Inside a carriage, the father deeply stared into Libertas' eyes. Then, after a while, the father hesitatingly said, "Child, I am asking you if you are willing to tell me about your past. Of course, only if you are willing to reveal it to me."

Libertas stared stunned at the father. Then he frowned before he shook his head and waved his hand dismissively around. Following he said, "Didn't I already told you? I am just a nobody. I have a normal past like everyone else! It isn't something worth to mention."

The father sighed, "If you don't want to tell me, then let it be. There is no need for a lie. However, be aware I will be there to listen to your troubles and give you the one or another helping hand."

Libertas smiled relaxed back at the father. Yet his eyes wandered uncomfortably from left to right and then from right to left. While wrinkling his nose, Libertas quickly changed the topic, "You still didn't tell me what magic is."

The father laughed, "Did I? Haha! Pardon me, but my memories aren't getting better with my age! Haha!"

He laid his elbow on his knee while he held his hand in front of Libertas. Then a concentrated expression took over him before he spoke distracted, "Now, watch closely, this is magic!"

Soon strands of blue mist gathered around the hand. Looking closely, Libertas could see that the strands have seeped out of the fingertips of the father. After a while longer, nothing more happened. Seeing this, Libertas glanced up only to see the constipated expression of the father. As such, he remarked incredulously, "Is this the magic you wanted to show me?"

Immediately the constipated expression disappeared with an awkward cough. Following the father scratched his chin as he thought of how to answer the question. Despite thinking for a long while, he didn't know how he could do that. Hence, there was a long time of silence. Due to this, the mood between them steadily grew more awkward.

Later, as if the father couldn't bear the awkward silence any longer, he coughed once more, "What you have seen just now, was just the first step. Following are the second, third and fourth steps. I didn't do them as I feared to wake up my lovely daughter!"

"Ah, I see. So you have waited until your daughter woke up before you proceed?"

The father nodded approvingly his head, "Yes, you are correct. You are pretty smart for your age."

"Then, please proceed now."

Frowning, the father began to berate, "Didn't you hear what I have said? And I even praised you! Ha, how dis-"

However, as the father glanced to the side, he froze in his word. Maria had already woken up and was now eagerly staring at him. Her eyes quickly wandered from time to time to his hand, eagerly expecting the soon displayed magic. Seeing this, the father could only awkwardly scratch his chin before he coughed once more, "Maria, talk for a while with your big brother. I need to do other things for a long while. As such, have fun under yourselves! See you both later!"

After saying that, the father quickly jumped off the carriage and ran off. Libertas' lips twitched as he saw this. Shouldn't adults behave more mature? Sighing, he glanced towards Maria. Similarly, she was glancing at him. Curious, Libertas asked her, "Is this typical for your dad?"

Maria shrugged her shoulders as she sighed, "More or less. Whenever he says something but can't do, he runs away. You know, reputation is pretty important for merchants."

Seeing her looking down dejected, Libertas stood up and patted her little head. Only as she looked up to him, did Libertas took his hand back. Following he said, "Don't be sad. Maybe your father had really something to do."

She sighed once more gloomily, "Unlikely. You don't know daddy…"

Although the father's actions did seem suspicious, however at least for now, Libertas wished to trust him. Even if the risk still existed that the father lied to them, it was more agonizing for Libertas to see others suffering like this. He didn't wish to see this as he had experienced something like this on his own. It was truly agonizing. He could clearly see her conflicting feeling.

On one side, she wished to trust her father from her heart, but she didn't dare to do this. She feared that with her placing hope in others would, in return, get it cruelly crushed by them. Maybe it wasn't their intention, but the pain brought was real. It was truly heart-wrenching.

As such, Libertas took the little hand of Maria while he spoke, "I may not know your daddy, but at least we can search after him together, right? And after we have found him, we will see if he has truly something to do, right?"

Immediately after Libertas finished speaking, had he pulled Maria out of the carriage. However, when Libertas had jumped out, he turned around and asked, "Yeah, do you have any idea where your father may currently be?"

Sh blinked he eyes stupefied, "If you don't know, why would you drag me out?"

Smiling wryly, Libertas quickly pulled her after the two continue driving carriages. Then he spoke, "Then let us check the other carriage out."

"Okay, but let my hand go. I can walk on my own!"

"Alright, then let us now go."

The coachman stretched his arms wearily. Yet he had a satisfied smile on his face. His smile grew even broader as he saw the two children mumbling to each other. On one of his father was a ring with a blue jewel in its centre. He was unwittingly stroking it after he saw the children together.

