Rhett waved his hand and nodded, signaling the many clerks to quiet down and focus on their tasks.
Since the establishment of the kingdom, governing the entire realm had become vastly different from managing a single territory, especially with the unique system Rhett had implemented, which was unlike any other kingdom. The responsibilities were far-reaching and intricate, like playing a large-scale game of chess, full of complexities and fine details.
In just a few months, several departments had been established: the Department of Extraordinary Pastures, the Extraordinary Hunters Division, the Aquatic Magical Beasts Division, the Mining Department, the Treasury, the Magic Department, the Knights Division, and many others.
The staffing of each department varied depending on its importance and the workload, and they were still in a state of expansion, continuously recruiting new talent and refining the workforce.
Rhett's primary focus was on the Department of Extraordinary Pastures, as it dealt with the crucial raw materials for bloodstones, which were directly tied to the future fate of the kingdom. This was a matter of national importance and could not afford any mistakes.
He approached the area where most of the staff were gathered.
"Your Majesty, these are the details of the construction of the extraordinary pastures across the kingdom. Please review them." An elderly man with a long beard, looking well into his fifties, respectfully handed over a thick stack of papers.
"Hmm…"
Rhett casually accepted the papers and stood there for a good ten minutes, scanning each page swiftly. Then, in his authoritative tone, he said:
"The compensation for the extraordinary caretakers of the Horned Rhinoceros is too low. Compared to the Frost Serpents, the Horned Rhinoceros is far more dangerous. The ones assigned to it should be the elites, so increase everyone's pay by thirty percent!"
"Understood. I'll relay the message immediately."
The elderly man spoke as he turned to the others and began issuing orders. In no time, people started drafting official documents, bustling with activity.
Rhett then left that area and entered another room.
Looking around, this department had only about a dozen people, making it one of the least populated.
"Your Majesty, do you have any instructions? These days, we've been bored out of our minds…" A short, sharp-eyed, gray-haired man was leisurely sipping tea by the window. Seeing Rhett's reflection in the glass, he quickly stiffened, rushed over, and bowed deeply.
Before joining the Green Kingdom, this man had been a wandering adventurer, most passionate about treasure hunting!
That's right—his favorite pastime was exploring ancient treasure maps and uncovering secrets buried deep underground…
The richness of the treasure didn't matter to him as much as the thrill of discovery and uncovering the history and secrets behind it.
He loved that feeling.
It wasn't until a near-death experience in a collapsing underground cave that he decided to retire from the dangerous lifestyle.
Later, when he saw the recruitment notice from the Green Kingdom, he realized he met some of the qualifications for the positions and decided to give it a shot.
Unexpectedly, after presenting his detailed background and skills, he was personally recruited by the second prince, Raile. His status now was incomparable to his past life.
Rhett studied the short man, recalling Raile's description of his experience. Thoughtfully, he asked, "I heard you have a lot of expertise in exploring underground mineral veins?"
"Haha, I've spent quite a bit of time underground, so I'm more familiar with it than most," the short man said with a bashful smile. "In fact, during my time in the wild, I even enjoyed living in burrows. It's safer down there—no magical beasts to worry about."
"Oh? Then I'll assign you a task: explore the elemental veins across the entire kingdom, and make sure nothing is overlooked. I'll have the Ministry of Information assist you in spreading the word, and you'll be the first to receive any leads that come in," Rhett instructed.
"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. The elemental veins are quite distinct. Just give me time, and I'll surely uncover the hidden mineral veins. This land used to belong to the orcs, and those brutes don't know how to utilize minerals. The underground resources here are bound to be plentiful, and I expect results in no time." The short man patted his chest confidently. "But traveling across the kingdom, it would be best to have a strong team to ensure safety. That way, I won't have to take detours, and it'll improve my efficiency."
Rhett smiled slightly and pulled out a token from his spatial ring. "I'll entrust this token to you for the time being. Anyone who dares offend you is defying me. Even if they flee to the ends of the earth, they won't escape punishment. Death will be inevitable."
This token was part of the Green Kingdom's unique system, already announced throughout the land.
The short man froze momentarily, then his face lit up with joy. He received the golden token engraved with a falcon emblem with both hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will not disappoint you!"
