Thorwyn''s tail wagged as he took in the bustling streets of Kerman. "Awoo! (Wow! Even more people than outside!)"


    "That''s right," Sol nodded. "Get used to it. Many cities like this stay just as lively even after sundown. C''mon, let''s find a spot away from the main road to put away the carriage."


    Once they found a secluded area, Sol stored the carriage in his spatial ring. Thorwyn tilted his head. "Awoo? (What do we do now?)"


    Sol stretched his shoulders before answering. "First, we stock up on supplies. Kerman is thest major city in the Crestelia Kingdom. Once we leave here, it''ll be a long stretch of wilderness before we reach another town or city."


    Thorwyn''s ears twitched, perking up at the information. "Awoo? (How long?)"


    Sol hummed in thought. "It depends, but at least a couple of weeks, possibly more. The only things between here and the next city are beasts, monster tribes, and the unknown."


    Satisfied with their first order of business, Thorwyn followed up with another question. "Awoo? (Where are we heading next?)"


    While he was happy to follow them anywhere, he was curious about their next destination.


    Sol echoed the question aloud, more to himself than anyone else. "Where next? That depends…"


    He already had a rough route nned toward the Sapphire Scales Alliance, but certain factors could alter their path. Before he could answer, Amber suddenly spoke.


    "Sol."


    Her tone wasn''t urgent, but it carried enough weight to make him pause. She hadn''t understood Thorwyn''s howls, but since Sol had repeated his question, she caught on. Her gaze flicked subtly to the side, alerting him.


    Sol didn''t react outwardly, but he nodded slightly. "I know."


    Then, without hesitation, he turned to face what appeared to be a nk stone wall. Tilting his head slightly, he asked, "So this is how you repay me for helping you?"


    A sharp gasp came from the empty air, followed by the sound of hurried movement. A secondter, a shimmer rippled against the wall before vanishing, revealing a kneeling figure.


    "I—I am truly sorry! I meant no disrespect to the Savior!"


    The voice belonged to one of the orcs from earlier. His green skin and muscr frame made him an imposing presence, but at that moment, he remained low, his head bowed in genuine remorse.


    Thorwyn''s ears ttened in shock, he had been the only one who hadn''t noticed the orc, then perked back up in recognition. "Awoo! (One of the green men from before!)"


    The orc clenched his fists, lowering his head even further. "Forgive me. I did not intend to spy, but I could not find the right moment to reveal myself."


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    He then unsheathed his short sword and presented the handle toward Sol. His voice was resolute. "I swear I will not say a word to another soul about what I''ve heard. And if that is not enough for you, please take my life. But before you do, we wish to thank you for your assistance at the gate and also deliver an important message."


    Sol slowly stepped forward, reaching for the sword handle. Instead of taking it, he gently pushed the de aside. "Rx, it''s not that serious. I knew you were there, so I didn''t say anything important anyway. But what''s this about a message?"


    Slightly stunned by Sol''s casual demeanor, the orc quickly recovered and stood. Reaching into his vest, he pulled out a sealed letter stamped with the image of an axe.


    "Chieftain Kuruck of the Frostaxe n wishes to extend an invitation to you and your allies to visit our great city of Midnar and witness the Rite of Ascension. He hopes the Savior wille to serve as a witness."


    Sol epted the letter, his expression puzzled. "Umm, thanks for the invitation, but what exactly is the Rite of Ascension? Some kind of promotion for new A-Rankers?"


    The orc shook his head. "No, Savior. The Rite of Ascension is when Chieftain Kuruck steps down and passes the title of Chieftain to one of his children. It is one of the most significant events in our culture, urring only once every fifty years or so."@@novelbin@@


    The orc''s voice carried excitement as he spoke of the ceremony, but he paused, suddenly tilting his head. "But… what do you mean by new A-Rankers? The first son and second daughter are A-Rankers, but they have been for five years now."


    "Ah… It was just a guess…" Sol said, hesitating. He had assumed the rite was rted to ascending one''s skills, considering the name. Most people, this orc included, weren''t aware of the path toprehendingw techniques. Not wanting to dive deeper into that topic, he redirected the conversation. "Why is the Chieftain stepping down? Did something happen?"


    "No, no, nothing like that," the orc said, shaking his head. "After recent events, the Chieftain decided that now is the time to step aside so the next leader can guide us toward peace."


    It only took a moment for Sol to understand the Chieftain''s intentions.


    ''Kuruck was the one who started the war over forty years ago. A lot of Crestelians probably hate him, and his presence might make peace harder to achieve. Stepping down and allowing one of his children to take over could ease tensions. And since Princess Valerie is about to be queen, the timing aligns perfectly.''


    It was a smart move. While things wouldn''t be easy for the next Chieftain, a fresh leader had a much better chance of fosteringsting peace between Crestelia and the Frostaxe n.


    Pocketing the letter into his spatial ring, Sol said, "I don''t know if I''ll be able to make it, but tell your Chieftain I appreciate the invitation."


    Attending such a rare, once in a lifetime event would be interesting, but he had more pressing matters to handle. The journey alone would add over a month to their ns, time they couldn''t afford to lose.


    The orc looked slightly disappointed but didn''t argue. "I understand, Savior. I will inform Chieftain Kuruck." Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire


    With that, he bid farewell and disappeared once more using his stealth skill, [Invisibility]. Sol easily tracked his mana with [True Sight (Variant)], while Amber followed his movements through [Sand Sense] as he leaped onto a nearby building and vanished into the cityscape.


    "Awoo? (Where did the green man go?)" Thorwyn pouted, still unable to see through the stealth technique.


    Sol chuckled and patted him on the side, drawing his attention. "Don''t worry about him. We have things to do."


    He then turned toward Amber. "Can you go get the thing? We''ll meet at the Rusty Bedter."


    "Okay." Amber nodded before disappearing as well, using her higher tier stealth skill, [Vanish]. She moved swiftly, heading off in the opposite direction.


    Thorwyn''s ears ttened again. "Awoo! (Scarydy gone too!)"


    Sol shook his head and sighed. "She''s not a scarydy, her name is Amber."


    Thorwyn nodded in understanding, then corrected himself. "Awoo! (Scary Amber is gone too!)"


    "You… Never mind. You''re lucky she can''t understand you." Sol sighed, deciding to let it go. "Let''s go buy supplies while she''s gone. We can take our time and explore the city if you want."


    At the mention of exploring, Thorwyn''s tail shot straight up. "Awoo! (Explore!)"