NOVEL NEXT Chapter 149: Bounty
Richard thought for a moment about what he should ask for, then took out a sheet of paper.
(Tell Ethan that I want an Arcane Art similar to the ability of his beast slave!)
He wrote that down and handed the paper to Arthur, saying,
"Send this to the one who delivered the letter!"
That was the only thing he wanted—Ethan might have it, or at least be able to purchase it.
In theory, owning such an Arcane Art meant that one wouldn't need the Bloody Devourer Beast anymore, but it was also possible that they simply couldn't master it.
After all, strong Arcane Arts were already hard to control, let alone one with such a special ability.
The difficulty level could be extremely high.
Arthur nodded and quickly left.
"Richard, come on, I cooked for you!" Sister Lisa suddenly called out from the kitchen.
Richard immediately headed there without hesitation.
He really wanted to eat.
The kitchen was connected to a spacious dining room.
At least the dining table looked decent and had a full set of chairs.
It was already filled with all sorts of dishes—roasted meat, fried chicken, and more.
"Sister, how did you manage to cook so much?" Richard asked.
It wasn't that he couldn't eat that much, but it must've been exhausting for Sister Lisa to prepare it all herself.
Richard had decided not to hire any servants because he didn't want interference from others and didn't plan to stay long in this city anyway.
As for food, he could always ask the soldiers to buy some from outside.
"They had a lot of ingredients. It'd be a waste not to cook them. Come, eat!" Sister Lisa replied.
Richard couldn't say anything else and eventually sat down at one of the chairs, starting to eat.
He stuffed a huge piece of meat straight into his mouth—something not even a fat man could easily do.
What could he say? He had forgotten the last time he ate properly.
Up until now, he had been surviving purely on his power.
Naturally, his tongue and stomach were suffering—they craved real food.
Gray and Laura had probably left the castle already, but Richard didn't care where they went.
He was still lost in his own thoughts.
After finishing his meal, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps.
"City Lord! City Lord! This is bad…" Arthur's voice echoed from outside before he rushed into the dining room.
"What happened?" Richard asked, standing up instinctively, even though his full stomach protested.
"I'm not sure what's going on, but there's suddenly news spreading across the kingdom—and even in the Ancient Ice Territory—that anyone who can kill you will receive a Tier 7 Weapon as a reward!" Arthur said, his usually emotionless face now filled with panic.
Richard was utterly shocked.
A Tier 7 Weapon?
That was the strongest weapon below a Grand Weapon—crafted by Ancient Sovereigns using the most extraordinary materials.
For most people, using a Grand Weapon would drain their energy, even shorten their lifespan, and required at least Ruler-level strength just to wield it.
Therefore, Tier 7 Weapons were often the more practical choice for combat.
No matter who you were, such a weapon held immense value.
Even Rulers would fight to the death to obtain one.
To think someone would offer it as a bounty for his death…
What did that mean?
It meant there would be countless people trying to kill him.
If the bounty had been only a Tier 4 Weapon, maybe just some Magus World Realm individuals would come.
But for a Tier 7 Weapon, even Rulers might make a move.
Besides, even Magi in the Lord or Grimoire Realm were already too dangerous.
There would likely be a flood of weaker Magi coming for him as well.
He could survive with his various protections, but peace would be impossible—
a Tier 7 Weapon was enough to make anyone disregard the consequences.
"Which lunatic issued this bounty?" Richard asked.
"We still don't know. The one behind it remains hidden," Arthur replied.
"Could it be a hoax from someone?" Sister Lisa interjected.
When Richard heard that, his eyes lit up.
"Yes, this must be a hoax."
He turned toward Arthur.
"Spread the news that this is just a rumor started by Prince Charles, who's trying to use others to kill me. In this world, there's no way someone would actually pay with a Tier 7 Weapon just to kill a mere boy," Richard said.
Receiving the order, Arthur nodded.
"I'll spread the word right away."
"No, that's not enough…" Richard took out a Storage Artifact containing two million Spirit Essences.
"Pay people—especially the persuasive ones—to spread the story!"
He tossed the Storage Artifact to Arthur.
The man caught it and immediately left.
"Is it really a hoax?" Sister Lisa asked.
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Richard replied.
As long as the one who issued the bounty didn't reveal themselves, he could treat it as a false rumor.
Of course, it could still be real—considering how his growing fame and his control over both World Magic Aether and the Void Element had made him a threat to many powerful factions.
Still, Richard couldn't calm down.
He went to the largest bedroom in the castle, meant for the city lord, located on the second floor.
Though it lacked many amenities, he didn't care.
He sat on the bed and began absorbing Aether.
At least here in the city, going to the Dragon Hall for cultivation wasn't ideal—he wouldn't be able to react quickly if something happened.
So, he chose to train in the real world instead. Though it was slower, his Aether absorption rate was already extremely fast.
By nightfall, he had gathered 250 Aether.
[Aether: 13,530 / 20,000 <Tier 3>] +250
[Aether Accumulation: 28,530 <Tier 3>]
DING!
(Your Heavenly Water points have increased from 52 to 65!)
Incomplete Heavenly Water (65 Points)
Richard received the notification just as he decided to stop training.
In truth, his cultivation was nothing more than a way to calm his mind.
At least it made him feel better.
He walked leisurely out of the castle and asked some soldiers to summon Arthur.
The man arrived shortly after.
"City Lord," he greeted respectfully.
"Any reply letter?" Richard asked.
"None so far," Arthur replied.
"What about the rumor?"
"We've spread it as you ordered. The news has reached the entire kingdom. People seem to believe that this was all a scheme by Prince Charles. By the way, City Lord, a barbarian tribe has come to request aid."