Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26. The Lively Royal Capital, Zoe with Domain Aptitude
In the following days, the Royal Capital became like a lake struck by a thrown stone, suddenly bursting with life.
Streams of people poured in from all directions. There were destitute knights wearing leather armor faded from repeated washing, commoner youths carrying old swords on their backs, and even some downfallen nobles cloaked in capes that could not quite conceal their aristocratic bearing.
They all had only one goal—the Knight Ceremony.
With more people came looser security.
Brawls in taverns and thefts in narrow alleys occurred from time to time.
To deal with the situation, the First Monster Legion specially dispatched an elite Knight Order to patrol the streets together with the City Defense Army, barely suppressing the growing disorder.
William had been running around outside almost every day recently. The wheels of his carriage rolled over the bluestone streets, carrying him through every corner of the Royal Capital.
It had truly broadened his horizons.
Above the heads of those commoners and minor nobles, halos of aptitude floated—some bright, some dim. Some glimmered with a bronze-colored Dou Qi light, while others were wrapped in faint golden ripples of magical energy. The sight nearly dazzled his eyes.
What shocked him even more was what he saw beside an open-air blacksmith stall.
A young girl swinging a heavy hammer had a faint purple halo floating above her head, with subtle patterns of flowing energy along its edges.
“Domain Aptitude…” William was deeply astonished.
What did Domain Aptitude mean?
It meant that as long as resources were sufficient, the person would at least become a Saint Domain powerhouse in the future.
With such talent, she should have been recruited long ago by the royal family or one of the great noble houses. How could she possibly be working in an open-air blacksmith stall?
William wandered around the nearby area and discovered three more young people with Domain Aptitude in succession.
However, each of them was dressed in luxurious clothing and was clearly from noble families.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
Why had he never seen anyone with Domain Aptitude in the palace?
After so many years of holding the ceremony, there should at least be a few knights or mages with Domain Aptitude. Had his royal father hidden them away?
Whether they were hidden or not, William had no intention of missing this opportunity.
“Strike first and gain the advantage.”
William gave Tos a look, and the carriage slowly stopped at the street corner.
Not far away, the blacksmith girl with Domain Aptitude had just set down her hammer and was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a coarse cloth.
She looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Her hands were covered in calluses, yet her eyes were bright like refined steel tempered in fire.
William pushed open the carriage door and walked toward her with Tos and the others.
The girl immediately raised her head in vigilance and tightened her grip on the short sword at her waist.
Recently, noble youths in the Royal Capital had taken to examining commoners with condescending gazes. She had seen plenty of that already.
“Do not be afraid. I mean no harm.”
William stopped a few steps away, his voice gentle.
“My name is William. I would like to discuss a deal with you.”
The girl frowned but said nothing, clearly unwilling to respond.
William was not annoyed and continued calmly.
“The Knight Ceremony is about to begin. You should be planning to participate, right?”
“But have you considered that even if you pass the assessment, you will at most be assigned to some Knight Order? Without background or support, someone might even steal the credit for your achievements.”
The girl’s eyes flickered.
Seeing her hesitation, William cast out his bait.
“Follow me. I can give you the best cultivation resources and ensure that no one can restrain you.”
“Of course, you will need to swear loyalty to me.”
The girl subconsciously glanced toward her father, who was organizing iron tools nearby.
The middle-aged man immediately put down his work and strode over.
His dark face was filled with vigilance. He stepped in front of his daughter to shield her and cupped his hands politely toward William, though his tone carried unmistakable firmness.
“This young noble lord, my daughter Zoe may be a commoner, but she will never become anyone’s subordinate or plaything. Please seek someone else.”
With that, he prepared to pull Zoe away and pack up the stall.
How could William allow an opportunity already within reach to slip away?
He was about to signal Tos to stop them when the middle-aged man suddenly erupted with a ring of golden Dou Qi.
The scorching energy caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
A Gold Knight.
