284-293

Chapter 284 - Dining At Twilight Palace

Under Leon's lead, the group of four left the palace and made their way to Aurelia Mountain Road. Before departing, Leon did not forget to retrieve his black spear and stored it away.

The two maids were ecstatic to be able to tag along, despite knowing it was their task to accompany the elven princess.

They had a chance to enjoy some high-end food from Aurelia Mountain Road, depending on the prince's generosity and elven princess.

Since Leon only knew the general direction, he asked some random nobles along the way for directions. As a result, they managed to arrive at Aurelia Mountain Road directly without passing Lost Isle Alley.

"So, this is the famous Aurelia Mountain Road?" The palace maids had their eyes wide open. "It's even more lavish than the palace!"

"Heh, of course, it is. This place is where the wealthiest in the kingdom gather."

While Faelyn and the two palace maids admired the luxuriousness of the place, a different voice spoke to them. Turning to look, it was a young noble.

"It must be your first time here, right? If you do not mind, please allow me to show you around." The young noble offered, but his bright eyes were glued to the elven princess.

Leon was speechless. As expected of the place where the profligate sons of powerful nobles and aristocrats gather. They did not arrive for long, yet Faelyn's beauty had already attracted someone over.

"There's no need. We only came here to eat."

"That's even better! Allow me to treat you all to dinner!" The young noble said enthusiastically.

Leon was even more speechless, while Faelyn's brows were furrowed. If this young noble treated them, then how was she going to treat Leon?

Just Faelyn was about to say something, Leon subtly gestured for her not to speak, before he said with a smile, "Sure. Since someone is willing to treat us, we should give him face and accept his offer."

"It would be my honor to treat you and all these lovely ladies here. Where would you all like to eat?" The young noble conducted himself like a gentleman, but he was screaming with excitement inside.

'An elf! This person must be the elven princess, one of the two envoys that arrived the other day. The other two lovely ladies must be palace maids assigned by the king to attend the elven princess! What luck! I can win the elven princess's heart; my status will shoot through the roof!'

The young nobles were filled with ideas on how to get close to Princess Faelyn. As for Leon? He was utterly disregarded by the young noble. He was not interested in men.

The young noble was too blinded by the elven princess's beauty to notice that Leon was the group leader. If he had at least spared Leon some thought, he would have noticed that Leon's status could not possibly be ordinary.

"Where is the best place to dine in around here? Leon said coolly. He had a few thoughts of his own.

He had noticed that the palace maids had shining eyes when the young noble offered to shout them all. Since someone was happy to take all the aggro, why would he complain?

"The best place to dine would be the Twilight Palace. How about I bring you all over there now?" The young noble suggested.

Receiving Leon's silent gesture, Faelyn nodded with a single word, "Sure."

"Great!"

The young noble was filled with energy after hearing Faelyn's voice and took the lead. Leon and Faelyn followed behind the young noble while the palace maids followed them.

"What are you doing, Leon? If you let him treat us, how will I be able to treat you?" Faelyn whispered.

"That's true, but do you have any human currency on you? How will you pay?"

"Will that not take elven currency?"

"No."

Faelyn was stumped by the revelation and became abashed.

"There's always a next time."

...

A beautiful flower would shine like a diamond, wherever it goes. Countless eyes were attracted to the elven princess before they subsequently squinted their eyes to study the rest of the group.

"That's an elf, right? How can elves be so beautiful? She must be royalty, right?

"I heard there were two envoys that recently arrived. Supposedly, one of them was an elven princess. This person must be that elven princess they mentioned."

"Is that news reliable? How did they find out?"

The other young nobles in the area did not immediately approach the group but discuss amongst themselves.

"Apparently, the elven princess's appearance caused a stir in the Upper District. Quite a few young nobles flocked over to befriend the elven princess, even some older nobles also tried their luck but had their asses kicked and sent packing by the general marquis. I got my news from one of them."

"I see, but now the general marquis is not here, and the other envoy is also not here. This could be our lucky chance to approach the elven princess. Who are those other people?"

"The one strutting in front looks like the second son of Earl Walter of the Donahue family, Nelson Donahue."

"Nelson Donahue? Ah, I think you're right. He's a regular around here. There aren't many Earls and Marquises that have a second son. Quite the pity, I must say. He is completely suppressed by his elder brother for heirship but never mind that. The other two ladies seem to be palace maids, but what about that other guy? Any idea who he is?"

"He could be the fable prince, but I'm not sure. Let's follow them first and see after.

…

Twilight Palace.

"Good day, esteemed customers. Will you be dining in or—"

"All five of us will be dining in today. Please give us one of your VIP lounges." The young noble cut off the receptionist.

"Right this way, esteemed customers." The receptionist lady was not offended and smiled sweetly as she led them to one of the spare VIP lounges, a private dining room. Dealing with experienced customers saved her the trouble of explaining.

"When you are ready to order, just inform this gentleman here." The receptionist lady handed each of them a menu and showed them the waiter attending them before making her exit humbly.

Returning to the entrance, she was stunned by the crowd of young nobles flooding in.

"Hello, esteemed customers… Will you be dining in—"

"We are just looking around. Right, which room did that group five enter?" One of the young nobles hurriedly said.

The receptionist's expression became dark. It was clear that this group of profligate young nobles and master were here to cause trouble, making things difficult for her.

VIP lounges were VIP lounges for a reason. It is for their customers to enjoy their meals in peace without being disturbed. She would be breaking the rules if she led this group there.

Just when the receptionist didn't know what to do, a familiar voice made her relaxed.

"What are you all doing? Are you trying to disturb my family's business?"

"Oh, if it isn't, Young Master Conrad. We are not here to disturb your business. We just want to meet someone dining in one of your VIP lounges." Another young master explained.

"Oh? Why don't you tell me who that person is then? Surely, for someone to attract all of you here, that person must either have an extraordinary status or is an extraordinary beauty!"

"Hahaha! You've guessed it! It's the elven princess that arrived yesterday, someone with both status and beauty."

"Hahaha… I see." Conrad laughed lightly while rubbing his chin before he said indifferently, "Get out."

The young nobles and masters who were initially full of smiles froze and soon wrinkled their brows into frowns.

"I'm afraid that's not appropriate, no? Are you sure you want to send us all away and hog the elven princess to yourself?"

The threat in the young noble's tone was clear. If Conrad offended all of them, even if his family owns the top restaurant in Aurelia Mountain Road, his family could still become bankrupt if all their families join forces to suppress his family's business.

Conrad frowned as he weighed his choices.

…

Inside the VIP lounge.

"Wow! These prices are freaking expensive! Are you sure we are food and not gold?" The maid's eyes were bulging when they looked at the menu.

"Is this really expensive?" Faelyn asked Leon. She was not familiar with the prices.

"Expensive, really expensive! Let's just say 5,000 Craws is more than enough to buy yourself a decent meal elsewhere, but each dish on this menu is at least 50,000 Craws or higher. Wouldn't you also think this is expensive?" Leon explained

Faelyn's jaw dropped as she nodded.

"Are you really treating us?" Leon asked carefully.

"Of course! A gentleman does not go back on his word." Nelson said warmly, but he looked at Leon like he was looking at a plebian that has not seen the world.

"Alright then!" Leon burst into a fit of laughter and called the waiter. "Waiter, I want this, this, and this!"

In a short instance, Leon ordered seven dishes.

Faelyn was shocked.

"Are you sure you will be able to finish them all?"

"I'm not sure, but this is a rare opportunity. I won't get a chance to dine at a high-end restaurant like this often. Since someone is willing to treat us, we should go all out. Otherwise, it would be seen as us looking down on the person treating us! Isn't that right?" Leon said shamelessly, pretending to be overwhelmed by the rare opportunity.

"Yeah…"

Nelson's lips twitched, but he kept a warm smile like it was nothing, but in fact, he was already starting to feel regret deep inside.

The Prince and Queen blackmailed so much money out of so many nobles. What rare opportunity? The royal family was so wealthy! Who are you trying to fool?!

The two maids giggled when they heard the prince's words, but they did not expose him.

Faelyn, on the other hand, had bought entirely into Leon's lies. Perhaps, the Crawford royal family was not all that well off?

"Err.. really? Is that how it is? You, humans, have such weird customs."

Despite saying that, Faelyn still ordered three dishes of her own, while the maids ordered two each. In total, there were 15 dishes ordered, before the waiter left with the list.

The total reached a staggering 820,000 Craws, enough to make Nelson's heart bleed and cause hatred to form against Leon.

"Right, I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. I am the second of Earl Walter, Nelson Donahue." Nelson said as he finally paid interest to Leon, wanting to find out his enemy's identity. "And you—"

His words were interrupted by a knock on the door to their VIP lounge.

Chapter 285 - The Taste Was Unsatisfactory?

The knock on the door came abruptly, but it saved Leon from speaking. Without using divine sense, he could already tell who was on the other side of the door. Being tailed by a group of young nobles, it was hard not to notice. It could only be them.

Nelson Donahue had the same guess. He had booked a VIP lounge precisely to stop these people from disturbing his business with the elven princess. In the end, the door was still knocked by these people.

"I wonder how I should address each of you?" Nelson politely asked as he continued with the introductions. He had decided to ignore the door knock since he knew who was on the side.

"I am Princess Faelyn, the fifth and youngest princess from Elvengarde's royal family. You can call me Faelyn."

