1073-1081

Chapter 1073: Unexpected Negotiations

Meanwhile, Erin felt depressed.

Even though Ion handed the entire matter to her, she felt anxious for both sides. Since she was the moon princess of the Country of Darkness, she couldn't possibly commit treason. But on the other hand, she couldn't work half-heartedly for Rhode since he appointed her as a plenipotentiary representative. This wasn't because Erin had some emotional entanglement with Rhode. But instead, her innate character was similar to Lydia's; perfectionists who either perfected things or not accomplish it at all. In this case, slacking definitely didn't fit Erin. At this point in time, she wished that both sides would each take a step back. But she didn't know just how far the situation would go because Rhode currently had the upper hand. Despite that, she also had her own channels. Although she didn't hear what Rhode said back then, she knew that he was a tough person through their interactions and he would prefer to have no one winning than to concede to his enemy.

Besides, Erin knew that the Country of Darkness wasn't actually flawless. Relative to the strongest forces, the Country of Darkness was too weak. Currently, based on Erin's senses about the situation in the Void Territory, she knew that there were at least five to six people with about the same level of strength as the four legendary generals or were definitely stronger. Furthermore, the earlier clash also proved that her views were still conservative, with one dead and one injured among the four legendary generals, where even Balende almost failed to make it back alive!

Erin was confident that if the Void Territory and Country of Darkness were to break out in a war, the former might end up with heavy losses, while the latter would face much more trouble. As long as Rhode's subordinates took out all the formidable beings in the Country of Darkness, the Country of Darkness would crumble instantly. The formidable beings of the Country of Darkness grew over time and an unlimited amount of time let them prepare sufficiently. 50, 100, 300, 500, and 1000 years; many formidable beings in the Country of Darkness were, in fact, the model examples of how 'acquired diligence could make up for innate deficiencies and defects'. They might have lacked talents, but a sufficient amount of patience and wisdom ensured that as long as they had enough time, they could distinguish themselves. This was why the Country of Darkness had such a high level of battle strength, which was also a powerful guarantee of strength.

But if Rhode were to lead his men and eradicate them all, the Country of Darkness would be doomed because in terms of the improvement of strength, low-level undead creatures couldn't compete with humans at all. Perhaps after another 50 to 100 years, another batch of undead creatures would rise above others. But with that much time, many more formidable humans would have already distinguished themselves!

Once the Country of Darkness lost the advantage that time gave them, their advantage over other territories would be limited. It was apparent that Rhode could make them lose the advantage. Erin knew that Rhode was the sort of guy who would rather everyone die together than to have someone excel over him. In this case, Rhode was definitely capable of doing things to harm others without benefiting himself.

It was due to Erin's understanding of the dangers Rhode could bring to the Country of Darkness that she was so serious about her duties. But on the other hand, she was worried that Rhode would commit daylight robbery. If it were only an extortion of 'mental compensation', Erin wouldn't have much objection. But Rhode's ambitions were terrifying. For instance, he might request the Country of Darkness to withdraw from the territory that they occupied in the Country of Light... If that happened, there would be no room for negotiation at all. What was worse was that based on Erin's understanding of Rhode, she felt like the possibilities of him doing so were really high because he wasn't afraid of starting a war with the Country of Darkness.

On the contrary, Erin didn't want to start a war with the Void Territory, as it was like a clash between an ancient noble family and a newly-established noble family. The ancient noble family had time, deep, stable foundations, and countless family members. On the other hand, even though the newly-established noble family only had small areas of land, they were full of vigor. Although they didn't have many family members, they weren't weak either. After both sides erupted in a clash, the newly-established noble family might be crippled by the ancient noble family. However, they were young and energetic and would perhaps curl their lips and curse at the ancient family, at the very least. Even if they returned in defeat, they could continue to build new houses in their homeland. Perhaps this might be a good thing for them as tearing down the dilapidated wreckage would allow them to construct postmodern buildings with new, artistic styles. But what about the ancient noble family? Their centuries-old foundation would perish to nothingness. The once bustling family became cheerless and desolate. Buildings with historical heritage would be burned to ashes with only pieces of broken bricks remaining. Maybe some would be unwilling and dissatisfied, but would they be able to restore the glorious times of their ancient family?

No one knew.

'He who is down need not fear nor fall'. Perhaps Erin wasn't aware of this phrase, but the meaning was common. Be it victory or defeat when the Country of Darkness clashed with the Void Territory, the Country of Darkness would be the one suffering the loss. Besides, in consideration to the strength of Rhode and his subordinates, the chances of them winning were also hard to determine.

As of now, Erin didn't have any great solutions. If things didn't work out, she considered that she might need to sacrifice herself to make them work. When Ion sent her over to the Void Territory, he must have had a certain motive. If she was able to resolve the issue effortlessly, it would naturally be good news for her. She didn't feel wronged for sacrificing herself since she didn't meet any normal men after living in the Country of Darkness for so many years. On the other hand, Rhode was an interesting man to her. She genuinely wouldn't have any issues being with him. Besides, if she could settle the conflict between both sides due to being with him, she could kill two birds with one stone.

However, it would require the technical skills to get herself involved. Erin had the reserved personality of a princess, unlike some noble young ladies who were at the end of their ropes and could do nothing apart from docilely wrapping themselves up in bed. If this was the extent to Erin's abilities, negotiation would no longer be necessary. This was why before Erin arrived at the living room and saw Rhode, she repeatedly prepared to ensure that nothing would go wrong.

"Please wait here for a moment, Your Highness Erin."

"Okay."

Erin nodded with a smile at Marlene's hospitality. Shortly after, she realized Marlene gazing at her and seemed hesitant to speak. But before Erin asked, Marlene broke the silence.

"Erm... Your Highness Erin, there is something I need to inform you beforehand. Due to some reasons, you're not going to negotiate the terms with His Majesty Rhode."

"Huh? In other words, will you be the one to do it?"

Erin was taken aback. She couldn't help but knit her brows and gaze dubiously at Marlene. Before her arrival to the Void Territory, she had clearly mentioned to Marlene about her purpose in coming. It was due to this that she needed to discuss in detail with Rhode. If not, she could simply discuss with Marlene. But now, Marlene actually told her that she wouldn't be discussing with Rhode?

What does it mean? Could it be that His Majesty Rhode is trying to make me understand my lack of position in politics?

However, Marlene shook her head and denied.

"It won't be me, Your Highness Erin. But don't worry. The result of the negotiation shall represent His Majesty Rhode's intention..."

Marlene said and gave a bow to the moon princess. Then, she turned around and left, leaving Erin staring at her departure, totally unaware of what she meant. During this period of time in Grandia, Erin was clear of the political framework in the Void Territory. Rhode held the most authority in the entire territory, followed by Marlene, where she could fully represent him in some matters. But apart from her, Erin couldn't think of anyone else who had this authority. She thought that Marlene would be representing Rhode to negotiate with her, but... what is going on?

If it isn't Marlene, who is it?

But before Erin had the time to ponder, she received an answer.

Some light footsteps were heard from the corridor outside. She turned around and for some unknown reason, perhaps due to a woman's instincts, she felt like something was strange and unexpected. But she just couldn't figure out what it was, which was why she changed her posture and ensured that she kept her cool to face the situation. At this moment, the footsteps had gotten closer and finally stopped outside the living room door.

The door opened gradually and a slim and slender woman appeared before her.

Upon witnessing the person, Erin widened her eyes in astonishment and became absent-minded for a split second, standing up from her seat. She watched dazedly as the woman sauntered toward her. Who is she?

Erin sized up the young lady, startled. At first glance, Erin thought that she was Rhode's younger sister, Miss Christie, because they looked identical. But she quickly overthrew this thought because this younger sister was obviously older than Christie by a lot. Besides, she exuded an incomparable, mighty aura that was completely different and even more powerful than Rhode's imposing aura. Standing in front of her, Erin felt ill at ease, which was unimaginable and rare for Erin, who had a gentle and easy-going temperament. Shortly after, Erin sucked in a deep breath subtly to restore her calmness. She blinked and scanned the young lady curiously.

Then, she witnessed the young lady smiling at her gently and say, "You must be the moon princess of the Country of Darkness, Your Highness Erin? Nice to meet you..."

Chapter 1074: Fruitless Negotiation

Who exactly is she?

Gazing at the young lady, Erin almost failed to conceal her surprise. Although the young lady had an identical face to Rhode's, her aura was completely different. It could also be said that standing before her, Erin felt a massive, yet gentle aura, which was totally unlike Rhode's, as though this young lady was born on a higher level than both of them. Even with the identity of the moon princess, Erin felt so tiny before her. The young lady was apparently younger but for some unknown reason, Erin just couldn't puff out her chest and lift her head bravely in front of her. On the contrary, she cowered uncharacteristically, leaving her feeling uncomfortable. Even though she tried her best to pull herself together to resist this strong presence, she had little success. This terrified her and due to this reason, she temporarily put aside the negotiations between the Void Territory and Country of Darkness. Fortunately, even though Erin felt incomparably pressured by the young lady's aura, she cleared her mind and wasn't led by the nose by her. If not, she would have signed a series of treaties that would forfeit sovereignty and humiliate her own country. All in all, the negotiation lasted for three hours.

"Alright then, I shall take my leave now."

