"The ice phoenix is a type of divine beast that only appears in myths and legends, and it's completely incomparable with the far more common and mundane fire phoenix. After living for around 100 years, it will come close to reaching the end of its lifespan, at which point it will settle on a hundred-year-old frostsky chinaberry tree as its final resting place. Prior to its demise, it will concentrate all of its essence into the form of a stone, which is the Everlife Stone embedded onto this staff," Count Onen said.

Erwin was rather stunned to hear this. As far as he was concerned, fire phoenixes certainly couldn't be considered to be common and mundane. In fact, he had only seen them on a handful of occasions back at Teedus Academy. With that in mind, he couldn't help but think of his own late father. Both he and Count Onen were counts, yet Count Onen was clearly far wealthier than Count Friar had ever been.

However, at the same time, he was also feeling a little perplexed. Why does it have to seek out a hundred-year-old frostsky chinaberry tree as its final resting place? What happens if it can't find one?

Onean could see the hint of befuddlement in Erwin's eyes, and she smiled as she explained, "If this Everlife Stone were to leave this piece of hundred-year-old frostsky chinaberry wood, then it would immediately disintegrate into powdered ice."

Erwin was immediately enlightened upon hearing this. So this Everlife Stone, which contains the essence of the ice phoenix, can only survive by absorbing nutrients from the section of hundred-year-old frostsky chinaberry wood that it's attached to.

With that in mind, he leaned in close to Onean's ear before asking in a quiet voice, "So what you're saying is that this is a living staff, is that correct?"

Onean nodded in response. "That's why an ice phoenix would rather die and have its own body disintegrate into snow and ice than seek out an ordinary frostsky chinaberry tree as its final resting place. There's simply no way that a younger frostsky chinaberry tree could support this Everlife Stone."

With all of his other questions answered, Erwin couldn't help but wonder what this hundred-year-old frostsky chinaberry tree was.

Onean was looking at Erwin as if she were staring at an idiot, and the exasperation and disapproval in her eyes were clear for everyone to see. After taking a moment to rein in her own temper, she explained in a low voice, "As the name suggests, a frostsky chinaberry tree is a type of tree that can only be found in extremely cold environments. Just as Onen said earlier, they usually live only several decades at the very most, and it's extremely rare to see one that lives beyond 100 years."

Erwin looked back at her with a disgruntled expression as he countered in a low voice, "I'm not an idiot, I can guess what a frostsky chinaberry tree is from what's already been said. I was just thinking about something else."

He then grabbed the staff from Onean before inspecting it using his magic power. In doing so, he was immediately able to sense the glacial energy within the Everlife Stone, which was as vast as the sea and as dense and heavy as a mountain. It was even more bone-chilling than the conditions in the Terarody Mountain Ranges. In addition to that, he could also sense the lonely and forlorn soul of the ice phoenix wandering within the Everlife Stone. At times, the soul's aura was so feeble that it seemed like it could fade into non-existence at any moment, while at other times, it was so strong and fierce that Erwin felt as if he were facing an ice phoenix in the flesh.

Unleashing an ice-attribute spell with this staff would be incredible! For someone like Onean, she could easily create a glacier with a single wave of the staff, Erwin thought to himself. 

After taking a moment to inspect the incredibly rare and valuable staff, Erwin placed it back into the intricate wooden box, then turned to Onen with a smile before asking, "Count Onen, are you planning to give me this precious staff?"

"Of course," Count Onen replied with a smile of his own. "The staff is indeed precious, but its true value can only be fulfilled in the hands of the right person. If you and your wife are willing to come and serve in my legion, you can take this staff with you right away."

"This is a very tempting offer," Erwin said with a genuine expression. "However, I'm afraid I must decline once again. We have no intention of being tied down here."

After that, Erwin replaced the lid on the wooden box before pushing it back to Count Onen.

A hint of fury flashed through Count Onen's eyes for only a fleeting moment, but Erwin was still able to detect it right before it passed.

Of course, this was something that Erwin had already anticipated.

