blind?"

"I don't dare, your Highness!" The maid lowered her head.

All maids despised the prince, but he was after all, still the prince. They wouldn't speak about it openly for fear of punishments.

Seeing the maid's behavior, Leon sighed.

"I've have always seen you by my mother's side. You must be her most trusted maid. Thank you for taking care of my mother all this time. There's no need to be so formal and respectful in front of me. I am simply asking out of curiosity. You may speak bluntly. I will not be offended."

"This… are you sure you won't be offended?" Lily asked carefully.

"I'm sure." Leon nodded.

"Then… I will speak bluntly?" Lily asked again.

"Please." Leon gestured.

"Alright then… Truthfully speaking, everyone sees you as a lascivious beast, your Highness. Thus, all maids are on guard against you." Lily answered.

Leon's lips twitched and asked, "What did I do to have such an awful image? How come I don't know I was such a lascivious person?"

Maybe he was at one point in his past life, but those days were behind him.

"Because you are not a gentleman, your Highness." Lily stated.

"Not a gentleman?" Leon scrunched his brows together. "Didn't I say to speak bluntly? Elaborate."

"Yes…" Lily hesitated for a moment, before saying, "Your Highness is not a gentleman because your heart is not loyal and true to one partner. Every king in the past only had one partner, their queen. However, you, your Highness has yet to ascend the throne, but already have two fiancées."

Cough* "Actually, I have three fiancées…" Leon quietly interjected.

Two were already his women, but the third was not. Their engagement was decided at birth and they have yet to develop mutual feelings. However, Rachel was still his official fiancée, thus, he mentioned three.

At the same time, he thought it was unfair for Aria that the people have yet to know of their engagement. He should find some time to change this.

Lily widened her eyes at Leon's words. Three!?

"Ehem** When there is a second, it wouldn't be a surprise If there was a third, a fourth, a fifth and so on in the future. Such a person could not be trusted to love their partners wholeheartedly and with equal importance. As such, us women would naturally look down on such type of men."

"I see."

Leon scratched his head with some embarrassment as he listened to the maid's explanation. However, there was some prejudice in her words.

"By that standard, I guess I'm not a gentleman. However, it's exaggerated to call me a lascivious beast, no? I have never forced myself on any woman, nor have I gone around flirting with every beautiful woman I've seen."

"Hm... that's true… I apologize for my prejudice, your Highness."

"It's fine." Leon waved. He didn't take any of it to heart.

But then Lily quietly thought, "Maybe the prince doesn't flirt with beautiful women because he already had the cream of the crop…"

"What did you say?"

"N-Nothing…"

Seeing the maid's unwillingness to continue, Leon simply shrugged as the two fell into a brief silence.

"Oh right, what did you come here for?" Leon suddenly asked.

"Ah, I forgot!" Lily exclaimed. "Her Majesty wishes to see you, your Highness."

"Mother wishes to see me? Just in time. I was just planning to go see her." Leon said. "Let's go.

…

The two left the courtyard together.

Lily sneaked a glance at Leon's relaxed expression, before heaving a sigh of relief. The prince was true to his words.. He wasn't offended by her words.

Chapter 178 - Wails Of A King

Upon arriving at the study room filled with paperwork, Lily returned to the Queen's side silently and waited on her next order.

"I heard you wanted to see me, mother?" Leon asked.

"En." Elizabeth nodded before continuing, "Come take a look at this design. The railway routes have also been mapped. If we weren't lacking funds and manpower, we could start this project in line with the reconstruction project."

"It's finished already?" Leon was surprised to see that the designs of his railway project completed so quickly. The Lancaster and Cromwell family were so efficient despite having a mountain of other work on hand.

Leon had a look at the routes mapped and saw every major city in the kingdom connected to it. This was more or less how he imagined it to be.

"We can start small, Mother. If we connect the Capital to the major lumber and stone cities first, we can effectively cut down on the transport cost and time of the basic construction materials needed for the constructions in the Capital."

Leon pointed at two major cities on the map.

"Rainwallow City is quite close. We can focus on the first project here for the lumber. However, Blackrock City might be a bit of a problem. It's a bit far, but this city is essential for the limestones and cements."

"That is a good plan, Son. However, you have forgotten that the Lancasters have their hands full mass-producing nails and steel frames for construction. If you want them to start producing the railway tracks and steam-powered carriages to run on the tracks for you, they will have to stop their previous works." Elizabeth said.

"I'm well aware of that, Mother. The people have temporary settlements to accommodate them for the time being. It's fine to delay the building constructions. However, once we have railway up and running, everything else will pick up the pace."

Not only does the railway enables the transport of goods on a large scale, the reluctant citizens of their kingdom living in other cities might become willing to work in the Capital, increasing the workforce.

"Also… If mother is willing to coordinating with Lancaster family using your metal manipulation abilities, it would speed up the production greatly. Even laying down the railway tracks would be a simple matter for you."

"This rascal." Elizabeth gave her son a soft smack. "You want to make your mother do labor work!? But you're right, son. It would a simple matter for mother. Alas, mother is swamped with more important work."

Elizabeth felt slightly vexed when she thought about it. Why did she had to slaughter all the important officials? Although they all deserved death for rebelling, she should have sent fresh talents to fill their ranks. But then again… no one would have dared to after such massacre.

When Leon was smacked by his mother, he just laughed it off.

"Hahaha… Yeah… we can train up a few metal-users to take up the job."

"That's not something I can decide." Elizabeth shook her head. "Metal manipulation had always been unique to the royal family to keep our strong reign and position in the kingdom. I'm afraid allowing others to cultivate the metal element will set their ambition ablaze and spark another rebellion. Only your father can decide this."

When Leon heard this, his lips curved up into a smile and said, "Then why don't we go see father and wake him up?"

"How can we wake him up just because we want to?" Elizabeth was startled. "Didn't you say you needed the 7-Petal Frigid Agapanthus to remind the Soul Mending Pill before you can wake your father up?"

"Yes, Mother. I just received the herb and refined it not long ago. I came to see for this matter, but coincidentally, you were also looking for me." Leon explained.

"So that was the case…"

Elizabeth tried to remain calm, but she was inwardly shaken with excitement. 17 years! Her husband can finally wake up from his long slumber!

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Elizabeth noticed a small detail. If her son found the herb on his trip to the Extreme Misty Forest, he would have mentioned it earlier in the day when he returned. Why would he delay the good news and only mention it now? Unless, he hadn't found the herb on the trip, but after he returned to the Capital.

"Where did you find the herb, Son?"

"Oh, I coincidentally found it at the Dwight Cromwell's birthday banquet. Apparently, Vigo Primrose had been keeping it for some time." Leon answered nonchalantly.

It was already a past matter since he reaped the benefits and punishment has been meted. As such, he didn't view it would any further importance.

However, when his mother heard it, her immediately angered.

"What! He knew our royal family was looking for this herb and yet he didn't hand it over right away and had the gall to keep it until now!? Hmph! Looks like this person doesn't put our royal family in his eyes!"

"Calm down, Mother. I've already made the person pay an appropriate price for his actions. 50% of his business profits to be precise." Leon smiled wryly. His mother look like she was out for blood. Would they still get the money if his mother kills them all?

"Oh? That's actually really good, son. How did you manage to get that merchant to fork out so much of his money? The Primrose Merchant Association is a big business that spans across two kingdoms. For them to give up 50% profit of their business is equivalent to not making any money from this kingdom."

Since his mother could see that, there was no reason Vigo didn't. But he still made such a choice over being evicted from the kingdom. It goes to show how much importance is placed on the kingdom, especially since the crystal discovery.

There was also the lockdown in the Capital. Vigo might have feared that he would be silenced before he could even leave the kingdom if he chose such a choice.