After bowing respectfully, Erin turned around and left. Even though she maintained her usual smile, she was obviously putting up a strong face judging from her stiff expression. She was totally caught off guard by the emergence of such a formidable enemy. She could barely maintain her usual etiquette and from the fact that she didn't crumble in the face of this former Void Dragon's aura proved how much self-restraint she had.

"What a decent child."

Gazing at Erin's shrinking back and the door that closed behind her, the young lady commented with a smile. Standing beside her, Rhode, who had switched 'class' to become a 'spirit', shrugged and shook his head. He sighed.

"What a pity. I didn't expect this princess to be this difficult to handle. I thought I could use this chance to settle the issue."

Indeed, Rhode had initially decided to put his younger sister in charge of the negotiations with Erin since he couldn't return to his body for the time being. Besides, in terms of aura, his younger sister could also get the job done easier than he could. That didn't mean that Rhode had problems controlling the power of the Void Dragon, but as the creator of Dragon Soul Continent, no matter if his younger sister had this conscious or not, she faced everything with the identity of a 'creator' on this continent. It was impossible for Rhode to have this aloof attitude unless he had created a world himself. It was simply a natural aura that no one could possibly ignore. The more power one possessed, the more one could sense the power in the young lady that came from the origin. Even if one wasn't aware of her true identity, one would instinctively sense that this young lady was the creator of their world.

But it was a pity that Erin managed to hold it down. At the very least, she didn't mess up and wasn't led by the nose by his younger sister. This left Rhode, who came up with funny ideas by the sideline, feeling discontented. He knew that opportunity seldom knocked twice and if he allowed Erin to return just like this, it wouldn't be as easy to deal with Ion the next time around. But what exceeded Rhode's expectation was that Erin wasn't easy to push around. Although she wasn't sure who exactly the young lady was and exactly what happened, she used her own method to survive the danger. Throughout the three hours of negotiations, both the young ladies behaved like noblewomen enjoying a tea party in the garden, chatting about meaningless gossip and leaving Rhode sleepy. Moreover, Erin freed herself timely. It seemed like her wisdom benefited her a lot this time.

But Rhode did receive some gains. At least after turning into a spirit, he could do or see whatever he wanted to... But what surprised him was that Erin actually wore white undergarments, which was surprisingly conservative. Rhode initially thought that there would be some black laces, at the very least, as white didn't fit her image at all.

"So what should we do next, Big Brother?"

"We shall see. Erin will surely try and figure out what happened exactly, but I'm pretty sure she will have a hard time gaining any information."

As of now, only Christie, Marlene, Alice, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum knew about his younger sister's true identity, and all of them could keep a secret. The rest also had the same question when they met Rhode's younger sister. However, since Canary and Marlene didn't seem to intend to explain, they could only let the matter drift. The only person giving Rhode a headache was Anne, who hung around his younger sister curiously. But despite that, Anne was more concerned as to when Rhode would return. Of course, even Rhode wasn't sure of Anne's true problem.

In this situation, Erin definitely wouldn't gain any answers. On the contrary, this would surely increase her worries, which actually wasn't a bad thing for Rhode. One of the great things about smart people was that they pondered a lot about things. But sometimes, thinking too much was also a weakness. And now, Erin was apparently on this wrong path.

"So what do you intend to do, Big Brother?"

Rhode knitted his brow at his younger sister's question and started pondering. In fact, the reason why he didn't answer her immediately was because he was also considering his answer. This time, Erin came to negotiate with him and he knew he would commit daylight robbery to the Dark Dragon and make him suffer for his actions. Besides, just as Erin was concerned about, the final condition that Rhode came up with was to make Ion withdraw his troops from the Country of Light's territories and scram back to where they came from. Although this wasn't beneficial to him, the thought of Ion's ashen expression was immensely pleasurable to him.

But that was only a last resort since it was only meant to enrage the Dark Dragon. As of now, what Rhode needed were some tangible benefits. After he got his hands on them, it still wouldn't be too late to find trouble with Ion later on. Rhode realized that he didn't want anything in particular. Although there were plenty of godlike weapons in the Country of Darkness, with Marlene and Lapis around, it wouldn't be challenging for them to produce new weapons. As for precious treasures and finances... he couldn't ask for more. But if he merely asked for those things, it wouldn't benefit the Void Territory too much either.

So what exactly should I extort from the Dark Dragon? Hmm...

At this thought, Rhode realized that there really wasn't anything he wanted. This was also why he had his younger sister hold off the negotiation with Erin. If he didn't even know what he wanted, there would be no purpose, wasn't it?

"Actually I don't have any good ideas now. More importantly now, there is nothing worthy of special attention between our Void Territory and the Country of Darkness. In fact, I haven't come up with the exact conditions for the Dark Dragon," Rhode said, shrugging and turning to his younger sister. "Come to think of it, what ideas do you have? Is there something precious in the Country of Darkness that can be worthy to us?"

Rhode was only a player in the past and more or less knew some of the so-called godlike weapons or artifacts like the Holy Maiden Statue and whatnot. But that was all he knew and didn't understand their value. In this aspect, his younger sister had more knowledge than he did. No matter what, she was the Creator Dragon, the God who first created Dragon Soul Continent. Perhaps she was aware of some secrets that no one ever knew. In this case, perhaps with his younger sister's wisdom, he could extort something valuable from Ion.

"Hmm..."

The young lady shut her eyes upon hearing Rhode's question, resting her chin on her fair, slender hand. Looking at her expression, Rhode couldn't help but smile. This was the person he was most familiar with. In his impression, whenever his younger sister was faced with tough questions, she would behave this way: lean on the hospital bed, close her eyes, and ponder. Although this memory of the past seemed interesting to him, he preferred this current look of hers.

Shortly after, the young lady opened her eyes under Rhode's gaze.

"... If I recall correctly, we can request the Country of Darkness to hand us the 'Astral Telescope'."

"Astral Telescope?"

Rhode pondered dubiously upon hearing that name.

Coquette Aesthetic: How To Replicate Lana Del Rey's Style?ad

"... Used to observe stars? Could it be that our next step is to conquer the universe?"

"That isn't so, Big Brother."

His younger sister shook her head before explaining with a smile.

"Even though it is indeed used to observe stars, it isn't used to observe any ordinary stars, but the Order Star instead."

"What you're saying is..."

Rhode's expression turned solemn. Judging from his tone, the young lady realized the change in his attitude and nodded slightly.

"That's right, Big Brother. Back then when we avoided Chaos and opened up this space to create the Dragon Soul Continent, we used the Astral Telescope and received guidance and assistance from the 'Order Star'. If you decide to continue with your plan, we can confirm the specific location of the 'Order Star' after we receive the Astral Telescope."

"I see. It sure seems like something we need."

Hearing his younger sister's answer, Rhode nodded replied said. But he quickly had another question."

"But why is it with the Dark Dragon instead of you since it is that important?"

"Because I was the one who created the Dragon Soul Continent, so it went without saying that Chaos took my territory as the top priority to attack. So just in case, we decided to move the Astral Telescope to a safer place and handed it over to the Dark Dragon. In comparison to other territories, his territory was more stable and suitable to store it."

That makes sense, considering the properties of the undead creatures. If there weren't any accidents, perhaps the group of undead creatures protecting the Astral Telescope might still be alive now.

"Besides..."

"Besides...?"

Rhode gazed curiously at his younger sister. Upon sensing his gaze, the younger sister gave a playful chuckle.

"If I recall correctly, there is still a holy sword spirit waiting to be awakened by you, Big Brother."

Chapter 1075: An Irresistible Condition

Just as Rhode expected, Erin started investigating his younger sister after their meeting immediately. However, the result of the investigation left Erin increasingly puzzled as she couldn't even figure out her name, not to mention her true identity. During their first interaction, Rhode's younger sister didn't mention her name and Erin neglected it as she was overly shocked (this went to show just how flustered Erin was back then). Thereafter, when Erin thought about it, she felt incredibly depressed. But she later realized that there was something even more depressing.

It seemed like the entire Grandia was unaware of the young lady's name. The only thing Erin confirmed was that everyone including Marlene and Alice addressed the young lady as 'Her Majesty', which surprised Erin greatly. This was because in Dragon Soul Continent, only the dragon soul heirs had the rights to be called 'His Majesty' or 'Her Majesty'. On the other hand, the young lady seemed to accept being called one naturally and didn't display any signs of discomfort. This left Erin feeling increasingly suspicious of her true identity. She thought that the young lady was actually Rhode who had transformed for whatever reasons. But shortly after, she denied this thought because Rhode and the young lady weren't anywhere identical apart from their looks, be it personality or aura which were at odds with each other. Besides, in terms of grandeur, the young lady was obviously more powerful than him. In fact, Erin had even suspected whether two Void Dragons actually existed. But she felt like it wasn't too realistic. After all, based on the historical records, apart from the twin dragons of the Country of Law, there was only one of each dragon soul heir for other countries.

Erin wasn't aware that her guesses were extremely close to the truth.

Shortly after, she realized that she no longer had the time to ponder over these mysteries because she heard a request that left her head throbbing.

"Did you say the... Astral Telescope?"

Gazing at the smiling young lady, Erin felt her head aching in pain. Of course, Erin knew that this Astral Telescope the young lady mentioned wasn't referring to the so-called apparatus used to observe the stars. Instead, it was the national treasure currently hidden safely below the Darkness Capital in the underground palace. It was a treasure that was passed down since the establishment of the Country of Darkness. Moreover, Erin also knew that the Astral Telescope contained mysterious powers and knowledge. She didn't know most of it, but was aware that much formidable black magic utilized by the Darkness Capital's royal guards was researched and passed on from it. Although Erin expected the young lady to come up with a big task for her, she didn't anticipate it to involve the national treasure of the Country of Darkness.

