Gray quickly became certain that it was Richard's horse.

He had seen him riding that horse countless times.

When he looked at Richard again—even though all he saw was his back—he began to feel a sense of familiarity between this man and the young Richard he knew.

At this point, a possibility naturally surfaced in his mind.

He remembered the way this man looked at him. It seemed exactly the same as the gaze of the Richard he remembered.

'Is that him?' Gray was more than just suspicious—he was beginning to feel convinced.

Unfortunately, even though he was convinced, he could no longer chase after them as they were already too far away.

Richard and Grace headed toward the city center.

With Athena not holding back her speed while flying, they reached the city center in a relatively short time.

However, what was called the city center was still an extremely vast area.

Richard needed some time before he finally saw the temple— a building constructed from stacked gray stones, shaped like a pyramid, though not as tall as one.

However, it was incredibly wide.

Richard could see the front, but he couldn't see the back from where he was.

Even the left and right sides were out of sight.

It had no courtyard or surrounding walls—it stood directly beside the road, with many doors lined up neatly.

Richard saw quite a number of people wearing ancient-looking gray robes.

But Richard couldn't help becoming confused when he realized their eyes were empty, as if they were nothing more than magical puppets.

However, they were clearly human.

No—not only humans. He saw goblins, beast humans, and even Elves among them, all with empty eyes.

"What's really going on with the members of the Infinite Temple?" Richard said.

Here, he and Grace stopped riding on Athena's back, choosing to fly themselves because their pose earlier—holding each other like that—was too eye-catching.

Although Richard knew the members of the temple were unique because they accepted anyone regardless of talent or strength, were those empty eyes supposed to be part of that "uniqueness"?

"Their consciousness is inside the Hidden World of the Infinite Temple, so their bodies are empty and controlled by the temple to perform daily tasks," Grace explained.

Richard fell silent for a moment after hearing that, contemplating what it meant.

"We don't know what the Hidden World inside the Infinite Temple looks like. Only members can enter it, and even then only with their consciousness. But it's said that even if their physical body dies, their consciousness can continue living there. This benefit is the main reason many join the temple, especially those who are near death because of age or injury. In the future, if they become stronger, they can return to the outside world as manifestations."

"I don't think I can understand this temple," Richard said.

"No need to understand it. No one truly understands the Infinite Temple. We don't even know their goals. Even the Grand Sovereigns haven't been able to enter it. For us, it's enough to take whatever benefits we can from the temple," Grace replied.

And Richard nodded in agreement.

Although curious, there was no point in thinking about something far beyond his capabilities.

When Grace chose to descend to the road in front of the temple, Richard also landed.

The temple doors were open, but Richard couldn't see inside because of the darkness.

Yet several non-members still walked inside.

"At night, not only do the doors close, even the entire temple sinks underground," Grace said.

Richard listened, not caring much about the reason.

He continued observing—not only with his eyes, but also with his waves.

Meanwhile, his Sixth Sense couldn't enter through the temple doors.

Fortunately, his waves were not obstructed.

Inside the temple, he found many interconnected corridors forming what resembled a labyrinth.

He sensed many temple members moving as if they were programmed robots.

He also saw many rooms, some of which contained individuals sitting cross-legged and meditating.

"—What!"

He was startled when he found a massive cell containing a giant creature very similar to a human but clearly not human.

It stood roughly 30 meters tall. Its body was covered in muscle, with long and curly hair.

What truly set it apart from humans was its eye.

It had only one massive eye covering its entire forehead.

It was clearly natural—not a deformity.

The eye was cold and bloodthirsty. Even its aura radiated pure malice.

"What is it?" Grace asked, noticing Richard's shock.

"I see a giant being imprisoned," Richard replied.

"Ohhh, that should be a Giant Demon at Peak World Realm. The temple imprisons quite a lot of them. If we can kill one, we get 50 Infinite Gems. But… they're extremely strong. Honestly, even I'm not confident I could defeat one in a one-on-one fight," Grace said.

