"It seems I've arrived just in time."
"Who are you?" Reiden asked sternly, turning his head toward his companion, "Rod, is this the person you were looking for?"
The guards stationed around were no weaklings, yet someone had easily flung them aside, indicating the incomer's formidable strength.
"No," Rod shook his head, "I don't know him."
Ignoring the others' hesitation and surprise, Carl swiftly dashed towards the secret room.
Teresa, the captain of the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce's guard, along with Rod and Reiden, acted simultaneously, attacking him.
Reiden's eyes emitted a fierce light, and his huge ax cut down from above, raising a whirlwind out of nowhere.
A shadow of a sword appeared in front of the ax blade.
When the mighty forces collided, Reiden felt as though he had struck a mountain; his arm went numb, and his throat turned sweet in an instant.
The violent force surged on the spot. Three figures were sent flying out directly.
The expressions of everyone in the area changed drastically.
To be unscathed under the joint attack of three Peak Knights and even gain the upper hand at the outset indicated the man was undoubtedly a Great Knight.
The number of Great Knights in Freedom Port was limited, and each was renowned. Who was this man?
At that very moment, "CLANG..."
A melodious clash of sounds came from afar.
At first, it was distant, but the second clang was already clear and alarmingly close.
Teresa, ecstatic and all too familiar with this sound, exclaimed, "It's the Vice President! The Vice President is coming!"
Carl's eyes flickered.
He had considered facing a Great Knight in battle to gauge his current power; however, now was clearly not the right opportunity.
Jasper has been a Great Knight for over twenty years. With the rich resources of the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce at his disposal, his strength must be formidable.
Shaking his head, he moved swiftly into the secret room, sweeping aside the people searching inside with a wave of his sleeve.
The secret room was small. There were not many items either.
But without exception, all were rare treasures: High-quality Beast Pills, coral pearls, exotic beast essences...
"Great Divine Grace!"
Carl's eyes lit up as he reached for an open wooden box, inside which lay five Great Divine Graces.
This was something that could enhance one's Source Material!
Compared to others in the same realm, Carl's power had grown incredibly fast.
But compared to when he was a Basic-level Wizard Apprentice, the progress was much slower.
Take spiritual power, for example. With the aid of potions, it would still take a year or two to increase by a point, and that was without developing resistance.
If he developed resistance...
It would take at least three years to increase by a point.
Without the aid of potions, the progress was even slower, to the point of despair.
But with Source Material, a mere touch could enhance it; there was simply no comparison between the two.
"After being in Freedom Port for so long, I finally see Great Divine Grace again."
Carl calmed his excited heart as he put away the Great Divine Grace and continued searching, finding another wooden box of beast pills.
The beast pills were bright red, utterly different from ordinary High-quality Beast Pills.
Beast Pills made from the flesh of Legendary Creatures?
Advanced Magic Materials?
High-quality Beast Pills?
Put those away first!
Blueprints for ship construction?
They're useless to me, but they must be the most valuable things here. Of course, I'll put them away.
The sounds were getting closer.
Carl paused in his scavenging, his eyes revealing reluctance as he looked at the treasures in the secret room.
With a flash of his figure, Carl dashed into the night with his haul, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
When speed exceeds a certain level, the thin air becomes viscous, and resistance greatly increases.
Many knights adept at speed were continually troubled by this. Jasper was one of them.
But, as the vice president of the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce and having access to many resources of Freedom Port, he had ways to solve it.
Stepping on rooftops, he launched himself using the momentum.
He was like a fish in water; with a light shake of his arms, he shot forward more than ten meters.
The air behind him roiled, even letting out a sharp whistle.
Each time he was on the verge of exhaustion, the bell hanging from his waist would tremble, its melodious sound revitalizing his spirit.
Strength surged within him once again.
A light, floating voice came from not far away, "Where are you off to?"
Jasper's eyes narrowed, and his body gently folded, like a falling leaf slowly drifting down to the rooftop.
A figure flickered to the side, one person landing nearby.
"Henry!" Jasper stared at the newcomer and scoffed, "Has the Scythe Brotherhood run out of members? Old Henry, at your age, you still need to be out and about."
"Don't forget, even eagles fall off cliffs eventually!"
Henry, the fourth elder of the Scythe Brotherhood, was also the weakest among the elders.
Henry sighed lightly. "Everyone else is busy. Only this old guy is free and bored, so I have the time to wander around."
"Where are you going?"
"Hmph!" Jasper snorted.
"You should know very well."
"Heading to the shipyard district?" Henry laughed. "I also became interested when I saw that place on fire. But no rush, I've already sent people to help put out the fire."
"We're all citizens of Freedom Port, of course, we should help each other. But don't mistake those helping to extinguish the fire as enemies."
"Help?" Jasper's eyes darkened. "I hope so."
"Speaking of which," Henry turned, looking towards the inner city. "It's been a while since I've seen the Dragon King. I wonder how he is doing now. As you know, there have been many rumors lately..."