So This Was Your Plan to Get Me Out?

Signing the contract may seem like a huge concession by Ymir, but in reality, the contract also limited the space for both sides to take advantage of each other.

This is a truly strategic and holistic approach to cooperation.

Her Highness the Eldest Princess was well aware of the value of the "secret" that Rein spoke of.

Her vision and perspective prevent her from acting out of greed in ways that might seem clever but are actually foolish. Nor does she resemble some narrow-minded individuals who only see petty gains and then abandon those who have helped them.

Cooperation and mutual benefit are the right choices for a brighter future.

Because of Ymir's uprightness, the backup plan that Rein had prepared to "guard against villains" became completely useless.

After the contract was signed, there were no more concerns.

Rein took out Baron Morin's map and notebook and gave them to Ymir.

Anyway, this thing has already been recorded in the "Mind Core", so there's no point in keeping it.

Seeing physical evidence is what makes a transaction real, moving beyond mere talk.

Ymir glanced at it briefly, her expression growing increasingly complex. "This..."

Seeing the contents of the notebook confirmed that there really was a mechanical wreck in the world that was even more advanced than their current highest-tech Mechanical City.

This was the first time Rein had ever seen such complex emotions in the eyes of this aloof and taciturn Princess. In those emerald eyes, one seemed to see a vast and magnificent landscape, boundless ambition, and an infinite yearning for the future.

The New Deal reforms were frequently obstructed by the Established Nobles within the empire; the establishment of new territories was constantly restricted by the Five Great Families of the City of Radiance. Now, seeing this, Ymir felt a firmness she had never felt before rise within her.

The "secret" that Rein brought her gave her confidence and a breakthrough to break the deadlock!

The notebook in my hand feels incredibly heavy.

Ymir suddenly felt as if she had not grasped a thin veil of essence, but rather seized a turning point in her destiny.

She glanced at the notebook, then looked up at Rein, her expression suddenly becoming more complicated.

Although this man was very weak, even weaker than her maid, he had given her tremendous surprises on both of their meetings.

He saved her life for the first time.

This time, however, she was given something even more important.

Is there something wrong with the notes?

Rein sensed something was off and asked, "What's wrong?"

These words brought her wandering thoughts back, Ymir's gaze returned to its usual calm and composed state.

"The location on the map is a bit blurry, but it looks like it's in the 'high-risk fog zone' of the Alkolon Mountain Range within Sid territory. The best way to find the exact coordinates is to follow the original route through Sid territory, as described in the notebook."

She stroked her chin with her slender hand, analyzed the route, and said, "However, if nothing unexpected happens, this process may take quite a while."

Rein didn't say anything, nor did he think there was anything wrong with this statement.

Since Magic Contract had been signed, he wasn't afraid that Ymir would resort to any underhanded tactics.

"But before that, I have something else to take care of."

Ymir paused, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, then continued, "I must first go to the Ashen Forest. This trip may take several months."

Upon hearing this, Rein casually asked, "Are you also going to find the 'Divine Power Crystal'?"

Upon hearing that she was going to the "Ashen Forest," it was probably only the "Seventy-two Temple Ruins" that could make her so eager.

Ymir raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, slightly surprised.

"Divine Power Crystal" are not something that ordinary Transcendent individuals can access.

"Um."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and didn't hide anything, "My current Extraordinary Rank has reached a bottleneck, and I need a 'Divine Power Crystal' to advance to the legendary level. If I miss this opportunity, I may never have another chance."

The city lord's mansion in "City of Radiance" has now made the temple's news a public announcement.

All forces are rushing there now; time waits for no one.

If that temple is found, Ymir will have many powerful allies around her, making her one of the forces with the best chance of obtaining that treasure.

Therefore, she would absolutely not give up this opportunity.

Entering the realm of legend?

Upon hearing this, Rein gained a fairly accurate understanding of Ymir's current strength.

"The matter of the temple cannot be delayed."

After all, Bazel said that such a thing was a treasure that even legends would risk their lives for, and Rein expressed his understanding.

