They don't want me to try anymore.

"Shout!"

It was an exceptionally small fungal beast, only the size of a fist.

"This is……"

"The Primal Fungus Beast is the one that wreaked havoc in Nion City during the day. After abandoning most of its body, its strength dropped to the Iron Rank. But it's slippery, and it took me a lot of effort to catch it."

Anderson added, "It was originally created by the Kong people to teach those mummies how to ripen them through experiments. Now that the experiments have failed and it's been discarded, I'm just making good use of it."

"experiment?"

"Ah, yes, things like spiritual contagion and telepathic faith resonance. We actually have similar things too. You'll find out after you pass the test."

Benjamin was completely baffled, but he still tried to observe the fungal beast.

"what……"

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his brain, as if he had been pricked with a needle.

Anderson's lips curled slightly, and he then explained:

"Understood? Although this thing has lost its physical strength, its spiritual level is still at the level of an apostle of the Void Order. So my test is very simple... Benjamin, you need to dissolve its soul with prayer within one hour."

"Simply put, it's about chanting sutras until it dies."

He seemed to find the statement humorous, grinning as he said, "If you succeed, you come with me to headquarters and join the Blue Gloves. If not, you can continue as a bishop... or you can choose not to participate in the assessment, as if I was never here."

Benjamin took a deep breath, nodded to Anderson, and said in a low voice:

"For the goddess... of course I have to participate!"

Having said that, he raised the book towards the fungus beast in the cage.

…………

……

Chapter 76 Why did you all follow me here!

Since he wasn't actually injured, Richard was discharged from the hospital the next day. After helping David with some minor issues, he prepared to leave for St. Goethe five days after the incident ended.

Even in the hours leading up to his departure, many people still invited him to balls or salons, or offered him large sums of money to help introduce him to Luvia, but Richard declined most of them.

The task is complete, now I need to focus on my studies!

The sun was shining brightly in the morning.

Richard, Zoe, and Katyusha rented a carriage and headed back to the city where they had disembarked from the airship.

Wow, so much ham!

During this time, Zoe got a little bored and casually started rummaging through the luggage that was two or three times more than when she arrived.

"Those are local specialties for Professor Arno, so don't get them dirty."

"No, no... wait, are these smelly things also like that?"

"Ah, that's baking powder made from the hoof of the one-eyed ram. It's said to be very helpful in treating hair loss."

"...Are you sure Professor Arno would want this?"

"Just tell me if it's a local specialty!"

Richard recalled the long list and the "the more the merrier" instructions, and a vengeful smile crept across his face.

Zoe sensed her cousin's pettiness, let out a sigh, pinched her nose, and repacked her luggage.

At this moment, the coachman suddenly stopped the carriage.

"Sir, ahead..."

"Okay, I saw it."

Richard frowned slightly, got out of the car, and walked towards the somewhat familiar figure waiting by the roadside.

Short, emerald-green hair, like a lush green meadow...

"You are... a griffon rider from the Highland Legion?"

“Yes, my name is Damon Cullen. It is an honor to see you again, Your Highness Targaryen.”

"...Let me just ask you directly, are you here to cause trouble?"

"Uh, haha, that's a bit too direct, Your Highness. But don't get me wrong, I'm not our captain, and I have absolutely no interest in that kind of thing."

Damon shrugged, handed over a gift box, and said, "I'm here to deliver an apology."

Richard carefully opened it and saw a brightly colored, obviously expensive quill pen inside.

He was a little confused: "Don't tell me your captain made a mistake?"

"How could that be? That idiot just wants to tear you apart right now. This order was issued by our commander-in-chief, General Hannes, to thank you for your heroic act in Nion, since that area is practically within our legion's defense zone. Of course, it's also possible that the old man wanted to give Lady Luvia some face..."

Damon grinned and said, "He originally wanted to write a letter to Saint Goethe, but since I was on vacation and really wanted to get to know you properly, he took the initiative to fly back and run the errand."

Richard blinked, judging that what he said must be true, and his curiosity was piqued.

Isn't this person going against their direct supervisor by doing this?

But he seemed quite natural about it?

At this moment, Richard recalled some rumors he had heard, saying that people like griffin riders and wyvern riders were often highly individualistic, unruly, or simply goofy...

It's very similar to the personality of a pilot from a certain country in a World War II movie from my previous life.

Perhaps it's because they came from noble families and enjoyed frolicking in the sky?

Richard didn't think much of it, nodded his thanks, and accepted the gift.

He then asked, "So why do you want to get to know me?"

"Because I've heard your name from my teacher. He watched your duel with Linda at St. Goethe before and spoke highly of you. He even criticized me in a letter recently, saying something like, 'Look at others, look at me...' By the way, his name is Albert. Do you know him?"

As Damon spoke, a hint of defiance flashed clearly in his eyes.

Ok!

Richard scratched his head, wondering why he had inexplicably become someone else's child!

As for the person, he didn't know him, but he had heard the name before. Wasn't he the guy who killed him in the last simulation?

This is something worth noting.

Richard pressed on: "So now you know me, but I imagine you're still not satisfied, aren't you?"

"You guessed very accurately, Your Highness."

Damon grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming teeth: "To be honest, I'd like to spar with you! We're both Silver now, and we each have our own fighting styles. A fight between us would be very exciting, and I'm sure I'd gain a lot..."

"I reject."

"what?"

"I've had enough fights these past two days. I just want to rest. If you don't have anything else to say, I need to get going."

"Hey, hey, don't! What if I add a little something extra?"

"Yawn, all the prizes were useless..."

"If you lose, I can perform a handstand bear dance for you, or eat a hundred bananas in one go and not go to the toilet for three days or something. I'm really good at those things!"

"...This kind of prize is the most useless!"

"I understand, I understand, there's a prize you absolutely can't refuse!"

Seeing that Richard was about to get back into the carriage, Damon quickly waved and said, "Your Highness, have you heard of the Easter competition? It's in three months!"

"I vaguely remember..."

Richard recalled seeing the front page headlines several times when he was still in Connaught.

The Resurrection Day, like Vanderbilt's Flora, is a national holiday, said to have been established by the empire to commemorate the resurrection of the third emperor during his campaign against the Abyss.

In the past, when the Empire celebrated this festival, it would also hold a tournament, similar to the ones in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Over the centuries, this martial arts tournament has expanded in scale and become more complex in form, eventually evolving into the Resurrection Festival Grand Tournament we know today.

Damon said, "The Grand Tournament brings together outstanding young people from all races across the continent. The winners who emerge victorious can have His Majesty the Emperor grant them a reasonable wish... Richard Targaryen, as a genius summoner and Prince of Connaught, aren't you interested in this? I am, and I've already signed up."

Seemingly very confident in the invitation, Damon turned and left without waiting for Richard's reply, leaving only his last words echoing in the air...

"I look forward to facing off against you in the competition!"

Richard's reaction to this was...

Rolling my eyes!

Because of the duel and Nyon's affair, I'm already attracting enough attention within the Empire!

Participating in a major competition? Three incidents in six months? I'm afraid I'll be targeted if I get too much attention!

Besides, I'm not so arrogant as to think that participating guarantees victory...

"Richard!"