Chapter 528: Giant Toads

Robert and Mr. Walton quickly arrived at the Roth Family castle in Roth City. As they hurried inside, the guards bowed their heads, recognizing the young Lord Robert.

"Where is my father? I need to inform him of something of great importance, and it's very urgent," Robert asked the guard in a serious tone, clearly pressed for time.

Before coming here, he had ordered his guards to keep watch over the stone gate from a safe distance, ensuring no one approached it, unsure of what might happen next. He needed to urgently inform his father about the strange incident at the abandoned ruins, how Lady Valeria was involved with some others, and how they all disappeared after entering the huge crack in the space.

"H-He's speaking with Merchant Omar on the balcony of the castle," the guard quickly replied, noting the frustration in Robert's expression.

"I see..." Robert nodded before heading toward the balcony, where his father often held meetings with important people.

Shortly after, he and Mr. Walton arrived at the balcony and saw Roland Roth deep in conversation with Merchant Omar.

"Mr. Omar, are you certain you've found no information on my youngest son, Adrian?" Roland asked, his voice tinged with desperation as he struggled to suppress his frustration.

"I'm sorry, Lord Roland, but even with all my connections, I've been unable to find any trace of the young lord," Mr. Omar replied with an awkward smile. He was well-acquainted with Young Lord Adrian and knew his character well, which made this news all the more troubling.

"Is that so... It's a pity we're still unable to locate him despite all our efforts," Roland sighed, taking a deep breath as he stared out at the beautiful garden where his wife strolled with their two daughters.

Suddenly, he heard approaching footsteps and turned to see his eldest son, Robert, walking toward him with a very serious expression.

"Robert, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be supervising the team of archaeologists?" Roland asked, a mix of curiosity and anger in his voice, wondering why his son had returned so quickly.

Ignoring his father's anger, Robert took a deep breath and said, "Father, there is something very urgent that I need to inform you about."

Without delay, Robert explained the situation in detail, leaving nothing out. As he spoke, Roland's expression grew increasingly grave.

"T-This is very serious... We need to get there immediately and secure the area to prevent any monsters from emerging from that hole," Roland said urgently as he rose from his seat. It was then that he noticed Mr. Walton standing beside his son.

Turning to the archaeologist, Roland asked, "Mr. Walton, what do you think about this situation? You're a renowned archaeologist, so you should have some insight into such a phenomenon."

"Lord Roland, the situation is indeed very serious, especially since Lady Valeria is personally involved and has entered the strange crack along with the others," Mr. Walton replied in a polite tone.

"I see... It seems we must inform His Majesty, King Richard, about this matter. If left unchecked, this could escalate into a full-scale war between the Kingdom and the Empire," Roland muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

Quickly, he pulled out a magic parchment from his pouch and began writing a letter to King Richard, detailing only the most crucial information. Once finished, the paper folded itself into the shape of a bird and flew off into the sky.

"Now that I've sent the letter to His Majesty, we should head to the abandoned ruins ourselves. There may be a slight chance we could find some clues about Adrian there," Roland said as he stood from his chair and turned to the merchant.

All three toads were at the Spirit Warrior level, making them manageable foes. However, if they had been at the Spirit Master level or peak Spirit Warrior, it would have been much more difficult for her.

"Frozen Moon Blade!" Lily whispered.

Swish! With a swift movement, Lily sliced through the two toads from head to toe. Blood and organs splattered everywhere, painting the ground red, before their bodies froze and shattered into tiny pieces.

"Finally, I've killed them all... This is what happens when someone dares to disturb my cultivation—except for my family, especially my dear brother, who is also my..." She trailed off as her eyes fell on three monster cores lying on the ground.

"These... Are these monster cores from the toads? They must be." Lily approached the monster cores and picked them up. "I should keep these and give them to my dear brother later when we reunite."

"I wonder what our moms and the others are doing right now, especially Leah, who has the least fighting experience among us."

"Well, I should focus on regaining my cultivation now. Only then can I look for the others." Lily then began searching for a suitable place to cultivate, one where monsters wouldn't disturb her again.

Shortly after, she found the perfect spot, where the spiritual energy in the air was even denser than her previous location. She quickly sat in a lotus position and closed her eyes, ready to resume her cultivation.

—

"Is that you, Anna?" Grace called out as she sensed a familiar presence through their unique connection, noticing a slight movement in the distance.

"Grace, I finally found you! I was so worried we might get separated. Have you found anyone else?" Anna asked as she emerged from the forest, her eyes scanning the area for any other familiar faces.

"No luck yet. After entering the secret realm, my cultivation was downgraded, and my divine sense has weakened—I can't cover larger areas," Grace replied, shaking her head with a sigh.

"My cultivation was downgraded too. I'm currently at the Second Level Spirit Warrior. What about you?"

"Same, I'm also at the Second Level Spirit Warrior."

"I see... I wonder how my dear son is doing. He's so reliable, talented, and smart. I'm sure he's handling himself just fine out there, somewhere in this secret realm," Anna said, though a trace of worry lingered in her voice.

Grace smiled reassuringly. "Well, he is our son after all. He's definitely doing well, and I'm confident he'll find us in no time."

"Me too. I believe in him," Anna nodded, a smile returning to her face.

"Let's find a place to regain our cultivation. It's too dangerous to venture deeper into the forest with our cultivation at such a low level," Grace suggested, understanding the need to prepare for any potential dangers.

"You're right. Who knows what kind of spiritual beasts we might encounter in the forest? Let's quickly increase our cultivation," Anna agreed.

With that, the two of them found a suitable spot to cultivate and began meditating together, focusing on regaining their strength.