He added, "Now that you've finished your business, let's go find the wreckage on the map. Anyway, the coordinates are quite remote, so there's no rush."

"Um."

Ymir seemed to realize she was somewhat in the wrong, and added to Rein, "This journey will be very dangerous. I will take some elite troops with me and try to find the temple as quickly as possible. So..."

So, the implication is that she didn't intend to bring someone as weak as Rein.

Rein said it suited him perfectly.

He never intended to go on the adventure. Even though he was forced to go on this "nationwide hunt," he only planned to loaf around and come back later.

The "Seventy-Two Temples," a dangerous place hidden deep within the Ashen Forest, is not something a newbie like him can meddle in.

Anyway, Rein has already gotten the promise he wanted.

To avoid embarrassing the Princess, he added, "It's alright. I've already taken on a Scavenger Mission, which will likely keep me in the wilderness for quite some time. Once you've finished your business, we can discuss the treasure hunt plan further."

"Um."

Ymir nodded; for now, this was the only option.

At this moment, her eyes flickered, as if she had thought of something. She then took out a rose emblem ring from the drawer of the table and said, "This is my personal seal. It can help you solve some problems when you encounter trouble. If you encounter danger while I'm away, you can take it to General Baron and seek his protection. Just say that you are my personal physician."

"Good."

Rein accepted the rose-signed ring without hesitation.

He had read some documents and roughly understood the aristocratic system of this world. Each nobleman had his own exclusive coat of arms, used for signing and marking his identity. The coat of arms was used in public, while private seals were used in informal occasions. Giving a seal as a gift often indicated a special relationship between the recipient and the seal's owner.

This Her Highness the Eldest Princess is indeed the kind of person who would never take advantage of others.

They don't owe anyone favors, always repay kindness, and are understanding.

Last time I gave you "ice crystals", this time I gave you a seal.

You can't lose out by doing business with her.

The matter of "Baron Morin's Treasure" was settled in a very short time.

Everyone gets what they need, and everyone is happy.

In the study, Ymir didn't seem to have anything to say, and Ray naturally didn't intend to shamelessly stay for a free meal.

As he was leaving, he suddenly remembered something, took out another piece of paper, and asked, "By the way, Your Her Highness the Eldest Princess, I have a mechanical code here. Do you think it's possible to find the key to it?"

The code "S11-7-YY567#22" was left behind by that barbarian girl, Wudo.

I couldn't help her last time, but it felt like something was on my mind. Now that I've met someone from OMA's official team, I just casually asked them about it.

Ymir glanced at it and immediately recognized it, saying, "This is the Mechanical Secret Box code for an S-class sealed item from the Omar military. Where did you see it?"

As expected, Karl's guess was correct; these were indeed items belonging to the Omar military.

"This was given to me by a barbarian."

Rein felt there was no point in hiding the matter of the barbarian "relic," so he told the truth, saying, "I encountered it on the way to City of Radiance before."

He omitted some details, such as "Coleman Language," and simply explained the origin of the encoding.

Ymir was, after all, a figure at the heart of Omar's power, so she was naturally very familiar with the workings of the Blackwater Platform.

After hearing what Rein had to say, she vaguely felt that the Blackwater Platform's mission this time was not so simple. "You mean the people from the Blackwater Platform went to the Barbarian Tribe to steal their sacred artifact, and then were chased back by the barbarians?"

As for how Rein found out this information, that's not the point, and she wouldn't ask.

Rein nodded and said, avoiding the main point, "I obtained some reliable information through special channels and heard about an ancient legend called the 'Black Tide,' which seems to imply that the 'Ashen Forest' may experience a 'Great Terror' due to some unforeseen events."

He paused, glanced at Ymir's flawless face for a moment, and added, "You should be careful later."

After all, this was his golden opportunity, and he didn't want anything to happen before he could even secure it.

Since the fragmented information I heard from Wudo was meaningless anyway, I decided to tell it all.

"."

Ymir listened, his expression slightly surprised.

Even Princess Oma's intelligence network had no information about this. Where did this guy hear it from?

