"A coup with only one scheming elder ending up dead—this could easily be adapted into a movie. I guess Nian's influence is rubbing off on me."
Pushing open the hotel window and gazing down at the smiling citizens of Shereg, basking in the sunlight of the distant Holy Mountain, Daniel Davis couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
It had been three days since the Snow Mountain Incident. In the wake of the divine miracle known as Yelagun's "Heaven-Opening," Shereg had swiftly unified. The three noble families had formally ceded their territorial authority and all related powers to Saint Enya.
Of course, that was only on paper. In truth, Shereg was now divided into two major factions—Enya and Enciodes. One governed internal affairs, the other external. Though they were siblings and both agreed that Shereg must open itself to the world, they had vastly different visions for how to do so.
Saint Enya had already begun receiving foreign merchants—starting, naturally, with Rhodes Island. She was deeply concerned about Shereg's Oripathy issues. Other business groups had met with her as well, including Daniel, representing Chernobog.
SilverAsh appeared optimistic and showed no signs of obstructing these moves. The outcome of the Snow Mountain Incident had significantly impacted his own philosophy.
"This is the point where a giant monster should appear, forcing the two sides to join forces to defeat it. The Snowy Ghosts would be perfect."
Inside the room, Nian muttered thoughtfully as she watched the recording of Nearl's battle with the Black Knight. Her comment left Daniel speechless. No wonder Xi accused her of being absurd—giant monsters were fine, but if every movie had one, it would be too much.
Still, Nian found endless joy in it. If left unchecked, she might just create an entire kaiju film franchise.
"Alright, send me back. I've got inspiration again."
"Okay."
Seeing her expression, Daniel could already guess the kind of inspiration she'd had. But he said nothing, simply opening the Gate of Arcane Method and sending her back to Chernobog.
Xi had left even earlier. After meeting Yelagun, she had returned immediately—to binge-watch her dramas.
Daniel hadn't asked what Nian and Xi had discussed with Yelagun, but he could guess. They were likely surprised by each other's existence and then left it at that. Unlike their troublesome second brother, Nian and Xi weren't here to stir trouble—just curious about meeting a fellow kind.
"Looks like Rhodes Island is planning one last shopping spree before they leave. But to think she would show up too… Is this what they call 'not meeting, not clashing'?"
As the Snow Mountain incident concluded, Rhodes Island prepared to depart. Before leaving, its operators were finally able to rest and stroll through Shereg.
Unexpectedly, the Black Knight, Mace, had joined them—and seemed to be getting along well with Nearl.
"Not bad business instincts… though still a bit inexperienced."
The streets were now filled with Mandragon-themed merchandise—including portraits of Saint Enya, bells, and more. Oddly, there were no figurines yet—likely because no one had thought of it.
Daniel figured it wouldn't take long before Saint Enya figurines hit the shelves—maybe even limited editions.
"This one was personally blessed by Her Holiness!"
Hearing a merchant say that while pointing to a bell almost made Daniel laugh. Truly, merchants are the most adaptable profession.
This one clearly had a sharp mind—his shop was filled exclusively with Saint Enya-themed goods. His portraits showed her in all sorts of poses—there was even one of her shaking hands with SilverAsh, the picture of harmony.
This was what most people in Shereg believed at that moment. After all, they were siblings. With the two of them leading Shereg, surely the land would thrive.
Little did they know, what Saint Enya probably wanted most was to whack SilverAsh with her sacred bell.
Before leaving Shereg for good, Daniel finally met with SilverAsh. He had been the busiest of all—handling the opening of lands from both the Perrocci and Brauntail families.
Yet he took no retaliatory actions against them—aside from requiring their lands to be opened, he did nothing excessive.
"A pleasure doing business."
Earlier, SilverAsh had come to Chernobog to forge a partnership. Now it was Daniel's turn to solidify an agreement in Shereg—mainly concerning the supply of food and daily necessities.
These were scarce in Shereg. Due to its geography, Shereg's agriculture lagged far behind even Ursus—which at least had industry to compensate. Shereg had nothing of the sort.
Even the Saintess's diet was limited in variety. Only with the rise of Kjerag Trade did this begin to improve.
Still, SilverAsh had always sought ways for Shereg to become self-sufficient. After all, food was a fundamental survival resource—it couldn't be left in the hands of others.
That was the focus of Daniel's cooperation. Of course, Shereg lacked the space for expansion. Though SilverAsh respected his homeland, it wasn't Yan or Rhodes Island.
Nevertheless, with Daniel's support, Shereg's agriculture would surely make great strides.
"I didn't expect Kazdel's situation to be so complicated. Amiya has a tough road ahead. But one thing puzzles me… Why wasn't the Demon King's legacy passed to Theresis?"
Looking over intelligence from Yan regarding Kazdel, Daniel fell into deep thought. The reality there was far more complex than he had imagined.
And the lingering question: why wasn't Theresis the heir to the Demon King?
If he had been, perhaps the civil war between him and Theresa could have been avoided. With Theresis's abilities and the Demon King's power, unifying the Sarkaz would've been much easier. Even now, without the Demon King's power, the Kazdel Military Commission, the Court of Kings, and even the Elders' Council all seemed to support him.
