System vs Rebirth

Noel nodded and turned to the other people. "Still, I have never thought that you could manage to perfect that pill so quickly, Khalid."

"It's thanks to you, my lord. You always allow me to get a lot of materials to experiment with. Despite squandering a lot of money, you never get disappointed in me. In addition, you even bring me all those medicines from the previous civilizations from time to time. So, I'm glad that I didn't disappoint you." Khalid shook his head.

"Well, our territory is inside the demon territory, so there are a lot of ruins out there. Nevertheless, it's only because of your skills that you are able to do it. Is there anything you'd like?" Noel asked.

"It's not that there's something I lack. It's just… there's a request from Duke Lorelei…" Khalid scratched the back of his head. If he agreed to that request, he would need some other equipment and materials to complete those pills.

"The duke said he wanted the pill, did he?" Noel crossed his arms. "How long do you need to get that pill?"

"If I have the resources and equipment, I should be able to finish it within—!"

Before he finished his words, there was someone knocking on the door.

The people looked displeased since this was an important meeting. However, Noel immediately sensed the person outside and asked out loud, "What's going on, Anna? Do you need something?"

The moment they heard it was Anna, they immediately dropped their reactions. At the same time, this was weird. For someone like Anna, she could simply enter the room without knocking.

Why would she knock on the door?

The answer came after Anna opened the door. "Sorry, I feel like you really need to meet him…"

Noel's gaze shifted to the person behind her, who turned out to be Duke Lorelei.

"Duke?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows before turning to Livia. They had reported that the duke came together with Livia in secret after she finished her mission. But they only promised that the duke would have an audience with him once everything was sorted out.

Duke Lorelei seemed to be unable to contain his excitement and ended up bothering Anna to bring him to meet Noel.

Duke Lorelei scratched the back of his head. He entered the room and fell silent for a moment before he abruptly fell to his knees.

"!!!" The people widened their eyes in shock.

Noel stood up and asked, "What are you doing, Duke Lorelei? Your action is unbecoming."

"As you can see. I'm begging you." Duke Lorelei lowered his head. This was a desperation of someone who wished to chase after strength but was always limited by his own talent. He had endured it for over 50 years.

What pride? Rather than conserving his pride, he would rather achieve his goal, allowing him to die peacefully knowing that he had gotten everything he wanted in life.

That was why Duke Lorelei, despite his rank and status, knelt down in front of Noel, whose age was barely a third of his own age.

Noel closed his eyes for a moment, pondering. Without getting too excited or too offensive, Noel stated, "In the end, that person needs a guardian to protect the kingdom."

"!!!" Duke Lorelei widened his eyes in shock but yet to lift up his head.

"Well, we're talking about it now. Get up first, Duke. We won't be able to have a conversation like this."

Duke Lorelei hesitated for a second, but because of him, the room atmosphere had turned awkward. So, he gradually stood up.

"Someone gets a chair for Duke Lorelei."

"It's fine. I have been rude for bothering you like this…"

Noel looked at Duke Lorelei. He was one of the people Noel respected the most. It wasn't because of his strength, but because of his vision.

Duke Lorelei wished to make the kingdom prosperous by letting the young talents grow. He was just and wise enough to govern his territory and led it into one of the top territories in the kingdom.

That was why Noel turned to Khalid.

Khalid understood what he wanted him to say. He nodded and continued, "If I have the resources and equipment, I will be able to finish it within 4 to 6 months."

"It takes longer than I originally thought." Noel squinted his eyes.

"It can't be helped. A medicine like this is extremely potent, so we need to carefully test it. Besides, I have to perfect it."

Noel remembered that the pill Khalid gave to him was the prototype, while the ones he got now were the perfect ones. Although he didn't know the difference between them yet, he understood the significance of a perfect product.

Still, Duke Lorelei looked so desperate. Noel couldn't help but ask, "Any way to speed up that progress?"

Khalid looked down, pondering. "If there are a lot of test subjects… and if I have everything I need… I might be able to make it within two to three months…"

Noel nodded.

"I… I can cover the expense. This is a personal wish of mine, so…" Duke Lorelei scratched the back of his head.

This was a product of the Ardagan family, so if he made Duke Lorelei become the sponsor, he would definitely have a certain right to it.

And Anna had seen another opportunity. She came to Noel and whispered a few words, which seemed to surprise even Noel.

Still, after some thought, he realized this might be the most optimal solution.

Noel turned to Khalid. "Don't worry about the money. I will give you all the money you want. Still, unlike Duke Lorelei's territory, mine doesn't really have a lot of death-row prisoners. If Duke Lorelei can provide them, that will be good enough."

"But… won't you make a loss because of this?" Duke Lorelei felt bad because this was not a fair agreement.

Noel, on the other hand, asked, "In that case, what are you going to do once you get that pill? You were supposed to have filled up your crystal limits, right?"

"I can hunt down one or two ancient demons."

"And to do that, you have to go deep into alien territory. That's why I have a proposal. How about taking Anna with you? She is also planning to go into the demon territory. This way, both of you will be much safer."

Anna wanted to find some ancient demons so that she had enough spiritual energy to break through to the Spirit King like Noel. Because of what happened on that island, they had an excess of crystal, so if she started rushing, she might be in time to become a Spirit King before the fight against the demon king.

That was a reckless plan, but if Duke Lorelei became a spirit transcendence as well, their safety would increase. In addition, Duke Lorelei's existence was necessary for the third princess.

Last but not least, Noel wanted to actually scout inside the demon territory to get a clear picture of what was happening right outside his border. After all, the Supreme Devil Organization might have prepared some ancient demons for them. If they got this information, Noel could prepare some plans.

After thinking about it carefully, Duke Lorelei nodded his head. "I accept."