After flying for thirteen days, the five Fire-winged eagles landed in the Dukedom capital.

The Dukedom capital is three time larger than the Marquis city and most of the nearby woods are completely cleared out of the beasts.

One can stay without a worry of the beasts in these outskirts. There is only one worry and that is other humans.

This time, Sam didn't plan to bring his restaurant business here. He doesn't know what he would be facing in the tests and he doesn't have anyone to take care of his businesses in his absence. At least in the Blue flame city, Chaya is there to take care of things.

After landing a person came and directed them to the quarters provided.

As they walked, Sam watched the estate. This place is isolated from the city and he could see various beasts which seemed to be the transportation of the other Marquis teams.

There are ten buildings in the estate and nine of the belongs to the nine Marquis cities and the remaining might belong to the Dukedom city.

After they entered the quarters and settled down, Marquis Blue flame gathered them and gave them the required briefing on the Dukedom.

This city is called Southern Star city and the Dukedom is called Southern star dukedom.

There are eight dukedoms in this empire and all of them are named after the direction they are in followed by star.

And apparently all of them share a border with the empire which they are sharing the western continent with.

The Blue flame Marquis' territory is the southern most of all and didn't share a border. That is why, they are also last to come.

Almost all the other participants are here.

The Dukedom city has three main experts and all three of them are Nascent stage cultivators.

The Duke himself is a Peak stage Nascent and the remaining two are Generals who are middle-stage Nascent experts.

One of them is the General Spark who the Marquis spoke of. He is in charge of all the troops of the Dukedom that includes all the army camps placed in various Marquis territories. And most importantly this guy is the father-in-law of the Blue flame Marquis.

Even though, there are native in-charges of their places, General Spark is the top of this pyramid and all of them are under his jurisdiction.

The second one is General Mercury. He is in charge of the internal safety. All the city guards come under his jurisdiction.

As for the rest. The Southern star academy is not only the best in the Dukedom, they also collaborate with the four major professions and have the students learn within the academy. These four tower heads send the necessary instructors to the academy.

Finally, there are a total of six noble families and all of them are of same level as a Marquis' family.

But their scope of authority is less and they don't have any territory under them except their estates.

By the time, the brief exchange was over, a visitor arrived.

"Blue Flame Marquis."

A man who seemed to be in early forties walked through the side as he called the Marquis who is facing all the candidates.

Marquis turned around and seemed a little stunned by that person's arrival. He came out of his shock and greeted that person.

"Greetings General Spark."

The candidates were surprised. Just now Marquis explained that this man is one of the three most powerful people in the Dukedom.

But two people are clearly delighted to see them and they are the Brothers Zeke and Blue fire.

"Grandfather." (x2)

Both of them greeted him in unison as they delightedly walked towards him.

The man who seemed to be in his forties actually nearly seventy years old.

But he looked only fifty because of the Nascent stage cultivation.

In the Cultivation stages until Grand realm, the only changes in the body are health, physique, size of the spiritual core and the amount of spiritual energy. Other than that, there are not many changes in aging and life span of the person.

In this world where the pollution is negligible and the environment is pure, the average life span of a healthy person is around 120 to 130 years and if a person is a Grand stage expert, his life span would be at most 150 years.

But the Nascent stage changes everything. One can even divide the whole cultivation into different phases as before Nascent and after Nascent. Of course, this applies only in these lower realms.

In the Nascent stage, the human body will be undergoing a physical reformation along with the spiritual core.

In this stage the cells of the person will undergo a sort of rebirth and the vitality increased at the same time the spiritual core will start to resemble an infinite space.

As name implied the Nascent stage is the start of realising one's full potential. The changes in this stage will not only decide their final point of cultivation, but also their stand amongst their peers.

There are basically three things that can decide these things.

The first and most important one is the infinite space of the spiritual core. This infinite space is not real but just something the cultivator has perceived in his core.

In this infinite space, along with the development and advancement in the substages of the Nascent realm cultivation, a spiritual sea will be formed from the centre and the extent of its development are the indications of the final point of their cultivation.

