As he passed through the gate, Richard blended into the crowd.
His small figure quickly disappeared from sight.
There were also many children from nearby villages, brought along by their parents.
(I am Richard, the one who gathered 1000 Points in the Forest of Darkness. I was forced by Olivia Skylight to take the Slave Seal from Lady Rebeccaâs catâs corpse, and that Seal is now in her hands!)
Richard sent the message to everyone within a twenty-meter radius.
Most of the people there knew nothing about him, since they hadnât even heard of the incident in the northern Forest of Darknessâbut whether they knew or not was irrelevant.
Now they knew, and it was certain to become a topic of discussion.
Richard didnât care even if Olivia exposed his identityâbecause there was nothing wrong with who he was.
"Who just spoke?" someone wondered.
"Richard? Did he really gather 1000 Points in the Forest of Darkness?"
"So he was the one who took the Slave Seal? How bold."
"It was Olivia Skylight who forced him."
"Could it be that woman who poisoned Lady Rebeccaâs cat?"
While people whispered, Richard was already gone, and Mr. Joe hadnât heard anything.
He mounted his horse and spurred it faster.
The words he had spoken spread quickly, merging with the other rumorâthat he was only seven years old.
The more people spoke, the faster it reached Oliviaâs ears, who was almost never still, always roaming the town.
She had just stepped out of a shop when she overheard a group talking.
"Olivia Skylight, I always knew she was daring. Sheâs been toying with stronger people since long ago, but they all failed to teach her a lesson. In the end, she even surpassed them. But this time, sheâs in serious trouble..."
When her name was mentioned, Olivia instinctively froze mid-step, though the people speaking hadnât noticed her.
"Mm, most likely sheâs the one who poisoned Lady Rebeccaâs cat. Apple Town isnât that bigâthere arenât many who could do such a thing. But to provoke Lady Rebecca... things wonât end well for that woman."
"I think she wasnât so smart this time. Forcing a child to act for herâonly for that child to expose her secret."
"But that boy is incredible too. Heâs only seven, yet it seems heâs already a True Magus."
"Yes, his power is far too great. The only explanation is that he already has an Aether Will to control all his gathered Aether."
"Richard, heâs actually..."
Oliviaâs cheeks flushed as she realized what had happened.
How could he have told othersâhow could he even say she forced him? Werenât they supposed to be partners? Hadnât she paid him with something valuable?
Whoosh!
Overcome with unease, Olivia vanished.
The distance between Apple Town and Night Valley City might seem far, but great news traveled quickly. Some people sent messages via carrier pigeons that flew at astonishing speeds.
Within just a few hours, Richardâs name spread among the upper circles of Night Valley City.
A seven-year-old boy who had already reached the Realm of Aether Willâsuch a thing had never been heard of before.
Among those who heard was Mrs. Wilson, who received the information directly from a servant of Lady Rebeccaâs household, even in the form of a letter sent straight from Apple Town.
From the servant, the news should have gone to Rebecca herself.
But for Mrs. Wilson, this was no simple matter. The boyâs name was Richardâand he was seven years old.
She instantly guessedâit truly was Richard.
But that name... it was the very name Rebecca had wanted for her child before his birth. Mrs. Wilson herself had told Sister Lisa that the babyâs name was Richard back then.
Could the young master truly have already reached the Realm of Aether Will? At the time, I did feel he had gathered a lot of Aether, but this is far too fast, she thought.
How will madam react if she hears this? Even if she never cared about her sonâs fate, she could hardly forget his name and age.
Mrs. Wilson grew restless.
It would be dangerous to hide such a thing from Rebecca.
She would eventually hear of it anyway.
After much hesitation, Mrs. Wilson decided to tell her. She walked to a door on the second floor of the grand castle.
Knock! Knock!
"Madam, itâs me..." she called.
"Enter. Iâm not busy." A cold voice echoed from within.
Mrs. Wilson pushed the door open.
A black-haired woman in a black gown sat by the window, sipping tea.
She looked as though she were in her mid-twenties, yet carried a mature aura.
Her expression was more than indifferentâshe seemed utterly detached from life itself, as though she would remain unmoved even if the world collapsed.
Her eyes were cold and filled with a clear ambition.
All of it matched perfectly with her pale, beautiful face.
"What is it, Mrs. Wilson?" Rebecca asked.
"Madam, I have just received information from Apple Townâabout a new genius, and about someone suspected of killing your cat," Mrs. Wilson replied, taking out the letter and handing it to Rebecca so she could read it herself.
Rebecca accepted the letter and began reading.
In no time, her brows knitted together.
Just that reaction alone was enough to make Mrs. Wilsonâs heart pound.
But in the end, Rebeccaâs response went no further.
"Send people to find Olivia Skylight. And that genius, I think heâs a great talent, even if heâs training a Codex that absorbs Tier 1 Aether, his talent is still very, very high. If his identity is found, recruit him, give him any offer until he agrees. If necessary, tell him he can marry my daughter. I will train him and make him start all over again with a better Codex," she said.
At that, Mrs. Wilson swallowed hard, wondering whether this woman had no suspicion at all that it was her own son.
But on reflection, she realizedâRebecca didnât even know which orphanage her child had been sent to.
And now she wanted to recruit himâgoing so far as to marry him to her daughter.
That daughter was not her real child, but her adopted oneâthe rising star of Night Valley City. She was also seven years old, yet even with all the Moonshadow Familyâs resources, she was still far from the Realm of Aether Will.
At present, she had only gathered about 500 Aetherâstill a long way off.
After a long silence, Mrs. Wilson nodded.
She turned around and took a step while wondering what if Rebecca knew that Richard was training a Codex that absorbed Tier 3 Aether.
"Call Grace here," Rebecca added as Mrs. Wilson reached the door.
The latter nodded again.
Not long after, a black-haired girl who resembled Rebecca in style appeared at the doorway.
Even at her young age, her extraordinary beauty was evident, and her cold demeanor was strikingly similar to Rebeccaâs.
The only difference was her hairâperfectly straight, her bangs falling neatly to cover her forehead.
And her blood-red eyes sometimes gave the impression that she wasnât entirely human.
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