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Chapter 708: Nightfall (VI)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lize scuttled down the stairs and arrived at the first floor of the palace. She knitted her brows, scanned the surroundings, and let out a long sigh. At this moment, a calm voice sounded.

"Is anything the matter, Madam Lize?"

"Miss Agatha."

Lize turned toward Agatha and the latter appeared as apathetic as always. In fact, almost everyone was rather fearful toward her, where even Marlene grumbled that Agatha was stricter and more terrifying than her etiquette trainer. However, she was still full of respect toward Agatha. On the other hand, Lize couldn't help but feel uneasy every time she gazed at her wiggling tentacles.

"Ah. I'm looking for Mr. Rhode, but he isn't in his room..."

"Master is out at the moment."

Agatha extended her left, glossy tentacle forward and picked up a cleaning rag.

"Master said he has something important to attend to and Miss Bubble and Miss Canary have accompanied him. He also said that if there isn't anything critical, don't bother him."

"Huh?"

Lize was baffled. This was the first time that she had heard Rhode giving such a stern order. Even though he had behaved this way in the past, he was usually tactful and gentle. This left her dubious... What is Mr. Rhode up to?

"Huu..."

Mini Bubble Gum chuckled behind her tiny hand. She rubbed her hands together at the sight of the white smoke.

"This day has finally come..."

She muttered under her breath and turned to Canary beside her.

"Big Sister, what do you think of Leader's character?"

"I don't know."

Canary shook her head slightly. Then, she looked at Rhode with warm, gentle gazes.

At this moment, Rhode stood on the vast open field with a solemn expression. Snow fluttered, descended from the sky, and piled up around his feet. Not only that, but there was also snow on his shoulder and head, which proved that he had stood there for a long time. However, he wasn't mindful at all. In fact, perhaps an ordinary human would have frozen to death or one like Christie who had weak constitution might fall sick. But this was nothing to Rhode. On the contrary, he enjoyed the breeze cooling his heart and mind.

There was only one reason. He was nervous.

"Huu... Ahh..."

Rhode took in and let out a deep breath. He had fixed his eyes on the system prompt before him.

[350050/350000. Level 59. Confirm to upgrade?]

It was just a few words, but he couldn't make up his mind.

The reason was simple. After achieving level 60, the players' talents would be awakened. In the legends of the Dragon Soul Continent, one who had transcended into the Legendary Stage would activate the Spiritual Path in them. But, there was only one purpose for the talent awakening: and that was to decide their destiny.

The hidden talents in everyone was unique and it would determine their future Mystic Realm and Order Dimension. What's more important for players were the Supreme Privileges that they could control.

Just as the term suggested, Supreme Privilege was the highest and strongest source of power, which meant that when a player obtained their Supreme Privilege, they would become the master of that power. Taking Mini Bubble Gum and Canary for example: they could manipulate all the skills those with lower levels had cast. Mini Bubble Gum possessed holy powers, which meant that apart from the Three Archangels and Light Dragon Soul, anyone who used magical weapons with holy attributes against her would be asking for death. It was the same for Canary's wind and fire powers. In terms of authority, she was equivalent to the presence of Wind Elemental Lord and Fire Elemental Lord.

However, the truth wasn't that simple. The Mystic Realm was a perfect individual world for those who had reached the Peak Legendary Stage. They would pull enemies into their world and unleash their true strength. However, it was different for the Supreme Privilege. This meant that no matter if the player with Supreme Privilege was dragged into another player's created world, the player could unleash his powers and wouldn't be influenced as long as there was a type of control that they held in the world. Of course, this was regarded as a means of balance in the game. After all, if one were to be instantly killed as soon as one was dragged into the enemy's world, there would be no purpose for player groups in BOSS fights. What's the point of fighting if they can't defend at all?

In fact, player talents depended on their moral qualities and it would be forever if the talent was horrible and many players had deleted their characters for this reason. One could imagine a Tanker having an attack talent or a Mage having a swordsmanship talent. An inappropriate talent undoubtedly equaled to a total negation of the skills that one had built. It was imaginable how depressing it would be for a player who had focused all Skill Points on magic and received a physical swordsmanship talent. The player would either 'rewash' all his stats and rebuild or treat the talent as nothing. However, this would be a rare case.

In fact, most of the players had ordinary moral qualities and it was extremely rare for them to receive outstanding talents. But this didn't mean that talents would pull apart the distance between players. Indeed. Rare talents were beneficial for players, but their nature was still consciousness and skills.

Rhode swept a glance to the two young ladies beside him as they were the best proof. Mini Bubble Gum had awakened the holy talent and thereafter, she became the number one Cleric. On the other hand, Canary was the model case of breaking clear all troubles and hardships with her ordinary talent. In fact, not every player could attain the Supreme Privilege at their peak. Players would receive a series of talent missions after reaching level 85 and could only receive the key to Supreme Privileges after completing the challenges.

Canary possessed the fire elemental talent, which wasn't rare among players. However, she was the first to complete the privilege missions with SSS perfect evaluation. As a reward, the system had given her the privilege of having double talents, which was how she became the holder of wind and fire. Thereafter, she became undefeated in AoE attacks. It could also be said that her double talents was the main reason why Rhode's elite team stood strong against enemies who were hundred times larger in quantities.

On the other hand, the talents for Spirit Swordsmen were mostly neutral because this class was built on magical and physical attributes. Therefore, no matter which talent they received, it wouldn't affect them too much. But Rhode knew that rare talents would still benefit them the most. In this world, he didn't have too many players or companions to rely on, so it was essential to strengthen himself.

Thanks to the Composition Adornment in the past, he had broken through into the Legendary Stage twice during his battles with Barter and the Duke Fiend. His talent was abnormally strange and indescribable. Back then, even though he successfully maintained his Order Dimension in the Duke Fiend's Chaos Realm, it wasn't too strange since almost every Order Dimension was a space in Order. Back then, Rhode cursed that everyone could enter his Order Dimension freely like boarding a public bus, but he knew that it was because he hadn't completely conquered his talent, which led to him failing to materialize his entire talent strength. But now... He was finally about to figure out what his awakened talent was.

Rhode held his hand on his chest at this thought. He was as nervous as a lottery player who had to strike the first prize no matter what. He calmed himself down and tapped on the interface lightly.

[50/5000000. Upgraded to level 60. Transcended into the Legendary Stage]

[Talent Awakened]

In an instant, the surroundings around Rhode turned dim.

Chapter 709: Nightfall (VII)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The dusky radiance enveloped the world in a flash.

No, this description wasn't accurate.

Rhode lifted his head to gaze at the snow-capped mountains and land. The fortress in the distance had vanished entirely. Shortly after, he witnessed a golden brilliance. Countless rays spread from him in the middle and scanned everything in their path.

At the same time, Rhode trembled. A dusky beam of light erupted from his body and rushed into the sky.

"This is..."

Rhode gazed at the system interface before him that had displayed an entirely different system of gorgeous, sacred, and ancient text. But for unknown reasons, he realized that he understood their meaning.

[Detected a breakthrough in boundary. Interface Extension.]

[Countdown begins...]

[3, 2, 1...]

[System reboot]

The instant this row of words emerged, Rhode let out an abrupt shiver! Violent, immense pain erupted from his body as though his internal organs trembled instinctively from an assault. Then, an invisible, powerful blast spread out!

———!

Lilian dropped the exquisite teacup in her tiny hand and it shattered on the white marble floor. The steaming tea splashed, but she wasn't mindful of it. She looked up at the azure sky with widened eyes.

The little girl trembled from her head to toe.

Lilian clenched her fists before her chest. Her clear, round eyes glinted in astonishment. She stood up abruptly and disregarded the Light Parliament members who were grumbling to her. Archangel Serene, who was supposed to remind Lilian of her etiquette and behaviors, also knitted her brows. She lowered her head with a stern expression and gazed at the thick book in her hands.

".. Ahh..."

Rhode half-knelt on the ground and clutched his chest with his right hand. The immense pain had faded away, but the aftermath left his heart throbbing in pain. At this moment, he felt as though he was a rusty robot.

"Phew..."

After a few moments, Rhode came back to his senses and gasped for air. He sensed the surging energy inside him gradually calming down as though his body were slowly getting used to it. He wasn't too surprised because he had often heard a rumor among players that it was common to suffer in pain when breaking through into the Legendary Stage. In that instant, the sealed power in their bodies surged like flames from an open-lid stove. The more powerful the talent was, the more damaging it was. Therefore, a tough body was definitely necessary to endure the pain. However, players basically didn't need to endure it since they couldn't feel the pain in the game. This was strictly prohibited among all virtual technologies.

Rhode subconsciously forgot about this point. After all, players in the game didn't have such experiences. It felt as though they were just randomly tapping on the system interface and finding out what their new talent was.

I almost died...

Rhode shook his head and stood to his feet. Then, he was speechless.

There was no heaven and earth before him.

It was complete darkness from top to bottom. Or perhaps, it could be said that this world didn't exist at all. There was no gravity, but he couldn't feel himself floating. He merely existed there.

Where am I?

Rhode extended his hand curiously and his sleeves swayed along with his movement. However, that stopped shortly after. He relaxed his arm and stood quietly on the spot. He wasn't feeling any restraint and even his strength had completely lost its effectiveness. It was too illogical.

Rhode knitted his brows. He didn't recall breaking into the Legendary Stage to be this state. He subconsciously scanned the surroundings and what surprised him was that the system interface didn't emerge for once! Everything before him was in complete darkness.

