Chapter 674: Mana Pool Again!
"Max, this is the First Elder of our Great Ruler Empire. Elder Drew," Lyra said calmly, her voice steady and respectful as she gestured toward the white-haired man standing beside her.
Max’s expression tightened instinctively. He bowed slightly, unsure if that was the proper etiquette when addressing someone of Divine Rank, but it was the best show of respect he could offer without humiliating himself. "Elder Drew," he said, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, carrying the weight of humility.
The old man’s gaze swept over Max without much expression, but it was enough to make Max feel like his soul had been examined.
"Lyra," Elder Drew said solemnly, turning his head toward her. "You say he’s promising, but are you sure he’ll be of any use in our current matter?"
Lyra didn’t hesitate for even a breath. "Elder Drew, you know me well. I never commit to anything unless I have a hundred percent confidence in the outcome."
Elder Drew let out a soft, resigned sigh, the kind that carried decades of weariness. "I know," he said slowly. "And I also know you’re the type who enjoys dancing on the edge of risk, no matter how great or small the stakes."
"Elder Drew, I’m not asking you to gamble on him. I’m telling you—he’s the right one." Her tone was firm, unshakable, filled with conviction.
Another sigh escaped the old man’s lips, this one a little longer, a little heavier. "If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have come here at all." His eyes drifted back to Max, studying him one last time, as if searching for some hidden spark others might overlook. Then he turned slightly, locking eyes with Lyra again, before giving a quiet nod.
"Let’s go then," Elder Drew said simply, and the next moment, his figure vanished from sight like a breeze dispersing into the morning mist, leaving behind a faint trace of divine pressure in the air.