"Never mind that. Let's go see father."

"Right, right. Waking your father up takes precedence."

…

King's bedchamber.

"Pass the pills to mother, son. Mother wants to be… the first person your father sees when he wakes up." Elizabeth said with a shaky tone as she looked at the king with an affectionate gaze.

"Alright."

It didn't really matter who feeds the King, since it would still take time for the medicine to take effect. However, it was his mother's wish. Thus, Leon complied and handed the bottle of Soul Mending Pills over.

Elizabeth accepted the bottle with shaky hands. It seems that she was a lot more nervous than she thought.

"Did you say that we shouldn't wake father up until the Capital regains its stability, Mother?" Leon suddenly joked.

"Nonsense! Your father has been sleeping for 17 years. It's time for him to do some work, don't you think? How could he let his son and wife do all the work, while he just sleeps comfortably? Hmph!"

Elizabeth pressed her husband's jaw open and shoved a pill inside roughly.

Leon gawked. He didn't expect his words to trigger his mother's violent tendencies. He pitied his father who laid unconscious helplessly at his mother's mercy. 'Sorry!'

"Hmm… look son, the darkness around your father's forehead is receding, but why is his face becoming pale instead?"

"I'm afraid before the pill even takes effect, he would have been killed by you, mother. The pill is blocking father's airway." Leon said wryly as he stepped forward and used his energy to help his father absorb the pill's medicinal properties. "Father is unconscious and can't absorb the pill on his own. We have to guide the pill for him."

"Ai… Mother is silly. How could I forget such a simple thing?"

Elizabeth slapped her own forehead in realization. She doesn't seem to be thinking straight. The joy of their family reunion could have quickly turned into a tragedy.

The king was strapped to high-tech medical equipment and nutrient solutions were provided for him. Elizabeth seemed have forgotten because she never had to feed him and only needed to refill the nutrient solutions.

After Leon helped his unconscious father absorbed the pill, the darkness around his forehead was completely dispelled and began to glow with a rosy red complexion.

Leon and his mother patiently waited for the king to wake up. However, time ticked slowly. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into…

It wasn't until a full hour had pass that the king finally regained his consciousness.

"Ugh… Where am I?" Heinrich said weakly. It felt like he had been in a very long dream. He struggled to get up, but his body felt weak. However, his limbs were still capable of slight movements.

It appeared that the king suffered muscle atrophy from lying dormant for too long. However, it wasn't to an irreversible level.

"How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked as he helped him sit up gently. "This is your bedchamber."

"My wife…"

Heinrich gazed at Elizabeth deeply and full of affection. Elizabeth also return the gaze in kind as they lapsed into silence. Although they seemed to have a lot to say, something seemed to be holding them back.

Leon could see the love his parents had for one another. He smiled and quietly took his leave thoughtfully; to allow his parents to catch up. He also had things he wanted to ask his father, but he could save it for another time.

As he closed the door on his way out, he was seen by his father.

"Hm? Who was that just now?" Heinrich asked.

"That was our son." Elizabeth answered with a melancholic smile.

The news was shocking like a bolt of lightning from the skies. Heinrich coughed profusely as a result. He found it hard to accept.

"That… was our son? How… How long have I been asleep?"

"17 years… 17 long years." Elizabeth's eyes became red.

"17 years… He was just baby, the last time I saw him. Unexpectedly, he is all grown up now." Heinrich felt sad.

Elizabeth was also infected with his sadness. They had both missed out on the best stage of their child growing up and allowed him to suffer much outside.

"By the way, did you have any dreams while you were unconscious all this time?" Elizabeth wiped her tears and tried to change the topic. She didn't want to be depress over the same thing again and again.

"Hmm… let me think…" Heinrich knitted his brows and began retelling his long dream from what he could remember. "I can't remember everything. It's becoming all blurry now, but I led our kingdom to greatness. Our race prospered and we won the war against the beasts. I was sleeping peacefully one night…"

"But then one night, I was woken up by a fearsome humanoid beast with extraordinary strength. She pulled be out of my bed by the jaw and showed me the Capital bursting in flames, laughed at my despair then fed me a vicious poison that ended everything."

At this point, Heinrich frowned and traced the contours of his jaw. Strange. Why does his jaws hurt like in his dream?

"Oh…" Elizabeth listened to the story calmly, but then she was suddenly angered. "HAAA!??? Who are you calling a fearsome humanoid beast!???"

Elizabeth grabbed her husband and shook him violently.

"My… My wife… I wasn't talking about you… I was saying it was the fearsome humanoid beast in my dreams!"

Heinrich was shocked silly. Was this still his gentle wife!? Nevertheless, he thought his wife would calm down after his explanation.

However, when Elizabeth heard her husband's words, she became even more angry.

"B-Bastard… I'll show you how fearsome I can be!" Elizabeth snapped.

Heinrich soon came to a startling realization why his jaw hurts.

Oh dear…

Ahhhhh!

The screams and cries of the king was soon heard from outside his bedchamber. The palace guards guarding the door jolted in surprised.

The prince ordered them not to disturb the happy reunion of the king and queen, but they didn't expect the king was the type of person to enjoy that sort of play.

They pictured the scene of a tiger ravaging a flower, except the roles of the tiger and flower was reversed.

"S-So intense…"

Chapter 179 - Underground Wails

After leaving the king's bedchamber, Leon paid a visit to the treasury and deposited the 2000 bottles of longevity blood on the second floor. For the upcoming auction, it was best to store it somewhere safe, but accessible for his mother.

"I guess I should prepare for my next secluded cultivation session while I am here…"

Leon glanced around but didn't see anything of interest on the second floor.

"The Heavenly Crystals weren't stored on the first floor, and I couldn't find it on the second floor. Considering its importance, I guess it can only be on the third floor with the other important techniques and sword arts."

Heading up, Leon found what he was looking for. It was hard not to notice when the chest of glittering crystals was left in the open.

Presently, there were already over 200 Heavenly Crystals in the royal treasury. Leon collected one of each element he could find in the chest, namely; the fire crystal, metal crystal, water crystal and earth crystal. He wouldn't be able to use the earth crystal yet, but it would save him a round trip.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find a single crystal with wood element out of the whole 200 Heavenly Crystals in the chest. Was the wood element nonexistent in that ancient civilization?

Even all the high-tech relics retrieved from the ruins were mainly made of earth and metal components.

Leon developed a sudden interest in the ancient civilization. Not only were they technologically advanced, their ranks were filled with numerous Transcendent Realm experts. Yet, such a powerful civilization was destroyed.

Leon was about to leave, but a brief glance at the stacks of sword arts got him thinking; He had chosen the spear and the sword arts weren't of much use to him, but maybe he can derive the essence of the sword arts and use it as reference in creating his own spear arts.

He couldn't fully rely on his one-shot wonder. If his shot one fails him, it would put him at a great disadvantage in battle. As such it was not wise to invest everything into a single powerful killing blow, but to strengthen his combat skills at a foundational level. That way, he would be more rounded and have less weakness.

Also, it was always better to know more than to not know at all. He might not use the sword arts, but the people around him could.

Thinking to this point, Leon decided to stay back in the third floor for a while. He swept the shelves with his divine sense and began studying the sword art manuals, hoping to receive some insights from them.

…

Somewhere deep within the underground world, a battle was taking place between man and insects. In this world of darkness, nothing could be seen and only the rumbling movements of many creatures could be heard.

From time to time, sparks of fire would light up the world of darkness and illuminate the dismembering carcasses of blacken six-legged insects alongside screechy cries.