The second thing is the body honing or the spiritual sea density.

During this reformation, the cultivators try to take advantage of it and try to hone their body if they are warriors and increase the density of the spiritual energy in their spiritual sea which are proportionate to the battle prowess.

Okay we are way off topic, back to the room.

The General ignored everyone as he talked with his grandsons and then looked at the group. He seemed to be searching for someone and his gaze has lingered on Sam for a tad bit longer.

After that, he looked at Marquis and asked.

"Why is there an extra person?"

"He is not a candidate, but he is a subordinate of someone."

The General frowned immediately and looked to be in displeasure.

"Whose subordinate, is he?"

Marquis pointed at Sam.

General looked at Sam and said.

"This is not your home and you cannot bring the subordinates here. This place is for the participants who doesn't have living arrangements made in the city. This is a gesture from Duke to make it convenient for you, not to let you free load by bringing extra baggage."

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked at the General with a cold look. When he looked at Zeke's mixed emotional face and Blue fire's gloating face and finally Marquis' anxious face, he knew that this guy must be targeting him on purpose.

The message from the first wife surely arrived and this general is really taking it out on him. After all, if this is a rule, Marquis must not have missed such an obvious one.

"So, that means we can stay in the city if we have our own arrangements?" Sam asked without replying for the earlier statement.

"Do so if you can. But you cannot bring your subordinate here." He said those words and ignored him before turning towards Marquis.

"The tests and other related matters will be announced tomorrow; you can roam around the city as you wish but you have to gather in the estate by dawn."

He then looked at Sam and said.

"Send him out immediately or you can get out with him."

Sam didn't say anything and took out his harbinger, Watt followed suit as he took out his board. There is a string of letters etched on the side. Silver Wind.

Since, Sam is not got at naming he asked Watt to do it himself.

Sam didn't even look at the Marquis as he spoke.

"Contact me with communication token if anything comes up."

Then with the air whistling, Sam and Watt left the place in speed of wind.

"Damn it, he might be buying another house." Philip said under his breath, but everyone clearly heard it even the General.

"Humph, not any tom, d.i.c.k and Harry can afford a place here." He snorted and gestured Marquis to talk in private.

But Marquis, Jack, Philip even Kelly and Hawk are shaking their heads.

Its true not any Tom, D.i.c.k and Harry can buy a place, but is Sam any Tom D.i.c.k and Harry.

He is SAM, when has he ever failed in getting what he wants.

But the general didn't think much of their thoughts.

Even though, he was stunned by the hovering boards, he only thought that Sam and Watt would be finding an Inn.

He took a communication token and said.

"Mark two guys who are moving on some floating objects, follow them and let all the inns and restaurants know that he cannot be taken as a customer, if he was to dine or stay in any of these establishments, I will hold you responsible."

He didn't even wait for other party's answer and turned the token off. But Marquis was stunned.

General looked at him and said.

"Do you have something to say regarding my second grandson?" His voice was solemn.

"I have nothing to say. He is executed because he did something he shouldn't have."

"Why should I believe you?"

Marquis thought for a bit and said.

"Do you know Black water?" General was stunned when he heard these words.

"How do you know that name?" His voice was frantic and a bit anxious. If the neighbouring empire is an external enemy then the Black water is an internal enemy of the empire. Even though, he is not in charge of the internal safety, he knew who they are.

"Luther is working for them, here, these are the scrolls I found in his ring." He took out a bunch of scrolls which contained the duties of Luther in the organisation.

Marquis didn't ask for Luther's ring for no reason. He asked it for these scrolls, he can just take them away but he thought that there might be possibility that Sam might know about these scrolls based on his intelligence gathering scope. That is why he shot an arrow in the dark and it hit the target.

When the general looked through them, he was stunned. He didn't know that a Black water branch was eradicated and that happened in his son-in-law's city.

If he knew that, Sam was the one who did the work, one must wonder how he would think.

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