The border of Fire Canyon Kingdom and Flower Moon Empire was a vast forest spanning over a few hundred square kilometres. There was a single broad road between the two countries, cutting through the forest. Countless narrow paths passed through the forest as well which was often used by smuggling guilds. Through one such minor path, A kid who looked almost ten and an elf with an astounding figure walked enjoying the quiet forest.

"Master, it seems like we are about to run into trouble." Ren, the dark elf said. She was constantly probing the region for potential threats disregarding Henry's orders.

"Didn't I tell you to relax? It's probably some bandits scouting for prey." Through his radar, Henry could see a few people blocking the way ahead. "Let's play along. This better be exciting." Henry picked up his pace involuntarily due to his excitement.

Henry's power increased considerably after he slaughtered the twenty thousand soldiers of the kingdom, raising his overall strength to that of a mid-grade ruler realm mage. Due to the huge commotion he created, the kingdom had turned into chaos. No one expected a five-year-old ruler realm mage to appear from that of a commoner bloodline. The borders became more chaotic as the soldiers were forced to work overtime due to the sudden death at the war.

Henry was grumpy for the past few days waiting for the borders to settle so that he could cross over without attracting too much attention. He was itching for a good fight as Ren forced him to stay indoors for the tide to wash over.

"It's just a bunch of bandits. How interesting could it possibly be." Ren wasn't as optimistic as Henry was. "Master, it's still safe to avoid any conflicts till we reach within the borders of the empire."

"Don't worry. I won't use much strength." Henry and Ren had already suppressed their aura to that of a beginner saint. To someone of weaker realms, it would be impossible to see through the disguise. Ren had also helped Henry with his makeup to avoid anyone from recognizing them. Unlike the kingdom, although the dark elves were treated as enemies, this didn't mean they were immediately executed as long as they were slaves.

Ren put a collar on her neck which was made of plain steel just so they could avoid any possible trouble. After all, she didn't want her master to get into trouble for showing leniency to the dark elves. A little sacrifice to save potential trouble. This was what let her survive for so long.

"It looks like there are a few saints among them," Henry said, seeing the powerhouses hidden behind the ordinary mortals leading the attacks.

"That's for certain. No mortals would dare to attack the international smugglers without proper backing." Ren had dealt with these mountain bandits previously and knew how they tended to work. The smugglers usually would hire saints to protect their cargo. Since the trips were short and the money was decent, a large number of saints took up these requests. To attack these caravans one had to have sufficient strength.

"Don't get in the way. Let me deal with this alright." Henry warned Ren as they approached the place where the bandits hid.

"Yes, master."

***

"Stop right there." Two peak grade prophets jumped in from the sides of the path blocking their way. The one in front pointed his sabre at Henry while the other stood back ready to attack. Seeing the two panic, the rest of the group joined, cutting off any openings for them to run.

"Hand over your spatial rings." The one who had the bulkiest build said walking towards them. From the aura he emitted he seemed to be a body cultivator at the beginner saint realm.

"Do we have to? It's not much. I barely have a few crystals. We are both saints. Help a brother out. I promise to help…"

"Stop running your mouth and hand over the rings." The man interrupted Henry's rant.

"And what if I don't?" Henry was quite intrigued by the man's attitude. It wasn't normal for the bandits to steal lone travellers especially the ones who used this path. Only those that could handle these threats would dare to choose it. Seeing the man's guts rising, Henry was puzzled. Ren who normally doesn't get involved too started showing some interest.

'Master, something isn't normal. These guys shouldn't have bothered us. Please be careful.' Ren warned Henry again.

'You think there could be some more powerful backers hiding?' Henry became suspicious since the stronger saints didn't approach. Considering his aura, which was of a beginner saint, someone stronger should have stepped up by now.

Suddenly, Ren's warning echoed in his head as she screamed at him. A blade infused with solid mana prickled his neck. Henry was taken by surprise seeing the man who he was speaking to suddenly disappear into the mist. 'He is a deviant. Master, it's not safe.'

'Calm down. He hasn't drawn blood yet. Besides, he's only a Saint. I told you to relax.' Henry said glaring at his servant who had already pulled her daggers out ready to kill.

"Oyassi, take the daggers from the elf." Pressing his blade to Henry's neck, he ordered someone right next to Ren.

'Ren, teleport away. Now.'

