Chapter 375: News

Half an hour later, Soren received another investment notification, this time for Malakor. The returns were smaller than Commander Ervin’s: just +5000 mana and an elixir, probably because Malakor had no hidden injuries. Still, it seemed that Malakor’s loyalty and respect for Soren had deepened considerably.

It improved Soren’s mood since he regarded Malakor as a real magic beast bond instead of a slave now. Though he doubted Malakor would ever change how he addressed him in the near future.

Meanwhile, Ethea exchanged a few messages with the princess again, and they continued tracking the latest updates on the outcasts.

Then, around six in the morning, a new headline exploded across the internet.

"Outcasts’ Hidden Lair Raided — Leader Escapes!"

The article revealed that a group of the empire’s sovereigns had uncovered the outcasts’ hidden lair and launched a full raid, capturing most of the remaining members. However, their leader had managed to slip away while sustaining severe injuries.

Not long after, another news bulletin broke, reporting a chaotic breakout during a prisoner transfer. The Hollow pair and several other high-risk criminals were killed in the clash. Amid the chaos, however, a mysterious individual had appeared and took Lucent away without leaving a trace.

Soren and Ethea were clearly troubled by the news. The Outcasts’ leader was still alive and on the run, despite being injured. Lucent had escaped too, and whoever had taken him was powerful enough to bypass the Empire’s security and disappear without a trace. That left them vulnerable to becoming targets once again.

They could understand the leader escaping. A Sovereign was a Sovereign. They wielded enough power to destroy nations and reshape continents. Cornering one was difficult enough, but killing or capturing one was another matter entirely. Yet letting a mortal escape right in front of their eyes? That was harder to swallow.

’...The Empire is more incompetent than I thought.’ Soren thought with a wry smile, but kept the thought to himself. Criticizing the Empire in front of its knights wouldn’t do them any favors. However, he still decided to ask Ethea’s opinion. ’What do you think, dear?’

’As long as we’re near the academy, they won’t target us anytime soon.’ Ethea answered thoughtfully. ’Besides, they said he took serious injuries; unless he has supreme elixirs, it will take years to recover from them. However, we should stay on guard and remain cautious to prevent today from repeating itself.’

’Mm, I had the same idea.’ Soren nodded. ’By the way, Ryan and I are going to start clearing the gate whenever we’re free, starting today. Will you be able to stay with his family when we’re gone?’

Ethea paused. ’I can. But... are you going to leave Malakor with me?’

’Of course. He’ll stay with you the whole time.’

She nodded, then hesitated. ’Is it really necessary, though? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on cultivating and training instead? You can gain more from meditation than from gate diving.’

Soren smiled. ’Clearing gates is training for me. It’s just as beneficial as cultivating, maybe more. So trust me on this... Actually, I’m aiming to break through to the fifth circle as quickly as possible too.’

Ethea studied him for a moment. ’...Just don’t overdo it. Cultivating more slowly and steadily is fine too. There’s no need to rush.’

’I’ll keep that in mind.’ Soren promised. ’But the same goes for you. Don’t push yourself hard.’

’Mmm.’

’Good.’ Soren smiled, planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, and let his thoughts drift to his cultivation.

Actually, he wasn’t too worried about his progress. To reach the 9th circle, one needed to comprehend an Authority, and since he already had one, it meant his potential was at least 9th circle, so he didn’t have to worry about bottlenecks or limits like many others. All he had to do was keep pushing forward. With Eternal Bond tripling his cultivation speed, constant mana returns from investments and threads, absorption from killing monsters, and Core Refinement passively liquefying his mana, reaching the 5th circle was only a matter of time.

’I’ll need your help when it comes to breakthrough, though.’ He chuckled. ’You’re more knowledgeable about it than I am, and you’ve experienced it personally, too.’

’I’ll help however I can.’ Ethea agreed readily.

’I wonder how long it will take this time, though...’

The higher a cultivator’s rank, the longer it took to break through. Talent affected the time, but the general rule still held. When he pushed into the fourth circle, the process had taken a little over a day. Ethea had been stunned by the speed, considering that her own attempt back then required five full days of uninterrupted concentration, a pace already considered the best among her peers.

’I should make preparations for it too...’ He thought, and his thoughts naturally drifted to the things he would need and the environment that would give him the best chance of success.

Just then, Malakor’s voice echoed in his mind.

’Master, Commander Ervin is approaching your room.’

Soren nodded and turned to Ethea. ’Commander Ervin is here. I’ll go welcome him.’

Ethea nodded softly in response as Soren left the room and made his way to the entrance. He opened the door just as the commander reached their room. "Commander, please, come in."

"I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I can’t." The commander said apologetically.

"Is something the matter?" Soren asked curiously. "Something related to the Outcasts."

"Partly, yes. But mostly it’s orders from above. My superiors have called me back. There are matters that require my attention elsewhere." He paused, then met Soren’s eyes. "I came to bid farewell before I left."

"I see," Soren said, nodding in understanding. "I wish you a safe journey, Commander. And once again, thank you for coming to our aid."

Commander smiled and shook his head. "It should be me thanking you, Mr. Everly. What you gave me helped more than you know. So, I wanted to express my gratitude in return."

He paused and presented Soren with two items. A silver metal token and a small blue magic bead.

"This token bears my personal crest," he explained. "If you ever need to reach me, show it to any Imperial Knight, and they’ll know how to contact me. And this bead is a teleportation artifact. It’s single-use, but it can take you to any place you’ve visited before. I hope it proves useful."

"This..."