While they were waiting for the young master of Steel Rose family, all the other students participating in the test had finished. They walked past the barrier without being stopped, and their instructor beckoned them over to the side.

Looking at the two still trapped, it couldn’t be helped that a flurry of conversation entailed.

“What do you think happened?”

“They must have done something wrong to be trapped… maybe they took something?”

“Nah, most probably they destroyed a spirit herb while extracting.”

“But, in that case, wouldn’t they have failed today’s lesson?”

“That’s for sure, and now they have stirred up trouble with the Steel Rose family, they are going to suffer for it.”

“I don’t think so. Do you know who those people are?”

“Why? It’s not as if they have four arms and two heads.”

“They might as well have… Look at the one standing at the side, that person is Kairos!”

“It’s him, the youngest Earl? No wonder he looks unconcerned.”

Their instructor, San Du Hou, had been here from the start, but instead of helping he looked on with a smile on his face.

The head instructors, Yi De, Er Tian, and San Du Hou, each come from one of the ten great clans of the Free Factions.

Their pupils are made up of talented individuals from a humble background, or those who wanted to leave their aristocracy behind.

Each of them had to grow in an environment filled with savage competition, but those that survive in the end shines far more brightly.

Unlike the children born in noble homes, they had to revolve every problem with their own strength. And, likewise, San Du Hou did not want to interfere with his student’s affairs.”

They did not have to wait for long before Von Cixton arrives from the teleportation circle.

He had owed the guard a huge favour when he was younger. At that time, because his rare Time Elemental affinity had slowed his cultivation speed he was the least of his siblings to be considered as the next family head.

The competition between the heirs had always been brutal, and because of his poor performance, Von received fewer privileges and resources.

But, the treasure, a Ki Stone, that an adventurer gave him, completely changed his situation around.

With its help, and together with his hard work he consistently took second or third place within the heirs.

Unfortunately, because of Kairos, his reputation had recently backslidden quite a fair bit.

He had clashed with the self-made noble three times but, no matter it was business, academic, or combat, he had faced defeat each time.

His ambition to become heir apparent became a faraway dream instantly. The family will not consider him as the next family head if he is inferior to an outsider in every way.

But, this does not mean Von was not brilliant. His only fault was choosing the wrong opponent.

Fortunately, though his reputation had fallen, his fame became more widespread than before because of Kairos.

Due to how fast the Earl was rising in prominence, every family kept Kairos under heavy scrutinising, and because of this, they recognised Von’s Time dilation ability.

This trump card of his is bound to be revealed, sooner than later. In exchange for being acknowledged, and making the others realise his loss was because Kairos was such a monster, it somehow ended up in his favour.

However, Von is still a young man at 15 years old and filled with competition in his blood. When he saw Kairos, his eyes turned triumphant at once.

“Finally, I have you by your collar.”

He strode forward with wind in his steps, and stopped before his rival with patronising eyes, “Well met again, Lord Kairos.”

“Lord Von,” Kairos nodded.

“I’ve heard your friends ate some spirit herbs, and are stirring up trouble?”

When the elder heard this, his face turned bleak, “Stir up trouble? No… young master, the one creating trouble right now, is you!”

The third young master is definitely here to sow discord.

“I wouldn’t say trouble. Just that your Steel Rose family could not decide on an amount.”

For Kairos, a hundred and thirty white gold is a small amount.

Honestly, even a hundred and thirty platinum is something he could pay without blinking an eye. However, he had no plans to budge on the price. As the leader, he is now no longer only responsible for his own actions, but also have to keep in mind for the interest of every member in his clan.

Having been taught by Fritzgen, he learned that building a reputation precedes even business relationships. It is good if the Snowdrifts are seen as generous, but no matter what, they cannot allow being taken advantage of.

He had seen how the people were subjugated in the Silent Lambs Empire, while the Phrixus royal family profited, and Fritzgen used the citizens as an example of what happens when a group are seen as weak.

“Are not the common people a force of their own? The Phrixus royal family could not overwhelm them, yet, because they are not one but many, they have to live under the rule of a smaller, and weaker, group.”

Having seen and experienced the sights of the Silent Lambs Empire, Kairos know that sometimes, taking just one small step back may be the same has handing one’s freedom into another’s hands.

“Young master Von!” the Elder urged, “It was only a small matter, incomparable with what the Astroire family means to us.”

Von Cixton frowned. He could hear the warning behind the elder’s words, and he gestured hinting that he knew what to do. Of course, the elder did not believe him at all.

“Lord Kairos, I’ve only heard a little from my guard, please allow me a moment to find out what happened.”

There was a moment of silence as the elder played the video recording for the young master, and afterwards, Von turned to Kairos with an uneasy look on his face.

“Lord Kairos, it looked as though my man had been brash. However, considering how much your friends had taken, we will have to stay with the price of a hundred and thirty White Gold.”

Despite knowing it is ineffectual, for Von Cixton to make Kairos fork out such an amount is a small victory and a form of satisfaction. Even if there is not a thing he could do to revenge, they are in the right in this situation.

While the elder hung his head, the guard smiled again, giving the boys a look of loathing.

“Now, what can you do except to call your family to ransom you?”