"Erm... My apologies. I don't think it will be that easy, Your Majesty."

After serious considerations, Erin had decided to address the young lady as 'Your Majesty' like Marlene and the rest. Anyway, this young lady was far more superior in strength than her and perhaps even stronger than Ion too. Moreover, since Marlene and Alice were willing to address her this way, it wouldn't take much of her to do it either. Although Erin was in a mood for gossip when this young lady appeared before her once again, she couldn't turn her hobby into action this time.

Gazing at the young lady's smiling face, Erin also smiled in response and gave a difficult expression. Then, she spoke.

"Regarding the compensations... I admit that it is our unshirkable responsibility. As for the Astral Telescope... I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Frankly speaking, I think we will be unable to fulfill your request. Perhaps both sides should take a step back and reconsider an acceptable proposal."

"I do think this is really worth your consideration, Miss Erin."

The young lady sat opposite Erin leisurely, extending her fair, jade-like fingers, and slid them across the circumference of the teacup playfully. Then, she quietly lifted the teacup and took a sip, before lifting her head and gazing at the moon princess with a gentle smile.

"This is the conclusion of my discussion with Rhode. Although we agreed that the clash earlier on wasn't what we hoped for, no matter what, we must all have an accountable explanation. And now, what we need is only the Astral Telescope. To the Country of Darkness with countless treasures, surely it isn't too much to ask for? In comparison to the Astral Telescope, don't you guys have many more precious treasures, such as the Dark Bible, Broken Glacier, and Throne of Death?"

"..."

Erin's smile stiffened instantly. Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief as she gazed at the young lady. Of course, she knew that the mentioned artifacts were national treasures of the Country of Darkness. It could also be said that these three artifacts had contributed infinitely to the growth of the country. The Dark Bible turned living beings into undead in order to escape death. The Throne of Death was basically the crown of the Dark Dragon. The Broken Glacier gave protection to the shelters of the undead creatures. All of them were artifacts recognized by the Creator Dragons. Compared to them, the Astral Telescope was more like a historical and symbolic artifact. What surprised Erin was that only a handful of beings knew they existed. If she weren't the Dark Dragon Ion's younger sister, she definitely wouldn't know about them. But now, this young lady seemed to know all the secrets of the Country of Darkness!

In an instant, Erin was terrified as there were as though no secrets in the young lady's eyes. Moreover, the artifacts were also the core secrets of the Country of Darkness. Erin didn't know how she managed to find out about them. They were referred to as the three legendary artifacts of the Country of Darkness! In comparison to them, the value of the Astral Telescope... didn't seem as precious indeed.

But wait, that shouldn't be the issue!

"Is there really no room for negotiation?"

Upon realizing that she almost fell into the young lady's pit, Erin was startled. Indeed, the Astral Telescope wasn't as precious as the three legendary artifacts. But since this young lady knew the importance of them, she wouldn't possibly change her target to the three legendary artifacts if she failed to ask for the Astral Telescope because she knew that the Country of Darkness definitely wouldn't agree to her request.

"There isn't entirely no space for negotiation, Your Highness."

Rhode drifted beside his younger sister, gazing at her gentle smile that never changed as though she wasn't the one rejected by Erin. No, perhaps he should say that his younger sister didn't take Erin's tactful rejection to heart. Perhaps to his younger sister, since she had raised the request, Erin should accept unconditionally. And now, she wasn't just discussing conditions with Erin only.

"If it really doesn't work, I suggest both sides take a step back, I think the territories in the Country of Light occupied by the Country of Darkness should return to their rightful owner. What do you think?"

"Hahahaha!"

As Rhode became an undetectable spirit, he lost all his elegant demeanor and burst into laughter after realizing the awkwardness and despair from Erin's face after she heard his younger sister's proposal. The first Void Dragon was indeed worthy of being the God who created the Dragon Soul Continent as she mentioned the condition justifiably. Although Rhode was also capable of doing it, his words would sound 100 percent more like threats and taunts. But his younger sister said it in his stead and the tone in her voice sounded as though both sides really should 'take a step back'. However, the 'take a step back' from her mouth wasn't as simple as just 'a step' to the Country of Darkness. At the very most, the Void Territory wouldn't fuss about the 'accidental invasions' by the Country of Darkness in the past. However, how could the Dark Dragon accept it if the Country of Darkness was asked to spit out the meat it ate and behave like an aloof adult who cautioned children not to fight?

"I suddenly feel like it is too disadvantageous to negotiate the terms now. How about we head to the Darkness Capital and negotiate with that bast*rd, Ion, instead?"

At this thought, Rhode held back his laughter and said to his younger sister. Right now, he was too lazy to idle on the job with Erin and would rather let his younger sister head to the Darkness Capital and enrage the Dark Dragon. If that happened, everything that happened in the past would be worth it. If she were able to make the Dark Dragon blow his top and even suffer a stroke, Rhode would be celebrating with firecrackers.

"This..."

Erin wasn't foolish. At this moment, she understood why the young lady didn't take her words to heart, had no intention of negotiating, and gave her two choices instead: either hand over the Astral Telescope and pay compensations, or make the Country of Darkness's army withdraw from the Country of Light and they would put an end to this dispute. This left Erin depressed, but what could she do now? Her choices were limited and now, this 'Her Majesty' was clearly wrangling with her. The choices Erin could choose from were extremely limited.

Erin sighed at this thought before pulling herself together and spoke.

"Alright then... Your Majesty. For your suggestion, I will report to His Majesty Dark Dragon and give you an answer as soon as possible."

Chapter 1076: An Invitation on The Day of Three Moons

"Are you sure that is what the Void Territory wants?"

Upon hearing his younger sister's report, Ion's expression remained unchanged. Erin nodded in response, gazing at Ion through the magic illusion anxiously. She reported all the progress and result of the earlier negotiation to her big brother and was, in fact, feeling somewhat depressed deep down in her. It was due to the fact that the Country of Darkness had as though suffered a double loss: among the four legendary generals, one was dead and another gravely injured. Not only that, but the Country of Darkness also had to hand over the 'Astral Telescope', known as a national treasure. On the other hand, what did the Void Territory contribute? Nothing. At the very least, they would stop looking into the matter of the Country of Darkness invading the Void Territory earlier on. But the problem was that the incident didn't cause any huge damage to the Void Territory apart from the uninhabited forest being destroyed and becoming a total mess. There was neither any building in the Land of Atonement damaged nor civilians implicated or dead due to the 'accident'. On the other hand, the Country of Darkness 'sacrificed' several squads of elite troops and even Balende's arm was left behind... This didn't seem like a fair transaction at all. The Country of Darkness had suffered a huge loss.

If this were to happen in other places, perhaps the ruler would be forced to step down from office soon. If it happened in the Country of Light, maybe the people would start protests on the streets, holding up banners to rebuke the ruler, before staging a sit-in in the plaza and eventually landing themselves in a clash against the guards that arrived to maintain order. Then, the opposition party seized the opportunity to wantonly criticize the foolishness and incapability of the ruler and gather all people together to overthrow the weak, useless ruler... But it was a pity that such scenarios were rare in the Country of Darkness. Perhaps some undead creatures were also discontent, but they would never sway the prestige of Dark Dragon Ion.

This was the case, at least for now.

"... What made you make that decision?"

Ion didn't express any emotion to Erin's report and one couldn't decipher if he agreed or disagreed. However, Erin didn't have many choices as she was pressured from both sides. The prestige on the other side was tough for her to manage, but what about here? Erin knew that her big brother was an unyielding man. Even though Erin felt like the result of the negotiation wasn't unacceptable, she wasn't the Dark Dragon, after all. She wasn't confident if Ion would accept the suggestion wholeheartedly. After all, apart from substantial losses, the most unbearable was the damage to Ion's 'reputation' and her big brother was one who regarded reputation highly. Even though he wasn't that on edge about reputation, Erin felt like he wouldn't be able to accept this result so easily after being 'slapped on the face'.

"This was what happened, Big Brother. There was an important reason that affected my decision-making and that wasn't due to His Majesty Rhode..." Erin said and quickly read the intelligence she gathered about the young lady. She had no intentions of flattering or belittling the young lady but instead, she stood on her own point of view and told everything she felt about the young lady to her big brother. After hearing her narration, Ion's expression changed slightly for the first time. He blinked, gazed at Erin, and asked, "Are you sure? Erin, based on what we know, there couldn't possibly be a second Creator Dragon in the Void Territory."

"I'm sure, Big Brother. I don't know if she's a Creator Dragon, but I'm sure that she exudes a massive aura stronger than His Majesty Rhode's." This time, it was rare that Erin didn't speak the truth. Perhaps it should be said that she was smart enough to not compare the young lady to her big brother. Of course, this wasn't a lie either. The young lady's dragon's prestige was indeed stronger than Rhode's. But... Erin didn't mention before that Rhode's dragon's prestige was weaker than Ion, that is.

"Couldn't that young lady be him? You know it, Erin. If it were him, it wouldn't be strange that he dresses up as a woman."

It seemed like Rhode's certain 'rumor' had spread all over the continent. No one knew what sort of expression Rhode would display when he knew about this.

