Gilbert knew that he couldn't just bestow Rocky the power to be the deputy leader. After all, it would be like nurturing a snake in his bosom. He wouldn't know when Rocky would bite him to his death. On second thought, if he didn't grant Rocky the power to be his deputy, he might lose the young man's trust. In that case, he might refuse to fight alongside him to resist the other powerful leaders.
Whatever path he took, Gilbert knew that he would be in deep trouble. At this moment, he was completely at a loss.
"Sir, you don't have to give me an answer outright. It doesn't really matter if you think about it for a few more days. However, before you agree with my request, I won't see the Godly Genius of the Flower Fief," Rocky said with a straight face.
Hearing this, it was as if Gilbert felt that a gun was pointed at his head. If this was a chess game, he was about to lose because he didn't have anywhere to go.
"If there is nothing else, I will go back to the Ghost Palace first." After saying this, Rocky turned around and prepared to leave. However, he was quickly stopped by Gilbert. "Hold on!"
Rocky stopped on his tracks and was a bit surprised. Then, he turned around and looked at Gilbert.
"Fine. I can give you the position to be my deputy leader. With it, you will have the power that is only second to mine. However, I have one condition! You must swear to the gods at the ceremony that you will be loyal to the Ghost Fief!" After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Gilbert eventually chose to compromise.
"No problem, sir. I will do it," Rocky answered without a hint of hesitation.
"Then, let's go to the Fragrance Palace to see Godly Genius Valeria right now." With that, Gilbert immediately stood up and led Rocky to the Fragrance Palace.
Since Rocky got what he wanted, he just followed Gilbert with a faint smile on his face.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at the Fragrance Palace. There, they saw Leticia in the outer hall. As soon as she saw them, she immediately stood up to greet them. At the same time, her gaze instantly fell on Rocky.
"Greetings, Leader Gilbert! I am guessing that this gentleman is the Godly Genius. What a surprise!" Leticia sounded rather enthusiastic, but Rocky could clearly hear the dissatisfaction and sarcasm from her voice.
"It is nice to meet you." Although Rocky speculated that Leticia had a problem with him, he still greeted her respectfully and cupped his hands towards her.
"So, is Godly Genius Valeria here?" Gilbert came straight to the point.
"Oh! It's a shame… She's currently not here," Leticia said after a brief pause. It seemed that she was deliberately making things difficult for them.
Hearing this, Rocky and Gilbert shared a glance. Both of them instantly knew that Leticia was just fooling them. After all, Valeria had a noble identity and was still unfamiliar with this place. Hence, if she was really outside, Leticia would have accompanied her. Therefore, if Leticia was inside the palace, then it meant that Valeria was there too.
In fact, Valeria was at the inner hall. When she heard that Gilbert had come together with Rocky, she planned to go out. However, since she heard Leticia say that she was out at the moment, she decided to stay inside. She knew that Leticia also wanted to make Rocky pay for being rude to them.
"I see…" At first, Gilbert wanted to say that they would just come and visit another day. However, since he had already promised Elder Leticia to let the Godly Geniuses see each other, he did not want to delay it anymore.
"No problem. I'll just wait here until she comes back. After all, I have enough time to spare even if she returns much later. Sir, I know that you still have a lot to deal with. You can head back, and I will wait for the Godly Genius on your behalf," Rocky said calmly as he sat down on a nearby chair.
Hearing this, Gilbert was greatly relieved.
"Okay then. I'll see you off, sir." With that, Leticia escorted Gilbert out of the Fragrance Palace with a bright smile.
Just a moment later, Leticia came back. Then, she turned to Rocky and said, "Please wait here. I will go inside for now to do some chores." After that, she eventually entered the inner hall.
Meanwhile, Rocky sat in the outer hall leisurely. Not long after, a disciple brought him a cup of tea. After taking a few sips, he leaned against the chair and closed his eyes to rest for a while.
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