Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Heir

Zhao Tianhe's desire for strength had to be put on hold due to the arrival of certain individuals.

On the medium-sized flying boat, eight members of the B-rank squad stepped out one by one, followed by Liu Cai'er and the security officer.

But Zhao Tianhe noticed that among them was a familiar face.

"Oh, Zhao Tianhe? You're still here? Your abilities awakened recently, right? Hahaha!" The burly man with red skin laughed heartily, slapping Zhao Tianhe on the shoulder as he spoke.

This man, Butuo, was summoned alongside Zhao Tianhe as an interworld hero. According to him, he hailed from the Maruko people of the Barbatos star system. Despite his fierce, intimidating appearance, he was kind-hearted and often chatted with Zhao Tianhe, encouraging him.

Butuo's talents were average among their batch of summoned heroes, yet after two years of contracting with a summoner, he was already able to enter B-rank dungeons—meaning he had undergone his second transformation!

"Haha, yes, my abilities awakened, but not long ago," Zhao Tianhe replied with a smile. "I still need some time to solidify my talents—basically, to build rapport. As for hero training, I haven't applied just yet."

Hero training followed the old-school leveling tradition: heroes took turns clearing minor monsters in various dungeons to rapidly boost their levels. Most heroes, including Butuo, skipped the novice stage entirely and went straight to their first transformation, which usually took less than three days.

"As long as you've awakened, that's good! Keep working hard! B-rank dungeons are insanely tough—I'm afraid I won't graduate in a year! Hahaha! If you level up fast enough, maybe I can take you along!" Butuo bent down, threw an arm around Zhao Tianhe's shoulder, and laughed. "So, what is your talent?"

"It's rather complicated—hard to explain briefly. Besides, your teammates seem impatient," Zhao Tianhe said with a wry smile, shrugging as he pointed to the closed-eyed man hovering nearby.

"Haha, just catching up a bit! Alright, alright, I know it's urgent..." Butuo glanced at the serious, closed-eyed man, gave Zhao Tianhe a helpless smile, and headed toward the Slime Cavern.

"Wow, Brother Zhao, you actually know one of the top-tier heroes in Piltover!" Lainis whispered admiringly in Zhao Tianhe's ear. "Honestly, it's only moments like these that remind me you're an interworld hero..."

"You little rascal, after all the runs I carried you through, you still tease me..." Zhao Tianhe pretended to tug at Lainis's ear, laughing.

"Everyone," the man from the Security Bureau suddenly spoke. "I'm Lei Qi from Piltover Security. There are some matters I'd like to ask you about."

Lei Qi proceeded to question each person individually, and this time he was upfront with Zhao Tianhe and the others about the murder at the relay station.

"Considering the anomalies in this area, I strongly suspect all of this is man-made..." Lei Qi said, frowning. "So, even the smallest incidents or summons, I ask you to recall anything you can."

Zhao Tianhe thought hard, realizing the only oddity was his acquisition of the Heart of Rainbow.

However, he’d obtained the Heart of Rainbow thanks to Pixie's hint. From the situation at the scene, its appearance seemed accidental...

'This shouldn't be related to the dungeon mutation, right? The mutation occurred earlier, but the Heart of Rainbow appeared before as well—why did it show up then?'

After pondering, Zhao Tianhe recounted his first encounter with the Heart of Rainbow but concealed the fact that he had obtained a second one.

Upon careful reflection, he realized Pixie had spoken to him quietly, indicating she didn't want Lainis to know about it.

Now, Pixie perched atop his head, silent and absorbed in her phone.

"Alright, I'll investigate the relevant information. If there's further need, I hope you can cooperate," Lei Qi nodded, putting away his pen and paper. He glanced at Pixie. "Is that a Wood Sprite?"

He had noticed her as soon as Zhao Tianhe entered, but official business had kept him from asking.

"Yes, she used to live in front of the Slime Cavern, but she’s quite a glutton, so she started following me," Zhao Tianhe replied with a smile.

"Haha, still a newborn sprite, I see!" Lei Qi chuckled. "Incidentally, Piltover's city emblem is a wood sprite named Pixie—she’s actually the Sprite Queen, with quite the pedigree. If you like little sprites, you should visit the Fairy Café on Left Prosperity Avenue in Piltover. I’m part of the Society for Fairy Enthusiasts and Conservation."

As he spoke, Lei Qi pointed to a badge on his robes depicting a fairy blowing a horn.

"I see. Actually, her name is Pixie too—maybe she’s the Sprite Queen reverted to a newborn form?" Zhao Tianhe asked, a little excited.

Lei Qi couldn’t help but laugh. "It seems your knowledge in this area is lacking. Natural sprites have five stages: newborn, growing, mature, grand sprite, and Sprite Queen. Sprites decide whether to grow, but once they do, they can never revert—this is absolutely certain. Three Sprite Queens have confirmed it themselves. As for the Sprite Queen Pixie... I'll leave that as a mystery. Come visit me and I’ll recommend some books—provided you hold a C-rank dungeon license. In the city, permanent squads are either suburban teams or at least C-rank."

"Oh, then I’ll keep working hard," Zhao Tianhe said with a smile and a nod. He didn’t really care whether Pixie was the Sprite Queen; after all, she’d saved his life twice, which was more than enough.

"By the way... Pixie, how do you know all those things?" Lying in bed back at the dormitory, Zhao Tianhe couldn’t help but ask Pixie out of curiosity.

"Hmm..." Pixie, still playing her game, frowned, thought for a moment, quit the game, assumed a meditative pose floating in the air, pondered, then finally said, "I don't know!"

"Uh, forget it, I figured as much." Zhao Tianhe shook his head, shifted in bed.

"But, I remember that the Heart of Rainbow is a big secret, and no one can be told except the heir," Pixie said.

"The heir..." Zhao Tianhe suddenly recalled the blurry figure’s intent when the Heart of Rainbow appeared.

"So, what is the trial?" Zhao Tianhe felt uneasy—and why was he chosen as the heir?

"Never mind, thinking too much is pointless. Better to sleep first." Zhao Tianhe yawned.