"The barbarian tribe is asking for help?" Richard felt like heâd misheard something.
"City Lord, they occasionally ask for assistanceâsuch as requesting antidotes or help in crafting artifacts or weapons. These are things they canât do themselves. This time, the barbarian chief is seeking a rare antidote for his wife and is willing to pay any price," Arthur explained.
"Whatâs the name of their tribe?" Richard asked.
"The Red Bear Tribe," Arthur replied.
"Alright, tell their chief to come here with his wife. Iâll help remove the poison from her," Richard ordered.
Arthur was slightly startled by that.
"City Lord, the antidote is extremely rare and can only be purchased in the capital. Itâs also very expensive," he said.
"No need. My power can handle it," Richard replied, waving his hand, signaling Arthur to go inform the tribe.
Richard thought this wouldnât be too difficult with his Sacred Flame.
The reason he was interested was because the tribe supposedly possessed an artifact capable of gathering Aetherâa kind of Star Wheel.
They usually sold a portion of the Aether they collected in exchange for items they lacked.
Richard waited inside his castle, unsure when they would arrive.
But before long, he suddenly saw Master Alex appear before the castle, wearing a bright smile.
"Master Alex..." Richard greeted him first, wondering what he had obtained from the Goldwood Clan.
When the old man reached him, he suddenly pulled out a pair of silver gloves.
"Each of us gets one," he said, handing the left one to Richard.
"Whatâs this?" Richard asked instinctively as he accepted it, confused.
He could sense a faint power from the gloves but wasnât sure of their purpose.
He figured they werenât meant to enhance oneâs physical strength.
If they were, he didnât need them. His Dragon Fist was already more than powerful enoughâit was so strong that he didnât need an artifact to boost it.
"This isnât something thatâll enhance your strength. You could say its purpose isnât about power at all," Master Alex said.
"Then what is it for?"
Richard wasnât obsessed only with strengthâif something was useful, he naturally liked it.
"Here, look..." Master Alex put the glove on his hand.
Right before Richardâs eyes, he then touched one of the castleâs pillars.
The result surprised Richard greatly.
The gloved hand actually passed through the pillarâor more precisely, it phased into it, as if the solid structure were made of mist, smoke, or light.
"Thatâs its abilityâit can penetrate anything. It conceals a trace of spatial power. At least for me, I need it for certain tasks," Master Alex explained.
Richard didnât know what to say.
To him, his Void Element already did something far superior.
It could envelop his entire body, not just his hands.
"Sister Lisa, this is for you!" Richard said, handing the glove to Sister Lisa, who wasnât far behind him. She had followed him ever since he went to meet Master Alex.
"You...?" Master Alex was taken aback by Richardâs decision.
But clearly, he couldnât find words to comment.
"By the way, Master Alex, earlier today I received a letter from Ethan..." Richard changed the topic, explaining about the letter and his reply, then asked the old man to tell him more about Ethan.
As for the bounty on his head, Richard was too lazy to discuss it with someone he didnât fully trust yet.
Besides, he had already spread the rumor that it was just a hoax made up by Prince Charles.
"Richard, I need to tell youâEthan isnât someone easy to deal with. He may not have been born with a top-tier talent, but his development truly resembles that of one. Itâs something very rare. I havenât seen him in a long time, but from what I know, within the Order of the Crimson Veil, his influence is extremely strong. If he really needs Sterling, then heâll probably grant your request," Master Alex said.
"However, you must realizeâhe probably sees you as a thorn in his side. I know very well how much he hates situations like this, but a brat like you trying to extort him? Isnât that quite the ridiculous joke to him?" Master Alex laughed.
"The only reason heâs holding back is because of the woman who helped you fight the Lord of Crimson Veil. Heâs probably trying to figure out just how strong she really is..."
As he said that, Master Alex gave Richard a curious look.
He was clearly intrigued by the strength of the Queen of the Fire Spirits.
People only knew that she had easily rendered the Lord of Crimson Veil helplessâforcing him to cut off his own arm just to keep his body from burning to ashes.
But no one had been able to determine her exact level of power.
Richard only smiled without saying anything.
"Well then, boy, Iâll take my leave," Master Alex said when he saw that Richard wasnât going to reply.
With that, he flew into the sky at high speed.
Richard returned to the castle.
"Richard, is this really for me?" Sister Lisa asked in disbelief as she held the glove.
Indeed, it could still be used by ordinary humansâas long as it was supplied with Spirit Energy.
Of course, as a Sky Armor Knight, Sister Lisa could channel energy from her armor instead.
"Just keep it. I donât need it. If I hold onto it, Iâll probably forget about it anyway," Richard replied with a smile.
Sister Lisa finally nodded, examining the glove with curiosity.
"Iâll head to my room first," she said before leaving.
Richard stayed in the living room, waiting for the Red Bear Tribe to arrive.
They would probably need a long journey, so it might take a while.
Occasionally, he walked around the castle out of boredom.
Meanwhile, far from the Holy Star Kingdom, atop a massive red mountain radiating an unending oppressive auraâyet filled with countless luxurious castles and beautiful gardensâPrince Charles and several men his age were gathered in one of the gardens, drinking and enjoying the sight of young maidens dancing.
All of those men possessed extraordinary status.
They were either young masters from powerful clans or sons of high-ranking members of the Order of the Crimson Veil, but Prince Charles still stood above them all.
His background wasnât the only reason. After all, within the Order of the Crimson Veil, there were many powerful factions. The reason he was recognized as number one among the younger generation was because of his unmatched talent and overwhelming strength.
Here, their conversations mostly revolved around cultivation or famous figures from outside the Eastern Territoryâbeautiful women from other regions or even other continents.
No one mentioned Lilith, though it wasnât because she wasnât exceptional. In fact, even across the Land of Humans, Lilith was among the most outstanding of her age.
However, everyone knew that Prince Charles was still burning with humiliation over her engagementâto an eight-year-old boy.
It was a massive disgrace for him.
As everyone chatted away, an eagle suddenly landed on one of the menâs arms, carrying a letter.
No one paid much attentionâit was common for members of the Order to receive messages from afar due to their vast influence.
But the manâs expression changed drastically as he read the letter, drawing everyoneâs curiosity.
"Leo, what news did you get?" someone asked.
When questioned, Leo turned to look at Charles with an odd expression, causing the latter to furrow his brows.