What exactly is going on?!

Rhode lost his head. Then, he calmed himself down quickly. He turned around but couldn't spot anything apart from the pitch-black space as though he were in the deep sea, but miraculously, he didn't feel frightened at all. Instead, he had a premonition that this was what he was supposed to experience, just like a player triggering certain missions while following the strategies.

However, he had no idea what was going on.

In this space, time didn't seem to exist. He gazed forward blankly. No. Perhaps standing was incorrect and yet, he couldn't be described as floating in air. It could be said that he was as though waiting silently in a strange environment. At this moment, a crisp laughter sounded.

"Hehehe..."

An indistinct human silhouette emerged before him. Shortly after, just like a painter sketching his work, the silhouette slowly materialized and shaped into clothes, limbs, and a delicate face. Then, the dusky figure turned vibrant and a little girl finally emerged. Rhode's heart skipped a beat.

"Christie?"

That little girl was indeed Christie. Purple pupils, straight, long hair, and a face like Rhode's. However, unlike the Christie that he remembered, this little girl wore a pitch-black, luxurious dress with layered white ribbons and lace that shaped into a beautiful pattern. Despite these, Rhode wasn't unfamiliar with her.

"You are..."

"Greetings, Master."

The little girl gently lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed. Then, she lifted her head and presented a gentle smile. Her voice was ringing and melodious, but her tone was completely different from Christie's. Christie's tone had always been innocent, childish and harmless. On the other hand, this little girl sounded elegant, confident, and even filled with a deep sense of pride.

"... This shouldn't be our first meeting, right?"

Rhode pondered for a moment while the little girl grinned in response. He knew that the little girl's proud behavior was due to his presence. But he couldn't figure out which part of him did the little girl value. Could it be due to Christie?

"Yes, Master. We've met twice before. Back then, you didn't have enough strength, so I couldn't express my intentions. But it seems now that you're much wiser and farsighted, which assured me... It seems that my guidance wasn't too bad."

Anyone would figure out with such obvious 'guidance'.

Rhode cursed inwardly. Now that the little girl had mentioned, it was due to his lack of strength that he couldn't hear what she tried to tell him before. But...

"Where is this place?"

Rhode looked around and the place was still as dark as ever even with the emergence of the little girl. It seemed that this wasn't the usual venue where he met the little girl. The little girl let out a chuckle and shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, Master... I can't reveal it. Besides, I'm unable to tell you where we are right now because this isn't up to me and it isn't something that I should know." The little girl extended her tiny finger and placed by her lips. Her purple pupils emanated a faint radiance.

"This is only a world that you know and I'm merely being summoned here."

"By me?"

Rhode gazed blankly. Why would I summon her here? Even though he cared a lot for Christie, he wasn't too familiar with this little girl, after all, so why would he summon her?

As though reading Rhode's mind, the little girl smiled and shook her head.

"There are always hundreds of millions of fates in this world, Master. In the intertwined world of destiny, I sensed your callings. Your strength has reappeared in this world and awakened the rules that have been sleeping for a long time. This isn't an established destiny, but everything is in your eyes."

"..."

Rhode rolled his eyes. In the game, he was used to hearing such artistic, yet puzzling words from NPCs. But the problem was that this little girl looked too similar as his sister and Christie. In addition to her style of speaking, he couldn't get used to it instantly as neither did his sister nor Christie had such a strange style of speech. But he also had other questions. Even though he didn't know how the little girl emerged, this was the best opportunity for him to raise his doubts.

"Who are you? Why do you look exactly the same as Christie?"

Rhode scanned the little girl from top to bottom.

"What relationship do you have with her? Or, are you merely using her as your physical form?"

In fact, Rhode had such suspicions for a long time. Normally speaking, it was extremely rare for two resembling individuals to meet each other, not to mention three of them. To describe it with pure fate or coincidence would simply be a slap in the face. However, the little girl didn't seem surprised by his questions.

She nodded and said, "Please believe my sincerity, Master. I have a deep connection with the child. I'm not her, but she's my most cherished presence. Now isn't the time yet. That child is too weak... Too weak to bear the heavy responsibility and pressure of the cruel fate. But, please don't worry. The day will come when I appear before you... But, now isn't the time..."

The little girl lifted her head and along with this movement, the mysterious, pitch-black venue slowly distorted. Then, white radiance permeated and Rhode felt his body slowly burning as a warm sensation spread throughout his limbs.

"... It seems like time is up, Master. Please remember that this is only the start..."

The little girl vanished and a dazzling radiance enveloped everything in sight...

Ssss...!

Rhode opened his eyes wide. The freezing cold wind brushed his cheeks. The familiar snow-capped mountains and land reemerged before his vision. At this moment, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary had stood curiously before him.

"Leader, are you fine?"

"What happened to me?"

Rhode shook the confusion off his head and patted the thick layer of snow piled on his shoulders. Canary extended her hand to gently swipe the snow off his clothes and arranged his hair neatly.

"You have been standing here in a daze. We spoke to you, but you didn't respond at all. I thought you've gotten into an accident..."

"Ha, if this were in the game, I would have thought that you disconnected, Leader."

"By the way."

As soon as he heard the word 'disconnected', he hurriedly extended his right hand and swept before him. The system interface showed up, but this time, the text was somewhat different. A string of strange golden text flew up continuously. After a few moments, they came to an abrupt halt and revealed the original character attributes interface.

What was that all about?

Even though he was dubious, he knew that this wasn't the time to consider this problem. He shifted his attention to the character attributes interface and the two young ladies gathered around him curiously.

[Rhode Alander]

[Race: (???)]

[Race Characteristics: Locked]

[Race Reward: Locked]

[Class: Spirit Swordsman (Hero Class)]

[Talent Awakened: Former Talent — Eternal Fantasy]

"Huh? What is this? Leader?"

Mini Bubble Gum exclaimed in astonishment. She remembered clearly that there were only three types of player talents—Low-level, Mid-level, and Advanced—Rhode had never heard of 'Former Talent' even after playing the game for so many years.

What's this? And what's the 'Eternal Fantasy'...?

Rhode knitted his brows and tapped on the attribute description column. Shortly after, he saw the detailed content.

[Talent Characteristics: Self-Affirmation Lvl 1 — Holder can appoint any attribute and raise it to the expected value. Can be used once per day. Lasts for 30 minutes. (Affirming one's will is the most powerful force)]

[Talent Rule: Absolute Presence Lvl 1 — Holder's equipment cannot be destroyed (Even the passage of time cannot shake the truth itself)]

[Talent Technique: Igniting Wrath Lvl 1 — Certain probabilities to absorb the opponent's strength during battle and reflect with double damage. Level and defense will be ignored. (Anyone who dares to provoke will get the punishment they deserve)]

Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum were stunned.

Chapter 710: Nightfall (VIII)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"This should be the... Rule Talent, right?"

Mini Bubble Gum puckered her brows. Canary and Rhode nodded in agreement.

Normally speaking, there were two types of awakened talents after transcending into the Legendary Stage: Rule Talent and Attribute Talent. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary belonged to the latter and the former was extremely rare. Rule Talents were usually superior, but there would be no gain without a loss. Mastering the Rule Talent was challenging, especially after the players reached level 85 and accepting the Privilege Mission. This was because the core of the Privilege Mission was for the players to find the essence of their talents. Attribute Talents were relatively simple in this aspect. Many players had complained that the Privilege Mission of the Rule Talents were as though solving puzzles after puzzles, where they couldn't even figure out what exactly their cores were.

"But this is really rare, huh? I don't remember seeing anything similar to this."

Canary scanned the attributes introduction on the interface and shook her head slightly. Eternal Fantasy—sounded like an Attribute Talent that existed like a rule. However, no one knew the specific conditions. Even though Rhode sensed the surging strength in him, he couldn't grasp the core and essence of it. He shook his head and threw this thought to the back of his head.

"But, even if Leader doesn't master the unlimited privileges, there shouldn't be too many opponents capable of taking him down, right, Big Sister?"

Mini Bubble Gum pondered deeply. Then, her eyes glinted and she lifted her head to Rhode.

"Leader, do you wanna try?"

Rhode hesitated and turned to Canary. It was apparent that Canary's eyes were also revealing such intentions. In fact, he had also intended to give it a shot. No matter how powerful the words had described the talent, he had to try it personally to feel its actual effects. He gestured for the two young ladies to make way and swung his right arm down. Shortly after, a sword shimmering in white holy radiance emerged in his hands. Then, a line of words emerged before him.

[Self-Affirmation. Activated.]

[Please choose attribute to enhance and its level]

"Hmm?"

Rhode stared blankly because there weren't only basic attributes such as strength, constitution, and willpower. Instead, enhanced attributes such as [Magical Resistance] and [Strength Recovery] and swordsmanship attributes like [Explosiveness] and [Flexibility] were also listed. It appeared that there was a wide range of selection for the attribute enhancement. This was great for him as he would have more variety of choices to strengthen himself in battles. He nodded in satisfaction and swiftly shifted his gaze to the most intuitive strength attribute since this was only an experiment.

[Increase Strength Attribute]

Increase to its maximum.

Rhode answered in his head and the strength attribute bar quickly flickered. But...

"—"

An ear-deafening system error sounded. The flickering radiance instantly dimmed and at the same time, another line of system prompt emerged.

[Unrecognizable. Unable to upgrade. Please select another choice]

I see.