"We are the palace maids assigned by his Majesty to attend to Princess Faelyn. I am Sharleen, and this is—"

"I am Shirley."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, beautiful ladies."

The palace maids introduced themselves after Faelyn. Nelson followed each of them with his gaze before his gaze made their way back to Leon.

"And you are…?"

"Leon."

Leon ultimately said.

He should learn to be more forgiving and give people a chance to redeem themselves. After all, the person still intended to foot the bill despite the sky-high price of 820,000 Craws. Even Leon would find himself unwilling to fork out so much money for a meal.

The royal family had lots of funds, but it was all needed for the kingdom's development plans.

"Leon… Leon… Leon…" Nelson repeatedly mumbled to himself as he pondered which noble or high-ranking official went by that name.

A sudden realization dawned upon him as his eyes slowly widened and looked at Leon in shock. Wasn't that also the name of the prince?

"Y-Your Highness! Please forgive my ignorance and impudence for not recognize your Highness sooner!" Nelson said with cold sweat.

He was nervous because he knew the prince was displeased when he ignored the prince's subtle unwelcoming message and disregarded the person earlier. It was a behavior deserving of punishment if the prince were to be offended by it.

In that regard, paying 820,000 Craws for a meal did not seem so expensive anymore. Nelson guessed that he had gotten off lightly only because he had offered to pay for the meal. Also, the prince had needed someone to attract the attention away from the prince.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The door was knocked repeatedly with increasing volume. The other side was growing impatient that no one answered the door.

Everyone furrowed their brows at the disturbance.

"Why don't you go and send the people outside away? I don't want to be disturbed during my meal." Leon suggested coolly.

"Will do, Your Highness!"

Nelson complied with enthusiasm. He did not mind even becoming the prince's lackey. It could be considered an opportunity to get closer to royalty. The royal family's power in the kingdom was too strong.

There was a time when nobles still held some weight in front of royalty. But now, they can only know to flaunt their superiority by bullying commoners. They were nothing in front of the royal family.

Nelson scurried to the door, but before he could open it, it got opened from the outside. The first person to come into his view made him even more sullen.

"What is the meaning of this, Young Master Conrad? Disturbing the customers from a VIP lounge, are the rules of your Twilight Palace just for show?" Nelson said with annoyance.

Young Master Conrad was displeased by Nelson's words for obvious reasons. He had brought the young nobles over due to their pressuring, and not because of his own volition.

"The rights and privilege of the VIP lounges are set up by the Twilight Palace, and Young Master Conrad's Montgomery family owns the Twilight Palace. So what if he breaks a few? What are you going to do about it?" A young noble chided.

"That's right. We all know the elven princess is inside. If you know what's good for you, then step aside. We all deserve an equal chance at befriending the princess." Another young noble added with a threatening tone.

All the young nobles bundled together and tried to peek through the opened door. But with Nelson blocking the way, their view was limited.

Nevertheless, they still caught glimpses of the elven princess, and their eyes could not help but lit up. The maids were also not bad. It was worth befriending them.

The young noble's threat did not deter Nelson. Usually, he would not dare to offend all of them, but now, the prince has his back. Of course, he would have the courage.

Nelson stepped outside and closed the door, before standing in front of it defiantly to show his stance.

"What's the meaning of this, Young Master Nelson? Are you sure you want to offend all of us?"

The young nobles wrinkled their brows.

"What do you think?" Nelson smirked.

"Very good! It seems Young Master Nelson has grown brave in these past few years, huh? I wonder if Young Master Nelson can still be like this when we spread rumors to your Elder Brother's ear that you have intentions to compete with him for heirship over your father's title?"

Nelson's body shook slightly, but he remained firm. It was common for the younger generation to compete when there are multiple heir candidates.

However, he had no intention to compete with his elder brother. So long as his heart was firm and his conscience was clear, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Real gold fears no fire.

"The people inside this VIP lounge want to enjoy their meals in peace. They sent me out to deliver you all a single message, piss off!"

"Bullshit! The elven princess might be royalty, but this is not her elven tribe! This place is our Crawford Kingdom! The way I see it, you're the one that wants us to piss off! We must be disturbing your good time with the elven princess, right?" A young noble sneered.

Evidently, Nelson's words did not make them piss off, but they were definitely pissed off! A few young nobles crackled their knuckles while they eyed Nelson Donahue venomously.

"I think the Young Master Nelson here has grown too complacent and become blinded of his self-worth. Just because your father was also willing to pay a hefty sum pull you out military service, it does not mean you are on the same standing as us, first-borns."

"That's right! We ought to teach this Bastard his place!"

Despite what these young nobles said, they were all the same in the eyes of the royal family. The only reason the royal family was willing to accept payments and exclude them from military service was that the royal family needed lots of funds.

Also, these good-for-nothings would not have benefited the army if they took interest and assumed high-ranking positions in the future. It would be like equipping the military with paper swords; they will doom the kingdom!

Young Master Conrad had been quietly spectating the verbal exchange between the two sides passively, but things were about to get heated with physical violence. He had no choice but to step in and stop them.

"Exactly where are you treating this place? Do you think Montgomery family will let you all do whatever you want?! I don't care if you fight verbally, but if you get physical and cause trouble here, I will do everything in my power to kick you all out!" Young Master Conrad said coldly.

The young nobles flashed Young Master Conrad looks of disapproval, but they still nodded and backed down unwillingly. When a person gets pushed too far, things become unpredictable.

The two sides kept a respectable distance from each other with glares and continued a back-and-forth war of words.

A line of waiters carrying food trays walked passed them with bafflement before entering the VIP lounge and placed all the dishes on the round table neatly for Leon's group to enjoy.

The door was closed once more on their way out. Only one waiter stayed behind, ever ready to serve.

VIP lounge.

"Will that guy alright out there? Those people are still outside, and they look like they are about to beat him to death." Faelyn said with concern. She noticed the situation during the moment the door opened.

"Nah, everything is fine and under control. Let's dig in and eat." Leon said in a carefree manner.

The VIP lounge had excellent sound insulation, but Leon could still see everything outside with his divine sense.

"Hmm, alright. If you say so." Faelyn did not dwell on the manner and took a whiff of the food's aroma. "Smells so good~! I'm excited to see what human cuisines taste like now."

The maids looked Leon expectantly as they waited for some signal.

"You can both dig in too."

"Thank you, your Highness!"

Each dish on the table was well balanced between veggies and beast meat while it was arranged neatly and masterfully like pieces of art.

As everyone dug in, Leon also picked up a slice of beast meat with his fork and savored it before swallowing.

The male waiter was quite expectant of everyone to sing praises of the taste, but seeing a frown form on Leon's face, the male waiter got taken aback.

"Is there something you find unsatisfactory about this dish, Esteemed Customer?"

Chapter 286 - Elves Eat Meat Too!

"There's nothing wrong with the taste. The food is delicious. There's no doubt about that." Leon said. As he picked up another slice of beast meat from one of six other dishes, he continued, "However…"

"However…?"

"The food was not worth the price." Leon sighed with mild disappointment.

Eating at Twilight Palace was not much different from eating back at the Royal Palace. The taste was on the same level. Even the energy contained in the meat was also on the same level.

"Would you mind elaborating, Esteemed Customer?" The waiter asked politely. However, the male waiter's smile had become more forced.

"It's nothing much. I was just expecting something better."

Leon shook his head.

"I see… If there's nothing else, I shall leave and allow esteemed customers to enjoy your private meal." The waited bowed and took his leave.

Leon shook his head again.

He could tell that the waiter had taken his words the wrong way, but he was too lazy to explain. Even the palace would not charge as much as this place if they were to open their doors for business.

The Steakhouse also served better food at a much lower price. The taste was important, but the energy was even more so. This was a world where strength trumps everything.

Despite holding such clear advantages, the Steakhouse was still not as famous as this Twilight Palace on Aurelia Mountain Road. As for the reason being, Leon could faintly guess why.

The difference lay in their menus. In this regard, Twilight Palace had been more meticulous. They had their recommendations for each dish to cater to the different tastes of people and the constitution of Awakeners.

The human body was composed of the five elements. There was usually no problem with ingesting mild amounts of each element.

However, substantial amounts would make an Awakener feel uncomfortable and even unwell if the element was incompatible with their body.

Death was also a possibility depending on their conditions.

With the high-energy content of the meals provided by the Steakhouse, it was not strange that there would be people who enjoy it and people who would not come back a second time. It was like a gamble; it was all about first impressions.

Faelyn did not plan to say anything, but since Leon said something, she also decided to input her opinion. "Hmm, I do feel the food is a bit lacking."

"Specifically speaking, you are talking about both the taste and energy, right?"

"Yeah!"

Leon smiled wryly and said, "You cannot compare human food with elven food. That is just plain bullying. We don't have many wood-users to cultivate high-quality fruits and vegetables like your elven tribe do."

Listening to Leon's explanation, Faelyn did feel a bit embarrassed as Leon made it sound like she was looking down on human food. She glared at him, before biting her lips softly and said, "This salad feels a bit lacking, but the meat was quite nice."

"Is that so? That is interesting to hear. It seems that the preconception that elves do not eat meat got broken today." Leon laughed lightly.

"What are you even trying to say?" Faelyn said coyly. "It's true that a majority of our elven tribe only eat fruits and veggies, but that's because our self-cultivated crops taste so much better. It's not like our tribe has any rule that prohibits us from eating meat."

