The Herb King



A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Aethelwolf and his family have already been in Northern Trance for more than five days. In the last five days, Aethelwolf gathered information about the continent.

Unlike the Regalis Continent, Azaleas has not been at war for over a few centuries. The long period of peace increased the speed of technological advancement. Even Aethelwolf was amazed by the unique products of the continent. He felt that this place had some resemblance to his old world.

At this moment, Aethelwolf was reading books with his daughters. It was about the war that happened in Azaleas more than a thousand years ago. Back then, the major powers in the continent were constantly at war to expand their territories. Many powerful experts emerged during those times and their tales were written in books.

Aethelwolf was stunned when he found out that there were still more levels after Nascent Soul. According to the books he read, there are a total of five major levels. The first one was the Foundation Establishment and it was subdivided into five minor levels, Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, Peak Stage, and Perfect Stage. This was followed by the Core Formation and it was further divided into four types of core, Hollow Core, Black Core, Silver Core, and Golden Core. In Aethelwolf's case, he already had a Golden Core.

Next to that is the Nascent Soul and experts at this level were differentiated through the number of soul nodules they had connected into their Hegel. There were four nodules in the soul and they are called Tien, Kneph, Atama, and Oberon. Each had different characteristics and connecting them to the Hegel would bring massive benefits. The most obvious benefit was the strengthening of one's soul. There were still more things to gain after connecting the soul nodules, but Aethelwolf didn't delve into the matter deeply.

The fourth major realm was called Void Tempering and this level was divided into six tempering stages. Unfortunately, Aethelwolf didn't find more information about this realm from the books he read.

The last stage was called the Sky Ascending. There were no details about the division of levels in this realm. In Azaleas, only a handful of experts managed to reach this level. 90% of them had already died and the remaining ones were old beings who were trying hard to advance further in hopes that they could extend their lives.

Aethelwolf put down the last book and sighed emotionally. The things he learned made him utterly dumbfounded. He thought that he was already strong, but he found out that he was just a small character in this big wide world. A Core Formation Esper like him was like a manager-level figure in his old world. With his strength, he couldn't make big waves on this continent.

"The people in our homeland are like frogs at the bottom of a well. They had never seen what's beyond the sky." Aethelwolf shook his head as he let out a deep sigh.

Samira and Julie who were standing behind him nodded their heads in agreement.

"Fortunately, this continent is at peace so there is nothing to worry about." Samira said.

Aethelwolf held her hand and said while shaking his head. "You've seen what happened in the forest. Although this continent is at peace, there are still conflicts in the dark. We have to remain vigilant at all times."

After seeing the assassination attempt in the forest, Aethelwolf realized that Azaleas was also filled with hidden dangers.

The expression of the two ladies turned solemn upon hearing his words.

"It's fine. We can live like a normal family here and live ordinary lives. We can just open a small pill shop." Aethelwolf held their hands and smiled. He no longer wanted to be involved in wars.

"That sounds good, but what about the Barden Territory? Many ladies are also waiting for you there." Julie stared at him with a smile that was also not a smile.

Aethelwolf faked a cough when he heard this. "My parents are there to handle the territory. Ramiel and the others are also there to help them run things smoothly…" He smartly evaded the topic about the other ladies. When he was still in the territory, he had some fun times with those ladies, but there was no emotional connection.

Julie squinted her eyes as if she was trying to see through his bluff.

Meanwhile, Samira chuckled while looking at them.

Suddenly, there was a series of hurried footsteps. They turned their gazes and saw Shane jogging towards them.

"Eh? We were just reading books earlier. When did you come out?" Aethelwolf squeezed her cheeks before lifting her up. He then gave her a kiss filled with fatherly love.

Shane giggled in joy. "Papa, you did nawt see me go wawt. Tee-hee!"

"Papa, there are people coming here." Olivia who was standing by the window called out to him. She was a magical beast and her perception was better compared to normal Espers.

Aethelwolf slowly put down his little daughter. He then walked to the window and parted the curtains. Moving towards them was a beautiful woman riding a magical beast that looked like a mixture of a horse and a lion. Her name was Karina. She has been responsible for assisting them in their daily needs.

"It's Karina. It seems like this is an important matter." Aethelwolf muttered upon seeing her.

Soon, Karina arrived in front of the guesthouse. She pulled the reins of her mount. After making it stop, she jumped off and bowed to Aethelwolf. "Greetings, Sir Aethelwolf, and to the two madams. I hope I didn't disturb you guys with my abrupt visit." She smiled gently when she lifted her head.

"Not at all. Come in." Aethelwolf invited her inside.

Karina didn't stand on ceremony and followed them inside.

Samira poured tea for her while Julie grabbed some light snacks.

"Sir Aethelwolf, I know that you want to spend time with your family so I will make this quick." Karina cleared her throat and continued. "The mayor has already arranged a suitable place for your family. It is still within Northern Trance." She took out a map and pointed a spot as she said. "In this district, there is a large property called the Golden Lake Manor. The main house is near the famous Golden Lake. There are…"

The more she spoke, the more Aethelwolf's eyes lit up. This is it. He knew it. This would be their new home.