Then he quickly took out a crystal with strange engravings and knocked on it twice. Subsequently, the two carriages began to slow down. After he had done this, he saw the children sneaking towards him. As such, he waved his hand with a broad smile at them before he shouted, "Hey, what are you both doing here outside?"

Maria quickly waved her little hand back while she yelled back, "Searching after daddy!"

The coachman chuckled as he pointed at the other carriage in front of them, "Oh, then you are going in the right way! He had just entered in there."

"Thanks, uncle!"

"Now go on! Or you will be tired from all the walking."

"Yeah, we know!"

Maria waved excited her little hand once more towards the coachman before she rushed to the other carriage. Looking around, she didn't see Libertas around. Annoyed, she waved at Libertas to quickly come. Libertas smiled gently at her. Then he ran lazily beside her. The coachman muttered lightly under his breath to himself, "Hah, kids. Carefree and worry-free. Hah, if only I could be a kid again."

As Libertas finally reached Maria, had she already pouted angrily at Libertas for a long while. While she stomped angrily with her feet on the ground, she questioned Libertas, "Why did you need so long? Didn't you want to peep at daddy too?"

Libertas smiled at wryly. Why did this sound indecent? He wasn't a pervert! How could a little innocent child be a peeping Tom? He quickly shook his head to get all these stray thoughts out of his head. Then he spoke, "Sorry. I was just a bit lost in my thoughts. We can now peep at your dad."

However, Mara didn't immediately peep. She instead stared suspiciously at Libertas. Then she began to slowly rub her chin as if she had there a long white beard. While she pretended to be an aged but wise man, her eyes squinted threatening. Following, she questioned gravely with her childish voice, "What were you thinking about? Did you think about stealing daddy?"

Hearing this, Libertas waved his hand around, "No! Why would I? He yours, I won't take him from you! I promise!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Alright! Pinky promise!"

Libertas wryly smiled as he held out his little finger. On the contrary, Maria smiled triumphantly as she swiftly shook Libertas' little finger with hers. After Maria had released his little finger, Libertas asked weakly, "Can we now peep at your dad?"

"Yeah! Let's peep now!"

Promptly, two little head secretly popped up inside the carriage. Both of their smiles vanished instantly. One frowned while the other froze. Amidst piles of merchandises, the father was peacefully sitting. His eyes were closed as something imperceptible slowly flowed inside him through his forehead. However, only Libertas had a hunch of this. Maria didn't.

As such, Mara looked down as she spoke disheartened, "See, didn't I told you? Daddy is just like this…"

Libertas glared frustrated at father. Why did he have to trust the father? Angrily, he clenched fist, however, he still gently patted on Maria's little head. After he quickly glanced at the sad discouraged expression of Maria, he released his fist. Immediately following, he pointed enthusiastically at the father while he stammered, "It can't be! How can this be? I must be seeing things! Maria, are you seeing this too?"

Tilting her head, Maria continued to stare at her father. She pouted irritated as she still didn't see anything out of place. However, her sad discouraged expression slowly faded away. Her eyes widened due to her intense stare at her father, but even then, she couldn't see anything out of place.

Libertas smiled as his head seethed to think of a believable story. His smile froze for a moment as Maria broke his chain of thoughts. Vexedly, she had asked, "What do you see?! I wanna know too!"

As Libertas finally heard her asking, he smiled deviously. Nevertheless, he quickly resumed his act. With wide eyes and a gaping mouth, he began to weave a lie, "Maria, can't you see what your father is doing? He is cultivating a mysterious secret cultivation technique. Although it is pretty much the worst, I have ever seen, but this is a technique from the shadow world. An entirely different world from which we live. Did your father prohibit you into certain rooms? He usually cultivates there, or there is an entrance to the shadow world!"

Maria's eyes shined brightly, "Really? HOW, how did you know?!"

Libertas smiled smugly, "I hail from an ancient cultivation family. Everyone there knows of it. You can call us as the guardian between the two different worlds! If we aren't there, monsters would have flooded the world!"

"B, but why were you sleeping on the beach?"

Instantly, Libertas coughed, "There was an internal conflict in the family. A branch family tried to take over the position of my line. To do this, they targeted me as the heir. Due to this, I fell into a river and woke up on the beach. However, there will be one day I will come back and take everything that is rightful mines."

Maria anxiously grabbed the hand of Libertas, "Will you take me with you? I wanna see the shadow world too!"

Libertas gently patted on her head as he said, "Let us not talk about that for now. Let us head back. I will tell you there if I will take you with me. Like this, we won't disturb your father's cultivation. Isn't that better?"

All of a sudden, knuckles cracked, and an angry father glared at him. As he spoke, a deeply suppressed, seething anger rang clearly out from his voice, "What did you just say?"