"Darian, I’ve waited a long time for you..." The man in the center chuckled lightly, staring at him with hostility. "My family owns the Merchants Guild on this planet. All the important humanoids work for our guild, under the Emperor’s authorization. You should’ve come to register, since you can’t just do whatever you want away from your home." Darian already knew the Wube family had businesses spread all across the universe. They were respected and also a bit feared. Wherever there was profit to be made, they were there. When he thought of the name ’Merchants Guild,’ Darian got a good sense of what their business on this planet was. Since the beasts didn’t care about outside things, the guild must’ve handled the sale and production of pills, weapons, and inscriptions. And knowing that Runedell planet was in the same galaxy and number one in those fields, it was likely the Wube family profited by buying on one side and selling on the other. They probably struck some kind of deal where everyone walked away winning. The Wube family clearly already knew of his arrival on the planet, and from the look in their eyes, they were plotting something to make his life harder. "Oh, why are you smiling so brightly? What happened? Is the Wube family so broke you were forced to work as prostitutes?" Darian said calmly. Hearing those words, everyone was shocked. The people of the Merchants Guild were close to the Emperor, and nobody dared disrespect them — not even princes and princesses. As expected, a cold expression replaced the man’s smile, and a flash of killing intent gleamed in his eyes. "Let’s see how long you can keep acting so arrogant. You should know your place and follow the rules." "Well, you won’t live to see how long I can be arrogant," Darian said, unconcerned. The man sneered darkly. "On this planet, that demon Beleth doesn’t dare come to protect you. Without his backing, your status is even lower than a dog’s. And yet you dare come here and ask for the First Princess’s hand in marriage? Do you think Princess Niara is someone you can touch?" "Marry Princess Niara!!" The crowd exclaimed in shock. As for Tetoya, who wanted to bet everything on a fight with Darian, she was also stunned. So his true goal was actually the princess with the highest status. Thinking about how he had refused her bet, she just nodded in understanding. Having such high ambitions only raised his value. Darian snorted, remembering the long talk he had with Beleth after returning from that world. Beleth had told him a few things about this planet and about Niara over those years. First, she hadn’t allowed anyone to know about her relationship with Darian and chose to arrive there without any support. The Emperor had plans to take her as his disciple, but she completely refused. However, after three years on her own, the whole planet went into turmoil. Niara managed to stand out so much that she even caught the attention of the planet’s Matriarch. Then, she was tested in a battle against the strongest young ones of the royal family. Surprisingly, even without being a Spiritual Guardian, she managed to defeat those who had up to five rings. The feat was so absurd and shocking that the Matriarch took her in as her new daughter. The Matriarch was how everyone called the planet’s Spiritual Sovereign. All the princes and princesses were considered her children, but not really. She never had kids, nor did she marry. So Niara was accepted as a princess without problems. Year after year, Niara kept climbing in position, standing out more and more. It haunted the entire planet, since no one could measure her power. She had no rings, and yet no one could face her easily. But suddenly, something happened — something even Beleth couldn’t explain — and she got seriously injured. That first happened three years ago. Then she recovered. But right before Darian’s return, news spread that Niara had been injured again. Hearing all that, Darian was surprised, but he had an idea of how she had grown so much. Niara wasn’t a Spiritual Guardian and had no rings. But rings meant nothing without a spiritual root. And that’s exactly what she had. Before he left, Niara had told him she didn’t understand much about the rune the Divine Dragon had given her. That’s why she wanted to come to this planet and use the Dragon Bloodline resources available here. So, if she found a way to replace the power of rings and use her spiritual root, she could become someone as terrifying as she was unbelievable. Darian felt calmer and happy for her. About her wounds, he now had the white power back, along with many extra resources. If she was alive, he could heal her. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 So he asked Beleth if he knew about dragon cores. That was exactly what he needed to bring Eleri, Tir, and Awel back. And if there was one place in the universe where he could find them, that place was Vadise planet. To his surprise, Beleth confirmed right away. People on that planet brought those cores from other universes. However, they were considered supreme treasures. Only the royal family could use them, since they were extremely hard to absorb. Because they had very dense primordial dragon blood, everyone in the royal family could absorb more than one core, drastically boosting their power. Normally, every three rings, a prince or princess would receive one of those cores to absorb. But Niara had no rings, and no one knew how her power worked. Still, she had rejected those cores for some reason. Darian understood: the core strengthened the physical body, but the body she was using was borrowed, and it didn’t make sense for her to use it. Seeing Darian’s interest, Beleth gave him a very serious warning. Dragon cores were extremely contested treasures. They were never sold, and even if Niara refused them, there were plenty of others waiting in line to receive them. So if Darian wanted to get even one, it would be very difficult. Darian only snorted and said he would take Niara away, then think of a solution later. But Beleth immediately had an idea. He had heard that the Matriarch was extremely attached to Niara, treating