Chapter 134 - Temporary Mission

A huge army arrived inside Border City that afternoon. It was the army personally led by General Lexus, the Dual Sword Army. The said army was also the strongest ground force of the empire, and their presence brought huge impacts on the wars since the establishment of the empire.

The army set up camp in the northern part of Border City. Tents were erected within a few minutes, and the chattering of soldiers can then be heard. Coincidentally, the Fragrance Inn was also located near the army's camp. 

General Lexus heard about the emergence of a four-elemental Saint in Border City, but he was not in the mood to meet someone. He was still preoccupied with their mission of getting the Holy Nourishing Crystal. The result of their mission will dictate the life of their emperor, thus, General Lexus was pressured about it.

Cale has heard about the appearance of an army, but he remained expressionless about it. He was more curious about the princess' goal. 

He tapped the table with his fingers rhythmically while he was deep in his thoughts. Sometimes he would frown, sometimes he would smile. But most of the time, he maintained his poker face.

* * *

The night has descended, and three full moons can be seen high up in the sky emitting bright rays of light. 

Inside Fragrance Inn, a man with long silver can be seen sitting on his chair with a calm countenance. He felt a slight breeze coming from the window, causing his lips to faintly curve upwards. 

"You indeed came secretly, Princess Michelle. But it seems like you are unaware that a person was following you." Cale took a light sip at the tea in his hands, before he turned his head around. He saw the surprised look of Michelle, which made him smile.

Princess Michelle unceremoniously took a chair for herself and sat gracefully on it. She then frowned while staring deeply on Cale's face. He was still wearing that calm and collected expression. 

"What do you mean that I was being followed?" Princess Michelle was confident in her capabilities. Although she was not that strong compared to her first and second, she was still one of the empire's rare geniuses. 

She was a three-elemental Saint who controls the element of wind, lightning, and the very rare space element. Because of her high control towards her elements, she can be considered as one with the fastest speed in the younger generation throughout the whole Celestial Sword Empire.

Cale smirked at her question. He then spoke while glancing sideways.

"Zero, get that rat for me." 

"Yes, my lord." A respectful voice resounded inside the room before a shadow flickered and went outside through the window. 

Michelle was shocked by the sudden appearance of the man inside the room. She did not feel his presence at all! It was like he was one with the darkness. 

"So, what do you want to discuss with me, your highness?" Cale lightly twirled the cup of tea in his hand as if it was wine. 

Michelle scolded herself for displaying a foolish expression in front of Cale. She then displayed a serious look towards the man in front of her.

"Wolf King, I know you have already heard about my father's dire straits. With his health declining, the empire will surely face countless troublesome entities. But that will only happen once his death was already announced. He may be suffering from a terrible illness, but he is, after all, a peak Immortal-Class level warrior. No matter how injured he is, his strength would still be devastatingly powerful." 

Cale furrowed his eyebrows after hearing the princess. Just what is the goal of this woman? 

"Your highness, I already know all these things. You're not here just to tell me this, right?" 

Michelle smiled sweetly, but behind that smile was a feeling of hope. 

"I have hired a few high-ranking mercenaries to get an item that could possibly help my father regain his former healthy state. And I want you to join my party on that expedition..."

- Ding!

- Temporary Mission: Accept Princess Michelle's proposition and get the Holy Nourishing Crystal from one of Shura's forbidden regions, the Cave of Endless Grievance. 

- Reward: x5 Superior Elemental Essence Bundle

'What the hell?! Asteria, what is this?!' Cale's mind shook at sudden familiar prompt appearing in front of him. He had almost forgotten about it since a very long time had passed when he last did a mission. 

Aside from that, the reward was truly tempting. With that amount of Elemental Essence Bundle, he might even reach the later stages or even the peak of the Saint-Class level! 

Nonetheless, he was sure that such a mission was never easy. For the stingy Asteria to give that amount of rewards, he was confident that dangers lay within the mission. Still, how could he pass up such an opportunity? 

Asteria remained silent. She was disinclined to answer Cale's question.

Michelle was nervous about Cale's silence. She really wanted to have his help to at least increase the chance of getting the Holy Nourishing Crystal. The latter then glanced at her which made her heart tighten.

"Princess Michelle, what can you give me in return for accepting this mission?" Cale's calm voice echoed beside her ears.

She was stunned for a brief moment before she broke out into a smile. 

"Wolf King, once my father consumes this item, he will surely be healed. Saving his life is tantamount to saving the life of the entire Celestial Sword Empire! I can assure you that you will gain a noble title once that happens. You will earn a piece of land from the empire and possibly build your fame." 

Cale was tempted about what she said since that was his goal. He wanted to gain fame in order to command an army that could destroy the demons that invaded his planet. He flashed his thumbs up in his heart towards her for being such a good negotiator.

"Okay, I agree. Your negotiating skill is impressive, your highness. The crown prince must have been over the moon when he got your support." Cale had a defeated look in his eyes and Michelle saw through it. 

Michelle smiled from ear to ear after hearing Cale's reply. Although everyone believed that Cale was only at the early stage of the Saint-Class level, her instincts were telling her that there was something more about him.

They then discussed random things after that...

* * *

Zero chased the shadow that was running ahead of him. He then used the element of wind to chase after the shadow. 

'Shit! This guy's speed is not any weaker than that lass Michelle. The people together with that four-elemental Saint are also not simple. I must report this to his highness.' The man thought to himself as he hastily jumped through the buildings.

Zero pulled out ten knives from his sleeves and filled the knives with his dark elemental energy. He then threw the knives towards the escaping man at breakneck speed. The latter felt his scalp tingle in dread. He unconsciously evaded Zero's attack, but a knife still found its way towards his defenseless back. 

The attack was swift and sudden, and he had no time to dodge the attack. The dark element had a corroding effect that affected the man's speed greatly. His movements became sluggish which made Zero overtake him.

The two men glared at each other, showing no hints of weakness. Zero then vanished from his spot and attacked the man. The latter unsheathed a sword from out nowhere and blocked Zero's dagger strikes. 

The sound of two metals colliding resounded above the sky. The silhouettes of Zero and the man flickered from time to time as they continued their fight. Both of them specialized in speed, thus, making it hard for someone with weaker cultivation to see their battle.

General Lexus calmly swept his gaze towards the direction where he felt strong elemental energies colliding. He was curious about the identity of the two people who dared to fight inside the city. He floated in midair and observed the fight that was happening from afar. He looked amused while watching the two young people, and he could not help but reminisce about his past self. He took out a bottle of wine and drank a mouthful of wine from it. His gaze contained a faint trace of nostalgia as he continued watching the battle with a slight smile.

Zero equipped the Divine level set equipment that Cale gave him and attacked the man with more domineering strikes. A few experts living inside the city were awoken by the fight. They stared in astonishment as Zero pummeled the man with his punch. The latter came falling towards the ground which created spiderweb-like cracks when his body dropped with a loud bang. 

Zero descended slowly and hoisted the unconscious body of the man on his shoulder before vanishing from everyone's sights.

The night became peaceful once again. Only the huge crack on the ground remained from the previous battle. 

General Lexus stared deeply at Zero's silhouette as the latter went inside Fragrance Inn while carrying the unconscious body of the man. 

'It looks like the fight for the throne is about to start. Hopefully, it will not be the indolent second prince who will emerge victoriously. But then again, this will only happen if the emperor is dead. So how could I allow that to happen?' General Lexus said before taking another sip from his wine bottle. He continued hovering in midair with a complicated expression on his aged face.