Tos’s eyes sharpened instantly. Brilliant golden Dou Qi surged from his body as well, confronting the other man’s aura from a distance.
The middle-aged man clearly had not expected that a noble boy who appeared only six or seven years old would have a Gold Knight by his side.
A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes, and he instinctively tightened his grip on his daughter’s hand.
He had thought the boy was merely a curious minor noble. He had not expected him to possess such backing.
“There is no need to be nervous. I do not intend to force anyone.”
William stepped forward, calmly meeting the man’s gaze.
“I understand your concerns. But I can guarantee that if Zoe follows me, she will gain better opportunities.”
“Her aptitude should not be buried in a blacksmith stall.”
He deliberately emphasized the word “aptitude,” and the middle-aged man’s expression changed immediately.
He looked at his daughter, then at Tos behind William, whose powerful aura still lingered.
After a moment of silence, his tone softened slightly.
“Do you know what high aptitude means?”
“It means a future powerhouse,” William replied openly. “I need powerhouses. She needs opportunity. This is a fair exchange.”
The middle-aged man stared at William for a long time, as if searching the boy’s eyes for a trace of deceit.
But all he saw was pure sincerity.
He sighed softly and turned to his daughter.
“Zoe, make your own choice.”
Zoe looked at the struggle in her father’s eyes, then at William. She remembered the certainty in the boy’s voice when he said not to waste her talent.
She clenched her fists.
“Father… I want to try.”
The middle-aged man closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his expression had already returned to calm.
He bowed deeply toward William.
“If my daughter shows any disrespect in the future, I ask that you be tolerant, young noble lord.”
“But if you ever treat her poorly…”
Golden Dou Qi flashed briefly across his body once more.
“Even if it costs me my life, I will demand justice.”
William nodded and gestured for Tos to withdraw his golden Dou Qi.
“Do not worry. I, William Kroll, swear in the name of the Fourth Prince of the kingdom that I will spare no effort in helping Zoe grow. I will never break my word.”
William’s voice was clear and firm, carrying undeniable authority.
“Tomorrow I will send someone to pick her up. Use today to make your preparations.”
As he spoke, he handed the man his personal token.
The middle-aged man accepted it instinctively, then suddenly looked up.
The vigilance on his face was instantly replaced with shock. His mouth opened slightly, yet no words came out for a long time.
He had never imagined that this seemingly ordinary noble child was actually the Fourth Prince.
Zoe was also stunned. Her grip on the hammer tightened slightly, and when she looked at the departing carriage, her expression grew complicated.
So he was not just a noble—he was a prince.
The middle-aged man steadied himself and bowed deeply toward the direction of the departing carriage.
He said nothing more.
Yet as he turned back to pack up the stall, his back was straighter than before, and every step he took was firm, no longer carrying the earlier unease.
Zoe watched the dust kicked up by the carriage as it disappeared into the distance.
Her fingers unconsciously traced the patterns on the hammer.
The Fourth Prince…
That identity was far heavier than she had imagined.
And it also meant a completely different path.
Inside the carriage, Tos was still thinking about the earlier confrontation.
“Your Highness, that middle-aged man’s Dou Qi purity was extremely high. He is almost at the threshold of becoming a Sky Knight, yet he is willing to remain here as a common blacksmith…”
William leaned against the carriage window, tapping the wooden frame with his fingers as he watched the bustling street outside.
A faint, meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“The deeper someone hides, the more it proves they have a story.”
“Either he is avoiding disaster… or he is waiting for an opportunity.”
“Whichever it is, it benefits us.”
He paused and glanced at the young people in the streets who carried dreams in their hearts.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
“The Knight Ceremony is like a sieve.”
“It shakes out the gold hidden in the sand.”
“And what we must do is pick up the brightest pieces before anyone else realizes their value.”
The carriage wheels rolled over the stone road with steady rhythm, sounding like the accompaniment to this quietly unfolding “treasure hunt.”