The Herb King

"Sir Aethelwolf, since you have a talented daughter, why didn't you send her as a participant?" Eliazar stared at Aethelwolf curiously. With Olivia's power, she could carry the entire team of the Leone Empire and she even has the chance to help them get the top spot!

General Trevor nodded in agreement. "Sir Eliazar is right."

Olivia revealed a smug look when she heard this.

Aethelwolf shook his head and chuckled helplessly. "You've seen her yourself. She would only cause trouble in the competition. I'd rather give the opportunity to the other young talents. Besides, I have other plans for her." He was nurturing her to become a Level 5 magical beast!

After hearing his words, Eliazar and General Trevor stared at Olivia in silence. They had only met the little girl for a short time, but they had already experienced her mischievous personality.

"Let's not talk about that. I want to know more about the Crown Princess of the Azure Phoenix Empire. How come I haven't heard a lot about her? With her achievements, she should be someone famous in the Regalis Continent." Aethelwolf quickly changed the topic. He didn't want Olivia to become the center of everyone's attention. He didn't want her to carry the burden of their expectations. He just want her to enjoy life while the continent was still at peace.

General Trevor shook his head and said. "Unfortunately, I don't have any information about her, but Sir Eliazar might know a few things."

Eliazar wiped his mouth with a napkin before he started speaking. "Altina Azure is the adopted daughter of the current ruler of the Azure Pheonix Empire, Queen Shiphra Azure. I believe that you've heard of her." He looked at Aethelwolf as he said this.

Shiphra Azure, the mysterious ruler of the Azure Phoenix Empire. She is a top expert who was ranked fourth in the Heavenly Might Rankings, one spot ahead of Aethelwolf.

Aethelwolf nodded his head. He knew a few things about Shiphra.

"According to our sources, Altina isn't a human. She is birthed by nature and she possesses the blood of a Dryad! However, we aren't sure of this yet. The Azure Phoenix Empire has been mysteriously lately and they even rejected the envoys from other empires. Even the Mystic Island didn't know about Altina." Eliazar muttered.

Aethelwolf stared at Alec and asked with a smile. "Are you confident enough to fight her?" Alec was the top fighter of the Leone Empire's participants and he has the highest chance of meeting Altina on the stage. As for Janrose, she still couldn't defeat Alec at the moment. Her growth was the fastest, but Alec has more experience in fighting compared to her. This minor difference made Alec win every duel against Janrose.

Alec furrowed his eyebrows as he shook his head. "I will only know if I see her on the stage." He didn't dare boast in front of Aethelwolf and the other two top experts.

Suddenly, a Shadow Guard walked towards Aethelwolf and whispered to him. "King Aethelwolf, someone is causing trouble against our brothers. They want us to sell the Gryphons. We have investigated their background and they came from the top 2 in the Holy Rankings, the Paramount Heaven Empire."

Aethelwolf's eyes flashed with interest upon hearing this. Someone actually dared to offend them?

"Sir Aethelwolf, do you need my help? I might have retired as a Holy General, but my power is absolute in West Ocean City." General Trevor grinned menacingly.

Aethelwolf shook his head upon hearing the old general's words. "I appreciate the gesture, but I can handle this, General Trevor." He then turned his gaze to Einar and muttered in a cold voice. "Go ahead and deal with this. Just don't kill anyone."

Einar who had remained silent the entire time nodded his head calmly. "Yes, King Aethelwolf!" He then stood up and left the restaurant with the Shadow Guard.

"Sir Aethelwolf, the Paramount Heaven Empire isn't simple. Your men might have a hard time dealing with them." Eliazar muttered in a solemn tone.

"There's no need to worry. Einar can handle the situation." Aethelwolf replied confidently. From the perspective of the others, Einar was a Level 4 Esper, but what they didn't know was that he is wearing a Level 5 Aura Concealing Rune that masked his true power! In truth, Einar was already a Level 5 Esper! Coupled with his superior equipment, even an expert of the Heavenly Might Rankings would be on a tough when fighting spot against him!

Eliazar frowned as he said. "The Paramount Heaven Empire sent the White Knight as the guardian of their participants. Sir Einar would be in danger if he meets that guy!"

The White Knight was the strongest expert of the Paramount Heaven Empire and he was the former ranked 5th in the Heavenly Might Rankings before Aethelwolf came. His real name is Lark Whitmond. He is also a member of the Whitmond Imperial Family, the imperial bloodline of the Paramount Heaven Empire!

"If you are that worried about him, why don't we take a look at the situation?" Aethelwolf smiled calmly.

Eliazar didn't know where Aethelwolf's confidence comes from. He noticed Einar's unusual aura earlier and he believed that Einar was hiding his true power. However, the White Knight wasn't an ordinary expert.

The group quickly headed to the location of the commotion.

They saw the Shadow Guards led by Einar facing off against the elite soldiers of the Paramount Heaven Empire. The person leading them was a handsome middle-aged man with long golden hair. He was wearing a shiny white armor with a massive Claymore strapped on his back. This man was none other than Lark Whitmond!

The atmosphere was intense as the two groups glared at each other. The crowd quickly moved away from the area when they noticed that a fight was about to happen.

"I'll give you one last chance. Give me a price for those Gryphons and we'll leave in peace." Lark muttered calmly. He had taken an interest in the Gryphons, especially the Golden Horned Gryphon. As for where they came from, he couldn't care less.