The Monarch

"Kayden, you took longer than I expected."Lucius appeared the moment Kayden stepped into his garden. After being informed that a god named Kayden was looking for him, Lucius quickly connected the dots."I had some reflections about that karmic lightning," Kayden replied. In a way, it was true — he was getting closer and closer to surpassing his current level."I see. Come in. I'll go fetch your share of the deal, even though the tower no longer exists." Lucius gave a bitter smile. Fortunately, he had managed to sell his share of the information quickly, so the loss fell on the family rather than being a personal one.

Kayden and Kayn were guided to a small cluster of chairs and tables in an area filled with flowers and fruit trees. Each tree bore divine fruits that likely had equally divine flavors.The entire setting was meticulously crafted; even the seemingly random blades of grass were intentionally arranged to enhance the serene, natural atmosphere. Kayden and Kayn were welcomed at a table full of fruits and cakes."Here's your share."Kayden received a book with only a few dozen pages. It seemed information about celestial water and earth was rarer than he had anticipated.

The boy began flipping through it calmly while sipping tea and tasting the delicacies offered to him. The book contained information primarily about organizations that owned these materials and locations where they could be obtained.These were items capable of cultivating celestial plants and other divine things, making them highly sought after. Their high demand was severely disproportionate to their limited availability. They were considered treasures of the fourth divine level due to their demand, though only ranked third in terms of practical utility.The biggest challenge for an organization wasn't even finding them — with enough effort and sacrifice, that was possible — but rather in how to make use of them. Moreover, it was extremely rare to find gods capable of utilizing products from celestial plantations.

Kayden also received some leads on where these treasures could be acquired. The only issue was that the danger associated with them was ranked at the third divine level — still far beyond his current limits. Kayden couldn't be attacked directly by gods due to karma, but he could still die from runes or inanimate golems."Have you thought about my previous offer?" Lucius asked. He felt that recruiting Kayden was a great bet. The right reason? He wasn't sure — but a god who dared face him, face his family name, and say outright that he didn't fear them? That was rare.Either Kayden was insane, or he was a genius.

Lucius had seen the boy's battles on that ship. He was a genius, yes — but… nothing extraordinary. Something was missing. He was just a second-level god, even if he had absurdly elaborate and unique techniques."What are the rewards?" Kayden always aimed for the greatest possible gain, and in this case, he was certainly going to participate in the battle. It was useless to blindly chase celestial raw materials when he didn't yet have the strength to obtain them."That depends on how far you can go," Lucius began explaining further. "We have the team competition and the individual one. Both are elimination-style battles until one side wins." Kayden had already expected something like that."How many spots? Will I have to fight in a team as well?" Kayden wasn't very inclined to join a team."Five spots, including the generation's mage — which would be me," Lucius replied.

"And the mortal division?"Kayden would obviously pursue both opportunities if it meant more rewards."It's the same."Kayden began to think, and Lucius began listing the rewards for each match won. They were truly impressive. It was clearly a way for the family to allocate resources to those most worthy.

"I want the right to choose my rewards in the team battles, and I want a spot for a disciple in the mortal division."Kayden threw out a bitter price — one Lucius hadn't expected."What makes you think your service is worth that much?"Lucius was forced to ask directly, and Kayden merely smiled while sipping his tea.

Lucius hadn't felt like this in a negotiation for a long time. He had no control over Kayden.Fear? He couldn't instill it in him.Respect? Kayden respected him as an equal, nothing more.Greed? Kayden wasn't even slightly moved by the rewards Lucius had described — it was as if they meant nothing between them."Who's your disciple? Kayn? He already has a spot." Lucius would have to remove someone if he accepted this deal. "What's his strength?""It's a secret. And as for his power..." Kayden smiled. "I stake my life before the heavens that he will win the mortal side of the competition."Lucius felt another chill down his spine.

Kayden wasn't being arrogant. He had just made a literal vow to the heavens — a thunderbolt struck, confirming the truth of that promise.At that moment, Lucius realized he was either standing before the craziest man he'd ever met or the most brilliant god of all time.

A god… because the mortal would undoubtedly be the mage Kayden brought with him.Lucius's organization had mortal mages capable of directly rivaling first-realm gods. He knew this because those in the primary line of succession were some of the most insane monsters the universe had ever produced.Their talents were so immense that their cultivation had to be sealed and released in stages to prevent them from reaching the ninth realm in mere months."You do understand that our top mortals can stand toe-to-toe with first-realm gods, right?"Kayden smiled again, sending another shiver down Lucius's spine.

"That won't be a problem," Kayden continued, sipping his tea calmly. If Lucius didn't accept his terms, he would simply look for another opportunity to advance his power."I accept," Lucius finally said. He trusted his intuition, and right now, it was telling him to bet everything on the craziest god he had ever encountered in his entire life.