They possess a sturdy and fire-resistant exoskeleton body, a pair of sensory antennas and powerful mandibles capable of crushing boulders. Also, their blood is so acidic, it could melt human flesh at an alarming rate.

These creatures of darkness never move alone and always exist in colonies with a number much greater than the Deadeye Spiders. Evidently, they were much more powerful than the average Deadeye Spiders. The weakest among them cannot be harmed by flames of fire-users with the strength below the star ranking system.

Yet, it was also these very fire-resistant insects that were currently getting blown apart by occasional flame explosions in the dark world.

The one battling these creatures of darkness was none other than Don Astor, also known as Crazy Don and Grandmaster Don, the first Flame Transcendent expert in the Crawford Kingdom.

"Leave me alone, you goddamn insects!" Don cursed with an ugly expression.

His present appearance was not one would expect of the dignified number one grandmaster alchemist in the kingdom, but more like the beggars on the streets.

His battle with these creatures of darkness had been on and off for the past few weeks and not one made by choice but compelled by the situation.

A month ago, after the big battle, he went to explore the underground world and was the first to discover the entrance to the second floor.

Ever since he reached the Transcendent Realm, his affinity with the Fire Laws had reached new heights and could draw energy from heaven and earth to conjure his fire. It wasn't something he could explain and only those who reached the Transcendent Realm would be able to understand.

At the entrance of the second floor, he started to sense a great fire source that would be beneficial for his cultivation.

Considering his best friend, the Old king had also gone missing underground for many years, Don decided to investigate the second floor without reporting back first.

The second floor was boundlessly large. It was like entering a whole new world. Here, he found rarer minerals and more ruins of the ancient civilizations. Ancient relics were found in various places, half-buried.

However, retrieving these items was a highly difficult task, even for him, a Transcendent. The grounds, walls and even the high ceiling at a height of 300 feet were concentrated with dense earth elements, making it difficult for him to break apart the earth.

His investigation led to his encounter with the bothersome creatures. These trifling creatures were no match for his Transcendent flames, but even the greatest of experts would be tired out after battling without rest.

As such, he was wise enough to return early in preparation for his next trip. But when he reached the foot of the great spiral entrance leading to the first floor, he would unexpectedly find it sealed!

Backed against a sealed wall and unending army of six-legged insects, he had to defend against attack of the insects while trying to tear down the sealed entrance. He had lost count of how many insects he had killed.

Each time he made progress in breaking down the very thick wall blocking the entrance, someone on the other side would reinforce it, thus delaying his escape.

He didn't know which bastard was reinforcing the seal, but when he found out, he cursed for three days straight!

In order to survive after his rations ran out, his meals were made from the organs of these six-legged insects. But due to their high acidity, he had to cook them to a crispy texture before double checking for its edibility.

Surprisingly, the organs of these insects were very palatable.

Don didn't doubt that with a few seasonings, it had the potential to become one of the best dishes in the kingdom.

However, there was only one problem each time he had to eat the insect's organs. He would get stomach aches and diarrhea. Furthermore, each time it happened; he would also be forced to tear a piece of his clothes to wipe his ass.

Gradually, his clothing was replaced by a full exoskeleton armor he made in order to avoid becoming full naked.

This was how he lived for the past few weeks.

"A chance!" Don's eyes lit up.

He suddenly discovered that the other party had stop reinforcing the seal. He only needed one last push to break through and escape this hell hole.

…

"Leader, we cannot reinforce the seal any further! It's about to be breached!" A shadowguard informed with dripping sweat.

Kasif had a heavy expression when looked at the shaking sealed entrance that continue to fill with cracks. Was their kingdom fated for destruction?

The Capital had already experience one recent crisis. They weren't ready for another one. As such, no one knew about this hidden crisis except the highest level of authority, the Queen.

"Stop reinforcing and prepare for battle!" Kasif barked, before sending away one shadowguard to request for the Queen's reinforcement.

The shadowguards and palace guards immediately retreated and positioned themselves into a defensive formation.

For the entity capable of breaching the earthen reinforcement of 20 shadowguards and 50 palace guards, it must be a Transcendent-level boss.

The mood was depressive and heavy. The sounds of heavy breathing and dripping sweat could be heard.

Boom!

The seal finally exploded with a deafening boom, sending rubbles flying.

The shadowguards and palace guards all had stern faces as they prepared to face the greatest battle of their life.

However, a powerful human-like voice caught them by surprise!

"At last! I'm finally out!!!" Don roared, before studying his surroundings. Soon, he locked onto head of the group, Kasif with red eyes. "It was you!"

Kasif was immediately startled by this almighty humanoid insect that spoke in their human tongue.

"Y-You know me? Who are you? Are you the boss of the second floor?"

"Am I the boss of the second floor, you say?" Don shook with anger, before he roared, "Yeah! I am the big bad boss, you sons of bitches! How dare you trap me in the second floor! Prepared to feel my wrath! Arghhh!!"

Don charged at Kasif and raised him high in the air with one hand. Kasif was like a helpless chicken, unable to resist. Don's previous words continues to ring through his head.

Trapped him in the second floor!? Wait… Grandmaster Don had been missing since he went exploring the underground. Don't tell me…

"Y-You are… Grandmaster Don…?" Kasif gulped with wide eyes as he studied Don's appearance, who was decked out in the exoskeleton armor from top to bottom.

"So, you recognize me, huh!? Why didn't recognize me before when I was still on the other side!?" Don stared at the rest and warned. "None of you are allowed to leave until I am satisfied beating all you brats up, you hear me!?"

Everyone shivered.

Strangely, being stared by Don, they were even more fearful than when they were preparing for the unknown threat.

"Wait… Grandmaster Don, we didn't know it was you! Good lord… have mercy…" Kasif pleaded, before he began to wail as Don rained punches on his face.

Ahhhhh!

After the first wail, came the second! The third! The fourth! Soon, the wails of many men reverberated throughout the area!

Don patted the dust off his hands with a smile, while everyone else laid on the ground in pain, bruised and battered. It felt good to vent his frustrations! But this was far from enough to satisfy him for the hell-like experience he'd been through.

He would probably beat them every time he sees them!

Chapter 180 - Resealing The Entrance

Among the group of shadowguards stationed at the sealed entrance to the second underground floor, Billy was the youngest and also the weakest.

When the leader delegated the important mission of reporting to the Queen; the imminent breach in the seal, to him, he knew that the leader was sending him away from the danger… or at least that was what he thought.

He was overwhelmed by the leader's consideration.

In truth, Kasif didn't think so much. He simply picked the nearest shadowguard to do the job. His eyes had never left the sealed entrance when he issued the task.

"I will accomplish the mission without fail!"

With those words, Billy had left at his quickest speed.

…

Heinrich's face was swollen like a pig from all the beating. This was not something his wife would do in the past. At most, she would pinch his waist.

He wasn't quite mentally ready to accept the stark transformation of his wife. His loving and gentle wife had turned into a ferocious tigress.

Furthermore, his wife has reached the Transcendent Realm, while he was still at the 9th step of the Awakener Realm. That was harder to accept.

As a man, even if find it hard to accept, he had to submit to changes. One must know when to retreat when the odds are against them.

So what if his wife was stronger? So what if she is violent? He was still the bigger man! He shall not fight with his wife!

Heinrich took his beating like a man!

Vent it all out, my dear! All the anger and grievance you suffered in the past 17 years, just vent it all out! I can take it!

But he was wrong! Very wrong! He couldn't take it!

He thought after a short beating, his wife would fall into his arms and cry out all her feelings, but that wasn't the case. His wife didn't seem to be holding back and there were no signs of stopping.

He began squealing like a pig being slaughtered shortly after the beating started.

"Stop! I can't take it anymore! My wife, my dear wife, have mercy!"

