Chapter 359: Ice Prince.
Ozul and the trio safely reached the town where the old Beastkin lady patiently waited for the news.
Under the veil of the rain, they arrived at the inconspicuous estate clad with illusions.
The trio was drenched entirely because of the rain while Ozul protected himself with the Purity.
Raven looked confused as to why they were going towards that shabby-looking estate, but once they entered, everyone understood. Even the rain stopped this time; the sky inside the estate was completely blue!
This time again, Ozul failed to sense any fluctuations of the Spiritual Essence. Whatever was used to make this possible was beyond his abilities.
“I must praise you for your skills. If not for these people, maybe my men had no chances of tracking you,” The voice came from afar.
Ozul showed no reaction to that since he was made aware of the presence of people following them midway. He let them be because he sensed their emotions contained no malice. He could guess who would have sent them.
.....
His unsurprised reaction further amused the old Beastkin lady, who now seemed to be inspecting the others.
With a twinkle in her eyes, she sized Ozul and commented, “So even among these Dragon Hatchlings, you are a special case.”
Unlike Ozul, she could tell how strong they were by the faint scent of Spiritual Essence emanating from their bodies.
She didn’t, however, look down on the others. They were still the Dragon Hatchlings. This meant they had the potential to compete with Realm’s powerhouses!
The best ones may even surprise everyone.
With that thought, she eyed Ozul again. ‘It hasn’t been a week since they arrived and he can already kill an expert in the Nascent Soul Realm without any struggle... this will surely attract those old fogeys’ attention. I can’t let that happen...’
For her plans, Ozul had become a crucial part of it.
“I won’t ask you to explain your unique gifts, but I must warn you, boy... most people aren’t as kind as I am.” She warned him before taking them inside the manor.
‘Right...’ Internally, Ozul scoffed. He was the only one who truly understood the greed that his own abnormality aroused in people.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to note that the old Beastkin lady was sincere when she said that she wouldn’t probe him. At the same time, though, he knew that she was more interested in using him for her purposes.
Sitting inside an isolated room, the old lady took off her hood again, revealing her majestic white horns adorning the back of her head.
The trio had to admit that they hadn’t seen anything like that before. Ozul had already told them that almost all of them were Beastkin, so there weren’t many surprises there. The old lady, contrary to their expectations, showed no traces of aging on her face.
“Stop staring, kids. It’s rude.” The elderly woman shook her head, but she was used to it. Even among the Beastkin, getting accustomed to her horns took some time. They seemed mystical.
“Since you completed the mission, here.”
The old lady dropped five dull-looking crystals on the table. Ozul and the trio quickly recognized them as the medium-grade Spirit Stones.
Raven raised an eyebrow since she had read that a medium-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones and that meant a whole family could be fed lavishly for a thousand months.
Ozul, however, frowned as he looked at the Spirit Stones. This wasn’t what he was promised when the old lady had given him the task.
“Restrain your anger, kid. I remember my promise. You will be given the Cultivation Techniques once it is confirmed that you left no traces after the assassination. Until then, make do with this,” the old lady spoke with a cold voice. Her tone of voice had made it clear that she wouldn’t hear anything on this matter.
Ozul didn’t have any intentions of arguing either.
He then nodded towards Raven who took the Spirit Stones and stored them in her Spatial Ring that was given to them by Old Gu. They now had ten medium-grade Spirit Stones.
“Anyway, even if you made any blunders, killing that man and escaping unscathed is an achievement. You have proven yourself and so, I can tell you a few things... first and foremost, you can call me Ember.. or Elder Ember for you.”
“Would you like to introduce yourself?”
“Oh! I shall go first! My name is Zier, and although I look weak, you will pay the price if you underestimate me, heh! ”
Blaze gave him a side glance which quickly shut him up as he was about to further ‘briefly’ introduce himself.
“You may refer to me as Blaze or a Demon... It’s OK with me,” Blaze reminisced about the time when he declared himself a Demon under the Devil’s Spawn.
Ember’s eyes shifted to the black-haired girl, who replied uninterestingly, “I’m Raven.”