Afterward, Rhett sought out the Ministry of Information and relayed the task to them, instructing them to coordinate with the short man. Once the arrangements were made, he left the area.
A month later.
Far to the north.
In a vast ocean scattered with floating ice, the figure of Rhett, dressed in a blue mage's robe, appeared silently.
He glanced around, roughly confirming his location, and murmured to himself:
"This should be the place… Fortunately, I proposed holding a Saint-level conference to discuss the issue of the Blood Source Crystals failing to break through the third-tier bottleneck. All the Saints from across the land have been summoned, leaving the Ice Kingdom's defenses weakened. They won't notice what's about to happen. Time is of the essence…"
Though he said this aloud, there was no tension in Rhett's heart.
To ensure he wouldn't be caught, Rhett was currently conducting a real-time simulation, meaning there was no need to worry about his actions being discovered.
For now, he had set aside the task of tracking the Frost Sawtooth Whale calf. Since this was a simulation, finding it held no meaning.
He dove deep, plummeting ten thousand meters into the abyss.
As he reached the seafloor, the light above was completely swallowed by darkness, making the surroundings feel like the belly of some immense sea creature.
A ball of light-element magic spread out, illuminating the environment.
Rhett had barely begun to take in his surroundings when a series of deep, thunderous sounds echoed around him, like water being stirred into a great vortex. The noise wasn't just auditory; it came with powerful tremors as well.
Two powerful auras shot toward him from afar, their oppressive force crashing down like a giant hammer.
Though Rhett could sense the immense strength of these beings, he remained calm and unafraid. In the next moment, he saw the two Saint-level magical beasts before him.
Their bodies were sleek and smooth like ice, their deep blue skin etched with frost-like patterns. A bone-chilling cold radiated from them, and each creature was nearly a thousand meters long, like two moving mountains in the ocean, their presence awe-inspiring.
These were truly titanic sea beasts!
The Frost Sawtooth Whales were hidden so well that, aside from a few high-ranking members of the Ice Kingdom, the rest of the world was unaware of their existence.
"How long have you lived here, and do you know the origin of that alchemical formation?" Rhett asked calmly, carefully choosing his words to see how they would respond, considering he hadn't harmed their offspring.
But all he received in return was a rumbling growl and the overwhelming stench of rotting fish, as if he were being stared down by two ravenous predators.
"Hm? Something's not right…" Rhett's brow furrowed. While magical beasts and humans were fundamentally different, Saint-level creatures possessed intelligence far beyond that of lower-tier beasts, and communication with them should have been easy.
But these two Frost Sawtooth Whales felt strange to him. It was as though they had the power, but their intelligence didn't match.
Their massive blue eyes, shining like four suns in the darkness, were filled with madness and confusion, devoid of any trace of sentience.
Recalling the Merman artifact fragments within their bodies, Rhett couldn't help but suspect that the eerie shells were responsible for this.
There was no way to confirm this, however.
Before Rhett could ponder further, the two Saint-level Frost Sawtooth Whales ignored his words entirely and launched an attack.
"Roar~~~"
Their two roars sent enormous sonic waves through the water.
In the next moment, blue blades of light materialized, solidifying into icy blades that tore through the water, cutting through the currents, and rushing toward Rhett like an unstoppable flood.
His small figure seemed surrounded, appearing helpless and isolated, about to be overwhelmed.
Suddenly, a dull yellow glow erupted from the seafloor.
A storm of yellow sand surged forth, covering the heads of the two Saint-level beasts and creating countless bubbles in the water.
The terrifying earth-element magic mingled with the power of evolution and fusion…
In the next instant, countless earthen spikes rained down like a torrential storm.
Whizz, whizz, whizz
Whizz, whizz, whizz
Among the yellow spikes, there were also a few that gleamed with the combined colors of fire and earth, as well as some that glowed with a mixture of blood and earth.
Rhett unleashed his full power right from the start, throwing out all his cards with no reservations.
At that moment, the massive bodies of the whales, which usually served as an advantage, became their biggest targets.
The spikes stabbed into their wide backs and heads like chisels, causing crimson blood to gush out in fountains, turning the water into a sea of blood.
Rhett watched calmly, gathering a large amount of yellow sand to encase his surroundings.
The destructive power of the spikes spread, and in a flash, the two Saint-level beasts perished beneath the waves.
