She was one of those who never or rarely left their main forest and only came out to assist the Empire when the Tetramyth came. She either joined this ball on a whim like they did, or she had some purpose here.

It wouldn't be weird if she were old enough that he had never heard of her. Elves could outlive multiple generations of people, especially when the death rate before Navin took over as King was relatively high.

"Ebony."

"You're not going to introduce your clan? You're not the first prowler to touch the edges of our domain, but you're definitely the first to semi-permanently extend your Will throughout the continent. Are you trying to contain Elva within your Domain? Are you trying to trap us in our forests?"

"Merely surveillance, we can barely manage a small home. If accusing is the game here, are you Elves done studying my husband's Will Relay Buffers? Are you done studying his Numbers from afar? You did so for a decade, but we haven't seen you produce someone who could at least copy the basic working principles of the skill. Why? No Grandmaster Elf could utilise Will? No King can split and delegate their Will when they are required to feed their Will to your Domain weekly? Perhaps your people are nigh invincible in your forest, but we aren't in your forests. Are we?"

His personal translator mixed what he wanted to say with what she wanted to say and ended it off with as little threat as they were given insults by the old Elf.

'Assuming the Elven Forest is more than a budding Domain. The boost they can get can indeed make them seem invincible compared to domainless mages. But I still don't know what their Domain boosts, magic, archery, and plants? Agriculture, natural growth? I have no idea.' As a Domain user himself, he knew just how much advantage a Will-powered spell or area of supportive magic to one's elements and inhibiting it can be for foreign entities.

And he was still a beginner while they had generations of study and foundations. A random Elf might have more mana capacity than he by leagues, and when it comes to Domains of accumulation. Regeneration wouldn't matter in a battle.

"Your people have tried both in and out of our forest. Do you want to try again? I can give you younglings a handicap" The Painter of Animation's mana unloosened around her bracelet as an indication that she was raring to go. A large brush was drawn out of her spatial storage and rested in her palm and left forearm. It was thicker than the average wand and half as long as an average staff.

While both of them already had their weapons drawn before she finished speaking, a large group of Elves, including the Archduke had rushed over and picked her up by the armpits while Oplot stood in between them. "Granny Rosethorn! We promised you would come here just for inspiration and there won't be a fight!"

"Calm down Ebony, Scarlet." Oplot intervened

The couple held their swords and cocked their head at the same time, "We are calm?" Scarlet answered. "She just wants a spar; can't you feel her intent? The insults didn't bite, she was just adding fuel—I suppose colour to a duel."

"AHHA! So there are people with brains amongst the Xeng! The next generation should always be surpassing the previous. Wonderful!" The Painter of Animation took half a step forward, and her brush touched Oplot's wide back with a wrist flick.

Oplot spun, his feet lifted off the ground before he was sent up into the glass ceiling.

Xin swung her sword with a wind-magic slash to blow away the green liquid mana that splashed from the Painter's brush and was about to leap forward to put on the offensive, but her feet stopped before her arms acted.

"NGHhahahaha, I got it! I'm going home! I have to paint!" The Painter of Animation kept her brush without glancing at Xin's half-swinging sword and turned around to pace out of the hall.

"…Forgive the display, although it's not an excuse, our grandmother has been growing senile over the centuries." The Elven man who picked the Painter of Animation up by the pits but couldn't hold her down did a slight bow towards Navin instead of Xin's direction.

Oplot fell back down and broke the flooring more than before. He managed to stop himself from breaking through the glass ceiling somehow.

'Old age sickness occurs even to highly evolved creatures, but only when their health is deteriorating, and natural Constitution or Vitality is failing in some way. Senile….maybe Intelligence and Wisdom are affected more.' Ebony retrieved the crystal he attached to the Painter of Animation's dress.

He didn't feel like invading their territory with it if she went to their main forest. It was because he wouldn't like it if someone entered his home with their senses, so he only saw it fair not to do the same if he didn't wish the same upon himself.

