Chapter 127: Kiro’s Request

Four days seemed both long and short. Amidst silence, they finally reached the outskirts of Flaming City on the evening of the fourth day. With less talk and more silence, their pace accelerated, yet they still arrived a whole day earlier than planned.

Looking at Flaming City ahead, Rod’s expression was complex. He turned his head toward the northwest—there, where he had seen the old man fighting desperately; there, where he had witnessed the downfall of that suddenly appearing quasi-divine powerhouse.

“We’re here at last. Alright, let’s go in!” Kiro’s voice came from beside him through the silence. Rod sighed in relief, a faint smile appearing on his face.

“You go in first. I’ll take a walk around.” Rod had no intention of entering the town right away. A strong desire filled him to go check that place out.

Hearing Rod’s words, the others fell silent for a moment, staring at him. Perhaps guessing his thoughts, they sighed and walked into the city without saying a word, clearly agreeing to his request.

Watching them disappear from sight, Rod sighed softly and turned in that direction. Soon, he arrived at a place he would never forget.

It had been over half a year since he last returned. Even after such a long time, the place remained in disarray, as if still telling the story of that day’s battle. Everything was in ruins, a testament to the tragedy that had taken place. It was obvious that another fierce battle must have occurred after he left.

His eyes lit up as he saw a small mound ahead with a wooden plaque on it. Out of curiosity, he stepped forward to take a look and was stunned. The shocking words on the plaque were glaring—“Bianuo’s Tomb.” Bianuo… wasn’t that the old man’s name? It turned out to be his grave. A sense of suffocation overcame him. The scene he didn’t want to see had still happened. Though he had guessed somewhat, seeing it in person still caused him pain.

He stepped forward, knelt in front of the tombstone, and gently touched it. His eyes moistened slightly. The annoying old man from before had now become someone he missed. Life and death separated them, leaving Rod filled with sighs. Though he didn’t know who had erected the tombstone, it was at least a place where the old man could rest in peace.

Holding the small iron box in his arms, he thought, “It won’t be long. I’ll soon know everything. Old man, wait for me. I’ll send those people to be with you and make them regret it!”

He sat there for a long time, lost in thought with a puzzled expression, his hair unknowingly wet from the gentle rain. Exhaling, he stood up and resolutely turned toward the City of Flaming Fire.

Entering the City of Flaming Fire, the scene before him was eerily familiar—still the same City of Flaming Fire, unchanged over these six months, just as familiar as ever.

Where were Sambik, Kambi, and the others? He headed straight to those familiar places, but all he saw was desolation; not a single person in sight. The troublemakers in the city were still causing chaos. After much searching, he finally learned that after that day, Kambi and the others had disappeared without a trace and never reappeared in the City of Flaming Fire. Jerome, too, had left the town for some unknown reason, with no idea where he had gone.

Sighing deeply, he thought of how just last year on this day, the city was filled with beauty—people and peach blossoms complementing each other. Now, the people were gone, yet the peach blossoms still bloomed in the spring breeze. It was all so apt.

Thinking about the routes left by Kiro and the others, he quickly found a hotel to stay at. His mission here was complete. With great hopes, he had only found disappointment—greater hopes meant greater disappointment, as expected. Since he was returning filled with disappointment, the next step was to meet up with Kiro and the others. What then? The top priority was to upgrade to a three-star mercenary as soon as possible. As long as the assassination mission wasn’t over, danger would persist. After completing the three-star mercenary task, he could go back to look for Bit and the others. This thought made Rod give up the idea of returning immediately to search for Bit.

“You’re back?” As soon as he entered the hotel, he saw Kiro, Anderson, and Alice at a table ahead. They were using dinner time to make up for lost appetite over the past few days. Rod’s arrival was quickly noticed by the perceptive Kiro, who walked over and asked softly.

Rod’s silent expression worried Kiro. Everything was self-evident; the outcome was predictable.

“Mm!” He nodded lightly and replied indifferently.

“Come here. I want you to meet someone. Also, tomorrow morning, we’re leaving for the capital. If possible, I hope you’ll come with us!” Kiro led Rod to the table and sat down, speaking in a serious tone.

