The Dragon Feeding Crystal. The rarest cultivation treasure that was currently known in the human realm. What exactly does it do?
It increases the concentration of all force elements in a 3-meter radius, by 900%. It basically multiplies the density of force particles in the air by 10. This would lead to a 10 times increase in the speed of one's cultivation.
They may be the rarest but the Asmodeus Imperial Family had ownership of 5 of these crystals. Each one of these crystals costs them an average of 17 billion gold coins per crystal.
This kind of money was not something a small-sized empire like the Zolaris Empire could even imagine. Alex would practically faint if he heard of this number. His father had once told him the royal treasury of Zolaris Empire did not even add up to 500 million.
It goes to show exactly why the Gigantus Empire is considered to be the most financially apt nation in the human realm.
Now, what does the imperial family do when they realize that such an important treasure of theirs was gone?.
Hehe. Let's find out.
....
"Sir! There is an emergency! There is an emergency!" yelled a 5'6'', a 15-year-old boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and small freckles on an unattractive face.
"What's wrong Jonathon?" asked an old man. he had a patch of gray hair on his head and a 3 inch long, silver goatee. His shoulders were wide and along with his mysterious silver eyes, the old man exuded the aura of an elder full of wisdom.
The tall man stood up from his marble desk and organized his paperwork in a small pile. He then put his quill pen back into the bottle of black ink. He looked at the blue-robed mage with a questioning look.
"Sir. The Dragon Feeding Crystal that was supposed to be within the special cultivation room at the Marco Manor has disappeared!"
"What!" As soon as the old man heard these words, his white mage robe started to shake as a violent aura was realized from him. His feet lifted off the ground and a 2 meter long, silver staff appeared in his hand.
On the top of this staff was a blue, ball-shaped crystal that looked like it contained a vast ocean in it. It gave off a tranquil and calm aura that negated the violent aura of the elder.
The elder soon calmed himself as his scary ex[ression returned to a relaxed one as he floated back down to the ground in a slow fashion.
"INVESTIGATION TEAM 7! REPORT TO THE LOBBY IN 3 MINUTES! BRING ALL THE TOOLS YOU HAVE!"
The domineering voice of the old man scarred the living hell out of every single person in the building. The voice lingered in the air for about a minute. Everyone who heard the voice recognized it and had started to feel a sense of urgency.
"Dude! I can never finish my sandwich."
"Why do all the problems show up during lunchtime?"
"I was just about to go out eat too.
"Heh. Sir only called for team 7. The rest of us can chill"
"Really? I didn't hear it because I was caught off guard."
"You really have to get used to the boss's randomly timed orders."
"Well....most of the orders show up during lunchtime. It's the busiest hour of the day."
In the many rooms of a colossal building, many conversations similar to the one above were taking place. This gray stone brick building was shaped like a medieval tower. It had a large pointy roof and blue-colored stones that created a spiral pattern around it. It was like a blue snake was coiling itself on the building.
It looked very imposing and had many sets of guards in metallic armors made from steel. It was basically a fortress with its thick walls and single point of entry. The security around it made the building even more prison-like.
It basically looked like a tower where the mythical princess would be locked up by a crazy witch, only to be rescued by her fancy knight.
In the first floor lobby of this tower, a small gathering of 15 men and women stood in silence, with a nervous look on their faces. They all varied in facial features, hair color, eye color and even the mage robes they wore had different colors.
The only similarity would be the same magical staff that 12 of these people carried. It was a curved, mahogany wood staff with a clear magic gem. On top of the staffs were magic gems, the size of soccer balls, that matched the color of the holder's robe.
The other three people at the very front of the group did not carry anything in their hands and had just crossed their arms behind their backs. These three were visibly older than the young men and women behind them. They seemed to be in their 30's and 40's where the rest looked to be in their late teens or early 20's.
These three did not wear colored robes like the rest and wore a simplistic white rob with blue lines on the hems. They had an expectant look on their face as they silently awaited the arrival of their superior.
It didn't take long for a person to slowly walk down the aged, stone stairs. It was the same old man with the white robe that gave out the order for this group to convene.
"Your Highness!" declared the group of 15 as they went down on one knee and bowed their heads to the old man.
The old man let them kneel for 10 seconds until he nodded his head in approval. "You may rise." The mages then stood back up and looked up towards the majestic old man that stood in front of them.
"The Dragon Feeding Crystal in Marco Manor has gone missing. We are to investigate to the best of our capabilities. This is a serious matter as you all know how valuable it is. Also, you must be careful in the manner you question the emperor's guests that are supposed to be residing there. UNDERSTOOD!!"
"YES! YOUR HIGHNESS!" everyone bellowed as they digested the information given to them with no delay. Being mages make their processing speed many times faster than most humans.
