"Will you be going there alone tonight?"

Walking through the streets, Calder asked Emperal. His tone was suspicious, after all, even a child could recognize that it was dangerous to go when the other party just asked you to come.

Hearing his words, Emperal nodded. "I will be going, but you have some other work to do. Before that, since you are familiar with this place, what’s the highest level of cultivation a Verth Practitioner has here?"

"Hmm, the strongest is obviously the town lord. And even his bloodline isn’t common. As for his cultivation, I think he is Stage three of Verth Wielder."

After a moment of thinking, Calder spoke.

"I see."

Emperal didn’t say anything. Looking around, the two soon found a safe place, away from noisy mouths and big ears.

"Alright, you do this..."

...

In the private chambers of the Dragon Princess.

"...Are you done with the task I gave you?"

"Yes, princess, only the execution part is remaining. But the only issue is that we have failed to track his location...he didn’t leave a single trace behind."

In the middle of her opulent chamber, the Dragon Princess sat on a throne. Her expression...was not looking good.

"Just what did my mother see in him? I can agree he is skilled in swordsmanship and Verth control. But...that’s it! The rest of his qualities are nothing redeemable! In fact, he could even be called trash with his half-blood and tier-one Spirit root."

The Dragon Princess muttered. Although her face was healed, there was still a mark across it that would take a long time to properly heal.

Her muttering continued. At this stage, she was past being blinded by rage. Instead, she began thinking. Hard.

"There must be something I’m unaware of. I just have to capture that man."

The servant below just kept quiet, refraining from interrupting. Despite the light scar across her face, she could still be considered one of the top ten beauties of Verandis.

She stopped muttering and went quiet for a moment, her eyes narrowed. "I don’t think he will return to the mainland any time soon...he must still be at the borders. And what does a half-blood with nothing in his name, surrounded by wilderness...need?"

Her eyes shone in realization at the end of her words. Her gaze dropped down to the servant kneeling.

"...Cultivation resources and Verth crystals."

The servant answered honestly, making the Dragon Princess’s lips curl up slightly.

"Indeed. Alongside this task, gather a force and venture towards the borders. Search for any recent treasures, resources...anything that has been found. If yes, seize it."

She ordered, her voice heavy and cold for someone of her age.

"..Understood, princess."

The servant vanished into the void, leaving the Dragon Princess alone in the chamber.

"Ahh~ Now I’m really, really curious about you, Emperal. Just wait till I get my hands on you, I will peel open those secrets one by one hehe~."

At the end, even her own eyes began to swirl lightly, giving her an eerie yet menacing look.

...

At night, in Greenvale.

The address led Emperal to a storage building at Greenvale’s eastern edges, a suspicious structure that existed to store things people didn’t want to ask about.

There were no windows on the ground floor and a simple but tight entrance, the location where all private meetings for control were held.

Seeing this, Emperal’s brow twitched. "That guy, did staying in the borders muddle his head to this state? Who is he trying to fool here?"

Shaking his head, he went in anyway. His sharp eyes noticed the details instantly. The interior was dark, with a single lantern positioned to illuminate the entrance while leaving the corners in shadows.

There were cracks across the pillars and walls. Crates were stacked against three walls. But there was more than enough space in the center.

He spotted the alchemist standing in the back, with a small burning stick in his hand. He was smoking...a pipe.

On his other hand, there was a bottle filled with pills. Three to be exact. They were glowing lightly, evidence of their recent production.

Emperal’s eyes shifted lightly. His eyes traced two figures in the shadows. One in the left corner and the other in the right corner. Their breathing was perfect and controlled, clearly seasoned veterans.

Noting their posture, Emperal turned towards the alchemist.

"The pill."

He spoke. For a moment, the manager was slightly surprised by the calmness in his voice. But he ignored it, thinking it was some act. A small smile lit up in the corner of his lips.

"Of course!" The alchemist held the bottle up. "It’s just that there is one small issue. I am in a dilemma right now."

He sighed and put the bottle away. Emperal raised his brows when he heard that.

"And what might that be?"

"I was wondering if I should accept your five mid-grade Verth crystals or...capture you and obtain one thousand high-grade Verth crystals of your bounty."

He sighed, speaking of it as nothing like ordinary, everyday news.

Hearing this, Emperal couldn’t control his laughter.

"Pff! Old man, have you gone senile with your age? What the heck are you talking about?"

One thousand high-grade Verth crystals? For whom? A mere Stage two Verth Seeker?

The old man sighed when he heard that. "At first, even I was confused. But then, at the market street, one of my followers saw your face for a second, which...matched the bounty poster released in the mainland Draventhar a few days ago."

He took one deep puff from his pipe and exhaled lightly. The two shadows behind him finally moved.

"I don’t really know who the hell you are to get such a high bounty, that too through the mainland black market. But I don’t really give a shit about that."

The old man continued his rambling. Emperal just stood there frozen.

"Bounty on me...from the capital?" The gears in his head visibly twisted and turned... it must definitely be the Dragon Princess. Thinking about that woman, a vein popped on his forehead.

"That bitch is really getting on my nerves right now."

But he was still confused. With Vraelyn present there, there was no way she was brave enough to do that.

"Is there someone else targeting me?"

But soon, he shook his head. Now wasn’t the time for such useless thoughts. Looking at the two bodyguards coming out, Emperal shifted his head towards the alchemist—specifically the pipe in his hands.

"Do you have more of those? Cause I really need one right now."