The speeches from Nobles were uplifting to the morale ,and it seemed like this was a bigger event than he imagined when there was a speech by Navin to the entire Empire through a Callstone that linked with every Quest Hall, not just in Tidal, but for the Cities and towns outside Tidal.

He wasn't quite successful in centralising the Empire, but it wasn't quite possible with rare materials from dungeons throughout the continent.

Although Tidal had been seeing foreign races, it was news to small towns and cities further from the Capital.

Eidolon. Currency.

The standard language of Gia was to be picked up over the next few decades.

Integration in general.

Caution about some common dangers.

Naming of allied races and Worldcores that are open for Elcrain visitors.

With Z&Z having carried goods from out of the planet, it was a gradual change and should be easily accepted and adapted to for the general public.

Using the success of repelling the Tetramyth to bolster their confidence in their Empire. There was probably a weird reaction when Navin talked about the Xengs because this group of people wasn't talked about due to their extremely small presence and population on Elcra, but they had always been around.

Mentions of old Nobles that left Elcra through the World Dungeon and reconnected with the Empire, extending their trade and information network. How combatants are still in high demand, whether it is to secure their safety or expand to secure trade routes. Freelancers will see more and more jobs, specifically in escorting deliveries through the World Dungeon.

Most surprisingly, the mentions about the Trolls.

How the Trolls left the Worldcore for good. Not annihilated but picked up by another Troll race.

How the Tiva continent was now free and under the Empire. Under Navin's rule, both continents Elva and Tiva were under the Empire's territory.

'They kept that real secretive.' Ebony and his Numbers didn't even know about the lack of Trolls. Or the existence of some highly evolved Trolls taking their people away.

When did that even happen?

Likely during the decade he had been away, and his Numbers had been hibernating?

All in all, he wasn't concerned about most things the speeches talked about and couldn't wait to go back to more interesting tasks. Such as having some tea while reading a book.

It was too bad that tea drinking was impossible in the God of Knowledge's Library, but he had been receiving physical history books on a frequent basis. It was common sense to read from various sources and different points of view. He still hasn't finished reading the books that were part of his wedding gifts.

The royals extended an invitation to Ebony and Xin before the ball ended to listen in and discuss a topic concerning public safety. Ebony got a Number over and was planning to go home arm in arm with his partner.

"Stop right there, you murderer!"

Someone squeezed in through the mass of returning participants.

"Your Highness, Life Queen! This man murdered my family member, within our very lands!" The dishevelled man screamed and pointed at Ebony while looking towards Yvette, who was talking to a few older women in the centre of the hall.

'He went straight to Yvette. I see he wasn't invited to this ball. He didn't take part against the Tetramyth since he's a rogue lineage and more of a 1 vs 1 specialist. He doesn't have the confidence to deal with me. If only he taught his granddaughter to think rationally. I infringed on Yvette's iron law. Hmmm….' Ebony began to wonder.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

What if Yvette were to take action against him?

He would understand it. He broke one of her very few rules she had. From what little he knew of the lady, she would not let it slide even if the 'criminal' was powerful.

Not to mention, it wouldn't look good on her to the rest of the Nobles. After all, there should be no reason he was an exception to her rule.

As much as possible, he didn't want to be hostile to the ancestor of his friends or the saviour of his wife back when she was younger.

But his practical mind started working overtime.

How would he take Yvette and Navin on?

If they fought him, there was a good chance Oplot would be on their side.

The greatest healer on the planet, the greatest barrier mage in their planet's history and a Demi-God's direct child who was also a defence specialist.

'Oplot's not a threat as long as he doesn't have damage stored. But he went against Saint Tetramyths, who knows how much power he has stored for himself to reflect. Navin—he's the least and most troublesome. He would be the fastest with his reactive mana to cover for Yvette, faster than I can cast or move. Xin should be able to break a hastily cast barrier, unless he's advanced into a Domain mage without anyone's knowledge. And we are within his City, covered in his barrier. But both of them can be suppressed, held down. But Yvette…neither of us can kill her, and I can't even seal her."