Upon closer inspection, there indeed was an additional man, around the same age as Kiro and the others—just a little over twenty, quite young. When had they met this person in Blaze City, and why wasn’t he aware of it? With some confusion, his gaze met theirs, and the man gave Rod a slight nod and smile.

The Silver Warrior’s strength was no less than his own, and the energy within him was even purer and more powerful. He immediately recognized the other person’s strength. Ever since connecting with the Little Fire Dragon’s bloodline that day, Rod had learned this skill from its inherited memories—being able to instantly assess the strength of those around him or weaker than him. It was an unexpected gain; those memories were incredibly powerful, so much so that Rod was in awe. According to Xuan Yuan, mastering them all would take a lifetime, highlighting the advantage of powerful races—memorial inheritance. How could one possibly learn everything that had been passed down over thousands of years? Even the dragon race couldn’t master it all in hundreds or thousands of years; they would only choose to learn what suited them.

While Rod was observing the man, the man was also observing the young boy who had just been praised as a genius by the others. His expression changed slightly, showing surprise—this person, younger than him, far exceeded his expectations. His strength was indiscernible, seemingly even greater than what Kiro and the others had described. Even if he fought him, he wouldn’t stand a chance. This truly shocked Rod, who had always been considered an outstanding student at the academy! As Kiro and the others had said, he was indeed a highly talented person.

“Roy, our classmate! A student from the Holy Light Academy!” Kiro smiled as he introduced them, seeing Rod and the other man looking at each other.

Holy Light Academy? The best academy on the continent? He knew that much. He hadn’t expected this guy to be from the Holy Light Academy. Moreover, everyone here was a prodigy—no wonder he had already reached the peak of a Silver Warrior at such a young age. Truly, a family of warriors produces more warriors. It was indeed a cradle for talent development. At that moment, Rod couldn’t help but develop some interest in this renowned academy.

“Rod, I told you about him!” Then he pointed at Rod and introduced him to Roy.

“I’ve heard of you. Half a year ago, you were a prominent figure in Blaze City. I never expected to meet you here~!” Roy silently sighed, his initial disdain from the first time he heard this name half a year ago shifting to a look of surprise and seriousness. It seemed Kiro and the others were right after all.
“You’re leaving tomorrow, right? Weren’t there matters to attend to? Why such haste?” Rod asked doubtfully, recalling what Kiro had said before.
“There’s been an incident at the academy, and the empire is also calling us back. We must return as soon as possible. Our main purpose this time was to find Roy! Now that’s done. We need to go back immediately!” Kiro said in a grave tone, his expression complex, as if something serious had happened.
“At the same time, we hope you can come with us. We need your help this time. I’m asking you as a friend! We can’t lose!” He said in a hesitant tone, his gaze complex as he looked at Rod.
Ask me for help? I’m just a Silver Warrior. What help can I offer? Not to mention Alice from the Porter family—even Anderson and Kiro themselves, with their extraordinary statuses, wouldn’t have much trouble finding help from Gold Warriors, even Martial Emperors or Saints. Why would they turn to me? Frowning, Rod looked at the people across from him, puzzled.
“What’s the matter? How can I help? I just hope I won’t cause you trouble!” Rod asked, confused.
“This time, we really need your help. You’re the most suitable candidate. You’ve probably heard of the five great academies on the continent: the Holy Light Academy of the Lance Empire, the Wind God Academy of the Ost Empire, the Light Academy under the Church, the Divine Martial Academy under the Magic Guild and Warrior Association, and the Clear Stream Academy of the Etaman Empire! These five academies are among the best in the continent, belonging to three of the five empires, as well as the most powerful Church, Magic Guild, and Warrior Association. For thousands of years, to avoid war and maintain peace on the continent, they’ve worked together to defend against possible counterattacks from demons and vampires. Although there’s constant friction between nations, they’ve always endured it. Every five years, regional competitions are held to assess the abilities of the next generation of warriors.”

After the regional competitions, five representative teams are selected to compete in the final showdown, held every seven years. This year, it’s a contest of sincerity, taking place at Holy Light Academy! It starts next month—there are less than 25 days left! We cannot afford to lose this time; we need your help!”
While Kiro was still hesitating about how to address Rod, Roy simply and clearly explained the whole situation.
Once he finished speaking, everyone looked at the young man in front of them with hopeful eyes, waiting to see his answer.