Richard walked away and let Noah handle Lala. He didn’t have the capacity to help his mother deal with the fear.

It was a logical fear and only thing that they could ask for was belief, there was no assurance of survival. Richard hated such situations and needed some sense of security.

With Rosalina around him, he also had to take care of her as he couldn’t allow a child to die. He didn’t think it was heroic or anything, just how a decent person should operate.

Suppressing the thoughts of failure, Richard started walking while Rex followed him. He couldn’t think properly while sitting and it would just make his thoughts worst.

Walking helped him cool down and think properly, so he loved talking a walk.

Richard put the information in order to find what he could do to make it better.

There were three types of enemies, one in each village.

They were dealing with Parasitic Wasps.

Their force would win but there would be losses.

Charles could use flames to handle it but it would put him in danger.

There was most likely another trap that could cause higher damage to the fighting force.

To counter that, they were working with the two powerful beasts.

The battle plan was to use smoke made from plants that wasps disliked and shooting them from a distance.

The Wasps were fast and silent with illusion abilities, plus the mist so that would just be an opening move.

The warriors would go into close combat and the beasts would guide them, and help them. The beasts would also be responsible for informing them of an ambush and helping them take care of it.

With the beasts on their side, the losses would be minimal and the trap could be handled since it was an unexpected move.

Nobody knew what the trap could be and if it would actually happen. Nobody could be sure that the beasts would actually help and not escape the area.

Rosalina and his strength wasn’t good enough to even handle a powerful Ki refining beast, so they would get one shot by the two tyrants.

He could expect Charles to give some armor or something to help them, but it probably wasn’t going to save their life in such a situation.

Richard wasn’t strong enough for it and he didn’t have anything to save his life, or the others. It made him feel frustrated and reminded him of the old time where he couldn’t see the way and had no cards to play.

Squeezing his hands tight, Richard cursed under his breath and kicked the stones on the road. He looked around and massaged his head, but there was nothing.

He just didn’t know what to do.

‘Relax, relax, don’t make the same mistakes.’ Richard took some breathes to calm his nerves and sat down by the field with Rex.

Hugging Rex, Richard closed his eyes and stopped thinking. Of course that was an impossible task and his mind wandered.

‘I wonder how everyone is doing. They must be crying or they have conquered it all by now.

What should I do, Rachel?

This looks like an impossible situation.’ Richard thought of his family back home and imagined Rachel standing in front of him.

‘You can do it, Richard. You are the best and there is nothing impossible for you. Don’t listen to the whispers, those are the chains holding you down. Didn’t you say, ‘I can do anything, if I really worked for it and all my regrets happen because I didn’t try.’

Richard imagined Rachel talking to him and her common dialogue that she would use to help him cope with difficult times.

He moved his lips and muttered those exact lines.

‘You always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. How does a person even do that?’ Richard smiled with a heavy mood and stared at the field, his eyes weren’t focused and he was thinking again.

What did he have that was precious? Knowledge

How could he use it?

He couldn’t apply it and become stronger. He couldn’t make Noah or Charles stronger in a day with it as well.

This could have been avoided, if he hadn’t wasted a week. There was no use crying over spilt milk.

So, who could he use it on?

It was a gamble but it could give him what he needed, a life line.

“Rex, let’s go. I found a way.” Richard said as he stood up and patted away the dirt before running towards his destination.

Athena’s Temple

It was a simple white stone structure with pillars and a roof. There were praises written on the pillars about her beauty, skills and intelligence.

At the end was her statue carved from the finest stones, showing extreme beauty. It was the same person in all the temples, though the poses might differ.

In the current temple, she held a spear and a shield while her owl sat on her shoulder.

She looked majestic and otherworldly.

Richard slowed his steps and walked into the clean temple that was at the center of the village. People would come there from time to time to make requests or make sacrifices for Athena.

But, it was still working time so he hadn’t expected anyone. His expectation was broken and he found Rosalina asking for guidance.

He couldn’t blame the child for it, as she would have also understood the risk. It was unfair that her life had lower value than Lance, but that was life and she couldn’t change it.

In such situations, she would always be utilized as the life-line for Lance.

Richard didn’t disturb Rosalina and walked in front of the statue. He wasn’t going to pray to it like the others as he was there to make a bargain.

