Teresa

Teresa?

Andres was stunned.

In the original story, there had been a Wind Elemental Grand Perfection Lower Sovereign named Teresa, and Teresa had indeed come from a Material Plane.

"It may not be him. He could just be someone with the same name." Andres quickly calmed himself. There were countless living beings in the Coiling Dragon World; it was perfectly normal for people to share a name.

Ivan was also excited. "Come, take me to see him. Baron Mitchell, my apologies, but I have an urgent matter and must leave first. Robert, stay here and entertain the Baron."

Ivan and Arnold hurried toward the courtyard exit.

Andres quickly called after them. "Mr. Ivan, could I also meet this Teresa?"

Given Teresa's talent in the original story, as long as Andres saw him, the system would definitely react. Then he would be able to confirm whether this was merely someone with the same name.

If this Teresa only shared the name, there would be no need to pay him too much attention.

Exceptional talent might be rare, but it depended on what kind of exceptional talent it was.

The gap between exceptional talents was even greater than the gap between exceptional and inferior talents.

For example, in the original story, Linley's elemental affinity was exceptional, and many students at Ernst Magical Academy also had exceptional elemental affinity.

But Linley's talent was at least Lord-level, perhaps even Paragon-level.

As for most students at Ernst Magical Academy, merely becoming a Level Six Mage took decades. Few of them ever became Level Nine Mages in their entire lives.

The difference was like heaven and earth.

Andres's aptitude was superior. It was basically impossible for him to become a Level Nine Warrior. Exceptional aptitude was somewhat better than superior aptitude, but reaching Level Nine was still extremely difficult.

If the Teresa Arnold spoke of was not the Sovereign Teresa from the original story, then he likely did not even possess Demigod-level talent and was not worth Andres's attention.

On the other hand, if he truly was the Teresa from the original story, then no matter what, Andres had to complete his Binding Quest.

"Meet him?" Ivan considered it and felt there was no harm in it. He nodded. "Since Baron Mitchell is interested, come along."

"Thank you!" Andres was secretly delighted.

Andres followed them out of the courtyard.

The Goblin Merchant Guild's residence was enormous. Following behind Robert, Andres arrived at a somewhat disorderly area.

Many low, crude houses had been built there, packed tightly together one after another. Numerous guards patrolled the area.

The guards all had powerful auras. Andres guessed that they were at least Level Five Warriors.

Andres silently marveled at the extraordinary foundation of the Goblin Merchant Guild.

Many of the doors to these houses stood open, allowing Andres to see numerous raggedly dressed men and women living inside.

Body odor, sweat, foot odor, urine, feces, and all sorts of other smells mixed together. Even outside the houses, Andres could faintly smell them.

"Please excuse the sight, Baron. These are all slaves awaiting sale. Once we pass this area, it will be better." Ivan covered his nose as he explained to Andres.

Not all slaves were the same. The ones Robert had shown Andres earlier were young children with a bit of cultivation talent. Though they were also slaves, their prices were not low, ranging from several hundred to several thousand gold coins.

But most slaves were not worth that much. One or two gold coins could buy them.

The people in these houses were that lowest class of slaves.

After passing through this area of houses, the scenery before them suddenly changed. Andres felt as though he had arrived in the commoner district of Oga City.

The houses here were much cleaner, and the people living in them were clearly better off.

Andres saw some of the children he had previously seen in the parchment book.

Most of these children were orphans. Some had parents who died in war, while others had parents who died in accidents. Their backgrounds were generally clean, and they possessed some cultivation talent, so they had no trouble finding buyers.

"Arnold, what is the background of that boy named Teresa?" Ivan asked as they walked.

Arnold replied, "Father, according to the information we have, Teresa is also from the Oga Kingdom. His father was a soldier, and his mother died early. A year ago, his father died at the hands of Beastmen. Teresa was left with no one to rely on, then was captured by slave traders and sold to our guild."

Andres listened quietly at the side, his expression unchanged. The three human kingdoms had been at war with the Beastmen for years. Experiences like Teresa's were not uncommon.

When he had leafed through that parchment slave ledger earlier, many of the slave children had suffered similar fates.

The original story had never mentioned Teresa's childhood experiences, so Andres could not make a judgment based on them.

As they spoke, they arrived before a secluded courtyard residence, where two warriors stood guard outside the gate.

Each of the two gave Andres the impression of possessing the strength of a Level Six Warrior.

The two warriors clearly recognized Ivan and both bowed their heads in salute.

Ivan remained expressionless and did not respond.

The group entered the courtyard, where a maid was sweeping.

"Bring Teresa out at once," Arnold told the maid.

"Yes." The maid entered the house and soon emerged with a thin, silver-haired boy of around seven or eight.

The boy's hair was slightly damp, and moisture still clung to his body, as if he had just finished bathing.

"Father, this is Teresa." Arnold smiled at Ivan and introduced him enthusiastically.

Standing behind them, Andres no longer paid any attention to Ivan and Arnold's conversation. His mind was now filled with a string of system messages.

"Target: Teresa."

"Talent: Wind Elemental Grand Perfection."

"Binding Quest (determined by the target's deepest desire): Heart of the Strong."

"Completion conditions: 1. Help Teresa embark on the path of cultivation and become a Level One Warrior. 2. Help Teresa reach the Saint Domain. 3. Help Teresa take revenge and kill 'Mad Blade' Resior."

"Completion rewards: Complete any one quest to obtain Wind Lower God Talent. Complete any two quests to obtain ordinary Highgod talent. Complete all three quests to obtain Wind Elemental Grand Perfection Talent."

Andres stared unblinkingly at Teresa. According to the system prompt, this boy was undoubtedly Teresa, the Wind Elemental Grand Perfection Lower Sovereign from the original story.

Teresa's appearance confirmed much for Andres.

First, this truly was not the Yulan Continent Plane. In the original story, Teresa came from the Dylan Material Plane.

Second, the Sovereign Spark had not yet appeared.

In the original story, Teresa became a god in the Dylan Material Plane, then ventured into the Netherworld, one of the Four Supreme Planes. He eventually became a powerful Lord, only one step away from Paragon.

After the Sovereign Sparks appeared, Teresa seized a Wind Lower Godhead during a struggle against numerous Highgods, becoming a Sovereign. With the aid of immense Faith Power, he became a Wind Elemental Grand Perfection.