West of Green-Leaf, precisely in the wasteland, a royal airship just appeared above Kang Amidel's city. Its golden radiance and majestic aura attracted a lot of attention. Everyone knew that someone from the Royal family came here, as for what reason, nobody could guess.

Amidel personally welcomed the visitor, a friendly smile plastered on his face. He politely bowed to Isadore before guiding him to his castle.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

"Oh stop with the polite talk, I feel like vomiting each time I hear you."

Isadore waved his hand in annoyance while sitting opposite to Amidel. They can be considered acquaintances and their relationship aren't harmonious but they can't be considered enemies either.

Hearing the prince talk like that, Amidel laughed but didn't say anything. After fully enjoying and savoring the hot tea he was served, Isadore looked at this unusually calm man, who still hasn't asked him for the reason of his visit, and said

"I came here to ask a favor from you."

Amidel glanced at the nonchalant Dan, who was dozing off in the corner, then said

"If it's for your Highness, I'm prepared to do anything."

'This two-faced prick! Each and every one of them is a damned sly fox.'

The Crown Prince inwardly cursed Kang Amidel, who was genuinely didn't know why Isadore came all the way here. There are not many things Isadore can't do on his own so this left him curious about this favor.

"Please spare me your nonsense. I want to know a few things about Arthur MoonStar."

The moment Arthur's name was uttered, Amidel frowned and his countenance changed. His gaze narrowed as he stared back at the unfazed Isadore.

"I wonder where your Highness heard of that name."

"Just like you have your birds, I have mine."

The blond young man unconsciously tapped his finger on the table while talking:

"I am interested in him and wish to cooperate with you. What I mean with 'you' is your Kang Clan, which is desperately trying to conceal everything about that man."

After what seemed to be an eternity, Kang Amidel let out a long sigh before replying

"I am afraid I can't divulge anything regarding him. I'm in no position to take unnecessary risks, if you know what I mean."

"Oh come on! We already know the Kang Clan is in a tight spo-"

Dan angrily butted in only to be stopped by Isadore, who raised his hand, signaling the straw-hat wearing dude to shut up and back away.

The prince's lips curved upwards as he continued:

"He's a dangerous dark horse. Moreover, his wife is no less deadly than him, I wonder why the Kang Clan chose to bet on him… are you guys that desperate? Or do you know something we don't?"

Amidel's eyes flashed with a cold glint before it quickly disappeared. He stood up and said

"I believe we're done here."

Without waiting for the Crown Prince, he turned around and left.

"I'm going to stay here and sightsee for a few days. Do let me know if you change your mind."

****

"Truth can be elusive and fickle as the shifting sands yet you must know it regardless of the consequences."

Saly, who was incredibly happy since the fighting has finally ended, was sitting on a desk and listening to the Joker, who was holding a long and thick stick.

He was actually giving her some lessons while she carefully listened. After talking for three to four hours, he would ask her questions and if she fails to answer, her hands will suffer a harsh punishment by the stick, which was normal in every way yet it caused a stinging pain that dug deep into her bones.

"Now tell me, what are the types of dragons."

Like a good and hard-working student, she stood up and began talking

"Yes, teacher. There are four types of dragons, Geo Dragons, Empyrian Dragons, Black Dragons, and Hybrid Dragons."

"Good, then what are the Hybrid Dragons."

Saly took a second to collect her thoughts only to hear the harsh and rebuking voice of the teacher enter her ears

"Really now? Your answer is nothing but silence? And here I thought you were listening to me. Raise your hands!"

Startled, Saly hesitantly retorted

"B-but teacher, I was just about to answer you…"

"Nonsense! I said raise your damned hands!"

The little girl was unwilling to raise her hands but when she saw his chilling glare, she was left with no choice but to comply.

She got hit a total of six times, three for each hand. Her petite hands became a mess of bloody and messy flesh with some exposed bones.

"Two seconds to think about your answer? My fart is faster than you! A thousand push-ups… no powers!"

"T-thousand?"

Discontent with the punishment, Saly pitifully stared at him with puppy eyes.

"Three thousand push-ups. You've got twenty minutes."

The Joker angrily left the room, slamming the door behind him.

…

"Rough times huh…"

Leiu started gloating as he saw the irritated look of the Joker, who was throwing his cards at the wall, trying to vent his accumulated frustration.

"She's as dumb as one can get! I have to repeat everything so she can understand me! All her talent went into fighting, everything else is just awful!"

"Every time you take a student you always say that."

The young man chuckled as he leaned on the chair and closed his eyes.

"If it's so tiring, why are you still here, teaching her?"

The Joker's hand, which was about to throw another card, halted for a split second. After a moment of silence, he said

"This and that are different. Once I take a student, I teach them till the end! Fuck! Do you want my reputation to crumble?!"

The knight lazily opened his eyes and glanced at the annoyed man before adding:

"I see that you want to blow off some steam… fancy a spar?"

Just as he said that, you could hear the Joker gulping some saliva while shaking his head

"Fuck no! You're a merciless bastard, you know! You've beaten me black and blue countless times and I don't want to experience that EVER AGAIN."

He hastily got up and left the room as if he was pardoned.

***********

It took Arthur a whole day to completely absorb the dragon's blood. Some would seclude themselves for months to absorb it but it wasn't the case for him as his tenacious body was strong enough to handle the burst of thick Fire Energy that circulated through his Meridians.

His stats rose by 500m, a decent increase but negligible compared to the other benefits. He obtained a skill called [Empyrian Wings], which, as the name suggests, spawns a pair of wings that boosts his Agility. It was yet another skill that increases his speed and increases his stats by 5%.

Furthermore, he gained another cheat skill called [Dragon Words].

[Dragon Words][Active][Lv50]: Use the ancient dragon language to force your foes into submission.

Cooldown: Three months.

Cost: 10,000 Mental Power.

The cooldown cannot be negated by [Blood for Blood].

The sheer length of the cooldown seemed exaggerated to Arthur, who was harshly berated by Claud.

'Dragon Words are commonly used when two dragons fight together. They are similar to Pride's power but affect the will of the person and not the soul. It weakens it and makes them temporarily obedient. This skill can be used as a trump card and a very last resort, don't abuse it.'

Feeling refreshed and reborn, Arthur exited the underground area and headed to where Lucy was. Coincidentally, his wife was at the final stages of her fusion.

The two beads disappeared and a new one appeared, white-colored and emitting a thick, almost suffocating amount of Pure Mana.

Lucy's face was a bit pale, clearly showing how mentally exhausted she was. She was but a step away from completion, she remained focused and poured everything in her power to successfully forge this item.

The scorching hot ground of the mountain became half-red half-blue, affected by Lucy's Ice and Fire Magic. There was a circle of white flames around her, making it difficult for Arthur to approach her.

The Fire Spirit integrated with his Tri-Spirit, becoming a Quad-Spirit. He absorbed the dragon blood and reaped generous rewards. This unexpected trip to this Secret Realm was fruitful, to say the least. However, there is still danger looming on the horizon, waiting for an opportunity to strike.