---

Chapter 146: Janthea Shows the Way

Roy felt a shiver run down his spine.

No way, aren’t the elven folk supposed to be kind and gentle?! Why do they have such bloody punishments, for crying out loud?!

Oh, the Blood Clan counts as elves too, so that’s alright then.

Janthea took a sip of her floral tea and bluntly said, “Roy, let me be straightforward. For the elven race, love is the beautiful bond that sustains life. Betraying love is akin to betraying life itself, equating to the crime of murder.”

“Even if times have changed, I can’t trust a man who likes two girls. So—”

But just then, the previously silent elven girl suddenly grabbed Roy’s hand and proclaimed loudly, “I believe!”

She gazed into Janthea’s astonished eyes and firmly stated, “I believe in Roy!”

“Besides, Roy has never betrayed me; I was the one who interrupted him first.” At this point, Nia’s eyes dimmed, squeezing out a bitter smile: “So, I’m just grateful he can accept me.”

Upon hearing this, Janthea’s expression became complicated.

On one side was the traditional view of the elven descendants, on the other was her desire for her daughter’s happiness. After struggling between the two, her gaze ultimately fell on the tightly clasped hands of the young couple.

She had initially planned to pressure Roy for Nia’s sake, urging him to give up on the Lionheart Princess.

But since Nia had made her own choice, she had no choice but to respect it.

Janthea rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly, “Fine, it’s up to you.”

Roy barely had time to feel happy when Janthea suddenly warned with a stern face, “But if you let her down…”

“Absolutely impossible,” the young boy replied solemnly.

The head of the Verdant Council made a cold snort, not giving a clear answer.

Roy didn’t hold any grievances about this; the fact that this traditional woman didn’t object was already the best outcome he could hope for.

As Janthea mentioned, words were ultimately pale. Only time could prove everything.

“Let’s end the topic of romance here; we should talk about serious matters next.” Janthea waved her hand, pulling a bottle of crimson liquid from thin air.

When she turned her gaze back, her expression had softened considerably from before.

“Business is business; putting aside your style issues, this trial was successful thanks to you and Nia working together to fend off All Things Wither. Plus, since you are the son of an old friend of mine and I haven’t given you a gift yet, let this magic potion serve as a token of my goodwill.”

Roy’s expression turned strange, wanting to say something but holding back: “Thank you, Chief, but this magic potion…”

Magic potions are crucial resources for nurturing extraordinary beings and are the most important core resources for any faction; they are also highly confidential. Even a king of a nation doesn’t have the right to forcibly claim the potion formulas of subordinate nobles.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a generous gift.

But Roy really couldn’t show his gratitude.

Because if he drank it, he’d drop dead!

For extraordinary beings without the corresponding bloodline in their body, any potion can trigger a violent rejection reaction, causing instant death!

Come on, if you really disagree with me and Nia, just say it! There’s no need to gift me poison!

“Don’t worry, this potion is diluted at a ten-to-one ratio with water, so it should be sufficient for your bloodline to accommodate it.”

“Huh?”

“After absorbing the demi-god’s power of the same source bloodline, you will be able to, to some degree, absorb the extraordinary power of the original bloodline,” Janthea further explained.

Roy finally understood.

Just like after obtaining the Dragon King’s Blessing, he could absorb the heart of a fire dragon; now, with the True Ancestor’s Blessing, he could also obtain extraordinary materials from the Blood Clan, further gaining their power.

This made Roy once again realize the might of the False King title.

Any extraordinary being has fixed abilities in broad strokes; a silver bloodline usually specializes in one area, being weak in others. For instance, an Iron Blood is purely physical melee, and when faced with a mage or being kited by long-range extraordinary beings, they become nearly helpless.

Gold bloodlines have stronger comprehensive abilities, but they also have significant disadvantages, such as Charlotte wilting when encountering water, and Nia being fast but lacking a decisive killing blow.

In simple terms, silver bloodlines specialize in one area while gold bloodlines are generalized, but still have limitations in the broader scope.

But the False King can absorb completely different abilities and use them as their own. As the types of abilities increase, they will eventually evolve into quite terrifying hexagonal warriors, with immense potential.

“Thank you, Chief,” Roy gratefully accepted the magic potion.

“However, there will still be rejection reactions after taking the potion; prepare yourself mentally.”

“Understood.” Roy smiled lightly.

After all, he had been through death’s door and taken quite a few beatings; a little side effect from the potion was nothing to fear, right?

Besides, even if he fainted from the effects, it would just feel like a nap.

“Since you both intend to end your fate with All Things Wither, you must not slack off,” Janthea deliberately directed her gaze at Nia as she spoke.

“If Nia neglects her duties and indulges in pleasure, feel free to urge her on my behalf.”

“Got it.”

The girl beside them was left with a head full of question marks.

Wait, aren’t you supposed to be polite? I’m right here, and you’re already discussing how to deal with me?!

Roy politely said, “However, I have one more question to ask.”

Janthea had anticipated this: “It’s about the Certificate of Kingship, isn’t it?”

Roy slightly nodded, recounting how he had obtained the bloodstone.

However, the fact that he could grasp the clues about the bloodstone this time was entirely due to his advantage of information from the original work; to outsiders, it appeared to be nothing more than sheer luck.

Aside from the bloodstone, Roy couldn’t recall any other items similar to the Certificate of Kingship from the original work. So, he needed a more reliable method to search for the Certificate of Kingship.

Janthea, who had once accompanied Roland in searching for the Certificate of Kingship, surely had her unique insights.

“The Adventurers’ Guild can be set aside for now; their information is a jumbled mess, and you won’t always be lucky enough to stumble upon cheap finds there.”

“As for the Academy City auction, keep an eye on it, but don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“Looks like even the Academy City auction might not have treasures of the level of the Certificate of Kingship,” Roy sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

By all accounts, the Academy City auction, which gathers treasures from all over, should be the most likely place to find the Certificate of Kingship.

Janthea’s lips twitched; she couldn’t bring herself to say the truth.

There had indeed been a Certificate of Kingship at the Academy City auction, but unfortunately, your mother had already snatched it…

“However, the Mage Association should still possess the Certificate of Kingship. With your status as the winner of the Blue Trial, it won’t be difficult for you to connect with them.”

Roy’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Mages are keen on collecting all kinds of extraordinary materials for research or collection, so this could very well be a lead.

Of course, mages are quite exclusive. That’s also why Roy hadn’t sought them out straight away.

But having the winner of the Blue Trial represent them would earn a bit of respect from any faction, especially from the talent-seeking mages. It seems he would need to make a special trip to the association afterward.

“Let’s wrap up the chit-chat here; don’t keep your friends waiting too long.”

After bidding farewell to Janthea, Roy and Nia returned to the center of the outdoor restaurant.

Finally earning Janthea’s recognition to be at the Academy should have been Nia’s dream come true.

But Roy noticed she was drooping her long ears and didn’t seem as happy as expected.

“Nia, about me and Charlotte…”

Unexpectedly, Nia turned her head and smiled faintly.

“You don’t need to explain anything about your relationship with her to me.”

The girl’s smiling face could easily deceive anyone, but the trembling little hand in Roy’s grasp revealed her uncertainty.

“Even if something happened between you and that princess, I…”

Her words abruptly halted, leaving only the chilly evening wind rustling.