"How can a mere low-level wizard jump to such heights? Did he rely on the power of a cursed artifact?" The Lower City's Chief Chronicler asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The steward of the city lord's mansion shook his head before saying, "I was monitoring the battle closely. There was no sign of any cursed artifact coming into play during his leap."
The Chief Chronicler's puzzlement deepened upon hearing the steward's words. The Chief Chronicler's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Then you're suggesting he achieved that purely with his own wizardry? That seems... improbable no matter how I think about it."
"There's been talk about a recent discovery of the G force in the wizard community. Its authenticity was verified by the arcane library's spirit itself. Maybe it's had an effect on the anti-gravity spells, enhancing them beyond our current understanding," the steward said thoughtfully.
The Chief Chronicler rubbed his white beard in contemplation, "I've been cooped up in the national library for so long, I was unaware of such a significant discovery. Now it all makes sense. Oliver managed such a feat because of this newfound understanding of G force. But who made this grand discovery? Do you have any insight into that?"
The steward nodded his head before replying to the Chief Chronicler.
"This impressive discovery was made by the youngest son of Lord Joshua, the esteemed ruler of the Ironspire Stronghold."
Immediately, a frown marred the Chief Chronicler's face
"Why are you talking about that immoral man with such reverence? Have you gone nuts?" the Chief Chronicler questioned the steward sternly.
Although hurt by the harsh words, the steward didn't let his true feelings show on his face. The steward raised an eyebrow and calmly said. "In our tribe, isn't it customary to respect advanced-stage bloodline users, regardless of personal feelings? And if a slave like me wants to talk about such figures, I have to be respectful. Or else, it won't end well for me. I am just following the rules."
If caught, the punishment was having one's tongue removed.
Having one advanced-level bloodline user as an enemy was worse than fighting an army of intermediate-level bloodline users.
To avoid forming bad blood with such a formidable figure due to the loose tongue of the servants, this rule was strongly enforced.
"That scoundrel has grown so strong?"
The steward replied, "Hec confronted and killed a level 5 servant of the Stroud family as easily as crushing an ant on behalf of his son. This act cemented his reputation as the kingdom's newest advanced-stage bloodline user."
The Chief Chronicler said with some jealousy, "The Whitemores are on a fortunate streak. With a powerful family head and their young master making waves in the wizard community, their ascendancy to the upper echelon of the kingdom seems unstoppable. Maybe a day will come when they'll be accepted into the inner region."
The Chief Chronicler turned to the steward and demanded, "Tell me more about this prodigious son of the Whitemores."
"Grand Master, could it be you're interested in inviting him to the family?" the steward asked after detailing Val's achievements.
Chief Chronicler nodded, "His father might be questionable, but he has committed no sin. Why shouldn't I extend a hand towards him when he's shown such potential?"
"It's already too late. He's been taken in by the Destiny Walker Family," the steward revealed after understanding his family grand master's intentions.
A soft sigh escaped the Chief Chronicler's lips, "That's regrettable."
"Should I try to lure him to our sides?" the steward asked.
"We will do no such thing," Chief said sternly, "It's unsightly."
He considered it beneath himself to resort to bribery to entice a young and talented wizard to serve under their tribe. His morals and pride held him back from resorting to such tricks.
"On another note, over the past several days, this talented young man with a promising future has gotten quite close with the outcast of our tribe," the steward mentioned.
Chief Chronicler advised, "It will be in your best interest to stop underestimating him. Before being taken under the wings of Lord Lucius, he might have been just a negligible chess piece in the grand scheme of things, but now, things have changed. With Lord Lucious and Val by his side, he has evolved into a valuable player that can't simply be ignored or looked down upon."
The steward chuckled, "Grand Master, you praise him too much. No matter what, with his natural talent, the peak of a low-level wizard is his limit."
Chief Chronicler didn't comment. His silence spoke volumes. There was truth in the steward's words, and he couldn't refute them.
Oliver's talent wasn't exceptional.
For someone of his talent to reach a low-level wizard status at such a young age was commendable. If he were born into another family, he would be praised as a hard-working genius. But he was born into an aristocratic family like the Thunderspear tribe. As his talent held him back from becoming a mid-rank wizard, he was destined to remain overshadowed. However, his connections were truly noteworthy. If he utilized them intelligently, he wouldn't be any worse off than the other two heirs to the throne.
Meanwhile, in another section of the spectator area, Clea sat with a visibly irritated expression, his right-hand man, Ron, by his side, equally annoyed.
"This disrespectful bastard proved me wrong twice. He just gave me another reason to kill him," Clea hissed.
Ron's disdain for Oliver was evident. To him, Oliver's disrespect lay not in any direct offense but in the sheer audacity of not dying at the hands of the beast as he had predicted. There was no other reason for his scorn.
Clea, sensing Ron's rising anger, advised, "Control yourself. We can't move against him openly in the frontier. But once the expedition begins, we'll have ample opportunities to deal with him."
"Understood." Ron clenched his fists. Once Oliver falls into his hand, he will take his sweet time to torture him to death.
Elsewhere, Lucious was grinning from ear to ear.
With his recent victory, Oliver had really made him proud.
Marshall glanced at him in astonishment. He had never seen him so happy before.
"It seems he holds Oliver in high regard."