It might not have been obvious or well-known compared to her title as the Life Queen.

So much so that it would have slipped people's minds.

Yvette, the Life Queen had another moniker.

'Do I not have enough information about them?' Ebony contemplated his simulations.

In terms of battle awareness, their combined technique and abilities or even their teamwork. He didn't think he would lose or be troubled for an extended period as long as they got to fighting.

Oplot might be the weirdest with what he might have up his non-existent sleeves, but the Royal couple were both Arcane mages through and through. An Elcrian mage. There was not much Elcrian mana could surprise Ebony with. His curse magic was largely unknown to Ebony.

Yet even with that confidence, he was mildly fascinated to end up with the conclusion that the only way to 'win' was his good old, exhaust his opponents out of mana and stamina. And that was only going to happen if the three of them couldn't somehow kill or suppress Ebony.

Navin might have the right curses to weaken him sufficiently or outright kill him.

Taking a glance as his wife and putting her into the equation, he actually didn't think they could speed through the fight with both of them either.

'What about plum bombs…if that doesn't break through the barrier, overpower the healing and kill Oplot directly then its only going to feed Oplot with the power to reflect them back at us. Alright, I have too little information about them for accurate simulations, but we probably can't even win a one-on-one.

"Is that true?" Yvette questioned not Ebony, but Marquis Ravelle

"Yes! My granddaughter's head was sent to our doorsteps, frozen in ice. With this man's mana signature!"

Xin rubbed her fingers against his sleeves before they owned up but was silenced by a raised palm by Yvette.

'Oh, she's angry.' Ebony didn't even need Xin's emotion-detecting skills.

Her overflowing essence was furiously wild. Ebony recalled that Yvette had a childhood more hardcore than his own. In an Elcrian jungle, she survived as a baby to a young child with no one teaching her any skills or survival.

Her gentle appearances and act she had been putting didn't erase that wild nature 'Wonderful.' Or so both his wife and he thought when they sensed the predator in her surfacing.

"Is it also true that your granddaughter led 12 freelancers into the dungeons to slay them. Because she didn't like their attitude. Is it also true she bagged a woman and used a puppet scroll to enter a dungeon, just to remove her?"

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

Navin placed his hand on Yvette's shoulder and Ebony felt pity when the wild aura died down.

The royal had people take Marquis Ravelle away, as this wasn't the place for a trial.

Ebony and Xin didn't get away from Yvette's anger either. But the freelancers had already been ushered out of the hall, with a scant few Nobles left behind.

"I'm sorry, but regardless of her crimes. I cannot let this slide, even if it was self defence I know—you didn't have to kill." Yvette walked up to them.

"I understand." Ebony didn't let Xin translate for him.

"I, Yvette Lord hereby…banish you, Rejuvenator from Tidal."

"Only him?" Xin didn't take it too hard.

"Yes."

"It's a shame our nature conflicts with your rules." Xin translated. "I hope we can still eat at the same table." She added before turning away.

Moving his arm down from their locked elbows to her hand, they returned home.

'This is good. I feel like I was going to attract more trouble for Hector and Mallory if I stayed there any longer.' Ebony felt this turned out well, so he didn't bother arguing.

The last time he used Tidal as a safe spot, the Nebulians still managed to get here. Ezekiel was undeterred.

Now, bounty hunters were walking around minding their own business.

The city barriers weren't to protect individuals.

Trying not to cause harm to the property and people around, was removing many measures he could take against hostiles.

And, Yvette left a way out for him to stay connected to the Empire as his wife confirmed. Only he was 'banished' while his Numbers were not.

To him, that was essentially a pat on the back of his hand.

Besides, he could still enter and leave whenever he wanted. It would be interesting to find people who can stop him or kick him out by force.

