"Donât ask me. You have powerful people behind you. Youâre also a member of the Skylight Clan, donât think I donât know. Sophia Whitewater has confirmed it to me. With everything you have, you should be able to help. What matters is paying the latest installment of 250 million Nature Spirits plus a 100 million late fee. With that, I will have more time to gather and pay the next installment," Lilith replied.
And Richardâs eyes could only widen.
250 million plus a 100 million penalty.
He thought he was already wealthy, but those numbers made it difficult for him to think.
Where could he obtain that many Nature Spirits?
Ask the Fire Spirit Queen?
He knew very well that the queen didnât even have treasures left.
What about the Skylight Clan?
He wasnât sure.
That clan had given him treasures and demanded he fight on his own.
If he asked for that many Nature Spirits, Richard doubted the clan would give them. In this case, it was the White Ancestor who managed the clan according to ancestral rules.
"Richard, this kingdom has run out of options. Some elders even went as far as making promises to certain figures that they could marry me if they paid the kingdomâs debt. Of course, that meant the entire debt, not just one installment."
"What the hell are they..." Richard said instinctively.
"This is the risk and responsibility I have as the ruler of a kingdom. In a crisis, itâs very possible for me to lose my own fate," Lilith replied.
Richard rolled his eyes.
"This is what I wanted to say. The rest, I leave it to you."
When Lilith said that, she looked like she wanted to leave.
But Richard moved quickly to stop her.
"Sister Lilith, why so hurried? I havenât seen enough of you yet," Richard said, staring at her beautiful face and stunning figure in her elegant black dress.
"You?" Lilith was stunned when, after grabbing her hand, Richard suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Sister, now I understand why so many men want you," Richard said.
"Didnât you say you would wait for me to grow up and wait for my desires to mature?"
Lilith, "..."
"W-wait, boy!"
Lilith looked panicked when Richardâs face approached her blushing face.
She placed her hand between their faces.
Unlike Grace, who was aggressive with physical contact, Lilith seemed shy in this matter.
She only appeared confident when Richard had still been a child.
But how could Richard stop?
He pushed against her hand with his face, continuing forward until his lips truly touched hers.
Lilith didnât use her power to stop him, so of course it didnât work.
Her eyes could only widen as this boy she still called a boyâdespite him being an adult nowâfinally kissed her lips.
With a gentle push, Lilith leaned against the wall, her body pressed by Richardâs.
His experience with Grace gave Richard the ability to move smoothly without awkwardness.
His lips pressed against Lilithâs, sucking gently.
Lilith looked frozen, as if she didnât know what she should do.
However, she could feel her body growing hot, the same as Richardâs, their body heat warming the air around them.
Of course Richard didnât kiss her endlessly.
To him, a queen must be married first.
His kiss was nothing more than a statement that she belonged to him.
After releasing the kiss, he said, "Sister Lilith, I didnât expect you to be this shy."
Lilithâs cheeks grew even redder hearing that.
She pushed his chest and glared at him.
"Boy, who taught you to become this naughty?" she said.
"Am I naughty?" Richard wondered.
"Isnât it normal for me to kiss my own fiancĂ©e?"
His words left Lilith speechless.
"But this is truly pleasant," Richard continued while touching his own lips.
He then noticed that his finger was slightly red. Lilithâs lipstick had stained his lips.
"Boy, donât even think about marrying me before you help me pay the kingdomâs debt," Lilith said with a tone that sounded annoyed, yet very embarrassed.
She turned toward the window, ready to leave.
"By the way, Sister Lilith, where is my Slave Seal that you borrowed before?" Richard asked just as Lilith was about to leave.
Lilith stopped in her tracks when she heard that, turning back to face Richard.
"It has been pawned to the Order of the Crimson Veil. You can only get it back after the installment is paid."
Richard, "..."
As he was stunned, Lilith had already vanished.
She left very quickly.
And Richard began scratching his head.
The sensation of kissing Lilith still lingered in his mindâan indescribable sensation.
His heart burned nonstop.
He wanted to kiss and hug her again.