Heinrich pleaded, but Elizabeth only stopped after a shadowguard appeared with an urgent report.

Billy gulped as he walked in on the scene of the Queen grabbing the collar of a pig-face person with both hands. He did not recognize the king, but considering the person's loose clothing and the location, he could make a guess.

The Queen wouldn't be intimate with any other man other than the king. It appeared that he walked in on their quality time together. He wanted to congratulate the king's recovery, but he forced the words down when he remembered the urgent task on hand.

If Heinrich knew what the young shadowguard thought, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. What part of this was intimate? Look at my face, do I look recovered?

Since he didn't know, he can only look at the shadowguard like he was looking at his life savior.

Elizabeth left shortly after hearing the situation of the underground.

Heinrich heaved a sigh of relief as he fell back onto to his bed and recollected his thoughts.

…

"What the hell happened here? Where is the Transcendent-level threat?"

Elizabeth had rushed at her quickest when she heard the wails from afar. By the time she arrived, everyone was already squirming on the ground, except one.

"Ah… you're here, Elizabeth." Don stretched his limbs. He gave the beaten shadowguards and palace guards a threatening look, before saying, "You don't have to worry. The Transcendent-level threat has already been eliminated."

Kasif wanted to curse that the Transcendent-level threat was right in front the queen. However, he also didn't want to receive another round of beating. His old bones won't be able to take it.

The group was forced to swallow their grievance in silence.

Unaware of the events, Billy gazed at the leader with heartfelt gratitude. He wouldn't have been able to avoid this disaster if the leader didn't send him away.

"You are… Senior Don? Where have you been? What's with that ridiculous appearance?" Elizabeth asked with surprise.

Don's face twitched at her words. They poked right into his sore spot. If he was given a choice, he didn't want to wear such crudely made exoskeleton armor either. It was too breezy in the wrong places, making it uncomfortable.

"Haih… You wouldn't understand." Don sighed, before suggesting, "We should quickly build a sturdy gate to block off the entrance. It won't be good if the creatures down there start pouring out."

Without Don's explanation, Elizabeth could faintly guess what happened from his appearance and the scene in front of here. All the shadowguards and palace guards only suffered fleshly wounds. No one suffered any serious injuries. Most likely, they had been beaten by Don.

As for why, it was because he was trapped on the other side of the seal and suffered a lot of hardships!

"Why a gate?" Elizabeth asked. If they want to stop the creatures from pouring out, shouldn't they just seal it off? Unless… there was something good on the other side?

"There's a lot of good stuff down there, including the creatures themselves. Not are their organs highly nutritious and tasty, their exoskeletons are very sturdy and can be used to make armor like mine. However, they are quite powerful and numerous. Not just anyone can enter. Anyone below the star rank in cultivation will just be seeking death." Don explained.

"Is that true?" Elizabeth said with delight. "What kind of creatures are they? Can they really be eaten?

If what Don said was true, the Capital would have a new source of sustenance and the expenditure on food could be reduced.

"Kekeke, of course. As long as they are cooked properly, they will become edible." Don said with a sly smile. Good things must be shared.

"These creatures are…" Don suddenly paused as rumbled movements could be heard drawing closer from the second-floor entrance. "Well, you'll know soon enough."

Soon, the first creature made its appearance out of the entrance, and everyone was able to get a good look at the six-legged creature that was the size of humans. Countless more followed from behind.

"Ants! Those creatures are ants!" Kasif jumped in alarm, before warning the others, "Be careful. These creatures are said to be endowed with great physical strength!"

He had once read book on insects. Ants were said to be able to lift 50 times their own weight. Who knows if the special trait of these horrible creatures had been amplified or not after the Cataclysm?

Suddenly, all the shadowguards and palace guards sprung up from the ground and got into defensive formation with great coordination. They did not seem like people who were in pain from a great beating.

At some point during Don's beating previously, everyone had come up with the idea to pretend they were in more pain than they actually were. They were under the mindset that doing so would allow them to receive less beating. Fortunately, it pulled off well.

"Focus on sealing the entrance! I will clear the path!" Elizabeth quickly commanded, after being stunned for an instance.

At the same time, Don narrowed his eyes. How dare these brats tricked him!

Elizabeth shot out her sword at the ants with a silver flash, reaping lives wherever it went.

Before the ants were sliced in half by her blade, sparks were created from the moment of contact between the sword and exoskeleton skin.

Elizabeth knew that she didn't utilize much strength in the attack, however, she was still moved by the sight. Senior Don wasn't exaggerating about their sturdiness. They were great materials for making equipment.

It wouldn't be as strong as the steel armor worn by palace guards, but with the large quantity they could collect, it was possible to equip all the soldiers.

The battle at the underground entrance to the second floor only lasted a few minutes. With two Transcendents on the scene, it didn't take much effort for the giant ants to be quickly suppressed and the entrance resealed.

"When did you reach the Transcendent Realm, Elizabeth? Congratulations." Don said after the battle.

He made his way over, but he was quickly stopped by Elizabeth.

"Stop! Stay away from me! You should quickly go back and wash up, Senior Don!" Elizabeth said with a terrible expression.

The foul smell emanating from Don made her feel disgusted. It had a strong scent of human excrete.

"Err, right…"

Don paused his steps. It was fine when he wasn't reminded, but once he was reminded, he felt awfully unclean. He couldn't wash for weeks! It was even worse because his diarrhea was quite explosive and tend to spray everywhere. He had an interest in the art of explosions, but not like this.

In summary, his trip had been one bad experience.

"En, I'll be leaving first." Don nodded and immediately disappeared from his spot in an instance.

Following a trail of dust, one could only hear the clicks and clacks of his armor grinding against each other fading in the distance.

Chapter 181 - Where Did It Go?

Sometime after Elizabeth left the king's bedchamber, Heinrich removed the nutrient solution supply cords strapped to his body and intended to roam the Royal Palace. He wanted to see what changed in the last 17 years with his own eyes.

Also, he wanted to see his son!

He felt incredibly guilty when he learnt that his son was all grown up!

With that thought in mind, he immediately left the bed and headed towards the door. He only took a few steps when he was quickly stunned by his actions.

Normally, an ordinary person would have required a long period of rehabilitation to regain their mobility, but he was no ordinary person. He was a 9th step Awakener. He only needed to execute the breathing technique of his royal family, the Great Sky Refining Art to absorb the surrounding energies to rejuvenate his swiveled muscles.

However!

He didn't execute the breathing technique yet! Where is he getting his strength from?

Heinrich thought back hard, but the truth had been in plain sight. Why would his wife beat him when he was still weak and feeble? Was she not afraid of causing him serious injuries?

The answer was no! She was not afraid! While she was beating him, she was also helping him recover!

Metal-user don't just wield power of metals. They can increase the sharpness of the objects they control and strengthen their own body.

Since they were both metal users, his wife could strengthen his body by channeling her own energy into him.

When Heinrich figured out his wife's good intentions, he felt warm. Except… was it necessary to do it through beating?

"Haiz…" Heinrich touched his swollen cheeks and mournfully sighed, "Others recover through exercising, but I recover from being exercised on... tough love… tough life…"

As he pushed open the doors, the two palace guards outside dropped to their knees respectfully.

"Congratulations on your recovery, your Majesty!"

Heinrich's face twitched, before he gestured, "Arise."

"Thank you, you Majesty!" The palace guard answered, before requesting, "Please allow us to accompany you, your Majesty!"

Heinrich thought for a moment, before he nodded in approval. Although he could walk without a problem, he was still far from a full recovery.

He had forgotten what happened 17 years ago. If he suffers another assassination attempt, his hard-kept life would be forfeited. He had to rely on the palace guard's protection.