Chahan had already told him that Onen held an innate sense of derision and distaste toward the common folk, so it had to be infuriating to him that a commoner was turning down his offer. Erwin was beginning to understand why the Universal Church was able to garner so much support in the north.

"My sincerest apologies for turning down your offer, Count Onen." Erwin stood up and prepared to leave as he spoke, and there was still a polite smile on his face.

Count Onen also stood up, and he was still unwilling to give up just yet.

"Can I really not get you to reconsider? I still haven't told you how much I'm paying for the job."

Erwin shook his head with a smile, and it was clear that he didn't want to discuss this topic any further.

...

After coming downstairs from the study on the second floor, Erwin and Onean were supposed to make their way out of the front entrance, but Erwin decided to go to the back garden and take a look there. As a result, he discovered that all of the guests had already departed, and the only ones left in the garden were the servants who were taking the tables and snacks away.

The main reason he had come here was to check if Theresa and Cheren were still around, but those two were also nowhere to be seen.

"Are you thinking about that Theresa girl?" Onean asked as she took a glance at Erwin.

Erwin nodded in response as he fell into deep thought, completely failing to detect the implications behind Onean's question.

Only after a moment did he realize what she was implying, and he hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm only thinking about that guard of hers."

"There's nothing for me to misunderstand. You've always had very strange tastes anyway," Onean said in an indifferent voice.

"There you go again with your generalizations! I don't just fall in love with every good-looking woman I see," Erwin explained in a justified manner.

"I don't know if you fall in love with every beautiful woman you see or not, but whenever a woman displays any interest in you, you never turn them down. Don't try to deny that, I'm talking about that Faya girl," Onean said in a cold voice, and she pointed at the front entrance of Count Onen's manor as she spoke. At this point, the two of them had already emerged from the manor and made their way onto the street outside.

Erwin's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, and he didn't know what to say to that.

However, Onean didn't pursue the subject any further. Before he had a chance to reply, she had already changed the subject, thereby letting him off the hook. "That Theresa girl is very dangerous. The body of her guard has clearly been magically modified."

"Indeed, and the modifications are very comprehensive. In the end, I had to think of a new strategy to beat him," Erwin said, and a cold look appeared on his face as he thought back to his battle against Cheren. "I didn't dare to use any other spells against him. If I allowed him to absorb another burst of magic energy, then I would've been dead for sure."

"That's why I'm saying she's a very dangerous person."

"Are you saying Theresa was the one who modified Cheren's body?"

"I am. Why else would that little witch be so worried that you would break her toy?"

"That makes sense," Erwin said with a cold smile as he thought back to the sneak attack Theresa had unleashed against him.

"Little witch, eh? It sounds like you don't have a very high opinion of her," Erwin chuckled with an amused expression.

"I'm just trying to give some words of caution. I know that you're going to die at the hands of a woman eventually, but make sure you don't die to someone like her," Onean said in an indifferent voice. "Not all of the beautiful women in this world are as stupid as the one from the Lazaar Family."

Despite their differences, it was apparent to Onean that she and Lana were the same type of person.

"Wow, I didn't think I would ever hear you compliment her!" Erwin said with an amused smile.

Onean rolled her eyes at Erwin in response, following which a thought occurred to her, and she asked, "By the way, aren't you trying to establish yourself in the north? Why did you turn down Count Onen's offer just now?"

"He's not someone who can accomplish anything," Erwin said in an indifferent voice, and at the same time, he couldn't help but admire the keen eye that Chahan had when it came to judging character.

"Isn't that better for you? You can take advantage of a weak leader given the right opportunity," Onean said in a meaningful voice.

"I'll pass on that for now. If I'm too ambitious, things could backfire on us," Erwin said as he shook his head with a smile, then turned to Onean with an intrigued expression before asking, "Could it be that you want to get your hands onto that staff?"

"Find a way to get the staff for me," Onean replied in a direct and straightforward manner, making no attempt to mince her words, and she didn't even turn to look at him as she spoke.

