Chief Commander Matheros gathered the soldiers and told them to keep watch around the palace. On his way back to Maximus's room, he heard the noise of the guards. "Help!!" A soldier cried.

A terrifying creature suddenly entered the palace, a beast as fierce and as big as a dog. It shivered as it saw Matheros, a sign of its aggressive nature. As a captain, he knew he had nothing to fear, whether it was a monster or any force of darkness, he would face it.

He helped the soldier escape the attack of the creature.

"Call Phalleon, Vethor, and Catana!" Matheros ordered. Other monsters came out. "What are these!" Matheros was stunned by what he saw; even though he was brave, he took a step back, realizing it would be difficult to fight them all at once.

They looked like pale, ghostly fish with red eyes and many slimy tendrils on their skin. A foul smell, like a rotting corpse, wafted from them up close. Green, thick slime dripped from their mouths, pooling on the marble floor. Matheros immediately drew his sword, which triggered an aggressive attack.

"Chief Commander Matheros!" Catana shouted, running closer. "Behind you!" Matheros immediately struck the one behind him; the monster's flesh was cut like paper. The creatures howled as Matheros slayed one of them. But instead of the numbers decreasing, more new ones arrived.

"Ugh... these creatures just keep appearing, it's so annoying!" Phalleon said. Using his spear, he stabbed the monsters that jumped at him.

"Stop talking so much!" said Catana, who was continuously shooting arrows at the monsters.

"Are the soldiers not here yet?" she asked Vethor. Catana's face showed a strange fear, as she had never seen such creatures in her entire life. Every arrow she shot hit the soft, slippery, scaleless skin of the monster.

"What are these disgusting things!!!" said Phalleon. The monster's blood splattered on his mouth, salty and bitter. He spat out the sickening taste.

Vethor peered out the palace window to see if the soldiers were coming. "They're on their way!" Vethor choked and stabbed the monsters with his long dagger as he grabbed them with his hands.

"Make sure no one gets into Xerxes' son's room!" Matheros said. "Hurry, get in!" Matheros shouted.

"At the window!" Catana's voice trembled. It was a hair-raising moment every time Catana saw the creatures appearing.

"The face of Thallerion is already being greatly troubled by these monsters!" Phalleon said. The strange events happening in the Thallerion palace were already the talk of the town; this was the second time a monster attack had occurred.

"What King Xerxes said was true!" Captain Matheros replied. "There really is a monster that wants to destroy Thallerion."

"King Xerxes isn't here, so you're the only one we can rely on to solve this matter. We'll help with whatever you decide," Catana said.

"From what I can see, they plan to attack King Xerxes' son," Vethor said, soaked in the green blood of the monsters, with their saliva sticking to his arms and a foul smell emanating from it.

"I think the soldiers have arrived, I hear them attacking the monsters... Should we open the door?" Phalleon said.

"Check carefully," Captain Matheros commanded.

Phalleon and Vethor slowly opened the door and peeked outside. They saw that the soldiers were indeed there. "They're here!" Phalleon said.

"What happened to the monsters?" Matheros said, rushing out the door.

"Commander, the monsters suddenly dissolved and turned into smoke," a soldier said.

"Impossible..." Matheros said. The green blood on their bodies dried up and became smoke. "It was magic!!!"

"Oh!!! So they were just illusions after all!!" Phalleon said.

"I was wounded, but the wound didn't disappear," Vethor said. "Those monsters were real. They weren't just illusions!"

"That's what you get!!!" said Phalleon. "What's a dagger going to do, you got hurt because you touched them... that monster was disgusting! You have a strong stomach to just handle those nuisances with your bare hands!!!"

"Instead of just talking, Phalleon, why don't you just help solve this mystery," said Captain Matheros.

Dreamithrio

"Father, there are black horses approaching," said Aritheo. He stopped his practice when he saw the guests.

"What is their purpose here at our ranch?" Heshun said and approached his son to confirm. "Is it about your upcoming competition, Aritheo?"

"No, it seems to be the king of Dreamithrio."

"The king of Dreamithrio?" Heshun's voice rose, and he looked nervous. "King Klopheous?"

"Yes, it's him," Aritheo replied.

"Are you Heshun?" King Klopheous said as the horses stopped.

"Ah, yes, it's me. Heshun... what is your purpose, my lord, king of Dreamithrio?"

