Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Kaelor's face instantly darkened with rage.

  "Feed to dogs?" he shouted.

  "If you don't have Fire Gryphon Fruit, just say so. Do you even know your place? How dare you spout such nonsense in front of me!"

  Kelle remained silent, simply glancing at the middle-aged man beside him.

  The man scratched his head, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face."I am speaking the truth," he said.

  Seeing this, Marius immediately sneered with disdain, his voice full of mockery as he finally found an opportunity to vent:

  "If you don't have it, then you don't. But to talk big and show off here? Ridiculous!"

  "I bet you can only produce those hundred thousand Ultimate Magic Crystals, probably borrowed on bended knee from somewhere just to keep up appearances!"

  "And now you even claim that priceless Fire Gryphon Fruit is fed to dogs? That is shameless and utterly laughable!"

  The middle-aged man gave Marius a sidelong glance."Don't misunderstand. I said I didn't prepare it myself, but I never said my subordinates didn't."

  "After all, such trivial matters like feeding dogs, I usually leave to the servants. No need for me to bother personally."

  Hearing this, Kaelor, Marius, and the noble children behind them all wore expressions of disbelief, clearly not believing a word.

  To them, this was obviously a lie fabricated by the middle-aged man.

  The man, however, paid no attention to their ridicule. He copied Kelle's earlier gesture, raised his hand, and pointed toward the back."You… yes, you, come here!"

  From the back of the crowd, a young boy immediately ran forward.

  The boy stopped in front of the man and asked,"What are your orders?"

  Even the proud Kaelor and Marius couldn't help but be stunned by the boy's commanding presence and impressive appearance.

  This was just a servant? Yet his poise and bearing rivaled those of many noble children.

  "Such an outstanding person, and he's just a servant for feeding dogs?"

  The middle-aged man patted the boy on the shoulder."You have no idea. Today we've encountered some interesting people.

  These fools are actually eating what we feed to dogs and showing it off as if it were treasure!

  Quickly, bring out your dog rations so they can see for themselves. Tell them, this isn't for human consumption, or they'll make fools of themselves again."

  The boy nodded slightly. With a flick of his hand, over thirty Fire Gryphon Fruits, all perfectly shaped and bright red, floated in his palm.

  These were the very same Fire Gryphon Fruits that Kaelor had been flaunting as treasures.

  The boy looked down at the fruits, then up at the middle-aged man."Is this what you meant?

  I happened to bring the dog today, so I brought some rations along."

  Seeing the thirty-some Fire Gryphon Fruits in the boy's hand, all intact and emanating even stronger magical energy than Kaelor's, everyone present was completely stunned.

  After a long moment, a wave of uncontrollable exclamations burst from the crowd:

  "He really has Fire Gryphon Fruit! And more than thirty at once!"

  "My god, he's telling the truth? Priceless treasures, and they're actually dog rations?"

  "What kind of family is this? Their resources are insane! They actually feed Fire Gryphon Fruit to dogs?"

  "I'm totally blown away. How powerful are the forces backing Allen?"

  Seeing themselves thoroughly outclassed, Marius, who had been arrogant and domineering just moments ago, could no longer hold back and roared:

  "Just thirty-some Fire Gryphon Fruits! Big deal!"

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "You're just here to show off and talk big. I don't believe you really..."

  Before he could finish, a low, deep bark interrupted him. From the back of the crowd, a large black dog staggered into the courtyard.

  Seeing the solid black dog, the boy immediately smiled warmly."You're clever, smelling the rations from so far away!"

  "Here, eat up!"

  He waved his hand, and the thirty-some Fire Gryphon Fruits floating in his palm all flew straight toward the black dog.

  The black dog did not hold back. Wagging its fluffy tail, it immediately lowered its head to the ground and began devouring the fruits, tearing them apart with large bites, leaving red fruit fragments scattered everywhere.

  Watching this, Kaelor's chest heaved with anger. He was still holding the half-eaten Fire Gryphon Fruit in his hand, unsure whether to eat it or throw it, his face a mix of embarrassment and fury.

  The Fire Gryphon Fruit he had been flaunting as a treasure, the one he had been hoarding for himself, was just dog food in other people's eyes.

  Gritting his teeth, Kaelor made a snap decision. He hurled the remaining half of the Fire Gryphon Fruit at the black dog."Eat! All of it is yours!"

  But to everyone's shock, the black dog did not even lift its eyelids. It merely raised a strong front paw and lightly swatted the half fruit aside, its eyes showing clear disdain, as if it were worthless trash.

  The boy shot Kaelor a sidelong glance."Our dog isn't something you can feed casually.

  Your Fire Gryphon Fruit is of poor quality, weak in magical power, not even fit as rations for our black dog.

