RE: LORD OF TIME

William pointed at Kalsh’s hand and asked.

”Are you talking about the flower this petal belongs to?”

Upon hearing William’s question, Kalsh’s body stiffened, and despite his hands being broken, he still tried to hide them behind his back.

William noticed his actions but didn’t say anything.

In fact, ever since he had started talking to Kalsh, he had noticed the bright orange petal stuck to his palm.

The petal was diamond shaped, and faint flames could be seen flickering across its surface.

Most importantly, William could feel an intense hunger from his Vermilion Fire toward that petal.

Just from a single look, he was almost certain that this petal belonged to the treasure Eva had spoken of earlier.

”If I wanted to snatch that thing from you, you wouldn’t be able to resist even if you wanted to,” William spoke when he saw that Kalsh was still looking uneasy.

Kalsh paused for a moment upon hearing his words before smiling bitterly.

”You are right.” He took a deep breath and looked at the petal in his hand. ”It’s a petal of the Fire Mandawa, an extremely rare plant that only grows in environments rich in fire energy. I came here specifically to obtain the roots of this plant.”

He paused before sighing.

”I was very close to achieving my goal, but right before I could take its roots, I was discovered by the Superior Fire Spirit. In order to save myself, I could only grab one of its petals before running away.”

William recalled the powerful roar he had heard right before seeing Kalsh and his eyes narrowed.

”The Superior Fire Spirit you mentioned... How strong is it?”

Kalsh remained silent as he recalled the aura of the Superior Fire Spirit he had felt earlier. After a moment, he finally spoke in a low voice.

”Extremely strong... Although I didn’t fight it, I have a feeling that its power was far greater than what you displayed earlier.”

William frowned slightly upon hearing Kalsh’s words.

Although he hadn’t used his full power when he attacked Kalsh earlier, it didn’t mean his attack had been weak.

His body was already comparable to that of an ordinary Star Lord, and combined with the momentum generated by Blood Lightning, his earlier attack was powerful enough to seriously injure even an early-stage Star Lord if they took it head-on without defending themselves.

But according to Kalsh, the Superior Fire Spirit was far stronger than that.

’Could it be at the Star King level?’ William wondered inwardly. However, not even a second later, he dismissed the possibility.

The difference between a Star King and a Star Lord was enormous, as Star King was a higher realm, completely different from the first three realms: Star Warrior, Star Commander, and Star Lord.

Earlier, when he had heard the roar of the Superior Fire Spirit, he had sensed a certain degree of danger, but it was nowhere near the level of danger he would expect from a Star King.

The bull he had seen on his first night in the Trial Realm was definitely comparable to a Star King, and its aura had made him feel utterly powerless.

But he hadn’t felt the same when sensing the Fire Spirit’s aura.

’I think it must be at the peak of the Star Lord level. It’s very close to reaching a level comparable to a Star King, but hasn’t crossed that threshold yet.’

William thought inwardly before taking a deep breath.

He wasn’t someone who would put himself in danger for someone he had just met.

However, he needed the Fire Mandawa himself.

If he wanted to make his Vermilion Fire sprout from its seed state, he would need to either collect thousands of Fire Spirit cores or obtain the Fire Mandawa.

Rather than killing thousands of Fire Spirits, which might not even be possible because of their low numbers, obtaining the Fire Mandawa was clearly the easier option.

’Besides, it’s not like I need to kill the Superior Fire Spirit. I just need to snatch the plant and somehow run away.’

With his Vampire Wings, William was very confident in his ability to escape from almost any enemy.

Not to mention, he also had Blood Lightning, which could further increase his running speed.

But before doing any of that, he looked at Kalsh and asked.

”Taking the Fire Mandawa from a Superior Fire Spirit is extremely dangerous. I can try to help you, but... what will I get in return? I appreciate the information you have given me, but it’s not enough for me to risk my life.”

Kalsh sighed in relief when William didn’t reject his request outright. As for William asking for something in return, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

In fact, if William had agreed to help him unconditionally, he would have found it strange. After all, in the harsh environment of the Trial Realm, who would be foolish enough to risk their life for someone they had met just a few minutes ago?

He thought for a moment before speaking.

”If we manage to obtain the Fire Mandawa, I only need the roots. You can keep the rest. And whether we succeed or fail, I will help you obtain an identity and enter Varhan City.”

William raised an eyebrow upon hearing Kalsh’s offer.

”You can’t enter the city normally?”

”No,” Kalsh shook his head. ”Because of the threat of Cralwers, you need a registered identity to enter the city. If you are caught trying to sneak inside without one, you will be executed immediately.”

William’s eyes narrowed slightly at Kalsh’s words. He pondered for a moment before asking in a low voice, ”Are you sure you can help me obtain an identity?”

”Don’t worry. As a member of the White Tower, I have my own connections.” Kalsh nodded confidently.

”I see.” William studied Kalsh’s expression for a few seconds and after weighing his options, he finally agreed. ”Alright, I will try my best to obtain that Fire Mandawa.”