"Come visit me from time to time, Iris,' Cai said as she bid goodbye to her best friend, who was about to return to Barbatos Academy.
"I will," Iris replied as she hugged Cai.
After giving her best friend a hug, the blue-haired beauty also hugged Roseline, who was standing next to Cai. "Take care as well, Rose. I'll see you when I have the opportunity."
"I will look forward to it." Rose hugged Iris back. "Don't worry. I will watch over my sister and make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid for the next two months."
Cai, who heard her sister's words, immediately cowered because she could tell that Rose was serious about keeping a close watch on her. Because of this, she threw her plans of sneaking away to the winds and decided to behave for the time being.
Not far from them, Lux was bidding his goodbye to Keane, who decided to stay in the Rowan Tribe for the time being.
Truth be told, the Half-Elf thought that the skinny swordsman would accompany him back to Karshvar Draconis, but Keane said that he needed to meditate and regain his peace after what happened in the Gate of Conquest.
"I am growing too fast," Keane stated. "I need to consolidate my strength first, or else, the power I gained will be put to waste. I don't want to be like those Rankers who have high stats, but don't have the ability to put their strength to good use."
Lux nodded his head in understanding because he could understand what his friend was talking about. This was the exact reason why Wildgarde Stronghold forbade parents from giving their children Beast Cores in order to boost their stats.
Sometimes, having high stats would make people too confident in their abilities. Only when they were facing a monster or someone with a rank higher than theirs would they understand that battle experience and refining your skills were just as important as having a high rank.
"I'll see you in two months," Lux said as he fist-bumped Keane. "Make sure that you're prepared to conquer the Gate of Famine by then."
Keane nodded. "I will. Don't worry. You also do your best to consolidate your strength. Although you managed to survive several fights against stronger opponents, you mustn't let your victories go into your head.
"The Six Kingdoms, Xynnar War Pact, and Skystead Alliance are gearing up for the Gate of Famine. I don't know if they plan to pull any weird tricks this time around, but it is better to be prepared for such an outcome."
Lux gave a grateful smile at the skinny swordsman before glancing at Rose, who was still having a last-minute chat with Iris.
"Thanks for the reminder. Also, good luck to you too," Lux said in a teasing tone. "I'll come here to pick you up in two months. Make sure you have made some progress by then."
Keane was unfazed by Lux's ambiguous words and brought up a topic about their Guild in order to change the topic. Naturally, the Half-Elf played along so that Keane wouldn't get too embarrassed about his subtle hints.
A few minutes later, Maximilian emerged from his tent with Gerhart in tow.
"Lux, make sure to look after Gerhart for me," Maximilian said as he patted Gerhart's shoulder. "Gerhart, make sure to not cause trouble for Lux. Also, everything you see, hear, and experience, when you are with him must be kept a secret. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Grandpa," Gerhart replied.
Although Gerhart didn't understand why the Saint of the Rowan Tribe strictly asked him to keep things confidential, he decided to listen to his requests because Maximilian had taken good care of him throughout his stay in the Rowan Tribe.
Maximilian didn't tell Gerhart that he was about to be recruited in the one and only Mythical Guild in the world.
He wanted the green-haired Half-Elf, whom he had helped for the past few years, to take his mind off revenge, and the best solution he had found was to let Gerhart accompany Lux on his escapades to who knows where.
Truth be told, Maximilian wanted to know where Lux was planning to go.
Currently, the Six Kingdoms, the Xynnar War Pact, and the Skystead Alliance were looking for Lux because they wanted to challenge the Gate of Famine as soon as possible.
However, the Half-Elf had other plans and didn't want to return to the Domain of the Fallen for at least two months.
Since his movements were being closely watched by the different factions, Maximilian wondered where Lux was going in order to make his preparations for the next two months.
"Gerhart, just so you know, following me is a very dangerous thing," Lux replied. "I know you are strong, but the places we are going to go to are very dangerous. I would appreciate it if you take responsibility for your own safety."
Gerhart nodded. "Don't worry. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. I still have scores to settle with the Elswyth Royal Family."
Maximilian sighed internally after hearing Gerhart's reply, but there was nothing he could do about it.
At that moment, a Giant Manta Ray landed in the Plaza of the Rowan Tribe.
"We can go anytime kids," Hector announced with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'll accompany all of you back to Barbatos Academy."
Lux and Iris exchanged a glance with each other before nodding their heads.
The time to return to Barbatos Academy had come, and with it, the start of a new adventure awaited.
—------------
Outer Reaches in Karshvar Draconis…
A plain-looking girl, accompanied by two beautiful maids, looked at the three floating islands in the distance.
"Finally, we have arrived at the Outer Reaches!" Valerie said with a smile. "We managed to successfully sneak out of the Inner Palace!"
"Good job, Your Highness," Ali replied as she clapped her hands. "You're amazing."
"As expected of Her Highness," Ari commented. "As long as you put your mind to it, nothing is impossible!"
Valerie's smile widened after hearing the compliments of her two handmaidens.
They made several stops along the way and ate many of the delicacies that belonged to the various cities and towns within her father's Kingdom.
There were several occasions where a few rowdy thugs tried to flirt with Ali and Ari, but the two maidens instantly dispatched these annoying creatures with their punches and kicks.
Of course, there were instances that they encountered stronger individuals, with some of them being Initiates and Rankers. However, for some reason, these hooligans suddenly pissed themselves, and ran away screaming after Valerie glared at them.
Whenever these things happened, Ali and Ari would praise her, saying that her glare was so powerful that even Rankers had no choice but to flee.
Naturally, it wasn't Valerie's glare that scared these Rankers silly.
It was due to the collective killing intent of hundreds of Rankers and High-Rankers, who were secretly protecting their Princess on her sight-seeing expedition.
Of course, the Gullible and Extremely Beautiful Princess wasn't aware of this. She just thought that those who had tried to stop her were just ordinary thugs that one would find anywhere in the streets.
"I'm a bit hungry. Why don't we go to the City of Pygmalion first?" Valerie proposed. "We can also ask about that mysterious Half-Elf while having lunch."
"As expected of Her Highness, you are wise beyond words," Ali said with a smile.
"Eating while gathering information? Truly a brilliant idea," Ari commented. "Her Highness truly is a Phoenix among Phoenixes!"
"But, Ari… I'm a dragon?" Valerie blinked as she looked at her handmaiden who was fanning her to keep herself cool.
"It's just a metaphor, Your Highness," Ari replied. "I'm just saying that among Dragons, only you are able to hit two Phoenixes with one Dragon Breath."
Valerie nodded her head because she found this answer quite logical.
"Let's go," Valerie ordered as she pointed her finger at the city in the distance. "Let's start our expedition of the Outer Reaches!"