  The dog shakes its head at it. Don't waste your effort feeding it. Our black dog doesn't eat garbage like this."

  Seeing this, Kaelor trembled with rage, nearly slamming his fist on the table. Pointing at the boy, his voice quivering, he stammered,"You…"

  He struggled for words, unable to form a complete sentence. The combined fury and humiliation clogged his chest, almost bursting out of him.

  Not only had he been humiliated by being outclassed with dog food, but even his Fire Gryphon Fruit had been rejected by a dog!

  The boy snorted coldly and ignored the speechless Kaelor, respectfully standing behind Kelle.

  Kelle said,"Ah, I see.

  No wonder I've never seen this fruit before. Turns out it's just dog rations at home. My ignorance is evident.

  Everyone, my apologies. The family has too many estates and countless affairs. I simply cannot manage such trivial matters,

  so I neglected to notice that something we use for feeding dogs could be mistaken for a treasure and shown off. Please forgive the oversight."

  Allen glanced at the deliberately helpless Kelle, then at the middle-aged man and the boy standing behind him.

  The boy noticed Allen's gaze. Allen awkwardly nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

  He had seen these people in the castle before; they were all capable subordinates trained by the Demon Tribe. He hadn't expected that they had secretly followed him here.

  Kaelor stared at the few people beside Allen, his scalp tingling. He could not understand Allen's background.

  Allen appeared ordinary, low in magical power, and seemingly uninterested in the world, yet the subordinates around him were each more imposing and wealthy than the last.

  Carrying a hundred thousand Ultimate Magic Crystals was one thing, but they had actually used Fire Gryphon Fruit to feed a dog!

  Even in the powerful Aetherlan City Governorship, such wanton waste of priceless treasures was unimaginable.

  Now, seeing his prominence completely overshadowed and his pride shattered, Kaelor could not tolerate this.

  This was Aetherlan City, his territory, his home court, yet someone here wielded greater influence and wealth than he did. How could he endure it?

  Kaelor took a deep breath, forcing down the fury in his chest, then looked at Allen and said,"I never expected you to have such a massive family fortune behind you. I underestimated you!"

  "But some things cannot be bought with money alone, nor can they be shown off through mere extravagance."

  "That Fire Gryphon Fruit just now, rare as it is, was merely a small gift sent by an elf envoy to my father. It is hardly a true treasure."

  "If we are talking about real value, it must be something that requires not only immense personal strength but also deep connections, something barely obtainable even then."

  As Kaelor spoke, he flipped his wrist again. A dazzling golden light flashed at his fingertips, and a bottle of Void Ascension Elixir, entirely gilded, appeared in his palm.

  The golden magical runes on the bottle slowly flowed, clearly marking it as no ordinary potion.

  Even from a distance, one could sense the wild energy contained within. Any student familiar with potions would immediately recognize the extraordinary nature of this Elixir.

  Several students from the Alchemy & Potions Department immediately recognized it.

  "My god, this really is Void Ascension Elixir!"

  "Among humans, only one legendary alchemist is capable of brewing this Void Ascension Elixir!"

  "It is said that just one bottle can completely transform a person with no magical aptitude whatsoever."

  "It can break the limitations of magical power and allow a direct ascension to Archmage."

  "Moreover, it refines the body after drinking. It is truly a treasure that defies the natural order!"

  Hearing the astonished exclamations and admiration from the surrounding students, Kaelor finally allowed a faint, proud smile to appear on his face. His eyes once again radiated arrogance.

  "Yes, this is indeed Void Ascension Elixir."

  Kaelor lightly stroked the bottle in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of showmanship."This is a Void Ascension Elixir personally brewed by the legendary alchemist, Master Monty."

  "My father has certain ties with Master Monty, and at great cost, I was fortunate enough to receive a bottle."

  "However, I am already a Ninth-tier Senior Mage, only a step away from Archmage. This Void Ascension Elixir holds little value for me now."

  Kaelor then cast a disdainful glance at Allen and said,"Allen, you have been stuck at Fifth-tier Senior Mage for quite some time, haven't you?"

  "At your current rate of advancement, it will take a decade or more just to reach Archmage, if it is even possible."

  "Here's the deal. This Void Ascension Elixir, though a precious gift from my father's friend, I am kind-hearted and unwilling to let it gather dust.

  If today you are willing to bow and admit that you are inferior to me…"

  Every word Kaelor spoke was laced with humiliation. He clearly intended to use the Void Ascension Elixir to trample Allen's dignity and reclaim the face he had lost.

  But before he could finish, a louder and even more shocking exclamation erupted from the crowd:

  "My god! I'm not seeing things, am I? What is that? Void Ascension Elixir! So many of them! This is impossible!"