Dustin answered the call. It was from Ethan. "Your Grace, I'm at the entrance of Camron Medicals. I have something important to report. Can we meet in person?" Ethan got straight to the point."Alright, I'll be right out." Dustin nodded and hung up without saying much. "Ms. Camron, please take Abigail around for a stroll. I have something urgent to attend to," Dustin said before walking out of the office. He had only assigned Ethan two tasks. One was to find the medicinal herbs for treating Cinna, and the other was to investigate the truth from ten years ago. Both matters were crucial to him.When Dustin stepped out of the building, he saw a plain black sedan parked across the street. The car window rolled down, revealing half of Ethan's face as he waved to Dustin. Dustin looked around and ensured no one noticed before entering the car. The car windows rolled up, and the car started. They began moving at a steady pace. "Mr. Ethan, what's the urgent matter that made you cal
Ten years had passed, and many things had changed. Even if Dustin was exceptionally talented, his growth was inevitably limited without the resources from the Rhys family. Anders and the rest of them, however, were different. They received only the best resources and grooming, undergoing various specialized training and polishing. They were ahead of Dustin in every aspect, and that disparity would only grow more apparent with time. Although Dustin was undoubtedly talented, he was slightly behind Anders. It would be tough to catch up on a gap of ten years. "I understand what you mean, but I've never considered fighting him. I just want his Emerald Corolla," Dustin said calmly."Your Grace, Anders sees the Emerald Corolla as a priceless possession. It would be challenging to take it from him." Ethan shook his head. He had sent someone to inquire about it from Anders but only received one word in response—Scram! "Since asking is not an option, we can resort to stealing," Dust
"Mr. Ethan, your cautious approach is truly commendable. It's no wonder you are able to navigate the treacherous political scene skillfully," Dustin teased. "Your Grace, please, spare me. My life is practically hanging by a thread with me being in constant danger," Ethan replied with a wry smile. If it became known that he was assisting the West Lucozian monarchy, he would either be dismissed from his position or have his home raided. But no matter the outcome, it would be a dead end for him.Navigating the court for so many years, he had offended numerous people. Once he lost power, countless people would surely seize the opportunity to take him down."Mr. Ethan, if I succeed in my goals, I'll consider it a debt owed to the Langfords. If you run into trouble in the future, I will back you up," Dustin assured. "Thank you, Your Grace!" Ethan's expression brightened. At least he was getting rewarded. With the support of the West Lucozian monarchy, there would still be a way o
Of course, to be safe, he had to seek assistance from someone else. …Time flew by quickly, and three days had passed. During this time, Camron Medicals became increasingly popular, with countless people coming to buy their ointments every day. Some had initially anticipated a spectacle, thinking that offending the Moseys would surely bring calamity. However, after three days, there was no movement from the Moseys, and everything remained calm and peaceful. Camron Medicals continued to thrive and made significant profits. It was worth mentioning that Harmony Healers was rebuilt, and all that was left was to renovate and add the finishing touches. Dustin only took care of the financial aspects and left the operational details to a professional team. There was nothing for him to worry about. Additionally, with the help of the person from the palace, Dustin had gotten his hands on the Iceheart Lotus without trouble. All he needed left was the Emerald Corolla, which he h
"Abigail, the Moseys' mansion is filled with elite fighters. There will also be plenty of influential figures arriving. You must be careful not to expose yourself," Dustin reminded her sternly. Even though they had disguises on, there were plenty of extraordinary individuals among the Moseys. If their identities were discovered, it could lead to trouble. Abigail, especially, was the Mystic Arts Order's Grand Sorceress. In the eyes of the court and righteous individuals, she was a condemned witch that they would gladly eliminate. So, they must be cautious. "Don't worry, Dustin. I'm not a kid. I know what to do. Relax. I won't put you in trouble." Abigail scanned the area rapidly, almost drooling at the sight of the wealthy individuals. "Relax? You must be joking!" Dustin was frustrated and knocked on Abigail's head with his knuckles. He shouldn't have brought her here. This little money enthusiast seemed to see everyone as a walking money tree. "Dustin, look! It's so live
As he spoke, his personal guards had already surrounded Dustin and Abigail. Their gazes were menacing. "Greetings, Sir Anders." Dustin lowered his head and replied, "My name is Rhet Adams. And this is my sister, Abigail Adams.""You look familiar. Have we met before?" Anders questioned. His gaze was as sharp as a knife as he scrutinized Dustin from top to bottom as if trying to see through him. "When you returned victorious last year, Sir Mosey held a grand banquet. I had the honor to visit and witness your impressiveness. "I didn't expect you to remember me still. I'm truly flattered!" Dustin pretended to be fearful. His statement was partially true. It was true that Anders had won a significant battle last year and hosted a celebration banquet, inviting many guests. Dustin, of course, had no time to attend. It was information provided by Ethan. To be on the safe side, he had memorized the details thoroughly, and it now came in handy. "Is that so?" Anders narrowed his eye