Making his way outside to the open palace grounds, his expression underwent an abrupt change. A blurred shadow was spotted closing in on him fast.

He just stepped outside and he was already about to be attacked by assassins? What are the palace guards doing!?

"Assassin…!"

The shadow closed the distance in the blink of an eye and gave him a mighty bear hug, while laughing joyously, "Hahaha! Heinrich, my boy! It's good to see you awake!"

Don was just on his way to the bathhouse, but at the sight of Heinrich on his feet, he forgot all about it.

"Who are…"

Heinrich didn't get to finish his question before a horrible stench assaulted his senses. His face quickly turned green. He wanted to break away immediately.

However!

He was unable to! The person had monstrous strength! He couldn't break away at all!

Everything happened so fast. The palace guards could only stare dumbly as they felt no malice from the other party.

They were slow to react. Only when they saw the king trying to break away, did they snap out of their daze and roared, "Protect the king!

Swords drawn and slashes were made, but the attacks only create scraping sparks and white lines on the black exoskeleton armor.

"Hmm?"

The physical attacks of 9th step Awakeners was like scratching an itch on a Transcendent. Nevertheless, he felt annoyed at the interruption, similar to random strangers tapping him on the shoulders while he was in the middle of something.

"What the hell are you two doing, attacking me out of the blue? Piss off! Can't you see I'm trying to catch up with my nephew here?"

Don waved his hand and sent the two palace guards flying a few yards away.

Soon, the foul stench proved to be too much for Heinrich to bear. His eyes began to roll back with only the whites showing and started frothing from the mouth.

Don was shocked.

"What's the matter, Heinrich boy!? What's wrong with you!?" Don exclaimed.

The question didn't need to be answered. He quickly figured out the cause.

"Ahem…" Don coughed awkwardly, before shouting, "Catch the king!"

Seeing the king being suddenly tossed at them, the palace guards caught the king in a panicky manner like a pair of rough men trying to treat a fragile flower delicacy. They didn't want the queen to blame them then lose their heads for allowing harm to the king.

Being distanced from Don, Heinrich was able to breathe in fresh air again. He spat out a mouthful of saliva with a disgusted expression like it had been contaminated by human excrete.

Afterwards, his eyes shifted to the black armoured figure with a penetrative gaze. He wiped his mouth and said in an interrogating tone, "Who are you!?"

The palace guards stood in front of the king with defensive stances and a heavy expression like they were facing a great enemy. Just a casual swipe of this person had sent them flying away!

"You don't recognize me anymore, Heinrich boy?" Don asked in a soft and familiar tone. Heinrich's unfriendly attitude baffled him greatly. Did Heinrich boy get kicked in the head too hard, he forgotten who he was?

"You know me?" Heinrich frowned. This person appeared very familiar with him. There was only one person who calls him "Heinrich boy," but he couldn't confirm. "Stop hiding behind your helmet and show yourself!"

"What do you—"

"Ah…" Suddenly, realization dawned upon Don.

No wonder, the other party didn't know who he was. He took off his black exoskeleton helmet.

"You… You are…" Heinrich began slowly.

Don showed a brilliant smile, seeing that Heinrich seemed to have faintly remembered him. "That's right, I am—"

"Are you Uncle Don's son?" Heinrich asked doubtfully with creased brows.

Don immediately staggered at the question. What the hell!

"Damn brat! I've never had a wife! How can I have a son!? Are you trying to poke my sore spot!?" Don roared.

A lifetime of dedication to the art of alchemy left no room for love. By the time he decided to look for a family to leave behind descendants to carry on his legacy, he was already too old, and none of the women fancied him.

"U-Uncle Don!?" Heinrich exclaimed in shock.

"That's right!" Don affirmed.

"What kind of divine beauty elixir did you take!? Shouldn't you look older after 17 years!? How can you be even younger like you're still in your prime!?"

"Heh, your uncle has become a Transcendent. Naturally, I would look younger." Don said smugly.

With his prime look, perhaps there'll finally be someone who was willing to accept him and share weals and woes together.

"Damnnnn!" Heinrich smacked his thighs in amazement. "Congratulations on your successful breakthrough, Uncle. You have become the beacon of hope for all fire-users in reaching Transcendence."

Don half smiled before it froze. He wasn't shameless enough to take all the credit for his success.

"Haiz… I'm afraid if it wasn't for your son's help, I would have never been able to achieve the Transcendent Realm in this life. Even his attainment in alchemy put this Old man—ahem, Uncle to shame." Don sighed and corrected.

"My son has higher attainment in alchemy than the publicly recognized number one alchemist in the kingdom…? How is that possible? My son should only be 17 years old…" Heinrich startled by the news.

He kept receiving surprises one after the other since waking up, but this was the biggest surprise yet.

Little did he know, there were even bigger surprises waiting for him.

Heinrich wanted to continue learning about his son, when a certain unpleasant smell began pervading the air.

What the hell! They were already standing 4 yards apart!

It didn't seem quite appropriate to continue talking like this, despite his eagerness to continue listening.

Heinrich frowned and suggested, "Uncle, maybe it is best that you go wash yourself first, then we can talk later?"

"Right, right. Then I'll be heading off first, Heinrich boy. It's good to see you up and about again."

Don no longer dallied and rushed straight for the bathhouse. The filthiness was killing him.

After Don left, Heinrich sighed with relief. He had no idea what caused his uncle Don to appear the way he was, but it seemed like a lot had been going on.

It seemed like there will be long story to tell over dinner. No, never mind dinner. Perhaps teatime instead. Heinrich doubted that anyone would still have an appetite after listening.

So much changes, so much surprises.

"I wonder if the Capital is still the same after 17 years…"

Heinrich found himself a nice vantage spot and began peering beyond the palace walls

"Oh, there are a few new buildings in the Upper District… Interesting designs." Heinrich thought, before moving on. "Ah… the Lower District. Nothing has… Nothing!?"

Heinrich's eyes bulged in shock violently.

"T-T-The Lower District! Where the hell is the Lower District!?"

Chapter 182 - Wait For Me!

While studying the collection of sword arts, Leon frowned with disappointment. These sword art manuals were incomparable to spirit art scrolls from the Divine Realm, which records the visual execution of the spirit art and be viewed by injecting spirit energy into the spirit art scrolls.

The sword art manuals provided many illustrations, but little to no explanations. It was easy to mimic the physical form, but without understanding the unique energy circulation that powers the skill, it was no better than ordinary sword techniques.

Furthermore, the meridian pathways in the human body were numerous and filled with countless possibilities. Trying to understand all the possible pathways in the human body was like trying to unravel the mystery of the universe.

Circulating energy through unexplored pathways had to be treated with utmost care. No one could predict what could happen from circulating through unexplored pathways.

In good cases, a new skill could be discovered. In bad cases, a backlash occurs, reversing the flow of energy.

Normally in such cases, suffering self-inflicted internal injuries was unavoidable, while crippling meridians and even death was not out of the realms of possibility.

As such, people normally avoid circulating their energy blindly. It was not much different with playing with their life.

In general, the sword art manuals provided vague drawings and high risk in learning.

"The sword art shown in these manuals seem very powerful, but it's too dangerous to practice. No wonder they are all locked away here." Leon shook his head. "This was a waste effort. It is better to practice sword arts under the guidance of a sword master than to practice from these manuals. The quality of teaching, these manuals possess are too atrocious."

Leon frowned. There was no way he would allow his women to practice these sword arts on their own. The consequence of making a mistake was unbearable. While he had the method to repair broken meridians, he lacked the herbs.

Leon closed his eyes and ruminated through his memories from the Divine Realm. Even in the Divine Realm, swords were the most favored weapon of divine practitioners. Along with his father, he had cured a number of sword-users in the past.

