Later that day, Himo and Phylia strolled in the outer courtyard, surrounded by an area of only grass.

“If I remember right, I was trying to push it…” Himo muttered as he splayed his right hand forward. He sent his khenqi through his arm, coalescing it into an invisible platform. “I did it!” With a smile, he ordered the platform to send a thrust.

And it shot his arm backward. Himo fell butt-first on the grass. “I didn’t.” He frowned. “Is it because I’m used to the inward direction?” He shook his head and tried again. He failed. Then, he tried once again. Again. And again. It was only after a few hours that he succeeded, but his success rate was still sporadic. 

Himo sighed and glanced at the blackening sky. “It’s already dinner’s time…” He, together with Phylia, walked back to the royal palace. Before they reached the dining room, the two met Eitha.

“I’ve talked with the dean,” he said in his usual aloof tone, “I’ll bring you there six days from now.”

“Okay!” Himo nodded. The three proceeded to the dining room as Himo fell in thought. Six days… so, I have to solve the problem with the nobles this fast? Glancing at Eitha, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Well, in the worst-case scenario, he’s still here to protect everyone.

Dinner proceeded as normal. The next day, Himo and Phylia returned to the training spot in the courtyard. They were followed by Aria, who, after hearing about his training, wanted to see it. She sat on the side and watched as Himo kept trying and trying—he worked extra-hard to not ruin his image as an “awesome older brother” and achieved a consistent twenty percent success rate.

Like that, two days passed quickly. Whilst training, Himo also spent the time pondering how to quell the rebellion. He believed that pummeling the nobles into submission would stop them temporarily, but he knew that, in the long run, it would only enhance their resentment. I at least need some proof to justify a perquisition. He frowned.

And soon, the third day came. Just as he and Phylia were about to return to the usual training place, a man entered the palace, escorted by the first royal guard. Himo raised an eyebrow and followed them. Stepping inside, he found that the man was kneeling before Mo.

“Your Majesty! There has been suspicious activity in the noble gate during the past day. How should this one proceed?”

Mo sat on a chair and crossed his arms. “Stand up. What kind of suspicious activity have you seen?”

The man did as ordered and said, “A few dozens of strong cultivators—they were around the starting phases of the Dantian Core Formation realm—have walked through the noble gates, escorted by Baron Lulkem. A few of my men tried to follow them, but they’ve lost sight of them!”

Mo leaned to the edge of his chair and muttered to himself, “Are they already planning to move?” He looked at the man. “You have my permission to search through the mansion of Baron Lulkem, but don’t be too rough. Thanks for your report, now you may go.”

“Yes!” The man bowed and walked outside. When he noticed Himo, he did yet another bow before the royal guard escorted him outside of the royal gates.

Himo talked with his father for a bit before he returned to his training. By the evening, his proficiency with reverse [Hopper] improved to a fifty-fifty chance of success.

When the sky began turning dark, that same man returned. At his knocks on the main door, Himo replied, “Come in!”

The man walked inside and found Himo, Mo, and Ashey in the same room. After going through a few formalities—greetings and bows—he recounted the results. “The baron has been extremely cooperative. We’ve checked his mansion and found no sight of those cultivators. He claimed that the cultivators were friends of his and only stayed during the first half of the day.”

“I see.” Mo sighed. “Good job.”

The man bowed and walked away.

“Himo, what do you think?” Mo looked at his son, who was busy staring at a salmon.

“I guess they hid in some other noble’s place.” Himo eyed the salmon. It was still as fresh as when he had caught it. This’ll be a nice dinner.

“But we can’t search through each mansion.” Hearing the two, Ashey cut in. “We’d just put ourselves against all. The only thing we can do is to wait for a move of theirs.”

“Indeed.” Mo nodded.

But I’ve no time! Himo frowned as he stared at the fish. Oh, fried should do. He stood up and walked to the kitchen. “I’ll be cooking dinner today!”

“Okay!” Mo and Ashey chuckled as they glanced at each other. While Himo was in the kitchen, they discussed countermeasures for a possible revolt.