"Our hunter warriors are all big meat lovers. We consider it a big sin if the meat of a beast we killed doesn't get eaten instead. After all, our elven tribe often gets attacked by beasts wandering into our great forest yearly. We have no choice but to kill them since we have no means to tame or send them away. It would be a waste not to eat them."

The maids listened attentively with wide eyes and gaping mouth. Like the prince had mentioned, their preconception of elves had been destroyed today.

Not everything depicted in storybooks is accurate. But then again, they did not know elves were even real until the envoys arrived.

"Since you have nothing against eating meat. I will take you to a better place to eat meat next time. Of course, you must be prepared to pay for my meal then." Leon smiled.

Faelyn looked at Leon with doubt and cautiously asked, "Will the meals there be even more expensive since you say it is better?"

"You don't have to worry about that. The prices there are very fair, unlike this place. This place is simply unreasonable with its pricing." Leon curtly said as he picked up another piece of meat to eat.

The meat was not as good when it is cooled.

However, his hand wobbled out of his control and made the forked meat miss its intended destination, landing on the side of his mouth.

The forked meat retracted a bit before missing again. This time, it landed on the other side of Leon's mouth.

Only on the third attempt did he succeeded in placing the meat in his mouth. However, there were two smudges of sauce on the sides of his mouth.

Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Leon was a bit gloomy while Faelyn laughed, "What are you doing? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Picking up another piece, Leon could feel his arms losing control again when his muscles contracted to bring the forked meat closer.

Having undergone intensive training and exhausting all his arm strength previously, both his arms were now like dead logs that refused to move. When he attempts to move his arms, they will shake profusely.

"I know you are a bit dissatisfied, but it's too much to be playing around with your food, don't you think?" Faelyn said after seeing Leon waving the forked meat around in front of his face.

Leon's lips twitched upon hearing this.

…

Meanwhile, outside the VIP lounge, the young nobles had degraded to throwing insults along the lines of "Your mother is a…" and "Your father is a…" and so on.

"Young Master Nelson, I know you are not usually this brave unless you have found yourself a powerful backer. We all know the elven princess is inside along with two palace maids. They shouldn't be your backer. It must be the last person, right? Why don't you tell us who he is?" A young noble asked with compromise. His throat was parched, and his voice was hoarse.

Despite a hint of tiredness being seen in Nelson's eyes, he still answered confidently, "He is someone you cannot offend!"

The young nobles wanted to rebuke immediately, but they did not have the same energy as they did previously. They slowly and lazily sneered, "And who would that be? Can he offend all of us?"

The used the same tactics they did not Young Master Conrad, believing they had strength in numbers.

The Montgomery family was quite successful and influential, but did they not also get Young Master Conrad to bend his will for them?

Young Master Conrad was similarly tired from keeping this crowd in check. However, upon hearing Nelson's words, his brain began to churn into gear. He made a startling guess and soon steeled his heart with resolution.

The young nobles and young masters were more or less acquainted with one another.

Although they would have their social circles, they were familiar enough to know about each other due to the nobles' various social functions and gatherings.

If he had to name one person, he was not familiar with, or rather everyone was not familiar with, someone that also had enough status for Nelson to be willing to offend everyone for, it would have to be…

"Everyone, you have crowded around here and impacted my family's business for long enough. I think everyone should leave while I am still asking nicely." Young Master Conrad said firmly.

"What the! There's no one walking around here. We aren't obstructing anyone's path!"

"Why did this Young Master Conrad suddenly want to kick us out? Did he realize something?"

The young nobles all began to frown and discuss, but no one was moving.

"Where are my guards?!"

"Holy shit. We'll leave, alright?"

The young nobles were finally startled into moving after Young Master Conrad exerted his authority to call the guards. They were good with words but strength-wise? They were no match for the Montgomery family's guards.

"Damn… it's the first time I've seen Young Master Conrad snapped. How scary."

"I think he has grown impatient and ate some gunpowder or something."

"Man, my throat is so dry. Maybe I can grab a cup of water or something…"

"Same here…"

The young nobles unwillingly mumbled as they left.

At the same time, they were more curious about what Young Master Conrad realized. Who was inside the VIP lounge?

Young Master Conrad watched them leave with a sigh of relief, but then he frowned when he realized there was still one person that remained behind.

This person had chosen a very inconspicuous spot to sit in the back. Thus, he had not noticed this person until after the young nobles moved away.

"Baron Grant? Aren't you a bit old to also be chasing after the elven princess along with the rest of these kids, Sir?" Young Master Conrad asked jokingly with some respect.

"I did not come for the elven princess. I have something private I wish to speak with the prince. Thus, I do not mind waiting." Baron Grant said while flashing a light smile.

Young Master Conrad sighed with relief as he had made the right call. It was indeed the prince inside the VIP lounge.

At the same time, the young nobles had yet to leave very far when they heard this piece of information and trembled with trepidation.

Back inside the VIP lounge, Leon wore a pondering look of curiosity as nothing outside had escaped his divine sense.

"I'll be excusing myself for a bit."

Faelyn was taken aback as she looked at the table full of food. Looking at Leon, she asks, "Where are you suddenly going?"

"Meeting someone outside who wishes to speak with me."

Chapter 287 - There Was No Sky

Exiting the VIP lounge, Leon directed his gaze and Baron Grant and confidently said, "I heard you wished to talk to me in private?"

Both Young Master Conrad and Baron Grant were startled by Leon's appearance and glanced back at the VIP lounge behind with doubt.

Knowing what they were thinking, Leon stated, "There's nothing wrong with the VIP lounge's sound insulation."

Young Master Conrad was immediately relieved with a trickle of cold sweat.

If there had been a problem with the sound insulation, it would mean that everyone inside the VIP lounge was disturbed by the commotion outside the entire time!

After he was relieved, a bigger question appeared in both his mind and Baron Grant.

How did the prince find out what they were talking outside if there was no problem with the room's sound insulation? Did it not also imply that the prince still knew everything that happened outside despite the sound insulation?

"Your Highness, I did not mean to disturb your mealtime. Please continue to enjoy your meal with peace of mind. I do not mind waiting." Baron Grant said politely.

Leon shook his head and said, "Rather than that, I'm more interested in what you wish to speak with me."

"This… then shall we find somewhere else to talk?" Baron Grant suggested, seeing how the prince had already expressed his interest. It would be rude not to comply after the prince had said so much.

"Where do you want to talk?" Leon agreed and allowed for Baron Grant to lead the way.

Shortly after Leon and Baron Grant left, Young Master Conrad said to Nelson, "You do not need to pay for today's meal. I will cover all expenses."

Nelson was pleasantly surprised, but he soon understood why. He smiled and said, "Well then, I will have to thank Young Master Conrad, for your generosity. I hope Young Master Conrad can be forgiving and not pay any heed to what I have said to the Young Master earlier."

"To forgive is to forget. I hope Young Master Nelson can put in some good words in front of his Highness for me."

Nelson smiled wryly. He was not close to the prince and had even been rude. He was not sure if he could become one of the prince's followers.

Returning to the VIP lounge, Nelson Donahue became more respectful despite the prince's absence. He was not sure if the prince was also interested in the elven princess, but he did not dare compete with the prince. Thus, he no longer had his eyes on the elven princess.

…

Leon followed Baron Grant and arrived outside Lost Isle Alley.

Leon became more confident that the person had some relation with the Illusory Butterfly Sect, but not because he could detect the unique cultivation of the sect on the person's body but because the person was afflicted with lingering traces of the yin poison cultivated by the sect.

"Bringing you here, Your Highness might have already faintly guessed my identity, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Grant Marleigh, the former second elder of Illusory Butterfly Sect and the current title holder of Baron in this kingdom."

Baron Grant took the initiative to speak at this point. The entrance to Lost Isle Alley was desolate and devoid of people. If he did not talk at this point, the prince might just attack him.

"The former second elder, you say?"

"Correct, Your Highness. Due to a conflict of differing views, I have left the sect with a group of disciples roughly 20 years ago. We have been on the hunt ever since."

"And what do you want to achieve by telling me this?" Leon rubbed his chin with wild surprise, not expecting such an answer from Baron Grant.

"To show you our sincerity and prove we are not your enemy…" Baron Grant dropped onto one knee and said, "We wish to pledge our loyalty to you."

"And why should I accept your loyalty? There are plenty of people who would willingly pledge their loyalty to me if I were to express my intention to take in followers." Leon said calmly. He was not in a rush to accept.

"I…" Baron Grant was briefly stunned by the question posed before he recovered. "I have information not privy to the kingdom that your Highness might find interesting. If your Highness wishes to learn the truth of the events of 17 years ago, I can also recount to you, your Highness."

Leon was silent for a moment.

"My adoptive parents, they are…"

"They are also former disciples of Illusory Butterfly Sect."

Sure enough, his adoptive parents were related to the Illusory Butterfly Sect. Leon had mixed feelings of relief and concern upon learning this news. Things had gotten complicated.

"I want to see them first," Leon stated firmly.

"As you wish, Your Highness. All the former disciples have been hiding away in this place. I will lead you to them right this instance." Baron Grant responded compliantly.

"En. However, I must say, you all sure know how to pick your hiding place. Did you defeat the vengeful spirit of this place, or did you make peace with it when you moved in?"

Leon's eyes fell on the darkness of Lost Isle Alley's entrance and could not help but wrinkle his brows. The people did not avoid this place without reason. The ominous vibes the area was giving was rather heavy.