"Their temperaments were entirely different and besides, it was obvious from their body figures. This young lady was slightly shorter than Rhode. Even though there was a chance that he used illusory spells, those spells aren't effective on me. Moreover, I don't think this would benefit him in any way." It was apparent that Erin had already made such guesses. Although illusory spells existed in the Dragon Soul Continent, they were meaningless in the face of one of Erin's caliber. After all, they were high-level beings who grasped the rules. Perhaps illusory spells were able to deceive the eyes and senses, but they couldn't trick the rules themselves. Furthermore, for Rhode to purposely turn himself into a woman just to negotiate with Erin... Erin didn't think that it was too possible because she was clear that Rhode hated it when others treated him as a woman. It would be bizarre if he were to turn himself into a woman.

"So where's Rhode then?"

"I haven't met His Majesty Rhode recently. According to Miss Marlene, he left to run some errands, which was why the young lady took his place to negotiate with me. I didn't feel anything strange at first because His Majesty Rhode often does such things." Erin didn't feel like anything was out of place regarding this matter. In the past, she personally witnessed the difference between Rhode and her big brother in the Deepest Labyrinth and learned that Rhode was a ruler who enjoyed roaming about. Therefore, she didn't suspect Marlene's explanations too much. If there was anything worthy of being doubted, that would be the appearance of the young lady being too timely. This was because in the past, no one had ever heard of her existence around Rhode, and not even his closest subordinates were aware of her. However, the thought of another formidable person suddenly emerging around Rhode and no one knowing about her seemed too mysterious.

"..."

Ion didn't answer immediately. Instead, he shut his eyes and pondered in silence. Upon seeing his expression, Erin solemnly waited for his response. No matter if he agreed or not, this perhaps would be an extremely challenging task to her. But after a few moments, she witnessed her big brother opening his eyes gradually which glinted with determined gaze. Erin tensed up instantly. She knew what this meant. He was about to make a decision that would never change.

"I agree."

Erin heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing his reply. A few moments ago, she was worried that he would object. If that happened, Erin would need to mention the other condition despite its chances being even higher, that is. But now, since her big brother had agreed, she didn't need to worry about things that wouldn't happen anymore. However, she didn't expect him to continue speaking.

"But I have a condition."

"Condition?"

Erin's expression changed slightly, gazing curiously at her big brother and sighed in her head. Big Brother sure is competitive.

Even though Ion had agreed on the surface, he definitely wasn't feeling great inside. Perhaps he was about to come up with ideas to vent his frustrations. But even so, Erin didn't have any solution to deal with it and could only helplessly let him be. Upon hearing his younger sister's query, Ion nodded.

"Yes, I can give them the Astral Telescope since they want it. But, they have to come here and get it themselves!"

"This..."

Upon hearing Ion's response, Erin knitted her brows. But shortly after, her eyes glinted in a flash and the corners of her lips perked up to form a gentle, yet cunning smile because she understood why her big brother mentioned this condition and his intention behind it.

"Okay, Big Brother. I will be sure to pass the message for you."

Of course, Erin knew what Ion was plotting. He wanted to personally take a good look at the young lady and confirm her true power, which Erin would also be glad to see happen. Once Ion and the young lady met, he could sense her powerful prestige and through this way, he would surely reconsider his plans. Although Ion was unyielding, he wasn't foolish. If he knew that there were two powerful Creator Dragons in the Void Territory, he would definitely hold back. In this aspect, Erin felt rather confident. If not, Ion would have started a war with the Country of Law a long time ago. It was due to this reason that with the intention to watch a good show, Erin was spontaneous in handing the 'invitation' over.

***

"... Is that so? Alright, I understand now."

After hearing Erin's message, the young lady maintained a calm, gentle smile, quietly gazing at the moon princess. After a few moments, she nodded slightly.

"Please inform His Majesty Dark Dragon that I accept his invitation. Alright then, let's set the meeting to be two days later. I will head to the Darkness Capital on the day of three full moons."

"..."

Upon hearing her reply, Erin was deeply startled even though she didn't say anything in response. This so-called 'day of three full moons' was when the three moons entered the state of full moon at the same time. On this day, in the Country of Darkness, the strength and vigor of every being including the Dark Dragon would rise dramatically and the nation would be considered to be in an invincible state where even the twin dragons had to avoid them. However, Erin didn't expect this seemingly-kind young lady to be so persistent. It was apparent that she understood why she was invited, so wouldn't it be a problem for her to initiate heading to the Country of Darkness during this day?

"I got it, Your Majesty. Alright then, I'll head back to report to His Majesty Ion now. The Country of Darkness will welcome your arrival on the day of three full moons."

After calming her nerves, Erin nodded in response. Since this young lady had specially chosen to head to the Country of Darkness on that day, it proved that she was more than confident to deal with the Dark Dragon in his peak form. Since that was the case, it seemed like Ion's plans were going to be fruitless this time around too. But to Erin, such small 'failures' were what she loved to see. This was why she didn't say much and instead, bowed respectfully and turned around to leave.

"I didn't expect this at all. Just like the saying goes, 'to travel far and wide looking for something, only to find it easily'."

Rhode spoke, drifting in midair leisurely and gazing at the shrinking back of Erin. Earlier on, he tried to come up with some reasons to send his younger sister to the Country of Darkness to 'entertain' the Dark Dragon. It would be ideal if she could enrage him into a stroke. But back then, he was only imagining it. After all, he didn't have any reasons to wander around the Country of Darkness. But now, since Ion came knocking on his door, he didn't mind accepting this feast.

"I'll leave it to you to settle him. I have high hopes for you, okay?"

"Of course, Big Brother. Leave it to me."

Upon hearing Rhode's words, the young lady showed a warm, gentle smile and nodded.

"I know what the heir of the Dark Dragon is thinking. It seems like our Void Territory is being looked down upon. But this time, I will make the heir understand the rules."

This is truly her mighty aura.

After hearing his younger sister's words, Rhode sighed in his head. Just look at how she called Ion the 'heir of the Dark Dragon'. She didn't put him on the same level as her at all. He felt as though she was like the older generation look down at the high-spirited younger generation and lamenting, "Yes, not bad. No wonder that's the heir of XXX."

If the Dark Dragon were to hear how Rhode's younger sister addressed him, would he rage and be driven to desperate actions? Rhode would be truly delighted. But...

"You have to be careful. After all, you're not in perfect condition, so don't push yourself too hard. Don't go if you can't take the stress, since it's not like we can't afford to lose that man."

That's right, just like what Rhode was worried about, his younger sister's power was gradually declining. Even though they swapped places after the 'contrast' transformation, the change in power wasn't too huge as only a partial of Rhode's power was forcefully transferred to his younger sister. It was due to this reason that his younger sister possessed more powerful prestige than him. But as time passed, her power would slowly return to him and after this process was completed, Rhode would return to this world.

Although Rhode was sure that Ion wouldn't resort to shameless tactics with his personality, he knew how annoyingly powerful the Country of Darkness would be on the day of three full moons. The thought of sending his slowly-weakening younger sister to a place full of 'drug addicts' didn't feel safe to him. If she couldn't handle it, he would rather her not go. Anyway, Rhode didn't care much about his reputation. As long as there were practical benefits, he wouldn't mind being looked down upon since there was nothing for him to lose.

"It's fine, Big Brother."

His younger sister shook her head and assured him.

"The Astral Telescope is a very important device. For safety, it will be better for me to check it out. Even though I don't think the heir of the Dark Dragon will meddle with it, a long time has gone, after all, and no one knows if it is still in perfect condition. I have initially thought of looking for it myself and since I was invited, we shouldn't miss this chance. Besides..."

Suddenly, the young lady revealed a cheeky smile, narrowed her eyes, and gazed slyly at Rhode.

"Have you forgotten, Big Brother? I told you that if you're lucky, you may even bring back a holy sword spirit."

"For some reason, I feel like it isn't something great after seeing this expression of yours..."

Even though this was inspiring news from his younger sister, Rhode didn't feel excited at all because he knew his younger sister was a peculiar person. Although she was clever and sensible most of the time, she was hard to deal with when it came to her teasing others. And now, even though this expression of hers seemed adorable, Rhode knew clearly that this was the first step of her watching a good show from the sideline. Anyway, it would be Rhode who would be summoning the holy sword spirit, so naturally he would be the one to get into trouble, wasn't it?

"... What funny ideas do you have in your mind?"

"I don't, Big Brother. The holy sword spirit is well-tempered, so I believe you two will get along well."

For some unknown reason, Rhode felt like this sentence was full of danger.

But before he managed to learn the truth from his younger sister, the day of three full moons had arrived.

And he would be joining his younger sister in heading to the Darkness Capital to meet the Dark Dragon.

Chapter 1077: Under the Three Moons

The day of three full moons.

The three maroon full moons hung high up in the night sky, illuminating the land like it was a sea of blood. In contrast, the pitch-black shadows seemed particularly dense under their scarlet radiance. Soaring in the night sky, Rhode witnessed the twisted shadows under the heart-wrenching rays of red light as though they possessed their own consciousness and shifted with the living creatures. This scene seemed so distinct; no wonder players in the game often assessed the day of three full moons in the Country of Darkness as the opening of the gate to another world. On this day, the dark, terrifying world merged with the Country of Darkness as one and just as the name suggested, the Country of Darkness turned into a country under the unbounded dark night as the supreme rulers.

