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Solomon looked at the rubies resting in his palm. He raised them up into the air, holding them directly against the bright sun. The icy gems glinted beautifully, scattering red light across his knuckles.

"I wonder what these could possibly be useful for, other than just selling them for a ridiculous amount of money," Solomon muttered to himself.

He glanced over his shoulder out of pure habit. "Chat, what do you think?"

He received no response. Solomon let out a frustrated sigh, realizing he was already desperately missing his mechanical owl and the live stream.

He had gotten so used to the constant background chatter and the floating blue interface that he kept calling out to the chat again and again, only to remember a second later that he didn’t have his drone with him anymore.

"I could have just used the inventory feature on the owl and sent these rubies directly to storage," Solomon grumbled, slipping the massive gems into the deep pockets of his uniform. "Now I actually have to carry them around manually. This is so annoying."

Solomon left the rift behind and made his way across the valley toward the Azure Moon encampment. He navigated the terrain, but just as he walked past the perimeter of the Holy Knight tents, his path was abruptly blocked.

Captain Lancelot stepped out from between two white pavilions, glaring at the teenager.

"Do you need something?" Solomon asked, stopping in his tracks.

"There is absolutely no way someone like you cleared that A+ rank rift," Lancelot hissed, his golden armor clinking as he stepped closer. "You are just an academy novice. You stole the credit."

Solomon shrugged his shoulders casually. "If you are so confident about that, you should have cleared it yourself instead of hiding out here in a tent and sending your own knights inside to die."

The blatant insult pissed Lancelot off completely. The captain’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson, and his gauntleted hand immediately dropped to the hilt of his sword.

Solomon scowled. His expression turned completely emotionless. His silver eyes locked onto the captain, projecting an aura of pure violence.

"I would strongly advise against doing anything foolish that might tarnish your military reputation even more, or worse, lose your life right here," Solomon warned, his voice dangerously low.

"Because I, for one, do not give a single fuck about your holy rules or diplomatic laws. I will immediately cut down anything and anyone that poses a danger to my life."

Lancelot stood entirely frozen in his spot, paralyzed by the sheer killing intent radiating from the boy.

Solomon walked right past the trembling captain without another word.

He finally reached the Azure Moon camp and met up with Yue and Gideon near the command tent. He glanced around the bustling perimeter, noticing the distinct absence of the royal family.

"Where are King Shen and Prince Ryu?" Solomon asked.

"They went up to the Ruined Azure Kingdom," Gideon responded, pointing toward the distant mountain ridge.

Solomon froze for a fraction of a second upon hearing that, but he quickly forced his features to remain perfectly composed. "Why would they go up there?"

"It is Prince Ryu’s very first time visiting these lands," Yue explained, snapping her jade fan open. "He wanted to see the ancestral ruined palace for himself, so King Shen decided to take him on a quick tour."

"Did anyone else go with them?" Solomon asked, his heart rate picking up.

"Just two royal knights went with them as an escort," Gideon replied.

Solomon immediately launched into his act. "Are you sure that is a good idea? It is incredibly dangerous up there. The palace has been abandoned and in ruins for over four centuries. There might be hidden monsters, unmapped nests, or collapsing structures. We should probably go get them."

Yue waved her fan dismissively, reassuring him. "There is no need to worry, Solomon. I already surveyed the perimeter and confirmed. The courtyard is completely clear, and there is no active danger."

Solomon mentally cursed himself. ’Dammit.’

"When are we leaving?" Solomon asked, shifting his weight nervously.

"Once the Holy Knight order packs their bags and officially leaves this valley," Gideon answered, observing the distant white tents being dismantled. "Which they should be doing very soon."

The paladin and the pavilion master went back to organizing their own supplies. Solomon turned around and stared at the ruined palace perched high on the distant cliffs.

’They likely do not know about the crown’s location,’ Solomon reasoned to himself, trying to stay calm.

’If they knew where the secret chamber was, they would have already taken the crown centuries ago. Why would they not seek out their own ancestral artifact? Was the knowledge of the chamber lost along with the throne room during the Heavenly Demon’s attack?’

He gripped the hilt of Eden’s Penance tightly. "There is only one way to find out."

Without telling Gideon or Yue, Solomon broke into a full sprint toward the ruined palace, desperate to catch up with the king and the prince before they stumbled upon his prize.

A while later, he finally reached the crumbling palace borders. He frantically searched the overgrown courtyards for the royal party.

’When I came here earlier, I wasn’t paying attention to the structure or glancing around. I already knew the paths and I was talking with the chat. But now that I look closely at the ruins, this is very different from how the Eden Kingdom was in its ruins.’ Solomon thought to himself.

"Is it because it had become a fragment?" he wondered. "This structure just seems to be ruined because of time, not because of attack or war."

After searching for a few minutes, he heard frantic shouts echoing from the eastern wing.

"That’s the king’s voice! Where is it coming from? Why is he shouting? Don’t tell me there really are monsters around here? Why didn’t I run into them earlier? I was so bored."

He glanced around and listened closely, but since the place was in ruins, the echo was all over and it was hard to figure out which direction it was coming from.

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