31 Tricky Situation

A week ago, in the Alwick Castle situated in the Desolate Isle of the Myriad Middle Region.

"Is this report's truth verified?" A man wearing a red robe with a crown on his head asked his subordinate, who was kneeling in front of this man.

"Yes, milord. We have seen the weapons and armors for ourselves. Commoner Rank Late Phase cultivators are able to soul-bind these items to themselves, yet they displayed a fighting strength comparable to a Herald Rank Lower Phase cultivator."

"Mm. Then we must get this forging technique in our hands. Send word to Feron Nightbringer. Tell him to make haste to Fledgling City and make a deal with them. Exchange the technique for something that we can offer to them in return."

The man in red robe was actually the king of the Desolate Isle faction in the Myriad Middle Region, King Lenox. The Desolate Isle was a medium-tier force in the Myriad Middle Region, while King Lenox himself was at the Guardian Rank Lower Phase. Hardly anyone in the Myriad Lower Region could compare to his cultivation level.

Recently, he had heard reports from his henchmen stationed in the Myriad Lower Region about a mysterious forging technique that could produce items that were at the Common Rank level, yet comparable to an Uncommon Rank Item.

He knew for sure that it must be the surfacing of an ancient scroll or text that led to the creation of this mysterious forging technique. Hence, he dispatched men to procure some of these items to test its veracity. After confirming his findings, King Lenox knew that he must be the first person from the Myriad Middle Region to reach Fledgling City to obtain this mysterious forging technique. Only by doing so could he bolster his own forces and keep a tight grip of his control over the Desolate Isle.

If other factions in the Myriad Middle Region heard of this news, they would surely do the same thing. Thus it was best that he acted decisively and quickly. In this way he would be able to suppress his neighboring enemies in the near future, using these new found weapons and armors.

This time around, King Lenox had dispatched his trusted aide, Feron Nightbringer, a cultivator at the Herald Rank Late Phase. He had confidence in Feron's abilities to bring back the forging technique.

Fast forward to this date, Feron Nightbringer was now standing in front of Richard Duran in the City Lord residence, who had a complex and grave expression on his face.

"You want to buy the forging technique from Fledgling City for a mere two million gold coins? That's simply daylight robbery."

"City Lord Richard Duran, I'm not negotiating with you. This is my offer. Take it or receive the wrath of the Desolate Isle when we send our forces to flood your city."

Feron Nightbringer was wrapped in a black cloak with a hood over his face. Only his eyes were revealed under the hood. He had an ominous feeling surrounding him, causing people to feel an apprehension of fear when they directly looked at him.

Under the orders of King Lenox, he had stormed into the City Lord residence with his elite crack troops of thirty people, who were all at the Herald Rank Lower Phase. Each one of them was as strong as Richard Duran himself. Naturally there was no one who could stop him from entering and leaving the City Lord residence as he wished.

That was the difference in power between the factions in the Myriad Middle Region and the Lower Region.

Other cities in the Myriad Lower Region had thought of procuring the technique before, however they knew it was too good a deal to come to pass. Which idiot would willingly hand over such a precious forging technique? On the other hand, it was too difficult to coerce Fledgling City as well, since the factions had always maintained a peaceful coexistence in the Myriad Lower Region and never resorted to force. Their armies never clashed with each other, and was always focused on resisting the beast horde tides only.

Myriad Middle Region, on the other hand, was known to be a place where inner conflict was strife. This also explained the heavy-handed method of Feron Nightbringer, a representative from the Desolate Isle. They would stoop to low methods to obtain the things they needed so that they could become stronger and survive within the Middle Region.

Richard Duran was caught in a difficult position. He wanted to preserve the monopoly, for its rewards were too alluring. On the other hand, he realized it was a time bomb that could cause irreparable damage to the city at any moment. That was because this forging technique was far too precious and was something a low ranked faction like his couldn't even obtain nor possess in the first place.

The aura of a Herald Rank Late Phase cultivator was too much to bear for a Herald Rank Lower Phase cultivator like himself. Soon, he bowed down to the pressure and said, "The person you should be speaking to is the origin of this forging technique. His name is Kael and he is currently in the residence. I have no say over his decision because he isn't a citizen of this city." Richard Duran was secretly hoping that there was some miracle that Kael could produce to resolve this difficult situation.

"Bring him here. Now."

Kael was wondering what was going on when he was called by the City Lord when he roughly understood the intricacies of the issue shortly after he was in the presence of the City Lord and Feron Nightbringer.

"Kael is the person with the forging technique. The blacksmiths and apprentices all signed a blood contract with him. If they even tried to reveal the technique to any third party, they will die before that can happen. Hence, it's best that you talk to him."

Kael was a bit disappointed with Richard Duran's spineless behavior. However, he also understood the pressure that a small sized faction would face from a larger faction. Hence, Kael didn't blame the City Lord.

However, he also knew that if the forging technique was lost to the outside world, his contribution towards Fledgling City was no longer significant enough for him to enroll in the Myriad Fledgling Institute. He also wouldn't get to the bottom of why his instincts told him that place was of paramount importance to him.

This was a very tricky situation.