{Chapter 36} Royal Badge?!

An innocent-looking girl suddenly got into a minor conflict with a loitering man on the street...

Next would come the classic “hero saves the maiden,” followed by the two forming a bond, perhaps even something deeper?

A very typical, mainstream storyline.

Unfortunately, Kaelis disliked being saved, and she herself was absolutely not some delicate, helpless girl.

Noticing the man seemed ready to pick a fight, Kaelis tilted her head slightly, preparing herself.

“Looking for trouble?”

The girl softly asked the question.

The man didn't answer. He simply stared at Kaelis, his expression growing increasingly vicious.

It seemed he intended to intimidate her into backing down.

For an ordinary person, this tactic might actually work. After all, most just wanted to run their businesses peacefully and avoid conflict.

Especially against thugs like this man, once you actually fought back, even if you won now, you'd surely face retaliation later.

The most infuriating part? These hooligans, experts in their field, knew exactly how to ruin someone's livelihood without breaking the law.

But Kaelis didn't care about any of that.

Facing the man's increasingly menacing glare, Kaelis's eyes gradually became silent.

Just as the man thought this was another successful routine intimidated, Kaelis lifted her head again.

Her calm, dark eyes stared directly at the man.

“Looking for trouble?”

She asked once more, but the meaning behind her words had clearly changed.

Her gem-like black eyes showed only cold composure.

She wasn't frightened by the man's words, she simply found it boring.

With just one glance, Kaelis could clearly tell he was nothing but a paper tiger, a petty thug.

Such thugs might be good at intimidating, but in an actual fight... let alone now that she was already a third-stage Ascender, even back when she'd just gained her abilities, these people could never have posed any threat to her!

Therefore, after posing her question, Kaelis immediately stepped forward. By the time the man belatedly realized what was happening and took half a step back, his expression had suddenly changed.

A faint white mist gently seeped from Kaelis's body. Her cold eyes remained completely emotionless.

She didn't feel anger toward the man's actions, she simply wanted to kill him, purely and simply...

With just one look, he understood the meaning behind Kaelis's eyes.

The man's face paled repeatedly.

It took him a long while before he finally regained his composure.

Hands clenched tightly, his expression tense.

“Hmph.”

Pretending nothing had happened, he turned and walked away. Kaelis curled her lips in boredom.

“Strange fellow.”

...

“Tch, damn bitch.”

After returning to his underlings, the man spat, clearly angry.

The nearby thugs pointed and laughed at him.

“Just now? Who was it that confidently claimed they could trick her away?”

“After just one stare, you scurried off like a beaten dog... How pathetic can you get?”

“You're really embarrassing, Hafa.”

The few hooligans stood idly on the street, passing time as usual. Seeing their leader humiliated, they laughed heartily, making the man lose face.

But he couldn't say much.

The oppressive feeling from Kaelis was immediate, but after separating, for some reason, his memory of her began to blur. He couldn't even recall her fierce gaze anymore.

Provoked by his companions, he felt increasingly embarrassed, yet still snorted twice.

“I didn't run away in shame. I've already gotten something.”

“Got something?”

The companions were momentarily stunned, but the man mysteriously smiled, then turned and led them toward another direction...

...

“Boss Cassie!”

Not long after, the group of thugs arrived at a concealed building.

After smoothly giving the secret code, they quickly entered a luxurious room... Unlike the building's shabby exterior, the interior appeared exceptionally extravagant.

Expensive wool carpets covered the entire floor. Solid wood furniture bore exaggerated carvings. Fine wines were displayed everywhere. On a large bookshelf, some books hadn't even been unsealed.

Before they stood Mr. Cassie, the very man Kaelis had recently tricked into accepting a sword, only for it to be immediately seized.

He sat on a soft snow-wolf pelt chair, holding a glass of red wine. On the table lay several times his usual amount of roasted meat and soft bread.

Hearing someone approaching, he temporarily stopped eating. After pretentiously sipping his wine, he exhaled deeply.

“Darn detention center...”

He cursed, clearly in a bad mood.

Seeing his expression, the thugs grew somewhat afraid.

But the leader still mustered his courage and approached with a grinning face.

“Boss Cassie, I've brought you something.”

“Not interested.”

Facing the grinning thugs, Cassie snorted coldly, saying no more.

But the thug continued smiling.

“Boss Cassie, how long have we known each other? Don't use these low-ball tactics... This time it's really good stuff.”

“Good stuff... Hmph, what good stuff could you possibly have?”

The pot-bellied Cassie snorted, yet didn't outright refuse. Instead, he turned around and quickly stared at the grinning man before him.

“Speaking of which, Hafa, I heard from the academy teacher that you haven't been attending classes lately... Is that true?”

“This...”

At the mention of this matter, Hafa's expression finally shifted.

After a long pause, he miserably spoke up.

“Boss Cassie... Academy... I really can't learn anything there. I just want to run with you...”

“Who said I'm 'running'? I'm running a legitimate business!”

Seeing Hafa didn't make excuses, Cassie relaxed his furrowed brow slightly, but soon tightened it again.

“I've seen you many times, Hafa. Your mother saved my life back then, that's why I helped you... But you lack business sense, have no special skills, and refuse to study. Without education, you'll be stuck like this your whole life. Do you understand?”

“This...”

“Enough excuses. Go back to the academy tomorrow, or you'll never set foot here again.”

Although Cassie claimed to be a legitimate businessman, how could his identity be simple when he was an official member of the Sea Voyage Association?

This building looked old and shabby on the outside, but actually contained numerous hidden lookouts. It was only because he'd specifically mentioned them that Hafa, dressed like a thug, could even gain access?

Seeing the man reluctantly lower his head, seemingly resigned, Cassie slowly tapped the table.

“So, what exactly did you manage to steal this time?”

“Something great, Boss Cassie! This time it's really something great!”

The thug perked up. Under his underlings' watchful eyes, he grinned and pulled out a pure gold, arc-shaped watch cover from his pocket...

“Though I was in a hurry and only managed to rip this off, it's really valuable, pure gold! Should sell for about one Gold, right?”

Hafa grinned, while his underlings stretched their necks in astonishment upon seeing it.

Pure gold?

About one-third the size of a palm, melted down into coin thickness, roughly one and a half Gold.

This kid... actually stole something valuable?

Instantly, everyone felt envious.

Even Cassie slightly turned his head to look.

Picking it up and weighing it in his hand, Cassie confirmed it was indeed pure gold.

But...

As he held the golden watch cover, a faint pattern on its surface made him feel something was off.

Flipping it over, looking at the beautifully embossed woman's portrait, Cassie, someone who'd seen much in his life, immediately recognized what it was, and his face turned ashen as if he'd seen a ghost.

This pattern... was the Royal Crest?

No...

Not again?!