"Big Brother Yuan, we’ve finished all the Spirit Crystals you gave us for cultivation. Do you have more?" Little Zoe asked as she jumped into Yuan’s lap, her face beaming with a huge smile.
Yuan stroked her head with a smile and nodded. "I have plenty. You can take as many as you like."
He retrieved a thousand Spirit Crystals from his system storage and handed them all to her. Little Zoe quickly stored them in her spatial ring.
"Give half to your mother, okay?" Yuan said.
"Thanks, Big Brother!" Little Zoe replied excitedly before kissing him on the cheek and dashing toward her mother’s room.
With the Spirit Crystals, Miss Zara and Little Zoe’s cultivation would catch up quickly. Since absorbing Spirit Crystals takes ti, it was best for them to start right away.
A couple of monts later, Mireya appeared before them with an unpleasant look on her beautiful face. She sat on the sofa beside Yuan, leaning back with a sigh.
"How did your negotiation go, Mireya? Did it go well?" Yuan asked with a slight smile.
"Don’t ask the obvious, Yuan. You already know how it went—I could feel your Divine Sense in the throne room the whole ti." Mireya looked at him with a blank expression, touched by his concern.
Yuan chuckled and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her closer.
"Well, it’s not your fault. That kitty from the Golden Lion Empire is far too arrogant for her own good. How could she demand seventy percent of the profit just like that?"
"Not just arrogant—greedy as well," Mireya said with a frustrated sigh. "They don’t know who they’re negotiating with. Their arrogance and power won’t work on ."
"Do you think the Golden Lion Empire will beco a problem for the Elven Kingdom? They are the largest empire on the Beast Continent, with over seven hundred thousand in population."
"I don’t think they’ll bare their fangs at us so soon. After all, news of Kaelrath’s fate has spread far and wide. They’re not foolish enough to act on impulse."
"Agreed. Still, Princess Lindsey was humiliated by you. I’m certain she’ll retaliate sooner or later," Yuan said with a knowing smile.
Mireya thought for a mont, her expression serious. "That’s possible. But who told her to act so arrogantly before ? It’s her own fault."
It was a genuine concern for the Elven Kingdom, given its much smaller population compared to the Golden Lion Empire.
However, Mireya wasn’t worried—she now possessed the strength to crush the Golden Lion Empire with ease, and she could do it alone.
—
A carriage sped across the vast valley, racing away from the dense forest. Behind it, a pack of wolves gave chase, their growls echoing through the open air.
More and more erged from the treeline—nearly fifty in total—closing the distance with alarming speed.
"Princess Lindsey! Wolves are chasing us!" a soldier shouted from outside, his voice tense.
Inside, Princess Lindsey sat comfortably, though her expression was far from calm. The sting of earlier humiliation still burned in her chest.
"Stop the carriage and clear the wolves! That’s a direct order!" she commanded coldly.
"As you wish, Princess!"
The carriage skidded to a halt. The guards leapt down, weapons in hand, as the wolves encircled them from all directions, snarling and baring their sharp fangs.
"There’s so many of them," one guard muttered, his eyes scanning the beasts—before a wide grin spread across his face.
"I thought this trip would be boring... but now, I’ve changed my mind," another said, spinning his weapon with a sharp glint in his eye.
"The order’s simple—don’t let a single one escape. Kill them all!" barked the leader, drawing twin daggers from his back, holding them with the confidence of a master.
"CHARGE!"
The guards surged forward as the wolves lunged to et them, jaws snapping wide.
Silver light shimred over the wolves’ fur as they channeled mana, their claws and fangs capable of shredding steel.
"Think a few mutts can scare us?!" the leader roared, cleaving the first wolf clean in two. Blood splattered across his face, and his grin only widened.
The wolves were fierce, but these were veteran warriors of the Golden Lion Empire. They had slain magical beasts far deadlier than this pack. Within minutes, the snow-white valley was stained red.
When the last wolf fell, the guards set to work skinning the carcasses, stripping them for usable parts.
Monts later, the carriage rolled forward once more. Inside, Princess Lindsey sat rigid, her fists clenched tight, nails digging into her palms.
"That lowly queen... How dare she reject ?!" she hissed, her voice shaking with fury. "I’ll make her pay for this humiliation tenfold when I return to the Empire!"
She had never been denied before. In the capital, everything bent to her will. But now, a re queen of a small kingdom had dared not only to refuse her—but to humiliate her outright.
