Rebecca stared at the hidden place of the Dragon Knight.

Nothing seemed wrong there now. The magic formation protecting the hidden place was still intact.

Yet, Rebecca furrowed her brows as she looked again.

Her instincts told her something was missing.

Her expression quickly darkened.

On the other side, Richard kept urging Athena to run faster.

In his hand, the token of the Dragon Hall was ready to be activated.

If anything went wrong, he would pull himself and Athena inside the Dragon Hall, where safety was guaranteed.

Fortunately, he still did not sense any sign of danger.

Even if his identity was discovered, who could know where he was staying? Around Apple Town, there were countless paths leading to various rural areas.

At least for now, he believed no one would find him in Purple Rose Village.

It was nearly morning, and by the time he arrived at the village, the sky was already brightening.

Richard directed Athena to Mr. Joe's house, intending to send the old man home first.

When they arrived, he finally released Mr. Joe from the Dragon Hall, leaving the man dumbfounded to see himself already standing in front of his own house.

"Are we back already?" he blurted out instinctively.

Instead of replying, Richard looked into the old man's eyes, instantly shifting his gaze.

He fell under Richard's control.

"Mr. Joe, you said you were given dozens of Arcane Arts. Tell me what they are," Richard ordered.

He was curious what kinds of Arcane Arts Mr. Joe had obtained. After all, they all came from the Dragon Knight—some of them might be remarkable.

Naturally, Richard wanted to secure the best among them.

Given the command, Mr. Joe immediately listed the Arcane Arts he had received.

But when Richard heard them all, he was a little surprised.

Among all the Arcane Arts of the Dragon Knight, only one seemed to be considered top-tier, called Dragon Fist.

One dragon's punch, destroying everything—that was the essence of the technique.

When using this fist, one's punch would transform into a dragon's fist, able to merge with all elements.

Even more intriguing, every ten percent of mastery would produce one shadow fist, each carrying an even stronger attack.

Richard deemed it important, for there might come a time when he could only rely on his fists.

He ordered Mr. Joe to recite the contents of the Arcane Art.

Unfortunately, the old man could not write. Richard could not have him make a copy.

Still, having him recite it quickly was enough. Richard memorized every strange word he uttered.

DING!

(You have obtained the Dragon Fist Arcane Art!)

(Your mastery of Dragon Fist Arcane Art has increased from 0% to 3%!)

Dragon Fist (3%)

Richard immediately understood the technique.

Its power was indeed terrifying, according to what he sensed.

He was satisfied, even if he had obtained only one.

After that, he released Mr. Joe from the Mind Attack and immediately left with Athena, heading toward the orphanage.

"Richard!" He was greeted warmly by Sister Lisa, who seemed entirely unaware of what had transpired in Apple Town.

His absence for more than a day didn't seem to worry her in the slightest.

"Sister, you seem to be in a good mood this morning," Richard said, noticing she could hardly stop smiling.

"I just made a breakthrough…" Lisa replied.

"Ohh, did you reach Tier 9?" Richard was a little surprised.

"Not 9, but 10. Not long after receiving armor from Lilith, I advanced to Tier 9, and then, through some opportunities, I managed to advance again," Lisa said.

"Truly?" Richard was stunned, realizing what this meant.

If Sister Lisa could unleash the power of Tier 10, then she could be considered the strongest among Magi in the Aether Will Realm.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Sister Lisa was very proud. "Anyway, tomorrow we must head to Night Valley City to meet Lilith and go to the capital. Stop wandering around."

"The capital."

At the mention of it, Richard was filled with anticipation.

Of course, he would go to the capital.

He nodded at Sister Lisa.

But for now, after a quick breakfast, he made his way to his ancestor's hut.

He did not intend to share the Dragon Hall with his ancestor, but he would still meet him, perhaps gaining something useful.

When he arrived, he was a little confused.

He did not see his ancestor—only the Queen of Fire Spirits, alone and relaxed as she sat on a chair with her legs crossed, the slit of her gown revealing them.

Her long, fair legs momentarily captivated Richard, making him forget that the first time he saw her, she had looked like nothing more than an old woman on the verge of returning to dust.

The woman was lounging with a bottle of wine, sipping it slowly.

Richard had no idea where she had gotten the wine—probably stolen from the village.

His arrival seemed to bother her, judging from the crease in her brows.

"Where is my ancestor?" Richard approached and asked.

"Gone, who knows where," the Queen of Fire Spirits replied indifferently, only glancing at him.

Remembering she was nothing more than a slave, Richard felt slightly annoyed.

"Queen, look at this," Richard said.

Buzz!

His body suddenly turned entirely into fire.

The Queen of Fire Spirits' eyes widened when she saw it. She even rose to her feet instinctively, stumbling backward, nearly collapsing as she gasped.

Richard grinned at her.

"Wh-who are you? You're not human?" the woman exclaimed.

"I am, of course, human," Richard replied. "You should realize now that your oath applies. This proves I truly am human."

Richard almost laughed at the sight of the Queen of Fire Spirits' expression—it was worse than crying.

Perhaps she could not cry, so this was the only expression she could show.

Not only was she already enslaved by Aldric, she was now bound by an oath to Richard.

And this oath was not something she could resist.

She might still struggle against the Slave Seal at the cost of death, but this oath ensured she could not even die if she wished.

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