Richard couldn’t say the woman was cold, but her expression made it seem as though she was easily angered and full of complaints.
"Aldric, is this the descendant you spoke of? Why do I feel like he’s so ordinary?" The woman approached and spoke.
Richard froze slightly at her words.
He was used to surprising people—it was the first time anyone had ever called him ordinary.
"Eldoria, there’s no need to say such things just to provoke me. Anyone with eyes can see this descendant of mine is truly extraordinary," Aldric replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at her.
Richard felt as though his ancestor was deliberately acting as if he didn’t consider the woman—one of his greatest opponents—important at all.
The woman’s expression instantly darkened.
But instead of Aldric, her anger seemed directed entirely at Richard.
Her red eyes seemed to hide a sea of fire yearning to burn him to ash.
"Richard, this woman is merely a slave, and since she isn’t ready to die yet, she’ll remain our slave for now. Don’t take her seriously," Aldric said casually.
"Hahaha, Grandpa, can you give her to me as my servant later?" Richard replied with a laugh.
Aldric’s face twitched at that, but he nodded with a chuckle. "Don’t worry, don’t worry. But wait until you’re grown up first..."
Aldric probably had no intention of actually handing over such an important figure as the Fire Spirit Queen to Richard, but clearly, for now, he could only go with the flow to further annoy the woman.
Her face flushed red while her breath grew rapid, barely containing her boundless fury.
"Anyway, Eldoria, I just picked some fruit. Please cut it for us," Aldric said at last, turning to the Fire Spirit Queen, whose eyes widened.
Yet as though pushed by some mysterious force, she suddenly moved on her own.
She picked up the fruit by the riverbank, still unwashed, and had to rinse it first.
After that, she carried it to where Richard and Aldric sat.
Aldric handed her a knife, and the woman could only accept it before beginning to cut the fruit.
The anger in her eyes was palpable to Richard, and it made his heart race, as though her fury alone could make the heavens themselves seethe.
Even so, Richard remained calm.
He picked up a slice of fruit she had cut and ate it casually.
"So delicious. Truly, the taste of fruit depends on who cuts it," Richard remarked.
"Boy, you really know how to spout nonsense," Aldric replied. "These are just ordinary fruits. You haven’t yet tasted true fruits. One day, visit the Land of Spirit—there, you’ll find all sorts of extraordinary ones."
The Land of Spirit was, of course, the continent where the Spirit Race resided. They consisted of many kinds, one of which was the Fire Spirit Race led by the Fire Spirit Queen.
Compared to the Land of Human, the Land of Spirit was said to be far more fascinating. Richard was filled with curiosity but knew it would be a long time before he could ever go there.
For now, he was still confined to a single province.
Richard continued eating the fruit, listening to a few stories from his ancestor.
"By the way, Grandpa, can you replace this sword’s hilt with Obsidora Wood?" Richard asked, pulling out his golden sword and the hilt made from Obsidora Wood, which his ancestor had retrieved from the river.
He had originally planned to sell the hilt, but since he already had plenty of money, he thought it better to use it instead.
The sword’s original hilt was made of iron. Richard felt much more comfortable if it were replaced with Obsidora Wood.
"Boy, your luck is truly above average. When I was still in the Aether Will Realm, I didn’t even have a Tier 3 Weapon," Aldric replied, taking the golden sword and the Obsidora Wood from Richard’s hands.
"Hmph, that’s because your origins were low. I already had a Tier 4 Weapon back then," the Fire Spirit Queen suddenly interjected.
But Aldric ignored her.
Though the sword’s hilt was fused with it, Aldric could still separate the two.
Afterward, he embedded the Obsidora Wood into the sword’s base while coating it with his Aether, instantly merging them together.
"Now it’s lighter," he said, returning the golden sword to Richard, who found it indeed much lighter, making it easier to swing.
Meanwhile, just as Richard and Lisa had left Night Valley City, within that very city lay an area surrounded by ten-meter-high walls, filled with large wooden houses built from rare special timber.
The area had no guards, yet no one dared cause trouble there, no matter if they were nobles or officials.
Mrs. Wilson stood before the gates of the walled estate, stepping inside with a calm expression, though her eyes revealed her head was full of thoughts. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noveⅼfire.net
Of course, she was thinking of ways to protect Richard.
Since the enemies were Wren and the governor, there were very few people she could rely on for help.
If Rebecca didn’t have such personality issues, she wouldn’t be struggling so much to think of who could aid Richard.
As his mother, Rebecca should have been the one to help her son.
But Mrs. Wilson understood the woman’s nature all too well.
She would not be happy if she learned about Richard. Instead, she would be furious that the child she had abandoned was not worthless trash but rather a shining diamond.
In her rage, there was no telling what she might do.
Thus, Mrs. Wilson hadn’t even considered asking Rebecca for help. Instead, she had come to the Moonshadow Clan’s territory.
At the very least, in this clan, there was still someone she could turn to for aid—Leonardo Moonshadow, the clan’s former leader and Richard’s own grandfather.
He was truly a formidable figure.
Although he only possessed Tier 2 Aether, his Realm was extremely high.
He commanded enough strength to be respected across the entire kingdom.
His personality was also good—he loved his grandchildren, including Grace, who was only his adopted granddaughter.
Mrs. Wilson simply wasn’t sure how he would react when hearing about a grandson he had never known.
Still, she believed he would surely help.
The Moonshadow Clan’s estate was quiet, with hardly anyone around except servants tending to the courtyards.
Many members were away, either wandering the city or elsewhere.
Several servants greeted Mrs. Wilson, but she was too preoccupied with her thoughts to respond.
She continued walking until she reached a small vineyard filled with all kinds of rare grapes.
A man who appeared to be in his fifties, with black hair partly streaked with white, was watering the vines.
He looked simple, wearing only plain robes, exuding none of the overwhelming aura that powerful people often had.
If anything stood out, it was only his face, still strikingly handsome and charming despite his middle-aged appearance.
"Sir!" Mrs. Wilson greeted the man, bowing slightly out of respect.
Leonardo Moonshadow disliked overly formal titles; long ago, he had ordered the servants to address him simply as sir.
"Wilson, it’s rare for you to come here. Something must have happened, right?" The man smiled casually at Mrs. Wilson, not stopping his watering.