Baron Grant was taken aback by Leon's comment, before he corrected, "Vengeful spirits only exist in Extreme Misty Forest, Your Highness. Surely, you jest."

When Leon heard this, he paused his steps with a deeper frown and turned to Baron Grant with an inquisitive look. "You're telling me you have never encountered the vengeful spirit that lurks in this place? Have you not heard of the stories about this place?"

"So, this place had a story behind it, after all." Baron Grant mumbled before he said, "Not at all, Your Highness. Despite living in the Capital for so long, I have never encountered anyone mentioning this place. It was like this place never existed, which in turn, provided us the perfect place to hide. For fear of arousing a topic of discussion and attention to this place, I have never asked anyone about it."

Leon was a bit speechless. Aren't you people a bit too careful? However, if they had never encountered the vengeful spirit, then where was it hiding? Or has it long left this place? Shaking his head, Leon waved his hand. "Continue leading the way."

"Yes, Your Highness. This way, please."

Baron Grant led Leon into the darkness. Leon's brows were furrowed along the way as he detected traces of dark miasma amidst the cold yin energy in the area. Before he could ponder deeper, they had already arrived before an abandoned bar.

The Baron made some rhythmic knocks on the door, but no one answered after they waited. Baron Grant frowned and repeated the knocking pattern. Still, no one answered the door after they waited a bit longer.

"Stop fooling around and open the door! It's me!" Baron Grant snappily said.

"The door is not locked…" Leon stated.

He reached out for the door handle with his shaky hand and gave it a slight twist, but the entire door crumbled into pieces, leaving him with only the door handle in his hand.

"Hmm, this door is quite worn out…"

Baron Grant gave him a look but said nothing.

They soon entered the bar and searched the place, including the underground chamber, but no one was found.

"Something's wrong, Your Highness. Please believe me when I say I am not trying to fool you. Everyone should have been waiting for me here, but now there is no one around! Their items are still here."

"I understand. I can see that."

Leon frowned.

The Baron did not have a reason to lie. He began to worry about his adoptive parents.

The moment he stepped into Lost Isle Alley, he had been feeling nothing but unease. There was something seriously off about this whole place.

"Do you ever use any of the other places here?"

"None. We only ever use this abandoned bar to lower the risk of being found."

"Let's head back out first," Leon suggested.

Having no reason to reject, Baron Grant agreed.

Once they were outside, Leon had the chance to study the place on a deeper level. He sent out his divine sense, but surprisingly, before they try to enter the ground and sky, they were bounced back. There was a hidden force interfering with his divine sense.

"As I thought, this place is not simple," Leon commented.

"Your people never noticed anything wrong with this place during the time they hid here?"

"It's not that we have never noticed anything wrong with this place, it's that even if there was, we had no choice but to use it as sometimes the most dangerous place is also the safest."

Leon wanted to ask why they did not escape to the Wildlands or deeper into the Perilous Lands instead, but he ultimately refrained himself. There was still a difference between dangerous and plain suicide.

"So, what have you noticed?"

"Well, for instance, there is a big problem with the sky."

"There is no sky." Leon casually said after a quick look above.

However, he immediately realized the problem and became alert like he had just been doused in cold water.

There was no sky!

In an open space, utterly unobstructed by any ceiling, the stars and moonlight of the night could not be seen.

The sky above Lost Isle Alley was covered in complete darkness!

Chapter 288 - Three Origin Theories

Noticing something was eerie about Lost Isle Alley, Leon's first thought was to retreat. In the face of the unknown, only fools would proceed without preparation.

"Baron Grant, your loyalty, I accept! We are leaving!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Baron Grant bowed solemnly and obliged.

Outside Lost Isle Alley, Leon had Baron Grant accompanied him as they circled the outer perimeters of the three old buildings.

"Tell me everything you know about this place."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Noticing the sternness in the prince's tone, Baron Grant also became solemn.

"From what I know, there are four bizarre points about this area. Apart from not being able to see the sky inside, there is one occasion when it can be seen, and that is during the night of a full moon. Moonlight would shine down on the center of Lost Isle Alley."

"Apart from that, light quickly dies out in this place, and the strange cries of a young girl can also be heard occasionally. Strangely, we could never locate the young girl, though."

"Over time, we began to accept that it was the sound caused by the whistling wind blowing through the well. Now that I think about it, it might be the vengeful spirit you have mentioned, Your Highness."

As Baron Grant said this, A bead of cold sweat trickled down from the side of his face. It was quite spooky to learn a vengeful spirit had always been so close to them without their notice.

"Moonlight can enter this place? The center of the Lost Isle Alley was… the well, wasn't it?" Leon mumbled to himself as he glanced at the moon in the sky. Calculating the cycle, it should have been a full moon last night.

Leon gave an indecipherable glance.

Any other ordinary person under the same situation as these former sect disciples and elders would have been driven crazy if they had to hear such spooky cry regularly while hiding in perpetual darkness.

However, considering the Illusory Butterfly Sect could harness yin energy for their cultivation, they should have possessed a few methods to exterminate spirits and ghosts.

Following that line of thought, the reason these people have never encountered the vengeful spirit might be that it knew they were people capable of erasing its existence.

If that is the case, it will imply that the vengeful spirit was quite the intelligent one.

Intelligent vengeful spirits were so much more fearsome than regular vengeful spirits due to their ability to cultivate and evolve to a higher level of existence.

At a certain level, they become tangible and powerful enough to walk under the light of day without being burnt away. Without special sight, it would be hard to determine their existence among a crowd of people.

"What else is there to add? Just say it." Leon said, having noticed Baron Grant's hesitation.

"Yes, Your Highness." Baron Grant did not dare to disrupt the prince's deep thoughts. After he was given the cue to continue, he obliged compliantly. "The area is usually much colder than what it had been tonight. I wonder if it is related to everyone's disappearance in some way?"

"Yin energy is cold in nature. From what you are saying, there is fewer yin energy density in this area compared to the past?"

"Yes, Your Highness. That is exactly what I have sensed." Baron Grant admitted.

Leon began to frown.

An area would only experience a drop in energy levels when a considerable amount has been absorbed, whether it was used for cultivation or as fuel for an array or formation.

Perhaps, there was an array or formation hidden within Lost Isle Alley under the obscurity of darkness, but he lacked information to conclude.

"Wait here."

Leon said to Baron Grant before his body became weightless and rose high into the sky. A clear overall view of the three abandoned old buildings forming Lost Isle Alley was presented to him.

"Hm? This place looks different from what I've seen on the map in father's study." Leon recalled the map and wore a deeper frown.

If he had not overlooked the place from above, he would have missed out on some details. For example, the top of the three buildings was actually connected and formed a perfectly symmetrical triangle.

There were cracks all over the buildings, but they also looked like intricate runic lines from another perspective.

A ball of flame was conjured on Leon's palm before it was tossed down the hollow center, intending to illuminate the darkness.

However, the ball of flame did not get far before it disappeared inside the darkness like it had been swallowed rather than snuffed out.

Nevertheless, the building's roof was illuminated briefly enough for Leon to record a clear picture in his mind. Using his powerful visualization, he kept the crack lines and removed the buildings from the initial image in his mind.

What was left behind was a highly complex formation made of several small runic circles interlinking within a bigger runic circle. From a simple point of view, it looked like an eye with multiple pupils within a pyramid.

"I did not expect I would find a high-level formation here," Leon said with surprise before his surprise quickly changed to graveness. "Unexpectedly, I cannot figure out what kind of function this formation possesses with the rich knowledge I received from the inheritance immediately."

"I will need some time to study this formation before I can figure out its functions, but what I find more concerning is… who constructed this formation?"

For a moment, he thought of demons.

Although it cannot be said that there were demons wherever there is dark miasma, it is undeniable that dark miasma is related to demons.

Leon began to sigh. If a teleportation formation caused the people's disappearance, the situation did not look good for his adoptive parents.

After all, his adoptive parents were not like the other former disciples. They had chosen to abolish their cultivation like Baron Grant to live as commoners in the kingdom.

Although he had given them True Awakening Pills to become Awakeners, they could not have progressed far without additional resources.

Returning to the ground, Leon pondered what to do next.

"Did you figure out anything, Your Highness?" Baron Grant asked.

"There's a formation at the top, but it shouldn't be the only formation. I am not sure who constructed it, but one of these formations could be a teleportation formation. This is just a guess of mine. Nothing is concrete yet."

Leon shook his head.

"Teleportation formation? Where could they have been sent?" Baron Grant asked.

Although the prince had stated that it was only a guess, Baron Grant had taken it as the truth. It was the only logical explanation for everyone's disappearance.

"Where indeed..." Leon said.

He gave the Baron a glance with something else on his mind.

"Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

"I want to see your true appearance," Leon stated.

The Baron was slightly taken aback before he nodded and peeled off his face mask. The Baron's old face was replaced by a relatively younger face of a middle-aged man with fewer wrinkles.

Leon took the face mask and studied it with interest.

"This is quite a high-quality mask. Even I cannot tell the difference between this and a real face."

"That is because a real face was used in the creation of these fakes."

Hearing the Baron's explanation, Leon quickly tossed the face back to the Baron, no longer interested in fiddling with it.

Facing the prince's glare, the Baron coughed, "Ahem, this was also one of the reasons I did not see eye to eye with the sect. Although the sect was not righteous, we have only ever used the face of criminals and never harmed an innocent. However, the sect has been corrupted by power and became unscrupulous in their means."

