Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

"Lord of Emerald Castle, I really owe you one for this!"

Just then, The Tidebreaker, Paxton, walked over with a relaxed smile, speaking to Ethan in a low, friendly tone.

Sure, Ethan had walked away with most of the spoils from killing the Infernal Lord—but Paxton wasn’t exactly coming out empty-handed either.

Truth was, chasing down Infernal Lord Malphas hadn’t been some spur-of-the-moment decision on Paxton’s part. It was actually a mission handed down by the Greenwave Empire—the power behind Paxton’s own Gemspire Kingdom—to the Five Sea Kingdoms.

With the Inferno and Dungeon factions growing more aggressive and their intentions clearer by the day, war had already begun to spread across the main world like wildfire. Especially in the territories of the top-tier overlords—those places had become the frontlines of this massive faction war.

So, taking out a major enemy hero like Malphas? That meant rewards from the Greenwave Empire, maybe even from the faction itself.

In other words, this whole thing had been a win-win for both Paxton and Ethan.

"I should be the one thanking you," Ethan replied with a modest smile. "If you hadn’t backed me up, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take down Malphas on my own."

Paxton chuckled. "Heh, there’s something I’m not sure you’ve heard yet..." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "The Sea King Maelthorak from the Tidesworn faction has put out a secret bounty. They’re actively hunting for you—word is, it’s because of that Kirin egg you’ve got... though I doubt they realize you’ve already managed to hatch it."

Since the Five Sea Kingdoms were backed by the Greenwave Empire, it didn’t seem like Paxton had any intention of selling Ethan out.

"I’ve heard," Ethan said with a nod. "But thanks for the heads-up."