33 Drow’s Breakthrough

In the meeting room where Kael, Feron Nightbringer and Richard Duran were at, Feron's subordinate was sitting cross-legged on the floor, absorbing the cold energy exuded by the Ice Artifice, which was floating and suspended mid-air right above the man.

"Hum, hum~"

The three men were observing the subordinate quietly. Richard Duran had a complex expression on his face, Kael was looking calm and confident, while Feron Nightbringer had an anxious look on his face which betrayed his quiet stance.

"When will we see a breakthrough?" Feron asked Kael.

"Sooner than I thought it would take. Just wait for a few more hours." Kael had observed the spiritual aura on Feron's subordinate. There was a subtle change, which didn't escape his eyes. This man was definitely undergoing a metamorphosis right now.

Feron's subordinate wasn't aware of the conversation between the three people as he was focused on cultivating and absorbing the cold energy from the Ice Artifice. He felt a wondrous change in his body, as if the ancient memories and heritage within his bloodline was being called forth.

Usually, when cultivating with a special kind of energy, like this cold energy from the Ice Artifice, the body would naturally form a kind of resistance to the invasive and aggressive nature of the special energy. The body had to endure the physical pain in its meridians and organs before it could evolve and adapt and gradually assimilate the special energy, making it as its own special attribute.

However, Feron's subordinate didn't experience such a natural resistance. Instead, his body had welcomed the arrival of the cold energy, like a starved animal seeing a buffet laid out before its eyes. His body devoured the cold energy, sending it to all parts of his body to feed their hunger.

Within the span of a few hours, the cold energy had completely reshaped the organs, bones, muscles and meridians of Feron's subordinate. His aura had sharpened and he was emitting a faint chill from his body.

The caterpillar had emerged from the cocoon as a butterfly. He opened his eyes and there was a sharp glint.

"Sir Feron, I've achieved a breakthrough in my cultivation." The subordinate stood up and cupped his hands as he reported to Feron Nightbringer.

Feron was elated. He could see that this man had ranked up to the Herald Rank Middle Phase in a short span of six hours. "I know. Your aura now is different. Go now, and tell your brethren about the good news. Wait for me outside."

Kael kept the Ice Artifice into his item bag. He then smiled and faced Feron Nightbringer, who finally took down his hood, revealing a face with sharp features characteristic of a Drow. At this moment he was flashing a wide grin.

"Do you believe my words now? I believe this is more important to you than a mere forging technique right?"

"Indeed it is. I'll report to King Lenox about this good news. Rest assured that we will find no trouble with you anymore regarding the mysterious forging technique. You have my word on that."

"I believe news will spread to other regions of the Middle Region soon. I foresee many forces coming here to attempt to steal, coerce or rob Fledgling City. As such, I need some kind of assurance or protection from Alwick Castle…" Kael pointed out a pertinent point.

"For sure. I'll station one of my men here as a representative of Alwick Castle. Although we aren't considered a first rate faction, we are still the king in the Desolate Isle at the very least. Few would want to go against us."

"Then I will have to thank you for that." Richard Duran chipped in at an opportune moment.

Today, Kael saw the spineless and shameless behavior of Richard Duran. He was a tall and burly man who trained in the Beastmaster profession. Yet, he seemed like a coward in front of a stronger opponent. Kael's impression of him drastically dropped after today's event. However, he didn't want to spoil the relationship with a City Lord, hence he merely smiled faintly.

Feron Nightbringer nodded. Kael then spoke again. "There's one more thing. The kind of Ice attribute treasures that you find affects the Drows to varying degrees. For example, a Common Rank Item that I let your man use just now wouldn't be effective in cleansing and shaping the innate ice constitution of a higher ranked Drow, who is at the Guardian Rank for example. He would have to look for higher ranked Ice attribute treasures to help him in his cultivation."

"Mm. That sounds logical. Thanks for your help and advice. King Lenox will surely be very happy about this piece of groundbreaking news. As part of my thanks and as agreed, here are two drops of essence blood from me." Feron Nightbringer spoke an incantation. With that, he squeezed two drops of essence blood through his fingertips. He put them into a small flask and handed it over to Kael.

"It's a business deal, so make no mention of it. Thanks for your essence blood."

The Alwick Castle entourage thus left Fledgling City without looking back, leaving behind the subordinate who had the privilege to cultivate with the Ice Artifice. Since his body was already reshaped, Feron saw no need of having to bring him along back to the Desolate Isle. Instead, he would serve as a deterrence to external forces trying to have a share of the pie of the mysterious forging technique.

Now that Richard Duran and Kael were alone in the meeting room, the situation became awkward.

"Kael, I know that it's my fault for not being able to stand up to the pressure of a higher ranked existence. However, you got to understand that it's not just my life that's at stake here, but the lives of the thousands of people in Fledgling City."

"I can understand that. Just make sure that you keep to your end of the deal by ensuring that I get enrolled into Myriad Fledgling Institute."

"Of course, after today's incident, it's unlikely we will face the same scenario again, now that Alwick Castle has its roots here. Therefore, rest assured that the rigid rules set in place by the Institute management won't hinder your plans."

"That's good then. I look forward to that." Kael clenched his fists. He couldn't wait to find out about the secret of the Institute…