But all this was nothing to Rhode as he drifted in the air casually, gazing at the scenery below with curiosity. The Void Dragon expanded her wings beside him comfortably, soaring forward above the maroon surface. The darkness ahead turned denser like thick, black ink rendering heaven and earth in a mysterious hue.

"What method do you think the Dark Dragon will use to welcome us?"

Rhode gazed at the rapidly spreading darkness and said with a smile. They didn't board the magic warship because firstly, Rhode thought that he would be making a big fuss if he did it over this small matter. Secondly, he didn't wish to reveal his strongest, secret weapon to the Country of Darkness. Even though he could threaten the Country of Darkness greatly if he sent the magic warships over, it was unnecessary for Rhode to send a threat of this extent. If he only wanted to showcase his strength to the Country of Darkness, relying on his younger sister would be sufficient. At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but imagine the scene when Ion vomited blood out of rage. That would be truly pleasing and satisfying.

Well, who could blame my younger sister for being so adorable?

"Big Brother?"

At this moment, a crisp voice dragged him back to reality. Rhode lifted his head and looked ahead where an enormous, pitch-black city showed up before their eyes. That was the capital of the Country of Darkness, the Darkness Capital, Drekoen.

Unlike what outsiders imagined, Drekoen wasn't a lifeless, run-down city like a graveyard. Instead, even in the eyes of a transmigrator like Rhode, it could be considered a splendid and prosperous city. Bright spots of light shone throughout the entire city, making it stand out from the country of eternal darkness. Even though the ice-cold radiance wasn't as warm as the Country of Light, it exuded unnegligible prestige and magnificent presence.

"This is a great work of a city from those guys."

Rhode snorted at the sight of the six lighthouses emanating green brilliance.

The six lighthouses constructed around Drekoen could be considered one of the Country of Darkness's most lethal weapons. Just like the turtle-shell protection over Grandia from the plane of existence, the six lighthouses were known as the 'guardians of the eternal night sky'. As long as they were lit up, the strength of every undead creature within its range would be multiplied. At the same time, enemies would also be weakened drastically. Back then, when players in the game attacked Drekoen, they suffered gravely with the presence and support of the six lighthouses. Under the bright radiance, even the skeletal soldiers with the lowest level transformed into skeletal warriors, not to mention how powerful the great liches would became.

Attacking Drekoen was still the worst war that happened in the game. It lasted for a month and a half, involving 13 player guilds of the Country of Light and 8 player guilds of the Country of Darkness. During the peak of the war, there were more than 150,000 players involved. These players were the strongest of the game, equipped with the best armor and weapons. At the end of the war, each player died at least 100 times on average and corpses filled the land as blood flowed into rivers. There were several times when players managed to climb over the city walls of several meters tall through trampling over their own corpses that weren't removed by the system's refresh. The system refresh happened every 30 minutes and this went to show just how intense the war was.

Of course, it still wasn't able to stop the players. After they extinguished three of the lighthouses and occupied the front line, Rhode made Orchid Heart command other members to attract aggression from the troops ahead, while he led and sneaked in with the elites and deployed Starlight's most well-known 'backstabbing' tactic to defeat the Dark Dragon. After losing the Dark Dragon and his dragon soul protection, the Darkness Capital crumbled entirely thereafter.

But Rhode didn't know if he had the chance to repeat this scene from the game again.

Gazing at the Darkness Capital ahead, Rhode smacked his lips. It sure felt great to eradicate the Dark Dragon back then.

And now, he understood why he lit up the six lighthouses when there was no invasion from enemies. It was apparent that the six lighthouses were used as a military show of force. Perhaps this would be nothing in the face of Creator Dragons, but it expressed a certain attitude.

Alright then, I shall also show him our attitude in this matter.

"I'll leave it to you then."

"Got it, Big Brother."

As Rhode and his younger sister spoke, they had arrived above Drekoen. Then, the Void Dragon dove into the Darkness Capital nonchalantly, covering half the sky with her massive body as she narrowed her eyes and scanned the city below. Then, she flapped her wings slightly.

————!

In an instant, the scorching flames on the six lighthouses quickly weakened like flames struggling in a mighty storm. After a few seconds, they had turned into six, tiny bonfires. The incomparably bright flames were nowhere to be seen anymore. The omnipresent radiance had faded away. Looking at this scene, the undead creatures guarding above the lighthouses were baffled. They were aware that the Void Dragon was arriving, but this scene shook them. They didn't feel the presence of wind a few seconds ago. However, the Void Dragon merely flapped her wings and the dazzling flames were weakened to this large extent immediately.

How did the Void Dragon do it?

But the Void Dragon apparently had no intention of minding their dubious gazes. She gazed ahead and spotted the crowd gathered around the plaza below the tall, protruding tower in the Darkness Capital. She expanded her wings and descended to the plaza gradually, slowly transforming back to her human form in an ethereal brilliance. As soon as her feet touched the surface, the illusory radiance vanished and she strolled out of it.

She's the one?

Not only the Dark Dragon, but the three legendary generals also revealed dubious expressions. This was because in terms of appearance, she was indeed identical to Rhode. Besides, she also owned the dragon form, which left them even more dubious. Apart from Creator Dragons and their dependents, no one could transform into the dragon form. But if they were to compare this young lady with Erin, who was also a dependent, it wouldn't be appropriate either. This young lady's aura was so powerful that despite one standing far away, one would be in shock at the sight of this enormous dragon. If she was only a dependent of the Creator Dragons, that would be over exaggerating.

However, what surprised them more was the young lady in her human form. Unlike her in the dragon form, in terms of appearance, she seemed slender, delicate, and had a pale complexion as though she were suffering from a serious illness. If they were to judge her on her appearance, they couldn't see any presence of strength at all. But when one reached the caliber of the Dark Dragon and four legendary generals, one could clearly feel the massive power contained in her. Even though the power wasn't revealed entirely, its presence was much more staggering than the Dark Dragon's.

This puzzled them because in Dragon Soul Continent, physical fitness and internal strength were directly proportional. For instance, a young lady like Anne seldom fell sick even after she underwent hardships. As for beings in the Legendary Stage, they wouldn't be sick, poisoned, or whatnot. Although this young lady had powerful strength on the inside, she seemed extremely weak and delicate, which was astonishing to them.

Of course, they couldn't possibly know that this appearance of hers was what she looked like when she was sick in real life. It was due to this reason that after being affected by the power of contrast, the young lady continued to look pale and weak.

Who exactly is she?

Ion dwindled his astonished expression. He initially refused to believe his younger sister's words, but now he had to admit that even though this young lady looked identical as Rhode, her internal qualities were entirely unique. Ion didn't feel this powerful prestige from Rhode before and now...

Before he finished thinking through, the young lady brought on a calm, gentle smile and sauntered toward him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty Dark Dragon," she greeted.

Chapter 1078: Astral Telescope

Ion sauntered and along with his actions, the heavy, sealed door ahead opened on its own gradually. The enchanted fields of offensive magic spells enveloping the tunnel and used to 'welcome' uninvited guests were deactivated in the blink of an eye. Their magical radiance gradually dissipated. But to outsiders, this only seemed like an ordinary tunnel. If one wasn't a spell caster, perhaps one wouldn't detect the death traps set in this place. Gazing at the opening door, Ion knitted his brows and stole a glance out of the corner of his eye at the young lady behind him and continued advancing. The Dark Dragon was, in fact, deeply unhappy because apart from her greeting when she met him, she didn't introduce herself and instead, immediately said, "I'm here in response to your invitation to accept the Astral Telescope..." He couldn't continue the conversation to learn more about this mysterious person!

Ion thought he could use this opportunity to figure out the ins and outs of this young lady. But he didn't expect her to pay no attention to diplomatic protocols as though she was just a receiver and her only motive was to receive the Astral Telescope. This left Ion deeply discontented, but even so, his expression remained unchanged and he led the young lady to the national treasury located underneath the Darkness Palace as agreed.

Apart from Ion, the three legendary generals were also present. They harbored the same doubt as Ion. According to diplomatic protocols, the visitor should report his or her name and identity upon arriving at foreign land. However, this young lady said nothing and apart from the powerful dragon form she showed up in, there was nothing sufficient to prove her identity. But for some unknown reason, Ion and the legendary generals didn't question her. Apart from the undeniable dragon form which definitely belonged to a Creator Dragon, this young lady's presence had as though announced her arrival by itself. Just like how the moon and stars were surely visible in the night sky, her existence itself was just there. Anyone who doubted the fact that 'the moon and stars shouldn't exist in the night sky' was someone with some real mental issues...

Not only that, but what also astonished the legendary generals was that as of now, the young lady was caught in the middle between the Dark Dragon leading the way and the legendary generals at the back. It was impossible for one to be unaffected by their powerful aura. However, this young lady was simply indifferent. Judging from her relaxed expression, she seemed as though she was strolling in her home garden instead!

It seemed like what Erin warned was true. There were indeed several powerful beings in the Void Territory. Balende was sure that when he arrived at the Void Territory earlier, he didn't witness this young lady anywhere. But even so, he almost failed to make it back alive. It was imaginable what would happen to him if the Void Territory went all out back then. Perhaps Balende's name would be carved to a tombstone by now. It was surprising to him that a small Void Territory that was established less than one year ago managed to gather so many formidable beings. Besides, it also didn't seem like they arrived at the Void Territory after its founding. Instead, they seemed to have already been following Rhode around before the Void Territory was founded.