-----

The next morning, Himo sat on his bed as soon as he woke up. “How can I find those guys?” His brows furrowed. He looked at Phylia, but she shook her head. After a few minutes of thinking, Himo threw himself on the bed in defeat. He sighed and, at last, walked outside. He had breakfast with his family before he walked out of the royal gate.

Followed by Phylia and Aria, he strolled through the cobblestone streets, surrounded by mansions whose shape and color changed continuously. Himo eyed them and chuckled. “It’s like visiting some player-built server.”

“Player-built server?” Aria turned her gaze to him.

“A place where ideas clash with each other to prove themselves better.” Himo shrugged. “Most of the times it just ends up being a mess, however.”

Both Aria and Phylia tilted their heads at his explanation, but they didn’t make further questions.

The three strolled through the streets for several hours, and they soon gained the attention of the nobles.

“Aren’t they the royals?” a noble asked another.

“Yeah.”

A third one cut in. “What do you think they’re doing?”

The two shrugged.

Similar conversations spread throughout the noble area, but they were limited to gossip and long-lasting stares on the three.

Himo didn’t pay attention to them. He focused on the mansions in search of a suspicious sign—nothing was found. When nearing lunch-time, the three left the noble area and entered the marketplace.

“Big Brother, Mom told me about a nice restaurant.” Aria raised her arms as her face lit up.

"A nice restaurant?" Himo raised an eyebrow. 

"She said that a great cook is staying in the capital for a few days."

“Where is it?”

She crossed her arms. “It should be somewhere in the east… do you have a map?”

“Sure.” Himo gave her the map he had bought in the Tyris Village. While it was a map of the whole kingdom, its right side held a square solely for the capital. Eh? Wait a second… Himo staggered as she looked at the map. Soon enough, his lips curled up. How could I forget about it? Map!

[Initiating the map… Please close your eyes.]

When he closed his eyes, his view sprang up to the sky—he looked at the whole capital from above. From there, the three main walls looked like circles that encased thousands upon thousands of little squares. Small places of green land were also present amidst the squares, but they were few and far between. And, on the northeast side, the main plaza resembled a white-filled circle.

After a glance at their location, he turned his attention to the noble area, and soon enough, he found what he searched for. Unlike the rest, some mansions had specks of fog, while one was completely covered by it.

Found it! He smirked and opened his eyes.

Aria showed the map to him. “Here!” She pointed at a small building hid at the end of an alley.

Himo glanced at it and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Not long after, they reached the place. Hidden inside an alleyway, a small wooden shop held a banner with ‘open’ written on it. There weren't many customers, and the few there were as well-clothed as nobles. Unlike the tavern he had visited previously, the atmosphere wasn't warm and noisy—it was tranquil.

Himo raised an eyebrow, but he didn't comment. The three walked inside.

A few clients were eating in silence. There was no one behind the counter. Looking around, Himo noticed a menu hung to the wall. Eh?

Encased by a wooden frame, the board showed a list of four dishes' names:

- Dunno one

- Dunno two

- Dunno three

- Dunno four

There isn't even a list of ingredients! Himo widened his eyes.

"I can see it in your expression..." Heavy boots thudded against wooden planks as a bald man—a human—walked out of the kitchen. Despite having cooked for several hours, his white apron was unblemished. He held a kitchen knife as he spoke, "You are doubting my cooking expertise, aren't you?"

Himo's lips twitched. No, what I'm doubting is your professionalism! 

"Very well!" The bald man walked back to his kitchen. "I'll show you what cooking really means!"

Himo opened his mouth, but the words he wanted to say turned into a sigh. He, Phylia, and Aria sat on chairs around a wooden table. The tick-tock of a pendulum sounded from the kitchen, waving each second that passed. The three chatted as they waited, when suddenly, an explosion sounded from the kitchen. The shockwave tried to escape from the room, but it came out as muffled air vibrations.

"Eh?" The three snapped to look at the closed door. Himo and Aria glanced at each other, but Phylia didn't seem to care about it.

