Darian was in the mansion, studying all possible training methods available on that planet, when suddenly, Zelkov called him urgently.

The two moved quickly to another room — and then saw Tetoya carrying two small beastly figures.

Their feathers had a deep purple hue. Each was about forty to fifty centimeters tall. Their beaks were curved like those of predators, resembling Earth eagles. Despite their small size, both exuded an oppressive aura, making it clear they were fearsome demonic beasts.

Tetoya entered the best room and laid them on a bed, activating the recovery inscription at full power. Darian stepped closer — the smell of blood was strong, and their life force was incredibly weak. He could see several open wounds, with blood still dripping from their bodies.

Tetoya, kneeling in front of them, was anxiously examining their condition. Then she abruptly turned to Darian. "They said your name at the entrance. This one said her name was Lihan."

Darian's eyes widened in surprise.

Seconds passed, and seeing no change, Tetoya's face turned pale. "Damn it! The room isn't working! They're not going to make it…"

Darian let out a faint sigh and waved his hand. Instantly, a bright white light filled the entire room.

Tetoya and Zelkov turned toward him, startled by the sudden glow — but when that light touched the two small beasts... almost magically, their bodies began to regenerate immediately.

And that wasn't all. Darian took out two pills that radiated pure primordial Yang. He crushed them in his hand, releasing a fine medicinal powder that drifted toward the creatures' bodies, being quickly absorbed.

Within seconds, the faint draconic and beastly bloodlines inside them pulsed powerfully. A dense vital energy formed, completely restoring them.

Everything happened in less than thirty seconds. Their lives, which had been hanging by a thread, were fully restored.

Darian stepped closer, examining them carefully. "A race tied to Yang and lightning…"

Tetoya was frozen, unable to react after what she had just seen. Zelkov, however, was the first to catch his breath — still in disbelief.

"These beasts, in the past — before the planet obtained Primordial Dragon blood — were the strongest native race. They're called Crimson Storm Talon. Nowadays, they're not particularly powerful, because the small amount of draconic blood they have doesn't match their race's natural power."

"Their bodies are naturally fragile, but they control extremely high-level lightning, relying on speed and destructive power. A bit of draconic blood only improves their physical condition and vitality — but for them, it's like trying to use a shield and a heavy sword at the same time: it just doesn't fit."

Darian understood. Just a trace of draconic blood wasn't enough to balance their bodies with their race's natural abilities. Their fragile physiques only became average, while their unique powers couldn't compare to the races that received a more compatible boost from dragon blood.

Tetoya sighed deeply. "With my race, the Earth Qilins, it was the complete opposite. We were below average, but when we obtained dragon blood, we instantly rose to the top."

If large amounts of draconic blood were available to every race, it wouldn't matter what kind of beast they were — all of them would rise to the top. After all, besides their terrifying physique, dragons also controlled every type of energy; they were a cheat race in absolutely everything.

But that wasn't the case. With only a fraction of draconic blood, some races benefited greatly, while others... not so much.

Zelkov continued:

"Another important thing is that they can barely mix with humanoid races and produce offspring. The natural lightning power of this race creates a rune inside the fetus — and that kills almost all hybrids before birth. Because of that, they were forced to maintain a purely beast bloodline, which resulted in an extremely low birth rate."

"Unfortunately, the ideal balance between fertility and maximum beast power happens when there's one-quarter humanoid blood. But for this race in particular, the few hybrids that do manage to be born never had children afterward."

Darian nodded slightly. Tetoya, for example, had one-quarter elven blood. Her ancestors had produced a hybrid, but those half-bloods were usually weaker. So, over generations, they interbred again within their own race until they reached that ideal point.

Zelkov was similar — in fact, all the strongest on the planet shared similar origins.

Then, he went on describing the race's main strengths and peculiarities. Soon, Darian began asking questions about where they lived and about the other nearby races. Zelkov didn't hesitate and kept talking, excitedly, without pause.

Tetoya looked at him, surprised by his vast knowledge. She didn't know that much detail about any other race besides her own. That prince might've been the weakest in power, but... in truth, he was incredibly well-informed.

Darian smiled, already familiar with Zelkov's nature. He was someone who liked studying everything and everyone on that planet — not out of idle curiosity, but because he genuinely cared, always thinking of ways to help other races and improve people's lives.

He might not have been powerful like the beasts valued, but he had something far more important for a ruler: he knew how to observe, listen, and think about his people — and he genuinely wanted to help them.

His intelligence wasn't extraordinary, but his dedication was.

Darian listened closely and kept asking questions for nearly half an hour — until finally, the two small beasts began to awaken.

They stood up with confused eyes, looking around at the strange place they were in. Then they saw Darian — and their bodies jumped instinctively. Right after that, their physical forms began to shift.