Although, he never took cultivation seriously, he was at least aware of some knowledge pertaining in the way of the sword from his interaction with these sword-users, one of which even held the title of Sword Saint.

It was said that the way of the sword had four known realms, namely; Sword Spirit, Sword Intent, Swordforce and Sword Domain. Although the path of the sword doesn't benefit one's own cultivation, it grants its users unfathomable battle power capable of fighting opponents beyond their realm.

Most sword-users are only able to comprehend sword spirit and qualified to call themselves swordsmen. Those who comprehended sword intent were called sword masters, followed by sword kings for comprehending Swordforce.

In the whole Divine Realm, there was only one person who ever comprehended the sword domain and became worthy of the title; sword saint.

Sword Saint Evernight was only a half-step Divine King, but with his sword domain, he could contend with peak Divine Kings. If he could take the last step, he would become the overlord of the Divine Realm.

"Senior Sword Saint Evernight was once hunted by Divine Kings because of his potential. After slaying a Divine King and escaping with grievous injuries, he passed out near our home. He was later found and saved by father and I."

"In order to repay our favor, he gave us some guidance in the way of the sword…" Leon reminisced.

"The first step to forming the sword spirit is to have the sword in their heart. If one did not have the heart of a swordsman, one will never be able to become one. Cultivate the mind and become one with the sword, through trials by fire then the sword spirit will form."

In order words, they had to fight! Fight through numerous bloody battles and bond with their sword. There was no shortcut.

"If I apply the same method to the spear, will I be able to form a spear spirit?" Leon pondered, before shaking his head, "I can only find out through practice, but the Capital has more or less stabilized. There aren't many opportunities where I can find myself in many life or death battles…"

Leon frowned. There many things to do, but not enough time to do them all. Most importantly…

"I haven't made any further progress in the stage of five elements ever since my initial success in the [Hegemon of Primal Chaos]. In the end, my understanding of the five elements are lacking and my Five-Element Body has reached a bottleneck. Advancing my cultivation will no longer improve my Five-Element Body. If I can't improve my Five-Element Body, then I will not be able to increase my mastery of the [Nine Echo Oscillating Fist] to use five echoes."

"It seems I should focus on completing the five elements to increase my mastery of the [Hegemon of Primal Chaos] technique. I can only look for opportunities as I go to train my spear skills and test the method to form my spear spirit." Leon took a moment to sort out his thoughts, before he decided.

To complete his five elements, he still needs to form the earthseed and the woodseed. Considering the commonness of earth-users, Leon immediately judged that it would be much easier to form the earthseed than the woodseed.

However, Leon did not intend to dig up earth books to read. That was too tedious. He didn't want to go through the same inconvenience to form his metalseed. There had to be a more direct and primitive method.

The earliest of awakeners did not rely on the knowledge from books to achieve their awakening. In fact, it seems that in the process of creating a structured step to awakening, the awakener cultivation system, they had forgotten the origin of how it started.

"When divine practitioners to comprehend the laws, they would do so in an area where the law can be felt strongly. If I want to comprehend the earth laws and form my earthseed in this world, I must go to the place where the earth energy is densest… and the place with the densest earth energy… can only be found deep underground!"

…

Leaving the treasury, Leon ran into his mother, who just returned from her short underground trip.

"Have you already finish catching up with father, mother?" Leon asked, seeing his mother was alone.

"Not yet, son. Something came up." Elizabeth answered.

The underground smell mixed with a peculiar strong and unpleasant acidic scent lingering around his mother's body immediately left an impression on him.

"You just came back from underground? There's a strange unpleasant smell on your body. What happened underground?"

Elizabeth's eyes bright at the mention of the underground. She did not mind unpleasant smell on her body caused by ant's blood despite not coming into contact with it. It just shows how pungent and pervasive the smell of ant's blood was.

Don had mentioned the edibility of ant organs out of spite, to make the surrounding men stationed at the entrance curious and hopefully, suffer the same pains he went through. As the saying went; curiosity kills the cat. However, little did he know, his small act of pettiness would make the whole Capital suffer.

Elizabeth had bigger plans after receiving the information from Don. If ant organs can be eaten and taste great, why shouldn't it be utilized and shared amongst the common populace that relies on the royal family's charitable food distribution to get by?

"En, that's right. Mother just came from underground. The second-floor entrance had long been found and just a while ago…"

Elizabeth began recounting events in the underground and the ants she encountered.

After Leon finished listening to his mother's recap, his eyes glinted. From what his mother told him; these creatures were at least as powerful as one-star awakeners.

They were suitable targets for him to train his spear. He was planning to cultivate underground, so this news suited him just fine.

Leon soon bid farewell to his mother and prepared to set off to the underground entrance immediately, but recalling he had a patient hadn't checked up on, he decided to make a quick stop by the guest courtyard.

…

Leon knocked on the door of a room in the guest courtyard upon his arrival.

"Who's there?" A wary voice sounded from inside.

"It's me." Leon answered.

The door crept open after Leon answered and a pale figure was slowly shown.

"You're back." The pale figure said.

Leon was immediately taken aback by the sight.

Did her condition worsen while he was gone? Why was her skin so pale?

However, Leon noticed the steady breathing and there was evidently no weakness in the person's movement.

"It seems you have fully recovered." Leon smiled, before adding, "But why is your complexion so pale? Don't tell me you've been shut inside your room this entire time?"

Lilith thought for a moment before nodding, "En, apart from grabbing the delivered meals by the door, that had indeed been the case."

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust humans!" Lilith said with a sharp look.

Leon wasn't intimidated and asked, "But you trust me?"

"That's right. You should be honored." Lilith said with a haughty tone.

Leon was hit with another surprise. Was this her true character after she recovers? Even if she was a princess elsewhere, he was a prince here and this was his home. What's there to be haughty about?

He thought for a moment before shaking his head. Never mind, he shan't bicker with a bird.

"Now that you have recovered, what are you planning to do?" Leon asked.

"Hm… What are you going to do?"

Having his question direct back, Leon's lips twitched.

"I'm planning to go cultivate underground, why?"

"Oh, then I am going too." Lilith said as a matter of fact.

"Why?" Leon creased his brows. He felt an incoming headache.

"If I'm with you, I won't have to worry about being attacked by other humans."

Leon thought for a moment, before shrugging, "Suit yourself. I'm leaving now."

With the beastkin accompanying him, he might finally get an opportunity to learn more about the Wildlands. However, it was no longer a priority.

News of the nonaggression pact had been spread and he wasn't uninformed. The Bloodfiend Sect and Illusory Butterfly Sect seemed to be bigger problems currently.

"Wait for me!" Lilith happily said, seeing things were going her way.. Her pearly eyes flickered unnoticeably.

Chapter 183 - I Totally Understand

On the way, Leon and Lilith passed through the Upper District and new Lower District.

Due to being cooped up in her room ever since Leon brought her to the palace, she had not seen the changes taking place in the Capital.

When the Capital was attacked, she had seen the destruction to the Lower District. There was not a spot left unscathed in the big battle and everything was further reduced to ashes.

Lilith was amazed at how much humans had achieved in rebuilding the Capital in these few weeks since the attack.

Her eyes wondered about with curiosity, before landing on a building that stood out from the rest.

"Wow, humans have all sorts of interesting designs, especially that one." Lilith pointed, before continuing, "It feels quite majestic and beautifully designed like a piece of art."

Leon followed the direction Lilith pointed. He was immediately startled when he laid eyes on the building.

Leon was sure they weren't in the location of the old Lower West District. Why was this building here? Did someone take interest in his building design and build another one here?

