Richard's Origins (Third Update)

Faced with questioning, Melda remained unfazed, calmly replying, "Retrieving the Soul Stone is a crucial matter for the Monastery, and it's my top priority. Your Highness, if we follow your orders and intercept Dio Skellboom, we'll only force him to leave, making it impossible to recover the Soul Stone."

The rough-looking nun behind Melda said in a gruff voice, "His Highness the Prince also said that only a fool would sacrifice himself for the benefit of others."

These two obstacles, one soft and one hard, made Richard Richard's face turn ugly.

The status of an imperial prince is not omnipotent, especially in the context of ancient Europe. The saying "the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal" can be translated as "the emperor is far away, and the local official is more powerful than the distant one." Even if a prince of the Lionheart Empire came to the Northern Frontier, he could not command a large following.

In particular, the North County Monastery has existed for hundreds of years, longer than the Lionheart Empire itself, and has a rich historical heritage. It will not blindly follow the orders of the Empire.

Glandis said calmly, "Dean Melda, do you really believe that those two rebels can successfully reach the Bright Pass?"

Having successfully drawn everyone's attention, Grand Lord Galandis slowly said, "The Grand Mausoleum has a very special environment, full of hostility towards living beings; it's a paradise for the undead. With so many powerful warriors and Dean Melda's guidance, we find a Sanctuary haven within the Grand Mausoleum to rest every so often during our battles, which gives us the confidence to reach the Bright Pass. Those two rebels are weak and unfamiliar with the terrain; how could they possibly get there?"

These words immediately drew nods of agreement from the others.

"That's right. We were just on the upper level of the mausoleum. If we hadn't recovered our strength at the Sanctuary we passed along the way, we would have been in very poor condition by the time we got here."

"The evil energy in the lower levels of the Grand Mausoleum is even more concentrated. Our physical recovery is almost at a standstill here; every bit we use is a drop in the bucket. Without a safe Sanctuary to rest, even with our formidable strength, reaching the Bright Pass safely won't be easy."

Melda sighed and said, "That man named Dio has already developed a portion of the power of the Evil Soulstone, so he should have enough confidence to arrive. In any case, he's already gone ahead, so let's hurry and get there before him, lest he act recklessly and break the taboos."

Richard snorted in dissatisfaction, but had nothing to say, and could only urge everyone to set off.

"Hold the ball and run, that was so exciting!"

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi wound their way through a maze of twists and turns, finally stopping after encountering a group of monsters. Both were slightly out of breath, a rare occurrence for awakened beings.

The undead monsters ahead were a group of Zombie from the Corpse Demonfolk, all of them Elite Tier individuals. Bai Xiaowen scanned them with his Insight and discovered that these Elite Zombie were indeed all capable of different skills, such as Bone Hardening (increasing extra armor), Chill Enhancement (attacking with Chill Effect), Ghost Strike (increasing Critical Hit rate), and so on.

If he hadn't known beforehand, he might have suffered a loss, but after Insight out the details of the Elite Zombie group, Bai Xiaowen was able to deal with it with ease.

Hand the Bone-Plated Zombie to the Bone Warlock, the other Zombie to the Cleaver Summoned Creatures, Butcher with Rot in front, causing a group slow down and reducing the enemy's physical and magical resistance.

A group of Elite Zombie fell one after another.

Bai Xiaowen, Yu Yu, and Li Shuyi were talking.

"It seems the monsters on the second floor of the mausoleum are much stronger, mostly Elite Tier or higher, and we can't see any Standard Template monsters anymore," Li Shuyi said with a sigh. "Considering the environment here, and that Vampire Overlord Marcus, it truly lives up to its S+ level Elite Tier side quest reputation."

"Normally, we'd have to deal with a group of nuns before we can enter the Grand Mausoleum," Bai Xiaowen said, shaking his head. "If it were just these difficulties, this Elite Tier side quest would be at most S-Tier. But I reckon the monsters here can resurrect infinitely, which is why it's S+ difficulty."

"Infinite resurrection?" Li Shuyi repeated in astonishment, "That's too ridiculous."

"No, it's very possible," Bai Xiaowen said. "On the first level of the mausoleum, we were following a group of Boss Tier. Logically, the monsters should have been cleared out by those Boss Tier. Why are we still encountering monsters? And think about what the Vampire Overlord Marcus said before he died—a Vampire dared to claim Immortality, and even after becoming a spirit, he didn't change his mind... that says a lot. Perhaps it's due to the special environment here."

"If Marcus can resurrect indefinitely, who can defeat him?" Li Shuyi said.

Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "Resurrection definitely takes time, and generally speaking, the stronger the individual, the more energy is needed to resurrect, and the longer it takes. If the resurrection time for an Elite Tier individual is 1, then the resurrection time for a Boss Tier individual should be at least 5 to 10. If there is no Black Soul Stone to absorb souls, we must definitely slip away quickly after killing Marcus before he resurrects."

Li Shuyi nodded in agreement, but her thoughts quickly shifted. "Xiao Wen, you seem to have said that special Boss Tier might drop Dark Gold Equipment, like Richard."

"Yes," Bai Xiaowen said.

"Should we consider taking him out? We'd be lucky to get a Dark Gold Tier from him. Besides, Richard will definitely meet the B-Tier reputation requirement for the main quest," Li Shuyi said menacingly.

"I had been thinking about this question when I met Richard in the courtyard of the Monastery,"

Bai Xiaowen laughed, "However, I'm now certain that it's impossible to complete the main quest using Richard's head."

"Why? Isn't your fame enough?" Li Shuyi exclaimed in surprise.

"It's not a matter of fame..." Bai Xiaowen sighed after controlling his summoned creatures to kill the last Elite Zombie. "Richard isn't a person from the Spirit Realm at all!"

"Not... Spirit Realm figure? Could he be an Awakened One?" Li Shuyi's face was filled with disbelief after she realized what he meant. "This, what kind of identity is this? It's too abnormal! I want to protest against the Spirit Realm Rules..."

Bai Xiaowen smiled wryly, "I don't know. According to the pattern, if you draw C-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket, your entry status is one level higher than a free citizen; B-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket is two levels higher; and I'm not sure about the A-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket... To enter as an imperial prince, it would probably have to be S-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket."

This is not the prince of some small country, but the prince of the Grand Unification Lionheart Empire.

"Now that you mention it, this Richard guy's background is absolutely terrifying," Li Shuyi murmured.

Judging from Richard's age, he's not much older than Bai Xiaowen, definitely under 20. Li Shuyi doesn't believe he earned his S-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket through his own abilities.