The ten spatial rings, each gleaming subtly on the polished table, radiated an ancient, thrumming mana that Sokram could feel resonating with his own as he extended his sensory range toward them.

Just by the sheer volume of that leaked energy, he knew each held space enough to encompass an entire building.

A thrill of anticipation filled his heart.

Considering the immense lifespan of elves, he couldn't help but wonder at the sheer, overwhelming volume of knowledge he had just gained.

He was certain that his plans would be pushed forward even more thanks to it.

So, with his practiced businessman’s grin, he nodded at Neloph. “Of course, Great Uncle, please stand up for a moment. I’ll have to analyze your Core. If you wish, join us in training this month. I’ll be aiding the Grandmaster and Nana Kasine in converting their cores.”

“Please do so.” Neloph barely answered; Sokram was already there.

Kamus’s brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on Sokram as if his Grand Disciple had just betrayed him.

In contrast, Kasine’s eyes were bright with an unspoken understanding, as if they were kindred spirits.

And to a certain point, she was right.

“Excuse me then, Great Uncle,” Sokram placed his right hand on Neloph’s back.

Once his mana reached the snow elf’s Core, Sokram was amazed.

It was the first time in this timeline that he had seen something like that in someone other than himself and the ones he taught.

Neloph’s Mana Heart and Vital Core were intertwined by tendrils of blood crystalized by Mana and Vital energy.

“You won’t need the pill.” Sokram spoke a little too excitedly, but then he explained, “There’s a knot here, see?”

Sokram showed Neloph that one of the tendrils had formed a type of knot inside his heart.

“It must hurt a lot, right? If you were to take one of those pills with the amount of energy congested here, your heart would explode.”

“That serious, hm?” Neloph didn’t sound surprised at all.

“Yes, but I can untie it, just don’t move.” When he heard what Sokram said, Neloph’s eyes widened.

He was only testing Sokram’s abilities, but untying a knot in another’s heart wasn’t something anyone could do.

Not even the Head Mistress of the Academy managed to help untangle that knot.

“Young dragon, please don’t joke…” Neloph was about to reprimand Sokram when he felt as if a stone weighing on his heart was finally lifted. His breath hitched, feeling the flood of long-dormant mana seep into his Core, like a blocked stream rejoining its river and making its current even stronger.

“Done, now absorb it fast or you will lose the window to advance!”

Sokram spoke with urgency, but seeing Neloph looking dazed, he raised his voice a little, “Great Uncle Neloph! Absorb it! Quickly!”

Neloph sat in the chair, finally closed his eyes, and began absorbing years, maybe even a couple of centuries' worth of accumulated energy that was stagnant in the congested tendrils connecting his heart and Core.

Energy that he believed would never reach his Core.

But now, three centuries of heartaches were solved in an instant, and he didn’t even see how it was done.

Seeing that Neloph was finally absorbing the energy, Sokram retrieved his mana carefully not to disturb his focus, and turning to Kanami and Lazar, he asked, “Can I look into yours?”

“Yes! Me first! Ladies first!” Kanami’s two brothers looked at her, who never liked being treated with chivalry, now acting like that, and couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle.

Out of respect for her, a nervous tremor ran through the other family heads and elders, their lips pressed tightly together as they desperately tried to stifle their laughter.

But Lazar didn’t and burst out laughing.

“What? Ain’t I a lady?” Kanami frowned, but Lazar didn’t stop laughing; he physically couldn’t.

Sokram was happy with her eagerness, as the saying goes, ‘the shy ones often lose good chances,’ so he didn’t hold to ceremonialism and, crossing to the other side of the table, approached her with a polite smile on his face.

“Excuse me, Head Kanami.”

“Come on, I told you already, you can call me Aunt.” Kanami shivered slightly, feeling the cool of his mana seeping into her heart, and then asked him, “That girl, Kiana, you taught her, right?”

“Yes, since she’s under contract, she couldn’t tell you. Kan, Nora, and Lara, too,” Sokram shot a quick glance at Nirmal and Liandra sitting beside Lazar, and they nodded back at him with gratitude.

Hearing Sokram’s words, Kamal lowered his head, his wolf-like ears flattened as he stared ahead in a daze.

‘Kazzah, why did you have to be so dumb, so selfish. I failed you as a grandfather by spoiling you too much; may your soul forgive me as you thread the sea of betrayers.’

When Sokram finished probing Kanami’s Core, he sounded disappointed, “It will be best if you convert your Core first, Aunt Kanami. Either that or you will have to cultivate for a few more years.”