Soon enough, the man walked out of the kitchen. Three veils of fragrance arose from the dishes on his hands. The aroma raged like tidal waves of the ocean, and yet, it held the tranquil saltiness from the shores.

Himo and Aria peeked on the dishes. They were mussels. Each mussel peeked back from its shell as it bathed in a red sauce. Minced pieces of garlic and parsley adorned them. The dishes soon reached the table of the three.

"Enjoy your meal." He sat on a chair beside the counter. He threw occasional glances to the child, but he mostly focused on notes he held in hand.

Himo didn't pay attention to him—the dish had seized his focus. Professionalism aside, this dish feels like it came from a restaurant back on Earth. He grabbed a fork and captured the first mussel. Squishy as they were, they melted on the tongue and exploded in a fresh mint-like flavor before turning into a spicy aftertaste. He soon went for the second mussel, and his lips grew into a smile. Before he realized it, he ate all the mussels.

Aria had also finished, and Phylia didn't even spare the shells.

"So..." The bald man glanced at the three and said, "How was it?"

"Delicious." Himo smiled. Aria and Phylia nodded.

"That's good to hear." He signed a few things on his notes and stood up.

Himo also stood up. "How much is it?"

"A gold coin each." He smiled. "But I've taken a liking to you. I'm going to give this for free today."

"Eh?" Himo blinked. He didn't know whether he was more surprised about the price or about receiving it for free.

Seeing his reaction, the bald man chuckled. "I'm cooking here just to learn how to cook mussels—I don't really care about money."

"I... see..." Himo glanced at the kitchen. He made such a tasty meal as a beginner? After a moment, he grinned. "Thank you then, we'll be on our way."

"May we meet once again." The bald man laughed and opened the door to the kitchen.

"By the way..." Himo looked back before walking out. "What was that explosion from before?"

"Ah?" The bald man stopped in his tracks for a few seconds. "Ah, you mean that. The mussels didn't want to stay put, so I had to silence them. Really, rank six monsters can be annoying sometimes." He waved a hand and returned to the kitchen.

Rank six monsters? Himo froze. Did I just hear that correctly?

After lunch, they returned to the noble area. They passed on the street where the fog-covered mansion resided. Himo glanced at it.

Its white gate hid a small courtyard filled with blooming flowers. The mansion, much like the surrounding ones, showed its uniqueness by bringing the view of unblemished white. Roof, walls, doors, windows, flowers—everything was white. Aside from a servant that stood beside the door, the place stood still and tranquil like a painting.

Himo didn’t stop there. The three returned to the royal palace, and Himo restarted to practice the reverse [Hopper]. For some unknown reason, he felt that the training was easier compared to previous days—by the end of the day, he achieved a success rate of a hundred percent.

When he entered his bedroom, he looked at the platform formed on his hand. “I can use it when practicing, but will I mess up during a fight?” The plan he made for the next day surfaced his mind. "Well, there are some targets to test that out." He grinned and threw himself on the bed.

And, at last, came the fifth day. After having breakfast with his family, Himo walked outside, followed by Phylia.

“This is the last day,” he muttered as the fog-covered mansion got closer and closer. He didn’t walk straight to it, choosing instead to take several detours.

Many nobles noticed them. A few followed the two, but none of them tried to start a conversation.

Unlike the previous day, Himo kept stealing glances at the crowd. Whenever the nobles seemed to disperse, he would either slow or quicken his pace to retain their attention. Soon enough, a small-sized crowd of nobles filled the streets. 

Naturally, the nobles weren’t simply being led on. Many of them were aware of a possible incoming revolt. While the new law didn’t impact most of them, they felt threatened by the quickness of its coming. And thus, they planned to see how the royals would react. If they were unable to stop the rebellion of a few families, there was no reason for them to submit to further changes.

Several minutes passed quickly, and Himo reached the white gates from the previous day. A quick check with the map function confirmed that the fog was still covering the mansion. Under the gaze of the crowd of nobles, he smiled and waved at the servant who stood by the door. “Hello there!”