"Could it be… the Demon King's power is only passed to daughters?"
The thought crossed his mind—but Daniel quickly dismissed it. Kazdel's monarchy had never been gender-restricted.
"Forget it. Things will play out naturally. Time to shift focus to the Kazimierz Major Tournament. What race should I use? I'll stick with a Kjerag."
Putting away the Kazdel intel, Daniel summoned a Wood-Style Shadow Clone—one with Kjerag features.
"Little guy, I finally understand why humans can create so much. Even when things look unchanged, they shift drastically. Anyway, it's been too long—I don't even know if they're done. You handle this from here. I'm off."
With that, Nian vanished from Xi's painting scroll.
"I wish I could be like you, wandering freely, carefree… But now's not the time for leisure."
Watching her disappear, Daniel shook his head and resumed his studies. After sending the shadow clone to the tournament, he had dragged Nian into Xi's painting scroll to discuss smithing and metallurgy—taking advantage of the scroll's accelerated time.
At first, Nian hadn't minded. But as time passed, she grew restless. As a divine being, mastery of such skills came as naturally as eating or drinking.
Still, under Daniel's insistence, she stayed with him in the scroll for half a month—though in real time, it was only half a day.
Time flowed very differently inside Xi's scroll. Sagao had spent ten years there, yet only a season had passed outside. One month inside equaled one day outside, and during that time, the user would not age at all.
It was a perfect learning tool. Yan's failure to recognize Xi's value, in Daniel's view, was a mistake. Sagao's impressive achievements were not just due to her temperament, but also her ten years of scroll training.
"Time to wrap up the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements. But over 1,400 degrees… I really can't test that now. Maybe someday."
After Nian left, Daniel organized his notes and set the Divine Machine project aside. The past half-month had greatly advanced his control of flame and crafting techniques—both crucial to smithing. In this field, Nian was an expert.
Still, recalling some of Nian's teasing during their time together left Daniel speechless. Of course he had thoughts—she was undeniably beautiful—but sadly, that beauty had magma flowing through her veins.
It was frustrating. He'd trained his body diligently—surrounded by powerful people, he couldn't afford to be weak. But even now, it clearly wasn't enough.
Technically, he could endure magma temperatures—but this wasn't combat. What if he let his guard down? One mistake… and his "thing" might be gone. Even if he could regenerate limbs now, that was one scene he never wanted to experience.
It was the kind of trauma that could scar the mind.
"Maybe I should forge an artifact for… No. If anyone found out what it was for, I'd die of embarrassment. Better wait until I'm stronger. For now, I'll look for Xi."
The fleeting idea was dismissed immediately. He sought Xi not for that—but to discuss time-space mechanics within the scroll. After all, he also wielded temporal and spatial abilities.
Unfortunately, Xi's powers—like Nian's—were innate. She had never studied them. To her, enhancing her painting was all that mattered. That alone would elevate her strength.
Still, even without technical knowledge, Xi gave Daniel some valuable direction. She even gifted him one of her scrolls—something she rarely did.
Obtaining one of Xi's painting scrolls was akin to acquiring a high-level artifact. And one of the rare time-space type, at that. Based on his estimates, it would likely function even in other worlds.
It wasn't ideal for cultivation—but perfect for studying.
"Too bad Ling's not around. I'd love to debate the Dao with her."
Among Nian, Xi, and Ling, the latter had the highest cultivation and resonated most with Daoist philosophy. A conversation with her would've been an extraordinary experience.
"Nine sent a message. Tensions in Victoria are escalating—conflict between Infected and non-Infected is worsening."
In Chernobog's conference room, the core leaders of Reunion had gathered. Faust was reporting on major events across Terra—mainly regarding the Infected.
Since Chernobog had been officially recognized, Nine's group had reconnected. Perhaps they realized Talulah was genuinely working for the Infected's cause. Of course, they also asked for support—which Talulah readily provided.
The Reunion forces Nine led had grown significantly after many battles.
"Victoria, huh? I'll need to speak with the Doctor and Kal'tsit."
Daniel glanced at Talulah's draconic horns. Given her lineage, she was fully qualified to vie for Victoria's Twin Thrones.
But that would also require a talk with Rhodes Island—since they too had a candidate: the Heir to the Throne, Vina, an Aslan.
The Twin Thrones of Victoria were created when the Dracos and Aslans signed a shared rule pact. No one expected both bloodlines to end up scattered—with the capital now controlled by a Sarkaz.
Daniel understood Talulah well. She had no interest in ruling Victoria. But if he told her doing so would help the Infected… she might just compete for the throne.
As for Vina, Daniel wasn't sure how she viewed the crown. The fall of the Twin Bloodlines was due to their internal war.
The ancestors of the Twin Thrones once fought to claim power. But their descendants had no such drive.
"Let them talk it out themselves."
After Daniel shared the situation with the Doctor and Kal'tsit, the latter remained silent for a while before offering this suggestion.
"That works too."
Daniel agreed. How the heirs viewed the throne was their business—outsiders had no say.
"What do you know about the situation in Kazimierz?"
After finishing the discussion on Victoria, Kal'tsit suddenly changed the subject.
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