"You have no idea of the hammer's value, do you?" King Robart chuckled as he took the Sacred Hammer and stored it in one of his rings.

"Nope, not a clue," Gerald shook his head. How could he? All he knew about it was that it was a good weapon for smashing stuff.

The King smiled teasingly, "It's probably among the five most expensive things in the Kingdom. You could buy this entire Palace with it."

"Damn!" Gerald's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He knew it had to be expensive, but he never would have guessed it was THAT expensive.

"Anyway, what are your questions?"

"Oh, right…" Gerald quickly gathered his thoughts and expressed why he came. His first question was about one thing: A Phoenix!

"A Phoenix, huh?" Robart rubbed his chin.

"Yes, I need to know where I can find one," Gerald answered, calmly but sternly. He was clearly not joking around this time. He needed an answer and he needed it now!

"Sure, no problem. It's not like it's a secret or anything…" King Robart explained. "You can find one to the great desert to the south."

"You mean here?" Gerald took out his copy of the map and pointed.

"Where did you… Ah, never mind. Yes, it's there somewhere, I'm not sure about the exact location though."

"Hmm…"

"I should warn you though… If you plan on going there, it's best if you take a ship. I know you can fly, but the winds there are strong, and many beasts lurk under the sea," warned the King.

"I see, thanks for the advice," Gerald replied. He did consider going there, but flying a few hundred kilometers non-stop seemed a bit excessive. Taking a ship was probably the easiest and most relaxing way to travel.

"Should you search for a ship, I suggest you ask for the Jade Islands merchant group," Razor interrupted the conversation to chime in. "We have a lot of dealings with them because of the spice trade, and they are good people. They travel across the sea often and they transport passengers as well."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Gerald quickly scribbled a few reminders into his notebook and stored it away together with the map.

"Alright, now…" Gerald turned serious and pointed at the King, "You! Stop playing games with me. Where is the knowledge I require?"

"You have to be more specific…" the King feigned ignorance.

Gerald rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You know what I'm talking about! Your magic is different from mine, actually, it's different from everyone else's. I want to know how you do it. I want to know how you can manipulate Mana on such a large scale across the city, I want to know how the Flame barrier works, I want to know everything!"

Before Robart could answer, however…

"How dare you talk like that with the King! Joust you wait, I'll..." Ewat Holt rose from his bed, making a fist and taking an aggressive step forward.

He might have been a threat IF he didn't immediately collapse on the ground due to the weakness he was currently experiencing.

"It's fine Ewat, I've been planning to release the manual for a while now," the King waved it off, not taking offense to Gerald's words at all.

"B- but Your Majesty!" Ewat protested, not willing to give up. In his opinion, such secrets should be cherished and kept secret. They were called secrets for a reason, for god's sake!

"I said what I said!" Robart III spoke with a loud and firm voice. "We need stronger warriors. That much has become clear to me after this war." He then turned to Gerald, speaking with a serious tone, "I'll teach you… I'll teach you everything you wish to know, are you ready?"

"Get on with it!" Gerald replied, getting sick and tired of their delays. Why can't they speak straight?!

"Alright, alright… But let me ask you one thing first. Have you ever heard about Cultivation? Do you know who Cultivators are?" said the King, still acting all mysterious.

"Cultivation? Do you mean like growing vegetables and shit? A farmer?" Gerald said in response while rising his brow, getting more annoyed as time went on.

"What?! N-No! I'm talking about the other kind of Cultivators! The ones who Cultivate their body and Soul to become stronger!" explained Robart.

Gerald opened his eyes and mouth wide, coming to a realization, "You mean the Cultivators that can break mountains with their fists and split the sea with a single kick?! You mean the Cultivators that can live centuries and remain eternally young?!"

"Yes!" Robart shouted, equally excited. "So you know about them?!"

Gerald took a deep breath and prepared to answer, with his honor and life on the line. "Nope, not a clue," he said, his answer akin to a bucket of cold water being emptied on King Robart.

"But… But you said," the man stammered.

Gerald cleared his throat and explained, "I know what I said. But those are just stories! Fantasies of men who are bored of the mundane and long for great power. They are filled with nonsense and cliches about lunatics flying on swords and fighting gods."

"Why the fuck would anyone fly on a sword? That's so retarded!" Ewat Holt spat out in contempt while still laying on the floor. The servants tried to help him up, but he drove them off by slapping their hands away like an angry child.

Razor also chimed in, "I have to agree with him this time. Flying on a sword seems so pointless. You can fly without anything, right? Why bother using a sword?"

Gerald shrugged, "Beats me… It's probably for the cool factor."

"But what if you fall and stab yourself? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"Oh, that's a good point… No pun intended."

"How about flying on a spear? Would that work too?" The conversation was now going on between the four Guardians and even their sons chimed in.

"A knife maybe…? Or is that too small? I mean, would you perhaps need two knives, one for each foot?"

"It doesn't matter! You can use anything to fly, even your mom!"

"Hey, screw you! Your mama is so fat, even Gerald can't make her fly!"

"You what-?!"

Both Gerald and the King cringed. Somehow this entire thing diverged into a battle of creative insults. It was unacceptable!

Gerald readied himself to dish out some punishment!