her like a real daughter. And Niara also seemed to accept her and like her as a mother. What if Darian arrived on the planet and declared he wanted to marry the princess, asking that directly to her mother? If he managed to convince the Matriarch, Darian would become part of the royal family. Since Niara hadn’t absorbed any cores, but had the right to them, Darian could simply ask and take them all. But... there was no guarantee he would get her approval, let alone the cores. Hearing that Niara actually liked the Matriarch and accepted her as her mother, Darian’s expression changed fast. If that was true... Then, he confirmed he would go to the planet and state that intention clearly. Even if he couldn’t get the cores, it didn’t matter at all. If Niara was really treated so well and had been adopted, he wouldn’t just take her away abruptly. A marriage... Thinking about that, Darian didn’t care in the slightest. Niara had already made it clear what she wanted with him, and he, too, understood very well, after ten years apart, what he truly wanted with her. Just thinking about her lit a fire inside him. He wanted to see her again, and this time, he would do everything to make sure they wouldn’t be separated again. At that moment, everyone fell into dead silence. Then, Darian broke it, declaring calmly: "You got it wrong. I didn’t come here to propose a marriage, I came to say I’m marrying her, no matter what happens. If the royal family accepts it or not, I don’t care. I’ll do everything to satisfy them, but if I can’t, I’ll just take her with me." Everyone heard that, and their expressions changed. Was he tired of living? He was basically declaring he didn’t give a damn about the royal family and would kidnap the princess? Tetoya’s eyes lit up. A fierce man who knew what he wanted, that was an excellent assessment. The problem was, he needed the power to back up such boldness. Darian stared at that man and added slowly, "As for your pathetic family... Since when have I ever feared you? If I dared to come here, it’s because I can handle it. I’ve even beaten up that bitch Mallory before, let alone a piece of trash like you." Hearing that, the man’s face twisted with fury. "You mediocre trash! You—!" Before he could finish, Darian stepped forward and vanished. When he appeared again, his hand was already in front of him. *BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! BANG!!!!* Everyone stood frozen as they watched the scene. Darian grabbed the man by the neck with one hand, while the other smashed fist after fist into his face. Blood and teeth flew everywhere. The man roared in pain and despair, but could only flail pathetically while Darian kept beating him down. His strikes were fast and precise, meant to cause as much pain as possible. It all happened fast and suddenly. In seconds, the man’s face had swollen three times its normal size, resembling a pig’s head. Only then did the other two recover from their shock and draw their weapons. But Darian didn’t even look at them. Instead, he squeezed the man’s neck coldly and lifted him into the air. "Want to try cursing me again?" The people around were stunned stiff. That man had six rings! Darian only had four! How was this possible?! Even though the man was both shocked and furious, he couldn’t unleash any power, since his throat was being crushed. The moment Darian grabbed him, he released a bit of chaos power and completely sealed his strength. With just a moment’s carelessness, his life was caught in Darian’s grip. "Let him go, or don’t blame us for being ruthless!" one of the two men shouted, blade pointed at Darian. "If you dare to attack me, I’ll crush this pig’s head of his. Don’t believe me? Try it." Darian said coldly. The people around were sweating buckets. They had never seen anyone this arrogant in their entire lives. The guy was basically an outlaw, afraid of nothing and no one. "Really? And what if I demanded you let him go?" Suddenly, the void trembled, and a woman’s voice, cold and imposing, echoed from a great distance, shaking the world and piercing into the souls of the people with unquestionable power. The moment that voice sounded, everyone present — princes or princesses alike — dropped to their knees. The voice spread everywhere with immense power, shaking the entire city. "Matriarch, this man is too arrogant!" the pig-headed man shouted furiously. "He mocks your dignity and your laws, and even wants to steal the princess! I saw it all earlier. He even tried to put his hands on Princess Tetoya! This man is lustful and deserves to die!" In response, Darian punched him again. This time, the man’s swollen head sank even further. His face split and bled, looking like it was about to burst. "I don’t bow to anyone’s threats. Try again." Darian glared coldly at the half-dead man in his hand. "Brat, you’ve got guts!" The woman’s voice, now filled with fury, echoed with a roar. The entire city started trembling. "You’re right. In the past, I was someone who chose to hide and avoid problems. But that only made me even more targeted, and my family threatened. Now, I’m the most aggressive and bold person possible. Otherwise, how could I dare come here alone to marry?" Darian shrugged in the face of an immortal’s wrath. "Brat, come see me right now!" The roar echoed again, so loud that the weaker ones started vomiting blood. But he couldn’t be completely insane. So, he simply threw the man to the ground, drawing a grunt of pain. When the man tried to get up, Darian stomped mercilessly on his head, shattering the bricks beneath them. His head was smashed deep into the ground, leaving a massive imprint. And yet, acting like nothing had happened, Darian turned and walked away, leaving everyone at the banquet absolutely terrified. He turned and looked at Cyaos. "Sorry, but I’ll be staying on this planet for a while. We’ll talk properly another time." Cyaos nodded slightly, fists clenched tightly. Then, Darian headed straight for the city’s central castle. Everyone at the banquet looked from the unconscious man with his head stuck in the ground to the arrogant figure walking away, utterly perplexed.