The fourth prince took a leisurely pace into the square. Unlike the eighth prince, the fourth prince had a composed smile on his face. Even when he saw the eighth prince, his expression remained unchanged.

Two mysterious Wizards with cloaks followed behind the fourth prince. Like Wizard Leo, nobody could make out the appearance of the two mysterious figures either. Nevertheless, to be able to walk behind the fourth prince, and even in front of the nine core Wizards, their identities were already quite obvious.

"Tanin and Morston!"

Merlin muttered under his breath. From the very beginning, his gaze had been placed on the two Wizards. As Eighth-level Spell Casters, and rather well-known ones too, they would surely attract attention wherever they went.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, Merlin felt a burning gaze fixated onto him. Following the path of that gaze, he saw a familiar face in the crowd behind the fourth prince.

"Ninth Wizard Oden?"

Merlin could feel a cold murderous intent in Oden's gaze. Yet, Merlin did not bother. He turned to look at the fourth prince instead.

As the eighth prince's toughest competitor, the fourth prince's appearance looked somewhat similar to him. Nonetheless, the fourth prince seemed slightly more majestic. Though there was always a smile on his face, he was still able to instill fear in those around him.

The fourth prince went straight to the first row on the right and sat down on the first chair. He turned his gaze to the eighth prince, just in time to meet his eyes.

There was pin-drop silence in the entire square. Everyone turned to look at the fourth prince and the eighth prince. The two of them locked eyes. Although they both had smiles on their faces and seemed calm, everyone present knew that danger lurked beneath the still waters1.

Neither the fourth prince nor the eighth prince spoke. They only looked at each other quietly. The Spell Casters behind them showed their prowess too as their immense Mind Power scanned the place unscrupulously.

At that moment, the entire square was encompassed by various forms of Mind Power. These Spell Casters' Mind Power were mostly higher than the seventh level, so they were extremely powerful. Once these swept past someone, even a Spell Caster would feel like they had no more secrets left on their bodies as though everything was laid bare for viewing.

The atmosphere of both sides was tense, and everybody had readied themselves, all set for the showdown1. Just then, the sound of horseshoes rang outside the forest. It seemed that a large troop had arrived, and there appeared to be a commotion.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

A sharp voice sounded. Then, a group of silver-armored guards quickly entered the square, and they stood in two rows. They were followed by a group of Spell Casters wearing gray robes. There were about a dozen of them, and they flew directly into the sky, surrounding the entire square. The enormous Mind Power swept through everyone at the square unbridled.

These gray-robed Spell Casters had extremely great Mind Power. The life force on their bodies were very daunting too as they were all Seventh-level Spell Casters! All of them were Spell Casters in charge of protecting the king.

There were more than a dozen Seventh-level Spell Casters. This was a number which was nearly equivalent to all the Seventh-level Spell Casters in some spell casters' organizations. However, these were just a part of the king's Spell Caster bodyguards. It sufficiently showed the heritage of the Blackmoon royal family. It was beyond what the general spell casters' organizations could compare with.

King Bhutto XVI, holder of the utmost supreme power of the Kingdom of Blackmoon, would only slowly emerge once the guards and the Spell Casters determined that there was no danger.

Clustered around by many maids, King Bhutto XVI slowly embarked onto the high platform of the square, arriving at a golden throne. Only the king could sit up there.

Everyone rose to their feet and bowed slightly to Bhutto XVI. Many of the crowd who only met Bhutto XVI for the first time were silently scrutinizing the king.

Bhutto XVI seemed to be only in his forties. His body was slightly plump, and there was a kind smile on his face, which could make people feel very affable.

In fact, Bhutto XVI had inherited the throne at the age of forty-two. He had been king for twenty-five years now and was already sixty-seven years old. However, an age less than seventy could only be considered very young for a Spell Caster like him.

Nonetheless, the most shocking discovery for Merlin was the life force on Bhutto XVI. It seemed that there was no Spell Caster life force at all as though he was just an ordinary person.

If there was anything special at all, it was definitely the purple gold crown on his head. It was almost certain that anyone who saw Bhutto XVI would be mesmerized by this purple gold crown.

The purple gold crown exuded a golden radiance. It looked extremely beautiful and seemed to radiate a natural elegance. Anybody would be fascinated by the purple gold crown.

"The Crown of Kings, one of the most precious alchemy treasures of the legendary Molta Empire royal family! Even a Great Wizard couldn't break the protection of the Crown of Kings in a short time!"

Wizard Leo, who had not uttered a single word, suddenly spoke. His voice was extremely low-toned and sluggish. Only a few people who were closest to him could hear it.

"It's actually an alchemy treasure inherited from the Molta Empire royal family!"

Merlin's heart trembled. To his surprise, this brilliant-looking purple gold crown actually held such a shocking origin. The period of Molta Empire of three-thousand and six-hundred years ago was also the most glorious era of Spell Casters. As the dictators of the entire world, the prosperity of the Molta Empire had naturally been out of this world.

