Earth's Greatest Magus

Emery had expected to be away for only a few weeks.

Instead, he had disappeared into training for nearly two years.

During the early stages of his training, several important messages had reached him. However, Klea had stepped in to handle matters in his stead, allowing him to remain fully immersed in cultivation.

Emery trusted her judgment completely.

For twenty years during his long absence-Klea had already proven herself capable of leading the Earth faction. If anything truly urgent had arisen, she would have found a way to pull him out of seclusion. The only thought that weighed slightly on his mind was more personal.

He had been married for barely a month before disappearing into two years of training.

Now that his evaluation with the Beast Emperor was finally complete, the first thing Emery did was send her a message.

[Message Sent]

The response came almost immediately.

Klea logged into the Virtual Palace within minutes, and Emery soon saw her arriving at the plaza outside the Supreme Hall. The moment she spotted him, she walked straight forward and pulled him into a firm embrace.

“I’m sorry it took longer than I expected,” Emery said quietly.

“It’s fine,” she replied, her tone calm but warm.

At the moment, Klea’s physical body was stationed in Dawnstar, while Emery’s remained within the Terra Palace. The Virtual Palace had become the easiest way for them to speak despite the distance separating them across star systems.

They left the plaza together and moved toward one of the establishments within the palace’s city district. The Virtual Palace offered many such places- restaurants, lounges, gardens-spaces where members could speak freely away from formal environments.

Although the food was technically virtual, the sensory realism of the realm was astonishing. Every dish tasted authentic, every drink carried the same aroma and texture as its physical counterpart.

Their dinner unfolded in a relaxed atmosphere.

Klea began updating him on the faction’s situation.

They had successfully established trust with one of the Red Dawn faction’s prominent families. However, that alliance had indirectly revealed Earth’s identity and intentions to the Moonlight Syndicates.

Several confrontations had followed.

“Nothing serious,” Klea explained calmly.

Fortunately Nyx’s intelligence network caught most of their movements early. And with Soltz present, a Three-Cosmos Grand Magus, things never escalated too far, and there were no real casualties.

Despite the potentially dangerous implications, she spoke about the matter casually.

She continued with updates from the Magus Academy.

Shinta had successfully reorganized the academy halls and brought its competitive structure back into balance. Recruitment had improved, and several promising talents had begun rising through the ranks, although the top twenty rankings were still undergoing efforts.

As for Earth itself, progress had been steady.

All eight mining rights across the Virgo Cluster had been finalized earlier this year, effectively placing the entire cluster under Earth faction authority. With Morgana and Damo stationed as guardian, the region remained stable.

Through the Virtual Palace network, Klea could also maintain direct communication with Morgana on Earth and Rosia in Golden City.

“As for your apothecary business and the other projects,” Klea added, “everything is running smoothly. Tessa has been managing all of it. You can ask her about the details later.”

Emery noticed a subtle tension in her tone when she mentioned Tessa, though he chose not to comment on it for now.

Then,

Klea’s expression grew slightly more serious.

“There is one urgent matter you need to deal with,” she said.

Emery set his glass down. “What is it?”

Without speaking further, she produced an envelope sealed with an official

crest.

The marking was unmistakable.

Astiel.

With a flick of her fingers, the seal opened and a projection of the letter appeared between them.

It was a formal challenge.

An official duel request between the Earth faction and the Astiel faction. The document listed no date, and no conditions-only the formal declaration itself. In the political language of the Magus Alliance, that meant one thing:

A demand for a meeting to discuss the details.

Emery studied the letter silently.

He immediately remembered the Astiel Patriarch’s threat during their previous encounter in the court.

And with the confidence behind such a challenge, one name surfaced in his

mind.

The Astiel faction’s strongest figure.

The Sky Lord.

“What do you think?” Klea asked.

Emery leaned back slightly, thinking for a moment.

“This might be our chance to uncover the truth about what’s happening on

Earth,” he said finally. “We should accept.”

Klea did not hide her concern, but she nodded slowly.

“We don’t have to agree to the duel immediately,” Emery added. “Let’s respond

by requesting a meeting first.”

“That makes sense,” she said.

The tension eased slightly.

Klea looked at him again. “So what do you want to do now?”

Instead of answering directly, Emery reached into his storage space and

produced a metallic card.

He placed it on the table with a faint smile.

“For handling everything while I was away” he said, “let me buy you something.”

The card glowed faintly.

Between his previous unused credits and the reward given by the Beast Emperor, Emery now possessed more than 10,000 Palace Points.

Klea’s eyes widened slightly.

“The monthly auction is in ten days,” she said immediately.

“That’s perfect.”

“Alright then,” she stated with a small grin. “It’s a date.”

Soon afterward, they both logged out of the Virtual Palace. Klea still had

matters to attend to in Dawnstar, and Emery had his own plans to complete.

Once he returned to consciousness in Terra City, Emery made several

arrangements.

During this period, Rosia came to see him.

Her visit was somewhat unexpected, and even more surprising was the object

she brought with her. In her hands was a familiar wooden box-one Emery immediately recognized.

It was the same box left behind by Chumo. Inside were the Eyes of the Raven

talismans.

Rosia positioned the box on the table and gently pushed it toward him. “Unfortunately, this spirit creature is incompatible to me,” she said calmly. “They’ve… mutated.”

Emery curiosity was instantly stirred.