At this thought, Balende couldn't help but shift his gaze to Charlie and Garcia beside him. Charlie didn't show any expression, but the pair of eyes that turned pitch-black due to his corruption glinted in curiosity like the flashes of a supernova. On the other hand, Garcia puckered his brows with a grim look. Upon realizing Balende's gaze, Garcia shook his head slightly in response. It was apparent that Garcia thought of the same question in Balende's head. After losing Ashvril, their status and position were starting to falter. At least in the face of this young lady, none of them were confident to escape unscathed. As for defeating her, they didn't even dare to think about it.

In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense and bizarre, but the young lady continued to maintain her smile and gazed ahead. In fact, she was actually communicating spiritually with Rhode who drifted beside her.

"Honestly, wouldn't it be a waste if we don't grab something else back since we actually have this chance to enter the national treasury?"

Relying on the fact that he wouldn't be discovered by the Dark Dragon, Rhode boringly pointed two middle fingers at him and said.

"Let's observe the situation first, Big Brother. I don't know how much time has passed and what is left in the Country of Darkness. But if there is anything worthy, I'll grab it for sure. After all, this Dark Dragon isn't the first Dark Dragon anyway. If he were to see his precious treasures covered in dust, perhaps he would also be bewailed."

This went to show that they were really full siblings.

"This is the place."

Ion came to a halt, turned around, and spoke to the young lady beside him. At this moment, Rhode also lifted his head and gazed curiously at the massive structure.

Astral Telescope.

Judging from its appearance, it was similar to the apparatus used on Earth to observe the moon, stars, and the sun. However, its shape was based entirely on the features of the Dragon Soul Continent. As the foundation, the four elements supported the Seven Fantasy Boundaries and protected the dragon soul powers of the entire continent. On the outside, it looked like it had an empty interior and was also a model of the earth's celestial body based on the 'geocentric theory'. But compared to an apparatus made of steel, this Astral Telescope had a mysterious vibe to it, where a variety of magical brilliances flashed in a certain order that formed mystical symbols. Outside this celestial sphere, a galaxy could be seen stretching all the way from one end to the other.

Apart from these features, Rhode's first impression upon seeing the Astral Telescope was...

It was too huge.

The Astral Telescope was massive, standing at 35 meters tall and 20 meters wide. What was worse was that after getting close to it, Rhode realized that it was made of rock instead of steel! This was simply an unimaginable marvel... Rhode couldn't imagine how something made of rock was able to survive the passing of a thousand years and still looked to be in pristine condition and operated perfectly. This wasn't logical at all. But it was truly magical.

"You can take it away, according to our agreement."

While Rhode scanned the massive structure, Ion turned around and said to the young lady. Even though he didn't reveal any emotion, Rhode suspected if Ion was pranking him on purpose. Logically speaking, even Rhode would have a hard time transporting this huge structure back to his territory. Of course, it would be another matter if the magic warships were here. Although Rhode was also able to use a spatial bag to transport it back, he knew that such an ancient and legendary artifact was protected by a barrier from being moved. If not, wouldn't things be disastrous during the olden days if some rulers were to send out powerful beings to sneak in and steal its core? But now, this massive thing...

You must be making a fool out of me.

"Alright then, thank you very much, Your Majesty Dark Dragon."

Unlike Rhode, who once again pointed two middle fingers at Ion's face, the young lady revealed a gentle smile. She lifted her head and looked at the Astral Telescope. Then, she extended her right hand, spread her fingers apart, and chanted a spell under her breath.

"Aim xig yas."

Along with this ancient and mystical chant, the massive rock-made structure flickering in dim magical radiance trembled all of a sudden and started revolving quickly. Shortly after, strings of mysterious runes emerged on the columns constructed on the Astral Telescope. The inside of this artifact also started spinning at a fast speed. The indistinct, yet colorful brilliance coalesced in the middle empty hole, taking on a new shape. Looking at this scene, Ion and the legendary generals were baffled. Of course, they were aware of the history of the Astral Telescope. Ever since the founding of the Country of Darkness, the Astral Telescope was placed here and no one knew exactly what it was for, especially after the first Dark Dragon went missing thereafter. Even though the Country of Darkness had sent out their best spell casters and scholars to research this artifact, they came to no conclusions. The only surprising good news was that they discovered several ancient spells that had lost their heritages. But as for what the Astral Telescope was meant for and how to operate it, no one knew anything. And now, three words from this young lady was enough to activate it?!

At this thought, everyone's gazes toward her were filled with more doubts.

Who exactly is she?

After a few seconds, the Astral Telescope began to dismantle on its own, transforming into stone columns that twisted and disappeared into thin air. Shortly after, the massive Astral Telescope vanished entirely, leaving behind hundreds of mysterious runes floating in midair. At this moment, the young lady heaved a sigh of relief. She extended her right hand, turned her wrist around with her palm facing up. Along with her actions, the runes drifted toward her, coalescing into a tiny ornament in the shape of a cube that emanated faint magical radiance. Looking at this scene, Ion narrowed his eyes. But this wasn't the end.

Because at this moment, the young lady lifted her chin and gazed ahead. Right there, the fully dismantled Astral Telescope was replaced by a pitch-black, steel coffin embedded with precious magical gems arranged into a... dissonant symbol?

Scanning this high-end, elaborate symbol that seemed as though used by villains in certain European and American war movies, the corners of Rhode's eyes twitched. Don't tell me some movie directors have also transmigrated from this world?

But apparently, his younger sister didn't hear his thoughts. She gestured and the coffin distorted abruptly, before vanishing into thin air completely. She nodded in satisfaction, turning around to gaze at the Dark Dragon and the three legendary generals with a smile.

"Alright, my job is done. I shall take my leave now."

Chapter 1079: Return

Even though two days had gone, Rhode was still in a really good mood, especially when his younger sister brought back the Astral Telescope. Whenever Rhode recalled Ion's ashen expression as though his father had just passed away, his mood became so good that he could gobble a few more bowls of rice. Although it took less than three hours for him and his younger sister to head and return from the Darkness Capital and they didn't even bother to speak a few more words or have a chat over tea, Rhode didn't feel like what she had done was wrong. Even though her behavior was inappropriate according to 'traditional' diplomatic protocols, Rhode felt extremely delighted. Moreover, they went to the Darkness Capital to express their stand too.

Since they had gotten the Astral Telescope, they needed to give Ion a warning using their attitude that the Void Territory wouldn't accept bribes and 'acting tough and talking soft' wouldn't work on them. Rhode hoped that after this encounter, the Dark Dragon would behave himself. Of course, Rhode had his own intention for instigating his younger sister to not show deference to the Dark Dragon. In fact, even so most people didn't wish to see a war breaking out, Rhode planned to do the exact opposite. He was eager for the Dark Dragon to lose his patience and declare war with him because to Rhode, the most important matter was to open the Dimension Gate and transport the Dragon Soul Continent away from the threat of Chaos. For this to work, he needed to prove his abilities to the other three Creator Dragons (Lilian wasn't included because she would basically do anything as long as he told her to). Of course, Rhode wouldn't be that foolish to single out the twin dragons as a point of attack, which was why the Dark Dragon was the best whetstone. As long as he defeated the Dark Dragon, he would have sufficient credits to explain his plans and 'demand' that they supported him.

Yes. 'Demand' and not 'request'.

This was why Rhode purposely made things difficult for the Dark Dragon time and time again, 'taunting' him to lose his patience and launch an attack. Through this method, Rhode could justifiably turn himself into a victim who had to retaliate with vicious attacks of his own. What is that certain famous sentence? Hmm... Yes! We won't fire the first bullet, but it doesn't matter who you fired your first bullet at because as long as you fire it, don't blame us for going all-out.

As of now, Rhode was acting in accordance to what others thought about the situation and pretended to 'value harmony' as much as possible. At the same time, he continuously taunted the Dark Dragon because things couldn't get better if the Dark Dragon were to lose his patience. Rhode was skilled at doing such things. In the game, he had done several similar things and was never caught by anyone. There was even during the Internet era where a single conversational message over the web could possibly be screen-captured and uploaded to the forums to be exploited. Despite the high risks, Rhode never messed up on his part, not to mention this world with less stricter surveillance. No matter how powerful the twin dragons were, they couldn't possibly monitor his every action 24/7, right?

Therefore, what he did wasn't conspiring in secret. Instead, he was conspiring openly. His younger sister didn't treat the Dark Dragon with deference and even disregarded him, but so what? Did anyone set the rules that one must face others who invaded one's territory with smiles? Why would Rhode even care about this when he had reached the distinction of the Creator Dragons? If Ion were to send out his armies to the Void Territory over this issue, he would be the childish one instead.

But now, what Rhode did wasn't for naught. He knew that the Dark Dragon was an unyielding man who wouldn't let things slide. The Dark Dragon could tolerate it once or twice, but Rhode refused to believe that he could hold it in after 10, 20, 50, or even 100 times. Since the Dark Dragon could hold his patience so well, wouldn't it be a waste if Rhode didn't take advantage of him?

But now, Rhode had something more important to attend to.

And that was after a period of time that was neither too short nor long, he was finally about to return to his body.