Leon quickly grabbed Lilith's hand and quickened their pace without making a comment.

Along the way, all sorts of gazes from the surrounding were directed at Lilith, or more precisely; her black wing. There were surprises, curiosity, some unexpected appreciative gazes and unsurprisingly; hostile gazes.

"Can you do something about your wing?" Leon casually asked, before adding, "It's too conspicuous and attracts attention wherever we go. I'm afraid someone might not be able to hold back and jump out to attack you."

"Oh? Are worried about me?" Lilith raised an eyebrow and said with interest.

"No, I'm worried for the person who might attack you." Leon said bluntly. Lilith was stronger than the average palace guards. There was no way the nobles were her match, let alone; the commoners.

Beasts were known for their powerful bodies and physical strength. Although Lilith was a beastkin, he did not doubt that she inherited their powerful fleshly strength.

While he was aware of that fact, others might be deceived by her delicate appearance and forget such a simple fact. Whether it is land, resource or knowledge, the humans of this world lacked many things, but the one thing they did not lack was stupid people.

"Oh…" Lilith's mood quickly plummeted at his response and her brows creased into a frown.

"What do you want me to do? Cut it off? I only have one wing left you know. Isn't the reason why I'm following you because I'm afraid of being attacked by others? Aren't you supposed to be the prince? If someone dares to attack me, while I'm right next to you, wouldn't your status as the prince of this kingdom be a little… too pathetic?" Lilith said strongly with a hint of contempt.

Leon was dumbfounded by the bombardment of questions. He did not expect to trigger such a violent response.

"As you know, 500-year history of hatred between our two races is not something easy to resolve. There are bound to be people who will be hostile against you. If you accidentally hurt someone in your attempt to defend yourself, no one will care about the reason. The fact that a beastkin hurt a human will quickly trigger a chain reaction through the Capital and spiral out of control." Leon explained, before helplessly adding, "I just want to avoid such headaches if possible, alright?"

He had stayed under the radar to reap as much benefits as he could from the nobles and aristocrat families, but now that he had done exactly that, he was no longer looking for trouble.

However, before his status is announced to the world, there was indeed not many people that knew of his royal status.

After listening, Lilith's mood did not improve. She was aware of such of the hatred between their two races and didn't need him to tell her. While it was just a matter of a headache for him, it was a matter of life and death for her. She was alone while the humans were many.

Folding her arms, Lilith grumpily said, "Yeah? So, what do you suggest I do? I was born this way. What are you going to do about it?"

As a newer generation of beastkins, she did not share the same inborn hatred for humans like the beasts does and considered herself as part of a different race to the beasts. In fact, many shared the same thought. The Wildlands were quite divided between the beasts and beastkins as a result.

However, she did not need to mention this as they were still considered on the same side as denizens of the Wildlands.

"Well… cutting it off might not be a bad idea. It is pretty much useless without the other. You won't be able to fly with one wing anyway, but maybe I can use it to decorate my room. It's quite a beautiful wing after all." Leon said with a teasing tone. He gazed at the lone black wing with an indescribable expression and rubbed his chin.

Hyuk!

Lilith reacted like a cat getting its tail stepped on. She quickly retreated warily and eyed him with an expression that seemed to imply that if he came closer, she would not hold back in her attack even if he was her saviour.

"You, you stay away from me!" Lilith shrieked.

"Hahaha… I'm joking, but it appears that you really don't have any methods to hide your wing." Leon chuckled, before shaking his head. He had casually asked because of a simple thought.

The divine beasts from the Divine Realm had a magical technique called the [Hundred Beast Transformation Art], which allows them to transform their appearances into any form they please. Most divine beasts use it to transform into humans, while demi-humans use it to hide their beastly features.

Although he wasn't expecting such a high-level technique to exist in this world, he was expecting that a weaker version may exist among the beasts and beastkin. The body practitioners also had the ability to control their body and shape to some extent. It wouldn't be a problem to retract her wings into her body with such a method, but it seems that he had been expecting too much.

"Of course, I don't have a method to hide my wings! Don't you think I would have used it already to enter your human territory instead of flapping my wings around and stick out like a sore thumb!?" Lilith rolled her eyes.

"Haha, that's true." Leon smiled wryly, before saying, "Try not to cause for me, alright?"

"Hmph!" Lilith harrumphed, before continuing to follow Leon closely.

Fortunately, the trip past the new Lower District was smooth sailing. They did not encounter any trouble.

The two entered the underground mines and made their way to the seal entrance leading to the second underground floor.

Along the way, Lilith looked left and right with curiosity, but underneath the façade of her naïve appearance, she was studying the underground seriously.

The first underground floor was supposedly a spider's nest and the source of the Skysilver King's displeasure. She wondered what secret lies deeper in this dark world.

"Behind that earthen wall is the spiral pathway leading down to the second underground floor, huh." Leon commented upon arrival.

The concentration of earth energy in this area was quite good, but naturally, it'll be even better the deeper he went.

"Boy… Your Highness." Kasif greeted with a forced smile, before asking, "What is the purpose of your visit?"

After the shadowguards and palace guards followed suit in their greeting, they began throwing furtive glances at Lilith.

"I wish to go train in the second floor and explore it. I wonder if that will be possible?" Leon asked.

"Her majesty intends to send down an elite force to hunt for resources and treasures on a regular basis, but for that purpose, we are making haste to construct a sturdy gate. I wonder if your highness has the patience to wait for its completion?" Kasif inquired.

"I can wait." Leon thought for a moment, before he nodded.

He didn't know how long the gate will take to complete, but he had four heavenly crystals to keep him busy with cultivation.

Kasif sighed with relief after hearing Leon's response. It was too dangerous for the prince to explore the second floor on his own. If the brat dies on the other side, the queen will probably chop off all their heads.

"Thank you for your understanding, your Highness." Kasif said, before requesting, "May I speak with your Highness privately in my tent?"

Huh? What does the Old man need to speak with him privately?

Although, Leon was taken aback by the sudden request, but he still agreed to it.

Just a few yards away on his left, there were many tents erected and the biggest one belonged to the leader of the shadowguards.

Lilith intended to follow closely behind Leon, however she was stopped by two shadowguards.

"The leader wishes to speak to the prince privately." They stated sternly.

Lilith frowned at their unfriendly attitude and looked at Leon.

"Wait for me." Leon said.

Lilith stamped the ground unhappily as she watched Leon enter the tent after Kasif.

…

"What's the matter, Old man? You still want to make me your disciple?" Leon asked as soon as he entered the tent.

Kasif was immediately caught by surprise and staggered. He looked at Leon with a strained smile and said, "Surely you jest, your Highness. I wouldn't dare… wouldn't dare…"

Kasif repeated twice, implying that he had already learnt his lesson. He threw a few furtive glances outside, before he whispered, "This place is off limit to unrelated personnel, let alone someone from the beast race. Is it fine to bring that beast here, your Highness? She might try to escape after learning the secrets here and report back to her people."

"Oh, you're worried about this?"

Leon took a quick peek outside; however, it was immediately noticed by Lilith. She gave him the stink eye, before he popped his head back inside with a wry smile.

"She's not a beast. She's a beastkin. You don't have to worry. She'll be under my supervision and won't be able to escape. Just consider her as an attendant of mine." Leon said.

Kasif frowned. He wasn't assured. However, he suddenly recalled some rumours.

"Oh… okay… I understand, your Highness. I totally understand." Kasif said with a meaningful look.

Leon wasn't sure what the Old man understood, but he nodded.

"En, so long as you understand."

Chapter 184 - Entering The Second Floor

Seven days quietly passed in the blink of an eye, before an awe-inspiring silver gate stood erected with towering height in place of the sealed entrance.

