After Ace vanished like a ghost, and only dumbfounded witnesses remain.
The bulky beast master's name was David, and he was the first to regain his composure. and said with a grim face, "He's gone."
"Hmph! Just a nobody with some rat-like skills." Olivia also regain her previous arrogance, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes.
She was truly shocked to see this kind of concealment and disguise skills. Only one organization had these kinds of techniques and skills. Just thinking about them gave her the chills.
"Let's go," Olivia said to Skyler. She still had some doubts about that guy's identity and didn't want to stay to find out.
"No, I want to go back and see if he was telling the truth about Victor. If he's dead, I want to see his corpse and if he's alive, I'll bring him with me." Skyler shook her head while resolve shone on her fairy-like face.
"Fine, it will only take two days to reach that place." David coolly agreed with her.
"Sigh… you're just like your mother, stubborn. Fine, let's go. I also wanted to see that scoundrel brother-in-law of mine for some time." Oliva said in a resigned manner.
"Let's take him back as well," Skyler said as she looked at unconscious Niko. She was still kindhearted.
David merely nodded, and Olivia frowned but didn't retort.
"M-m… my storage ring is missing!"
Aden's shrill cry rang at this moment and took everyone by surprise!
"Who cares about your r…" Olivia going to scoff when her eyes felt on her slim ring finger and her eyes were open wide as if they would pop out of their eye sockets at any moment!
"It was that hateful scoundrel!" Olivia's shrill scream rang as only one person came to her mind; who just run away.
"That bastard! How did he do it!?" David exclaimed in shock and fury while looking at the dark bird mark on his ring finger.
Skyler also saw her storage ring go missing as her eyes went wide in bewilderment, 'Just who in the world was he!?' Her beautiful eyes wander in the direction where Ace has vanished.
---
Ace was moving to the south from where landed.
According to the map, the Regal Capital was only a six days' journey away if he moves at full speed.
Although his speed was equal to the Thunderstorm Hawk, however, all these landscapes would decrease his pace quite a lot since he can't fly.
But Ace wasn't in a hurry to reach the capital of Regal Kingdom because now he was close, which means he can be there when the kingdom level test of Damien Royal Institute began.
According to Victor's memories and his research, the registration would begin three months before the test.
As for why they all were going so early, this had to do with a hidden selection!
This hidden selection was done by none other than Pill Flame and Beast Calling organizations!
The purpose of this hidden selection was to select youngsters who had an affinity with either Pill flame or Beast calling.
The widest area of this hidden selection was controlled by Beast Calling Organization since it was all over the Middle lands.
Pill Flame only held this kind of hidden selection in the top ten kingdoms.
This is how these two organizations absorb the most promising talents first and leave the leftovers for Damien Royal Institute.
Although, one can join these organizations by showing required talent and passing their tests. However, it was very rare because the result in failure means certain death!
That's why only a few people go through this process and most of them try their luck in these hidden selections where they had a chance to live at least.
However, this hidden selection has a brief time, which is one month and when this one month starts, it all depends on organizations' higher-ups.
But whenever this month started, the royal families of every kingdom get advance notice and these royal families will send words to the titled families of their specific kingdoms.
What happened after was very obvious, every family would send their most promising youngster to the royal capital. Where some experts of organizations measure these youths in shadows!
If you got selected, you'll get an invitation from the organization to join them and it is far better than joining the Damien Royal Institute, which influence was limited to Middle-Lands.
The common faction didn't have any knowledge of this at all, though.
Patrick also send Skyler here because he wanted her to join these organizations. With her talent in the soul, any of these two organizations would fight for her.
But alas, she had other plans and Olivia was already on her way to fetch her but was unexpectedly 'greeted' by Ace in the end and got robbed!
Ace knew now he would become wanted by both organizations in the whole middle-lands because he robbed one Beast Masters of 1st-grade kingdom and a rune crafter together!
But he was determined and made his choice long ago.
Ace has become Heaven's Stealer long ago, and if he didn't even steal from these rich goats, how could he call himself Sky Stealer?
Truth to be told, Ace wasn't interested in joining this institute, but it would be a brilliant cover and he can also reach the number one kingdom with no hitch and accommodate a large amount of TP quickly.
But first, he had to find another face since Javier's face was going to be all over the place soon and he needed the second mask for this.
