Ranolass was not the only disciple of the Great Sage, a fact known to very few people. And as time passed, those who knew might have already perished, so the common belief outside was that Ranolass was indeed the only disciple of the Great Sage.
However, he knew he actually had another junior brother, who had been expelled by the Great Sage for some reason!
Ranolass relentlessly sought the final divine artifact, sparing no efforts, because he was eager – just one more divine artifact and the Chalice of Power could manifest in the world, granting him even greater power.
"Could you pay a little more attention? I'm studying so seriously!" Theresa complained, looking at Bexia's nonchalant attitude, as she impaled her great sword into the ground.
"How am I not serious?" Bexia glanced indifferently at Theresa. He was teaching with dedication, it's just that this level of teaching required no extra effort.
"Wahhh!" Theresa unceremoniously took off her kingly outer robe, leaving only a sweat-soaked undershirt on, and leaned on the table, exposing her damp undershirt tightly hugging her skin from the side.
"I think you're not taking your studies seriously enough!" Bexia chuckled, "It's not fair that Eileen can just meditate to improve, even the Black Dragon and Golden Lion just need to sleep, while you have to practice constantly!"
"No! What I'm teaching you is not something simple. It's forbidden power. Once successful, your strength will undergo a tremendous transformation!" Bexia explained. What he was teaching Theresa was a gift from a powerful being in the River of Time, and he had also cultivated using the same method.
"Huh?!" Suddenly, Bexia's gaze shifted to the sky, sensing a rapid scan of consciousness. With a thought, he disappeared from the spot.
"Who do we have here? It's you!" Bexia gazed at Ranolass standing in the clouds.
"Didn't expect to see you here?" Ranolass also looked surprised at Bexia.
"I'm staying here temporarily!" Bexia calmly stated, implying not to cause trouble. At the same time, he was inquiring about Ranolass's purpose.
"Have you found all the divine artifacts?" Ranolass asked.
"Six are already in place, just missing the seventh!" Ranolass replied.
"The seventh?" Bexia paused, "You haven't found it yet?"
"Just found it!" Ranolass smiled.
"Oh!" Bexia turned to Gaer City and asked, "Is it here?"
"Yes! And it was right beside you!" Ranolass looked at Bexia.
"Beside me..." Bexia frowned, then relaxed, "Let's go! I'll accompany you to retrieve it!"
"Thank you!" Ranolass didn't want to conflict with Bexia at the moment, so he behaved politely.
Back in the courtyard, Theresa, watching Bexia return, hurried over to block his path, "Where did you just run off to?"
"Meeting a friend..." Bexia replied.
"I see!" Theresa finally noticed Ranolass following behind Bexia and introduced herself, "I'm Theresa, the Queen of Gaer City!"
"Ranolass!" Even though she was a city's queen, to Ranolass, she was nothing. If not for Bexia, he wouldn't bother acknowledging Theresa.
Swish! As soon as Ranolass finished, he reached out, and the golden sword stuck in the ground was pulled into his hand. He carefully examined it, then handed it to Bexia, "This is it!"
"Oh!" Bexia nodded, realizing the issues he had sensed with the golden sword signified it as the seventh divine artifact.
"What are you two up to?" Completely baffled, Theresa had no idea what they were doing.
"We need this!" Bexia said to Theresa.
"Need it? Then I can lend it to you!" Theresa responded without hesitation.
"It's not about borrowing..." Bexia remembered the gem from before, realizing once it was placed on the slab, it couldn't be retrieved.
"...?" Theresa was puzzled for a moment, hesitating not because she didn't want to help but because the sword was a heritage of Gaer City, a symbol of the ruler, and not something she could decide on alone.
"How about this? I'll trade something with you!" Ranolass took out a sword hilt with only a dragon head, and as he swung it, a force dissipated, revealing the hidden blade within.
"This is the Shadowless Sword, forged from the remains of an invisible dragon. The blade can conceal itself and is as strong as your golden sword!" Ranolass explained, feeling a pang, but due to Bexia's presence, this was the only way to handle the situation. Otherwise, taking it from Theresa might lead to resistance.
"Well..." Theresa pondered briefly, then looked at Bexia, "Do you really need it?"
"Yep!" Bexia nodded.
"Here you go!" Theresa handed the golden sword to Bexia, then changed her tone, "I'm not giving it to you for nothing. You owe me a favor!"
"Sure thing!" Bexia took the golden sword and threw it to Ranolass – being able to agree to Theresa's condition in this situation was a trivial matter.
"Thank you again. Let's consider this an exchange!" Ranolass handed the Shadowless Sword to Bexia.
