Chapter 345: Last Name?
William and the group passed through the last wall of miasma and arrived at the Revista Faction Headquarters just two days later. William didn't try to touch the miasma again, so he didn't need to replace Grotnet's medallion for a second time.
"Welcome to the one true city of the Revista Faction. The City of Gold, Igolide!" a young boy with red hair smiled as the group passed through the front gates. As he saw their attire reminiscent of another Continent, though, the boy frowned and spat on the ground in front of them.
"Some welcome, huh?" William commented to the group. He was at least thankful that Igolide didn't have any stringent entry requirements. They just needed to pay two Gold Coins to enter without even a security check.
"We've always been like this, myself included." Grotnet said simply. The only reason he cared to treat the group nicely was because this was his job, and they were good money. Since his job was finished, he bade William and the rest farewell, wishing them luck on their mission.
William nodded and led the group through the city towards their first destination, admiring the scenery as they walked. The city didn't have a dull air like the others before, and the streets were paved with a special type of golden asphalt.
Shops were littered everywhere, most of which sold specialized equipment for hunting Magical Beasts. There were reinforced nets made for hunting Poison Sleeches and whaling spears made for tearing through the thick hide of Venom-Seeker Elephants.
While the quality of the equipment was very high and could be used even by Golden Core Cultivators, they were looking for information on Marcus and had no reason to purchase anything from these shops.
They headed straight towards the Revista Faction's palace located in the center of the city, where a group of guards met with them before they could approach.
"Stop, state your purpose." the guards shouted while holding their weapons at the ready. They didn't recognize this new group of people, and other than their escort their gear didn't match the standards of the Velos Continent.
"Those expensive-looking clothes and a group of kids... you must be here for the Cultivation Site." one of the guards sneered.
"We're looking for someone." William was tired of saying the same things multiple times, but he had to in this case.
"Someone in the palace? You couldn't possibly know anyone inside!" the guard replied.
"Just let us in so we can speak to your leader." William was becoming irritated again.
"Ha! You even dare to meet with Patriarch Luying!" the guards laughed together.
Alright, I'm tired of this. System, can I kill them?
-Do what you want, just be prepared for the consequences.
Damnit... William sighed as he opened his Sealing Territory for the second time in a week. The group was instantly immobilized, unable to move so much as a finger before William passed by.
He turned around and waved to his group, "Are you coming or not?"
"Of course! I'm glad you dealt with these fools quickly, they were annoying." Carl was starting to like following William like he was the big boss. He could be as arrogant as he wanted, as long as he didn't offend anyone stronger than his friend.
Carl walked up to one guard in particular that had spoken the most, spitting on the man's immobilized shoes. "You deserve this, hehe."
Tia reached over and slapped Carl, "Have you lost your mind?"
"Sorry, Punch Mama."
"What?" Tia's eye twitched.
"I said sorry! I'm sorry!" Carl cried as he ran from an enraged Tia. She was much faster than Carl, but he was like a rat and used the immobilized city guards as cover, looping around them and annoying Tia to no end. He even took the initiative to stick out his tongue when he saw that she couldn't catch him.
"I swear when I catch you, you're dead!" Tia shouted as she circled the guards. She looked at Gunther, who sighed inwardly as he released the Ice Element to freeze Carl in his tracks.
"Okay I really didn't mean it this time!" Carl put on a sad face while Tia cracked her knuckles. She had no issues with beating up an idiot in public, much less this idiot.
"Alright, we don't have time for this. Let's go." Yuming said from next to William. He was in a hurry to meet with these Revista leaders, interested to see what interesting Alchemy books they might have in stock.
"There's no need to enter the palace." a calm voice said from above.
The group looked up to see a silver-haired old man that looked to be on the verge of death. He was floating just a few dozen meters above the group, but they could almost smell how leathery his skin was.
"Damn, old fart! How long have you been around?" Carl muttered.
"Hm?" the old man seemed to have heard Carl, but not entirely.
"Oh, nothing. How old are you?"
"Carl! What the hell?" Tia was about to beat this person up again. She looked up at the old man and bowed respectfully, "Sorry about him, we're here for some information."
"I'm aware, I have been tracking you for a while now, who'd have thought I'd find you here. If I hadn't moved at all, you would have come straight to me. I am eleven thousand years old, by the way." the old man replied.
"Eleven thousand?! How is that possible? Are you at the peak of the World??" Carl exclaimed.
"Lots of Age Restoration and Cell Rejuvenation Pills. I grow them myself."
William inspected the old man's Cultivation, finding him to be at the peak of the Soul Formation Realm. The man should have only lived a few thousand at most, but to double or even triple that... it was impressive to say the least.
He set aside those thoughts and spoke up, "Have you heard of a Marcus Rednel?"
"Hmmm? Marcus? I believe I have. What was your name?"
"William."
"Last name?"
"Don't have one."
"How can you not have a last name?" the man was surprised.
"I just don't. What should I call you, Senior?" William didn't feel like the old man was his senior in combat power, but his sheer age should regard him as such.
While waiting for the man's response, he used Life Sense to check the surrounding area for danger, slightly concerned that this interaction was a trap. Why else would the man stall for so long?
"You can call me Marcus." the man responded with a goofy smile.
"Last name?" William mimicked the old man's tone.
"Don't have one." the old man winked.
"Ohh. You don't believe me then..." William looked at the old man known as Marcus.
"Not one bit. Everyone has a last name." Stay connected through M-V-L
"Well I don't. How about I give you another name? Are you familiar with a man known as Riyald?"
"Last name?"
"..." William actually didn't know his Master's last name. He sent a message to the System, asking it to communicate with Flame Dragon Uri who might know.
"Well?" Marcus asked.
"Riyald Triberium. Have you heard of him?"