‘Miss Athena, I have come to bargain.’ Richard said without making a sound. She was his choice. Amongst the Olympians from the Greek Mythology, she was the person that represented wisdom and loved knowledge.

She was also not too immoral and crazy like most of them.

It was a gamble with his life, but he could do it for his parent’s. His life had already ended, so he could trade it for his loved ones.

‘I have knowledge that doesn’t exist in this world, as I come from another world and I am willing to present it for a reward.’ Richard continued and waited for a response. He stood there without moving away or showing anger or annoyance.

He was the one requesting, it would be rude and illogical to show such impotence.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours before something happened. Two hours, which was the longest that Richard, had ever stood in one place.

Athena didn’t show herself but the wind picked up around him and he heard her voice. It was sweet like honey and soothing to the soul. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard that he would have fallen in love, if he was the type to fall so easily.

‘Richard Thompson, I have heard your plea and I have seen the importance of your knowledge. I will allow a favor that is equivalent to what you present.’

Richard didn’t know what to expect but her way of doing things was vague. How important was his knowledge to a person of her stature?

He didn’t know. It was one of the worst transactions he was about to make because of his lack of information on the buyer.

It was going to leave a bad taste but he was willing to sell it for a low price because the situation demanded it.

‘I have two simple requests. I want protection for our group during the extermination, so that none shall die. And, I want an increase to the quality of my Ki that is beyond normal means.’ Richard had been hasty when he came to the temple but the two hours helped him calm down and think what he needed.

He could have asked for an instant increase in level, but that would be a loss in the long term since he could achieve it soon enough.

The instant increase might even harm him permanently. It also might not save him from death. So, what did he need?

He could ask for equipment that was rare and powerful, but that would attract wrong eyes and get snatched with his level of power.

That left his body and Ki.

He could always train his body through the usage of his understanding but he didn’t know much about Ki and it was one thing that could limit his future.

It was something that couldn’t be replaced, a unique Ki.

‘I see. You are a humble child, Richard. And, it has helped you in this situation. I shall fulfill your requests and your knowledge shall be mine. Farewell child, take care and move with wisdom as haste will lead you to ruin.’

With those words, her presence vanished and the wind stopped. Richard felt a change deep inside his body.

He felt warmth spread throughout his being. His mind felt like it had opened up to a new level of thinking and he felt calmness.

His fear had been put to rest and he knew that his people would return victorious. His Ki went through a change.

The neutral color was white and his Ki had been taking on a brown color. But, now it had shades of silver mixed within.

The silver Ki was related to high tier species and above it was the golden color that was normally found within immortals.

Silver color Ki meant that Richard’s power had received an insane boost and the same move would have a different level of effect.

It also meant that his body would go through a transformation because of its presence and his level of reserves would grow beyond what he would have ended up with.

It was an instant process and it still depended on how hard Richard worked. The silver would only grow to fully encompass his Ki when the requirements had been made.

Regardless of the costs, Richard was happy with the transaction even if he could have asked for more. His knowledge on science and such was basic, but it was enough for these people to increase their powers and start a different thought process.

He had seen a lot and experienced a lot, that his memories had great value. But, it had been the right step. He knew that these creatures were arrogant and prideful.

If he had actually tried to bargain with Athena, she might have even cursed him out of spite.

Moving on, Richard felt giddy and ticklish as the changes finished. He was now much closer to the foundation realm and he had that special quality for reaching a high level of power.

Turning around to return home and give his parent’s the good news; Richard came face to face with Rosalina. She hadn’t left and had been looking at Richard.

She had thought that he was scared at first but slowly it changed to a good impression with his strong devotion. He stayed still for a very long time, which wasn’t normal for young man at that age.

That good impression turned into wonder and shock as she witnessed the miracle. Richard had been chosen by Athena.

She was flabbergasted by the miracle that her mouth was open and she didn’t what to say when he turned around.

Both of them stared at each other, and Richard tried to think of what he should say. Within a moment, he came to the decision to go with it.

Rosalina was the best witness and the miracle that would take place, would cement it.

“Rosalina, I have great news for all of us. We are going to win without a single loss.” Richard announced with a joyous tone as he walked closer and hugged the stunned girl.

Her mind took time to compute the words and her mouth morphed into a smile of relief and delight. She had been acting calm and collected, but inside she was afraid of dying.