Meanwhile, the royal family that controlled the empire had countless treasures. This Crown of Kings could be regarded as one of the most precious treasures in the eyes of the Molta Empire royal family. Hence, it was sensible that it was deemed extremely powerful. Even if Bhutto XVI was a Spell Caster of the lowest level, possessing the Crown of Kings would still enable him to withstand a Great Wizard's attack.

This was the most powerful effect of the Crown of Kings. As a result, the Crown of Kings could only be worn by the kings of the Kingdom of Blackmoon. If Bhutto XVI was abdicated, he must also pass on the Crown of Kings to the next king.

The current holder of the Crown of Kings, Bhutto XVI, was also very formidable. Yet, Merlin had no idea why he could not sense the true life force of Bhutto XVI, and how powerful he really was.

A strange look appeared in the eighth prince's eyes as he looked at the figure of Bhutto XVI, who gradually stepped onto the high platform and sat on the golden throne. There was also some faint excitement in between his expression as he stared at the golden throne on the high platform. He muttered under his breath, "It hasn't been more than twenty years since His Majesty had ascended the throne, but he'd already broken through many ranks. He turned from a Sixth-level Spell Caster into a Ninth-level Spell Caster he is now. In addition, he has the Crown of Kings, so even if he has to face a Great Wizard, he won't be afraid either!"

This was the heritage of the Blackmoon royal family. If a Sixth-level Spell Caster constructed spells in a step-by-step manner, it would have taken at least several decades or even centuries to gradually become a Ninth-level Spell Caster.

However, if one became king, one's strength would grow really quickly, at a speed that ordinary people could hardly imagine. That was because a king could rely on the unimaginable heritage accumulated in the royal family, coupled with the supreme power of being a king.

Hence, it would not be difficult to figure out why the fourth prince, the eighth prince, and the other members of the royal family would compete for the throne. Anyone of them who had the slightest ambition would certainly not let go of the opportunity for the treasures that one would have after ascending to the throne.

The benefits of becoming a king were so great. Which royal family member would not be tempted?

Apart from the eighth prince, the fourth prince, who was opposite him, also looked at Bhutto XVI. He too, had a lingering eagerness in his eyes. In about four or five years, Bhutto XVI would be abdicated. By that time, the best among the members of the royal family would be chosen to become the new king!

"Everyone, please have a seat."

After Bhutto XVI had sat down, he said slowly as he pressed both his hands down slightly.

One after another, the crowd on both sides of the square sat down. The eighth prince's expression had returned to his usual calmness.

"His Royal Highness, the eighth prince!"

He had just only sat down when a lady donned in palace attire walked out of the garden. She wore a white mopping dress and was surrounded by several maids. After bowing to Bhutto XVI, she went straight to the eighth prince's side.

The eighth prince revealed a gentle smile too. "Princess Chyne, you're late."

This elegant, beautiful woman who beamed with extravagance was a royal princess.

Princess Chyne sat next to the eighth prince. Thereafter, she looked at the fourth prince opposite her, revealing a dignified expression between her looks. She mumbled, "Your Royal Highness the eighth prince, you have to be wary of the fourth prince today."

Princess Chyne seemed to be in the eighth prince's camp as she was closer to the eighth prince. In fact, the entire royal family had broken off into several camps. However, there were already several princesses or great aristocrats on the fourth prince's side. While on the eighth prince's side, there was only Princess Chyne.

It was also evident that the fourth prince's force was much larger than that of the eighth prince's. The royal family members or the great aristocrats would naturally choose the fourth prince, who seemed to be more likely to inherit the throne.

As for Princess Chyne's kind advice, the eighth prince nodded in response, but he did not really care. He smiled at Princess Chyne as he replied, "Don't worry, I've prepared adequately this time!"

Princess Chyne seemed to have understood the eighth prince's arrangement. She turned her head and gave a slight nod to both Leo and Merlin.

The annual royal family hunting was not just any simple hunting event. Instead, it was required to have a grand ceremony before the start of hunting.

This grand ceremony needed to be presided over by the king personally. The process was very cumbersome, and many Spell Casters were bored by it as they began showing drowsy looks.

Merlin was no exception. He was not interested in these cumbersome rituals. So, he closed his eyes to rest.

"Hum hum hum…"

Suddenly, Merlin noticed that the slave contract he had signed with Wizard Bammou was quivering slightly.

"Is Bammou here?"

Merlin was delighted. Although he strictly ordered Wizard Bammou to arrive in four days, he was not really sure if he could arrive on time.

Now that there was a change to the servant contract, it had obviously sensed Wizard Bammou's arrival. The contract would respond only in the Imperial City or places within a relatively close distance.

Thinking of this, Merlin hurriedly stood up and said to the eighth prince, "Your Highness, I need to step out for a moment. There's a private matter that I must attend to!"

The eighth prince did not inquire further as he waved his hand. "Go, but the hunting grand ceremony is coming to an end, so you need to come back as soon as possible."

Merlin nodded. With the slave contract, he was able to find Wizard Bammou easily. It would not take him a long time.

Thus, Merlin bid farewell to everyone and turned around, making his way out of the forest.

The Chinese idiom used here can be literally translated as tempestuous storms and tumultuous waves hiding behind the face of calmness.The Chinese idiom used here can be literally translated as swords unsheathed and crossbows cocked.