To infuriate them, he had inflated the price to the degree that he believes only heirs from the Three Great Nobles could afford.

In this same situation, even someone as wealthy as Calculus would need to call for backup, and if an heir requires assistance, then his position in the family will backslide. After all, these young masters are tested to prove themselves worthy in becoming the next family heir. Everything they do is recorded.

The guard believing that he had created a significant setback for Kairos and his group were smiling from ear to ear.

He could not imagine that they had no competitors and already accomplished nobles in the Silent Lambs Empire through virtuous deeds.

Kairos returned the guard’s smile, “The money is not an issue. However, I don’t understand how could the Steel Rose family allow such a dangerous herb to grow in their medical gorge?”

“It… it probably was mixed in with the other herbs…,” the guard said with his arrogance deflated.

“In that case, shouldn’t the Steel Rose family be responsible for their carelessness?”

“This…,” the elder became extremely anxious. It was an opportunity to patch the volatile relationship between the Steel Rose and the Snowdrifts, but he now realised that there are a lot of people in his family that likes to court death.

Why is it so hard to shelf one’s pride?

Don’t they know that there are some people just cannot be meddled with?

“Young master, just as Lord Kairos says, it is our fault in the first place,” he quickly interceded.

“Even so, you benefited from the result,” Von said stubbornly. Kairos could see that he is still nursing his sore pride from the previous defeats, and couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

“In that case, then the Snowdrifts should send you an invoice instead.”

“Huh?”

“You see, you gained valuable information from me. Isn’t the benefits of the Life Taker a significant discovery?”

“How dare you! Do you understand who you are speaking to? This is the third young master of the Steel Rose family!” the guard exploded at once.

At the same time, the elder pleaded, “Lord Kairos… spare this old me. I just want to retire peacefully.”

The way this conversation is going, he will soon be sent to another place. Most probably, joining his predecessor, the grand elder, in the desert.

Then guard added, “Ridiculous! They are the ones that purposely hurt and consumed our spirit herbs. Our Steel Rose family only agreed to assist the academy in pill-making materials, but instead of harvesting what they need, the lot went about trampling everything.”

He had enough with the wimpy elder and pointed at Alan and Jim, full of fire in his eyes. His posture shows that if he could, he would have stabbed his finger into the boys with reproach.

“That’s it… I better start packing up… I wonder if I can get my hands on some Heaven Titan Grade water element lotion for the skin. God knows I will need it,” the elder mumbled to himself.

“You’re speaking out of place,” Von warned, and immediately the guard took a step back. However, the glee on his face could not be wiped away.

“Lord Kairos, please do not mind.”

“Of course,” came a swift and confident reply.

Kairos paused then added like an afterthought, “Because, Lord Von, should we discuss about the ‘intentions’ behind what transpired, then things will surely become difficult for you and I’m not sure if you can endure the aftermath. See… Perhaps, my friends plucked those herbs callously. But, likewise, the Steel Rose family might've placed the Life Taker here on purpose as well.”

“No… Ah… It’s our mistake to have a ranked poison mixed in when we transferred the spirit herbs to our gorge,” Von realised the true danger of pressing Kairos too hard almost at once, and he immediately backed down, “Please overlook us for poor hosts.”

The guard watched with wide eyes, unable to understand – to accept - what happened. When he saw how disrespectful these boys were, towards the Steel Rose’s authority, he could no longer control himself and used up the favour owed for the young master Von to uphold the family’s prestige. Then, how did things turn out this way?

He had always looked up to the Steel Rose family. Lofty and magnificent, beyond the reach of common men. The highest authority beneath the emperor and filled with compassion for the masses by supplying medicines throughout the land.

He couldn’t stand the smell of wild beasts that the Great Noble, Sun and Moon clan, is fond of. The Great Noble house, the Dark Gods, are even more detestable with all their unsavoury reputation of being pirates and the scourge of Gaia.

In his heart, the Steel Rose family are the only true Great Noble house. He had aspired to join the noble house and braved death countless times in the labyrinth for the treasure he gave to Von. The man conveniently forgot the fact that in the first place it is impossible for him to keep such an artefact with his strength.

He did not know that the young master he looked up to had already received plenty of wisdom-growing ‘advice’ from their family leader, Floretinus, using their family heirloom – the rod of bonking.

Despite how Von couldn’t stomach his loss towards Kairos, he had to stuff his temper back down his own throat forcefully. After all, although they are both Earls, Kairos is considered the youngest Earl by deed and not by inheritance.

The difference between the two is indeed huge.

“And the payment?” Kairos pressed.

“The… the Life Taker costs ten White Gold at most on the market.”

“What about the cost of three barons and an earl’s lives?”

“…..”

“And the life of a Red Robe?”

The third young master and the guard paled at the same time. The choosing of a new Red Robe is something publically announced, and few wouldn’t know. Unfortunately, Von had forgotten this fact, and his guard had not bothered to find out the names of these young boys.

Despite being someone from the Three Great Noble families, he is not an Imperial Robe possessor. That means, the Empire can lose Von, but not Kairos.

If a Red Robe possessor insists that a dangerous poison, like the Life Taker, is here on purpose, Von and the whole Steel Rose family could not afford the consequences.

The third young master stared daggers into the guard.