However, their tacit understanding prevented her from digging into the other's secrets.

She simply replied, "I understand."

The two had a private conversation in the study, Ymir's guards and servants must have been very curious about.

When Rein went downstairs and walked out of the hotel, he was greeted by wave after wave of stares from the court knights and old nannies.

Not far from the hotel entrance, a burly man, bundled up tightly, came out.

"Rein brothers, you're out?"

Bazel, rough and resonant like sandpaper scraping, was highly distinctive. "I had just found someone to get you out, but when I inquired, I discovered that you'd actually been bailed out by Princess Oma."

And then, this guy just waited there.

"."

Rein rolled his eyes in annoyance.

I'm almost cold by the time you arrive.

If it's just a routine inquiry, then it's fine.

But he never expected to encounter the interrogators playing a game of deception. If he hadn't happened to have flipped through the legal codes of the City of Radiance and fooled those guys, things might have gotten even worse.

However, upon closer reflection, Rein found the word "made out" rather jarring.

He asked curiously, "Senior Bazel, who did you find to bail me out?"

Upon hearing this, Bazel said with considerable smugness, "I contacted some of my former colleagues on the black market and negotiated a high price. As long as the Security Department doesn't release him, they'll step in. Besides, the guards have been bribed, and the route out of the city has been arranged. There's absolutely no problem."

He also knew this assassination attempt was no simple matter, involving a Sid Blood Marquis and Princess Omar. With Rein in jail, something unexpected might happen, which was why he took these precautions.

Upon hearing this, Rein paused for a moment before realizing what he meant and asked, "So... your method is to break them out of prison?"

Bazel didn't see anything wrong with it. "Yeah! How else would we get you out if we didn't break you out of prison?"

"."

Rein rolled his eyes.

Looking at his expression, Bazel asked in confusion, "We've always done this when our men were arrested before. Is there a problem?"

"Without"

Hearing this, Rein was completely speechless; every other sentence mentioned the thief's bandit nature.

It's best not to try to explain the mindset of a werewolf to him.

But the difference is just too big, isn't it? Ymir just swiped his card and said "thank you" a few times and got him out, and you're planning to use force to break him out of prison in the city?

However, snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways.

Since Bazel dared to do this, he probably really had the confidence to get him out.

He didn't say much, since he was out anyway, wasn't he?

At this point, it was Bazel's turn to be curious. He asked, "By the way, what exactly is your relationship with that Princess Oma? Why would she give you a 'Origin Law Crystal'? And even personally bail you out?"

After all, he had ambushed the Her Highness the Eldest Princess at Storm Lake before, so he was somewhat guilty.

What if this kid is someone close to the Princess and finds out that I am attacking Ymir? Wouldn't my situation be very awkward?

Rein countered, "Are 'Crystals of Law' so rare?"

"Drawing upon the power of origin will damage one's cultivation. What do you think?"

Bazel rolled his eyes at him and explained, "The item itself isn't particularly rare, but it's not worth the effort for Transcendent individuals. Condensing a law crystal requires sacrificing several months of cultivation. Generally speaking, unless it's an old guy stuck at a bottleneck and unable to break through, very few people would create such a thing to give away."

"."

Upon hearing this, Rein suddenly realized that the "Crystal of Laws" was quite valuable.

Cultivation is not something as external as money; for a powerful individual like Ymir who is still on the rise, its value and significance are extraordinary.

But thinking back to that time on the train, the Her Highness the Eldest Princess had nothing at all, and even the clothes she was wearing were her own.

Presumably feeling that she had nothing to repay the favor of 100 Gold Kron, and also thinking that they would never meet again, she condensed this "ice crystal" to settle the debt.

Seeing that Bazel was still expecting to hear some "gossip," he replied, "There's nothing special about it, it's just that I saved her once before."

"Oh."

Bazel, recalling Rein's Gang Line abilities, guessed that he had solved some difficult problems for that Her Highness the Eldest Princess, and didn't ask any further questions.

He then asked curiously, "Why are Sid's vampires chasing you?"

Rein: "It's a long story."

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