When Oyassi approached Ren to grab the dagger, she disappeared immediately stunning everyone around.

"Shit, that girl had space elements, grab the boy. Let's get out of here before she brings help over." The leader said hitting Henry with the back of the sword attempting to knock Henry down, which Henry happily obliged. The bandits withdrew to the forest with one of them carrying Henry on his shoulders.

'Master should I come over?' Ren's voice sounded in his head.

'I'm alright. Stay away for now. Let's see where this will end.'

'A bunch of bandits kidnapping me! This is so exciting. This is exactly how my life should be. Full of adventures.' He was inwardly joyed having the opportunity to live out the scenarios he had always seen in many tv dramas. 'Will there be a hero to rescue me next? That would be dope.' A smile escaped Henry's lips which the bandits missed. Henry slowly was carried to the bandit den leaving behind a very worried Ren.

*****

"What is it? Why did you bring a brat over here?" A muscular body cultivator in the peak saint realm sat on the throne. In front of him, the deviant saint knelt on one knee as he explained what had happened. Listening to the story, the leader's brows twitched in worry.

"Are you sure it was an elf?"

"Yes, leader. I saw her face when she drew out her daggers. She was even collared."

"This could be troublesome. Since she ran away it seems like she must not be his slave. Bring the kid over. I want to interrogate him."

'I'm right here.' Henry thought, hearing the leader's order. Under the order of the bandit leader, Henry was grabbed by two other men and dragged to the front right next to the deviant saint.

"What's your relationship with the elf girl?" The bandit leader asked, infusing some soul power. The purpose was to suffocate the newborn saint, making sure he can't lie. Regrettably, Henry wasn't a Saint but a ruler who also possessed much more soul strength than the bandit leader. The pressure that Henry felt was as light as that of a feather. Nevertheless, he acted alone showing signs of suffocation.

"Master, please have mercy. I was kidnapped by that woman from my village. I think she wants to use me as some kind of sacrifice." Henry was on both his knees with tears flowing from his eyes forming ponds and rivers on the floor.

"You got lucky, kid. Elves are ruler realm creatures. You wouldn't have escaped even if you had a chance without us scaring it away." The bandit leader kept pondering something for a short second. "It makes sense. No wonder the elf ran away. She must have wanted to avoid altercations with the empire. An elf kidnapping saints in broad daylight! That should have riled up all the old monsters."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"A newborn saint at such a young age. You sure are a talented kid. Tell me which noble family you belong to. I will send you over later, for a ransom of course."

"I'm sorry Master. I'm merely a commoner. Please give me a way out. I will help around if you let me stay." Most bandits should have been commoners who were forced out of their homes. Henry tried to establish kinship with the bandits. His idea was certainly enticing for the bandit leader who also needed strong men as his underlings. A bandit group is only as powerful as the highest realm cultivator they had. With the kid's talent, he should one day reach the ruler realm. Then wouldn't his bandit group become powerful enough to suppress this border region? The thoughts calculated in his head. As if agreeing, the leader nodded his head.

"You can stay here for the time being. Do not interfere with the elders. We will go to the town to sell some of our stocks soon. Help the others to tidy up the cargo." The leader said looking at the older woman sitting towards the back, meaning Henry to stay at her side.

"Thank you, master. I promise to not disappoint you."

"Call me leader like the rest." The bandit leader smiled. 'What a good seedling. Still, I have to watch him for the coming few days just to make sure he isn't a spy.' The bandit leader walked back to his tent followed by two young girls. Light chuckles leaked through the tent, making Henry want to vomit. They weren't that young compared to Gana's standards but the earthen soul in him could justify it. Seeing the young kids displease, the bandits around started laughing and mocking him. Even the few slave girls cooking and cleaning at the back chuckled at the naive kid.

Granny took Henry to the back where countless women and children, mostly nameless humans, were either cleaning up the place or cooking food. Most of the dish was skewed meat and wild berries as they couldn't leave the mountains for weeks. After assigning Henry to wash the dishes, she went back to observing the other servants. It seemed like they were happy doing the chores.

There were a few others washing clothes by the stream. Henry joined them with the pots and pans. Taking a good spot that had some shade by the trees he settled down and started washing the plates while observing the bandit camp. 'This is starting to get boring.' Henry with his speed was able to clean the dishes faster and returned to the camp.