Erwin was immediately rooted to the spot upon hearing this, and his jaw almost fell onto the ground as he stared at Onean with a stunned expression. She had been a proud and dignified royal princess not long ago, yet she was ordering him to commit robbery on her behalf now!

...

Meanwhile, Count Onen and his wife were discussing something with one another in his study.

"Was your staff unable to convince them to join our legion?" Countess Onen asked with a faint smile as she glanced at the intricately crafted wooden box. "Looks like the staff isn't as precious as you proclaim it to be. Alternatively, could it be that they were unable to recognize the value of the staff?"

"That's the strange thing. They knew exactly what the staff was and how precious it was, but they still turned down my offer," Count Onen replied with tightly furrowed brows.

"That is indeed very strange. If it really is as precious as you say, how could it possibly have failed to catch their eye? I thought you said this thing was virtually one of a kind!" Countess Onen said with a surprised expression. "Did you try offering them Loonies instead? Maybe they're more interested in more practical compensation instead."

"I didn't even get a chance to mention monetary compensation before that Erwin turned down my offer," Count Onen grumbled.

"That doesn't make any sense. Aren't they just supposed to be a pair of commoners? How could it be that they're not tempted by anything?" Countess Onen asked with an incredulous expression.

"Look at the way that those two handle themselves. Would you really believe them if they told you that they weren't nobles?"

"If they really are nobles, then why has he come here under the guise of a painter? Does he have some type of ulterior motive?" Countess Onen asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I haven't even heard of these two before," Count Onen sighed with a concerned expression. "In any case, those two are definitely not to be taken lightly."

A cold look flashed through Countess Onen's eyes upon hearing this, and she asked, "In that case, how about...?"

Count Onen was very displeased with the terrible idea that his wife was proposing, and he grumbled, "Have you lost your mind? Didn't you see the state that Cheren ended up in after their fight? We don't have anyone under our command that could possibly be a match for those two."

"What should we do then?" Countess Onen asked.

An exasperated look appeared on Count Onen's face as he turned his gaze away from his less than intelligent wife, and he sighed, "What else can we do? We'll just have to wait and see what happens. As long as they don't stir up any trouble for us, they're free to stay in Zans for as long as they please. Also, maybe they only turned down my offer as they're trying to scout the market, or perhaps they're trying to increase their own value by doing this. We can't just go around killing everyone who goes against us. If we do that, everyone will be driven away and go to serve those bastards in Tellier instead."

Countess Onen immediately fell silent after being scolded by her husband.

"By the way, that niece of yours is becoming more and more spoiled by the day. All she does is cause trouble everywhere she goes. Even if Erwin had killed Cheren during the tea party, we wouldn't have been able to say anything," Count Onen complained.

"You say that she gave Cheren a look, but I didn't see anything like that," Countess Onen countered.

"There you go again! Just keep spoiling her, why don't you?" Count Onen grumbled. "And look at our own daughters! You've spoiled them into insufferable brats! If you keep this up, no one will dare to marry them in the future!"

Countess Onen's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and it seemed that she wasn't overly concerned about the marital affairs of her daughters.

"Where is Theresa right now?" Count Onen asked.

"She went back to Newfando with Cheren. Even as she was leaving, she was crying and apologizing for causing trouble for us," Countess Onen replied as a sympathetic look appeared on her face.

"Good! That girl is nothing but trouble. I hope she goes back to Newfando and stays there," Count Onen said in a cold voice.

"I've just about had enough of you! My niece is such a sweet little girl, how could you talk about her like this?" Countess Onen immediately flared up with rage upon hearing this, and it was clear that her anger had been building for some time already. "If it wasn't for my brother-in-law, you wouldn't be in the position you're in right now! Have you forgotten that?"

Count Onen had already grown sick of hearing this argument over the years, to the extent that he couldn't even be bothered to display a reaction to it anymore. He merely turned his gaze away from his wife, then gave a dismissive wave of his hand, telling her to get out of his study.

After his wife stormed out of the study in a furious fit, a thoughtful look appeared on his face as he began to contemplate another question. How did Faya end up meeting Erwin?