Richard's instincts told him that he wouldn't stand a chance if he were to fight that enormous black serpent.

But that wasn't his goal — and the serpent already had a tougher opponent waiting for it.

Sterling. He only knew the man's name and that he was somewhere in this area.

He couldn't say he could find him easily, though — the lake was far too vast, even for his spiritual waves.

As he pondered over how to search, he was suddenly startled by the royal butler, who leapt from his airship onto Richard's.

"Sir Richard, I've spotted your horse," the butler said.

Those words shocked Richard more than anything else.

"Where?" he asked immediately.

It seemed this butler had an extraordinary detection ability.

"Down there — that tree!" The man pointed toward a massive tree.

Richard looked toward it — it was an apple tree, yet enormous, and the apples growing on it were larger than a human being. Still, Richard couldn't sense any spiritual energy from them; they seemed like ordinary apples, just unusually huge.

He quickly steered his vessel toward the tree.

In no time, he finally saw his horse — Athena — lying helplessly by the base of the tree, still in her gigantic form, wings and all.

"Is that Sir Richard's horse?" some of the nobles murmured.

They had seen the horse before, but in its smaller size. Now, seeing it like this, they realized Athena was a high-tier creature.

It made sense why Richard cared so deeply about her.

The moment Richard saw Athena up close, he immediately realized she had lost all her power.

She had become mortal — and that was precisely why she couldn't even stand, completely powerless.

Without her strength, how could she possibly control such a large body, let alone shrink it back down?

Whoosh!

Richard jumped down from his airship, landing beside Athena.

The horse wasn't just weak — saying she was dying wouldn't be wrong.

He touched her body and found her skin ice-cold.

"Your horse might not last another day. Her high level makes the effect of losing power even worse for her," said Master Alex.

He had suddenly appeared beside Richard, the royal butler standing slightly behind him.

Richard clenched his fists, frustration written all over his face.

Whoosh!

He first absorbed Athena into the Dragon Hall.

"Master Alex, can you help me locate the man who took my horse's power?" Richard asked.

Given the old man's strength, he assumed Alex's perception covered a far wider area than any spiritual wave he could release himself. With his Sixth Sense, Alex could probably observe things in incredible detail — even eavesdropping on conversations if he wished.

Master Alex nodded slightly, his expression turning serious.

He had previously seemed devoid of aura, but now Richard suddenly felt an immense spiritual sense spreading outward from him, sweeping across the vast lake ahead.

It was as fast as lightning.

Within moments, the old man's expression shifted to surprise.

"There's actually a huge underground chamber near the Giant Black Snake King — and it's full of powerful beasts, ranging from Tier 15 to 30, and some even higher," he said.

"Really?" Richard was somewhat astonished to hear that.

"But I don't sense any person inside," Master Alex continued, furrowing Richard's brow.

If there was no one, then where was the man named Sterling?

'Did he leave?' Richard wondered.

"Wait a moment," Master Alex added suddenly, narrowing his eyes.

A second later, his expression shifted again.

"Richard, I've found the man you're looking for. He's selling your horse's ability."

Master Alex's words immediately sent a wave of outrage through the nobles who had come along.

"Master Alex, hurry — take us there! We must crush them!"

"That's right! How dare they sell Sir Richard's horse's power!"

"This is unforgivable!"

They were all furious, still emotional after seeing Athena's pitiful state.

But Master Alex looked hesitant.

"Is something wrong?" Richard asked.

"I think I know who this Sterling is," Master Alex replied.

"Who is he?" Richard pressed again.

This world was filled with powerful figures, each with their own remarkable background — but Richard couldn't care less right now. All he wanted was revenge.

"He's not human," said Master Alex slowly, "but a Primordial Beast — a very unique kind among them. Not only can he speak, but he can also take human form."

"What? A Primordial Beast with an Ancestral Bloodline?"

"Even an Emperor Bloodline could achieve that, if refined deeply enough."