"Done already?" Asked the granny who assigned him to clean. Henry shook his head in agreement. "Good. Just in time. The leader is heading towards the town to unload a few boxes. He is asking for you." She grabbed Henry by the arms and went to the leader's tent.

"Kid, take these goods. Use this storage ring. You know how to use them, right?"

"Yes, Leader."

As they walked down the path Henry saw a caravan approaching them through the main road.

"Leader, there is a caravan coming. Should we block them?"

Looking at the kid getting ready to fight, the bandit leader smiled. "No, remember, no fighting on the main road. The caravans on the main road are protected by the border patrol. If we attack them, they will definitely come and kill us all." There was a little sadness in his tone as if he had experienced such an ordeal.

Henry had almost figured out how the bandits worked. They didn't always attack the caravans, giving the smugglers false hope and then struck at random periods making it impossible to find a pattern. The bandit leader had another rule that prevented attacking the same smugglers repeatedly. No one wants the golden goose to stop coming. Henry finally figured out the last piece of the puzzle as he saw the friendly treatment the town guards gave them when they entered town. The bandits were supported in part by the two countries to force the commoners to use the toll roads.

"Surprised?" The bandit leader asked Henry with a smile.

"Yes. But it makes sense."

"The others don't know. So, tell me. Do you want to join us? I could just leave you in town. It will be safe here." The leader asked Henry.

The two approached the town hall and offloaded the goods for decent pay.

"Do you like acting like a bandit?"

"Well, the empire pays me regularly for it. Besides, I will soon resign and leave the band to another bandit crew. Once I make enough money I can settle down at someplace far away."

"I guess I should take my leave here then," Henry said, looking at the bandit leader. "Oh, by the way, the elf was indeed my subordinate."

"I know. I also know you are in the ruler realm. Thanks for not killing my people back there."

"The soul strength. You could tell?"

"You are still a kid. You still lack experience. Oh sorry. I'm only a Saint. I shouldn't call you a kid."

Henry took out one of his experience potions and handed it to the leader. "It should help you breakthrough. Think of it as a parting gift." Henry said as she silently asked Ren to join them. Seeing the sudden appearance of the dark elf, the bandit leader was startled.

"I should leave you two then. Sorry if we caused you any inconvenience, Miss" The leader slightly bowed towards the elf before walking towards the outer gate.

"Did you have a good time? Master." Ren's tone was rough as if she was pissed.

"Not even remotely what I had in mind. Let's go. We should head deeper in before the kingdom catches up."

"Why not buy a few illusion charms and change the looks?"

"I guess that's a good idea. Maybe I can find a few new potion ingredients as well."

*****

'So many players here and it looks like most of them are at the peak prophet stage (LVL 95-99).' Henry walked checking out the shops in the town. The best place to get an illusion potion would be the alchemist store but considering the location, it would be very unlikely for an alchemist to open shop here. So, Henry decided to make a new illusion potion recipe for himself.

The inns in the border town were always busy but it didn't mean that there were no rooms available. Henry was able to receive a room after paying a few gold coins. Lately, his storage ring was filled to the brink with gold coins so he had been focused on trying to sell it all off. Unlike the crystals, the gold had little to no use considering how high up the realm he was.

'Open Creation.' A panel opened up in front of his eyes only visible to him. Ren had gone outside to collect some resources.

[Mask of the shadow king (soul equip)

Requirement: Ruler

Materials:

Plain mask

Dark element crystals

Blood of the Shadow Fiend

Willpower: 1220]

[Vail of the dark soul (soul equip)

Requirements: Dark Affinity, female only

Materials:

Dark element soul

Blackened vial

Willpower: 3000]

[Potion of multiple identities recipe

Requirements: Saint

Materials:

Dark moon leaves

Healing lotus flowers

Intermediate Mana Potion

Willpower: 250]

'The costs are just getting higher.' Henry had finally accumulated a total of 4000 willpower. 'Guess I can make the mask for now.'

'Ren, can you get me some Shadow Fiend's blood?'

'Shadow fiends can only be found at the forbidden lands. It will take a few hours to reach. I should be able to bring it over within a day. Shall I leave now, master?'

'Yes. Get me a plain mask and buy a few dark element crystals and a plain mask as well.'

'Dark moon leaves and healing lotus flowers? Maybe I could try and make a potion on my own.' Henry decided to visit the herb store to restock his inventory.