Kanami nodded, already expecting this response.

Still, her tail no longer wagged, having deflated after hearing his words.

Kanami asked him then, a hint of pleading in her tone, “Will you help me?”

“Yes, this is part of the deal too,” Sokram replied with a friendly and confident smile and started walking toward Lazar.

Lazar wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling, and raised his hands to stop him, “I’m a Tier 10, but I’m still far from reaching the peak; no need to worry about me.”

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But then Cecille asked Sokram, “Why didn’t you offer my father the same guidance?”

Sokram’s brow furrowed, his gaze resting on her with genuine confusion as he stated bluntly, “Great Uncle and Auntie Sienna could read through my techniques even better than Great Uncle Neloph; he never needed my help, nor do you.”

“Hahaha, you have good eyes, Sokram.” Sahvus nodded as his hoarse, aged voice filled the room.

Cecille looked at Sokram with disguised jealousy, seeing that he gained yet another compliment from Sahvus.

Suddenly, Sokram’s head snapped, lightning-fast, his gaze locked onto Neloph.

His hand instinctively shot out, mana gathering, ready to cast a barrier around the snow elf.

But Sienna, with a speed that defied her usual calm, and without a single movement except the mana that left her body, had already cast her own barrier.

A shimmering, impenetrable wall of force that flared into existence around Neloph, radiating immense power.

Sokram was amazed by the barrier as Neloph’s advancement barely made any sound, nor did the air pressure hurt him.

Most surprising was that his body didn’t release that many impurities either.

That, though, wasn’t the barrier’s doing.

Sokram understood the old elf must have adopted a special diet in hopes of improving his condition and his chances of advancing to a new Level of Existence.

“When he opened his eyes, they went straight to Kamus. “And I reached you so fast you barely had any time to gloat, hm?”

Kamus’s lips twisted into a deliberate, theatrical grimace. “Hmph! That is thanks to my Grand Disciple. So I’m still the one winning.”

“Shameless dog, you’re taking the credit from little Leona?” Neloph shot back.

“If I weren’t Leona’s Master, she wouldn’t be Sokram’s Master, so yeah, it’s my win! Hah!” Kamus flashed him a mocking grin.

With the two eldest in the room bickering like teenagers, the room was filled with laughter.

Margiory and Brunhild, who were quietly letting Sokram take the lead, observed the change his grandson brought; the last time they had seen this meeting room so lively was when their fathers announced their alliance many years ago.

Margiory reached for Brunhild’s hand, squeezing it, and Brunhild smiled back at her with a nod.

They knew this city's fate had changed, and it was thanks to him, the grandson they doted on so much.

After Sokram didn’t find any candidate for his pill, the room continued their lighthearted exchanges for a while.

The family heads, including Kamal, promised to deliver what they had of magical knowledge to Sokram as soon as they amassed everything they could.

Sokram assured them that he would only borrow it and return it later.

He said this knowing it would make them less selective.

Licarus ended the meeting after these negotiations were over.

While the heads were leaving, the Armfrosts stayed behind with Sokram’s family and close ones, but only because Sahvus hadn’t moved.

When the people Sokram trusted the most were the only ones left, Sahvus asked him, “What are you trying to find?”

Sokram was surprised by that question but chose honesty; otherwise, they'd keep prying.

“It's something that can only be learned after knowing Alchemy, Enchanting, Runic Language, Blood Magic, Geomancy, Energy Mastery, Medicinal and Genetic Advanced knowledge, and Molecular Structure Advanced knowledge. And for the necessary tools… Black and White Smithing.”

“Belladona’s Crystal Palace, hm?” Sahvus seemed surprised by Sokram’s answer, but after a brief nod, his expression went back to the standoffish one he always wore.

“Then continue reading as you have, the tower won’t have everything you need, but you won’t leave empty-handed either.”

Sahvus stood up and, bidding his farewells, he left with a confused Cecille and a very stunned Sienna in tow.

Once they were gone, Kamus asked him, “What is Belladona’s Crystal Palace?”

But unsurprisingly, it was Kasine who answered it, “Biomancy, don’t you know the tale? After she mastered it, she didn’t have the chance to use much of it because Nhiria chose her as a Paragon and took her to the Star Palace to live with her.”

“But whatever she discovered through Biomancy was so great that many wars happened because of it. So Nhiria had to hide the palace where Belladona stored all her knowledge. Yet she promised that if a Biomancer impressed her as much as Belladona did, she would gift them Belladona’s Crystal Palace.”