"Hmph, he must be a wild type — one that never grew among humans, so he doesn't care about rules. I never thought such a creature would appear in the Holy Star Kingdom. His ability must be extraordinary. I can't even tell what species he is."

"No, he's not wild…" Master Alex interrupted.

"Does he have a master?" the butler asked.

"He bears a Slave Seal — and I recognize the owner of that seal from its aura."

"Whose is it?" Richard asked immediately.

"Duke Ethan Holystar," Master Alex replied.

"Duke Ethan Holystar…" Richard couldn't help repeating the name — it bore the royal family's surname.

Yet he had never heard of it before.

However, both the royal butler and the nobles — including Luca — looked utterly shocked.

In fact, their expressions weren't just surprised… they were frightened.

(Richard, Duke Ethan Holystar is the king's younger brother — the youngest one, the same generation as Lady Rebecca. He's an official member of the Order of the Crimson Veil, and his influence there was already on par with Prince Charles when they were of the same age — now, it's even greater. He's strong… and infamous for being ruthless.)

Richard received Gray's telepathic message.

"Ohhh..." Richard hadn't expected that everything would once again lead to a member of the Order of the Crimson Veil, even if he was also part of the royal family.

Still, why should he care?

"Come on, chase him," he said as he returned to his vessel.

The butler and Master Alex followed him without a hint of hesitation.

However, Richard noticed that many of the nobles were starting to hesitate.

They even hesitated to step onto his vessel.

Richard could understand that they feared offending Ethan Holystar, but it still irritated him a little.

"Anyone who doesn't wish to come may return, but that would mean offending me," he said.

Many Magi were domineering and loved to intimidate others—so why couldn't he do the same?

His words naturally shocked everyone, as if they hadn't expected an eight-year-old child to say something like that.

"Hahaha…" Master Alex suddenly laughed.

"I'm here. What are you all afraid of? Hurry up," he said, waving his hand casually.

With that single motion, everyone was pushed up onto the vessel.

Richard didn't care whether they wanted to come or not. What mattered was that he was bringing them along.

He controlled the vessel to take flight immediately.

"Master Alex, where are they?" Richard asked.

"Look at that small boat," Master Alex replied, pointing toward an area not far from the Giant Black Snake King.

However, Richard couldn't see any small boat there.

Or rather, it wasn't visible due to the sheer size of the lake.

Only after they got closer did he finally spot it.

It truly was a small boat, seemingly designed for only a few people.

Once he could see it clearly, Richard noticed two men standing aboard, shaking hands.

No, there weren't just two men—there were two more who appeared to be guards accompanying one of them.

One of the men looked young, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, wearing a black hooded robe. His long blue hair and fair, slightly reddish skin stood out.

Upon closer inspection, faint light-blue scales could be seen at the corners of his dark-blue eyes.

Richard instantly knew this was Sterling, and the man shaking his hand must be the buyer. It seemed their transaction had just concluded.

The buyer was a handsome man with neatly combed brown hair, dressed in a black coat-like outfit.

He looked to be under thirty.

Naturally, Richard didn't recognize him.

"Master Alex, who is he?" Richard asked.

"Hmm, Young Master Erick Goldwood of the Goldwood Clan. That clan is a high-ranking one from the Eastern Region of the Land of Humans—they have their own territory," Master Alex replied.

Richard had never heard of this clan before. But indeed, there were many so-called high-ranking clans. They hadn't produced a Grand Sovereign, but they were powerful enough to stand on their own—similar to the Moonshadow Clan.

Their strength naturally varied depending on whether they were led by a Ruler, a Peak Ruler, or an Ancient Sovereign.

If they were led by an Ancient Sovereign, even the Holy Star Kingdom would show them respect.

However, judging from how casually Master Alex spoke about them, their strength must've been fairly average.

"The current Empress of the Holy Light Kingdom is actually the older sister of the Goldwood Clan's head, so you could say Erick is Prince Charles's cousin…" the royal butler added with a faint smile.

"Ohhh..." Richard raised his eyebrows when he heard that, but he then just smiled, not really thinking about it.

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