Leon and Lilith did not leave the area, nor did they stay idle during this time. Two new tents were erected to accommodate them while they cultivated.

Leon had made leaps and bounds in his awakening cultivation thanks to the help of the heavenly crystals. He had successfully raised all his elemental abilities to one star, except his lightning attribute.

He never felt it before, but after raising his fire, metal and ice abilities to the same level, he had a feeling he could merge the three elemental seeds into one.

However, he refrained himself from doing so. He hadn't obtained all five elements yet. He didn't know if prematurely merging three elements would cause irreversible and detrimental effects or not.

"Your Highness, the hunting team has been assembled and ready to enter the second floor. Will you be tagging along? A deep voice was heard from outside his tent, informing him.

Exiting the tent, Leon gazed upon a palace guard with powerful aura exuding from his body.

"You are…?"

"I am Zorbek Haynes, Captain of the south, your Highness." Zorbek introduced.

"Captain of the… south?" Leon asked doubtfully, before he immediately understood. Four directions, four captains.

"I see. Notify the men to ready themselves. I will be joining them shortly." Leon ordered.

"Yes, your Highness." Zorbek answered and left, but not after flashing a few furtive glances at the tent adjacent to his.

Shortly after, His voice could be heard loudly in the distance. Every member of the hunting team knew what they were signing up for. They were already instructed that they weren't required to protect the prince at every moment. This trip was considered part of the prince's training. He could take care of himself.

But who were they kidding? Who was the prince? He was the Queen's darling baby. If he dies on their trip, they can also say goodbye to their heads!

Leon withdrew the black spear from his Worldspace and prepared to call Lilith out from her tent, but he before he could, she already exited her tent on her own accord.

Leon was quite curious how the beasts and beastkins cultivate. Could it be a body cultivation method? Unfortunately, Lilith did not give him any chances to find out from her during the time they were cultivating.

"Let's go." Leon said.

"Alright." Lilith nodded.

It didn't take long before the two arrived at the assembling point located in front of the silver gate.

The hunting team consists of 20 palace guards and Captain Zorbek. Each palace guard exuded an aura that not inferior to Leon and some was even stronger.

To ensure the efficiency and safety of the hunt, all members on the hunting team had been given earth crystals each to cultivate.

Leon swept his glances through the surroundings and noticed there were no longer any shadowguards around. Old man Kasif was also gone. It was apparent that after the completion of the silver gate, they had been given a new mission elsewhere that utilized the skills they trained.

"Your Highness, the men are ready. Shall we begin?" Zorbek asked respectfully.

Leon nodded.

"Open the gates!" Zorbek barked.

Several palace guards began rotating some gears before the heavy silver gate began to open vertically.

Leon couldn't fathom how much the silver gate weighed, but his thoughts did not linger on the topic for long as the darkness behind the gate had grasped his attention.

Light shined into the darkness and illuminated the empty descending spiral pathway leading to the second floor. The pathway that connects the first and second floor was not exactly short.

According to the information provided by Don, it was a two-mile walk. By the time they reach the second floor, they would have already descended more than 500 fts.

When the silver gate fully opened, cool air began escaping from the pathway.

"Interesting."

Leon was immediately intrigued. Why would air escape from the pathway instead of the other way around? Nevertheless, it seems that they won't be encountering any breathing problems as they head deeper underground.

"Move out!"

"Yes!"

Half down the spiral path, the group encountered their first soldier ant roaming alone.

SCREEE!

The Soldier ant immediately spotted their presence and issued a battle cry.

"Leave it for me!"

Gripping his black spear, Leon dashed ahead of the group and straight into charging soldier ant with its powerful mandibles ready to take a big bite.

"Your Highness!"

The palace guards widened their eyes in shocked with their hearts almost leaping out.

Oh no! It's over. The prince was going to get killed straight from the start of their trip.

Charging head on into an enemy's attack was an extreme stupid move! The prince is going to get snapped in half!

However, just as Leon was about to be snapped in half by the powerful mandibles, his speed increased explosively and got underneath the mandibles before snapped shut.

Snap!

The ant's mandibles failed to catch its target. Leon made a horizontal sweep at the legs with his black spear, without any technique or elemental empowerment. It was a normal attack with packed with 1800-jin of raw physical strength.

Shingggg!

Sparks were created as the spear head drew white lines on the ant's left legs, before Leon retreated with a big backward leap.

SCREEE! The ant issued another cry like it was calling for reinforcements.

"As expected! The defensive properties of these ants are quite high like information said!" Leon exclaimed.

However, the information they had were limited and not precise. They only knew the shell-like skins of these ants were tough, but not to what extent.

The ground cracked underneath Leon's feet as he leaped up for follow up attack. The spear shot straight through its head from above, before impaling its brain and killing it on the spot.

This time, he utilized his technique and increase his physical strength by onefold to 3600-jin force. There was little to no resistances.

"A defensive property of roughly 2500-jin force, huh?" Leon concluded, based on the feeling of his two attacks.

"Your Highness! Please don't scare us like that!" The palace guards complained.

"You don't have to worry about me. I will in charge of my own life. None of you will be held responsible if I end up dying here." Leon stated, before saying, "Let's continue.

The eyes of the palace guards almost popped out of their sockets.

To hell with that! If you die here, then we will also not be allowed to live!

They were not assured by the prince's words at all! Only if the words came from the Queen herself, would they be assured!

However, they did not dare to lash out at the prince and could only keep it to themselves as they continue with their journey.

Captain Zorbek was the only person among the palace guards that remained composed.

"Why didn't you go for the head straight from the start?" Lilith caught up to Leon and asked with surprise.

Leon just physical attack was not weaker than her own. That wasn't right. From her understanding of humans, she was supposed to be twice as powerful as humans of the same level, physically.

"I was gauging the appropriate amount of strength needed to kill these creatures as reference for future battles."

"Why?" Lilith asked curiously, before adding, "Does it matter as long as they die?"

"To optimize the efficiency of my kills without using excessive force. If theses insects are anywhere as numerous as the spiders that attacked the Capital, if not more, then we are bound to get caught up in prolonged battles. It will get dangerous if we exhaust ourselves too quickly."

"Make sense."

"Ya hear that, men? Use adequate strength when killing the ants! Don't waste your energy." Zorberk hollered at the palace guards.

"Yes, Captain!"

The group continued down the path.

Suddenly, Lilith frowned and pinched her nose.

"Why is it so smelly here?"

"Argh! It stinks so bad!"

"Urgh, what in god's name is this place!"

The faces of all the palace guards began to turn green with disgust.

Leon also frowned at the unpleasant smell. He circulated his energy and produced an unnoticeably thin barrier around his body that warded off the smell.

Glancing around, he noticed many unnatural pits in the area as if it's been dug by someone.

"I'm afraid this area was where the number one grandmaster alchemist took his dump." Leon commented.

"Then those brown smudges are all human excrete…?"

The palace guards looked around with horrified gazes.

Brown smudges… brown smudges everywhere. Not just in the pits but scattered on the ground and even on the walls!

Bleurghhh! The palace guards began to retch.

"Urgh… no wonder… we haven't encounter anymore ants after the last one cried for help… This…This is a no man's land! Even insects don't want to come near this place!" Zorbek failed to keep his usually stern composure.

They have certainly walked into a shit hole.

"Let's quickly leave this place!"

The suggesting was quickly met with many rigorous nods.

Fortunately, after travelling a few dozen yards, they were able to escape the smelly area. However, they began to encounter dozens of ants.

The group made quick work of the ants before pressing forward.

"Leave the carcasses! We will grab them later when we are returning!" Zorbek ordered.

By the time they reached huge open space of the second floor, they had already slayed more than 200 soldier ants.