Looking at that detestable face of the past, Dustin frowned. He had expected to encounter familiar faces at this place. And the whole reason he disguised himself was to avoid having his identity exposed. However, he never expected to cross paths with Florence and her group in such an unfortunate manner. Fortunately, she didn't recognize him. Intending to diffuse the situation, Dustin apologized, "I'm sorry for not paying attention just now. Are you hurt?""Hmph! You must be blind!" Florence dusted herself off as she got up from the ground. She shouted arrogantly, "Do you know who I am? How dare you run into me? You must be tired of living!" Her social standing was no longer what it was before. Anyone who offended her now was essentially seeking their demise. "Hey! You were the one who didn't watch where you were going! How can you be so unreasonable and blame us when you were the one who ran into us?" Abigail was indignant. "Who the hell are you? How dare you point finge
Florence didn't know when to stop and insisted on escalating the situation. At this point, Dustin could tolerate no more."All right, seems like you won't learn your lesson till you hit a dead end! Guards! Guards! These two troublemakers are causing a disturbance! They even resorted to violence against me! Arrest them immediately!" Florence shouted. Following her orders, guards at the entrance immediately surrounded Dustin and Abigail. Dahlia was now a prominent figure among the Moseys. As her mother, Florence was considered a distinguished guest who enjoyed a high status. There were not many people who dared to offend them."Hold on!"Just as the two sides were about to clash, Dahlia suddenly walked in and exclaimed darkly, "What's going on here? Why are you drawing weapons? Don't you know what day it is today?""Dahlia, you arrived just in time!"Florence began complaining immediately upon seeing her. "These two were deliberately causing a scene. They even laid their hands
After a night of chaos, some of the Red Legion's members were killed, others were captured, and the entire force had been wiped out.But the fallout didn't stop there. The Prescott estate was also raided. All embezzled wealth was confiscated, and those found guilty were thrown into prison.Anyone connected to the Prescotts was placed under house arrest and subjected to rigorous investigation.And the man behind it—Warrick—had become the kingdom's most wanted fugitive.Until he was captured, Celestria remained under lockdown. Major roads were sealed off, and patrol teams scoured every corner to ensure Warrick had no way out.Austin's crackdown sparked outrage among senior officials who didn't know the full story. They voiced their dissatisfaction, with some even gathering outside the castle gates in protest. They stomped their feet in outrage, just short of openly cursing him.To them, Warrick had made great contributions to the nation. Even if he had committed crimes, he didn't d
Austin's words were calm and almost casual. Yet, they struck like thunder and echoed in the hearts of the three assistant generals of the Red Legion.If they answered Austin's questions, there might still be a slim chance of survival. But if they refused, death was the only outcome.After all, who would willingly choose death when they had worked so hard to achieve their wealth and status? Yet, pride and dignity held them back. They didn't want to be branded as traitors.Now, they were caught in a dilemma. Which was more important—their honor or their lives? It was an impossible choice."You have ten seconds left. If you don't speak, you'll lose your chance." Austin's voice was utterly devoid of emotion.His words seemed to pierce their souls, and the three Red Legion assistant generals broke into a cold sweat.As the countdown neared its end, Auron finally couldn't hold back. "Your Highness! I'll talk—I'll tell you everything."Dropping to his knees, he scrambled forward and wa
Axel swallowed hard, shock written all over his face. He had always known the Draken Guardians were formidable, but he had never expected them to be this lethal.He had pushed himself to his limit just to hold his own against Connor and Dave, only to end up seriously wounded. Yet, when the Draken Guardians arrived, they wiped them out—along with several dozen Red Legion soldiers—without losing a single man.If Axel hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the Red Legion, a force renowned for its elite soldiers, could be so easily crushed. Or perhaps it wasn't that the Red Legion was weak, but that the Draken Guardians were far stronger than anyone had imagined.Even their most ordinary members were strong enough to become a mighty general. As for those at the level of captain, their strength was far beyond Axel's. The lethality of a team made up of such skilled experts had reached the point of being an overwhelming force."Mr. Cruz, please arrange some