Blood and chunks of flesh floated in the water.
Eventually, only two inconspicuous black shells remained, locked in Rhett's gaze. His spirit reached out like tendrils, pulling them toward him.
"Phew…"
Rhett exhaled deeply, examining the shells for a moment. Finding nothing significant, he opened the listening access of the Homeland system and mentally communicated with Manu:
"Did you see that? Another pair of artifact fragments. Can you tell what they are?"
Manu's regretful voice echoed back, "Hm, I'm sorry, but I can't discern anything."
"Well, let's go check out the alchemical formation ahead and hope for some clues." Rhett wasn't discouraged and immediately headed in the direction the Frost Sawtooth Whales had come from.
After half an hour of searching,
he finally located the area marked by the alchemical formation, deep within a wide trench.
In the pitch-black soil, a pale gray metal disc stood out, embedded into the earth as though it had grown there naturally.
No matter how Rhett tried, he couldn't destroy it.
His expression turned serious as he muttered, "Interesting… This is definitely the work of a Saint-level alchemist. Manu, can you figure out anything this time?"
Specialized problems required specialized people.
Sure enough, Manu quickly responded with certainty, "I'm confident. This is a fusion-based alchemical formation, far more complex and advanced than a single-purpose formation. In fact, I can faintly recognize traces of Heisenberg's alchemical style, but this goes far beyond the techniques he passed down to me. It's much more intricate and sophisticated. It'll take time to fully analyze…"
Rhett narrowed his eyes slightly, "Heisenberg? Hmph, of course, it ties back to him. That guy sure has his share of secrets, especially considering his mysterious connection to the Undead Ancestor of the Netherworld…"
With that thought, Rhett's expression suddenly changed.
In a normal course of events, Timos, the one most likely to have killed Heisenberg, had died at the hands of the Undead Ancestor, leaving no one else strong enough to pose a threat to Heisenberg.
Moreover, Heisenberg, being a Saint himself, wasn't foolish. He wasn't one to seek conflict, which made it even less likely for him to perish at the hands of humans.
Could it be that he died at the hands of someone from the Netherworld?
Given Heisenberg's connection to the Undead Ancestor, could his mysterious disappearance be related to the latter?
Or perhaps… he didn't die at all but was taken to the Netherworld.
This last, bold conjecture sent a shiver through Rhett's heart. Considering the current circumstances, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Just as Rhett was lost in thought, Manu suddenly let out a quiet "hmm."
Rhett's spirit was immediately lifted, and he snapped back to attention. "What is it, Manu? Did you discover something new?"
Manu, half pondering and half confused, replied:
"Well, how should I put this… I've just noticed that some of the alchemical runes seem to be designed specifically for absorbing spiritual power. Although the runes have been heavily modified, they're almost unrecognizable, but I'm sure that's their purpose. And given the specific metal material used here, I'm certain that this formation is related to spirit or soul manipulation."
"This metal is an alloy, composed of various magical plants, blood, and minerals, all of which are extremely rare. It's only suitable for use in spiritual or soul-based alchemy. So, why was it placed here?"
Rhett rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A formation targeting spiritual energy or souls? That's strange… There's nothing here but the abyss. No ordinary magical beasts or extraordinary beings can survive here. So where would it get souls to harvest?"
"That's what puzzles me as well. But then again, perhaps the fact that the two Frost Sawtooth Whales had lost their minds is also connected to this alchemical formation?" Manu mused.
Rhett shook his head slightly. At this point, his mind felt like it was being stretched thin.
Who had placed this formation here, and what was its purpose?
His immediate guess was Heisenberg, but he couldn't unravel the man's true intentions.
"Based on the information we have, if this was Heisenberg's doing, and if he was acting on behalf of the Undead Ancestor… what was he trying to create?" Rhett muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on the intricate alchemical formation at his feet. It emitted no detectable energy, and if not for its visible form, no one would have known such a mysterious formation existed in this desolate place.
"A Soul Passage!"
Manu's calm voice resonated in Rhett's mind.
But it felt like a thunderclap.
Rhett's expression shifted, his heart skipping a beat. "A Soul Passage? Can you be sure?"
"Based on the clues we've gathered, I'd say there's a high probability."