Ace stopped outside an abandoned cave of some low-level demonic beast and spent the night there. He also wanted to check the new haul of TP.
He was very excited. After all, he had robbed a rune crafter of pill flame organization and he knew it was worth the risk since he can get a large tally of TP and probably buy the mask now!
After closing the cave carefully, and lit the fire.
With elation, Ace opens the notification panel and saw a new notification.
=====
[Notification Panel]
[{Unseen Notification}]
---
[Quick Report of Thieveries]
[Successful Pick Pocket Count: 8]
[Low-Level Thieveries: 4]
[Minor-Level Thieveries: 4]
[Total Rewards: 50,170TP]
---
[Thief Point(s): 76,700]
---
[Low-Level Thievery: 29]
=======
Ace's eyes shone with elation as he mutters to himself, "I expected nothing less from a rune crafter of pill flame. Let me see what she had in her storage ring."
Ace slide the thievery report upwards because he wanted to see the exact details of Olivia's storage ring.
=======
[Pick Pocket success]
{Host steal}
{1: Low-Level, Middle-Grade Storage Space Treasure} (5th Mortal Level-Runes)
{17: High-Level, Low-Grade Storage Space Treasure} (4th Mortal Level-Runes)
{14: Middle-Level, Low-Grade Storage Space Treasure} (3rd Mortal Level-Runes)
{1502: Low-Grade Storage Space Treasure} (2nd Mortal Level-Runes)
{50,766: Low-Grade Pills} (Green-Ranked pills)
{11,101: Middle-level, Low-Grade Pills} (Blue-Ranked pills)
{8,972: High-level, Low-Grade Pills} (Azure-Ranked pills)
{993: Low-Level, Middle-Grade Pills} (Purple-Ranked pills)
{1: Low-Level, Middle-Grade Weapon} (5-Stars)
{5: High-level, Low-Grade Weapon} (4-Stars)
{Techniques and skills Low-Grade (Warrior-Grade): 76 Techniques, 121 Skills},
{Techniques and skills Mid Low-Grade (Master-Grade): 2 Technique, 19 Skills},
{Qi-Stones Trash-Grade (Low-Level): 598 Million},
{Qi-Stones Lowest-Grade (Middle-Level): 110.8 Million},
{Qi-Stones Low-Grade (High-Level): 26 Million},
{Qi-Stones Mid-Level, Low-Grade (Peak-Level): 11,21}
{Formation Plates Low Grade, (2nd Mortal Ranked Runes): 900}
{Array Plates Low Grade, (2nd Mortal Runes): 4,000}
{Blank Runic Plates Low-Grade (2-Start): 98,090}
{Blank Runic Plates Mid-Level, Low-Grade (3-Start): 21,121}
{Blank Runic Plates High-Level, Low-Grade (4-Start): 8,000}
{Blank Runic Plates Low-Level, Middle-Grade (5-Start): 98}
{Slave Contracts: 12,867}
{Medicine Herbs and Metal Ores: 2 Million Herbs, 980,121 Metal Ores}
{Rewards: 45,000 Thief Points}
=====
Ace inhales intensely, "These people of Pill Flame Organization are filthy rich!" He exclaimed.
"System, open this ring and arrange everything like last time in thief's space," Ace told.
======
"[100TP has been deducted]
[The Storage Ring is now opened]
[The system has also sorted everything in the Thief's Space according to Host command.]"
---
[Thief Point(s): 76,600]
======
Ace saw different large piles adding up in his thief's space and couldn't help but think, 'I can probably consider one of the richest people in Middle-Lands now.'
He was right.
After admiring his wealth, Ace's consciousness shifted to a new pile that emerge just now.
In Ace's hand, a rectangular white plate appeared. It was completely blank, like paper.
Ace crease this white plate as it felt like smooth jade. This was a two-star blank runic plate. He knew these plates were used in crafting runes and it depends on the person's ability to turn them into either array plates or formation plates.
Just like how the system differentiates them into formation plates and array plates.
Olivia was a 2nd Rank Mortal Rune Crafter, so it was very normal for her to have these blank and ready runic plates.
These runic plates were crafted by Crafters with different materials. That's why these plates rank like weapons by Stars.
Some rune crafters can even craft these runic plates on their own, but it was a very cumbersome task, so the majority buy them from Crafters or hire them to create special ones with the material they provide!