For example, Duke Truewater would be an interesting opponent. By overflowing essence alone, the water mage seemed superior to every other race's Archdukes, including the Elven Archduke.

Still, pitifully thin but overflowing essence doesn't equate to combat power.

Ebony slowly differentiates overflowing essence with auras over the years. They were very closely interlinked and commonly proportional, where an increase of overflowing essence adds to one's aura.

Yet, that was not necessarily always the case.

Saint--Soldier that he killed with a lot of help, for example had one of the greatest volumes of overflowing essence, but its aura had little personality and could even be considered weak compared to someone with lesser essence, such as Oplot.

'Personality. That's apt. Oplot has a steadfast aura. Vent has one of the apex predators with no challengers, if that makes any sense. That Painter of Animation has a colourful aura.' He placed himself above all of the people he just thought of in terms of quantity of overflowing essence, but what did he feel like to others?

He did not know. He couldn't exactly feel his own 'aura' or personality.

The more highly evolved, or perhaps the greater the difference between evolutionary ranks of two creatures, the more aura seems to play a part in the suppression and expression of power and hierarchy in general.

"Come, I prepared a new spot." Ebony led his wife away after waving Hector's concerns back.

"You're not getting away this time! Bring me along!" It seemed like he was sticking around this time by the look of his chase.

'That movement technique. Never seen it. Did he make an original? Those boots are very well made too.' Ebony did not expect Hector to be keeping up this well.

"New movement skill?" Xin asked when she felt the energy that damaged the hall's flooring.

"Eightfold Pulse Vault."

Neither of them reacted. Hector's custom skills were useless to just about everyone else because no one else could use 8 elements at a balanced output.

After visiting multiple planets, a space station and even from the Xengs. They had never seen another creature who had so many elemental affinities yet balanced them all as well as Hector could.

"You have been eating well haven't you?" His wife asked.

She had the same idea as he did, Hector used the power of money and connections to get valuable ingredients that refined or mutated his Physique. Perhaps all of the Lord family did.

"Extremely!"

[Octa Elemental Enhancement Mage Lvl 500 | Legionary Fist Lvl 500 | Body Constructor Lvl 500]

Hector hugged his shoulders and shyly looked at Ebony, "Oh, you~ not in front of Scarlet."

'Can I read his Profession because I know him better, or is Mana Discern slowly improving?'

"Hector, how many elements do you use now?" Ebony got straight to the point.

Even if it were a low Tier 3 or 4 enhancement, being able to stack and contain 8 elemental enhancements and be specialised as a pure brawler was the definition of power behind specialisation.

"Eleven."

"How do you even have enough Class Skill slots?"

"That's a secret!" Hector was either showing off or giving a hint when he conjured a light-absorbing black orb on his palms before crushing it within his palms and the energy coursed through his body.

'That ball of darkness had ice, lightning and earth inside. Did he somehow fuse all his elements into one? Hmm…what if all his elemental manipulation skill isn't part of his Class and he fused them all into one…his Core Skill. And it's new to me, so this is his third Core Skill slot after he became a Grandmaster.'

"What's the plan?" Hector knew better than to apologise or ask them about why they murdered someone within his homeland.

He should know them well enough that they didn't kill for no reason. He also knew his great-grandmother would be put in a tough spot if she just let them go without consequences.

"What else, we're moving house." Ebony could tolerate sharing a bit of common sense when it came to Hector.

Hector was led to a rushed stop, breaking his Empire's roads when he broke his acceleration.

Dusk had gotten information ahead of time and lifted their home up, including their garden and underground pool. A solid cube of earth, their house was unearthed.

"Since you're coming along, I have to introduce you to a good friend of mine." Ebony rubbed his head at the trouble this friend of his has been causing for the past week.

"Hmm, Friend?" Hector took the easy travelling solution and hopped onto his floating garden.

'It's too bad this couldn't be our home either.' Ebony allowed the melancholy to set in.

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