Finally, Ember’s eyes rested on the boy she was most interested in.
“Ozul Ashfall.”
“Both of you are too cold for your ages.” Embers shook her head.
Zier wanted to speak but stopped once he remembered the eyes he received from Blaze just now. He wanted to tell the old lady that everyone here except for himself was almost half a century old!
But, if Zier learned the old lady’s age, he’d realize that they were all children to her.
Just then, Ember’s eyes began glowing red. When she tilted her head, a trail of red was left behind before quickly dissipating!
Ozul was suddenly concerned because he recalled something similar happening when Commander Lin from the Han family had caught him observing the assassination of their young master. Only his eyes were glowing green and they were dim.
‘Is it some kind of Spiritual Arts?’ He wondered what their purpose was.
“You have quite the talent with Ice Elements huh. Although I shouldn’t have been surprised considering the Domain’s mark on you.” The old lady Ember spoke to Blaze. Her scarlet eyes shone ever so brightly.
“What Domain’s mark?” Blaze asked quickly.
“The crown made up of Ice Essence on your forehead.” Ember pointed at the crystals embedded on his forehead. It was the reason he was called a Demon. The reason why his own parents had turned their back on him.
His blood boiled as he demanded more answers.
“What does this Domain’s mark mean? What do you know about it?”
Noticing his dismay, Ember was a little surprised. It was one thing being eager, but the boy in front of her seemed more desperate.
“Looks like you have also suffered from the backlash of receiving such a gift...” Ember muttered under her breath.
“What backlash?” Raven perked up her ears while squinting her eyes.
Ember turned towards her, smiled, and explained, “All those blessed by Heavens usually suffer one way or another. It’s the Karmic balance. Joy cannot be felt without sorrow and all those with strength must feel powerless first.”
Blaze was lost in contemplation as he listened to her. So his talent came at the cost of his family’s denial? ‘No... If they genuinely loved me, they would have embraced me... like he did...’ he swiftly shook his head.
In his imagination, he replayed the events of ‘that’ day. It was the first time he’d seen a glance that wasn’t wary. Eyes that recognized him for who he was. No one had done that before him...
He felt two hands on his shoulders at that very moment. One on each side of him. One was warm, while the other was cold, almost wooden.
Looking up from the ground, he noticed the hands belonged to Raven and Ozul. A warm feeling gushed from inside him as he took a deep breath, stabilizing his emotions. There was no need to dwell in the past. He had people who cared for him now.
Ember observed this scene with a glint in her eyes. ‘They are a close bunch, huh.’ She thought quietly.
“Tell me, what does this Domain’s mark mean?” Blaze asked again.
Ember smirked before she raised her voice, “It means that you are a candidate to become the Ice Monarch. To have the potential to control the Ice as if the very Element was your servant!” “It is very well known that the Ice Monarch could contend against a whole Realm on his own. It took years for even the Fire Dragon’s flame to melt the ice created by the Ice Monarch!”
“This mark brands you as one of the Ice Princes. You are an Ice Prince.”
“There are others?” Ozul interrupted. Blaze wanted to ask the same.
“Well, not so uninterested now, huh?” Ember smirked thinking that Ozul was merely pretending to be calm in front of her.
Ozul raised his eyebrows, he looked a little annoyed with her but kept his quiet.
On the other hand, Raven didn’t miss his raised eyebrows.
Ember kept her smirk as she answered his doubts, “There are other Ice Princes, yes. And to obtain the Ice Monarch’s legacy, they will all have to fight and pass some trials. At least that is what I have heard. There may not be any Ice Prince alive in this Realm though...”
She then squinted her eyes at Blaze, “You, even among the Ice Princes, are unique in the fact that I have never heard about an Ice Prince born in a Broken World...”
‘Will this have an impact on his potential legacy?’ If I can persuade him to join me, I’ll be able to ensure that he reaches his full potential...’
Ember had already made plans to lure Blaze. She was on the verge of locking him away because his gift was too valuable to be let go of...
