Shang wanted to answer, but before he could, he blinked a couple of times in confusion.
Then, he looked at the man he was talking to more closely.
He looked to be in his early twenties, and he was an Initial High Mage. He had light blue hair, and he looked quite muscular for a Mage.
After Shang looked at him for a bit, he could tell that the man really looked quite similar to Jerald.
"You're Jerald's son?" Shang asked, almost unable to believe it.
"Yes, I am Prince George. I'm asking again, why do you wish to talk to my father?" Prince George answered.
"Prince George?" Shang repeated with surprise.
It was more than obvious whom Jerald named his son after.
"There's not a Prince Shang, is there?" Shang asked.
"Stop with these irrelevant questions!" Prince George shouted with authority. "You have been found flying above a no-flying Zone. That I am not already asking for your arrest is already a kindness on my part. I don't want to retract that kindness."
Under normal circumstances, Shang might shoot back with a passive-aggressive comment, but he was still perplexed that he was talking with Jerald's son.
"Well, I wanted this to be a surprise," Shang said as he took out a Communication Crystal. "But seems like I have to contact him the boring way."
Then, Shang contacted Jerald.
Jerald didn't accept the request from his Communication Crystal for quite a while.
Jerald had been talking with Sylvia while resting inside the castle.
That was until his Communication Crystal rang.
Jerald took it out with practiced ease and felt the aura from the person that wanted to contact him.
Then, his brows furrowed.
He didn't recognize that aura.
But it felt familiar.
He had felt that aura before.
But where?
Even after two seconds, Jerald still couldn't tell whom that aura belonged to, and he decided to pick up.
"Yes?"
"Hey, Jerald?"
And then, Jerald's eyes widened.
He recognized that voice in an instant!
Distant memories flooded his mind as the civil war from long ago reappeared inside his mind.
Then, Jerald's expression transformed to concern and a bit of worry.
At the side, Sylvia realized that something wasn't quite right with Jerald. His aura had suddenly changed.
"What's going on, honey?" Sylvia asked.
Jerald didn't immediately answer.
"Hello?" Shang repeated after Jerald didn't answer.
"Yes, Shang?" Jerald answered awkwardly.
"Yeah, hi, George the Second isn't letting me into the Skythunder Zone," Shang said.
"The Skythunder Zone?" Jerald repeated in confusion. "Oh, the Storm Zone! Right, give me a second."
Then, the connection was cut, and Shang only looked at his Communication Crystal with furrowed brows.
"Alright, that's enough!" Prince George shouted. This person had ignored him all this time after he was kind enough not to arrest him.
"Your Communication Crystal will ring soon," Shang only answered.
Prince George gritted his teeth.
And then, his Communication Crystal rang.
Prince George was quite surprised that Shang's prediction had come true, and when he felt the aura coming from his Communication Crystal, his eyes widened.
"Father?" Prince George asked.
Shang watched as Prince George remained silent for several seconds, probably listening to Jerald.
After Prince George put away his Communication Crystal, he looked at Shang with a complex expression.
"You're Advisor Sword?" he asked in shock.
"Last I remember, I was Duke Sword," Shang answered. "I guess my title changed during my absence."
Prince George looked at Shang with a complex expression for several seconds.
"You know, father and mother told us a lot about you," Prince George said.
"Us?" Shang asked. "I guess Jerald has more than one child right now. Who's your mother? Is it Sylvia?"
"Our mother is Sylvia Eternalfrost, yes," Prince George said.
Shang looked towards the Storm Zone for a bit. "Huh, she actually did it," he said.
"Advisor Sword, I-"
"Call me Shang," Shang interrupted. "I don't like titles."
"Okay, Shang," Prince George said. "I just wanted to say that I am really thankful for your contributions in the civil war back then. Without you, I probably wouldn't exist."
"Wait, this is Advisor Sword?" one of the other people said from beside Prince George.
They had only come to the realization now. After all, Shang was basically a legend.
"Yes, this is Advisor Sword," Prince George said with a nod. "Father just confirmed it."
The others almost couldn't believe it.
Shang wasn't sure how he should answer these impressed gazes.
"Nothing to thank for," Shang told Prince George. "I fought the Mages also for my own freedom. Additionally, Jerald is the closest and probably only friend I have. It's only natural for me to help out."
For some reason, when Prince George heard that, his expression became even more complex.
"I'll deactivate the Magic Barrier," Prince George said as he turned to the barrier. "Please, give me a second."
While Prince George was opening the Magic Barrier, Shang only looked at him.
"How long have I been training in isolation?"
Prince George looked at Shang, still with this weirdly complex expression on his face.
It was like there was something that worried him.
"When did you go into isolation?" Prince George asked.
"About three months after the civil war ended."
Prince George stopped for a second and turned to Shang.
"You've been in isolation for that long?" he asked in shock.
Shang nodded. "I've been fully focused on my training."
This was difficult for Prince George to grasp.
How could someone train for that long?
"I was born about eight years after the civil war ended," Prince George said.
"And I've just turned 67 this year."
Shang's right eye widened.
"75 years?" Shang asked.
Prince George nodded.
"I've been in isolation for 75 years?"
Shang only looked forward for a while with a complex expression.
"That means I'm 160 years old or so."
"Recreating my Mana pathway framework took that long?" Shang spoke to himself.
Shang had expected that he would have been in isolation for 30, maximum 40 years.
He would have never expected to have been in isolation for 75 years.
No wonder so many things had changed.
When Shang had left, Jerald's shift had just started.
And now, it was nearly over.
So much time…
Gone.
