After giving Raigon a proper burial and spending a few quiet hours at his grave, Rex, Darius, and Arcane made their way to the meeting spot the butler had mentioned.
Rex decided to let Arcane stay outside since the butler had already seen her, and hiding her in the Tamer's Sanctuary would garner the butler's suspicion.
They met each other on a small ridge behind the city. "Ready to leave?" the butler asked as he saw Rex's group closing in toward him.
"Yes," Rex nodded calmly, as a beautiful night view of the city spanned before him from the ridge.
"Good," the butler said and distanced himself from the others. After walking a few steps, he stopped and took out a storage pouch similar to the one Seraphine had, but its color was blue.
Darius had decided to steal Seraphine's storage pouch after her death, but after meeting the butler, he was advised to throw it away, saying the pouches had some sort of tracking to them.
After pulling out the storage pouch, he called out in a soft and respectful tone, "Please come out, Stormgrace."
"…"
The butler looked at Rex's group with a wry smile, then, in the same tone, said firmly, "If you don't come out, I'm going to complain to Lord Asselin."
Whoosh.
A giant shadow swept across the sky.
A massive beast appeared—its vast, manta ray-like form gliding through the air. It didn't flap its wings like a bird; instead, it glided effortlessly through the skies, riding the wind with graceful ease.
Rex's eyes sparkled as he smiled in awe. There's so much more waiting for me to explore. He thought and instinctively opened its status.
[Name: Leviwing]
[Entity: Beast]
[Species: Stormgrace Leviwing]
[Bloodline: Skycurrent Bloodline]
[Rank: Noble Rank – 2 Stars]
[Potential: A]
[Would you like to tame {Leviwing} – Y/N]
"Hop on," the butler yelled, looking at them in a casual tone.
Rex and his companions nodded with stern expressions, but when they took their first step...
WHUUUUUM!
A deep hum of defiance shook the air, halting their steps.
The Leviwing hovered, motionless.
All eyes turned to the butler, whose frown was brief, though the flicker of annoyance was clear.
He kept his tone even: "Stormgrace, please calm down and allow us to ride... as per Lord Asselin's order," he said, rolling his eyes yet keeping a respectful composure.
Beasts above Spirit Rank possessed intelligence. While most detested humans due to centuries of mistreatment, a few had formed alliances with the powerful. An exchange that benefited both parties.
This is the main reason only elites of society could afford to have a beast willingly listen to them—especially the 'Purebloods.'
This beast belonged to Duke Asselin, who stood firmly at the Overlord Rank, while the beast itself was at Noble Rank—hence its rank name. Only nobles could even dream of having a beast of such rank.
Rex, of course, was a different matter.
So when the butler called the beast out, he had to show a certain level of respect to it, as its hierarchy was higher than that of the personal head butler, Scias, himself.
After calmly and respectfully asking the beast, everyone slowly mounted its smooth back—including Arcane, who, despite having wings, climbed onto the beast.
For some reason, the beast didn't react or complain but slowly lifted itself into the air, wind swirling around its wings as it began to move steadily.
Standing at the forefront, Scias the butler turned his head back and questioned Rex with narrowed eyes, "I thought you were at Ascender – 2 Stars?"
"I was at a bottleneck and was just promoted a few minutes ago," Rex replied in a confident tone as he had already decided the answer to this question.
"Your talent is not far from Princess Vivienne. At your age, even she was a Three-Star Ascender," Scias remarked thoughtfully.
"Good. Duke Asselin will be overjoyed—finding a talent such as yourself was worth all that effort," he complimented, keeping appearances, though anyone could tell that he too was happy finding such a talented young man.
"And you even have Arcalis like that following you willingly," he sighed in a dejected manner.
Their journey continued for a full day. Rex sometimes saw a few beasts flying around them, though none came too close. He even saw a few small forests stretching across the plains.
Despite the long journey, Rex's country-bumpkin group took in all of the beautiful sceneries, admiration filling their eyes.
Rex glanced at the skies, the wind brushing past his face. So this is how it feels to be a chess piece... or a player, he muttered, unsure which one he was yet.
After a full day of flying.
Whoosh.
The beast began to descend.
A sprawling city appeared below, far larger and grander than Tollin. Yet the citizens remained unfazed by the giant beast gliding above.
Here, no beast served as a carriage animal or a laborer. Each one carried itself with pride.
The Leviwing glided toward a vast blue mansion, shimmering under the moonlight. A platform extended outward—specifically designed for such majestic landings.
The beast began to shrink as it descended.
By the time the group dismounted, what had once been a 600-meter creature had shrunk to half that size—then continued shrinking until it was small enough to rest on a man's arm. It flew toward a figure standing silently at the platform's edge.
Scias immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"My lord, I have found the one you were searching for. His abilities are real—and they extend to humans as well. We can conclude his powers are not limited by race or species."
He delivered the report respectfully.
"Well done, Scias," the man replied in a clipped, authoritative tone. That was all—but the butler beamed with pride.
"Thank you, my lord."
Then the man turned, his eyes locking on Rex.
"Rex, come here," Scias called.
Rex glanced at his companions and then approached calmly.
"Hello, I'm Rex," he said, in a polite and confident tone. He knew arrogance wouldn't serve him here.
Darius and Arcane introduced themselves next, while the man's gaze appraised them silently.
"May I ask why we were summoned?" Rex asked, trying to sound respectful but firm.
The Duke raised his brows, "I only need you so…" he looked at Darius and Arcane "Your companions are free to leave whenever they want" he said in a casual tone
"But since they are along with you I'll allow them to come and as for your question ill answer them at the dinner" he stated and continued.
"Come my wife and child are waiting for the dinner let's not make them wait anymore or they will eat me alive," he said and turned around while slowly walking away.
The butler gestured and Rex's group followed along as the butler walked at the back.