Leon felt a bit better after hearing this. Nevertheless, it was still an evil technique and should no longer be practiced. Baron Grant agreed with this point.

"What shall we do now, Your Highness?"

Leon thought for a moment and said, "We will head back for now. The investigation will resume tomorrow during the day."

As much as he wanted to save his adoptive parents, he had to be alive to save them. Anything involving demons had to be treated with care.

Among the myriad of races, the demon race was one of the most dreaded races with unclear origins due to their aggressive and invasive nature.

No one knew where the demons came from, but they were powerful enough to dominate one of the divine regions of the Divine Realm after their arrival.

There were multiple theories regarding their origins.

One group believed they are an alien race that invaded Primal Chaos from beyond its boundaries as their first appearance was discovered in the outer perimeters of the desolate region.

Another group believed they were the results of some mad experimentation going wrong after a crazy expert secretly carried it out in the desolate region.

The last group believed demons were the denizens of the darkness, and the personification of all the negative feelings of Primal Chaos, given birth to balance the world due to divine practitioners stealing the energy of the world for themselves.

Chapter 289 - The Vengeful Spirit At The Bottom Of The Well

Twilight Palace, VIP lounge.

"It does not seem like his Highness will be coming back anytime soon. Let us continue to eat before the food goes cold." Faelyn said to the two maids and Nelson Donahue, who ordered another two dishes for himself happily.

Faelyn had always been a vegetarian, not because of some customs but because the meat the elves cooked was simply not that good, while their vegetarian food was like the taste of heaven.

However, things have changed after she had a taste of the food prepared by Twilight Palace. Although the veggies and salad cooked by humans were mediocre, the beast meat was different.

She did not know beast meat could taste so good. It appeared that every race had its own specialty.

Unknowingly, Faelyn had cleaned out all the meat from her dishes but left out the veggies. Feeling that her hunger had yet to be satiated, she began to eye Leon's food on the table.

'I don't think he can finish all of this by himself, and it'll quite cold by the time he returns. I should help him finish it. En, I am helping him." Faelyn convinced herself.

That night, Leon did not return to Twilight Palace to continue his meal and sent a messenger to inform Faelyn and the others that he would not be returning.

The mystery of Lost Isle Alley had grabbed all his attention. Spreading out his divine sense, he located the nearest shadowguard in the area and summoned the person to his position.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" The shadowguard saluted subserviently with a bit of confusion, unsure if the prince had called him over or not. What

Leon had used Divine Will to transmit his message across space to the shadowguard. What the shadowguard heard was akin to a sound transmission commonly used between divine practitioners.

"I need you to return to the palace and inform my father to recall the search on the Capital. There aren't any more hidden enemies in the Capital." Leon said to the shadowguard before asking the Baron, "Isn't that right, Sir Grant?"

"Yes, that is right, Your Highness." Baron Grant recovered from a quick surprise and admitted, before proceeding to explain. "Ever since we foiled the sect's plans 17 years ago and covertly killed all their spies, they changed their focus to other cities and had not sent another spy to Capital since."

Leon nodded before turning back to the shadowguard with a stern look.

"Also inform my father to treat Lost Isle Alley as a danger zone and send people over to seal off this place. If he asks for details, tell my father I will recount what I discovered here personally when I return to the palace. That is all. Go now."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The shadowguard obliged solemnly after being infected with the prince's sternness. He did not dare to delay and immediately disappeared from his spot to deliver the message to the king.

Not even two breaths later, something else happened.

"Your Highness!" Baron Grant shouted suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Take a look! Something is happening inside!"

When Leon turned to look, there were flickers of white light escaping from the darkness of Lost Isle Alley's entrance, and the sudden cry of a young girl soon followed.

"Wuwuwuu..."

"It's the strange cry from the young girl—No, vengeful spirit again." Baron Grant stated.

Leon raised a hand and gestured for the Baron to keep quiet as he perked his ears and listened to the young girl's cry. His ears were picking something different.

"Save me… Save me… It hurts…!"

Leon could hear the vengeful spirit crying for help from the bottom of the well like it was suffering from great torment. He could not sense any malice and hatred in its tone like a vengeful spirit should innately possess.

At the same time, pulses of energy could be felt emanating outwards, and the ground subtly shook.

With these few points of observation, Leon could infer that the vengeful spirit was incredibly powerful and intelligent. Still, it was also confined and violently struggling as it was in great pain!

Such discovery immediately fueled Leon's curiosity. He sent out his divine sense to seek a clearer picture of the situation.

Unfortunately, his divine sense could not penetrate the darkness and could only rely on his sense of hearing and feeling. He had to enter Lost Isle Alley if he wanted to get a clearer understanding of the situation.

However, Leon was in no hurry due to a few doubts in his mind.

The vengeful spirit had not been hiding but trapped! Someone or something had confined it here! Could it be the demons?

But then, there was a bigger question. For what reason was the vengeful spirit trapped at the bottom of the well? Was there another hidden formation down there?

The gears of Leon's mind quickly spun as he sought to formulate an answer that would solve this mystery.

'A formation and a trapped vengeful spirit? What is the relationship between these two? A formation would not be active without any form of energy to fuel it.

The yin energy, moonlight, and dark miasma could all be used as fuel, but it would hardly be enough for a big formation unless a large amount had been accumulated.

Can a vengeful spirit be used as fuel for a formation? Leon posed himself a question. The answer was apparent to him. Yes, it can!

Vengeful spirits were bodies of energy. Theoretically, it should be possible to use vengeful spirits as a catalyst to power formations and arrays.

"Your Highness, it could be dangerous! The ground had never shaken like this during the cry of the vengeful spirit before! Something is different about tonight's events!" Baron Grant advised Leon against entering Lost Isle Alley to investigate.

"Then you can wait here. I need to understand what is happening inside." Leon said firmly. This was something he had to do. He was the best person for the job.

Of the people present in the Capital, his current strength was only second to Grandmaster Don. As for runic knowledge, there is most likely no one more knowledgeable than him.

"How can I allow Your Highness to brave the dangers alone. If you are bent on entering, I will follow you, Your Highness!"

"Your good intentions are well received, Sir Grant. However, you should sit this one out. With your level of strength, you will not be able to help and may even burden me with your safety." Leon denied him.

He was only going in for a quick look. Should something go wrong, he was prepared to retreat at the first sign of danger, but it would not be possible if Baron Grant is with him.

He still needed this person's knowledge. There were too many things they did not know. The Capital had been out of touch with the rest of the Human Domain for too long.

"This… then please be careful, Your Highness."

"I will."

Leon calmly said as he stepped into the darkness of Lost Isle Alley for a second time.

The flickers of white light came from a beam of energy shooting out from the bottom of the well. The energy seemed to be special as each beam of light could briefly illuminate the darkness of the area.

Surprisingly, Leon's divine sense was also able to catch a glimpse of everything above and below during this instance.

The vengeful spirit was confined by special dark chains glowing with runes at the bottom of the well. It had already achieved a half corporal state and regained its former appearance from when it was still alive, which was the appearance of an innocent young lady. This was hardly the look of a vengeful spirit.

The vengeful spirit seemed to have also detected Leon's presence in the exact moment he found it with his divine sense as it gazed back at him through space.

"Save me." It spoke.

Leon felt all his hair rising in that instance but shortly recovered when he did not sense any malice directed at him. Furthermore, the vengeful spirit could not escape on its own.

There was small-scale formation lying underneath the vengeful spirit's feet. The formation drew energy from her and fed it to an array floating within a dense cluster of dark clouds within the middle space above Lost Isle Alley.

If not for the limited source of light, Leon would not have known about these things due to them always being obscured by the darkness.

Chapter 290 - Demon Seeds

"Who's there…? Please help me… I know you can see me… Please, it hurts so much…" The vengeful pleaded from the bottom of the well. Each time her power was drawn, it was like a part of her existence was ripped away.

When Leon heard this, he understood that the vengeful spirit had sensed his precise positioning, but cannot actually see him.

"Are you really a vengeful spirit? Who trapped you here, and why did they? What happened to the other people who have been living here?" Leon inquired with a slightly raised voice for the vengeful spirit to hear.

"You... You can understand me? That's great! Someone who can finally understand my words! Please help me! I will be forever grateful!"

The vengeful spirit was overjoyed. A glimmer of hope lit up in its dull grey eyes, but Leon could not see it.

"Answer my questions."

"Will you help me if I answer them?" The vengeful spirit hopefully asked.

"That would depend on your answer," Leon said, neither agreeing nor denying. Of course, he would blindly trust a vengeful spirit's words after listening to it. He would try to derive the truth after hearing what it had to say. "Who made these formations?"

"I don't know… I have never seen anything so frightening like them… They are not humans… well… at least they don't look like humans to me, but they were the ones who made these things and trapped me here a long time ago…"

"It had been slowly draining my power for the past 200 years… but nothing like what happened last night… It started drawing my power like crazy and attracted the others over to investigate. The next thing I knew, they were already gone."

Contrary to Leon's expectation, the vengeful spirit had been held captive for too long to be taking any chances. The prospect of being freed made it spill everything it knew without holding anything back.

However, Leon did not know this as he furrowed his brows. What the vengeful spirit said was the same as not saying anything at all. It was vague and did not explain any of the things he wanted to know.

"It seems like you don't want my help at all. Helping you will just be endangering myself!" Leon snorted coldly.

