DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Low Stage, Foundation Realm) to (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) ]


    DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) to (High Stage, Foundation Realm) ]


    DING! [ Fireball Lv 1 -------> Fireball Lv 2 | 30 minutes cooldown reduced to 5 minutes ]


    DING! [ Your pet has awakened a new skill - me Synchronization Lv 1 ]


    [ me Synchronization: At this level, grants 20% Mental Synchronization with fire ]


    Rowan observed the congrattory messages with a shocked expression on his face. He then looked at ze, who had already begun descending to the ground after having two stages of breakthrough in his cultivation in less than two minutes.


    ze''s eyes shone with brilliance as itnded on the ground, its body seemed to have undergone some noticeable changes, it now looked a little bigger than it was a minute ago, and a calm, fiery aura surrounded its body.


    Afternding, ze began jumping around in joy, excitement clear on its face, before sprinting towards Rowan and leaping into his hands.


    [''This feels so good, I feel a lot stronger after eating that.'']


    A strange voice echoed in Rowan''s head, sounding like that of a 2-year-old baby who had just started to speak.


    Rowan turned to look at ze strangely, this was the first time he had heard such a voice in his head. It appeared that ze had not only grown physically and in cultivation but had also grown mentally, creating a better connection between them.


    "This is a great development, ze! When we get home, you''ll get two food pills as a reward!" Rowan smiled and patted ze''s head.


    [''You better fulfill your promise!''] ze replied cheerfully.


    ----


    [ BLAZE ]


    - Race: Ashfire Wolf


    - Foundation Realm (High-stage - 7%)


    - Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 2), me Synchronization (Lv 1)


    ----


    Rowan decided to observe ze''s stats onest time before sending it into the divine beast in.


    After sending ze back, he turned his gaze to the Ratax general''s corpse lying among the smaller Ratax corpses, with a disappointed expression on his face.


    "This much meat could have fed the vige for at least a month, but unfortunately, the meat from Ratax contains poisonous elements that lead to various harmful effects, including night blindness, which can only be cured with special herbs."


    Rowan sighed and began making his way down to the vige. Many ns were on his mind, and much work needed to be done.


    The days remaining before the war were dwindling. He still needed to implement several strategies to ensure a safe victory.


    "I still have a mole to catch as well," Rowan muttered as he strolled home, "No matter how much I use my observation skills on that person, I never manage to figure out their identity. This person is truly a master spy. Too bad he''s not on my side, he would have been a very important asset in the war."


    .....


    Winterseed Vige.


    Inside a random hut, Rnd could be seen sitting in a shabby room with his wife and son.


    He was standing, leaning against the wall while his wife sat on the bed holding their baby, who looked much healthier than he did two days ago.


    "Darling, why didn''t you go to help Lord Rowan? You know our vige would be doomed without him. He''s our only saving grace now." She paused, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at their son. "Without him, our son''s future would be filled with sadness and hardship."


    Rnd didn''t reply, but the frown on his face became even more evident. Though he understood the reason Bryce left, he still felt that leaving was a bad decision.


    "He''ll be okay," he murmured.


    "How?" his wife immediately refuted.


    "I don''t know, but he will be okay, I believe that. You shouldn''t worry about that now because it would only cause you more stress, and stress at a time like this is not good for your health."


    "My health is only this good because Lord Rowan returned, remember? Look at our baby," she urged, her voice tight with worry. "He''s getting healthier, yes, but that could all change in an instant."


    "If anything happens to Lord Rowan, Glenwood will sweep in like vultures. They''ll enve us, take our homes, and turn our children into servants—or worse. This isn''t just about losing a leader, it''s about losing everything," she continued.


    Rnd and his wife had a major argument, with Rnd trying to calm his wife down while she bombarded him with reasons she couldn''t.


    She also mentioned a fact that made Rnd even more worried.


    "You said you and the captains would stand in ce of our Lord if anything happened to him? Have you forgotten that our vige no longer possesses a staff of authority? Have you forgotten? Lord Rowan is only the Lord now because he is the direct descendant of Dragun Winterseed. If anything happens to him, we will never get a real Lord unless a staff of authority is found.


    Without a Lord, our vige would be imed easily."


    Rnd rethought everything.


    Rowan is only seen as a real Lord because of his father! The only reason Glenwood can''t take full control of their vige is that a Lord is still alive, ruling it.


    If anything should happen to Rowan, even if they chose another vige head, as long as he is not a direct descendant of Rowan and doesn''t possess a staff of authority, his position would be invisible to Glenwood, as he is not a recognized leader.


    With that, they can easily take over Winterseed without even needing to kill him because he wasn''t a Lord in the first ce.


    The dynamic of leadership in the vast world of the Emperor''s Domain is strange, mysterious, and unique.


    After rethinking these words repeatedly, Rnd finally realized the difficulty of the situation.


    His eyes shone with a cold glow as he grabbed his sword, strolled towards his wife, knelt before her, and caressed the baby in her arms before looking up at her face.


    "I''ll be back very soon!" he said.


    Without waiting for a reply, he ran out of the house. His wife watched him with a proud yet sad expression, silently praying for his and Lord Rowan''s safety.


    However, as Rnd stepped outside, he was shocked to see all the soldiers, both young and old, marching toward the South Forest.


    "You''reing as well?" Bryce asked him.


    Rnd nodded.


    Together, the soldiers, concerned about their Lord''s safety, began storming the South Forest.