In the dim room, a young boy in pajamas was holding his clothes, with an extraordinarily dependent look in his eyes.

...As if looking at a trusted elder, the young boy looked at him, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw and refused to let go.

Su Mingan had long guessed about his identity...how could he be an ordinary down-and-out nobleman.

Whether it is the Ater Stone worth thousands of gold hidden in the room, or judging from his previous experience... his identity cannot be that simple.

And now.

The Grand Duke of the At Empire, the highest-ranking nobleman on the At, pulled him over and said, "Everything is his order"?

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the little boy.

The young boy's eyes were very confused, like a child who has not yet grown up. Judging from his age, he looked more like an aristocratic child who was bewitched by Su Lin.

...So, what does Su Lin rely on to bewitch the other party?

"Pule is dead." Su Mingan spoke first. He wanted to see the other party's reaction.

To his surprise, the other party seemed very happy.

"Really?" The young boy said with a smile: "Then we have one less obstacle. Congratulations."

Obstacle?

Su Mingan understood.

Puller, who is responsible for protecting the Duke, is not one of his own in the eyes of the Duke.

Then it can only mean that... Puller is not loyal to the Duke. The object of Puller's loyalty may be the empire itself.

Then it's not like he did something wrong and killed one of his own people.

"Sir." The little boy suddenly said: "Everything is going very smoothly. When those hunters are driven off the boat, I will dedicate them to you for the Art Stones you want..."

Su Mingan thought for a moment.

"Do you still have the Stone of Art?" he asked.

"You need it now? Please wait." The young boy jumped out of bed and ran directly to the room next to him, seemingly respecting his order.

Su Mingan followed the Duke to another room and watched him enter a password. The door opened with a "click".

The Duke opened the door.

Su Mingan was a little surprised.

The condition of the Art Stone inside the door... was completely different from the few he had owned before.

Among them, the most different point is the size.

The Art Stone he owns is a small piece, like a transparent gem, that can be stuffed into clothes or suitcases.

But the Stone of Art in front of me was being held up by a huge stone.

The boulder almost occupies the entire room, holding the small Stone of Art to a height close to the ceiling. The entire boulder is like a giant tray.

There was a ladder covered with soft carpet next to it. The Duke climbed up, put on his gloves, and then carefully removed the small Stone of Art held by the huge stone.

"This is a piece that I currently own privately." The Duke climbed down the ladder and handed him the Art Stone. His eyes were full of expectation, like a child eager for praise: "The rest are in the cargo hold, and the Soul Race is needed.

It can only be mobilized with the permission of the hunter. You should be careful. If you leave these Qatar stones, the energy in the Art Stone will escape within a day... Ah, by the way, but if it is you, the energy should be fine."

Su Mingan saw that from the moment the Art Stone was removed, it began to emit white gas, like ice cubes melting.

And the moment he took the Art Stone, the stone's steaming condition immediately disappeared, and the Art Stone lay quietly in the palm of his hand, like an ice soul that never melted.

The system interface prompt appeared in front of his eyes.

[*You have obtained a special prop (Stone of Art)]

[Stone of Art:...]

[Number of uses: 2/2]

…

Just like before, the exact same prompt showed that there was no difference between the Art Stones he obtained one after another, they were all the same thing.

However, the storage conditions required for this Art Stone are so exaggerated. If it is placed on such a large boulder tray, the energy will escape once it is removed.

After thinking for a moment, Su Mingan figured it out.

The Stone of Ater probably originally needed such a storage method. It required the huge stone of Qatar to maintain its energy, a huge storage area, and the huge "Ater" to transport it.

It's not something you can just throw in your suitcase.

However, when the Art Stone originally dissipated its energy as soon as it left the Qatar Stone, its energy stabilized when it touched his hand. It became able to be placed casually in the suitcase.

Even if he puts the Art Stone aside again, its energy will no longer escape.

……I see.

Is it a special ability that I have hidden? Similar to a special ability that can preserve the energy of gems?

This ability is very strange and should be related to his identity.

The somewhat strange connection was cleared up in an instant, and Su Mingan immediately understood the entire plan.

Once the nobles abandon the Ater in order to save their lives, the Ater Stone will inevitably be abandoned as well.

Because something of this size cannot be carried into a lifeboat.

The energy of the Art Stone will escape quickly. Once the energy escapes, it will be no different from an ordinary broken stone.

With the call of the Duke, giving up the Stone of Art is not something that cannot be done.

As for the down-and-out nobleman Su Lin, who was unable to grab a lifeboat and was forced to stay on the ship, after the only obstacle to the departure of the three soul hunters who were loyal to the empire, he could completely control this Asia with his "certain power".

Special number.

This plan is actually quite idealistic, and the biggest obstacle is the unruly soul hunter, but now it went wrong and one of them has been killed by himself.

In this way, this plan seems to make sense...

"My lord, my lord?"

The Duke's call interrupted his thoughts.

Su Mingan suddenly realized that the Duke must know his true identity, otherwise he wouldn't respect him so much.

"Sir, do you have any other instructions?" The young boy tilted his head and looked at him.

"What do you think we should do?" Su Mingan asked him.

"...Hmm." The young boy seemed a little troubled: "According to the plan, you will control the Yate... I will wait for you in the sea city... No more?"

Su Mingan is thinking.

After all, the only doubt he has now is what is his identity that makes the Duke of a country respect him so much...

As he was thinking this, he suddenly saw the other party suddenly approaching him.

"Sir, I'm hungry..." the young boy suddenly said.

"Hungry?" Su Mingan didn't understand what the other person was saying.

"My lord, my lord, you said that after the plan is successful, you will give me souls to eat, but now that I see you, I suddenly feel very hungry. I am extremely hungry. I may not be able to wait until you arrive safely at Sea City. Can I,

Can you..." The little boy looked at him, his eyes full of longing: "Eat a little, I will... just eat a little..."

At the same moment when the young boy came up to him, Su Mingan saw the Art Stone in his hand suddenly light up red.

The red light was extremely dazzling, as dazzling as a flame that burst out in an instant.

Su Mingan knew what that light meant.

...That is what it means that the Art Stone test was successful.

other side.

It's the soul clan.

The Duke of Ate, a country, is from the soul clan.

……absurd.

Su Mingan saw that the number of uses of the Art Stone in his hand was reduced by one, and he immediately pushed the opponent away.

The young boy stumbled a few steps back, but when Su Ming'an pushed him, he clearly felt an obstacle.

...It was as if the opponent's strength suddenly increased. He felt like he was pushing a stone.

At the same moment, red light suddenly dyed the other person's eyes, and the color that was originally as beautiful and pure as the sky and sea turned into scarlet.

As if he suddenly lost his mind, the originally respectful young man's eyes turned red and he rushed over like a wild beast.

Su Ming'an knew that the soul clan would lose their minds if they were extremely hungry, otherwise the Duke would not take action against him.

...Then what exactly is my identity!?

Since the Stone of Art did not detect him, he is not from the Soul Clan. But he has a duke subordinate from the Soul Clan...

"clang!"
To be continued...