Rhode finally understood what it meant. Even though he had chosen to enhance the strength attribute to its maximum, he wasn't aware of how it would be for the strength attribute to be enhanced to its maximum. Would a punch from him crush a star? Or would it devastate the entire world? Rhode lacked sufficient understanding of himself and the system naturally couldn't proceed. It seemed that this enhancement had to be within his cognition... If that's the case...

Rhode twitched his brows.

Enhance 30 + 15.

This time, the strength attribute bar shone once again. In an instant, the '??' representing the strength attribute bar transformed!

[Strength Attribute: 30 + 15 (??)]

Rhode raised his sword.

He sensed a massive strength coalescing on his blade and gazed forward in silence. At this instant, he had as though returned to the burly, tall, and strong character in the game. He lifted his sword high and brandished!

The land shook violently.

A deep, bottomless, three-meters-wide fissure emerged on the solid ground as though a knife slicing through butter. Snow fluttered as the long, enormous fissure spread forward. After three seconds, the 'rumbling' finally stopped.

If others were to witness this, perhaps their jaws would have fallen to the ground. However, Canary's and Mini Bubble Gum's eyes merely glinted in surprise. Then, Mini Bubble Gum turned to Rhode excitedly.

"Leader, have you recovered your strength?"

"It's the effects of the technique."

Rhode shrugged and kept his sword. Through this experiment, Rhode had finally understood the appropriate style of this technique. It seemed that under the same conditions, this technique could unleash the strength in which he remembered and was familiar with, which would be a tremendous help for him in the future. The only restriction was that the strength that was unknown to him couldn't seem to be enhanced. This was as though a modifier altering the game data, where the highest number was 65535, but he just had to force it to 99999. This would undoubtedly result in data error. However, his only suspicion now was what the 'cognition' in this technique was referring to. Was this technique really that simple? Apart from this, he also knew the numerical data of other classes at the tip of his fingers. If such a cognition was effective, did it mean that he could target any attributes from any class to enhance himself?

Even though every class had unique attribute values, they essentially had core attributes of their own. For example, Rangers, Thieves, and Assassins were naturally high in dexterity. Classes like Swordsmen and Shield Warriors focused on attacking strength, while Mages and Clerics were experts in willpower. Rhode was familiar with the attribute values of all the top players in each class and this was why he stood above everyone and was called the 'Walking Library'.

Whereas for [Igniting Wrath], Rhode instantly recalled this technique at a single glance. If he recalled correctly, he had triggered this technique back then when he used [Self-breakthrough] twice in a row. The first was during his battle with Barter while the second was with the Duke Fiend. Barter was struck off the platform by Rhode's brandishing sword while the Duke Fiend had lost an arm. Back then, Rhode was oddly amazed that he was capable of dealing damage to a superior presence like the Duke Fiend. And now it seemed that it was due to this technique that had absorbed strength and reflected with double damage.

As for [Absolute Presence], it was a decent choice, but it came too late. Rhode recalled the devastating moment when his Zero Refining Equipment was shattered by the Duke Fiend, which was also the treasure of the Behermes. Back then, perhaps he would have kept the equipment safely if he possessed this Rule Talent.

However, this didn't mean that the Rule Talent was useless. In fact, Rhode had instantly thought of its purpose as soon as it caught his eye. With the rule power from the Rule Talent, he could casually pick up a scrap metal as a shield that would be as tough as Anne's King's Protection Shield. His rule would only be destroyed and disrupted by even stronger rule power. In other words, unless the opponent's Rule Talent power was above his, even the most ordinary black metal shield would turn into a legendary artifact in Rhode's hands. It could also be said that with this talent, Rhode could save on wearing a magical armor. Although his Spirit Swordsman character in the game had an attacking build with basic speed, he mainly focused on having a speed build in this world as he refused to face opponents head to head because, no matter what, players wouldn't feel pain in the game, but the pain was unavoidable here.

In fact, on this Dragon Soul Continent, the attribute enhancements of many magical equipment were decent. But their defense attributes were mainly terrible. This was one of the reasons why Mages like Marlene and Shield Warrior like Anne mostly wore lighter armor and not heavy metal ones. Not only would the heavy metal armor affect their movement speed, but they also wouldn't come with useful magical effects. Therefore, among the top 10 legendary armors, only one was heavy armor while the rest were light armor, leather armor, or robes.

After obtaining this technique, Rhode's defenses would be comparable or even stronger than wearing heavy armor even if he wore a robe.

After a simple experiment, Rhode, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum returned to the Fortress. Although he still had a lot of doubts, he knew that he couldn't rush everything at once. On the contrary, he had to settle the Skill Points quickly. After reaching level 60, Rhode discovered that five Skill Points could be exchanged for one Sword Creation Point. Currently, he had 20 Skill Points and according to this quantity, he could fill the Talent Tree to the bottom second tier, or perhaps exchange and build on the Sword Creation Points. However, this was no easy task because he would need to build on other swordsmanships which he had learned in order to upgrade the Fantasy Daybreak Swordsmanship, which would waste another three to five Skill Points. He needed more time to consider this question.

When Rhode entered through the main entrance, he immediately spotted Lize sitting on the chair by the corridor in a daze.

"Lize?"

Rhode twitched his brows curiously. This was the entrance hallway and even though there weren't too many people around, this wasn't the best choice to admire the view. She would be better off in her private room, which went to show that she was waiting for someone.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah!"

Lize came to her senses abruptly. Then, she quickly stood up and bowed to Canary and Mini Bubble Gum before turning to Rhode.

"Ah, Mr. Rhode, you're finally back. I was looking for you. Did something happen out there? I heard a loud rumble..."

"It's nothing, I was just experimenting something."

Rhode shook his head. He had no intention of explaining in details to Lize and the others. After all, players and natives had different views on such topics, which was why he sneaked out with Canary and Mini Bubble Gum in the first place.

"You said you were looking for me. Is anything the matter?"

"Ah. Yes."

Lize revealed some traces of disappointment in her eyes. Then, she pulled herself together and said.

"Grand Mage Amund has arrived at the fortress. He wishes to meet you."

"Oh?"

Rhode pondered in silence before lifted his head.

"Where is he?"

Rhode pushed the guest room doors open and saw Amund by the window. The most reputable Grand Mage of the Munn Kingdom had his back turned to Rhode and was admiring the picturesque view in the distance. He turned around and revealed glints of astonishment in his eyes.

"I hope my uninvited visit didn't cause you any unhappiness, Earl Rhode."

"Of course not, Sir Grand Mage. In fact, I've never thought that you would come here. If you informed me in advance, I would have personally expected your arrival, Sir Grand Mage."

"Hahaha. Don't stand on ceremony, Earl Rhode. An old sack of bones like me isn't interested in such unnecessary and over-elaborate formalities."

Amund shook his head and gazed at Rhode with narrowed eyes. Even though he appeared to be extremely calm, violent waves were crashing in his heart. As a being who had entered the Peak Legendary Stage and one of the best Grand Mages on the Dragon Soul Continent, he naturally recognized the radiance emanating from Rhode's body. It was a faint, ray of light that was undetectable by the eyes and moving along with the young man's every movement. Amund knew clearly what they were.

Rule Threads...

Amund was astounded. This young man had actually transcended into the Legendary Stage?!

In fact, rumors of Rhode being in the Legendary Stage had already been spreading after the Midsummer Festival. However, those were the views of civilians and mercenaries and in fact, any beings in the Legendary Stage like Amund, Lydia, and Gaya could instantly recognize Rhode's true strength. Perhaps his swordsmanship techniques were exceedingly great, but they saw that Rhode was still a mortal and wasn't in the Legendary Stage yet. The reason was simple. They didn't see the Rule Threads circulating around him. The Rule Threads were the most distinct difference between mortals and legends. With the Rule Threads, they could blend into the rules of this world and become a member of the Legendary Stage.

However, for the sake of the King's Party's reputation and to suppress the Reformist Party's aggression back then, no one exposed Rhode's true strength. From a certain aspect, it was indeed accurate to say that he possessed swordsmanship techniques in the Legendary Stage, so it also wasn't considered deceiving.

But Amund didn't expect that in just half a year, this young man had transcended into the Legendary Stage! In just half a year!

Even though Amund had no lack of talents around him such as Lydia and Gaya, their situations were unique, after all. As an Archangel, it went without saying that Lydia was born in the Legendary Stage. On the other hand, Gaya was born in a family with the purest and most sacred blood, which wasn't surprising that she broke through into the Legendary Stage. However, Rhode was entirely different from them. The last time when Amund met him, his strength was only in the mid Master Stage. But now, he actually broke the bottleneck and stepped into the Legendary Stage?! How did he do it? It was extremely common for the powerful beings to be stuck in the Peak Master Stage for three to five years before transcending into the Legendary Stage. But this young man actually did it in such a short period of time. Could it be that he had an incredible birth?

Such thoughts clouded Amund's head. But, he didn't show them on his expression.

"May I know is anything the matter for you to visit me personally, Grand Mage Amund?"

"This was what happened."

Amund let out a cough and presented a smile.

"I'm following Royal Highness' orders to check on the situation here and also deliver the list of items that you've requested, Earl Rhode."

"Oh?"

Rhode's eyes glinted.

Chapter 711: What's This Rhythm?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lydia had kept her promise.

Of course. No matter what, she couldn't possibly provide Rhode with 10 million gold coins. Not mentioning the problem of how many chests were needed to store that many gold coins, the amount of gold coins was too large a number. Therefore, Lydia used platinum coins, where one platinum coin was equivalent to 100 gold coins and platinum coins were the highest currency circulated in the upper society. Apart from the platinum coins, there were also the magic crystal coins. However, the magic crystal coins weren't distributed to public and they were only used by the Church for transfer and transport, which was meaningless to Rhode. But he didn't really care what type of coins he received, as long as he got the value he wished for.

