CHAPTER 62: TALKING TO GRAY

Wren still seemed caught between belief and disbelief. From time to time, he kept trying to absorb the Aether.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he tried, the result remained the same.

Richard noticed that people had already begun leaving since the Tier 1 Aether was running out.

Even though it was the most abundant, there were simply too many absorbing it—unlike the Tier 2 Aether, where fewer people shared, so each one could gain more.

Richard took this chance to leave together with the others.

He felt much more at ease once he finally crossed the bridge.

After that, he ran further away from the city center, not wanting to get involved in any more trouble.

Although Wren didn’t seem all that smart, it was possible he would later start speculating that Richard possessed Tier 3 Aether.

Once he was far enough from the city center, Richard finally felt at peace.

"Boy!"

Suddenly, he heard a voice he felt he had heard before.

Looking toward the sound, he found Gray, sitting at a café that served only drinks, sipping coffee.

Gray waved at him when he noticed him.

Richard hadn’t expected him to be this far already after his advancement.

Curious why he was calling him, Richard approached with a cautious look.

"What is it?" Richard asked when he arrived at the table where Gray was sitting.

"Sit down, have a drink with me. I don’t think just apologizing is enough for my mistake of abducting you—I should at least treat you as well," Gray replied in a tone that sounded as though he was in a very good mood.

"Boss, get the boy a cup of coffee," he said to the café owner before turning his gaze back to Richard.

"The coffee in this place isn’t ordinary. It’s imported from another continent and has the effect of refreshing the mind, making it easier for Magi to increase their mastery of Codex and Arcane Arts. One cup costs 15 Nature Spirits."

"Ohh..." Richard was a little surprised when he saw a cup placed before him.

But he was even more surprised by Gray’s behavior.

For a genius who was nearly the champion of three provinces, he seemed far too kind, and Richard didn’t sense any ulterior motive in his gaze.

’Like a protagonist with a hero’s heart who always stands on the side of justice,’ he thought.

’But clearly, he betrayed his own heart’s will by submitting to Wren.’

"By the way, why were you running? Was someone chasing you?" Gray asked as Richard began sipping the coffee and feeling its effect, which indeed made his mind relax and settle.

Richard shook his head and replied, "It’s nothing. But I’m still curious—what exactly did Wren give you that made you decide to yield to him?"

When asked this, Gray’s expression twisted into two at once—smiling, yet disappointed.

He stirred his coffee with the spoon before finally chuckling.

"Something of great value, and it just happened to suit me very well. If I continued on to the capital, my chances of winning first place there were too slim, and I wasn’t even confident of making the top five. So it was better for me to accept what Wren offered," he said.

"Even if that means angering your girlfriend?" Richard pressed further.

"Kid, let me tell you, in this world, strength matters far more. If I can become much stronger, I can stay with Laura without anyone daring to disturb us," Gray replied in a tone like he was teaching a child an important lesson about the world.

Richard laughed when he heard this.

"Don’t think I’m uneducated. I’ve heard that line too many times already. But I thought you were a man of resolve, a man full of honor. And yet, huh, you sold your honor for something. Do you even know how many people suffered because of your decision? Those who supported you, those who bet on you—they all took losses without even seeing a shred of fight from you," he said with a mocking tone, instantly souring Gray’s expression.

Though he was the type of man who appeared friendly, he still looked like he wanted to snap at those words.

However, he likely realized it wasn’t appropriate to lash out at a boy who was still far too young.

Besides, he was somewhat shocked to hear a child say something like this to him.

Just as he was about to speak in reply, Richard cut him off. "Don’t tell me I’m too young and don’t understand how the world works, or that I don’t realize things aren’t so simple. To me, your decision wasn’t exactly wrong, but you should stop acting like you’re a man of honor."

At that, Gray’s face twitched, turning very ugly.

It was as if he was enduring a shame he had never felt before.

"Do you think I was wrong?" he asked, suddenly wanting to hear more from Richard.

He looked uncomfortable, as though acting like a hypocrite bothered him greatly.

"You were wrong..." Richard nodded. "But every mistake can still be corrected."

He smiled faintly as he said that.

"By the way, you probably don’t know—Wren doesn’t seem likely to advance to the Life Aether Realm anytime soon. He’s returned, but somehow the Tier 3 Aether from the Star Wheel is nearly gone," he added.

"How is that possible? Who consumed it all?" Gray was deeply shocked to hear this.

Richard shrugged and shook his head.

"People are already talking about how he could represent our three provinces with only Aether Will Realm strength. At this rate, he might lose to an opponent’s mere glare, turning our provinces into a laughingstock."

"That is indeed terrible." Gray nodded with furrowed brows.

"That’s why you shouldn’t have given up. Look at the result of your mistake—it’s worse than you even know."

Gray’s expression was immediately filled with guilt upon hearing that.

What Richard didn’t know was that if the representatives of the three provinces ended up at the bottom ranks, the kingdom would likely cut significant funding and resources from the provinces. This could cause a decline in the living standards of their citizens.

After brooding for quite some time, Gray suddenly stood up.

"Boss, here’s the payment. I’m heading out," he said, leaving Nature Spirits on the table.

’What is he going to do?’ Richard wondered, giving him a strange look as he suddenly left.

Not that he expected anything. He had simply spoken what he felt needed to be said.