"Damn it! This punk's tougher than I thought. We're in real trouble if this keeps up," Connor said, swinging his twin blades relentlessly. Every strike was aimed at Axel's vital points.But Axel was quick. He weaved in and out of reach and avoided direct confrontation. It was obvious he was just stalling for time."Sir Prescott should be far enough by now. There's no point dragging this out. Let's fall back."Sensing the futility of their efforts, Dave considered retreating. He didn't fear death, but he wasn't about to waste his life for nothing.Since Warrick had escaped, their interception mission was also completed."You guys hold him off. The rest of you, fall back with me."Connor was decisive. Realizing they weren't making any progress, he quickly ordered a retreat and left a few decoys behind to buy time.They had barely run a hundred yards when a wave of soldiers suddenly appeared at the alley's entrance. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, filled the narrow space and comple
"This punk's a real pain in the ass!"Connor glanced over his shoulder and noticed Axel was still hot on their trail.The squad he had sent to intercept Axel was completely outmaneuvered, and they couldn't get anywhere near him.To Connor's dismay, Axel kept shooting off signal flares as he pursued them. Each flare gave away their position. At this rate, it didn't matter which direction they ran—they were bound to be intercepted."Connor! Dave! Make a move and swat that damn fly," Warrick ordered decisively."If we leave, who's going to protect you?" Connor hesitated.Warrick was in bad shape. Without them guarding him, a single attack from an expert could be fatal."If you don't take out that fly, I'll be in even more danger. Get moving now!" Warrick snapped."Yes, sir!"Connor and Dave exchanged a glance before splitting up with their squads to surround Axel.They both knew what was at stake. If they didn't take Axel down quickly, their entire force would be stranded and do
"Kill them all!"At Warrick's command, the Red Legion charged without hesitation. Blades flashed as they stormed toward the elite enforcement unit.This time, nearly a thousand Red Legion soldiers arrived. With their sheer numbers, they launched a pincer attack from both flanks, leaving the enemy with no way to fend it off."Form the Shield Formation!" Axel shouted upon seeing the dire situation. His men immediately sheathed their blades and raised their shields to form a defensive line. Their pursuit had cut them off from the main force. Since they were up against an enemy ten times their size, forming a defensive line was their best option.If they could stall for even a moment, reinforcements from the castle would arrive, and the tide would turn in their favor. Once that happened, the thousand-strong Red Legion would be the ones on the defensive.After a brief charge, the two forces collided.Warrick had personally trained the Red Legion. He selected only the most loyal and
Axel had no time to hesitate. He lunged forward and grabbed the overturned Dragon-Binding Net. Then, he used every ounce of his strength to pin Warrick down again."Get over here! We have to keep him restrained."As the net strained under Warrick's sheer power, Axel let out a roar and pushed his cultivation to the limit. His veins bulged and blood pounded in his ears. He threw every last bit of strength into holding Warrick down.For now, he managed to pin Warrick down, but the elite enforcement unit on the other side wasn't faring well. Warrick thrashed wildly, sending more than a dozen men swinging through the air. Some slammed into trees, while others crashed into walls. Within moments, the Dragon-Binding Net flipped over again.Several elite enforcement units tried to rush in and help, but they barely got close before getting hit by their own airborne comrades and sent flying.Against Warrick's Divine Strength, they were utterly outmatched. The regular guards didn't stand a
If Warrick had been at his peak, Axel might have been more cautious. But with Tranqurin coursing through his vein, Warrick had barely a fraction of his usual strength left. His power was still fading, and Axel wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He had to capture Warrick while he had the chance."Get the hell out of my way!"As the enforcers closed in, Warrick let out a furious roar and slammed his massive fist into the floor.With a loud explosion, the earth shook violently. The ground within dozens of yards cracked and caved in, splitting apart like a spiderweb. A powerful shockwave tore through the air, sending dirt flying and walls shattering. The entire meeting room collapsed into ruins.The elite enforcers, caught in the blast, were flung backward like ragdolls. They crashed to the ground, disoriented and battered. Even Axel was thrown back more than ten yards.Warrick panted heavily, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Forcing his internal energy into action had only
Austin's words were strong and commanding, each one landing like a thunderclap.Warrick felt the weight of his presence. His brow furrowed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He glanced at the so-called evidence on the floor, showing no sign of panic or guilt. Instead, he said indifferently, "Your Highness, these dead men were nothing more than ants. Is this really worth making such a fuss over? I doubt you haven't killed anyone before."As the old saying went, the higher one climbed, the heavier one's purse. Warrick had clawed his way up, risking his life at every step for the sake of rising above the masses. Everyone had their own desires—some sought fame, others fortune. Some were greedy for money, some for power, and others reveled in the adoration of the masses. To achieve those things, one inevitably had to engage in shady dealings. It was an unspoken rule among officials, and Warrick saw nothing wrong with it."Ants?" Austin sneered. "Without these 'ant