While sending Ren away to get the resources an idea suddenly struck Henry. 'Why not? Let's try it.'

Opening his creation tab again, Henry looked for a new item.

[Naming

Willpower: 50000]

Seeing the massive willpower, Henry felt both happy and sorrowful at the same time. He was happy seeing that he could give Ren a name, while at the same time his heart darkened seeing the massive cost of the process. Henry had been accumulating points over a month and barely had four thousand so far.

'Still, I'll have to wait till I progress to the next realm either way.'

Once he was bored waiting, Henry walked out to the general area to eat some food before heading out to grab a few herbs.

"The latest modules are amazing, man I just received mine. The experience is completely different." Henry heard two players sitting at the tavern talk. Smiling, he approached the two.

[Justin, Prophet]

[XfigherX, Prophet]

"Hello, I heard you two talk. What's a module?" Seeing an NPC approach their table and start a conversation with them the two were startled. They grew even more vigilant after they tried to identify the person.

[???* LVL????]

Having never seen so many question-marks the two instantly became cautious. They started treating him with respect. One of them took the lead and explained. "Sorry sir, we were just chatting about our world. It's how we travel to your world."

"Justin right?" With a chuckle, Henry went on. "Tell me how is your world? Is it similar to my world? Don't worry, I understand if you don't want to talk. I was bored and thought it would be better and easy to understand."

"Not at all. We come from a planet called earth. Unlike here we don't have any mana, so it's a lot more peaceful. I'd say it's an average place. Nothing too hard, nor easy."

"Ohh, if there is no mana, then it must be incredibly hard to do all the work. You otherworlders must be extremely hard working. I must say, I underestimated you guys."

"It's not that hard. We work together. Once people start to cooperate everything becomes easy."

"Sounds very pleasant. Maybe one day we will get to visit your world as well. Oh, don't worry about the bill. Let me pay for it." Henry got up and gave a few gold coins to the maid.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Xfighterx asked as if smelling an opportunity.

"Help me? I was going to the herb store to purchase a few herbs." Henry said, pondering. "But if you could help me get a few fresh ones instead I will pay you extra. How does that sound?"

"Leave it to us," Xfighterx said mimicking a military salute.

"Alright then. I will be here for a few hours. Thank you for the help." Henry settled back and placed an order for a few dishes while the two rushed out to complete the mission before running out of time.

'Being an NPC is awesome.' Henry had a relaxing evening. With the two players running off to do his bidding, Henry continued to listen in on the conversations happening around. The majority of the players were still talking about the war in the kingdom. It seemed like everyone thought the town mayor had died. Emmett's name too became part of the conversation since she became one of the most sought after players. Her experience potions had pushed Winterfall to become the best guild in the game.

'Maybe I should have given her a warning.'

The two returned with the herbs that Henry asked them to find.

"Well, it's fine. Here." Henry gave a couple of elemental crystals to the two. "I hope that should be enough. Thanks for the help. Fresh herbs are the best to make potions."

"Is sir a potion master?" Justin asked suddenly. Potions were one of the rarest items in the game that when purchased from the game stalls were often soul bound. Only certain high ranking NPC's sold potions that were of higher quality and these were very few in the Flower Moon Empire. The Imperial city had a monopoly over the potion market and a player had to gain massive fame to befriend a potion master.

"Ah yes. I am. Why? Do you need something?" Henry wasn't a mere potion master but a master apothecary. Crafting a bunch of potions was too easy a task for him.

"Sorry, I was wondering if sir would like to trade a few potions with us. It is very hard to find reliable potion masters." Justin knew how important the potions were. Even a mere basic potion could vastly surpass one's abilities. Considering Henry's level, Justin was willing to take a gamble.

"Making potions? What kind of potions are you looking for?" Henry asked.

"Strength potions and health potions are in very high demand. If possible we would like to buy a few of them."

"A few? If it's just those basic potions, it should be fine. Here. Why don't you come and visit me in a few days? I might have a few works for you." Henry gave them the door number to his inn. He purposefully avoided giving his name considering how he planned to change it soon. "I will go back to my room then. Potions don't make themselves." Henry left the general area and returned to his room.

"Master, I received the items." Ren was waiting for him in their room.

"Alright then. We will have to visit the town hall later." Henry opened his creations tab after taking the ingredients from Ren.

*****