Apart from these, the various elemental gems and magic crystals were also delivered to the fortress. Got to say, the Munn Kingdom indeed was wealthy. Rhode believed that he wouldn't be capable of gathering all of them even if he searched the entire Paphield, but he didn't expect that Lydia already had them ready. He was rather regretful about this. He cursed that he should have been greedier and asked for more. 50 times more than the amount he asked for would be great... Of course. He wouldn't do it.

However, all these items on Rhode's wish list didn't need to be delivered by Amund personally. No matter what, he was the number one Mage in the Munn Kingdom and it would be demeaning to assign him as a transport supervisor. In fact, Amund didn't come to the fortress for an idle chat either.

"This is the request that you've made to the Royal Highness, Earl Rhode."

Amund extended his right hand and along with his action, a black crack appeared in the air before him. Then, two flat boxes emerged from within. The boxes were carved with mysterious patterns and were emanating silver-whitish, scarlet radiance. The emergence of these two boxes instantly brought about a mystical and powerful strength, which went to show how extraordinary they were.

The 'Holy Spirit' armor and 'Magic Prayer' robe.

"I don't know where you heard of them from, Earl Rhode."

Amund lifted his head and his deep gaze were as though seeing through Rhode entirely. Rhode calmly received his gaze emotionlessly.

"Secrets are always circulated in the form of rumors to the nobles. Please don't worry, Sir Amund. I don't intend to keep these two treasures for myself. I'm only borrowing them for now and will return them when the time is right."

"Oh?"

Amund stared blankly. In fact, almost everyone thought that Rhode hoped to keep the two legendary equipment for himself. However, most of them weren't mindful about it. Even though both legendary equipment were extraordinary, they had always been stored safely in the Munn Kingdom for years. But frankly speaking, most of these treasures were only heard of and never seen, which explained why no one had desires for them. The reason was simple. Advanced magic armor were mostly robes or light armor and rarely heavy armor, where only warriors would require such armor. In player terms, their class had predetermined that they wouldn't need the two legendary equipment and very few were qualified to request for them in the Munn Kingdom. Amund was considered one of them, but he couldn't possibly put on a tattered, plain robe and run about as a legendary Mage in the Munn Kingdom. In fact, the 'Rule Protector' that Amund was wearing wasn't inferior to the 'Magic Prayer' robe. Even though Clerics had the rights to request for the 'Holy Spirit' armor, no human dared to challenge the Angels' powerful spell-casting abilities in a nation full of Angels. On the other hand, the 'Magic Prayer' robe was more often seen as a means and goal to motivate young talents in the Mage School.

It was due to this that even though everyone found it ridiculous for Rhode to make such a request, they didn't take it to heart. But Amund was curious because Rhode definitely wouldn't request for them for the fun of it. He expected that Rhode wouldn't secretly sell them away too, so the two equipment were surely meant to be worn by others. But... who did he intend to give them to?

Shortly after, Amund received the answers to his doubts.

"Bubble, Canary, I'll leave them to you."

Rhode nodded at the two floating boxes and beckoned to the two young ladies. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary stepped toward Amund.

So it's them?

Amund gazed blankly.

Amund was aware of Mini Bubble Gum's strength. He had witnessed her valiance during her battle with the Mist Sword Saint. No matter if it was her dense spiritual aura or the terrifying, yet mysterious spells, they were all eye-opener for him. Although he had also witnessed Lize's improved spiritual spell techniques in the Midsummer Festival, the disciple wouldn't defeat her master, after all. Amund swore that it was his first time witnessing a Cleric using such violent moves. Mini Bubble Gum had used her bare fists and crushed another powerful being in the Legendary Stage.

But Amund had to admit that even though the girl was young, she had far exceeded him in the in-depth exploration of spiritual powers. Amund showed a humble smile to Mini Bubble Gum, but the latter let out a soft snort and said nothing in response. However, Amund wasn't affected by her rude behavior at all. He turned to Canary and was stumped for words.

Unlike Mini Bubble Gum, Canary had always been keeping a low profile. Back then, Amund had met Canary when she stepped up to stop Mini Bubble Gum after she crippled the Mist Sword Saint. The situation was chaotic and Amund couldn't probe more about her. It was only until this moment that he finally sensed her powerful presence.

Her pure, terrifying aura startled him. He narrowed his eyes and sized up the young lady before him. Then, his pupils shrunk abruptly!

Oh my goodness. What did he just witnessed?!

This young lady of 16 to 17 years old emanated a glaring Rule radiance that was even brighter than Rhode's. This meant that she had transcended into the Legendary Stage and possessed Peak Legendary strength. However, this wasn't what stunned him the most. Instead, it was the blue and fiery colors flickering within the radiance.

Double talents!

Amund gulped. No matter how he stared at the young lady, he couldn't understand how Rhode managed to recruit that many young legendary beings. As a Spellcaster, he sharply sensed the aura exuding from her. Even though the aura was faint, it was filled with majestic and oppressive powers.

Amund felt like he was going insane because it was too illogical. He scanned the two young ladies and was sure that they were pure humans and weren't long-living mixed races. Besides, they didn't cast any delusional spell to conceal their appearances. They were indeed teenagers.

But how can ordinary humans obtain such powerful strength?

Amund turned to Rhode and the latter maintained his calm expression. Amund knew that there was a rumor regarding this young man that he had a massive, mysterious family as his backing. However, no families were this powerful to appoint two young legendary beings to be bodyguards. Even though Lydia held legendary forces under her, there were only about two to three of them, including Amund. But now, he sensed that the two young ladies were much more powerful than him... What is this about?

"No wonder you're so confident, Earl Rhode. Now I finally understand why those unfortunate skeletons failed to take down your fortress," Amund said.

In fact, he also knew why Rhode required the two equipment now. He easily perceived that the magical armor on Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were of intermediate grades, which were severely inconsistent with their strength. With the two legendary equipment, they would surely turn into tigers with grown wings. However, Amund was a little dubious. Powerful beings would more or less possess some formidable equipment, so why didn't the two young ladies have any?

Rhode shrugged while Canary nodded with a smile.

"You're... Miss Canary, right?"

Amund looked at her and asked courteously.

"Please pardon my rudeness. I've never heard of your name. Are you a graduate of the Mage School?"

"My apologies, Sir Amund."

Compared to Mini Bubble Gum, Canary was much gentler. She bowed politely.

"I never entered the Mage School. In fact, I'm a Self-taught Mage."

"Self-taught Mage...?!"

Amund was flabbergasted and revealed a look of disbelief. On this Dragon Soul Continent, many people possessed spellcasting talents. However, as they didn't go through systematic learning, it was arduous for them to take their learning journey further. Most of them would degenerate into being vaudeville artists or vulgar, low level Mages and they were mostly called Self-taught Mages. Of course, this was a term to mock them.

But...

Amund gazed at Canary who was putting up a sincere and gentle smile. However, he sensed the pride within her that was regarding her identity, and this was the thoughts of a player.

Players were mostly ordinary, but they unwilling to admit that. They looked down on those who rapidly went up in the world. On the contrary, they were more interested in those who were self-reliant. Just like in martial arts novels, a chivalrous person born with the identity of a nobody was definitely more popular than one who was brought up in a prestigious family. This was the same in the game. Mages who were brought up in Mage School were proud and arrogant against Self-taught Mages. To the players, Self-taught Mages represented taking on unusual journeys. They were like wild grass: lowly, ordinary, and seen everywhere. However, even a prairie fire couldn't destroy the grass. They didn't have exquisite education like the spellcaster nobles, relied on themselves step by step, and mastered their extraordinary techniques. Wasn't this much more satisfying? Especially after looking at the NPCs with faces full of shock yelling: "What?! Such a powerful being is actually a Self-taught Mage?!"

That feeling of satisfaction...

"You must have felt great."

Standing on the tall platform and gazing at the scenery in the distance, Rhode looked at Canary with smiles in his eyes. After listening to Canary's self-introduction, Amund's amazed expression was obvious to all. However, this shock was apparently too much for him. He stayed around for a while and eventually left hurriedly after politely declining Rhode's persuasion to stay. Of course, Rhode knew what was going on in Amund's mind. Rhode had two formidable forces under him and it was impossible that Amund wouldn't worry about it at all. Perhaps he might even investigate on Canary's background. After all, a powerful Spellcaster was actually a Self-taught Mage. This was a totally shocking news.

"That's for sure, Rhode."

Canary stood quietly beside him. She put on the 'Magic Prayer' robe. It was a deep red, gorgeous robe with two pieces of ribbon hanging from the shawl that were inlaid with black iron in the shape of burning flames. The young lady wore a slanted, heavy Mage hat, as well as a pair of black leather gloves stitched with golden threads that showed a mysterious pattern. She seemed so endearing and also slender and petite under the thick Mage robe. Upon hearing Rhode's words, Canary twitched her brow and revealed a proud smile.

"Isn't this what all Self-taught Mages seek for? Just look at Sir Amund's face. This is all worth it. Hehe..."

"Good things are all taken up by you, Big Sister."

Mini Bubble Gum stomped her foot and pouted.

"Damn it. I also want to show my strength to the Church. Haha. Those idiots will surely kneel before me and sing high praises... Hmph. What a pity. If it isn't because I can't leave this place, I will surely storm my way to the Church in the Country of Law and show them how capable I am!—atchoo!"