No, more than that, he wanted to pin her onto a bed and hold her the entire night every time he slept.
However, to obtain that, there was a price he must pay.
This was his marriage dowry. Considering Lilithâs status as the ruler of a kingdom and her rapidly growing strength that destined her to become a formidable figure in the future, it was reasonable that the bride price to marry her was equivalent to a kingdom.
As a man who valued a womanâs worth, Richard didnât mind paying that price.
He was only troubled about how to pay it.
But fortunately, the price he had to pay was only one installment. Other men would have to pay the entire kingdomâs debt.
âPerhaps if itâs just asking the Skylight Clan to clear the kingdomâs debt owed to them, the White Ancestor might accept,â Richard thought.
He knew he couldnât ask the clan to pay everything, but if the kingdomâs debt to the Skylight Clan was cleared, it would reduce Lilithâs burden a little.
After thinking about that, Richard left his room and flew toward the mountain where the Skylight Clanâs Secret Land was located.
There, the manifestation of the White Ancestor existed.
Standing before the tree on the mountain, Richard was immediately pulled into the Secret Land, appearing above a seemingly endless sea of clouds.
"Not bad, boy... Youâve grown well..." he suddenly heard the White Ancestorâs voice.
Richard immediately saw the white crow appear before him.
"White Ancestor!" Richard greeted the white crow, who gently flapped his wings without actually moving from his spot.
"Boy, what brings you here? You must be here to ask for something, right?" White Ancestor easily guessed Richardâs intention.
Richard nodded casually, maintaining a calm expression.
"I want to know whether the Holy Star Kingdom owes a debt to the Skylight Clan," he asked.
"Thatâs right. Not too much, but theyâve been struggling to pay. Theyâve delayed payments for a long time," White Ancestor replied, giving Richard a suspicious look.
"Can you clear their debt?" Richard asked.
"Boy, are you trying to help that new Queen?" White Ancestorâs gaze finally sharpened.
"Yes..." Richard didnât deny it.
"Hahaha... Boy, youâve finally become a man. Of course, this is how a man should be. But unfortunately, I canât fulfill your request. A debt is still a debt; it must be paid before it can be considered settled. Even if you become a Grand Sovereign in the future, you will have to return the clanâs resources if you want the Holy Star Kingdomâs debt cleared. Our resources are for strengthening our members, not for helping outsiders."
Richard, "..."
"But boy, itâs not like you have no options. Of course, what Iâm about to offer wonât be enough to pay the kingdomâs entire debt, but it will cover a portion of it." White Ancestor added when Richard fell silent.
"How do I do that?" Richard immediately became interested.
"In the Central Region, based on my observation, a massive Nature Spirit mine will soon appear. If you can seize it, youâll obtain a large amount of Nature Spirit. It will be contested, of course, but the major factions will usually send only Lord Realm Magi to fight over this kind of mineâbecause stronger individuals might destroy the mine by accident."
"Ohhh..."
Richard didnât expect White Ancestorâs solution to be a mine.
And it was in the Central Region.
Maybe the Central Region couldnât be called the strongest territory in the entire Land of Human... but from what Richard knew, no faction there had produced three Grand Sovereigns like the Skylight Clan or the Order of the Crimson Veil.
However, it was definitely the busiest and most prosperous region.
Their strength lay in sheer numbers.
They even had five factions that had each produced two Grand Sovereigns.
And the most recent Grand Sovereign also came from the Central Region.
"I shouldâve sent a clan member to claim that mine, but Iâll let you have it." White Ancestor added, sending a beam of light into Richardâs mind.
It contained the information about the mineâs location.
As it turned out, it wasnât far from the Eastern Regionâsituated near the border between the two regions rather than deep inside the Central Region.
âI must obtain this mine,â Richard thought.
The total Nature Spirit he could acquire was enough to pay half of the Holy Star Kingdomâs debt.
However, he only needed to pay 350 million Nature Spirit, so the rest would become his personal wealth.
Naturally, Richard was extremely tempted by such a massive fortune.