"Y-you just give her ten million ruby coins?" The young man shuttered as he thought the world is spinning around him.
Ace felt quite amused by this and nodded again.
The boy takes a deep breath and calm himself down and said, "Bro, you shouldn't have done this, I admit that there are rules about not going inside but there is no such punishment as fine. Much less ten million fines!"
"Well now that I already give away the 'fine' I can't get it back, can I?" Ace asked with a smile.
"You're right that old hag is not easy to deal with even this p… ahem. Where are my manners I keep asking you questions and didn't even introduce myself? My name is Bill" Bill first wanted to say something but he quickly changes the topic as if he didn't want to say it anymore.
"Asher." Ace didn't want to use his name so he just used a name that came to his mind first.
Asher was undoubtedly his first enemy who wanted his secret from the start and Eva was also his subordinate first but alas he should be dead by now because he knew Dulce's nature well.
Bill didn't think that someone would use a fake name here so he continues, "Asher you should be new in this city right or you wouldn't go there."
Ace also wanted to find some information about this and this Bill seems to rather amusing person so he decided to ask him.
"Yes, I just came here a few hours ago and I didn't know much about this city. Can you tell me why is a library doing here?" He asked.
Bill approached Ace before because of his personal issue and after seeing the common clothes he wanted to lend him a hand if he was in trouble. But when he heard him saying that he just gives away ten million ruby coins to that old hag he felt anger on her but he can do nothing about it so he has to let go.
After he decided to befriend Ace since he seems a good person and the same age as him. And most importantly he was definitely rich. So, in Bill's eyes, Ace was qualified to be his friend.
"First, we need to get out of here, since we are friends let's go to 'Jade Pavilion' it is the best restaurant in the whole lands of cities it's my welcome treat to brother Asher." Bill started to walk towards the direction of this jade pavilion happily. He was feeling quite pleased with himself as he thinks that he has finally made a friend.
Ace's eyebrow raised slightly when he heard 'best restaurant in the whole land of cities' and he frown when he heard 'friend'. But he didn't say anything since he didn't know anyone here and this Bill seems to be quite knowledgeable.
So, he followed after Bill to check this restaurant out because he was quite fond of good food and for years he was eating roasted meat of demonic beasts and he was tired of it now.
After walking for fifteen minutes he finally saw a luxurious building in golden color. There were fifteen floors on it and 'Jade Pavilion' was written on it in silver words.
Even Ace finds this building a little too exaggerated. It was too damn eye-catching and grand, now he really wanted to find out if this jade pavilion really is best out there or not.
Bill saw Ace's reaction and puff his chest a bit and felt proud of himself. Since Ace was his friend he would not treat him stingily. Win proud expression he enters the building with Ace.
"We need a VIP room." He orders an attendant who seems to know him and she quickly takes both of them to the upper floors.
Ace saw this and think that his new 'friend' was quite famous.
That attendant takes them to the third floor where a total of ten private rooms and each one of them was decorated with jade and expensive ornaments. The inside of the building was, even more, exaggerating the outside.
They enter one of ten rooms when a jade table and comfortable chairs were placed in the center and the air inside was quite refreshing and fill with a mild fragrance that was quite pleasing.
Ace felt for the first time that he has a lot of money and he never even enjoy this kind of thing, he was constantly doing his missions and running around aimlessly. He wanted strength and think that solitude is the only key to that, he never thinks that life can be amusing if one has the heart to enjoy it.
He remembers the day he spends with Eva shopping and her beautiful smile. He felt he was happy at that time but now he was alone and finally understand the pleasure of having someone accompany him for the first time.
"Hey? Why are you dozing out?"
Bill's voice rang and Ace snapped out of his memories. He saw him sitting on a chair comfortably and looking at him in confusion. Ace didn't shake his head and sit in front of Bill.
"Bring out your best dishes and jade wine this is my friend and he is new in the city so I want to treat him to the best delicacies, do you understand?" Bill told the attendant lazily.
"Yes, young master I'll immediately pass your command to the manager!" She quickly left after that.
Bill shift his attention to Ace who was watching him with a calm smile. 'This guy is not normal.' Thought Bill happily.
He felt even more pleased with himself that he made this kind of friend. He wasn't afraid about Ace would kill him because in his eye he didn't do anything to offend him moreover, he was rich himself so Ace was not greedy 'probably'. And the last reason he treated a stranger like this was that he was quite a big shot himself. This city was like his personal backyard well it is another story that no one treats him with the respect that he rightfully deserves.
"Now that we are both comfortable I'll answer your question. You heard of Luminous Kingdom?" Ask Bill to Ace.
Ace nodded his head, he just heard of it from that old hag today.
"Good, then it will be easy for you to understand. This Luminous Kingdom is ranked fourth in the land of Kingdoms or middle-level lands. Don't to find it strange to this city using the name of this kind of power? Well, let me tell you this city is not actually normal, because in every generation a Prince of the Luminous Kingdom lives here for 150 Years.
"This city has no governor or city lord and everything is under that prince's control. That is why its name after the kingdom and a library were built here in the honor of the very first prince that comes here to live eight hundred years ago.
"That prince was the crown prince of Luminous kingdom at that time and he was the most cherished son of the King but for some reason even I don't know why that prince lives his whole life here and even discarded his crow prince title. Since then, a new prince would come here in every generation and the old prince would give this city to him.
"That's why the Luminous Kingdom symbol a winged lion was used in every house and building of the city, it was a symbol to represent the will of the Luminous Kingdom that no one should ever own anything in this city. That's why no clan dare to fight for the number one position in the city even if the prince didn't cultivate no one can kill him or the kingdom would flatter the enter western lands of cities in vengeance."
Ace was shocked after he heard that, this is really a piece of big news for him who wanted to rob this city. He thinks that it would be easy this time since he has become a foundation-building realm expert.
However, the situation is grave and much complicated than he imagined because this city is too strange and there is too much at stake here. He didn't want to become the reason for the whole western land's demise just like the river flower city.
Bill saw Ace's grim expression and think that he was afraid after hearing this big of a secret so he quickly said, "Don't worry it's an open secret and no one will come after you even if you tell anyone just don't talk about it openly."
"Then this city is currently the one city in the whole low-level lands and I read that every city in top position has to take a trial in hundred years. It even gets destroyed or become a province of the kingdom to give a chance to lower position city." Ask Ace quickly, he read it about in Dulce's collection of personal books but that book didn't give much detail.
Bill frown and said, "You know a lot about the customs, well you are right about it but do you know why this custom was made? And who said that city would become a province? It's all bullshit to encourage the low-level lands.
"Since you're my friend let me tell you the whole truth, the city and its subordinary cities will promote to move into province of a kingdom. Then the city lord of the number one city would be given a rank of noble and the city included its helpers would become a part of a county in a prefecture.
"As for the hundred years trial and top ten cities of the western lands that were also only part of a bigger truth."
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