As they activated their transformation, the two young people Darian had met in the desert appeared. Lihan took the form of a girl dressed elegantly, with a soft, charming smile. The aura she radiated, combined with her beauty, made her stand out anywhere.

Tizol, on the other hand, was a simple-looking young man with an imposing aura... but he had a sharp tongue and always said things he shouldn't. Not out of malice, but childishness — which was why Darian hadn't paid him much mind back then.

"Mr. Darian..." Lihan started to speak, her eyes filling with tears.

Tizol clenched his fists, his expression dark.

"I told Hudu he could ask me for something in the future. He's your family's leader, so he's the one who sent you here, right?" Darian said calmly, drawing both their gazes toward him.

Darian radiated an intimidating calm and confidence. The two were almost mesmerized. The dirty, worn-out man who once looked like a beggar was gone — it was as if they stood before a completely different person.

"My word is worth gold. You don't need to worry or hide anything. Just tell me exactly what happened, and leave the rest to me."

The two swallowed hard. Tizol stayed silent, letting his younger sister speak, as if ashamed. Then, Lihan explained everything from the beginning.

As soon as Darian left the banquet, Cyaos kept talking with people, giving some words of advice to the youngsters. Darian knew this because Tetoya and Zelkov were there — and in the end, both just went back home.

But Cyaos, noticing Hudu had some connection to Darian and not knowing when he'd see him again, decided to get closer to him because he seemed the most trustworthy.

Hudu was radiating. A friendship with that important human could bring prestige and a lot of help to his family. So he offered to show Cyaos the whole planet and his family on a tour.

Cyaos agreed, curious to see the place. First, they returned to the city where the family lived, and all the young people gathered around Cyaos. Then Hudu picked the best of the generation and left with them on a trip around the planet alongside the human.

But... Tizol stayed behind as punishment for being rude and for always saying what he shouldn't to Darian before.

Days passed.

Then the shocking news about Darian in the capital started to spread.

When those rumors reached the Crimson Storm Talon, Tizol got excited — and, once again... said something he shouldn't. He bragged that Darian owed a favor to the family leader and that they were very close.

Those words spread through the city.

Soon after, everything changed.

Three other families from that same city suddenly joined forces, surrounding the Crimson Storm Talon's castle with all their strongest members. They were armed and demanded answers from Hudu.

Hudu, who was traveling, got the emergency call and rushed back as fast as he could. When he arrived, he found that he and his entire clan had been accused of running secret business ties with the planet Runedell.

That planet wasn't an ally. Humanoids from there could visit and even marry locals, but they had to abandon everything from their home world. The Wube family ran the Merchants' Guild and were the only ones authorized to trade with Runedell. Anyone else doing that would be labeled a traitor.

Hudu denied everything. But those families presented "evidence" and kept pressing him day and night to surrender.

He'd always lived with honor and watched the few members of his race closely, ensuring they never did anything serious. Their honor was their greatest treasure, and they would never admit to something like that.

After nearly a week of disputes, the three families lost patience. Hudu had already sent a request to the capital for the royal family to evaluate the evidence, but... days passed with no response.

So the three families accused him of covering things up, presented new "evidence" and, in the name of the planet's honor, announced they would purge the traitor family — and attacked to kill.

Hudu wasn't stupid. In the middle of the chaotic, losing battle, he ordered Lihan and Tizol to flee to Darian and tell him exactly what had happened.

That old man was sure the two would get away — not because they were powerful, but because the three families deliberately let them escape, knowing they'd head straight to Darian.

That was probably the plan from the start. They wanted to pressure Hudu into calling Darian, but the old man refused to drag a young guy with four rings into something so petty. He trusted the royal family would prove his innocence in time, but...

"The investigation must have been stalled on purpose inside the royal family... damn it..." Zelkov finished, tense.

Darian snorted. It was an obvious setup by the Wube family. They didn't just have ties to the three families — they had people inside the royal household who could drag out the case as long as possible.

Tizol, again... said the wrong thing — and screwed everything over.

The Wube family saw a big opportunity to lure Darian out of the capital and deal with him, setting a huge trap.

What could a lone young man do? He was just an Instructor with no power to move the royal family. Knowing Darian, he'd try to solve it himself and go to that city to help.

"Mr. Darian..." Zelkov murmured, tense.

"I know. Well, whatever." Darian replied lightly, turning to Tetoya.

"Your pride won't let you ask me for anything, but I know you want me to give you some tips, right? Great. I'm your Instructor, so it's fair for me to teach you something. Gather all your soldiers — we'll attack that city and wipe out the traitors. Three families should be enough practice."

"WHAT?!" Tetoya roared, eyes wide.

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