Everyone except the old man took out a blue-colored stone and crushed it into blue powder. Their bodies then glowed blue as their feet lifted off the ground. The old man then lifted himself off the ground.
The old man then flew out the only wooden door that could take you out from this tower. The rest of the mages followed right behind him as they flew out as well.
As the strong gust of wind and blew trails of light were left wherever they flew, the guards around the tower and paths that they took were unfazed.
Flying mages are a sight that is quite common in the imperial palace.
...
"Hmm. Heh. They're here." said Daren as he sipped on some tea that had hints of orange flavor. It tasted quite exotic and made him more awake.
"Just as you expected. How are you going to get us out of this?" asked Chanela as she also drank tea gracefully.
"I don't need to do anything. They won't be able to prove anything."
"We are the only suspects though?"
"Just because we are the only suspects doesn't mean we did it. Just wait and see. The solution is very simple."
Boom!
The door's opened abruptly as if forced open by the power of hurricane winds. Daren expected this as he looked towards the open doors and saw the 16 people entering the room.
5 young men with maple red robes. 1 young man and 1 young woman with mustard yellow robes. 3 young women and 2 familiar, young men with cyan blue robes.
Leading this group of young mages were 2 middle-aged men and 1 middle-aged woman with snow-white robes. . At the very forefront was an old man with silver eyes, a white robe, and an aura that commanded a majestic presence.
The old man and Daren made direct eye contact. They stared at each other for a solid minute as the group of mages got within 5 meters of Darena and his family. They were all seated on a set of beautiful, red leather couches.
Daren and Chanela drank tea while Celina and Chloe were snacking on some rather appealing pastries. There were cupcakes, muffins, and slices of pie. Some cookies and biscuits were shaped in ways that appealed to kids.
The rows of maids that stood behind the couch had their heads down. They then looked up to glance at the newly arrived people and had a moment of shock on their faces that was washed away by fear and reverence.
They bowed their heads once again while saying "Your highness." with trembling voices.
'It seems the rumors were not unfounded.' Daren thought. He had recalled the identity of the old man in front of him. He was one of the members of the royal family that Daren paid attention to in the reports that Andrew had provided him with.
'Imperial Magistrate Alexander Verdan Asmodeus. The 3rd uncle of the Emperor and the head of the royal investigative unit. A mage with great strength and known to have an honorable character. People show him respect for that reason but also fear him as any criminals he catches are rumored to have gone through the worst methods of torture possible. '
After breaking eye contact with Daren, his face did not change his stern expression. he then scanned towards the rest of his family without showing any signs of emotion.
"What?!" blurted out the magistrate as his eyes landed n the gluttonous Chloe. His eyes were wide open and his jaw almost dropping off his face. He then proceeds to rub his eyes in disbelief.
"Cough! Cough!" Daren let out fake coughs as he realized that the magistrate was staring at Chloe for too long. All the maids stood there as they awkwardly took glances at the old man who was staring at the cute child.
Behind the magistrate, the other mages were confused and embarrassed as they wondered why their boss stared at the girl. They decided to look over too. First, they gawked at how cute the child was and made them feel like protecting her with all they had.
Then their jaws also dropped and their eyes wide open as they looked in disbelief.
"8th....8th rank aura! How?!" The magistrate that was silent for so long had his trance broken with Daren's cough. He did not know what to say except for letting house his doubts.
"Daddy, that ugly old man is staring at me. Mommy said I should set strange men like that on fire." Chloe's words were a little muffled as she was munching on a white sugar cookie that was shaped like a star.
She then pointed her finger at the man and then created a small green fire. The magistrates and the rest of the mages stared at the little girl who tossed that fired towards the magistrate.
The magistrate's face then contorted a bit as he waved his hand in the air and let out a mysterious gust of air. This gust snuffed out the fire with ease.
"Wha..." Before the magistrate could finish his words, a voice popped up in his head and spoke with authority a.
The authoritarian voice leaves the conversations as his voice fades away in the magistrate's head. He returns to reality as the conversation actually took no longer than a minute.
'Will you finish your sentence, magistrate Alexander." asked Daren as he was somewhat confused at the dazed old man then was still staring at the young girl.
"Oh. Um...yes. First things first, why did your child just attack me?!!! Also, what do you know about the disappearance of the Dragon Feeding Crystal?"
"I don't like your face old man! That's why I shot you." Chloe sticks out her tongue at the magistrate and pulls shoves the middle finger at him.
"What's a Dragon Feeding Crystal? Is that some sort of food daddy?" asked Chloe as she smiled innocently. Her expression does 180 degrees turns. Behind that smile were sinister intentions that only she knew.