Even without the Fire Spirit Queen, Richard wasn't too worried about facing strong enemies.

He had plenty of trump cards. Killing him wouldn't be that easy.

Until now, he had simply been too reluctant to use them.

However, it was indeed better if his enemies didn't force him to reveal any of his trump cards.

"Richard, so you're here. Why didn't you greet me? I didn't expect you to grow this much after not seeing you for so long. If not for your horse, I truly wouldn't have recognized you."

Richard had just finished speaking when he heard Gray's voice from behind him.

His back stiffened in surprise, and he noticed Erick Goldwood and his wife looking past him.

He almost wanted to smack his own forehead.

At this moment, the couple began to think about his name.

And they didn't need long to remember who he was.

Their relationship with the Holy Light Kingdom was extremely close, so of course they were familiar with the events in the Holy Star Kingdom.

Richard. The most famous name born from the conflict between the two kingdoms.

He wasn't famous for jokes, but for his talent and strength.

Most importantly, their son had already fallen into his hands once before, forcing them to pay compensation with an artifact capable of piercing anything.

"So it's you?" John Goldwood looked even more displeased.

But Richard looked back at Gray.

"What are you doing here?" Gray asked, looking curious.

"Be quiet first!" Richard replied in a commanding tone.

"You?"

Gray wasn't used to being snapped at, so a hint of anger appeared on his face.

"Ehmm…" Richard cleared his throat before looking at John Goldwood again.

He sharpened his gaze.

Now that they knew who he was, John Goldwood no longer dared act rashly.

Gray realized this wasn't a simple matter—something that could easily end in a fight.

He examined John Goldwood and his wife, trying to figure out who they were.

Unfortunately, he didn't recognize them.

After some thought, he came up with the idea of helping Richard. He took a chair from another table and sat beside him.

"I'm Gray from the Order of the Peak World. Richard is my sworn brother in life. You'd better think twice before trying to challenge him," he said.

"Is your Order of the Peak World supporting a kidnapper who's trying to extort people now?" John's wife responded sharply.

Gray froze the moment he heard that.

So the problem wasn't this couple—it was actually Richard.

Of course, Richard couldn't be fully blamed. This plan came from Grace.

But calling them wrong wouldn't be accurate either.

The Goldwood Clan was an enemy of the Holy Star Kingdom since they were close allies of the Holy Light Kingdom. In terms of assistance, the Goldwood Clan might be the greatest contributor to them.

This was already a life-and-death enmity. That was the reason Richard didn't hesitate to do this.

"Don't spout nonsense. If you don't fulfill my request, then forget about ever seeing your son again…" Richard said more firmly, causing the couple's expressions to twist.

John's wife wasn't just angrier—she also looked genuinely worried, glancing at her husband as if urging him to make a decision quickly.

"What are you waiting for, Mr. Goldwood?" Richard asked since they still hadn't responded and the middle-aged man was still deep in thought.

Naturally, Richard became wary, worried they might suddenly pull some trick on him.

When he glanced at Gray, the man suddenly seemed hesitant to help any further.

It seemed he couldn't bring himself to support extortion.

"Boy, we only have 24 Boundless Gems…" John finally replied.

Richard raised his eyebrows at that.

But right then, Grace suddenly said, "You can trade with the other members using all your wealth."

She had been quiet from the beginning, but her words instantly made the couple flush with fury.

"Girl, you—?" John's wife snapped.

"You're young yet already so wicked. Do you intend to become a demon when you grow older?" she asked.

"Lady, evil isn't evil to some Magi… There's no need to act like you're spotless," Grace calmly replied before adding,

"You may tell everyone what we're doing, and we won't care. What you need to understand is that your son will die if you don't meet our demands. We'll give you two hours—not to think, but to exchange all your wealth for Boundless Gems. At the very least, you must provide us with 150. I'm sure all your belongings are enough for that."

It was a long speech, but Grace didn't breathe or blink while saying it, giving it an extremely intimidating effect.

Even Gray was a bit frightened by her extortion style, wondering where Richard had found such a woman.

"Very well!" John suddenly stood and slammed the table.

Naturally, it shattered into tiny pieces at once.

Even the shockwave pushed Richard's and Grace's chairs back by a few centimeters.

Both of them frowned, and John's wife frowned as well.

"Fine, you two wait here," he said before turning to leave.

His wife hurried after him.

But before they reached the door, Grace added, "Didn't you say you have 24 with you? Hand those over first!"

"…"

John instinctively stopped, stared at Grace, then nodded.

Whoosh!

He tossed a ring toward Grace.

Despite the speed, she easily caught it.

Immediately afterward, John left at high speed.

Richard saw him enter the temple.

"Do you think they'll comply with our demands?" Richard asked.

Although John had handed over the 24 Boundless Gems he had on him, Richard wasn't sure he would submit to their demands.

"We'll wait," Grace answered while examining the ring she had received.

"Richard, who are they?" Gray asked.

"John Goldwood, former head of the Goldwood Clan, allies of the Holy Light Kingdom," Richard replied.

"Ohhh…" Gray nodded lightly, clearly having heard about them before, since the Goldwood Clan was quite well-known in the Eastern Region.

"What do you think? Will they give in or go against us?" Richard asked.

"They'll probably give in for now. I know they only have one son whom they love dearly. But after they get him back, I'm afraid they'll spare no effort in coming after you," Gray answered.

"Hm, then we'll just keep their son with us until we've finished our business in this city." Grace added casually.

Gray—and even Richard—almost coughed after hearing that idea.

She truly kept coming up with ruthless plans.

However, Richard found the idea reasonable.

As long as Erick remained in their hands, the couple shouldn't dare to do anything reckless.

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