“Oh, right, I read that story one night for Karini to sleep, but isn’t it just a legend?” Kamus scratched the back of his ear.

Sokram skimmed through Neloph's borrowed library, each ring filled with tomes and scrolls centuries old.

After untying the knot in the old snow elf’s heart, he gained ten more rings.

Neloph was sincerely grateful.

But hearing Kamus's question brought Sokram out of his daze, “Well, so are the Ten Arcs not having been destroyed and their knowledge not lost. But if the legends weren’t real, how come in the history books it is said that Emperor Drokmin found the Arc of Mentyr, one of the three with the most knowledge in it?”

“I wasn’t there to see, so if you ever find an Arc come and show me, then I’ll believe the Crystal Palace is real too.” Kamus had never been one to chase after legendary treasures.

The way of the killing Blade, the Path of Evolution, and his family were all the treasures he needed.

But he wouldn’t force Sokram to be like him; he only hoped that Sokram’s ambitions didn’t lead him down a path of regret and stagnation.

After chatting a bit more about old legends, Sokram and his grandmothers returned home.

But not before a quick detour.

Brunhild took them to the family's burial grounds.

She didn’t enter this time; she only leaned over the door and whispered. “You were right again, Father. Rest well, the Sky Reacher you dreamed about was born in our lair.”

“What did you whisper?” Margiory asked when Brunhild returned.

“Just the obvious.” Brunhild winked at her after looking at Sokram, who was still in a daze, going through Neloph’s library.

They finally went back home.

After that meeting, Sokram and his family's standing in the city improved a lot.

Every member of the founding families treated them as one of their own.

The Androny Caravan quickly settled in the city, bringing greater business, investors, and attention to their small military city.

For the next few weeks, Sokram’s routine also changed drastically; he no longer had to worry about teaching his teammates, the hunting teams, or the Androny guards, because after a week of intensive guidance, his family astounded him by how fast they learned.

Thus, with a lot of free time on his hands, he focused on aiding Kamus and Kasine to convert their cores; the rest of his time was spent reading inside the Arch Mage’s tower, or doing physical training with his team, helping them improve their fighting techniques.

That only lasted for another week, because they were finally notified that their new teammates had been selected.

Because Sokram hadn’t officially become captain, and Savannah was just a temporary one, they couldn’t choose their new teammates.

Sokram knew that people were pulling some strings from behind the curtains to get their young ones close to him.

That was confirmed on the day they presented themselves in the Hunter’s Hall.

Once they arrived there, Karini was waiting for them along with the Commander of the Hunter’s Hall, Nirul vid Goldenmane.

A lion-kin man, 1.8 meters tall, with neatly styled short blonde hair brushed backward, a haircut commonly used by humans in the military, and a lean yet well-trained body.

But it was the contrast between his green feral eyes and his dark olive skin that made his appearance truly striking.

“Good, you arrived.” The Commander said, looking at Savannah, who wore the captain's band.

“Commander, Lieutenant.” Savannah greeted them, with Sokram and the others standing behind her.

“Your new companions have been selected. I know you requested to pick them yourselves. Unfortunately, there were procedures and circumstances that we couldn’t ignore. Lieutenant Karini here has picked among the best we had available.” Nirul’s tone was blunt, as if he were reading from a prepared script, emphasizing his rush to deal with the matter.

“She will explain the details. Any questions?” Nirul spoke flatly, eyes fixed on the door behind them.

His words were rehearsed.

His posture was stiff, like a man eager to be elsewhere.

His tone made it clear: Don’t ask.

“Commander, if I may?” Sokram raised his hand, and Nirul only nodded with an annoyed face.

But Sokram needed to settle this as soon as possible, too. “I believe I’ve made enough contributions to challenge my team captain for the position of captain. I was planning to challenge Kazzah, but…”

“I know of your team’s drama. Please, go to the point.” Nirul cut Sokram off, showing impatience.

“According to the rules of this Hall, if the current captain agrees to step down, there is no need for a challenge, right?” Sokram asked, not rushing to get to the point.

“Yes, that is true,” Nirul's gaze shifted to Savannah.

Her nod was brief, and her eyes sincere. The captain's band already loosened around her bicep.

“Sigh… Then hand over your band to him. Lieutenant, you take care of the paperwork. I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Karini saluted the man, who had just walked away, returning his focus to the documents in his hand.

“Well, that was simpler than I thought…” Sokram muttered in surprise and was slightly let down at how anticlimactic it was.

He had just become the youngest team captain in the Hunters’ Hall history.