The little girl's proud delusions were dashed in this sneeze. At that moment, she had already put on her 'Holy Spirit' armor, but it looked rather strange as compared to Canary's standard robe. Even though they were made from magical cloth, the upper part of the 'Holy Spirit' armor set was made from a combination of leather armor and noble robe that accentuated her youthful body. The collar and cuffs were decorated with sacred silver crosses while the lower part of the armor set was a pure, white long skirt with simple designs. Not only that, but she also wore a silver chain belt around her waist and a pair of white leather boots. She looked more like a Battle Angel than a Cleric at this moment.

The 'Magic Prayer' robe and 'Holy Spirit' armor were considered top notch equipment for level 80, but they were barely usable for Canary and Mini Bubble Gum. The equipment that they needed was the standard of armor that Lydia wore. Only with such armors would they restore their original strength.

But Rhode knew that first-rate armor wouldn't simply drop from the sky. Even though the two armors weren't the best, at least they could prevent Canary from getting injured from legendary-tier spells again.

"Ah... It's freezing, Leader. Get it done and head back for our sleep already."

It was midnight, but unlike the past, the entire Fortress was in pitch-blackness and the patrolling soldiers had been withdrawn. Rhode had given strict orders to stop anyone from heading out. Of course. This wasn't the first time for the residents. Besides, they knew what would happen every time Rhode gave such orders.

Rhode stood at the top of the tower and looked down.

It was completely pitch-black in the distance. The chilly wind blew in his face and he stretched out his hand.

Shortly after, a line of system prompt emerged before him.

[Activate System Construction]

Chapter 712: This is The Rhythm of Heartbreak!

In the blink of an eye, the flickering interface enlarged before him and revealed the bird's-eye view overlooking Rhode's territory with the additional weapons and buildings that emerged after the system upgrade. Rhode estimated that if he could upgrade the weapons and buildings to their maximum level, perhaps the Four Legendary Generals would have a hard time dealing with him. Now, not only could he construct magic buildings, but he could also construct hero buildings. The latter was somewhat similar to the existence of a class-advancement palace in the game. In those buildings, experienced NPCs could advance in their classes and they could also recruit and train various military units. However, the buildings were expensive to build and a lot of them were required to be effective. Moreover, every hero buildings had to appoint a qualified personnel to manage the place and they were usually rare to find.

In order to construct and upgrade all the weapons and buildings, he would need to spend at least one billion, and this didn't include subsequent maintenance costs.

Therefore, this could stay as a fantasy for him.

All in all, he was better off focusing on the matters on hand.

Rhode twitched his brows as he shifted his gaze away from the dazzling list of weapons and buildings. Then, he tapped on one of the icons.

[Holy Maiden Statue (Quantity: 1) selected. Please choose to build or upgrade]

Rhode nodded and made his decision. Suddenly, two golden light beams erupted from the ridges on the left and right sides of the fortress and rushed into the clouds. The glaring, holy radiance responded to the Holy Maiden Statue inside the Fortress and blended into one. Two spotlessly white Holy Maiden Statues emerged within the light beams, just like the one inside the Fortress.

"Ah..."

Rhode let out a long sigh. Even though this seemed like a simple procedure, 600,000 gold coins had been used in the process instantly. 600,000 gold coins—a small to medium-sized Trade Association was far from earning this amount in its entire lifetime. These statues were truly the legendary artifacts of the Dragon Soul Continent.

But... this wasn't all.

Rhode shifted his gaze to the system information.

[Holy Maiden Statue (Quantity: 3) selected. Please choose to build or upgrade]

[Holy Maiden Statue Level Upgrade. Level 2 — 300,000 Gold Coins. Lv 3 — 500,000 Gold Coins. Total gold coins required to upgrade all Holy Maiden Statues: 2.4 Million Gold Coins. Confirm to upgrade?]

Even though Rhode was mentally prepared for this, he still gritted his teeth. The Holy Maiden Statue indeed had its deserved reputation. At this moment, its value had once again proudly proven to Rhode why they were the best choices for rich players to show off their wealth. There were a total of three levels for the Holy Maiden Statues—it would require a total of 800,000 gold coins for each statue to reach from the first to third level. With the three statues in place, Rhode had to spend a total of 2.4 million gold coins to upgrade all to their maximum level. In addition, he had also spent 600,000 gold coins to construct the other two new statues. In the blink of an eye, three million gold coins were gone. Even for the wealthy merchants and superior nobles, they would have a hard time forking out this amount.

But it was necessary to spend them.

Upgrade!

Rhode nodded with might and the radiance of the environment suddenly dimmed.

The radiance bursting into the clouds from the Holy Maiden Statues gradually dimmed. Their dazzling brilliance weakened and the barrier enveloping the sky disappeared, leaving countless light balls encircling the crystal statues.

Then, the Holy Maiden Statues reacted.

Their crossed arms slowly stretched forward and displayed a gripping posture. The light balls slowly gathered as though attracted by their extended palms. They twisted, transformed, and shrunk abruptly. Countless light dust fluttered and formed a pure, white spear.

The statue maiden clutched the spear with both hands and pointed it to the sky.

The dazzling white radiance vanished entirely. But everyone felt the holiness in the air. The sacred, elegant, and brisk atmosphere had as though merged with the land, air, and water as one.

I succeeded.

Rhode nodded in satisfaction. Even though the statues didn't seem as conspicuous after their level upgrade, their effects had highly increased. Everything within their range would possess holy attributes, where even the rivers of the moat had become holy water. Of course, their effects wouldn't be as effective as the Church's holy water. But, the water had become no different from sulphuric acid for the Undead Creatures. Not only that, but the Holy Maiden Statue range had also expanded after the upgrade, where they enveloped a part of Grenbell, Deep Stone City, and even the territory belonging to the Undead Creatures. Any Undead Creatures that entered the range would be weakened immediately. Only those in the Peak Master to the Legendary Stage and possessed their own rules and awakened talents could save themselves from death. Not only that, but the holy power would also corrode their bodies from time to time and the weaker Undead Creatures would self-destruct to the holy powers even before the battle started.

The Holy Maiden Statues' most valiant weapons were their holy spears, which possessed the most powerful, long-range attack spell among all the legendary weapons with holy attribute. The holy spears could eliminate thousands of Undead Creatures. Low level troops were useless trash before its might and medium level troops would also be harmed. Even though high level troops wouldn't be damaged too badly, they were also evasive of this spell. Unless one was a being in the Peak Legendary Stage, one could forget about resisting this spell. Besides, as legendary artifacts, the Holy Maiden Statues had unlimited source of power as long as they were under the protection of the Light Dragon Soul.

Of course, the flaws of the Holy Maiden Statues were that their effects were only effective on Undead Creatures and the holy spears needed to charge up. However, this was also why Rhode spent such a huge price in constructing the three statues—with the three Holy Maiden Statues, he could rotate the usages of the holy spears without interruptions.

But this wasn't enough.

Rhode admired the upgraded Holy Maiden Statues and shifted his attention to the system interface. As a Fortress built by the border, more safety arrangements were required and he didn't have an official and complete defense system on hand. Previously, he succeeded in taking down the Undead Army from catching them off guard. Moreover, the Undead Army had only ambushed and didn't attack the Fortress directly. It could be said that there was not much to choose from between both sides. Rhode relied on Mini Bubble Gum and Canary to settle the opposition, but this wasn't a permanent plan, after all. It was essential for any border fortresses to set up a complete defense system.

He already had a plan as to how to build a complete defense system.

He extended his hand and swiped on the system interface. Shortly after, a few familiar names emerged.

[Core Building: Magic Spring (The tide of magic flows under the earth) Construction Cost: 50,000 Gold Coins]

[Magic Building: Spell Tower (The supreme spell above the sky represents all matters) Construction Cost: 150,000 Gold Coins]

The Magic Spring was the core strength of all fortresses with magical attribute. It could coalesce the magical powers of the region and provide energy for the equipment, buildings, weapons, and enchanted fields. Back then, Rhode didn't possess such an artifact and also had no intentions of purchasing one. The reason was that the Magic Spring's construction blueprints were in the hands of the Royal Mage Association and various Mage organizations and never sold to the public. If he wished to rely on them in building the Magic Spring, he would need to give them some benefits. Besides, the Magic Spring was the driving core of the Fortress and he wasn't confident in handing it to outsiders. Moreover, it would take a long time to build the spring, where more than a couple of years was needed to search for the magic coalescing point.

It would be better if he didn't need to spend any money...

The Spell Tower was commonly referred to as the Mage Tower. If the Magic Spring was the driving core, the Mage Tower would be a steady tool. Powerful Mages would distribute and utilize the powers gathered from the Magic Spring in their own Mage Towers. During battles, they could also use the interactions between the Mage Tower and Magic Spring to release large-scale defense enchanted field and attacking spells to drive enemies away.

Of course, this was only the start. A computer with only hardware would be useless without software and operating system. But it was Rhode's priority to settle the hardware and operating system first before dealing with the others.

Rhode quickly made a decision.

Build the Magic Spring, Spell Tower, upgrade the city walls to level three, and build the Silver Tower.

The ground trembled.

The Fortress swelled and twisted strangely. The three-meters-wide city walls beneath his feet extended and ascended to the peak of the mountain by the side and distinct steps emerged from the flat surface. The tall, cross-shaped platform on the Silver Tower formed a stable defense net. But miraculously, even though Rhode was among the transformation, he felt that his footing was oddly stable. If he shut his eyes, perhaps he wouldn't feel anything as though nothing had changed.