"Noo! Please, I'm not a bad spirit! Wuwuu… I already said everything I know… Wuwuu… Even if I want to know, I can't see anything down here in this darkness." The vengeful spirit cried.

Leon started to become suspicious and, at the same time, felt guilty. Why does it feel like he had become the villain?

It was strange that he could not sense any malice and hostility from the vengeful spirit, but considering it was an intelligent vengeful spirit, it might have learned to mask them.

Leon had his guard raised as he made sure not to fall for the vengeful spirit's tricks and tender voice that sounded no different to a normal young lady.

"If you are not a bad spirit, then why did you kill all those noble families back when you first became a vengeful spirit?" Leon snorted.

"They were bad people. Why can't I kill them? They were the reason I died. Is it also wrong to take revenge?"

"Of course not, but you did not stop at just killing those young nobles. You killed off their entire families. Don't tell me, their parents, grandparents, and kids were all bad people too?" Leon said, he also understood the logic of ending enmity by removing the roots. He only asked for the heck of pushing the vengeful spirit to reveal its true nature.

"Bad, of course, they are also bad people! The parents who raised those evil spawns and turned a blind eye can't possibly be good people! They've done their share of—Ahhhh! It hurts! Help me! Ahhhh!"

Another round of energy was drained from the vengeful spirit to feed the hidden array in the dark clouds above.

Leon paid no heed to the vengeful spirit's painful cry and sent out his divine sense to record all the details he could see from the formations under the well and array above. As long as their image was engraved in his memory, he could peruse and study them. He would not have to stay on site.

Suddenly, Leon narrowed his eyes as he saw a few figures dropped out from the dark clouds as the light from the energy were faded.

The figures numbered four and did not slow their momentum as they slam into the ground with a heavy thud. They did not move and wore painful expressions. It appeared that they were unconscious.

'Are these the missing people?' Leon thought. He could not confirm, but Baron Grant could. He carefully walked over and rounded them all up, dragging the four bodies by their collar with two in each hand.

He made his way towards the exit of Lost Isle Alley and did not bid farewell to the vengeful spirit, but it could hear him growing distant.

"Are you leaving? Why won't you save me… wuwuuu…" The vengeful spirit cried before the young lady's voice changed, becoming malevolent and full of malice. "You must also be a bad person! Only a bad person would ignore a person in need and not save this poor girl here! Argh!! People like you should also die for making this girl cry!"

The tone of the vengeful spirit was oppressive and filled with coldness. He left Lost Isle Alley with a few beads of cold sweat trickling down his face.

Sure enough, the vengeful spirit had problems. An old intelligent vengeful spirit trapped 200 years cannot possibly normal. An average person would have developed mental issues in its situation. Leon was glad he did not rashly try to free it from its confinement.

However, he was also confused. The vengeful spirit spoke strangely like it was a different person and not the same one h had conversed with earlier.

Did it have a multiple personality disorder? A vengeful spirit has? How peculiar!

"Your Highness! You manage to find them?" Baron Grant greeted Leon with a pleasant surprise.

"Have a look. Are these your people?"

Leon dumped the unconscious bodies carefully in front of the Baron to inspect. One of the unconscious people have matching body proportion as his adoptive father, but the face was unfamiliar.

Considering his adoptive parents were both former disciples of the Illusory Butterfly Sect, they might have also been using fake faces like the Baron. Although Leon felt this was likely the case, he still had to wait for the Baron's confirmation.

How embarrassing would it be if he mistook a stranger as his adoptive father and acted all sentimental towards the person? Leon lamented that he had never used divine sense on his adoptive parent's face.

"No doubt about it, they are my people." The Baron confirmed.

"And this person is…?"

"He is your adoptive father."

Leon sighed. It was fortunate to get one of his adoptive parents back, but his adoptive mother was still missing.

"Something seems to be wrong with them." Baron Grant spoke with unease as he surveys their expressions.

Leon nodded before sending out his divine sense to diagnose the problem on his adoptive father. Familial relationships naturally took priority.

It did not take long before a frown found its way on Leon's face. Dark miasma was found in each of their bodies as they were being contaminated by it. Apart from that, Leon made a more startling discovery. Everyone had a Demon Seed implanted in their heads.

If everything about demons before were just mere speculation, then it became conclusive that everything regarding the peculiarities of Lost Isle Alley was related to the demons.

A Demon Seed was something demons use to demonize other races to increase their population. However, it was a slow and gradual process.

Demon Seeds were like parasites that feed on the nutrients provided by its host. It would continue to nurture itself until it fully germinates and alter the physiques of its host. Only then would the host become demonized.

While the dark miasma and demon seeds were no problem for Leon, he had yet to recover his mental strength fully. He would need to exert himself a bit to remove all the dark miasma and demon seeds from their bodies.

More importantly, things have become serious. The demons were making a move, but Leon could not guess their intentions. Why don't the demons just send their army through the teleportation instead of capturing people and sending them back?

Did the Human Domain or the entire continent had something the demons were wary of that made it only resort to this to test the waters?

Leon wanted to ask what his adoptive father and other three saw on the other side of the teleportation array, but it would have to wait after they recover.

A group of palace guards, city guards, and shadowguards arrived at this moment and greeted Leon.

"Your Highness, the king has sent us to assist you. What are your orders?"

"I want this place sealed off and watched over. This place has become dangerous and full of uncertainty. I do not want any civilian entering this premise without my permission. The shadowguards are to enter Lost Isle Alley directly and observe the situation for inside."

"There is a teleportation array hidden inside. If any unconscious bodies are appearing, you are to bring them out and inform me immediately. If anything else appears, you must also retreat and inform me immediately. The palace guards must hold their positions. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Good, begin immediately!"

The group surrounded the area and got to work, using their earthen abilities to make the ground rise, and set up a temporary earthen wall to enclose the area.

At the same time, Leon got the Baron to help him to carry the unconscious people back to the palace to be treated.

Chapter 291 - Maya, The Bookworm

During the night, Elizabeth led her army and rejoined with the army led by Aria and Lynne as they marched onward, towards the Valaran Kingdom.

The bulk of their army comprised of 30 thousand mixed Durham-Valaran soldiers with only a few leading Crawford soldiers to command them, while the rest were left behind to guard the kingdom.

On the following morning, they have passed through three regional cities as they pressed onwards toward the king city of the Valaran Kingdom.

Surprisingly, during the three regional cities passed, no battle took place. As they arrived at each regional city, they had found the city gate wide open with people welcoming them with heartwarming cheers and joy.

There were no traps, no schemes, and no defenses.

They found that at the center of each city was a pile of unrecognizable burnt corpses that supposedly belonged to the members of the Bloodfiend Sect.

They encountered no enemy and no resistance. Everyone that should have been killed, had already been killed. All that was left was the heartfelt reunion of soldiers with their families.

The army grew smaller with each passing city, but Elizabeth paid no heed to this. Not everyone in the army was a trained veteran. They were just ordinary folks who were forced into conscription for the war, and Elizabeth had no way feeding all these people.

Elizabeth was far from the Capital and had no way of knowing of the elves' visit and submission. If she knew of the elves' capability, she would have had other plans for the Valaran Kingdom.

By the time they left the third city, the army was already reduced to 25 thousand, but such an army was still powerful enough to travel through the kingdom unhindered when accompanied by a Transcendent.

The Valaran Kingdom was not as big as the Crawford Kingdom and had fewer cities. Still, unlike the Capital, the king city of the Valaran Kingdom was much more significant, with a large population of 200 thousand people.

This information was willingly provided by the Valaran soldiers in their army. Elizabeth was made aware that the Valaran Kingdom had no troops left to defend themselves.

Everyone had been sent out for the war enforced by the sect. Even if they still had people to recruit, they no longer had the tools of war to equip the new soldiers.

But even if the Valaran Kingdom had the resource for war, they would not want to continue the fight. To begin with, this was not something they had wished for, but one forced upon them by the Bloodfiend Sect.

Inside of a slow-moving military truck, Elizabeth sat comfortably along with Aria and Lynne by her side. They were the only three people on the back of this military truck, and there was a little table in front of them with an old, outdated map of the Human Domain.

Several objects were placed on top of the map, representing various placements of troops, kingdoms, and known sects.

"What are your thoughts on the last three cities we have passed? Do you think the king city will be the same and have their city gate open wide for us to enter?" Elizabeth quietly asked the two girls.

Aria thought hard on the matter, but Lynne had quickly come up with an answer and spoke, "I think the enemy is plotting to reduce our numbers and lower our guard. We had no way of identifying those corpses and could not simply believe in the local people's words. For all we know, those corpses could just be the corpses of random civilians, and the enemy had made them lie to us."

"This kingdom has a terrible history of living under the Bloodfiend Sect's tyranny. The people's fear of the sect is deep-rooted. It should not be easy for the people to step out of the sect's shadow. The enemy is most likely waiting for us to walk into their trap at king city."

"Lynne's reasoning is quite sound and logical." Elizabeth shortly praised with no additional comments and turned to Aria. "What about you, Aria? Do you have anything to add, or do you have a differing view?"

"I think the king city will still welcome us with their city gates wide open like the last three cities we have passed. The Bloodfiend Sect is most likely no more…" Aria said with slight hesitation.

Elizabeth was intrigued by Aria's answer as it seemed to coincide with her own.

"Oh? What makes you say that? Why don't you elaborate for us?" Elizabeth said with a smile.