"Don’t think I’ll let this humiliation slide... I’ll have my revenge!" Lindsey hissed to herself, her eyes burning red with the anger building inside her.
A couple of hours later, a guard’s voice called from outside the carriage.
"Princess Lindsey, we are about to enter the Empire’s border!"
"Increase the pace. I feel suffocated in this damned carriage," she ordered coldly, her tone dripping with disdain.
"As you wish, Princess."
The carriage surged forward, doubling its speed. The guards pushed their horses harder, keeping formation around the carriage with unwavering focus—protecting the imperial princess was their foremost duty.
Before long, the towering walls of the capital city of the Golden Lion Empire ca into view. The carriage cut straight through the bustling streets and headed directly toward the Imperial Palace.
Inside the grand throne hall, Emperor Raghar sat on his magnificent golden throne, engaged in serious discussion with several nobles.
"Father, I’ve returned from the Elven Kingdom," Lindsey announced as she stepped inside, her expression locked in an unhappy scowl.
"So, you’ve returned, my daughter." Emperor Raghar smiled—until his eyes narrowed slightly.
"You look... displeased. Did sothing happen there? Perhaps so fool tried to court you, seeing how beautiful you are?"
"Father, must your imagination have no limits?" Lindsey rolled her eyes, irritation flashing across her face.
"Then why the long face? Was soone hostile toward you? That would explain why you storm in here looking like you could kill soone."
"Father! It’s Queen Mireya!" Lindsey’s voice cracked like a whip, cutting through the air and instantly silencing the entire hall.
The Emperor’s eyes sharpened.
"What did she do to make you this furious, Lindsey?" His tone was heavy, and the use of her na ant his patience was gone.
"That lowly elf queen refused my offer—and kicked out of her palace!" Lindsey spat, her voice trembling with hatred.
"I offered her thirty percent of the profit, and still she refused to sell us the potions. How arrogant can she be?"
"She did what?!" Emperor Raghar rose sharply from his throne, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"How is this possible?! How could she reject such a generous offer? Or... thirty percent was still too little for her?" His voice rumbled with fury, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Father! Not only that, but she also humiliated because of this. You must do sothing—punish that arrogant queen imdiately—or else I won’t be able to sleep at night!" Lindsey demanded, her eyes blazing with fury.
Emperor Raghar fell silent for a mont, deep in thought. Then he spoke, voice asured. "Don’t worry. I’ll handle her—but it will take ti. That woman isn’t easy prey. Rember, she alone defeated Kaelrath... and humiliated him in public."
"What?! Kaelrath? The ruler of Crimsonfang Peak?!" Lindsey’s voice shot up, nearly breaking into a scream. "Impossible!"
"As impossible and unbelievable as it sounds, it’s the truth—an undeniable truth," Raghar said gravely.
"And because of this, the situation will soon grow chaotic for the entire continent. The elves are regaining their forr glory—stronger every day—and their power is rising at an alarming rate. This is not just troubleso for us, but for many others."
"We must eliminate her as soon as possible," he continued, his tone darkening. "But Kaelrath still harbors rage toward us for refusing his alliance. He may already consider us an enemy." His expression hardened, and golden light flickered in his eyes.
anwhile...
A luxurious carriage sped through the dense forest, its ornate design impossible to ignore. Around it, an escort of striking female warriors in beautifully crafted armor moved with practiced precision. Their fox-like tails swayed in the wind, a teasing display of elegance and danger.
Inside the carriage, a woman reclined in a graceful, almost predatory pose, a sweet smile playing on her lips. Her eyes glimred with excitent.
"Very soon... I’ll see little Mireya again," she murmured in a honeyed, seductive tone. "I wonder what kind of woman she’s grown into..."
She was none other than Kitsura Amara, ruler of the Misty Fox Village—and dear friend of the late Valeryan, Mireya’s mother. She was traveling to the Elven Kingdom with a purpose only she knew.
"Madam Kitsura, we will arrive at the Elven Kingdom in a few hours," called one of her guards from outside.
"I see... Keep the pace steady. There’s no need to rush," Kitsura replied with a soft smile.
"Yes, Madam." The guard gave a nod before resuming her post.
Hours later, the forest began to thin. In the distance, the vast expanse of the Elven Kingdom ca into view—an endless woodland wrapped in towering walls of living trees. And beyond it all, dominating the horizon, stood the Mother Tree, its majestic form visible for miles—a breathtaking monunt to the heart of elven lands.
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