Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Xianzhou Arrival III

"Welcome to Jarlio VI and Belobog, Captain."

Adonis arose from his chair, approaching the captain, extending his hands towards him with a smile.

Regardless for whether it wasn't a famed person that came. Etiquette still calls for proper respect.

"No. It's an honor to be here. I want to thank you for our rude request." The captain replied, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Adonis raised an eyebrow at first but soon shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I can naturally understand the enmity between the two, so, don't bother about it."

The Cloud Knight Captain couldn't help but do a double take after Adonis said that. He's obviously young, but why does it look so... experienced?

Was that the word he should use?

This man reminds him a lot about the General afterall. 'Or have I been drinking too much?'

No. He mentally shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I believe fighting the Abundance wasn't your entire reason for coming, no?"

Bringing him out of his thoughts was Adonis who tilted his head slightly while looking at the captain with an amused expression.

The captain blinked, alternating his gaze between Adonis and the ground for a few second.

He was choosing the right words to say.

Afterall, anything concerning the Abundance, much especially the Ambrosial Arbor, is a sensitive matter to the Xianzhou and even their Aeon.

"Sir. If I'm not being rude." The captain gulped before continuing. "Are you aware of what that tree is?"

Adonis blinked when he head this, however, he still replied with a nod. "I'm well aware of what that tree is. A plaguemark by the Abundance, no?"

"I'm well aware of the dangers it possesses."

Much to the captain's shock, Adonis said such words that made them leave open their mouths agape.

"Then- why? Such a thing—"

"—A calamity, a curse, yes." Adonis interjected, rolling his eyes slightly, as if irked, "however, you've seen the situation of our land, no?"

"For seven hundred years, we've been fighting this biting cold, Jarlio VI has only just begun to recover, besides that, I've taken numerous precautions against the tree's dangers."

Adonis then looked directly at the captain. "I'm not as clueless as I look, Captain."

Heck, Adonis didn't even need the tree to help revitalize this world. The real reason he hadn't cut it down was partly strategic—waiting for this moment.

It was all part of his plan to reconnect Jarlio VI with the outside world as if to say, "Hey, a super weird civilization with their strange ruler exists here."

He wanted to raise that type of awareness.

With the movements of the [Denizens of Abundance], other factions would inevitably begin to notice as well.

But for the Xianzhou, on the other hand... Seriously, it's a "them" problem.

After all, their ancestors had set out seeking immortality.

They got what they wanted but also paid the price for it, and now their descendants are suffering for it too.

Although it's a little disrespectful, Adonis would like to call their ancestors "idiots" if they thought they could attain immortality without any consequences.

Well, not that he's one to talk, considering he's in a similar situation himself. But still.

Putting that aside... there's also the matter of their Abundance-obsessed Aeon, Lan.

That Aeon has to be on another level of "down bad" to be relentlessly hunting the Abundance, though it's not like the Denizens of Abundance are innocent either.

—Yaoshi is pretty chill, though. But that's not the point.

In other words, every faction has its own problems. And the real reason Adonis didn't cut down the tree was for this moment.

"However, Sir, if you continue to harbor that that tree, you may attract unwanted problem."

The captain spoke almost frantically. However, he couldn't help but think back to the sturdy amber wall protecting the city.

While the defence was impressive in its own right, what about the environment of the surrounding.

What if the hunt decides to strike? What if the Abundance comes back with many more of their legion...?

He was concerned for this young ruler and his citizens, afterall, even with their small force, they show a lot of potential, especially the ruler himself.

However, If Adonis were to reply. 'That is what I want.' Is what he would say, to answer the captain, but naturally, he couldn't say such.

He doesn't also want to make an enemy out of Luofu. Him aside, the whole Jarlio VI might not survive were they to band up on this small planet.

'Haah~ The weight of a promise.'

Mentally shaking his head, he reassessed the Cloud Knight Captain, before speaking up.

"Captain. How about we leave this talk for later." He proposed.

"Hm. Please forgive my rudeness."

"No, no, it was a wise advice you gave me there."

Immediately after Adonis said those words, they both shook their hands, with a smile that mirrored those of old foxes that has been in the game for long period.

'Ah. This guy is nasty.' Both couldn't help but think so.

After releasing their hand shake, the Cloud Knight captain couldn't help but look out the window before back at Adonis.

"I want to ask... is sir an emanator of the Preservation?"

"Emanator?" Adonis stared at him cluelessly for a moment before shaking his head lightly. "No way."

Such blunt answers sent a ripple of shock across the captain and his men following behind. "But... That barrier..."

"Oh that?" Adonis looked away for a moment.

In situations like this, it's important to show potential allies just how much you're worth. "That's just a little ability I can use, it's not worth mentioning," Adonis said casually.

After saying that, Adonis couldn't help but think of the creation engine.

Such a weapon... it would be better if he could harness it rather than leaving such potential Gundam-like power to waste.

While Adonis was musing over this, he failed to notice the utterly stunned reactions from the Xianzhou delegation.

Currently . . .

The Xianzhou delegation, along with Adonis, was heading back to the [Outlying Snow Plains], where the battle was taking place.

Having finished their talks, it was time for the delegates to return to the battlefield. Adonis, on the other hand, had no reason to go back other than sheer boredom.

The Silvermane Guards had been on the battlefield since yesterday.

While he knew Seele and the rest were overpowering the Wingmakers, there was one enemy who had yet to make a move.

Even if the Belobog Quintet attacked together, he wasn't sure if they would win—However, they would hold their own against her.

That much Adonis is assured of.

At the same time . . . From a distance. On top of one of the cliffs around the snow plains.

Sampo, had been lurking in the shadows for most part, and honestly, his emotions were in a surprising mix. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Abilities that don't fit the usual mold. Strange powers that don't follow any established paths... This is getting interesting."

Ever since that guy took over, things had gotten unpredictable, almost surreal. Logic? Yeah, that didn't apply anymore.

"This is quite the find... juicy intel—perfect for a nosy merchant like me."

But then, his expression sobered, if only for a moment. "But to annihilate these wing-makers? Now that's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

He tilted his head as if debating with an unseen companion, his tone then shifting to a mockingly serious one.

"Still, even a bystander like me can see that Seele's and the others progress has hit a snag. No need to sugarcoat it."

He shrugged, his cheerful demeanor returning in full force.

"Instead of wasting precious time, I say we guide the next bunch of hopefuls straight to their doom!"

"And if a few get caught in the mix? Well, all the better!" He chuckled to himself, as if sharing a private joke with someone who wasn't there.

Sampo as if having his fill now pulled away.

"Ah, the Supreme Guardian certainly knows how to keep things entertaining."

"And as for those wing-makers, they might just draw more than the attention of the Xianzhou… well, that's their problem, not mine!"

He laughed softly, clearly enjoying himself. "But I doubt the Supreme Guardian is worried. Probably too busy with their own show to care!"

'Welp, I best be gone before I get noticed.'

Sampo mused about his ever-outgoing personality.

He adjusted his cloak in attempts to leave the snowy cold when—'Yikes....' He suddenly paused.

His position was on top of the small cliffs of the plain, where one could hide without getting easily detected, especially for somebody like him.

However— 'he's looking at me.' Looking at the people of around four going to the battlefield.

One of them stopped to look over where he was hiding.

That freaky ass superhuman of a young ruler was directly looking his way with an eerie glow of his eyes and uncomfortable smile.

'I'm in trouble, aren't I?' Sampo thought.

However, much to his surprise, the young ruler just simply looked away with a hum.

"Sir? What's wrong?"

"Ah... nothing, nothing, something caught my eyes you see... Don't worry about it."