"Punishment my ass! She just got free rein over the borders covered as banishment!"

Emperal couldn’t help but curse. If that was true, he was in some serious shit...if he was in Draventhar, that is.

"Alright, Thessa. Here is your reward for your work. Continue collecting information. Your work will be rewarded."

Saying that, he passed on a drop of blood. It was a small vial, which Thessa hurriedly caught, nearly stumbling in the process.

At first, she was skeptical. But when she looked closer, her eyes went wide! They were so wide that Emperal swore he could fit an egg right there.

"My Lord! This lowly slave thanks you from the bottom of her heart! I will diligently carry out your orders!"

"Good, I expect no less."

Saying that, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand, who happily left holding the vial as if her life depended on it.

Emperal looked at the sky and sighed, "Just what have I done to that woman? She seems hell-bent on going after me."

Recollecting all the humiliation he suffered and the bounty thing, Emperal’s eyes slowly hardened.

"If that is what you need, I will keep you entertained."

He stepped towards the forest, his next stop...Greenvale!

"Are you sure? I suggest you plan for the branch of the Everheart Tree at this moment."

Suddenly, the Infernal Dragon interjected, pulling him out of his negative thoughts.

He frowned when he heard those words, "This Princess, she is simply relentless. I have to teach her a lesson, even if it means indirectly."

If he just kept receiving whatever the Princess threw at him, his pride simply refused to accept this.

"I can understand, you must be pretty frustrated right now. But believe me, if you manage to endure this and swallow your pride right now, your future self will be proud of you."

Surprisingly, the Infernal Dragon’s voice was a bit gentle, different from his usual arrogant and reprimanding voice.

Hearing his words, Emperal calmed down. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

"Apologies, it seems I let my emotions get the better of me."

He sighed and halted his steps. Without hesitation, he turned around and walked towards Dawnreach.

"Just you wait, you twisted harlot."

...

That night, he reached his mansion.

"Hmm, now then. How should I contact that woman?"

Emperal pondered as he sat on his chair, "She did tell me where she stayed, maybe I can try visiting there."

He was, of course, talking about Dresh. The branch of the Everheart Tree was in Aelvorn, the Elven Land. So naturally, he had to take some help from the only Elf he knew.

"I guess I’ll write a letter for now."

Saying that, he took a paper and pen and wrote a short but efficient letter, mentioning his urgency to meet and her location.

After writing, he neatly folded the paper and placed it in an envelope.

"I’ll post it tomorrow."

After that, he walked out of his room and entered his garden.

"Infernal Dragon, teach me the next ability."

Taking a deep breath, he muttered quietly,

"Are you sure you are ready?"

"I am. Cultivating the Soul...is way too slow and requires immense comprehension, which drains me quite a bit. So today, I’d like to focus on my Draconic abilities." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Hmm...alright."

"I suggest you learn some movement techniques now. Your speed is never reliable."

Hearing his words, Emperal nodded.

The information about the Draconic abilities was already in his mind. The reason he asked Infernal Dragon was that...it was simply more experienced than he was.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and began to absorb Verth. The air around him shimmered as raw Verth began rushing towards him.

Emperal exhaled lightly and muttered, "Sol’vethrak."

The moment his voice echoed, the temperature spiked instantly. His legs began to glow and emit intense heat.

"Slow down, you idiot!!"

The Infernal Dragon spoke, but—

"Too late."

His legs just moved a few inches forward, and an immense propulsion blasted him.

"S-SHIT! Infernal Dragon! What the hell is this!!?"

He was blasted forward...five miles! Directly into the sea. The flames were so intense that thousands of litres of seawater evaporated in mere seconds.

SPLASH!!

He was thrown into the waters...deep. He was at least pushed half a mile down before the deep-sea pressure forcibly stopped his body.

BUBBLE BUBBLE!!

Gathering the Verth in his entire body, he concentrated it on his hands and legs. In the next second, he began swimming.

He swam like crazy. In a matter of seconds, he reached the surface.

"Haaahhhh!!"

"What the hell was that?"

"Idiot, do you think it is Kraeth’sol that gathers heat in one place and punches forward? The control mechanism for this is way more complex. To be able to perfectly control Sol’vethrak, you need a lot more practice."

Emperal didn’t say anything but merely nodded. He began swimming towards his mansion. Despite the accident, there was a small smile of satisfaction on his face.

"This ability is really...overpowered."

And this was coming from a prodigious Verth controller such as him.

"Thank goodness Calder isn’t here. Or he would definitely tease me about this to death."

After a few minutes, he finally reached his cliff. His body was still in the water, and the cliff was fifty meters above.

Emperal smirked, "Why don’t we try this once again?"

Saying that, he began to concentrate. This time...he just did that for one leg.

"Sol’vethrak."

A small spark ignited the moment he muttered those words.

BOOOM!!

An explosion occurred right below the cliff as a shadow was shot right into the sky.

"S-Shit! Even this was not enough?"

Emperal muttered as he was thrown into the sky. It was at least two hundred meters above his mansion.

After the speed died down, gravity took over and pulled him downward.

"Well, this could get ugly."

He braced himself for the impact, and it came!

BOOM!!

He landed just beside his mansion, like a meteor striking the earth.

"Argh, at least three of the bones broke. Just great."

Leaning his hand on his knees, he slowly tried to stand up. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he finally stood up and walked towards the mansion.