Even though Rhode felt free and unfettered in his days as a spirit, he still pretty much preferred to restore his body. Of course, this thought was also contradicting. He empathized with his younger sister's happiness and the nostalgia she had for this world after finally becoming a person during this period. If it was possible, he didn't wish for this to end. But... he was aware that this couldn't last forever. After all, even though he could accept this temporary relief, others couldn't possibly accept the days without him.

"I'm really sorry."

Gazing at the Astral Telescope that was fully reconstructed, Rhode let out a subtle sigh. After returning from the Darkness Capital, his younger sister reassembled the Astral Telescope in Grandia. As for the coffin engraved with dissonant runes, it was also put aside. As the power in Rhode and his younger sister changed, he felt like the day of him getting back his body was getting closer. This also meant that his younger sister would once again leave this world.

"It's fine, Big Brother. This surprise is considered the best present for me."

Lifting her head and gazing at the starry sky, the young lady said softly under her breath. She closed her eyes and stretched out her hand to feel the gentle wind whistling by. The radiance of the sun, the water droplets on the surface of the greenish leaf blades, the crisp, refreshing sound of the flowing creak in the near distance... Everything was coming to an end for her. Shortly after, the power inside her would vanish completely. As the final traces of the power of contrast were lifted, the state between them would automatically reset like how a computer would automatically restart after eliminating the last virus to complete the final step.

"I will surely think of a way to give you a body of your own."

Join AWEmpire Now!ad

"I trust you, Big Brother. But don't stress yourself over it... after all, it isn't easy."

Indeed, just as the young lady mentioned, this wasn't something easily-achievable. If it was only about creating a body with life, it wasn't hard for him as he had Lapis and Marlene around. The former possessed the prohibited alchemy techniques of the Behermes, while the latter could create 'humanoids', so it wasn't challenging for them to create bodies or robot-like magical puppets.

But the problem was the... soul.

No matter what, Rhode's younger sister was the first Void Dragon and her powerful strength wasn't easily supportable by just anything. If not, it wouldn't be necessary for the dragon soul heirs to be beings formed from the essence coalesced under the respective dragon soul protection to inherit the dragon soul. For instance, Christie. Even though she was the product of the essence between Rhode and his younger sister, the power she possessed wasn't tolerable for most humans. It was due to this reason that Christie was always sick and frail ever since birth. If Rhode were to randomly find a body as a vessel to inject his younger sister's soul, there was a high probability that she would end up like Christie. If that happened, the gains wouldn't make up for the losses. Unlike Cassidy, his younger sister was only a soul fragment. Rhode had discussed this with Alice, Lapis, and Marlene and the conclusion he got was that if he couldn't find a perfect body for her to recuperate her soul, she would be hurt even more and eventually turned into ashes completely. And that wasn't what Rhode wanted.

Time's up.

Rhode sensed his body slowly recovering its strength, weight, shape, and everything else. His spirit-like body took shape slowly. He could no longer float in midair due to the increasing weight and he descended to the surface gradually. In contrast, the young lady started lifting off the ground. She spread her arms apart like an angel, lifting her head and a bright, gentle radiance emanated from her body. Then, specks of light dust dispersed in all directions, bringing a dreamy, beautiful scene to this world. Rhode lifted his head, gazed at the young lady, and extended his arm to hold onto the fair, slender, and soft hand of hers.

The sensation felt as familiar and reminiscent as ever. The warmth from her palm. The gentle touch and scent. Everything was the same as he remembered. Rhode lifted his head and looked at the face that was identical to his. He sensed the touch in his hand gradually fading away as though something that was supposed to be drawn as a line of boundary, turned indistinct, and eventually vanished.

The radiance became brighter and as soon as he narrowed his eyes to the bright light, the warm, familiar touch in his hand disappeared. When he opened his eyes again, the young lady was no longer there and he finally returned to his usual self.

"It has ended..."

Gazing at his palm, Rhode let out a long sigh. He turned to the Astral Telescope and the pitch-black coffin under its supporting pillars had blended almost perfectly into the structure. But before that... Rhode stretched out his hand at this thought. Along with his action, a card in black and white contrast appeared in his hand. His expression turned odd as soon as he witnessed it.

Because that was, in fact, the Contrast Deity Warden, Cassidy.

Chapter 1080: The Bothersome Deity Warden

[Cassidy Viviani (Contrast Deity Warden) Offense 20 Defense 20: Unique Deity Warden. Unfuseable. Dominator of Contrast. Realm Reversal. Absolute Domination. Master of Order's rules. Skills—Force of Reversal (All things in the world perish and are born relative to each other)

Realm of Contrast (All things shall be reversed)

Deity Warden Authority (Release skills with absolute suppression properties)

Reflecting Mirror (All attacks targeting the holder will be reflected)

Fusion of Order (Chaos and Order will always be at the opposite end of balance)]

Cassidy's abilities weren't considered weak. Even though she seemed to possess only a few abilities, this actually proved that she didn't need any complicated supporting skills to display her true strength. Cassidy dominated with only one move and only a few people in this continent would be able to stop her. In fact, didn't Rhode also fall into her trap? This went to show that Cassidy's abilities were indeed terrifying and no wonder Marlene and Alice thought that she was only second to Christie among the six Deity Wardens.

Cassidy's abilities weren't hard to understand. They were simply the reversal of realms. She could transform anything into its respective presence in contrast, be it physical, magical, or conceptual. Everything was within the range of her transformation. Besides, she could also deflect all attacks and Rhode didn't manage to witness this ability during their battle. It seemed like this ability was only available for Cassidy in her 'perfect' form now. Fortunately, she wasn't able to use the ability in her soul fragment back then. If not, Rhode would have had a much harder time defeating her. Furthermore, what caught his attention was the final line of information. Although he did mention that Order and Chaos were relative, it was apparent that it had a deeper meaning as this spirit card specially mentioned it... Perhaps the relationship between Order and Chaos wasn't as simple as he thought.

But now, Rhode gazed at the card with a rather complicated emotion because just a few moments ago, his younger sister told him the reason why they 'switched places' due to the power of contrast. It was, in fact, due to the resonance caused by his younger sister's soul fragment. And now, after Cassidy was awakened by Rhode's spiritual power, she could no longer use the 'Realm of Contrast' to make him switch places with his younger sister. The reason was because her power had fused with Rhode and as her master, he would naturally be immune to her abilities.

In fact, Cassidy didn't leave a good first impression on Rhode. Moreover, he had also ridiculously fallen into her trap. Even though he didn't mention anything now, it was apparent from the fact that he didn't seal her up as one of the Ten Strongest Spirit Decks that he was discontent with her. No matter what, it was impossible for Rhode to have a nice impression of her after being tricked by her unconscious self.

But now, since she returned, Rhode had no reason to imprison her anymore. It was about time to release her. At this thought, he extended his hand and along with his movement, the black and white card with a mirror imprinted on it spun quickly. Then, a familiar system prompt appeared before his eyes.

[Detected Core Card. Confirm to join the Ten Strongest Spirit Decks?]

Yes.

Sweeping a glance at the system prompt, Rhode answered firmly. All of a sudden, a large, magical ritual consisting of three circles appeared with him in the middle. He tapped it gently with his right finger and the card of black and white flew toward the center of one of the circles engraved with strange symbols.

[Appointed Core Card. Base Position. Begin fusion]

Shortly after, the card of black and white emanated a dazzling brilliance and a petite figure could be seen appearing from within. Then, Cassidy emerged before him. But unlike what she looked like before, her rather revealing white, leather armor had transformed into a pure, white dress with long sleeves. She looked just like a girl from a wealthy family, which was a world of difference from her previous look of a wild warrior. But the same enormous sword that could be used for teppanyaki was still hanging on her back. Could this also be the result of the power of contrast?

"Ah... I-I... Greetings... Your Majesty..."

Cassidy seemed to have returned to normal... or perhaps not as she winced and addressed Rhode cautiously like a young lady being robbed by a hooligan in an empty alley. Her clearly disturbed gaze left Rhode completely speechless.

Do I really look like a bad person?

"Don't stand on ceremony, Cassidy."

Rhode responded and waved his hand airily. But to his surprise, Cassidy curled up at the sight of his moving hand and took several steps back instinctively. Judging from her reactions, Rhode seemed like a savage who whipped his slaves whenever he was in a bad mood, while Cassidy was the good-for-nothing slave whom he took his anger out on.

"... Are you okay, Cassidy? Do you know what is going on?"

Rhode crossed his arms, gazing helplessly at the young lady who retreated far away. He didn't know what he should ridicule her about at this point. He merely said one sentence and this Deity Warden scrambled away. Wouldn't she retreat to the edge of the hill if he spoke more? But this time, Cassidy didn't seem to have the intention to back off anymore. She lifted her head and gazed cautiously at Rhode. Then, she spoke with lingering fear.

"Yes, I have learned the specifics from Big Sister... I-I will work with you, Your Majesty Rhode. I..." As Cassidy spoke in uncertainty, she glanced to the left and right. Then, she turned to him with a worried expression. "... Your Majesty, although this is rude of me, can I ask if the other big sisters are..."

"I got it."

Looking at her behavior, Rhode didn't have any ways to deal with her, which was why he nodded helplessly and summoned Marlene through spiritual communication. Shortly after, a magical radiance flashed and Marlene emerged quickly. She looked at Rhode with a warm, joyous smile, before sweeping her glance to the Astral Telescope and pitch-black coffin, on which she paused her gaze for a few moments. Then, she turned to Cassidy who stood by the side. As soon as Cassidy saw Marlene, she spread her arms apart and pounced on her like a puppy who found its owner.

