Chapter 184: Fighting Energy Seal, Roy’s Plan

‘A Second-class Apprentice?’

Roy’s answer made Selena and Monica even more curious about who he really was.

The fact that Roy had the power to instantly kill a Silver Great Knight was surprising enough.

But learning he was also a Second-class Apprentice was completely beyond their imagination.

As First-class Apprentices who practiced a Meditation Technique, they knew very well just how difficult it was.

To say nothing of the Wizard Talent required to practice a Meditation Technique,

simply getting started with a Meditation Technique was leagues harder than with a Breathing Technique.

Take them, for example.

After discovering they had Wizard Talent, it took them nearly a year just to get the hang of the Meditation Technique.

And it had taken them three years just to become First-class Apprentices.

Three years might not seem very long.

But the problem was that First-class Apprentice was the lowest level of the Apprentice Stage.

In the Knight ranking system, this was roughly equivalent to an Initial Tier Knight who had just condensed a Life Seed.

Selena and Monica had always considered themselves prodigies for practicing both a Breathing Technique and a Meditation Technique simultaneously.

However, Roy’s appearance taught them that there was always someone better.

Compared to Roy—a suspected Golden Great Knight and a Second-class Apprentice to boot—the talent they took such pride in was utterly insignificant.

What they didn’t know was that Roy was hiding the true extent of his power.

If they knew he possessed six Tier Nine Seeds, had Spiritual Power rivaling that of a Third-class Apprentice, and had mastered ten Level Zero Spells, then they would truly understand the meaning of a hopelessly vast disparity.

‘We can’t make an enemy of him, no matter what!’

‘We have to do everything we can to win him over!’

‘Even if we can’t get him to join our clan, we have to at least make him view it favorably!’

Selena and Monica immediately exchanged a look, communicating everything with just their eyes.

When Roy saw Selena and Monica turn to look at each other, he knew they were at it again—communicating silently with that unique understanding only twins possessed.

However, he didn’t interrupt their silent conversation. Instead, he precisely manipulated his Spiritual Power to dim the light radiating from the Guiding Crystal Ball.

Once the Guiding Crystal Ball’s glow was soft and no longer harsh, he said to Selena and Monica, “Let’s go.”

“Right!”

Selena and Monica replied in unison.

Roy said nothing more. Following the Guiding Crystal Ball’s directions, he led Selena and Monica to a passage on their left, at roughly the seven o’clock position, and entered first.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Selena and Monica quickly followed.

With the Guiding Crystal Ball providing the correct path, the maze-like tunnels posed no trouble for them.

After walking for over half an hour, Roy and the others emerged from the Lost Cave and found themselves back in the forest at its entrance.

After exiting the Lost Cave, Roy first handed the Guiding Crystal Ball back to Selena, then asked, “Are we heading to the Evil Spirit Cat Clan’s territory, or to Storm City?”

“Storm City!”

Selena replied quickly.

Unlike the nobles of the Laine and Kalin Kingdoms, any noble family in the Sal Empire with sufficient means would choose to establish their headquarters in Storm City rather than in a castle on their own territory.

The reasons for this were quite simple.

First, it facilitated communication and cooperation with other noble families.

Second, the quality of life in Storm City was simply better.

Storm City wasn’t just the Capital City of the Sal Empire; it was also its economic hub and a “great international metropolis” renowned across the continent.

In addition to the native residents of the Sal Empire, Storm City was also home to many nobles, Knights, merchants, and tourists from other nations.

Some of these people came from neighboring countries, while others hailed from the southern and northern parts of the continent.

Those who came from the farthest away traveled by ocean-faring vessels from the various nations of the West, on the other side of the continent.

According to unofficial estimates, Storm City had a permanent population of around four million people.

Of these, only about 80% were citizens of the Empire; the rest were from other nations.

“Well, if we’re going to Storm City, we shouldn’t waste time. Let’s head out.”

Roy said unhurriedly.

“Alright!”

Selena nodded.

…

「One week later.」

Roy and the two sisters stood on a small hill outside Storm City, gazing at the sprawling metropolis in the distance.

By now, Roy had already removed his mask.

To be precise, he had taken it off on the third day after they left the Lost Cave.

‘Selena and Monica were bound to see his real face sooner or later, so he figured he might as well get it over with.’

Even though he had removed his mask, he still hadn’t told them his true identity.

‘There was no way they could guess he was Roy Wesley from the Laine Kingdom based on his appearance alone.’

‘Take a simple example.’

‘Everyone in the Sal Empire knew that the current King was Edward III.’

‘But if the King went to another city under a different name, few people would recognize him unless they had met him in person.’

‘If that was true for Edward III, it was even more true for someone like him, who was only famous within the Laine Kingdom.’

For Roy, the week-long journey had been nothing, even bordering on leisurely.

But for Selena and Monica, it was a frantic journey, the likes of which they had never experienced.

Although they had decent Cultivation Talent, they were still only Black Iron Great Knights.

For a Black Iron Great Knight, crossing more than half the Empire in just one week—all the way from a border province in the northwest to Storm City in the east—was an incredibly difficult feat.