"How much do you earn from your business?" Klopheous said, sitting erect on top of his horse, holding the reins.

"Oh, I pay my taxes... well, my earnings are just average, Your Majesty."

"You have a wide network in business, do you have any other sources of income?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Heshun said. "Sigh, who told you these slanders, I am an honorable merchant!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, my father is a good merchant," Aritheo also said.

"If so, I'm impressed, but how much do you earn from selling supplies secretly to foreigners? I know you have a high markup on that." King Klopheous said.

"That is a slanderous accusation, Your Majesty," Heshun said, his knees trembling. "I know nothing about that?"

"Do you not remember the weapons used by the barbarians?"

"I know nothing about those things!" Heshun continued to deny.

"Stop pretending!" King Klopheous said. "I am tired of those answers... never mind, I have something I want you to do. Gather people who will join us in our search for treasure in the mountains."

"Treasure?" Heshun was surprised. The chameleon's true colors immediately came out.

"Yes, you don't need a map to find the hidden treasure."

"Oh, you did not come to the wrong person; I will help with the search for the treasure in the place you mentioned."

"Tomorrow, I will be waiting for you at the border of Dreamithrio on the western side, which is called the Ebron plains," King Klopheous said. "From there, we will begin our journey to the old mountain castle."

"The old castle?" Heshun said. "I've only just heard of that; I've never read anything about an old civilization being in the mountains you mentioned."

"Just prepare some reliable men who won't betray us," King Klopheous said as they left.

Englondraz

"Your Majesty, we regret to inform you that the owner of the inscription has long been dead... the man was unlucky in gambling and his business went bankrupt, and the rich man committed suicide," Derfu reported. "And the inscription was sold to someone else; they also don't know who, perhaps to pay off debts."

"Such an unfortunate turn of events," King Chroffer said.

"Gambling really brings nothing good," said the old Ozerio. "What will we do now?"

"Only Lebriel's grandmother can answer where the hidden map and the copies of the inscription are," King Chroffer said.

Back to Xerxez, voyage

"This fog is a sign that we are close to the island," Maladon said. It was late at night. The sea was calm, and it was difficult for Maladon to determine their path, but thankfully he had a small compass to follow.

Hyushen was sleepy, but he was still forcing himself to keep his eyes open. He saw Xerxez still holding his sword, his gaze distant.

"Why are you so sad, my friend Xerxez?" Hyushen asked seriously. He heard Xerxez's soft sigh, as if he was carrying a heavy burden, but he continued to grip his weapon without his arm getting tired.

"I'm just sad thinking about what's happening in Thallerion. I'm not there right now, and they can only rely on Matheros when it comes to managing the kingdom."

"Wait, Thallerion?" Maladon said, his tone also lowered and serious, perhaps he was also tired of paddling the boat. He inhaled the air from the sea, and the salt stung his nose.

"Yes, to be honest, we're not really friends, he is the king of Thallerion. King Xerxez," Hyushen seriously confessed in front of Maladon. Maladon also stopped paddling when he heard the truth.

"How is it that the king of Thallerion is here?" Maladon was surprised, his eyebrows raised, and he stared at Xerxez for a long time. "I never imagined I would have the king of Thallerion as my passenger; I never expected this even in my dreams." A smile formed on his face, and he nodded respectfully to the king of Thallerion.

"It's a long story, and those three, they're King Xerxez's soldiers," Hyushen said, but honestly, he was too lazy to tell the story because of the cold, and he was already sleepy from the late hour.

"Ah, that's why the three of them were so quiet," Maladon said, whom he had noticed since earlier. "If I'm not mistaken, this journey is for Xerxez, not for Cypriox, right?" He shook his head at Hyushen and began to row, the wind slightly picking up, adding to their chill as they talked.

"Cypriox can't help secretly... But out of King Wendzar's pity, he recommended the Scarlet Mist island to Xerxez—So yes. And as King Wendzar's representative and for Cypriox, I will help to ensure a good relationship between my country and Thallerion, even in a secret way. This is King Xerxez's debt of gratitude to King Wendzar." Hyushen wrapped his body like a cocoon in a thick cloak, which allowed him to say it comfortably.

"I really don't understand the diplomatic arrangements of countries or leaders. So I'm out of that kind of discussion." Maladon just grimaced and gave a quick sigh, a sign of his lack of interest in sensitive political conversations.