Aria wore a difficult expression as she tried to piece together her thoughts. Soon, she slowly spoke, "The Bloodfiend Sect had mobilized a large part of their forces for this war and suffered heavy losses, making them the weakest they have ever been. If the Valaran royal family ever wanted to free themselves and their people from the sect's tyranny, now would be their best chance to retaliate."

"But if the Valaran royal family were strong enough to free themselves on their own, they would not have fallen under the sect's control so easily… unless another major sect had intervened and helped them out… like the Burning Heaven Sect from the neighboring Ishaan Kingdom, for example."

Aria finished off her speaking while pointing to the Ishaan Kingdom on the map.

Elizabeth had a big smile on her face as she gave Aria bigger praises. "Excellent, Aria. You did not neglect the other neighboring kingdoms that might partake in this war."

"My thoughts are the same. We must not ignore this possibility. If the Burning Heaven Sect had joined into the fray, we have to consider whether they are friends or foes." Elizabeth added.

"Considering how the other two sects are like and the timing of their participation, I feel like they are more likely to be our enemy…" Aria said with glum.

"That's right. They could be playing the fisherman to reap the benefits after our two sides weaken each other." Elizabeth agreed before her eye flashed with a sharp look. "But if they think they can profit from our conflict, they are going to be sorry for it."

Lynne felt that her answer was very good, but after hearing the exchange between Aria and Leon's mother, she became dejected.

Elizabeth had noticed and began to console her, "Don't feel too down. You might not be wrong. Everything is still just a possibility. We don't know anything until we receive more intel or arrive at king city."

What she really wanted to say was that Lynne's answer was good, except she needed to widen her scope. To not focus on just the box, but to also consider the possibilities outside the box. However, if she said that, she felt that it would have run counteractive to her consolation.

"En."

Lynne nodded.

…

Capital, Royal Palace.

Leon awoke to the bright sunlight of the day and found himself within his private bedroom.

He briefly took a few moments to recall the previous night and remembered that after returning to the palace, he treated everyone and became too tired he fell asleep on the spot.

Leon got out of bed and did a long stretch. It felt like he had not gotten a night of good sleep in such a long time. This was all due to him ingesting a Spiritual Replenishment Pill before falling asleep.

He was fully rested and in full spirit.

Stepping outside the bedroom, Leon summoned a shadowguard.

"You called for me, Your Highness?"

"En, any news from Lost Isle Alley overnight?"

"A few people had been drawn over by the sudden appearance of the wall, but they were shooed away by the team. Apart from that, there had been no further updates, Your Highness."

"Very well. You may leave."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After the shadowguard returned to his hidden post, Leon fished out a Fasting Pill to satiate his hunger after feeling his stomach rumble.

Afterward, he found himself a nice shady spot in the courtyard to sit to peruse over the array and two formations he recorded in his memory.

As he sat down and closed his eyes, there was a nudge in his mind. It was a calling from the Divine Book's artifact spirit, Maya.

It was rare for the artifact spirit to contact him when it had been so preoccupied with reading through the mountain of books dumped inside.

Leon shortly entered the Worldspace with a single thought and found a grumpy Maya sitting on top of the mountain of books.

"What's up with you? Why do you look so grumpy?"

"There's nothing left to read."

"What do you mean there's nothing left to read? You're literally sitting on a mountain of them." Leon said with mild surprise.

"I've already finished reading all of them." Maya harrumphed.

"All of them?"

"All of them!"

Leon stared at Maya in shock. There were several thousand books in the Worldspace, and it had been about a week or two since the artifact spirit recovered enough to be conscious. What kind of reading speed was this?

"Why don't you read the things from the Archive then? That would keep you busy for a long time." Leon suggested.

"Those aren't books. They are not interesting enough to read. Also, I am the artifact spirit of this place. I can access all the information from there anytime." Maya said in a snarky manner.

"How are they not books? They might not be physical copies like these, but they are all containers of knowledge. Exactly what kind of book would you find interesting?"

Leon was confused.

Maya gave Leon a sidelong glance and toss a book over. She said, "I want to read those kinds of books."

Leon flipped open the book for a quick skim, and his jaw quickly dropped. He soon swept the mountain of books and realized that a third of them were all storybooks.

"Alright, I understand now. I'll find some time to bring you more of these kinds of books." Leon said while rubbing his forehead as he found out what kind of books the artifact spirit had gotten hooked into reading.

'A spiritual entity needs its share of spiritual fulfillment, huh?'

Leon shook his head.

Taking this chance when the artifact spirit was not busy, he should try to get it to cough up some more incredible techniques.

Chapter 292 - Mysteries Of The World

Maya's mood slightly improved when she saw how quickly Leon had agreed to her request. She permitted Leon to ask her any two questions, to which she would answer without any conditions.

With the artifact spirit's pompous attitude, Leon began to wonder if she was the master, or if he was master. But since he was beggar, it was not wise to irritate the artifact spirit, lest he can forget about asking the two questions he was granted.

How did his father put up with the artifact spirit when he was still the master of the [Divine Book of Life]?

Thinking back on it…

His late father had never revealed any other otherworldly techniques or cultivations methods to him.

The Divine Medicine King had wholeheartedly focused on cultivating the way of medicine and helping people his entire life. He reached a height, no one else could dream of coming close to achieving in the art of medicine.

But this height can be achieved by merely studying the alchemy knowledge stored in the Archive and did not require any supreme technique.

Leon faintly guessed that his late father may have never met the artifact spirit.

When the first question was raised, it was as Leon had guessed, Maya had not once conversed with Leon's father because she had deemed his father's talent to be too lowly for her to recognize him as her master.

As such, while Leon's late father had bound the [Divine Book of Life] to his soul core and became its master, he was not its true master, not without the artifact spirit's recognition.

In the artifact spirit's eyes, Leon's talents were also considered low, initially. If not for needing Leon's help, Maya would not have deigned to seek him out.

Leon was not aware that when his soul traveled to this world and fused with his identical self, the artifact spirit was briefly conscious and inspected his body's talent before falling into a long slumber.

Also, the world traveling transmigration was an instantaneous process. No distance was actually covered when Leon's soul entered this world. It was like a character dying in a game and return to a spawn point, except that spawn point was in the world of Gaia and not in the Divine Realm.

To visualize Leon's transmigration, it would not look like two souls fusing but rather one soul suddenly becoming the size of two.

As such, Leon experienced confusion with one part believing he had reincarnated, while another believing he had awoken past life memories when he also knew for a fact that they were both him.

There was a theory on parallel universes that when one dies, the strength of the dead person is transfer to all their parallel selves. Leon's transmigration was similar, except only one soul received everything.

The strange part is that Gaia is not part of a parallel universe but an extraordinary world that might exists within the black hole at the center of the Divine Realm. This was the greatest riddle on Leon's mind.

The black hole was thought to be a place impossible for any life to survive with its immense crushing gravitational force that can reduce the stars down into mere atoms.

As someone who is bound to Leon's soul, Maya was equally puzzled by the riddle. A regular leap through spacetime would not have injured her so.

She was, after all, a peerless treasure created by the Old Gods, divine beings who were born by the Grandmist during the early formation of Primal Chaos. It was clear that a great force had impacted her entry into this world.

The whole mystery regarding Leon's transmigration might contain some secrets as to why the age of gods ended.

Apart from Maya's interest in the present world, she grew interested in Leon after reassessing his talent the last time she woke up. This is all due to the [Hegemon of Primal Chaos] practiced by him.

If not for Leon's talents being changed by the effects of practicing [Hegemon of Primal Chaos], she might not have bothered to pass him the [Black Turtle Heavenly Guard].

As the artifact spirit of a peerless treasure created by the Old Gods, Maya enjoyed an everlasting life like the gods. She had every right to look down on all mortals who had little to no chance of attaining godhood. They were beneath her notice.

However, Leon was different.

[Hegemon of Primal Chaos] was a lost technique of the Old Gods that could no longer be practiced in the present era of the Divine Realm.

As baffled as Maya may be about the mystery of the present world and if such a technique existed back in the primordial era of gods, she could at least tell that this was a powerful body forging method capable of raising Leon's body to the ranks of gods.

The primordial era was ruled by the Old Gods, and to be a Hegemon of Primal Chaos is to be above the Old Gods.

Whether a mortal's body can surpass the Old Gods that existed at the beginning of creation or not, Maya was curious to find out if Leon could reach heights.

"What is your second question?" Maya asked.

Leon already knew what kind of question he wanted to ask for his second question as he asks, "Do you have any soul cultivation methods?"

Cultivating his soul would significantly improve his usage of Divine Will. If his soul were powerful enough, this skill would even become omnipotent. It has so much potential he had yet to tap into.

"I do, but it's not the same type of soul cultivation method you are hoping for and will not be beneficial to you," Maya said nonchalantly.

Although Leon was expecting it, he was still surprised when the artifact spirit admitted. However, this surprise quickly changed to puzzlement.

"What do you mean?"

Maya flashed him a look and said, "Although I said I will only answer two questions, it seems you won't be satisfied with just that answer. Alright, take it as I am expanding on that question."

"Although I do have some soul cultivation methods in my memory, these soul cultivation methods cannot be considered true soul cultivation methods."

"These soul cultivation methods all require the use of energy to strengthen the soul, but this type of strengthening is like adding a layer of armor on a bare man. It can improve your defense against soul attacks and improve your strength, but it will not increase your mental qualities."

