*****The six elite guards who had just bowed in absolute reverence suddenly straightened—and their expressions, once emotionless, now twitched.Their jaws slackened slightly, and their eyes blinked, once, twice… staring at Sage Myron as though he had just committed the unthinkable.‘He bowed…? He… he actually bowed?!’Sage Myron, a man known for his pride, a respectful sage whose name made even city lords tread carefully, had just lowered his head.To such a young, nameless man at that.The six exchanged glances—sharp, unsettled, disoriented.And then their eyes shifted to Xavier.‘Who… is this man?’‘Why is everyone acting like this is normal?’‘Not even the patriarch of a first-rank family receives this kind of treatment from Sage Myron.’A silent chaos erupted in their minds, the carefully controlled aura they’d maintained shattering like glass.They searched Xavier’s face, his bearing, his clothes—anything to make sense of it.But Xavier remained utterly composed. Un

*****After hearing Sage Myron's thunderous decree, everyone trembled frantically, and a second later, a frigid silence blanketed the entire hall. The only exception was Master Tush, whose glazed eyes showed no hint of awareness—her mind clearly adrift in denial or madness.The others, however, felt their souls quake. The words “lock them away” echoed through their minds like a death knell.Panic was instantaneous.The two guards—the very same men who once stood tall under the family’s prestigious banner now trembled as if stripped bare under the weight of their betrayal.“S-Sir… Patriarch…” one of them stammered, his voice barely a whisper, but Sage Myron’s glare cut him down like a guillotine mid-sentence.“You… you two…” The old man’s voice was low, controlled, and brimming with suppressed fury. “You swore an oath to serve the Myron family when you became its guards—to protect its honor and its assets with your life. And yet, when entrusted with the care of my store manager,

*****Back inside the herbal emporium, the atmosphere had shifted significantly.Aside from the still-unconscious Vidor sprawled like a discarded puppet and his terrified subordinate who was doing everything possible to blend into the shadows, only Xavier, Little Lola, Lyria, and Sage Myron remained.Little Lola, full of childlike curiosity and untainted innocence, clung affectionately to Xavier’s arm. Her bright eyes sparkled with intrigue as she peered up at the elderly Sage and his elegant granddaughter, her tiny chin tilted curiously upward.Xavier, composed yet faintly tense, observed the pair in silence. His gaze was calm but carried a subtle undercurrent of expectancy.The grandfather and granddaughter duo, however, wore matching expressions of furrowed brows and thoughtful bewilderment. Their foreheads nearly touched as they leaned toward one another, puzzling over the information Xavier had provided.Finally, Lyria spoke up.“A 120-year-old Wild Ginseng, a 90-year-old

*****Lyria’s jaw nearly dropped.“In your courtyard?” she repeated, stunned.“Yes,” Sage Myron nodded his head. “That very day, we learned of its true identity—one of the rarest herbs in existence, and a crucial ingredient for a long-lost concoction technique.”His eyes grew distant, as though remembering the moment in vivid detail.“My father and I spent years researching it. Endless days in the archives. Countless nights with no sleep. Eventually, we confirmed it. That root had the potential to elevate our family to unprecedented heights.”Lyria’s hands trembled as she covered her mouth, her breath catching in her throat.“You mean… we could’ve become… a first-rank family?” she whispered, eyes wide.The old man smiled sadly. “Yes. The first in history to rise from a lower-second rank directly to the first rank… all because of a single plant.”He paused, and then his voice dipped into bitterness.“I was ecstatic. I remember trembling from excitement. I was ready to announc

*****“When did I black out again…?” Vidor muttered to himself, frowning.He tried to gather his scattered thoughts, but his memory blurred like fog over a battlefield.Unknown to most, Vidor hadn’t been unconscious for as long as they believed… no.He had indeed blacked out after Xavier hurled him through multiple walls—but only briefly. Within minutes, his consciousness had returned. His body had screamed in agony, but his mind had stirred.Before he could groan or twitch, he’d heard Sage Myron’s voice—ordering the guards to take everyone away. That moment had been pivotal.Wouldn’t he be a fool to alert them he was awake?So, he had remained still… playing possum, lying motionless as the drama unfolded. A silent spectator to the storm that followed.And he had heard everything.Every single word.Xavier’s chilling calm. The rare, world-toppling herb growing in Myron’s family. The Myron family’s desperate gambit. Their decision to name Xavier as their backer. The revelatio