Rhode shook his head and turned the other direction. On one of the empty fields, a fountain-like construction emerged from the ground and azure 'spring water' squirted from its center—that was the matchless, abundant magical powers.

A pitch-black, tall tower twisted into shape.

The gigantic tower rose silently with the Magic Spring in the middle. The solid city walls were as though soft soil that merged together with the six to seven floors tall, circular tower with a spire. At the same time, magical rays flashed from the pitch-black tower, which formed exquisite, hovering runes. The surface of the tower cracked, shattered, and revealed its white, beautiful appearance. The platform floating in midair was connected by a silver-whitish suspended spiral stairs that extended downward. A round gem flashing with colorful magical powers hovered at the peak of the tower while faint magical rings expanded with it in the middle and brought about a mysterious vibe.

"Phew..."

Rhode let out a sigh of relief. He had spent much less than he did on the Holy Maiden Statues. The upgrading of the Magic Spring to level three had cost him a total of 180,000 gold coins while the Spell Tower cost 300,000 gold coins. The extension and strengthening of the city walls cost much lesser at 50,000 gold coins only. In fact, Rhode had already realized that the cost was much cheaper than he had to pay to the Mage associations, where the lowest price that they charge would be starting from 500,000 gold coins while he didn't even need to spend more than 180,000 gold coins using his system. It seemed that the system only calculated the cost of raw materials and manufacturing, without the consideration for manpower and transportation.

However, the next was the main event.

"Leader, surely you don't intend to rely on these things to defend the Fortress?"

"Of course not."

Rhode shook his head.

"Our biggest problem now is the lack of manpower and it won't be enough to rely on you two and the mercenaries. We need much stronger firepower to defend the Fortress!"

"Heh... Huh?" Mini Bubble Gum responded instinctively. Then, she exclaimed in astonishment and gazed at the system interface. "Hey, wait. Leader, don't tell me you're...!"

"Of course." Rhode curled his lips. At this moment, a line of system text emerged before him.

[Weapon: Mid-range Magic Cannons (This angry attack is unstoppable) Level 1. Cost: 50,000 Gold Coins]

[Quantity: 100]

The sleek city walls transformed while square holes emerged in the walls. Enormous cannons forged from fine, gold steel spurted white steam. Steel capstans taller than humans spun continuously and pushed the cannons out from the holes of the city walls. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of magic cannons arranged in two straight rows were seen. Not only that, but dozens of holes for the cannons also emerged in the observation tower wall above. The cannons reflected an ice-cold radiance under the illuminating moonlight. In an instant, the entire Fortress appeared seemingly like a threatening monster baring fangs and brandishing its claws.

"Thicker armors. Stronger firepowers. Higher quantities. This is the essence of my cannon turrets."

Rhode gazed at the menacing cannon tower and snapped his fingers proudly. "It's a pity. If I have enough money, I would have built more than 500 magic cannons..."

"Tsk. How boring. What's the point of having that many cannon turrets?" Mini Bubble Gum let out a snort.

Rhode turned around with his emotionless face and swept a quick glance at her. "What's wrong with relying on the cannons?"

"Hmph." Mini Bubble Gum sneered while Rhode shrugged.

"Alright alright. Both of you. Stop bickering... Isn't everything fine as long as the cannon turrets are useful?" Canary showed a bitter smile.

It seems like they haven't changed at all.

Chapter 713: Toughest Problem

Rhode's choice of possessing that many magic cannons wasn't purely due to his dedication to being a part of the Multi-Cannon Turret Party. There were also other basis and reasons. The Diamat Campaign had been in the focus of debate between the Multi-Cannon Turret Party and RPG Party in the game. As the largest magic warship in the Munn Kingdom, the Saint Lady Vessel that carried 3500 magic cannons was the materialization of 'Billion of turrets. Billions of glory'. Standing before this Heavenly Class Magic Warship, the Undead Army's 'human wave attack' was completely stomped, where millions of Undead Creatures were annihilated by the pouring light beams from above.

However, no matter how powerful the Saint Lady Vessel was, it was still a man-made object, after all. It didn't stand a chance against the Four Legendary Generals. Therefore, the re-emergence of the RPG Party meant that the Multi-Cannon Turret Party was ultimately the historical dust and the RPG Party remained unified throughout the ages. Of course. The Multi-Cannon Turret Party refused to believe in such fallacious reasoning. They didn't think that their cannon turrets were too weak. Instead, they expressed that they just didn't have enough cannon turrets. Some people even hooted to create a thousand Saint Lady Vessels to blast the entire Country of Darkness. Many others also expressed that Four Legendary Generals were required to deal with a single magic warship, so how about facing thousands of warships?! The Four Legendary Generals would surely be annihilated by the Multi-Cannon Turret Party!

There were indeed many players who believed that the Diamat Campaign had explained that quantity was a good solution to deal with the Undead Creatures. Of course, the individuals must have high attacking strength to overcome the Undead Creatures. In fact, in the later stages of the game, many player tactics in dealing with Undead Creatures was created based on this. This was because the players' strength was stronger than the NPCs and following appropriate commands, a large group of players could easily oppress the Undead Creatures. In the later stages after the Country of Darkness attacked, the Light Mainland, player territories, and regions with spellcasters could defend against the Undead Creatures successfully. For example, the Mage Association's Sky Castle or the Church's Glory City. Both organizations had far-range attacking units and powerful AOE spells.

It was due to this that Rhode had chosen to build a hundred mid-range magic cannons. Quality was definitely necessary against the Undead Army's 'human wave attack' attack. However, it wouldn't be too effective if he emphasized too much on quality. Taking the Holy Maiden Statue, for instance—Rhode could produce five to six of them with his money and rely on their holy spears to envelope almost half the Land of Atonement with their aura. However, the holy spears needed to charge up beforehand with targeted enemies and it was meaningless because the enemies' tactics were ever changing. If the enemies chose to descend from above, the Holy Maiden Statues wouldn't be able to react swiftly as their holy spears couldn't attack the sky and ground simultaneously.

Rhode wouldn't be afraid if the Holy Maiden Statues' attack range was large enough to cover Paphield entirely.

But it was only a fantasy.

The next morning.

Everyone was taken aback after they woke up, prepared, and stepped out of their rooms. Although Rhode had merely modified the defense buildings, many of them were flabbergasted as they couldn't comprehend how the changes happened overnight. But, they had gotten used to such transformations after living in the fortress for a long time. Previously, they were astounded by the emergence of the Holy Maiden Statue and now, the city walls had rose and extended further while an additional white Spell Tower was built. They felt more amazed than doubtful. After all, many of them had guessed that this young overlord was up to something after he ordered a curfew.

On the other hand, Beni looked for Rhode with her doubts. She was unwilling to accept his orders because it didn't make sense to issue a curfew with the current defenses in place. However, Rhode expressed that he had something important to attend to, which was why Beni eventually accepted. But now, she couldn't hold her curiosity in any longer.

Of course, Rhode couldn't tell her the truth. He merely told her that he did it by himself in order to strengthen the Fortress' defenses and kept the construction process a secret.

Even though Beni was still dubious, she respected Rhode's decision in not revealing it since she didn't feel any evil aura within the Fortress. As long as it had nothing to do with evil, she didn't mind what methods Rhode used to build them.

If she were a human, perhaps she would have used all ways to seek the secret in constructing building overnight due to its overwhelming benefits. But Angels were kind, fair, uphold justice, and took no notice to the technological advancements of humans... Since Rhode didn't use any evil means to harm any innocents souls and violate the meaning of Order, it didn't matter to her at all.

Now that the new buildings were constructed, they needed to be filled with residents. The owner of the Spell Tower would undoubtedly be Canary and as a max level 85 legendary player, she was familiar with its operations. Besides, Rhode had also adjusted correspondingly to shift Lapis's alchemy workshop into the tower. The existence of the Magic spring was beneficial for the creation success rate of the alchemy equipment.

It was also necessary to recruit apprentices who would cultivate into being Mages. Rhode had passed down his order to select some members with spellcasting talents to enter the Spell Tower and receive guidance from Canary. With the Magic spring's enhancement, the Sphere of Mystery's training ground, and Canary's guidance, the members would definitely become a powerful force in the future.

In fact, in order to be fair, Rhode had intended to build a hero sanctuary for Mini Bubble Gum too. As long as he appointed Mini Bubble Gum as the owner, she could train the Clerics even better. But he gave up on this idea after considering that the Church was located near his territory. Currently, he didn't have any Mage Associations in his Fortress and it was still fine for him to build a Spell Tower. However, it would mean trouble if the Church knew that he had built a hero sanctuary as he couldn't explain how he had built such a majestic building overnight.

But this wasn't the biggest problem at the moment.

"Sigh..."

Rhode leaned back on the chair, tossed the document to the side, and rubbed his forehead. Money would forever be insufficient. Lydia had given him ten million gold coins and he was left with almost none after one night from constructing and upgrading the Holy Maiden Statues, strengthening and extending the city walls, building the Spell Tower, Magic spring, and Silver Tower. Not only that, but he had also spent on a hundred mid-range magic cannons. Almost nine million gold coins just escaped from between his fingers in an instant. The chest full of coins was immediately left with a pitiful amount... That was an indescribable sadness...

This problem didn't seem too huge on the surface. The remainder of around one million coins could last for a long time. However, Rhode wasn't having a headache over this. Instead... He currently didn't possess any means to make money.