"Not only that, but you also cannot practice both soul cultivation and energy cultivation. It is the same as practicing two different energy cultivation methods and will clash with one another. The backlash will leave you severely injured, if not crippled, or even death."

"That is to say that this type of fake soul cultivation method will not improve my Divine Will…" Leon mused to himself with furrowed brows.

Maya nodded and continued, "Unless you have a true soul cultivation method, it is better to stick to consuming miracle elixirs, comprehending laws and increasing your divine cultivation. Only these can improve your soul without affecting your soul's purity."

Leon was about to ask, but Maya was not finished.

"You should already know that a soul in its purest form is formless and colorless. It cannot be seen and can only be vaguely sensed."

Leon nodded. He learned about this from the Archive. If a pure soul could be seen, the big question about whether people had a soul would never have been asked throughout history.

From what he had just learned, the way vengeful spirits cultivated were also not true soul cultivation. They should be considered impure souls that only know how to absorb yin energy to preserve their existence, like covering oneself in ice.

"A true soul cultivation method should improve your soul's quality and quantity without affecting your soul's purity. If you can create a true cultivation method, you would have already surpassed the Old Gods."

"The soul should be something connected to us but exists on a higher plane of existence. Thus, it should not be possible to cultivate the true soul on the physical plane."

Leon's jaw slowly dropped at the mention of Old Gods, something people of the Divine Realm only managed to uncover records of in ancient ruins that hinted of their existence since time immemorial.

"Alright, that's enough answering. Go find me some books to read. I'm going back to sleep."

Maya immediately shut Leon down before he could ask about the Old Gods. It was a sensitive topic that Maya believed would not benefit Leon if he knew, as it would divert his focus from cultivation with useless worries.

There were some things that the artifact spirit also did not have answers to. For example, what happened to the Old Gods.

When she woke up for the first time many years ago, when the Divine Medicine King found her in an ancient ruin and bound her to his soul, she had already found out that most of her memory was blank with nothing except raw knowledge like they have been wiped.

Seeing the artifact spirit dematerialized from view and become silent to his callings, Leon felt a bit frustrated. He barely had any chance to speak at all.

He did not understand the artifact spirit. When it is in a good mood, it might joke around and tease him, but any other time, it would be solemn, cold, or distant. In any case, he felt it was eccentric.

Nevertheless, he had learned much from conversing with the artifact spirit.

In the end, Leon helplessly returned to the outside and focus on studying the formations and array.

Chapter 293 - Alarming Discovery

Leon slowly opened his eyes to the outside as he found himself back in his exact seated spot. He was ready to close his eyes again when his eyes twitched at the sound of incoming footsteps.

"Your Highness." A senior maid greeted with courtesy.

"What is it?" Leon asked coolly.

"Baron Grant wished to inform you that Brian Bradford had awakened, Your Highness."

Leon's eyes flashed with a peculiar light before he nodded. "I understand. You may return and inform the Baron that I will head over shortly."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The senior palace maid curtsied and respectfully took her leave.

After the senior palace maid left, Leon called for another palace maid. It did not take long before the junior maid, Ellie arrived at his private courtyard with a joyful look.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?" Ellie asked courteously.

"I need you to go contact a printing company to process these papers into a book and have the copy sent back to my father. The king will know what to do with it then."

Having said that, Leon handed the stack of paper over and a bag of cash. After a short pause, he added, "Also, get a palace guard or two to accompany you for protection."

The task was simple, but Ellie was a commoner before she started working for the royal family. Having a palace guard to accompany her was just a precaution to avoid any unnecessary complications that may arise from carrying out his task in the Upper District.

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern." Ellie said with joy before asking with a hopeful gaze, "Is there anything else you need to be done, Your Highness?"

"No, that is all for now."

"Oh…"

Ellie appeared disappointed, but she immediately cheered herself up and excused herself to carrying out the task Leon assigned.

Leon shook his head and shortly left his private courtyard. It was not long before he arrived at the Guest Courtyard and headed for the room, he last remembered leaving his adoptive father to recuperate.

Brian Bradford and Baron Grant appeared to be talking about something, but they paused the moment Leon entered.

With a completely different face that Leon was used to, Brian Bradford looked at Leon with guilt.

"Do you blame me?"

"Not at all." Leon shook his head and said, "In fact, I am grateful for what father and mother had done for me."

The life and hardship of a commoner was not something that Leon experienced in his previous life but needed. It provided him with some aspects of life he had been ignorant of and awoke a drive and ambition not apparent to him before.

If he had relived the life of another prince from the start, with his memories of the Divine Realm, he would have been an empty shell that lived and die for revenge. Even if he succeeded, that would be the end of it and nothing more.

With the values embedded in his current life and the memories of his past life, he realized how precious life truly was. A doctor can decide the life and death of his patient, but he is not the master of life and death. Some things were out of his reach unless he had the strength.

Thus, in this life, his late father must still be avenged, but he would not forsake everything for revenge. He would cherish his loved ones and live life to the fullest, no longer taking it for granted.

It was also what his late father had wished and sacrificed his life for.

Brian Bradford looked at Leon with a gratified smile after knowing Leon still considered them as parents in his heart. Leon was raised for a purpose, but they imparted important values and raised him like a real son.

"How are you feeling, father?" Leon asked despite knowing the answer.

"Good, good… not too shabby, Haha... if only your mother was also here." Brian transitioned from humorous to being dispirited.

At the side, Baron Grant courteously asked, "Should I leave so you can have some time together, Your Highness?"

"There's no need." Leon waved as he refocused his eyes on his adoptive father with an air of solemnity. "Do you remember what happened to you and everyone else before you lost consciousness, father?"

That is right. His mother was still on the other side of the teleportation array. They had to quickly save the rest of the people trapped on the other side.

Brian thought hard through his vague memories and began to recount what he knew.

"We… we were hiding under the old bar like usual when there was a sudden tremor on the surface and the cry of a young lady we occasionally hear, except the cry this time was terrible compared to the past."

"As such, we all went to investigate and tried to peer down when a bright light suddenly shot out from the well and illuminated the dark clouds that we never knew existed above the area. After that… after that…"

Brian began to frown as his memory grew fuzzy. He thought harder until many creases were formed on his forehead before the obscurity became clearer.

"I remember now. After that, the dark clouds started to shine with a red light. When we saw the red light, we all lost control of our bodies and became weightless as some unknown force pulled up into the dark clouds. Before we knew it, we were already in a dark swamp of a completely different place."

At this point, Brian Bradford trembled at his own vivid memory like he was reliving the scene.

"That place was very strange... very dark… and hard to breathe." Brian's eye widened as he reached a more crucial point. "There was a blood-red moon in the sky, and the world was covered in its eerie dark and dim red light with bones littered everywhere… There were no signs of other life, and it seems that we all passed out shortly after arriving there…"

"How can there be a blood moon? And bones littered the place?" Baron Grant was visibly shocked. "Are you sure you are not describing hell?"

"It indeed seemed like we had stumbled into hell. I'm still not sure how we got there and how I managed to come back…" Brian sighed with a heavy feeling.

Leon also felt heavy at heart. His adoptive father did not provide enough information for him to learn where the other side was, but at the very least, he was confident that it was a place very suitable for demon habitat.

After speaking a few words, Leon shortly left the room and returned to his private courtyard to study the two demon formations and array wholeheartedly.

It took three days for Leon to fully comprehend the two demon formations and array, but not because he was stupid.

The demon formations and array were all Tier 4 while Leon was only a Tier 3 Runic Master who can only produce Tier 3 formations, arrays, inscriptions, and artifacts.

Arden was an innovator who researched the depth of the runic language and not the height of its application.

However, it was also due to this kind of inheritance that Leon possesses an incomparably sturdy foundation in the runic language.

Like a mathematician knowing all his mathematical formulas, it was just a matter of time before any equations were solved. He would also gain experience in solving similar problems and increase his own proficiency.

As such, Leon was qualified to become a Tier 4 Formation Master and a Tier 4 Array Master. He now possesses the knowledge to produce his own Tier 4 formations and Tier 4 arrays.

If there were Tier 5 formations and arrays to study, sure, the time would take even longer to comprehend, but Leon would also reach Tier 5 Formation Master eventually.

Others would require years of study and accumulated knowledge before they were ready to produce formations of higher tier and upgrade their professions, but Leon only needed to study an existing one to become a formation master of the correlating tier.

This was the most significant gain from Arden's inheritance.

However, none of this mattered to Leon. The moment he understood what the two demon formations and the single array was used for, his eyes immediately snapped open as he shot to his feet with alarm.

The two formations were energy gathering formations. They collect energy from heaven and earth and feed it to the central array to create a portal that leads to another location.

Leon already understood this much when he observed Lost Isle Alley.

What alarmed him is that the heaven gathering formation and earth gathering formation were both rigged to breakdown.

Whether the heaven gathering formation collapses first from the structural disintegration of the old buildings or the vengeful spirit bound to the earth gathering formation dies first, either of them would cause the central array to become unstable and create a spatial collapse.

When that happens, one of two possible scenarios will happen. The surrounding landmass will be swallowed and brought over to the other side, or vice versa.

In other words, if their side got swallowed, they would be dropped into the middle of demon territory.

On the other hand, if the other side were brought over to their side instead, the demons would have succeeded in placing an anchor on their continent, where they will spawn and commence an invasion.

None of these were ideal scenarios. In fact, they spell a terrible calamity!