By the time Zhou Qing and the others left the Notting Guild, evening had already fallen.
Romantina bid farewell to Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, then headed toward the wealthy residential district at the center of Notting City.
"Tina, you're back?"
The deputy city lord of Notting City, Romanak, approached her.
"Father, you?"
Romantina was surprised. Usually, her father was very busy, often returning home only past midnight, and never came to greet her.
"I heard you helped hunt a spirit beast this time and obtained a spirit bone?" Romanak's tone was urgent. "Show it to me quickly. We can't allow such a thing here!"
Spirit bones were treasures in the spirit master world. Whoever possessed one kept it secret, fearing others' envy and greed.
If his own daughter had obtained a spirit bone and kept it hidden, Romanak would be delighted — but this matter had been exposed!
The lord of Falling Star City, Baron Daries, had already visited him and accidentally revealed Romantina had acquired a spirit bone.
Romanak knew well who Daries was: a fading noble in Star Luo City. When the imperial prince was born in the Star Luo Empire, Daries wanted to support him. But his family had fallen from grace and never even got to meet the prince.
The second prince lacked innate soul fusion with the Zhu family's children, automatically removing himself from the line of succession.
After the third prince was born, Daries planned to invest in him. However, the imperial succession struggle was brutal. Even the six-year-old first prince's supporters were already quietly pushing aside nobles backing the third prince.
The Star Luo Empire's imperial competition was harsh but relatively fair. Before the final heir emerged, no prince could afford to falter.
For nobles and officials, choosing sides early was crucial. Waiting until the heir was chosen meant missing the chance to gain favor.
Perhaps the future heir would publicly soothe those who hadn't supported him, but privately, he would never fully trust them and might suppress them in secret.
Six years ago, Daries was ousted by first prince supporters and forced to use connections to become the lord of a small border town between Tian Dou and Xing Luo hiding from political storms.
But Romanak knew Daries had grand ambitions. Now that a spirit bone had appeared, it gave Daries a perfect excuse to stir chaos in Notting City then intervene himself.
How fierce was the competition in the Star Luo Empire? Romanak didn't know details. But he was sure Daries would try to use this chance to find a reason to attack the Tian Dou Empire.
Conflicts and contradictions accumulated through repeated clashes.
If successful, no matter whom he supported later—the first or third prince—Daries would have proven his value.
Fence-sitters who first supported the first prince then switched to the third were less likely to be punished in the end and could even thrive.
"Daries!"
Romantina gritted her teeth. She had thought the man was noble, but he was so arrogant that he wanted to find reasons to attack the Tian Dou Empire!
How hateful!
Though Notting City and Falling Star City and the surrounding borderlands were mountainous and watery—not strategic military locations—if Daries succeeded, the peace of Notting City and nearby villages would be shattered.
[We should have shot them dead with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow!]
Romantina regretted deeply.
This was the first time she truly realized how cruel the world was.
Her past joyful life working with adventurers in the Notting Guild, completing missions and earning rewards, now seemed so innocent. She hadn't expected this mission — and Zhou Qing's reluctance to reveal his spirit device at first — to lead to such a big problem.
"This is useless to say now." Romanak was anxious. "Bring out the spirit bone immediately. We'll hold an emergency auction to sell it off."
This was Romanak's plan.
Knowing Daries' cunning, Romanak was certain that Daries would have his people spread rumors in secret: the deputy city lord's daughter, Romantina, possessed a spirit bone!
Even if it was only a century-old spirit bone, once exposed, Romanak could no longer protect his daughter.
So the best solution was to sell the spirit bone quickly.
He suspected Romanak himself wanted the bone as well—so this would at least be a case of cutting losses to avoid bigger trouble.
"Have you absorbed it already?" Romanak's voice dropped when Romantina stayed silent. He sighed deeply. "If so, I'll arrange for someone to escort you out of the city tonight."
If she had absorbed it,
then the only thing Romanak could do for his daughter was to send her away, hide her identity, and keep the trouble far from Notting City.
Though helpless, Romanak's top priority as deputy city lord was the city's stability.
For his daughter, all he could do was pray silently that she would live resiliently—"Daries, I will never forgive you!"
"No, but the spirit bone isn't with me." Romantina shook her head.
"What?!" Romanak shouted. "You actually gave it to those kids?"
Romanak had sent people to check on Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu's identities and easily got the info from Notting Academy's administration.
But he never expected his foolish daughter to not even want the spirit bone.
"The adventurer guild rules state: once a mission is accepted, anything besides the reward belongs to the employer," Romantina said firmly.
"You… I…" Romanak's hand trembled. He finally sighed, "You're just too honest."
"Father, isn't that what you taught me since childhood?" Romantina asked in confusion.
"Ah, my fault... Fine. Let's find him. Before the news spreads, we'll buy the spirit bone from him and auction it again… Hopefully, he hasn't absorbed it. Otherwise, we'll have to chop off his limbs." Romanak knew Zhou Qing's full potential with innate spirit power but came from a small village without background or power—he'd confirmed that.
If Zhou Qing had been from a sect or noble family, the matter would be easier—he'd just report it to Daries, who wouldn't dare stir trouble again.
But sadly—
He wasn't.
For Notting City's peace, Zhou Qing had to be sacrificed.
At worst…
he'd be kept at home, well-fed and watched closely.
"That's a head spirit bone," Romantina added quietly.
Romanak was speechless.
Zhou Qing was an orphan, that he knew. But this was a head spirit bone...
Wasn't that forcing him to kill an innocent?
If it were a limb spirit bone, there might be a chance to save him with a good doctor, and compensation could be made afterward.
He was almost convincing his conscience,
but it turned out to be a head spirit bone!
Could luck be any worse?
Wasn't this tormenting his sense of justice?
"Zhou Qing probably hasn't absorbed it. He said he wants to study the spirit bone," Romantina added.
"That's a relief."
Romanak's heart finally settled but he didn't believe Zhou Qing could actually research anything.
He just wanted to get the spirit bone fast, sell it, and shift the trouble away.