Although his territory was huge and appeared influential on the map, they were located in uninhabited regions without villages, towns, commercial routes, and agriculture. On the contrary, the other overlords had cities and received benefits from the towns and villages, just like Paphield region. Although Papield's overlord lived in Deep Stone City, there were still a number of towns and villages within Paphield. Moreover, Paphield had a mature commercial system, where there weren't any issues with foodstuff reservation and cash flow.

But what else did Rhode have apart from the Land of Atonement Fortress?

Nothing.

There used to be a small village, but Rhode brought the villagers into the Fortress in order to maintain its operations. Currently, that village had lost its function and appeared more like a sentry camp. Rhode's source of income mostly came from the Silver Libra Trade Association, Keller Trade Association, and selling Lapis' concocted potions.

As for taxes?

Most of the residents in Land of Atonement were workers, civilians, and mercenaries. How much taxes could he expect with this population structure? Moreover, most of the mines had stopped operating for safety reasons after the war began. In such a situation, it was debatable that Rhode didn't fork out money to provide them a living, so how could he even levy taxes from them? He wouldn't be able to gain a few copper coins even after peeling their skin.

Perhaps Lydia was aware of Rhode's situation, which explained why she had given him ten million and provided supplies at no cost. If not, how could she make a territory with insufficient funds to mobilize soldiers and recruit soldiers against the Undead Army? It wasn't an issue for Rhode to spend his own money to purchase foodstuff to feed the residents of the fortress. However, it was still far from possible for him to recruit enough soldiers.

He couldn't only rely on Lapis in concocting the alchemy potions, after all, but he didn't have any other means. Wars burned money and he was deeply aware of this. He regretted not asking for fifty million back then.

"Huhuhu. He who takes charge knows the price of fuel and rice, Master."

Rhode turned to the crisp, lively voice and saw Gillian sitting by the side. Even though it was winter, she wore a black off-shoulder robe, skirt with red linings, stockings, and buckskin boots as though she wasn't afraid of the cold at all.

She rested her elbows on the chair back, placed her chin on her hands, and swayed her head boringly. Her red, fluffy tailed shook left and right.

"We used to rely on Bubble, but it's all on you now, Master. This is the sad truth for players who spent money on the game. As soon as the currency can't be used, they will turn into pieces of crap..."

"If you have the time to crack wise, why not help me think of ways to earn money?"

Rhode rolled his eyes. He was no longer concerned about Gillian's true identity as to why she, as an Elemental Lord of this world, would understand him and the people around him so well. Rhode tried asking Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, but both of them had no impression of the name 'Gillian' at all...

Gillian let out a chuckle. Then, she lifted her head and shook her finger.

"There are indeed some ways, Master. Besides, it's right under your nose. Don't tell me that you're not aware of when wars are the most prone to happen in which places and eras? This is a low-input, and high-yield trade."

"War money?" Rhode puckered his brows. "I know wars are great opportunities, but we have nothing. Gillian, don't tell me that you're thinking of relying on Lapis's alchemy potions to make earn a living?"

"Hehehe..." Gillian stood up and shook her head. She gazed at Rhode and extended a finger. "Of course not, Master. You've guessed it wrong, but it's close enough. Little Lapis doesn't even have enough potions for us, so what's the point of her selling them for money? We can grasp the trump card to make money and if everything goes well, that will be a profitable sale."

"Trump card to make money?" Rhode knitted his brows and scanned the fox-eared young lady before him. He thought about it for a moment and eventually shook his head. He knew that he had something on hand, but didn't think that they were qualified to make a huge fortune. But, other than them, he couldn't think of anything else... Suddenly, his eyes glinted. Could it be...

"Currently, tjr Munn Kingdom... No. The entire Light Mainland is in crisis."

Gillian strolled to the window and gazed at the scenery. The mountains covered by snow and the Holy Maiden Statues with their raised spears.

"The group of idiots in Country of Light can't handle it and it seems unlikely for other regions of the Munn Kingdom. Master, the aura from the Holy Maiden Statues turns misfortune into blessing, but the others aren't that fortunate. They can't hold back the Undead Creatures and can only cower in the face of death."

The young lady turned around.

"But now, they don't have to worry about the threats anymore. Just look at our Holy Maiden Statues, Master. Such beauty and elegance. More importantly, they can detect the Undead Creatures, provide wide protection, and weaken their attacking strength. Not only can they beautify your territory, but also save you from troubles. Pick up your phone now and order to receive a 20 percent discount. Only spend 998 and you can prevent the Undead Creatures from infiltrating, receive a defense enchanted field, holy spears, and beautifying effects for your backyard. It has been through ISO9001 verifications and received authorized license. The first one hundred customers will stand a chance to win a set of magical potions! How about that? Just 998. It's so cheap. Pick up your phone and order now!" The fox-eared young lady snapped her fingers. "How's this advertisement? Master?"

Rhode gazed at her in silence. After a few moments, he finally spoke. "What you mean was... They can be used for other purposes?"

"Yes, Master." Gillian narrowed her eyes. She winked with her long eyelashes and revealed a mysterious smile. "Even though you've made them using your system, they do exist in reality. Apart from the gold coins, you also needed magic crystals to build them, right? If they don't exist, you can simply see them in your head, so what's the point of spending so much money then?"

"But..." Rhode was speechless.

In fact, he had indeed neglected the Holy Maiden Statues. The reason was simple. They were within his territory and created by the system, which was why he subconsciously categorized them as to be used within his territory and perhaps predicted that they would be utterly destroyed as soon as they were out of the range. But now...

"Gillian." Rhode gazed into her eyes; the pair of clear, mysterious eyes. "Is this world... real?"

"I remember you've asked me this question in the past, Master. I understand your worries, but I can clearly tell you that this is a real world, so don't worry about you having tubes stuck into the back of your head or actually being in an endless dream. Of course, I think those who realized that they have tubes stuck into the back of their heads and found it necessary to abandon their blessed virtual lives for the sake of living without enjoyment are extremely strange, that is."

"But, this construction system and I..."

"I understand what's going on in your head."

This was the first time that Gillian's voice was this gentle and calm. She laid down her hands and gazed silently at Rhode.

"I guarantee that you're alive, Master. The blood flowing inside you isn't data. Your body isn't made up of 00 and 01 components. This world is the same, just like earth; a living world. Little Lize, Little Anne, Little Lapis are all the same. In here, they are neither data nor illusion. They exist."

"..." Rhode pondered in silence. After a few moments, he let out a long sigh. "Whereas for the reason why I'm here and everything that has happened to me, you still won't tell me about it, right?"

"That isn't something that I can say, Master." Gillian displayed her usual, cheerful and witty smile. "I'm not qualified and in no position to tell you all about it. But I believe that you will find out the truth one day."

"..." Rhode lowered his head. He was having mixed feelings in his head. Some excitement and ridiculous disappointment. But, shortly after, he shook his head and took in a deep breath to calm himself down. Then, he looked at the fox-eared young lady. "Alright. Let's discuss the next issue."

Chapter 714: Reinforcements

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Bayer loosened his grip on the reins and his warhorse gradually slowed down to a halt. He turned around and gazed at the long, orderly rows of soldiers struggling forward. The thick snow had obstructed the army's speed. The infantries trudged through the ten-meters thick snow, where even the tall, might warhorses grunted. Moreover, if it wasn't for the leading troops who cleared the path, perhaps the supply chariots at the back would be caught in the snow entirely.

"Old man, is anything the issue?"

A young knight came to a halt beside Bayer. The latter turned around and glared fiercely, which the young man quickly changed his form of address.

"Sir, is anything the matter?"

"Nothing. I just think that we're advancing rather slowly. The weather is great. We should move faster."

Bayer shook his head and let out a long sigh. Then, he shifted his gaze to the sky. The weather was sunny and cloudless at the moment. Moreover, it didn't seem to be snowing anytime soon. Perhaps this was the only good news in the most recent days.

"No problem, old man. We have enough time to reach our destination as long as those guys in front work hard enough."

Unlike Bayer who had put on a stern expression, the young man shook his head casually. He had a head full of light chestnut-colored short hair and his face resembled Bayer's to a certain extent. Bayer cursed inwardly at the sloppy character of this younger son of his. He thought that his son would learn seriousness and discipline by sending him to the military. However, he learned the craftiness of the experienced soldiers, which left Bayer in a headache. Even though this young man also had outstanding military service, Bayer stubbornly believed that his son was simply lucky. This time, it was a huge matter for Bayer to lead the army into the Land of Atonement Fortress to defend against the Undead Creatures' infiltrations. If it was possible, Bayer hoped to not bring his troublesome son along, but he didn't know why the young man insisted in following after knowing that his fiancée, Serena, would be joining as a military Mage. However, the young man behaved rather well along the way. Even though he was still as rude as ever, he didn't overstep the bounds of what was proper.

"Our responsibilities for this mission are huge. You need to hide your bad habits and not screw things up, Frederick!"

Bayer pulled down his mask and berated. On the other hand, Frederick turned around and secretly pulled a face. Then, he turned the horse around.

"By the way, Serena, do you know what kind of place is the Land of Atonement Fortress? Gosh. Don't tell me that it is an out-of-the-way uncivilized territory."

"As a noble heir, you should watch your words, Frederick."

The young lady wrapped in plush mink coat and sat on the white warhorse lifted her head. She gazed at her fiancé's frivolous smiling face and shook her head while sighing.