"So you also have moments when you're not confident?" Richard was slightly surprised.

"This is one of the hardest creatures to kill," Grace replied.

"Anyway, let's go inside. You can try fighting that Giant Demon later, but we need to find Erick's parents first."

"Do you want me to ask Erick where they are?"

"No need. We can ask another member."

Grace walked up to a man standing beside the entrance with an empty stare.

"Do you know John Goldwood, former head of the Goldwood Clan, and his wife?" Grace asked the man.

The man nodded without speaking.

"Tell them that we want to meet. It's something very important. They will regret it if they don't meet us." Grace continued.

The man nodded again.

Richard found this strange and wasn't entirely sure about it, but Grace chose to wait.

(The members' bodies basically follow whatever the deepest desire of their consciousness is. Since he nodded, he'll definitely inform that couple.) Grace explained through her Sixth Sense.

Richard nodded after hearing that explanation.

He waited with Grace while continuing to observe his surroundings.

Not long after, he saw a man and woman in their middle age walking out of the temple.

Both had bright brown hair resembling Erick's, handsome and beautiful respectively.

Even though they wore the same gray robes, their eyes were normal—not empty like the others.

This meant their consciousnesses had returned to their original bodies.

They stared at Richard and Grace, looking confused since they didn't recognize them.

Observing them carefully, Richard couldn't help becoming cautious.

Both were strong—clearly in the Lord Realm.

Trying to extort them, Richard grew worried that he and Grace might get beaten up.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged man, John Goldwood, asked, looking back and forth between Richard and Grace.

To Richard's surprise, Grace suddenly looked at him, as if handing the matter over to him.

It seemed she only planned the idea, but the execution was entirely his to handle.

"Ehm…" Richard coughed first.

"Let's talk at the restaurant," he said, inviting the couple to the restaurant across the street.

They furrowed their brows at that.

However, Richard had already taken a step, leaving them with no choice but to follow.

He glanced at Grace, and she silently followed as well.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, they ordered only refreshing drinks.

Richard could feel the sharp gaze of John Goldwood and his wife.

They seemed to sense a bad omen, their displeasure toward him rising.

John Goldwood's eyes even stopped blinking.

If he said the wrong thing, it seemed the man would strike him immediately.

"First, don't even think about resisting me. What I'm about to say is unpleasant for you," Richard began.

Whether he liked it or not, he had to say it.

"You? Boy, who do you think you are?" John Goldwood's wife snapped, and Richard felt a sharp aura lock onto him.

"Your son is in my hands, and I can kill him with a thought…" Richard hurriedly continued.

"What?!"

"This is his ring." Knowing they might not believe him, Richard placed Erick's ring on the table.

It was not a storage artifact, but the symbol of the Goldwood Clan.

Naturally, it was solid proof that he had captured Erick.

The couple stared at the ring with grave expressions before looking back at Richard.

"You dare? Are you trying to extort us?" John Goldwood immediately reached the conclusion.

A Magus at Peak World Realm. What else would he be doing in the temple besides trying to gather Infinite Gems?

Other people usually traded with the members, but of course, some were bold enough to choose a darker method.

"I'll return your son once you give me all the Infinite Gems you possess. Naturally, the amount must also satisfy me…" Richard smiled slightly as he sensed the couple's aura begin to stabilize.

Considering Erick was their only son, Richard was confident they wouldn't dare try anything reckless.

"Boy, tell us your name…" John said.

He seemed to want to know his background.

Who knew what he planned to do after that?

Toward these outsiders, it was difficult for Richard to reveal who he was.

After all, no one knew the true extent of the Fire Spirit Queen's power, and that woman was not here right now.

"Mr. Goodwood, you're probably thinking about fighting back, but I came prepared. Don't even think you can pluck a single strand of my hair. I won't give you the time to keep thinking." Richard chose to speak firmly.

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