"Big Sister Margaret!"

"Cassidy?"

Even though Marlene had some impression of this young lady after awakening the Deity Warden's memories, she was startled to see such a huge reaction from her. Marlene spread her arms wide to embrace her, while lifting her head and gazing dubiously at Rhode because she saw clearly how Cassidy leaped into her arms with tears welled up in her eyes as though she were bullied. But apart from Rhode, there was nobody else.

"Rhode. She..."

"Bring her back and let her settle down first. We will talk about the details later."

Facing Marlene's doubts, Rhode didn't explain further because after witnessing Cassidy's reactions, he seemed to have realized something. On the other hand, Marlene didn't pester him for an answer. Instead, she nodded and a magical radiance flashed in the blink of an eye and the two young ladies were nowhere to be seen. After they were no longer around, Rhode, who was crossing his arms, knitted his brows and spoke.

"I have something to ask you."

"Big Brother... what is it?"

Compared to Rhode's ice-cold voice, his younger sister's voice was as gentle as always and he could easily detect the vitality in her voice. Based on his understanding of her, he knew exactly what this meant from her and he let out a snort: "Frankly, there seems to be some problems with Cassidy's personality... You should know what I mean."

"It seems like you've managed to find out the truth, Big Brother."

Rhode heard the crisp laughter from his younger sister.

"Yes, Cassidy's personality... Honestly, I was once worried that she couldn't get along with others. So just in case, my original self added an insurance when creating her and that was... Cassidy is afraid of men. In other words, this Deity Warden has a 'male phobia'..."

"... Will everything really be fine?"

"Don't worry, there won't be any issues~ Big Brother, I suppose with your strength, you can save her from the predicament."

Rhode let out a long sigh in response.

Chapter 1081: An Invitation from Hell

After awakening Cassidy, Rhode's matters on hand came to an end. Next, he had to focus his attention on reaching his ultimate goal: the grand and glorious project of transporting the entire continent to an alternate world. Before he could do that, he needed cooperation from many places. Apart from the dragon soul heirs, he also needed the support of the four main elemental lords, Seven Fantasy Boundaries, and hell. His negotiations with the dragon soul heirs hadn't started yet, but he had decided to adopt the strategy that the forefathers used to 'surround the cities from the countryside'. As long as the other places agreed to help, he would have more power in speaking terms with the three other Creator Dragons. Besides, this plan required teleportation devices to be set up in all the cores of the various places as nodes. Without their support, this plan would fall at the last hurdle.

After the communications, the news that came thereafter was exhilarating.

With Gillian around, convincing the other three elemental lords wasn't that difficult. Even though Gillian wasn't a 'standard' elemental lord, according to her, she was reborn with the identity of the 'fire elemental lord', so naturally, she gained the identity of one. Even though the three other elemental lords weren't that interested, they didn't object to the idea as long as Rhode was willing to pay a certain price for it.

There also wasn't any issue from the Seven Fantasy Boundaries. Just as Rhode thought, the so-called six Deity Wardens were rulers of the Seven Fantasy Boundaries. Christie managed the Astral Temple. Marlene controlled the Steel Land. Alice dominated the Forgotten Land. Cassidy was the ruler of the Shade Forest. As long as Rhode found and awakened the remaining two Deity Wardens of the Silver Ocean and Fiery Plains, six of the seven realms would be under his control. The only thing that puzzled him was that it was known as the Seven Fantasy Boundaries and yet, it was ruled by only six Deity Wardens. So who was in charge of the Shadow Ravine?

Be it Gillian, the six Deity Wardens, or his younger sister, no one had an answer for it. They only implied that he would learn the answer after awakening and gathering all six Deity Wardens... In that case, he found it unnecessary to demand an answer now.

As for the pitch-black coffin engraved with dissonant symbols, Rhode tried to lift the seal off the hibernating spirit, but his efforts were in vain. Then, he learned from his younger sister that if he wanted to awaken this holy sword spirit, he had to do it on a relatively special day of the stars. Therefore, he decisively threw this thought to the back of his head and stopped caring about it.

However, not all news he received was good news.

"You're saying... there are some problems from the Ninth Floor of Hell?"

"Hmph...!"

Upon hearing Rhode's doubt, even though Celestina was dissatisfied, she gnashed her teeth and nodded with an ashen expression.

"That's right, that damn, old bast*rd... I specially gave him respect this time and yet, he actually... damn that scoundrel... Alright, Master. I admit that the old bast*rd was reasonable. But... fine..." Celestina let out a helpless sigh and spread her arms apart. "All in all, Master, after we defeated Chaos and they sneaked away like rats covering their heads, Chaos only dares to wreak havoc in hell now and is afraid of coming to the main plane to cause trouble. According to that old fart, hell has given everything to resist Chaos and devils. Even though he very much wishes to assist you in your grand project... Hmph! If only he is really that loyal! In other words, Master, that old fart's request is for us to assist them in eradicating the devils and recover lost ground. Only then they will assist us in accomplishing the project."

"Recover lost ground?"

Rhode knitted his brows slightly. He sharply detected the loophole in Celestina's words.

"Is the situation really that bad in hell?"

The battle between demons and devils had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years. Both sides were in a to-and-fro tussle with every war resulting in millions of casualties. There were all sorts of creatures who died in the bloody war: demons, devils, humans, angels, elves, dwarves, and the numbers were countless like the stars in the night sky. Be it victory or defeat in this massive war, it would inevitably lead to a new wave of retaliation. Almost every inch of land in hell and the abyss was fought over after sacrificing hundreds of millions of creatures. In other words, even though one might say a few broken pieces of stones, they might possibly be part of the 'lost ground'. Of course, as for who the land belonged to, it was no longer within considerations.

Coquette Aesthetic: How To Replicate Lana Del Rey's Style?ad

Most creatures on the main plane weren't aware of this, but the players knew about it clearly. Even though it was 'officially assigned' that there were only five beings as the dragon soul heirs, there should actually be six of them who had the right to rule the continent. The main reason why most people weren't aware of it was that the Creator Dragons wanted to avoid faltering the faith of their people. The other reason was that since the 'sixth' wasn't a dragon, the 'sixth' couldn't be categorized as a 'Creator Dragon'. It was as though no matter how gigantic a whale was, it would still be categorized as a mammal instead of a fish. This was why when people mentioned the ruler of the 'fish', no one brought up the whales.

When there was light, there would be shadows, just as every country had its unknown dark side. For the Ninth Floor of Hell, it was the Dragon Soul Continent—the dark side where Order was created in Chaos. The demon lords hidden in the Ninth Floor of Hell were the owners and also the rulers of the continent's underworld. Be it the dark elves, demons, vampires, or others, as long as they lived in the Ninth Floor of Hell, the dark underworld of death blazing in flames and covered in blood, they would tremble in fear as long as they heard the taboo name. They might even cover their mouth subconsciously, gaze to the left and right attentively to protect themselves from inadvertently offending the rules and being punished.

In this situation, for Celestina to mention 'recover lost ground', it was either a joke or the situation was indeed that terrible.

"Who knows? I don't think the situation is that bad. But at least from what I saw, the gray ruins have indeed fallen to the enemies."

Celestina said, knitting her brows and her scarlet eyes glinted in several flashes.

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you're not willing to accept his request, Master. As long as I'm around, the project will go on smoothly, I suppose..." Celestina paused. It was apparent that she also knew it was impossible. Although she had enough 'reputation' in the Ninth Floor of Hell for now, time was lost, after all. During the years of her absence in the underworld, the forces that belonged to her had all disbanded. Right now, even if she were to return to hell and gather some miscellaneous troops, it would be meaningless. Moreover, in Rhode's plan, the node of hell was essential. Besides, for safety during the teleportation, a part of hell would also be given up and this wasn't something the demons would be glad to witness. Furthermore, after leaving the main plane, the demons would lose their sworn enemies and no one was sure what would happen to hell thereafter. In this case, if Rhode couldn't receive the permission from the ruler of the Ninth Floor of Hell, everything he worked for would be for naught. The result was totally imaginable because the failure of his plan would not bring many benefits to the demons, but more disadvantages instead. Besides, any transactions with demons had to be carried out meticulously. If not, one would never gain the result one was hoping for.

But who could also be sure that those guys were that devoted to hell? Why wouldn't they do it if they could drag this newly-appointed Void Dragon down and enjoy the casual times of the main plane?

Even though Rhode had thought of the possible issues when raising this proposal, the current problem had apparently exceeded his expectations. It seemed like he had to send people to hell and follow in accordance with Celestina assisting the demons reclaim their lost land in the bloody war and ensuring the original state of balance was restored. But no one could confirm if it was a scam or whether the demons were plotting ways to trick and manipulate him. After all, demons could never be trusted. They followed some kind of rules in which they acknowledged and in fact, it wasn't really that case. Any self-righteous person might possibly be bound by the vows of the Baator Hell forever and one couldn't leave that place and return to this world in eternity.

If it was possible, Rhode didn't want to send any of his men to hell. He wasn't willing to lead his team there either because it was exhausting to communicate with the lords from hell. He would rather bring a large group of players and defeat 800 floors of the abyss than discuss in the back room with a demon lord some conspiracies and tricks that might not be of benefit to either side.

But it seemed like he didn't have any other choice if he wished for the demons to assist in his project.