"Although Land of Atonement is desolate, it isn't located in the hinterland. I've heard from merchants that it has a tall, majestic city fortress. Even though most of the rumors were exaggerated, I think they might be reliable since the fortress has defended against the Undead Creatures' raid."

"That's interesting... By the way, I heard that there is a popular 'Mercenary Overlord', right? Serena, you should have seen that Sir Overlord since you've participated in the Dragon Soul Ceremony as a diplomatic group. Does he look like a beauty just like the rumors mentioned?"

"You should watch your mouth, Frederick." Serena glared. "That Sir Overlord isn't one who is nice. I advise you to not poke fun of his face because even your father can't protect you if anything happens."

"I know. I know. I'm just trying to hype up the mood."

Frederick spread his arms apart helplessly and curled his lips.

"Alright, I'll stop joking around. Serena, what kind of a person is that Sir Overlord?"

Frederick glanced to the side and saw his father slowly approaching them on his warhorse. It was apparent that the old man was also interested in the young overlord. But, come to think of it, who in the entire Munn Kingdom wasn't interested in this rumored 'Mercenary Overlord'? Not only did he perform well in the Midsummer Festival, but he also participated in the Dragon Soul Ceremony and thrashed the Light Parliament's Magician Knights. Moreover, he relied on his forces to defend against the Undead Army. His achievements were known far and wide in the entire Munn Kingdom. It was especially so for his abilities in dealing with the Undead Army because the other reputable nobles and army leaders were caught unprepared against the raids.

Even the Eastern Plains that was most experienced in dealing with Undead Creatures had also sunk into a stalemate. However, they were doing much better than others. The pitiful old overlord of Silent Field had crumbled entirely. Lydia was extremely dissatisfied that the old overlord evacuated his own family and disregarded the civilians. Even though his sin wasn't worthy of death, it was an equally harsh punishment to strip his noble title off.

Only Rhode's Land of Atonement Fortress stood strong against the Undead Creatures. Not only that, but he also repelled their attacks twice, which surprised many. They didn't expect that a young overlord who obtained the territory for less than a year to perform so well. Besides, no matter the Land of Atonement or Grenbell, they were located in remote, uninhabited places. Although Rhode had mercenaries in his command, the nobles were clear that the mercenaries weren't reliable. If not, they wouldn't need to have their own private soldiers.

But the young overlord successfully relied on that small number of people to defend against the Undead Army?

Is he really that powerful?

Serena let out a sigh. She turned around and gazed at the chariots and knights who were donned in exquisite, yet different style of armor. They were representatives of noble families and local armies and were headed for Land of Atonement to assist in defending and transporting supplies. However, Serena knew what was going on in their heads. They wished to witness how Rhode went into battle and defeated the Undead Creatures. After all, this was the most important matter on hand.

I hope they don't get into trouble.

Serena turned to her fiancé. No matter what, I must watch this fellow closely.

"He is an outstanding young man just like the rumors, Frederick. No matter which generation of young noblemen, such a talent is rare to find. Even though he is always expressionless, he is surprisingly not a man of little words. He is knowledgeable and smart..."

Serena said and recalled the things that Rhode had told them when he led them on a 'one day trip' in Casabianca. She had to admit that the 'trip' had moved her.

"But he isn't easy to deal with, and nor is he soft-hearted. So I advise you to act meticulously. Don't stir trouble or mess with anyone once we're there. Also..." Serena swept a glance to the back. "We're following Royal Highness Lydia's orders to come here and provide reinforcements. Don't be half-hearted when mixing with those people behind."

Serena paused and turned to Frederick.

"Keep all your bad habits."

"I know. I know. Serena, you're always worrying too much. Relax. I know my limit."

Frederick yawned and as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a majestic shadow.

"Our final batch of reinforcements are here."

Rhode stood on the balcony and observed the densely moving black spots on the mountainous path.

This was the final batch of reinforcements that Lydia had promised Rhode and they were the local nobles and armies. But there were only 1500 of them. Most of them were crossbow shooters while the others were knights and swordsmen. Of course, the reason was simple why they didn't board the floating boats, but went on foot: because they were also serving the task of escorting supplies.

Apart from food supplies and weapons, logistics workers like craftsmen were also included. It could be seen that Lydia understood the situation of Rhode's fortress well, which didn't surprise Rhode at all. She was a smart ruler and this was to be expected.

"Marfa." Rhode turned around. "Watch those guys and make sure they don't stir any troubles."

"Yes, Sir. I'll get going now."

The middle-aged swordsman nodded with might before leaving. Rhode turned around and squinted at the slow moving troops on the mountainous path. The reason why Rhode had given this order was that he knew this army constitution was complicated. Even though they were reinforcements, more than half were originally assigned reinforcements. The remaining ones were noble and army representatives from other regions sent here as 'helpers', which included some Mages and Clerics. Rhode didn't investigate on purpose. Instead, when the name list was presented to him, their family names were already included, which was considered a noble etiquette.

On the other hand, Marlene reminded Rhode that he had attracted a lot of attention due to his outstanding performances in the previous battles. Several noble and army representatives were here because they were eager to express their attitudes to Lydia and probe Rhode's true strength and background.

But Rhode wasn't afraid of them finding out any secrets. In fact, their arrival fitted his intentions well. It was especially so for the '998 Sales Plan' that Gillian had thought of.

"Rhode."

At this moment, Marlene's voice sounded.

"They've entered the city fortress."

"Let's go." Rhode turned around and gazed at the young lady beside him. "As the owner, it's time for me to welcome my guests."

"Wow...!"

Frederick lifted his head and awed at the tall, majestic city walls and buildings. The mountains had merged into one with the impregnable city walls. Serena's eyes glinted at the amazing sight. There weren't any traces of battles on the streets and walls. Fully-armored mercenaries were seen roaming the area and gazing curiously at them. The situation was far from what Frederick had imagined. He thought that this place would be suffering from the aftermath of war and needed extra assistance against the Undead Army. He had even fantasized the warm welcome that he would receive when he led the soldiers into the fortress. The fallen, injured soldiers who laid on the ground had tears flowing down their faces at the sight of his arrival and the anxious Sir Overlord welcomed them with thankful smiles...

But it was a pity that reality and dreams were usually opposite.

The fortress appeared indestructible as though it would stand strong even after the world collapsed. Although there weren't too many civilians roaming the area, the place seemed prosperous. The flat, wide streets weren't crowded at all and looking into the distance, one could even see the mountains on the other side.

"What a wonderful place... Hey, Serena! Look!"

Frederick pointed forward excitedly.

"That's a Spell Tower. It's so beautiful. Serena, do you know who owns that?"

"Stop pointing, Frederick." Serena said bitterly. She rushed to Frederick's side and held down his pointing finger.

"It's a huge crime to disrespect the Spell Tower. The Spell Tower is the symbolization of their honor and positions. Your actions are just like a civilian gesticulating on a noble's family crest! Surely you don't want to be fed to the dogs, right?"

"Argh..."

Frederick pulled his hand back. He even took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers. Then, he turned to Serena with an embarrassed smile.

"This... Of course I don't hope for that. If not, how do we get married if that happened? Why don't you let me give you a kiss like in the fairy tales?"

"Get away!"

Serena glared fiercely while Frederick let out a chuckle.

At this moment, a crisp, melodious, yet apathetic voice sounded the front.

"Greetings. Is everyone the reinforcements from Shafir?"

Frederick laughed cheekily. Then, he turned to the voice.

"That's right. We're... What?!"

The young knight jumped and tugged his reins back instinctively. At the same time, he drew out his sword in a sharp sound of friction. Judging from his natural and unforced movements, it appeared that he was skillful. He displayed a look of astonishment as though he had just seen a ghost. On the other hand, Serena covered her mouth with both hands and stared in disbelief. At this moment, the surrounding knights also sensed the abnormality and swiftly drew their swords. They stared forward dubiously.

Agatha stood silently before them. Her expression was as cold as ice. She disregarded all the shimmering, razor-sharp blades, lifted her head, and gazed at the young man.

"If that's the case, can I check your documentation?"

"This... This..."

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Bayer emerged from the crowd on his warhorse. He was wide-eyed as soon as he saw Agatha and fortunately, he didn't fall off his saddle.

"Y-You are..."

"I'm Sir Overlord's general manager, Agatha."

She stooped over and the tentacles beside her spread out as though a lady lifting the hem of her skirt.

"If it is possible, I would like to check everyone's documentation."

"Of... Of course. No problem."

Even though Bayer was stupefied, he nodded in agreement. Shortly after, he retrieved an envelope from his pocket. Agatha extended her 'hand' and along with her movements, everyone witnessed her tentacle extending toward Bayer and they were nervous. They leaned in to Bayer, clutched their sword hilts, and stared anxiously at the slowly extending tentacle.

However, Agatha wasn't mindful of their behaviors at all. She took over the letter from Bayer and held it with both hands. Two strands of hair on the side of her head danced and extended to open the envelope and retrieve the letter. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the content before finally nodding. Then, the two strands of hair placed the letter back into the envelope, sealed it back, and returned it to Bayer. It was apparent that Bayer's thoughts were wandering. He flipped the envelope in his hands with a look of disbelief.

"Sir Overlord has been waiting for your arrival. Please follow me. As for the soldiers, we will arrange to bring them to their accommodation. Thank you everyone for coming all the way here to provide assistance."

"T-This... Haha... You're welcome..."

Frederick let out an awkward laugh. Then, he gazed at Serena.

It seems like my choice to come here is right.